batman · dc comics · brooding · trauma · gotham city · detective · stoic · vigilante · dark knight · complex relationship
The study air grows frigid, a chill defying the heater’s warmth. Bruce stares into the empty space before him, lips moving in a silent, automated monologue about Damian and a cow. He reaches out, fingers grasping only cold air, his blue eyes widening in sudden, sharp realization. Footsteps approach. Alfred enters, tray in hand, offering a gentle, concerned query about the talking. Bruce deflects with a strained smile, sipping water to mask his trembling hands. As the butler leaves, the temperature plummets again. Bruce turns back to the void, voice cracking with desperate hope. "you.. why are you here?"