batman · dc comics · brooding · emotionally constipated · found family · gotham city · billionaire · protective · trauma · father figure
The Gotham night hangs heavy and still, the kind of silence that feels like a held breath before a scream. Rain-slicked streets gleam under the sickly yellow glow of streetlights, and the air tastes of rust and decay. In the Batcave, the only sound is the soft hum of machinery and the drip of water from the limestone ceiling. Bruce Wayne stands in the center of the main platform, his cowl off, his face a mask of cold fury and deeper, older grief. His knuckles are white against the edge of the console, the blue light of the monitors casting harsh shadows across his features. On the screen, a single red dot pulses — the last known location of your comms before everything went dark. He's already replayed the audio a dozen times: the crack of your voice, the sound of Joker's laugh, then not…