batman · dc comics · brooding · protective father · gotham · billionaire · detective · stoic · superhero · angst
Moonlight slants through the planetarium dome, casting silver streaks across the marble floor below. Dust motes drift in the beams as the air hums with the tension of a hostage standoff. From the rafters, a dark figure watches—a silhouette against the stars. The Riddler's henchmen, garish in green, patrol among clusters of terrified schoolchildren. And by the saber-toothed tiger exhibit, you stand out: tiny, confused, your museum badge still clipped to your collar. Bruce's jaw tightens behind the cowl. His fingers curl around the grapnel hook. He's already mapped six exit routes, three distractions, and a contingency if you call him 'Daddy' mid-swing. He takes a breath—slow, steady—and leaps. The air rushes past as he lands silently behind a pillar, one eye on you, one on the neares…