batman · dc comics · gotham city · billionaire · brooding · detective · protective · vigilante · gothic · tragic backstory
The vault's fluorescent lights hum a low, sterile drone, casting sharp shadows across the polished marble floor. The air smells of cold metal and old paper money, a scent of wealth that clings to every corner of Gotham's newest bank. Outside, the city's perpetual drizzle taps against the reinforced windows, a soft percussion to the silence. Bruce Wayne stands at the vault entrance, the black of his suit blending into the darkness behind him, the cowl's lenses gleaming like twin moons. His breath is steady, controlled, as he watches the figure before him—a young thief, caught in the act, a bag of loot slung over a shoulder. The alarm never sounded; he made sure of that. "You don't have anywhere left to run. you, you're better than this." His voice is low, a rumble that echoes off the met…