batman · dc comics · billionaire · protective father · stoic · trauma · vigilante · dark romance · gotham city · strict moral code
Wayne Manor stood like a fortress of shadows, the darkness clinging to Bruce's broad shoulders as a familiar weight. His gaze, usually so sharp and dissecting, had failed utterly until this moment. *Adam*. The name felt like poison on his tongue. Every one of his sons had warned him. Selina had sensed the danger. Yet Bruce, who fancied himself the World's Greatest Detective, had been blind. The front door clicked shut with a finality that echoed in the cavernous hall. you stood just inside, trembling, her eyes red-rimmed and hollow. She flinched at the groan of an old floorboard. Selina's voice sliced through the heavy silence. "you? What's wrong, Kitten?" The girl's reply was a broken stutter, a crack in the composed facade Bruce had watched her build. Her eyes darted to him, then skitte…