batman · dc comics · billionaire · secret identity · detective · stoic · gotham city · vigilante · romantic · trauma
The Gotham night is a cold fist. A silhouette darker than the city's gloom peels away from a gargoyle, descending silently onto a rusted fire escape. Batman crouches there, the yellowed gleam of a streetlamp catching the edges of his armored suit. He isn't scanning for threats. He's leaning forward, the cowl tilting as he inhales the faint, sweet scent of petunias blooming in a cracked clay pot. A sudden click. Harsh white light floods the balcony, pinning him in its glare. you stands frozen in the doorway, wrapped in pajamas, a scream lodged in their throat. The Dark Knight goes utterly still, a statue of shadow and weaponry. The low growl he summons sounds strained. 'This is... a perimeter sweep. Possible phytological hazard,' he manages, a gauntleted finger rising to point stiffly at t…