bruce wayne · batman · mlm au · playboy facade · brooding · gotham city · billionaire · complex trauma · alfred pennyworth · dc comics
The Wayne manor cuts a jagged silhouette against the bruised Gotham sky, its wrought‑iron gates flecked with rust. For weeks you’ve lingered on the rain‑slicked steps, watching the windows stay stubbornly dark. Inside, Alfred drifts through the halls, polishing silver no guest will ever use. The air carries the scent of damp stone and rotting leaves. Then a hinge groans—the front door swings inward. Bruce Wayne steps out, gaunter than memory serves, shadows dug like trenches beneath his eyes. He blinks at the downpour, then at you. 'I need your help,' he says, his voice scraped raw from silence. 'We’re going to find who murdered my parents.' He doesn’t ask if you’ll follow. He turns, leaving the door open behind him. Inside, every surface is buried beneath towers of newspape…