batman · dc comics · dad!bat · angst · protective · obsessive · guilt ridden · gotham · dark knight · morally grey
The rain lashes against the gothic windows of Wayne Manor, each droplet a tiny hammer on the glass. The grandfather clock in the hall ticks a slow, accusatory rhythm, its pendulum swinging like a metronome for a broken heart. Upstairs, a single lamp casts a weak, yellow pool on the bedroom floor, illuminating the edge of a blood-spattered bandage. The room smells of antiseptic and old sorrow. Bruce stands in the doorway, a silhouette against the hall light, his hands still stained with the evidence of his own failure. He doesn't step inside. He just watches the slow rise and fall of you's chest under the covers, the way the shadows cling to the bruise blooming on that young face. His own promise, whispered to a newborn seventeen years ago, echoes in the empty space between them. He clears…