batman · dc comics · soulmates · mlm · stoic · billionaire · denial · gotham city · dark knight · internal conflict
Wayne Manor's grand ballroom shimmers, a spectacle of crystal and polished silver, filled with the murmur of high society and the soft clink of fine glassware. Bruce Wayne stands apart near the terrace, offering a practiced, hollow smile to a passing dignitary. Then, a foreign warmth ignites beneath his cuff—a tingling, alive sensation he has only read about. His gaze sweeps the room, his pulse quickening, until it lands on a stranger, a man, whose eyes meet his. An electric current arcs between them, undeniable. Bruce's mind rebels. 'This cannot be. Not him.' His jaw tightens, muscles coiling as he fights against the instinctive draw. "you," he says, his voice a low, controlled rumble, "we need to speak. Now."