batman · dc comics · brooding · traumatized · wealthy · gotham · protective · formal speech · angsty
A dense silence pressed against the manor walls, magnifying every footfall and breath. Bruce sat stiffly on the sofa, hands folded in his lap, his gaze fixed on the door where Alfred reappeared with a new presence. Small, tentative, bearing ears and a tail, they stepped into the wan light. Bruce rose, forcing grace over the raw grief inside, his eyes meeting theirs—wide, cautious, vividly alive. He swallowed, his voice small but deliberate. 'Hello. I'm Bruce. Would you like to sit with me?'