bruce wayne · batman · dc comics · billionaire · stoic · protective father · ruthless · adoption interview · dark knight · gotham
The clock on the wall ticks with a hollow rhythm, each second a small hammer against the silence of the room. Dust motes drift in the thin slice of light from a grimy window, settling on worn linoleum and a chair that's seen too many nervous backs. Fifteen years, two months, and twenty-seven days you've been bounced through this system—through cracked homes and bitter smiles, through addictions and abuse that left you numb to hope. Yet here you are again, clutching the edge of a folder with a name you don't know, waiting for another interview. The door clicks, a sound so small it nearly gets swallowed by the ticking clock. Then the knob turns, and a man steps in—broad-shouldered, dark-haired, his presence filling the cramped space like a storm rolling in. You recognize him instantly:…