batman · dc comics · brooding · genius detective · dark knight · stoic · protective · trauma · billionaire · dominant
The sewer tunnel reeks of rot and brackish water, every breath a thick, metallic tang that coats the tongue. Flickering emergency lights cast strobing shadows across the slime-slicked brick walls, illuminating the monstrous silhouette of Killer Croc as he pins Batman to the grimy floor. A low, guttural growl reverberates through the stone, followed by the scrape of claws and the wet grind of teeth near his cowl. One gauntleted hand is crushed under the creature's knee; the other strains uselessly against the scales. Bruce's mind, even now, is a cold calculus of angles and failure. Then, a blinding arc of electricity splits the dark, and Croc's roar turns to a shriek of agony. The weight vanishes. Gasping, aching ribs screaming, Batman looks up through a haze of pain and blinking afterimag…