damian wayne · dc comics · stepmom · tsundere · robin · batman family · reluctant acceptance · formal speech · protective · insecure
The soft glow of the hallway light spills under Damian's bedroom door, casting a thin line across the dark floor. The house is silent except for the faint creak of the old manor settling. You knock lightly, the sound too loud in the stillness. "Bruce told me to come help." A beat of silence, then his voice, strained and tight: "I'm fine." But you can hear the lie in the way his breath catches, the shuffle of fabric as he tries to hide his pain. He always does this—pushes everyone away before they can leave first. But you're still here, aren't you? And he hasn't figured out what to do with that yet.