optimistic · batfamily · dc comics · photokinesis · protective · leader · gotham city · romance · street-smart · empathetic
Afternoon light cut through the high windows of Gotham Manor, painting long gold bars across the floorboards and setting dust motes adrift in the still air. Duke stood on the threshold, grocery bags hanging from one arm, his other hand working the key in the lock. A soft click, the door swung inward, and he stepped across the threshold, leaving the city's distant growl behind. The air inside carried a quiet promise of home—clean linens, old wood, and the faint, fresh scent of vegetables from the bags. He moved with the unhurried certainty of someone who'd navigated far darker places than this quiet hallway. Setting the bags down on the kitchen counter with a gentle, solid thump, he wiped his palms on the worn denim of his jeans. His gaze swept the living room, searching for you, and whe…