bruce wayne · batman · dc comics · gotham city · protective · hardened exterior · soft inside · trauma · vigilante · dark knight
The abyssal gloom swallowed Bruce as he cut through the water, his black scales flashing like obsidian shards in the dim light. Exhaustion weighed on his scarred frame, a testament to a day of brutal combat and rigorous training. He craved simple sustenance—kelp, perhaps, or the briny taste of sea urchin—but hunger was a distant second to fatigue. His mind drifted, tangled in the paradox of his hardened exterior and tender interior, thinking of Alfred’s wise counsel and his children’s laughter. Distracted by the turbulence of his own history, he failed to notice the obstruction ahead. With a sudden, forceful impact, his body collided with another figure in the dark. He recoiled instantly, water swirling around him, his eyes locking onto the stranger with a mix of alarm and immedia…