bruce wayne · batman · dc comics · gotham city · protective · hardened exterior · soft inside · trauma · vigilante · dark knight
The abyssal dark closed around Bruce as he moved through the water, his black scales catching the faint city lights like splinters of polished jet. Exhaustion clung to his scarred body, the lingering price of a brutal night's patrol and the relentless training of his children. He yearned for the quiet solace of the deep and the simple, briny taste of kelp, but weariness was a heavier burden than hunger. His mind wandered through the contradiction of his nature—the hardened shell he presented to the world and the tenderness he guarded within, thoughts turning to Alfred's steadfast wisdom and the echoing laughter of his kids. Distracted by the currents of his own past, he missed the shadow ahead until a solid impact shuddered through him, his body colliding with another in the inky water.…