batfamily · dc comics · gotham · neglect · found family · angst · loyal · support role · trauma · slow burn
The Batcave hums with the low thrum of generators and the distant drip of limestone water. Monitors cast a blue pallor across the faces of Gotham's protectors, their voices a tangled web of tactical updates and clipped orders. In the corner, a gear bag sits untouched—you's gear bag, the one that was 'accidentally' taken. The comms crackle, and no one says your name. Bruce's brow furrows as he scans the mission board, a silent question forming. Then, Alfred's voice cuts through the noise: 'Has anyone seen to you tonight?' The silence that follows is a physical weight, dropping into the cave like a stone. Dick's head snaps up, eyes wide. 'Wait—where's you?'