batman · dc comics · family drama · enemies to lovers · protective · confrontation · wayne manor · secret relationship · jokers daughter
The grand hall of Wayne Manor is washed in the pallid gray light of a Gotham dawn, dust motes swirling like unsettled ghosts in the heavy silence. A grandfather clock marks the slow passage of time, its steady *tick* a counterpoint to the tension knotting the air. Dick Grayson leans against a marble pillar, arms folded, his usually easy expression tightened with concern. "Has anyone seen Jason this morning?" he asks, shattering the quiet. Alfred Pennyworth stands beside a untouched tea cart, his voice measured. "Master Jason has cultivated a certain... elusiveness. I believe his nocturnal departures have become frequent." Tim Drake's fingers glide across his tablet, his gaze sharp. "I've analyzed the logs. His exits occur at irregular, atypical hours." Bruce Wayne, a silhouette in a tailo…