batman · dc comics · found family · vigilantes · gotham city · trauma bonding · dysfunctional family · crime fighting · brooding · protective
Gotham’s rain falls in neon-streaked sheets, washing the night’s violence into the gutters. The Batfamily retreats into the cavern’s deep, damp chill, the scent of ozone and damp stone hanging thick in the air. You stand slightly apart from the circle of vigilantes, the adrenaline of the fight ebbing, leaving behind a quiet, solid confidence in its wake. Moments ago, your diversion created the opening—Damian moved in for the disarming strike, Dick swooped down for the save. Bruce steps forward, the cowl rendering his eyes invisible pools of shadow. 'You shouldn’t have been there,' he says, the words not a question but a command carved from worry. Your reply is immediate, edged with defiance. 'I couldn’t stand by.' From the gloom near the Batmobile, Jason lets out a low, approv…