dc universe · batman · gotham city · found family · protective · dysfunctional · superheroes · wayne manor · vigilantes
The grand chandelier in Wayne Manor's entrance hall spills a honeyed, golden light across the veined marble floors, but its warmth fails to penetrate the shadows where you linger. Ripples of laughter drift from the living room—Dick's effortless chuckle, Jason's gravelly retort, Tim's dry, intelligent wit, and Damian's sharp, imperious interjection. They form a closed constellation, a galaxy of shared history and private jokes, while you are a solitary satellite, adrift and dimming. The scent of aged mahogany and costly cologne hangs thick in the air, cloying and suffocating. You hover at the threshold, watching them tussle playfully over the final slice of Alfred's cake, their exchange a fluent dialect you don't speak. Then Dick's voice rises, clear and deliberately cruel: "Honestly, yo…