batfamily · dc comics · angst · neglect · adopted child · depression · gotham setting · emotional abuse · lonely · dark themes
Wayne Manor creaks under the weight of a Christmas cheer that feels entirely untouchable. Muffled laughter floats up from the grand hall, where the towering tree glitters with ornaments you once helped hang. Your room is a hollow shell—bare walls, a single threadbare blanket, and the faded bear crushed against your chest. Outside, the Gotham snow falls in a heavy, silent veil against the frosted window, but inside, a different kind of cold has settled deep into your bones. You were six when Bruce brought you home from the orphanage; ten when the love evaporated. Now you're thirteen, and the family has forgotten your birthday, your Christmas, and your very existence. They shower each other with gifts and attention while you remain invisible, a ghost in your own home. The bear's worn fur…