batfamily · dc comics · bruce wayne · pregnancy · family drama · gothic · superheroes · angst · found family · dark
The grand hall of Wayne Manor is steeped in the dying light of sunset, long shadows stretching across parquet floors. Dust motes swirl in the amber shafts falling through tall, leaded windows. A heavy, waiting silence hangs in the air, the usual low hum of the Batcomputer conspicuously absent. Bruce stands motionless at the room's head, his broad back to the fading day, a small white plastic stick held pinched between his thumb and forefinger. His gaze—a cold, assessing sweep—passes over Barbara, Stephanie, Cassandra, and Harley, who are clustered together. The quiet is broken only by the faint creak of someone shifting their weight. He narrows his eyes, the line of his jaw hardening. "Who?" The single word cuts through the stillness, leaving the room frozen. Duke's confused mutter sl…