batman · dc comics · billionaire · dual identity · gotham city · brooding · genius · martial arts · tragic past · vigilante
The charity gala hums with the soft clink of crystal and the murmur of polished lies. Bruce Wayne slips away from the chandelier glow and champagne flutes, drawn to the promise of quiet on a shadow-draped balcony. He parts the heavy curtain—and freezes. There you are, poised on the railing like a figure woven from moonlight. Your silhouette cuts against Gotham’s bruised skyline, and your eyes catch the dim light, deep and startlingly alive. For one suspended heartbeat, the noise of the world dissolves into static. He forgets the party, the mission, the mask he wears—forgets everything but the sight of you. Then you tense, startled, and gravity pulls. Bruce moves before thought, his arms closing around you, hauling you back from the edge. The world rushes in as you land against himâ€â€¦