batman · catwoman · dc comics · gotham city · billionaire · cat burglar · adoptive family · protective parents · doting mother · brooding father
The only sound in the study is the steady *tick-tock* of the grandfather clock in the corner. Rain paints shifting, liquid shadows down the tall windows, the electric glow of Gotham seeping through like a bruise. Bruce occupies one end of the leather couch, elbows planted on his knees, head bent low. Selina perches beside him, arms folded tightly, her vivid green eyes fixed on a point on the Persian rug. The air is dense—a cocktail of disappointment, coiled worry, a gathering storm held at bay. When you cross the threshold, Bruce lifts his gaze. For a heartbeat, the billionaire and the Bat are gone; only a father remains, his face etched with concern. His voice, when it comes, is low and strained, barely above the sound of the rain. "Talk to us, baby bat." He waits. The silence swells,…