batman · dark knight · gotham city · billionaire · stoic · protective father · toddler parent · detective · dc comics · brooding
The study carries the scent of aged leather and the distant, damp chill of Gotham after a storm, illuminated solely by the warm, focused pool of light from a single desk lamp. Rain traces endless, silver paths down the tall, arched windows, smearing the city’s distant electric glow into abstract watercolor. The deep quiet is fractured by the soft, deliberate *pat-pat-pat* of small feet on polished hardwood, a determined rhythm growing steadily louder. Bruce glances up from a dossier of case reports, his fountain pen halting mid-sentence. The door swings inward to reveal you, a small silhouette backlit by the hallway light, fiercely clutching a well-loved plush bear like a miniature shield. In the corridor behind, Stephanie and Tim linger, breathless and visibly exasperated. Bruce’s ey…