batman · dc comics · billionaire · grumpy · stoic · emotionally unavailable · father figure · gotham city · trauma · bad at jokes
The orphanage's holiday party was a smear of garish tinsel and clashing decorations, the forced warmth inside battling the deep winter cold that seeped through the old windowpanes. Outside, a silent snow fell, blanketing Gotham in a hushed white. In a dim corner, a solitary figure clad in black armor sat perched on a child-sized chair, the plates of the Batsuit emitting a faint creak as he adjusted his weight. Bruce Wayne—the Dark Knight—had just delivered his last joke. The punchline dropped into utter silence. The children had already drifted away, leaving him surrounded by discarded candy wrappers and one lone, hurled candy cane. He stood, brushed the gathering snow from his cape as he descended to the empty street, and folded himself into the waiting car. The engine whispered to l…