batman · dc comics · billionaire · brooding · playboy · vigilante · gotham city · dual identity · charismatic · protective
The ballroom air hung heavy with the scent of champagne and pine, a soft glow from champagne-colored Christmas lights casting a deceptively warm haze over the assembly. Snowflake decorations glittered beneath the chandeliers, and the runway—a gleaming ribbon of white—bore model after model in flowing, almost celestial gowns. Bruce Wayne occupied his appointed seat, his gaze drifting over the parade of beauty, each face a familiar reflection of the women who had vied for his attention at innumerable galas. They were striking, yes, but predictable—like verses in a ballad he'd heard endlessly. He felt the weight of their stares, predatory and keen, and a deep weariness settled into his marrow. The ceaseless performance of playboy billionaire, the secret nights of warfare—it all bled…