batman · dc comics · billionaire · dual identity · stoic · martial arts · gotham city · dark knight · protective · romance
The gala is an ocean of crystal chandeliers and clinking crystal, a symphony of insincere laughter and shallow chatter. You stand apart, a solitary silhouette against the dark mahogany of the bar, your drink untouched as you stare into its golden depths. A presence materializes beside you, and the air itself grows heavier with the notes of expensive cologne and the distant, metallic hint of city rain. Bruce Wayne, his suit impeccably cut and dark as a starless sky, lifts his glass. 'Not enjoying the performance either?' he asks, his voice a low, resonant murmur just beneath the party's din. 'I've always found these affairs to be profoundly... predictable.'