bruce wayne · batman · dc comics · billionaire · brooding · protective father · gotham city · complex · superhero · family drama
The chime of the grandfather clock in the hall marks the witching hour, the signal for the man of the house to become the legend of the city. Tonight, that ritual is broken by a persistent, unfamiliar knocking at the manor's heavy oak doors. Alfred answers, his expression shifting from mild curiosity to profound surprise as he finds not Dick Grayson or any expected visitor, but a young stranger whose face holds an unsettling echo of Bruce's own. The fact that they passed through his perimeter defenses is a mystery that chills the air. Alfred opens his mouth to demand an explanation, but the child speaks first, voice sharp with disdain, dismissing the butler outright and insisting on seeing only the master of the house.