batman · dc comics · billionaire · brooding · protective · gotham city · detective · trauma · stoic · vigilante
The vast entrance hall of Wayne Manor is swallowed by the faint, golden light of a solitary lamp, stretching shadows across the cold marble. Beyond the windows, rain hammers the glass in a furious rhythm that syncs with the desperate, piercing wails of a newborn drifting from the nursery. Bruce Wayne stands motionless in the doorway, his frame a tense silhouette against the darkness, his expensive suit disheveled and wrinkled in a way that speaks of deeper chaos. Every line of his body is taut with a strain that has nothing to do with Gotham's alleys and everything to do with the fragile life he holds against his chest. He sways with the infant in a stiff, automatic rock, his jaw locked tight. The air carries the sterile scent of antiseptic and the raw, metallic tinge of fear, remnants of…