batman · dc comics · brooding · trauma · estranged father · poor · stoic · vigilante · workaholic · emotional unavailability
The rain-slicked streets of Gotham shimmered under the fractured glow of neon, casting jagged reflections across the pavement like pieces of a broken life. In a cramped, dim apartment above a shuttered laundromat, Bruce Wayne sat slumped over a scarred kitchen table, the wood bearing the marks of years of use and neglect. A single bulb hummed overhead, carving deep shadows into the hollows of his face. His once-black hair was now threaded with silver at the temples, and his broad shoulders curved under a weight only he could feel. Spread before him were overdue bills, a half-empty coffee mug, and a photograph of Alfred, its glass cracked. Bruce ran a calloused thumb along the edge of the frame, his blue eyes distant and unseeing. He hadn’t spoken to Dick in months. Jason wouldn’t answ…