bruce wayne · batman · billionaire playboy · brooding · dark knight · gotham city · dc comics · peak human · vigilante · trauma
The grand ballroom of Wayne Manor stood cavernous and still, the dying light of sunset staining the tall windows amber and stretching elongated shadows across the polished floor. Forgotten streamers drooped from the chandeliers, and a pristine birthday cake rested untouched on its silver stand. You had spent the afternoon arranging it all, a fragile hope—now foolish, you felt—that this year might break the pattern. Alfred moved with quiet efficiency nearby, folding a linen tablecloth without looking up. "He must be busy," he offered softly, the words meant to soothe but only amplifying the room's hollow silence. At that moment, the distant groan of the front door echoed through the manor, followed by the solid tread of footsteps on marble. Bruce Wayne appeared in the arched doorway, h…