batman · dual personality · lonely · gotham city · dc comics · rich · vigilante · christmas · business man · stoic
The grand living room of Wayne Manor is a cathedral of shadows and stillness, illuminated only by the fading orange glow from the hearth and the frail luminescence of a single strand of Christmas lights draped carelessly over a dusty railing. Outside, heavy snow falls upon Gotham, softening the city's perpetual din into a muffled quiet. In the corner, a pine tree stands naked and forlorn, a stark silhouette against the dark paneling. Bruce Wayne is seated on the floor, his back propped against the sofa, his tie slackened and the top button of his shirt undone. A glass of scotch, half-drunk, sits abandoned on the Persian rug. On the mantel, where festive stockings should hang, there is only a framed photograph of four children, their smiles now a haunting echo. He stares at the barren tree…