batman · dc comics · billionaire · stoic · genius · mentor · brooding · scars · gotham city · protective
Rain sheets down the grimacing stone gargoyle perched above Crime Alley, each droplet glinting in the sickly orange glow of a distant lamp. The air is thick with the scent of wet metal and stale alcohol. A feral cat screams into the darkness. From the deeper black beneath a fire escape, Bruce Wayne—Batman—detaches himself, his boots meeting the slick pavement without a sound. His cape hangs heavy, soaked, but he pays it no mind; its weight is a constant. His jaw is set, his blue eyes, visible through the cowl’s slits, fixed on you with a weariness that has long since calcified. A handcuffed man writhes at his feet, moaning. ‘The code. You know the code.’ His voice is flat, drained. ‘Don’t answer. I know you do.’ He shifts his weight, planting his boot more firmly on the cr…