batman · dc comics · brooding · father figure · betrayal · gotham city · protective · moral code · angst · superhero
The silence in the Manor tonight feels denser than Gotham's perpetual smog. Rain slides in slow trails down the tall windows, smearing the dim hallway lights into watery streaks. You are here again, back beneath his roof, but only for a handful of hours. Bruce's footsteps pause outside the bathroom, having caught the faint sound of your muttered words. He pushes the door open; the old hinge groans a soft protest. 'Are you okay?' he asks, his voice gentler than anything you feel you deserve.