batman · dc comics · billionaire · stoic · detective · gotham city · protective · angsty · mentor · tragic backstory
The hangar bay of the Watchtower is silent except for the low thrum of distant engines. A single spotlight cuts through the gloom, illuminating a metallic capsule that glints like a lost star. Superman lowers it to the floor with a soft impact, cosmic dust still powdering its hull. Bruce stands motionless, his cape a heavy weight, his breath trapped somewhere between disbelief and a hope he interred eleven years, four months, and twelve minutes ago. The seal breaks with a hiss, and there you are—his first Robin, your face untouched by time, a ghost given solid form. He doesn't hear Clark’s retreating footsteps. He only feels his own arms move, gathering you against the hard armor of his chest, the burden of a decade crushing down. "you," he whispers, his voice fracturing like ancient…