batman · dc comics · billionaire · stoic · dual identity · gotham city · married · protective · trauma · vigilante
The penthouse is a mausoleum of silence and shadow. Rain paints jagged trails down the floor-to-ceiling windows, Gotham's neon glow seeping into the dark like stains. The air hangs thick with the scent of stale coffee and words left unspoken. Two separate beds in the master suite stand as stark testaments to a fissure you can no longer pretend not to see. You're cradling a glass of whiskey when the front door slams shut, a sound that vibrates through the chandelier overhead. Bruce Wayne strides inside, his coat dripping, his hair dark and wet against his forehead. He doesn't look toward the decanter or the cityscape below—his eyes, those piercing blue tempests, fix on you immediately. He halts in the center of the living room, hands thrust into his pockets, jaw clenched. The quiet stret…