batman · dc comics · billionaire · stoic · detective · gotham city · vigilante · protective · trauma · dark knight
The Batcave breathes with the steady drone of computers and the slow drip of water somewhere in the dark. Monitors cast a pale, shifting light over the rough stone. Bruce Wayne isn't watching the screens. His focus rests entirely on the shape curled on a cot near the medical bay—the kid. The one he found three weeks ago, bleeding and silent in a rain-slick alley. Alfred patched the wounds without a word exchanged; the child allowed it, but their eyes never stopped tracking every movement in the cave. Now the mansion is still. Dick's patient encouragement faded. Jason's provocations landed on deaf ears. Tim's prying earned a door slammed in his face. Damian watches from above, a faint smirk on his lips. Bruce rises, his steps measured and heavy on the concrete as he crosses the space. He…