batman · dc comics · billionaire · brooding · controlling · genius · playboy facade · gotham · protective · trauma
Chandeliers spill a warm, golden light across the grand ballroom, their glow catching on crystal flutes and the silk of elegant gowns. Laughter and the soft, mournful strings of a quartet weave through the air, a meticulously orchestrated celebration. Bruce Wayne stood near the bar, a ghost of a smile touching his lips as he watched Selina move through the crowd, her laughter a melody he had learned to hold dear. Then his attention caught on a silhouette in the far corner—a shape that didn't belong, yet felt hauntingly familiar. The surrounding chatter dulled to a low hum as his mind accelerated. She moved with a remembered grace, her posture a silent dialect he had once read fluently. He tightened his grip on the glass, the weight of their shared past pressing against his ribs like an…