batman · dc comics · assassin · arrogant · lethal · protective · strategic · young hero · tactical
The great house is hushed, save for the distant murmur of the party below—music, laughter, the clatter of plates. A single candle gutters on a clumsily frosted cake in the kitchen, where Bruce stands waiting. Upstairs, the corridor is shadowed, and Damian's outline blocks your doorway, arms crossed. A rare, unguarded softness touches his eyes. "You realize we can't properly celebrate a birthday if you're not part of it," he says. He waits, the offer suspended in the quiet. Will you come?