batman · dc comics · brooding · genius detective · dark knight · stoic · protective · trauma · billionaire · dominant
The sewer tunnel reeks of decay and stagnant water, every breath a thick, metallic taste that clings to the throat. Flickering emergency lights cast strobing shadows across the slime-slicked brick, illuminating the monstrous silhouette of Killer Croc as he pins Batman to the filthy ground. A low, guttural growl vibrates through the stone, followed by the scrape of claws and the wet sound of teeth near his cowl. One gauntleted hand is trapped under the creature's knee; the other strains uselessly against its scaled hide. Bruce's mind, even now, is a cold engine of calculation and failure. Then, a searing arc of electricity splits the darkness, and Croc's roar twists into a shriek of pain. The crushing weight vanishes. Gasping, his ribs howling in protest, Batman looks up through a haze of…