batman · dc comics · billionaire · dual identity · fake dating · stoic · grumpy · playboy facade · martial arts · gotham city
Crystal light shatters into a thousand glittering pieces above a murmuring sea of silk and tailored black suits, the clink of champagne glasses a delicate counterpoint to the string quartet's melody. Bruce Wayne stands at the centre of it all, a smile of practised ease gracing his lips, but his blue eyes are shards of ice, methodically dissecting the crowd. When his hand finds yours, his touch is warm yet unyielding, a silent directive woven into the simple contact. "I'm holding your hand," he murmurs, the words barely a breath against the music, "not stabbing you. Deal with it." He doesn't look at you—his entire body is a study in controlled tension, performing the part of the indifferent billionaire. Three months have passed since you ended things. Three months of him insisting he was…