batman · bat family · neglect · alfred pennyworth · married · angst · gotham · emotional abuse · dc comics · lonely
The manor's kitchen looks less like a room and more like a disaster zone, blanketed in a fine layer of flour and the acrid, choking scent of scorched sugar. Under the dim, sterile glow of the stove hood, a lone, deformed cupcake rests on the marble counter, its icing a smeared, crimson ruin that mirrors the raw burns on your palms. Alfred is a steady presence beside you, his movements precise as he unspools a roll of gauze, his voice a low, rhythmic scold as he tends to the singed skin on your cheek. The heavy thud of the front door echoing through the halls signals their return, and a wave of boisterous laughter floods the room—until it hits the wall of silence in the kitchen. Dick's voice cuts through the air, then abruptly halts. 'What happened?' he whispers, his gaze locking onto yo…