Bruce never quite understood what it was like to be Batman.
"I am Batman," he tried it once. But no. That just sounded... not quite right.
He could see the reflection of his face in the mirror infront of him. He could see his lips moving, forming the words as they spilt from his mouth. And he could hear what he said. But it just was not... how it was supposed to be. There was no ring to it. He did not feel. He did not feel strong and powerful, or intense, nor watchful. He felt like one of these little kids who admired him and stood infront of a mirror, one fist in the air, yelling 'I am BATMAN!' from the top of their lungs.
"I am Batman," he said again, emphasising on the last word.
...No. That was even more absurd.
'I am Batman'. These words were so strange to him.
Gotham City was maybe one of the most fucked up hellholes mother earth has ever come across. That's why she left the place as soon as she could, leaving behind all the evil and dirty that since haunts the city, giving up on it all. There was only one way to protect that little innocence left for dead in the sideway alleys. Justice. And Bruce Wayne had found the ultimate way to get justice. The ultimate way to protect and shield the reminiscent of innocence, the sadly only way to protect the innocent.
Batman. The superhero who, right now, stood on the brink of the tallest building in Gotham City, and watched. Watched over the people, watched out for the scum roaming the streets at night.
He heard a high-pitched scream afar and turned, always present scowl on his face, even under the mask shielding his identity. Immediatly, he felt the excitement rush through his veins as a part of his blood, as a part of him. With a pang! he was fully aware of his surroundings, and he couldn't wait to get started.
"Are you ready Batman?" Robin asked next to him.
"What do you think?" he turned towars the teenager with a smirk.
Robin grinned at the vivid sparkle in his guardian's eyes, that one gleam, more intoxicating than anything. For a second, it was the two of them, dominating the night of Gotham City, until the masked avenger turned away, facing the abyss.
"I am Batman." Then he was already plunging into the dark night.
And this time he not only said it. He felt the power that cursed through him as he did, he heard that certain ring tingling in his ear.
I. am. BATMAN.