━━━━━ 𝐓𝐔'𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈 © vintagedreams.

Shush, she whispers, let love bury me beneath its quiet grace.

THE BAT & HIS WRAITH,
A TALE AS OLD AS HONEY.

❝ be careful of that girl, they say,

there's a fire burning behind her eyes.

she's proof that you can walk through hell

and still be an angel.

he didn't listen anyway,

and chased after her

like always. ❞

riddle me this . . .
. . . riddle me that

❛I WALK WITHOUT SOUND, YET I'M NEVER SEEN,
A SHADOW THAT LINGERS, WHERE THE LIGHT'S BEEN.

I HAUNT WITHOUT MALICE, I STRIKE WITHOUT BREATH,
I AM FEARED BY THE LIVING, YET UNTOUCHED BY DEATH.❜

WHAT AM I < ? >

< ? >

< ? >

< ? >

< ? >

< ? >

< a wraith. >

< access granted. >

⁀➷ Literally meaning, "bury me".
━━━━━
| it means you hope that they put you
in the ground before them
because you couldn't bear
living without them. ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Последний вздох династии унесло ветром революции, но воспоминания о них вечны, как сами небеса.

bruce wayne x fem!oc

synopsis !

Secrets, secrets, secrets—what a very tangled web they weave.

                i — The moment you draw your last breath, you cease to be a name, a person — your existence is distilled into the stark simplicity of a "body." The world no longer speaks of you but of it. "Bring the body," they say, or "lower it into the earth."

No more does your name pass their lips.

The faces you once strived to impress, the voices that called to you : gone, indifferent. "Live to impress the Creator, not the creation," Aunt Meysa would often remind Mar, her words like a hymn echoing in your soul.

But Gotham — oh darling Gotham is a hymn of its own, a dirge of corruption and sin, of crimes that stain the hands and mysteries that cloud the mind. Theft and murder, lies and conspiracies, swirl like a fever dream through the city's veins. It whispers its cursed lullaby in the night, drawing you in, deep into its alleys where every shadow holds the weight of a thousand untold stories. That city devours those who dare to walk its streets, an insatiable beast whose hunger knows no end. Its darkness slips into your bones, staining the soul of anyone bold ( or foolish ) enough to confront its endless shadows.

A curse, yes, but one that lingers long after you think you've escaped, as if the city itself remembers your name when all others have forgotten.

In Gotham, survival is never a guarantee — it's merely borrowed, and the debt is inevitable.

Every heartbeat is a wager, every breath a fragile, fleeting gift, because here, the line between life and death is as thin as a whisper, and the city has a way of tilting the scales when you least expect it. Gotham watches, waits, and when the time comes, it always claims what's owed, pulling you deeper into its inescapable grasp.

ii — Dr. Ben Halimi has spent the past two years meticulously navigating the grim world of forensic pathology. Her life revolves around routine autopsies and the unrelenting task of unraveling the secrets of the deceased. But her somewhat steady world is shattered when a notorious serial killer emerges, casting a long shadow of fear and violence over her city.

As the body count rises and the city spirals into chaos, Maryam finds herself once again at the center of a chilling investigation. This time, however, the revelations promise to delve even deeper. She must navigate the labyrinthine mysteries that entangle her with the city's darkest corners.

Each secret uncovered only leads to more questions, drawing her further into a sinister and laborious game where the stakes are nothing less than her family's —and her own — survival.

Yes, because, unfortunately, Maryam was no saint.

iii — Her hidden past and the survival of her family were intricately linked to a deep-seated secret, one that had been passed down through generations. This secret, buried within the very fabric of her lineage, was crucial for their survival.

Maryam's maternal family had long been bound by an unspoken oath to protect their heritage, a legacy steeped in history and danger. The weight of this secret was a heavy burden she carried, aware that any misstep could unravel everything they had painstakingly built. If anyone were to discover it, the consequences could be catastrophic.

The mere thought of such a revelation was enough to send shivers down her spine, knowing that the delicate balance of their carefully guarded existence hung by a thread.

              iv— On top of that, Maryam harbored her own skeletons, secrets she worked tirelessly to conceal.

Her childhood had been etched in profound misery, each moment of survival demanding sacrifices that plunged her into ever-deepening shadows. The pain and trials of her past had sculpted a woman intimately acquainted with the cruel price of making morally grey choices.

Maryam's own concealed darkness was but another thread woven into the city's vast and tangled web of deceit, where shadows smother countless truths.

A secret within secrets, she became a reflection of the very city that had shaped her : a place where survival meant dancing with the darkness.

v — Meanwhile, the enigmatic vigilante cloaked in mystery began to intersect with her work, much to the annoyance of the young doctor. His sudden, unpredictable appearances unnerved her, yet there was something about his presence that stirred her curiosity.

And in return, he, too, found himself captivated by Maryam.

Who was this woman who slipped through the city's darkness with such quiet grace, haunting his thoughts long after she had vanished?

She lingered in his mind like a shadow — elusive, untouchable, and yet, impossible to forget.

Bruce found himself unable to stop looking at her, his curiosity piqued by her striking features. Her light brown hair, bronze skin, and those hauntingly beautiful eyes seemed disturbingly familiar. He was sure he had seen her before, but where? And that scent — an hypnotic, intoxicating fragrance he couldn't shake off since encountering her at the grim crime scene.

Despite the growing fascination, Bruce's practical side viewed her as a nuisance, a distraction that complicated his mission. In a city as chaotic as Gotham, where focus was paramount, her presence was an unwelcome interruption. He needed to stay vigilant and clear-headed, and Maryam's constant interference made it increasingly difficult to maintain his resolve.

    vi — Delving deeper into the investigation, the medical examiner and the Bat uncover a tangled network of lies and corruption that has already engulfed the city.

The serial killer's methods, which makes himself known as the riddler, grow increasingly ruthless, and Maryam is forced to confront her deepest fears and face the danger of the past that she tried so hard to conceive for the safety of her family.

Each autopsy and clue brings Bruce closer to the killer, yet also unravels a dark truth that connects him to the case in ways he never anticipated.

And as Maryam balances her professional duties with personal turmoil, the lines between friend and foe blur as she and Batman grapple with their intertwined fates, racing against time to uncover the truth before it consumes them all.

Will Maryam navigate this labyrinth of shadows and deceit with both her life and soul intact, or will the darkness ensnare her in its final, suffocating embrace?

❛ God loves you, but enough to save you. ❜
♬ sun bleached flies — ethel cain

as described . . . . MARYAM N. BEN HALIMI.
  doctor, the wraith, prizrak | taurus, 30, E/INFJ
— written by Fiodor Dostoïevski.
❛ your existence was a crime
life was the punishment.❜

━━━━ In daylight, a healer; by twilight, a wraith—she glides like a whisper, ghostly and ethereal.

Свет помнит, тьма забывает.

❛ Every drop of blood is love I don't get back.❜
♬ knuckle velvet — ethel cain

robert pattinson . . . . BRUCE T. WAYNE
  the bat, vengeance, billionaire heir | aries, 30, INTJ.

━━━━ In darkness born, he wears the night,
A bat in flight, the city's light.

And so falls the House of Wayne.

❛I'm gonna love you with all I've got
Even if it kills me, you're the one that I want.❜
♬ Neon Lights — Pim Stones

Suffer still,
and anger's fire burns bright,
Yet in this dance with death, I find no fright.

She walks beside me, a shadowed embrace,
My wraith, my companion, in this solemn place.

♬ M. —Anıl Emre Daldal
Your words, your eyes, Your hands, only for me
My dreams, my smiles, My fantasies are solely for
you

♬ I, Carrion — Hozier
If I should fall, on that day
I only pray, don't fall away from me

━━━━━━━━━ cast !

『 the ben halimi's 』

❝strange family if you know what i mean.❞

hiam abbass, જ⁀➴ meysa (halimi) saeed
amira casar, જ⁀➴ jamila halimi
tony shalhoub, જ⁀➴ fawzi saeed

damson idris, જ⁀➴ ryan khalid
yassine ben gamra, જ⁀➴ moncef saeed

❛ those daughters, I swear...❜
warda (halimi) khalid
sherine halimi
rania halimi
alma halimi
╰┈➤ the sisters, as described

『 the petrovich's 』

❝ Haven't you heard? We Russians have no morals, no sense, and no options. ❞

charles dance, જ⁀➴ andrei petrovich
catherine deneuve,  જ⁀➴ genevieve (née capucine) petrovich

vanessa kirby, જ⁀➴ annabelle petrovich

madds mikkelsen, જ⁀➴ nikolai petrovich
marina alexandrova, જ⁀➴ elizaveta (née kuzmina) petrovich

... others !

vittorio falcone — as described
harvey bullock — david harbour
thomas elliot — as described
tamara nguyễn — constance wu

... with of course !

andy serkis — alfred pennyworth
jeffrey wright — james gordon
jayme lawson — bella réal
john turtorro — carmine falcone
paul dano — edward nashton
colin farrell — oswald copplebot
zoë kravitz — selina kyle
gil perez-abraham — lucas martinez

the rest of the batman cast as themselves.

━━━✦❘༻ ༺❘✦━━━

— trigger warning ! This story contains mature themes, including violence, graphic medical procedures, death, strong language, alcohol and drug use, mental illness, and explicit sexual content. Reader discretion is advised—proceed at your own risk.

— disclaimer ! All rights go to DC, Matt Reeves for the cast, storylines and lines. However, my characters and their plots belongs to me.

— authors note ! I've had this story in my drafts for three years... Keep in mind that English isn't my first language, so I appreciate your understanding!

Also, I hate the summary, and I'm so sorry if it's awful and painful to read... But anyway, this idea has been simmering in my mind for as long as I can remember—three years of it sitting in my drafts (I have so many Bruce Wayne fics piled up—probably over 25 at this point, some dating back to 2020 😪 That's how much I adore him and his character). But I've finally worked up the courage to publish it and share it with you all. Your feedback means everything to me, so please don't hesitate to leave comments—I genuinely love reading them :)

I sincerely hope you'll love Maryam and Bruce as much as I do <3

— dedications ! maryam is dedicated to my fellow avoidant attachment girlies 🫡

A shoutout to the amazing creators houndwolfz manhattansunset  nightwvngs punchdrunkdoc your works have inspired me to finally share this. Thanks for putting your stories out there <3