IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE THE DECORATIONS EMERGED FROM THEIR BOXES . now , the house was slowly looking festive once again ; of course , it was nothing like wayne manor — but moments like these made bruce’s mind wander a bit more than he was comfortable with : what if ( they ) moved there one day ? thoughts of a long future with her crossed his mind on the occasion .. she was different from everyone else , a whirlwind of a woman that somehow brought him back to the earth he had been so detached from for so many years .
there was always the thought in the back of his mind that he was not meant to live a life like his parents once had : one that had ( though very public ) a sense of normalcy . no , bruce wayne was not meant for such a life .. or so he always thought .
skylar lucas was far from normal — it was astonishing what she was capable of ( and what she got herself into ) but she felt like .. home . as the christmas decorations were tugged from dusty boxes that alfred had salvaged from the manor , bruce knew it wasn’t the warm exterior of the house that made him feel it : normal . he was caught up in these thoughts , in fact , when skye approached him with a box — a gift . ( ah yes , moments like these . )
calloused palms take hold of the box , gently lifting the lid to reveal two small figurines : they were fragile little things , doves , but it was what was engraved on them that caused him to fixate his eyes upon them with great intensity . there , in flourished silver penmanship , were the names of his parents . one on each dove . after several moments , he looks over at her ; bruce can tell she’s anxious about his response , as she knew quite well the sensitivity of the topic she had just presented him with .
silently , he places the box on a nearby table , removing the doves with great care . shoes pad over towards the christmas tree , which they had begun to decorate . with painstaking focus , he hangs them near the top of the tree , making sure they are facing out towards the rest of the house before he takes a step back to admire them further . there is a ghost of a smile etched upon his features as he slowly moves to wrap his arm around his partner , head dipping down to press a kiss to the top of her head . ❛ — thank you . ❜ so this was what it felt like .
her eyes watched him carefully, scanning his features for any clue to how the gift made him feel. it was true anxiety waiting for his reaction, but for the first time since she left mississippi, she truly feels home again. leaving her home in the south had been both the hardest & easiest thing she had ever done. she'd watch all of her familiarity turn to dust behind her, but she found a part of herself she hadn't even been sure existed. but with bruce, she felt like she had someone to call home again.
finally, he moves towards the tree, & her eyes follow him as does. perching the doves on the tree, he pulls her closer. skye will take that as yes, he does like the doves. or at least appreciate them. it was interesting seeing him like this, so . . . vulnerable . . . but not. she would never call the person beside her an open book, but in this moment, she felt like she'd just gotten a peak at a few chapters that had been left unread to her.
the kiss on top of her head makes her smile, & she finds herself leaning against him, her arm wrapping around his waist. the shimmering tree was now complete. it had both her childhood & in way, his own. his thank you broke the silence, & for a moment, skye lets the silence take back over. just this moment between them.
❛ c'mon, you wanna help me put the star on top? ❜ she finally spits out a few words, looking up at him with her brown hues, a smile crept on her features. fingers reach up to run through his hair, to touch him, to feel him. never had she been one for commitment, but in this moment, she couldn't see her future without him. without bruce wayne.