His Sanctum
Pairing - Older!Bruce Wayne x Fem!Reader Stay Like This Forever Masterlist
Summary - For the first time, since telling him you know his secret, Bruce shows you the Batcave.
Warnings - Older man/Younger Woman, Fluff (with a little bit of angst mixed in), Past Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Past Character Death, Bruce's POV.
A/N - As with all fics within this 'verse, this is a complete stand alone and doesn't require any thing else to be read to be enjoyed <3
Word Count - 3.4k
Bruce’s brow is deeply furrowed as he makes his way back up to the master bedroom. Another day, another potentially world ending disaster on the horizon; Batman’s work is never truly done. Though, he knows, he should’ve expected something like this with how insistent Clark’s messages had been.
When he re-enters the bedroom, he expects you to still be in bed. On days where you’re not expected to be anywhere, and the way the two of you started the morning before being rudely interrupted, you like to lay in for a little bit longer. Instead, you’re nowhere to be found.
The door to the en-suite is ajar and he can hear the shower running. Normally, he would strip down and join you, but there isn’t time for that. He’s promised Clark that he’ll be on the Watchtower in an hour’s time and if he joins you now, he’ll be late. It’s so easy for him to get caught up in you and not realise how much time has passed by. It’s been a long time since he’s allowed himself the luxury to be carefree like that, and it’s all thanks to you.
So, he settles down on the side of the bed and waits for you, his hands clasped together. He doesn’t know how long he’ll be gone and he doesn’t want the words to come from Alfred, again. You already know about his mask, having figured it about long before he had the chance to figure out how he was going to tell you. Since getting with you, there’s been many “business trips” he’s disappeared on, but you have the patience of a saint with him, and now that he knows you know about his nightlife, he’s free to tell you why he’s leaving this time around.
It's not long before the shower shuts off and you’re stepping out into the bedroom, a big fluffy towel wrapped around your body. You smile that sweet smile that you reserve just for him.
“You have to leave again on another one of your business trips?” you ask him, coming to stand between his legs. He looks up at you, his hands coming to rest on your hips.
“I do,” he replies, a hint of regret in his voice. “I don’t know long I’m going to be gone for, but you’re free to stay here. Alfred will get you whatever you want, as well as drive you wherever you wish. I know that you have your own driver, but he really does want to get to know you better considering how serious things are getting.”
As he speaks, you nod along as you hang onto every last word that he says. He massages your skin through the towel, more to soothe himself than you, but you relax into his touch as your hands cover his, giving them a gentle and reassuring squeeze. When he’s finished speaking, you press a kiss to the tip of his nose and rest your forehead against his own. He sighs softly and lets his eyes flutter shut.
“Okay, while you’re gone I’ll get to know Alfred better and, perhaps, I’ll even see to that poor, neglected grand piano of yours.”
He chuckles softly, opening his eyes and raises an eyebrow. “Neglected? It’s been well looked after over the years.”
It’s your turn to raise an eyebrow at him. “When did you last play?”
Bruce pauses. He can’t actually remember the last time he sat down and played it. You’ve got him there and his silence is confirmation enough for you.
“See? Neglected!” you say, triumphally.
He shakes his head, smiling brightly. “You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad? You have your responsibility, same as me. Yours just involve saving the world while mine typically involve award shows and after parties.”
“Well, those are just as important. Someone needs to make headlines while I can’t.”
You playfully roll your eyes at his little jest and he can’t stop himself from kissing you, tongue and all. Both of you moan into it, but he quickly remembers himself when he feels your hands start to drift downwards. Reluctantly, he pulls away from you, but that doesn’t stop you from chasing after his lips, drawing a laugh from him. Bruce presses a finger to your lips, halting you in your tracks.
“As much as I would like to go for round two, I can’t. I’m expected on the Watchtower soon.”
“That’s the massive satellite orbiting the Earth, right?” you ask, after pressing a kiss to his finger before he pulls it away.
“It is. Someone’s done their research.”
Your eyes light up at the knowledge that you got it right. It’s there he comes to the realisation that, while you know some things, this world is still alien to you. You’re taking shots in the dark, doing your best to try and piece together things you’ve read from the various sources you’ve come across online. Bruce can start to change that, introduce it to you slowly. Bringing you closer to Batman is dangerous and he does hesitate, but only for a moment. If you’re going to be in his life, you should know all aspects to it, including the ones that could put you in danger, and he can start by showing you his sanctum.
“Get dressed,” he tells you. “There’s something I want to show you.”
“Normally when you say that I end up naked, not fully clothed,” you laugh.
“Don’t worry, next time you will,” he replies with a wink. “Now hurry up before Superman comes by and manhandles me out of the door.”
Despite how quickly you get dressed, you still manage to look absolutely flawless. You’ll protest if he says so, complaining that you haven’t had the time to do your makeup yet, but with or without it he still thinks you’re absolutely gorgeous. How has he managed to get this lucky, again? Again, he can’t help, but pull you toward him and kiss you. It’s softer, gentler, than the previous one, but doesn’t lack any passion. You smile against his lips, glowing from his affection.
“I thought you were on a time limit,” you tease.
“I’ll always have time for you.”
“Even if the world’s ending?”
He smiles, nuzzling his nose against your own. “Especially then.”
Your smile turns into a grin, you’re absolutely beaming at his words, and how important you are in his life. With his hand in yours he leads you through the Manor and down to his study, where the grandfather clock is. With his free hand, he changes the time on the clock: 10:47pm. As soon as the hands reach the right time, there’s a loud clicking noise and the clock releases from the wall.
“What’s the significance of that time?” Your voice is soft, barely audible as you ask, like you’re afraid to ask him. He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s the time my parents were killed,” he explains. “That night is the reason Batman exists. I made them a promise.”
“Well, I think you’ve done an excellent job at keeping it,” you reply, balancing on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He feels himself blush at your words, you’re so sweet you’re going to rot his teeth.
“Doesn’t always feel like it,” he admits to you, his voice dropping into a hushed tone. Your grip on his hand tightens momentarily and the smallest of smiles twitches on his lips. “Well, you know how to enter now, feel free to come and go as you please.”
“You’re sure? I don’t want to disturb you if you’re busy.”
He turns to face you, his free hand finding yours and entwining his fingers with you. “If I’ve learnt anything, it’s that life is far too short. If I’m working and you want to come down and see me, you can, okay? No matter what,” he tells you.
You look at him almost like you don’t believe him, your eyes wide as the gears in your head spin. It disappears quickly enough as you press a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Alright, but you had better remember that when you’re having a bad day.”
“I’m sure both you and Alfred will reprimand me if I don’t, but I promise I’ll do my best.”
He pushes the clock to the side, showing you how easily it moves and starts to lead you down the stairs. There’s a lot of them and they curve the deeper down into the earth they go, not too unlike the stairs of a castle’s tower. The further down they go, the steeper the stairs get. A part of him that’s thankful you’ve forgone your heels for the time being, slipping into a pair of pumps instead. Already, Bruce is running calculations in his head on improvements so that you don’t break an ankle when you are wearing your heels.
As soon as you and him reach the bottom of the stairs, he feels you stop, his arm being brought out behind him as you haven’t let go of his hand. Your eyes are wide with wonder as you take in the sight of the batcave for the first time. He’s so used to it that he forgets what a wonder it can be for someone who’s never seen it before.
The batcave is huge. An expansive training area, which is currently a mess since he hasn’t finished installing the new combat simulator, the trophy room is visible thanks to his enormous animatronic tyrannosaurs rex sat in the centre; there’s the endless cars, motorcycles, planes, a helicopter and boats, the display cases holding various suits – new and old – and the batcomputer, settled in the centre of it all. You’re not sure where to look first, your lips parted as your eyes dart around, in a futile attempt to take it all in at the same time.
Slowly, your hand falls away from his and you walk past him, your pace cautious as you venture forward. He gives you space, following behind slowly as you begin to explore. Most of the more dangerous pieces of his equipment are safely away so he’s not worried about you harming yourself on anything. Still, he keeps a close eye, just in case Cass or Helena have left something out by accident.
Bruce expects you to be drawn toward the trophy area, most people are since they don’t expect him to have one with how serious he is. You’re not. Instead, you’re drawn toward the display cases. Specifically, Bruce’s suits. The first one you stop in front of is the suit he was wearing when he first faced Joker. There are tears from knives, holes from bullets, the cape’s basically been shredded and there’s still staining from his blood, visible against the light grey material. Your hands and mouth have felt each scar from that night, and the many others he’s suffered since, lavishing all of them in your affection. You don’t know the stories behind each scar, yet, and he’s not sure if he’ll be able to tell you with the way your brow furrows and you worry your bottom lip between your teeth as you look it over.
As the suits go on, as he gets older and more experience, the damage isn’t as bad right up until you get to the suit he was wearing when he fought Bane. The sharp gasp from you has his steps faltering. There’s always the chance that, showing you all of this, showing you what you’re really getting involved with when it comes to him, the fact that he may not come home when he steps out of the cave, dressed in his suit; the blood staining on the suits making the scars his body bares all the more real could cause you to leave as you decide that can’t handle this life and everything that comes with it.
“This almost killed you, didn’t it?” you ask him as he comes up behind him and wraps his arms around you, bending down to rest his chin against your shoulder.
“It was pretty damn close,” he replies. “Some nights are like that—” he gestures towards a couple of the other suits—“Where there’s a good chance I don’t get to come home. It could be a knife, a stray bullet, just some thug that gets lucky. I do my best to come back every time I leave, but I won’t ever be able to promise you that I will…” he trails off, his throat constricting as a pressure builds behind his eyes. His mask has done what it does best, popping the bubble he’s found with you. The reality of his decisions, his life, sinking in to both of you. He hates the thought of shattering your heart because he wasn’t able to make his way back to you, hates the thought of you sobbing over him—
A hand against his cheek, a thumb moving across his cheekbone, brings his attention back to you. You’ve turned in his arms, gazing up at him like he’s worth your affection.
“Bruce, baby, from the moment I figured out who you were and read every news article, watched every grainy video, I accepted what could happen to you and if the worst does come to pass, at least I’ll know what it’s like to love and be loved by you.”
Your words strike a chord deep within Bruce. In an attempt to stop himself from breaking down in front of you, he captures your lips with his. You’re both breathless by the time he finds the strength to pull away, composing himself again.
“I can’t promise I’ll come back every time I leave, but I can promise I’ll try my very best,” he tells you.
“That’s all I ask.”
After that, he stays close to you as you continue your exploration, a hand on your waist. The next time that you stop, it’s before one of Selina’s catsuit’s – the purple one with the thigh high black boots. Much like Jason’s Robin suit or the holograms up on the Watchtower, he has given them a place of honour here in the cave, honouring her sacrifice. He has only spoken about her a few times with you, and you have seen the pictures and paintings around Wayne Manor, as well as the pictures and videos that he keeps on his phone.
Never once has there been any ounce of jealously from you, no attempt of you trying to erase her. You accept that he still loves her, that he always will, but there is more than enough room in his heart for both you and her.
“Do you think that she would have liked me?”
Your question takes him off guard for a moment. Then he’s pulling you closer, a peck to your cheek, his thumb absentmindedly tracing a random pattern along the back of your hand.
“Like you? Selina would’ve loved you,” he says. “I definitely wouldn’t have had a chance.”
You giggle softly. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“Oh, believe me, if you had met her you never would've given me a second look."
Before you get a chance to respond, Bruce’s phone starts to ring. His sigh is long and drawn out as he untangles himself from you and pulls it out of the pocket of his slacks. It’s exactly who he thought it was: Clark.
“I’m sorry, I should take this.”
Your smile is soft, sweet and forgiving. “It’s okay, Bruce. Answer it, I have a lot more exploration ahead of me.” You press a quick peck to his cheek this time and walk away, headed straight toward his trophies. With a sigh, he answers his phone.
“Really? You can’t give me a second to sort out my gear, Clark?” His voice is stern, Batman creeping into it a little.
“I can hear you, Bruce.”
“I still have half an hour before I’m actually required to be on the Watchtower. Calm down. I’ll be there.” He hangs up the phone at that point; he really doesn’t need to be nagged to do his job. You’re checking out the dinosaur when he turns around, craning your neck to look up at it.
“Sounds like you’re in trouble,” you say as he approaches you.
He snorts softly. “I’m Batman, I am the trouble. I’m not in it.” The look that you give him is a disapproving one, but amusement glimmers in your eyes. “I’m sure Alfred won’t mind showing you the rest of the place since I do need to get ready and actually sort my gear.”
You shake your head. “I’ll wait for you to get back, it’ll be more fun, but can I watch you get ready?”
“Not only can you watch me get ready, but you can also help out.”
As Bruce gets his batsuit on, Alfred shows you where he keeps his equipment – batarangs, grapple gun, explosive gel, etc. His sweater is neatly folded on his desk, leaving him shirtless as he pulls on his boots. He can feel your eyes on him, no doubt checking him out like you so often do when he’s missing a shirt. He looks up as you walk over, his utility belt in your hands.
“I have no idea how you wear this all night,” you tell him as you hand it over. “This thing is heavy.”
“If you can believe it, it used to be way heavier.” The look you give him tells him that you definitely don’t believe him. When he gets home, he’ll have to show you his older belts. As he rises from his chair, he is thoroughly enjoying the way that you’re checking him out. Pure, unbridled lust, and he wishes he could give in. Instead, he flexes his muscles as he puts on the rest of his suit. “A little something for you to think about whilst I’m gone.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, I definitely will,” you giggle. In your hands is his cowl. You’ve been looking it over for a few minutes now, your fingers tracing the ears up to their point and back down again. “Can I?” you ask and Bruce cannot hide his smile.
“Of course you can.” He drops down onto one knee and bows his head for you, making it way easier than it would be if he was still standing. You’re careful as you lower his cowl onto his head and it slides perfectly into place, switching on once it’s secure, confirming his connection to the batcomputer. Once it is in place, he stands, towering over and casting a shadow across you. As he looks you over, the cowl automatically starts reading your vitals. Your heart rate is elevated, but not because he’s standing back at his full height. No, you’re worried and he thinks he knows why.
“Hey,” he starts, his voice gentle. One hand cups your face while the other settles on your hip, tugging you gently towards him. “I love you, sweetheart, and I promise I’ll do my best to come back.”
“I know,” you reply, your voice small and completely unlike you usually are. “I guess that seeing all of this finally—” you gesture around to the cave—“makes all of this a lot more real. I mean, it was always real, it’s just…” you trail off, frowning as you struggle to find the right words.
“I know what you mean.”
You take him off guard as you balance on your tiptoes and kiss him. When you pull away, he tugs you back and deepens the kiss for a moment, savouring it for as long as he dares to. He sighs softly when he finally breaks the kiss.
“I love you too, Bruce.”
Your words make him smile, his heart soaring every time you return those three words to him. He doesn’t want to, but he starts to pull away right up until your hand is the only part of you still touching him and gives it a gentle squeeze. When he does finally let go, his mask fully settling into place, his smile vanishing, as he mentally prepares for another League mission, Alfred comes to stand next to you.
Taking a deep breath, he finally turns away, his cape swishing with the movement, and makes his way over to the batwing. Unbeknownst to you, from the time it switched on, his cowl has been recording and while he’s gone he’ll be able to hear you say you love him as much as he needs it, and you’ll be able to hear him say it as well when you discover the voice message he’s left you.
