With Every Heartbeat • Bale!Bruce Wayne x fem!Gordon!reader (Chapter XI)
Requested: No
Pairing: Bale!Bruce Wayne x fem!reader
Story's synopsis: When y/n Gordon learned her billionaire boyfriend was also a vigilante at night a year ago, she knew it could be dangerous for her. But she listened to her heart and decided to choose to be happy with the man of her dreams. And after all, Bruce and her had agreed to keep their relationship secret - for her sake. But when the wrong person understands her closeness to Gotham’s protector, the reality of how cruel and mad some people are comes running back, and all is left to do is holding on. For as long as one’s heart beats.
Word count: 3.3 K
Chapter warnings: Anxiety, stress, slight PTSD; fluff
A/N: If may the most boring chapter yet lmao I'm sorry. I apologise for any mistake/typo. I also posted an OC version on Ao3 here. ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE.
Tag list: @helendeath @im-jesus
Tag list for this story: @deadofnight0 @unclearblur @christianbalefanatic @triptuckers
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“He says,” James had also told you, “that the meeting is gonna take place tomorrow night, at the warehouse like you suggested, and says he’ll come alone. My colleague will be given the exact hour of the meeting tomorrow, I’ll give it to you the second I get it, so I’d advise you to be ready to go at any time. Dad and I will come visit after lunch.”
That night, you went to bed but only managed to sleep when Bruce came back from patrol - during which he probably tried to catch the Joker one last time before you had to become involved.
Everything is going well, you had thought in the morning, while Bruce and you were sitting around the table in the living room. Too well. Is he suspecting - or preparing - something? Will he actually come alone?
“What would the two of you like for breakfast?” Alfred asked, putting two cups of coffee on the table in front of Bruce and you. “Even though I guess the answer will be ‘nothing’.”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing, thank you, Alfred.”
Bruce, who had been lost in thought just like you had been, raised his head to look at you.
“You should eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” you said with a small smile. “I usually can’t eat anything when I’m anxious.”
“You can’t still back up and not go. No one will be mad at you.”
You shook your head gently, still smiling. “No, it’s too late.”
“It’s not,” Bruce explained calmly. “If the Joker believes you’ll go to the warehouse tonight, he’ll go. He comes, I catch him, and this is it. You don’t need to be here.”
“And when he escapes from whatever place they lock him in,” you answered, “he comes for me or my family.”
“That’s still true if you go,” Bruce argued.
And knowing he was right, you did not answer.
The rest of the morning went extremely slowly, as went any hours before something important, either good or bad, is supposed to happen. Alfred went to open the warehouse and put secret mics inside it, your mother visited you, unaware of what was happening, and the thought that the meeting might not go well made you feel really bad for not telling her. Lunch consisted of Bruce not eating anything and you barely able to eat two bites of the food in your plate, and at sunset, James and your father came - which seemed to have become a pattern - and it both relaxed you a bit and made you truly realize what was going to happen, and made your anxiety rise. Bruce greeted them with his usual politeness but didn’t let the two men say anything else before speaking.
“I don’t want y/n to do this,” he said, which made you sigh. “I think we can stop the Joker without having to put her through it.”
“‘We’?” James had a genuine small laugh. “Why, you’re planning on being there tonight, Bruce?”
“I’m afraid you can’t,” yours and James’ father immediately responded politely but firmly. “I understand waiting here will be stressful and annoying for you, but one civilian involved is already enough.”
Goodness, if they only knew how much of a ‘civilian’ Bruce is…Maybe one day he’ll tell them.
“Right.”
“And about what you just said,” your father continued, “it’s too late. The Joker expects her to come. Or, at least, we must act like he does.”
“I’ll be going,” you said, your tone demanding no argument - an argument you had no patience for at that moment. “Whatever happens next, neither Gotham nor I can’t continue to live like this. And I’m tired of living in fear of what that man is gonna send me next.”
“So you’d rather live in fear of what he’ll do if he escapes and finds you again?” Bruce retorted.
“If my father lived in fear of the criminals he put in prison getting revenge, he would have died of a heart attack a long time ago.”
Bruce didn’t respond, and looked away, but you knew he didn’t like that answer.
“We don’t actually know if the Joker is the type to get revenge,” James stated.
“Yeah, because we don’t actually know anything about him,” you said, stating the obvious.
Suddenly, James’ phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket, and read what probably was on the screen.
“The meeting is in an hour.”
The two policemen immediately made some phone calls to their colleagues, giving them the info and making sure everything and everyone was getting ready. You got a hug and reassuring words from your father, which comforted you a little, and to your great surprise, James reached out for a hug as well.
“Everything is gonna be okay. We’ll be right there, and so will Batman.”
“I know, Jimmy.”
“Don’t call me that,” he broke the hug, rolling his eyes at the nickname they had used for him when he was little and that he now hated, but he actually had a faint smile on his face.
They left, having to go meet their colleagues to give instructions. They also had to be at the warehouse at the very last moment in order not to be seen and therefore, much to their dismay and yours, couldn’t even drive you to the meeting. You put on the black ring which contained a location device, just in case, and Bruce, having to go prepare himself in his main base where his suit was, drove you there. While waiting for him, you got a message from James, reminding you of what you were supposed to do - simply give the Joker the name, but without screaming it as it would be, he wrote, “useless” - and reassuring you once again. When Bruce was ready, the two of you got into the Batmobile and drove to the warehouse. Ever since learning Bruce was Batman over a year ago, being in the Batmobile was something you had wanted to do - and something Bruce had obviously refused to let you do, no matter how many times you reminded him of how your own father got to do it when they had to stop Ra’s Al Ghul and Crane from destroying Gotham with the toxin, accusing him of not trusting you few times - and, given the circumstances, you couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it. You simply observed all the buttons the vehicle contained, trying to make the best of the moment and also to distract yourself from what was about to come. The drive was silent, but Bruce put his gantled hand on your knee, and you covered it with yours. Bruce parked a few streets away from the warehouse so he wouldn’t be seen, and kissed you once before the doors of the vehicle opened.
You checked your watch, which Bruce had given you as a gift months before - you had ten minutes left before the meeting was supposed to take place, and it would take you five minutes to walk to the warehouse. Getting out of the Batmobile, you took a deep breath before turning your head to look at Bruce one more time and started walking. You understood very well that Bruce had, like the police, to get there at the last moment in order not to be seen by anyone, but you really wished Bruce could have at least walked with you. As you forced your legs to walk towards the harbour, your whole body felt both cold and hot, your clothes suddenly felt uncomfortable, too tight and itchy, your heart beat so fast it almost hurt, and your stomach twisted. You felt nauseous, which the smell of the harbour and of the fishes probably didn’t help, and when you finally saw the warehouse, you felt tears picking your eyes. Your phone vibrated, and when you took it from your jacket with shaking hands, you saw a message from your father.
Everyone is in place. It’s gonna be alright.
It reassured you a little, and you forced yourself to take a deep breath. You didn’t know exactly where either them or Bruce were, but knowing they were in place and close relaxed you - but not as much as you would have wished.
Your steps towards the warehouse were slow, fearful, and you kept glancing around to see if anyone - meaning any of the Joker’s men - was there. The warehouse was open, and you stopped a few feet from it, too scared the Joker would already be in there, waiting for you. You concentrated and tried to listen to any noise coming from inside the warehouse, but there was nothing. Feeling anxious and scared like never before in your life - with the exception of when the Joker had put the knife in your mouth, telling you how some people needed a message - you stepped inside the dark warehouse and turned the light on thanks to Bruce’s instructions. The warehouse was empty, and the door facing you, which led to the smaller room in which the Joker had you for a day, was closed. All of a sudden, you thought you heard a small noise coming from that room, but considering the state of stress you were in, your mind might as well have made it up. You looked at her watch when a sinister, fake laugh was heard from behind, making you jump.
“Well, well, well.”
Hearing that voice made your mind rewind to the six days you spent with the owner of that voice, and the pain you had felt when he had lacered your face. Closing your eyes for a second in order not to cry and forcing yourself to not listen to your body as it screamed at you to step back towards the smaller room, to do anything to put distance between you and the other person present in that warehouse, you gulped and turned towards the Joker.
“Did the little dove at last leave the nest, hum?” he said, tilting his head to fake surprise.
The Joker looked every bit the same as he did when you last saw him. You didn’t want to answer, and didn’t think you even should, but you knew you had to. The quicker I send the signal, the quicker Bruce, dad and James and their colleagues will come, and everything will be over.
But before you could, he spoke again.
“Did you like my gifts? Our tete-à-tete ended in such a sad manner, I felt bad.”
“Did you come alone?” you asked, the slight shaking in your voice betraying your terror.
The Joker chuckled. “I’m a man of my word, beautiful. And I always honor a lady’s request. You asked me to come alone, so alone I am,” he added, acting as if he was offended by you thinking he wouldn’t.
He stepped closer, slowly, and it made you shake in fear. Your eyes instinctively lowered towards his hands, suddenly too scared one of them would just grab your face like it did once; while his eyes observed your face.
“Ah, I see I’ve left a mark. We look similar now, don’t you think?” he added with a delighted smile, flicking his tongue against one of the scarred edges of his mouth. “Now we’re both always smiling. By the way, what do you tell people when they ask how you got these scars?”
Your breath shortened, and anger and disbelief replaced half the fear you were feeling. Son of a-
“A mark?” you spat, frowning in both disgust and disbelief. “You put a knife on my mouth and lacered both my cheeks. I bled out in the room just behind me. You did that to send a so-called message to Batman, despite me repeating to you many times that I didn’t know him.”
The Joker shrugged and adjusted his purple jacket.
“Well, did he?” he asked, not fazed at all by your reaction, even raising an eyebrow which could barely be seen under the black make-up around his dark eyes. “Did he get the message? You know, when he continued his so-called heroic life as if I hadn’t kindly sent you a book so you could be entertained and flowers like a true gentleman, I almost started to believe you when you said he didn’t care about you. And I promise you, I almost felt bad.”
His tongue darted out for a second again - a sort of quirk he seemed to have, as you had seen him do it several times during your time with him.
“But things have changed, haven’t they, little miss Gordon? Either you got your memory back and decided to share that info with me, or you decided he didn’t matter after all. Which one is it?”
“I told you the truth back then,” you retorted. “But since you won’t leave me the hell alone, I had to do something.” You cleared her throat and straightened up. “I know who Batman is now, but like I said in the message, I want something special in exchange.”
The Joker squinted his eyes, faking curiosity and interest. “I’m dying with curiosity here, sweetheart,” he said with a frown. “Tell me, what do you want in exchange for betraying your boyfriend?”
“Peace,” you answered, suddenly managing to pretend to be calm. “I want you to leave me and my family alone from now on. No more creepy, disgusting gifts sent to my home or to my family. Nothing. I don’t want to hear from you again.”
The Joker squinted his eyes for half a second, before pouting.
“Alright, little dove. You won’t hear from me again. But I do think you’ll always see me, considering those lovely little scars on your face,” he added in an unbearable light tone, pointing at her cheek. “I think we had enough small talk, don’t you think? Give me Batman’s name.”
You took a deep breath, and forced her mouth open.
“Philip McGinnis.”
Everything then went in a few seconds. Several voices shouted and people seemed to be coming from both behind you and the Joker. The latter didn’t have time to react, as two men went to grab him before throwing him on the ground as he laughed while your father, your brother and another cop pointed their guns at him. You watched it, taking a step back, and Bruce arrived barely a second later, putting himself between you and the Joker.
“It’s over now.”
You looked at him, and managed to smile nervously, still too shaken to be relieved. The Joker was still laughing as he was handcuffed and led outside. He didn’t resist one bit, but turned towards you as he was about to disappear from sight.
“Well done, little dove, very well done!”
All the policemen present went outside to probably bring the Joker in one of their cars, except for James and your father, who walked in your direction, putting their guns away. Your father opened his arms when he was closer to you.
“It’s over, sweetheart.”
You hugged him tight, letting a tear run down your cheek, and you felt James’ hand gently stroking your shoulder.
“Thank you, dad.”
“You did so well,” your father said, breaking the hug before quickly kissing your forehead.
“You took your damn time, though,” James joked in a fake scolding tone. “I was getting so annoyed, wondering what the hell was taking you so long.”
“I know,” you said, “I’m sorry. I thought taking a bit of time would make him less suspicious.”
You let out a long breath, and ran both hands over your face, feeling your body relax slightly. “Thank you all for being there. I couldn’t have done it if I didn’t know the three of you were there,” you added, looking at the three men in the room.
Your eyes met Bruce’s, and you suddenly were dying to be in his arms.
“Let’s go home, now,” James said. “I think you deserve to rest. Dad and I need to go to our homequarters to make sure that son of a bitch doesn’t escape but we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Your father nodded, “Anna will drive you back.”
The two Gordon men thanked Batman, who only responded with a short nod, and you, for good measure, thanked him once again, knowing you’d joke about it later on with Bruce. You gave him a smile before you, James and your father went outside, where Anna was waiting for you next to a police car, giving you a polite yet warm smile.
“I’m glad everything went well, y/n.”
“Thank you,” you smiled.
You and Anna got in the car, and the drive was spent in a comfortable silence, except for a bit of small talk, Anna telling you your father and brother had mentioned you several times, and only spoke of you lovingly. Anna was so nice and seemed so genuine that it was hard to believe she was once, according to James, accused of being bribed by the mob. The gate was open when the car got to the house, and Anna parked right in front of it.
“Thank you, officer. I appreciate it,” you said.
Anna gave you a nod and a smile. “No problem. Take care, young lady.”
The ‘young lady’ made you chuckle a bit. You walked to the house, the only noise being the police car driving back towards the gate, and opened the door - probably left open by Bruce. You came inside, immediately closing the door behind her and locking it, and saw Bruce in the entrance, barely a few feet away from her. You guys stared at each other for barely a second before you spoke and smiled.
“I knew you would get there before me.”
Bruce immediately walked in your direction and you jumped into his arms. He wrapped his arms around you and held you tightly, and the sense of safety you always had felt whenever he held you - or was in the same room as you - as well as his familiar, comforting scent made you relax almost instantly.
“My God, Bruce…”
“To say I wasn’t scared for you would be lying,” he said softly against your ear.
You two broke the hug just enough to kiss, slowly and deeply, Bruce’s hand going from your lower back to the back of your neck.
“I was so scared, too,” you sighed. “So scared he had brought his men, and so scared he’d hurt me again somehow. I don’t know how I managed to go through it.
“You’re a Gordon,” Bruce answered, repeating the words you had once said to him. “It’s in your blood to be brave.”
“I guess so,” you said with a tired laugh before kissing Bruce again.
Alfed appeared at that moment, a small yet happy smile on his face.
“I’m glad you’re safe, miss.”
“Oh, Alfred.”
You detached herself from Bruce to go hug the older man, who you now considered family. When he broke the hug, his smile was bigger.
“Everyone is tired, but since neither of you have eaten all day, I insist a dinner is necessary.”
“You’re right,” you nodded. “I’m starving.
Bruce had a half-smile, and Alfred went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, the three of you- you had insisted Alfred joined Bruce and you - were seated around the living room’s table, eating your favorite food while you told Alfred the details of how the meeting went when he asked. Once you three were done, you yawned, and Bruce gestured to the door.
“Let’s go to sleep.”
And sleep in tomorrow morning.
You and Bruce bid Alfred goodnight, and both took a shower before going to bed. There, with your head on Bruce’s bare chest, his arms around you and one of yours on his chest, near one of the few scars he had got from his patrols, you felt relaxed for the first time ever since the night you got the scars.
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