Knowing Me, Knowing You
Bruce Wayne/Batman x Surgeon!Reader
Chapter 7: The Sun Shines Again
Series Masterlist
A/N: Hi :3 soo i have been gone for an eternity... yes ik and I am sorry all. Tbh i'm not even sure if this fic still has an audience, but I am still continuing it cause I like it lol
You know his secret but the lies don't stop.
CW: Major character injury (Bruce), cursing, whump, hurt comfort, secret identity, angst
Wc: 2.4k
The loud Gotham traffic penetrates your ears, jolting you awake. With a groan, you turn onto your side as you foggily remember last night. Suddenly you are hyper aware of the fact that you are in your bed and indeed, not on the floor beside a severely injured man.
Bruce-
Quickly, you scramble to your feet and run into the living room only to find it empty. The area looks normal and you second guess if last night was all a dream- that is, until you see the large blood stains on your couch and carpet.
What time did Nightwing come back? It was definitely not easy to get Bruce out with his condition, how did you not wake up?
Your eyes widen as you glance at the time, it's half past noon- you’ve practically slept half the day away! Though, to be fair, you were up unbelievably late tending to Bat’s wounds and at least you’re still on “vacation”.
Once you gain your bearings, there’s only one thing on your mind- You need to see Bruce. You needed to be there for him on the emotional level you weren’t able to last night. But how were you supposed to go over there without being suspicious?
Bruce definitely knew it was you who helped him last night and so did his partner, but he still thinks you’re oblivious… and if you just go over there after the two of you are still technically in the midst of an argument, why would you just show up at his door?
Also… there’s no way he’s magically healed, so how will he try to cover up his injuries? Will he even try? It almost seems easier to just tell you everything.
You enter your messages and click on Bruce’s pinned contact; his profile picture is your favorite photo of him. He picked you up from work one day and brought you to your favorite late night cafe- a place you’d never expect to see the Bruce Wayne.
His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, showing his muscular forearms, his jawline was sharp, but his expression relaxed. He had been sipping his black coffee before you called his name, catching him off guard as he turned- that’s when you snapped the pic.
It was so simple, his eyes were widened slightly, and his lips parted near the lid of his cup. He was so adorably handsome.
The small grey bubble from two days ago sits unanswered as your thumbs hover over the keyboard.
‘Please stay safe, crime rates are abnormally high right now. Let's talk tomorrow. -B’
A frown settles onto your face- you should have answered him sooner. Not that answering his text would have prevented his injuries, but at least he wouldn’t have been worrying about you too. Maybe you had been a little childish…
You’ve decided that you’re going over to the manor no matter what, so you just need to think of a text to send that won’t indicate you know anything.
‘I’m sorry for not responding sooner, I just needed some time to think. I’ll stop by later today to talk. I hope you’re doing ok’
Send.
You exhale as you watch the blue bubble send, hopefully he or maybe Alfred will see your message.
_____________________________________
As you arrive, your heart is racing; it wasn't that long ago that you were walking out these doors nearly in tears wanting nothing more than to get away from your boyfriend.
The gravel shifts under your shoes as you make your way towards the large entryway. With a sigh, you knock on the hardwood; the wind rustling the leaves seems uninviting as you wait for an answer.
Only a few moments pass before the door slowly opens; Alfred is on the other side looking exhausted and grim.
“Good Afternoon Miss, I was not aware you were stopping by today” Alfred says, an odd lilt to his voice.
“I texted Bruce that I’d come by and talk to him about the other day, but he didn’t answer- Is he home?” you return, watching his expression closely.
Alfred’s eyes shift downwards, he forms a frown, and suddenly he seems to go pale, “Why don’t you come inside, Dear. It looks like it may rain”.
He’s going to tell you about Bruce’s condition.
You can tell by the gentleness in his tone and his diversion to the weather. Nevertheless, you nod and gingerly step into the threshold you’ve walked so many times before. He closes the large door behind you and guides you to a plush seat in the next room over.
“Alfred, what’s going on?” you ask, anxious to hear an update on Bruce’s condition (and to see what type of cover up Bruce is using).
“Master Wayne has been involved in a serious accident, the other night someone collided with his car and he was severely injured” Alfred explains, his tired eyes never leaving yours.
He’s so convincing that you almost forget that you actually know what happened.
You feign surprise and bring your hands to your mouth, “Oh God- Bruce, is he- is he”.
Alfred answers before you have to finish your sentence, “He’s been well treated and hopefully will make a full recovery, though it will take some time. I know it’s not my place, but I am aware that the two of you were not particularly well off the last time I saw you, but I do think that seeing you would bring him some peace”.
That’s all you want to do, you just want to hold him and comfort him. All of the questions you have about his nightly activities and secret identity can wait for later- there must be a reason why he does what he does and a reason for keeping it hidden from you.
“I want to see him, Alfred.” you say.
The old man swallows deeply before straightening his back and heading for the stairs, “I’ll let you in shortly, but let me check on him first- I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner”.
“It’s alright” you respond quietly as you listen to his footsteps disappear up the stairs.
You stand from the chair and walk into the main hallway in anticipation. Was he going to be awake? What if there were complications after he left your apartment? Would he be mad at you for not answering him the other day?
Further down the hallway you hear a door creak and suddenly you’re on high alert. Heavy footsteps patter towards you and soon you’re met with the bruised face of Dick; he’s wearing a grey T-shirt with some gym logo and black sweats, his hair is wet from the shower, but the most jarring thing about him is the large bruise blooming across his left cheekbone.
“Oh my God, Dick!” you exclaim walking towards him, worry laced in your voice.
His eyes widen before he exhales your name. Before you can even think about it, you gently take his face into your hands, examining his injuries. His bottom lip is split and there is a cut through his right brow, he’s collected a menagerie of scrapes all over his face and jaw.
It might seem odd that Dick is allowing you to get so close to him, but over the years he’s gotten accustomed to you and your nurturing ways- afterall, you had been taking care of his father for forever, so why wouldn’t he trust you?
Your frown deepens as he winces, “Dick, what the hell happened?!” you exclaim, more worried than anything as you tuck a stray jet black lock behind his ear.
“Car accident, I was with Bruce- I heard Alfred tell you just now” he says, the hoarseness of his voice seems foreign to you.
“I- I’m so sorry” you say as you softly pull him into your gentle embrace.
He returns the hug as you smooth down the back of his damp hair. Over the duration of yours and Bruce’s relationship, you had become somewhat of a maternal figure for Dick; sure he didn’t exactly live here anymore, but he had been coming back from Blüdhaven a lot more frequently the past few months.
“It’s ok, I’m glad to see you again” he whispers into your shoulder.
“Me too,” you reply.
Once you release him, you place a hand on the uninjured side of his face with a sad smile. He leans into your touch and all you can see is that small kid waiting for his dad to wake up from surgery from all of those years ago.
“Miss, you may come with me now,” Alfred calls from the top of the grand stairs.
You nod and brush Dick’s cheek once more before ascending the stairs.
Car accident with Bruce.
Car accident…
…with
Bruce.
Something clicks inside of your mind and you almost have to grab the wall for support as you trail behind Alfred.
You had been so caught up in worry from seeing Dick so beaten up that you didn’t even think about the fact that you knew there was no car accident.
And since there was no car accident, there was no way that Dick was “with Bruce” when he got those cuts.
Dick- living in Blüdhaven, coming back home to Gotham… coming home to a father who is indeed the Batman…
The Batman, who had a Robin…
a boy around Dicks age…
The Robin that now watches over Blüdhaven as…
Nightwing.
Your fingers grip the oak railing for support… there was going to be a lot of explaining to do.
_____________________________
Alfred leads you to Bruce’s door and silently lets you know that he’s still resting but welcomes you to go in.
“Thank you, Alfred” you nod before silently step into the familiar room.
The door clicks behind you and you finally get a look at Bruce; his leg and wrist have been properly splinted and his chest is wrapped in bandages, thank God he got actual help and didn’t just take care of it himself (even if it was under the guise of his fake alibi).
As you move closer you can see how the bruising around his collarbones and cheeks have darkened and he’s forming a black eye on the left. He’s got a thin oxygen tube running under his nose- nothing serious, you recognize as a customary precaution for all patients with this level of injury.
There is a monitoring workstation pole rolled by the side of his bed. Usually those stay in the hospitals, but apparently if you’re a billionaire they make exceptions. It kind of makes sense though, the press would be buzzing around his room if they knew he was in there.
His face is still and his monitor is beeping steadily. Good.
You gently glide the tips of your fingers down his arm and cautiously grasp his hand in yours. He exhales a sigh at your touch and you almost think you’ve woken him, but he begins to snore quietly, making you smile. He never admits to snoring even though you’ve caught him doing it in your ear countless times.
For a moment you just stand beside the bed, observing the way his chest rises and falls, just thinking about everything that's happened in the past few days, all of the realizations and connections.
How could you not have seen it?
The way Batman seemed more concerned with your safety than he should have been, the way he was contempt to just sit in your company during lulls in his patrols, the way he knew you were upset the other day-
And Bruce- Bruce’s injuries that never exactly lined up with the stories he’d tell, the dates he’d missed (all at night), his odd sleep schedule.
How long had he been doing this- had it been as long as you’d known him?
That would mean he would have had to be doing it for years. And what about Dick? Did that mean he was out running around the streets of Gotham, fighting crime as just a little boy?
Why would Bruce allow that?
So many questions…but would Bruce give you answers? How would he react if he knew that you knew? He obviously didn’t have any intention of telling you.
A small groan escapes his lips as he turns his head slightly and you’re suddenly not worried about the details of his nightly activities.
Bruce’s features seem to draw a slight scowl, even in sleep; you want nothing mere than to take away his pain. His stubble brushes against your palm as you run your thumb over his cheek- it’s not like him to skip shaving.
“A-Alfred?”
His voice is rough and he has to blink away the sleep, but at least he’s cognisant.
“Bruce” you exhale, getting closer to the side of the bed.
“Alfred-”
“No, It’s me- I’m here” your voice waves slightly and you take his uninjured hand into your own.
The recognition dawns on him and his face shifts from confused to some type of longing; his eyes widen and his brows draw together as he calls your name.
“I’m sorry about the other night- I didn’t mean that I said. You- Gotham is important to me, but not as important as you. I should have never-” he rambles so fast that you think he might exhaust himself.
“Baby- it’s ok, we can talk about all of that later, what I really want is for you to rest”.
Bruce’s eyes flutter shut as he melts into your touch; you run your hand against his cheek before raking through his tousled black locks.
“Come back?” he asks quietly, definitely expecting you to say ‘not yet’ or that you ‘need more time’.
“Come back and stay with me?” his voice is so unsure as his tired eyes meet yours.
You exhale a deep breath through your nose and manage a small smile; what should you even say to him? There isn’t really a handbook about how to interact with your boyfriend after figuring out he has kept a whole ass secret identity from you… Should you even bring up the fact that you know?
His face falters at your hesitancy to respond. His gaze drops as he feels that he has his answer.
But…
You end up surprising him-
“I will, Bruce. I’ll come back.”
***
a/n: okiiii so tht was that :) ummm ill be back with more and i have been cooking some sw and avatar (blue ppl) works too :)
