justicealwaysprevailsâ:
Selinaâs response took Bruce by surprise. He had been expecting her to brush off his attempt to comfort her. In the past heâd been clumsier at offering it. There were several things they were both trying to do differently, but this was the first time he saw tangible success. Nodding silently, he didnât resist when she took his hand and held it. He didnât ask for details, but there was no need to. In some ways they were eerily similar; he knew her fear because he shared it. The thought of anything happening to her was incomprehensible.Â
The look in her eyes struck him in a way he hadnât been prepared for. His hand moved in her grip, but he didnât pull away. He knew how difficult it was for her to be here, to stay and face reality rather than taking off and putting this place and their complicated relationship behind her - especially now, when there was a real possibility of defeat, of not surviving the fight that lay ahead. The stakes were higher. He was older. So many of them had died already and not all of them had come back. âYou live it by taking each day as it comes. There is no other way.â They had this moment together. Nothing else was guaranteed. Not anymore - and possibly never again.
They had been clumsy and stupid with each other before. Bruce had been wrapped up in that cowl, Selina in her independence, and neither of them knew how to meet in the middle. Frankly, they still didnât know how to meet in the middle, but they were getting better at it. Selinaâs increased presence at the manor was enough to help cement their bond, even if she didnât spend all of her nights there. It gave them time to know each other in a better, more intimate way than the rooftops had ever afforded them.Â
âIs that really enough for you?â she asked, shaking her head. âI donât want to live day-by-day anymore, Iâve already done that and I promised myself I wouldnât get into this position again.â She closed her mouth and worked her jaw, as if she was holding onto all the things she still refused to say. It was going to be a slow growth for both of them, but like sturdy oak trees, that slow growth had already intertwined their roots. She brought her hands up to touch his face, dragging her fingertips down the stubble covering his jaw. âWhen do we get to stop being on the run, Bruce?â











