A Kiss Can Be Even Deadlier If You Mean It

by impulsesbulky

Just a short oneshot written one snowy night to write out Bruce's thoughts, feelings and memories that come with winter and when he remembers the time he spent with Selina Kyle. (Very short. Implied BatCat and based off of the events of Batman Returns. Set after the events in said timeline.)

The night was cold and Bruce could see his breath in the frigid Gotham air. He hugged his black, wool coat tighter against him. His brows knit together as he watched the snowflakes fall in huge, white, glittery chunks around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw children running by in the snow. They were laughing, playing.

His memory faded back to quite a few years prior. The laughter he heard was not a child's. It was feminine—beautiful. He could still see her face clearly in his mind, and still hear her voice. His jaw clenched when his memory showed him the tears in her eyes that he wasn't able to take away. The pain that she felt that he understood, but would never be able to help her with. Even if he wanted to.

The children's voices faded into the night as Bruce stood there, motionless, and the snow collected on him. His mind, as it often seemed to be, was elsewhere. It was on her and, in the cold, he could almost feel her arm wrapped around him and his hand in hers. Almost as if they were dancing again and there was the mistletoe above them in a crowded room where they didn't have to wear their masks.

"Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it…."

"A kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it…"

There had been no denying it. They knew in that moment exactly who the other was. His heart had torn to shreds in that instant, conflicted and yet all he wanted to do was comfort her and find a way to make this better—to make it work. He wanted to make it work between them.

He had tried. He wanted to take her away from the pain and make it all better—to try and love her. But maybe, he supposed, he truly was meant to be alone in this world. That was the price he had to pay for who he was and what he did. Something he had realized a long time ago, but never really came to terms with.

Bruce licked his lips in the cold, remembering kisses that had once been pressed to his lips that he would never feel again. His jaw clenched once more and he drew in a deep breath of chilled air, filling his lungs with it. Selina had been right, after all. A kiss was deadlier if you meant it. He'd meant them all and here he was—alone. Always alone with little more than memories of those he loved to keep him warm at night and nothing more.