Author: Pirate Turner
Dedicated To: My beloved Jack -- I know I don't say it as often as I should for a thousand times wouldn't even begin to touch that amount, but I love you!!!
Rating: Slight R for afterglow and nudity
Summary: The age gap between himself and his beloved weighs too heavily on Bruce's mind; Alfred finds a way to reassure him while facing his own fears.
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Slash, Established Relationship, Odd Pairing
Word Count (excluding heading): 464
Archive: Make Believe, - Any one else interested, ask, and you will probably receive.
Feedback: Yes, please!
Disclaimer: Bruce "Batman" Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, and Gotham City are & TM DC comics and any and all other respective owners, none of which is the author, and are used without permission. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
He laid beside his love and tried not to worry. He tried valiantly not to think about anything, not about the criminals laying siege to the city while he rested, not about the next grand scheme by some badass who wanted to rule the world, and especially not about the gaping age difference between his beloved and himself. Yet it was the latter that his mind kept turning back to. Alfred had just celebrated another birthday, and with every joyous birthday celebration came another reminder that decades lay between them.
It wasn't fair, Bruce thought. It wasn't fair that they weren't the same age, that Alfred had lived so much longer than he and would probably die before he did. That was part of why he could so easily laugh Death in the face: he hoped to go first for he did not want to face the dark abyss that his life would become without his love's shining star guiding him.
Without Alfred, the fight would become pointless. Without Alfred, his world would be a gaping, dark hole of nothing but misery, heartache, and pain. Without his love, there was no point in living and nothing to make life worth the trouble. And yet, he feared with all his being, that one day, it would . . .
"Bruce," Alfred's gentle voice cut into Bruce's thoughts. The younger man made a guilty face that Alfred could not see for he was behind him, his muscular arms wrapped around him and holding him close to his naked chest, but Alfred knew it was there. He patted his hand reassuringly. "Go to sleep, luv."
"I . . . can't . . . "
"Yes, you can. I'll be here in the morning. I'll be here every morning." Before Bruce could try to make him promise him that he would keep his word as Alfred meant for him to think it -- that he would be there every morning of his life instead of every morning of Alfred's life --, Alfred began to sing softly. He sung Bruce a lullaby, and his beloved hero, the man who had saved his life time and again with just a smile, a kiss, or a mere "hello" and in more ways than he would ever know, drifted slowly off to sleep.
Alfred kept singing even after his sweetheart started to snore. His voice melted into Bruce's dreams, chasing away the nightmares and bringing pleasurable dreams that he far too seldom had. As Alfred himself finally began to fall asleep, he said a silent prayer that he hoped with every inch of his being would be gifted. He asked for no less than an eternity spent loving Bruce and begged to have it granted with his every ounce that day and every day.
The End