EXTRA
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Bruce was resting in the medical wing of the laboratory. Alfred, already tired of warning about the dangers that stress and overload could cause to his heart - still fragile -, preferred to make sure that he would rest and leave him in the care of two poor souls:
— Do you want me to talk to him about what we have agreed? — Dick asked almost in a whisper, trying to be as discreet as possible.
— No, I deal with him better — Selina answered equally low.
— If you need help... — He smiled and left the lab, was ready to help her as a stepson or anyone in Gotham as a Nightwing.
She followed him with her eyes, then looked at Bruce - she knew he was awake - and then finally started the conversation:
— You're an idiot...
— I am.
— That I love like an idiot...
— I love you too, cat.
— I know... — She was serious — And I also know that there are things in front of me.
— What...?
— Justice, Gotham, Batman, that silly oath you took when you were a child... — She sighed — Bruce, however stupid I think is that... — She paused before continuing, even raising her hands in self defense — Idiot sometimes, because I know all the meaning! The meaning is good, even if you take a risk for that... — He smiled and took one of his hands carefully — ... I understand. Because I love you, stupid bat.
— I love you too, stupid cat — He ended up smiling.
— And who wouldn't love?
He nodded, as if it were a silent scolding of a child. After a few seconds of silence, he sighed and commented, as if he wants nothing:
— If you want, you can go straight to the point...
— Great! — She took a deep breath and held her boyfriend's hand with a little more strength before continuing: — Your son doesn't know that you love him. Maybe Damian even suspected it before, but now...
— I already said that I didn't mean it.
— It doesn't matter, Bruce. Do you know why it doesn't matter? Because even without doing harm, you always do the same thing: you don't say what you feel, you don't know how to deal with what you feel and you don't want to feel anything, because you're afraid of losing.
— Where did you get that from?
— Alfred and I talked a lot lately — She finally left her boyfriend and got up — Dick, Barbara, Tim... Jason.
— ... Did you talk to Jason about me? — Bruce couldn't hide his silly smile.
— About how childish you are! — She crossed her arms — Bruce, what does it cost to talk to your son!? If you don't explain how you feel, Damian will continue to think you are bothered about him!
— I do not...!
— He doesn't know that you were to blame!
— ... Am I to blame?
— YES!
— ... Finally someone had the courage to...
— To speak what you so wanted to hear! — Selina interrupted him — You were to blame for Damian's death the first time, what happened to him before and even the chandelier fell on him! — She was irritated — And you know what? You are also to blame for Jason's death! Guilty for what happened to Tim, Dick, Alfred, anyone!
— But...
— You are to blame for all the wrong things about Gotham, bat! Blame even for there being bad people like me! You wouldn't need help breaking your spine because you have the weight of the world on your back!
— Enough, Selina!
The two were silent, facing each other.
She was irritated, restless, walking around waiting for the gears to turn. He, the greatest detective in the world, tried hard to sit on the stretcher staring at her and waiting for some other tip - she wouldn't start an argument for anything.
— It doesn't make sense... — Bruce murmured after a few minutes — You never blamed me for anything, what was all that about?
She smiled, let her arms fall to her sides and breathed a sigh of relief. She approached the bat, hugged him tightly and faced him - now sweetly:
— This is a desperate attempt to make you understand that nobody blames you for anything... — She kissed him on the forehead — You are the only one who blames himself.
— It still doesn't make sense.
— Do... — Carefully, she took his hand — Do it because you know I never blame you.
— And? — He intertwined his fingers with hers.
— And you're getting this way because you don't know if Damian blames you or not...
— ... Maybe it is that.
— Bat, we know that it was his fault.
— Impossible... — He shook her hand instinctively — He is a child! He's just scared, not blaming himself!
— Bruce, we know it was his fault! — She repeated louder — Him, not yours! He chose to go alone, he chose the most difficult way, he made mistakes and he is paying! The fault of making him cry, this is yours, but the fault for everything that happened is not. He's having nightmares as a result of what he did...
— ... He is just a child and... and I...
— He is a child now, bat... — Selina said quietly, forcing her boyfriend to lie down on the stretcher once again — And you have a chance to be his father in a different way. Blaming yourself is only hurting you... — She smiled, carefully stroking his face with his free hand — Forget all that guilt, before you make my son worse... please.
— Ours, our son.
— Are you going to talk to him?
— I will... — He carefully held her hand, interlacing his fingers again.
— Promise you won't make him cry?
— ... Promise.
— Finally! — She let some laughs escape.
— Is everything okay here? — Dick looked at them from the door, curious — Did you get it?
— Yes! — Selina announced euphorically, filling her boyfriend with kisses on the cheek.
— I still do not believe that you are doing a plot behind my back... — Despite trying to sound serious, Bruce could not hide his silly smile.
— Sometimes it is necessary, B — The boy smiled — And my apartment is really empty, there is no problem if they... — When he noticed Selina's nervous look, Dick stopped talking and cleared his throat, looking away somewhere — Er...
— Your apartment...? — Bruce sat down again. He was serious, he wanted a straightforward explanation this time.
— ... It's the plan if you continue like this — Dick murmured under his breath, leaving again.
— Bruce, you are not doing well — Selina forced you to lie down — We are afraid that all this guilt could make you worse and...
— Where does the apartment get into this? — he interrupted her.
— ... Maybe it would be better for Damian to get away from you a little, for both their sakes.
— Selina! — Bruce grunted as if he had been stabbed in the back. With effort and leaning on what he saw ahead, this time he got up from the stretcher and walked away from it — You want to take my son from me! — accused.
— We want the best for you! — She defended herself — Bat, you can't deal with him!
— I am dealing perfectly with the situation!
— You are killing yourself!
— He is my son! My! He's not yours! You have no right to take him! — Was already at the door, ready to go out and stand guard in Damian's room to ensure that he would remain there.
— Bat... — Selina practically called him in a whisper. She approached slowly - I had no intention of stopping him, but he still stood in the same place, motionless — I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, okay? — Sighed — Damian needs a quiet place and you need less stress. Dick and I will only do something if things continue as they are...
— Why his apartment? Why don't you stay here and I leave?
— Because his apartment is empty, nobody would recognize me in Blüdhaven, especially with a child — She rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder — And you don't know how to live without this place...
— Selina...
— I'm about to go crazy inside, bat — She stared at him, letting sadness and anxiety finally appear — I need to go out, do something different, feel alive again... — She hugged him a little more — Caring our son would distract me...
— Take care of him here, with me — Bruce asked, hugging her affectionately.
— ... Only if you stop pretending that you are handling the situation well.
— I'm dealing well...
— As well as I ...
The two looked at each other and let a low, complicit laugh escape. Both, as parents, were doing the best they could - no matter how dysfunctional and self-destructive they were doing.
They remained embraced for just under a minute, in silence, until the watchman commented on something he had been thinking for days:
— I didn't know that... — He searched for the words he could use — that you really liked taking care of Damian. I thought you just felt obligated by the misunderstanding of being his "mother"…
— I love being his mother, maybe not as much as Dick... — He laughed, which soon contained, after all, the boy was behind the door waiting for their reconciliation, probably listening to the conversation — ... But I love that jealous brat.
— And when he returns to normal? How do you think he will... react?
— Good! — She smiled — He is afraid that I will steal your attention or that... — she looked away — ... that our children will steal his place, so...
— ... Our children? — He raised an eyebrow.
— So... — Already recovered from the momentary shyness and ready to change the direction of the conversations, Selina raised an eyebrow and put her hands on his shoulders, purring slowly as she brought him close to her: — You should be on the stretcher, Mister Wayne... meow.
— Would you accompany me there, Miss Kyle?
— Of course! — She smiled and kissed him before he could say anything else.
And in the middle of the warm kiss, the two walked towards the stretcher. The effort could be detrimental to the night watchman in that state, but the two did not care about this little detail at that moment: the only state that the two could be described was that of euphoria.
When they had to separate in search of air, both were already on the stretcher. He was lying there, enjoying the beauty of the cat and she, greedy, was starting to get irritated by the difficulty in opening her partner's uniform - if she were clawed, that outfit would have already been torn.
However, before she managed to get anything out of him beyond the hood, both were stopped:
— Quick, this way! — Dick asked while he opened the door of that place, anxious, only noticing the heated couple after he had already entered — What do you... never mind, we don't have time!
— What...? — Selina was not even able to finish the question before being "gently" kicked out of the stretcher by her boyfriend - who was now getting up — Hey!
— Damian is feeling bad? Tim? What happened!?
Bruce bombarded Nightwing with questions, but before the boy answered, Batgirl and the Red Hood walked through the door - he leaned on it as much as he could, but was almost being dragged by the girl as he babbled meaningless murmurs.
— Quick, put him down! — Dick ordered while typing commands on one of the monitors of that place.
— It is easy to give the orders... — Barbara grunted while, at great cost, trying to make Jason release her — I need help here, he grabbed my hair!
— I...! — Bruce didn't even finish the sentence, Selina interrupted him and got in front of him.
— I help! — She approached the girl. He tried to understand why Jason clung to her even though he looked so weak, but he only asked questions when the boy was already lying on the stretcher - now holding one of Barbara's hands — ... Happy Gas?
— Fear Gas... — the redhead replied while finally allowing herself to relax — The composition is very altered, the antidotes did not work and... B? B, where are you going!? — She stared at the watchman who, taking advantage of everyone's distraction, had even put Batman's hood on again — You will not solve anything now!
— Bat! — Selina scolded him.
— They would not infect just one person — He approached Jason carefully so that no sudden movement would scare him, verifying that it was necessary to call Alfred to take care of him before leaving — I need to find the Scarecrow before...!
Before Batman could finish, Jason managed to do what the two women in the room couldn't do: stop Batman, interrupt his actions. He held the tip of the Knight's cloak, finally babbling words that had a connection:
— Bruce, stay... — he said in a low whisper, needing to take a few deep breaths before continuing the request: — Stay here... I... I'm scared.
— Jason... — Batman stared at the door, sighed and left justice for later — I am here, son... — he said quietly, carefully holding Jason's hands and trying to make him release the cloak.
— Bruce, don't leave me alone! — The voice was already broken, making the words come out scratched from the throat. He stared at the ceiling, or rather, he stared at some hallucination while fidgeting on the stretcher — Dad! Dad, I don't want to be alone again!
— I will never leave you alone, son...
Despite all the melancholy surrounding that scenario, with Jason dejected by the worst fears he had, everyone faced the scene with tenderness. Bruce even smiled, a smile with a sad look, because at least this time he had arrived in time to take care of the rebel.
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NOTE
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Blüdhaven is a city in New Jersey, about 30 minutes away from Gotham.
It was a whaling city, became an industrial center and then declined because of the crisis. Currently, when it is not destroyed, it is a dangerous city with a high crime rate. Dick Grayson lived there for a long time, serving as a police officer - and polishing the very image of Nightwing, stepping out of Batman's shadow and finally becoming the protector of another city.
Blüdhaven has been the background in several sagas, series and even games in the DC universe. And, as always, it has been altered on almost every occasion, repeating only the elements of high crime (including mobsters, corrupt police, radioactive monsters and Darkside supporters) and, almost always, becoming an uninhabitable place after some major event magnitude (like a nuclear explosion).
Let's agree that here, in this fanfic, Blüdhaven really has a high crime rate, but that it remains "firm and strong" on the map!
Asa Nocturna left the city in the care of other heroes in order to dedicate himself to his little brother, staying away even from his career as a police investigator (points that will be discussed later).
Although it seems like a bad idea, Selina and Damian staying in Blüdhaven would allow Nightwing to return to operating in the city, in addition to making Batman's job a lot easier. Besides, Selina would have an even stronger reason to keep quiet inside the house by pretending to be dead: protecting Damian all the time - besides, of course, protecting herself (let's say that the "nobody would recognize me in Bludhaven" part was a little lie).
