He watched her rev the engine with a hollow expression under his mask. The heat of her breath still lingered on his skin. She was off in moments, not taking a look back. He could've chuckled if there wasn't pain driving a hole into his heart. This was the right choice. Wasn't it? Could he ever be close to her in the way he wanted? Could she ever accept the real him? Or what he thought was the real him.
Before many more moments could pass, he was on his bike, going after her. It couldn't end like this. How could he be so close and yet so far? She despised his father and himself how could this little affair go on without her knowing who he really was under this mask? She had asked the question aloud, but how could he tell her? Why would he sacrifice one of the only people he cared about?
Because he was in love with her and staying.
Because she was in love with him and leaving.
He caught up with her in no time. She glanced at him under the helmet and began to speed up. He did the same. He felt the rain hit his mask as they raced each other. They were playing a game of cat and mouse, just like they did before. They would reach the overpass soon, and she would turn out of town. His heart thudded against his armor as he sped up.
They came to the overpass, but he spun out in front of her before she could turn. Both bikes squealed as they evaded each other. She swerved as he skidded to a halt. They were about ten feet away from each other. She pulled off her helmet, revealing her perplexed face. "What's wrong with you?" Selina asked, her brown eyes staring intensely into his. He could get lost in those eyes if he dared to get close enough to her.
"You shouldn't go," he proclaimed.
"You were about to let me five minutes ago," she put her hands on her hips. He got off his bike, letting it stay idle as he gave her a pleading look.
"You said it yourself that we would make a great team," he had to convince her. How could he convince her? "So why not here?"
"Here? This place that's under the water? For a man whose face I don't even recognize?" Selina raised a dark brow. "What team would we make when you don't even trust me?"
"Of course I trust you," he insisted.
"Then what are you hiding?!" she demanded. He stood there, silent. "I've told you plenty more than you deserve to know and I can't even put a name to your masked face."
"It never mattered to you before," he said in the calmest tone he could muster. This wasn't how this was supposed to go.
"It matters now." She leaned back on her bike, her helmet back in her hands, and waited for an answer he wouldn't give. She rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable."
He froze as she revved the engine. But when she threatened to put on her helmet, he shouted over the pouring rain. "I'm not who I appear to be." She stopped, taking his statement into consideration. "Just remember that." He took a deep breath as he put his hands on his mask. Slowly, he lifted it over his head.
The cold drops of water sifted through his dark hair and trickled down his burning cheeks. The black paint smeared as he met her gaze again. Her mouth fell open, making her lips look full. Her brown eyes were wide, but they still held their sense of sincerity. "Bruce?" she gasped, losing her voice to the breeze. "But y-you can't be..."
"Selina..."
"No," she stepped away from her bike and clasped her hand over her mouth. She paced, the heels of her boots clicking with every step. His heartbeat intensified significantly as she did so. "I was right about you growing up rich," she rubbed her temples. He wanted to say something that would set her at ease, or at least make her stop pacing. She threw out her arms."But Wayne? You're really a Wayne?"
He had to say something to make her freeze. It was much easier to focus when she was still. "You know who I really am," he finally said. She didn't dare to move. He took a long breath, trying to get his heart to settle. "I never hid who I was. Not to you." As he stared into her brown irises he added in a hushed whisper, "Never to you."
Her expression softened, her lips parting delicately. There was nothing he wanted to do more was to hold her to him and kiss her until she understood how much he needed her to stay. Not just for him, but for the sake of Gotham. Now that he was to be hope, how could he do it alone? He had thought for so long that he could bear the weight all on his own. But how could he go on knowing what he could've had? His own hope.
When she said nothing, he turned his eyes down to the dark mask in his hand. All of the freedom, the pain, and the hope was put into that mask. Without it, he felt like an imposter. It was like he had been stripped of his real identity. The Riddler had been right about one thing. The Batman was who he truly was inside. And here he was, shedding it to try and prove a point.
What good did this do? He knew the prejudices she had against him and his family. After this last week, he had actually begun to believe them to be true. His family was corrupt in ways he had never guessed. He shouldn't haven't taken it off. She'll never stay now. How could she?
He lifted the mask back above his head, ready to pull it back on. It dropped from his fingers when her arms wrapped around his middle, her cheek pressing against his shoulder. Before he could respond, she took a small step away. He watched her with curious eyes as her hands reached for his face. Her thumbs wiped under his eyes, where the rain had acted as tears.
Her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed him with an intense force. Immediately, he was back on that rooftop. He was back to that first fiery kiss. Her lips were soft, moving with a slow burn. He tried to meet her passion, but she was in control. When she pulled back he leaned his forehead against hers, savoring the feel of her skin against his.
"You're not hideously scarred," Selina muttered.
"Not that you can see," he traced her spine with the tip of his glove.
She leaned against his plated chest."If I stayed, would you show them to me?"
He pondered that for a moment as he allowed himself to look at her. Something was wrong with him. He should've never let himself feel this way. He felt that he could love her. Really love her. If she only would let him, he would easily fall into true love. He was at her disposal. The power that she had over him was a far greater one than either of the pair could imagine at this moment.
"In time, if you please..." he pulled her hands from behind his neck, bringing them to his lips. Her knuckles were cold against his warm kiss, and she shuttered as he drew back. "Please stay with me, Selina."
He waited patiently for her answer. He began to wonder if she was going to answer at all. But then she spoke.
"Okay," she whispered, nodding her head. "I'll stay." He grabbed her face, allowing himself to truly smile for the first time in years. She matched his expression, leaning into him once again.
The rain resumed to pour, filling the silence between their pounding hearts and chuckling breaths as the vigilante and the burglar, the bat and the cat, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle continued their embrace under the bridge.