It had been a few weeks since their first "official" fight had been resolved, and the summer heat had fully set in over Gotham. Thankfully, Bruce had an incredibly nice pool.

Selina's chest tightened in excitement as her phone lit up and Bruce's name and number appeared on the screen.

"Come over."

She scoffed. "Hello to you too."

"Hey. Come over," He repeated, "The pool's ready."

"The pool? You want me to come over to swim?"

Bruce paused, trying to understand what about that was so unbelievable for her. "Yes please."

"I can't," She murmured, "I've never been to a pool."

He frowned. "That's ok, I'll help you. Come over anyways."

"You sure this isn't just an excuse to see me half naked?" She asked teasingly.

"Of course not!" He assured, blushing furiously. "Just come. Please?"

Selina sighed. "Fine. I'll be a little under an hour. I have to buy a suit."

Sure enough, forty-five minutes later she walked into his study, her new swimsuit under her shorts and (his) shirt.

Bruce walked back in through the double doors moments later, his face lighting up, and immediately reached out to her. She smiled back, grabbing his hand and kissing him quickly. "Hey, B."

"Hi," He whispered, "Are you ready? Do you need to change?"

She shook her head, unreasonably nervous. "It's under my clothes."

"Cool, come on."

He took her hand and led her through the gardens toward the unreasonably large pool.

She sat on one of the lounge chairs while he collected towels and sunblock from the pool house (because of course he had a pool house) and tried to slow the shaking of her hands.

He noticed her staring at her feet when he returned, and immediately kneeled in front of her, clasping her hands in his own. "What's wrong?"

Selina forced a small smile. "I guess I'm a little nervous."

"For the swimming part or…" Bruce trailed off, gauging her reaction.

She ducked her head under his gaze and shrugged. "It's fine. Hand me the sunscreen?"

He furrowed his eyebrows but did as she asked anyways, turning around to give her some privacy and to apply his own.

A few moments later, he heard her mutter his name, and he turned around to see her holding out the bottle. "Can you get my back?"

Bruce grinned bodily, practically jumping at the offer. He poured a generous amount on one hand and began applying it slowly, with extreme attention to detail. He treated it like open heart surgery, as if it were extremely important he did everything exactly right. Selina used to be unnerved by this type of behavior, going as far as to ask why he treats touching her like neurosurgery, but she now knows he's just like that. (Meticulous, he claimed. He likes to be meticulous.)

He kissed her shoulder when he finished, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She smiled, turning around and cupping his cheeks. "All good?"

He kissed her in response and desperately pulled her closer.

"Easy, playboy," Selina whispered as she pushed him away, earning a petulant whine. "I thought you wanted to swim."

"I thought you didn't know how," He argued, immediately hissing in pain as she kicked him in the shin. "Sorry, sorry."

She glared at him. "You said you were gonna help me learn."

"Right," He nodded, "The best way to learn is to just jump in."

"You're not funny."

He grinned, tightening his grip on her waist. Before she realized what was happening he'd already picked her up.

She shrieked, clinging to him, "Oh my god! Put me down!"

"Hold your nose," Bruce yelled over her, jumping backwards into the shallow(er) end.

She, thankfully, took his advice rather than screaming again as she became fully submerged.

After a few seconds, they were upright again, though Selina's legs were still wrapped around his waist and she was holding onto his shoulder so tightly he thought he'd surely bruise.

"Breathe," He whispered, rubbing her back, "You can touch here. You're ok."

"I hate you," She huffed while slowly detangling herself. "Why the fuck did you do that?"

He laughed softly, kissing her forehead in apology. "Now you aren't scared."

"You're out of your mind. We're never swimming again."

"Come back," He replied as she took a few steps away from him, "We can just hang out over here for today."

She shook her head, looking at him as if he'd grown a second head. "No way. I'm leaving."

"Baby, please," He started, freezing as he realized what he said.

Selina stared back at him before bursting into a fit of giggles. "Baby?"

"I'm so sorry, Sel, it just slipped out. I swear, I didn't mean to."

"Why are you freaking out?" She replied sharply, smile fading as he over-explained and searched for excuses, "It doesn't have to be that big of a deal. I'm not gonna run away screaming. Call me whatever you want."

He paused, unsure of how to respond, worried the wrong choice may start a fight. He eventually settled on wading (embarassingly ungracefully) toward her. "Come here. I won't push you in again, I promise."

She rolled her eyes, reaching for his extended hand, and allowing him to pull her into a hug. "I hate when you treat me with kid gloves. You don't have to second guess every single thing you say. I'm not gonna hit you."

"I know, Selly," He whispered, kissing her hair, "I just don't wanna make you uncomfortable."

"I'm fine," She groaned, "This isn't like how it was when we were kids. I'm not sixteen anymore."

Bruce nodded, leaning down to press his forehead to hers. "I just don't wanna mess up."

"You're supposed to mess up," She argued, "The point is finding out if you care enough to fix things afterwards."

"I care," He promised, "I care about you above all else."

Selina's breath caught in her throat, and she was afraid if they didn't move on soon she was going to tell him she's in love with him. One thing she knows for sure is admitting to loving someone is the perfect way to ruin anything good in her life. So, instead of a confession rolling off her tongue she murmured a soft "I'm cold."

He furrowed his eyebrows, unsure why she was changing the subject, but decided it was better not to push. Despite her earlier complaints, they both knew it was better to back off if she'd shown this much vulnerability. "Let's go inside. I'll get you something to change into."

-

About twenty minutes later, the couple was on the couch in the pool house adorning t shirts and sweatpants from Bruce's closet. Selina propped herself up on an elbow to look down at him, as he was laying on his back, and sighed happily as he brushed a hand along the small of her back.

"Why're you so far away?" He complained, reaching up to cup her cheek, "Come here."

She snorted, moving to lean over him as he met her lips with his own. She felt any and all tension ease from her form as he continued kissing her, trailing his fingers up and down her side slowly.

Then, suddenly, she drew back.

"What are you doing?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What's up with you? You never kiss me."

"What?" He asked incredulously, "I kiss you everyday."

"No, you kiss me back everyday," She clarified, "You never initiate."

"I'm initiating now," He huffed, "Come back."

She giggled, leaning down to kiss him again, "So needy."

Once she settled back into his arms, a hand on his chest and the other in his hair, he held her closer and slowly rolled them so that he was pining her against the cushions. She gasped softly at the shift, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Selina felt as if she'd spent far too much time in a hot tub; her brain was warm and fuzzy and all she could feel was him. His mouth moving against hers, his hips absently pressing against her thigh, his hands slowly raising along her ribs.

"Is this ok?" He whispered against her mouth before drawing back and glancing down at her.

She nodded, immediately letting out a desperate, breathy sound as his lips trailed along her jaw and neck. "Fuck, Bruce," She whined, tugging on his hair.

Bruce faltered, trying to catch his breath, before beginning to suck marks onto various parts of her neck. Each irritated spot was cooled with his tongue and soft kisses before he began trailing them down her chest, to her sternum where his shirt had ridden up, and all the way along her stomach.

"B," She panted, "B, come here. My turn."

He leveled himself to her and laid on his back again as she straddled him. She grinned at him, teasingly kissing his forehead, cheeks, and nose before moving to longer, heavier ones on his neck and jaw. She nipped lightly at his shoulder, causing him to whimper and her to smile even wider.

"God, baby," He groaned, tangling a hand in her hair. She ran her hands up and down his abdomen before circling them around to his back and slipping them under his shirt.

"Bruce," She whispered, resituating and pressing their foreheads together.

He stared back at her through half lidded eyes, "Yeah?"

She hesitated, biting her lip and resisting the urge to drop eye contact.

"What is it, Sel?"

Selina sighed, pecking his lips quickly. She'd been teetering on the edge of confession for months, but in the face of an opportunity she couldn't do it,

She shook her head. "Nothing, just needed a second to breathe."

With that, she pressed him back into the couch and continued to kiss him achingly.