Hey, faithful readers! First of all, I am really sorry for posting this with a week's delay. Life got in the way and I struggled to get to wrap this up... But, better late than ever! Here is the second and last chapter of this winter holidays story! Selina's POV, ladies and gentlemen! I hope you enjoy! Thanks!
Going home
~This year, a while before midnight, on New Year's Eve~
"You're getting slow." He has the nerve to mock me as he jumps across the gap between two rooftops, me following close behind. We've been out for a few hours, maintaining peace among the innocent, or whatever Bruce likes to call it.
"Not my fault someone unnecessarily upgraded my suit to be 'cold-resistant'." I snap in annoyance, skilfully but uncomfortably landing on the rooftop after the jump. I am totally throwing this suit away later.
"I simply lined it with a thin layer of fur." He explains.
"I don't recall asking for it." I reply back as we run side by side. We exchange glances and speed up, each trying to outrun the other. Of course, I'm lagging behind. Layers of fur, my ass. Layers of cement is more like it.
"I don't recall caring." He retorts and I groan at how we've had this exact same conversation five times already and he's yet to apologise. Curiously, I hear him mutter something inaudible in his earpiece before fiddling with the controls on his gauntlet. "My suit is much more uncomfortable." He then points out and I swear I am tempted to see what's behind those annoyingly pretty blue eyes of his.
What a pain he can be.
It has been two years since that Christmas when I showed up at his place unannounced. Two years since he welcomed me home with a kiss I know I will remember for the rest of my life, maybe even after that.
Two years since we took the plunge and became a thing.
Who would have imagined, right? Years of flirting and arguing, of repeated one night stands, occasional team-ups and fights. All leading to one night, a couple of years ago, when everything we refused to acknowledge and kept inside was set free.
Sounds romantic, uh?
It's been anything but romantic.
Making out and agreeing to give our chemistry a shot didn't exactly eliminate all that had been keeping us apart all those years. He is still a vigilante. I am still a thief. He is still trying to rehabilitate me. I am still making it hard for him. We are a team but we keep finding ourselves on opposing sides. We bring criminals in together and then we fight because I might keep a little something of the valuables the bad guys stole to myself.
What? Old habits die hard, you know...
And he knows that. And I believe that to an extent, he respects it. It pisses the life out of him that I am still flirting with less law-abiding hobbies, and I still get the good, old you-can-do-better speech from time to time. But he's well aware there isn't much he can do about it. It's sort of like a silent agreement.
There is me. Gorgeous curves, sassy attitude and kleptomaniacal tendencies.
And then there's him. Frowns, muscles and codes of honour.
One hell of a couple, right?
We aren't the kind that goes on dates, cooks happily together or cuddles for hours in bed while declaring their eternal love for each other. We let these stuff to the so-called normal ones.
But perhaps that's what I like about us. The abnormality. The uniqueness. The unexpectedness of it all. We don't know what the future has in store for us. We just live in the moment.
Two years ago, I turned to him, looking for something more, and since then, we've been living in the moment.
And I'd be lying if I said I haven't enjoyed every second of it.
Although, thinking about it, maybe tonight will be the exception to that...
Bruce insisted we spend New Year's Eve out. I thought that by 'out' he meant some fancy restaurant. Sure, we aren't the dating type, but a girl always appreciates some luxury. But no. For my peculiar man, out meant patrol.
Goddamn patrol.
I might have thrown a tantrum when he broke the news to me.
Who wants to spend New Year's Eve patrolling?
But he was pretty persistent, as if he had something in mind and me not tagging along was spoiling it. Throw my curious nature in the mix and you get me agreeing to this.
Whatever it is, it had better be worth my numb skin and frozen face.
"We're almost there." He informs me. Good. At least we are going somewhere. "Can you take it?" he glances at me over his shoulder and for the love of Bastet, is that a smirk on his face?
Bastard.
"Watch it, rich boy." I threaten, receiving a deep chuckle in response.
Does he have a death wish or something?
And why is he in such a good mood tonight?
We keep going for what feels like hours in this goddamn suit. He grapples on buildings and I claw my way up walls as we move across the rooftops of the East End.
It wasn't until I took it upon myself to protect the defenceless people of this neighbourhood that I came close to wrapping my head around the great responsibility Bruce has been carrying on his shoulders all these years. One by one, each person's safety becomes your priority and soon you find yourself spending your days and nights trying to prevent as much wrong from happening as possible. It physically and mentally drains you. And yet, you don't have the heart to give up.
Ever since me and Bruce got together, we've been operating all around the city, yet we still spend many nights in the East End since it's still one of the dirtiest districts in Gotham. Lately however, Bruce has his sidekicks handle things here, while we take care of business elsewhere. I haven't been here in a while, so I take in my surroundings as a pang of nostalgia hits me.
I've missed this place.
I see Bruce slow down and stand on the ledge of the roof we're currently on. He types away on his glove and a holo screen rises from it. I can't see what it shows and my curiosity is even more piqued. I stop running and walk up to him, but by the time I reach him, the screen has retracted back into his glove. My eyes narrow at him as I try to catch my breath. He simply looks down at me.
"You better be taking me somewhere real special, Bat. After hours of patrolling with you in this monstrosity of a suit, I deserve that much." I fold my arms across my chest, wincing inside at the itchy rubbing of the suit against my skin. I am not exaggerating. This is hell.
"I'll get you a new suit." He promises before his eyes look down across the street. He has this small smile on his lips that always manages to warm me inside a bit.
Don't get all charming on me while I'm mad at you.
"And as for our destination, I'll let you be the judge of whether it's special or not." He nods ahead and I lift a curious eyebrow at him before following his line of sight. A loud gasps escapes me as I remove my goggles.
No way…
A five-story building stands erected in the place of what I remember used to be an abandoned orphanage. The architecture is similar to that of the fancy, old buildings you see around town. I can only tell that much about the exterior. My eyes are glued to the epigraph above the large, wooden door.
'Housing Facilities for the Homeless of the East End'
"Bruce..." I whisper. Tears prick my eyes and I don't bother to stop them. This is too much...
"I had people work on this 24/7 during the last few weeks. I wanted to surprise you with it on Christmas but the construction took longer than expected." He says as he reaches out to me. I grab his hand and squeeze, my watery eyes scanning the building. "It was finished just yesterday so we haven't gotten to get people in yet. But starting tomorrow, we will." I can hear his smile and my heart swells as I look at the tinted windows, imagining figures behind them. Figures of the homeless people I've spent years looking after. Figures of the homeless people that now have a place to stay.
Thanks to him.
"That's why I had the boys keep an eye around here." Bruce utters. He doesn't have to yet he goes on, a sign of unadmitted nervousness. What a silly man. "There's still room for improvement but we want to wait and see how the people adjust to it before-" I stand on my toes and kiss him, effectively making him shut the hell up. I don't care how long it took to finish. I don't care if it isn't the best building ever made. I simply don't care.
"Shut up, Bats." I mumble against his lips. "It's perfect. Just perfect." I feel him smile against me, his body relaxing after my verbal confirmation. He wraps his strong arms around my waist and I rest my head on his chest. We stay like that for a while, looking at the building. "It's perfect." I whisper under my breath.
I wish I could tell him how much this means to me. I wish I could return the favour. But I'm too stunned, too emotional to come up with anything other than the word "perfect".
"It won't be easy to pay a visit in our suits tonight because some of the staff is adding some final touches inside, but..." he pauses to look down at me. "You can have a look through the skylights on the roof. No one is on the top floor right now."
"How do you know?" I ask. He raises his arm and types away on his glove's keyboard. The holo screen from earlier pops up, showing what appears to be the footage of the security cameras installed in the fifth floor. It's empty.
"I'll have to look for something really pricey to steal in order to pay you back for this, Wayne." I tease as I look up at him. He hums his disapproval and I smirk at the nerve I strike. Bruce walks me to the edge of the rooftop, keeping one arm wrapped around me tightly. He pulls out his grappling gun and aims at the fascia of the shelter's roof.
"Hold on." He commands and I lock my arms around his neck as we swing across the gap before safely landing on the rooftop. I put my night-vision goggles back on and tiptoe towards the first large roof window, getting my very first look of the greatest gift anyone's ever given me.
This place will provide for the people I've come to care about so much throughout the years. Homeless people, orphans, people who have it rough in life, like I did. I'm not an emotional person in general but I can't help the loud beating of my heart against my chest as I look at what appears to be a living room area. There's a TV, a large bookcase lining one of the longest walls of the rectangular room, a number of couches around the room. There's even a corner full of toys and board games. The room is equipped so that it meets the demands of people of all ages.
"You've definitely put a lot of thinking into this." I glance at Bruce as he towers behind me, looking through the window himself. "I can't wait to see all of it." I stand up and face him.
"The opening will be tomorrow on New Year's..." He looks around, always remaining vigilant for any danger. I admire his loyalty to his mission, but right now, for this moment at least, I want his full attention on me.
Who am I kidding? I always want his attention on me. But, whatever.
I cup his cheek in my hand and turn his face towards me. He knows what I'm trying to do, yet he tenses his neck and jaw muscles, trying to provide resistance.
"Bat?" I warn and he presses his mouth in a thin line before sighing in resignation and meeting my eyes.
"Anyway..." he exhales. "This has been a silent project of the Wayne Foundation so it's revelation will be all over the news tomorrow. I'll have to be here. But perhaps we wait until the fuss is over before you can come." He suggests.
Although as Bat and Cat, we're officially 'an item', the case isn't the same for Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. Gotham's favourite son being in a relationship with a woman known as a 'supervillain' - a flattering characterization, but untrue nonetheless – isn't exactly the sort of thing you want exposed to the spotlight. So, Bruce attends all those fancy events alone and on occasion I might join, disguised as those bimbos he used to drag along. Difference is, I'm prettier, even disguised. But this isn't exactly the sort of thing he needs an arm candy for, nor is it a fancy exhibition of valuable items that beg for me to get my hands on them.
"I'll dress up and mix with the crowd." I state with finality since it's the only obvious solution. I don't want to wait any longer than necessary before getting to see this place.
"Alright." Bruce replies and I smile in agreement. He reaches up and removes his cowl and I pull back, lifting my eyebrow curiously. He only does this sort of thing when he's about to say or do something very important.
What could be more important than what he just gave me?
"When I realised you were trying to be the protector of-"
"I'm sorry - trying?" I cut him off with attitude. "That sort of suggests I'm not succeeding." I frown, raising a challenging eyebrow.
Count on this guy to kill the mood.
"That's not what I mean." He glares at me for interrupting him. It's the look that tells you to shut it or he will. I'm not intimidated one bit. But I am curious about what he wants to say, so I keep it shut. "You guarding this area has always been a mystery to me. Even to this day, I can't tell for certain what your motives are, or at least were. I suspect your initial intentions have changed with time." He pauses, knowingly waiting for me to agree, and I nod cause it's true.
In all honesty, I don't remember what led me to watch over the people of this place. I bet I had some sort of gain through it. Keeping an eye on all the dirty business happening, spoiling plans and getting away with precious souvenirs is certainly good enough a motive for me. But as the years went by, it became...personal. Now, it isn't only about the profit anymore. It's about the people.
Who knew all this altruistic nonsense would grow on me?
"What I do know is that this place has come to mean something to you. You might not admit it, but I can see it. I know what it's like when something that starts off as a personal quest ends up being much more." His voice is dripping with meaning. He walks away and I stare at his back, wanting to hear more of what he has to say. "So I figured that the best way to thank you, is to do something meaningful to you. Something that would benefit the unfortunate residents of this place." He continues and turns to look at me. "I hope I succeeded." He drops his head in embarrassment and my insides melt. It always gets to me how a man so strong and serious and tough can have such a vulnerable side. A side only his closest people get to see.
And I'm one of them. Lucky bitch.
"Silly Bat..." I slowly walk up to him and place one hand on his chest as the other sneaks behind his head. "Consider yourself successful." I whisper with a smirk and plant a long kiss on his lips. He cups my face and deepens the kiss, and I moan against him. He tastes like fruit, courtesy of the protein shake Alfred made for him before we went out, and smells of aftershave, courtesy of me forcing him to shave after sporting a rough stubble for days. My senses are heightened and I-
Hold up.
"...the best way to thank you..."
Uh?
"Wait." I pull away and his face drops in disappointment. "You said the shelter was the best way to thank me. For what?" I question. Surely not for the stolen tie I got him for Christmas. He looks to the side for a moment, as if trying to find the words. Eventually, he makes eye contact again.
"For giving me a chance in happiness."
I say nothing cause sometimes, you don't have to. I just kiss him again. Soon, I want more.
"Let's take this somewhere else." I trail my finger over the outline of the bat symbol on his suit while batting my eyelashes at him. He gifts me with a low, sexy grunt and I know he's game. We've been on the streets for hours, it's quiet and it's safe to call it a night. "Your place or mine? Mine is closer." I say seductively. When together, we spend most nights at his place. He has a mansion after all. But sometimes after patrolling, we like to hang out at one of the various hideouts I have around the city, or at the apartment I once shared with Holly. She has moved out and in with her girlfriend, so we have the whole place to ourselves there too. On rare occasions, we each sleep at their own place, before I drop by the manor during the day once he's back from doing whatever CEOs are supposed to do. "Plus, I don't think I can stand any more than ten minutes in this thing." I tug on my suit in disgust.
"Actually..." he starts, looking down at our feet before into my eyes again. "I was thinking you could come back at the manor with me and stay." he blurts out and I gape at him.
Oh boy, he's full of surprises tonight.
"You want me to move in?" I ask in shock and disbelief, taking a step back.
Suddenly, I feel stuck.
"You already stay over most nights. And you won't have to change residence every once in a while to cover your tracks. No one can ever suspect you're with me and you know I'll make sure of that." He elaborates. He makes good points that don't leave much for discussion. Still, I'm hesitant to get on board.
It's not that I'm afraid to commit to this relationship. We've been at it for two years now and had been on and off for much longer than that. I think we've both found our way of committing to this. And he's not suggesting anything irrational either. He's suggesting something...normal.
And it catches me off guard.
But it's not just that. Knowing I have a place of my own where I can go at any point gives me a sense of freedom and independence that untamed felines like me need to have. You don't cage a cat.
But who the hell said anything about caging?
Bruce knows me. He knows I'm not the housewife kind. He's not asking me to be. This isn't a marriage proposal. If you think about it, it's just an agreement regarding the sleeping arrangements. I am simply overthinking this.
Then why can't I just accept his proposal?
He looks at me, cowl back on. His shoulders are tensed, chest puffed out, and he has his trademark frown on his face. He won't admit it. He won't let it show. But I know him. He's upset. Because I'm taking too damn long to reply.
Guilt creeps in. I don't want him to get the wrong idea.
"Bat-"
A firework is discharged far away, cutting me off. We turn around, in the direction of the sound. Soon, more fireworks are fired and the dark Gotham sky is lit with multiple, coloured sparks. Shouts can be heard in the distance as people exchange wishes for the New Year.
We turn to look back at each other, none of us uttering a word. It's unlike us.
I don't like it.
"Master Wayne, Miss Kyle?" Alfred's voice is heard through our earpieces. "I hope I'm not disturbing."
"It's fine, Alfred." Bruce says, his voice distant and grave.
I need to fix this.
"I simply wanted to wish you a Happy New Year, sir. May it be a blessed and prosperous one for all of us." The old man wishes and I can't resist smiling. Alfred is one of the many reasons why spending time at Bruce's feels like home.
It does feel like home…
"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce replies curtly. I frown. He may be upset with me all he wants, but there is no need to take it out on others.
"Happy New Year, Alfred." I wish back as nicely as possible to make up for Bruce's rudeness. I can feel him glaring at me through his lens, and I lift my chin in defiance.
"Thank you, Miss Kyle." Alfred politely acknowledges me. "Sir, I took the liberty of opening a bottle of our finest champagne. Two glasses are waiting for your return."
"Make it one glass, Alfred." Bruce says, looking away from me.
What?
"Sir?"
"Do so, Alfred. I won't be long." He commands before disabling the comms system. I want to call Alfred back and tell him not to listen to his stupid boss, but first, I need to give this boss a piece of my mind.
"What the hell was that, Bruce?" I ask, marching towards him.
"I think it was pretty obvious." He snaps. The nerve.
"What gives you the right to speak on my behalf? And speak nonsense, that is!" I throw my hands up in frustration.
"I spoke according to facts." He uses his gauntlet control system again, and from the corner of my eye, I see the roof windows' shutters close. "You didn't agree to stay with me, Selina."
"I didn't turn you down either!" I raise my voice. This is absurd. "You simply caught me off guard. I was thinking things through!" I am about to take one more step towards him, but he turns to face me and I freeze on spot. The look on his face can only be described as menacing.
"What was there to think about, Selina?" he shouts in my face. I step back, upset with him, with me, with how a beautiful night has transformed into this mess. He presses his lips and exhales through his nose, trying to calm down. "I thought you'd want this…" He pinches the bridge of his nose, as if trying to sort things out. "It's been two years already and I understand we're not a normal couple, but I am trying to do this as right as possible." He walks away again and I follow him. "I'm trying to give you what you'd like, what a partner would like."
"I'm not just any other girlfriend, Bruce." I circle around him and stand in front of him. "Stop assuming I want what anyone else would." I coax yet I'm bothered by his false assumptions. I am not like others and I certainly don't need a boyfriend trying to smother me with clichés. I thought he was on the same page.
"I know that. I just thought there were some standards to be followed in every relationship - even one as peculiar as ours." He explains, rubbing the back of his neck. He's out of his depth, but so am I. I want him to understand that I get him.
"Like moving in together." I nod. I do get his line of thinking. In our attempt to make this work, we find ourselves stuck and conflicted about how to do so. We can't really tell if our uniqueness excludes any normality in our relationship. We've never really got down to discussing it. Perhaps it's time. "Do you want us to be normal?" I ask.
"We can never be normal, Selina." He replies solemnly and I drop my head. It upsets me to hear him say it so rawly, even though I know it's true. "But I want things with you. I couldn't care less if they're normal or not." He cups my jaw in his gloved hand. "Despite the evil and pain that rules this godforsaken city every day, despite all my efforts to protect the people of Gotham, the last couple of years with you have somehow made all this…easier to handle." His other hand cups the other side of my face and he crouches to look me in the eye, determined to convey his messages. "But it's not enough. I want you there all the time. When I patrol, when I go to sleep, when I eat. All. The. Damn. Time." He enunciates. "And if that makes me selfish, then so be it. I'm willing to be many things to keep you around." He smirks a bit and I bite my lip, trying to hold back a grin.
And I know.
I want more too.
Even if I didn't before, god, does he make me want more with this look on his face right now.
I take my time before saying something. And it's not because I like keeping him hanging. I love doing so, but right now, I just want to savour this moment.
Here I am, in the most uncomfortable suit in the universe, on the rooftop of a homeless shelter that was a delayed Christmas gift to me, with the world's most infuriatingly handsome and perfectly broken man.
And I feel happy.
"Alfred?" I press the earpiece on my cowl, activating the comms system. "Can you take the second glass out again?" I request. Bruce takes a step closer.
"I must admit I never did put it away, Miss Kyle." Alfred replies and we both laugh at how well he knows us – especially his headstrong boss and his crap.
"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce chuckles. "We'll be home soon."
"I shall see you then, sir." Alfred states and the line goes dead.
"Bat?" I lock my arms around his waist.
"Yes, Cat?"
"Happy New Year." I stand on my toes.
"Happy New Year." He leans in and we kiss.
Romance isn't exactly our MO, but we certainly have our moments.
"Come on." He commands, his voice deep, authoritative and sexy as hell. We head to the ledge of the rooftop but before leaping, I look back at the closed shutters of the skylights.
I can never pay Bruce back for what he gave me tonight. He went beyond any expectations, set the bar too high. He gave home to the unfortunate that have become a kind of family to me over the years. And then, he gave me a home too.
And I got him a tie.
"What are you thinking?" he asks, his mouth close to my ear as he stands behind me. I turn around and run my hands up and down the torso of his suit.
"I was just thinking how you gave me all this." I look around before back to him. "And all I got you is a tie." I wince at how ridiculous it sounds, and he smirks.
"A tie I eventually paid for, too." He jests. I roll my eyes at his comment.
"So anyways, most would go for a necklace or something." I smile sweetly as his hand rests on my hip.
"You get these yourself." He grunts and I wiggle my eyebrows at him. No need to deny that. He's damn right and I'm definitely enjoying it. I know he's rolling his eyes behind the cowl and I reach up to kiss him once more. He gets distracted for a split second and that's my cue. I push him away, causing him to lose balance, and leap off the rooftop with my whip in hand.
"Catch you later, Bat." I challenge him, using the whip to swing between vantage points. I hear him gliding close behind me and I cast a glance at him over my shoulder.
He's smiling.
And so do I.
As we pass by buildings, we see people in their homes, celebrating New Year's with their loved ones. The firework display is over, but you can still hear some people yelling "Happy New Year" from their balconies.
A joyous atmosphere to start the new year.
We finally reach the batmobile. Bruce slips behind the wheel and I seat next to him. We look at each other and grin. He looks ahead and activates the ignition.
"Let's go home." He flashes me with a bad boy smirk and slams his foot on the gas, sending the car rocketing forward.
We're going home.
Writing from Selina's POV was harder than I thought. I not only had to stay true to the character, I also had to show how she's changed after two years of being in a relationship with Bruce. It was really challenging and so I enjoyed it a lot as a writer who likes to test herself and always try to do better. I hope my effort paid off! Do let me know :)
I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's with your loved ones! Thank you for taking time off your lives to read my stuff!
See you in another story! Stay safe!
P.S.: A shout-out to my amazing friend, Minoza, for drawing the beautiful covers you see in all of my stories so far. I cannot describe what an honour it is, girl! Love you!