RELATIONSHIP
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— I'm not talking about our relationship, if there is any! I just want to know about Damian! — Selina said exactly the same phrase for the third time. It had been fifteen minutes since he entered the bat's room and cornered him demanding answers.
— He is as before, unconscious!
— So where is he!? — The woman stamped her foot against the floor, impatient and feeling that her intelligence was being underestimated in the extreme — Unless you can convince me that you drove like that for nothing after catching the Joker last night, you better tell me what happened to your son, bat!
— He's my son, cat, not your! — Bruce was already losing the little patience he still had. That thief simply felt entitled to demand answers after interrupting him in the bath.
Selina fell silent.
There was nothing to dispute there: apparently, the two were not even related. What rights did she have to demand answers?
She sighed, thought about what she could say and ended up lowering her head, putting the idea aside.
— Alfred shouldn't have let you in here... — The millionaire murmured, walking to the window — ... Not without consulting me!
— ... As if I needed someone to open the doors for me! — Selina said with part of the anger she was feeling in her voice, and continued: — Don't worry, I don't intend to come back here. I don't even know why I come to visit your son. I just... I just imagined so many things after your mysterious disappearance, after finding everything empty down there that... — She fell silent again, didn't want to think of the worst — Anyway, apparently this is no longer my business!
Noticing that he had crossed the line, Bruce tried to fix things by explaining again:
— It is not that, it is that after what happened our relationship is not exactly the same, we barely talked and...
— It's not about our relationship, bat! — She said irritably, almost breaking the door handle when she opened it to go. However, whoever she saw standing in front of the room made her stagnate in place while processing what was happening.
— I-I wasn't listening! I heard it, but I didn't listen because I wanted to! — Damian hurried to explain — I just wanted to talk to my dad, but he wasn't in the office yet and the bedroom door was closed, I thought about knocking, but you were busy and I... sorry! — The guilt he felt was stamped on his face, in addition to the shame for having been "grafted". The truth is that he wanted to know who that woman was in his father's room and, as far as he could understand, he already had an answer on the tip of his tongue.
— Son, what did we talk about walking around the house alone? — Bruce tried his best not to sound reproachful, when in fact he wanted to lock his child up in a safe room and never let him out again.
— I wanted to show you the drawing I did...! — Damian tried to sound as adorable as possible, smiling and extending the drawing for his father to see.
— It was very good! — Bruce smiled, taking the paper and ruffling his son's hair — I'll ask Alfred to frame it, it will look great in my office.
Selina was still in the same place, a separate person ignored by the two. She watched that scene and tried to understand where part of the discussion was transported to an alternate universe where the Wayne acted as a normal and affectionate family.
Everything indicated the opposite of what was happening: Bruce's bad mood, the end of a patrol after he barely started, the lack of answers, he didn't give in so easily even when she cornered him in a bathtub... Everything indicated that Damian had gotten worse or even died.
However, he was there.
He was on his feet.
He smiled, as if nothing had happened.
— Damian? — Selina called him, bending down to be at his level — Damian, are you okay? Feels good? — When she received an affirmative nod, she took a deep breath and took the courage to do something she had wanted for a long time, since when the boy had been found: she hugged him, practically lifting him off the floor, while filling him with kisses on the face and threatening: — Next time you make me so worried, you...! You better be prepared for an angry cat with sharp nails!
The child, without really understanding what was happening, gave himself up to the caresses in the middle of a contagious laugh. He also hugged her, which made it take until that sentimental explosion was over.
— Promise me, Damian.. — She sighed, holding his face by her cheeks and asked for both you and your bat: — Promise that you'll never worry us again!
— I promise, mom — The youngest replied feeling his face heating up by the shyness in saying that, in calling a "stranger" in such a close way. He wanted to have her around, even if it was problematic...
— No, Damian! — Upset, Bruce spoke in the same cold and apathetic tone as when he was Batman — This is not your mother... — He tried to explain, already in his normal. However, before he could speak another word, Damian interrupted him:
— Why not?
— Because it isn't. Selina and I had a kind of relationship, that doesn't make her your mother.
— But if you want, you can call me mother! — she smiled, hugging the child again — I promise I'll try to be one for you from now on and...
— Selina! — On the verge of complete instability, the millionaire tried to intervene before it became a snowball: if not even he could be a centered father, how could a catwalk play a good role as a mother!?
— Oh, bat! — She murmured slyly, grabbing Damian and picking him up as if she were able to steal him for herself. He was so much lighter... it would be easy to get away with him.
— No kidding, cat! — the older one warned, he was writhing in jealousy: how dare she have Damian's trust so easily!? — My son's condition is still delicate, I don't want you to make him even more confused!
— And what kind of monster would I be to make our puppy confused, huh? — She smiled, mocking his face.
— If you are together, she can be my mother... — Damian encouraged, hopeful that they would resume any relationship they had before. The truth is that the child was already starting to feel uncomfortable because he was between them: he felt guilty for disturbing whatever they had, mainly because, from what he had heard, that discussion started because of him.
— You don't need a mother, you need peace! — Bruce replied harshly, he was losing his composure — And we didn't have a dating!
— We were engaged! — The woman completed with some grace, fleeing the room with the child on her lap.
After that, everything happened quickly.
Selina ran down the hall, taking Damian with her. She was careful, but no care prevented her from going down the steps by practically skipping a few;
Bruce went after her like Batman, although he was not dressed in character. He had lost his temper, he was upset and it was not for nothing: she crossed all the limits that he could allow;
It all happened too fast for Damian to understand perfectly.
He hugged his "mother" as much as he could, but he was scared.
She had scratch marks on her shoulders and a rock mark on her neck, at least that's what Damian managed to notice while trying to hide his face. His hair was wet, dripping and wetting his cheek...
The father, disgusted with the whole situation, had the features identical to one of the unfinished drawings that Damian had seen before: he in the darkness with a heavy look... a look of judgment. Bruce was judging him as a "bad son" for wanting to get away with his mother.
This escape ended quickly, even before Selina managed to get to the door: Dick cornered her at the bottom of the stairs and decided to join in the fun too, taking Damian from her domain:
— Thief who steals thief has a hundred years of forgiveness! — he justified himself, fleeing to a safe hiding place with the small child in his lap.
— Cat! — Bruce called, holding her by the forearm — We have a lot to talk about... — He kept his austerity, after all, she tried to steal his son.
Damian, whose last thing he saw was his father taking his girlfriend up the stairs, burst into tears. He didn't want them to fight again, mainly because the reason would be him.
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NOTE
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First of all, a warning: the relationship of Selina Kyle (Catwoman, whose affectionate nickname is "cat") and Bruce Wayne (nicknamed by her "bat") is not abusive, at least in my eyes. Of course, she and Bruce have many comings and goings, boring statements, fights and endings that are completely meaningless, but they are always close. Very close. Next on the rooftops of Gotham.
In the fanfic, without following the correct chronology, we have that the two were dating and apparently broke up (because Bruce doesn't know how to deal with two things at the same time: almost marriage and son in a coma). However, Selina continued to care for Damian and managed to notice the different behavior of Batman. She was so surprised to see the "puppy" standing that she didn't even notice the loss of memory.
Do you believe that Selina appeared in the first issue of the Batman comic!? Joker was also there, by the way.
Speaking of the favorite clown of many crazy people (like me) in issue 49 of Batman (Rebirth), Joker explains why Batman will never build a lasting relationship: for him to function effectively as Batman, he cannot be happy, as claimed to be in chapter 35.
Now let's go to Selina's relationship with Damian: it's a very reasonable relationship, considering that he is a jealous boy. I believe that the two see themselves as friends and that they trust each other, regardless of what chronology it is. In fact, there is even a story told by our beloved Alfred where Damian is Selina's son with Bruce (which makes my fingers itch a lot to write about it).
Speaking of children: the two (Selina and Bruce) have the canonical daughter of Earth—2, Helena Wayne (Huntress), who first appeared in DC Super Stars n. 17. We also have their son who is probably just a hallucination of Damian's jealous mind, Aion, appearing only in Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Robin vs. Ra's al Ghul n. 1 (there are also adorable scenes of Damian trying on clothes for his father's wedding with Selina — a bonus for those who read through: she has said that Damian doesn't have to call her "mother", but that she will always be someone who he can trust).
