*PLEASE READ THIS ON AO3
Gifts From the Sea, a Batman fanfic by Raberba girl
Batfam Bingo 2019: AU: Zoo
Chapter 45 - A Worthy Sire (rough draft 2)
THEN:
Talia leaned back and rubbed at her eyes, which were getting so bleary that she couldn't keep looking into the microscope anymore. It wasn't even 22:00 yet, but she'd had too many consecutive late nights. She tipped her head back and gave a long sigh, then looked over at Bruce.
He was sitting by the tank with his books and papers spread out around him, but he wasn't currently working on schoolwork. Instead, he was looking at the otters who had come to examine him, and Talia was surprised at how moved she was by the soft, sweet smile on his face as he watched the animals. Other than her workspace, the room was dimly lit, and the blue glow from the tank played through Bruce's hair, giving him an almost ethereal glow.
"Bruce," she called.
He looked over at her. "You're done?"
"Yes." She paused. "I never asked you to stay."
"I know. You want to take dinner together?"
She considered, and finally decided she had no reason to object. "Very well, as long as I choose the restaurant."
She picked a more casual place this time, an establishment that her father would never be caught dead in, but she'd noticed that Bruce always seemed more comfortable in these sorts of places. He could certainly afford to dine at high-end restaurants, but he was always so boring when they did, going through the motions with soulless perfection and marching through his meal in near silence. Eating at cheaper restaurants was worth it to see him smile more, make actual conversation, and seem like he was genuinely enjoying the food.
Bruce did not disappoint. They chatted easily through their meal, talking about their respective work and their respective parents (his seemed incompetent, but she was rather in awe of how affectionate and genuine his love for them was). They discussed literature and opera, then computers, and by the end of the meal, they were somehow talking about children's animation and she honestly had no idea why she was genuinely interested.
Bruce seemed to have a knack for that. He was the only reason she was starting to regret having to leave America at the end of the summer.
"I have the film, you should come over and watch it sometime."
She knew what that meant. Except it was Bruce, so she actually...might not mind going to bed with him. She had a job to do, she hadn't come here looking to satisfy fleshly lusts, but Bruce Wayne was the first man in a long time who'd actually tempted her. So she smiled. "Perhaps. I'll let you know when I'm free." She wouldn't, but it didn't matter. He would call, or they'd see each other on campus, and if he was serious about the offer, he'd make it again.
o.o.o
She was running out of mer blood. Talia glared at the remainder, trying to calculate how sparingly to use it in order for it to last until the end of her project.
There was a knock on the doorway, and she knew before turning that it was Bruce. Just the sight of him drew a smile out of her, and he smiled back as he stepped into the lab. He really was rather handsome. "You look frustrated," he said.
"I'm smiling," she pointed out.
"It was in the set of your shoulders. What did those vials ever do to you?"
"Should I be worried that you think you know me so well?" she said lightly, closing the case.
"I brought dinner," he said, pulling takeout boxes out of a bag.
She sighed, but refrained from complaining until she'd opened the lids to inspect the food. Bruce had never actually let her down before.
"Acceptable?" he asked, genuinely casual enough that she knew he wouldn't be offended if she answered in the negative.
"Barely."
"Well, then."
They ate in companionable silence. After a while, he took out a textbook and notebook to work on, and she drew her tablet closer. They ended up working at the table together long after the food was gone.
She looked up when Bruce made an odd sound and watched him walk over to the tank. "Hello, little ones," he greeted, moving his finger in graceful patterns for the excited otters to chase. "Good to see you."
"You talk to them as if they were people," she remarked in amusement.
"They've been doing studies," Bruce said, returning to the table. "All sorts of animals; dogs, elephants, dolphins - if you know to look, they exhibit a much wider range of emotion and more sophisticated culture than traditionally thought."
"Otters with culture," she scoffed absently, eyes mostly on her tablet again.
He shrugged. "Orca language has specific dialects, and they teach non-inherent behaviors to their young. Elephants create complex social networks and bury the bones of their dead, visiting to leave grave markers for years. Of course they're not human, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not people."
Talia moved her pen for a few moments without speaking. What Bruce said was ridiculous; animals were animals, which meant they weren't people. They couldn't speak or write or reason; even those who could, like selkies, were still obviously animals. Bruce was simply letting his soft heart rule him.
...She didn't like thinking about this. "How was class?" she asked.
Now it was his turn to look unhappy. "I'm starting to rethink my major," he murmured, gazing down at his book.
"Oh?"
"I- I really like children, and I really like working with special needs kids, but all these other things that come along with it... I mean, they have do to standardized testing, of all things; they don't get an exemption even though their scores are bundled together with gen ed's. Even though the tests are modified, that's still an entire week or two wasted when they could be spending the time on legitimate lessons. I don't- Just, things like that, the bureaucracy, I don't know how well I'll be able to do with that."
"What would you change your major to?"
"I don't know," he sighed. "Forensic science, maybe?"
She smiled at how varied his interests were.
"Don't laugh. I'd be good at it."
"I know you would."
They gazed at each other for a moment. "Did you remember to bring the tickets?" she finally asked.
"Yes, they're right here in my wallet. I suppose I should go home and change soon."
"I certainly am. I'll meet you at the theater, Bruce."
o.o.o
It had been Bruce's turn to choose the outing. While the production quality was adequate, Talia did not find the story compelling. Though she continued watching politely, her mind wandered, mostly to her work.
The deadline was approaching. She had completed most of her father's assignments and the rest were proceeding on schedule, but the one exception was the one she found most distasteful.
She did already have several samples, but knew that her father would find none of them acceptable. It was a shame that so many handsome men were dull-witted, and so many-
She turned to look at her companion. Bruce, absorbed in the performance, didn't notice her staring at him.
Talia faced forward again and barely remembered the rest of the performance, she was thinking so hard.
o.o.o
Bruce persuaded her to stop for ice cream on the way home. She couldn't stand eating inside with the fluorescent lights and the hum of appliances, so they ate as they walked. After a couple of blocks, Talia testingly slipped her hand into Bruce's. He reacted with a brief smile.
They stopped by a fountain, and Bruce gazed into the water for a moment. Then he looked at her. "Make a wish?"
She frowned in confusion. "What?"
"You throw a penny in a fountain and make a wish. Then it will come true."
"Ridiculous superstition. Do you even have any pennies?"
"Uh..." He let go of her hand to check his wallet, struggling to keep hold of his ice cream. "No," he finally announced.
"Then I suppose none of your wishes will come true."
"Good thing it's ridiculous superstition."
They sat down on the edge of the fountain to finish their ice cream. It was a lovely night - peaceful, clear, not too hot. Talia watched cars and pedestrians passing for a while. Then she turned and grasped the front of Bruce's shirt, pulling him forward and pressing her lips to his.
He made a muffled sound of surprise, but didn't pull away. After a moment, she leaned back and asked, frowning, "Have you never kissed anyone before?"
"Once, in high school," he said. She wondered incredulously if he was joking. At his age, and with his looks, he had to be joking, except that his clear inexperience suggested that he wasn't. "I don't think she was a very good kisser, though, and since it was my first time, I definitely wasn't."
"Hm. ...Relax your mouth more." She kissed him again, guiding him until he was responding adequately. She pulled away again and they both sat in silence for a while, evaluating.
"Better?" he finally ventured.
"A bit."
"Huh." He leaned back, bracing his hands on the fountain's edge. "So what did you think of the performance?"
It took her a moment to process the subject change. "It wasn't terrible."
"You hated it."
"Only as a matter of preference. The quality was fine, it simply wasn't to my taste."
"Huh. Well, your turn next time, so that should be better."
"Even if you dislike it?"
He smiled at her. "We're friends, Talia. I like doing things with you even if they're things I wouldn't do on my own."
"Hm." They sat quietly and watched the sky for a while, and she thought about Bruce calling her his friend. She had a handful of trusted servants and allies, but no 'friends.' It seemed beneath her family, like they had more important things to do than make friends, but...wasn't that what she and Bruce were? They spent a lot of time together and enjoyed each other's company. They didn't really do anything for each other beyond that, and there hadn't been anything remotely sexual about their relationship until today.
"We're not exclusive, right?" he said suddenly. "Like...is this dating, or more like friends with benefits?"
She took a moment to parse 'friends with benefits.' "The latter, I suppose," she said. She didn't have time to date. It'd be nice to have a little fun with Bruce, but she was going to be leaving in just a few weeks and had a lot to do before then, she didn't want a committed lover. 'Friends with benefits' sounded right.
"All right," he said.
o.o.o
Unless or until Ra's al Ghul succeeded in creating an oceanic robe for himself, the next best option was to rely on creatures with the right genetics. It wasn't enough to simply have the ability - anyone with enough sea-blood could make the robes function. To do honor to the al Ghul line, the wearers would have to be tailored and trained to perfection from the womb.
[*censored because FFN is stupid*]
o.o.o
She hated that she felt nervous all day. She was Talia al Ghul, who feared nothing, and there was nothing to fear from Bruce, anyway. He didn't even know what she'd done, and even if he did, she hadn't done anything wrong. She hadn't done anything apart from her father's will, either. It was unacceptable to feel nervous.
She did not pause in her work when Bruce finally wandered into the lab. "Hey, Talia," he greeted quietly. He didn't look as put-together as usual.
"Hello."
He set his bag on the table but didn't open it. After a pause, he went over to the tank and smiled to see the otters, resting his hand against the surface. He stayed there longer than usual, but since he didn't interact, the animals finally drifted away. He continued to watch them swim.
Talia finally went over to him and brushed his hair out of his face. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I was...kind of tired this morning, but I'm fine now."
She rested her hand on his shoulder, then lightly ran it across his chest. He didn't react in any way.
Then he frowned and met her eyes. "Did I fall asleep on you last night?"
"Well, not literally on me."
He sighed and rubbed at his face. "Sorry. I didn't think I was that tired last night, but I dunno...maybe I was fighting off a cold or something. I feel fine now, though."
"I'm glad," she said, continuing to slowly stroke his chest as if she could rub health and energy back into him.
He gazed at her for a long moment. "Sorry," he whispered again. She reached up to press a light kiss to his lips, then moved back to her desk. Bruce went to the other unoccupied table and they worked in silence for hours.
o.o.o
Bruce was soon back in his old spirits, and the tightness in Talia's chest loosened. They were back to teasing each other and working side by side, going on platonic outings every week since neither of them had a social life otherwise. They did not visit each other's flats again.
The day she left, Bruce accompanied her to the airport. When it was time to board the plane, he wrapped his arms around her and stood there hugging her for a long time. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent.
When they at last parted, Bruce gave her a small, melancholy smile and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "It was a great semester. Thanks for everything."
"Thank you, also, Bruce. You have done more for me than you know."
They lingered until there was no more time left, then Talia pressed a kiss to the corner of Bruce's mouth and turned away. She felt his eyes on her, but did not look back. When her phone pinged as she started to sit down, she found that he'd messaged her.
Have a safe flight.
Thank you, she texted back.
o.o.o
The plane landed in Jordan, and Talia took out her phone to begin the routine process of discarding the one she'd used on her mission and transferring to a new one. She paused when she saw the message waiting for her.
Miss you already. Who am I going to hang out with now? I wish you'd at least left me the otters.
She smiled. I would hope that the pleasure of my company could not be so easily replaced by that of mere beasts.
He did not immediately reply, perhaps busy with something else, and she debated for a moment. This might be their very last communication. She owed a proper farewell to the man worthy enough to sire her father's heirs. For that matter, she owed a proper farewell to...to the first and only real friend she'd ever had.
You're a good man, Bruce, she typed. I enjoyed our time together. Thank you for bringing me such unexpected pleasure during what I had thought would be a long and tedious six months. She hesitated a minute longer. Whatever you choose to do with your future, I wish you happiness, she concluded.
She memorized his number, then finished trashing the phone. She checked over her things and went to board the next plane.
TBC
