A/N: Hey folks!
I'm back with another multi-chapter fic. I'll be honest though, this isn't the one I hoped to upload right now, but I'm really jazzed for all of you to read it anyway. Basically what happened is I got to thinking about Bruce Wayne, and how his childhood trauma and his privilege as a rich white man probably lead him to thinking of good and evil as two very clear-cut boxes.
Example: Someone kills someone, they're evil. Even if the dead person was an egomaniacal abuser. They're still evil.
Now, someone with that kind of thinking would be hard-pressed to accept anyone with a wavering moral compass on their team. But we see Batman team up with Catwoman all the time, and yet, there's not much drama.
I chalk it up to A) he loves her and is willing to overlook it because B) it's just stealing.
But I dare say that Bruce/Batman probably doesn't like how close Selina is with Pam and Harley, who are actual killers. He probably doesn't get it, nor does he get why Selina bonds so well with them in certain instances.
This story explores all that. We dive deep into Bruce's mind and watch him go through a journey of sorts as he begins to understand his woman in a way he never tried before. Also I really loved the idea of having these three sitting around eating pizza together, but things are super awkward - for Bruce, anyway. So yeah, that too.
In any case, that means he's awful judgy in the beginning. I tried not to make him seem super rude, but couldn't help it, so apologies if that doesn't sit well with you.
Anywho, this is way too long now. I'll go ahead and let you read. Also, I'll be updating this fic consistently every Saturday!
Cheers!
There were three things in this world that Bruce Wayne was terribly sure of.
One, the sun always rose in the east and set in the west, no matter how dark the night seemed.
Two, the truth always came to light, even if deceit seemed the victor at the moment.
And three, he was definitely, undeniably in love with Selina Kyle.
Many women had come and gone over the years, but somehow, he always found himself returning to Selina.
Because only Selina knew the pain that had driven an orphan like him to crime-fighting. She'd been the one to wipe his tears when Jason died – and when he inexplicably came back to life. She'd been the one to watch over his comatose form when he got his back – and his spirit broken – by Bane. She'd been the one by his side when Talia sent him a son he never knew he had and then disappeared without a trace.
She understood him.
But at times like this, Bruce wished he could understand her, just as she did him.
"Selina, do you even know what you're saying?"
Selina spun around, "Do you? We have a chance to stop Sionis and here you are waiting for him to wine and dine you before he invites you to his place for the night!"
"That's not-" He ran his fingers through his hair with a huff, "You know I want to stop him too, Selina. I'm just saying that it's -"
"Dangerous, yeah, I know." Selina scoffed, "But since when has that ever been a problem for anyone in the Bat family? Or for you for that matter, Mr. I'm-going-to-fight-a-man-the-size-of-a-mountain?"
He had to give her points there, because getting hurt hadn't really been a problem in the past.
But ever since his family fell apart at the hands of a monster, he'd found himself laying awake at night, wondering just how much he was putting at risk whenever he donned his costume. How much his loved ones were putting at risk whenever they helped him.
When he was alone, danger had been a part of the game. But now, he had so much to lose. His family, his love, his future…
"This is different, Selina." It was the only truth he could admit to her at the moment. "He's onto us. He knows I'm monitoring him, and worse, he suspects you're helping me."
"So what?!" Selina spat, "You're sidelining me cause you think I'm going to get hurt?"
He would never dare admit it to her, but the thought had crossed his mind once or twice, and right now, well…
"No, but-"
"But what?" A raging fire danced in Selina's brown eyes as she drew closer, "In case you've forgotten, this isn't some fucking chess game, Bruce. Real lives are at stake here!"
"Women, children… whole families have been devastated by the gang wars Sionis brought upon them, Bruce. How long do they have to wait before that monster is taken off the streets for good? Do you even care if he is?"
"Selina…" He couldn't help but be a little hurt by her insinuations. Of course he cared about their suffering just as much as she did. It was the entire reason he'd become Batman, wasn't it?
"No, Bruce. You think you get it, but you don't. And as long as you don't experience it yourself, you never will."
She grabbed her mask and shoved it back on. "Keep hiding among your fancy tech and wait for Sionis to wave a fucking white flag in your face, for all I care. I'm going out there to do what I do best. You can come find me when you're actually ready to help this city."
She stalked out of the Batcave, leaving Bruce to sigh and collapse into his chair. Somewhere between massaging his temples and contemplating whether he should chase after Selina, he registered a faint ding and the clicking of well-polished Oxford shoes.
"What am I doing wrong, Alfred? Why is it so hard to understand her?"
"Perhaps it's because you have never made an effort to do so, Master Bruce." Alfred placed the tray on a table with a raised eyebrow, "Now would be a good time to start."
Bruce shot him a look, "Of course you would take her side."
The butler simply shrugged. "Only because you are not on her's. Yet."
Bruce huffed and reached for the tea cup.
Sometimes, he didn't understand Alfred either.
-2 AM, somewhere in the East End-
"Stop her!" Shouts rang out across the warehouse as Selina stumbled out into the back alley. Her fist grasped the information they'd been after for weeks, the location and details of Sionis' latest weapons trade.
If she could deliver it to Bruce, so many lives would be spared, not just in the East End, but around the world, in whatever war-torn region Sionis was supplying arms to.
So much was at stake here. How Bruce couldn't understand the weight of acting in this moment, she didn't know, but the deed was done and as for the consequences…
"Get her, damnit!"
She hobbled across the cobblestone, cursing herself all the while for being unable to move any faster. The yells grew louder and louder, five maybe six pairs of footsteps heading her way, until suddenly -
The door she'd escaped through slammed open, the sound rattling along the empty alley and into the chilly Gotham night.
"She went this way!"
Shit, shit, shit. They were getting closer, and she wasn't even halfway out of the alley yet. She hastily turned the corner, leaning heavily against a brick wall for support as she fumbled around for a smoke bomb to throw at the goons, but her belt came up empty.
Fuck!
She smacked her head sharply back onto the wall upon remembering how she'd used the last one in his office to distract them as she ran. And now, just when she needed it more than ever, she was screwed.
I'm going to make Bruce get me a larger belt, preferably with some more powerful ammo.
But that would have to wait because right now, there was no way for her to get to the manor. She wasn't even halfway there yet and Zsasz and his men were closing in.
She suppressed a shiver at the thought of those cold, blue eyes boring into hers as Victor Zsasz brought his knife up to her ear and –
Nope. That's not happening.
She eyed the empty street before her. If her memory served her correctly - she had her doubts right now, what with the ringing she heard in her ears – she actually wasn't too far from –
"There!"
Shit.
She hurried across the street, ignoring the blinding pain radiating from her spine, clutching the most previous thing she had ever stolen from anyone, ever, and into an adjacent building, past the abandoned receptionist desk and behind a wall.
Footsteps sounded on the gravelly road outside as they ran straight past her hiding spot, the goons too stupid to stop running for one second to reassess their strategy.
But at least, they were off her trail, for now.
Selina grimaced as she searched the area before stepping out from her cover to assess her needs. If she was gonna get anywhere anytime soon, she needed medical attention and a chance to lay low. Right now, there was only one place in Gotham open to her.
Sorry, Bruce.
She hurried down the lonely street, under the dim, flickering street lights, a trail of blood left in her wake.
