Chapter Text
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
They’ve only just pulled apart. Bruce can still feel his increased heart rate as he adjusts his pants and leans back against the unfamiliar car seat. He glances to the side, where Edward’s shifting in his seat to look at him, eyes bright even in the weak glow from the nearest streetlight.
He knows he should shut this down. If Edward’s about to admit to something criminal he can’t promise to keep him out of prison, and he won’t give out any more personal information than the man already has on him. He stays quiet.
“Where can you roost with birds and the city’s elite, on a night where masks wear masks in the chilled summer heat?”
Last time Edward asked him a post-sex riddle he responded with a detailed explanation of why trying to pin down and turn this intangible thing they have into something more concrete would be a terrible idea. Edward still brings up how completely wrong he got that answer all the time. He never should have let things get this far.
“The Iceberg Lounge May masquerade,” Bruce answers.
“Well done. Looks like you’re on the ball Bruce, so to speak.”
Bruce returns his gaze to the street ahead, to the seemingly empty apartment they’re staking out. Cars hum a street away, but nothing moves on this dark road. He can feel Edward still watching him, apparently another answer is required. “Batman has no reason to get involved with that.”
“No… Batman hasn’t.”
“Edward-”
“Don’t get too excited Bruce. It’s not as if I’m asking you on a date. I’m merely suggesting you make an appearance. I can even provide you with a companion if you’re in need of one. One of my clients, a nice young widow. Really should get out more, so you two already have something in common.”
Bruce looks at Edward. It’s still strange being so close to him in civilian clothes. They’re in disguise for this stakeout, well Bruce is, Edward has just gone for a more muted shade of green. “No.”
“What if I told you I had reason to believe the night will be an eventful one?”
“Sounds like the kind of thing you should be staying away from.”
“Yes, you’re not the first to tell me that.”
Bruce looks closer. Edward does look worried, under his usual bravado. He must be, to ask. What they do together has nothing to do with feelings, it’s a series of mistakes made barely tolerable in that it stops either of them making more dangerous mistakes, but that doesn’t mean he wants to see Edward hurt.
“In that case, don’t go.”
“It’s not purely a fun night out. I have to attend if I want to retain any status with Gotham’s villains.”
Edward loses him there. Edward’s continued relationship with the rogues can occasionally be useful, but his refusal to sever that connection to his old life worries Bruce. “Make your own mistakes if you must, Edward, but I will be watching.”
“A true mystery why I‘d even want to go when the heroes are so welcoming.”
The air inside the car has grown warm and still with the engine off and windows up. It smells like the dregs of his coffee, and the sickly sweetness of the remains of Edward’s pastry, balled up in paper towels next to his cup. He brushes the back of his hand over his lips in case any powdered sugar remains.
“Well, thank you, Bruce. At least you’re honest with me. It’s best that I know that I can’t rely on you.”
“Come on. I may not be there. But if anything happens, I’ll know.”
“Wonderful, perhaps you can fish my corpse out of the harbour.”
Edward’s disappointed, a familiar emotion coming from him. He’s disappointed every time Batman won’t answer his riddles, every time he loses his attention, every time Bruce won’t give a name to this thing they have. Bruce doesn’t know where he got such high expectations of him. But then, he feels the same every time Edward makes it clear he doesn’t really care about the people he helps now, only the game. But Edward has never disappointed him in the way Bruce expected when he first reformed. “You really think I wouldn’t find you in time? I can’t promise I’ll always be there to stop you getting hurt, Edward, but I will always save you.”
Edward looks at him with a strange expression on his face. This time Bruce definitely needs to shut things down. He reaches out a hand and runs fingers through soft un-gelled hair, something he’s wanted to do since he got into this car. Edward closes his eyes and leans into the touch.
A door slams down the street. There’s their tail, heading out.
Bruce leaps back into business mode. “Let’s go.”
The night moves fast after that, and it’s not until Bruce drops Edward back at his office in the early hours of the morning that they have a chance to speak about anything other than the case.
“Edward!” Bruce calls. Edward is walking away, brushing a little of the dust from the warehouse explosion off his suit. He turns back with a look that could be hopeful, or not. “I’ll be there.”