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as bruce approached the door to he and selina’s shared apartment he struggled to calm his shaking hands.
he’d been hesitant to leave home for anything since her confession a month prior. even the future of his parent’s city and his family’s legacy felt unimportant compared to the fear that she wouldn’t make it through the day alone.
any responsibility he’d ever had paled in comparison to the bone deep urge to hold her close and keep her safe.
it’d gotten to the point that he’d begged alfred, half hysterical, to stay home and watch over her while he was gone. he called every hour, sometimes even speaking to her, praying for any semblance of good news. it didn’t come often.
he’d been mostly unavailable all day, and hadn’t heard from then since he left that morning. the uncertainty of the state she would be in when he returned filled him with anxious energy.
he twisted the knob to their front door with trembling fingers, preparing to face selina’s contorted body curled under their sheets.
instead, he saw her, hair wet and in his sweater and a pair of sleep shorts, sat on the couch with a peaceful expression on her face.
the lack of pain from her frame, the absence of tension in her shoulders or sadness in her face, filled bruce with such relief he nearly sobbed.
“selina,” he breathed, rushing to the couch, “hey, baby.”
she grinned, staring at her feet and fighting a blush. “hey, b.”
he rested one hand on her knee, the other raising to cup her jaw. “how are you feeling?”
she smiled, a genuine smile, and replied, “i’m good. i’m really good.”
bruce had to swallow down tears as he leaned forward to press their brows together. “good, sel, that’s good. i love you. i love you so much.”
he didn’t mean to do or say any of that, simply overcome by emotion and acting on instinct. for months he’d felt as thought he’d give his last dime to see her smile again.
“i know. i love you too,” she whispered, “alfred’s making potatoes? i think? and maybe some kind of soup?”
he nodded, committing her voice in its current state to memory. he rarely heard it outside of cracked murmurs and rough cries lately.
“you’re gonna eat with us?” he asked softly.
she nodded. “smells good. i’m starving.”
“good,” he repeated, rubbing a thumb along her cheek, “want me to brush your hair after dinner?”
her face lit up and bruce’s heart nearly stopped. “can you?”
“of course,” he assured her, “anything, baby, anything you want.”
selina felt her stomach flutter and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth gently. “thank you.”
he beamed at her, kissing her cheeks and nose, eliciting a small giggle from her that made him feel as if he were melting.
it had been so long since she felt anything outside of numbness and misery, and the small amount of joy she could feel under the layers of built up pain weighing her down left her almost giddy. she couldn’t remember how good it felt to be happy.
alfred beckoned them to dinner where the couple sat side by side, him rubbing his thumb along the lower half of her thigh, her interlocking their fingers, and ate together.
the contentment in the room rose tenfold when she finished over half of her meal, something she hadn’t done since before she’d been shot.
selina, growing a bit uncomfortable at the attention on her, excused herself from the table to sit by the living room window. bruce watched from the kitchen for a while, trying to read her emotions, before asking if he could join her.
she nodded, muttering inaudibly, and leaned her head against the pane.
“you ok?” he asked quietly, rubbing her back lightly.
she finally met his gaze, eyes slightly hazy. “yeah. it stopped raining.”
he gave her a puzzled look, causing her to laugh to herself. he must have looked stupid, he decided.
she wiped her hand down his face before cupping his face and stroking his cheek with her thumb. “stop trying to figure me out. i was just commenting on it. sometimes things look pretty after it rains.”
“i guess so,” he agreed, staring back at the cityscape with her.
selina sighed, “you’re ridiculous.”
“i’m ridiculous?” he asked, barely concealing laughter.
“mhm,” she affirmed, “you think too much. it’s giving you wrinkles.”
bruce was suddenly overwhelmed by the warm familiarity of the situation. “good thing i can afford botox.”
she snorted, repositioning herself to lean against his chest. “stupid, stupid, billionaire boyfriend.”
he wrapped his arms around her, ducking his head into her shoulder.
they stayed that way for a while, holding each other close and breathing together. eventually selina broke the silence.
“i need you to know i’m gonna have more bad days,” she whispered, “but i also need you to believe me when i say i’m gonna be ok.”
bruce nodded, tightening his grip on her. “i know. i believe you.”
“good,” she agreed, “now, you promised to brush my hair.”
he let out a breathy laugh, “of course. i’ll be right back.”
he kissed her forehead twice and her lips three separate times before he left. she had to resist following him.
part of her longed to go to sleep. she ached to feel the sheets against her legs and his heartbeat under her ear. she wanted to feel his fingertips along her shoulders and stomach and waist. she wanted to hold him and let him hold her.
but, she had a lingering fear of the morning. she had no guarantee how she’d feel when she woke up. she wanted to stretch the happiness, however little she could muster, as far as it could go.
when bruce returned she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and allowed him to comb through her hair gently.
by the time he was done selina felt as if her bones had turned to jelly, and she yearned for the comfort of their bed.
unfortunately, the exhaustion never went away.
so, bruce carried her to their bed, changed into pajamas, and intertwined himself with her.
she pressed her lips to his chest, collarbones, neck, and jaw. she muttered sweet nothings and love confessions and promises of days she couldn’t guarantee into his ear and felt his breathing against her shoulder. she wiped the tears slipping down his cheeks with her thumbs and kissed his nose.
and, once selina was peacefully asleep and comfortable, bruce curled into her and prayed silently to never again forget the warmth of her smile.