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Before Bruce had met you he had a general idea of how his life was going to go, even after the Riddler had brought destruction to Gotham. He would continue to live his double life, bring justice and become a symbol of hope to the city as Batman. He would then return, worn out and bruised to Wayne Tower and find ways to try and feel human as he continued to live in solitude. It had been a few weeks after they had drained the city and rebuilt the sea walls that things began to pick up again. With crime rampant it would take a lot to get it back under control so he found himself in the company of Jim Gordon and his team more often. He had seen you around here and there but finally became introduced to you when you officially joined Gordon’s division. You were Jim Gordon’s right hand person, probably the only other person besides Batman he fully trusted in his line of work. You were intelligent, witty and above all compassionate and kind which was rare to find in Gotham these days. Maybe that’s what attracted Bruce to you when he started interacting with you. You greeted him with a bright smile, not with a look of distrust like the others. Gordon trusted him and that was enough for you. He was so broody, so silent and intimidating you couldn’t help but want to crack that tough exterior. It also didn’t help that you had begun harboring a crush on the masked vigilante.
“Catch any baddies tonight Batman?” you would ask and Bruce would get a flutter in his chest at your words. He was hesitant to call you a friend at first but soon enough you had solidified him as your own.
“I don’t know who you are under the mask or dark eyeshadow-,” you said one day.
“Paint. Not eyeshadow,” he corrected gruffly as he examined the dead body in front of him.
“Sure Batman,” you grinned before continuing. “But we see each other pretty regularly, we exchang semi personal information though that's mostly me, we joke. I’ve also saved your life once or twice,” you chuckled. “So yes you’re my friend,” you finished with that gentle smile.
“You saved my life one and a half times,” he deadpanned, making you tilt your head back and laugh. He swore it was the sweetest sound he had heard. But you were right, you had saved his life before. ‘The best shot in GCPD’ they called you due to your extremely steady hands and expert eyes, you rarely missed your shot. You had been at one point a special sniper for the GCPD for hostage situations before moving to Gordon’s team. So when Batman was cornered by trained killers in a warehouse one night you had burst in and with efficiency let your bullets fly, taking them all down.
“Bet you regret your thing about no guns,” you smirked as he stood there dumbfounded before Gordon arrived with backup. Bruce had to return quickly to his bathroom that night for an extremely cold shower, trying to get the heated thoughts about you out of his mind. After that it became harder to make eye contact with your captivating eyes.
“Batsy Batsy,” you mused as he entered the crime scene. You were jotting down notes, hair piled atop your head and he admired the way some of the strands framed your face.
“Anything of importance?” he asked, his intimidating gaze roaming the room.
“Mhmm. We got a partial by the window and actually some….,” you began but your words blurred away as he watched you, only focused on your animated style of talking which he found so endearing. As you spoke he found himself thinking about what it would be like to be with you as Bruce Wayne. To be able to form a true friendship, to truly laugh with you and be himself. The day he would meet you as Bruce came sooner than he anticipated when you showed up to the Wayne Tower one late evening. Alfred had been hesitant to let you up but Bruce insisted quickly on allowing you in, hands nervously combing through his hair to look presentable. When you walked into the main foyer of his home he had to force himself to act normally, to act as if he had never met you before.
“I apologize Mr. Wayne I’ve been sent by Detective Jim Gordon of the GCPD. We have a few questions about an acquaintance of yours,” you apologized with that familiar smile.
“Of course, whatever I can do to help,” he replied, gesturing to the table as he pulled out a seat for you. For the next half hour you asked your questions trying so hard to concentrate on your task at hand and not the incredibly attractive Bruce Wayne next to you. Those eyes, god those eyes, you felt you could drown in them. The attraction was mutual and clear when he invited you to stay for a glass of wine. It was probably incredibly inappropriate but you were technically no longer on the clock and that wine sure looked good. He brought you to a side room, the lamps casting shadows across his handsome face and you took a seat on the grand loveseat, admiring the beautiful architecture.
“Do you usually invite people to stay for wine?” you couldn’t help but ask.
“People don’t usually come over,” he replied with a small shrug as he poured you some wine. You would like to say you were drunk with what happened next but you had barely finished your own glass as you chatted away with the charming but shy man in front of you when his hand went to your knee. You froze, eyes latching onto his as he whispered your name almost like a plea. Surging forward for a powerful kiss, electricity crackled between you two as his hands immediately roamed over your body. Bruce was desperate to have you, your moans and whines like music to his ears. In a matter of minutes you were both naked on the carpet but before he took it further he paused, pressing his forehead to yours in a strangely intimate way.
“Bruce,” you gasped out as he filled you, crying out in pleasure. He took you there on the carpet and again in his room from dusk until dawn. There was no time to really think of what you had done as you left early the next morning wishing you could stay in his arms but with a sigh you walked out. So deep in your thoughts you forgot to leave a note with your name and number just in case. Instead you had left your card with the woman at the front who gave you a disapproving look making you go red with embarrassment. Bruce never left your thoughts after that as you daydreamed of his voice, his hands, and those eyes. Four weeks later when you missed your period you had returned to the Tower practically in tears, to try to see him but were turned away as if you were trash. You had tried what you could to get in contact with him but no luck and you tried not to take it personally. It took you a few days of wallowing and crying to make your mind up. You were capable and ready. You could do this, so you wiped your tears, let your family know before striding into work to notify them of your pregnancy and were placed on desk duty until it was time for your maternity leave.
It had been too long, weeks and weeks of waiting to see you as Bruce or Batman but you were nowhere to be found. Bruce had fought the urge to track you down, he was so close to getting into your personal files out of sheer desperation until Alfred intervened. He could see the turmoil Bruce was facing but he reminded him of your right to privacy so Bruce was left with no other choice but to let you go. He never thought he’d see you again as he resumed his restless nights as Batman. Until tonight. There you were chatting to Gordon outside of the abandoned warehouse, soft murmurs filling the air as other cops walked around gathering evidence. Bruce slowly made his way towards you silent even in his suit, noticing the way your hair had gotten longer since he saw you last. Strangely you held one hand to your back as if trying to get comfortable standing and he wondered if you had gotten hurt during this drug bust. He caught Gordon’s eye first who softly poked your shoulder, before gesturing towards him. Slowly you turned, eyes bright and smile widening as you made eye contact with Batman.
“B-Man!“ you waved and he would have returned it but instead he stopped mid step as his eyes roamed down to your stomach. Shit, he thought.
“Oh this old thing,” you joked, moving your jacket aside to reveal a blooming baby bump but he remained silent as stone.
“I’ll let you guys catch up,” Gordon said, noticing the increasing awkward tension before walking off. Bruce could not stop staring and he knew it must have made you uncomfortable as you crossed your arms over your chest, teetering on the balls of your feet.
“Never seen a pregnant woman before?” you asked, breaking him out of his shock.
“No I have… I was just surprised. Congratulations,” he recovered trying to keep his voice low.
“Thanks. It’s been a long few weeks so far and I’ve been staying in the office and was supposed to until August but this was a big bust so I came out to help Gordon,” you explained.
“You shouldn’t be out this late,” he couldn’t help but say, feeling overprotective for a moment, eyes looking around for any danger.
“Well now I have you to keep us safe,” you grinned. Your words were like a crack of lightning, igniting his body with feelings he’d never had before.
“The father anyone I would know?” he blurted out, cringing internally at his wording. You let out a nervous chuckle, not at all insulted by his words, as you rubbed your bump absentmindedly.
“There’s only one guy in the whole world who could be the father but he…he’s not really in the picture,” you sighed sadly. Bruce felt his chest tighten uncomfortably at your words, eyes not leaving your swollen bump. Yes it all lined up, your due date with the night you had come over for that late night interview.
“Have you tried reaching out?” he asked quietly and you swore his voice sounded familiar for a moment.
“Once. But his secretary kind of kicked me out,” you shook your head. Bruce felt a surge of anger at this, damn that new secretary, damn her and her meddling.
“I tried other ways but he’s kind of a recluse. No worries though, I’m moving to be closer to family,” you spoke softly and Bruce’s heart stopped.
“You’re leaving Gotham?” he asked, stepping forward closer to you.
“I have a few friends and a cousin here but I would appreciate the support from my parents and sisters. They live two hours away and I’ve already talked to Gordon. He’s sad to see me go but agreed it’s best,” you explained. I’ll be sad to see you go, no I’d be devastated, Bruce thought. Before he could respond someone called your name, so with an apologetic smile you gave him a goodbye wave before walking off. He didn’t even bother to stay to investigate; he went straight back home to think of his next steps.
A few nights later you were dozing off on the couch, a cheesy romcom on the TV when a soft knock awoke you. Sighing you tried to ignore it but it persisted.
“Coming!” you called out as you put on your slippers before waddling to the door. So sleepy you hadn’t bothered to check the peephole so it was safe to say you almost peed your pants when you saw who was waiting on the other side.
“Bruce,” you squeaked, half hiding behind the door in your disheveled state.
“(Y/N),” he replied calmly but under his shirt his heart was pounding and his hands began to sweat.
“Uh- how can I help you?” you choked out, trying your best to remain calm.
“I think it's best if I come inside so we can talk,” he said. Nodding, you opened the door and let him in, watching silently as he kicked off his shoes before looking to you for guidance.
“Please, sit,” you said, moving towards the couch. None of you said a thing for a few moments as you tried to get comfortable. Finally he turned to look at you, eyes now on your very pregnant belly and it was crystal clear why he was here.
“I had heard that you were pregnant. I wouldn’t presume to say I have a right to your personal life or information or anything like that but I wanted to respect you by coming to you directly,” he spoke softly.
“Of course, I understand,” you nodded, urging him to continue. Bruce took a deep breath, twiddling his hands in his lap as if trying to gain the confidence to ask the question you both knew was coming.
“I just have to know- is the baby mine? ” he asked in such a broken voice it made tears fill your eyes as you nodded, looking down at your hands to avoid bursting into tears.
“I- I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen! I was on birth control and I know you might not believe me and would need a DNA test-,” you began to ramble.
“No. I trust you,” he interrupted. Looking up in surprise you were shocked by the sincerity in which he said those words, your eyebrows crinkling as he scooted closer to you.
“I need to tell you something, it’s going to be shocking but I trust you and it needs to be said before this goes forward,” Bruce said seriously. Taking his trembling hand into yours you squeezed it reassuringly.
“I'm Batman,” he admitted softly, and your blood ran cold. “It’s only right for you to know since I want to be involved in your life and the baby’s. I wouldn’t lie to you,” he said. Your mouth fell open as you shifted on the couch to accommodate your bump as you took in the news. The baby seemed to jump in your stomach in reaction to your shock. Bruce noticed the way your stomach trembled and he fought the urge to run his hands over it.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I’d be willing to take some time off. To give us time to get to know one another and focus on what's best for the baby,” he continued.
“Batman gets paternity leave,” was what you found yourself saying and Bruce let out a light laugh at this.
“Yeah something like that,” he smiled softly.
“Thank you for telling me Bruce. It means a lot that you’ve decided to trust me like this. I agree we need time to figure things out, to see the best way to co-parent,” you said, still not letting go of his hand.
“I know it's a lot to take in right now but now that you know who I am I’d feel safer having you close to me. If it's something you’re open to, I hope you could come live with me,” he said. It was a lot to take in in the span of a few minutes, Bruce Wayne your night one stand also being Batman who you had been harboring a crush on for months now asking you to move into Wayne Tower. But as the seconds went on, your heart calmed down as Bruce and Batman blended into one person in front of you. Holding his hand you felt safe and at peace.
“If you’ll have us,” you smiled, taking his hand and placing it on your bump. Seeing his face light up as the baby kicked was to become one of your fondest memories. Yes, this was not at all what you had planned for your life and there would be a lot to work through on both sides but in that moment you knew, you loved Bruce Wayne.