LIFE’S A BITCH, NOW SO AM I

His hands found your waist and held you in your place on the bathroom counter, sliding to stand between your legs. Dick’s kisses were peppered along the side of your neck down to your collarbone as his hands squeezed gently. Your hands rested on his shoulders as you pushed lightly, craning your neck away from his warm lips. 

It was his evening to watch you while the rest of the Bats were on patrol. Even Alfred was out of the manor this evening on an errand Bruce had assigned to him. The quiet halls were only marked by the rainy skies of Gotham and Dick’s ragged breaths against you. You were used to the cuddling and the occasional kiss when he was sure you wouldn’t tattle on him to Bruce, but you never thought Dick would actually lose all restraint once he knew for certain he wouldn’t get caught. 

“Dick, we shouldn’t be doing this–” You were cut off with a quick peck to your lips as Dick made his way up your face. His smile was unnerving as he rested his cheek against yours, staring at you with easy eyes. He had caught you on the way to your bath, the one respite you knew you were guaranteed from them. 

“What? Having a little fun?” He chuckled as he pulled back to look at you, hands sliding down to trace the hem of your shirt. 

“It’s just us tonight; you know you don’t have to be shy with me.” His fingers curled under your shirt and rested against your stomach as he leaned into you to kiss you fully.

Your head tilted to the side again as he settled to kiss your cheek wetly. 

“If-If Bruce catches you, it’s gonna be–” His chuckle interrupted you as he held a hand under your chin to look at him straight on. The hand under your shirt smoothed its way up to your breast as he cupped it. “Don’t you want me to make you feel good? I know he hasn’t yet.” 

Yet.

Bruce had his restraint, too, but it only went so far. You knew that when he threw himself into his work more than usual, he was getting his heated passion out through his fists in the streets. The boys knew anything concerning you was off limits until he had his turn. He was determined to be your first, but only when you decided to bring him into your bed. It was only natural for his patience to wear too thin if his sons were overeager.  

You gasped as he squeezed gently on your chest, avoiding his gaze as his lips sought to capture yours again. 

“Let me be good to you. Bruce is too busy patrolling; he won’t catch us.” Dick whispered against your pursed lips. 

You pushed as hard as you could on his shoulders, making no difference in his stance as your mouth opened to shout at him. 

“Is that right?”

Bruce’s voice cut like a sonic boom through the bathroom as your head whipped to stare at him wide-eyed in the doorway. He was still in his suit, dripping with the night’s rain on the tile. His arms were tightly crossed against his heaving chest as he waited patiently for an answer. Dick sighed heavily, resigning himself to closing his eyes and letting his hand drop out from under your shirt, resting on the tile counter next to your hip. 

“Bruce!” You breathed, finally pushing Dick back as he let go of his grip on you. 

His jaw relaxed slightly as his eyes shifted to yours, answering your silent prayer. His boots thundered against the silence as he made his way into the bathroom, sliding his wet cowl off to stand in front of Dick. 

Dick met his gaze, locked in a silent battle. Their faces and body language were unreadable to you, trained under years of masking. You slid off the counter, resting your back against it as you watched nervously. 

“Go back to Blüdhaven, Dick. Don’t neglect your city.” Bruce said dryly, staring as Dick turned back to you, giving you a quick kiss on the back of your hand and a warm smile before accepting his fate. The silence was deafening as you and Bruce watched him make his way out of the bathroom. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t forget to not neglect what’s yours, too.” Dick bit back, closing the door as he left.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder, they say. You hoped it made him never want to return. 

You saw Bruce had half a mind to show him out for that bit of disrespect, but he was more preoccupied with dealing with who was still in front of him. You made a move to head out the door as well, but a gloved hand on your shoulder stopped you. The wetness seeped into your shirt as you looked down at the tile.

“Stay.” Bruce murmured, stepping towards the bath to start running hot water. 

You padded after him, trying to assess just how deep in shit you were with him. What could you say to get yourself out of whatever punishment he was planning? Maybe you could grovel and beg for his forgiveness. You’d drop to your knees then and there, pleading with him to at least be gentle with you. 

The enormity of the bathroom made you feel even smaller under his gaze. Sounds of the water splashing and filling the tub echoed in the tense silence. The dark green and black tile made it seem like the walls were closing in on the two of you as you stopped in front of the tub. It was sunken into a platform with a step leading up to it and was absolutely big enough for both of you. You glanced over your shoulder as he began to undress and caught the sight in the large mirrors covering the adjacent wall. 

Bruce didn’t push on your boundaries too hard, but you knew at the end of the day, whatever he said went. You were hardly one to break rules, considering how futile you knew it would be to try to one-up the Batman himself. His cape was thrown haphazardly to the floor as he peeled the rest of the Kevlar suit off his wet body. Soon, he was fully naked before you as you tried not to stare, feeling the flush rising to your face. His attention never left you, though. 

You’d slept with him shirtless plenty of times in warmer months, but this was the first time you’d seen him stripped all the way down. He motioned for you to come over with one finger, letting you take your time to build the courage up to stand so close to him. His cold fingers made you jump when they made contact with your stomach as he pulled your shirt up over your head. Your eyes were still glued to the floor as he pulled your sleep shorts off and let you step out of them. 

His thumb came under your chin to raise your gaze to meet his, staring down at you intensely as he looked you over. You’d never been so stripped down in front of him either, and you could only assume that under his steady gaze, he was taking you in. Your eyes were still desperately wandering, fixating on anything but the man in front of you. Shakiness rolled off of you in a way neither of you could ignore. His shoulders were still square and taut, eyes assessing you more closely as he smoothed some of your hair off your shoulder. His other hand wandered down to your breast and rolled a thumb over your hardened nipple as you gasped softly.

“You’re freezing; let me warm you up.” 

Bruce’s hand found the small of your back and herded you into the steaming water, not adding any bubbles until you were fully seated. He was quick to join you, positioning himself behind you as he maneuvered you to lie on his chest. You were in no position to protest him, not after what he walked into. You’d only ever broken the small rules, inconsequential things that earned you a scolding.

His calloused hand caressed your left shoulder as you relaxed into his touch, letting your ear rest against his chest and listen to his steady heartbeat. You could only hope yours would fall in tandem. His right hand came up to rest over your chest, thumb stroking in small circles. The bathroom fell unbearably silent, save for the drops leaking from the faucet. 

“You were shaking like this the night I found you.” Bruce said, sounding as if he were reminiscing on a sweet meet-cute the two of you shared. 

You’d hardly think to recall your mugging on New Year's Eve as anything other than horrifying. His left hand slid up to your chin, holding your throat gently in his hand as his thumb ran along your neck. 

“You were so cold, so scared…so alone in that alley. I knew you couldn’t wait any longer.”

This was it, you thought. Bruce was going to strangle you in the tub. Or drown you. Or strangle and drown you. Loyalty was not something he took lightly. Trust was not easily earned, and you were certain it was shattered into a million pieces over a rule you didn’t even break. 

“You don’t need to be scared now.” He whispered into your hair, pressing a kiss to your crown. “You’re safe with me.”

A long exhale had him easing his shoulders, relaxing fully against the porcelain, and sinking the two of you further into the water. Holding you in his arms always brought him a sense of peace, a sense of relief. All was right with the world when he got to feel you alive and breathing against his scarred skin. You just wish you could feel the same.

“I knew something was wrong when Dick silenced his comms.” Bruce said quietly, leaning down to rest his chin on your right shoulder. Hot kisses were pressed against you as his right hand slid down to rest on your thigh. “I should have known better than to trust one of the boys while Alfred is away.” 

“Bruce…” You whispered, going stiff against him as his hand caressed your thigh. Any excuse you could muster up died on your tongue before you could speak. His kisses slowed gently until his lips rested against your temple, silently prompting you. Your fear finally bubbled over, leading you to spill your side in hopes of pacifying him. “I…I didn’t come onto him, I swear. I told him it was a bad idea and–” 

Bruce shushed your nervous rambling with a small kiss to the left corner of your lip, using the hand on your chin to tilt your eyes up to his. His thumb stroked over the spot he kissed as his right hand came to rest between your legs. His gaze was piercing as he let the silence permeate. There was no use in pleading your case; his mind was made up. 

“Trust goes both ways,” Bruce said quietly, leaning closer to your face. “I trust that you're telling the truth.” 

His right hand cupped you gently, pressing the flat of his palm against your clit. Your right hand flew to grip his wrist while your left hand lay flat on the tile outside of the tub. The water began sloshing out of the tub as you arched yourself away from his hand, trying to sit up from lying against him. Bruce pinned you against him, wrapping his left arm around you and holding both wrists in one hand. His right leg interlocked over yours as he let you thrash slightly. 

“And you can trust that I’ll save you.” 

Bruce’s shushing tickled your ears as you settled against him, deciding which battles you’d pick and choose tonight. You were certain you were in deep shit still; you didn’t want to add more to the other shoe that you were still waiting to see drop. 

“Relax.” 

His palm ground slowly against you as you bit back a whine. The grip on your wrist loosened, letting you rest your hands against his right forearm. 

“You’re not in trouble, sweetheart,” Bruce whispered in your ear, washing his warm breath over your skin. 

The promise was sealed with a gentle kiss to your earlobe. His chin sat on your left shoulder, settling into the crook of your neck as he kissed all the skin he could reach. 

“Don’t hold it against Dick. He can be…overzealous with the people he loves, sometimes. He means well.” 

The warmth of his touch and the heat from the bath did nothing to help the cold shiver that ran down your spine. Dick had a temper, that much you knew. No matter how well he tried to hide it from you, you could hear it in the fights you eavesdropped on in the cave. You felt it when he held you a little too tight, grabbed you a little too hard. At least Bruce had the decency to hide his restraint from you. 

The water started to settle as you stilled in Bruce’s arms, letting him kiss the skin he could reach quietly. Bruce wasn’t like his sons. He was steady and predictable, a welcome refuge in the stormy weather of the Wayne household. Initially, you worried he’d be as strict with you as he was with his work. Even with all the ways he let you have your freedom, you were still a caged bird that met her gilded bars every time you looked out the window. Expectations for you were few and far between, but they were ironclad. 

“You like that I can protect you from them, don’t you?” 

His words were stoking the icy dread in you because they were true. 

“You trust me.” 

The heel of his palm ground into you again, not letting up when you squirmed from the teasing this time. You whined and shook your head, bucking your hips in retaliation. Bruce’s right leg pinned you down again, holding you in place against him. 

“You don’t need to admit it; we both know it’s true.” 

He slid his hand up slowly until his fingertips ghosted over your clit. Your blood ran cold as tears burned the corners of your eyes. 

“No! I would never–” 

Your desperate defense was cut off by a pathetic whine when his finger started rubbing slow circles in you. 

“They didn’t find you that night. It was me you clung to in fear.” 

Your hands gripped his forearm, digging your nails into his marred flesh until he bled. Your thrashing was useless against his strength. 

“You knew I’d save you from Dick, even though you thought I’d be angry with you.”

You threw your head back on his chest, shutting your eyes as the tears began to flow. 

“You trust me because you know I would never do anything to hurt you.” 

“Bruce, no!” You cried, looking up at him with watery eyes. “This is hurting me.” 

His left hand cupped your chin and stroked it, holding it steady as he looked at you. There was a crinkle in his eyes and a tug at his lips as he chuckled breathily. His thumb tugged on your bottom lip, opening it slightly as you let out gasping breaths. 

“You have so much to learn about love…”

Bruce’s lips ghosted over yours, brushing against them with each word. Your lips trembled with your sobs. 

“I have so much to teach you.” 

His fingers sank into you as he laid a searing kiss on your parted mouth. 

Your right arm wrapped under his as you gripped him tightly, drawing blood over a new scar on his forearm. His fingers slowly went in, curling deeply when he was in you up to his knuckles. Bruce swallowed your whines greedily as he kissed you deeply. Your left hand flew up to grip his hair and pull him off you as he smirked against your lips. Panic crawled in your throat, almost choking you with fear. 

“Don’t try to play dirty with me.” 

His thumb found your clit as he stroked and curled his fingers in tandem. 

“You won’t like it when I win.” 

It took everything in you not to scream and thrash in his arms. If only to spare yourself some pain, to not anger him enough to break a bone accidentally. His scarred hand was hot on your cheek as you cried into his mouth. These were the hands that Gotham feared, the fists that could knock a grown man down with a single blow. Dealing with your fighting was child’s play to him. If this wasn’t winning to him, you’d never want to challenge him again. 

Your hand slowly let go of his hair and slid to rest on top of his. Even the touch on your chin was gentle, but absolutely immobile. He didn’t even have to try. 

“Bruce, please…please.” 

Your whine was pathetic as you looked up at him through wet lashes, coughing your way through your gasps. He stared right back at you, not slowing his pace. You closed your eyes and pecked his lips gently. If fighting against him wouldn’t get him to stop, maybe being the small and needy thing he pretended you were would. 

“No need to beg, I’ll make you come.” 

Bruce kissed you again, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth. His thumb pressed harder, circling over your clit at a steady pace. You gasped into his mouth, digging your nails harder into his skin with both hands. His fingers began to pump in and out of you as you shook in his arms, letting your sobs and your tears flow freely. 

You clenched around him when his fingers curled deep inside you and made a summoning motion. It was horrifying how quickly he was making you come undone. The pleasure being drawn out of you made you tense in his arms as you felt warmth pooling in your gut. Even though Dick was the one who started the fight with him, you somehow still ended up losing to Bruce. 

You didn’t want to give Bruce the satisfaction of acknowledging he was right. Even though your trust in him was compartmentalized, you refused to hand yourself over on a silver platter. Surviving through his protection did not open him up to the rest of your vulnerability. Bruce preventing his sons from descending on you was more out of possessiveness than safety. He’s quite territorial about what he thinks belongs to him – his city, his mission, his lover. You didn’t want to be another obsession he channeled his grief through. 

Bruce finally eased up on his deep, consuming kisses and let you take in gasping, shuddering sobs. You cried openly as the pleasure began to override the panic. Moans and whines started to drown out your fearful crying.

“You’re feeling good because your body trusts me.” 

You shook your head in response as you wailed, cheeks wet with tears. It was a biological response; it wasn’t your fault. None of this was your fault. But in the depths of your beaten psyche, his words rang true. The pleasure was too much, too precise. Your body betrayed you by feeling this good when you hated it as much as you did. 

Bruce stared down at you intensely, stroking your chin with his thumb. Even now, even like this, he was an absolute mystery to you. His expression was unreadable, almost neutral, as he wrecked you. To think he goes out every evening to beat the living hell out of other men in the streets for daring to do what he’s doing now. His ability to compartmentalize on such a precise level was something you doubt you could reach despite your best efforts to stay sane. You envied it, to be honest. Maybe you’d be happier if you could be as delusional as he is. 

Pleasure seized your whole body as your orgasm tore through you. You shut your eyes and let your mouth fall open as you heaved through your cries. Bruce shushed you softly, riding out your high until the sensation became unbearable. His hands slid across your body, wrapping around your shoulders and torso to hug you close to him. He turned you gently, positioning you to lie chest to chest with him. You pressed your cheek to his chest and looked back at the mirror on the wall, staring at your reflection. It was a touching scene to the untrained eye. Just a man and the woman he loves sharing a warm bath on a cold night. But your eyes were bloodshot, your face was stained with tears, and you swore you could see Bruce’s smugness even from a distance. 

“Why?” 

Bruce thought for a minute as he pulled you into the crook of his neck.

“You’re mine. I have to take care of you.”

It was all so simple to him, wasn’t it? Decided. Inarguable. His hand rested on your cheek as he rested his cheek against your forehead. You stayed like this for a while, letting your sobs die quietly down into sniffles as the water began to cool. The silence was victory to him. 

A buzzing sound clattering against the tile broke Bruce from his contentment as he leaned over and picked up the ringing device. 

“I’ve been away too long.” 

Bruce spoke openly over the comms as he stroked your cheek with his thumb, making no move to leave the tub. You closed your eyes and shuddered mildly, drowning out the conversation – something about Bruce staying in for the rest of the evening and investigating a case down in the cave. You imagined he’d haul you down with him, curled up in a blanket in his lap. He’d be wanting to keep a closer eye on you after what happened tonight; you were sure of it. 

His hands found your waist and held you in your place on the bathroom counter, sliding to stand between your legs. Dick’s kisses were peppered along the side of your neck down to your collarbone as his hands squeezed gently. Your hands rested on his shoulders as you pushed lightly, craning your neck away from his warm lips. 

It was his evening to watch you while the rest of the Bats were on patrol. Even Alfred was out of the manor this evening on an errand Bruce had assigned to him. The quiet halls were only marked by the rainy skies of Gotham and Dick’s ragged breaths against you. You were used to the cuddling and the occasional kiss when he was sure you wouldn’t tattle on him to Bruce, but you never thought Dick would actually lose all restraint once he knew for certain he wouldn’t get caught. 

“Dick, we shouldn’t be doing this–” You were cut off with a quick peck to your lips as Dick made his way up your face. His smile was unnerving as he rested his cheek against yours, staring at you with easy eyes. He had caught you on the way to your bath, the one respite you knew you were guaranteed from them. 

“What? Having a little fun?” He chuckled as he pulled back to look at you, hands sliding down to trace the hem of your shirt. 

“It’s just us tonight; you know you don’t have to be shy with me.” His fingers curled under your shirt and rested against your stomach as he leaned into you to kiss you fully.

Your head tilted to the side again as he settled to kiss your cheek wetly. 

“If-If Bruce catches you, it’s gonna be–” His chuckle interrupted you as he held a hand under your chin to look at him straight on. The hand under your shirt smoothed its way up to your breast as he cupped it. “Don’t you want me to make you feel good? I know he hasn’t yet.” 

Yet.

Bruce had his restraint, too, but it only went so far. You knew that when he threw himself into his work more than usual, he was getting his heated passion out through his fists in the streets. The boys knew anything concerning you was off limits until he had his turn. He was determined to be your first, but only when you decided to bring him into your bed. It was only natural for his patience to wear too thin if his sons were overeager.  

You gasped as he squeezed gently on your chest, avoiding his gaze as his lips sought to capture yours again. 

“Let me be good to you. Bruce is too busy patrolling; he won’t catch us.” Dick whispered against your pursed lips. 

You pushed as hard as you could on his shoulders, making no difference in his stance as your mouth opened to shout at him. 

“Is that right?”

Bruce’s voice cut like a sonic boom through the bathroom as your head whipped to stare at him wide-eyed in the doorway. He was still in his suit, dripping with the night’s rain on the tile. His arms were tightly crossed against his heaving chest as he waited patiently for an answer. Dick sighed heavily, resigning himself to closing his eyes and letting his hand drop out from under your shirt, resting on the tile counter next to your hip. 

“Bruce!” You breathed, finally pushing Dick back as he let go of his grip on you. 

His jaw relaxed slightly as his eyes shifted to yours, answering your silent prayer. His boots thundered against the silence as he made his way into the bathroom, sliding his wet cowl off to stand in front of Dick. 

Dick met his gaze, locked in a silent battle. Their faces and body language were unreadable to you, trained under years of masking. You slid off the counter, resting your back against it as you watched nervously. 

“Go back to Blüdhaven, Dick. Don’t neglect your city.” Bruce said dryly, staring as Dick turned back to you, giving you a quick kiss on the back of your hand and a warm smile before accepting his fate. The silence was deafening as you and Bruce watched him make his way out of the bathroom. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t forget to not neglect what’s yours, too.” Dick bit back, closing the door as he left.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder, they say. You hoped it made him never want to return. 

You saw Bruce had half a mind to show him out for that bit of disrespect, but he was more preoccupied with dealing with who was still in front of him. You made a move to head out the door as well, but a gloved hand on your shoulder stopped you. The wetness seeped into your shirt as you looked down at the tile.

“Stay.” Bruce murmured, stepping towards the bath to start running hot water. 

You padded after him, trying to assess just how deep in shit you were with him. What could you say to get yourself out of whatever punishment he was planning? Maybe you could grovel and beg for his forgiveness. You’d drop to your knees then and there, pleading with him to at least be gentle with you. 

The enormity of the bathroom made you feel even smaller under his gaze. Sounds of the water splashing and filling the tub echoed in the tense silence. The dark green and black tile made it seem like the walls were closing in on the two of you as you stopped in front of the tub. It was sunken into a platform with a step leading up to it and was absolutely big enough for both of you. You glanced over your shoulder as he began to undress and caught the sight in the large mirrors covering the adjacent wall. 

Bruce didn’t push on your boundaries too hard, but you knew at the end of the day, whatever he said went. You were hardly one to break rules, considering how futile you knew it would be to try to one-up the Batman himself. His cape was thrown haphazardly to the floor as he peeled the rest of the Kevlar suit off his wet body. Soon, he was fully naked before you as you tried not to stare, feeling the flush rising to your face. His attention never left you, though. 

You’d slept with him shirtless plenty of times in warmer months, but this was the first time you’d seen him stripped all the way down. He motioned for you to come over with one finger, letting you take your time to build the courage up to stand so close to him. His cold fingers made you jump when they made contact with your stomach as he pulled your shirt up over your head. Your eyes were still glued to the floor as he pulled your sleep shorts off and let you step out of them. 

His thumb came under your chin to raise your gaze to meet his, staring down at you intensely as he looked you over. You’d never been so stripped down in front of him either, and you could only assume that under his steady gaze, he was taking you in. Your eyes were still desperately wandering, fixating on anything but the man in front of you. Shakiness rolled off of you in a way neither of you could ignore. His shoulders were still square and taut, eyes assessing you more closely as he smoothed some of your hair off your shoulder. His other hand wandered down to your breast and rolled a thumb over your hardened nipple as you gasped softly.

“You’re freezing; let me warm you up.” 

Bruce’s hand found the small of your back and herded you into the steaming water, not adding any bubbles until you were fully seated. He was quick to join you, positioning himself behind you as he maneuvered you to lie on his chest. You were in no position to protest him, not after what he walked into. You’d only ever broken the small rules, inconsequential things that earned you a scolding.

His calloused hand caressed your left shoulder as you relaxed into his touch, letting your ear rest against his chest and listen to his steady heartbeat. You could only hope yours would fall in tandem. His right hand came up to rest over your chest, thumb stroking in small circles. The bathroom fell unbearably silent, save for the drops leaking from the faucet. 

“You were shaking like this the night I found you.” Bruce said, sounding as if he were reminiscing on a sweet meet-cute the two of you shared. 

You’d hardly think to recall your mugging on New Year's Eve as anything other than horrifying. His left hand slid up to your chin, holding your throat gently in his hand as his thumb ran along your neck. 

“You were so cold, so scared…so alone in that alley. I knew you couldn’t wait any longer.”

This was it, you thought. Bruce was going to strangle you in the tub. Or drown you. Or strangle and drown you. Loyalty was not something he took lightly. Trust was not easily earned, and you were certain it was shattered into a million pieces over a rule you didn’t even break. 

“You don’t need to be scared now.” He whispered into your hair, pressing a kiss to your crown. “You’re safe with me.”

A long exhale had him easing his shoulders, relaxing fully against the porcelain, and sinking the two of you further into the water. Holding you in his arms always brought him a sense of peace, a sense of relief. All was right with the world when he got to feel you alive and breathing against his scarred skin. You just wish you could feel the same.

“I knew something was wrong when Dick silenced his comms.” Bruce said quietly, leaning down to rest his chin on your right shoulder. Hot kisses were pressed against you as his right hand slid down to rest on your thigh. “I should have known better than to trust one of the boys while Alfred is away.” 

“Bruce…” You whispered, going stiff against him as his hand caressed your thigh. Any excuse you could muster up died on your tongue before you could speak. His kisses slowed gently until his lips rested against your temple, silently prompting you. Your fear finally bubbled over, leading you to spill your side in hopes of pacifying him. “I…I didn’t come onto him, I swear. I told him it was a bad idea and–” 

Bruce shushed your nervous rambling with a small kiss to the left corner of your lip, using the hand on your chin to tilt your eyes up to his. His thumb stroked over the spot he kissed as his right hand came to rest between your legs. His gaze was piercing as he let the silence permeate. There was no use in pleading your case; his mind was made up. 

“Trust goes both ways,” Bruce said quietly, leaning closer to your face. “I trust that you're telling the truth.” 

His right hand cupped you gently, pressing the flat of his palm against your clit. Your right hand flew to grip his wrist while your left hand lay flat on the tile outside of the tub. The water began sloshing out of the tub as you arched yourself away from his hand, trying to sit up from lying against him. Bruce pinned you against him, wrapping his left arm around you and holding both wrists in one hand. His right leg interlocked over yours as he let you thrash slightly. 

“And you can trust that I’ll save you.” 

Bruce’s shushing tickled your ears as you settled against him, deciding which battles you’d pick and choose tonight. You were certain you were in deep shit still; you didn’t want to add more to the other shoe that you were still waiting to see drop. 

“Relax.” 

His palm ground slowly against you as you bit back a whine. The grip on your wrist loosened, letting you rest your hands against his right forearm. 

“You’re not in trouble, sweetheart,” Bruce whispered in your ear, washing his warm breath over your skin. 

The promise was sealed with a gentle kiss to your earlobe. His chin sat on your left shoulder, settling into the crook of your neck as he kissed all the skin he could reach. 

“Don’t hold it against Dick. He can be…overzealous with the people he loves, sometimes. He means well.” 

The warmth of his touch and the heat from the bath did nothing to help the cold shiver that ran down your spine. Dick had a temper, that much you knew. No matter how well he tried to hide it from you, you could hear it in the fights you eavesdropped on in the cave. You felt it when he held you a little too tight, grabbed you a little too hard. At least Bruce had the decency to hide his restraint from you. 

The water started to settle as you stilled in Bruce’s arms, letting him kiss the skin he could reach quietly. Bruce wasn’t like his sons. He was steady and predictable, a welcome refuge in the stormy weather of the Wayne household. Initially, you worried he’d be as strict with you as he was with his work. Even with all the ways he let you have your freedom, you were still a caged bird that met her gilded bars every time you looked out the window. Expectations for you were few and far between, but they were ironclad. 

“You like that I can protect you from them, don’t you?” 

His words were stoking the icy dread in you because they were true. 

“You trust me.” 

The heel of his palm ground into you again, not letting up when you squirmed from the teasing this time. You whined and shook your head, bucking your hips in retaliation. Bruce’s right leg pinned you down again, holding you in place against him. 

“You don’t need to admit it; we both know it’s true.” 

He slid his hand up slowly until his fingertips ghosted over your clit. Your blood ran cold as tears burned the corners of your eyes. 

“No! I would never–” 

Your desperate defense was cut off by a pathetic whine when his finger started rubbing slow circles in you. 

“They didn’t find you that night. It was me you clung to in fear.” 

Your hands gripped his forearm, digging your nails into his marred flesh until he bled. Your thrashing was useless against his strength. 

“You knew I’d save you from Dick, even though you thought I’d be angry with you.”

You threw your head back on his chest, shutting your eyes as the tears began to flow. 

“You trust me because you know I would never do anything to hurt you.” 

“Bruce, no!” You cried, looking up at him with watery eyes. “This is hurting me.” 

His left hand cupped your chin and stroked it, holding it steady as he looked at you. There was a crinkle in his eyes and a tug at his lips as he chuckled breathily. His thumb tugged on your bottom lip, opening it slightly as you let out gasping breaths. 

“You have so much to learn about love…”

Bruce’s lips ghosted over yours, brushing against them with each word. Your lips trembled with your sobs. 

“I have so much to teach you.” 

His fingers sank into you as he laid a searing kiss on your parted mouth. 

Your right arm wrapped under his as you gripped him tightly, drawing blood over a new scar on his forearm. His fingers slowly went in, curling deeply when he was in you up to his knuckles. Bruce swallowed your whines greedily as he kissed you deeply. Your left hand flew up to grip his hair and pull him off you as he smirked against your lips. Panic crawled in your throat, almost choking you with fear. 

“Don’t try to play dirty with me.” 

His thumb found your clit as he stroked and curled his fingers in tandem. 

“You won’t like it when I win.” 

It took everything in you not to scream and thrash in his arms. If only to spare yourself some pain, to not anger him enough to break a bone accidentally. His scarred hand was hot on your cheek as you cried into his mouth. These were the hands that Gotham feared, the fists that could knock a grown man down with a single blow. Dealing with your fighting was child’s play to him. If this wasn’t winning to him, you’d never want to challenge him again. 

Your hand slowly let go of his hair and slid to rest on top of his. Even the touch on your chin was gentle, but absolutely immobile. He didn’t even have to try. 

“Bruce, please…please.” 

Your whine was pathetic as you looked up at him through wet lashes, coughing your way through your gasps. He stared right back at you, not slowing his pace. You closed your eyes and pecked his lips gently. If fighting against him wouldn’t get him to stop, maybe being the small and needy thing he pretended you were would. 

“No need to beg, I’ll make you come.” 

Bruce kissed you again, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth. His thumb pressed harder, circling over your clit at a steady pace. You gasped into his mouth, digging your nails harder into his skin with both hands. His fingers began to pump in and out of you as you shook in his arms, letting your sobs and your tears flow freely. 

You clenched around him when his fingers curled deep inside you and made a summoning motion. It was horrifying how quickly he was making you come undone. The pleasure being drawn out of you made you tense in his arms as you felt warmth pooling in your gut. Even though Dick was the one who started the fight with him, you somehow still ended up losing to Bruce. 

You didn’t want to give Bruce the satisfaction of acknowledging he was right. Even though your trust in him was compartmentalized, you refused to hand yourself over on a silver platter. Surviving through his protection did not open him up to the rest of your vulnerability. Bruce preventing his sons from descending on you was more out of possessiveness than safety. He’s quite territorial about what he thinks belongs to him – his city, his mission, his lover. You didn’t want to be another obsession he channeled his grief through. 

Bruce finally eased up on his deep, consuming kisses and let you take in gasping, shuddering sobs. You cried openly as the pleasure began to override the panic. Moans and whines started to drown out your fearful crying.

“You’re feeling good because your body trusts me.” 

You shook your head in response as you wailed, cheeks wet with tears. It was a biological response; it wasn’t your fault. None of this was your fault. But in the depths of your beaten psyche, his words rang true. The pleasure was too much, too precise. Your body betrayed you by feeling this good when you hated it as much as you did. 

Bruce stared down at you intensely, stroking your chin with his thumb. Even now, even like this, he was an absolute mystery to you. His expression was unreadable, almost neutral, as he wrecked you. To think he goes out every evening to beat the living hell out of other men in the streets for daring to do what he’s doing now. His ability to compartmentalize on such a precise level was something you doubt you could reach despite your best efforts to stay sane. You envied it, to be honest. Maybe you’d be happier if you could be as delusional as he is. 

Pleasure seized your whole body as your orgasm tore through you. You shut your eyes and let your mouth fall open as you heaved through your cries. Bruce shushed you softly, riding out your high until the sensation became unbearable. His hands slid across your body, wrapping around your shoulders and torso to hug you close to him. He turned you gently, positioning you to lie chest to chest with him. You pressed your cheek to his chest and looked back at the mirror on the wall, staring at your reflection. It was a touching scene to the untrained eye. Just a man and the woman he loves sharing a warm bath on a cold night. But your eyes were bloodshot, your face was stained with tears, and you swore you could see Bruce’s smugness even from a distance. 

“Why?” 

Bruce thought for a minute as he pulled you into the crook of his neck.

“You’re mine. I have to take care of you.”

It was all so simple to him, wasn’t it? Decided. Inarguable. His hand rested on your cheek as he rested his cheek against your forehead. You stayed like this for a while, letting your sobs die quietly down into sniffles as the water began to cool. The silence was victory to him. 

A buzzing sound clattering against the tile broke Bruce from his contentment as he leaned over and picked up the ringing device. 

“I’ve been away too long.” 

Bruce spoke openly over the comms as he stroked your cheek with his thumb, making no move to leave the tub. You closed your eyes and shuddered mildly, drowning out the conversation – something about Bruce staying in for the rest of the evening and investigating a case down in the cave. You imagined he’d haul you down with him, curled up in a blanket in his lap. He’d be wanting to keep a closer eye on you after what happened tonight; you were sure of it.