* / 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐓𝐀 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐊 !

i’ll be divorcing your father 💅 again

“allegedly?” she has to refrain from rolling her eyes, but doesn’t hold back the dramatic sigh that escapes her as soon as she plops down on helena’s bed. she throws a hand over her face and clarifies, “your father’s been ignoring me for days.” or for several hours today. feels like several days, though, so she’ll stick to this version.

“there wouldn't be any shame in it even if you did.” soft spoken voice reassures, “maybe it's slightly nonsensical, but still. it's neat knowledge to acquire.” look at them, they could use some of the knowledge quite frankly so bruce wasn't debunking their desires to survive for whatever reason intrigued them so much. “yes. isn't it.” he agrees, intrigued selina even tells him it in the first place.

“you’re something else,  bruce wayne.”   emerald hues glance up towards the dark sky with feigned annoyance upon hearing the reassuring words.   selina simply can’t help but wonder how it’s possible for someone to be so kind and non-judgmental.   “guess you’re one of those people who think there’s no such thing as useless knowledge,  hm?”   she teases,  tempted to inquire about the least useful piece of knowledge he’s ever acquired but the strange,  rustling noise nearby distracts her.   catlike features contorting into a grimace of confusion,  hand absently squeezing bruce’s.   not because she’s afraid,  she’s never afraid,  but because he might be and she just wants to reassure him that everything’s okay.   

༄  . . . 𝐢 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝔅𝐀𝐓. 🦇

“oh, i see.” feeling embarrassed for underestimating her, his cheeks pale into rosiness. “that makes sense.” the dark haired boy admits, he was always taught to never give in to his pride for long. that's what makes a man a better man, in the words of his father. “no, but maybe my father was since he was good at it. if only we could get a clearer view, though.” attention focused on the sky, of course he flinches when he hears the rock hit, “it's simple, selina. you observe which direction the star has moved– if it has descended, then that means you are facing west. and if it has ascended, you are facing east. if the star has moved to the left, you are facing north and if it has moved to the right, you are facing south. and of course i know what direction we came from.” but it's the canopy of tree branches and the partly cloudy sky making it hard to decipher. something else shuffles and it wasn't a rock this time selina's thrown, he's paying attention this time. gaze moving on her side profile, hoping he's merely paranoid, “did you hear that?”

“i don’t like him,  though.”   bear grylls.   she decides to ramble on in a feeble attempt at taking their minds off just how dreadful of a situation they’ve found themselves in.   “i think he’s an idiot.   survivalists are all freaks.   who in their right mind heads out into the jungle,  showers in creeks,  sleeps under a rock and kills wild animals for lunch when they could just stay home and go to a mcdonald’s?”   camping is a different thing.   camping can be fun when done properly.   but people like bear grylls take everything to the extremes.   she tilts her head up to look at the sky above as bruce tells her about navigating the stars,  trying to see something through the clouds and thick tree crowns.   “so that’s what people did before iphones and maps.   that’s kinda fascinating.”   for nerds like him,  of course.   she might be a little impressed by his knowledge,  but won’t openly say it.   so he doesn’t get too arrogant.   “do you also know the names of the stars you’re looking at?”   she wonders,  rubbing the back of her neck as she looks at him.   briefly,  afraid her face might be saying things her mouth refuses to.   “do you think alfred is looking for you?”   she hopes so.   her feet hurt,  her thighs burn,  and she’s hungry,  but before she can complain about any of these things,  she hears something move in the bushes.   her heart skips a beat,  and not in a nice way.   not like it does when bruce slips his hand into hers or does something nice for her.   a shiver races up her spine.   “hm?   no.   it’s only in your head or maybe a squirrel,”   she says,  trying to convince herself that she hasn’t heard anything.   but it’s clear they both did.   her hand finds his,  squeezing gently,  even though she’s looking in the opposite direction.

“hm?”   a soft chuckle escapes selina’s lips,  briefly wondering if bruce is genuinely expecting some sort of answer or just trying to humor her.   he looks so silly,  holding that menstrual cup,  that she wishes she was in a better mood and could properly tease him about it.   “oh,  it’s…   well,  some women use these instead of tampons.   it’s reusable,”   she explains,  pressing her lips together to keep from grinning goofily.   “it’s a waste of money.   i’m sure it’s just a false alarm.”   frowning when she glances at the contents of the cart,  the pregnancy tests staring back at her,  glaring,  annoying her by simply existing.   mostly,  she’s just annoyed with herself,  though.   how can this be happening to her out of all people?   “it’s embarrassing,”   she grumbles,  trying to relieve the tension,  pointing to the boxes in the cart,   “now everyone knows i must have slept with you at least once.”   still,  she loosely loops an arm around his as they move onto the next aisle,  part of her wanting to cling to him.

“same way i know about obama.   i don’t live under a rock and we do have TVs in the narrows.”   contrary to what a rich kid like yourself might think,  she’s tempted to add but decides against it,  figuring her facial expression speaks loud enough.   “and i don’t actually have to watch or like the show to know who bear grylls is.”   she rolls her eyes,  not willing to admit she may have seen an episode or two and been quite fascinated by that man’s survival skills.   “even if we did see the stars,  how would you navigate them?   were you a corsair in the past life or something?”   call her pragmatic,  but stars all look the same to her.   she absently kicks a rock farther down the trail,  pulling the flaps of her jacket tighter around her body.   “maybe we should just stay here?   if we knew how to start a fire,  someone would see it and come rescue us?”   under any other circumstances,  she’d be against asking or hoping for help,  but they seem to be running out of options here.   “that’s it.   that’s my best idea,”   she sighs,  walking a little closer to bruce as the air around them grows colder.

"if we wish to prevent dying, then joking isn't the most suitable answer." he retorts, dark brows drawn into a fed-up crease. the cold around them settling over the tree tops and the ground bitterly, unforgivingly. "that's repulsive, selina." he can't believe her imagination even comes up with things like that. "i will." snapping back, blues looking up to the sky, cheeks pricked by the chilly wind. trying to follow the sky to get a hint on where to search for the north star just like his father had taught him on their camping trips, but there's little visibility from the cloudy night– of course it is to make things even more difficult.

“yeah, okay, fair enough,” selina agrees with a laugh, reaching over the console to switch the radio station to the classic rock one that she particularly likes. mötley crüe’s kickstart my heart pouring through the speakers as she leans back in her seat, very much pleased with herself. “if i’m being honest, i know exactly what the underneath of all the beds in your house looks like. i also know the contents of the pantry and…” she trails off before she can say something dumb like your parents’ old safe. she hasn’t stolen anything, but she’s too curious to refrain from picking locks.“you think he’s bold enough to actually confront us? i mean, would he really want to have this conversation with us?” the birds and the bees conversation. she feels a sudden rush of warmth within her chest, using the pad of her thumb to wipe the remaining lipgloss off his cheek, thinking he looks so cute like this, thinking she could get used to this life. “don’t worry, i like that about you, just don’t tell you often so it doesn’t get to your head.” tapping his forehead, she nearly squeals in surprise as the car roars to life beneath them, their surroundings a blur as they pick up speed. her heart racing in sync with the engine, adrenaline coursing through her veins. “wow! didn’t know you had it in you, b.” she laughs, feeling the force of the acceleration push her back into the seat. the thrill is simply intoxicating, has her feeling invincible. the world outside disappearing, leaving only the rush of speed, the pounding of her pulse, and the freedom of the open road ahead. she loves it. she loves him.