caju

Bruce held your hand the whole car ride to the theater. He could feel the sweat from your hand and your nerves mixing with his own.

he squeezed it slightly and whispered “your going to do amazing darling,” into your ear.

you didn’t respond, only let out a shaky breath as the car approached the theater.

“well this is where we’ll part,” you told him. “Go find good seats for you and the kids. And don’t forget Steph and Kon are coming too.”

“I will. And darling, you are going to do amazing,” he told you and he took your face in his hands.

you looked away, your nerves getting to you. “I’m scared Bruce,” you admitted, “I’ve only danced swan lake once and this piece—” you let out a breath, “—this is the biggest performance I’ve ever done, and I’m not even dancing the whole ballet!”

it was true, you were only dancing one part of the ballet for the Wayne Enterprise Charity Performance. It was more of a talent show (all though that didn’t sound as nice as performance), so many people would be showcasing their skills like dancing and music. You decided to dance The Dying Swan from Swan Lake, your favorite ballet, and you would be the opening and closing act.

“Are you still opening the show with The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy?” Your husband asked.

you nodded, “yes.”

“well, focus on that performance first, then worry about the closing act later,” he suggested. Then his tone softened. “Youre going to do amazing at both.”

you smiled, soft and sweet, before hugging him tightly. “Thank you Bruce. You always know what to say to make me feel better.”

Bruce internally cringed at that. He didn’t always know what to say and he had said the wrong thing many times before. You were the reason he knew what to say. You were the reason he was the man he was.

—

Bruce reserved box seats for him, his kids, and his kids partners. He watched as thousands of people found seats below them and waited for the show to start.

As he waited for all of his kids to come, damian came with him of course, and Cass (who had brought Steph) came second, he heard people talk about you.

“I always forget that Bruce Wayne’s wife is a professional ballerina,” he heard a teen girl say.

her friend snorted. “How can you forget? She was a huge deal when she was younger. I remember my parents took me to New York to go see her perform the Nutcracker.”

“Is this her last performance ever?” The first one asked.

“yeah, she’s opening and closing the show. I know she’s doing the sugarplum fairy dance as the opening but I have no idea what she’s closing with.”

“huh. I guess we’ll just have to find out later.”

—

soon, all of bruces kids had come. Dick, Jason, Tim with Kon, Barbara, Cass (as mentioned before) with Steph, and Damian (who drove with Bruce). Oh and Alfred of course.

the lights dimmed and the orchestra got in place. Bruce knew you were behind the curtain, ready to perform a piece you knew by heart. You had danced the role of the sugarplum fairy countless times, it was practically second nature to you now.

the audience went quiet as the curtain rose to reveal you smiling and looking gorgeous in your costume, ready to start dancing at any second.

the music was soft and quiet when you first started dancing, your feet moving delicately across the stage. But as the dance went on, the song grew louder and your actions got bigger but still stayed soft and delicate. Your smile never left your face.

“she looks like a ballerina inside a music box,” Bruce overheard stephanie whispered to Cass.

he silently agreed. You truly did look like a tiny ballerina inside a music box, moving gracefully and carefully with a smile that stayed through every jump and turn.

you continued to dance to the music, which Bruce remembered hearing all throughout his childhood during Christmas. It was the music that would stay in your head and follow you through your dreams after your parents had taken you to see a ballet. It was nostalgic, really.

his eyes never left you as the music sped up and you spun around the stage.

and as you hit your final pose, he was the first to stand up and clap for you.

he could see you smile even wider as your breathing slowed to a normal pace and when you met his eyes, it grew even bigger.

then the curtain dropped again and you were gone.

—

the other acts were good, all performed by professionals. There was opera, violin solos, more dance (but tap, not ballet), and many other performances.

but then it was the closing act. You. Performing a piece you didn’t let anyone see you practice, not even Bruce.

the whole theater was dark when Bruce heard the soft piano and violin start playing. A soft spotlight shone on you as you danced through the darkness looking like a swan swimming at night.

you were wearing a fully white costume as your arms moved like a birds wings. And then you turned to the audience and oh—oh your face was full of pain. it made his heart hurt even though he knew you were just performing.

and he watched as you swayed on the stage, your arms covering your face for just a second, your head tilted down, then up, and then you were on the ground.

and you were halfway off the ground, looking up to the sky like a swan looking at the stars one last time, your arms extended towards god.

and you danced with the passion of a thousand dying swans, your wings flapping in the air, desperate to live longer than you knew you were going to.

and you were turning ever so slowly, using the tiniest steps to face the audience again. Then you used bigger steps to go backwards, as if the current was pushing against you.

and then you were truly on the ground, your arms covering your face. You lifted your arms and head up, just for a bit to reveal a sad, bittersweet smile.

Bruce swallowed hard. He felt damian lean against him and from the corner of his vision he saw Tim grab Kim’s hand and Cassandra lay her head on Steph’s shoulder.

and you got up like it was the last time you were ever going to get up, and you really did look like a swan. A swan that had been through hell and back to die in peace.

At first he didn’t understand why you had been keeping this performance a secret, but as he watched you, he understood. This was your final time dancing on stage. This was your swan song.

as he watched you dance, he remembered when you suggested Cass do ballet and how you practiced with her nearly everyday. He remembered you cheering her on at her first recital.

and then he remembered being younger, watching you dance on stage and flaking in love with you.

and as he watched you this time, he fell in love with you all over again.

he heard dick sniffle and saw Jason wipe away a tears as his own eyes watered.

and as you descended another time, your arms— no, wings— stuttered. Your hands touched your pointed foot when you rose again to hit your final pose as the music stopped.

the audience was quiet for a few seconds until it erupted in cheers and claps.

when you stood up, Bruce could see the tears streaming down your face, even from up in the box seat.

but you looked like a beautiful swan who had just danced it last dance.

bonus comments on the recording:

@/brucewaynestoe: pls play this video whenever I get too cocky

@/gothamhater: a symbol of light inside a world full of darkness

@/gothamnewsofficial: truly the ballerina inside a music box

@/ballerinanews: now no one can ever forget she’s a professional ballerina

a/n: woah louise can actually write well?? the fact that I wrote this in a little over an hour lol. I was totally not crying while writing this guys