#batflek

It hadn’t been a good day for you to say the least. It had immediately started bad when you had slept through your alarm, causing you to be late for work and after that it had just seemed like anything that could go wrong, had gone wrong. And to top it all off, you had forgotten your phone at home due to the rush you were in and because of it you had no way of getting a hold of Bruce, which meant to you couldn’t vent to or be comforted by your amazing boyfriend. By the time you had finished work for the day, you were completely exhausted and just wanted to get home, put on some comfy clothes, and spend the night with your boyfriend. Sadly, you knew that that was probably impossible, as he would normally already be getting ready to head out for the night.

You tried not to be resentful about this. You knew how important Batman was to Gotham and the people in it, but this didn’t change the fact that it made you and Bruce’s relationship much harder. It had gotten a bit easier as your relationship had developed and flourished. You had come to understand how it had to be and moving in with him had made it much easier, since it had opened up more time for you to spend with him and you had even started working less, since money was never a problem. It had taken some time, but eventually you had learned to adapt to the way things worked with Bruce.

That didn’t change the fact that there were still days - well nights more specifically – where all you really wanted was Bruce home with you and not out putting himself in danger as Batman and tonight was definitely one of those nights, though you knew that you would have to get over it.

You had almost managed to come to terms with how the rest of your night was likely to turn out by the time you had gotten back to the manor and had decided that you might as well make the most of some time to yourself while he was gone. You plan to head towards your bedroom when you walk through the door so that you can take a relaxing bath, but you are stopped in your tracks when you notice Bruce sitting in the front room.

“Hey, babe. What are you doing here? I figured you would have already headed out for the night.”  You walk towards him as you talk, excited to be able to see him tonight after all, even if it is probably just for a little bit.

His lips quirk up when he sees you, it’s as close to a real smile as he ever really gets and you know that you are lucky to be able to see it. When you get close enough to him, he stands up and opens his arms for you, clearly being able to see how frazzled and exhausted you looked, but then again you never could hide anything from him. You feel him place a kiss to the top of your head before he replies, “I tried calling you earlier and realized you had left your phone at home and I was a little worried about you. Since you never go anywhere without it purposely.”

You giggle slightly at how well he knows you, as well as your slight obsession with your cell phone. He pulls away from you slightly, though he makes sure to not fully let go of you yet, and looks down at you, clearly waiting for an explanation.

You try to give him the short, easy answer, simply saying, “I woke up late and forgot it my rush out the door. Nothing for you to worry about.” But he clearly doesn’t buy it. All it takes is him slightly raising his eyebrows at you for you to give in and tell him about the day you have had and you kind of want to kick yourself for giving in that easily. You really hadn’t wanted to worry him, as you know that he has more important things to worry about and he has already been putting them on hold to wait for you to get home.  

At some point during the span of your long rant Bruce had moved the two of you so that you were now sitting in his lap on the couch that he had been sitting on when you had come in. By the time you had finished talking, you were close to tears out of pure frustration and you took to hiding your face in the crook of Bruce’s neck to calm yourself down. It takes you a few minutes before you feel comfortable coming out of your hiding place and instead of trying to rush you, Bruce just waits, rubbing his hand up and down your back to help you relax. Once you have finally pulled back from your placed pressed against his chest he smiles at you and reaches the hand that is not placed on your back up to your face to place it on your cheek and he smiles when you lean into it.

“How about I stay home for the night? You’ve had a difficult day and it’s been a while since we’ve really been able to spend much time together. It’d be nice to spend a night together, yeah,” He rubs his thumb along your cheekbone as he talks, continuing to calm you down.

You hesitate for a moment before replying, “Are you sure, sweetheart? I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay home if you don’t really want to. I know how important Batman is to Gotham and I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

“I’m sure, darling. This city can take care of itself for one night. I just want to make sure I’m here for you when you need me,” He whispers leaning down towards you slightly so that he can place a soft kiss on your lips.

You both just sit there for a few more minutes, soaking in each other’s presence. Eventually you break the silence to ask, “Can we just watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch?”

He nods before saying, “Of course, love. Why don’t you put on some pajamas and pick out a movie while I grab us some food?”

You nod and placing a kiss on his cheek before getting off of his lap heading towards your bedroom to change into one of Bruce’s big t-shirts and a pair of fuzzy socks. When you come back out you can hear Bruce in the kitchen and you smile to yourself as you walk towards the living room while thinking about how grateful you are to be one of the only people lucky enough see his soft side.

You are already starting to feel better by the time you sit down on the couch and pull a soft blanket over yourself and you are able to give Bruce a genuine smile when he walks in with a tray full of some of your favorite food that Alfred is always kind enough to keep on hand for you. He places the tray down in your lap before moving the blanket so that you can curl up under it with you.