#dmep

Your breath hitched- you weren’t sure if it was because of shock or because you were already crying.  He brought up a hand to wipe the tears off of your face.  “These past three months have been incredible, (Y/N).  Spending nights with you, watching movies, slipping away in the middle of boring-ass galas-“ you laughed, finally looking up at Bruce again as you leaned your head into his hand with a reminiscent smile. “talking about our dreams and anything that comes to mind at breakfast, hell, even just waking up and knowing that you’re here… I realized that you… that you make me who I am.  I tried to use other women to fill this hole that… that only feels full when… when you’re around.”  Bruce paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts as to avoid rambling for much longer. “All along, I wanted you.  I wanted the one woman who was always at my side. The one person that I still feel like I don’t deserve, that I wonder if I can never have.  God, (Y/N) if you only knew…”  He trailed off, blushing in embarrassment.  Bruce wasn’t really one to ramble, and he wasn’t partial to speeches of any kind.  He was more the clean and concise type.  On top of it all, he wasn’t a fan of sharing all of his emotions and feeling so vulnerable. He shifted in his seat, both uncomfortable and all too aware of your hopeful stare.  He was almost afraid to speak because he knew he would only continue to trip over his words.

Staring at the floor, he took his time before speaking once again.  “You are the only person who has seen every side of me. There are things I won’t even let Alfred see, but you… you’ve seen everything.  And despite it all, you stay.  You always come back.  Not because you have to, not because you feel like you have to, not even because you want to.  Because you choose to.”

You smiled to yourself as you recited a common phrase from your parents “They say love is an action word for a reason.”  Bruce smiled, his eyes, brimming with tears, meeting yours once again.

“And that’s why I love you too, (Y/N).” 

You could’ve sworn your heart stopped beating, even if just for a moment. Without any sort of hesitation, Bruce pressed his lips to yours.  Nothing even felt… real.  It felt like a dream.  To be fair, you had dreamed about this moment time and time again, and yet it was nothing like you imagined.  Those fireworks that burst in the pit of your stomach, the pounding of your heart, the overwhelming joy that made you feel like you were glowing- it was indescribable. No number of words could describe the moment.

You lost track of your thoughts, and of time.  First Bruce was leaning in to kiss you, then, the man you love more than the world was actually kissing you, and as quickly as it began, it was over as he pulled away.  You were both breathing heavily from the adrenaline and endorphins you both felt from the moment.

You stared at each other for a few long moments, partially because you had to process what just happened, and partially because you were trying to figure out what to do next.  To be quite honest, the whole day had been a blur of mixed emotions, with no real solid reasons for anything.   Luckily, before the silence could become uncomfortable, Bruce spoke.

“I waited for this for… too long.”  He said softly with a faint smile before deciding to kiss you again, not at all trying to hide the fact that he was relishing the feeling of it.  Despite all the women he’d kissed, every girl he’d slept with, you were just… different.  Kissing you could never compare to the way he ever felt about anyone else.  And he loved it.

You had no clue how much time you and Bruce spent in that room, but apparently it was long enough for the world to go on and Alfred to interrupt. “Master Bruce?  I hope you two have finished confessing your-“  You jumped and pulled away as soon as you realized Alfred was in the room.

Seriously.  Cinematic timing is the worst.

“Well, I see you two finally got over yourselves and admitted it.  It has only taken you, well,” Alfred looked down at his watch, raising his eyebrows in feigned shock, “years.”

“Al,” Bruce protested with a glare.  Alfred smirked, rolling his eyes.

“Right, sorry.  You have a few things you may want to attend to.” 

Bruce waved it off, putting his arm around your waist to bring you closer to him.  “It can wait. Today is my day off.”

“Well, sir, I hate to be frank, but Batman isn’t lucky enough to have business hours like Bruce Wayne does.”  Alfred opened the door wider as he spoke, stepping to the side of the doorway to let Bruce through.  Bruce sighed, giving you one last peck on the cheek before getting up.  You pressed your hand to your tingling cheek with a wide smile.

“What is it now?”  Bruce asked, walking down the hall beside Alfred.

“Well, I believe we may have made some progress with the Joker.  Despite his recent hiding, I might have found someone who could offer you some information,” Alfred explained as you followed the pair to the Bat cave.

“I’m all ears,” Bruce said as he sat in front of his giant computer and began to read the various articles on screen.

_____ 

“I’m going.”

“Bruce, you don’t even know if they have anything on the Joker,” you pleaded, following Bruce as he made is way toward his suit.

“But if they do, I might finally find out whatever the hell Joker has been planning this time and finally get ahead of him.”  Bruce turned around to face you.  “I might finally end this, (Y/N).  All these years have led up to this.  Whatever needs to be done for this to be over, I have to do.”  Bruce turned back around and began to put on his suit.

“And what if this isn’t the end of it?  You said it yourself, this has been going on for years, what makes this time so different?”  You asked, knowing that you were pressing him, but weary not to push too far.

“I have to try,” he said, putting on his cowl.  His modulated voice echoed through the cave.  “I will get him one day- and if I give up, then all of the work I’ve put in will be a waste.”

You sighed and stood on the tip of your toes to reach Bruce, kissing him as a farewell.  “Come home to me,” You mumbled in a sad tone.  Bruce froze, knowing that you hated his obsession with the Joker.  He just wanted it to be over.  He hoped it would be over.  He didn’t want to hurt you, he hoped you knew that.  But he couldn’t manage to say anything.  No kiss, no “I promise,” no “For you, always.”  You were met with silence.  Your heart dropped to the ground as you felt hopeless.  You turned around, and Bruce didn’t try to stop you.  He was paralyzed, and you started to feel broken.  Without another word, you left the cave.

_____ 

You sat by the fire in the living room, a blanket over your legs.  You had your phone next to you with the ringtone on, so you would know if Bruce texted or called or- well, anything.  It had been a week since he left.  You suspected that he had come to the Bat cave for more supplies a couple times, as you could’ve sworn things had moved around every once in a while, but you couldn’t prove anything, and Alfred insisted he knew nothing.  So, basically, Bruce hadn’t been home for a week.  Tears were drying on your face as you stared into the fire.  You had been worried sick.  Bruce hadn’t left a trace, and it scared you to think he could be completely gone so quickly, so easily.  You didn’t want him to think you were mad.  You never even told him you loved him before he left.  As much as you truly hated his (at times, extreme) obsession with his work, you also admired his bravery and selflessness.  And, well, you still loved him.  You always would.  Nothing would change that. You just hoped he knew that.

You were just about to nod off to sleep when you heard a noise from outside. Your head snapped to the front door as your mind raced with curiosity and fear.  It could be one of four things- another raccoon in the bushes, paparazzi that managed to get through the gate, someone breaking in, or Bruce.  You hesitantly got up when you began to hear footsteps and moved to the wall, so no one could see you through the windows. Your heat began to race.  What if someone was trying to break in?  You had no idea how to use half of Bruce’s weapons, and the handgun you had for self defense was up in your bedroom.

The door swung open, and in walked the familiar form of the Bat suit.

“Bruce!!!” You squealed and ran to him, hugging him tightly, despite the cold metal of his suit.  You heard a muffled chuckle as his arms wrapped around you in return.  You took off his cowl- it took you a while to figure out how it worked, though- and crashed your lips into his.  He smiled and, after a moment, pulled away so his eyes met yours. “You came home,” you whispered.

“For you?  Always.”

_____ 

Bruce managed to get a lot more information on the Joker, and at first you were excited.  He was one step closer to finally winning, finally ending this fiasco.  However, it only seemed to fuel his obsession with finishing his mission.  He would go out every night- not because he would find more crime to stop, but because he wanted to find more information.  Crime stopped on the way simply became a bonus.  He would spend hours in the Bat cave on the computer, and he always seemed distracted.  You would go down to visit him, bring him food if he forgot to eat, and try to talk to him for a while. Sometimes, he would talk with you, kiss you, spend time with you.  But, more and more, he would ignore you.  Months slowly passed and you felt like he became increasingly distant.

“I just want to finish this one thing,” he would say, and you would sigh and walk away.  At this point, you felt like there was nothing you could do.  He was too immersed into his work.  You spent a lot of meals alone.  You would see Bruce at Wayne Enterprises and he would always be busy with something- either business, or some other information Batman needed.  You saw less and less of the Bruce you loved, not because he was changing, but because the focus on Batman was slowly taking over, and your loving Bruce became more and more suppressed.

But then, one day, that could all finally end.  One morning, Bruce came running up to the kitchen, coming up behind you.  He hugged you, lifted you up and spun you in circles.  You giggled, surprised to see your Bruce come through again.

“What is it?” You asked when he finally set you down before planting a firm kiss on your lips for the first time in a while.

“I found him out.  I know where to get him.  I can finally end this, (Y/N)!”  He rejoiced with a smile.  He explained the Joker’s plan and what he was going to do to stop him, as well as telling you how he planned to finally capture the Joker.

“That’s great, Bruce!  I’m... I’m so happy for you,” you said, trying your best to be truly happy, hoping that this would finally be over.  At this point, as bad as it sounded, you couldn’t care less about the Joker.  You knew that Bruce would always stop the Joker whenever he started some other evil plot, so he didn’t really scare you anymore.  However, you did want Bruce back.  You wanted your time with him back.  You wanted your life with him back.  You hoped this would finally be the end of it, and with the way Bruce talked about it, it should be relatively quick and easy.

“And when it’s all over,” he mumbled between kisses, “you and I get a vacation,” he rested his hands on your hips.  You smiled and pulled away to lock eyes with him.

“Just us?”  You asked, searching through his brown eyes and placing a hand on his cheek.

“Just us,” he confirmed with a smirk.  He spoke again between kisses.  “We can do whatever you want to do.” Your hand fell onto his shoulder as he moved his head beside yours, so his mouth was right next to your ear. “I’ll be all yours,” he whispered.  He began to trail kisses down your neck, pushing you against the counter.  You tilted your head back with a pleasured smile.  Oh, how I’ve missed this, you thought.  He pulled away, but you leaned forward to bring your lips to his again.  You had been starved of Bruce’s affection for too long, and you planned on relishing this moment.  Bruce chuckled, pulling away again.

“I can’t wait,” you sighed breathlessly.  Bruce smiled and pulled your hips against his, bringing his lips back to your neck.

“I don’t have to leave until tonight,” Bruce whispered, trailing his fingertips along your waist, teasing the end of your shirt.

“And?”  You raised a brow, moving his head with your hand to bring his eyes to meet yours.  A smile started to grow on your lips as he took your hand in his and pulled you toward the stairs.

“I say we use the spare time.”

“The food is gonna burn!”  You protested, turning around and trying to pull him back toward the kitchen to turn off the oven. Bruce wouldn’t let go of you, though, and he wouldn’t budge.

“Hey Al?”  He shouted, turning his head upstairs.

“Yes, Bruce?”  Alfred responded from the office.

“Will you make sure the breakfast doesn’t burn?” He shouted, pulling you back against him with a devilish smile.

“Of course.”

“See? Taken care of,” he told you, giving you another peck before practically dragging you to the bedroom.  It had been much too long since you’ve seen this side of Bruce.  You smiled and felt a sort of glow return to you as soon as Bruce’s bedroom door was slammed shut.

He pushed you onto the bed, and when you saw his devious smile you suddenly became very thankful that Bruce had recently soundproofed the room.

_____ 

You wished the daylight had lasted longer.  As you lay in the master bedroom, Bruce’s hands playing with your hair, you were overflowing with bliss.  If only it could stay like this…

“I should get going,” he whispered, shifting to get up.  You groaned, wrapping your legs around his torso as you softly kissed him.

“But I don’t want you to leave yet,” you mumbled against his lips.  He laughed and kissed you back before detaching your legs from his body, getting up, and getting dressed. 

“Like I said, after this, I’m all yours, sweetheart.”  He flashed you his charming smile, and you reluctantly helped him gather everything he needed.

You walked him to the Bat mobile, set the weapons inside, and grabbed his cowl.

“I love you, Bruce.”  You said low, leaning against the Bat mobile.

“I love you too, (Y/N).”  You shared a deep, parting kiss, before you gave him his cowl.  He put it on and got in, and you stepped back, leaning against the railing behind you.  This would be the end of it.  You would have Bruce back.  You had to get him back. 

“Come back home to me,” You called out with a faint smile.

“For you? Always,” he replied with a smirk.

“And Bruce?”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t get hurt.”

“I won’t.  I promise.” And with that, he drove off.  You watched him drive away, down the driveway and into the city. 

You tried not to worry.  He would be back before tomorrow night, he said.  But something didn’t feel right. No matter how much you tried to reassure yourself, something in you was horribly worried. 

He promised you he wouldn’t get hurt.  He promised.  But Alfred’s voice echoed in your head.  You knew the phrases he told you were usually coming from experience with Bruce.  You knew not everything goes as planned.

God, you just hoped that wasn’t another empty promise.

_____ 

(Part 5)

_____ 

(( I know, I know, another cliffhanger.  As horrible as they are to read they’re so fun to write.  I also am proud of how this part turned out?  Lots of fluff, but I think I managed to keep Bruce in character?  I hope?  Anyway, you guys are still enjoying the series, which makes me so happy!  I love it too!  I think I’m gonna try to write an avengers request before I put up part 5, but we’ll see!  Any suggestions on what should be in part 5? ;)  ~  C ))

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