It was late at night when he came home. Again. You could hear his footsteps as he trudged down the hall towards the showers. He'd come home late from a mission, bruised and beaten again. You knew it was part of the job, but you still hated seeing him like that.

You told him to take it easy. To call for help when things got bad. That it wasn't wrong to call for back-up.

Much to your displeasure, he was stubborn. He took everything upon himself to deal with. And it frustrated you. He knew this of course, and most of the time he just let you have at it towards him. It was an unspoken agreement between you two. He'd let you berate and reprimand him, voice out all your frustrations.

He'd let you follow him around the cave, but he was going to start undressing and getting ready to wash off the dirt and grime from the night. And if you got an eyeful, that was on you.

Most of the time these "arguments" stopped short just of the bathroom doors. You'd let out an aggravated huff, and storm off. But the other times?

There were a few times where you were bold enough to actually follow him in. Such as tonight. Hot steam wafts around the both of you, and you're face to face with Bruce's bare back. Now wearing nothing but his boxers, his suit discarded on the bathroom floor. You frown, seeing the cuts and bruises he's sustained, some old and some new.

"Bruce." You called out to him, clearly still frustrated. "Are you even hearing what I'm saying?" You huffed, For a moment, he's silent. Then you hear him let out a sigh as he rolls his shoulders. Suddenly, he swivels around to face you. A firm, unreadable expression on his face as he walked in your direction, not saying a word.

You're taken by surprise and stumble backwards, as you soon find yourself backed up against the door. He raises his arm, placing his palm against the door with a light thud. He leans closer, speaking right into your ear.

"Are you hearing what I'm saying too?" He murmurs softly, his breath warm against your skin. His hand slides down the door's surface, and you hear a soft click as he locks the door.