Bruce knew his other line of work wasn’t ideal, that it came with heavy restrictions and responsibilities.

It came with bandages and gauze, a burden on his shoulders, and most definitely a complicated life trying to balance the billionaire playboy profile and the hidden, broody vigilante when the moon rises.

He tries to stay true to his moral code. Although it was tempting - most definitely after what the Joker had done to Jason, he knew he couldn’t let himself fall into that path. The path of vengeance. Of sin.

He’s doing this for the city. He’s trying to hold on to the hope that maybe this city isn’t as bad as it seems - Gotham had its beauties, too. And he has a family to raise, even if they’re all adopted children - he’s still immensely proud of them, and although they’re full grown adults, and probably don’t need him anymore because they have their own stuff to handle - he doesn’t want to die before he sees them grow up. Properly, grow up - get married, have children - settle down from the vigilante stuff. He wants to see them grow, be happy.

He’s trying - he really is. Not only for the city, but to protect the boy he once was that still lays deep within him, who had watched his parents die in front of his eyes - wanting to ensure that no other boy, or girl, has to see the same sight that he had once upon a time.

because as hard it is to believe, even the cruelest person can have somebody they truly love.

For him, that person is you.

Not the ideal person he should love - although.

You were a thief. You stole, and you’ve caused a few problems here and there that no normal thief could - ones that ended with him having a pounding headache for hours trying to smoothen the whole ordeal back to what it was before.

And yet, it did nothing but allure him.

You were no normal thief, no. You were sneaky, careful - and have managed to outsmart him multiple, multiple times. He remembers it vividly - how he’s never felt more disappointed on being defeated by some thief.

He’s managed to get a real close up on you, get a background check with a few connections here and there - and oh, were you breathtaking.

“stealing? again? I thought I told you to lay it off for a few weeks.” He watches as you land on the rooftop - the one that he’s been standing on, waiting for you - because he knows you’ll be here. He always does.

It’s a sin, he knows. It’s a sin to love you - a vigilante and somebody who he’s supposed to stop.

But he’s already committed too many sins to start acting like a saint now - and besides, if it’s for loving you, he’ll gladly sin.

“what did you get this time?” He asks quietly, trying to break the slight tension between you two - eyes focusing on the jewelry you held in your right hand beneath the cowl.

He knows what you stole, and who you stole from. He was no fool - he’s done this multiple times, he can read people just fine.

He just wants to hear your pretty voice, really.