Bruce sat in the dim light of his study, his gaze fixed on the photograph of his parents. Their faces, frozen in time, seemed to watch him, a quiet reminder of the promise that had come to define his life. The house was silent, save for the faint ticking of the clock, but sleep wouldn’t come—not with thoughts of you tugging at the edges of his mind.

He leaned back, dragging a hand over his face. He hadn’t expected to fall for you. Loving you was a risk he’d never planned to take, and yet, here you were—a light in the darkness he’d sworn to embrace. The thought of you waiting for him, unaware of the danger that shadowed his nights, filled him with equal parts joy and dread. How could he risk losing you? How could he stay by your side and still honor the vow he’d made to his parents?

A soft shift of the house’s old floorboards made him glance toward the doorway. You were there, your silhouette illuminated faintly by the hallway light. Whether you’d woken and come looking for him or simply passed by on your way to the kitchen, he couldn’t say, but your presence was enough to shake him. He felt exposed in a way the suit never allowed—a man caught between the life he wanted and the life he’d chosen.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said, his voice low, almost apologetic. His usual calm seemed fractured, a tension in his tone that he couldn’t fully hide.

He wanted to tell you everything—the risks he took, the life he lived beyond the facade of Bruce Wayne—but he couldn’t. To love you was dangerous enough; to involve you in his mission was unthinkable. Still, the sight of you standing there, looking at him with such care, stirred something deep within him, something that made his choices feel unbearable.

With a quiet sigh, he rose from the chair, closing the space between you. He rested his hands gently on your arms, his touch warm and steady. “I’ll be in bed soon,” he murmured, his voice soft. “Don’t worry about me.”