#This wasn't supposed to happen | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

doublesunsets · 8 months

Text

echoes of a blast

Echo + The Bad Batch SFW Word Count: 2.2k

TBBAW 2023 @tbb-appreciation-week

DAY 2: ECHO

Touching Foreheads

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

Characters: Echo, Tech, feat. Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair

Tags: Mental Health Issues, Intrusive Thoughts, Mention of death, Friendship, Discussion of insecurities, Feelings

Author's note: Just a little something-something exploring Echo's feelings after joining the team plus bonding with Tech. I wanted to try something, and I hope at least I did justice to Echo. Ah yes, some Fives fell out of my pocket, sorry 💜 -sunset

His scomp turned and whirred, but the door stayed closed. Echo looked at it, then at his arm, then back at the door, brows furrowed deeper than usual.

“Problem?” Hunter checked.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Echo grumbled. A sharp pain twisted inside his chest, but he discarded it. There wasn’t time now for that, he removed his arm from the slot, and introduced it again with the same result: nothing. “It should open.”

“Try turning it the other way,” Wrecker commented.

“Don’t be absurd, it doesn’t work like that,” came Tech’s clipped tone as he approached the door as well and connected his datapad to it.

“Have you tried turning it on and off again?”

“Crosshair, I swear—“

“Put it in rice?”

“It exists the possibility that your software is not compatible with the interface, maybe it is a more advanced program,” Tech muttered, disconnecting the datapad, apparently not obtaining any results either. “Maybe if I connect—“

“Put down that finger, are you calling me obsolete?”

“I was just suggesting—“

“What I would suggest is finding an alternative route, now. We cannot stay here.”

“You know how much it pains me to say this, but Hunter is right.”

“And why in Kamino name would it pain you to say that?”

“Well…”

“Guys,” Echo put himself between Hunter and Crosshair before they could start. Or continue. “Let’s go back to the last corridor, I saw another door there that should take us outside as well.”

A collective grunt was all the answer he got, which was good enough in his opinion right now. He pushed Tech’s hand away, who was trying to connect his datapad to his scomp, and headed back retracing his steps, hoping that the other exit worked.

It did work. But no plan B is perfect. The moment they went through the door, an alarm started blasting through the whole compound, completed with an extremely annoying fanfare of lights as well. Hunter swore like a commando, and Echo winced under his helmet. They ran faster towards the extraction point, but before they could reach the exterior wall, the stomps of metallic feet started to be heard above the alarm.

“Enemies inside the perimeter. Engage!”

“Roger, roger.”

In a matter of seconds, the whole team was surrounded by battle droids, blasters raised, and pointing at them. They had no other option but to stop their retreat, and find cover around the landing pad they were in.

“We have them! Captain, we have the intruders surrounded, awaiting orders.”

Echo didn’t like hiding, it was preferable to blast some droids, but he was down on firepower since… well. Since.

Some movement at his right took him out of his thoughts. Crosshair was hiding by himself behind a turret, and he saw him stuck his rifle out of his hiding spot, and shot. The alarm was disabled, silence falling immediately in the area they were. He noticed Echo watching and saluted him with two fingers smoothly.

“Hey, at least they turned off that kriffing noise!”

Hunter chuckled airily, looking above his crate to evaluate the situation. “Sure, it’s all looking bright right now.”

Echo looked around his crate as well. At least fifty B-1 battle droids stood in formation, cutting all possible retreat on that side. They were in a dead end, but at least the wall offered them a reprise, avoiding them to be surrounded by all sides.

The wall.

Echo looked again at the unmoving droids. They were waiting for orders, he had seen it before plenty of times, they never move until a superior arrives, and for some reason the droid in command had not arrived yet. Which meant they had an opportunity to put a plan in motion.

“Wrecker!” Echo shouted at the man two crates over. Tech, who was crouched next to him, looked up and Echo swore he could see the wheels turning behind his goggles.

“What?”

“I have a plan,” Hunter and Crosshair didn’t react, but he knew they were listening as well. He tried not to smile at his own question. “Do you have any explosives?”

“Oh, yes!” Wrecker almost stood out from the excitement. “I thought you'd never ask!”

“Echo, you sure about this?” Hunter asked him.

Was he? He was always sure about his plans, they were his pride and joy. Then again, he had been sure about being able to open that door when they planned today’s mission. That sharp pain again. He had been sure. In the same way that he had been sure that he was going to die that day. And before that, he had been sure that he would always be a 501st trooper. Or, at least, he had been sure that it would always be him by his side. It wasn’t him who answered.

“Yes, we are.” Tech sounded sure, as always. “We reviewed the schematics of the compound before the mission, and this wall is actually thin enough to open a hole through it with a controlled explosion.”

Tech looked at him, awaiting confirmation. “Ah, yes. They are distracted now, waiting orders. If we put the charges there, and there, it will open a path for us before they can even say roger once.”

The moment Hunter nodded, Wrecker uttered an excited yelp and started to prepare the explosives. When the charges were ready, they moved as one. The droids were expecting an escape attempt, but they simply switched to the other side of their hiding spots, to their utter bafflement. Before any of the clankers could react, the explosion wrought havoc among their formation, pushing most of them backward, towards the side of the building.

It wasn’t until they were back at the Marauder, and Tech was pushing the coordinates for the hyperspace jump, that they all released a collective breath they didn’t know they were holding. It wasn’t the closest call they had had since Echo joined the team, but it hadn’t been the smoothest either.

“I’m just saying, the hole didn’t need to be big enough for a bantha.”

“Just because you are a skinny guy doesn’t mean the rest of us are. I think it was the perfect size!”

“It was a good job, Wrecker, don’t listen to him.”

“It was too big for you, as well. Too tall.”

“What does that mean now?”

Hunter left the cockpit grumbling after a snickering Crosshair, and Echo sagged into the copilot chair, exhausted. He was still uneasy, and while usually the banter amused him, it was making him strangely melancholic right now. The view of the blinding lights through the windows wasn’t working this time, either. He used to love it. Now it made him claustrophobic.

He sighed and turned the chair. Wrecker had gone away as well, and Tech was engrossed with his datapad. They had done a good job, the worries of the mission obviously forgotten, falling smoothly into their routine until the next call. He should be content that in the end they managed to get out, he knew that plans didn’t always work how you devised them, and being able to come with a new one was an even more valuable skill. Still.

It should have worked. He should have. He wasn’t supposed to–

“Problem?” Tech’s voice pushed him out of his stupor.

He looked up and saw Tech still crouched over his datapad, his body was slightly turned towards him though, and Echo took that as a sign that he didn’t hallucinate his voice.

“I find it strange, that we don’t do a debriefing session after the mission,” Echo half-lied.

“It would be redundant, there is no need for a debrief when there is no one to inform about the status of your mission.” Tech stopped talking abruptly, and put down his datapad. “Are you worried about what happened? Is this what it is about? Because I’ve explained to you that before, and I know that you are intelligent enough to not need to be explained things twice.”

Echo held back a sarcastic thank you, and decided to answer honestly. “I don’t know.”

“You don't… know?” Tech’s head turned fractionally to one side, which reminded Echo of a massiff.

“Yes, I don’t know. I do, but I don’t. I am upset. That door was supposed to open, so we could carry on with the mission. I am also intelligent enough to know that I shouldn’t be this upset about a detail going wrong.”

“I think that being upset is–”

“But what a detail! We almost die because my stupid arm didn’t want to collaborate. What’s the point of having all this if I can’t do the one thing I’m supposed to do. What’t the point of me here. You have your brain, and Hunter his senses, Wrecker his strength and determination, and I think Crosshair could kill some droids with just a nasty comment. Me? I am different now, sure, I wasn’t average before, but I am not special enough to be special, not normal enough to be normal. Not even–”

“Echo!”

Tech’s hand clutched his forearm, and Echo didn’t know what surprised him more, the shout of his name or the physical contact. His breath was laboured, and his hand gripped tightly his own knee. He couldn’t feel it, it was still weird.

He took a deep breath and let it out, slowly. Tech didn’t remove his hand, waiting. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I know.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I know that, too.”

Echo chuckled. “Is there something you don’t know?”

“Some. For example, I don’t know why you still think you are not good enough.” Tech removed his hand but kept facing him. “You have proved your skills numerous times.”

He knew that to be true, he really did. Tech was seldom wrong, as he often remarked, and besides that, objectively, he knew he was right as well. But still.

“Not to mention, the value of a man goes beyond their skills set. I am aware that this is a war and our capabilities determine the role we play in it, but I believe you are mixing up your value as a soldier and your value as a person.”

Echo felt his eyes go wide, a tremor through his spine as Tech’s words unlocked a pain inside his chest he didn’t know he had.

“I don’t think I’ve ever known how to differentiate those two things. Now it’s even harder.” He lifted his hand and tried to tousle his hair. Still weird. He focused pointedly on a spot above Tech’s left ear, took another deep breath, and let that sharp pain crawl out of his chest.

“I was prepared to die that day, from the moment I felt that blast I knew I was going to die. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad I am alive, even– Even after what I went through, I am thankful that I am alive, when so many others are not.” He sighed, looked out the window, in search of words that escaped him, but they were not among the stars. “But sometimes, I’m still in that moment. A part of me did die that day. The one that knew which one was his role in this galaxy. The one who knew where was his spot. The one that knew that he deserved it. Sometimes that blast still hits me out of nowhere, and for a moment it leaves me a bit woozy. Like coming out of a hyperspace jump without notice.”

Echo looked back at Tech, confusion painted on his face, and a small smile appeared on his face. “I’m sorry, I don’t make much sense.”

“No, no, you do. I–” Tech pursed his lips, seemingly searching for the right words. “I might not, and never would, know for what you are going through. But I know what it is, searching for your place in this galaxy. You are one of us now, Echo, and I know I don’t speak only for myself when I say that even if tomorrow none of your cybernetics work any more, you would still have a place on this ship.”

Echo smile grew. It wasn’t exactly that, but he couldn’t blame Tech, he could tell he was trying. It was close enough, though, and he appreciated the effort. He grabbed his neck and bumped his forehead against Tech’s, releasing him after it.

“What was that?” Those goggles made his eyes comically huge.

“Ah, yeah. Something I used to do with–” the name got stuck in his throat. Another time, then. “My best friend.”

Tech straighten momentarily, pushing his shoulders back and doing that massiff’s head tilt again, and Echo found himself chuckling this time.

“He saw it somewhere, used to say it was a warrior’s sign of respect. He was full of bantha shit, of course, but it was an easy way of reminding each other we were not alone, even in the middle of a battlefield.”

“He… was not exactly wrong. He wasn’t right either, mind you, but he wasn’t wrong.”

“Huh. Yeah, that sounds like him.” Echo stood up, clapped Tech’s shoulder and turned to leave the cockpit, but stopped. “Thank you, Tech,” he said without turning, and left.

Maybe none of this was supposed to happen, not this ship, not this team, not even himself, but he was here now.

He wasn’t alone.

He will be fine.

They will be fine.

Taglist: (I just realised that I should have asked if you want to be tagged in all works, or just smut, or whatever 😅, so taglist applies for ✨everything✨ unless anyone specify, OK? If you want to be added, just let me know.) Drink water.

@motte-the-goblin@fenharel-enaste@nahoney22@stunkbiggu@gt13tbbart@dangraccoon

#tbbaw2023 #tbb echo #arc trooper echo #tbb tech #day 2 #fic #this wasn't supposed to happen #touching foreheads #sunset writes

67 notes · View notes

nashishishi · 1 year

Text

tuna tsukak

#for some reason whenever i start drawing a doodle a demon possesses me and turns it into a full illustration #this wasn't supposed to happen #this isn't even my normal rendering style #oh well #tsukasa tenma #wonderlands x showtime #project sekai #digital art #n44_art

250 notes · View notes

whumpneto · 2 years

Photo

Whumptober 2022 - No. 1 A LITTLE OUT OF THE ORDINARY

Adverse Effects | Unconventional Restraints | “This wasn’t supposed to happen”

Milo Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli in Heroes (S04E06)

#whumptober2022 #no.1 #this wasn't supposed to happen #heroes #4x6 #rabula rasa #peter petrelli #milo ventimiglia #shot #healed #blood #bleeding out #gun #gun tw #whumpedit #whumptober #my gifs #queue

292 notes · View notes

random-fandom-whump · 2 years

Text

Whumptober Day 1: This Wasn't Supposed to Happen ↳ Supernatural S05E22

#whumptober2022 #no.1 #this wasn't supposed to happen #supernatural #gifs #dean winchester #sam winchester #possession #emotional whump #worry #tears #jensen ackles #jared padalecki #spn 5x22 #ep: swan song

353 notes · View notes

a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 2 years

Text

One Bad Day.... (Did You Know?)

Whumptober 2022: 1. “This wasn’t supposed to happen”, 2. Confrontation, 31. Comfort Fandom: Batman, Batfam, Batmom

Word Count: 3523

TW: References to Repeated Sexual Abuse, References of Being Drugged, Angst

Note: This one-shot contains extremely triggering and sensitive topics. Because of that, while it gives more context to the overall story, this part can be skipped without losing major plot details for the next chapters.

Series Masterlist

Laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, you can’t sleep yet again. In the three nights since your confrontation with Bruce, you had maybe gotten a total of eight hours of sleep. Every time you close your eyes, that night begins replaying in your mind: seeing Bruce for the first time in five years and finally having the argument you should have had long ago, actually being able to hug Dick again, revealing the truth about your baby to Jason. And as terrible and emotional as that night had been, you are still glad to have gotten some closure.

But there is still one unanswered question that continues to haunt your mind more than any other. The one you couldn’t ask in front of Dick or Jason. The one you have needed the answer to for years but never had the opportunity to ask. And now that you have seen Bruce again, it is all you can think about.

Rolling over, you snatch your phone off the bedside table and quickly type in a number from memory. You know it’s stupid even to try. Bruce has probably changed his number a hundred times over the past five years but it’s the only way you can think of to contact him. After you send your message, you groan and throw the phone onto the bed next to you.

Not two minutes later, it buzzes. Bolting upright in surprise, you snatch up the phone and gawk at his message:

We need to talk. In person. Tell me when and where

Holy shit, it worked! You honestly didn’t expect him to receive the text, and even if he did, you never dreamed that he would agree to meet. But then again…. Was it possible he had been thinking of you these last few days too?

You type your response but this time you don’t even have time to put the phone down before he replies:

Meet me where we first met. 1 pm. Come alone I’ll be there

You collapse back against your pillow. It’s happening! After all this time, you’re finally going to get to look him in the eye and ask him what you need to ask. Now you just pray you can live with the answer.

As you climb yet another flight of stairs, you silently curse yourself for choosing this location. Your knee is still giving you trouble so choosing to meet on top of a six-story walk-up in the East End was probably not the smartest choice. But you grit your teeth and continue climbing.

When you finally reach the top, he is already waiting for you, and for a moment, you can only gaze at him in awe. While the sight of him in his batsuit under the dim lights of the warehouse had taken your breath away, seeing him now in the light of day is a hundred times more painful.

Now, he isn’t Batman. Now, he’s just Bruce. The same Bruce you fell in love with all of those years ago with his playboy good looks and fancy suit that fit him perfectly. Damn. Why did he still have to be so handsome? Why couldn’t he have started to lose his hair or something? But no, he still looks exactly the same as you remember, if just a little more tired. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for you.

You wonder what he sees when he looks at you. As much as you had tried to keep a stiff upper lip and hold your head high when you had met days ago, you knew you were a broken shell of the woman you were before. Both physically and mentally. Jason’s return had helped you pull yourself together in some ways but there were some wounds that would never heal. Some cuts that were just too deep, breaks that were too severe. And yet, when Bruce looks up, the way he gazes at you makes your stomach flutter.

But of course, you wouldn’t ever tell him that. So instead, you smirk at him as you climb onto the roof and say, “Wow. You got old.”

He stares at you wistfully. “You didn’t. You look exactly like you did the last time I saw you.”

You scoff. “We both know that isn’t true. Prison doesn’t allow people that luxury.” He looks you up and down for a moment, analyzing you in that annoying way of his. Feeling uneasy under the weight of his stare, you limp towards him, your hands jammed in the pockets of your jacket so he can’t see you trembling. “I half expected you wouldn’t show up. Or if you would go to the other place we first met.”

“I don’t think the Museum of Antiquities would be the safest place for you to show your face, so I took an educated guess,” Bruce says flatly. He doesn’t seem hostile at the moment, but he does seem guarded and on edge. But you can’t really blame him given the circumstances.

“No, I guess not. But thank you for coming. I wasn’t sure you would after our…. meeting the other day.”

“Even now, I will always come if you call.” Bruce sighs as you come to a stop a few feet in front of him with a grimace.

“Are you okay?” Bruce asks as he nods towards your leg.

“Why does it matter? You haven’t cared about me for the last five years, why start now,” you say through gritted teeth as you try to push the pain to the side.

“That’s not true. I still care about you. I never stopped.”

“Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it,” you reply bluntly. “But I’ve learned to live with it for the most part. And what I can’t handle, I have Red Hood to help me with.”

“Red Hood,” Bruce scoffs. “I have to ask, why him? Why is he helping you? I’ve spent days pouring over any information I could find and the two of you never had any form of communication before the night he broke you out. So why did he do it?”

You shrug. “He was a fan who knew what I did and why I did it, and he respected me for it. He didn’t believe I deserved to rot in prison for the rest of my life so he did something about it.” Nothing you said was a lie. Eventually, you are going to have to tell Bruce that Jason is alive but for now neither you nor Jason are ready for that secret to be revealed so you quickly change the subject.

Smirking slightly, you say, “Besides, why should you get to be the only one who gets a sidekick? Dick told me you have yet another new Robin.”

Bruce bristles. “I didn’t go looking for him. I had planned to let the title die with Jason but he came to me and wanted the job.”

“That didn’t mean you had to give it to him.”

“Just stop it!” Bruce growls. “What’s the real reason you called me? You wouldn’t have asked to meet unless it was important so what is it already?”

You still. Bruce is right. As much as you need answers, you are also dreading what you will hear so you have been stalling for as long as possible. But it seemed like your time was up.

You take a few deep breaths as you stare down at the ground before you whisper, “I have to know. I keep telling myself that not even you would be that cruel, but I have to know for sure.”

“You’re starting to scare me. What are you talking about?”

“Did… did you know everything they did to me in there? I mean… everything?”

Bruce is quiet for a long time as he mulls over the question. And just when you can’t stand the silence any longer, he says, “I knew about the fights, Harley’s assassins, and solitary confinement. I was sent weekly reports to see how you were holding up and Dick sometimes told me about his visits. He said there were times when you were so roughed up, it looked worse than that time you went after Solomon Grundy by yourself. I pulled some strings to get you extra protection, but I guess it didn’t help. I’m sorry.”

“No, it didn’t,” your voice trembles as you whisper. Taking a deep breath, you look Bruce straight in the eye. “Bruce, I need you to swear to me that was all you knew. Nothing else.”

“Yes, I swear,” he says confusedly. “What more is there?”

But you ignore his question. “Look me in the eye and swear on our child.”

Bruce looks as if you had just slapped him in the face. His expression flashes between shock, disbelief, hurt, and anger, as he tries to grasp the words you just said. “What?”

Tears begin to well up in your eyes. “I know how messed up it is for me to ask that, and I hate myself for it, but it’s the only way I can believe you. So, please…”

“Yes,” he spits out. “Yes, I swear on… on our child… that is all I knew about.”

Slowly, you sink to your knees as a euphoric rush of relief washes over you. Bruce didn’t know. He hadn’t just stood by and let it happen. The fact he knew about the fighting and your constant injuries still hurts, but you figured Dick would have told him at some point so that was no surprise. But if he had known about the other thing…

Bruce takes a few steps closer to you. “Now what don’t I know? What could be so horrible that you would bring our child into this?”

You look up at him, your lip trembling. “I- I can’t.”

“Please…. What did they do to you?”

Hanging your head, you whisper, “We both knew what everyone thought of me, even before I killed the Joker. I already had a reputation around Gotham that we pretended to ignore. I was the whore who was so good, I got billionaire Bruce Wayne down on one knee. And once I was in prison, everyone there wanted to see what the fuss was all about.”

It takes Bruce a moment to understand what you meant, but you see the horror sweep across his face the moment it registers. “No… That’s not… that shouldn’t have…. What about the guards?”

Tears are streaming steadily down your face at this point. “Once they figured out I didn’t have the Wayne name to protect me anymore, they started getting more lax about stopping it from happening. They even started turning off the cameras when I was in solitary and allowing inmates into my cell for a few bucks. And when one of them got hold of my medical file and saw I couldn’t get pregnant…. That’s when the guards started taking turns too.”

You closed your eyes as you tried to block out the memories. Because you remembered every single moment of every single time. You would always either be too injured from the latest attack to fight back or they would drug you until you were barely coherent. But no matter how out of it you were, you could never forget what they did.

You feel Bruce kneel down beside you and he whispers, “Oh, sweetheart…. I am so sorry. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I swear. You were supposed to be safe in there and if I had known what they were doing–”

‘So that’s where you draw the line, huh? Physical violence is okay, but as soon as someone whips their dick out that’s going too far?” Your eyes snap open and you dodge the hand he was reaching out towards you. “Yes, I cannot tell you what it means to me that you didn’t know, that you didn’t let that happen to me over and over and over again. But you still left me to fight for my life on a daily basis. And all because they wanted revenge on you for something or other. Because I had once been your wife. So, I’m unbelievably relieved you didn’t know. But it doesn’t change anything.”

Bruce sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. “That’s fair. I didn’t handle this situation the way I should have… but I just… I didn’t know what to do. I might not have shown it, but Jason’s death… I was so angry and so hurt. I know the two of you had a special bond, but he was still my son too. And regardless of what you said the other day, I blame myself for what happened. I should never have left him alone and I should have gotten to that warehouse quicker. I didn’t know what to do or how to deal with his death, so when I came home and you began to pull away from me…. I didn’t know how to handle that either.

“And then when you did what you did…. I was hurt you would go behind my back like that, especially after I explicitly told you not to and you agreed. You promised me and I felt betrayed…. But I also felt ashamed.”

“Ashamed?” you ask confusedly. “About what?”

“That you did what I was too weak to do.”

Your eyes grow wide as he hangs his head. “Bruce…”

“I should have done it. I should have killed him. I knew what it was doing to you to see him still running around free and I knew even if I captured him again, he would find another way to escape. But… I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t break my code. So when you did it instead…. I was ashamed I couldn’t protect you from that. And I couldn’t face you.”

“So because you couldn’t face me, you left me there to rot in jail for five years? Thanks.” You leap to your feet and Bruce quickly stands as well.

“I told you, I tried everything I could but I couldn’t get you released. They needed to make an example of you so others didn’t go out and try to take down other villains by themselves. You forget that people don’t know who you are. The other part of who you are, with your training and skills. To them, you’re just a rich socialite who managed to take down the Joker. So, if you could do it, why couldn’t anyone? And while you could hold your own, the average citizen wouldn’t be able to and a lot of innocent people would die. I was trying to work something out once the publicity of your case died down, but then you escaped,” Bruce sighs. “I might still be able to get them to let you go. Claim Red Hood kidnapped you for leverage against me. It might be enough to work out some sort of pardon.”

“I won’t turn my back on Red Hood like that,” you snap. “He saved me when you didn’t. I’m not going to throw him under the bus now.”

“Fine, but then I don’t know if I can help you,” Bruce says wearily. “So whatever it is you two have planned, just don’t get caught and don’t kill anyone.”

You nod before taking a few steps back towards the stairs. “Thank you for understanding. And for showing up today. Despite everything, I feel better knowing you didn’t know what was happening.”

Bruce’s eyes darken. “There will be consequences for this. I swear.”

“Thank you.” You turn to leave but pause and turn back. “And please promise me that Dick and Jason will never find out.”

Bruce freezes. He takes a few steps closer and stretches out his hand once more. “Sweetheart, you know Jason is gone…. Right?”

Shit. You were so upset, so in your head, you hadn’t remembered that Bruce still doesn’t know Jason is alive. Lowering your head, you mumble, “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I was just always so used to referring to them as ‘Dick and Jason’ as if it were a singular word. It feels wrong not including both of them.”

He nods slowly but still eyes you cautiously. “I slip up sometimes too. It still doesn’t feel real that he’s gone. Yet, other times it feels like it’s the most real thing in the world.”

You sigh heavily. “Things would have been so different if he hadn’t been taken from us.”

“Yeah…” Bruce says. “Or if we hadn’t lost-” He cuts himself off and turns away but you know exactly who he was talking about.

“In prison, I used to dream about us every night,” you say softly, “You, me, Dick, Jason, and our baby on the way. The life we could have had.” The tears begin to trail down your cheeks once more. “Their birthday would have been around now. Their ninth birthday. Can you believe that? A nine-year-old girl or boy running around. If only that night would have gone differently. It would have changed everything.”

You felt a small twinge in the scar on your side as if it knew you were talking about the accident. But then again, it had never stopped hurting since the day it happened. Some kind of nerve damage that caused a constant ache. Like your knee, you’ve learned to pretty much ignore it, though right now it seems to hurt more than usual.

You wrap your arms around your middle as your tears begin to flow faster. Bruce crosses the rooftop and hesitates as he reaches you, just a few inches apart. His silent question is clear in his eyes and you nod softly. Instantly, he wraps his arms around you and pulls you into his chest.

It is the first time you have touched him in five years yet it feels as if you have never left his arms. The way your bodies fit together, the beat of his heart against your cheek, the way the rise and fall of his chest seems to sync with yours. It feels like coming home.

A sob bubbles up in your throat as you bury your face deeper into his chest. His arms tighten around you, holding you together as you feel yourself falling apart. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You weren’t supposed to let him see this side of you. You were supposed to stay strong, stand firm, but the moment you felt his touch, you were putty in his hands.

You still love him. Despite everything he had done to you, all the pain and heartbreak his actions had caused, you want nothing more than to grab his face and meld your lips with his. Yet you know if you do, it'll be over. There will be no going back and Jason will never forgive you for it. Jason, the one person who was there when Bruce turned his back on you. Jason, your son who needed you more than you needed Bruce.

Reluctantly, you pull yourself away from Bruce’s embrace, though he remains holding your hands. “I’m sorry,” you whisper. “I shouldn’t have let you do that.”

“Why not?” Bruce asks, releasing your right hand to cup your face. “I know we have so much to work through, but I don’t want to lose you again. Please, sweetheart, just give us a chance.”

You hesitate as you consider if you can really forgive him for everything he has done to you. As he waits, his finger rubs over the spot on your left hand where your ring once sat. “You know,” he whispers, “I still have it. It’s in the safe at the manor and it’s still yours to do with what you wish. Keep it, sell it, toss it in the river, whatever you want.”

It was the wrong thing to say. It would have been easier hearing he had thrown it away. But instead, he kept the symbol of your love and marriage locked away, just as he left you locked away. You pull your hand from his, clutching it against your chest as you back away from him.“Give it to Selina, or whoever you wind up with next.”

“And what if I don’t want there to be a next?”

“Well, you should have decided that a long time ago.” You turn quickly and head for the stairs, making it down the first few steps before Bruce reaches out and grabs your wrist.

“My heart… It’s never too late,” he says, his eyes silently begging you to come back to him.

You remember your dream from your last night in prison. How you had begged not to leave that Bruce, and how he had said those exact same words. But this wasn’t a dream, and it was time for you to wake up.

Yanking your hand from Bruce’s grasp, you look directly into his eyes and coldly say, “I believed that once. But we are the proof that it isn't true.”

And before he can respond, you hurry down the stairs as quickly as your knee will allow.

285 notes · View notes

a-reader-and-a-writer · 2 years

Text

One Bad Day.... (Did You Know?)

Whumptober 2022: 1. “This wasn’t supposed to happen”, 2. Confrontation, 31. Comfort Fandom: Batman, Batfam, Batmom

Word Count: 3523

TW: References to Repeated Sexual Assult, References of Being Drugged, Angst

Series Masterlist

Not two minutes later, it buzzes. Bolting upright in surprise, you snatch up the phone and gawk at his message:

We need to talk. In person. Tell me when and where

You type your response but this time you don’t even have time to put the phone down before he replies:

Meet me where we first met. 1 pm. Come alone I’ll be there