The atmosphere in the Batcave had been… strange lately.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sdsyBRDJS
Not because of a new mission. Not because Gotham was hit by some disaster.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKulVPTKpAU
But because—Tim was acting weird.
He often disappeared without warning, claiming it was for “patrol,” but he’d just vanish.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQAHYU4QR7
He’d sit alone at the table, staring at his phone with a dopey grin, sometimes even mumbling replies to messages—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VDyXmBsKb
And his smile was unusually soft. Unusually dumb.
Sure, once he was on duty, he was still the most level-headed tactician in all of Gotham.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELA1gJWIXA
But the subtle change was impossible to hide.
At first, the rest of the Batcave observed quietly.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1M4KjxifN
But soon, they all said the same thing, almost in unison:
Dick: “He’s in love.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstgDzVSNUs
Jason: “Totally in love.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5LBxTEte6
Damian: [Frowning so hard he looked like Gotham’s weather map] “….”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tOPtT13Br
Steph: “He's definitely in love!”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctYKJoiTjZ
Barbara: “And it’s going really well, too.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OAK1U7AQq
Lyla: “Yep, Tim’s in love. It’s real.”
Then, everyone turned to look at the one person who hadn’t said a word—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeZt01pGY6
The one still waiting for Tim’s investigation report.
Batman: “…”
Bruce looked up, just in time to see Tim climb in through the window, still texting, so distracted he bumped into a chair—and pretended it didn’t happen.
Regardless, it was now universally acknowledged in the Batcave:127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5iTumlLXO
Tim Drake had fallen in love.
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That night, Tim moved through Gotham like a ghost, gliding expertly from shadow to shadow.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKRWnk2u1a
His shift had ended, his daily report was submitted on time, and he didn’t linger.
Just as Batman walked into the command room holding the last file Tim had handed in—
“Tim, that report you—”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAYy9BXGbs
The chair was empty. The only thing left was the low hum of the computer fan.
Alfred walked past calmly. “Master Wayne, young people have lives too. You should get some sleep.”
Batman paused, staring at the empty chair for a long moment.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTljtYJ4Hj
His frown deepened as if realizing something—and not liking it.
—Meanwhile, Tim had already vanished into Gotham’s night.
He vaulted silently across rooftops, landing without a sound. He knew this path like the back of his hand.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJOc0U0Zuc
Because he’d been here more than once.
This wasn’t a mission.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazg45HsQ19
It was his own destination.
In front of a small apartment, he didn’t need to hack the lock anymore.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwoykTDCER
He no longer snuck in—he keyed in the passcode openly.
That was his access.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EXfiqDVuB
Part of his current life.
He opened the door. The entryway light was off, but a soft, warm glow came from the living room.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw99b7ChbKj
And just like always, someone was lying on the sofa.
Tim sighed. “Nora… Why are you sleeping out here again?”
He walked over, unsurprised to see her bandages loosened, with the skin around her wound faintly red.
“I told you, I’ll take care of the sheets. You should be sleeping in your bed.”
Nora opened her eyes, raised her arms, and said nothing.
Tim didn’t need to ask.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsudtr6JKaK
She curled her fingers, and he leaned down, letting her hand rest naturally on his shoulder.
They kissed quietly—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezuKHE8VZ3
A silent ritual, an unspoken goodnight.
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Time passed. The quiet in the room remained.
Tim gently picked up a cotton swab, carefully wiping away the old scar cream.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjL10HUI0YQ
His touch was soft—like he was afraid of disturbing something fragile.
Just as Nora said, the wound was healing fast.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWO6WMqwB08
Though still a vivid scar, it was a mark of survival.
Three days ago, he’d already removed the stitches. Following doctor’s instructions, it wasn’t against the rules.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jkt1JCU1G
Still, he wasn’t at ease.
He even bought special scar cream—not from the Batcave, but from a medical supply store he went out of his way to visit.
Nora muttered, “A little more pressure. It tickles.”
Tim looked up at the blonde woman lying on the sofa.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxdLsWMvU1
She was his girlfriend.
Just… not the way he imagined.
This woman, in private, was a total gremlin. 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIriTdd2I81
Every time Tim started lecturing, she’d shut him up with a kiss.
She undid her bandages whenever she felt itchy.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVL4xcUvdS
She’d drag him away from his coffee, demand he come to bed and sleep beside her.
And somehow, he actually listened.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TGExuCMVR
He’d put down the files, turn off his comms, and get in bed like an obedient boyfriend.
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Tim lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Nora had already curled into the blanket beside him—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVnmDTR6yx
And was now shamelessly acting as a human lullaby machine, gently patting his chest and humming a tune.
This wasn’t the kind of relationship he’d envisioned.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhEOJjCorX
It was harder than criminal interrogation.
The first time she did it, he looked at her in confusion.
“…Nora?” he asked quietly, as if checking if she was being serious.
She didn’t answer. Just kept humming the nameless tune.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNasUCRBlC
Then she looked up—green eyes meeting his blue.
She reached out and covered the dark circles under his eyes with her fingers—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabR5SbibOS
Rubbing them gently, like mocking his sleep deprivation… or maybe, just a soft form of scolding.
Tim’s mouth twitched. His expression was complicated.
Nora giggled, burrowed further into his chest, and rested her face in the crook of his neck.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pc4zzDs21
She stopped humming—only her breathing warmed his skin.
In their quiet apartment, night blanketed everything.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPUbGJYvWa
And for once, the world was still.
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On the morning of the new school term, Nora arrived at the kindergarten on time.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFX7X7zm44
She wore a neat uniform, her hair in a low ponytail, smiling as she greeted the children arriving one by one.
What surprised her was—no one questioned her "miraculous recovery."127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wvkSSdYKv
The teachers just smiled and said she looked even better than before the break.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpPl8F0itk
The parents merely nodded hello.
It was as if the kidnapping and gunshot never happened.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHXZqymqkh
She had no idea what Tim told them.
Standing in the sunlight, she smiled.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqTzmVoZuK
A black car quietly stopped outside the gate.
The door opened, and the young CEO of Drake Industries stepped out.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKX7KwY96Hm
Tim was holding Finn’s little backpack in one hand, slipping the car key into his pocket with the other.
And Finn—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtGX21E5O5
The moment the door opened, launched like a cannonball toward her.
“Nora!” he shouted, diving into her arms, his little hands wrapping around her neck.
Nora caught him and kissed his forehead with a smile.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAYGhntFwj
“Our boy is full of energy today.”
Tim walked up with a sigh, holding up the backpack. Their eyes met.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOBUVByiPN
This was the third time this week.
The Batfamily had all voted:127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrYBtElkXF
“Tim should be the one to take Finn to school.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwztwCW4erh
The reason?127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPINSvcoTVU
Finn needs emotional security.
Tim didn’t object.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHHeSzunPP
But it meant his routine now was:127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhX0WiKSZQi
Wake up at Nora’s → return to Wayne Manor → change → take Finn to school → see Nora again at the kindergarten.
Officially, they were just “Finn’s uncle” and “his teacher.”127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXH6u0qrIz
In reality? They’d just gotten out of the same bed that morning.
Tim was still wondering how long they could keep this up, when—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNrRtve72L
Nora raised her hand.
“Oh dear, Mr. Drake, your collar is messy.”
She stepped close, adjusting the collar of his shirt—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kBPxL8R5q
But her fingers lightly brushed his earlobe, grazing the side of his neck like a feather.
Tim froze.
Nora’s green eyes remained calm, as if nothing had happened.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnU9UIDoPxc
“Finn, say goodbye to your uncle,” she said sweetly.
“Bye~” Finn waved happily, then took her hand and skipped into the classroom.
Tim stood there, feeling like his ear was on fire.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfNP9IqJzD
He quietly raised a hand to touch the spot—127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjskBtPUuEE
Yup. Still warm.
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Night fell quietly over Gotham.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxq2c5kWHH
The city sank into darkness, lit only by a few lonely streetlights.
But Nora’s apartment glowed with warm yellow light.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyw7ixtmO4
The coffee table in front of the sofa was scattered with needles, fabric scraps, dissected stuffed animals, and a small bag of precision electronics.
Tim sat on the sofa in loungewear, glasses on, carefully stitching a fuzzy green dinosaur.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaXyB85n4y
He used extra-fine thread, sewing every stitch straight and steady.
A cleaning cloth rested on his knee, used to wipe off glue or thread bits.
Nora sat on the sofa’s armrest, legs swinging, watching him like she was enjoying a drama—eyes full of amusement and affection.
“Are you sure you want this kind?” Tim muttered without looking up. “It has audio monitoring, a camera, and connects to my system’s internal net… Are you sure?”
“That’s exactly what I want,” Nora grinned like a fox.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVfDU14FMi
“I want you watching me all the time. Isn’t that sweet?”
Tim finally looked up.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrB9h2DybgD
He thought she was joking.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUab3UjFeL2
But her eyes were so serious, he choked on his reply.
“…I really can’t tell when you’re kidding.”
“Then just assume I’m always serious,” she said, leaning in to touch the freshly sewn stitches.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYVqy4nZAT
“Not bad, Mr. Drake. That’s some neat needlework.”
“I can’t believe I let you sweet-talk me into buying this from the toy store,” Tim muttered as he packed away the needle and thread.
Nora smirked proudly.
Tim flipped the dinosaur over, unzipped the back, and checked the stability of the installed camera.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6HCOFsnuY
He’d even added sound detection and a safety shut-off for overheating—after all, this thing would be living on her bed.
Nora’s gaze softened as she looked at the dinosaur.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TLHTDAg5O
Her voice was gentle as the night wind:127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLY0yNLkZG
“Tim, I knew you’d come looking for me.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyYyySUj3e
Even if I vanished from the hospital…127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzowos45NwD
You’d still find me.”
Tim’s hand paused.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKx0ZZ1Wea
Then, in a low voice, he said:127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr68DUZLfFX
“Because I never stopped watching you.”
Nora snatched the dinosaur out of his hands and hugged it to her chest.127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNevkF5a0v
With a wide grin, she leaned into his shoulder.
“Then I’m safe now, Red Robin.” 127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgwjdplYJT
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and then Add to home screen.