Four years ago, he really hadn’t been legal.
He’d just turned nineteen, barely starting to find balance between nightly patrols and his daytime identity.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JCJp4slu3
His face still held traces of youth, and his voice hadn’t quite steadied the way it had now.
But how did Nora know?
Tim mulled it over.
She wasn’t a “research-type” writer—not the kind who cross-referenced dates or analyzed timelines.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAaxpbhKfA
Most of her work leaned romantic, even fantastical. Not logic-heavy at all.
Did she deduce it from photos?
From height ratios? Facial bone structure?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsdIC6B5LH
Uniform updates? Timeline of field appearances?
He ran through a few technical explanations—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtydwl3aa8h
but none of them quite fit.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9gMP7FmXq
She didn’t come off as someone who calculated.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxKAM0xXQ3
She was more like someone whose instinct hit so close to the truth, it made your scalp tingle.
Tim kept thinking.
His thoughts wouldn’t settle—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡto4qI0UCzS
like a jigsaw puzzle halfway done: some pieces jammed, others suddenly clicking together.
Wait.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RLKvp8ZCL
He was an adult now.
Would Nora… know?
Would she, one random morning with her coffee, suddenly realize—
that the character she once refused to write because “he’s a kid”217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4rzaZSAgH
was now… of age?
Would she start writing about him?
He wasn’t curious about the content—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwJ0II28n2
No, this was just… a professional assessment.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdwHIdzIZb
Yes, a risk projection, not personal interest.
And if she did start writing…217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtCpk5IhLV
that would mean she’d been keeping an eye on him.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLjFJsDJYd
Wouldn’t it?
Wait—no. Stop.
I should go to bed.
Tim loudly told himself:217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpsDkzgd1q
It’s 3:42 A.M.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXM3OwdQP23
I’ve already reviewed thirty-eight anonymous files today.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEfhcMKoBW
If I don’t sleep now, I’ll misread intel tomorrow.
Why am I even wondering if Nora would start writing fanfic about me?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXsUhjSsuW
Why do I… care?
No. This was professional anxiety.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTcfy5XfYX
Part of Bat-Family information security protocols.
Yes.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYTKckvE3k
Sleep. No more browsing.
Tim slammed the laptop shut—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ67BNj0shE
as if slamming the door on temptation itself.
The chair creaked behind him as he stood,217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0EbCZjiKM
feeling like someone who’d spent the entire night being silently stared at.
No one can know about this.
He walked toward the door, steps slow—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPJOeerWel
each one suppressing the mental image rising uninvited to the surface.
Finn’s future bride candidate…
was a top-tier Batman erotica author.
And not just any writer—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW4xBxq7as
the kind who casually wrote things like,217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerRI25rfLf
“He’s a kid. I don’t want to commit a crime.”
Just thinking about it made Tim feel like breaking into pieces.
If Damian ever found out—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYcjArwhR1
the kid would probably laugh himself breathless, then go ask Bruce:217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodKrFBAQSN
“So… what do you think of Finn’s teacher writing fanfic about you and… yourself?”
No.
This had to be buried in the night.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mUUQjaa3h
No one in the Bat-Family could ever know.
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4TULK8uT2
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWHJpjkfBj
Tim shoved the whole thing to the back of his mind.
Like stashing a bizarre dream into a folder marked217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGJpsDG4Zp
“Low Risk / No Action”217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmezPcagd8
and quietly minimizing the window.
Looking back, he figured maybe he’d overreacted a bit to those green eyes.
That day she stood up and scanned him?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhc0dp71ohN
Maybe it had just been a teacher’s instinct.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8F2HXkTC1
Maybe he had just been wound too tight.
At least now he knew her biggest secret.
He honestly hadn’t expected that inside her computer,217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEa6ok1yR0
there weren’t blueprints for bombs, or surveillance tapes—
but instead—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagjycJYG9E
the entire archive of a legendary Batman fanfiction author.
A legendary Batman fanfiction author.
Just thinking those words gave him a mild headache.
Who would’ve guessed someone like that was hiding in a kindergarten?
Blonde hair. Green eyes.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOKeWmuPnp
Gentle smile.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHc6E60XqSa
Painstaking lesson plans.
And then at night, under an anonymous handle,217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHz5ZOi4IL
she’d write Nightwing until the man couldn’t breathe.
Still, Tim decided—he had to keep monitoring her.
It was a precaution. A professional assessment.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJztyA1iZK
Lack of malicious intent didn’t mean lack of risk.
The better she was at writing…217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJS14DnUBQs
the more likely she might one day write something too accurate.
So he checked her system.
Installed a barely-there monitoring script—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVKt8YqAb2
so subtle it wouldn’t interfere with daily use.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbkZaWjuue
It would only trigger if specific keywords were typed.
If anything questionable showed up,217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprJe3FomU6
Tim would be notified first.
Not automatically blocked.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tqTUgydva
He’d assess it himself.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCRFNloavQ
A baseline courtesy—to respect creative freedom.
This should be enough, he thought.
Leaning back in his chair,217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLQup2WVga
he wrapped up the day’s backup logs217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNjyARlgdS
and turned to other vigilante data reports.
But unfortunately…217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RKZViTRfx
Tim relaxed too soon.
Some things only happen right when you think you’re safe.
Like an alarm that hasn’t gone off in ages—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzUGwP7FQM
only to explode in the middle of dead silence.
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg324gydPU8
One week later—
Tim’s computer lit up in warning.
Not a regular alert.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmWXfzrP9r
It was one of his high-priority personal triggers.
It popped from the corner of his screen—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4lYSHDjsM
flashing red.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCd7GZ1CWGo
Loud system ping.
Tim reacted instantly.
Fingers darted to the trackpad on reflex.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcgRYyPkwp
Eyes locked on the window as it expanded.
The monitored user had typed flagged keywords:
gun. black market. bullets.
Tim’s breath caught.
He stared at the words—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWea2vN1S9
blank for a second—then rapidly expanded the full input log.
Nora Virell217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtE7mbn77CK
Search time: 11:42 P.M.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNn82ymB7iM
Device: Personal computer.
Entered queries:
- “Where to buy bullets in Gotham right now”217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0uxHa5CJx
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCKEgK9B5I - “Black market weapon price list”217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhREDDiPUqF
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiH1nyqVmh4 - “Handgun usage tutorial”217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEI994G8mL
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluw0tNwpd5
Tim stared at the screen—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vHMXDqsAd
and felt his chest begin to tighten.
Tim was thinking.
He didn’t jump to conclusions.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PmiVp23QN
Not right away.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvidyUe1wU
Like always, he mentally arranged all the possible explanations in rapid succession.
He tried to reason it out—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPzXlvGaoD
because reason was the only shield he trusted when facing the unknown.
Could it be for a story?
He’d seen plenty of creators do research for plot accuracy.
Maybe she was writing a scene about a vigilante infiltrating the black market.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLdiY7UHC4
Maybe a character was trying to stop an arms deal.
Something like that.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RoToB2Uon
Trying to recreate that sense of danger.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡak4QYLGTBq
Or exploring a character’s discomfort with firearms—how they reacted to pulling the trigger.
He’d read those kinds of stories before.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwYOPg3W40
Some of them were frighteningly realistic.
But unfortunately—Nora proved him wrong.
She wasn’t just skimming scenarios.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTf6gBWi4M
She wasn’t just dipping in and out.
She was seriously browsing.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bqAQ1h3CW
Spending over thirty seconds per page.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97XZoYVnbg
Even bookmarking a few of them.
She was looking at firearm weights, manufacturing years, and production companies.
Her search terms included:
- “Glock old vs new model differences”217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ7xac2aum
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLs83mDVZhP - “Small caliber vs large caliber”217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtupz83NbY0
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHOXtyCaKi - “Civilian vs law enforcement firearm pricing”217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2h5NcQslY
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAf8Mx02Cbd
Those weren’t things a character needed to know.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDe4JXrk6r
They were the kind of details a gun user would want to understand.
Which meant—
Nora was already familiar.
This wasn’t her first time researching this.
She wasn’t gathering info for fiction.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6cMSXhkY9
She was evaluating—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT04RXVmVQ6
like someone deciding whether a specific gun was worth owning.
What does she need a gun for?
The question echoed in Tim’s head.
Not just surprise anymore—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lR76TL7eK
a rising, sharp anxiety began flooding in.
She’s a teacher. Finn’s teacher.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0kV0cEAiP
She works in a kindergarten.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUZJax3TJg
Teaches kids to draw, tells them stories, shows them how to say “I’m sorry.”
What would she need a gun for?
For protection?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPB7dakjcdM
For something else?
Where did she learn it?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOSgax4PgT
Has she been trained?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFI1kwNHva0
Does she know how to use one?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZfUboY1Ti
Would she use it on someone?
Tim couldn’t let this go.
This wasn’t about artistic freedom.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiMTtt8jkT
This wasn’t just a passing curiosity.
This was a potential armed individual demonstrating suspicious behavior.
He needed to understand her threat level—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyAoL6LqS5
and eliminate any possible risk.
That didn’t mean punishment.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpcLGYdxzg
But it did mean removing danger—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvIhdJSVH0
before it ever had the chance to grow teeth.
Tim moved his fingers.
The keyboard’s backlight flickered faintly as the windows expanded again—217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqtlWKR4j7
reconnecting to Nora’s online activity log.
His fingers hovered above the shortcut keys tied to his rapid-execution programs.
He had made up his mind.
His gaze was cold.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Fv5pfQstk
His tone unspoken.
This time—he was going to find out, personally.
What the hell is she planning?
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfSgrbGL4d
and then Add to home screen.