The atmosphere in the Batcave had been… strange lately.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzAyOW3Shm
Not because of a new mission. Not because Gotham was hit by some disaster.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy1Ids1htM
But because—Tim was acting weird.
He often disappeared without warning, claiming it was for “patrol,” but he’d just vanish.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuS0VJGzR3F
He’d sit alone at the table, staring at his phone with a dopey grin, sometimes even mumbling replies to messages—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoz42iggtjG
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiGaO2kANi
But the subtle change was impossible to hide.
At first, the rest of the Batcave observed quietly.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGBlEb9Gpy
But soon, they all said the same thing, almost in unison:
Dick: “He’s in love.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYw7LO6LgDs
Jason: “Totally in love.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5cYH8bgJS
Damian: [Frowning so hard he looked like Gotham’s weather map] “….”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTZOHmRTnW
Steph: “He's definitely in love!”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mv61ODzqR
Barbara: “And it’s going really well, too.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiaZPu52MT
Lyla: “Yep, Tim’s in love. It’s real.”
Then, everyone turned to look at the one person who hadn’t said a word—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpZO3v9Blj
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:126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3mcejwjBQ
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDeulwqVOX
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—”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskWeOctPtO
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55x7S8X0Cs
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xOCNn9TBk
Because he’d been here more than once.
This wasn’t a mission.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPhDceIV0u
It was his own destination.
In front of a small apartment, he didn’t need to hack the lock anymore.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzOgWVkvd7
He no longer snuck in—he keyed in the passcode openly.
That was his access.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl76feT5xol
Part of his current life.
He opened the door. The entryway light was off, but a soft, warm glow came from the living room.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbo3F1Rr8YF
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgZbPhrCVD
She curled her fingers, and he leaned down, letting her hand rest naturally on his shoulder.
They kissed quietly—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXaFsHBdUE
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBQWJg99p3
His touch was soft—like he was afraid of disturbing something fragile.
Just as Nora said, the wound was healing fast.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLuc7JUlVX
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWTBMD0HAF
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJaBxb1YEG
She was his girlfriend.
Just… not the way he imagined.
This woman, in private, was a total gremlin. 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1EwBEtulA
Every time Tim started lecturing, she’d shut him up with a kiss.
She undid her bandages whenever she felt itchy.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjdhXZEx8H
She’d drag him away from his coffee, demand he come to bed and sleep beside her.
And somehow, he actually listened.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRmCulTJFM
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—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xpjY9ZK3b
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ995mWymdT
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6KXlDVyzH
Then she looked up—green eyes meeting his blue.
She reached out and covered the dark circles under his eyes with her fingers—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5IEgTQluD
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryvVqe7Io5
She stopped humming—only her breathing warmed his skin.
In their quiet apartment, night blanketed everything.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NKv6tK2PN
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0vP8ywmUq
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."126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRRW4IEVy7
The teachers just smiled and said she looked even better than before the break.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVi0r4xNGER
The parents merely nodded hello.
It was as if the kidnapping and gunshot never happened.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKD4xNcDts
She had no idea what Tim told them.
Standing in the sunlight, she smiled.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4T3YHY1eB
A black car quietly stopped outside the gate.
The door opened, and the young CEO of Drake Industries stepped out.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jNI2vic0p
Tim was holding Finn’s little backpack in one hand, slipping the car key into his pocket with the other.
And Finn—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZyXZq48q2
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJy6FNh8i4
“Our boy is full of energy today.”
Tim walked up with a sigh, holding up the backpack. Their eyes met.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGrnmJDILy
This was the third time this week.
The Batfamily had all voted:126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVYvaRznIN
“Tim should be the one to take Finn to school.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFywgbFQghv
The reason?126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhLqrqA2cc
Finn needs emotional security.
Tim didn’t object.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVay6tSiDa
But it meant his routine now was:126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKDbX6PyOc
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.”126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBbUrCl3e5
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—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsli6KihrT2
Nora raised her hand.
“Oh dear, Mr. Drake, your collar is messy.”
She stepped close, adjusting the collar of his shirt—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZZESixTt9
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCv8mUEeOUY
“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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqqp7D8zeG
He quietly raised a hand to touch the spot—126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWv5P20i1bA
Yup. Still warm.
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Night fell quietly over Gotham.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0i80z04WFa
The city sank into darkness, lit only by a few lonely streetlights.
But Nora’s apartment glowed with warm yellow light.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsASNuhmDwP
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTF8wxkASk
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKxW7Ygh7n
“I want you watching me all the time. Isn’t that sweet?”
Tim finally looked up.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjG77PQ0Fa
He thought she was joking.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxFgnDV5XT
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2W1TqB2C1
“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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxvhQmyydM
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.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLbHSEQGk9
Her voice was gentle as the night wind:126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbm6eIgWd0
“Tim, I knew you’d come looking for me.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsk1fLb4ni
Even if I vanished from the hospital…126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYymc3jpDBl
You’d still find me.”
Tim’s hand paused.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriYaetABW5
Then, in a low voice, he said:126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExmqSLZygt
“Because I never stopped watching you.”
Nora snatched the dinosaur out of his hands and hugged it to her chest.126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIy90XyNEN0
With a wide grin, she leaned into his shoulder.
“Then I’m safe now, Red Robin.” 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9Iidtm1xn
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and then Add to home screen.