They had a great dinner. Tim had to admit it.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiIxv9PGt6
That kind of time—without reconnaissance, without surveillance, and definitely without pressure testing—actually made him feel… relaxed?
They talked about many things that had nothing to do with Gotham.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ036MGfLVXh
Tim mentioned his current work assisting corporate transformation, green energy development, and financial strategies.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMWnCwetnC
Nora responded with thoughts on budget allocation in education, and how recent childcare legislation updates were impacting frontline teachers.
The conversation branched into child safety and social cases—especially a few child abuse incidents that had come to light in recent years.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Fn5ndGU19
Tim hadn’t previously been deeply involved in these topics, but Nora’s insights were precise, calm, and sharply articulated—without emotional blackmail.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsc2ZWTPwEM
He quietly noted every case number and keyword she mentioned.
Nora’s eyes shimmered in the candlelight dancing across the table.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLEzZANr2Q
Tim wasn’t sure if it was the effect of the red wine,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDIcDM6RMy
or the way she spoke—so gentle, yet uncompromising—that left him a little dazed.
Until Nora suddenly paused, her gaze shifting to the floor-to-ceiling window, a momentary stillness washing over her.
“What’s wrong?” Tim turned—
A little face was squished up against the glass.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgduMjs5wSq
His entire face flattened against it, bright blue eyes wide with excitement as he stared inside.
Tim’s heart clenched—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVfgG8S9Ae
Then his gaze shifted just a bit further.
Standing next to the child was a face far too familiar—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24LZWYl6LK
One he had hoped not to see.
Bruce Wayne.
Looking into the restaurant with a disapproving expression,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7sulGtfVZ
like he’d just stepped off the front page of the Gotham Times.
Tim suddenly felt like the utensils in his hands had doubled in weight.
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Tim stepped out of Finn’s room, gently closing the door behind him.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XLQX6RGzk
He exhaled and leaned against the hallway wall, closing his eyes briefly as he replayed the absurd sequence of events in his head.
He’d thought dinner would be about gathering intel—maybe even an in-depth probing conversation.
Instead—
“Got caught red-handed by my own nephew,” he muttered under his breath.
Dim lighting, two layers of glass—Tim had thought it was absolutely secure.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKcVPV4p41
But the kid had eyes like a bat.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OQ64Hs6sL
He’d spotted Nora in a second, and then, like a bullet, burst into the restaurant.
Nora had smiled naturally, without a hint of awkwardness.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiCTCAHSJ3
She’d crouched down to talk to Finn, gently patting his messy hair.
Tim had stood beside them, eyes inevitably falling on Bruce.
That look.
Bruce hadn’t said a word,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMnnD1ro6i
but the “you better explain this later” expression weighed heavier than a hundred pages of briefing notes.
Tim could almost hear Bruce’s brain opening up cross-referenced files, auditing the risk logs for the event labeled Timothy Drake and Kindergarten Teacher Nora.
“Finn, this is my grandpa!” the kid said gleefully, as if showing off his favorite armored tank.
Bruce seamlessly switched into CEO mode, giving a perfectly polished smile.
Nora had calmly spoken a few standard lines about how well Finn behaved at school.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGJeJA5BCK
Tim took the opportunity to interject, “It’s getting late—I’ll give the lady a ride home.”
Bruce shot him a look.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRqwAqxRN8
A look packed with a hundred unspoken messages.
Tim didn’t want to translate it.
Finn had begged to come along, insisting “If teacher’s in the car, I want to be too!”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUm31Z2Feq
In the end, Bruce went home alone, and Tim scored some alone time.
Thinking of Bruce’s expression, Tim chuckled silently.
“I have a lot of explaining to do,” he murmured.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2Irlxnq01
This night had only just begun.
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Back home, Tim tried to spin a story for Finn.
He knelt by the bed, his tone sincere as he tucked the boy’s scattered blanket back into place.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7kqR7jRtV
“Today, Nora and I were talking about a very important children’s public welfare project.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtYPPgNWA3
It’s something that helps kids grow up safer and happier. You understand, right? It’s important for kids.”
Finn tilted his head and thought for a second, then nodded.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZizT74m6sB
His small hands still clutched that dinosaur plushie—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1btozuechL
as if it helped him judge whether the world was still safe.
“So… you guys weren’t on a date?”
Tim gave a tight smile, one that looked like it was holding up a house of cards.
“No, we were talking about serious stuff. Really.”
Finn nodded in satisfaction, buying the story.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FBKuTTBha
Tim looked at his face and suddenly felt like a terrible adult.
Once Finn’s breathing settled and his eyes closed, Tim gently slipped out of the room.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Zlm3Qgv34
He took a deep breath, straightened his collar, walked down the hall, descended the stairs, passed through the study—
and entered the Batcave.
The lighting there was low, and the rhythmic hum of machines pulsed like a slow, steady drumbeat.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfRIpRHKnQ
Batman stood with his back to him, flipping through a report.
As soon as Tim stepped inside, that low voice rang out:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHwAC3YKOJ
“Tim, I need an explanation.”
Batman’s voice hit him like cold water.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ScBE7pggc
Tim sighed silently and stepped up to the computer, unlocking his most tightly guarded investigation file.
The screen’s blue glow lit his face—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11XcLWXgRP
and reflected off the Batman’s unmoving cowl.
“I just felt something was off about Nora,” Tim began, his tone steady as always.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8bwl0uAqG
“So I checked her computer. Nothing deep—just public records, cloud links… stuff she didn’t really protect.”
He clicked open a folder, labeled plainly: Nightnest.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLTLrxoUCr
Inside were screenshots of posts, comment threads, and repost logs.
“She turned out to be Nightnest,” Tim said, turning toward Bruce.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlk7Fuj8sB
“The famous Gotham fanfic writer. The one who writes about… you.”
Batman had his arms crossed, listening intently.
But at that line, his brow twitched, and his expression shifted.
Tim watched Bruce’s face closely and instantly regretted bringing it up so soon.
Bruce Wayne was well aware of Gotham’s... enthusiastic online fandom.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvKMr2IEwI
He’d known for years how people spun wild stories, imagined all kinds of relationships—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1NXQV13u8
Bruce and the mayor? Bruce and Superman? Bruce and the Joker?104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkGvl850xz
Even Bruce and his own split personality.
There was nothing people wouldn’t dream up.
But those had always been fantasies—fictional, absurd, harmless.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEztAsHQMD
And fantasy, after all, wasn’t a crime.
Batman couldn’t, and shouldn’t, stop people from imagining.
But this…104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDYYxjQWmR
This wasn’t just fantasy anymore.
This fantasy had a name.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWsTxOSZoc
A face.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1XZ6wjHGr
It was now Finn’s teacher.
Tim shifted slightly, standing before the monitor, arms at his sides.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYsK7wQKZZ
His fingers crossed silently behind his back—like a private buffer against judgment.
“That’s why,” he said, looking at the screen, tone cool and composed,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXkUXq3A4e
“I wanted to confirm whether she had access to too much intel about the vigilantes.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuZdrBumgc
Whether she posed a risk.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcKzzdU2Kk
That’s why I decided to ask her out—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmksFL9JXi
strictly part of the investigation.”
He said it steadily.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnZY3tbMrq
Didn’t even flinch.
But the truth was—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLADyIsn7de
yes, he’d brought surveillance gear;104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sv7OBlTub
yes, he’d tried to profile her through interaction;104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVwI65Jx2W
and yes… during all those observations and conversations…
something not part of the mission104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYcOwgGpEM
had caught his attention.
So he crossed his fingers.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImnhBxL2hF
It wasn’t lying.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipXRbl173k
Just… omitting certain details.
He didn’t mention the shooting range.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhyeimteQT
Or the red wine.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dTtvxPIsW
Or the candlelight.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhFXGbxz3W
He didn’t mention the way she knelt down that day to draw stars for the kids.
Tim thought to himself—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZnLEhdMkn
Nora should be thankful.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5BcDdBds0
If Bruce had found out her identity from the start,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUf0Btl82Wx
or if one of the other Bat-family members had gotten suspicious,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fcqzErZl5
the outcome might’ve been far uglier.
Batman stayed silent for a moment.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWhQLW72jV
His gaze sharp, like it could carve deeper truths into Tim’s face.
But in the end, he simply gave a slow nod.
“What you did was reasonable,” Batman said in a low voice.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoJPuPECLK
“Her identity… for now, doesn’t appear to be a threat.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikYT4zsgqw
But this stays between us. No one else can know.”
Tim nodded, exhaling quietly.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzArMsulIP
He’d pulled off a tightrope act, balancing on the edge of a storm.
But he also knew—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wM7sWbtLC
if even one step in this undercover investigation went wrong,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yZIbSAIb0
that woman who filled pages with fantasy104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMZFxWeRvT
would no longer be the subject of a romantic subplot—
She’d become someone Batman watched personally.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdkwuRQAGz
And that’s no love story.
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and then Add to home screen.