Nora felt like she had been asleep for a long, long time.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKXaZq8oGW
It wasn’t an ordinary nap or a night’s rest—it was the kind of sleep that seeped into the bones and pierced through time and space. When she woke, it was as if her body had been completely rebuilt—no stiffness in her muscles, her thoughts were crystal clear, and even the old, lingering pains had vanished.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWv6eyVRVx
She felt physically perfect.
She instinctively moved her fingers and toes. No sluggishness, no pain—75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLxUTQQTVs
Only a small voice in the back of her mind whispered: This is too good to be true.
Yesterday, Tim had wanted to check Nora’s physical condition.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtObitMPA1
She’d told him she had chest pain.
It was a vague, dull ache. The moment Tim heard her say that, his expression shifted. He immediately sat up straight.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw7Xk37ER0
In a panic, he reached out to examine her—75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZC0IjcJv1P
But the moment his hand moved, Nora’s eyes widened in shock.
His hand had barely reached her chest when, like a secret suddenly illuminated, she saw it: a hand clearly injured—not scraped, not bruised, but frostbitten.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJcfO3IoJl
It was red and raw.
The skin was slightly swollen, tinged with red around the edges. Nora sat up at once, her gaze locked on it.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaECzZcFXbI
Tim instinctively tried to hide it, but Nora was already upright, asking to see the other hand.
He looked embarrassed and tried to pull his hand back, muttering that it was fine, that he just needed some rest. But her expression was too firm—familiar and gentle in that particular kind of stubbornness that left him no choice but to obediently extend his other hand.
Nora cupped both of Tim’s hands in hers, and felt like crying.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FqPAPd3Et
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Tim tried to shift the mood.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgzhnispHc
“Nora, don’t be upset. A session in the med pod will fix it.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kVuUXhDww
Didn’t you say you had chest pain?”
He kept his tone light, hoping to ease the atmosphere. But the forced calm in his voice stung more than silence. He’d become far too used to hiding his pain.
And so, Nora pulled Tim into the same med pod to heal together.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrCZv2CsDm
She didn’t speak—just took his hand, and led him inside.
The pod door closed slowly. The soft blue light surrounded them again, like a gentle embrace.
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When Nora opened her eyes again, she realized Tim was already awake and holding her.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMdTAqixKz
He hadn’t disturbed her—just leaned quietly against her, breathing shallowly, his shoulders barely rising. Those blue eyes stared upward, focused and serene.
She followed his gaze. At the top of the med pod’s glass ceiling, a small face had appeared—pressed right up against the glass.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaf0TLyBL9
Tiny hands clung to the edge, and a forehead nearly squished flat.
A pair of bright blue eyes peeked inside.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLxhDmhDNC
It was a child, staring in through the window, face flushed—likely from climbing too fast—his eyes gleaming with excitement and urgency.
Nora saw him and immediately smiled.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sFO0msDnI
It had been two years, and Finn had grown. He was taller, sharper-eyed. Her heart melted. She had just started to smile—75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSAFszLQ0l
And the boy, seeing it, immediately scrambled down.
Tim pressed the button to open the pod.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenXI01xenR
A wordless understanding. He smiled too—an expression of quiet relief after long exhaustion. He knew exactly how much that child had longed to see her.
As the med pod opened, Finn clambered inside and threw himself at Nora, sobbing.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOKhNhmEQA
Like a kitten, he pounced, wrapping his arms around her waist, smearing tears and snot all over her clothes—nothing like his usual calm, clever self.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgvdikflQ2
His cries trembled, as if he'd held them in far too long.
“Nora-sensei! Uncle Tim bullies me all the time! Let’s not talk to him anymore!”75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdJap00oGf
He cried and accused at the same time, as if all his worries and grievances over the past two years had finally found an outlet.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlK53RdfwEe
His words were messy, but his eyes were serious. He meant it.
Nora smiled and ran her fingers through the boy’s black hair.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSIMaF7WBE
She didn’t respond right away, just gently stroked his head, like she used to. She remembered the violet-eyed boy who once held her in this very pod.
Tim watched his nephew—75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QrNWkksub
Still seated beside Nora, gently holding her arm, his eyes fixed on Finn.
A year ago, when Tim had shut himself away, Finn had hidden himself inside Alfred’s food cart and snuck into the Batcave.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0H2G18b4Nc
Back then, Alfred had just pushed the cart into the main console room when a child suddenly popped out, proud and stubborn, declaring, “I’m here to see Uncle Tim.”
So much for Bruce Wayne’s carefully designed “normal childhood” plan.
From that day on, Finn never left this world.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡee4nFmA6Qo
All the peaceful daily routines, the distance from the world of heroes—all of it shattered by the boy’s own choice.
Tim glanced at Nora, thinking silently that he owed Finn so much.
He gave her a look. She nodded.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSy8eNgyhD8
No words needed—just shared understanding. A promise.
Together, they looked down at the crying child and smiled.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1MYyKt224
Finn was still sniffling, muttering “Uncle’s mean” under his breath, unaware that in that moment, Nora and Tim’s smiles had wrapped this bittersweet reunion in warmth.
—The End—
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and then Add to home screen.