The atmosphere in the Batcave had been… strange lately.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOCbBxJN8t
Not because of a new mission. Not because Gotham was hit by some disaster.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcysNBVWBy
But because—Tim was acting weird.
He often disappeared without warning, claiming it was for “patrol,” but he’d just vanish.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffmdyFQXdi
He’d sit alone at the table, staring at his phone with a dopey grin, sometimes even mumbling replies to messages—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EBnzgtya1
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjL5ZK5RdRc
But the subtle change was impossible to hide.
At first, the rest of the Batcave observed quietly.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAcbPL3X3R
But soon, they all said the same thing, almost in unison:
Dick: “He’s in love.”128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCN8TC9m4BI
Jason: “Totally in love.”128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1R99i3QkN2
Damian: [Frowning so hard he looked like Gotham’s weather map] “….”128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQf8zChlCT
Steph: “He's definitely in love!”128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4E2sDb83hL
Barbara: “And it’s going really well, too.”128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Znr0VTCtP
Lyla: “Yep, Tim’s in love. It’s real.”
Then, everyone turned to look at the one person who hadn’t said a word—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIfUF8eMH7
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:128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsM7dWVZiQ
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCgjhfp00j
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—”128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGI9UPwIOWI
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xtznEoaYs
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35yT2vqpHo
Because he’d been here more than once.
This wasn’t a mission.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSYyKBpD3y
It was his own destination.
In front of a small apartment, he didn’t need to hack the lock anymore.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39Mj2r6oSH
He no longer snuck in—he keyed in the passcode openly.
That was his access.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mjsFlCC8Q
Part of his current life.
He opened the door. The entryway light was off, but a soft, warm glow came from the living room.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukf7eSKF0b
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZ1VfObdOI
She curled her fingers, and he leaned down, letting her hand rest naturally on his shoulder.
They kissed quietly—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA61zaZiU4t
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDorDeIaiq
His touch was soft—like he was afraid of disturbing something fragile.
Just as Nora said, the wound was healing fast.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FxGWR6efv
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnd7Fea48Q1
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXqYdQpeYu
She was his girlfriend.
Just… not the way he imagined.
This woman, in private, was a total gremlin. 128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6evfSNltu
Every time Tim started lecturing, she’d shut him up with a kiss.
She undid her bandages whenever she felt itchy.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFaObUbFd0
She’d drag him away from his coffee, demand he come to bed and sleep beside her.
And somehow, he actually listened.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzb2sH0jYLu
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—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifWQ5HApFm
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA00ZKdLCg
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqtIev3gyN
Then she looked up—green eyes meeting his blue.
She reached out and covered the dark circles under his eyes with her fingers—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wEw2ueAdb
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRRBOhRIb2
She stopped humming—only her breathing warmed his skin.
In their quiet apartment, night blanketed everything.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWdDMyZzAV
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvniddK6Th
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."128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjJJydMoPK
The teachers just smiled and said she looked even better than before the break.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZ8PSkKavU
The parents merely nodded hello.
It was as if the kidnapping and gunshot never happened.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpp50ilj8CE
She had no idea what Tim told them.
Standing in the sunlight, she smiled.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjp4qBnWc1
A black car quietly stopped outside the gate.
The door opened, and the young CEO of Drake Industries stepped out.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRo4ALYluzk
Tim was holding Finn’s little backpack in one hand, slipping the car key into his pocket with the other.
And Finn—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCqGwrBUdd
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8o4ODSU85
“Our boy is full of energy today.”
Tim walked up with a sigh, holding up the backpack. Their eyes met.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8bTJw7guO
This was the third time this week.
The Batfamily had all voted:128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnd2S6nYFpu
“Tim should be the one to take Finn to school.”128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMbLqb6fak
The reason?128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfV1CbbyQF
Finn needs emotional security.
Tim didn’t object.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCJlLYqkpG
But it meant his routine now was:128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYjtZYGuz8
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.”128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYknZCjCEUT
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—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFFvrPjRQY
Nora raised her hand.
“Oh dear, Mr. Drake, your collar is messy.”
She stepped close, adjusting the collar of his shirt—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczyxUfk7Y7
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3q656ZzDmE
“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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaNgB5VSGU
He quietly raised a hand to touch the spot—128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmsNKB7sTF
Yup. Still warm.
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Night fell quietly over Gotham.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDS4shompw
The city sank into darkness, lit only by a few lonely streetlights.
But Nora’s apartment glowed with warm yellow light.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszXw5dudmu
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JIMjPGl5V
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2HB7nwefe
“I want you watching me all the time. Isn’t that sweet?”
Tim finally looked up.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniFig1BMyv
He thought she was joking.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MWsb5syA8
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ610l4ZJSYT
“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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkNBbiaUaO
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.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXa5E2ByHg
Her voice was gentle as the night wind:128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4eIvDceEU
“Tim, I knew you’d come looking for me.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVQ6m4XP3G
Even if I vanished from the hospital…128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNV5WHo6xV
You’d still find me.”
Tim’s hand paused.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FE8lmDCZ2
Then, in a low voice, he said:128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37LKtsrTvn
“Because I never stopped watching you.”
Nora snatched the dinosaur out of his hands and hugged it to her chest.128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8n4rICFea
With a wide grin, she leaned into his shoulder.
“Then I’m safe now, Red Robin.” 128Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVAOVTSAys
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and then Add to home screen.