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.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HcdLADHM2
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.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwegiirfUFq
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?218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kTRVsNHqR
Uniform updates? Timeline of field appearances?
He ran through a few technical explanations—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVSfFUFuvG
but none of them quite fit.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7j3cC5oqi
She didn’t come off as someone who calculated.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwJ5JNNCeI
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—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6mkvEE43A
like a jigsaw puzzle halfway done: some pieces jammed, others suddenly clicking together.
Wait.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1YsRBHOlI
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”218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtx9IMHVkyS
was now… of age?
Would she start writing about him?
He wasn’t curious about the content—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT18gGko55p
No, this was just… a professional assessment.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5fEh5Vaek
Yes, a risk projection, not personal interest.
And if she did start writing…218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuKnqWz1aM
that would mean she’d been keeping an eye on him.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPjNXA0qes
Wouldn’t it?
Wait—no. Stop.
I should go to bed.
Tim loudly told himself:218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBVr6iAseg
It’s 3:42 A.M.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0PIkHZpY5
I’ve already reviewed thirty-eight anonymous files today.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1VEopga8a
If I don’t sleep now, I’ll misread intel tomorrow.
Why am I even wondering if Nora would start writing fanfic about me?218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7o0RiIFUq
Why do I… care?
No. This was professional anxiety.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oBPlP8brm
Part of Bat-Family information security protocols.
Yes.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8P43DTR1rk
Sleep. No more browsing.
Tim slammed the laptop shut—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATrAu4NE8u
as if slamming the door on temptation itself.
The chair creaked behind him as he stood,218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsk1TVya7PN
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—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKh9GsBsAyP
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—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jOGeVeHWo
the kind who casually wrote things like,218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjatFOLQ8Nv
“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—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEcDVJcH0X
the kid would probably laugh himself breathless, then go ask Bruce:218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70fStzWwyr
“So… what do you think of Finn’s teacher writing fanfic about you and… yourself?”
No.
This had to be buried in the night.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqxOM2V0wC
No one in the Bat-Family could ever know.
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuF8gzgj2a
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAc2JPBKMG
Tim shoved the whole thing to the back of his mind.
Like stashing a bizarre dream into a folder marked218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoROYqjoL4g
“Low Risk / No Action”218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5gEuNptVP
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?218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsx5QbRlWpj
Maybe it had just been a teacher’s instinct.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRui3HRGYU0
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,218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pZnHmeiPr
there weren’t blueprints for bombs, or surveillance tapes—
but instead—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQz3xYxd7xW
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.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWtBwwPtgC
Gentle smile.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbo4YuSrtAa
Painstaking lesson plans.
And then at night, under an anonymous handle,218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGbzKTtodf
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.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RxBVa9rMY
Lack of malicious intent didn’t mean lack of risk.
The better she was at writing…218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KOhSRNoC1
the more likely she might one day write something too accurate.
So he checked her system.
Installed a barely-there monitoring script—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5jLoiASM5
so subtle it wouldn’t interfere with daily use.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqr5hcw8vu
It would only trigger if specific keywords were typed.
If anything questionable showed up,218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztvvRy1Y6W
Tim would be notified first.
Not automatically blocked.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnV07qZ9OK
He’d assess it himself.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToiztYwdrL
A baseline courtesy—to respect creative freedom.
This should be enough, he thought.
Leaning back in his chair,218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQDSbPE7VP
he wrapped up the day’s backup logs218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJzpnZ5WbM
and turned to other vigilante data reports.
But unfortunately…218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XlYnV4C7U
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—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1qm4gHwKN
only to explode in the middle of dead silence.
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBJvxO1NaN
One week later—
Tim’s computer lit up in warning.
Not a regular alert.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQV9o5Hbt3
It was one of his high-priority personal triggers.
It popped from the corner of his screen—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzHaif5DK4
flashing red.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6bBRMfST7
Loud system ping.
Tim reacted instantly.
Fingers darted to the trackpad on reflex.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwlKlB1Ez9
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—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPhzRmEt4o
blank for a second—then rapidly expanded the full input log.
Nora Virell218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguZH8kqzIy
Search time: 11:42 P.M.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQY4gsiFus
Device: Personal computer.
Entered queries:
- “Where to buy bullets in Gotham right now”218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAHw6YVgs9
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXY1eID0y5V - “Black market weapon price list”218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKpsPBXjVL
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf75xrozwBH - “Handgun usage tutorial”218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6Q2MuTuGY
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbWvfoOF5X
Tim stared at the screen—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45WOugNNTJ
and felt his chest begin to tighten.
Tim was thinking.
He didn’t jump to conclusions.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0HQQb6Xv9
Not right away.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkAsAF2arf
Like always, he mentally arranged all the possible explanations in rapid succession.
He tried to reason it out—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzYzh0OzEN
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.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0keydc1DH
Maybe a character was trying to stop an arms deal.
Something like that.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1cP4hd0WV
Trying to recreate that sense of danger.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2ciYMy760
Or exploring a character’s discomfort with firearms—how they reacted to pulling the trigger.
He’d read those kinds of stories before.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaQZ04Je63
Some of them were frighteningly realistic.
But unfortunately—Nora proved him wrong.
She wasn’t just skimming scenarios.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMB4ys25EU
She wasn’t just dipping in and out.
She was seriously browsing.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsHDxUu7nz
Spending over thirty seconds per page.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKsz2EyDHf
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”218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpv7QsJECQ
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hF8Ouiqys - “Small caliber vs large caliber”218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6D3KNYFIHE
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUsc5NWA1C - “Civilian vs law enforcement firearm pricing”218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwzd6VWTSS
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJvN4MLeQK
Those weren’t things a character needed to know.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGcwJziZEy
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.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64Oj9PwYne
She was evaluating—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQFKYMsxzq
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—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9Dj20slRS
a rising, sharp anxiety began flooding in.
She’s a teacher. Finn’s teacher.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6zQoSpe9X
She works in a kindergarten.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJH8rMA4aYY
Teaches kids to draw, tells them stories, shows them how to say “I’m sorry.”
What would she need a gun for?
For protection?218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbg02cJM1bQ
For something else?
Where did she learn it?218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyA3N5MjctJ
Has she been trained?218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVfWGJqtcA
Does she know how to use one?218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvyp7kb8fx
Would she use it on someone?
Tim couldn’t let this go.
This wasn’t about artistic freedom.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItUpw4ICpl
This wasn’t just a passing curiosity.
This was a potential armed individual demonstrating suspicious behavior.
He needed to understand her threat level—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdESAYhhzwL
and eliminate any possible risk.
That didn’t mean punishment.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6ZctXqz7Y
But it did mean removing danger—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfV1LF0psb4
before it ever had the chance to grow teeth.
Tim moved his fingers.
The keyboard’s backlight flickered faintly as the windows expanded again—218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGgkz23V3T
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.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAe1wRslX5
His tone unspoken.
This time—he was going to find out, personally.
What the hell is she planning?
218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6QaPiiWfT
and then Add to home screen.