Chapter Text
It’s probably safe to say that Bruce and Dick were pretty upset with Tala’s disappearing act.
Talia had blindfolded her all the way back to the manor where she dropped here outside the gates. The walk to the front door was long, long enough for Bruce to appear from wherever he was in the manor to the front door.
His arms were crossed as he stood by the wooden doors, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown. He changed his clothes from gala into sweatpants and a black shirt that left nothing to the imagination. If she hadn’t been so exhausted then she would’ve been fawning over her man.
“Tala,” he grunted.
“Not now Bruce,” she says as she walks up the stairs leading to the front door.
“Where did she take you?” He asks her, looking down at her.
“I’m tired,” she pushes past him and walks into the manor.
“Tala-“ he walks in after her.
“Bruce.” She can’t look at him right now. She’d started leaving the manor for her apartment after each gala (and after making sure Dick was asleep) and she really didn’t want to see Bruce right now. Not when she still felt hurt.
She’d suck it up tomorrow and move on, she just needed to be alone tonight. Unfortunately, Bruce couldn’t catch a fucking hint.
“She’s dangerous, you shouldn’t have spoken to her, you shouldn’t have left the gala with her. You don’t know-“
“I know exactly how dangerous she is.” Tala cuts him off, “and I left despite that.” Couldn’t he trust her judgment? Why does he always think he knows best?
“She could’ve done something to you,” he tries, matching her pace as she hurried down the hall.
“She didn’t, I’m completely unharmed,” Tala says.
“Show me your hand.” He stops her. Fuck. She must’ve done something unconsciously.
“Nothing happened, Bruce,” she tries, but he grabs her arm gently and pushes her finger back to inspect her palm.
No wounds. Thank god the magic water healed her.
He looks at her suspiciously, “what happened?”
“Tomorrow,” she tries, pulling her wrist from her cool hands.
“Why won’t you look at me?” He asks. He didn’t know. She knows that, but the fact that he asked her made her eye twitch. He didn’t know how much seeing him flirting with other people, seeing them plastered on him and him on them hurt her.
Was he dense or was she sensitive.
“For the love of god, Bruce!” She yells, pushing past him again, “I said I’m going to tell you what happened tomorrow! Go save the fucking city and leave me alone!” Tears start to run down her face, she tries to rub them off but they continue to fall.
“Tals?” Dick’s small voice startles her. She quickly composes herself and turns to look at the boy with a smile plastered hastily on her face.
He stood by his bedroom door in his blue pajamas looking worried.
She was the worst mother figure ever. She hadn’t notice they were up in the bedroom corridors and she hadn’t been careful with the how loud she was being.
“Why aren’t you asleep, songbird?” She asks, trying to sound as normal as possible, “did we wake you up?”
“No, I was waiting for you to come home,” he looks between them, “are you two fighting?”
“No, of course not,” she says, “right?”
“Yes,” Bruce didn’t miss a beat, “we weren’t fighting, chum, we were just talking.”
Dick didn’t look convinced at all, “where were you?” He asked Tala, crossing his arms. Oh god, she had two of them now. He was mimicking Bruce’s behavior unconsciously.
“A friend needed my help, I left with her,” she says.
“What friend?” He asks.
“You wouldn’t know her,” she knows what he’ll do if she gives him a fake name, “now, how about we stop the interrogations and go to bed?”
He gives her a look.
She hums, walking towards him. Pulling him into her arms, she hugs him tightly.
“I know you’re not telling me something,” he hums into her ears.
“Then it’s a good thing that you don’t have to know everything that goes on between me and my friends, hmm?” She hums back.
He grunts in displeasure before heading towards his bed.
She follows him in, covering him with his blanket and giving him a kiss on cheek.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Tala finds Bruce standing where she had left him outside Dick’s room.
She shuts the door before motions for him to walk with her so they don’t disturb the boy’s sleep.
“What did I do?” He asks, his tone genuine.
“Nothing, it’s not your fault, I just need to be alone for a few hours.” She tells him as she opens the door that leads to her room.
“You’re not staying in our room tonight?” He sounds so sad to Tala, “I’m going to got out, you can sleep alone until I come back,” he offers.
“I need to be alone for the whole night, but we’ll speak in the morning.” She stands her ground. She can’t be around him right now.
“Okay,” he whispers. His hands cup her face as he kisses her forehead.
“I love you,” she tells him as she closes the door.
“I love you,” he whispers as he leaves.
Some part of her is upset that he didn’t try harder, that he didn’t push to stay. She knows she insisted he stay away, and he respected her wishes- still, she wanted him to notice, to apologize, to know.
He didn’t.p and it was her own fault for not telling him.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Her night is not peaceful. Nightmares chased her every time she closed her eyes.
She woke up feeling exhausted.
Maybe she shouldn’t have fallen asleep.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Breakfast was quiet.
Alfred takes Dick to school.
Both she and Bruce have to go to work soon.
They’ll talk later.
They will.
They don’t.
————————————————————————————————————————————
It’s been two weeks.
Tala and Bruce didn’t have one proper conversation in two weeks.
Tala would argue that it was because they were both so busy, but she’d be lying.
She’d see Bruce when she picked Dick up from school on the days where Alfred or Bruce couldn’t. She’d see Bruce when they spent time helping Dick with his homework or played with the boy. They acted fine in front of Dick, but they were much less touchy feely.
Every time she thought about speaking to him she’d get reminded of why she felt so hurt.
The two weeks had too many events and Bruce made sure to attend all of them. He also made sure to keep up the Brucie act.
Photos and videos of him ‘drunk’, dancing with other pretty people- some plastered all over him and him over them circulated around Gotham.
She couldn’t open her phone without seeing him, dressed in the clothes she made him, looking like he’s made out with everyone in Gotham and their mother.
It didn’t help that she knew it was an act. He was still doing it.
She just needs a break.
Maybe she should go out dancing with Selina.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Well… this night could’ve been better.
She headed to the club with Selina, arm in arm. They whispered and giggled to each other all the way there, pulling their dresses down every few steps since the fabric kept ridding up.
The first hour was great.
The songs playing were good, the lighting was dim, and no man had attempted a conversation with either of them.
Then Selina saw Slam and apparently they were in the on period of their on and off relationship.
Selina wouldn’t have left her if Tala hadn’t insisted it was okay. Tala knows that the man was out of Gotham for an investigation for a while now and her friend missed him a lot.
Selina told her they could all spend their night together, but Tala could see the way the two were looking at each other and she did not want to overhear what she knows is going to happen.
Declining their offer of calling her a taxi, she walks away from where they were eating each other’s face off.
She was alone.
It’s fine.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Tala ends up in a small Puerto Rican restaurant at near her apartment building. It was a small place that was managed by a family. It was warm.
The bells near the door jingle as she pushes it open. A teenager greets her awkwardly, leading her to a table at the far edge of the restaurant.
She orders some dish with fried plantains, Mofongo, and a passion fruit drink.
While she waits on her order, two familiar figures walk into the place. A tired woman and her smaller son.
Cathrine looked even more sickly than the last time Tala saw her. Jason looked excited, but thin. If Tala rember correctly, then he should be 7, 8 soon, maybe in August? He was shorter than he should be, especially since his dad was as tall as Bruce and his mom was on the taller average side.
Like the last time Tala had seen them, Willis Todd was not with them.
Tala’s green eyes meet the woman’s brown.
Tala smiles at the woman, Cathrine attempts to smile back but something about it looked wrong. Her eyes looked devastated and her smile looked heartbreakingly sad.
Tala gets up to great the woman, “Cath, it’s been so long,” the two woman embrace, giving each other cheek to cheek kisses.
“Too long,” Cathrine hugs Tala a little too tightly, like she was desperate for some sort of affection. Tala makes sure to make the hug last more than it usually would.
“And is that Jason? You’ve grown into such a handsome young man!” She smiles at him, tilting her head.
His eyes flicker to his mom, he must’ve forgotten her.
“Jason, this is Tala, she’s a friend,” his mother takes his hand in her’s, squeezing it comfortingly.
“Hi,” he says hesitantly.
“Hi,” Tala repeats, then she turns to look at Cathrine, “why don’t you two join me at my table?”
Cathrine shakes her head, “I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“You wouldn’t be. In fact, you two would be great company and I wouldn’t have to eat all alone.”
After a thoughtful pause and a look to make sure Jason was okay with the idea, the two join Tala at her table.
The same teenager that greeted Tala takes their orders. Tala orders a few more things off the menu as well.
Jason kicks his legs under the table as the women make small talk. The first few minutes are a little awkward, but soon they speak like they did before.
“Jason,” Tala says, trying to include the boy in the conversation, “you’re in second grade now?”
The small boy nods, trying to hide a shy, but proud smile, “mhm,” he hums, looking anywhere but Tala.
“Jason,” his mother interrupts sharply, her hand giving his shoulder a firm but loving squeeze, “¿qué es ese mugu-mugu? Abre la boca y contéstale a la señora como un nene grande. Dile que sí.”
Jason swallows hard, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red. He sneaks a glance at Tala, sits up a little straighter, and clears his throat.
“Yes,” he says, his voice small but clear this time. “I’m in second grade.”
“Wow! You’re so big now!” Tala widens her eyes, her expression animated, “what are they teaching you?”
“‘Bout the water cycle but I already know that,” his small voice has a heavy Parkrow accent, much like his father.
“Oh, you do?” Tala asks, exchanging amused glances with Cathrine.
“I do!” He nods in a matter of fact way, “I’m smart, right Mamá?”
“Yes, Jason,” Cathrine looks proud, “my little genius. Tell Auntie about your book, hmm?”
He puffs his chest in pride, “I know how to read grown up books! I’m in gifted class!”
“Oh my! You’re good at everything, aren’t you? What books do you like reading?”
“I like The Little Prince! It’s my favorite! But it’s not a school book,” he sighs, like it’s a topic he often discusses. He shakes his head in an adorable way.
“Hmm, that’s annoying,” she mimics him, shaking her head in disappointment, “I love that book too, I-“
She’s interrupted by their dishes arriving.
At first, Cathrine doesn’t seem to notice the dishes Tala ordered, taking from her own dish, then Tala starts asking her to try different things, offering Jason different things. Soon, and after a lot of effort on Tala’s part, they start eating with her.
Jason looked so happy, the color returning to his face, his mouth full with food.
Using the bathroom as an excuse, Tala discreetly pays for the food, ordering a few more dishes to go.
She heads back to the table, continuing her conversation with the pair.
Soon, they finish up and the waiter brings the to go food.
Cathrine looks confused, but she doesn’t ask anything, instead turning to the waiter to ask for the bill.
“Your bill has been payed for,” the teenager tells her before rushing away.
“What?” Cathrine asks, turning to look at Tala, “you payed for the whole meal? How much do I owe you?” The woman pulls her wallet out of her purse.
“Nothing,” Tala says. Cathrine opens her mouth to object, but Tala doesn’t let her, “I insist. You did me a favor- letting me eat dinner with you two, this is the least I could do for you.”
They have a small back and forth before the woman folds, promising to take care of the next bill.
“What’s in the bag?” Jason asks curiously.
“I accidentally ordered a little too much food, can you believe how silly I am?” Tala says.
“You are silly!” He laughs, “what will you do with all of it?”
“Tala, you don’t have to,” Cathrine tries, understanding what Tala intended to do.
“I don’t know, Jay,” Tala hums thoughtfully, “I just wish there was a strong, growing boy that loves this restaurant. He’d take the food and eat it tomorrow, he’d be my hero!”
Jason uses the table to lift himself up, leaning forwards, yelling, “I can do it! I’m growing! I’ll be so tall!”
Tala gasps, “you will?”
Jason looks at his mother, who nods at him hesitantly.
“I will!” He finally agrees.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Tala and Cathrine exchange a hug that’s a little too long and a little too tight outside the restaurant.
Tala watches them walk away, waving to an equally enthusiastic Jason until she can’t spot the two anymore.
Ring Ring.
The caller ID read Dark Knight.
Bruce.