Unsuspecting Hero (Batjokes)

Chapter 30

Bruce held Jack for two hours. The silence was quiet, calm and filled with warmth. Jack's tears had stopped a while ago, quiet breaths leaving him as he laid there in thought.

Bruce could understand the struggle to understand his own mind. After all, Jack was right. Things had been going far too quick. 

"I think that..." those words left Jack's lips, barely above a whisper, and Bruce looked down to see him clearer. "I think that I am relieved. I don't have to worry about him anymore, or what he might do. But I wish that...things didn't end that way"

Bruce smiled, rubbing a small circle into Jack's back. The other man leaned into the touch, eyes flickering up to meet Bruce's gaze. "I don't think I've said this yet, but I'm proud of you"

Bruce heard Jack's breath catch in his throat, his expression turning into one of disbelief. "Y-You're..."

"I'm so proud of you, Jack. When I found you in Founder's Park, you didn't want to accept the help. And then you began to open up to me, slowly but surely. You accepted this, whatever this may have been. You thought about rehabilitation before I had even asked it of you, and even though you were scared, you accepted anyway. It takes a lot of guts, Jack, to be a strong as you have been. You have all of these new feelings you didn't experience before, empathy, love, fear. And you've been taking them all in stride. That's more than I could have ever expected of you. And I'm proud"

"I..." Jack hesitated, wearing his emotions on his face like a book. And Bruce read that book cover to cover, smiling. "T-Thank you..."

"And you should be proud of yourself, too. You've come a long way, in such a short amount of time. You've been putting others before yourself, you've been caring for them, worrying about them. I wouldn't have expected that from you in a thousand years. But it's only been three months, and it's laying in front of my eyes. And in my arms"

"B-Bruce..." Those tears were back, this time laced with the small crinkle of Jack's eyes, forcing back a smile. Jack's cheek's were pink, flushed with colour. 

"Please. I want you to feel just as proud of yourself as I do. Because you don't deserve what Harvey did to you, despite what you think. And you haven't failed with this 'third chance' of yours. You've succeeded in a way no one ever expected. You saved all of us. You're not the villain anymore, your just Jack. You get to choose your path. You get to decide what you do next. And you should be proud of that, because I know that whatever you'll do, it'll be Jack. And that's the most amazing part of you"

"I-I love you, Bruce" The words slipped out before Jack could stop them. "I-I love you so much it hurts. You're...you're too good to me, to anyone."

Jack wasn't sure what he was expecting. For Bruce to push him away, for him to tense up and change the conversation, for him to just leave. But instead he was pulled closer, a small kiss being placed against his cheek to stop the flowing tears. "And maybe once I would have been ashamed to say it back. But not now. Not anymore"

Jack's heart pounded within his chest, eyes flickering along Bruce's face for any sign of a lie. His Bats, His Bruce, his everything. "B-Batsy...?"

"I love you too, Jack."

Jack sobbed then. A pitiful little sound, unable to stop the waves of emotion leaking from his eyes. He laughed, trembling and full of happiness. "Y-You're not...you're not lying?"

"I love you more than words can describe"

"Will you try...? P-Please, for me..." Jack needed to grasp this, needed to understand. He was in disbelief, he could hardly imagine this was happening. It all felt like a dream. Bruce didn't even hesitate, running a comforting hand through his green locks and Jack leaned into the touch.

"I love the way you're face scrunches up when you concentrate, or when your confused. The way your eyes light up when you see someone, the biggest of smiles gracing your cheeks. I love how close you are with Damien, the way you hold him so protectively to shield him from the horrors of the world, or the way you push people away because you're scared you might hurt them, even though you would never. Or the way you seek Alfred out, so concerned when he got hurt and holding him so close when you knew he was okay. The way you squirm when too excited, always finding the strangest fascination in the littlest of things. I love the interest you find when I tell you about my boring business meetings, or the way you engage with Dick, always managing to bounce off of eachother as you joke and laugh. And you always look so light, as you bond with my family and I. And I love the way you just fit. Fit within the household, fit within my family, fit within my arms. I don't think there is one thing I could name that I don't love about you. I just wished you saw yourself as I do. Because you aren't perfect, no one is. But you're just right. And I don't think I could love anything about you more"

"Bats...Bruce..." Jack sobbed, hands reaching out to cup at Bruce's cheeks. Holding him, taking it all in, admiring him. Bruce gently brought Jack down, and it felt like a dream as their lips connected. Jack was on cloud nine, the kiss delicate and soft and full of emotion. It was short, but sweet, and Jack couldn't ask for anything more. Their lips parted, a faint tingle lingering along the skin. 

"I-I am...I can start to be..." Jack stuttered out, voice soft and eyes not daring to look away from those baby blues. "Start to be...?" Bruce asked, expectantly waiting for him to finish. 

"I can start to be proud of myself. I-I can start to learn to love myself"

"...Jack" Bruce smiled, and Jack wanted nothing more than to kiss him once again. "A-After all...if you're finally admitting it, I must be doing something right"

Bruce laughed, the sound hearty and reverberating within his chest. Bruce pulled him in once again, lips dancing along eachother in a brand new dance.

Jack was so used to dancing with this man. Through violence and blades, through words and threats, though a game they both play.

But this dance? It had to be his favourite.

Bruce pulled away, and gently gracing his hand along Jack's cheek. "You are"