Trusting the Unknown [Catwoman]

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    Gotham nights belonged solely to him, there was never any question about it. Skillfully and forcefully, the Batman brandished his own reign of vigilante justice; mercilessly striking down those he caught committing heinous acts of crime. Using fear tactics, deadly combat, an endless array of high-tech gadgetry capable of inflicting all types of the worst pain felt, and his steel trap of a brilliant mind specializing in deductive logic and reason. The terror his inky black shadow enforced so intensely within Gotham's seedy underbelly that his eerie razor sharp gaze could still be felt come the early light hours of dawn. The Bat had to be relentless, a force of nature, he had to be a symbol incapable of corruption, a symbol of hope for all the good people sprinkled throughout Gotham.

    So he patrolled the city at night, making a joke out the GCPD and their effectiveness as well as making quite a few enemies spawned from the immoral decay and injustice Gotham was wrought with. The criminal element within his city had grown into a plague of epidemic proportions - featuring the likes of scum known as, the Joker, Two-Face, Scarecrow, the Falcone Family... The immorality of the city eventually caught the attention of the FBI investigative invasion stripping Gotham and its citizens of all rights and freedoms. And that was when the incurable madness and atrocious depravity that had been festering and boiling ever since Gotham's FBI imposed lock down suddenly burst free--becoming pandemic with the Riddler's little trip overseas to China. And it was because of this diseased corruption spawned in the streets of Gotham by the cowardly and superstitious, that the Batman manifested from myth to legend; the Guardian of Gotham. The nights were his and his alone, his presence ever-felt the moment the city piqued at its darkest hour.

    The Bat knew his role, understood his mission, and accepted the responsibility that came along with being the Dark Knight. Each night was a chance to rectify the abominations caused by heinous acts of immorality. It was never about revenge for him. No. It was about justice. It had always been about justice - striving to fight the ever-present war on crime in one nightly battle at a time... Never would the self-appointed vigilante admit to anyone, not even his own soul, that such a declaration of war for bringing justice to the unjust was an attempt to prevent for others what he himself had forever lost due to a senseless act of violent crime - happiness in life. So when the dangers of his city infringed upon the safety of others outside Gotham--the Bat's inky shadow of vigilante terror knew no bounds.

    He followed Edward Nigma, the Riddler, all the way to China - taking along another Rogue of Gotham in tow, Catwoman. He had set up a makeshift, temporary truce with the master thief given her knowledge and double-edged involvement with the Riddler and his plans for choosing to go international. Needless to say, the mission was a success with a few surprising twists... The true face behind the mask of Catwoman having been revealed to the Dark Knight. He never let on he had discovered the dirty, little secret of Selina Kyle... Somehow it would be a breach of their shakily built trust, not to mention it gave the Bat leverage to use against the socialite in the future during a moment of opportunity. Once the mission had been accomplished, resulting in Nigma's capture and containment back in Gotham, the Bat cut ties with Catwoman - letting the thief know their pact was over.

    Despite the time and moments of personal weakness and genuine compassion they had shared during their stay in China, Batman appeared to brush all of it off the moment they arrived back in Gotham. The best way he found to deal with "emotions" was to not deal with them at all. He had a job to do - one that didn't entail of growing feelings for one of his long-time foes. Regardless of who Catwoman really was behind the mask. Ironically, despite his efforts to abandon the femme fatale, fate would have it that months later while giving respect to his deceased parents at their place of death, a now sacred spot known only to him within Crime Alley, did the Bat feel a pair of eyes upon him. The scent of perfume and sound of echoing footfalls were all-too familiar to him. Selina. Selina had been there to see the Batman honor the death of the Waynes. Well, the Bat could only assume Selina had seen him...

    He left the site in the slip of a shadow and couldn't exactly pin-point where he believed the socialite to be coming from. Still, a lurking suspicion lingered within the back of his mind - something he wouldn't act upon but not forget anytime soon, either. These were the thoughts that silently plagued him now as he scoured the gothic towering city this night, gliding silently from rooftop to rooftop. Appearing exactly where those will evil intent didn't want him to be. It was just as he took perch atop a ritzy high rise overlooking the East End harbor when a faint alarm suddenly went off within the confines of his masked cowl's high-tech radar communicator. A break in at the WayneTech facility a few piers down was occurring - a serious breach of security from the type of alarm. Someone had managed to get past what was supposed to be an impenetrable fortress... It was an incredible feat that was about to become very, very short lived.

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The piers seemed to be calling her back, time and time again in this season. She almost chuckled at that one. Even though this time her little 'endeavors' had no real purpose for fun, tonight, she waited. Yes, she'd broken past his new-fangled blah-blah, level 16, super-security force 9, or whatever model it was, but it wasn't fun to do. It was a task, a means to an end. And as much as she was good at breaking and entering, it had to have a purpose. And using B & E for the purpose of a 'talk', was an utter waste of time. So as she gracefully climbed her way to the topmost floor, and then eased her way to the rooftops, she made sure to glance at the little gadget afixed to her wrist; a timer of how long she would have once the alarm sounded, and then, how much time she'd have to wait.

Leaning against part of the crumbling brick, she pursed her lips and blew an imaginary strand of hair off her forehead. Thankfully, this iteration of her costume kept her hair off her face. She had so many variations, that at times it was almost a chore to pick which cowl to go with her suit. But tonight she'd chosen something simple, black, and tight. Some days it was purple, black and tight. Either way, either choice afforded her simplistic grace in her task for the evening. And tonight's task?

A chat with Batman.

Exhaling, Selina dropped the attitude for a moment. As much as she wanted to just play it off as the bitch everyone knew Catwoman to be, this required something more. Something that was eating away at her, and hadto be addressed. Much like she'd been hauled along to China, and just as subtly dropped like a bad habit afterward, it left not only a bad taste in her mouth, but a foul one. Pursing her lips, she shook off the dejected, rejected feeling that crept along her spine. They'd made tentative partnerships before. Yes, they were on the opposite sides of the law. No, neither played 'fair,' But for him to ask for her help so intimately, to help with getting Agent Tiff out of his city, out of her playground, and to ask her to go after -her- friend, and nothing? No thank you, no smile, not even a goddamn grunt that she read as his neanderthal way of gratitude. No, he'd dropped her like a habit worse than bad, and said nothing more. How was she supposed to take such a harsh rejection, after their years of banter back and forth? Clearly, she wasn't even dealing with it well.

So even as they had attended mutual social events, they had play-acted. Bruce Wayne the Fop, Selina Kyle the socialite, just as they always had. And it sat poorly with her. Not that she had been aware at the time who he was. That fucking Bruce Wayne? Of all people? Her casual, laugh-and-joke, maybe dance and dine at this event or that, was the man she'd been flirting and tangling with at night for years. It had sent her into a tailspin of sorts. How was she to assimilate the information that such different personas were the same man? She still believed that he was neither Batman, nor 'Bruce Wayne' as he presented himself to the public eye. Maybe, maybe Alfred would know the true man behind both masks. But her? She could only think in splinters of a memory, or maybe a dream that was from China.

Setting her jaw, she sighed. Either he was off doing something else, maybe letting someone else get stabbed, and ignoring prideful sacrifices, or who knows what. He had at least three minutes left. Three minutes she could figure out in her own head, so the device was peeled off her wrist and safely tucked back into the soft back leather bag hanging at her waist. She'd added an additional shoulder strap, because after one rainy night...she had to be careful.

She hadn't expected to see him slinking through the dark, on a mission. But that night in the Alley had spurned her on her own detective hunt worthy of Batman himself. But the intimate information she'd discovered....rocked her. The murders. The little boy. But sadly, to her, it all made sense. A mission born of pain, and a way to dull the ache with action. But even that revelation didn't quell the fire in her own belly. Everyone had their own demons to live with. She did, he did. But that was not going to dissuade her from having her little tete a tete with Batman, Gotham's Dark Knight, and Prince, all in one.

So she leaned against the decrepit brick wall, arms crossed over her leather costume, green eyes made up pointedly to look good in the mask, and waited. Not something a feline like her did, but she was doing it now, the warm, dark emotions pouring offer her stance, the tilt of her lips, the look in her eyes. He had one-hundred and forty three seconds remaining.

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"You realize this is the worst way to get my attention."

The growl of a deep graveled all-too familiar voice came from shadows a few feet to the right of Catwoman.  Slinking out from the darkness upon the WayneTech facility rooftop, came a tall, razor edged, black figure - giving a body to the omniscient voice. With his specialized electric-fiber responsive cape wrapped tight about his powerful, cleverly armored form, the Batman appeared before Catwoman as if he had materialized from the shadows themselves. Twin narrow slits for eyes eerily shone white in the dark, masking his humanity within the face of the Bat. Only his chiseled pale jaw covered in faint stubble gave away his affiliation to humanity.

Barely.

The eye lenses within his high-tech mask scanned the notorious criminal before him, getting a clear reading on any sort of metal-based weapons he may be wielding; not to mention doing a peripheral sweep of the setting around the two of them to check for disguised traps and points of attack. This was the fifth time he had scanned the area since he had silently landed atop the building's roof. The silent alarm had been stopped by a mere press of a button from a concealed remote securely placed upon his utility belt - he had already sent the texted signal to Alfred that he was aware of the situation and handling it. Alfred of course knew what to do once receiving this coded text and immediately contacted Wayne Security and GCPD to apologize for the false alarm on Mr. Wayne's behalf.

If Catwoman was testing his tolerance in reacting to her antics with some little head game, she was about to be sorely mistaken about just how serious he was over ending their "partnership" when they last spoke. No more leniency, no more exceptions. He knew this was no ordinary break-in given the fact she was so blatantly waiting for his arrival remaining out in the open atop the roof. She was up to something - he just didn't know what… yet.

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She hadn't even cared about what was inside the warehouse. It was just the sending of the message. So when the tall, dark and handsome apparated out of the black shadow, she only raised a brow, one gimlet green eye rolling at his brand of 'humor' he liked to use with her. So dour. So flat. So...serious. So not Bruce Wayne, who was beyond the polar opposite of ..whatever this was. Carefully she unfolded her arms much like a feline finally relinquishing it's spot in the sun; slowly, languidly, and without care. He was certainly taking his time as she scanned. She knew his body language and tells better than he probably knew she did. So at the fourth turn, she shrugged, offering a glib, "I never knew you were my keeper, so I must have missed that little rule..." A quick flick of her hair over her shoulder. If he really cared, all that would register would be her claws, and a few other climbing items she kept with her for this night's adventure. No weapons. That just wasn't her style, and he knew that.

It was odd. They hadn't had any sort of run in for a while. And if she were to go for a more canine metaphor, she was licking her wounds with her tail between her legs. It was a slap in the face, for him to ignore her as such. She'd been a help, and well, her pride had been bruised. But where to go from there? It seemed he was more than willing to get to the point, and rather quickly.

"Oh, no questions on what I'm doing, or why? You're not even going to frisk me?" She said flatly, a dark hint of bemused pain lingering. Stepping closer, she circled him, noting nothing out of the ordinary from the man she knew, better than he knew. As she drew a close to her pacing circle, she stopped before him, unhesitant in her shift as a claw slipped from her forefinger and went to trace the emblem on his chest. Head tilting to one side, those deep green eyes gazed up at him.

"Oh, I know much worse ways, Stud. I could have hijacked a billboard, and done some fantastic graffiti," Her hand splayed in the sky near their ears. "It would have been fantastic..." She breathed, eyes glinting evilly. Bruce Wayne is Batman it could have said.... "You upgraded this a few weeks ago. I wanted to test it out. And...not surprisingly, you came in person to see who could break your new toy. You're so predictable..." Her words hung in the air as she declined to say his name. It was too early. Too easy.

She'd make him work for it, and then tease out of him the reaction she wanted. If he was going to play ball, she would bring it. And she was curious if he would pick up on her play on words. Because it certainly wasn't Batman who would install new security on Bruce Wayne's property. Nor would Catwoman know such information, like that. Or would she? Such a conundrum. As she drew closer to him, poised in case he struck, her body supple and limber, she closed the gap between them, her eyes locked on his face. That is where his reactions would show. A small twitch of the lip, a tiny shift in the eye; the muscles at the crux where his cheek and lips met crinkling. She would break him, just as he had pushed her away after helping.

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Like a pillar of fortified stone, the Bat loomed before the leather-clad woman as she slunk around him, circling him in her signature way. Much like a cat toying with its freshly caught prey. His stare was unblinking, unreadable, and perfectly hidden behind his narrowly slit white lenses. As she traced the grooves of his bat emblem carved upon his armored suit, he suddenly caught the briefest and most subtle of flashes in her tone when she spoke. As quickly as it had come, it vanished twice as fast… But not before he caught ahold of her entrancing green gaze glittering from behind the confines of her sleek mask.


He saw it lingering there – raw and exposed was a depth of pain flickering about the gold and green flecks within her eyes. She was hurting from a certain private sort of personal hell, finding solace in torture. It was a look he knew all too well. He saw it in his own eyes every day, standing before the lavish marble crested mirror in his master bathroom carefully shaving last night’s stubble cleanly from his face. Covering up all evidence of his true self by pulling on that dapper billionaire playboy mask—the Bat still lurking just beneath, scoffing at the mundane activities socialites do, methodically keeping tabs on people, places, events, connections – information. Bruce Wayne existed simply because the tabloids, the media, stockholders, companies, and products declared that he did.


In reality?


There was no Bruce Wayne. There was only Batman who wore a Bruce Wayne mask. And it was in that intrinsically ugly truth of living a lie disconnected from society, detached from emotions was where he saw his own painful demons reflecting upon Selina’s eyes. Even though Catwoman’s motives were never direct, they did share a core purpose – she always acted on her own terms. She had lured him here for a purpose that he couldn’t quite understand but given the circumstances he undoubtedly knew whatever she wanted from him was important. Focusing on her words, giving no physical response to her teasing touches, jaw clenched and breathing still, she suddenly and subtly revealed a fantastically detrimental truth that would change his entire world.


She knew.


She knew who he was both masked and un-masked. Bruce Wayne is Batman – and Selina knew. How she had come to this realization now flooded his thoughts. Furthermore, what would become of this new power Catwoman now possessed? The Dark Knight didn’t flinch, didn’t twitch, didn’t blink, or even breathe. His response was one of no response – unwavering and impossible to read. It dawned on him… As she stood there before him looking rather pleased with herself at the moment, something clicked in the back of mind. Her perfume was a very subtle, soft, sweet, and clean scent – one he wouldn’t mistake another woman for wearing. He knew her scent, never daring to admit to himself that he actually looked forward to it whenever she was around.


Not too long ago… He had thought he caught her exact scent as he made his annual trip to that seedy, dark, and desolate alleyway – shifting his patrol route that night to make a stop at Crime Alley so he could place two blood red roses down upon the cracked and crumbling pavement right where the bodies of his parents once lay. It was at that precise moment he could’ve sworn that he caught the scent of Selina’s perfume. He immediately disappeared into the shadows above and conducted a thorough sweep about the area trying to catch sight of her – but Selina was nowhere to be found. Since then he had put the situation on hold, not forgetting about it but not making it a priority to investigate.


Not until now.


“You were there that night,” He finally stated, his tone gritty and stiff – giving away nothing. “In Crime Alley, watching.” He didn’t even make a single hinder of a comment about the new security upgrade she had diffused.


“So you know.”


His words spoken with an icy darkness. In a single swift move he suddenly closed the space between their dark forms, tilting down just a bit to growl against her right ear, “That makes us tit for tat, Selina.”

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He was always so quiet when he was thinking. And she knew he was thinking, because Bruce, of all people, Bruce Wayne did a similar thing when they were at banquets, balls, whatever. In those few moments before he'd offer some jibe or scoff at whomever they were targeting their ire at...he'd have those quiet, yet not quiet moments where he'd be mulling over just what to say.

"Yes, Bruce. And yet, you kept your knowledge from me. For months. Was it that bad you saw me at my worst, in China? That while I was more than slightly inebriated, I called out both of them men in my life, to the one man that knew? Was it that horrible that while you stripped me, while there was nothing between us but my alcoholic haze, that you tossed me away once we were back on Gotham soil?" her words weren't just tinged with pain, but hurt, a deep-set pain that only he could fathom. Batman, Bruce fucking Wayne, either way it didn't matter. Tit for tat, she didn't give a shit.

"I helped you. And honestly, that night, I was out. I hadn't seen you....and the few instances I had heard of..were incredibly violent. So when that night...I saw you, of all people, in a dingy alley, setting down flowers? Something was...not quite kosher." She continued, her clawed hand splaying on his chest, her words pouring forth like a busted dam. If this was the last time she did see him, in one mask or the other, she was going to get everything on the table.

"So a few searches on google..and what came up? The pivotal night, too many years ago to count, that Martha and Thomas Wayne sadly exited this earthly world, and left behind their only son. While I sat there, shocked, it soon made more and more sense. Why you were always so....stupid in public appearances, and for some damn reason, Selina Kyle of all people, were privy to a certain side of you never, ever seen by the public, but only captured in those few minutes when we were dancing-quite publicly- or when we were catching a moment on the sidelines. Those whispers and secrets smiles that garnered public press, and public denials from both of us."

"Were we in a relationship?' They'd ask me, and no doubt, you. I'd always decline to answer, they'd go to you, while you'd have whatever model du'jour on your arm. But few knew...that despite our public denials....that we were...in some sort of relationship...just not what they would think." She spat, the pain intensifying. "So, yes, it seems that two of Gotham's most prolific, public socialites, Gotham's Prince, and Gotham's returning sweetheart; or whatever they're calling me now....are yes, the tabloid famed Crimefighter Bat and cat-burglar feline. So. How do we reconcile that, with something we've denied for years...and still keep true to our original visions, without compromising the other's....activities? Or were you just using me, to perpetuate some sort of ...plan, or protocol to further your Wayne image, and hiding your darker side from the press. Really." She doubted the truth would be told, but at least he'd know her full thoughts on the actions. At this juncture, with their identities tentatively 'out there,' he had to talk. There had to be some sort of compromise, some sort of trust before they left eachother's arms tonight. Or they'd both be ruined.

It was quite the conundrum. She was still thieving, but to what extent, she doubted he knew at the moment. She'd also been deeply swamped with legitimate work, but she doubted he knew as much as he wanted. He could ask..but unless there was some sort of answer..she wasn't going to tell.

As the distance closed between them, she quickly inhaled, trying to ignore her racing heart as they were close, so close, once again after days upon days of not seeing eachother.

"But can you prove that it's Selina Kyle behind the catburglar, Bruce Wayne? It's mighty presumptuous to assume that such a quality woman such as her, especially working in the private sector; security, even, would even dare to subvert her day job for something as scandalous as stealing at night. She's rumored to be the best at preventing thefts across the board, you know. In the private, and public arenas both. I have heard that more companies are going to her with their problems, than they are to that small department of Wayne Enterprises, even. They'd rather trust a smaller, female-owned company with a philanthropist at it's head, than that boozing, incompetent Wayne Heir, who plays more than he works..."

It was all a ruse. All words to poke and poke at him to get him out of his comfort zone. As well as he'd plotted, and constructed his own mask, she had created her own. The only glaringly big difference between them was that she was ultimately the same, be she in leather and a mask, or heels and a designer suit. She knew the ins and outs of security and stealing so well, she could play both sides, with utter integrity and conviction that she truly, was. The. Best. And never compromised self as either Catwoman, or 'Selina Kyle.' Her feline persona was woven through her entirely.

[Deleted]

Raw. That’s how he felt. Raw and exposed like an uprooted nerve ending, surviving the painful onslaught by going completely numb. Only not this time. Not with her. She somehow managed to dig her claws deep into him every time they did their notorious midnight rooftop roulette, catching him off guard in subtle ways with a certain curl of her lips, flash of her eyes, a carefully spoken quip that revealed just how truly insightful she was about life. Then, a single fraction of a moment later she wouldn’t fail to disappoint by once again engaging in predictive habitual behavior that the Bat had come to know her for all too well.


Taking the responsibility to actually protect an innocent from danger, so long as her agenda permitted. Choosing to anonymously donate large sums of cash to the less fortunate every so often – especially when needing to disperse the freshly laundered money she’d stolen in a quick, legal manner to collect on the tax write-off. It was that dichotomy she embodied which drew him towards her, never condoning her actions, but neither was he exactly putting in his full effort when it came to detaining her. She got under his skin because he let her. He wanted her to be there. She understood the Bat behind the Man. She lived in both the worlds of Selina Kyle and Catwoman , successfully having twined them together to thrive as one in life: Selina. And that was who stood before him, achingly close in leather-padding-against-Kevlar-armor contact.


Feeling her claws trace around the grooves of his chest plate, his breathing hitched slightly deeper, his body growing a degree or two hotter. Accusation, defiance, and uncertainty were themed throughout her poignant words – his focus, however, was unmistakable on those delicate tinges of pain scarcely wavering within her tone serving to highlight the truths she spoke. Briefly, she was suddenly just as raw and as exposed as he – the truth bringing in a new kind of pain, growth. Yet, in the very next instant Selina followed true to habit and revealed the agenda of her own ulterior motives regarding both of her criminal and corporate lifestyles. This was precisely why he had made it a point to keep his distance from her upon their return from China – essentially, she was a criminal who needed to be apprehended and brought to justice; but she also was a key informant with connections that went deep into the heart of Gotham’s crime scene.


In his world of black and white she was so goddamned GREY!


“Selina,” Dark, firm, and controlled his tone was less gritty, less feral in its depth. “Don’t you see? It’s because there was something more between us that night, there has always been something more between us. Something more is why I chose to take care of you that night, rather than leave you to face hell all on your own. I know that you prefer to be alone when the pain cuts deepest, it’s what you know, what you think you deserve – it justifies the lie you tell yourself, makes it easier to swallow. Why would you expect anyone to give a shit about you, when you have never given a shit about anyone? Found you that night, silently choking on that very same lie. I recognized the signs all too well – taking comfort in that mask to hide the pain. To embody the pain. Become the pain.”


He went silent, letting his words sink in. Icy blue eyes stared at the woman before him, debating, pondering, deciding.


“What we both are… Who we both are – there may never be a definition for. What we both have for each other? Trust. You haven’t shared my identity with anyone for the same reason I haven’t shared yours. Now… It sounds like you have an idea of where we go from here. Sounds like Selina Kyle is vying for a chance to make herself known professionally at Wayne Enterprises. Tell me, what’s to stop you from using your access to security information for personal gain during your ‘nightly activities’? How much trust do you feel that you deserve from me? Or maybe it’s something more…”


Without warning and before Selina could even respond to his words, Bruce wrapped his muscular arms about her slender form, cradling her dangerously close. Swooping in without hesitation, he suddenly crushed his lips heatedly against her own, kissing her with a certain pent up passion that had been building momentum since the start of their rooftop meeting. Normally, Selina had always been the one to initiate such frivolous flirtation and risky antics towards him; now it was the Bat who was calling such shots and falling privy to the desire she stirred so deep within him.

Hot, intense, fierce, and hungry was the way his kiss bit lustfully into her – finding himself addicted to the taste of her, taken with her softness, lost in her touch. The veil had been broken between the two, masks exposed, the truth now worn openly in their place.


Trust. And something more.

[Deleted]

"So you run. You ran." She said quietly, not quite understand, or believing that a man like him...Batman, Bruce goddamn Wayne...would run. Was he that afraid that little ol' thrifty her would go off and hurt him? Steal from him? So he cast her aside after drawing her in close, and the two working together, overseas, even? After she'd made a fool of herself drinking herself into oblivion...for a reason she couldn't even remember?

All over 'something more,' as he put it. What eloquent poetry he used. And when he continued to tell her how she did, and did not function pertaining to hurts, and aspirations, she could feel the anger welling within her. A hot, burning flame that was fanned by his untrue words. As close as they were, her own jaw tensed, her teeth biting down hard as he injured her ...something.

Instead of saying a word, she let him continue to dig his hole, spouting platitudes, and truths, and utter misconceptions and lies. While he was touching upon territory they had always known, but never put to word, he was fanning a flame she didn't even know she could contain. And just as she unclenched her jaw, about to fire off with her own heated retort, he silenced her; those strong, muscled arms pulling around her. Differently than she was used to. There was no rough tugging, no quick, smooth movements to detain her. No gruff barked words to put something down, no threats that it wasn't hers. Just...a gentle embrace, she'd never thought, of all people, of all things, of all...beings, Batman was capable of. But in that brief moment, he wasn't the harsh words, the graveled threats, the pain. He was a man, hiding the most humane parts of him, just as she did, to help others; each in their own way.

She met his own kiss with an unbridled passion. A burning hatred, misconception, and misunderstanding because of his words so clean cut, so black and white. Something she always could never do. But still her hands found themselves twining about his neck, fingertips seeking purchase as her body melted into his, shadow to shadow, fitting better than her dreams had ever told her.

The moment lingered, and finally, finally, she pulled from him, her heart pounding, emotions heightened to that near state of intoxication.

And just as quickly, her hand connected with his cheek, claws retracted. "Don't ever accuse me of not 'giving a shit about anyone.'"[/i] She snarled, her voice husky. "I don't care if you were joking, or making a point, but there are few people that can vouch for the fact I do give a shit, Bruce." Green eyes were vivid, teeming with emotions about to explode as she continued, just as he had prior. She didn't care if he was wearing a mask, or not. "I may tell myself a lie, but it's not the same lie you tell yourself. I do what I do for my own damn reasons, reasons you don't know, and aren't privy to, yet. Maybe you want to keep the same fate you went through from happening to others; good for you. But what I do...I do for a different reason. And for whatever that reason is, and what method I use, you aren't one to judge. And if you're going to start....I don't care what 'something more' caused you to backpedal as fast as you could, it's never going to work. Ever."

Taking a breath of much needed air, it barely helped to clear her head. Of him, of his mouth, of those words, of his taste still lingering upon her lips. The tip of her tongue whetted her mouth before speaking, her words a bit softer this time. "What is stopping me is the fact if I crossed that line, with my night job, in my day job, I wouldn't be so successful as I am with Black Cat. And it would just be tacky to compromise you. And eliminate the fun, as well. You and I can do more...together, as we are, than we could with compromise. I count some of your 'enemies' as friends. I am able to operate in channels you aren't. And if anything, you've got it backward. I use my nightly activities to hone my day job. Think of reverse engineering, for day and night. One just has a different standard of rules..which allows me to confidently set up my systems to keep people like myself out. It just...isn't as cut and dry as you're looking at it.." She murmured, tossing her head as if she were flipping her hair.

"And...that's not exactly what I was thinking for ...where to go from here. That is one direction, considering we're both seen publicly. But that same public..is going to expect a label...something, at some point. But I'll consult. Give me an office, nothing flashy, preferably a corner, or something with windows." Shrugging nonchalantly, she was loathe to put distance between them, so she didn't, pushing the thought from her mind. "Unless..you're talking about...something entirely different with where we go from here. And that, well, that may require a different sort of negotiation, you know," she teased, her claw extending on a fingertip as it went to that all too familiar tracing on his chest.

[Deleted]

Leave it to Selina when it came to possessing the uncanny knack for manifesting a tangible action to his inner, emotional pain.


SLAP!


The crack of her leather glove against his stubble coated jaw could be heard clear across to the next rooftop. A blinding sting penetrated through his body; it was a pain he welcomed without question as he had expected her to respond in such a manner. God, he wanted her now more so than ever in this sudden moment – only she had truly been able to ever call him out on his shit. In that moment of pause which now hung between both of them he ceased the opportunity to react.


“You’re right.” He said solemnly. “I… Placed my judgments onto you and tried to fit you into a neatly labeled box so I could feel like I had a better understanding of what you really mean to me.”

Blue eyes gleaned over her slender, supple form – memorizing every curve, familiarizing himself with each delicate feminine feature wickedly coated in such deadly femme fatale attire. “… I wanted… No, I needed you to feel just as exposed as I do right now. Never occurred to me that you had already been where I’m now finally at, finding ground faster on foot than I do by flight...”


And then? Her caressing touch came once more—soothing the dull ache of a throb that echoed distantly from his jaw. Her words suddenly weaved around him, once again revealing her truest nature to him. She always kept him guessing – much like he caused her such dubious desire to withhold for him.


“An office…?” He now echoed. “Selina… You just said I see things ‘cut and dry’ – and I won’t deny that. Someone has to in this damned forsaken city! … Bruce Wayne isn’t that someone – I am. You want to negotiate? Then do so with Wayne. If you want… Something different, something more entirely…? Then you get me. And right now? I see you as both causing a disturbance to the peace along with intent to break and enter.”


His gloved hand suddenly struck in snake speed to wrap his iron clad grip about the small of her wrist as she traced over his emblem. Grip tight and unrelenting, he leaned in close to sneer heatedly at her, “Both felonies I’m willing to overlook so long as you hold true to your word about “reverse engineering” – and as long as you gain Wayne’s trust.”


He then yanked her even closer to him – if such a move was even possible at this point.


“But just know, Bruce Wayne is much easier to gain trust with than I am. Like you said, I’m cut and dry and require something much more different.”

[Deleted]

His tone changed entirely, and she almost wanted to feel bad. Almost. But he too often judged...well, everything. But if he couldn't call her out, and she couldn't do the same, where would they stand? Pursing her lips she kept the flirtatious air about her, using her prowess to cloak herself. Much like he did, but with different means. "Thank you." She returned quietly, as he realized she wasn't nearly so cut and dry as he was. There was Batman, and there was Catwoman, and a cat was never easily herded.

Her own eyes watched as he observed her, drinking in the sight that had been privy to only him for years. "There are better ways to have gotten that sort of reaction, and you know it. In public, at a gala, or soirée, you could've whispered something into my ear. Forced my hand. I'd have had to maintain two masks, simultaneously, without giving an iota of my own true feelings. One breath either way, and the Post would have a field day with headlines of us. And you know it." Swallowing quietly, she shrugged.

"Exposure doesn't always bring one closer. And yes..an office. You can't just...expect someone of my caliber to sit..and just.." She narrowed her eye at his out-burst. "No one ever asked you to police the entire goddamn city! Who told you, or forced you to do ....to do this? No one. You took it on your own damn terms, you force, make..whatever verb you chose to slot in there....you do this, because you want to. So don't pull some sort of 'woe is me, poor crimefighter' bullshit. You made your bed, now lie in it. Don't like that, change the sheets, stud. You know better!" She spat at him, her words heated in their close proximity.

"Black and white, cut and dry, however you want to term it. And I know Bruce Wayne isn't that man. Or the facade, or farce that you play so you can do this. But I will negotiate with Wayne. And because I like this, I'll continue to do it. With you. But you're mistaken, again, because the only person I'm disturbing is you, and once-write it down in the history books, I'm not going to break and enter, nor steal." Her eyes snapped right back to his when his fingers snapped about her wrist like the echo'ing click of a cuff.

Lips tight once more, she shook her head at him, eyes narrowing. He wasn't playing fair. But he was playing like her, which more than made up for that little misstep. She liked him black and white, no nonsense. This bartering in code was new...and just as thrilling, if her pulse said so. "Done," she got out before she was suddenly closer than a second skin to him.

"You just hope that Mr. Wayne doesn't mind a little late afternoon meeting he just can't refuse then." She murmured, before pressing her lips to his cheek, and slipping from his embrace into the black of night. She had a meeting to prepare for.

TBC here...

[Deleted]

“No, you’re wrong.” Clipped words retorted back. “The reaction I got from you right now in this very moment was one that was natural, true to your soul – and true to mine. Real emotion is what I truly want to feel in this very moment right now. Not something fake, manufactured for publicity's sake by fucking Bruce Wayne.  If I had chosen to force Selina Kyle’s hand as the Son of Gotham then I’d be lying to every ounce of myself over how I truly feel about you. We both deserve more than that; we both have earned more than that.”


His ironclad grip about her wrist loosened by a hair as made her supposedly “oh-so-shocking” confession of being theft-free and trustworthy to him. He wasn’t caught off guard by her allusive vow to become a figure of trust and security; he was caught off guard by her admission to thank him in a near silent purr which was eventually followed by her clawed opinion regarding his choice of vigilante lifestyle. Oh, the Cat had indeed struck a nerve within the Bat.


“Of course I know better than to pathetically ask for or expect sympathy from those that I choose to defend and deliver justice to on a daily basis!  The actions I’ve taken have never once been chosen to gain pity, nor compassion!   I am fully responsible for every single action of mine because I CHOOSE to be, Selina!” He viciously snarled his defining statements at her.


“THIS is who I am – Batman! THIS is who I have always been and will always be! And you have always known that truth about m – ”


But the softness of her lulling purred words silenced the Bat’s explosive rage. And when she accompanied such a soothing slinking tone along with the silken molten lava touch radiating from her hypnotically undeniable sexy curved form, his vise grip upon her wrist dissolved into non-existence, easily granting her freedom to roam his armored form once again. He scarcely registered the satin-touch of her full, warm lips suddenly pressing with poised precision upon the stubble covered flesh of his pale jaw. Funny how the kiss she would now give so tenderly to his cheek seemed to hold just as much fiery heat as the stinging slap she had taken liberty to give him a mere few moments before.


What did honestly expect from the likes of Catwoman? He knew there was no taming her, training her, or even establishing a fine set of guided rules and expectations to set out before her – true to her very nature, Selina Kyle was a cat through and through – belonging to only what she chooses, when she chooses, as she pleases. Still… Just like their little game of cat and winged mouse, her interest had been caught with his choice of hunting ground – stalking his movements as he soars in mid-flight. He watched her in silence as she slipped off into the darkness of the night, choosing to let her go.  After all, Selina Kyle had a meeting to now schedule with Bruce Wayne - one neither of them could afford to miss given tonight's pivotal revelations, taking them to a brand new relationship status.

Both are predators, however. Both have their advantages and weak points; and it’s because of this unquestionably intrinsic understanding for such truths they know about one another that makes the thrill of the hunt all-the-more appealing - makes what they have for one another something so much more…

TBC here...