Nora lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her gaze drifting into the distance.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejIkFt3W9x
Her hair fanned out across the pillow like ripples of soft golden waves.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyRs8uMWL5
She didn’t move much—only her chest gently rose and fell with each breath.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiC3RE8HjK
She seemed to be spacing out, or flipping through some distant page in her mind.
Tim turned off the small bedside lamp, walked around to the other side of the bed, and lay down carefully.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoUVfVpKcA
His arm naturally brushed against Nora’s, their body heat quietly connecting.
But Nora didn’t turn to look at him.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLJ7cDrxzv
Still staring at the blank ceiling above, she asked softly,139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkqGlRsNFY
“Tim, don’t you want to ask me some questions?”
Tim tilted his head, his blue eyes resting on her profile.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJQ6MDl7Zc
Her tone wasn’t too light or heavy—like she was speaking to a stranger.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWe5rCb6ck2
Or maybe she was deliberately tossing a stone into his heart, just to see what kind of ripple it would cause.
He knew what she meant. About her past.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzWlQFTNFN
That past she’d never talked about—but one he had long suspected was far from simple.
Tim stayed silent for a moment, not answering right away.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTpzGZOzi3
Ever since they got together, he had made a decision:139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqYRdn1KeS
If she wanted to talk, he’d listen.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdxjm8l64T
But he wouldn’t pry.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVRLbYIHXB
Because he could guess—it wasn’t going to be a fairytale.
And the fact that she made it here, stayed by his side—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgJSywQgkp
It already meant that whatever world she came from… it didn’t have a happy ending.
His blue eyes hesitated as they looked at her, unsure how to begin.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6VQqldXf3
Just as he struggled for words, Nora turned her head and met his gaze.
Her green eyes sparkled slightly—and then she smiled.
“Tim, you don’t have to be so cautious,” she said gently, as if finally opening a door in her heart.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIZ01wgn5w
“That part of my memory… it’s from a long, long time ago.”
She rolled onto her side, drawing closer to him, her voice dropping lower.
“The truth is, I believe in Batman more than you think.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfrxWyzUPL
More than any of you think... maybe even more than he believes in himself.”
As the words left her lips, she sounded like she was twisting a tongue-twister.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bbXZHMw50
Or like she’d revealed too much too quickly, blinking in slight surprise.
Tim was stunned. He didn’t expect her to describe her connection to Batman like that.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCD1oAMzA8h
He opened his mouth, but realized—he didn’t need to say anything.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyskisE17Ca
Because in that moment, she had already told him more than he ever hoped to hear.
She trusted them.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdOoGsRXP2
She chose to stay.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnl83xJ1lZ2
And he would do everything he could to protect her present.
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTrJtYVVqo
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBwrq9vjdp
One Day
Nora was lying on Tim’s lap.
Tim: “Nora, are you sure you want to talk? You know Batman…”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvWMc4lWxB
Nora glanced up at him with those green eyes:139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrGsAjVtip
“You mean the cold, reclusive, control-freak part?”
She reached up and took his hand.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJeE4ssOix
“Tim, I am trying to seduce Batman’s protégé here. The least I can do is tell a bit of the truth, right?”
Nora grinned mischievously.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xCA18Pkd1
Tim glared at her.
A few days earlier, Nora had suggested:139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhi2PPTr28B
“You ask, I’ll answer. I’ll try my best to tell the truth—and you can decide what to report to Batman.”
Tim had hesitated.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVczw203RD
But Nora said, “Let me guess—Batman asked you to write a report, right, Timmy?139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMbUjKseZ1
If you don’t, he’ll come in person. I know that much.”
“About who I am…” she said, still staring upward,139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDDG9jSwEg
“This is a story I never planned to tell.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsJkMvWBS5
But now… I’m ready.”
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiaYR22pCj
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7jeLunGFu
Nora tilted her head slightly, as if drawing long-forgotten fragments from deep memory.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7H3febUCN
Her tone carried a playful ambiguity.
“Just to be clear, I wasn’t born in Gotham with those memories.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcclIufobZA
“I only remembered later—much later.”
Tim said nothing. Just listened intently.
“It all came back when I saw Batman for the first time. I was sixteen.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4UOk9UgUF
She chuckled. “I remember it was after a ball game. I came home late, took a shortcut—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnzhufXt0V
and then I saw Batman and Robin.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5l3U5nuRk
And I passed out.”
Tim’s expression changed.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvOv5IQFel
That long-buried memory—suddenly cracked open by her words.
He remembered that patrol.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48iUvyzLxm
Not a particularly memorable mission.
A girl appeared at the end of an alley.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzT3GgDkU1
Blonde hair. Wide eyes. Frozen in place.
And then—she fainted.
He hadn’t even had time to say a word.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0aLY3nt7o
He caught her instinctively. She looked like any normal teenage girl.
He took her to the nearest hospital.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylT9SQGP0g
At the time, he even told Bruce, “She probably just got nervous.”
Now, the blonde woman in front of him smiled gently.
“Yes, Tim. That was the first time we met,” she said softly.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQjB4ihpP1
“A flood of memories hit me all at once. My brain felt like it was exploding… so I fainted. Very dramatic, huh?”
Tim said nothing.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VUh6Y3twV
But in his mind, he could hear the rain from that night all over again.
“…Why would seeing Batman trigger your memories?” he finally asked, voice cautious.
Nora blinked, her smile widening.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHFPi3kxeM
“Ah ah, I’ll get to that~”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08xFNuNDFC
Her voice teased at the end—like she was baiting an audience, or trying to make Tim squirm.
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbP7MDPpA3R
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5gExeqWUg
Nora’s gaze drifted into the distance, as if recalling memories from another lifetime.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5N5iNJ365
Her expression softened, eyes unfocused—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1Z1peoymI
As if looking through time and air, at a world that no longer existed.
Her voice was slow, almost like she was telling someone else’s story.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmR4di1Z9FW
Or trying to comfort herself.
“In my previous life, I was born into a very ordinary family.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENPfNgw5dc
Just my parents and a sister.”
Her lips curled slightly, like the simple statement brought images to her mind—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTxBJqs59V
the three of them making breakfast, watching cartoons on the couch.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1gbqVJ52J
Nothing dramatic. No sorrow. Just warmth, familiar and everyday.
“Our family had one special trait—probably written into our DNA.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJ88JbbO3k
We loved children.”
Her tone held pride.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUWa4ZHPbI
Not about noble bloodlines or prestige, but a kind of inherited gentleness—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhge3u3o3UM
a deep affection for life, and an instinct to remain patient through both tantrums and laughter.
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgijUj740do
“We ran a kindergarten. There were always kids around.”
She let out a soft laugh, part fondness, part exasperation—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FCYfZCx80
as if that school had been the center of her universe:139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qOtXKDVes
laughter, arguments, the creak of rocking horses forming the soundtrack of her days.
“I was taking care of little kids from a very young age.”
Her tone was casual, but it carried a sense of responsibility and pride.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4koNhYpyDs
She probably wasn’t even in grade school yet—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIl00SmW95d
but she already knew how to hold a crying baby, how to coax a fussy toddler into eating.
“Kids are the cutest,”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNlObYFIJs
she said warmly—like the words came straight from her soul.
Her eyes softened. Her lips curved gently.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVd5b057DKE
A tiny glint sparkled in her gaze.
Nora squinted slightly, still lying on Tim’s lap,139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSyaJ43kss
though her eyes seemed focused on the past—where there was no blood, no chaos,139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz5sVb7Rrw
just children running across rubber mats.
“Our world was peaceful.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdhptuqxYv
No crime. No supervillains.”
Her voice was calm—stating it as if it were the most natural thing.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUMOM5LC9z
A world without Gotham.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsFWu9TbQg
No blood-soaked nights.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuTJXRYOgz
No alarms wailing.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZonOR3Cj9v
Just a place where parents could safely let their kids climb slides and laugh freely.
“My sister, though… had a hobby you’d never guess, Tim.”
She finally looked at him again, her tone turning cheeky, a mischievous glint in her voice.
“My sister was a huge Batman fan.”
Equal parts exasperated and proud, she spoke like someone who’d been thoroughly indoctrinated.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogZVBnQ7NZ
She’d watched every movie, read every comic.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZ4wP0HrHU
Nora, of course, got dragged along for the ride.
Tim blinked. “But… that makes no sense. No crime means no Batman. He wouldn’t exist.”
His voice faltered, like his logic circuits had jammed.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNW09hC2mHn
He furrowed his brows, trying to make her story fit his world—but it didn’t.
Nora laughed.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiE3gwWk86
“Exactly, Tim. In my world, Batman is just a comic book character.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtR4peo0lgG
He’s a detective series, actually.”
She beamed at him, her tone teasing but affectionate.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kMQGZDIao
As if to say, “Yes, I came from a world you can't imagine—but I really did.”
“My sister loved Batman so much.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOwoRGfMnx
She watched every movie, bought every comic.”
Her words quickened, like she still remembered her sister yelling at the screen—"Bruce, stop bullying Robin!"—while munching chips.
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrxhwu7Qzo
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfmTt1lZvu
“She rubbed it off on me. I couldn’t help it.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpj2WM6weUb
With her raving about him daily, it was impossible not to start liking Batman too.”
She shrugged innocently, like trying to explain how she became a semi-Batfan by default.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lxocf1Uu0
But Tim could tell—she truly loved those stories.
“I could even name all the Batman actors in order,”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEKDztjGtv
she added proudly, like it was a party trick, or a badge of honor.
Nora continued:139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pqeXrQx0m
“At night, we’d put Batman movies on during dinner.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe13N6BgrMY
Imagine eating while hearing how high Gotham’s crime rate is.”139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BT5al3IVv
Then she chuckled. “My dad would always ask:139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DOjjGACB5
‘Does anyone even live in that city anymore?’”
Her voice softened with the memory—nostalgia for a world that felt so ordinary.
“From a young age, my sister collected all the merch—comics, figures, posters.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQs7mR5HHpO
Her room was plastered with Batman.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxn8gc2kzRm
Every morning I woke up to a black-suited man silently staring at me.”
She burst out laughing.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqI9TQS5pQ
A childhood trauma, perhaps—but clearly not one she regretted.
Tim suddenly thought of something. He asked softly:139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuF6lo3Q3Bf
“Why did you write… fanfics about Batman?”
Still lying on his lap, she answered slowly:139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWTEBSt3eF
“I needed to muddy the water.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSuKaO2WdS
Crystal-clear water has no fish.”
Tim’s eyes widened.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOffPR3wQQ
It clicked instantly.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW60M3cfjCj
Nora had deliberately drawn attention away from the vigilantes’ true identities.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0q1sHeiLZ
By flooding the internet with chaotic stories, relationships, and drama—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHzpTz2fam
she distracted people from uncovering the truth beneath the masks.
She added,139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLsJ9sPD70
“When I was just a small-time writer, my fluff had only two readers.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvANvEXEX7A
That was no good… So I took the dark path instead.”
Her voice held resignation—and a bit of self-deprecating humor.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTei1lO4o7
Like someone who only meant to cause a little confusion,139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5I8UPkKux
but got dragged deeper and deeper into fandom, until there was no going back.
She looked at him seriously.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSOv6cZED1
“You better not tell anyone.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJWe1eK54O
I never wrote about you, okay?”
Tim couldn’t tell if that was a plea… or a threat.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlonGhn9PI
So he simply nodded.
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS22HGtDVK
Tim looked at her, blue eyes focused.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplRSa0CIHR
He asked, voice quiet:
“So…139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0PLfLxw2f
Were you happy?139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQy9cSypCaD
In that world?”
Nora nodded gently.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9c01tJaDR
Her tone was soft, filled with an indescribable longing.
“Mm.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhM1DWKAPwQ
Those were the happiest fifteen years of my life.”
But then—139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZm3tPbAHS
she turned her face toward his stomach, burying herself there.139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGt40HRv2Am
Her voice came muffled:
“Too bad, Tim…139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEslY83FQCk
The apocalypse came.”
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM86QglznvQ
139Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYvDjYz73o
and then Add to home screen.