Not Much Time
theblondebat:
gothamsknight:
barrymeinblack:
The man in black was the second thing Barry was worried about at the moment as he stepped into the room, unsure of what to expect - what kind of injury or how critical of condition she’d be in, or anything - and he couldn’t concur much from how she was laying nor the thick blanket covering the majority of her body. He hesitated, walking in and merely glancing at Batman as he strode toward her bed.
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, pushing hair from her face. He would have laughed at the sleepy, dazed expression on her face if the situation wasn’t so tense and dire.
“Hey there. You’re lookin’ pretty rough,” He said, returning his gaze to the Batman and taking a seat like he had been instructed, his attention directed on him. “Wouldn’t think to call you any different, sir,” He said earnestly, his hands fidgeting in his pockets nervously. He wasn’t sure if it was for Steph or from the man in the room with them, but they wouldn’t keep still. Barry knew better than to let his nerves get the best of him. Last thing he’d want is to have to pay for any electrocuted machinery.
Batman stood quiet for a moment out of respect of the couple. It was their first time going through something like this but would most definitely not be their last. When your partner, your lover, is in the ‘business’ that they are it would happen more often and was highly likely that it would get more and more dangerous.
As Barry turned his attention towards Bruce, he narrowed his eyes and focused on the young man once more. “This isn’t the first time this has happened and it certainly won’t be the last. Do you think you can handle it?” Bruce was certainly overstepping many lines and if the others were here one would most certainly ask him to stop but seeing how Steph was practically his daughter, he wanted to make sure that Barry was right for her before he left the two of them alone. “Are you capable of sitting by her head, despite the wound or accident?”
Steph felt her cheeks pinken when Barry kissed her and brushed the hair from her face a little in this stolen moment. “Really? Because I feel on cloud nine right now, Bear,” she told him half-joking. In truth, the only reason she wasn’t miserable right now was because he was here, despite her earlier objections. She clumsily moved her hand to run her nails lightly down his cheek.
She vaguely heard what Bruce was asking Barry and she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to really care about how scary her Daddy Bat was probably seeming. Steph said to Barry in a mumbled explanation, “Black Mask stabbed me in the gut and Batman saved me. I’m sorry if the scar is gross later.” Her smile was gone and she was irrationally scared that her boyfriend would be repulsed by the unseemly mark on her skin.
“With all due respect, uh, sir,” Barry said, leaning back in the chair and leaning away from Steph’s nails, surprised at the contact and trying not to lose focus on what he needed to say. He reclaimed her hand and held it through the crib-style bars on her bed, glancing from her to Bruce with a sigh. “With due respect, I’ve grown up in a superhero household. Both my parents are supers, my siblings are, my best friends, my dad’s best friend’s daughter is… I know what it’s like in the profession they have. I don’t know how capable I am to you but I am certainly willing to sit with her for as long as it takes.”
He scoffed at Steph’s warbling words, raising his eyebrows at her. “Jesus, you act like I’m some superficial person. S’long as you’re gonna survive it I don’t give a shit how ugly it is,” Barry said, squeezing her hand as if to reiterate his words.
Name's Barry. I'm eighteen and the son of the goddamn Flash... but that doesn't make me quick on my feet. Maybe you'll see me around - but I'm not making any promises.
