Nora lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her gaze drifting into the distance.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmd7qAUi7AW
Her hair fanned out across the pillow like ripples of soft golden waves.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKun3X6Lzf
She didn’t move much—only her chest gently rose and fell with each breath.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPnkhGva1G
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWroP9RYcKO
His arm naturally brushed against Nora’s, their body heat quietly connecting.
But Nora didn’t turn to look at him.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0T7wBf4qEC
Still staring at the blank ceiling above, she asked softly,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7E4VUFZ6n
“Tim, don’t you want to ask me some questions?”
Tim tilted his head, his blue eyes resting on her profile.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsvkaZRYKV
Her tone wasn’t too light or heavy—like she was speaking to a stranger.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfaclBOeOS
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZXPNcN8Fh
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRtQ7yD1iz
Ever since they got together, he had made a decision:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQFoY0EEEB
If she wanted to talk, he’d listen.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwR6CSKEfdK
But he wouldn’t pry.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CLdWR2Cg3
Because he could guess—it wasn’t going to be a fairytale.
And the fact that she made it here, stayed by his side—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95F6vVyUks
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSZ1IsDk7O
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAuDAtIcRI
“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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ94UwF6V7j
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8dLU8QEbE
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0i4AXEzVr
He opened his mouth, but realized—he didn’t need to say anything.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeGwHzE8dS
Because in that moment, she had already told him more than he ever hoped to hear.
She trusted them.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuiS6QG2AU
She chose to stay.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe72wTrF6by
And he would do everything he could to protect her present.
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMhhFFCff9
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGn024EUM3u
One Day
Nora was lying on Tim’s lap.
Tim: “Nora, are you sure you want to talk? You know Batman…”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKc1aiyRXP6
Nora glanced up at him with those green eyes:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTKAk6kKAY
“You mean the cold, reclusive, control-freak part?”
She reached up and took his hand.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmxpuToakd
“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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZEKjj9twO
Tim glared at her.
A few days earlier, Nora had suggested:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgHqyhi7OQ
“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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0qZqGVs47
But Nora said, “Let me guess—Batman asked you to write a report, right, Timmy?137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZVpcNd09u
If you don’t, he’ll come in person. I know that much.”
“About who I am…” she said, still staring upward,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGKK7K1AXn
“This is a story I never planned to tell.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXvVB2lVFN
But now… I’m ready.”
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tFSRvZPD4
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qtHgGko6C
Nora tilted her head slightly, as if drawing long-forgotten fragments from deep memory.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAiOt7lGcV
Her tone carried a playful ambiguity.
“Just to be clear, I wasn’t born in Gotham with those memories.”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00UocuUOGK
“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.”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowIV59AoNE
She chuckled. “I remember it was after a ball game. I came home late, took a shortcut—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjB4DtDYByZ
and then I saw Batman and Robin.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqj2sfSnL8D
And I passed out.”
Tim’s expression changed.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKkRzKQcJY
That long-buried memory—suddenly cracked open by her words.
He remembered that patrol.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCuWNExXMR
Not a particularly memorable mission.
A girl appeared at the end of an alley.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI66XnBOD9p
Blonde hair. Wide eyes. Frozen in place.
And then—she fainted.
He hadn’t even had time to say a word.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXTHvCI1ZQ
He caught her instinctively. She looked like any normal teenage girl.
He took her to the nearest hospital.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEb23RQSlt
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7KImcQnl8
“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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrARzDS50E7
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzySjJDi4PF
“Ah ah, I’ll get to that~”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwcZL3qREx
Her voice teased at the end—like she was baiting an audience, or trying to make Tim squirm.
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdh8dR1YhdC
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5YpuszLMy
Nora’s gaze drifted into the distance, as if recalling memories from another lifetime.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6MTstuJTB
Her expression softened, eyes unfocused—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJvHZJqdme
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIy1PEQCJK
Or trying to comfort herself.
“In my previous life, I was born into a very ordinary family.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbScI5zHUcY
Just my parents and a sister.”
Her lips curled slightly, like the simple statement brought images to her mind—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXujDbutSp
the three of them making breakfast, watching cartoons on the couch.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOL9JNDjmyi
Nothing dramatic. No sorrow. Just warmth, familiar and everyday.
“Our family had one special trait—probably written into our DNA.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXoDDLOJAP
We loved children.”
Her tone held pride.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6rh8FYvAV
Not about noble bloodlines or prestige, but a kind of inherited gentleness—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9cZwksf8Y
a deep affection for life, and an instinct to remain patient through both tantrums and laughter.
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0BixsyIgZ
“We ran a kindergarten. There were always kids around.”
She let out a soft laugh, part fondness, part exasperation—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JX4hIDHx9
as if that school had been the center of her universe:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaqIL6n0fn
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiIA2j2es4
She probably wasn’t even in grade school yet—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1e7xIZcYzx
but she already knew how to hold a crying baby, how to coax a fussy toddler into eating.
“Kids are the cutest,”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW03XtQdvpu
she said warmly—like the words came straight from her soul.
Her eyes softened. Her lips curved gently.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aXQFa8gyk
A tiny glint sparkled in her gaze.
Nora squinted slightly, still lying on Tim’s lap,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQBhIoSKLB
though her eyes seemed focused on the past—where there was no blood, no chaos,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCsdYSoE1Z
just children running across rubber mats.
“Our world was peaceful.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2kDOwiDV2
No crime. No supervillains.”
Her voice was calm—stating it as if it were the most natural thing.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIEE6Ink4W
A world without Gotham.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfH4DI5IeT1
No blood-soaked nights.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnmSDIlfyJ
No alarms wailing.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIHYABPB6y
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7GYEQpVuR
She’d watched every movie, read every comic.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5bb3xzCHn
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQWMnoB70i
He furrowed his brows, trying to make her story fit his world—but it didn’t.
Nora laughed.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBx9N1NAfT
“Exactly, Tim. In my world, Batman is just a comic book character.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32Oqoke8xi
He’s a detective series, actually.”
She beamed at him, her tone teasing but affectionate.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1pXmurCxN
As if to say, “Yes, I came from a world you can't imagine—but I really did.”
“My sister loved Batman so much.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41IMkX2K7F
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.
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHXcRvEzRE
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZiA2oQcNV
“She rubbed it off on me. I couldn’t help it.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5wQivNHs9
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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmDTDfRdWG
But Tim could tell—she truly loved those stories.
“I could even name all the Batman actors in order,”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7p5Ec2ikCO
she added proudly, like it was a party trick, or a badge of honor.
Nora continued:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1jz2ttp2s
“At night, we’d put Batman movies on during dinner.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJr4VKgtDB
Imagine eating while hearing how high Gotham’s crime rate is.”137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbUzLyEhmZ
Then she chuckled. “My dad would always ask:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzA8joLmXpj
‘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.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡok4A8aZgad
Her room was plastered with Batman.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeqWR4ieHt
Every morning I woke up to a black-suited man silently staring at me.”
She burst out laughing.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvTiEWP1YF
A childhood trauma, perhaps—but clearly not one she regretted.
Tim suddenly thought of something. He asked softly:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74cVXsj7Bk
“Why did you write… fanfics about Batman?”
Still lying on his lap, she answered slowly:137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLVV2I3HiZ
“I needed to muddy the water.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJRJBUqJU7
Crystal-clear water has no fish.”
Tim’s eyes widened.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZne7zRbch
It clicked instantly.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbZjlrZP8c
Nora had deliberately drawn attention away from the vigilantes’ true identities.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NVgboXPI5
By flooding the internet with chaotic stories, relationships, and drama—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHKPW9f0O1
she distracted people from uncovering the truth beneath the masks.
She added,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQ8Ut8JhJ3
“When I was just a small-time writer, my fluff had only two readers.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8NELUY4Bs
That was no good… So I took the dark path instead.”
Her voice held resignation—and a bit of self-deprecating humor.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzG7HkzMIPD
Like someone who only meant to cause a little confusion,137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0cgTM4GGr
but got dragged deeper and deeper into fandom, until there was no going back.
She looked at him seriously.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UL3PDEbYz
“You better not tell anyone.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPopgh0nnCH
I never wrote about you, okay?”
Tim couldn’t tell if that was a plea… or a threat.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3FsKg7UBS
So he simply nodded.
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33lTdEwrwK
Tim looked at her, blue eyes focused.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wAWqzAnkd
He asked, voice quiet:
“So…137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKH27I8LIJb
Were you happy?137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MEySozdwl
In that world?”
Nora nodded gently.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ryzJED317
Her tone was soft, filled with an indescribable longing.
“Mm.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADGDpKC9A7
Those were the happiest fifteen years of my life.”
But then—137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvFuwR2cD5
she turned her face toward his stomach, burying herself there.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQf8IiBGdsx
Her voice came muffled:
“Too bad, Tim…137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWMbcJtnid
The apocalypse came.”
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hYVC8Ah4r
137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrMUHuf6fT
and then Add to home screen.