♕┊^{❝understandable, i can see how it could be difficult for all of you to adjust,❞ bruce nodded, understanding almost completely. what he couldn’t grasp was why, exactly, her adoptive parents weren’t around. it seemed as though it was for more of a reason than she was letting on, more than simply their work or travel. but he didn’t dare question any further and simply allowed the topic to fade away as he considered a few other things to bring up.}

flamedamaged:

_{@conquersfear       /     continued.} 

_{Help.    Unneeded    &    unwanted   ,    cynical built    &   incredulous.    Impossible to believe
the stranger felt the need to help for selfless reasons    ,          azure watching   ,      trained on 
movements with narrowed eyes.}

                                         _{“      ––––––––     Whatever you say.     “}

♕┊^{❝that’s still not a valid answer,❞ came a vaguely confused reply as he looked at her, head tilted to the side ever so slightly. ❝my question remains. ARE you hungry?❞}

♕┊^{he looked over at her once again, though his expression was not one of apology or anger, but of curiosity. the memories he had of his family were, at least, something to know them by. ❝i don’t see “sorry” as something to say in this sort of situation. but, only because i’ve never met them, are your adoptive parents kind to you?❞ perhaps that was the wrong thing to ask, but it appeared as though it was a better subject changer than something completely random off the top of his head. there were a lot of orphaned children in this city. selina, ivy - though her parents had been killed - and all of their friends held the status proudly, using the title as a way to make money and earn sympathy.} 

♕┊^{❝what is that you’d prefer i call you?❞ the scrawny teen
questioned, brow furrowing for a moment.} 

♕┊^{❝the same goes for you, mr. rogers,❞ he nodded, eternal professionalism returning after a brief break in his usual facade. ❝my butler, alfred, had been trying to teach me some things, so i do know a small number of ways to go about this.❞}

♕┊^{❝i’m taking CARE of it.❞ thin fingers curled into one another, drawing both of his hands into fists. bruce knew that to be true, but there was a certain reluctance to admit it clouding his judgment. ❝either way, thank you for your suggestions, mr. dent. they will be NOTED.❞ of course, they would not be noted, but the heir chose not to voice that as he saw it illustrated clearly enough by his tone.}

♕│^{lightly tanned palms pressed together as his head bobbed up and down ever-so-slightly. ❝thank you,❞ was his simple response to her apology. but bruce had heard those words so many times that he’d grown nearly numb to them no matter the appreciation for her concern that he felt. ❝it seemed wrong for me to withhold that from you. i hope there’s no difference in our friendship no that you are aware.❞}

fxrechild:

conquersfear:

♕│^{❝i’m not sure what kinds of games we have. there’s a video game console in the activities room, but it hasn’t been used in a while. it’d be worth a try, though, if that’s something you’d prefer to do,❞ bruce informed, not entirely sure if that was something she would enjoy doing. there were only a few games in the cabinet, as he recalled, all of them he’d played with both his father and mother on multiple occasions. the thought brought him back to his intention, to inform her of the past that she’d missed. ❝but there was something in particular that i was hoping to speak with you about. that is, if you’re alright with a serious conversation right now.❞}

She was just suggesting things that seemed like the kind of things friends would do at each other’s houses. Most of what she did was reading, homework, and avoiding her feelings, and she didn’t think those things were often big having friends over activities. But it seemed that he had something else in mind, though, she couldn’t help but feel nervous about what the talk might be. “Oh, well yeah, sure. What’s up?” Hopefully it wasn’t something that she had done wrong.

^{“do you remember what i said to you when we first met? about the legacy of my family?” there wasn’t a clear way for him to describe the past that wouldn’t bring back that pang of excruciating pain to his chest and cut off his ability to speak. but bruce was trying his absolute best to maintain a cool composure, void of outward emotion, as the flow of his words continued without another extended pause. “two years ago my parents took me to the theater and we took a detour on the way home, accidentally walking into the wrong alleyway. a masked assailant killed both of them.”}

♕│^{❝i’m not sure what kinds of games we have. there’s a video game console in the activities room, but it hasn’t been used in a while. it’d be worth a try, though, if that’s something you’d prefer to do,❞ bruce informed, not entirely sure if that was something she would enjoy doing. there were only a few games in the cabinet, as he recalled, all of them he’d played with both his father and mother on multiple occasions. the thought brought him back to his intention, to inform her of the past that she’d missed. ❝but there was something in particular that i was hoping to speak with you about. that is, if you’re alright with a serious conversation right now.❞}

♕│^{though the smaller teen wasn’t one to enjoy being the only one in a situation to have little-to-no understanding of what was going on, he made no further comment on the topic. ❝well, it’s only polite to invite someone to stay once they’re already inside of your home around that time. not that i don’t enjoy having you here, of course… but now i feel like i said that in the wrong way.❞}