p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""...And that was the first time I was in the coffee shop. Now, I had to look this up because you never told me, but you started working there on..."br /br /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Their first meeting./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"First date./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"An approximation on the first time Alfred made that dinner Jonathan adored./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Bruce sat on the little bed, reciting everything he had looked up, figured out, since last week. Jonathan repeated them all slowly after him, committing every last one to memory. They went like this, date after date, week after week, until Jonathan could map out his entire recent history in little bookmarks of their life together./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"It was four months after Jonathan was committed to Arkham that he gave Bruce a sweet little smile, so unlike his usual haughty looks that Bruce thought he must be drugged, and spoke one line quietly and calmly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""The bats don't scare me anymore."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Over the years, Bruce had worked so hard to keep himself and any mention of any bats, Man or fuzzy creature, separate. But in that moment, none of that effort mattered. A grin split his face as he drew Jonathan into his arms. It wasn't a cure, never a cure. But it was progress./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Jonathan sat there in Bruce's arms, murmuring dates to himself, and for the first time, Bruce felt hope./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"* * */p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"It wasn't easy, getting someone released from Arkham. Jonathan had made sure of that during his tenure. But Bruce was tenacious, pushy, and rich, a combination that made people actually think over his demands./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"While most of the doctors involved looked down their noses at the billionaire wanting to take charge of one of their patients, it only took one actually considering it to start the process. Would Bruce provide daily check ins until the doctors deemed it unnecessary? Of course. Would Bruce be open to doctors stopping by? Of course./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"(None of the doctors would miss Jonathan Crane, once he left. Only one would ever visit Wayne Manor. Twice.)/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"All in all, it took almost a month for Jonathan to be released in Bruce's care. Even after all that work, nothing could have prepared Bruce for the relief that filled him as Alfred pulled the car up to Arkham Asylum for the final time, the doctors already standing outside with Jonathan./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"If Bruce had tried to get out of the car any faster, he would have tripped over his own feet. As it was, a few doctors had a good chuckle at his expense. Even if he did actually care about public opinion, this one would have been ignored. He left the door open behind him, could even hear Alfred sniff his distaste. But none of that mattered now./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"He didn't run. He didn't need to, Jonathan, normally composed and poised Jonathan, rushing towards him. The doctors around him reached for empty air, startled at his quick movements. When he only went for Bruce, throwing himself into open arms, they relaxed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Alfred himself stood from the car, passing Bruce and Jonathan to go discuss paperwork with the doctors. He had raised his charge from infancy, and knew him well. Paperwork would, as always, be forgotten./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Bruce." Jonathan finally spoke. "Bruce, you did it."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Of course I did." Bruce huffed. "That bed in your cell was way too uncomfortable for me to sit on every week."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Jonathan smacked Bruce's arm, but he was smiling. Smiling, open and free. "Does that mean we can go to yours?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Ours." Bruce corrected. "And as soon as Alfred gets back."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Luckily for them, Alfred was very nearly finished collecting the documents Bruce was supposed to keep on hand. He returned to the car shortly after they settled in the back, glancing in the mirror to see his charge's own smile. Open. Free./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Let's get you both home, Master Bruce, Master Jonathan." Alfred found himself smiling then too, though he did his best to hide it from the passengers./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Yes, Alfred." Bruce clasped Jonathan's own hand in his own. "Let's go home."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Their first meeting./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"First date./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"An approximation on the first time Alfred made that dinner Jonathan adored./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Bruce sat on the little bed, reciting everything he had looked up, figured out, since last week. Jonathan repeated them all slowly after him, committing every last one to memory. They went like this, date after date, week after week, until Jonathan could map out his entire recent history in little bookmarks of their life together./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"It was four months after Jonathan was committed to Arkham that he gave Bruce a sweet little smile, so unlike his usual haughty looks that Bruce thought he must be drugged, and spoke one line quietly and calmly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""The bats don't scare me anymore."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Over the years, Bruce had worked so hard to keep himself and any mention of any bats, Man or fuzzy creature, separate. But in that moment, none of that effort mattered. A grin split his face as he drew Jonathan into his arms. It wasn't a cure, never a cure. But it was progress./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Jonathan sat there in Bruce's arms, murmuring dates to himself, and for the first time, Bruce felt hope./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"* * */p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"It wasn't easy, getting someone released from Arkham. Jonathan had made sure of that during his tenure. But Bruce was tenacious, pushy, and rich, a combination that made people actually think over his demands./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"While most of the doctors involved looked down their noses at the billionaire wanting to take charge of one of their patients, it only took one actually considering it to start the process. Would Bruce provide daily check ins until the doctors deemed it unnecessary? Of course. Would Bruce be open to doctors stopping by? Of course./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"(None of the doctors would miss Jonathan Crane, once he left. Only one would ever visit Wayne Manor. Twice.)/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"All in all, it took almost a month for Jonathan to be released in Bruce's care. Even after all that work, nothing could have prepared Bruce for the relief that filled him as Alfred pulled the car up to Arkham Asylum for the final time, the doctors already standing outside with Jonathan./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"If Bruce had tried to get out of the car any faster, he would have tripped over his own feet. As it was, a few doctors had a good chuckle at his expense. Even if he did actually care about public opinion, this one would have been ignored. He left the door open behind him, could even hear Alfred sniff his distaste. But none of that mattered now./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"He didn't run. He didn't need to, Jonathan, normally composed and poised Jonathan, rushing towards him. The doctors around him reached for empty air, startled at his quick movements. When he only went for Bruce, throwing himself into open arms, they relaxed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Alfred himself stood from the car, passing Bruce and Jonathan to go discuss paperwork with the doctors. He had raised his charge from infancy, and knew him well. Paperwork would, as always, be forgotten./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Bruce." Jonathan finally spoke. "Bruce, you did it."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Of course I did." Bruce huffed. "That bed in your cell was way too uncomfortable for me to sit on every week."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Jonathan smacked Bruce's arm, but he was smiling. Smiling, open and free. "Does that mean we can go to yours?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Ours." Bruce corrected. "And as soon as Alfred gets back."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Luckily for them, Alfred was very nearly finished collecting the documents Bruce was supposed to keep on hand. He returned to the car shortly after they settled in the back, glancing in the mirror to see his charge's own smile. Open. Free./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Let's get you both home, Master Bruce, Master Jonathan." Alfred found himself smiling then too, though he did his best to hide it from the passengers./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" /p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Yes, Alfred." Bruce clasped Jonathan's own hand in his own. "Let's go home."/p