UPTOWN GIRL, bruce wayne

strangers

***

COMMISSIONER SAVAGE is murdered November first. When Ivory woke to this the next morning, she was not surprised. It is sad that she had been expecting this on the news now, like it was the weather.. However, this death is different. She had known Pete for most of her life. He had been at her twelfth birthday party. He had bought her first bike ever at five years old. He was always over, he had been incredibly close to her father. She was best friends with his daughter before she moved out of Gotham.

And now he is dead.

The Riddler claims to kill people who are liars, people who were no good. Ivory didn't know what to believe. Because he had her father in custody, so what did that make him? Bad, but not evil enough to die? Or was the man who raised her so evil that the Riddler had decided to take his time with him? How could the people she surrounded herself with be cruel? Was it true, or was everything just a way to manipulate the public into actually agreeing with the Riddler?

Whatever that psycho's logic was, Ivory didn't care. All she wants is her dad back. But instead, she gets Bruce Wayne sitting in her living room at eight in the morning. Actual Bruce Wayne this time, too. Not the Batman, not the man she'd seen last night. But unfortunately, he was too smart. He always had been. She should have predicted this, because she was smart, too.

"How long?" He asks shortly, staring at her.

Ivory stares right back. "A while."

"And you never said anything?"

"And risk exposing your super secret identity to anyone that could be listening? We are both constantly in the spotlight, Bruce. I never got the chance to say anything. And we never see each other outside of press conferences now, anyway." She adds the last part with a sarcastic smile that has Bruce looking away.

"I'm aware I've been absent. But you know why, you've always known why."

"I have," she confirms. "But that doesn't mean I like it."

"I'm trying to be better."

She shakes her head once, and the action catches his eye. "You're already good."

He almost looks ready to laugh, and he shifts on the couch. "No, I'm not. But that's not what I'm here to talk about. Why were you at that club last night?"

Ivory pokes the inside of her cheek with her tongue before answering. "Why were you?"

"I asked first."

"I thought you were a gentleman," she crosses her arms over her chest. "Isn't it ladies first?"

"Why I was there is none of your concern."

"Funny," Ivory muses. "I was just thinking the same."

They stare at each other in total silence for a moment, and something in Bruce's jaw ticks before he sighs. "I don't like keeping things from you."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it at this point. We're practically strangers now."

"Don't," he almost trips over the word. "Don't say that, Rory."

"I know you don't want my opinion," she says slowly, rising to her feet. "And I would have never given it to you if you hadn't came in here and demanded how I found out. I was content with pretending I had no idea who your alter ego was. But you know I know now. And I am very opinionated, as you know."

"Yeah, I do," Bruce winces. "I learned that a long time ago."

"I know you, too. I've always known you. And I know you're doing this because you think you need some sort of redemption to earn, but you don't. And at some point, you're going to end up getting yourself killed."

"I understand your concern," he meets her in the center of the living room, standing only a few feet in front of her. "But I don't care what happens to me."

She feels like she's been punched in the gut. Ivory's eyes snap up to meet his, and she suddenly can't stand the sight of him right then. "What?" Is how she responds, stunned. "How can you say that to me?"

"It's true."

"You're unbelievable. I'm not allowed to call you a stranger, but I get to sit here and listen to you say how you don't care if you live or die." She swears at him roughly in Spanish, and Bruce winces. "Do not say that shit to me ever again."

"I should have known coming here was a bad idea."

"You think it's a bad idea because you don't have anyone to tell you the truth. That suit may be close to invincible, but you aren't. And I cannot sit back silently like I have been for years and watch you slowly kill yourself simply because you don't care what happens. I care, Bruce. I care what happens! You don't get to ever spew that bullshit to me again."

"So what do you want? You want me to stop?" He demands, stepping closer. "That's not happening. I will get your father back, and I'm going to find this guy."

"All right," she agrees with the nod of her head, and she can tell Bruce is completely taken aback. "If there's anyone who can figure out who he is, it's you."

Bruce eyes her suspiciously. "Why are you siding with me?"

"If you're not going to care about your well-being, then I'll stop caring about mine, too. I'm helping you find my dad. And I'm helping you find the douchebag who took him."

He narrows his gaze, cocking his head to the side. "Absolutely not—"

"I am," she interrupts, causing him to throw his head back in annoyance. It's always funny to think about how everyone else acts around him. They're all so polite and guarded, like they're afraid to offend him. It's weirdly ego boosting to know she's the only one who can put him in his place. "You're not the only one with ties around the city. You need all the help you can get. And lucky for you, I'm a genius."

"I am not letting you put yourself into that kind of danger. You'll get yourself killed."

"Isn't that what I just said?" She asks, and Bruce shuts up at the realization. Ivory almost smirks. "That's what I thought. Now tell me what you were doing in that club last night."

Bruce runs a hand through his hair, takes a step back, and tells her everything.

***

authors note

a little short oopsies sorry