[His jaw tightens, and he finishes removing the wrap from one hand, starts rolling it back up. Alfred wouldn't appreciate the sight of him cleaning up after himself-- but there's a reason his kitchen is pristine and the rest of his suite is spotless.
After years of living with someone who made a habit of dusting everything twice a day, he can't tolerate any sort of mess. But he thinks it might be for another reason entirely. He... misses Alfred. He's spent time living without his oldest friend before, but it's different this time. And god forbid the man ever show up and see the scion of the Wayne family living in a slovenly state.
Bruce runs his unwrapped hand through his hair. It's sweat-drenched and slicks back easily. She asked the question in the exact right way that he can't avoid it. If he does, he's running. A coward.
It's not that Bruce can't confront his issues. It's that he prefers not to.]
What would you like me to say, Stephanie?
[His tone is calm. He's... weary, more than anything. Just when he thought the open wound Jason left in his life and has been salting ever since couldn't ache any more...
He's getting a migraine, but rather than show it he simply heads into the kitchen. He may as well do something useful while Stephanie wastes her time worrying about whether or not he's going to crack under the pressure.
no subject
After years of living with someone who made a habit of dusting everything twice a day, he can't tolerate any sort of mess. But he thinks it might be for another reason entirely. He... misses Alfred. He's spent time living without his oldest friend before, but it's different this time. And god forbid the man ever show up and see the scion of the Wayne family living in a slovenly state.
Bruce runs his unwrapped hand through his hair. It's sweat-drenched and slicks back easily. She asked the question in the exact right way that he can't avoid it. If he does, he's running. A coward.
It's not that Bruce can't confront his issues. It's that he prefers not to.]
What would you like me to say, Stephanie?
[His tone is calm. He's... weary, more than anything. Just when he thought the open wound Jason left in his life and has been salting ever since couldn't ache any more...
He's getting a migraine, but rather than show it he simply heads into the kitchen. He may as well do something useful while Stephanie wastes her time worrying about whether or not he's going to crack under the pressure.
Those days are long since gone.]