Embers of the Stars (Koriand'r, aka Starfire)

He overlooked the city, his eyes focused on the police down on the streets as they arrested a young and upcoming group of criminals that have been causing terror to the citizens of Gotham. The little group has already committed many crimes, including armored robbery, assault, and even arson. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if he let them do whatever they wanted any longer. It was his sole responsibility to uphold peace. He sighed, his eyes closing just as he remembered why he was like this lately.

"Bruce..." He didn't even need to look back, the feminine voice having turned very familiar very fast these uneventful days. He still grieves, even in the silence of his mind. He couldn't forgive himself for what happened, his mind telling him that he should have been there for him. He should have done more for him. He held a special place in his heart, a part of his family, so why didn't he do something more? Why was he so useless...? "Weren't they rather young to get your attention?"

"They were causing trouble" He explained himself, easily justifying his actions. But he knew that the female behind him was not pleased by his short answer. He could feel the slight glare from her, but he didn't care. He had an injury that would never heal, the broken pieces of his heart at losing his son. He couldn't fathom a life without him in his life, but he had accepted that he wanted to go to Bludhaven. Never in his life would he have expected to find out that he had been killed, his neck broken. "If I didn't deter them now, it'll only get worse"

"You certainly did that" It was then that he finally looked back, his eyes laying on the still floating figure of Starfire. She was once a member of the Teen Titans, though she has joined him in his crusade to fight crime ever since the death of Richard Grayson. Both of them were mourning the loss of a son and friend, respectively. He could even swore that she was in love with the man but because of the distance between the two, nothing was really cemented. "But it seems different this time around"

"How?" In his mind, he was acting as he always would. Sneak behind his opponent and take them out as silently as possible. He didn't need to do that here, the teens were inexperienced in what they were doing. He easily rough them up a bit and tied them up so the police department of Gotham City could take them in. So, he really didn't see any change in his fighting style. And it wasn't like it couldn't change, he did use a mix of all the martial arts that he had learned throughout his journey to be better.

"You would always prioritize immobilizing them, trying to be as quick as possible..." He nodded, not really seeing any lies in her words. He liked his strategies a lot, plus it was the sole reminder of Dick, the nickname that Richard had and what everyone that knew him called him by. He remembers just how he trained him, to be able to be like him... to be better. He knew that he had his flaws, he was not perfect. But he at least expected to see all of his sons, whether adopted or biological, grow to create their own family and have something he lost since he was but a child. "But now you were brutal, taking your time in injuring them"

He didn't utter a word, staying silent as he moved his head to the side to avoid the glowing green eyes of the Tamaranean in front of him. He was not ashamed, but he hated when people were able to read him easily. Yet, at the same time, it was favorable to him because he didn't have to explain his reasoning towards them. She knew why he had done what he did. It was because of people like them that fate had taken his son away from him. He grieved in his own way, and taking out the criminals of Gotham was a way to not think about Dick. Because if he stopped, he didn't know just how he would react.

"Bruce... It was not your fault..." Starfire closed the proximity between the two, snaking her arms around his neck. He flinched slightly, his mind still not comprehending just how fast the two of them had gotten. He was sure that it was because of their mutual grief, both of them having been close to Dick, who was the hero Nightwing. He could also say that it was because of a physical attraction between the two, the Tamaranean in front of him is a very beautiful woman, even with her orange skin tone. Yet, he didn't have a concrete answer to their fast union. "Dick wouldn't want to see you like this..."

"I'm sorry..." He whispered, his heart breaking once his name had been uttered by the woman. He suffered Jason's death as well, having lost him to the Joker. And while he now knew that one of his adoptive sons was in fact alive and well, it didn't lower the grief he felt during those times he thought he was dead. But he could feel the warmth through her, one that closely reminded him of Dick. He let a single tear drop down his cheek, one that was barely unnoticeable. It was then that he felt his head move against his own, her hands moving it slowly. She puckered her lips up, kissing him straight at his own lips though it did not last long. He, once again, wondered just how fast the two got comfortable with each other but really didn't ponder it much as before.

"Remember Bruce... I don't need to see you to be able to hear you..." He could understand the meaning behind her words which managed to make his mouth twitch slightly, a signal that let him know that he was too comfortable with her. He wouldn't have it any other way, having been the only woman in his life who really had stayed with him in his worst. Their relationship may have started because of grief, but he could already see it blooming into something more. All he hoped was that she wouldn't end up dead like some of the women he had dated before.

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