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Behind Blue Eyes
By Prodigette
Bruce sees everything. He's been the eyes and ears of Gotham City for decades. A lot of the time, he doesn't tell others what knows. He keeps a lot of his observations to himself, like he always have. Bruce had grown up watching people a little too closely. At a young age, Bruce could only see through wise blue eyes.
Old age has slowed him down physically, but his mind is now sharper than ever.
He lets people think that his age has made him weak. Bruce lets them think that the cane he has with him is only for walking, and that he can't do for himself. But he always manages to give a smirk when he proves them wrong.
Bruce always sees the way that Derek Powers looks at him. There is always a mixture of hate and lust in those dark eyes. When the younger man looks at him, it is enough to make Bruce enraged and a strangely enough, a little aroused. He also knows that Derek Powers watches Terry a little too closely, and Bruce hates him even more for it.
That makes him angry. The cold hearted bastard had Terry's father killed, and now wants to seduce Warren's son. Bruce can always smell Derek's cologne on the other males and females in Wayne-Powers building. That makes him aroused. And now, he hates himself for that.
He continues to let Powers think of him was weak. Someday, Bruce will surprise him.
Bruce can see the looks that Barbara give him. Mostly cold and full of power. It is power that she has over him. He can't tell her what to do any more, and she often uses that to the best of her ability. But a lot of the time, the looks that she give him are full of pity and worry for him. He sees the lines at the corner of her eyes and at the corners of her once constant-smiling lips. Things have changed, and there is nothing either one of them could do to stop that.
There are times when Bruce wishes that he could close his eyes and forget a lot of what he's seen.
Bruce can always see the dark under eye circles under Max's makeup. He knows that she stays up late night, worrying about her parents and studying. Her scent is mostly of coffee and perfume, and her constant energy makes him wonder how much she's had to drink. Bruce also knows that she lives in that small apartment by herself and that the only person who actually visits her is Terry. Bruce can always see the dried tear tracks on her face and can tell when she re-applies her makeup.
He can see how far she pushes herself, and how much pain she holds inside.
When around them both, Bruce sees the way that Dana looks at Terry. She looks at him as if he would disappear if she blinked. While he knows that she doesn't love Terry, she clings to him for dear life. Bruce also sees the glares that Dana sends his way. It's as if she's mad at him for taking Terry away. The look in her eyes tell him that she's not one to be convinced to easily about things. She was always one to want to know what was going on, but was rarely filled in about it.
Bruce knew that Dana was losing Terry, but not to anyone or anything. She just needed to let go of him.
Bruce also sees the way that Mary McGinnis looks at her son. She is always so worried for him. She's worried that Terry was the next to leave her and Matt. Mary was more than thankful that Terry was going to college, but decided to still live at home. But, she was also still worried that Terry would go back to his old ways. Bruce also knows that Mary is proud of her eldest son, but gives him a really hard time about things. She also needed to let go of Terry.
Bruce looks at Terry, too. Just not in the way that he looks at everyone else. He's said so himself that Terry is not like everyone else. He's even watched the younger man sleep. Bruce knows that Terry tries to take care of his family and the rest of Gotham more than anything.
Bruce knows that Terry has a very bad habit of biting his nails and just recently stopped smoking. He can see Terry's cuts and bruises under the pancake makeup that Terry has to wear. Bruce knows that Terry likes pizza and wrestling, and that the teen keeps classic Harry Potter books in his backpack that he doesn't tell anyone but Bruce about. Bruce also knows that Terry was comfortable enough with his body to show him that he has a tattoo of a bat on his right hip. While fully naked, that is.
But for once, Bruce wanted Terry to look at him.
END