Poker Face | Bruce Wayne

eleven

Meredith pulled into the roundabout driveway of the Elias household, a massive brick property that filled the expanse of a couple hundred meters. She'd decided on the red Aston Martin today— it matched her sweater and the bottom of her heels.

It was chilly outside in the September Gotham air, with clouds poking from behind the spirals and peaks of the mansion roof. Devin was already ahead of her, hopping out of something silver and foreign that she couldn't identify from far away. He turned to her with a grin as she exited her car and locked the door.

"Sup!" He called, waving his hand above his head. She rolled her eyes. At least she had somewhat tried to look nice— Devin was wearing a blue sweatshirt and jeans.

She turned around and started walking up the path to the front of the property. He jogged to catch up with her, appearing at her side a few moments later.

"You'll never guess where I just was," he sounded slightly out of breath as they began to climb the stairs to the door.

"Do I want to know?"

"Bruce's." He seemed proud, eyeing her with a mischievous look.

They reached the entrance, and Meredith pushed open the wooden doors. "I really don't care."

The entire house smelled warm and delicious, like freshly cooked bread and delicate desserts. She shrugged her black coat off, leaving it at a table in the foyer.

"C'mon, you seriously don't wanna know why I was there?" Devin copied her and left the sweatshirt on top of her jacket, leaving him in a navy long sleeve shirt.

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me, anyway."

One of their family maids, Nancy, appeared from around the corner. She saw them and her face went into shock, nearly dropping the tray of whatever she was holding. "Meredith! Devin! You two know you're supposed to ring before you walk in!"

Meredith rolled her eyes again as Nancy set down the silver platter and walked over, grabbing both of their jackets and tucking them under her arm.

"We used to live here, Nance, cut us some slack." Devin bent down and pressed a kiss to the woman's temple as he walked by, making her scowl.

Meredith trailed after her brother down the hallways and towards the kitchen, past the dining room which was bustling with waiting staff, extravagant decor, and steaming food on top of the long table. It was rare nowadays that the four of them actually got to sit down at dinner together, and apparently, their parents had decided to go all out.

"Mare, Devie!" their mother cooed as they entered the kitchen, clasping her hands over her chest. Eleanor had a kind smile, her temples lined with wrinkles but her eyes still sparkling green. She wore a purple dress that fell just below her knees with silver hair curled around her shoulders.

The cabinets of the kitchen were now painted white, an upgrade from their former brown wood. The room glowed with warmth as she approached the two of them, pressing up on her toes to give a kiss to Devin's cheek before enveloping Meredith in a tight hug.

Devin chuckled at his sister's irritated face. "Nice to see you too, Ma."

"I'm so glad you could make it." Their mother's voice was smooth like butter as she pulled back, taking Meredith's cheeks in her hands.

She rolled her eyes. "Dad didn't give me much of a choice."

Eleanor chuckled, patting Meredith's face a few times for good measure. "You know your father's just joking."

"Yeah," Meredith scoffed, pulling out of her mother's hands. "Just joking. Because that sounds so much like him."

"Don't be mean, Meredith," Eleanor gestured towards the dining room, her dress swishing around her knees. "Come. We have all your favorites! Zachary made cheesy green beans."