Gotham imagines/Preferences ~❤~

Reunion

Requested by harleyslilpuddin
Hope you like it xx
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When Barbara was released from Arkham Asylum, she had no idea where to go. 

Jim had already made it clear that he wanted nothing more to do with her, and she couldn’t simply return to the penthouse, what with Galavan’s recent murder and all. 

Being confined within four grey walls had given Barbara a lot of time to think. She had thought a lot about her childhood and her parents - and of course, Jim - but you had also crossed her mind on more than one occasion.

You and Barbara had been close friends during your college years; in fact, you had practically been inseparable. The two of you had frequently attended parties together and had always looked out for one another; whether there was guy trouble or one of you just needed a little help understanding a class. Regardless of how crazy things became, Barbara had always felt reassured to know that you’d always have her back. You’d been so trusting of one another that you’d even experimented a couple of times; sharing much more than a kiss between friends; although these sessions had stayed strictly between the two of you and hadn’t affected your friendship whatsoever.

Barbara just wished you hadn’t lost contact with one another. But she hoped to change that. 

Hoping that you hadn’t changed your address, Barbara made her way to your apartment and knocked on the door. And when you poked your head around seconds later, Barbara’s hopeful smile became one of pure delight and she was quick to hug you - while you were fixed in a stunned silence for a few moments. 

“It’s so good to see you, Y/N. How have you been?”

“Good, yeah…” You paused, unsure of how to mention the proverbial elephant in the room. “Um, Barbara…I thought you were in Arkham?”

Well that was one way to approach the situation.

Barbara took a step back and smiled at you in an attempt to reassure you that she was indeed back to her usual self. “I was released. I’m much better now.”

When you didn’t respond, she frowned slightly. “It’s been a while, I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

“Oh, I am.” You quickly feigned a smile although you weren’t sure how to feel about your old friend’s sudden return to your life. “I just wasn’t expecting a reunion any time soon.”

“Well how about we have a catchup right now?” Barbara picked up her bags and laughed giddily before inviting herself inside your apartment; leaving you with no choice but to follow her inside and shut the door. 

“Barbara, I really–”

“Let me fix us some drinks..!” She announced, setting her things down before rushing over to your kitchen. “Don’t worry, I remember where you keep the glasses.”

“Barbara…” Your hand touched her shoulder. You just wanted her to calm down for a moment; to stop hiding behind this false cheeriness and just open up to you. She had just returned from a lengthy stay in Gotham’s most notorious asylum after all; there was evidently much to discuss. As much as you wanted to pretend that Barbara hadn’t murdered her parents, you knew that it wasn’t something you could just sweep under the rug - or forget after a few drinks - even though Barbara was clearly trying her hardest to do just that. 

Besides, you weren’t entirely convinced that she was ‘better now.’

The blonde turned to look at you, her eyes wide and glossy as though she were trying not to cry. “You don’t want me here, do you?”

“I never said that. I just think we should talk before getting drunk. Okay?” You smiled sympathetically at her and Barbara nodded, allowing you to lead her to the sofa. 

For a while, Barbara asked you question after question about your job, your family - any lovers, past or present - evidently trying to avoid the more pressing matter. Eventually you were unable to keep side-stepping the topic and decided to straight-out ask Barbara the question that had been plaguing your mind ever since her arrest. 

“Why did you kill your parents, Barbara?”

She looked shocked that you’d asked her such a thing - almost like a woman wrongly accused of a crime - yet despite her stunned silence, you didn’t want to back down. 

“You can tell me, you know. I won’t judge; I just want to make sense of it all, you know?” 

“They never cared about me.” Barbara murmured, avoiding your eyes as she found her childhood memories difficult to ignore. “You must’ve known too; whenever you came over they were always distancing themselves from me, casting me aside like I didn’t even exist.”

Barbara continued to retell stories from her upbringing and although you hated to condone what she’d done, you did sympathise with her to an extent. But when your old friend eventually broke out in tears, you didn’t know what to do. At first you perceived her to be faking it; she’d always possessed the ability to feign crocodile tears at any given moment in order to get out of a tricky situation or gain what she desired after all. 

However, you soon realised that this was not the case.

While Barbara had shown no remorse for murdering her parents, you sensed that she was crying since the recollection of such memories was too painful. That was when you sensed the true extent of the damage that her parents had caused to Barbara’s psyche. 

And all you could do was hold her tightly as she sobbed against you, her arms around you tightly as though she never wanted to let go. Although Barbara had rarely known where she stood with people throughout her childhood and adolescent years, you had always been a constant. You had never played games or cast her aside when a better offer came along. You had been forever genuine and loyal, and Barbara needed that - now more than ever.

She didn’t even have to hesitate, because she knew exactly what she wanted. Although you had understandably been alarmed by her surprise appearance, you hadn’t shunned her or shut her out like everyone else had been so quick to do so. You were still her friend - her best friend - but Barbara so desperately wanted more than that. Your undying kindness towards her really had opened her eyes to a few truths: she truly adored you. That was why Barbara pressed her lips to yours, kissing you tenderly while your arms were still around her in a close embrace.

Even though her sudden act of affection surprised you, you didn’t want to pull away. You felt Barbara’s need for you in the way in which she kissed you; it was a somewhat familiar feeling yet different at the same time - because this time it really did mean something. You were no longer kids but although circumstances had changed dramatically, the two of you were as close as ever. 

“Y/N, you’re so pretty…” Barbara smiled widely at you; overcome with joy at having her feelings reciprocated by you. “So beautiful.”

“Barbara, are you sure this is what you want?” You asked. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t want this…I just want to know that you–”

“I love you, Y/N.” She insisted before kissing you again, gently running her fingers through your hair as though you were the most precious thing she’d ever seen. “You make me feel like I matter. Even now that I’ve done some horrible things, you look at me like that and I feel whole. It’s like I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not.”

That made you smile and you reached for her hand; intertwining your fingers with hers as you smiled warmly at her. “Hey, I just want to be with the real you. No false pretences, just you. Okay?”

Barbara nodded, your words filling her with such happiness. She felt overwhelmed by how kind you had been to her and had no doubt that she really did want to make things work between the two of you. For Barbara, finding you had been more than just a college reunion - it had saved her from herself. And for that, she couldn’t have been more grateful to you.
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HOLY SHIIT!!
Over 1k of you beautifully insane people have read this shitty book!
I actually cant thank you enough im sooo happy i love you all soo much stay crazy xxxx