Tim rushed over and started operating the machine.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikWbRSMOiM
His fingertips trembled as he typed in the commands, failing the password twice before finally gaining access to the main control panel. His mind was a mess—he could barely hear the steady rhythm of heartbeats behind him. All his focus was on those rows of options he knew by heart.
He switched the machine to thawing mode.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsed8WL3mey
As the options lit up before him, he didn’t hesitate to select “Initiate Thawing Process,” as if it were the only choice. He didn’t think about the consequences or the risks—her pulse had returned. That meant she should wake up. That belief was all he had.
But the machine's analysis showed: thawing would take six hours.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkV7LfRLjm
A line of cold, emotionless text appeared at the center of the screen, like a slap to the face. He stared at it and frowned. It wasn’t “immediate.” It wasn’t “now.” It was six hours—an eternity.
Tim frowned. Six hours was far too long.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0zwfCLVyP
He almost cursed. Six hours wasn’t a process—it was torture. He could take down dozens of enemies, crack hundreds of codes, but this kind of stillness, this wait, was unbearable.
Too long.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoh8iC82WGp
He clenched his jaw and spun around. He couldn’t just stand there doing nothing—he needed to do something. His actions were a distraction, a way to suppress that overwhelming desire inside him.
He turned and strode across the Batcave, searching for what he needed.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNQNyWn7LI
His steps were quick and purposeful, like he was carrying out a classified emergency mission. He didn’t say a word, but his movements made it clear: she’s going to wake up, and when she does, she won’t be cold, or in pain, or alone.
Heater. Blankets.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2noyPm6OhP
He remembered those supplies were stored in the back storage room. Tim carried them out, sweating under the strain, beads of sweat gathering on his brow. His hands were so cold they trembled, but he didn’t stop.
He hauled everything into the room and turned the heater on.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWVl9fuX1O
It roared to life with a low hum, warm air beginning to spread and slowly filling the morgue-like space. Tim cranked the temperature to its highest setting, as if trying to chase away the past two years of cold with heat.
The room quickly filled with warmth.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBHF4Mb6fE
Steam began to swirl through the air. The clash between cold and hot fogged the glass, and Tim stood in the mist like a figure out of a dream. But his expression wasn’t dreamy—it was alert and intense.
Tim stared at the person inside the cryo-pod, then reached out with trembling hands to press the button.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwg7UaRtnPE
His finger hovered above it for several seconds, as if it were a door that, once opened, could never be closed again. He took a deep breath—and finally pressed down.
The pod door opened slowly, releasing a rush of icy mist.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzMKd8nNvh
At that moment, warm and cold collided like a crack forming between the human world and a dream. Fog churned and blurred the room, transforming it into something unreal.
Tim looked at the girl he hadn’t seen in two years.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3kSDEM7Nb
She lay there, lashes resting on unmoving lids, lips pale, hair clinging to her cheeks. He stood frozen, barely breathing, afraid to disturb the fragile silence.
He touched Nora’s golden hair.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsUhis6aa5
It was cold, dotted with dew from the thawing process. Her hair was a little longer than he remembered, as if time had quietly left its mark on her while she slept. His fingertips trembled—he couldn’t tell if it was from nerves or pain.
Then, he took a deep breath and gently lifted her into his arms.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKUaej7Efm
His arms circled her back and legs with reverent care. He could feel her body was still cold, her skin like that of a statue yet to awaken. She felt too light—or perhaps, he had simply forgotten what it was like to hold her.
Tim didn’t go far. He turned and sat down right next to the cryo-unit.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjljZwnC3Yp
He didn’t dare leave its side, as if she still needed the machine to survive. When he sat, he accidentally brushed against its edge—the cold metal grounding him back to reality. He adjusted his posture and let himself become another anchor she could lean on.
Holding Nora in his arms.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTFfe3O3U8
She rested against his chest like an unawakened soul. He could feel her breathing—irregular, sustained only by the system—but she was here. She was really here.
He covered her with the blanket and let her rest against him.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0nXw1I2E0
That thick layer of fabric was the only barrier he could offer. He smoothed it over her, carefully wrapping even her feet, afraid that even the tiniest gap might let the cold in. He let her head rest on his shoulder, his arms still steady beneath her back.
So cold, Tim thought. Like holding a block of ice.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAowDSfhCD6
She had no body heat. Yet his heartbeat raced, as if trying to warm her with his own. The cold seeped into his skin, his bones, his blood—but he didn’t move.
Tim didn’t want to let go.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYBr73h1jP
Even when his fingers went numb, even when his knees began to ache, he didn’t loosen his grip. Because this was the first time in two years that he could truly hold her.
He didn’t know when she would wake.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJdm71DvbO
But right now, she was in his arms.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9F4Uc5VKO
And that was enough.
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Nora's first thought was—It's so hot!49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSHAjII2bu
Not just warm—hot, like her entire body had been thrown into warm water. Her brows furrowed slightly as her consciousness slowly floated upward from the depths, and every inch of her skin screamed in discomfort, as if someone had left her under the burning sun in the middle of a desert.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EI8T3d3s7
What’s going on? Is my body actually being exposed to direct sunlight?
She tried to move, but even her eyelids felt like they were weighed down with lead. Her whole body was trapped between heat and heaviness, limbs stiff, mind foggy. All she had to prove she was still alive was that faint sensation of discomfort. And yet, rising alongside the heat, there was something else—a sense of safety.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVI51CPaK1
Not fear.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6EpqRK3CA
Not war.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HuKz22sdv
But—
Nora remembered her last memory.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHipya1e3H
She remembered stepping into that machine.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhE4xmYo4ba
She remembered the last thing she saw: a few familiar faces.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuA1JPtEB1Q
Her family. Her home. The world she had spent her last life protecting.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhto2vk4qi
She had forced herself to memorize their eyes, their farewells. And then—darkness.
So… did it work?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeCp4y6Fi7
Something inside her flared to life.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4UoH7FOVL
Does this mean the connection succeeded? Did my consciousness really return to Batman’s timeline?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsFQNRXINV
Her heart began racing uncontrollably. A prophecy had come true—49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyXdWTXHDk
She was alive.
Just realizing this made Nora tremble.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7KDQzKxOr
Her fingers wanted to move, her eyelids wanted to open, her lungs ached to draw in real air.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHm5aMo3w4X
Her whole being strained, like a chrysalis about to burst.
She made her decision:49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4GFetwkFh
She would open her eyes.
Slowly, with effort, her will pushed forward like a stone rolling uphill. Her vision blurred, hazy, then slowly sharpened.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwvzWRTaXD
The light stung, but she succeeded.
Green eyes slowly opened—49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazBbxp2j5a
And Nora froze.
She didn’t see a ceiling.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvnhKmGTbH
She didn’t see white lights.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39npGpZaIE
The very first thing she saw—was him.
Tim’s face was resting against her left shoulder. His breathing was steady, eyes shut.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUX23Amhw9
He had fallen asleep—right there—curled up beside her.
The first thing she saw was the person she missed the most.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoMi939YyL
She held her breath, terrified that this would shatter if she blinked.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrnyUJNvjF
But he was real. Not a memory, not a dream, not a hallucination.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXJ4av6VBc
His warmth, the slight twitch of his eyelashes—49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFyIRFsCg4
All of it whispered: this is real.
Tim was leaning against her left shoulder, sound asleep.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqC0dTpPKea
He looked exhausted.
He hadn’t noticed she’d woken. His breathing carried the weight of someone who’d finally collapsed after holding out too long. He’d only allowed himself to rest once he knew she was safe.
Nora stared at him.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ccEa0HeGz
He looked thinner.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvqGxngDaq
His jawline was sharper, his collarbones more pronounced. His hair was messy, like he hadn’t rested properly in ages.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2q4midpq8
Has he even been eating?
He looked starved.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3p8F8fcfC
His cheeks were sunken, lips dry. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAMSHTB7C3
Those under-eye circles are massive… Has he even slept at all?
She almost chuckled.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgVTGjKy4H
This guy… Has he not been sleeping?49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvvNAfy9Ky
Then she realized—
That heat I felt earlier wasn’t from the sun… it was him. He’s been holding me this whole time.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bXRxr0Bra
No wonder it was so warm. I was in his arms.
She glanced down. Her entire body was wrapped in a thick blanket, like a cocoon. Even her toes were snugly covered.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkCqFuJe9X
So that’s what I looked like… wrapped up like a little bundle.
She lifted one arm slightly, both amused and touched.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnglHeDsUXi
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Her gaze softened.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZrBxwLIAy
It was a wordless mix of gratitude and ache that welled up from reunion.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaTCj31Q9D
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She slowly pulled her right hand free, wanting to touch the dark circles under his eyes.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCalgdxEcA
The motion was clumsy, but she pushed through the blanket and reached for his tired face, her fingers trembling—
And the moment she touched him, Tim flinched.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGzdaIq1M5
It was instinctive, like a wild animal startled in its sleep.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXi11T8o0d
His body jolted, brow furrowed, breath catching for a second—
Blue eyes slowly opened.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAw4yQQhNKY
Still dazed from sleep, his gaze was unfocused.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8KigSEwev
He blinked twice, clearly still halfway in a dream.
But she could feel it—his heartbeat surged in that moment.
There were a few seconds of confusion.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcNju7Fspv
Then his blue eyes slowly met her green ones.
In that moment, the whole world fell still.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0I8JlfY2Ki
Just the two of them, blue and green locked in a gaze that spanned across time and death.
They stared.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiIPQ1kqY3
No words. No movement. Just a quiet confirmation—49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUsV8YueSC
You're really back.
Then—49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgClgqOCr5
Nora smiled.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yAN9AzJAv
Idiot, she thought fondly.
The corners of her eyes shimmered, but her smile was radiant.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRS9zq7dOE
She knew how long he had held on. How tired he must be.
There were a million things she wanted to say.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDuXM6W8QU
But right now, she just wanted to do one thing.
Nora placed her right hand on the back of her boyfriend’s head.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtGVKDS7Io
She applied gentle pressure—firm, but soft.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBeaT9jQpV
This was her choice. Her will.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1YGov6tUB
She didn’t want to wait for anyone to speak first.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJp3iqoMddD
She wanted to act.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcGLOkXDUm
To tell him with her actions: I’m back. You’re here. We’re still us.
Their lips moved closer.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvMQE4cJqP
Breaths mingled. Their noses almost touched.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYZ06mNKBK
His pupils widened in shock.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfmeN4CGgx
But she closed her eyes, still smiling.
After two long years, they were finally together again.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3lg65P9BF
It began with this moment.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFGSXVUtdL
And this kiss.
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and then Add to home screen.