Bruce did smile a bit this time. Only someone like them could considered the things he'd told her to be 'calm'. Mouth curling just at the corner, he exhaled a short breath through his nose that was his approximation of a laugh. "As calm as ever," he commented. It might have been a joke, except people commonly accused him of having no sense of humor.
All they ever did was dance, and though she had been gone for six months, now was no different. He watched her closely as they fell into the same old patterns and he saw that she recognized it, too. It was frustrating for him, that even though he knew logically what their roles should be, he could never managed to fully embrace those boundaries with her.
In the early days, when Dick had been younger, it had been hard to explain to the boy the nature of their relationship. Batman had never let Catwoman get away - exactly - but if he played with her more, or gave her more opportunities to do what was right, his young sidekick certainly noticed, and soon learned not to question. That is, until he grew old and bold enough to tease him about it. It was a relief to him that Selina tended to at least straddle the fence these days, more often than not, but it still put a crimp in any relationship they might have had.
Which, in the long run, was probably a good thing. Because Batman couldn't have relationships and Bruce Wayne was a boy who had died in an alley nearly three decades ago, and while he'd aged to adulthood, he'd never fully grown up. Bruce had been in relationship, he did know about women, but his full emotional development was stunted - desiring and seeking love and affection, but always awkward and self-contained. He'd had no real success, and chances were, any venture made with Selina would end just as poorly as all the others. And she would be the one he truly wanted to work.
He was better off letting it alone, at least until the job of cleaning up Gotham was done and he could attempt to do the thing properly, without distracting, and he was just re-convincing himself of this when she spoke and her body swayed toward him, and against his will, his arm moved up to catch her. Such a simple movement, but it betrayed him, as much as if he'd put his arms around her, and his jaw clenched, the muscle ticking with annoyance and restraint as she pointed out exactly what he was thinking.
Six months, and it changed nothing. It was as though she hadn't gone anywhere at all.
"Selina..." he murmured. He wasn't sure if he was warning her, or asking.