A/N: Hey, guys! Starting a new fic. Unfortunately, school is starting again, so I won't be able to update super often. I'll try to post the next update in a week or two, but we'll see. I'm also trying to make the chapters longer now so there's more material to read between updates. Anyway, hope you enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
Chapter One:
Diana was sprawled out on Shayera's couch, a table covered by empty Chinese food cartons to her right. The Thanagarian was as stuffed as Diana was, sitting on the floor with her back against the couch. They had just finished watching 10 Things I Hate About You, and it was time for their weekly girl-talk session.
It was at times like these that Diana was especially grateful that she and Shayera had patched up their friendship. Diana had few female friends as it was, and most of them were happily in relationships. Dinah had Ollie, Helena had Charlie. Shayera understood her situation and was having some guy troubles of her own.
"Maybe you just need to make a big gesture to him, Di. But maybe not as big as serenading him in front of a bunch of people while making a fool of yourself," Shayera suggested, laughing as she remembered the scene from the movie.
Diana frowned and turned her head slightly to look at her friend. "I hope you're not seriously telling me to do something based on a movie - a rom-com, no less."
Shayera pursed her lips in thought. "You know, I was joking at first, but this might be a good idea. It might let you crack that hard exterior of his."
"Batman will not respond well to any big gesture, trust me. Especially if it's done in front of a lot of people. He would just withdraw further from me. Besides, Patrick did that because Kat was angry at him for rejecting her kiss, and he wanted her to forgive her. If only I were in Patrick's situation. Bruce isn't angry at me because I wouldn't let him kiss me. He's just trying to avoid a relationship with me."
"Fine, maybe 'gesture' is the wrong word to use. You just need to make a move."
"Why are you pushing me so hard to do this? You could try a move with John."
"Our situations are different, Diana. I hurt John, and I need to wait until he is ready to forgive me, if he ever is. But I hate that we sit here, week after week, discussing our practically non-existent love lives. Nothing is changing, and I'd like it if at least one of us saw some improvement."
Diana eyed Shayera's upset expression and sighed. She was probably the world's biggest sucker. "Alright, I'll do it." Shayera instantly perked up, and Diana continued, "But I don't know what good it will do. Batman has excellent self-control. He's always completely focused on the mission."
Shayera smirked. "I'm surprised at how little you've picked up during your time in Man's World. Don't worry, I already have an idea."
"Meaning?"
"You just need to override his self-control, right?"
"Yes, but I don't know if that's possible. As I said, he's really foc -"
"Men don't always think with their minds, Di."
The next day, in the Watchtower…
Diana saw Bruce in the kitchen, pouring himself some coffee. It's now or never, she thought to herself. She still wasn't completely comfortable with Shayera's plan, but she couldn't back out of it now that she'd already agreed. Besides, the idea did have some merit. If she was having trouble forcing Batman to act on his feelings for her, she could try to get him to act on his attraction to her.
She entered the kitchen, walking towards him, and he looked up at her from his drink. As soon as she got within an arm's length of him, she allowed herself to stumble, falling forward. She exhaled a small breath of relief as he quickly set down his mug and caught her. It would have been embarrassing if he had let her fall to the ground. Now that she was in his arms, she suddenly froze, unsure of herself once again.
"Diana, are you alright?" Bruce noted her slow reaction time and the slight nervousness he saw in her eyes. She wasn't acting herself, and he was a bit worried. Like I would be for any other teammate, he added in his head.
"I'm fine now that you have me," Diana murmured, fluttering her eyelashes. She had no idea what she was doing, and at seeing Batman's unresponsiveness, she was ready to strangle Shayera for putting her in this humiliating situation. Thinking back to the list of actions Shayera had told her to do, Diana could only continue on and hope for the best.
Bruce was confused at the almost breathless quality of her voice. Had she just been doing strenuous exercise? Then he understood as she started stroking his chest in lazy circles: she was trying to seduce him! He was about to tell her off coldly, but then she licked her lips and focused her beautiful eyes on his mouth. For someone so innocent, she definitely knew how to test his self-control. Then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. Diana could tempt most men without even trying. Then she moved her hand to his cheek, touching the corner of his mouth with her thumb, and Bruce felt the air around them get hotter.
Diana wished she could see his eyes, but they were covered by the white lenses of the cowl. She was sure her desire was clear on her face, but he was much harder to read. She thought she had heard a slight hitch in his breath when she had touched his face, but she couldn't be sure. Then he lowered his head a fraction of an inch. Was he going to -?
He might have kissed her - not that he would ever admit that to himself - if not for the sound of pattering feet coming down the hallway. Batman quickly jerked back, releasing Diana, but not before the Flash had caught sight of them.
"Whoa, I'm sorry, I just wanted to grab an energy drink. Did I interrupt something?" Wally eyed the two of them curiously.
Diana picked herself off the floor, having not reacted quickly enough to levitate herself. "Um, no. I just tripped, and Batman caught me." She looked to Bruce to corroborate her story, but he had turned his back and was already stalking off. She was about to go after him when Wally's words registered in her mind. "I don't think that's a good -" She turned back, only to see the Flash chugging a Red Bull. In a split second, he chucked the can in the trash and sped off, no doubt to cause some trouble. She shook her head and flew down the hall after Batman.
"Bruce, wait."
He ignored her and continued walking at a faster pace.
Diana sighed. Bruce was making his displeasure with her clear, but she couldn't let this go yet. Not when he had finally showed that he liked her as more than a friend. "Bruce, I'm sorry about what I did." She was still talking to his back. She flew past him and then turned around, blocking his path. "Well, actually, no, I'm not. I'm sorry that Wally stopped us. But I'm not sorry that I did what I did."
Bruce just sidestepped her, his frown unchanging.
"At least admit that you're attracted to me." Diana was desperate for some sign from him that told her she hadn't imagined the spark between them.
Finally, he spoke. "You're wrong."
"Then what do you call what happened back there?" Diana was indignant at Bruce's denial.
Batman stopped walking and turned to look at her. "Diana, I can't be attracted to you. And don't ask me why. I've outlined the reasons many times."
"Why can't you just give it a chance? Give us a chance."
"I would never do anything to jeopardize the mission, and you know that. I'm not right for you, and the sooner you accept that, the faster you can move on."
"I wouldn't jeopardize the mission, Bruce. I could help you. We could fight crime in Gotham, together."
"Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? Gotham is my city, and I defend it alone. What would people think when they saw Wonder Woman fighting in Gotham?"
"Maybe that I am helping my teammate out."
"Then why not help Clark in Metropolis, or the Flash in Central City?"
"Fine, so people will know that we're dating."
"The problem with dating me is that you would never be able to date both Batman and Bruce Wayne. It would reveal my secret identity." Diana opened her mouth to interrupt, but Bruce cut her off. "I'm assuming you would rather date Bruce Wayne, since if you did date the Bat, then Bruce Wayne would have to date other girls in order to keep up his playboy appearance, and you don't seem like the type to share. The relationship itself could be plausible, since Bruce Wayne has met Wonder Woman before. However, thanks to your actions today, the Flash is probably speeding around spreading rumors to all the other heroes about us being an item. Even if we could intimidate him into silence, we would eventually slip up. People already suspect that there's something between us. It would only take a smile or a glance on your part for people to realize that Wonder Woman likes Batman. And then they would reach one of two conclusions, that Wonder Woman is dating one man while she has feelings for another. Or that Batman is Bruce Wayne. Now, you might say that the secret would remain within the League, but I definitely don't trust all these heroes with that information. Even if they could keep it to themselves, it would be too easy for villains to torture it out of them. Additionally, if Wonder Woman dates Bruce Wayne, that puts a target on his back. If someone tries to get to you through Bruce Wayne, I may have no choice but to defend myself, revealing that Bruce Wayne isn't just some idiot billionaire. So now you see why we couldn't date, ever." He finished with an air of finality.
Diana was silent after Bruce's long monologue. He had anticipated each of her arguments and made a solid case against them. In fact, she was starting to see how a relationship between them wouldn't be the best idea.
Bruce watched her, a bit surprised that she had nothing to say. But then again, it was difficult to argue against such concrete reasoning. He turned to leave, but she stopped him.
"What if I could find a way around all that? If we could date and it wouldn't risk anything on your part."
"Do you have any ideas?"
"No," she admitted. "But I could come up with one."
"If I haven't thought of a solution, I doubt you will be able to."
Diana smirked. "You've thought a lot about this?"
Batman ignored her question. "Diana, just give up on this. We're good as friends. Don't make this more complicated than it should be." Seeing the stubborn look on her face, he sighed. "Please. You're right, maybe I feel something for you, and if you keep pursuing me, chances are I will break in the end. But is that what you really want? To force me into a relationship with you?"
Satisfied that he had made his point, he strode away, leaving behind a dejected Diana.
Zatanna entered right after Bruce had left. She took in Diana's upset expression and tried to offer a comforting smile. "Hey, I just saw Batman leaving. You okay?"
Diana had never been very familiar with the magician, especially since she wasn't sure what type of history Zatanna had with Batman. She nodded in response to the question and made to leave.
"Wait. You know that he likes you, right?"
Diana paused. Had Bruce confided in Zatanna, or was Zatanna just misinterpreting the situation as an argument between friends? She decided to play it safe. "I would hope so, since we are teammates."
Zatanna gave Diana a reproving look. "You know what I mean. He has feelings for you. He told me himself."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I'm Bruce's friend, and I want to see him happy. I know that you can make him happy, and I wanted to offer my help. You never know when a bit of magic will come in handy. Or if you just need me to talk him into it."
"That's very kind." Diana thought back to Bruce's words. "But I wouldn't want to force him into a relationship with me. And I don't really have any plans on how to proceed from here. Thank you, though."
"Well, it's an open offer. Come to me any time." Zatanna watched sympathetically as Diana exited the kitchen.
Next week, Shayera's quarters…
The two heroines had just finished Maid in Manhattan.
"I never wanna eat Italian food again," Shayera groaned. "I even have a food baby!"
Diana agreed. "That was way too much. But it was so good."
Shayera glanced over at her friend's still-flat stomach. "Shut up. How does your stomach look exactly the same?"
Diana shrugged. "Fast metabolism?"
"More like blessings from the gods," Shayera muttered.
Diana smiled but then turned serious. "I need to find a solution to this issue of Bruce and me dating."
Shayera shot her a sympathetic look. "Are you sure you won't just give up? Batman made his wishes very clear."
Diana's eyes flashed with determination. "I never give up. Besides, sometimes I think Bruce doesn't know what he really wants. If I can figure this out, I can make everyone happy." She paused for a moment, thinking. Then her eyes lit up. "Batman isn't the only one who can have a secret identity."
"What?" Shayera was confused.
"How did Marisa get Chris?"
"Are you seriously considering doing something based on a movie? After you made fun of me last week?"
"My situation is more similar to Marisa's. She would never have been able to date Chris, due to status, if he hadn't thought that she was a wealthy socialite. I can't date Bruce due to the circumstances. So all I have to do is become someone who he can date. Namely one of the many girls seen on Bruce Wayne's arm. Then I get him to fall for me, and everything will be solved. My secret identity can date Bruce Wayne without the risk of someone figuring out his secret identity."
Shayera shook her head. "There are literally so many problems with that plan, I don't know where to begin. Okay, first, you are missing the whole point of the movie. Don't pretend to be something you're not. And second, if you really are going by the movie, remember how Marisa's secret almost tore them apart in the end? And that was over what started as a misunderstanding. How do you think Batman will react when he realizes that you actively deceived him? Third, it worked in the movie because Chris had never seen Marisa before. Batman knows what you look like, and I don't think a changing of outfits will do the trick. Fourth, assuming you manage to fool him, Bruce Wayne is just a cover for Batman. He doesn't actually get attached to any of the women he dates. What makes you think you will be different?"
Diana remained undeterred. "Yes, there are many ways this can go wrong, but if I don't try, I'll never know if I can succeed. And as for the disguise, I know someone who just might be able to help with that."
The next night, at the Watchtower…
Zatanna was about to go to bed when she heard a knock at her door. She opened it, surprised to find Wonder Woman waiting outside nervously.
"Hi, Zatanna. Sorry it's so late, but I had to wait until Bruce left."
This caught Zatanna's interest. "Please, come in. I'm assuming you have a plan now?"
"Yes." Diana hesitated, unsure whether she should let Zatanna in on it.
Zatanna understood and waved a hand dismissively. "You don't have to tell me what it is. Just tell me what you need from me."
Diana smiled gratefully. "I need a disguise that can fool Batman."
"A permanent one? Or temporary?"
"It would have to be a disguise that I could switch into and out of multiple times. Is that too much work? I wouldn't want you to continuously have to change me into the disguise and back."
"No, a glamour charm would work quite well in this case. I can enchant a piece of jewelry so that whoever wears it will appear as someone else to those who see her. Usually I would cast the spell on a necklace, but it looks like neither of us has one right now. You could bring me one later."
"Would earrings work?" Diana removed her silver star earrings and handed them to Zatanna.
"Yes, but let me turn them into something less recognizable. Egnahc ruoy mrof." She waved her hand and the earrings transformed into diamond teardrop earrings. "Now, tell me what you want to look like."
Diana hadn't actually thought about it. "I don't know. Just something very different. But attractive," she added. She would need to be pretty to catch Bruce Wayne's eye.
Zatanna looked at Diana's features analytically. "I can make your hair blonde and shorter. Your eyes can be hazel. Your facial features would need to change slightly as well. Of course, he might recognize your voice, so I can make that higher in pitch. It's a bit tricky to change your height. You might have to make do with wearing flats instead of heels."
"That sounds perfect," Diana affirmed, confident that Bruce wouldn't be able to connect her to her new secret identity.
Zatanna waved her hand over the earrings again, uttering, "Esiugsid eht reraew." The earrings flashed brightly, then returned to normal. She handed the jewelry to Diana. "Here, try them."
Diana put them on and looked in the mirror, but she looked the same. "I don't think they're working."
"They are. Only you can see your true self. Anyone else will see the disguise."
Diana nodded and took the earrings off again. "Thank you, Zatanna." She headed toward the door.
"Diana? Bruce does his homework. Make sure you have a solid backstory. He'll get suspicious if he catches you in a lie. And you will need to get the things normal humans have, like a place to live and a job. And one more thing. Good luck."
The two women shared a genuine smile, and Diana left, happy with the knowledge that she had new ally.
A week later, in Gotham…
Shayera landed on the sidewalk, glancing around nervously. She was in the East End district of Gotham, known for the many crimes committed on its streets, but the threat of thugs attacking her wasn't what was making her anxious. She could take on criminals, though she didn't know who would be stupid enough to attack her while she was holding her mace.
She was worried about Diana. She had gone to her quarters, where she and Diana usually met up for their ladies' night. Instead of finding Diana, she had found a note on her bed, asking her to go to an address.
Shayera looked up at the run-down apartment building. This was it. She flew up the stairwell, careful not to touch the grimy steps. "This better not be a trap," she muttered to herself, preparing herself for a surprise attack. Once she reached the correct door, she noted that it was unlocked and let herself in.
There was an unfamiliar blonde woman sitting on a raggedy couch. As Shayera walked closer, she realized that the blonde was actually hovering just above the dirty furniture. The blonde had been focused on writing in a notepad, but then she glanced up. "Shayera! You're here, finally."
Shayera watched the woman distrustfully. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I forgot that I had these on. Wait." The woman lifted her hands to her ears.
Shayera gripped her mace tighter, prepared to take a swing at the woman. Then her jaw dropped in shock as she watched the blonde transform into Diana. "I see you have a lot to tell me."
Once Diana had filled her in, Shayera shook her head. "I cannot believe you're going through with this. But at least your disguise is airtight. I did not recognize you at all."
"Good. Now I just need to finish working out my backstory, and I'll be good to go."
"Is that what you're writing on the pad?"
"Yes. Bruce might do some research into my background, and I need to be prepared for any questions he asks me."
"Is that why you got this apartment?"
"Yes."
"Couldn't you have picked one that was a little nicer? I thought you were supposed to be a wealthy socialite. Why would you be living in the worst part of Gotham in a dingy little building?" Shayera looked around at the dismal living conditions.
"Part of my backstory will be that I was disowned by my wealthy parents. It's pretty close to the truth, anyway." Diana was quiet for a moment, remembering the life on Themyscira that she had left behind. Then she continued, "As for why I picked this place, it was the cheapest I could find. Besides, it's mainly for recordkeeping purposes. Batman will get suspicious if I don't actually live anywhere. I'll go back to the Watchtower each night. And if I encounter any criminals, I can take them."
"Right, rent. I'm so used to living in the Watchtower. How are you paying for this, by the way? Do you have some secret Amazon fund stored away?"
"I got a job. Teaching self-defense at the local high school."
Shayera couldn't help but laugh. "You're good with kids?"
"Well, they're a handful sometimes, but at least most of them are actually interested in learning how to defend themselves. It's necessary in a city like Gotham. I can't imagine how difficult it is teaching them in a different subject."
"Imagine if they knew their new teacher was Wonder Woman. Although I guess you would be Blonder Woman now. Which reminds me, what are you calling your secret identity?"
"I'm still going with Diana as a first name. It would feel weird for him to call me by another name. I think the change in my looks will be enough to keep away his suspicion. And for the surname, I picked the Greek word for love, 'Eros.' Plato calls it the appreciation of the beauty within a person. I thought it was kind of fitting, especially since now we will both have physical disguises."
"You're really going all in on this, aren't you?"
Diana nodded. "I have to. You were right before. We have been spending too much time passively accepting that our relationships are going nowhere. I'm going to give this my best, and if, in the end, that isn't enough, then I'll gladly move on."
Shayera looked at her friend, feeling almost proud. "Then I wish you good luck, Diana Eros."
"Thanks, I'm going to need it. The Wayne Foundation is holding another charity ball tomorrow night, and it will be time to meet Bruce."
Sorry to cut off right before the action begins, but I'm supposed to leave you wanting more, right? At least I hope you want to read more. Please let me know what you think so far. Reviews are always appreciated!