Author's Note: This story was requested to me. (and strangely, this site won't let me post his name... ah I guess I missed something in the guidlines.) It's sort of a sequel to "A Selfie with Diana" Hopefully, you guys enjoy this one. And I apoligize if you find this terrible 'coz I totally rushed it. I'll edit the for errors later.
P.S. I do welcome requests but there's no guarantee that I would always write them. I'll try my best. For now, I think I might not have enough time since school is starting. I'll be busy.
The great thing about working in the Fortress of Solitude is that it's as quiet as the bat cave, but the brightness of the crystal columns wasn't something he got used. Fortunately, it was quickly remedied by setting his lenses to a dimmer view. Despite the darker perspective, Bruce was able to see details.
Earlier, Clark had asked him to check the Fortress' computer link to the Watchtower because it kept restarting whenever he tried to send some messages to whoever was on monitor duty in the tower. Naturally, Batman was too busy for this sort of request and would slightly scold the Kryptonian for bothering him for such a trivial thing. He could ask J'onn or somebody in the League with a techy edge, but no one was available to have a look. Plus, Superman had already tried to fix it himself.
Therefore, with a not-so-good mood, the dark knight came in with his black jet and started tinkering with the large computer that stood beside a very large crystal wall.
After a few minutes of discovering the problem, Batman rolled under the large computer console and popped open a lid for the inner machinery. It took a while to find the connection to the power supply because he had to sort through the myriad of wires that hanged loosely.
When he was about to snap the lid back to its place, he saw Supergirl coming in. She was carrying crushed ice.
A truck full of crushed ice, which must've weighed at least a few tons.
Carrying the truck with her bare hands above her head, Kara was walking with a woman dressed in work clothes. Bruce knew the woman as Lois Lane. Still seemingly very oblivious to the fact that Clark Kent is Superman, the reporter held a handy cam while revealing her amazement to the surrounding. Since Batman was still under the computer, neither of the ladies saw him as they passed by.
After finishing his task, Bruce rolled out from under the machine and started heading to Batwing that parked outside. When he was already almost at the entrance, he heard a loud crash. It sounded alarming so he ran back.
When he reached the origin of the sound, he didn't find the danger he was expecting.
Kara was floating in the air while holding the truck upside down. It seemed that she had dumped the contents of the truck onto the floor, creating mountain of ice that covered a relatively large space. At a safe distance, Lois Lane was recording the whole thing.
Batman relaxed. They were just helping Clark fulfill the Ice Bucket Challenge.
It was something that everyone expects from Superman especially that the challenge is for charity. Clark wouldn't mind the cold. He won't feel the icy pain even if it's three tons of ice.
As anticipated, Superman emerged from the ice mountain and faced the camera in a very drenched getup.
"Now that's over with" Clark said with a warm smile, "I nominate Green Lantern, Flash and..."
Searching for a final person to nominate, he looked at Batman's direction. He might've noticed his presence though his x-ray vision. The black figure glared. It was a warning.
"... and Hawkgirl. Remember guys, you have twenty four hours to do the challenge"
After some short giggles from Supergirl, Lois stopped the recording and expressed great satisfaction.
"It's perfect! I'll post this online when I get back" the reporter said.
It was only after she said that when she noticed that Batman was watching. She gasped loud enough to create echoes.
"You almost gave me a heart attack!"
Batman didn't express anything.
"Get used to it. He likes to sneak up on people" Kara said as she floated down to the floor.
Superman looked at his dark friend with his usual friendly expression.
"Finished with the computer already?" he asked.
"I fixed it before you made... this" the Batman replied, gesturing to the ice mountain.
"Thanks" the man of steel said with a genuine tone.
The man in blue and red looked at the ice mountain proudly while Lois and Kara watched the video on the cam's small LCD screen.
"Guess who nominated me" he muttered.
"She did" Bruce pointed at Lois who was still busy admiring the video with Kara.
"Yup, she got nominated by Lex Luthor..."
The known foe of the Superman must've been desperate to get more positive popularity, Bruce thought.
"... I can't remember who nominated Luthor though"
"Seems like he wanted to get on your good side" the Batman commented.
As usual, he left Superman's side before the man of steel can utter a reply. He didn't want to stay and chat; there was someone waiting for him at the cave.
Bruce could already see the sparkle on Diana's bracelets as he landed the Batwing gently in its place in the cave.
She was leaning on the railing of the steel foot bridge that connected the aircraft's space and the central work station. She was wearing a casual green dress and blazer, of the lighter shade, that covered only the top. Her feet wore leather boots. As usual, she looked stunning. His eyes relished the sight of her.
Her smile greeted him when he got off from the plane's cockpit.
The first thing she said was "You're late"
"Better late than never" he replied.
"How's Clark?" she asked while he approached.
"Fine as usual... Doing hero work"
As he decided since after the selfie thing, Bruce had been keeping himself from mentioning anything about the social media. Nothing can stop the curious Amazon from doing what she deemed as fun and she'd drag him along with it. He had let her keep the selfies but a bucket of ice wasn't for the Batman. He knew she'd love the idea. But right now, he wasn't in the mood for celebrity gimmicks even if it reinforces the Wayne image. He didn't have time for it.
Besides, he had already donated a few millions for the ALS charity a few days ago.
Luckily for him, she stopped asking about what Superman did this afternoon.
"Hurry up. We only have a few hours before you go out in patrol" she said.
Doing as the princess wished, he ran up to the manor and changed into casual attire. Then she met her at one of the living rooms. She sat on the black couch, holding a few DVD cases.
"Which to do you want to watch?" she asked as she spread the titles in front of him.
The first movie was 'Maleficent' which looked more like an attempt to excuse a villain for past actions. The second one was 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' which he had no idea what it was all about. The third one was 'The Lego Movie' which he considered to be an absurd addition in the choices.
Quickly, He picked the one he was unsure about.
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
He popped the DVD into the player and went back to the couch. She snuggled at his side while his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
It was a cozy and warm. He liked the feeling very much.
Watching movies turned out to be something of a regular thing for the both of them. Diana started it, probably sensing that he wasn't much of a movie goer and needed a refresher. She'd come to the manor, at least once a week. Most of the time, he'd find the movies boring. Still, he was willing to sacrifice some time just for her.
When the movie was almost halfway to the ending, she spoke out of the blue.
"So what was Clark's hero work today?"
Bruce suppressed a flinch. Naturally, he's a good liar but, somehow, he couldn't get that skill working when it comes to Diana. And usually the princess sees right through him. Some time ago, she had even deduced the Batman's true identity even though he profusely denied it.
Now, she probably sensed his hesitation to tell details.
"He was helping Lois with something"
"Oh?"
Stay calm, Bruce. Just keep it simple.
"What was he helping her with?"
"Some charity work"
"Oh I see... what kind of charity work?"
Don't say it, Bruce.
"Just some gimmick that people do online these days"
You should punch yourself, Bruce.
Her eyes lit up. She wasn't paying attention to the movie anymore.
"Sounds fun... What is it?" she finally asked. Her blue, ocean eyes stared directly at him.
OK. You got this. Divert the topic. Divert!
"It's... " he began.
But... how could you lie to that pretty face?
"... the Ice Bucket Challenge..."
"What's that?"
Then he couldn't help it.
"...People, basically, pour a mixture of water and ice over their heads while video taping it. Then, they upload it online to spread awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. If you can't do it, then you can choose to donate instead"
Bruce knew what came next.
"That sounds great!" she exclaimed, "We should do it too!"
"No" he quickly uttered.
Her smile vanished and was replaced by a judging look.
"I mean... I've already donated and... you have to get nominated by someone who went through the challenge if you want to do it"
Though he had heard that some people do it without getting nominated, it was best to make her believe that rules are applied strictly.
"Oh" was her only reply.
They finished the movie peacefully and with her finding it more enjoyable than expected. As always, Bruce found it boring. In truth was distracted with an awful feeling.
If John, Shayera or Flash nominated Diana, there's no way of escaping it.
The Watchtower was relatively quiet except for the cafeteria. The chairs and table were pushed to the side and towels were made ready nearby.
A group of junior members cheered when they poured the water and ice over themselves. Green Lantern, Flash and Hawkgirl decided to do the challenge together, which was obviously practical. With his ring, Lantern provided the buckets. Flash got the ice covered. And now, wet and cold, they faced the camera on tripod.
"We nominate..." John started, " Captain Atom"
Next to nominate was Shayera.
"Zatanna"
Then it was Wally's turn.
"Ba-"
The speedster stopped abruptly and stared behind the crowd. A certain dark being with white eyes and horns glared.
"Booster Gold" he said instead.
Soon after, they wrapped up, the crowd dispersed and the participants dried themselves..
Batman started to walk away. He was relieved that he wasn't nominated. Though it was easy to refuse the challenge, the princess won't give up in including him in the fun. Even if it was her personal mission, the Batman wasn't going to let himself have fun this way.
Then he heard another voice.
"Thanks for nominating me. Can I borrow the camera?"
He turned around and saw Zatanna. While Hawkgirl was bossing the Flash to mop the floor, John held the camera.
"Sure" he said happily.
A few from the crowd went back to their position to watch. They knew Zatanna would be doing the challege right here and right now. By some weird chance, Wonder Woman was there watching with them. The wet trio stepped back after the magician set the camera with her wand.
"Drocer!" she commanded.
The red light on the camera appeared and then she waved her wand again.
"Emoc Dolc Eci Ni Tekcub!"
A bucket appeared above her head. It was floating on its own. As if she was on a show, she posed herself in a presentable manner.
"I accept the challenge" she announced lightly, "Don't forget to donate to the ALS Association"
Zatanna readied her wand.
"But before I drench myself, I would like to nominate Doctor Fate ..."
Batman was nervous. Very nervous. Besides Lantern, Zatanna was the only one in the League who knew about their relationship. She extremely approved of it. She had even suggested Diana to move in with him.
"... and my good friends Wonder Woman and Bruce Wayne"
Diana was elated to have heard it. Batman made wry face.
A few hours before patrol, he entered the cave after getting an alert that someone from the League had entered it. There was only one person he had allowed to come freely into the cave.
As he had expected, Wonder Woman arrived at the cave via teleportation. She carried two buckets of ice-cold water with no problem. She wore her famous costume and her biggest smile. Probably, She was thinking of ways to coerce him into doing the challenge. Surely, she was expecting him to be very negative about it.
Bruce Wayne was wearing his shirt and jeans. He was waiting for her. He didn't share her excitement but he didn't try to escape either.
"I'm surprised you agreed to this" she chuckled, "I can practically feel your refusal in the air when she mentioned your name"
He only managed to smirk. The small reaction made Diana look at him with curiosity.
"I'm doing this to promote the charity"
She narrowed her eyes before placing the buckets on the floor.
"I don't believe you. You've already donated millions to the charity and you don't give in to gimmicks that easily"
He looked at her with a hint of his affection.
"I realized that I needed to loosen up. Have fun, like you always said. "
Diana leaned closer, as if trying to spot something in his eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
He felt uncomfortable saying the word 'fun'. It sounded as foreign as the idea of it.
Earlier, he had tried to remember the last time he had fun. The real kind of fun. Somehow, it made him feel down about himself when he couldn't remember anything other than that night before the awful incident in the alley. His father had played tag with him. He still remembered him running around the house, trying to chase him.
Was that it? Was that his last moments of real fun? That can't be right.
Bruce was willing to have a sad and lonely life to protect Gotham. He thought nothing can change that, until a certain princess came into his life. Maybe he didn't have to turn down the opportunity to live a little. Maybe he can be both Batman and a happier Bruce Wayne.
"Well? Shall we head to the pool?" he asked before he offered his hand.
Diana gladly took it.
He carried one of the buckets with his free hand as she did the same. Hand in hand, they walked upstairs. Soon, they reached the pool, finding Alfred with a small video camera.
"Good day, Miss Diana" the butler greeted, "Ready for the challenge?"
"Yes" she gladly replied.
The two stood to the position with the large pool behind them. Alfred signaled them that the camera is recording.
"We thank the heroes from the Justice League for nominating us..." Bruce said as he showed off a smile in front of the camera, "Even though I have already donated to the ALS charity, I'm still up for the challenge"
Then, it was Diana's turn to speak.
"We nominate Dick Grayson, Oliver Queen and Dinah Laurel Lance"
At the same time, they raised the buckets over their heads and let go of the contents. Bruce gave a shivered groan and Diana burst into laughter. When all of the ice and water was spent, she playfully pushed him into the pool. But he had pulled her by the arm before hitting the surface of the water.
Both went down with a big splash
They came up to the surface laughing. She splashed him with a swift push on the water. He returned the act by throwing a larger cluster. Then, it all became quiet. She grinned at him as he swam closer.
And then, like it was in his nature to do so, he held her cheek and kissed her. She reacted to it by touching his broad shoulders and refusing their lips to part.
Alfred had stopped recording after a while and waited for the two to finish.
The next day, before teleporting to the Watchtower, Bruce checked their video online with his big computer in the cave. Alfred had uploaded it last night while Batman went out to patrol. As expected, the video was cut before the they fell on the pool. People didn't need to see the kiss.
Still, the video got three hundred thousand views and the numbers were still climbing.
He smiled at the faces on screen. Diana seemed happy as always. The man beside her showed a genuine grin.
He had never seen himself that happy before.
The End