Title: Rain Check
Category: Smallville/Batman Crossover
Rating: K+
Genre: Romance
Pairing: Chloe/Bruce
Prompt: First Date by fran06
Word Count: 835
Summary: Their first date was disaster... Three times over.
Rain Check
-Drabble-
Their first date was a disaster. He was called away and she was paged by the League. They looked at each other, both sputtering excuses before they called out, "Rain check," and ran off in different directions. She didn't see him for another three weeks; working her butt off for the League and spending more time in an office somewhere in Prague rather than back in her new apartment sitting filled with boxes in Gotham City. Upon arriving, she'd frowned at Oliver. "Nice timing, Arrow."
He lifted a shoulder. "I'm sure Wayne won't give up so easy, Sidekick." He winked. "Who doesn't enjoy the chase?"
She snorted, getting down to work.
When she got back, she found Oliver was right. He'd sent her a dozen roses as an apology. Unfortunately, they were withered after having been sitting in wait for three weeks.
When she ran into him a few days later, he smiled widely. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me."
She smiled. "Out of town work. I just got back."
He nodded understandingly. "Care to try dinner again? Cash that rain check in?"
She smiled broadly. "I'd love to."
And because she really, really wanted to. They were interrupted again. Clark needed her help in Smallville and Bruce had unnamed business elsewhere. Standing outside of the restaurant, neither really wanting to end this before it even started, they stared at each other, stalling.
"We suck at this," she told him, smiling.
"Rain check, round two." He started walking backwards. "One of these days, we will get through a whole meal."
She grinned. "I hope so."
She took Oliver's private jet to Smallville and spent a week helping her best friend solve a mystery just like the old days. But she was happy to get home, unpack a few more boxes and put a little hope on the idea that she might just run into Bruce again. Working at the Gazette had her busy, but when she walked in to find a coffee just how she liked it sitting on her desk, still steaming, she knew he'd sent it to her.
Life was nice enough to grant her another run in with him.
"Where are you headed to?" he asked, lifting a brow.
"Lunch," she replied, smiling up at his handsome face. He had the darkest eyes she'd ever seen and they were utterly intoxicating.
He grinned. "I'd love to join you."
She slid an arm around his. "Thai sound good to you?"
The universe was against them, however. Her phone wouldn't stop ringing and neither would his, no matter how many times they tried to ignore it. Finally, they both gave in and answered. "Is this a serious crisis?" she muttered, irritated.
"Of the strongest degree," Lois had replied.
"Okay... I'll be there by..." She spotted Clark waiting outside, looking grim and sighed. "In five minutes."
She hung up and turned back to Bruce.
"Business," he told her with a sad smile.
"Same," she replied, lifting a shoulder.
"Rain check," they both said before chuckling.
He paid for what they'd ordered but never got around to eating and while he went one way, in the direction of Wayne Enterprises, she turned toward Clark.
"Sorry," he said, lifting a shoulder. "Is that him?"
She nodded.
"He looked... nice."
She rolled her eyes. "Let's just go."
She didn't get back for another two weeks and she was starting to think moving to Gotham just made things more difficult for her. She'd hardly spent any actual time around the city and the few times she had, she kept running into the man she really just wanted to tear the clothes off of and get to know in the most intimate way. He was charming and handsome and seemed to be just as interested as she was.
She heard a knock at her door and climbed off her couch to answer it. She was dressed down in sweat pants and a t-shirt that had seen better days. When she opened the door, she found the star of her thoughts standing there. He held up a bag. "I left my cell at home, work is the farthest thing from my mind, I had dinner cooked especially for this occasion, and I would really, really like to spend and evening getting to know you better."
She grinned, opening the door wider open. As it closed behind him, she went to her home phone and found her cell phone, turning them both off. There would be no more rain checks in their future; she was going to sit down and enjoy a first date with Bruce Wayne if it was the last thing she did. And hopefully, it would lead to a second date and so on. There was just something about him that appealed to him and she felt it was the same for him. She had a feeling that whatever it was between them, when it finally had its chance to start, it wasn't ever going to end.