This Little Puppy
"Batman to Wonder Woman."
"Wonder Woman here. What can I do for you, Bruce?" Diana leaned back in the chair in front of the monitor duty station that she'd been sitting in for the past few hours.
"I… require some assistance. Could you come to the manor?"
"I have monitor duty. You should know that."
"Is anyone else in the room with you?"
"Umm, yea. Kal's talking with John about something in the back of the room. Why?"
"Tell John that he's taking over your shift, and then get over here."
Diana didn't have a chance to respond, as the connection ended abruptly.
"Hey, John." She got up and turned to face the other two superheroes in the room.
"Yeah?" The Green Lantern asked, turning his attention away from the Man of Steel to focus on the Amazon princess.
"Could you take over the rest of my shift for me? Bruce wants something."
"Sure thing, Diana. Good luck with Bats." He replied, already sitting down in the chair previously occupied by the princess.
"Thanks." She said, before walking out of the monitor womb and heading for the teleportation room. Luckily, it wasn't too far away, so she was soon standing in the cold, unwelcoming, darkness of the Batman's lair.
"Bruce?" She called into the cave, her voice echoing around eerily. When he didn't respond, she went up into the manor. She pushed open the secret door in the grandfather clock and looked around his study.
"Took you long enough."
"Uhh…" Was all that she could say at first. Standing before her was a small black Chihuahua, his tail wagging happily upon seeing her. "You're so cute!" She cooed, reaching down to pick him up.
This explained why his voice had sounded so different over the comm. Now she realized it was because he had been barking, and with her power to communicate with animals, she had understood him.
"Diana, please, put me down." He said, wriggling in her grasp.
"And you're fluffy." She continued, ignoring his request and sitting down on one of the chairs in the room before setting him in her lap.
"That's not the point." He protested, trying desperately to stop his newly acquired tail from flopping around, showing how happy he was too see her here. "The point is I'm a dog."
"Right. Why, exactly, are you a dog?" She said, beginning to run her fingers through the soft fur covering his small back.
"Circe's back in Gotham." He said brusquely, sitting down on her knees and facing her, but allowing her to stroke him.
"And you went after her, but she managed to escape, and turn you into a dog in the process." She concluded. He nodded in response, and she suddenly realized something. "If this had to do with magic, why did you come to me before Zatanna or Dr Fate?"
"You can speak to animals." He pointed out. "Zatanna and Dr Fate can't. And … I'm kind of going to need you to take me to one of them, too."
"I think Zatanna's on the Watchtower now. At least she was when I left. Do you want me to take you up there and find her?"
He hesitated, and she reassured him, "No one's going to know it's you, Bruce. I can tell anyone that asks I'm taking care of you for a friend."
"Alright." He relented. "Whatever gets this over with quickly."
"Let's go then." She said, picking him up once more and heading back down into the depths of the Batcave.
"You don't have to carry me." He pointed out, even though he didn't really mind being in her arms that much.
"It'll look more believable if I am." She replied. "And, besides, I want to."
If dogs could blush, Bruce would've been.
"At least try to act like a dog." She said suddenly, just before they materialized on the Watchtower. He flinched and pinned his ears back, surprised by the unexpected and loud noise of the space shuttle.
Instinctively, he turned his head towards the warmth of her body, and felt one of her hands come to rest on his back and begin to stroke him again as she walked out of the room. Quickly recovering, he opened his eyes and moved so he could see where they were headed.
They were still in one of the hallways when Bruce's enhanced senses picked up the sound of someone coming down the hall at a fast pace. A very fast pace. His suspicions were confirmed when the scarlet speedster came around the corner, very nearly running into the two of them.
"Wondy! You didn't tell me you had a dog." Wally said excitedly, leaning down to scratch Bruce behind the ears. He wanted to growl, but remembered Diana's earlier words and wagged his tail instead.
"I don't. I'm taking care of him for someone."
"Really? What's his name?" He asked, looking from Bruce to Diana, still petting Bruce.
"Knight." She decided quickly.
"Cool." Wally said, finally standing up. "He's not very energetic, is he?"
"He's just in a bad mood today." She replied, smiling knowingly to herself. "He usually is, actually."
"Like a certain Bat we all know and love?" Wally asked with a smirk.
"Exactly."
"Eh, Bats isn't quite as cute." He said, reaching down to give Bruce another pat. "Well, I should go. Later, Wondy!"
"Wait, Flash, hold on a second." Diana called to him.
"Yeah?" Wally looked over his shoulder, already halfway down the corridor.
"Do you happen to know where Zatanna is?"
"Zee… No idea. Sorry." He said before disappearing down the hall.
As the duo continued their quest to find the Mistress of Magic, Bruce noticed that Diana's stomach was rumbling.
"Hungry, Princess?" He teased.
"Yes." She replied honestly.
"Do you want to go the canteen and eat something?" He said, suddenly concerned.
"No, it's alright."
"When's the last time you ate?"
"Yesterday morning, I think." She answered sheepishly.
"You need to eat something." He decided. "Let's go."
She relented silently, changing directions so they were headed to the cafeteria. Surprisingly enough, no one questioned why the strongest woman on the planet had a small black Chihuahua with her as she got her food and sat down with him on her lap. They hadn't been there five minutes when Shayera walked in and, upon seeing them, made a beeline for the table Diana was sitting at.
"I didn't believe Wally when he said you had a dog with you." She said bluntly, sitting down across from them.
"Well, do you believe it now?" Diana joked.
"Yes! Oh my gosh, he's so adorable."
"I wish people would stop calling me that." Bruce mumbled more to himself than either of the girls, taking the piece of burger Diana offered him.
"He is." Diana agreed, earning herself a glare from Bruce.
"Can I see him?" Shayera asked excitedly, holding her hands out.
"Of course." Diana said over Bruce's grouchy "No."
She passed Bruce's small body over the table to Shayera, who immediately hugged him. He squirmed in her grasp when she pressed a kiss to the top of his furry head.
"I'll get you for this, Diana." He insisted, continuing to glower at her. Unfortunately for him, the fact that he was a small dog dimmed the effect of it. Not that it ever really had an effect on her, anyway.
"Is he yours?" Shayera asked, finally ceasing her adoration of Bruce.
Diana paused mid-chew. "I wish, but no."
He didn't miss the double meaning that lay in her words, of the way her face turned sad for a split second before returning to its normal state of happy contentment.
"Hey, Di!"
Diana looked over her shoulder to see Zatanna making her way through the canteen towards them.
"Hey, Zee." The two girls greeted her as she sat down next to Diana.
"I heard you were looking for me." She explained.
"I only told Wally that." Diana said, her brow furrowing.
Zatanna just shrugged. "You know Wally, he never shuts up."
"Unless you Batarang him to the wall." Bruce said nonchalantly, causing Diana to stifle a laugh while Zatanna finally noticed that Shayera had a small dog on her lap.
"Oh! Wally said you had a dog with you too. I thought he was joking."
"Why is that so unbelievable?" Diana asked as Shayera passed Bruce over to Zatanna.
Zatanna shrugged. "Again, you know Wally. He convinced me and a few others that egging Wayne Manor was a good idea one Halloween. Never again. Made us clean the entire outside of the place, Bruce did. Wouldn't let me use any magic either."
Shayera and Diana laughed at the mental picture that created.
"I bet he did." Shayera agreed. "Though you should have known messing with Bruce isn't exactly a good idea."
Zatanna shrugged. "It was worth it, to some extent."
"Hawkgirl here." Shayera said out of the blue, one hand going to the league communicator in her ear. Her expression grew serious as she listened to whoever was on the other end. "I'll be there in a moment. Hawkgirl out."
"I've got to go." She said, standing up. "I'll catch you guys later."
"Bye, Shay." Both girls called after Shayera's retreating form.
"So, what did you need my help with?" Zatanna asked, turning back to Diana.
"Could we go to my quarters first?"
"Of course."
They got up and left the canteen, heading down the hall to Diana's quarters. The overhead lights in the room flickered to life as they entered, and sat down on the edge of the bed, Diana with Bruce in her lap.
"It's Knight isn't it?" Zatanna blurted.
Diana's brow furrowed. "How did you know?"
Zatanna shrugged. "I can sense the magical aura around him. So, tell me, what happened?"
"Remember when Circe turned me into a pig?" When Zatanna nodded, she continued. "Well, she kind of turned Bruce into a Chihuahua."
"Bruce?" Zatanna sounded surprised, but then she laughed.
"Sorry, sorry it's just, wow." She said, picking Bruce up and holding him in front of her for inspection. "It makes sense, I suppose. And it explains why he's not quite as bouncy as most other dogs."
Bruce growled and writhed in her hold, but Zatanna just laughed again. "Yep, that's definitely Bruce." She said, passing him back to Diana.
"So, can she fix this?" Bruce asked irritably, his impatience finally winning over.
"He wants to know if you can change him back." Diana explained when Zatanna sent her a questioning look.
"Probably. Circe most likely just wanted to mess with him, to have some fun. But first…"
Zatanna took Bruce from Diana's grasp, grabbed a large blanket from the foot of the bed and set him on the floor before covering him with it.
"Thanks." His muffled reply came from under the thick blanket.
"Ready?" Zatanna asked, raising her wand at the small lump under the blanket that was Bruce.
Diana nodded and Zatanna chanted, "Kcab ot rouy lanigiro morf!"
They watched as the small lump under the blanket gradually grew until Bruce's head poked out from the edge of the blanket.
"That's better." He said. "Although… I might need some clothes."
"I think I have some that'll fit." Diana announced, heading over to the closet on the other side of her room. She returned with big black sweatpants and a white sweatshirt.
"Thanks. I'll be right back." Bruce excused himself, getting off of the floor and heading into the bathroom with the clothes.
When he came back, he didn't immediately leave as they'd expected, but sat down next to them on the bed.
"So, Zee, could I call in that favor?"
"Uhm, I guess." Zatanna said, confused.
"Good. Could you turn Diana into a dog? A small, fluffy, one, maybe."
"Wait, what?" Diana said over Zatanna's exited "Sure!"
She jumped off the bed and took a few steps back, glancing from one to the other.
"I said I'd get you back." Bruce shrugged, but he was smirking.
"Zee…" Diana warned.
"Sorry, Di." Zatanna said, shrugging too, though she wasn't sorry at all if the wide grin on her face was any indication.
"Emoceb a god!" Zatanna shouted. With a flick of her wrist, Diana disappeared and her uniform appeared on the ground. When a fluffy black Pomeranian wriggled out of the top, Bruce and Zatanna couldn't help but laugh. She shook herself off and looked around, preoccupied with the new point of view. When her gaze landed on Bruce and Zatanna, she barked at them.
"Do you have a spell that could make her understandable to us?" Bruce asked, wanting to know what Diana was saying.
"Sure. Kaeps hslignE!"
They watched as Diana seemed to trip over her own tongue, until she finally said, "You're insufferable, Bruce."
He ignored her remark and leaned over, picking her up and setting her in his lap. "Do you still have your powers?" He asked.
"I think so." She answered.
"The spell is only temporarily. It will probably only last for an hour." Zatanna warned.
"That's plenty of time." Bruce decided as he stood with Diana in his arms, a mischievous smirk on his lips. Diana internally groaned. This was going to make for a very interesting hour. He followed Zatanna over to the door, but paused to glance both ways down the hall, making sure that no one was around. Not to say that someone couldn't come around the corner at any second, or that Plastic Man couldn't be hiding as a light bulb or something.
"Good luck." Zatanna said as she walked away down the hall.
"Thanks." Diana grumbled as Bruce carried her across the corridor to the door of his quarters and slipped inside.
"Oh, lighten up, Princess." He said, setting her down on the bed and walking over to a hidden compartment in the wall where he always had a spare Batsuit.
"Aren't I the one usually telling you that?" She asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He claimed, slipping inside the hole in the wall and allowing the door to slide shut behind him. When he stepped out some time later, fully suited up sans cowl, he didn't expect to be greeted by a floating Pomeranian.
"I see you do still have your powers." He commented.
She made an affirmative noise as he pulled his cowl on, and then plucked her out of the air and into his arms.
"So, what is this all about?"
"Getting you back." He said simply.
"Oh, great." She said, more to herself than him.
"You'll be fine." He said, stopping before the door to her quarters to let his cape fall over both shoulders, effectively covering Diana from view. He stepped outside and took a turn, heading for the transportation room. Surrounded by darkness and unsure as to where he was taking her, Diana shifted uneasily in Bruce's arms. She flinched when she felt the molecules in her body being dismantled and reassembled.
"You could have warned me." Diana said as Bruce pushed his cape back to reveal the Batcave.
"And how would I have looked, warning myself that I was being teleported to my own Batcave?" He teased as he began to walk deeper into the darkness of the cave.
"Odd." She admitted. "But we all already know you're pretty odd."
"Gee, thanks, Princess." He said sarcastically as the overhead light in the room they'd just entered came to life suddenly, illuminating Bruce's training room.
"The training room? What are we doing, sparring?" She said sarcastically as he gently set her on the ground and turned around to take his cowl off and set it on a bench by the door.
"Yep." He said, getting down into a fighting stance.
"Wait what? Why?"
"Come on, Princess, we only have half an hour now." He said, clearly avoiding the question. But she still knew that he wanted to see her embarrass herself trying to spar with her new form. He has another thing coming, she thought, crouching low to ground and seeing him fighting the urge to smile at the sight.
Suddenly leaping forward, she collided directly with his chest, sending him flying backwards with a loud grunt. He looked up at the Pomeranian standing triumphantly on the bat symbol of his uniform, tail a fluffy blur.
"What's wrong?" She mocked, floating off his chest and to the side. "Is the big bad Batman unable to take down a small fluffy dog?"
He rolled quickly, pinning her to the mat with a forearm, being careful to not accidentally behead her with one of the fins on his gauntlet. She struggled; back legs pushing against his collar, forepaws pressed against the underside of his gauntlet, until she pulled her head under his arm and twisted her body so she was on her paws again. He was on his feet in a second, turning to block her oncoming attack in the next.
He caught her figure hurtling towards him though the air, and pulled her to his chest, trapping her there. She struggled again, trying to push her body out of his grasp the way she did before, but he was holding her too tight this time, wedged between his arms and chest.
"Do you submit?" He asked teasingly, leaning his face down towards hers as she looked up at him.
"Never!" She said, stretching her muzzle up towards him and swiping her tongue over his chin once. Sure enough, as she'd expected, his arms loosened in surprise and she was able to wriggle free again. Landing easily on her paws, she moved behind his leg and used both forepaws to put pressure on the back of his left knee, causing him to fall backwards onto his back again. She jumped up on top of him again and made her way up to his chest, looking down at him.
"Alright." He relented. "You win, but only because an hour's almost up."
"Oh." Diana said as he picked her up and stood. He carried her all the way up into the manor, picking up his cowl as he passed by it, and into the master bedroom.
"I should have something that'll fit you." He said, tossing his cowl on the bed and carrying her over to his walk-in closet. She waited patiently while he pulled out a black t-shirt and training shorts. He then took her over to the bathroom and set her on the rug there, laying the clothes next to her.
"Thanks." She said awkwardly, sitting down on the soft rug.
"No problem… Come out when you're… done." He trailed off, walking out and shutting the door behind him. While Diana was in the bathroom, he changed too, back into a grey t-shirt and jeans. Just as he stepped out of the closet, from inside the bathroom, Diana shrieked.
He was at the door at an instant, his hand hovering near the doorknob. He wanted to see if she was alright, but he didn't want to walk in on her.
"Diana?" He asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"I- um - Yeah, I'm okay." She said shakily, her voice muffled by the door between them.
"Can I come in?" He asked as his hand came to rest on the doorknob.
"Yeah."
He hesitated for a moment, but finally opened the door. She was standing there, a concerned expression veiling her beautiful face, with dog ears poking out from the top of her head.
"I'm not hallucinating, am I?" She asked.
He couldn't respond at first, but when he did, it came in the form of laughter.
"Not unless we both are." He said finally, coming to stand in front of her. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have laughed. It's just, I don't know, this isn't what I expected."
"Me either…" She said, leaning towards the mirror and brushing her hair back with one hand. "Do you think they're permanent?"
"Probably not." He assured her. "They're most likely just an aftereffect of the spell." Without a second thought, he reached up and gently trailed a finger down the side of her right ear, then stroked back up it.
"Do you still have a tail?" He asked suddenly, letting his hand drop back to his side.
"I don't know." She said, turning her scarlet face away from him shyly.
"Let me see." He said, putting a hand on her back and gently turning her back to him. Sure enough, Diana definitely still had a tail.
"You do." He confirmed as she turned back around to face him. Her face was still a slight rosy hue, and he couldn't help but smirk, his gaze drifting back to the dog ears nestled among her raven hair. He watched as they slowly shrunk down in size, until they were simply gone.
"And now you don't." He said. She immediately turned back to the mirror, running a hand over the top of her head.
"Thank Hera." She sighed. "That would have been a hard one to explain."
"I think you looked very cute." He said without thinking. Once he realized what he'd said, he paused, his face turning rosy in turn.
"Why, thank you, Mister Wayne." She said, smiling. "You looked pretty cute yourself."
His face turned even redder with her words.
"But I, unlike Wally, think you look cuter as a person than a dog."
"What if I said you were cuter as a dog?" He asked, leaning closer.
"Then I wouldn't need my lasso to prove you were lying."
"How would you prove it?" He asked teasingly, leaning closer.
"Like this." She said, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him to her, meeting his lips with hers.
A/N: I meant to post this yesterday, but it wasn't actually finished until a few minutes before now. It's still the weekend though, and I said I'd post it on the weekend, so I kept my word, I guess. Either way, I tried to make it longer to make it up to you guys. And I have a break coming up in about a week, so I'll be writing more then, as always.
~Uni