A/N: Hello one-shot, you're my old friend. Let's see this through to the very end!
All characters are property of DCU, not mine.
No one ever told me it would be this hard. Not Dick, not Tim, and certainly not Alfred. Sure I've dated countless women before so romance isn't something foreign to me. So why, I like her, she seems to like me, why don't I just ask. Is it because I'm her mentor? No, she has already surpassed me way back when. Is it because I'm older than her? No, women dig that, right? Ah stop thinking about her like some common woman, she's outstanding, smart and fierce, passionate to the extreme and beautiful as hell. So why, why can't you, Bruce Wayne, Bruce fucking Wayne, ask her out.
I grumble to myself as I type the most recent Penguin incident on the batcomputer for filing. Frustrating. I never had this problem before. I'm always so sure of myself so why is it when I'm around her I feel weak, different even? Has she affected me more than I already know? Here she comes now, trying to sneak up on me, okay act cool. Act natural.
"I know you're there." I brood. Fuck, wrong approach. I turn my chair around after finishing the final line of the incident report to look at her. The sight of her warms my cold heart and I can't deny that she has made me a different person.
"You take the fun out of everything." She pouts in the cutest way I could imagine before approaching the monitor of the computer. "Here is the latest on my investigation about Ivy's toxin." She pulls out a flash drive and plugs it into the computer and opens a file.
"Apparently, her doses this time 'round makes the user fall in love with her." She starts.
"That's not exactly news." I mutter again. Bruce Wayne you prick, lighten up. You're giving her the wrong impression.
"Well this might enlighten you a bit more. It doesn't enslave." She stated. So now we have to deal with real emotion, not just some forced lipstick applied toxin from Ivy. Great. Emotions. Urgh.
I nod in agreement before motioning for her to continue. I could practically smell her perfume from here, which is impossible considering she's wearing her costume but I can for some reason. Dammit I'm weird.
"She has planted possibly four hundred different varieties of plants that contributes to its effects across gotham. I made an algorithm that scans for a specific DNA strand I've gathered from one of the confirmed plants that made it lethal." Smart thinking, I was about to suggest that but then again she's been in my head for the past half year.
"I inputted the algorithm in the Batwing's scanner and I'm starting it's trial run this time tomorrow. It's a trial and error thing, but I'm usually always right with my numbers." She felt so confident in herself and I cannot dispute that since I know her capabilities. I can only nod my head.
When she was finished, she copied all of the files from the flash drive to the main hard drive. "Are you feeling alright Bruce? This is usually the time you corroborate with me about your findings." She once again asks a simple question with an answer I do not want to risk answering. "You've been, distant as of late. Do we have a problem?" She tilts her head to one side while folding her arms together.
"NO, we don't have a problem. Good work today Barbara, you should head home." I say with my batman voice. Really? You're not going to ask her? What the fuck is wrong with you Bruce. I'd actually go and have an arm wrestling competition with Bane than actually answer that question honestly.
She doesn't seem to buy it but leaves anyway. Under her breath I hear "I miss you Bruce." Very silently. That's because she said it to herself you dumbfuck, what the hell are you listening in for?
"Barbara." I stand up. She quipped "Yes boss?" I can't stand it.
Might as well jump off this cliff. I've jumped off worse edges than this one. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" Smooth. Alright. Nice job. Oh wait, why is she looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong. Fuck look away, don't blush… I blushed.
"Like join you and the Batboys?" she asks innocently. Okay I'll give her that. I didn't exactly hear myself right the first time.
"No, I mean like a- like a… date." I mutter out the last word and hopefully she understood that because I'm about to put on my batman persona and head on back to the dark promise land of justice.
"A date?" She reddens up. Wow, I've seen women blush but I should say that she looks like a tomato. A cute tomato. A beautifully cute tomato that could beat up killer croc.
I scratch the side of my cheek. Don't sheepishly laugh, don't you even. You did.
I sheepishly laugh and this caught her off guard. Never has anyone seen, heard or thought that the batman could sheepishly laugh.
"If you want." I say again. Clenching and unclenching my jaw and fist. There was a tense moment that passed us and somehow, just somehow it lessens with her reply of "Yeah. I'd like that." She smiles brightly and I sigh mentally with relief.
"Great. I'll pick you up at eight. I know this great Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant that just opened and if I call now I just might make a reservation." I say before fishing out my phone from my pocket. Look at me, it's like college all over again. Except without the stuttering, or the goofy grin, or even the asking.
"Bruce." She says in front of me, holding my hand with the phone in it. "I think Alfred would be more than happy to make us something." When did she get so close to me? Defense barrier, where are you. I nod nonchalantly. Yes, I guess Alfred would like that. After all I haven't eaten a full dinner for the past week.
She leans in slowly and kisses my cheek. "And don't bother yourself. I'll just go fix some stuff in my house. I'll be here. Don't worry." She again says before walking to one of my motorcycles in the cave, the one she always 'borrows'. She didn't think I would see her smile, or her blushing face but I did and she certainly saw my smile. A smile that could only be achieved when I'm at peace.
Barbara Gordon, thank you because I may have just found light in my darkness when I'm with you.
A/N: More one-shots to come! I wanted to make a mushy Batman one-shot, and this is as close as i could make him without altering any life changing events. But i like it.
Thoughts?