My entry for Day 15 of the WonderBat Holiday 2018 Event. Takes place during the whole Comfort and Joy episode, or rather around that time.
December 21. Watchtower. 16:41.
Diana stood staring out one of the many windows of the Watchtower, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked down at the Earth below them. It had only been a few months since she had come to Man's World, and things here still confused her, but she was learning more little by little. One thing, however, she still knew nothing about, was Christmas.
It was the 'most wonderful time of the year' according to Flash, but no matter how much she had questioned him, he hadn't been able to explain it. Clark had merely said it was a time to be with family, which had only made Diana's heart hurt. Her family was all on Themyscira, and thanks to her last visit, she was now exiled.
John and Shayera had been no help, always giving each other side glances and secret smiles, and Batman…..well he had tried to avoid Diana all together. She didn't know why he was being this way, nor did she understand why he had seemed more grumpy within the past week, however when she had seen his name next to hers for monitor duty this whole week, she knew it would be the perfect opportunity to get him to talk to her.
It wasn't as if Batman hated her. In fact, out of everyone in the League, she found herself more inclined to enjoy a conversation with him out of everyone else. There was something about the way he spoke, even the way he moved, that intrigued her, and the more she spoke with him, the more she was around him, the more she wanted to get to know him. Too bad it was like pulling teeth getting him to come to the Watchtower without an emergency.
"You sure you want to stay here with Ole Bats?" Flash asked Diana, zooming into the room, an iced mocha in hand. He handed it to her and gave her a large smile. "I know the children at the orphanage would love to see Wonder Woman in person."
Diana took a sip of the mocha, staring at the scarlet speedster and shook her head. "I appreciate the offer," she began, "But like Batman, I think I could use some quiet time." She took another sip of her mocha, enjoying it much too much to care it had been meant to be a bribe, before she gave Flash a smile.
"You sure Di?" Flash asked, giving her a large grin. He watched the Amazon nod, quietly taking another sip of the mocha, before he shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said, pulling on a santa hat, "Let me know how it goes." With that he sped off and out of the room, leaving Diana to enjoy her cold beverage in silence.
Diana let a few minutes go by, content with enjoying the mocha Flash had given her. She quickly looked up at the clock displayed above the transport bay, her eyes widening when she realized how late it was. Her monitor shift with Batman started in five minutes, and he was never too kind to anyone who was late. Drink in hand, Diana quickly rushed down the hall and into the monitor womb, letting out a small sigh of relief when she saw she had made it on time.
"You're late," a deep voice said from in front of her. He never turned to greet her, not bothering to face her when she had come into the room.
Diana glanced up at the clock on one of the monitors and huffed. "It's 4:59," she stated, walking up to where he sat. She gently pulled the chair from the controls and took a seat, staring at the masked man besides her.
Batman said nothing as Diana began to type on the controls, taking one last sip of her mocha, before she tossed it in the trash bin near her feet. The two worked in silence for a while, falling into a comfortable rhythm as they kept watch over the world. Diana, as she watched the various monitors, grateful that the day had been relatively silent, tried to find a way to approach Batman with the questions that had been swirling through her mind. Batman, only wished they would get some form of trouble to keep the thoughts of his teammate from circulating through his mind once more; it had been happening far too much for his liking.
"So, why did you volunteer for monitor duty?" Diana asked, finally deciding they needed a much earned break after working in silence for a few hours.
Bruce turned to face Diana, glaring at her face, before he shrugged and grunted in response. "Crime doesn't take a break, neither do I."
Diana snorted, unable to help herself, before she shook her head. "Oh come on, Bruce," she said, offering him a smile when his eyes narrowed at her, unsettled by her mention of his first name. Ever since their dance in Paris, when Diana had figured out who Batman was under the mask, she had been pressing him more and more to know the man who was the bat. Batman, of course, kept her at arm's length, never wanting her to know about Bruce Wayne. He knew he had risked a great deal when he had asked her to dance in Paris, but he just couldn't help himself. Seeing her in that black dress, with her long legs that seemed to go on for miles, had him nearly drooling, and when the two had danced, and her blue eyes met his, he could feel his exterior wall cracking with each sway of her hips. But he couldn't do that - wouldn't do that - to her. She was a princess, he was a rich kid with issues - lots of issues. He knew the best thing to do was to keep away from her, but when he found out she had stayed on the Watchtower to do monitor duty with him, he knew his time of hiding from her had ended.
"Diana," he warned. "Why did you decide to stay on the Watchtower? I'm sure Clark extended an offer to come to Smallville for Christmas." He watched as Diana shrugged, switching what was on the monitor in front of her, before she turned to look at him.
"I couldn't leave you alone on Christmas," she said with a smirk.
"I'm best left alone," he said without pause. He looked up at Diana, watching as her smirk never faltered, before he gave her a grin of his own, unable to help himself. "The holidays are a hard time," he confessed, turning back to the control panel. He knew she had done her research, she knew the tragedy he had gone through, so there was no use pretending she had been left in the dark about his past; she was the only one he didn't mind knowing.
Batman felt Diana's hand on his arm, forcing him to stop his work and look up at her. "What did they used to do? For the holidays." she asked.
Bruce only shrugged. "The usual," he began, "Decorated the tree together, Christmas cookies, eggnog….all that cheesy stuff."
Diana listened to Bruce list off the things he and his parents used to do around the holidays, her eyebrows raising as a thought came to her. "I'll be right back," she said, standing from her chair. She didn't even give Bruce a chance to respond before she was out of the room, rushing down the hall to the transport bay.
An hour later, Diana reappeared on the Watchtower, her arms carrying the items that were sure to put a smile on Batman's normally solemn face. "Do I even want to know where you went?" Batman asked, staring down at her from the transport bay.
Diana only shrugged, offered him a wide smile, and walked away, down the hall, and into the monitor womb. She quickly locked herself in the monitor womb and got to work, ignoring Batman's insistent knocking after he had followed her to the room.
Batman knocked once more, trying to open the door, huffing in frustration when he realized she had overridden his code; he knew he should have never given her access to override anything. "Diana," Batman said, knocking against the door once more. "Let me in."
He stood outside for a few moments more, growing more and more impatient with Diana and whatever she was doing on the other side of the door. He didn't know what she was doing, but he knew he wasn't going to like it - at least that was what he had told himself. If he was being honest with himself, he knew he would love whatever Diana did for him, simply because it was from her.
"Diana," Batman called out once more. He moved to knock on the door once more, however just before his fist made contact with the steel, it slid open. He stepped into the room, taking in the newest decor, before his eyes narrowed. "Why?" he asked, glaring at the lights now hanging from the ceiling.
Diana only shrugged, as she fixed the small plastic Christmas tree on one of the control panels, before she flashed him another smile. "Just smile and enjoy it," she said, walking towards him, picking up two glasses as she made her way to him.
Diana handed Batman a glass filled with a mysterious liquid and gave him another smile. "What's this?" he asked. He didn't need her to answer to know what it was. He could smell it, and it reminded him of his childhood Christmases with his parents.
"Eggnog," she replied. "Drink up." She watched as he let out a sigh and dropped his shoulders, before he reluctantly lifted the glass to his lips. He knew he should have been grateful, should have thanked her for trying to spread a little holiday cheer, but he did not want to give his heart anymore reasons to fall for her.
"Thank you," Batman said, offering her a small smile, as he took another sip of the delicious holiday drink.
Diana only clinked her glass with his, before she took a sip from her own cup. Her eyes instantly widened and she placed the cup down besides the control panel, before she scrunched her nose and shook her head. "That's awful," she said, the disgust apparent as she stuck out her tongue, trying to rid the foul taste that lingered.
Batman watched as Diana smacked her lips, still trying to get rid of the disgusting aftertaste, before he let out a small chuckle. He took another sip of the eggnog in his glass, before he took a seat in front of one of the control panels. He watched as she plucked a small candy cane from off the tree, quickly unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth, before she took a seat in the chair besides him. "Here," she said, handing him her full glass, not wanting the horrid tasting beverage around her. "All for you."
Batman accepted her glass and took a sip from it, chuckling once more. Maybe all of his old Christmas traditions weren't a hit, but he was happy she had attempted to bring some part of his childhood back to him. He turned to watch Diana as she focused on the monitor in front of her, her fingers typing on the control panel, as she glanced over the weather reports. He watched as she fiddled with her hair, curling a strand around her finger as she continued to read the details on the screens. He let out a content sigh, taking another sip of eggnog, before he placed the glass on the table besides him, before he leaned back in his chair and focused on his own monitor. Maybe this week wouldn't be so bad after all.