Summary: (One-Shot) Taking it on herself to clean his wounds after returning from a mission, Diana learns more about the all-too mysterious Dark Knight than she anticipated, while, similarly, Bruce slowly opens his heart in the process.

A/N: I saw a picture of Bruce's scarred back in one of my comics and this idea came to me. This is my first one-shot, and it's actually just a random (and I mean, really random) romance fic between our favourite Bat and Amazon which I wrote to ease some of my writer's block so don't expect some elaborate plot.

Either case, enjoy ;)

Disclaimer: DC owns Batman and Wonder Woman and the Justice League.

All these Scars and Bruises
Alternatively Called
Walls

"I'm trying to put it all back together/I've got a story and I'm trying to tell it right,
I've got a kerosene and a desire/I'm trying to start a flame in the heart of the night."

"I know the memories are rushing into mind…/I wanna kiss your scars tonight, baby…
'Cause you gotta try…/You gotta let me in…/Let me in…"
- The Fray, lyrics to 'Heartbeat'

~Wonder Woman~

It seemed like one of those nights that just never seemed to want to end, or so I thought as I escorted a reluctant and, in my mind, sulking Batman to the Watchtower's infirmary.

I often admired Bruce for his determination and bravery, but right at that moment, I found his stubbornness and sense of pride bothersome. It had been a mission in itself just to have him admit to me that he had been hurt, but it had taken all of my will power not to just knock him out and most of my tact to convince him to come with me instead of limping back to his city.

And before you ask, yes, he was in fact limping, and I would often see him try to keep from wincing. Honestly, sometimes the man was just too pigheaded for his own good.

It was well past two in the morning onboard the space station, so the infirmary was empty when we stepped through the sliding metal doors.

"Go sit over there." I half ordered, matching the semi-scowl I received with a stern look of my own.

"Alfred can patch me up when I get back to the Cave, Princess." He said huffily, though I couldn't help but notice that pained edge he tried to keep out of his voice.

I pursed my lips before snorting delicately and retrieved some cotton swipes, antiseptic and bandages. "It's almost three AM, Bruce; he's probably gone to bed already. And, really, that poor man deserves a night off every once in a while."

Bruce just continued glaring at me before I beckoned him over to one of the examination tables.

"Don't make me drag you over here," I said, narrowing my eyes at him when I saw that he hadn't moved. It was late, I was tired, and I was not to be trifled with.

Probably sensing that I would have made good on my threat, he let out a barely audible sigh and came over to me.

"I think we should start with your face first," I said, eyeing the cut on his bottom lip. When his mouth pulled into a thin line, I reassured him, "Don't worry, it's just you and I, there is no one else here."

I sometimes really didn't understand him – whenever I was around Bruce, I always felt like there was a wall that separated us, an impossibly tall, glacial barrier that prevented anyone from seeing who he really was behind his masks, all of them.

It took a few moments, but eventually his shoulders drooped in resignation and he removed his tattered cape before sitting down.

With some effort on his part he reached up to his cowl and slowly took it off. But, when he did remove it, I frowned when I saw the rest of his otherwise handsome face marred with several cuts and bruises.

As I dabbed some antiseptic on a piece of cotton, I could feel his intense blue eyes on me and watched with apprehension when I approached him.

"This might sting a bit," I warned quietly, trying to keep my voice steady and my mind at the task at hand – I would be the first to admit it if anyone asked, I had only come this close to him a handful of times and, injuries or no, he really was attractive.

The moment the antiseptic-coated cotton swipe touched a rather nasty cut on his right cheek, I heard a slight intake of breath as his eyes closed and his jaw clench.

I withdrew my hand instantly, unwilling to continue if it hurt him any further, but he opened his eyes again and looked straight at me.

"I'm sorry."

His jaw was still set rigidly. "Don't be."

I nodded before I reached for his face, noticing him tense up once when I laid a hand against his other cheek.

"Try and relax. You're too tense." I said, my hand moving down slowly before cupping his chin and gently tilting his head up so that I could clean the rest of his wounds.

He was as still as a statue and kept his eyes closed, and if it weren't for the occasional sharp intakes of breath whenever I went over a particularly painful injury, I would have thought he had gone asleep.

I had saved the cut on his lip for last and when I had finished with that, I couldn't help but gently run my fingers over both his upper and lower lip, fascinated – he had beautiful lips for a man, I thought to myself, surprisingly full, a little chapped perhaps, but beautiful nonetheless.

While I stared at his mouth, I was startled when I looked up and saw that he was watching me again, his eyes half-lidded and darker than I remembered.

I felt my face flush before I cleared my throat lightly and stepped back.

"Now your chest," I said softly.

At this, his eyes hardened and his body – which had begun relaxing – became stiff again.

"No." he said adamantly.

"Don't be difficult." I said, frowning as I looked over his uniform, noticing the dried blood along with the rips and tears.

"I'm not being difficult."

I frowned at him again. "Yes you are. Bruce – I'm a warrior, I have seen many battles in my life and I've seen my fair share of wounds."

"Not mine." He said stubbornly, growling it out.

"Bruce…"

"No, Diana."

I sighed. "I promise I'll make this as painless as possible. You can trust me."

He looked straight at me for a full, hard minute, making me uncomfortable under his scrutiny as he seemed to think carefully about something.

I was about to suggest we drop the matter when the remarkable happened.

My eyes widened as he lowering his hands and removed his gloves and then his utility belt before taking off the top part of his armour off completely.

However, surprise soon turned into shock when I saw his chest for the first time.

~Batman~

I heard a sharp intake of breath and turned my head away from her, internally cursing myself for allowing her to talk me into this whole situation in the first place.

"I…" she began, "Bruce –"

"Just get on with it." I said, scowling at the wall. I knew what she was seeing, and I didn't want to see the look on her face.

Diana hesitated again – I half wondered if she was regretting being there, or if she wanted to leave now that she saw me like… this.

But, slowly, again using the utmost care I wasn't entirely sure if I should have been comfortable with, I felt her hands on my shoulder. Her grip was firm but gentle – I had to stop myself from responding physically to her touch, the heat radiating from her body thanks to our close proximity, but, luckily for me, I didn't have time to linger on it as I felt a familiar sting now just below my collarbone.

She murmured an apology when she noticed my flinch.

I gripped the edge of the examination table, clamping my jaw shut to prevent myself from saying anything as she tended to the newer wounds and her fingertips occasionally brush over the older ones when her hand moved down, her hands trailing up my arm as she tended to the injuries there.

"What happened to you, Bruce?" she asked quietly.

I didn't respond, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw that her eyebrows were knit together in concern as she stared at the myriad of scars on my chest.

She then purposely reached out to touch the slender scar just above my heart, but before she could, I caught her wrist and our eyes met.

"Don't." I said bleakly.

Startled blue eyes filled with understanding and compassion while mine hardened.

"Just… don't." I repeated, letting go of her wrist. The last thing I wanted was anyone's pity, especially hers – I didn't want, no, need it.

Diana looked like she wanted to say something, but, almost reluctantly, she decided against whatever it was and kept quiet instead. She dropped her gaze and went on to cleaning the rest of my injuries, careful not to touch me unnecessarily.

After she finished up with my chest, she moved around the examination table to start with my back.

I had to give it to her, when she saw the damage there, her reaction wasn't quite as bad as it was the first time – I heard a quiet gasp, and it didn't take too much imagination on my part to guess what her face looked like when she saw it, but at least she didn't ask me out about any of it.

I was acutely aware of her presence behind me, and she, perhaps unknowingly, cause shivers to run down my spine when I felt her hand trail down my back systematically with the occasional sting of the antiseptic I could easily ignore.

I wish I could say the chills were caused by cold hands, but that wasn't the case. And, admittedly, that both bothered and intrigued me more than it should have.

Time passed in silence, until, eventually, she withdrew her hands completely and stepped back.

"There." She said and moved back around so that she could stand in front of me again. "Now I just need to bandage those injuries on your arm then I'm done."

I just nodded, but stiffened once again when she sat down next to me and began focusing on my right arm where a large cut ran up the length of my bicep.

"How did you get these scars, Bruce?" she asked me directly. "They are so unlike anything I've seen on a mortal before."

"Then again, you haven't met a lot of mortals that are like me, have you?" I said, keeping my face impassive.

"No… I don't suppose I have," she said, still frowning. "But, still... there are so many."

"You don't get to be me without a few scars along the way, Princess."

She remained quiet for a few moments as she wrapped my arm.

"Did you get them in Gotham?" she asked hesitantly when she finished and set aside the medical supplies on a nearby metal table.

"Some of them..." I allowed.

I was uncomfortable – clearly – most of the woman who'd seen me without my shirt on in the past hardly gave a second thought to my scars at the time, and the women that did knew better than to ask too many questions. It was obvious Diana didn't fit into either category, not that she ever could.

"What about that one on your back, the large one along your spine?"

"That's personal." I said. This was a bad idea…

"I'm not trying to make you feel awkward, Bruce," she said, almost like she read my mind.

I didn't answer her again.

"They're nothing to be ashamed of," she began.

I snorted lightly. "I'm not."

"What I mean is," she went on, "our scars are a reflection of our pasts, for example," she then lowered her hand and raised her right leg slightly and indicated a thin, barely noticeable scar on the side her calf. "I was ten when I began my training, I was sparing with Artemis - she grazed me when I wasn't paying attention in one of our sessions. Mother wasn't pleased." She said, smiling almost fondly.

I almost smiled myself – almost. "That isn't the same."

"Well…" she said, lowering her leg. "What about this?" she said, showing me her left arm where four faint scratch marks were visible on her forearm.

I raised an eyebrow as Diana explained. "I received this from one of my encounters with Cheetah. I like to think that Barbara was feeling a little catty that day." She said with a perfectly straight face.

My mouth twitched. "… …That's a horrible joke."

Diana smiled. "Perhaps," She allowed. "But it achieved its goal – you're smiling."

Damn.

"It's still not the same, Diana." I said softly.

Diana bit her lip and I cursed myself for getting distracted.

She then brushed her hair aside and revealed a small round scar near her shoulder like that left from a bullet – it was the kind I was all too familiar with and at the sight of it, my face clouded over and I scowled.

"It was from when I first came to Man's World," she admitted, "I was attempting to stop an armed robbery – at the time, of course, I wasn't too familiar with firearms and, I suppose, one of the robbers must just have been lucky enough to get a clear shot at me. It hurt." She said, actually sounding a little sheepish.

When she saw my face, her smile faded. "Bruce…?"

I looked away. "It's nothing." I grunted.

It was a foolish I know, considering who she was –who we were, what we were- but it still... made me feel... strange if I thought of her getting hurt like that.

"It was a long time ago," she reassured me gently, making me look at her again when I felt her hand cover mine, lacing her fingers through mine gently. "And you can hardly see anything now."

When I looked at her face carefully, something caught my eye. "What about that one?" I asked despite myself.

Confused at first about what I was asking, Diana's eyes then lit up acknowledging.

"Oh…" she said, reaching up and covered a thin red line that ran from her jaw to her neck with her free hand. "It must be from tonight. I forgot about it."

Diana's injury seemed to have healed completely on its own, and I wondered vaguely if it would leave a scar like the others she had shown me.

But, whatever the case, I reached up before I could stop myself and slowly ran my fingers up her neck and trailed the area of skin along the side of the wound, my hand lingering on her jaw.

When I realized what I just did, I half expected Diana to either slap me or back away, but, instead, she shivered slightly. It definitely wasn't what I expected, but I definitely didn't mind it either – it was quite the opposite, really.

It didn't occur to me that I had leant in closer until I noticed how close our faces were.

Diana must have noticed the same thing as her eyes slowly moved down to my lips.

~Wonder Woman~

I acted purely on impulse when I pressed my mouth to Bruce's, taking him (and myself), completely by surprise.

I wanted to thoroughly chastise myself for my rash behaviour but all such thoughts left my mind when I felt just how soft his lips were – soft, and pleasantly warm.

Think less, regret later – I deepened the kiss immediately.

Bruce, on the other hand, had turned into a living statue again, and disappointment flooded through me when I felt his hand leave my face.

However, before I could verbalize my protest of this, I then felt his hand on my leg.

The next thing I knew, I was on my back, my leg hitched up on the table as Bruce pressed his body against mine, the hard lines of his built physique against my softer curves as he returned the gesture in a way that left me breathless and made all common sense leave my mind.

My hands went to his back while his hand on my leg trailed upwards – my breath hitched in my throat somewhat when he tightened his grip and I felt his fingernails dig into my skin.

It wasn't painful in the least, but my gasp made him stop, freeze and pull away.

I was temporarily dazed and somewhat confused as to why we weren't carrying on until I saw his face – guilt, shame and something else that made the butterflies in my stomach do back-flips all shone through in those dark eyes.

He made to open his mouth, probably to say something along the lines of what we had just done being a 'mistake', but I caught him off by covering his lips with my hand.

"It's okay," I said in a semi-whisper, my voice coming out strangely to my ears.

I felt his lips tug down at the corners in a frown underneath my hand as his brows knit together. He said nothing as he watched me carefully, obviously gauging my reaction.

Removing my hand, I then wrapped my arms tentatively around his neck, smiling a little to myself when I noticed the subtle change in his posture when I shifted my body slightly.

I then kissed him, not on the lips, starting instead at the corner of his mouth, just a little below one of the cuts I tended to earlier. His skin tasted vaguely like antiseptic, but that didn't stop me from leaving a trail of kisses from the corner of his mouth to his cheek and from his jaw to his chin, making sure to carefully avoid his injuries but taking my time.

When I pulled back after what felt like a very long time, I saw he had his eyes closed again, but when he opened them, all of his previous emotions were gone sans one. He also seemed to have relaxed somewhat.

Hesitantly at first, he then placed his free hand on my waist.

"...Are you sure?" he asked lowly, that edge of caution still in his voice.

I looked him straight in the eyes, my arms forming iron chains around his neck. Yes.

"I'm sure."

His lips picked up at the corners, and for a while after that, it felt like the walls had come down... even if just for a little bit...

~Batman~

I was well aware of Diana's eyes on my back as I pulled on the top part of my armour with some difficultly on my part... of course, seeing as how the new additions to my back was thanks in part to the beautiful Amazon sitting barely a few feet from me, I didn't think to complain.

When it was only my cowl left, I hesitated before pulling it on and instead decided to sit next to Diana.

Turning my head, it took some of my considerable willpower not to smirk at the state of her hair as it stood up somewhat in the back. She didn't seem to mind, but she was still rather put out that I didn't want to go further than kissing her senseless... which I did... thoroughly – don't get me wrong, I would have... if it wasn't for the fact that we were still in the medical bay and the first of the Watchtower's medical staff would probably arrive at any minute.

She said nothing as she then rested her chin on my shoulder – with half-lidded eyes and a relaxed, almost drowsy smile.

"Bruce... Tell me how you got your scars." She said quietly, not demanding it just making a request.

I wasn't sure at first, but soon before long, just as Diana assumed I'd refused her, I let out the smallest of sighs, one she almost didn't hear until I took her hand and laid it on the side of my face, indicating towards a small scar just below his left ear.

"I was on patrol last week," I began, Diana's eyes widening slightly. "I was dealing with a couple of thugs, one of them had a broken bottle with him – he got lucky, one of the glass pieces got caught in the cowl."

Diana remained quiet as I then moved her hand and gently placed it on my chin where there was an old, still slightly discoloured patch of skin just above where the throat began.

"I got this when I went to a monastery in China – one of the monks sucker-punched me."

Diana blinked but found her voice. "What were you doing in China?" she asked softly.

"Training mostly." I answered with surprising casualness.

"Really...? Where else did you go?"

I shrugged. "Most of Asia, Japan, a little bit of the Middle East, some parts of Europe, Africa, South America – a little bit of everywhere really."

Diana took this into consideration, her hand brushing over my lips again.

"...How did you get that scar on your back?" she asked finally.

I grimace a little, knowing which scar in particular she was referring to, but eventually gave in.

"Bane," he answered quietly, noticing the understanding look flashing in Diana's eyes. "He broke my back – I had to have surgery to fix it again."

"...Does it still hurt?"

"Sometimes..." I admitted.

Diana then surprised me by kissing with a lingering kiss.

When she pulled away, Diana looked at me meaningfully. "Thank you..." she whispered.

I nodded before, somewhat reluctantly, standing up.

"...I should be going."

She nodded in understanding. "I know..."

I opened my mouth but closed it again, and instead pulled my cowl back on. But, just before I could turn my back...

"...Bruce?"

"Mm...?"

Her eyes were now twinkling slightly. "I'm sorry about the scratch marks."

Before I could stop myself, my mouth pulled into a smirk. "Don't be."

"...You know, I could probably take a look at them later if they become a problem?"

I considered this – I'd be damned if I didn't.

"How about around eight-ish...?" I suggested.

She smiled again. "Eight-ish it is."

~Wonder Woman~

As I watched the metallic doors close behind him, I fell back against the medical bed and let out a sigh.

The first thing I was going to do once I left the medical bay was sleep for an unspecific amount of time, take the longest bath in the history of man and then track Shayera or Dinah down so that I could engage in 'girl-talk', and then after all of that, I plan on raiding my closet. Who was to say what was truly appropriate for tending wounds...? Personally I was thinking along the lines of something flow-y that went well with high heels.

Oh, the possibilities...

Sleep deprived brain aside for the moment, as far as where Bruce and all his masks and all his walls was concerned, I may not have found out everything about him, I may not have knocked down all the barriers around his heart... but right now, right then, they didn't seem so impenetrable anymore...

THE END

A/N: Random make-out sessions are fun... Anyway, OMG! Do you know how long I've wanted to finish something? Yay! Okay, so I might come back to this eventually, fix a few things (typos and all – my Bane, apparently), but for now, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out! I sincerely hoped any of you reading this did too – I'm always in the market for more ideas about one-shots, so if you have any, give me a shout.

I'd appreciate any form of feedback, be they PM's or Reviews – feel free to ask me anything, and I'll get back to you.

Until the next adventure,
GoddessofDawn out