Title: Thump!
Pairing: Chruce
Disclaimers: Not mine, etc, etc.
Bruce Wayne, Chloe decided, thumping her pillow viciously, was a pain in the ass. He was moody, unpredictable, downright rude at times and utterly charming at others.
Dangerous, she decided, that's what he was. He was also drop dead gorgeous but that was nor here or there, she rebuked herself sharply cutting off that train of thought. The point was he confused her and when he wasn't confusing her, he made her tingle.
It was the tingling she couldn't forgive. It was completely outrageous. That and the sneaky suspicion that he knew exactly what he was doing when he leaned over her shoulder when she was working, his hair brushing her skin and his breath hot on her face.
Thump! Stupid pillow!
Even after months of working with him late into the night, arguing with him when the others wouldn't and thrashing out plans until they were failsafe, she still didn't feel as if she knew him. Not really.
And tonight, well she would never forgive him for tonight. What he had done tonight was even more unforgivable then the tingling, which was bad enough on it's own.
Thump!
"I guess I should be glad that's not me."
She sat up quickly. Too quickly if the rush of blood to the head was anything to go by and glared menacingly at the figure hidden in the shadows near the door to her bedroom.
She swung her legs out of her bed, slipped them into her slippers and marched over to him with what she hoped was a purposeful stride. He was leaning nonchalantly against the doorjamb as if he didn't have a care in the world. As if he hadn't picked her clean off the ground earlier this evening, deposited her into Bart's arms and told him to take her back to base as if she had no say in the matter.
How dare he stand there with his ruffled hair and his dark suit and his lips tilted in a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Eyes, which at that precise moment in time, were flickering over her, taking in the full glory of her Snoopy pyjamas and she saw him grin when they landed on the fluffy Snoopy slippers she had on her feet and that did it.
"How dare you?" She prodded him sharply in the chest, "How dare you?"
All traces of the grin disappeared and his dark eyes met her, "How dare I save your life?"
She spluttered in rage, "you didn't save my life. You humiliated me. I'm a member of the team, not some silly little girl."
He didn't blink, didn't move at all and if it wasn't for the nerve twitching in his jaw, she would have thought he hadn't heard her.
"I know." He ground out finally.
Her shoulders slumped. He didn't get. At all. "I want you to respect me not treat me as a liability." Her voice shook and she cleared her throat, annoyed with herself. "I can hold my own."
He laughed softly and the sound was oddly ironic. "I do respect you."
He pushed away from the door and paced the length of her bedroom, long fluid movements weaving in and out of the shadows and almost making her dizzy.
"I respect your strength and your foolhardiness, your courage and even your blind devotion to Kent who doesn't deserve it."
She was so stunned she could hardly breathe and after making several sounds that were no more then indignant and surprised squeaks, she clamped her mouth shut. He clearly wasn't finished and her mind was curiously blank so better not to look like a stupefied goldfish and just let him have his say.
"I even respect that you don't care whether you live or die but I won't indulge it."
"I can't die."
His turned to face her again, eyes narrowed,. "How do you know?"
She shrugged, "I haven't yet. Well I have but I haven't stayed dead."
"But you could." A little shake of the head. "And after making me care about you…"
"Making you?" She was annoyed again. So annoyed that she almost missed the implications of his words.
"…after making me care about you," he repeated as if she hadn't spoken, "I'm not going to let that happen.
And then, before she could blink, he was slamming the door behind him and she was alone in the bedroom again.
Jerk! She thought somewhat fondly as she slipped back into bed. This new development could mean a whole new stance on the tingling issue.
She was going to fight beside them. Beside him and as soon as he got that through his head, life would be easier for them. Both of them.
And he cared. Her toes curled at the thought. He cared.
Feedback would be adored!