This was written for WonderBat Week 2018. Today's theme is: Shared Hobbies. I hope you all enjoy.
As always, I do not own Justice League or its characters.
Batman let out small yawn, grateful that the monitor womb had been empty. When he had agreed to take Clark's monitor shift, he hadn't realized it would be on the slowest night possible. Even in Gotham things had been relatively calm, which is why he had no qualms leaving Barbara and Tim in charge of patrol tonight. Besides, if they really needed him, they knew how to reach him.
He stifled another yawn, shaking his head in an attempt to keep himself awake. Today had been a long day for Bruce Wayne, billionaire CEO, and recently he had been unable to sleep very well. It didn't help that something, or rather someone, had been consuming his every waking moment.
He furrowed his eyebrows as thoughts of Diana began to flood his mind. Recently she had been acting strangely, and although he wanted to confront her and ask what was wrong, he had been so preoccupied with Gotham and keeping his city safe, she had been pushed to the back of his mind. Now that crime in Gotham wasn't on the rise, and Arkham had all of its residents safely locked away, he couldn't help it as she fought her way back to the forefront of his mind.
He shook his head once more, trying to rid the thoughts of Diana. He quietly let out a groan as he stretched in his seat, letting the stress from the previous week fade away. He typed a few keys on the computer, carefully searching the monitor, before he stood from his seat. If the night was as slow as it had been the past three hours, he was going to need coffee, and lots of it.
He typed a few more keys, forcing any and all calls that would come in to be sent to his comm link, and grabbed the tablet off the desk, before he walked out of the room and headed down the hall towards the commissary. The corridors were empty, hardly anyone was up and about at nearly four am, which made Batman glad. There was no one to bother him, no one to intimidate as he walked.
Batman quickly made his way into the commissary and began to search for some much needed caffeine. He quickly found what he was looking for and poured himself a large cup. He contemplated staying in the commissary, maybe start another fresh batch of coffee, but decided against it, knowing he needed to be prepared should anything come up that needed the League's assistance. Instead, he took a sip of his coffee and headed back down the hall, careful not to spill the hot liquid as he walked.
He continued to walk down the hall, however the faint sound of music quickly made him stop. He glanced up, his eyes searching for the source. Who was playing music at this hour? He began to follow the sounds, his mind trying to understand what would possess someone to feel the need to play this late, or rather, this early in the morning.
He continued to search the corridor, the music getting louder with each step. To say that he was intrigued was an understatement. He wanted to figure out the culprit; a new case just waiting for him to solve. It was like a compulsion, he just couldn't help himself, and with things being so slow, he didn't think anyone would notice.
He made his way further down the hall, approaching some of the members' living quarters. His mind began to race when he realized where the music was coming from. He took another sip of his coffee and debated whether or not he should open the door. He took a step closer to the door, leaned his ear against the piece of steel, and listened. Inside he could hear the music he had been searching for, accompanied by soft humming.
Batman's lips curled up in a small smile. He loved hearing her voice. It had such a calming effect on him, no matter how tightly wound he found himself. He continued to listen, the light melody of her hums and the stringed instrument filling his ear. He could have stayed there all night, letting her soothe him to sleep. Unfortunately, the music stopped and the door slid open, startling Batman and causing a grin from the person inside.
"Can I help you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, pushing the tshirt close to her body.
Batman looked up at her, his eyes wide. He had been caught, and she knew it. "Some people are trying to sleep Princess," he said, his eyes narrowing, trying to regain some form of composure. He took a sip of his coffee, watching as she retreated into her room, before he followed her inside.
He let the door slide closed behind him and glanced over the room, before he took another sip of coffee. He watched as Diana took a seat next on the edge of her bed, grabbing the instrument from beside her and tossing it under the pillow. "Batman doesn't sleep," she said with a smirk, scooting up on the bed.
Bruce looked at her for a moment, before pulling off his cowl. His eyes searched her body, smiling when he saw the black shirt and grey shorts she was wearing. Was she always this comfortable for bed? He had assumed she slept in her uniform, or nude, the latter of which enticed him the more he thought about it. "It's four in the morning," he stated, taking a step towards her. He took another sip of his coffee, finishing off the cup, before setting the empty mug on her dresser.
Diana shrugged, unphased by his comment, before she looked him in the eye. "Is that a lyre?" he asked, his eyes leaving hers and falling to the hidden instrument under her pillow.
Diana looked over her shoulder, reached under her pillow, and pulled out the item. She nodded and answered, "Yes," before placing it in her lap. "When I get homesick, I play," she said sheepishly, her cheeks blushing at the confession.
Bruce continued to stare at the instrument. "I didn't know you could play," he said, walking over to join her on the bed's edge.
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," she quipped, her eyes leaving the instrument in her hands and meeting his. She gave him a smirk and placed the instrument in his outstretched hand. "I spent years on Themyscira," she began, "My training there wasn't all combat."
Bruce quietly examined the instrument, cautiously turning it in his hands. He made sure he was careful with the instrument in his hands, knowing she trusted him immensely to let him handle the item. "Play it," said, handing the instrument back to her.
Diana grabbed the lyre, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "I thought people were sleeping," she asked, a teasing tone to her voice. When Bruce didn't respond she let out a small sigh and began to play.
He watched as her fingers gently plucked the strings, creating one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. He watched as she closed her eyes, getting lost in the melody, as her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
It was in that moment he smiled, absolutely awestruck by how amazing Diana was. She was definitely full of surprises, and although he wasn't a fan of the unexpected, he loved how unpredictable she was. She kept him on his toes; it was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her.
He continued to watch her play, letting himself get lost in the music as well. When she was done she opened her eyes and smiled, happy to see he had enjoyed what she had to offer. "That was beautiful," he said softly, watching as she placed the lyre on the bed before turning to face him.
"A compliment from the Bat," she said, her smile turning into another smirk. "Who knew."
Bruce shrugged off her comment. "I was raised among Gotham's elite," he stated, "I know good music when I hear it." He gave Diana a wink, before he moved closer to her. "Is there anything you can't do?" he whispered, leaning even closer to her.
He took a deep breath, letting himself take in the vanilla and jasmine scents that would remind him of her every time. "Well, there seems to be one thing I can't do," she began, placing her hand on his thigh. She leaned in, intent on kissing him, when Bruce's commlink began to beep.
He let out a groan and pulled away from Diana, quickly jumping off the bed before he pulled the small tablet out of his belt. He quickly opened the message from the main computer, his nose scrunching at the words on the screen. "What is it?" Diana asked, standing from her bed and walking over to her closet. Bruce watched as she opened the doors and rummaged around, before pieces of her uniforms were thrown onto the bed.
"Break in at Star Labs," he said, turning away from Diana as she began to change, even though he so desperately wanted to stare at her. "I can handle it," he said, placing the tablet back in one of his belt's compartments, before he pulled his cowl back on.
He heard Diana zip up her uniform and turned around to see her strapping her lasso to her side. "Of course you can," she said, walking past him and out of the room. "We will finish this later," she said, walking down the hall towards the transporter.
Bruce followed her out of the room, trying to ignore the looks of the two junior members that saw him walking out of her room. There would definitely be rumors in the morning, but after having rumors of the two of them circulate the watchtower for years, he had learned to ignore them. He quickly rushed down the hall after her, knowing they were going to have to speak after they returned.
Diana blinked rapidly, trying to let her eyes adjust to the sudden darkness of the Batcave. She and Bruce had managed to stop the break in at Star Labs, however the night hadn't ended there. Three calls later the two had returned to the watchtower well after eight, both exhausted, hungry, and in desperate need of a shower.
Bruce, having missed another board meeting, quickly retreated to Gotham as Diana returned to her room, leaving her with an uneasy feeling. She had showered quickly before falling asleep, thoughts of what would have happened had they not responded to that call filling her mind. Would he have kissed her back? Would he have rejected her again? When she woke, she tried to go about her day ignoring the constant nagging of her unanswered question, but it was something she couldn't stop thinking of. So, she had changed into something more comfortable, her favorite jeans and worn flannel shirt, before making her way to the transporters, asking J'onn to send her to the Batcave, knowing he would be discrete.
She looked around the Batcave, surprised to find it empty. Was Bruce asleep? Was he at work? She debated turning back, but she knew she wouldn't be able to just ignore her feelings for him any longer. She quickly walked up the stairs, making her way into the manor, stopping when she heard a lovely melody echoing throughout the manor.
Intrigued, she followed the music. Each time she turned a corner the music grew louder, until she finally stopped in front of a room, reaching the source. The door was partially opened, allowing her to see inside, a smile gracing her lips when she saw Bruce's back. She watched as Bruce sat in front of the grandest piano she had ever seen, his shoulders moving as his fingers gently hit the keys. Quietly she opened the door, careful not to disturb him, and leaned against the piece of wood as she continued to watch him.
She could see Bruce gently sway his head to the music, letting the beat inspire an internal dance. She smiled to herself, watching as his fingers gracefully glided over the keys, hitting each note perfectly. Something about the way he played was familiar; it was skilled, graceful, and meticulous, like when they spared. He was comfortable, at ease, which made it that much more enjoyable.
She listened to him finish, and contemplated giving him a small applause, however Bruce broke the silence first. "My mother made me take lessons when I was young," he said, answering her unspoken question. "I haven't played since their deaths," he said, cracking his sore hands.
Diana pushed off the door and walked over to him. He kept his back to her, but turned his head when she joined him on the bench. "It was beautiful," she said, using her index finger to press one of the keys.
Bruce reached over and grabbed her hand, gently squeezing it, before he gave her a smile. "As are you."
Diana raised an eyebrow. She had thrown on the first thing her hands had grabbed, her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she was pretty sure she was wearing mismatched socks. "I'm wearing an old flannel, that has a nice little paint stain on it," she said, pointing to the spot on her shoulder.
Bruce chuckled, the story of that stain flooding his memory. "You could be wearing a potato sack and you'd still be beautiful," he responded, giving her hand another squeeze.
Diana watched as he dropped her hand before she placed it in her lap. "Bruce," she began, nervously hitting another key on the piano. "Last night, before we were interrupted, I-"
Bruce shook his head, stopping her. "Answer me first, and I'll let you know whatever you want," he said. He watched as she raised an eyebrow, considering his offer, before she gave him a small nod. "Last night, when you said there was one thing you couldn't do. What did you mean?"
Diana took a deep breath. This was it, the reason she had come, however she wasn't prepared for Bruce to be the one to approach the topic. "I," she began, making sure to look him in the eye before she continued, "I haven't found a way to get you to love me back."
She continued to stare at him, watching his face for any sign of a reaction. His face, however stayed blank, much to her dissatisfaction. She was nearly ready to stand and turn to leave, when Bruce placed his hands gently on her face and pulled her close, his lips capturing hers in a kiss.
At first Diana was taken aback, surprised by Bruce's actions, however it didn't take her long to reciprocate and kiss him back with just as much fever. She placed a hand on top of one of Bruce's, interlacing their fingers, and smiled against his lips.
Bruce quickly broke the kiss and placed his forehead against hers. "Diana," he began, his lips curling up into a sly smile. "You accomplished that years ago."
Diana chuckled. How had the two of them been so stubborn and stupid to not have seen it sooner. She had been in love with him for years, and according to his most recent confession, he had been in love with her just as long. She leaned in and pecked him on the lips before pulling back. "Play more for me?" she asked, as she placed her head on his shoulder.
Bruce nodded and kissed the top of her head, before he shifted to face the piano. "Of course Princess," he said softly. He placed his fingers gently on the keys and began to play, using their mutual love to inspire a beautiful piece. He played from the heart, wanting to show her all the beauty she had inspired within him.
Diana continued to listen to the music, her eyes closing as she concentrated on Bruce's movements. She smiled when she began to think back to last night. Had she known what was going to happen, she would have played louder years ago.
Fin. Hope you all enjoyed this.