Complications
a Batman: The Animated Series-based fan fiction
by: Joycelyn Solo
Author's note: This is based on the characters as they appeared on Batman: The Animated Series.
Based on positive feedback, I am going ahead and making this a full-blown story with multiple chapters, character development, plot and everything. Isn't that exciting? I thought so.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and, as such, I am not making any money. Everything belongs to someone else (who I'd list, but I can't keep all the DC-ownership straight).
Chapter Two
Despite the number of students attending Gotham State University,
the campus was unusually quiet for a Sunday afternoon. Granted,
it was early in the semester and few students wanted to waste
their precious time researching in the library or stuck in front
of a computer.
But few students took their work as seriously as Barbara Gordon.
Surrounded by her notes, chemistry textbooks, and a stack of biographies, Barbara looked at her watch and groaned.
He's late. She wasn't surprised, Dick was always late. However, she hoped that once just to throw her off he'd be on time. He's got five more minutes before I leave, she thought, ignoring the fact that she'd thought the same thing twenty minutes before.
She sighed and looked at the assignment handout. She had already read it twice in the half hour she'd been waiting for Dick, but at least it gave her something to do.
Well, something to do aside from think about Dick.
It was bad enough that he was one of the best looking men on campus, but he was one of the few guys that actually "got" Barbara. When he looked at her he didn't see a "brain" or the police commissioner's daughter; he saw Barbara Gordon.
If he only knew the affect he had on her well he'd probably tease her mercilessly and say something about her being like a sister to him.
And who needs that?
So, she ignored the warm feelings that threatened when he was near and instead used things like his tardiness or lack of seriousness to remind herself that he was unattainable on that level. He was her best friend and she didn't want to lose that.
"Hey, Babs. Miss me?"
Barbara looked up from her reading and looked up at Dick. How he managed to always sneak up on her she still hadn't figured out, but at least he finally showed.
"You're late."
"I know and I'm sorry." He smiled in apology and sat across from her, setting his bag on the floor next to his chair. "I couldn't find a parking spot."
She raised an eyebrow. "Even if it wasn't Sunday and the parking almost completely vacant, I know that you park in Staff Parking anyway just to see if you can get away with it."
He had the decency to look sheepish at that. "Aw, c'mon, Babs. I'm testing the system. You and I both know it's illegal for students to use Staff Parking but in the year and a half that I've done it I haven't been ticketed once."
"Yes, I know." Barbara agreed, a smile crossing her lips even though the fact bothered her. "Who in their right mind would ticket the heir of the fortune that underwrites most of the facilities on this campus?"
"Exactly. As soon as I get a ticket I'll pay it and start parking like a normal student but for now I'm going to park on the wrong side of the law for purely scientific purposes."
"Speaking of scientific purposes, isn't there a reason we're in the library on this lovely Sunday afternoon?" Barbara reminded, tapping a finger on the chemistry textbook in front of her.
"You mean it's not just because you can't get through the weekend without me?"
Rolling her eyes, she hoped he wouldn't notice the blush that flushed her cheeks. "In your dreams, Grayson." she said, knowing that in truth it was in her dreams. "Now, let's get some work done."
What seemed like hours later, Dick glanced up from the volume he was reading and watched as Barbara took notes from two books simultaneously.
He couldn't help but be mesmerized by the red tendrils that escaped from the ponytail she'd pulled her hair into. He was fascinated by the way her reading glasses fell to the end of her nose when she read. And the way she could write notes from one book while reading the next one...well that was actually a little frightening, but she didn't get to be known as "the Brain" by having red hair and wearing glasses.
It was times like this, in the companionable silence that accompanied their research, when he found it difficult not to blurt out something completely foolish about how much he liked Barbara.
Then, like a splash of cold water, he would remember that they were best friends and he wouldn't want to do anything to endanger that.
Besides, if he ever told her how he felt, she'd feel obligated to let him down easy and say something about how he was like a brother to her.
And who needs that?
So, he ignored the rampant feelings that threatened when she was near and focused on the task at hand using everything he'd learned from Bruce to hide his emotions.
"Dick?"
"Yeah, Babs?"
"I asked how you were doing...are you okay?" her eyebrows rose ever-so-slightly in concern and he ignored the somersault his stomach did.
"I'm fine, I guess all these chemical formulas put me in a trance."
She smiled at him, knowing full well that he understood this stuff better than she did. "Well, snap out of it. The librarian's getting ready to kick us out."
"Already?" he looked at his watch. "It's after six?"
"What's the matter, Dick? Late for a date?"
He nodded and Barbara looked down at her books as she put them into her bag. How stupid could I be to ask that? Of course he's got a date. "If you need to get going I can finish putting our books back."
"Thanks, Babs." he grinned as he grabbed his bag. "You're the greatest."
Yeah. The greatest friend.
Smiling as he left, Barbara couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy as Dick rushed off to meet whoever the lucky girl was.
~~~~~~~
Author's note: I know, that wasn't the greatest, but I promise the next couple chapters will more than make up for it (at least, I hope so).
Tune in next time. Same Bat-Fiction Site. Same Batty Fan-Fic Author.
