Sorry it took so long, but here's another chapter just for you! Please enjoy!
OoOoOo
Celeste had to be the most interesting woman Rex Stewart had ever met.
She was smart and witty, which was good because she had used those traits to get them out of plenty of close calls with the police. She was also particularly charming, which led people into a false sense of security with her before the two of them robbed them blind. Despite this, Celeste was actually very shy and a bit awkward. She had a dry sense of humor, but he chalked that up to her protecting herself. She was slightly conserved, but he could tell that he was getting her to open up.
Along with all of this, Celeste was also exceedingly beautiful.
Her long, wavy, dark hair fell like a waterfall down her back and was soft to the touch. Her light brown skin was slightly brittle just as his own, but still smooth and nice to look at. Her lips were a natural rosy red and her cheeks has a light, pink blush to them. She was quite small and very thin, but he didn't mind that at all.
What got him most were her eyes, which were usually hidden under her dark violet glasses. They were round, but slender and a sapphire blue. They were sharp, but also warm and inviting. Sometimes, it was if she was taking apart every detail from everything she saw, deciphering it. Out of every one of her features, those were what stood out to him the most.
He liked her, he really did. Maybe it was because she was the only one who understood him completely. Maybe it was because he was a normal guy and she was a pretty girl and he was just the same as any other guy with eyes. Or maybe it was something else, he didn't know. All he knew was that there were plenty of times he had wanted to kiss her.
There were plenty of times he wanted to do more- okay, he was getting a little carried away there.
Rex liked this partnership of theirs. It was nice talking to someone who understood him while also getting help to survive. They made a good team, stealing things left and right.
As horrible as that sounded, the two of them did have morals. They only stole from chain stores and wealthy-looking people. They only took money or food, nothing that looked like it was important. And they never stole from children or the elderly. They weren't monsters.
Currently, Rex and Celeste were sharing a room in a cheap motel, having gathered enough money to spend a few nights there. She was reading a book - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - and he was just watching her.
Celeste raised an eyebrow. "Any reason you're staring at me?" she drawled, not taking her eyes off her book.
Rex's cheeks burned at being caught, but he would never let that show. "I just never pegged you as one for the classics," he admitted. Especially not a book as boring as Frankenstein, he wanted to add. She seemed like the type of person who'd like a good mystery book or something like that.
She glanced at the cover of her book before smiling at him. "I had to read it for tenth grade," she told him. "I absolutely hated it back then. Saw it the other day when we were stealing from that Walmart a few days ago. Wanted to see if it was any less boring now that I'm older."
"And is it?"
Celeste rolled her eyes. "Nope," she answered, popping the 'p.' She marked her page before closing it. "But I don't think it's supposed to be. It's written beautifully, but the beginning is really, really slow."
Rex nodded in understanding. He himself had convinced his foster parents to sign him out of school as soon as he turned sixteen and then ran away not too long after. "Can I ask you something?"
"You just did, but go ahead."
He inhaled deeply before turning to face her, looking right into her blue eyes. He approached her, stopping until he was directly in front of her bed. She seemed taken back by this, putting her book down beside her and sitting up. They gazed at each other for a while before he finally spoke.
"Will you go out with me?"
Diana was getting tired of this game.
She sighed, massaging her temples as she soaked in the warm, bubbly water. Even her usually calming bath couldn't settle her down this time. Bruce Wayne had to be the most infuriatingly arrogant man she had ever met. He was hostile, cold, and seemed to lack any emotion and warmth at all. And the emotion he ever did show - around her, at least - was covered up as soon as it was there.
She just didn't understand him. One minute, he could be charming and joking with her. The next, he could be curt and emotionless with her. She didn't get it; did he have feelings for her or not?
Diana inhaled deeply, trying to gather her thoughts. Bruce Wayne was, to the world, a horny, womanizing playboy who happened to be one of the richest men in the country and was generous towards the less fortunate and loved to joke around; a pretty easygoing guy. Batman was, to the world, the harshest discipline of crime there was without crossing the line; always serious and terrifying.
Diana saw both sides of the man, and then some.
With her, Bruce was the same as both his identities, but also very different. He was brutally sarcastic - Batman - and also very charming - Bruce Wayne. Yet, there were parts of both personalities that would just melt away, though a large part of Batman always seemed to stay with him at all times.
She sighed once more, submerging her body deeper into the water. That dance between them in Paris... She was sure there had been a spark somewhere. Or maybe there hadn't been. Maybe she had just imagined the whole thing. Maybe these romantic feelings were completely one-sided.
Was she being naive? Was her mother right when she had said that she wasn't ready for what Man's World had to offer? Diana ran her fingers through her wet hair. As much as she hated that notion, it might be the truth.
Well, let it be known that Diana of Themyscira was not to be played with. She wouldn't pursue anything with him anymore, if she even had before. She'd keep their friendship afloat because that was important to her, but she wouldn't act on these romantic urges.
The Princess of the Amazons was better off on her own, anyway.
Rex couldn't even believed that Celeste had agreed to their so-called "date."
Some couldn't even call it that seeing as though he just brought her to the carnival that was in town for a few days after hours. He couldn't afford anything real fancy, much to his own shame, but she loved it, which surprised him beyond belief. Her eyes had lit up like he had never seen before and she squealed in absolute joy.
"The carnival!" she exclaimed like an excited child. "Oh, I've never been to one before!" She gripped his arm and looked up at him, eyes shining with adoration. "Thank you so much for bringing me here!"
Rex felt his cheeks he up as he grinned down at her. It was nice seeing her so carefree, so happy. He found that he wanted to make her this happy, all the time. "No problem, Princess," he said, then mentally cursed himself. Where had that come from? What kind of nickname was that anyway? What about Celeste could be associated with a princess (besides how pretty she was, of course)?
Celeste titled her head in confusion. "Princess?" she repeated. No one had ever called her that before. "Any reason for that?"
He shrugged. "Nah, just a nickname I came up with on the spot," he admitted. He peered at her curiously for her approval (not that he would ever tell her that). "You like it?"
She seemed to think this over. "Yeah," she finally answered, smiling softly. "I think I do."
Rex grinned at her. "Then I guess that's what I'm calling you for now." His Princess. He liked how that sounded. He thought he spotted her own cute, pink blush, but it was gone as soon as he blinked. Maybe he was imagining it... He smirked as he caught her looking away from him shyly. Maybe not. "So, Princess, what do you want to go on first?"
Celeste glanced at him before gesturing to their right. "The bumper cars look fun," she decided. He nodded and gently took her arm, leading her towards the direction of the bumper cars.
He had never seen Celeste so carefree as she rammed her car into his. She was laughing wildly, and her dark hair which was usually up in a high ponytail was sprawled all over her head and dancing in the wind. It was honestly a touching sight to behold. She was usually so careful around him and he was glad she was opening up to him.
Rex knew what it was like to be a foster kid, seeing as he had been one himself. He knew it could be pretty rough depending on the situation. Celeste's case was probably one of the bad cases. She probably had never gotten to have fun like this before.
Well, she would always have fun with him. This, he promised.
Diana groaned, raising her hand to her head. Hera, she felt like she had been punched through a wall by Artemis. Multiple times. Her redheaded friend/ex-lover had a heavy hand, that was for sure. As her eyes adjusted, she could barely make out the Watchtower infirmary. She squinted, trying to remember how she had gotten there.
Memories suddenly came flooding back. Right, the Gorians. An alien race with the goal of taking over their planet, as per usual. She, John, and Dinah had been sent to deal with them, but had required back-up since they were vastly outnumbered. Kal, Bruce, and Oliver had been sent down to help.
Then what had happened?
That was when her memory went a bit foggy. She couldn't recall anything past that.
"Princess."
The voice was gruff and deep and she recognized it immediately. "Batman," she responded, sitting up. Her teammate was sitting by her bedside, staring at her intently. "What happened?"
"They hit you while your back was turned," Bruce told her, his eyes - his unmasked eyes, she realized. He hardly ever took of his cowl on the Watchtower - never leaving hers. "You've been out for about twenty-six hours."
Diana nodded, taking in this information. "Did I miss anything important?" she asked. Though she didn't say it, she was already itching to get out of that damn infirmary bed. On Themyscira, as soon as you were conscious, you'd be up and fighting again. Unfortunately, per the rules of the man sitting next to her bed, a member of the Justice League couldn't return to duty unless they were fully recovered.
As far as she was concerned, she was always fully recovered. It only took a day or so for most injuries to go away anyway, so what was the big deal?
He crossed his arms, glaring at her. "You should be focused on getting better," he told her adamantly. "You were out for over a day, Princess. Let us take care of business for now."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine," she insisted.
"No, you're not."
Annoyance twinged in her chest, but Diana let nothing show on her face. It was just Bruce being Bruce, after all. Nothing she couldn't handle. "I was born and raised to take the worst thrashing and still get up for training the next morning. I've been training with the best warriors on the island since I learned how to talk. I am literally built for this, Bruce."
Bruce stared at her, demeanor unchanging. "Doesn't mean it was right," he pointed out.
She clenched her fist. He was just so arrogant! "How dare you," she seethed, finally sitting up. Hera, one day she wouldn't be able to stop herself from knocking him out.
And, suddenly, his lips were pressed to hers, his hands gently cupping her face.
OoOoOo
Fml, I can't write for shit. I love WonderBat, but I suck at writing both of them. Hopefully, I'll get better with time, but for now... I hope you could tolerate my shitty work. Please review.
