Review Responses:
nacheell- No it won't, mainly because I have serious doubts about my M-rated skills... but eventually there will be!
DarkasDusk- that will be next chappy
Mortalsapien- that'll be a few chapters in, and there will be mentionings of SupermanXLois
booklover1698- Here it is!
Chapter Eight: Movies, Caves, and Poles
It all started out as a normal day for me. I got home from school, having done my homework on the bus like always, and entered a silent house. It seemed Father was out for the time being. I quickly and quietly shut and locked the door behind me, just as he always said too.
The moment I attempted to take a step forward I stepped onto an empty beer bottle barely illuminated by the faint light streaming in from the windows. This resulted with be busting my tailbone on the hard ceramic tiles and the back of my head on the door. I instantly became grateful Father wasn't home, because he would've tried to blame me for the mess.
With a heavy sigh I gathered up my school things to place in my room. The walls had long ago lost their lavender color, and now were simply an odd shade of white with various purple blotches. None of the furniture had changed, and the only reason I had clothes that fit was thanks to a friend at school who would often give me her hand-me-downs.
I trudged back into the livingroom with a garbage bag in hand and started cleaning up the mess again. He hated coming home to a filthy house, yet he never bothered to clean. As I reached down to grab the bottle I had originally tripped on, a sharp spike followed but a harsh pounding and swimming black dots filled my head.
I had earned myself a concussion, and not for the first time. Pausing, I tried to push away the feeling and continue on with my work. The sharp pain only returned when I faced down to a certain degree, so I was able to mostly avoid it; however the pounding never lessened.
By the time I was nearly done I was literally swaying on my feet, and had no chance to catch myself from falling. The darkness quickly overcame my vision, and I vaguely wondered if I would wake up at all.
September 24, Tuesday; 6:15pm
The shopping went rather smoothly, considering Ace and I have a very similar sense of style. We even had time to stop by the park for a picnic before heading over to Bruce's house. Of course, I called first.
"Alfred, I don't mean to intrude. Bruce promised to meet my sisters. Gwen and Wally should be stopping by later." I smiled at the old man as he answered the door. Ace shifted uncomfortably behind me. She wasn't a fan of strangers.
"Miss Tempura, I've been expecting you to stop by. Master Bruce will be with you in a moment. Would you like to wait in the drawing room?" Alfred ushered us inside and to a room off to the right.
"Aris? Why are we waiting on Bruce in his house?" Ace took a seat on the couch and pouted. I was pleased to see she was opening up more, like a normal girl.
"It's common courtesy for the wealthy. Besides, it probably takes a little while to get from one end of the house to another." I laughed softly, remembering how I got lost that day I came to retrieve my wallet.
"It does actually. Is this your sister?" Bruce appeared silently out of nowhere, but neither Ace nor I was surprised. I stood to hug him as he joined us on the couch.
"This is Ace, my youngest sister. Gwen and Wally will be stopping by later." I pulled Ace into a one armed hug and watched her blush lightly at the affection.
"Ace? That name sounds familiar. It's nice to meet you, Ace." An odd look crossed Bruce's dark eyes, as if he was trying to solve a difficult puzzle. He kept looking at Ace, then looking off somewhere. I knew she was a former member of the Royal Flush gang, and I knew Batman helped take them down. I saw a light in his eyes and I knew he 'solved' the puzzle, despite Gwen's charm. Then again, wasn't Batman a friend of Zantana?
"Ace is actually a common name down South. I hear that Batman actually had a run in with someone named Ace. Bruce, are we going to sit here all day or are we going to do something fun?" I jumped up and spun around on the carpet. I pointed at Ace and she jumped up to join me. We both began to tease Bruce. He just sat there, with only the hint of a smile of his face.
"Alright, I'll humor you ladies. Where would you like to go?" I gave up and collapsed on his lap. It was much more fun to dance in the dark than the light, and more theatrical too. Theatrical...
"How about we watch a movie? Ace, didn't you want to see 'Black Swan'?" I smiled, never having seen the movie.
"It's a bit inappropriate, isn't it? Dark too." Bruce wrapped one arm around my waist and rested the other across the back of the couch. Ace was still twirling around on the carpet, and I couldn't help but giggle. So that was what I looked like.
"I'm sure it's fine, I've seen the trailers. Let's watch it!" I kissed Bruce on the cheek and jumped up to join Ace. I twirled her a few times and giggled when we both tripped.
"That was kind of fun, but I'm really dizzy." Ace said in a breathy manner. Bruce shook his head and helped us up.
"When will Gwen and Wally be here? We should all watch it together." I kissed him lightly on the lips and whipped out my cell. I quickly sent a text to Gwen: 'Hurry on over... Bring Wally; Bruce wants us all to watch a movie together.'
"Aren't Wally and Gwen on a date? How come I haven't met Wally yet?" Ace clung to my arm, same as she did during the shopping spree. The girl came up to my nose in height, so either she was tall or I was short. Maybe a bit of both. I smiled at the thought.
"Wally and Gwen should be here shortly. Unlike me, Gwen often forgets who knows who and things like that. She probably just forgot to introduce you two."
Several hugs, a room of laughter, and a half an hour later Gwen, Wally, Ace, Bruce, and I were in his 'movie room' watching the frightening story of a ballerina. Ace loved it, constantly commenting on the girl's dark side. Wally seemed disturbed, and Gwen was worried about him. Bruce held my hand when he noticed I looked away at a few parts. I've never been very good with movies. I always got dragged in, feeling what the characters felt.
"Are you okay?" Bruce whispered as Nina stabbed Lilly. I cringed and squeezed his hand. I felt the blow as if I had been the one stabbed.
"I'm just not good with watching others get hurt. I have no problem with action movies, but this one is just screwing with my head." I rested my head on his broad shoulder and looked around the room. Gwen and Wally were cuddling on a sofa; Gwen half asleep and Wally enjoying being used as a pillow. Ace was knocked out on the love seat, one leg falling off the cushions, blanket askew, and hand draped lazily across her face.
"Maybe it's because of the dark nature of the movie." Bruce shifted in the large arm chair we were sharing. I was seated sideways across his lap, head resting on his chest as I shifted with him. He again wrapped an arm around my waist. I loved the feeling of being held in his strong warm arms, but I got the feeling it meant more than that.
"Bruce, we never did finish our 'talk' on the rooftop." I stared up at him. From my position I had the perfect view of his firm jaw set and dreamy dark eyes. I really needed to stop thinking like that. I might fall even harder for him.
"What are you talking about?" I could see the lie in his eyes. He knew exactly what I was talking about.
"I'm talking about your little secret, and my confession. It's not a problem if you don't want to talk about it now, but we will talk later." I kissed him soft and slow, a sort of lingering kiss. I left him breathless, not that I had any more breath than he did.
"And... just what... did you... confess?" He asked between breaths. I kissed him again, harder this time. His lips were rough against mine, possessive. I bit down gently on his lip, causing him to gasp lightly before plunging his tongue into my waiting mouth.
He tasted sweet, that odd combo of mint and cherry again. I groaned softly and wrapped one arm around his neck, the other clutching his shirt as I tried desperately to get as close as possible. I nearly forgot to breath, but I managed. As he pulled away to catch his breath, I began to trail feather-like kisses down his jaw and neck to his collar bone. I felt his grip on my waist tighten and he made a very animal like sound in the back of his throat. I very nearly melted at the sound.
"Um, Bruce... Yeah, hi. Still awake over here. Don't mean to be rude, but seeing as I can't relocate, maybe you two should?" Wow, expect Wally to ruin the mood. I laughed breathlessly and snuggled into Bruce's chest. He cleared his throat and smirked down at me.
"I think he has a point," I leaned in really close to his ear for emphasis. "I'd be more than happy to relocate to say... the Batcave. Or whatever you call your secret headquarters." I nipped his ear-lobe.
"I've got a better place in mind." He moved to stand up, taking me with him. I jumped free of his arms and spun around to face him. I waved my finger in a 'tisk tisk' motion.
"Sorry baby, but I don't think so. I want proof that I'm right, or you can spend the evening with Wally." I laughed lightly at the odd image that popped into my head at that statement.
"Baby? I know I have dark sexy eyes, but baby?" He smiled, actually smiled! Sure it was a cocky kind of smile, but still.
"You know, I told the same thing to Batman." I smirked as I suddenly remembered the mark I left on him. I tugged up his sleeve to reveal a very red 'T' the size of quarter right on his inner elbow. "I do believe I left this as a parting gift as well." I kissed him softly then dashed off down the hall, but not before throwing Wally the remote.
~Rewind: Gwen's POV~
Wally and I had an amazing day! After the movies, which if he tells anyone I squealed I will wholeheartedly deny it, he took me to this cute little coffee shop for lunch. The whole place was decorated like an English garden, and there small fireplace in one corner. Funny enough we ended up ordering the same vanilla latte, extra sugars and all.
After lunch he took me to the Amusement mile; four city blocks of roller-coasters, ferriswheels, and funhouses. I ended up dragging him through the mirror-house, which he seemed amazed by my lack of getting lost. I told him the key was watching the corners and edges, that way you could see which way the path lead. He ended up dragging me onto all the rides, though I ended up enjoying them as much as him.
We were on the ferriswheels, having just finished eating cottoncandy, and were laughing it up when I got a text from Aris. Apparently she wanted me to hurry over to Bruce's house with Wally so we could watch a movie. Two movies in one day? Good thing I love movies.
When we arrived I introduced Ace and Wally, then discovered Wally and Bruce were actually friends. Apparently they met during the invasion, which I only knew of thanks to father. Strange, but I didn't question it.
We ended up following Bruce into this dark 'movie room'. It was basically a very large den with one whole wall dedicated to the biggest flatscreen I had ever seen. Ace ended up claiming the love seat, Bruce and Aris were all cozy in a huge arm chair, and Wally and I got comfortable on the sofa.
The movie was dark, and Wally definitely seemed disturbed. I guess I was never taking him to see a scary movie; he was way too jumpy. I had him lay across the cushions, and I cuddled up to him in an effort to calm him down. It seemed to work; because he started drawing lazy circles on my waist and holding me close. Pretty soon I found myself drifting off and I was only able to catch bits and pieces of the movie and conversations as I snuggled close to Wally.
"Um, Bruce... Yeah, hi. Still awake over here. Don't mean to be rude, but seeing as I can't relocate, maybe you two should?" Wally called over to the other couple, and if I wasn't so tired I would've laughed. I drifted off again, Bruce and Aris mumbling something I couldn't quite catch and probably didn't want too.
September 24, Tuesday; 7:56pm
"Fine, you win. I'll show you the Batcave." Bruce said begrudgingly. I flashed a brilliant smile and wrapped both my arms around his waist from behind. Bruce stiffened, unsure of what to do.
"I always win, Love." I giggled lightly and kissed his back. The motion seemed to make him tense even more. "Come on, Love, let's not wait for someone to pop out of the shadows."
"Why are you calling me 'Love'?" Ah, so that was what got him so tense. I turned him around to face me and gently brushed my lips against his. He responded in kind but I pulled away and 'tisk tisk' ed him again.
"You don't like being called baby, no cute nickname could be made out of Bruce, I can't call you Bats unless you're in costume, and... well, you know the last reason. Now, you're not getting another kiss until I get to see the cave." I grabbed his hand and attempted to drag him into the next room.
"Why do you want to see the Batcave so badly?"
"Why would any girl want to see where her man spends most of his time?" I gave him a coy smile before wrapping my arms around his middle and ever so gently dragging my nails down his back. He shivered and I was beginning to take that as a positive sign.
"Fine, come on." He pulled me over to a grandfather clock and I raised my brow at him. Cliché much? I've seen hundreds of old movies where you move the old clock and there's a passage to another room or a secret staircase. I was too lost in my criticizing thoughts to see what he did, but whatever it was he made the clock rise to reveal a pole.
"I haven't slid down a pole since I was a seven! You go first." I waved him towards the mysterious pole.
"I thought it was ladies first?" He chuckled lightly; I loved it when he did that.
"You have more experience! Besides, I'm going to need someone down there to spot me in case I fall." I imagined falling into a dark abyss for all of eternity. I still have mixed feelings about that.
"You have a point. Try not to fall; I'll meet you down there." Bruce attempted to kiss me but I backed up and wagged my finger at him. He faked a sigh, and with a smirk slid down the pole. I watched him until he disappeared into the darkness.
"Here goes everything." I was so glad to be wearing pants that day, because my hands were in torture as I slid down the pole. I ended up relaxing my arms and spinning wildly around as gravity did its magic. Bruce caught me when I let go about ten feet above the ground.
"I said not to fall."
"No, you said 'try not to fall'. I didn't. Besides, you caught me anyway. Oh, and..." I turned in his arms and kissed him roughly. I was pushed up against the pole, his shadow enveloping me as his kiss devoured me. I moaned softly into him and pulled myself as close as possible.
"You shouldn't have fallen." Bruce's voice came out breathy and I'm not sure if I was meant to hear him, but I did. I kissed him harder, opening my mouth to his. His tongue invaded my mouth in an overwhelming taste of cherry. I had to remind myself to breath, but it was worth it. It was all worth it. Every moment of my life, the pain and loss, all of it was worth being there in his arms.
"It's too late for that. I've already fallen in more ways than one." I managed to use the pole to lift myself until I was able to wrap my legs around his waist. I could better access his delicious mouth that way. He held me in place with one hand firm across my lower back. His cool hands were to my hot skin as Aloe to sunburn.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." He mumbled, though if he was talking to himself or me I wasn't sure. I bit down on his lip, even though I already had access to his moist cavern. I knew he liked it. Raking my nails across his back I began to trail soft kisses down his jaw to his neck. I gently nipped his jugular, and completely loved the sounds it caused.
"I know what I want, Bruce. I'll take whatever problems follow you, whatever baggage you think you have." I sucked on the part of his neck I had bitten, forming a dark purple mark and causing him to pant above me. I was amazed he had enough control to keep us against the pole; then again maybe he was actually leaning on it.
"You don't... know what... you're saying..." He could barely speak as he I teased his sensitive neck and continued my onslaught of his senses. As much as I loved him, I was tired of his little game. I pulled back and cupped his face in my hands, forcing him to look me in the eyes.
"Bruce, listen to me. I love you. I have never been in love before, but I know I am with you. Nothing you say, nothing you do will change that. I love you, all of you." He looked away and back at me again.
"You don't even know all of me." I kissed him softly, but with more passion and love than any kiss before.
"Whatever parts you think I don't know, I would be more than happy to meet. I'm sure, no matter how dark or 'bad' you think these parts of you are, I will love them just as much as I love the rest of you."
~Rewind: Ace's POV~
Running, why was I running? Someone was chasing me, but who? Green hair and a creepy grin, it was him! Behind him were more shadows. Mother, Father, the scientists and doctors. All of them chasing me into a corner. I curled into a ball, covering my ears with my hands.
"Monster!" "Freak!" They screamed. Hot tears poured down my face, because I knew they were right. I was a freak, a monster. My own parents didn't want me. The doctors and scientists feared me. Even the Joker feared me, and he was insane!
"Stop! Leave me alone!" I cried, begging them to go away. Why wouldn't they go away?
"You are alone! You will always be alone!" They shouted back. No, no, no, No, No, No, NO! I wouldn't be alone! I had Aris, and Gwen! And the Moon! I wouldn't be alone!
"LIARS!" I screamed until my voice cracked, my lungs aching. Darkness surrounded me, enveloped me. Then I felt arms wrap around me, a sweet voice entered my mind, calling to me.
"My sweet child…" It whispered. "Do not be afraid… you are not alone…" It was the most beautiful voice I had ever heard, and it left tears in my eyes. "I will always be here…" The heavenly sound encircled me with its melody… calming my fears and soothing my nerves.
"Who are you?" I finally asked. A bright light filtered through the darkness, and a large crescent shape hung above me.
"I am Luna…" The voice almost seemed to ring out from the shape, and I knew it was the moon. It was just as Aris told me. The moon would be my mother.
"Thank you…" My voice drifted off, and blackness overcame my rational mind as I fell into oblivion.
I awoke with a jolt, sweat still clung to my body, but my heart was calm. Someone had placed me in a bed; I vaguely remembered having seen it before in Aris's mind. Aris never hid things from me, not even in her mind. She understood I couldn't easily trust people, and so she didn't hide her thoughts from me, though she did 'label' them so I wouldn't happen across something like what she and Bruce did in their spare time.
With a grunt I crawled out of the bed and sat against the corner. From there if I stared out the window I could see the moon, and its light shone on me.
No, not it, but her. The moon was my mother now, so she was female.
I closed my eyes and allowed myself to bask in the celestial glow. It felt so peaceful and cleansing, as if it was washing away all my worries and fears. All my self-doubts vanished, and I was simply left with a feeling of acceptance.
Drowsy and at peace, I allowed my mind to drift off into dream land. To a place where everything was well… where Luna could hold me in her arms and Aris stood by my side. My new reality
A/N: So this is a lot different than the last time, huh? And I decided to give a little spotlight to Ace and show some more detail of Gwen and Wally's date. I figured each character could use a little more depth, and what better way to do that than show fears and hopes? I hope you liked Ace's POV, let me know so this won't be just a one time deal!