TITLE: Closed-Minded
AUTHOR: LOTSlover
CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman
RATING: T
WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings
DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.
SUMMARY: Set right after the episode This Little Piggy, Batman struggles to come to terms with the decision that he has made and how it will affect his life.
Closed-Minded
Bruce slowly opened his eyes, shaking off his sleepy state and gradually becoming quite aware of a warm body pressed firmly against him. A leg was hooked over his, an arm wrapped around his torso and silken strands of raven hair splayed over his chest and shoulder. He breathed deeply, drinking in her heady scent that stirred something deep inside of him he had long ago thought buried or locked away.
The corner of his lips twitched as he thought about how the evening and their mission had started out. It was definitely not how he'd planned it to go, never expecting to end up here in her quarters. When J'onn had told him about the Intergang tip, Diana had been the first person he'd thought of to accompany him on the stakeout, knowing how well they always worked together.
Even though he had been desperately trying to rein-in his feelings for the Amazon princess, he had arrogantly told himself that he could handle going on this mission with her. He could be professional, keeping his desire for her firmly in his grasp and focusing solely on the mission.
Arrogant indeed…
"Patience, princess," Batman told her as he gazed at the street below, his boot resting on the roof's ledge and his left hand on his hip. He was desperately trying not to notice the way that she sighed or how the wind kept tugging at the ends of her raven hair, but it was next to impossible. "Intergang moves in mysterious ways."
Diana sat down on the ledge, her right arm resting on the head of a gargoyle. "Tell me about it," she muttered in annoyance. "What use could they possibly have for the Rosetta Stone?"
"We'll find out soon enough," he replied, turning his attention away from the enchanting Amazon and her long, toned legs that were only inches away from him now. All he had to do was reach out and… "And in the meantime,…"
"I know…patience," she interrupted him.
Diana's chin came to rest on top of her hand resting on the gargoyle's head, her gaze focused on the city street below. She watched as couples walked down the street, one couple exiting the Iceberg Lounge. They shared a kiss before the man assisted the woman into the back of a taxi cab.
Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Bruce knew what she was thinking before she ever uttered a single word. He had been rehearsing his response to the conversation he knew was coming ever since their mission had forced them to become children in order to stop Mordred. While he appreciated her efforts to try to help him through a difficult moment, friendship was all that he could ever offer her…and even that wasn't much coming from someone like him.
"Don't you ever wish you were down there?" she wistfully asked, allowing a small measure of her loneliness to fill her voice.
"I'm down there all I need to be," he evenly stated, trying his best to keep his eyes off her legs that he couldn't help imagining being wrapped around his waist. It was also difficult not to feel her loneliness or allow it to prick his heart. He shared that loneliness but refused to admit it to anyone.
"Yes, but it's just a job to you," she told him, interrupting his thoughts. Her frustration seeped through into every syllable as she lifted her head to look at him. "I'm talking about going down there and having some fun…maybe with someone special."
Batman watched as Diana gazed at him with longing and loneliness in her eyes as she hooked a raven lock behind her ear. This was it…the conversation that he had known was coming. It had been steadily building and gaining steam over the last year or more. It had only been a matter of time before Diana would grow tired of their continuous banter and flirting, wanting far more than just a fleeting kiss shared in a moment of weakness on his part. She wanted more than he was capable of giving her and it broke his heart.
She didn't even give him a chance to respond, her impatience winning out in the end as he momentarily lost himself once again in his thoughts. "No…no dating for the Batman," she said with a frown as she propped her head up with her fist, her elbow resting on the gargoyle's head. "It might cut into your brooding time."
Bruce turned to look at her, taken aback by her comment. Despite her attempt at amusement, her sadness and disappointment were unmistakable. He had mentally prepared himself for this conversation, knowing that he was going to have to stand strong in the face of her desire for more despite the fact that he shared that very same desire.
It just could never be…not without risks that were far too great to even entertain the notion seriously. He couldn't risk her life over his selfish desire for a relationship with her…for something that would probably never last. He'd only end up destroying her himself in the end…that was if his enemies didn't get to her first.
"One…dating within the team always leads to disaster," he began to rattle off like a grocery list that he'd assembled. "Two…you're a princess from a society of immortal warriors and I'm a rich kid with issues…lots of issues. And three…if my enemies knew I had someone special, they wouldn't rest until they'd gotten to me through her."
Bruce had barely gotten the last word out of his mouth before Diana's hand effortlessly crushed the head of the poor gargoyle she'd been leaning on, effectively capturing his attention and halting his next reason…which he'd suddenly forgotten. This woman was truly remarkable, a captivating sight to behold.
"Next," she stated, her left hand on her hip as she stared him down with defiance dancing in her bright sapphire eyes and a slight smirk on her red lips.
Point proven.
Bruce left a shiver of desire race up his spine, one that was refusing to be ignored despite his best attempts. Her visible display of strength and power coupled with her beauty was all serving to make him feel quite warm on that rooftop, his mind wandering into very dangerous territory that he'd told himself was off limits. His body was defying against his mind at that moment.
The unexpected ringing of an alarm sounded across the street, interrupting their long-awaited conversation. "There!" Batman said with a tremor of relief, pointing to a shadow in the side alley.
He fired his grappling line, taking off without another word and leaving Diana behind along with the conversation that had been too long in coming. As he flew through the air, he heard her mutter, "saved by the bell."
This conversation was far from over or forgotten.
Bruce smiled to himself as he replayed Diana crushing that gargoyle's head in her hand, stone crumbling into nothing more than dust in the wind with little effort on her part. She had more than proven her point, completely annihilating his third reason as easily as she had decimated the poor gargoyle.
Now that he'd actually voiced them, he realized how lame his excuses had actually sounded in the face of an Amazon warrior and Champion of the Gods, but they still held a small amount of merit to them…didn't they? Dating within the League was still a bad idea. She was still an immortal princess and he was still a rich kid with a lot of issues.
He didn't see how these obstacles could possibly be overcome and yet here he was in her bed in her quarters on the Watchtower, holding her in his arms. Yes, there were so many difficulties and deadly risks that filled their path, but then again, she wasn't just some ordinary woman. She was Wonder Woman…Diana…his princess.
His.
He'd been so closed-minded to the notion of them without fully taking into consideration the woman that he was falling in love with. He'd also been so focused on the "what-if's" of Joker or Scarecrow finding out about Diana that he'd never once considered his own reaction if one of her rogues attacked her. That had truly been the breaking point for him.
So very closed-minded…
He threw a batarang at the alarm, a shower of sparks raining down on the thief as they landed on the ground behind their burglar, somewhat taken aback by what they discovered. "Just a common thief," Diana noted in stunned disbelief, hands finding her hips. "What happened to Intergang?"
"J'onn must have gotten a bad tip. It happens," Batman commented, turning his focus to their robber. "I'll take the crowbar."
"Whatever you say," the thief replied, throwing the crowbar at him as it suddenly turned into a viper.
Batman dodged out of the way of the snake at the last minute, narrowly avoiding the attack. "That trick always went over big in Egypt," the thief drawled with a sexy lilt to her voice, transforming herself into her true appearance.
"Circe," Diana growled in fury. "Be careful…she's—"
"Yah, I read the Odyssey," Batman interrupted her, drawing his cape up around himself only to whip out two batarangs which he swiftly flung at her.
Circe held out her hand towards the approaching objects, turning them into a pair of doves. "That it for you?" she taunted, grabbing a dove's snow-white feather between her thumb and forefinger.
"What are you doing here, witch?" Diana spat out, hands fisted and ready for a fight. "You were banished."
"They needed more space down below so they paroled me," she informed her. "Of course, I had to promise to leave your mommy dearest alone before they'd let me out."
"Mother sent her to the Pits of Tartarus," Diana revealed to Batman. "Circe has a nasty habit of turning innocent people into animals."
"I'm real good at it too," she flaunted.
"So I've read," Batman ground out. "Let's not give her a chance."
Batman and Diana immediately ran towards Circe, prepared to stop her only Circe was more than ready for them. Raising her hand, she released a burst of magic that sent both heroes flying backwards, Batman colliding into some trash cans as well as the brick wall behind him.
Diana raced towards Circe again, a large hand growing out of the stone wall behind her and wrapping around her. She struggled against its grip on her, but it was no use. The more she fought against the hand, the stronger it's hold became on her.
"I promised to leave your mother alone, little princess, but no one said anything about you," she told her. "Rest assured—once I'm through with you Hippolyta won't want you for a daughter and your pointy-eared boyfriend here won't want you for anything."
Circe's hand began to glow as she directed her magic at Diana, Batman struggling to gather his senses as he got up on all fours. Turning to check on her, he was momentarily blinded by a burst of bright light. He felt his heart clench tightly in his chest as the light began to dissipate.
"Diana!" he yelled.
Bruce internally shuddered as he thought about the fear that had torn through him like a bolt of lightning in that moment, not knowing for certain what Circle had done to Diana. He had silently cursed himself for not having been better prepared, for not having done more to stop the witch. He should've known that if Circe couldn't take her revenge out on the Queen of the Amazons she was going to pour her retribution out on Diana.
When the light had faded to reveal a little pink pig, his heart had leapt into his throat. It had fueled a desperation in him to get Diana back to herself. He knew the humiliation that the princess would feel if anyone found out what had happened to her and he had refused to allow that to happen.
That was why he had turned to Zatanna for help, not realizing at the time that his magician friend would pick up on his feelings for the Amazon princess.
So much for trying to hide them…
"What was it? Some kind of hologram or was it the real thing?" Batman asked Zatanna who was reviewing her performance in her crystal ball.
"It's called sorcery, Bruce," Zatanna told him as she stood to her feet. "Usually I play it straight, but for the big closer I throw in a little dazzle, but enough about my secrets. What have you been up to? I haven't seen you in so long."
"Can we discuss that later?" he asked, wanting to get down to business as soon as possible so he could help Diana. "Someone's in trouble."
"Who?" she asked, sitting up a little straighter. "What kind of trouble?"
"Well…" he began, deciding that showing her would be far better.
Batman led Zatanna out the backdoor of her dressing room to the Batmobile. He pressed a button that caused the top to slide back, revealing a chubby piglet in the passenger seat. "Ewww…Circe, huh?" Zatanna muttered as she propped her head up with her fist under her chin. "It was all over the mystic ethernet that she made parole. I'll see what I can do."
Bruce gently picked Diana up, carrying her in his arms as he followed Zatanna back into her dressing room. The magician tried every single spell she could think of as the little pig ate the fruit out of a basket on the floor. "Well, I've given it my best shots," she said with a frustrated sigh. "I guess my powers run a distance second to those of a goddess."
Unable to bear it a moment longer, Batman crouched down beside the little pig, gently rubbing her head and back. He just wanted his Diana back. He was furious with himself that he hadn't been able to stop Circe before she had turned her vengeance on Diana.
"We could call in one of the other League magicians," Zatanna thoughtfully suggested. "Doctor Fate maybe?"
"No," Batman emphatically stated a little harsher than he had intended, causing him to look away and focus his attention on Diana in her current state. He drew a deep breath before continuing, doing his best to bury his emotions. "I mean…let's keep this between us."
"Why?" Zatanna asked, confused. "If there's any chance to help Diana shouldn't we tell everyone in the Ju…wait…wait. You and her? Are you two…?"
Bruce refused to make eye contact with her as he struggled with the warring emotions teeming within him, his heart and mind in a fierce tug-o-war for control. He couldn't let anyone find out that he had feelings for Diana…not even Zatanna. Diana didn't even know yet.
"No, just good friends," he stoically maintained.
"No," Zatanna said, closing the distance between them as she attempted to keep the sadness she felt from reaching her voice. "You and I are…just good friends. There's something more between you and Diana."
"Well…maybe there was," he found himself confessing as he glanced down at the piglet, his worry for her coursing through his veins.
"Don't worry, Bruce," she reassured him. "I'll find a way out of this for her…and you, but I'm beginning to think that only Circe can turn our chubby friend back into Wonder Woman and Lord only knows where she is right now."
Bruce swallowed hard as he began to run his fingers through Diana's raven curls, remembering how desperate he'd become at the time when Zatanna hadn't been able to help her. He had stroked the piglet's back, hoping that in some small way Diana would know that he was there for her and going to take care of her no matter what.
Diana shifted in his arms at that moment, murmuring Bruce's name in her sleep as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck and tightened her hold on him. She released a contented sigh, causing his entire body to tingle with reawakened longing, his pulse beginning to race. Even in her sleep, she knew he was there with her, holding her and watching over her.
And he always would because he was falling in love with her…
Batman found himself entering Curio's with Zatanna and Diana the pig, hoping they would have something to help him get his princess back. He knew that finding Circe was going to be problematic, but it was more than likely their only hope at this point.
"Come on, Sid," Zatanna pressed him. "Are you going to sell me the Chimera scale or not?"
"You know the rules," he told her with a scowl. "The elements of magic always come at a price and I don't take cash or plastic."
"So what do you want?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation.
"Hey, is that thing housebroken?" he demanded to know, pointing at the pig who was currently nosing through a box of magician supplies.
"I'll take care of her," Batman quickly said, making his way to her. She was his to take care of, no one else's.
"Now, about that final ingredient I need for my locater spell," Zatanna continued.
While Zatanna bartered with the store owner, Batman knelt down and gently picked Diana up in his arms. All the things that he wanted to say to her were lodged in his throat, making it difficult to breathe at times. If only he hadn't been such a coward up on that rooftop, rattling off a list of reasons that were as lame to him as they must have sounded to her.
He should have known that he couldn't fool her. She was far too intelligent for that. She had seen right through his list of reasons, recognizing them for what they were—a fool's way of protecting his heart, keeping himself from ever getting hurt again.
He carefully placed a rope around her neck, wishing that he didn't have to do this to her, but he knew it was for her own safety. He couldn't risk anything more happening to her. He couldn't handle that. He tenderly stroked her head, hoping to calm and reassure her. Despite being an Amazon, she had to be afraid in the current state she was in. He found himself being afraid for her.
"We'll be done here soon," he softly told her, hoping that she would somehow know what he was saying.
He hoped that the special bond that they seemed to share with one another, the one that he had tried for so long to pretend was not there, would allow her to understand that he was trying to help her. He wanted her to know that he wouldn't stop until she was safely back where she belonged.
Getting up, Batman made his way to the table where Zatanna and the store keeper stood. Zatanna used her magic to light the candles, all the necessary items lying on the table. "I call upon the spirits of Earth and air to reveal our enemy and make her whereabouts known," she chanted. "This invocation works between frontwards then backwards."
"Whatever," Batman muttered, just wanting her to just get on with it so Diana could be returned to him. He began to fear that this might turn out to be a permanent spell if it wasn't reversed any time soon.
Bright swirling lights of magic began to circle around them, scaring the little piglet who started chewing frantically on the rope holding her hostage. "Circe!" Zatanna loudly called. "Show yourself."
A great burst of magic shot up from the center of the table, blinding everyone with the light and smoke. Zatanna used her black top hat to clear the smoke, angry at the lack of results. "Well, that was a lot of nothing," she grumbled.
"Circe is pretty powerful," the store owner reminded her. "If she doesn't want to be found, there's not much anyone can do."
"Then what was the point of all this?" Zatanna demanded to know. "Give me my coin back."
"Sorry, kid," the man smugly said. "No refunds."
"Why you slimy little…"
"Zatanna!" Batman yelled, pointing at the open door as fear gripped him. "She's gone!"
Batman raced towards the door, panic already beginning to claw at his insides. He had to find her before she got hurt. If anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself. Turning back to the sore, he grabbed Zatanna by the shoulder, needing her to come with him to help him find Diana before something happened to her.
Bruce drew a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he closed his eyes against the haunting images that arose in his mind. The sight of that chewed up rope and the opened door had nearly stopped his heart altogether. He had been outside of his mind with worry as he and Zatanna had searched all over the city for her.
An endless list of possibilities had paraded through his mind as they had searched everywhere for her and none of those possibilities were good. His anger with himself and his fury with Circe had only escalated with every minute that had slipped by without any sign of her.
He had known in that moment that trying to keep the League out of this was going to be next to impossible. Despite the fact he didn't want anyone to discover his feelings for the princess or what had happened to her, Diana's safety had taken precedence over everything else.
He tightened his hold on her, relishing the feel of her face against his neck, the warmth of her breath against his skin. The gentle rise and fall of her body as she slept against him soothed him, washing away the fear that had gripped him while she had been missing.
She had been completely at the mercy of anyone she crossed paths with, unable to defend or protect herself and unable to comprehend what was happening around her. It had been an unsettling feeling to say the least, creating a painful knot of dread that had sat in the pit of his stomach like a rock.
It was that moment that his decision began to be made for him…
"Well, that's it," Zatanna wearily said, sitting on a park bench and rubbing her sore feet. "From mud hole to sty, we've looked everywhere."
"Obviously we haven't because we haven't found her yet," he angrily growled at her, his insides coiled into tight knots as he studied their surroundings for any sign of her. She was nowhere to be found and it scared the hell out of him.
"Don't get snippy with me," she shot back, annoyed. "Not many other girls would go this far out of their way for a cold, insensitive…"
"Yo, Bats," B'Wanna Beast greeted him as he landed on the back of the park bench next to Zatanna, causing her to jump with a shriek.
"Relax," Batman told her, a small tremor of relief drifting through him. Help had arrived. "He's one of us."
"B'Wanna Beast," he introduced himself, offering his hand to her. "How you doing?"
"My legs are fine…as is the rest of me," she stated in irritation, her hands finding her hips in disgust. "Up here."
"Whoa! She's got the fire of the cheetah in her," Beast said, growling at her in appreciation.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Zatanna asked Batman.
"Apart from being an expert tracker, he can communicate with animals," Batman informed her, relieved that he had someone here who could not only find Diana but could also communicate with her. "I called him in to help search. We're looking for a lost pig—pink, about sixty pounds, wearing two silver bracelets…used to be Wonder Woman."
"Right on…I'll yank in some of the other guys," Beast replied.
"Let's keep this circle small…very small," Batman ordered him, not wanting any more aware of the situation than absolutely had to be.
B'Wanna Beast nodded his head in agreement before taking off, leaving Batman and Zatanna to look for Circe. They headed for the Batmobile, Batman already working on formulating a plan to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.
It didn't take long for B'Wanna Beast to contact him, though Bruce's relief had been very short-lived. "Bats…Beast," he hailed him. "Got a fix on your girl."
"Good work," Batman responded, the tightness in his chest dissipating slightly with the welcomed news.
"I'll have her ready for pick up in—" Beast began only to pause. "Hey look, Bats. I think I may have jumped the gun when I said I found the pig."
"Keep looking," he told him, the tension returning with a vengeance. "Zatanna and I are going after Circe."
"How?" Zatanna asked. "The locater spell didn't work."
"It's time for one of my tricks," he informed her. "We need a snitch."
Batman had been more than grateful that Themis had been willing to help them. He was rapidly running out of patience as well as ideas on how to find Circe. He was having a tough time focusing on Circe, knowing that Diana was out there somewhere that he couldn't get to her.
"Thank you for setting this up," Zatanna told Themis.
"Please, your League has done much good in my name," Themis replied. "When you summon me how could I refuse?"
"Here comes our stoolie," Batman noted, spotting an approaching boat.
"Don't look at her directly," Themis warned, Zatanna and Batman placing blindfolds over their eyes.
"Medusa, you have a chance to earn leniency if you help our visitors," Themis informed her. "You were Circe's cell mate, weren't you?"
"C-girl and me did some time together back in the Pit of Eternal Torment," Medusa confirmed. "That's where they hang you by your ankles and weasels come each night to eat your fingers. They grow back the next day but trust me. It gets old real quick."
"Did she ever mention Hippolyta?" Zatanna asked her.
"Are you kidding?" Medusa cried. "Hippolyta…Hippolyta…all the time Hippolyta. When I get my hands on her…yada…yada."
"That much we know," Batman bit out, growing angrier by the second. He didn't have time for this…Diana didn't have time for this. "We're wasting our time."
"Wait…wait!" Medusa yelled. "There was one other thing. Circe said she always wanted to headline at the amphitheater. The amphitheater…on Mykonos...duh. Seems Circe was wicked jealous of her cousins the Sirens and swore someday she'd get her turn on the band stand. Sophocles got a start there…Aristophanes…all the big names. You know those statues at the entrance? Mine."
"Thank you, Medusa, and know that you have earned three hundred years off your sentence," Themis announced.
"Freedom in forty-ten," Medusa spat out. "Ring-a-ding-ding."
"Uh, there's a small service charge," Themis told them as Charon stood there with hand held out towards them.
Batman took a couple of coins from his utility belt, placing them in Charon's hand. "When you see Circe, tell her I want my curling iron back," Medusa yelled as the boat began to take her away.
While it ranked up there as one of the oddest experiences of his life, it had definitely provided them the information they had needed to find Circe. The fact that he hadn't heard anything more from B'Wanna Beast had not set well with him, eating away at his sanity, but he'd been forced to shove those thoughts and feelings to the back of his mind as they had raced towards Mykonos.
He could hardly believe what had awaited them there, but as he glanced down at the woman sleeping in his arms, he knew that she was more than worth it. There was nothing that he wouldn't do for her, no lengths that he wouldn't go to save her if she were in trouble.
Bruce looked down at his cowl, gauntlets, and uniform top lying scattered on her floor, knowing that he was going to have to leave soon. Real life was going to be calling him back to Gotham soon as well as meetings at Wayne Enterprises, but he found himself not wanting to answer that call. Being here with her like this was better than he had ever imagined it would be.
While he still held worries and concerns about pursuing this with her, there was a measure of peace that had settled over him that he knew that he couldn't ignore. He had gone to Mykonos and back for her, willingly paying the price to save her life and it had been more than worth it.
And he knew he'd do it all over again for her…
Batman and Zatanna raced into the amphitheater to find Circe on the stage ready to perform again. "Are there any requests?" Circe asked, Zatanna shouting a spell backwards. "I'm not sure I know that one."
A table suddenly came flying directly at Circe, splitting into pieces as Zatanna sent another table flying into her. "Insolent trickster!" Circe yelled. "You dare to strike…you dare to strike…you dare to strike…quit! Oh, no…"
The grand piano flew straight into the witch, but it didn't keep her down for long. "Well, defend your mistress," she snarled at the men gathered there, turning them all into ferocious animals that immediately leapt on Batman.
Batman threw the lion off him, throwing smoke bombs at the other animals before firing his grappling gun to take him up and away. "You're both beginning to remind me ofSisyphus after a hard day of pushing his boulder up the mountain, but me…I could keep this up all night," Circe taunted them.
"Wait," Batman yelled, holding up his hand to her. "It seems that magic always has a price."
"And your point is?" Circe asked, hands raised in preparation for another attack.
"What would I have to give to make you lift your spell on Diana?" he asked, more than willing to pay whatever price to save her.
"Well, now you're getting interesting," Circe decided, lowering her hands. "I want something from you that's very precious…something you've worked very hard to conceal…something when gone you can never regain…something soul shattering."
Before he knew it, Batman found him on stage before a microphone with a spotlight on him singing "Am I Blue?". He poured his heart into the song, allowing his long ago buried emotions to find their way to the surface and into every word of the song. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause as soon as it was over, hoping that Circe kept to her promise to lift the spell on Diana.
Descending from the stage, Batman made his way towards Zatanna. "Remember when Penguin tried to kidnap that singer?" he asked her.
"Ricky what's-his-name?" she questioned him. "So?"
"I spent a month on stakeout," he informed her. "Must have heard that song a hundred times."
"Is there anything you can't do?"
"There is one thing that I've never been very good at," he awkwardly admitted. "Saying thank you."
He had been more than anxious to return to the Watchtower after that to see Diana, his worry not subsiding until he'd been able to see her alive and well with his very own eyes. He's quickly returned to the Watchtower, finding Diana transporting up at about the same time.
They had fallen in step together, heading down the hallway to file their mission reports. He had forced himself to keep his eyes focused straight ahead of him despite the overwhelming desire to touch her, to stare at her and make sure that she was truly safe.
He had been struggling mightily with his feelings for her at that moment—his desire to tell her what he felt for her warring with his fear of letting her get close to him. What if he destroyed her or drove her away? What if he crushed her spirit or she discovered that she really didn't have feelings for him?
Fear had been the biggest obstacle, but Diana had been even stronger…
"And truthfully, it's all pretty much just a blur to me," Diana said, holding her hands out at her sides in confusion. "Did I miss anything?"
"Not really," he evenly replied, looking away from her and hoping she never found out the lengths that he had gone to save her. She would know how much he truly cared for her. Was he really ready for that? "The important thing is you're safe."
"Yah…of course, that's not the only important thing," she said with a warm smile, Batman glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as she began to hum the tune to "Am I Blue?".
Batman stopped dead in his tracks as Diana continued walking while humming the tune of the song that he had sung to save her. His lips quirked into a crooked smile, his heart beginning to beat a little harder as he studied her, watching her as she disappeared around the corner.
She knew…she knew what he had done, the lengths that he had gone to in order to save her life. He quickened his pace, indecision and doubt swarming in his mind as his legs began to subconsciously carry him to her quarters. He followed her inside, uncertain of why he was there or what he was going to do next.
He knew what he wanted, but did she really want it to…and did he deserve her?
Diana turned to face him, her lips quirked into a smile as she tilted her head slightly, but uncertainty swam in her eyes. "Why did you do it, Bruce?"
He averted his eyes, not wanting to delve into all the emotions that were still pounding through him. "You were in trouble, princess," he simply stated. "I had to do whatever it took to save you."
Diana slowly closed the distance between them, causing him to swallow hard as she stopped right in front of him. She slowly reached up, pulling his cowl off and tossing it to the floor. "Why did you do it, Bruce?" she repeated her question, clearly not accepting his answer. She wanted more and he knew it.
He drew a deep breath as he gazed into her eyes that were bluer than the ocean and filled with such hope it caused his breath to hitch. Before he realized what he was doing. he reached out a gauntleted hand, his fingers caressing her cheek. "You were in trouble, princess," he repeated his answer again, but this time, he allowed his emotions to fill his eyes as well as his words. "I had to do whatever it took to save you…no matter the price."
The corners of her red lips lifted slightly as she slowly leaned in, her mouth a breath away from him. "What about your foolish list of reasons?" she softly murmured.
"They aren't foolish," he claimed, his voice losing all confidence as her nose brushed against his, her lips still lingering so dangerously close to his as they shared the same breath.
The Bat was yelling at him to run away and never look back. He could still walk out of here with his heart intact, telling her that they could only be friends. His heart cried louder, though, his body demanding her and effectively silencing the Bat once and for all.
"Yes, they are," she maintained in a hushed, seductive tone that only drove his desire higher. "They're…"
He silenced her with her with his lips, capturing her mouth with his. She tasted just as sweet and amazing as she had the last time they had kissed like this on her invisible jet after facing Mongul. He ripped off his gauntlets tossing them to the ground next to where his cowl lay, his hands now free to touch and to explore at will.
His fingers found the hidden clasp of her breastplate, the armor falling to the ground as well. She sighed into his mouth, her fingers raking through his hair as she tilted her head and deepened the kiss. He cradled her head as his tongue explored the sweet cavern of her mouth, a groan of pleasure rising in his throat. He knew they needed to slow this down, especially when he suddenly discovered his uniform top being tossed aside.
Retreating, he began to kiss a tortuous path down along the column of her neck, along her jaw to her ear. "I've wanted this for so long," he found himself confessing.
Diana moaned softly with his admission, her arms circling his neck. "Me too," she murmured.
He backed her towards her bed, laying her down and settling on top of her as they shared passionate kisses that had been held back for far too long. Breathing ragged, he drew back to gaze into eyes dark with desire for him, making this all the more difficult.
"I think…we should wait," he murmured, nuzzling his nose with hers.
She reached up to caress his cheek. "You're probably right," she agreed with a disappointed frown.
"Emotions are running too high right now," he said, kissing her softly as he tried to calm the hammering of his heart.
Diana sighed, leaning up to brush her lips against his. "It has been a very long day."
He could see how fatigued she was. He still shuddered to think how very close he had come to losing her. A few seconds longer and there wouldn't have been any spell to worry about. She would've been gone from his life forever. "I want to take things slow," he told her. "I care about you, Diana. I don't want to do anything to mess this up."
She smiled softly up at him, brushing his jet-black hair from his brow. "I care about you too, Bruce," she confessed. "And I promise I won't let you mess anything up."
He gave her a crooked grin as he rolled off her, laying down on the bed beside her. She shifted onto her side to look at him as he brushed a raven curl behind her ear. "Can we keep this a secret for now?"
Her eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Why? Are you ashamed of me?"
"No, I just don't think it's a good idea for anyone to know that Batman is dating Wonder Woman," he explained. "We need time to figure this out for ourselves, decide what's best for us before making our relationship known whether it's going to be Batman and Wonder Woman or Bruce and Diana."
He leaned in and kissed away the furrow between her brow. When he pulled back, she was smiling again. "I can do that," she agreed as she cuddled up beside him.
Bruce shifted onto his back, Diana's head coming to lay against his chest. She hooked her leg over his, her arm slipping across his torso to hold him closely to her. She tilted her head, pressing a kiss to his chest causing Bruce to chuckle softly.
"You're killing me, Diana," he warned her.
"Sorry," she sleepily murmured as she attempted to stifle a yawn.
"Sleep, princess," he told her as he stroked her hair.
"Will you be here when I wake up?"
"Depends how long you sleep," he teased her.
"Bruce…"
"I'll stay for as long as I can, but I have meetings at Wayne Enterprises that I have to attend this morning."
"Okay," she sleepily murmured.
Laying here now with her, he knew in his heart that he had made the right decision despite the lingering fears and doubts that still seemed to refuse to be ignored. Hopefully, those would disappear over time, allowing him to fully enjoy the peace that being in her presence always brought him.
Checking the chronometer on the wall, Bruce knew that this sweet reprieve from the real world was coming to an end. He'd had no idea when he'd gone on this mission with her that he'd end up in bed, holding her and sharing promises of a future together.
She truly cared for him. He had always known on some level, but he had refused to allow himself to fully accept or embrace that fact, afraid that it was nothing more than wishful thinking on his part. Now that she had actually voiced it, confirming it with passionate kisses and unspoken desire for far more with him, he found himself over the moon with giddiness.
No…not giddiness. The Batman did not do giddiness, but he was most definitely the happiest man on the planet…or floating above it.
He tilted his head to kiss her forehead before carefully attempting to extricate himself from her hold without waking her up. She'd been through a lot with Circe's spell and he wanted her to get as much rest as possible before being called out for another mission.
"Bruce?" she sleepily murmured as she reached out for him.
"Go back to sleep, princess," he softly told her, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll see you at the Founders' meeting Friday afternoon."
"Okay," she agreed.
Bruce quickly dressed, casting a long lingering look at his sleeping beauty. "Unless you'd like to come for dinner at the manor tonight," he suggested.
A grin spread across her face, her eyes still closed. "I'd love to," she said.
"Seven," he told her. "Don't be late."
"Bye, Bruce," she replied, pulling his pillow close to her body and wrapping her arms around it.
Bruce smiled at the sight of her, bending down and kissing her softly. "I'll see you tonight."
He forced himself to leave quickly, knowing that if he lingered there any longer he would never leave. Exiting her quarters, he noticed Superman coming around the corner. "Hey, Bruce," he greeted him. "I heard you had a run-in with Circe. Everything okay?"
"Perfectly fine," Bruce stated as he made a hasty retreat towards the transporter room.
"Well, okay," Superman said as he glanced at the door to Diana's quarters and then back again to Bruce's retreating form. He called to Bruce before he could disappear around the corner, "see you at the meeting Friday."
Bruce just waved an annoyed, dismissive hand at him without bothering to turn around. Clark just shook his head as he headed towards his quarters, somewhat surprised that Bruce didn't have a fierce scowl on his face so early in the morning. Something must have happened to put him in such a good mood. He couldn't help wondering if maybe Diana had something to do with it.
Glancing at the door to Diana's quarters, he remembered what John had told him about being so blind when they had been turned into children. He began to wonder if something more was going on between his two best friends that he had completely missed.
He knew Bruce was too closed-off…too closed-minded to allow anyone to get close to him. While Diana did have a certain way with him, he doubted if even the fierce Amazon princess could get past those barriers the Dark Knight kept firmly in place.
"Nah," Clark muttered under his breath as he entered his quarters to catch a few hours of sleep before returning to Metropolis.
A/N: Well, folks here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to do something a little different for it and I really hope it turned out well.
Side note: I just finished the epilogue for What Lies Beneath yesterday so I'm hoping to start working on Deadly Intentions next while I work on Family Ties.
UP NEXT: Either I'll do an update focused on their dinner date or I'll go to the ep "The Greatest Story Never Told". Let me know what you think! :)