Set right after ZSJL. Part of the #CelebrateTheSnyderCut celebration. I hope you all enjoy :)
The Justice League. A team created out of crisis, formed by a man in desperate need of a group of heroes.
Bruce Wayne had never imagined his life to turn out the way it had. He had never imagined he would have been a victim of the ever growing crime that plagued his home of Gotham City, orphaned at the tender age of eight. He had never imagined he would have busied himself with trying to clean the streets of Gotham, developing the persona of The Batman. He had never intended to don a cowl and cape for over twenty years, fighting the city's toughest criminals, giving his all to a city that never knew the real him. And for most of that twenty years, he had fought alone, too tired of having the people closest to him get hurt.
Until he met them. Clark and Diana. Two of the most extraordinary beings in the universe. An alien from another planet, sent to Earth in an attempt to save his life, and a Princess from an ancient race of warriors. The two were stronger than Bruce had ever imagined he could be, yet they treated him like an equal.
Bruce Wayne, The Batman, never expected to work alongside the two, but when Darkseid had threatened humanity, waiting for Steppenwolf to collect the mother boxes and conquer Earth, he knew he needed to find something bigger than himself. It was then The Justice League was born. A group of heroes, made of those willing to put their lives on the line to stop the threat.
Bruce knew Darkseid wouldn't stop because Steppenwolf had been defeated. He only wanted to make sure they were ready for when he inevitably made another appearance. He wanted the team to have the best resources available, wanting to expand the League with as many people as were willing to fight. He had spent countless nights with Alfred, going over plans on how to transform the old Wayne manor to a place where they could all meet. It was all coming together, but he knew he would need help with the heavy lifting, and in order to keep things as discreet as possible, there was only one person he could turn to.
"You know, when you asked for my help, I didn't realize I would be doing all the heavy lifting."
Bruce glanced up from the round table that was littered with receipts, blue prints, and plans for the room they were in. He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, knowing Clark was mocking him yet again. It had become a playful game between he, Diana, and Clark, with the latter two constantly teasing Bruce for not being able to physically keep up with them. Bruce knew it was only in good fun, and often he would only shake his head and move on with business.
"It's the least I can do after bringing you back from the dead," Bruce retorted, returning his gaze to the opened file in his hands, his lips curling into a smirk as he heard Clark gasp in feigned shock.
"Low blow, Bruce," Clark whispered as he floated toward the ceiling.
Bruce only shook off Clark's comment, letting his attention return to the information Victor had gathered for him the night before. He had been keeping himself busy since their fight in Chernobyl, designing a meeting space for everyone and trying to find others they could convince to join them. Martian Manhunter had told Bruce Darksied would be coming back for the Anti-Life Equation, and he wanted to make sure they were all ready when that day come.
"You two tease each other like I used to with my sisters."
Bruce looked up from the file once more and glanced over his shoulder, watching as Diana walked up to him. In her arms were two of the boxes containing the parts for the chairs that would line the large table. It had taken both Bruce and Alfred to lift each box, however Diana lifted them with ease.
"You miss them," Bruce said. It wasn't a question, as he knew the answer. She had confessed this to him many weeks ago during one of their late night dinners preparing to find the others.
Diana nodded and dropped the boxes near Bruce's feet. "Those are expensive," Bruce reminded her, challenging her with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah," Diana said, ripping one of the boxes open. "They felt heavy." She glanced up and flashed Bruce a smirk, watching as he rolled his eyes once more before he closed the file in his hand and placed it onto the table.
Bruce turned to watch Alfred and Lois walk into the room, a broom in the woman's hand, a tray of water filled glasses in the older man's. Clark quickly finished welding a metal plate to the ceiling and floated back down to the group, landing beside Lois, plucking the broom from his fiancé's hands and shaking his head. "We agreed you would take it easy," he whispered.
Lois furrowed her eyebrows and plucked the broom from Clark's hands, shaking her head as she said, "I'm pregnant, Clark. I'm not disabled."
Clark continued to stare at the woman in front of him, his eyes softening as she began to clean the area in the corner of the room.
Bruce continued to watch as Clark stood beside Lois, moving any heavy object that he did not want Lois to attempt to lift. Clark knew Lois was capable of handling herself and the baby, but when she had told him the news, told him that he was going to be a father, he had been hit with this overwhelming need to protect the two of them. It was something that was not easy to switch off.
"You're staring," Diana whispered with a chuckle as she ripped open the second box, flinging the heavy cardboard to the empty corner of the room, mentally reminding herself to clean it up before she left so Alfred wouldn't have to.
Bruce shook his head and turned to Diana. "It must be nice," he confessed. He watched as Diana nodded, knowing where he was coming from. They had both lost someone they had loved. It was one of the reasons Diana had connected with Bruce so well. He had told her about his many failed relationships. She had shared her relationship with Steve and her longing for that love after the exile from Themyscira. It was something she never thought she would have again. Until she had met Bruce.
Diana stood, pushed her long ponytail over her shoulder, and smiled at the couple. "It's never too late to find something like that," Diana said with a smile, quietly accepting the glass of water from Alfred, who had snuck up behind the two. The took a small sip and placed her glass on the table, making sure not to cover any of Bruce's paperwork.
She reached across the table toward the opened toolbox in front of Bruce, stopping when her hand grazed Bruce's, who had been reaching for the same screwdriver inside the box.
"Sorry," she said on instinct, pulling away.
"No, no. I'm sorry," Bruce said, his voice flustered. This hadn't been the first time this had happened between the two of them, and each time, Bruce couldn't help the flutter that occurred in the pit of his stomach. He had tried to ignore the feelings that had been brewing for Diana since she had saved his life the first time, the night Clark had died. He had tried to bury those growing feelings every time she joined him for dinner, spending late nights in the cave, trying to find Victor, Arthur, and Barry, convinced she only saw him as a colleague. He tried to ignore the smirks and flirtatious smiles she threw his way, trying to ignore when he caught her staring at him when she thought he wasn't looking. He tried to ignore Alfred's not so hidden remarks on how his flirtations with the woman were blatantly obvious. He had tried so hard not to fall for Diana, but try as he might, he had failed.
Bruce cleared his throat and reached into the toolbox, pulled the screwdriver out, and flipped it in his hand before he offered it to Diana. She accepted it with another smile, reached down, and pulled a few of the pieces from the pile at her feet. "So what exactly are you planning on doing here, Bruce?" she asked. She had seen his blueprints of the place, had seen what he had wanted this space to be transformed into, but she absolutely loved watching how his eyes lit up when he talked about transforming his family's home into a place for justice.
Bruce shrugged, grabbed a glass of water from Alfred, trying to ignore the smug smile the man was giving him, and took a sip of the liquid. "There's another player," Bruce whispered as he placed the glass down on the table, ignoring her original question. He watched as Diana looked up, her eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Calls himself The Martian Manhunter," he answered. It had been a few days since he had met the Martian, but the two of them had been so busy, he hadn't had time to let her know of the man who had arrived at his door without warning.
"Friend? Or foe?" Diana asked.
Bruce shrugged once more. "I'm not quite sure yet. But he seems to know of Darkseid, so I'll take whatever information he has."
Diana nodded as she began to screw the base plate of one of the chairs into the floor. She continued to work as Bruce moved to the pile of parts on the floor, pulling the other base plate from the pile and setting it on the next marked spot.
The two worked in silence, helping each other set up the chairs. They were nearly done when Clark and Lois walked up to the two, the broom in his hand. "Anymore news on Luthor?" Clark asked when he and Lois made it to the two. He watched as Bruce made no move to slide out from the bottom of the chair and let out a sigh. He knew he would've been the first to know if Bruce had found anything out about Luthor's escape from Arkham, but he had been on edge lately. After all, the man had tried to hurt both his fiancé and his mother.
"I've been a little busy," Bruce grumbled as he tightened the last screw. "Luthor wasn't the only escape from Arkham."
Diana glanced up at Clark and shook her head, silently telling Clark not to mention the man that Bruce obsessed over. In all the chaos surrounding Luthor's escape, Joker had slipped out and was now hiding somewhere in the city. Bruce would feel a lot more at ease with that psycho hidden behind bars, but he knew it would be another few weeks before Joker even made contact with anyone. The anxiety he created from being quiet was all too thrilling for Joker, and Bruce knew he had some time before he made an appearance.
Hopefully he'd have some help when Joker did decide to show his face once again.
"We'll figure out what he's up to, Bruce," Diana said, subconsciously placing her hand on his shoulder. She knew of all the terror that monster had drummed up in the city, all the lives he had turned upside down. Bruce had told her of his past with Joker, explaining what he had taken away from him years ago. The night Bruce had discovered both Joker and Luthor had escaped from Arkham, he had turned to Diana, confessing he was worried that it was too big of a coincidence. They had spent the rest of that night discussing plans for the manor redesign, discussing the new team name Bruce had thought up, and although Diana knew Bruce was trying his hardest to maintain his composure, she knew he was stressed.
Bruce said nothing as he tightened the last screw, trying not to let his mind dwell on the fact that Diana's hand lingered on him. His hands gripped the chair and he jiggled the piece of furniture, testing to make sure everything was secure, before he glanced up at Diana and gave her a small smile. "Thanks," he said softly as he stood and placed the screwdriver on top of the table. He looked up at Clark and let out a small sigh, rolling his neck to relieve the tension that had been building from years of fighting crime in Gotham. "I'll let you know when I hear something else," he said to Clark, watching as the man wrapped his arm around his fiance protectively.
Clark nodded. "Thank you, Bruce," he said, his shoulders relaxing when he realized Bruce would let him know the moment he got any information. They were a team now. Bruce had his, and Lois', back. He had demonstrated that time and time again.
Clark and Lois began to talk amongst themselves, the latter trying to calm her fiancé and reassure him that things would be okay.
Bruce turned to Diana and offered her another smile, watching as she gave him a sympathetic smirk. "You know," she began, twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger, "I can stay in Gotham for a few weeks if you need me to." She watched as Bruce chuckled before she added, "Unless, of course, you don't need the help."
Bruce smirked. He didn't need the help. He knew that, and he knew she knew that, but if that meant more time with Diana, Bruce was more than happy to oblige. "I think that can be arranged," he whispered. He reached over and grabbed his glass of water, trying to quench his suddenly dry throat. "I, um, invited Victor to stay with me," he confessed.
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Did you?" she asked, grabbing her own glass of water and taking a sip.
Bruce nodded. "He made a comment the last time we were fixing the cruiser about how much louder the sounds outside were now that it was just him in the apartment, so I offered him a place to stay if the noises got too loud."
Diana raised an eyebrow. Alfred had told her stories of Bruce and how he had always done things alone, very seldomly opening himself up to new people, but to offer Victor a place in his home - Bruce Wayne was getting soft in his old age. "I take it he said no?" she asked, sipping from the glass once more.
Bruce nodded in response. Diana placed a hand on his shoulder once more. "He just lost his father, Bruce," she whispered. "He's going to need some time." Bruce nodded once more, his focus set on the hand that seemed to find itself constantly touching his body rather than Victor. He knew Diana was right. Victor had lost his father just as he had come to accept Silas' intentions behind using the motherbox to save his life. It had taken months, but Victor had realized he had been saved, created, for something bigger. Silas had known this all along, and he had given his life to let his son live to his full potential. Bruce only hoped Victor wouldn't blame himself for his father's death for as long as he had blamed himself for the death of his own parents.
"Aren't you tired?"
Bruce shook his head, refusing to tear his eyes from the screen he had been reading for the past four hours. After Clark and Lois had left, promising to come back in a few days to finish the renovations, he and Diana had retreated to his lake house and enjoyed an intimate dinner Alfred had cooked, both insisting the older Englishman join them, silently grateful when he had declined the offer. It had been a nice way to end the night, where the two discussed more plans for the old manor, before they ventured into more personal conversation.
Bruce had asked of Diana's work plans, knowing she was growing tired of being in Paris alone, having lost all of her friends years prior. Diana had simply answered that she was open to a change, offering to move closer to Gotham if Bruce wanted help with the League, or any other matters. But she didn't want to impose if he didn't want the help.
Of course Bruce had known what Diana was hinting at. He had stayed up countless nights wondering the same thing. The two worked well together. He trusted her, a rare feat, and he knew that she trusted him just as well. It hadn't taken him long to realize he was in love with her. But his life as The Batman was dangerous, he had been reminded of that time and time again, and he wasn't willing to lose her as he had lost those before. So he kept her at arm's length, declining her offer to move closer, feeding her the lie that they needed to be accessible from all over the world.
Diana had nodded, trying to hide her disappointment as the two finished their meals. When she was done, she had retired to the room she had claimed as her own the first night she had stayed over, a small suitcase already packed in the corner by the bed.
Bruce had been quick to retreat to the cave, wanting to get away from his thoughts of Diana by busying himself with work. After all, he still needed to know how Luthor and Joker had escaped from Arkham, and why no one had heard from the two. He had hacked into the security system from Arkham, watched the footage, going through every camera in the facility, cursing to himself when he realized everything that led to their escape had been condensed to six minutes of footage which was now missing. He was going to have to go at this from another angle, visit places he knew Joker had frequented previously, and watch Luthor's assets for any indication of where he could be. He would stop at nothing until he knew of either's whereabouts.
But the longer he searched for clues, the more invested he became, forgoing sleep to get the answers he craved. Until the light footsteps that echoed throughout the dark room broke his focus, forcing a smile on his lips when he realized exactly who was in the cave with him.
"Aren't you tired, Bruce?" Diana repeated as she placed her hands on the top of the chair he sat in, glancing over his shoulder to see what he was working on.
"I'm always tired," he said with a yawn. "But I know Luthor and Joker are up to something, and I can't sleep until I know what."
Diana shook her head and leaned against his chair, letting her chin rest on the top of it. "You work yourself too hard," she said, gently poking the top of his head. "Even you need rest, Bruce."
"I need answers," he said, his eyes glancing to the bottom of the screen, where the time was displayed. 01:13.
Diana only sighed and lifted her head from his chair, before she moved to the side and leaned against the edge of his desk.
Bruce glanced at the woman from the corner of his eye, his hands falling from the keyboard and into his lap when he realized what she was wearing. "Why?" he asked, swinging his chair so that he faced her completely.
Diana only shrugged. She knew Bruce. She knew he would not have been able to rest until he knew Gotham was safe from some of the most dangerous men Bruce had ever encountered. When she had walked to his room only to find it empty, she knew where he would be and what he would be doing. She was going to help him whether he let her or not.
"You're going out tonight, yes?" she asked, her hand pushing some of her hair over her bare shoulder as she glanced down at the armor she had worn for over a century.
Bruce nodded as he stood from his chair and walked to where his suit was displayed. "I'm going out, yes," he said, as he pulled his shirt from his body and tossed it aside.
"Good, I'm coming with you," Diana said with a smile.
Bruce unbuttoned his pants and looked up at Diana, raising an eyebrow as he watched the woman stare at him, before she rolled her eyes and looked away, letting the man undress without prying eyes. "No. You're not," Bruce said as he pulled on his suit, barely having time to zip it closed before Diana turned to face him, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I wasn't asking," she said with a smirk. She watched as Bruce shook his head, knowing he wouldn't be able to convince her to stay inside, before he grabbed his cowl and pulled it on. "Besides, who else is going to get you to bed on time," she said playfully, pushing herself off his desk and striding toward the man.
Bruce stared at the woman, grateful that his cowl and the shadows of the cave hid the blush that her latest comment had forced onto his cheeks. "I, uh, I don't need a babysitter." Bruce watched as Diana chuckled at his stuttering. This woman made him so nervous and he didn't know why. He had been with dozens of beautiful women, but no one could ever make Bruce as nervous as Diana did.
"I know, Bruce," Diana said, her voice falling to a whisper. "But you no longer have to do everything alone, you know that, right?"
She stopped just shy of where he stood, watching as he fiddled with the belt around his waist, his eyes still locked on hers. "I know," he answered. "I just-" He continued to fiddle with the belt, his voice deepening as the cowl began to mask his voice. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
Diana smiled. She had been doing this a lot longer than Bruce, and she was an Amazon, but knowing he cared about her was sweet. For years she had been afraid of falling for another man, scared of reliving the heartbreak that had taken her decades to overcome, but the more she got to know Bruce, the more she worked with him, the more she realized she had been waiting for him all along.
"Any of you guys," Bruce added, trying to mask the fact that he had been thinking only of Diana.
"Well that's sweet, Bruce," she said, taking another step toward the man, a smirk on her face when she saw him stare at her. Without another word she hopped over the ledge and landed beside the Batmobile, staring up at Bruce as he shook his head playful and walked toward the car, hopping in and taking off, Diana flying beside him.
Bruce hopped out of the Batmobile and yanked the cowl from his tired face, letting out a sigh as he walked up to his desk and placed it on top of the piece of furniture. An hour in Gotham with Diana had given him more than four hours alone. They had found an old hide out of Joker's and had found evidence he had been there recently, along with a few other pieces of evidence that Bruce had taken note of, wanting to wait to analyze them until they were back in the cave. It was a little after three in the morning when Diana had forced Bruce to call it a night and as much as he had wanted to argue with her, he knew she was right. He was not as young as he used to be, and the nights of working through the night were not as easy as they had been. He had quickly hopped into the Batmobile and rushed back to the cave.
Bruce unlatched his belt from his waist and laid it on the table beside his cowl, his ears perking up when he heard the rush of air from behind him, signaling Diana had made it back. "Next Batmobile you build, add a second seat," Diana said with a chuckle, flipping her wind tousled hair out of her face. She walked to where Bruce stood, stopping beside him, watching as he pulled his gloves off and ran a hand through his sweaty hair.
"I'll make a note of that," he said absentmindedly, grabbing the camera from one of his belt's pockets and plugging it into the computer, letting the device download all the photos from Joker's hideout he had snagged. He heard Diana yawn from behind him, snapping him out of his focus on the device in his hand. He gently placed the item down and turned to Diana, grabbing her wrist to get her attention. "Thank you for your help tonight," he said, a smile on his tired face.
"Of course, Bruce," she said, her gaze shifting from his hand on hers to his eyes. Something in his eyes seemed different. She had stared into those brown eyes enough times to know them by memory, but there was something different about the way he was staring at her, like he was worried she would evaporate right in front of him if he let go. It was daunting, yet exhilarating. Without a word she stepped closer to Bruce, grabbed his other wrist, and kissed him.
Bruce froze. This was what he wanted. He had stayed up countless nights imagining what it would be like to kiss Diana, her soft lips on his, her body against his as his arms wrapped around her, keeping her as close as humanly possible. He had imagined tangling his hands in her hair, or letting his hands plant themselves on her hips, his fingers delicately teasing her as they gave into the temptation they had avoided for months. Never had he imagined their first kiss would be in a dark cave hidden under his house, both of them covered in sweat and dirt, exhausted from exploring an abandoned warehouse in the wee hours of the morning.
Diana pulled back from Bruce, ending the kiss as swiftly as she had started, fearing she had made a mistake when she had received no response from the man. She had thought he had wanted the same thing. All the flirtations and playful banter had led her to believe so at least, but the longer he stayed there, standing still, the more she realized it may not have been the case. She quickly released his wrist and cleared her throat. "I should get to bed," she said, turning to walk to the elevator that would whisk her into the lake house, where she could hide in her room until morning, when hopefully they could both laugh about this.
She took a step toward the end of the room, stopping when Bruce's grip on her wrist tightened and pulled, pulling her back just enough so that he could wrap an arm around her waist and hold her close. "Bruce," Diana said, trying to tell the man that they should just forget everything that had happened seconds prior.
Bruce silenced her with another kiss, finally letting his body respond to the kiss Diana had given him moments before. His hand released Diana's wrist and quickly found its way to her face, his calloused fingers softly caressing the soft skin, before he cupped her cheek.
Diana's hands fell to Bruce's chest and her lips parted, releasing a gasp when Bruce's fingers squeezed her hip. He quickly took the opportunity and deepened the kiss, his tongue gently testing the waters, teasing hers. He felt Diana's hands tense on his chest as she released a small moan, before he continued to deepen the kiss.
Their tongues battled for dominance as hands began to roam. This was the kiss he had envisioned between the two of them, each of them trying to grasp at each other in an attempt to get closer. Her hands on his chest, his hand on her hip. This kiss was everything he had hoped for and more. It was full of passion and intense, and it took nearly all his self control not to take her here in the cave.
The sound of someone clearing their throat echoed loudly in the room, and both Bruce and Diana pulled away from each other, both embarrassed that neither of them had been aware enough to realize someone else was in the room with them. "Oh, don't stop on my account," Alfred said sarcastically, a smirk on his face. He picked up Bruce's cowl from the table and glanced up at the duo, watching as they released each other in embarrassment. "Let me just make my way inside and you two can continue your nightly activities."
Bruce glared at Alfred, trying not to feel like a teenager who had been caught by his father with his first girlfriend. "Funny, old man," Bruce said, his face straight as he avoided Alfred's eyes.
Diana chuckled. "I think I better get to bed," she said, glancing at Bruce with a smirk. As much as she wanted to find herself in his bed, she knew the two had much to discuss, and with the way Alfred was looking at Bruce, his arms crossed and his head tilted, ready to discipline the man, she knew it would be a while before he found his way inside. She and Bruce would talk in the morning. "Goodnight, Bruce," Diana said as she turned to walk down toward the exit. "Goodnight, Alfred," she called over her shoulder as she walked into the elevator and closed the door, making her way up into the lake house.
Bruce and Alfred stood in silence, the air tense between the two of them, neither wanting to acknowledge what had just happened. Alfred had constantly tried to convince Bruce to move on with his life, find a woman that would make an honest man out of him. He had always teased Bruce that he was going to end the family line with his bachelor lifestyle, but when Diana had come into the picture, he knew things would change. He had been the first to hint at a relationship between the two. He had been the first to suggest they get to know each other, pushing each other together, coordinating private meetings between the two, knowing the more they spent time together, the more the attraction grew. Finding the two of them in the cave was proof that all his efforts had not been made in vain.
"Don't," Bruce said, finally breaking the silence. He knew Alfred was going to have some witty comment, but he wanted nothing more than to get to sleep.
"I wasn't going to say anything," Alfred said, however the smirk plastered on his face proved otherwise. He took a step toward the end of the room, turning to point a finger at Bruce's chest and said, "But you need to be very nice to her. We like her, and we want her here for a long, long time." With that, Alfred walked into the elevator, leaving Bruce alone to stare at the space Diana had occupied moments before.
He let Alfred's words replay in his mind. "We want her here for a long, long time." He remembered why he had been so hesitant to start anything with Diana from the beginning. He had never wanted her to get hurt. All those fears had started to dissipate until a few nights ago, when he had had that dream, only it hadn't felt like a dream. It felt like a vision of the future. And in that future, Diana was not there.
He let out a sigh and shook his head. The lack of sleep was getting to him. He quickly pulled off the suit and pulled on the clothes Alfred had left on a small table before he stepped into the elevator. He ran a hand over his tired face and let out a yawn, his mind settling back to Diana. She was strong, she was able to take care of herself, and as long as he lived he knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her. He would do whatever it took to hold up that promise, silently promising to both Diana and Alfred that they would be together for a long, long time.
Like many of you all, I was very very happy with the release of the Snyder Cut. I originally had a story (Room for More) and a sequel planned that followed the original Theatrical version of Justice League, but depending on if this is received well or not, I will consider changing courses to make a story regarding the ZSJL. Anyway, enjoy!