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My husband is watching football while I'm attempting to write this chapter, so I'm trying to drown him out by rocking out. Hopefully the music will inspire me!
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Thanks again to Lavender Gaia for being my beta!
Duty Calls, Chapter 6, Today 4 U, from the musical Rent
Bruce's perspective…
I watched as Alfred walked up the stairs, leaving Diana and I alone in them cave for the first time that afternoon. She looked absolutely stunning, a vision in pure white, brightening the cave with both her outfit and her presence. Her ebony hair fell loosely in soft waves down her back and I itched to stroke my fingers through the locks to see how soft it truly was. Instead, I decided that rather than simply touch one part of Diana, I wanted to feel her pressed against me. I extricated my hand from her grasp and enfolded her in my arms, embracing her warmth and enjoying the feel of her lean, lithe body against mine.
I knew that having Diana know that the entire afternoon was based on Alfred's imaginings and not mine did not exactly bode well for a first date, but I was determined to make it up to her over the course of our time together today. I would play the romantic suitor, even if whispering sweet nothings into a woman's ear wasn't exactly my style. My style was brasher and had little to do with romance whatsoever, but I was resolved to starting this relationship off properly, beginning on the right foot, and not letting my nerves and my fears overcome what looked to be a potentially strong partnership and relationship.
Even Alfred seemed to have taken a shine to Diana, planning an elaborate, event-filled afternoon to impress the Princess. Of course, I was sure that Alfred wanted nothing more than to hear the pitter-patter of little feet echoing through the house and a date was a potential step in the correct direction to aid him in that endeavor. And a romantic first-date sure to make an impact on the Princess was a sure-fire start to babies and orange blossoms in Alfred's mind. For myself, I admitted that I did want to make an impression on the Princess as well, showing her a side that I rarely showed others, the soft and tender side of Bruce, of Batman, and of Bruce Wayne. Today, I would just be me and let Diana know how important an impact she was already making in my life, how important our partnership, our being teammates, our being friends truly was to me. I could count the number of true friends that I had on perhaps one hand, including Kent, Alfred, and Dick, although the relationship with each was different and in several cases, more of a familial, father-son relationship than a friendship in the truest sense of the word.
I was resolved to make up for my earlier misstep in front of Diana, letting her know that I was not the instigator of the romance that lay ahead of us today.
Holding her loosely in my arms, I waited until Alfred was completely out of sight before I bent my head close her ear, letting my lips sweep over the lobe as I whispered," It sounds perfect."
I could feel Diana shivering against me and knew the unconscious reaction that both my touch and my voice were evoking - tender excitement. I planned to fill the day with small touches like this, touches that left Diana knowing that I was thinking about her, that she was constantly on my mind…and hopefully putty in my hands. I smiled inwardly just thinking about the strong, confident Diana shivering in my arms throughout the afternoon. The thought was almost enough to make me quiver in return. To distract myself, I rubbed my cheek over her hair, delighted with the discovery that it was indeed as soft as I had previously thought, and murmured, "I get to spend it with you."
I heard her sigh softly and appreciated the fact that I had done the right there, that I was on the right track in giving Diana the first date of her dreams. Of course, I would have to thank Alfred later for doing the majority of the organizing, but it was still up to me to make sure that Diana enjoyed her time in Wayne Manor and during the activities that Alfred had set up for the two of us. Hopefully Diana would reward me with something similar to what she had given me upon delivery of the iced mocha. Again, butterflies danced up my spine in anticipation of what the afternoon ahead of me might hold.
I eased away from Diana, already missing her warmth, and running my hand down the softness of the skin on her arm, took her hand in mine again.
"Ready for the grand tour?" I asked her with a small smile, eager to se the Princess' response to my home. The Manor was an imposing, statuesque edifice amidst extensive grounds, an almost overwhelming sight to those looking at it with virgin eyes. But Diana had spent thousands of years on the island of Themyscira, a land I myself would describe as picturesque and stunning, lush and perfectly suited to house the beauty that is the Princess of the Amazons.
She nodded slightly, signaling her acquiescence and I led her up the stairs out of the cave and into the Manor itself, keeping her hand firmly in mine. Passing through the grandfather clock entrance to the cave, rather than stopping inside the house, I took her straight outside, into the sunshine so that she could get a view of the Manor from the outside, as if she were coming up to it from the outside rather than teleporting in from the Watchtower.
I stopped about a hundred yards away from the main entrance of the Manor and let Diana survey the view and gather her own impressions about my home. She stood quietly, as if letting the surroundings soak in before offering any sort of thought about what she was thinking.
"It's amazing, Bruce, truly a modern day castle that has stood the test of time. I don't have to know how proud you are of your city and your home – I can see it in the care you take of this place, in the little things that make it more than just a house."
I shrugged, unwilling to take credit for the state of the house since that was more of Alfred's dominion. Crime-fighting didn't often leave time for gardening or care-taking and I told Diana that.
She simply looked at me, quiet disbelief in her eyes.
"Bruce, you wouldn't fight so hard if this didn't have significance to you. This is your home. I understand how important that can be to a person, how difficult it is to lose even pieces of that home. Your parents may be gone, but you've kept them alive in this house, alive in what you've accomplished and alive in yourself. You may not consider that, but you should accept and be proud of that."
Uncomfortable with what Diana was attempting to tell me, I averted my eyes and instead changed the topic of conversation.
"Shall we proceed to the stables?"
She looked at me with disappointment lurking in the depths of her eyes, but I knew that today was about romance, about learning about each other, and not about discussing my motives or my parents. I was ready to share a relationship with Diana, but I wasn't entirely sure if I was ready to share my parents with her. Talking of them brought up so many memories, so many things that were uncomfortable and difficult to talk about. All things considered, it was easier to play the romantic suitor than to spill my guts, my feelings. But I felt that I should clear up the matter a little with Diana. I didn't want her to think that I was dismissing her words or ignoring what she was telling me.
"I'm sorry, Diana…I want this day to be perfect, to be about us and not about Wonder Woman or Batman or anything else. I don't dwell on the past and right now, I'm more interested in this moment with you and what that means to my future."
My little speech concluded, I looked at her somewhat pleadingly, hoping that she understood what I was trying to tell her.
To my endless gratitude, she gave me a little smile before leaning over and brushing my cheek with a small kiss.
"I understand, Bruce. And I'm looking forward to riding again – it's been so long since I've had the opportunity."
She pulled back and I looked at her in stunned amazement, totally without words. It had been so long since I had explained my actions to anyone and not only had I done that for Diana, but she had also listened…and understood. She knew what I was trying to do and why I didn't want to talk about the past today of all days and she accepted that. It had been so long since anyone had blithely accepted or tried to understand me, particularly in romantic relationships, that I wasn't exactly sure how to react.
I looked at the sweet smile playing on Diana's striking face and felt a rush of emotions fill my heart. Without hesitation, I leaned over and placed my lips firmly on hers, exchanging the smile on her face for an unyielding kiss, as if intent on absorbing Diana's sweetness into myself, into the darkness that constantly lurked inside of me. For so long I had worried about the advisability of teammates becoming romantically involved, but perhaps with the right teammate the benefits outweighed the doubts and the repercussions.
I swept my tongue into her mouth, tangling in the freshness of her mouth, the softness of her tongue, and the honey sweet and tart taste that was Diana herself. She reached up to clasp my head in her hands, pulling us closer together and I couldn't resist pulling her into my arms and linking my hands behind her waist at the small of her back. My tongue led hers in a sensuous duel, sliding about one another as we re-learned the touch and taste of one another. I tightened my arms, pulling my face back enough to nibble at her bottom lip, torturing myself as I heard her moan with the stimulation. I pressed another firm kiss to her lips and leaned my forehead against hers, suddenly grateful that I was still standing upright and that my knees were able to support my weight.
"Thank you," I whispered, unable to voice exactly what I was thanking her for, but hoping that she would comprehend.
Easing back slowly, she licked her lips as if trying to trying to taste me on herself, and gave me a self-assured smile, looking for all the world like the cat who swallowed the canary, the Princess who knew that her Dark Knight was deep in subjugation, at her mercy due to her compassionate understanding.
Without another word, we headed towards the stables.
Okay, so I know nothing about horses, so I'm not really going to attempt it. But imagine that they do! Is that vicarious enough for some of you? )
Next chapter: Black Velvet, where a picnic between Bruce and Diana leads them to new discoveries about each other.
