It was a quite passive afternoon as I found myself walking towards the grocery store where I'm gonna buy vegetables from. Things have been easy quite recently, less trouble, and more time for me to just settle down and enjoy.
Or so I thought.
A rainy afternoon, or so I may say. The clouds doesn't look too good, indicating of a heavy downpour soon.
I was almost the grocery now when suddenly a familiar figure caught my eye. It was someone I know for sure but I'm having a hard time processing who this person could be. I stepped inside the entrance to take a closer look and found Bruce Wayne holding what seemed like a basket and bag in his hands.
Hera, the fates have been kind to me today
I want to take him by surprise by sneaking up from behind and see his flustered reaction. Slowly, I tiptoed at the heels of my feet; inches by inches I took steps towards him and when I finally reached him…
"Hello Diana"
And of course..
He saw it coming
Well what do you expect from the Batman himself?
"Hi Bruce, I thought I might surprise you but it didn't work, yet again" I greeted
He looked at my bags as his eyes shifted back towards my gaze
"Going shopping?"
"Yeah, yourself?" I asked
"Alfred usually does all the grocery but he's out for vacation at the moment"
Upon listening to him, a playful smile forms in my lips with mischief dancing on my thoughts
"Alfred does vacations? I thought you had the poor guy cramped up in that Manor for eternity" I jested casually
"Oh how dare you." Bruce replied sarcastically as he went on his way
I followed him discreetly since he might know a thing or two about vegetables and such, and of course..
to spend some alone time with him.
I walked up beside him while shifting the rhythm of my footsteps to match his. It was awfully quiet and awkward, I need to break the ice somehow.
"So, did you come here alone?" I asked
"Pretty much, I'm pretty much always alone especially when Alfred is not around"
"Hmm, who are you fooling Bruce Wayne? You are literally brooding with Women every time you appear in public" I provoked casually
"Those women don't mean anything to me in the long run. They are only after one thing and I know that for certain" he replied sternly
Intrigue rushed to me, I didn't expect Bruce to be this defensive over my feeble teasing. But his answer wasn't that bad actually. I would've lost my cool if he responded differently with the way he treats those women. He can be a cocky arrogant brat sometimes
"So, all of them are just for show?" I asked curiously
"Damn right." He responded in a quick manner
"Why are you asking me this, Diana. You already know the answer to that question"
"Oh… of course… yeah" I whispered coyly under my breath
We reached the cereal section as he went to the stalls. The alluring colors of the boxes caught my eye and it was very amusing how they are stacked up like a Rubik's cube
Bruce reached out to a large box of Honey Stars and Koko Krunch and placed them into his tray.
I also took one box and slowly scanned the whole thing
I didn't know Bruce was into snacks like this. Somehow, this piqued my curiosity yet again.
"Aren't cereals for children, Bruce?" I asked while holding the box of cereal with my left hand
"Yes, I am completely aware of that" He answered sternly
"That's quite a nice finishing touch, I might as well try some of those later. You wouldn't mind, would you?"
"Actually, I do mind. Especially when you would just barge in the Manor unnoticed"
I couldn't help but roll my eyes with that statement. That place is basically my own house anyways, what's the big deal?
Suddenly he stopped as we passed by an old woman who was carefully examining vegetables in the Chiller section. It was a close call indeed
She turned around to see me and Bruce, and as she took a closer look, a gleam of delight filled her face upon noticing something.
"You are Wonder Woman!" She yelled in delight
I looked around the chiller section to see if anyone was nearby to hear that. Thankfully the place isn't as cramped as the other ones.
I gave her a feint smile in return
"I'm such a big fan!" The old lady yelled as she took my arm close to her.
"Can I take a picture with you please?"
How could I reject such a humble request? And So I agreed.
"Thank you so much!" she responded
She then turned to Bruce who was watching from afar
"Hey young man, won't you please take a picture with me and this gorgeous lady?" The old woman requested nicely
Bruce let out a nervous smile as he took the smart phone from her hands.
"Sure Ma'am…" Bruce responded
I couldn't help but laugh slightly watching Bruce be a good boy for once. He did always have a soft spot for the elderly.
I could feel the old woman get close to me and it feels weird and fulfilling at the same time. Up till now, having fans still seems surreal to me, but being acknowledged isn't that bad either.
Bruce took the phone near within his face and took photos. When all of a sudden, the lady noticed something
"Young man, you seem awfully familiar as well…"
Bruce turned to look at her with a confused expression.
"Ummm what?" he asked calmly
The old lady took Bruce's arm and positioned the phone to cover half of his face again.
"Batman, you're Batman!" She yelled
Shocked, I tried to come up with excuses on how to get away with the situation. I watch Bruce carefully as I noticed his calm and relaxed demeanor. How is he not bothered by this?
He is about to get exposed!
"Maam, I think you are mistakin me for someone else" He responded in a weird voice
My eyes grew wide upon hearing Bruce utter those words. I didn't know he had such an accent within him
"You're not Batman?" The old lady asked
"Well first of all, my name is Chuck and I came here from the countryside. I met this lovely lady on the entrance earlier and decided to help him with her groceries. We don't really have that much access in our parts and so I don't really catch up with this "Batman" guy, but I heard you mention I kinda resemble the man. I guess we countryside men just look the part I guess, ha.. ha.. ha" Bruce explained with an obvious fake laugh at the end
I am in utter shock, there's no way such a lie would convince anyone otherwise…
"I see, well I'm sorry about that. I thought you were someone else."
"Heh, no worries Ma'am. Whoever this Batman guy is, he must be as good looking as me, heh" He jested cockily
I scoffed in feint with that statement, but this idea of his is working somehow. Have to give that to him… I guess
"Well, I must be on my way now, again thank you for the wonderful picture!" The old woman uttered as she went on her way towards the fish section
I bid her farewell with a sincere smile on my face. Somehow I was glad that the dilemma was over with fast…
I mean what did I expect more from the man who can talk his way out of captivity?
I turned to look at Bruce who had a certain expression on his face. Somehow this made me excited and jumpy for I'm gonna enjoy teasing him with the tidbit that I just discovered.
"Err, I didn't know you knew such an accent, Chuck" I mockingly imitated with a feint laugh
"Let's get this over with." He responded sternly
"Ooh such a glum as always huh?" I jested sarcastically
"How did you come up with this Chuck persona anyways?"
We resumed our walk with Bruce by my side. He seemed calm and collected despite the incident that happened just earlier
"There was this little girl I met in Virginia, her name was Chuck and he had the most bright red hair I've ever seen"
"Oh, she sounds very wonderful"
"She is, such a shame her parents doesn't think so the same. She was always neglected and ignored, to the point that she didn't feel like a part of the family"
"Oh… that's unfortunate"
Regret came to me, a sad story it was indeed. I feel bad for this girl, she must've had it tough. Families can be quite troublesome sometimes, and I only realized this recently
"What vegetables would you like?"
Bruce asked out of the blue, cutting me off from my thoughts
"Oh the usual, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and such…" I responded hastily
"Hah, you didn't make a list again, did you?
Hearing his question made me realize something embarrassing firsthand. I completely forgot.
"I uh… I did." I mumbled slowly
I was expecting a scolding from Bruce himself, but all I heard was a series of chuckles from him. He turned to me with a smile on her face, clearly amused of my dilemma
"You're still the same as ever, Princess" He uttered "Come, I'll help you pick some"
He extended his arms as if he was about to do something on my back, like he was gonna hold me firm – but midway, he suddenly stopped
A sudden shift from his expression occurred upon so as he slowly retreated his arms to his side
"Sorry." He uttered, as he went on his way
That was certainly strange, what was he about to do?
His arms was extended, as if he was gonna hold me on my should…
.
.
.
The realization came to me as fast as a speeding wave from back in Themyscira. No wonder he was hesitant back there.
Bruce always was careful around me and my Amazon upbringing, he rarely touches me. He always would be very careful in terms of physical contact whatsoever.
I understand, and I am grateful for him about it. He truly had nothing but respect for me and so. He understands that I do not like men and their feeble advancements.
I've seen it a couple of times already, women being taken advantage of by these disgusting savages
Of course, Batman would make sure to give them a piece of his mind afterwards.
And that's what I like about him so much
My gaze fell to him beside me, I don't know why but I don't feel uneasy when I'm with him
He's intimidating at times, and quite prude, grumpy at times even. But I never feel any type of bad intent behind his words. He's always genuine, and true, with everything he does
It didn't take long before he responded my gaze
"What's wrong?"
I didn't respond, I couldn't. I just stood there and watched him looking at me. Our feet were on the move but my eyes were solely devoted to him.
"Now don't make that into a habit, Princess" Bruce said calmly
"Staring is not really good, you know"
"I'm not staring, I'm just scanning" I responded with a smile
"Scanning?" Bruce repeated
"Scanning for what?"
"I don't know, I just wanted to scan you for some reason"
Bruce grimaced there for a second, quite uneasy over my statement
"Now that was really creepy, Diana" He claimed
"How is that creepy? It's not like I'm bothering you…" I retorted playfully "Am I?"
I could hear him breathe a large puff of sigh as he stopped and turned to me fully. He then leaned in closer and narrowed his look towards me
"How would you feel if I stared at you like this?
His eyes focused solely on mine with his face up close. I didn't notice this before, but something in his eyes is very intimidating.
I feel uneasy, I feel scared, I wish he would stop. His eyes didn't leave mine and I want him to just look away
But that's not what my heart says, right now it's pounding really hard. These thoughts transpired through me as I listened to my heart
I lied… I wasn't uneasy, my thoughts made up all these stuffs in my mind to conceal the fact that I am solely getting weak with every second that he looks at me
I didn't want him to look away
I want him to only look at me
We just stood there and looked at each other like some kind of a statue. No one submitting to and giving up. I know for a fact that he is proving to me how creepy it is to stare, but I'm not even being competitive right now
I just want him to look at me, that's it.
Hera, I'm overthinking again.
These are just tidbits of what my mind is all about whenever I'm with Bruce
Not being able to handle the pressure anymore, Bruce finally looks away with an unamused look in his face
"Now you see how creepy it is?"
"As far as I remember, you were the one who looked away" I teased while giving him my signature leer, a special leer that I would only give to him and only him
This would always make him feel uncomfortable, and I always find it amusing. Despite his tough persona, the Batman couldn't help a sting from a strong willed woman.
"You were supposed to feel uneasy there, why do I feel like you think it was hilarious"
"Hah, because it is" I responded with a slight giggle
"Your stubbornness is gonna be the death of me, I swear…" Bruce sighed softly
"Okay, you win…" he uttered in a surrendering tone
"Just don't stare at people too often, okay?"
His voice resonated through me, as a smile starts to form on my lips
"Okay!"
xXx
It was almost getting dark as we found ourselves stuck in the entrance shed with a big downpour falling in. The rain was definitely not that harsh but it wasn't mild either. Suddenly, I came into the realization that I forgot my umbrella at home which would've been really useful as of this situation.
"What's wrong?" He asked while setting up his umbrella
"Nothing much, it's just that I forgot my umbrella at home." I softly murmured
It was nice of him to be thoughtful towards me but there's no beating around the bush that I'm getting back home soaking wet from the rain
"Very careless of you, Princess." He handed me his umbrella in the process "You wouldn't want to catch a cold, would you?"
I stood silent for a second upon hearing him utter those words. I looked at the umbrella which seemed sturdy enough to keep one dry amidst the rain
"What about you?" I hesitantly asked
"I always keep a spare incase of situations like this" he retorted quickly
I felt a sigh of relief. Hera, I am so thankful for bringing Bruce to me on this fateful day.
"Well if you insist, Bruce. Thank you" I sincerely stated, my eyes almost started to water with the gratefulness that I felt
Bruce got flustered for a second but turned away immediately.
"Anyways, there was something I forgot that I had to buy. You go on ahead" He nervously uttered
And in an instant, he turned away and went back to the grocery holding his bag of groceries. That was certainly strange, somehow. But I am still thankful for him.
I should do something in return for Bruce, maybe cook for him or something. Without Alfred, the Manor could be quite lonely – perhaps I should visit him.
I decided to go on my way, taking the advantage of the downpour still not reaching its peak. I stumbled upon shops which were closing early because of the weather and kids wearing raincoats marching the path walks. Moments like these aren't that bad after all.
As I went on my way, a specific shop suddenly caught my eye, the most famous coffee shop in the whole world, Starbucks. I immediately went in without hesitation as the dryness of my mouth could use some iced latte, or hot latte which would go well with the cold weather. As I went to the counter and ordered, I noticed different alliterations of coffees in their menu but the one and only hot latte which was centered still took my attention the most.
I took the tray and went to a nearby empty table as I sat down casually. I felt the soothing warm fragrance of the latte lingering in my nose as I opened the lid of the drink. The nice aroma of the hot beverage is perfect in this rainy weather
My table was next to the window so I took the liberty on watching the beautiful scenery from outside with the rain continuing to fall. There's nothing like a weather like this with a hot latte giving you warmth from the inside and a familiar man walking aimlessly amidst the rain…
Wait what..?
On the corner of my eye, I noticed a very familiar man who decided to play with the rain without an umbrella.
And of course that man would be..
"Excuse me Ma'am, but would you like more table napkins?"
A voice coming from the waitress interrupts my whole monologue, it was the waiter who was offering table napkins incase of spills from the coffee
"I appreciate it but no thank you" I responded politely with a smile
I turned my attention back on the man who was still walking aimlessly through the rain, which was so like him.
I leaned on my arm as I watch him without a care in the world. I realize everything now. He didn't have a spare and the reason why he went back to the grocery was because he didn't want me to find out.
He gave me his umbrella despite knowing he had no spares all along. He was looking out for me throughout it all
I felt a warm flush of warmth creep into my cheeks as my eyes still were still fixated on a specific someone outside. A sudden series of beats on my chest caught me by surprise with a feeling of longingness and desire growing within me, my face grew hotter as seconds go by and it wasn't because of the drink that I was having
I continued to watch Bruce from afar, like what I always do. Silent and tongue-tied, speechless and quiet. I just wanna watch him over like this - as words finally start to form under my breath
"You didn't have to lie about it…."
