Bruce hastened up his footsteps to reach the destination in his mind. He had been away for a week for an urgent conference in Europe and so he haven't been checking up for a while

Finally reaching her door, he immediately unlocked the knob with a key that he had in his own. Diana had an open door policy only when it comes to him that's how close they have gotten with each other

Desperately checking up on his partner, Bruce didn't waste no time and opened the door, and what revealed to him was utmost disaster. Clothes scattered all over the place with dirty dishes in the sink. The lights were all off and a smell of wine was lingering inside

Bruce groaned to himself upon slowly entering the premises. He wanted to see how she is doing, but this sight is too much even for his expectations.

He saw a glimpse of light coming out from the bathroom which he instantly assumed where she is, and so without hesitation, he sprinted to her bathroom and opened the door.

What he saw inside was what he expected, Diana herself vomiting on a toilet with her hair wet, possibly from the shower. Bruce immediately took the tower from the hangers and covered her body in it. It took Diana a few moments before finally noticing the man beside her, and when she did; a big urge came over her as she puked all over his nicely tailored suit

"Br..ucee…" she slowly whispered, gripping the collar of his dress shirt inside to hang on to him

Bruce slowly scooped him up to his arms and slowly walked out of the bathroom. He gently placed her on the sofa on the living room, trying not to shake her thoroughly

He noticed a bunch of wine bottles and some broken wine glasses and shards lying on the floor, Bruce sighed to himself finally realizing what the princess had been up to in his absence.

He knew for himself that he was the one who introduced such drinks to Diana, but such liquors shouldn't be consumed regularly

Bruce stood up and took off the coat that was drenched with vomit as he proceeded on his dress shirt. Diana slowly opened her eyes to see Bruce undressing in front of her.

"What are you doi..ng here, Bru..ce.?" She slowly asked, her voice still jumbled by the dizziness

"I'm gonna use your washing machine, I'll be back in a few seconds" Bruce uttered as he walked away carrying his dirty clothes

Diana laid all alone this time on the living room with resentment on her mind. She wasn't expecting Bruce to visit her of all days. She didn't want him to see the pathetic state that she was currently in

It had always been like this for Diana ever since she was exiled from her own home Themyscira, that her own Mother would just do that to her. She had felt all alone ever since, no person she felt that deeply cared or genuinely so

It felt as if her world had crumbled down to the edges, her will to even continue with her ideals have been thoroughly crushed upon knowing she would never have somewhere that she considers home again

Tears then started forming on her eyes thinking about how easy it was for her own Mother to just banish her like that as if she was an outcast

The pain she was feeling on her heart was unbearable that she leaned on her darkness to fix her problems, to waste herself away to try coping with the reality

Neither Themyscira nor her mother doesn't want her anymore

And the realization of such bitter truth lingered to her deeply

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming towards her. She opened her eyes and saw Bruce still shirtless carrying a bowl with something hot in it

He knelt down to her and presented the hot porridge that he specially made in her kitchen

"This will help you with your state, Diana" He uttered as he slowly mixed the porridge with the spoon

Diana inhaled the soothing aroma of the gruel on the bowl. Her pain and worries seemed to fade away momentarily

She slowly looked at him with his eyes full of concern gazing upon her. It was as if he really thoroughly cared deeply, but her doubts are still getting the best of her

"He'll leave me eventually, everything good in my life doesn't stay for good, and that includes my home." she thought to herself

"He'll cast me away eventually…"

Bruce scooped a portion of the porridge with the spoon and slowly blew the hotness away

"Here Diana" Bruce stated as he presented the spoon unto her mouth

Diana's thoughts were still jumbled with doubts, but her heart was saying otherwise. Bruce had always been there when she needed him and she could feel the sincerity in his eyes whenever he is around to comfort her

She slowly opened her mouth to accept the spoon, and upon tasting it, her worries seemed to fade away again.

The taste wasn't all that exquisite, but there is something in that porridge that lifted her spirits up

She closed her eyes to savor the flavor even more as a smile formed on her lips

Bruce smiled seeing Diana like this; he couldn't help but be worried for his partner's wellbeing whatsoever. Bruce was skeptical to be away from her, but she insisted that she was okay.

He shouldn't have left her alone, knowing that she just got exiled from her own home

He had to be here, with her.

And he knew something was up when he found out that their wine cellar in the orchard of the Manor had been completely empty. Bruce dropped everything that he was currently on, including the urgent business meeting that he was having on Europe just to come see her

And now he is in her apartment, watching her enjoy the small porridge that he made just for her

"Do you like it?" he asked

"Yeah…" Diana slowly responded

Bruce's smile got even deeper as he scooped another portion of the porridge from the bowl. He slowly blew it first before gently feeding to Diana

Diana is at a more calm state now with Bruce tending her. It was like when her mother would nurse her to health whenever she's sick.

Remembering her Mother made her remember the pain yet again as her anxiety kicked in more rather quick this time. She groaned to herself of pain as tears started coming out of her eyes

Flashes of Queen Hippolyta and her sisters appearing in her mind as she squirmed aggressively. It was so aggressive that she accidentally threw the bowl of porridge to the ground

Bruce got more concerned now as he leaned closer to Diana, slowly caressing her cheek to ease out on whatever she was dealing with

Tears started to fall from her cheeks this time as she repeatedly uttered…

"Mother…"

Her voice was full of pain and longingness. Bruce could tell that she was really afflicted of her banishment from her home Themyscira. A feeling of resentment came up to him, thinking of how a Mother can just banish her own daughter like that.

Bruce slowly sat next to her and wrapped his arms nice and tight all over her, providing comfort for the grieving Amazon. This was the only thing he could do for now.

He gently caressed her head to his bare chest as he caressed her hair.

"Everything is gonna be alright Princess. I'm here for you" Bruce slowly whispered

Diana's mind was full of despair and sadness. It was like the epitome anguish that she had ever felt before

Not those people that she failed to save

And surely not about how she seemed to failed to change the world with its wickedness as Wonder Woman

It was a new experience for her; she had never lost something so valuable and dear throughout her life before

And that's losing her most precious home.

All of a sudden, she felt warmth enveloping her out of nowhere. She slightly opened her eyes and saw Bruce embracing her close to him

She could feel the warmth through Bruce's bare chest and his heartbeat that seemed very soothing to her

"Everything is gonna be alright Princess. I'm here for you"

Hearing this made Diana fawn over to him even more, she couldn't explain it thoroughly. Such a man had so much effect on her darkest times

Diana slowly reached out for Bruce's cheek, staring into his smoldering eyes looking at her with utmost concern

"Bruce, please don't cast me off—" she uttered slowly

"I'll do anything.."

"Don't leave me…"

And just like that, Diana's eyes slowly closed as her hand rested unto Bruce's shoulder. He felt relieved now that Diana has finally calmed down to a more tranquil state

Bruce slowly carried her up to his arms like a bride and went up to her room

Reaching there, he gently placed the sleeping Amazon unto her bed, trying his best not to cause some disturbance unto her whatsoever. He slowly covered her slim body with the blanket as he kissed her forehead tenderly

"Goodnight Princess" Bruce whispered as he stood up and went out of the room, slowly closing the door to not make a noise

Upon leaving the room, Diana's lips formed into a small smile from the solace she felt from Bruce's kiss

xXx

Diana awoke in the middle of the night with a calm upbringing. She noticed how she was now on her bed and her room was now tidy and neat. Slowly, she sat up to her bed

She then rubbed her eyes slowly to maintain a good vision of her room which was dark and chilly. Series of array lights can be seen from the gaps of the door from where she was sitting

She couldn't remember much of what happened but she could recall Bruce feeding her the porridge from earlier and how she puked on him

Such memory made her realize the shameful things that he had done to him when she was drunk

And then just like that, a sudden flush of warmth came up to her face upon realizing what happened earlier

Suddenly, she noticed that the lights were open from the living room from the cracks of her door.

Diana stood up and stretched every muscle on her back. She then proceeded to go outside, and just like she expected

There was someone on her apartment

She slowly tiptoed down to the stairs to confront whoever it is, but before having her guard up…

She noticed a familiar figure on her kitchen wearing her cute pink apron

The figure turned around and revealed Bruce himself carrying a bowl of vegetables. He was too occupied on the ingredients to notice the lady walking close to him

"Bruce?"

A sudden voice out of nowhere startled him a little, as he immediately turned around

"Oh, it's you Diana"

Diana nodded in response as she glanced at the ingredients on the kitchen. What once was a series of mess was now replaced with organized utensils with cooking equipments cleaned.

Everything was organized even

"Dinner will be served soon, princess. Go take a seat on the dinner table" Bruce stated

Diana looked at him with a melancholic stare. She was speechless on what's happening, quite not used having someone cook for her

She never really was good at cooking, and so she would mostly just prepare salads, that's why having someone cook for her like this feels new to her

She waltzed to the living room where everything was tidy, from the bottles of wines to her dirty underwear lying around

A sudden flush of embarrassment came to her upon realizing that he probably washed them as well.

She sat down the couch where she would mostly cry herself to sleep during those days

Those days when she felt alone and secluded

When everything was all black and white

Diana shook her head rapidly, trying to keep such thoughts out of her mind

She didn't want to cause more trouble to Bruce himself, especially remembering the shameful things that she had done to him

"Food is ready!"

Bruce's baritone voice echoed to the living room as Diana smelled the wonderful aroma of the dinner that Bruce made

She immediately made her way to the dinner table where Bruce was sitting. He had his eyes closed, uttering a small prayer, before raising his head to meet Diana standing there

He stood up and pulled a chair just in front of Diana, for her to sit on

"I hope you like steaks" he stated

Diana slowly sat on the chair while Bruce was preparing the Steak from the plate. She noticed the mashed potatoes, bits of vegetables and a nice bowl of hot soup on her side

It felt good to her to have company in her apartment, most of the time, it was just a gloomy dark place for her to sulk and cry

But looking around now, it felt as if it is a real home.

She glanced at Bruce who was slicing the steak and she couldn't help but feel guilty. He was wearing a purple dress shirt with a waistcoat on the front

Looking at his face, made Diana feel at ease for some reason

He had done so much for her to the point that he is abandoning his duties

She knew about it damn well…

"Bruce.."

"Hm?" he responded

"Aren't you supposed to be in Europe?" Diana uttered

Bruce scoffed as response as he placed the steak on Diana's plate and sat in front of her

"The whole meeting was boring anyways, having dinner with you like this is so much better"

Diana was happy upon hearing that, but still guilty that she is holding him back. She wanted Bruce close to her but it feels like she is relying so much on him

"But I…"

"Diana."

Diana raised her head to look at him. He had a serious expression but she could still see the sincerity and concern in his eyes

"It must be hard on you these past days, and I have no means of telling you that I know how it feels. But if there is something that I can do much for my dear friend—"

"That is to be with her during her darkest times" he added

Bruce held her hand as Diana was just speechless staring at him. She wasn't expecting him to care this much, especially knowing how secretive and mysterious Batman is

"I thought you wouldn't have time for me—" Diana slowly uttered

Bruce scoffed in response as he stood up and sat next to her.

Diana was facing the ground, something was bothering her yet again and Bruce has an idea on what it was

Diana was thinking about those days when she felt alone, when nobody seemed to matter. When she didn't seem to matter and everything was pointless

When suddenly

"Say ahh, Princess"

Diana turned to her side and saw Bruce holding out a spoonful of soup with his right hand

"Wha…"

And Bruce took this opportunity to feed Diana the hot spoonful of soup

Diana munched the flavor slowly before noticing what it tasted like

"Tomato soup, you remembered!" Diana said

"Of course" Bruce responded with a smile "It's your favorite"

He scooped up another round of the soup and blew some of it first before presenting it close to Diana's lips

"Say ahh again"

And Diana opened her mouth like a little girl being fed. It was embarrassing to her at first but she felt good deep inside

Realizing it all now, it was very sweet how Bruce literally travelled just to take care of her like this. He cleaned her apartment and made her a nice dinner full of her favorite dishes

She turned to him slowly blowing out the hotness of the soup

She couldn't help but smile how Bruce is taking care of her like this. He knew about what happened to her and here he is, nursing her back to sanity

Her heart fluttered into a few beats upon finally realizing what had been there all along for her. How Bruce always had her back, always been there for her when she needed him, and always been a true friend to her throughout

But what she is feeling for him is so beyond friendship at this point…

xXx

It was already 2 am as Bruce was preparing himself to leave Diana's apartment. He put on his black bomber jacket and his brown leather shoes

Diana was standing just behind him, leaning on the wall

"I'm sorry about the wines, Bruce" Diana slowly uttered

"I promise I'll make it up to you"

"Don't worry about it that much. If you want to drink next time, just give me a call and we'll drink together" Bruce responded

Bruce turned around to bid her goodbye

"Goodnight Diana" Bruce slowly uttered

"Or is it morning?"

Diana giggled in response. Bruce had always been unintentionally funny even when he's not trying

"Thank you for today Bruce, and be careful on the way" Diana responded with a sweet smile

Bruce caressed her cheek gently as he looked at her eyes. It reminded him of the night sky full of sparkling stars

He so wanted to kiss her right there on the spot. But it wouldn't feel right to do so. Diana is broken at the moment and he wouldn't want to take advantage of her situation

"Catch you later" he uttered as he turned his heel around

He gripped the doorknob of her apartment's door when suddenly he felt a force pulling him back

It was Diana.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" she asked sincerely

Bruce smiled to Diana as he responded

"I'll be here when you need me, Princess"

Bruce leaned close to her to give her a kiss on the forehead. He paused for a second to give her a warm smile before finally walking out of the door

Diana caressed her cheek on the spot and it caused a sudden warmth though her. He was passionate in his own little ways and these are the little things that Diana so appreciated the most…

Her lips were shivering at the notion of how soft his lips felt on her cheek as she slowly whispered

"Oh Bruce…"