Dreams
Diana ran her fingers through her hair before rushing out of her quarters. She was running late for an early morning Founders meeting, but it really wasn't her fault. Well…technically it was her fault, but she refused to completely shoulder all the blame for it.
It was her dreams.
She'd been having such vivid dreams the last few weeks, intensely sensual dreams involving the tall, dark, and always brooding vigilante from Gotham. She felt warmth begin to creep up her neck to her face as images from those dreams surfaced in her mind all over again.
She'd had feelings for Bruce for some time now, but he seemed more than determined to continue to tango their way through life when it came to their intense mutual attraction, both knowing it was there. It was growing tiresome being drawn into his web only to suddenly find herself on the outside of his life looking in.
She thought that was perhaps the reason for her dreams these last few weeks. Her sexual frustration and tension needed a source of release and this was the only way right now to deal with these growing feelings that refused to be ignored.
The problem was she woke up feeling more aroused than ever before despite the fact she'd thoroughly ravaged Bruce in every way imaginable in her dreams. She felt herself flushing warmly as this morning's dream reminded her what she had actually done to the object of her affections.
She couldn't help wondering how Bruce would react if he found out about her erotic dreams that left her practically panting for him. The thought was horrifying to her not to mention embarrassing. She could barely look at him now, remembering where her mouth and hands had been. How much worse would it be if he knew?
Diana swept into the conference room, absentmindedly appreciating the faint breeze the sliding of the door provided. She hoped that it would help to cool the warmth she could still feel suffusing her cheeks. With her luck, her face was still flaming red.
She quickly made her way to her seat next to the very object of her deepest desires. She quietly slid into her seat, feeling the glances of all her teammates as Kal continued to talk. None scorched her more than Batman's as she brushed a raven curl behind her ear in an effort to calm herself.
She did her best to keep her focus locked solely on Kal as he once again droned on about the merits of teamwork, tucking away egos so that they could work together seamlessly. The problem was she could feel Bruce's cowled gaze raking over her skin, attempting to probe deeper as he peeled back all the layers to see into her soul.
He knew. He knew something was going on with her. She knew she hadn't been acting herself around him the last few weeks, but she could hardly help it. She feared that he'd figure it all out just by looking at her. It was unnerving to say the least.
Diana turned her chair slightly, making it more difficult for him to see her face. She sent silent, pleading prayers to her goddesses that Bruce wouldn't try to talk to her after the meeting. While was he was the World's Greatest Detective, she was the World's Worst Liar.
Besides, Diana didn't want to lie to him. She just wanted him to admit that he actually felt something for her that didn't fit within the boundaries of friendship and actually act on those feelings. She didn't know how much more of this tug-o-war she could take.
She drummed her fingers on the armrest of her chair in time to the tune that she kept repeating in her head in order to keep J'onn from being able to pick up on her internal struggle. She was going to have to find some sort of resolution before she went mad or her teammates figured out her dilemma.
The was a pause in the meeting as Kal turned his chair to play a video on the screen. "Please…please…please," Diana silently chanted in her head.
The feel of his breath against her bare shoulder sent an electrical current straight through her, nearly causing her to fly up out of her chair. "I need to talk to you in private after this meeting is over," he softly stated against her ear.
Sweet Aphrodite no.
Diana tilted her head slightly, silently acknowledging him and yet not committing to anything. Panic began to swell in her chest, positive that he knew what was going on with her. She felt like she was wearing a sign that practically advertised the fact she was lusting after Batman.
She had no doubt that he would plunge headlong into a lengthy lecture about how teammates should not date and that he would not now or ever allow himself to become involved with her. She felt her shoulders sink along with her heart. She knew that they could have something so unbelievably amazing together if he'd just give them a chance…give her a chance to show him. The problem was that he'd never allow them that chance. There was the mission and nothing else.
The longer she thought about it the more dejected she felt not to mention very angry with him for denying them both what they obviously wanted. There was no way in Tartarus that she was going to give him the chance to stomp on her heart or to rattle off that ridiculous list of reasons again.
"Okay, gang," Kal said. "We'll meet again next week."
Diana was up and out of her chair in less than a heartbeat, practically flying towards the exit. She caught a growl from her teammate amongst the idle chatter of her friends. She had to avoid him at all cost until she could figure out what she was going to do about her feelings for the Dark Knight.
She quickened her pace, doing her best to escape to her quarters or the training room…a bathroom…anywhere that he wasn't. "Diana!" Batman called with a dangerous edge to his voice that demanded to be recognized.
Drawing a deep breath, Diana slowly turned to find Batman stalking straight towards her, his gauntleted hands balled into fists at his sides and a scowl set on his face. "Yes, Batman?" she evenly replied.
"We need to talk…now," he snapped.
"Uh, I'm afraid I can't," she told him. "I have something very important that I have to take care of."
"What is going on with you?" he demanded to know as he came to stand directly before her, the lens of his cowl narrowing dangerously in that scrutinizing way that caused involuntary urination in everyone but her.
"What do you mean?" she coyly asked, looking everywhere but at his face.
"Something is going on with you and I want to know what it is," he stated.
"Nothing…I swear…I'm perfectly fine…really…it's nothing at all…I promise," she found herself rambling nervously. "Thank you for your concern, but I really need to go now."
Batman grabbed her arm as she turned to walk away, gripping it tightly. "You're lying to me and I want to know why," he said with a steely calm. It was more than obvious that he was worried about her and angry that she wasn't talking to him about it.
She released a sigh, appearing completely defeated as she finally looked into his cowled face. "Really, Bruce," she softly said. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. It…it's just something…that I have to figure out for myself."
Bruce studied her intently, not the least bit happy with her answer. She'd been acting very distant the last weeks, avoiding him and refusing to make eye contact with him. It was obvious that something was going on concerning him and he didn't like it one bit. If truth be told…it scared him. She was pulling away from him and it terrified him.
"Diana, I…"
"Yes, Mister Terrific, I'm on my way now," Diana answered, her hand going to her commlink. "Sorry, I have to go to Egypt."
"This conversation isn't over, Diana," he heatedly stated, finally releasing his hold on her arm.
His fingers slowly slid down her arm, reaching her hand and taking it into his own. He briefly squeezed it before releasing it. He turned and stormed away, leaving Diana standing there all alone. She released a ragged breath as she turned and pressed her back against the wall, her eyes falling closed.
She was going to have to do something about these dreams and she was going to have to do it fast before Bruce found out what was going on. He was tenacious at best and just as stubborn as she was, making for a very big problem for her. She knew that he wouldn't rest until he'd discovered what was going on.
She was in very big trouble.
XXX
Diana bit at her bottom lip as she exited the transporter room, her gaze constantly shifting all around her in hopes of spotting Batman before he spotted her. She needed to try to stay at least five steps ahead of him if not more.
There was no way she could lie to him again and there was no way she was going to tell him that she'd been having lascivious dreams about him. That was a conversation that she definitely wanted to avoid at all cost. The challenge was finding a place to hide.
She had momentarily considered turning her commlink off so he couldn't track her, but she was on standby for missions for another two hours. She decided it would be safest to lock herself inside one of the training rooms and burn off some of the desire she could still feel pulsating through her.
She knew that Bruce was still on the Watchtower. After the Founders meeting this morning, he was spending the day on the 'Tower doing repairs and upgrades. Normally, she would've looked forward to having him around all day, even helping him out with some of the repairs, but that was out of the question now.
Diana quickened her pace as she made a beeline for the training rooms, hoping to avoid running into J'onn as well. The look he'd given her during the meeting this morning led her to believe that he had a good idea about what she was struggling with.
Hera, help her.
She didn't know why was so embarrassed by her lustful dreams about Bruce. She normally wasn't priggish when it came to things like this. Then again, this wasn't just some ordinary man that had been lurking in her dreams, waiting to ravish her and be ravished in return.
This was a man that she deeply respected and wanted his respect in return. His opinion of her mattered greatly to her when not many others did. She didn't want him to look at her as just another one of the frivolous, brainless women that are usually seen on his arm, after his body or his money. She truly cared about him and wanted him to be happy.
She wasn't looking for a one-night stand or some meaningless fling. For her, it was far more than a fleeting, girlish crush. She truly wanted to love him and be loved by him in return. The trouble was he would never let himself love her or accept her love for him.
"Diana!"
The Amazon princess froze dead in her tracks, her heart leaping into her throat. "Um, hi Shay," she nervously replied, worried the Thanagarian would question her mercilessly. She was a detective like Bruce and wouldn't stop until she had the answers she was looking for.
"Okay, spill it," Shayera demanded. "What's been going on with you lately?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Diana claimed as she resumed her journey to the training room.
"Oh, don't pull that on me," Shayera said with a roll of her eyes. "Remember who you're talking to? I know something is going on and I know when you're lying."
A Greek curse escaped as Diana scowled at her friend. "Is it that obvious?"
"Something is definitely going on with you," she confirmed. "You've been acting strange for a few weeks now. What's going on? Is it Batman?"
"Shhh!" Diana urgently shushed her as she looked around her. "Don't say his name. He might appear out of thin air."
Shayera chuckled as she walked with her. "You know he really can't do that, right?"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Diana replied with a scowl. "He has a knack for doing things like that."
"What is wrong with you?"
Diana looked around her again before grabbing Shayera by the arm and dragging her into one of the training rooms. "I guess I do need someone to talk to," she ultimately decided.
"Talk to about what?" Shayera questioned her with a frown. "Are you pregnant?"
"What? No!" Diana yelled.
"Then, what's going on with you?"
Diana sighed in resignation as she leaned against the wall of the training room. She slowly slid down the wall to sit on the floor, leaning forward to hold her head in her hands. Shayera's expression turned into one of concern as she sat down on the floor next to her friend.
"You're starting to scare me, Di," she told her. "What's wrong?"
"I've been having…these…dreams," Diana reluctantly began.
"Dreams? What kind of dreams?"
"Sex dreams," Diana confessed, groaning in embarrassment as she tilted her head back to lean against the wall. Hearing it spoken out loud only seemed to make it that much worse.
"Sex dreams?" Shayera repeated. "What's wrong with that?"
"Well, nothing really," she admitted.
"Who are dreaming about?"
"Bruce," Diana revealed.
"Those have gotta be some pretty steamy dreams then."
"Shayera!"
"Hey, Bruce is sexy and the whole brooding, 'I am the night' thing he has going on only adds to it," she maintained.
"I didn't know you had a thing for Bruce," Diana responded with a sharp pang of jealousy.
"I don't," Shayera told her with a frown. "He's too much of a pain in the ass, but he's still nice to look at."
"I'm sure John would love to hear you say that," she muttered.
"I'm not telling him anything. We just got back together," she replied. "So, does Bruce know you're having sex dreams about him?"
"Hera, no!" Diana exclaimed. "And I'm not telling him."
"Why not?" Shayera asked. "You two have been dancing around your feelings for each other for far too long. It's time for you to make the first move."
"I don't know, Shay," Diana said with another groan of frustration. "You know Bruce won't let himself be happy. Besides, I don't even know for sure if he has any feelings for me past attraction."
"Are you kidding me?" Shayera nearly shouted. "The man is head over heels over you."
"Shayera…"
"I'm serious, Di," she insisted. "You have no idea how many times I've caught him staring at you and who does he always partner with on missions? It's sure not Flash he's crushing on."
"That doesn't mean anything," Diana softly said, sadness filling her voice as she looked down at her hands in her lap. "He may be attracted to me, but I don't think he wants me."
"Do you love him?"
Diana lifted her eyes to answer the Thanagarian's pointed question. "Yes, I do," she confessed. "I love Bruce. I've never felt this way about anyone before, Shay. The problem is he doesn't feel the same way."
"You don't know that."
"If he really cared about me, why hasn't he approached me about going out on a date?"
"You know how Bruce is, Di," Shayera said with a shake of her head. "He's probably written a list a mile long outlining all the reasons why he shouldn't get involved with you, but that still doesn't mean that he doesn't want you. Maybe he doesn't think you feel anything for him either."
"I don't know what to do," Diana told her. "I should probably just try to forget all about him, but these dreams are definitely not making it very easy."
"I think you should talk to him about it…see how he feels," she encouraged her as she stood to her feet.
Diana stood up as well, her lips curved into a frown. "Maybe…I don't know," she said with a shake of her head.
"Come on," Shayera replied as she headed towards the door. "Let's go to the comm. Ice cream is definitely in order."
"Why ice cream?" she asked as they exited.
"Ice cream is a girl's best friend when it comes to problems with love."
Neither of them noticed the shadow that moved on the far side of the room or the fact that an access door was open. The dark shadow exited the mechanical room with tools in his gauntleted hands and a slight curl at the corner of his mouth.
XXX
Diana frowned as she typed in the new list of codes that J'onn had given her as she worked on the security system in the lower decks of the Watchtower. J'onn had cornered her in the comm as she'd finished her ice cream with a repair job that he needed completed.
She had almost gotten the feeling that he was up to something as she had studied him, but had quickly dismissed it, knowing that J'onn was far from a deceitful person. He had given her the tablet with all the necessary information on it to complete the task, leading her to believe that he had been honest with her.
So far, the repair was going rather smoothly. It seemed that several of the access codes had somehow been deleted or lost in the system somehow. It only required a new list of codes to be entered and then the system could be restarted without difficulty.
Thoughts of Bruce invaded her mind, causing a frown to form on her face. While the ice cream and conversation with Shayera had been good, she was still no closer to figuring out what to do about Bruce or these dreams she kept having about him.
Lost in her thoughts, Diana missed the sound of the door sliding open and closed and then locking. It wasn't until she smelled his aftershave that she froze in shock, her heart almost hammering out of her chest as she stood unmoving like a statue.
"Princess," he formally greeted her. "You've been avoiding me."
Diana forced herself to draw in a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she chose her words. "No, I haven't," she maintained, keeping her back to him. "I've just been busy lately."
"That's not what I've observed."
"Really?" she breathlessly responded, sensing his close proximity to her.
"Yes," he confirmed. "In fact, you won't look at me and you've done everything in your power to not be alone with me."
"I…I think your paranoia is running rampant, Bruce," she replied despite the fierce flutter that had settled in her stomach. Curse the man for having such a profound effect on her.
"Then, why won't you turn around and look at me?" he questioned her.
"I can't right now," Diana claimed. "J'onn wanted me to get the security codes fixed for this section of the Watchtower."
Diana held her breath with the feel of his cape brushing against the backs of her legs. She felt him reach around and take the tablet from her hands, setting it down on a nearby ledge. "I think it can wait since I'm the one who disabled the codes," he huskily rasped against her ear.
"You did?" she murmured, trying to keep the tremor she was feeling out of her voice.
"I did," he confirmed, his hand settling against her right hip as he leaned in and breathed deeply.
"Why would you do that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"To finally get you all to myself," he revealed, pausing to brush her raven hair aside in order to expose her shoulder to him. "I told you that I wanted to talk to you, but you seem intent on avoiding me. I had to take drastic measures to make sure I had you all alone."
Diana swallowed hard, trying to force her voice to work. "Wha…what do you want to talk about?"
"You…and me…and these dreams that you've been having," he replied, his lips caressing her bare shoulder.
"You know about them?" she managed to utter, her eyes falling closed with the feel of his mouth against her skin. It was far better than her dreams.
Bruce hummed his response, his other hand coming to rest on her left hip as he held her right where he wanted her. "I was in the mechanical room when you and Shayera entered the training room."
A breathless curse left her lips as she silently willed him to never stop what he was doing. She feared that he was about to dive into a lecture about why they could never be together or how she needed to be more careful about conversations with friends aboard the Watchtower.
"You weren't…supposed to find out…about that," she uttered with a breathless quality as his lips found her pulse point, latching on to it and sucking hard. "Sweet Aphrodite…"
"What would you say if I told you I've had dreams about you too?"
"You have?" she whispered, tilting her head to the side to give him more room.
"Most definitely," he confirmed, his lips teasing her earlobe. "They were very erotic to say the least, princess. Definitely not suitable for children of any age or even some adults…like Wally."
"So…so have mine," she softly confessed, her desire for this man so intense it had her body strung so tight.
"I would love to know every single thing that you dreamed about doing with me…or to me," he revealed.
"Bruce…" she murmured, squeezing her eyes closed against the pain of what she was about to say to him. "I can't…I don't want some meaningless fling. I want more with you…but you don't—"
"I don't what?" Bruce demanded to know, his forehead coming to rest against the back of her head as he struggled to rein in his hunger for this woman. "I don't love you?"
"I know you don't love me, or you don't want to have feelings for me," she said. "Your mission is too important."
"Yes, it is…but so are you."
"What?"
"I love you, Diana," he simply said. "I've tried telling myself for so long that I could just lock away these feelings for you…ignore the fact that they were there, but I haven't been able to. I'm not strong enough to fight them and I'm not strong enough to stay away from you."
"You love me?" she whispered.
"I have loved you for so long," he confessed. "I was too scared to admit it until I heard you tell Shayera that you love me. I never realized how much I needed to hear you say it until you finally did."
Diana turned around in his arms to face him, her eyes shining brightly as she found herself staring into the piercing blue eyes that she loved. "I love you, Bruce," she told him, her hand coming to rest against his cheek. "You deserve to be loved and happy…even…even if it's not with me."
"No, I want you and no one else," he insisted.
Bruce claimed her lips with a slow sensual kiss that she swore she felt clear down to her toes. Her arms slipped around him, drawing him unbelievably closer to her and cursing the fact that they were separated by their uniforms. She was anxious to feel every inch of him against every inch of her.
Bruce pushed a button on his gauntlet, the couple disappearing from sight only to reappear in his quarters. Diana drew back with a smirk on her lips. "That's an abuse of power," she teased.
"Yes, it is," he confirmed as he ripped his gauntlets off and tossed them on a nearby chair. "Good thing I own the Watchtower."
Diana chuckled softly as his fingers found the clasp of her breastplate. "It's a good thing I find your arrogance so sexy."
Bruce smirk as he tossed her breastplate onto the chair with his gauntlets. "That's good because I'm about to make sure your every dream becomes a reality."
Diana's cheeks grew pink as her teeth grazed over her bottom lip. "There were pretty racy, Bruce," she warned him as he began to remove the rest of her uniform. "You might be shocked if I told you."
"You remember who I am, right?" he asked her as his utility belt and cape hit the floor along with his uniform top. "I'm pretty sure I've heard it all."
"I don't know, Bruce," she breathily replied as he began to kiss along her collarbone as he firmly gripped her hips. "My dreams about you might even make Sappho blush."
Bruce's lips stilled against the generous swell of her breasts as he lifted his head to look her in the eye. "Show me then," he replied with a wicked grin.
"Only if you show me your dreams."
"Oh, I definitely plan on making both of our dreams come true, princess," he promised her as he lifted her up and carried her over to his waiting bed.