Questions (DCEU)
Bruce ground his teeth, a fierce scowl on his face as he tried to keep his focus on flying himself and his teammates back to Gotham. He tried to ignore the laughter and the excited chatter that was taking place behind him despite the fact they had a very good reason for it. He tried not to notice the way his body ached, and his bruised ribs screamed at him with every breathe he drew.
He tried to ignore the way that Barry's voice seemed to rise above the rest as he talked animatedly as he retold his first ever rescue mission. He tried to disregard the overwhelming relief he felt hearing Clark bantering with his new teammates like they were all old friends instead of the Kryptonian being dead and buried in the cold, hard ground.
No, Bruce had far too much on his mind at that moment like how Diana hadn't followed the plan that he'd laid out before they'd even left the cave…how Steppenwolf was more than likely not the last alien attack they were going to have to face in the coming months and years. He had too many questions bombarding his brain that demanded answers that only Diana could provide and he wanted those answers now.
Casting a sidelong glance at his beautiful Amazon teammate, Bruce noticed that she was not participating in their teammates' celebration. Her distinct lilting laughter that always seemed to stand out above all the others and created a knot of warm desire to form in the pit of his stomach was glaringly absent on the trip home.
Instead of celebrating, her posture was rigid, anger more than evident in the tight set of her jaw. She appeared to be completely lost in her thoughts as she fiddled with the end of her lasso with her left hand. It was as if there was no one else around her as she stared straight ahead, her gaze locked on the horizon.
He knew his team had every right to be happy and relieved at that moment. They'd managed to defeat Steppenwolf and his Parademons. They'd accomplished the seemingly impossible together as a team…a team that now included the newly resurrected Superman. For some reason, Diana didn't seem to share in that relief or excitement.
While he was more than thankful that they had been able to take down a global threat bent on destruction, he couldn't shake the anger that had settled over him. He had carefully laid out the plan to them, each of them knowing their duties and yet they had not followed the plan. Diana was supposed to lead the team on the mission he'd set out for them only for her to completely change the plan and rescue him instead.
Why hadn't Diana stayed the course and followed the plan?
Alfred had told him that it wasn't the plan…it was the team. He wasn't really used to working with a team. It had been too long since he'd had a partner…since Dick. Thinking of him now caused a sick sense of anguish to fill his chest as he tightened his grip on the controls, forcing him to swallow back the acrid bile that burned the back of his throat.
He'd accepted his fate long before they'd even left the Batcave. He knew the risks…knew what was coming and he'd been resolved to sacrifice himself for the good of the team and the world. He was the most expendable of them all, the least valuable player on the team.
Then why had Diana deviated from the plan in order to save him?
His anger continued to fester and brew as he lost himself in the questions that refused to leave his mind. He wasn't supposed to be alive right now. While he wasn't unhappy to be alive, he'd long accepted that he wouldn't outlive his father by very many years, not with the dangerous life that he had chosen to live and definitely not with the vile psychopaths that plagued Gotham's streets.
He'd planned this out in the days leading up to them leaving for this mission. He's made certain that his estate was in order and had been taken care of, some new additions being added before departing on the mission he hadn't believed that he would return from.
Even though dilapidated, he had willed Wayne Manor to Diana to use to build the Justice League along with a sizeable amount of money to help restore it and sustain the League for years to come. She and Clark would need a place as their home base in order to lead the League and he couldn't imagine any more qualified leaders than those two.
While he knew that Diana had a damaged heart similar to his own, she was a born leader with the necessary training and warrior spirit to lead the team, a guiding light that would shine the way. Superman was a beloved symbol, a beacon of hope to all of those around him. Together, they would be the leadership the Justice League would need.
Batman? Batman was a myth…an urban legend…a demon of the night. He was cold and heartless, a monster that sank to the level of the criminals around him. He needed to; it was necessary in order to hold the disparaged city together singlehandedly. It was like trying to stop the countless cracks and splinters in a massive dam that was about to burst.
He couldn't keep doing this forever and he knew it…felt it deep in his bones and the way his muscles stiffened and ached after a long night of patrol. He was expendable. Why couldn't Diana see that? Why had she risked everything in order to save him?
Bruce watched as the water parted and the platform appeared out of the bottom of the lake. He landed the plane with expert skill, relieved to be home again. He could practically feel Barry bouncing in his seat behind him, more than likely anxious to get out of the plane so he could get his hands on something to eat.
Shutting down the engine, he turned in time to see Diana leap out of her seat and storm off the plane. He had no idea what she was so upset about, but he was bound and determined to find out. He was going to get the answers that he wanted whether she was ready to talk to him or not.
"I'm famished!" Barry exclaimed, pulling his mask off with an exhausted sigh.
"When aren't you famished, speedy?" Arthur uttered with a frown, turning his attention to the Man of Steel. He wrapped a muscular arm around the red caped superhero. "So, I have to say I'm really glad we were able to bring you back to life. I have to admit I was a little iffy about the whole thing at first. You know it was kinda like playing with Frankenstein's monster and all…not sure if we should be doing that, but it all worked out in the end…even if you did kick our collective asses after you first woke up."
Clark gave him a sidelong look, not quite sure what to make of the Aquaman just yet. "Thanks…I think," he muttered with a half-hearted smile.
"I'm starved…blood sugar dropping here," Barry loudly announced, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically as he looked around the cave. "I hope Alf did us a solid and has a buffet hidden around here somewhere."
"I can't stay," Cyborg replied. "I need to see my dad…make sure he's all right. I'm sure he's frantic with worry by now."
"And I need to see Lois," Clark told them, a lopsided smile forming on his face.
"You two have some catching up to do, don't you," Barry knowingly said, elbowing Clark in the ribs and giving him a devilish grin.
"Uh, right," Clark murmured, glancing at the others. "Thank you all again for taking such a dangerous risk by giving me my life back. I know it couldn't have been an easy decision to make."
"Bruce was your biggest champion on that," Arthur revealed. "The rest of us were pretty skeptical about playing God…especially Diana, but it turned out to be the right decision in the end."
Clark looked at Bruce who happened to be conveniently occupied with checking the compartments of his utility belt, doing his best to ignore the conversation taking place around him. Diana stood silently beside him, her arms folded against her chest and a steely expression on her face. The tension between them was palpable even to Clark who had been absent for so much of the formation of the Justice League.
"Thank you, Bruce," Clark sincerely replied, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll never be able to repay you."
"It was nothing," Bruce attempted to brush it off, clearly uncomfortable as everyone stared at him. "It was the least I could do."
Clark's lips twitched with amusement, knowing that Bruce didn't like all the attention being focused on him. "I better not keep Lois waiting."
"We'll all meet up in a few days," Bruce announced to the group. "We have a lot of work to do to formally get the League up and running."
"So, you don't think this is an isolated incident?" Cyborg keenly inquired.
"No, I don't," Bruce stated. "I think this is only the beginning. We're going to have to be prepared for more attacks like this. Besides, I think together we can do a lot a good in this world…be a force for justice."
"Sounds good to me," Barry eagerly agreed. "I don't really have friends so I'm definitely in."
"Really?" Arthur muttered with a roll of his eyes. "I wonder why that is."
"Just be sure that Alf keeps the cupboard stocked for our meetings," Barry told Bruce.
Arthur glanced between Bruce and Diana, noticing the strain as well and knowing what it truly stemmed from even if they weren't willing to admit it yet. "I'll be around," he said. "Just holler when you want me. I can't say that I'll always be there, but I'll try."
Bruce nodded in response as everyone wished each other well before departing, leaving Diana all alone with Bruce in the cave. The silence was near deafening, the tension thick and heavy like a wool blanket that had been thrown up on them.
Bruce tossed his cowl and gauntlets on a nearby table, his utility belt following. He placed the palms of his hands on top of the table, his back to Diana as he attempted to gather his thoughts and emotions, but it was difficult. So many things were vying control, so many things that wanted to be given voice first.
"What were you thinking?"
The sharp edge of her voice cut through the fury and friction like a sword's blade, obliterating any uncertainty or hesitation that Bruce might have been feeling about delving into this conversation. His own fury roared to the surface, causing him to whip around to glare at her.
"Me?" he snapped. "What were you thinking?"
"I was obviously thinking of you because you clearly weren't thinking about yourself," she just as angrily stated.
"I laid out the best plan that gave us the greatest chance of success against Steppenwolf and his Parademons," he claimed, his chest tightening with every word that spilled from his lips.
"Best plan?" she spat out, stalking straight towards him. The angrier she became the thicker her accent was, her brown eyes blazing and revealing the furious storm within. "It was a suicide mission. Admit it, Bruce. You had no intention of returning home tonight, did you? You were planning on dying out there if I hadn't stepped in."
His glare wavered minutely, his breath catching ever so slightly despite holding her stare. To most, it was unnoticeable. To Diana, it was a glaring confirmation. "I was willing to make the sacrifice," he ground out, attempting to storm past her only to be brought to a stop by a death grip on his upper arm.
"Your life for Superman's? Is that it?" she countered. "Clark lost his life, so you have to lose yours to make up for it? You have got to let go of the guilt, Bruce. Forfeiting your life won't atone for Clark's death. It was his choice, his sacrifice to make in order to stop Doomsday, but he's back now…he's alive. He's back with Lois where he belongs."
"I am the least valuable member of this team, Diana, and you know it," he bit out, yanking his arm free as his anger boiled and roiled just beneath the surface. "I have no special abilities, no special girts. I'm not a cyborg or an alien with super strength. I'm just a mortal man, Diana. That is all."
"That's all?" she repeated, incredulous. "I have known mortal men who have been able to accomplish more with no special abilities, fighting with nothing more than sheer will and determination. This team would be nothing without you, Bruce."
"It was a logical, tactical decision that I made, and I would make it all over again if I had to," he shot back. "It made the most sense for me to sacrifice myself than for any other member of the team to do it."
Diana slowly shook her head as she gave him a sad look, anguish replacing the anger that had been swimming in her eyes just moments before. "Do you honestly believe that your life does not matter…that you are not valuable? That you don't matter to anyone or that no one would miss you if you were gone?"
"The world needs you, Diana," he told her with resolute belief. "It needs Clark and the others. It doesn't need Batman."
Diana's hands swiftly moved to cradle his face as she gazed into his eyes clouded with such guilt and shame. It effectively shielded her from seeing the demons that she knew consumed his soul, the things that he was far too afraid to show her, the scars he felt were too ugly to be seen in the light of day.
"You sell yourself so short," she softly replied, her thumb caressing his cheekbone. "You deserve far more than you allow yourself to have, Bruce Wayne."
"I…I don't deserve…" he began, his voice barely above a whisper before trailing off as he lost himself in the purity of the heart and soul he could see reflected in her eyes. What he saw there both terrified and thrilled him, his own heart hammering against his chest wall with where this was leading.
"You might not think that you are valuable or would be missed if you were gone, but you mean everything to me," she confessed.
Closing the distance, she gently pressed her lips to his, wanting him to know how she felt about him, but not wanting to push him into something that he didn't want. It didn't take long for Bruce to respond, though, his hands finding her hair and holding her close as he returned her kiss with growing passion.
He tilted his head, his tongue exploring her mouth and savoring the intimacy of the moment. He had wanted to kiss her for far too long, but he'd feared that she would never or could never return his feelings, especially after mourning the death of Steve Trevor for so long.
Retreating for air, Diana nuzzled her nose against his. "I need you with me, Bruce," she breathlessly confessed.
"But—"
Diana silenced him with the tip of her finger against his lips. "No more excuses, no more questions."
Pulling her flush against him, Bruce crushed his lips to hers, passion born months ago finally free to be expressed. He couldn't help wondering what he could've possibly done to deserve someone as amazing as Diana but was smart enough to know that now was not the time to question it.
Picking her up in his arms, Bruce began to carry her up to his bedroom, prepared to give her everything that he had, to show her everything that he felt for her. He'd come so very close to losing everything tonight only to come home and unexpectedly gain everything.