Loving someone and being in love is like feeling the sun from both sides.
"Catch me if you can Diana!"
Clark roared with laughter as he heard Diana sigh in frustration behind him, their twin shapes streaking through the upper atmosphere, leaving a sonic-wake behind. They had spent the night together, floating above the earth after that first and life-altering embrace. They were surprised to find how much they had to talk about, even after so many years of knowing each other, it was like learning about someone all over again.
It would have been so easy to share a more intimate embrace in that heated moment of loving passion, but they had both held back. They had waited over a thousand years to finally come together, and with Diana's immortality and Clark's unknown lifespan, they were just happy to be spending a first date together, behaving like they were teenagers...super-powered flying teenagers that is.
"Kal I'm going to kiss you when I catch you, but then I'm going to kill you!" Diana responded, racing after him, making Clark only laugh harder as they both accelerated over the coast of South America.
"I like the sound of one of those things Princess" Clark responded, before abruptly coming to a halt in mid-air and turning around, causing Diana to slam into him at full speed.
In a blur of motions and before she could register what had happened, he wrapped his arm around her waist and his lips pressed against hers. Diana blinked her eyes in surprise, but then shrugged, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer to her, both of them reveling in the feeling of the other.
She was the first one to break the embrace, before pushing Clark away lightly, and placing her hands on her hips and regarding her man.
"If you think I'm just going to let you kiss and manhandle me whenever you want, then you've got another thing coming Kal!" She said playfully, causing Clark to tilt his head and arch his eyebrow in skepticism.
"Is that so Princess? And what other thing coming would that be?" He teased her back, causing a small grin to tug at the corners of Diana's mouth, but she suppressed it for a moment, determined to maintain her resolve despite the over-the-moon giddiness that she was feeling.
"That would be that if you have the sacred right of making out with the Princess of the Amazons, then I have the utmost privilege of making out with the Last Son of Krypton" Diana said, her smile finally lighting up her face. She reached forward, roughly grabbing Clark by the back of his head and pulling his lips to hers and kissing him with all her held-back passion. She broke the kiss as quickly as she had begun, leaving Clark wide-eyed and with a dazed look on his face, like she had thrown him completely off-balance.
"You leave me breathless Diana" He finally managed to say, his voice breaking slightly in the middle like he had something caught in his throat.
"I would have it no other way Kal" She responded, before reaching forward and grabbing the hem of his cape and then proceeding to use her own God-gifted speed to wrap it around his head and upper body, essentially blinding and tangling him up.
"Now you catch me!" Diana challenged, before streaking off in the sky.
"That woman is truly the most amazing person I have ever met in my entire life" Clark thought to himself as he quickly began to spin in a rapid circle, using his own velocity to untangle the cape from his body and face.
Diana did not understand how she had gone so long without telling Kal how she had truly felt. The knowledge that Kal loved her and she loved him back seemed to increase her already immense strength, as if she was drawing energy from the deepest part of her heart.
"So Diana, what did you want to do on our official first date? Is it your intention to just play tag with me for the rest of the day?" Clark said, streaking through the sky to catch up to her as she giggled uncontrollably ahead of him.
"The Amazon Princess giggling like a five-year old, there's no way Bruce would ever believe this" He thought to himself as Diana slowed her speed, pondering his question with an intense look of thought on her face. His heart was briefly brought slightly down when he saw a look of concern cross over her smile, however he was already pretty sure he knew why her mood had changed.
"That is the question isn't it Kal. I am filled with jubilation that Aphrodite has chosen to finally smile upon us but I curse her at the same time that she brought us together at this moment" Diana said, allowing Clark to catch to her and take her hand in his, the two of them floating above the world, strolling through the clouds like a teenaged couple would walk down the street.
"You are referring to the most-likely upcoming invasion of Themyscira by Set to prevent Isis from raising Osiris?" Clark responded, causing Diana's face to go pale in both shock and surprise that he knew about it already.
"Oh Hera, his super-hearing, he was floating outside the palace for god-knows-how-long and he could have heard everything that was said when we met with Hera and Isis, did he also hear my admission of love for him prior to our conversation?" Diana thought, briefly upset that he may have had some foresight to their confessions the previous night.
"Your sisters are quite vocal about the upcoming skirmish Diana, and just because I was not there at the Watchtower when J'onn received the call for assistance from the Island does not mean I cannot hear the communiques from here" Clark quickly responded, immediately noticing that Diana seemed to be concerned that he might have overheard something he was not supposed to between her and her family. Even if he had wanted to eavesdrop on her, it would have been nearly impossible as the magical properties of Themyscira had always caused problems with his powers.
"Oh thank Hera" Diana said, letting out an audible sigh, relieved that he had not heard anything else.
"Was there something you were worried about me hearing?" Clark raised his eyebrows, tilting his head down towards her, in a face of mock-betrayal and surprise.
"Not anymore Kal. My mother, sister and I had a conference with both Isis and Hera regarding the situation. While Isis was voicing her love for Osiris, she was able to quickly figure out that I was harbouring a great deal of love for a certain Kryptonian" Diana responded, beginning to feel her cheeks redden as Clark smiled.
"A certain Kryptonian? You're in love with Zod?" Clark quipped as Diana smacked him on the arm, immediately chastising him.
"As far as the Gods are concerned you're the Last Son of Krypton" Diana responded, laughing once again as Clark rubbed his arm where she had hit him.
"I appreciate that I am the only alien for you. I am truly sorry Diana that it took as long as it did for us to get together when we only have days before we go up against high-level supernatural forces. From what I overheard on the Island and from my own knowledge of Egyptian mythology, this Set is very dangerous, even more powerful than Ares and most of the Olympian pantheon. This could be worse than Darkseid..." Clark allowed himself to trail off, briefly brought back to the unbelievable pain and personal scaring that both he and Diana had endured at the hands of the powerful God from Apokolips.
Diana closed her eyes and nodded, "You are absolutely right Kal, the battle will be very intense, but I think I have a new appreciation for why Isis is willing to take the risk to resurrect her husband. I would move heaven and earth, fly directly into the mouth of Tartarus for you, and I know you would do the same. I cannot imagine ever having to be taken from you or have you stolen away. We have finally found eachother, I will not lose you again".
"Yes, their love story is a timeless one, thousands of years old. The fact that we could actually have a hand in bringing it to a happy ending is truly beautiful and almost overwhelming. I just never enjoy it when we are dealing with the supernatural and the wars of deities, especially the fact that the battleground is your home" Clark said, shaking his head and glancing downward, briefly reminded of all the needless carnage that they had seen over the years. It could sometimes be overwhelming, even for beings such as themselves.
Diana stopped abruptly in the sky, taking his head into her hands and forcing him to meet her eyes.
"My mother, sister, family, friends, and my love are all ready to defend that home, and they will be standing next to me when that day is upon us. You spoke to me Kal about being afraid to admit to your feelings to me when we were together in Asgard, to have me one day only to possibly lose me the next. Those feelings will never go away. You and I risk our lives every day, and any moment could be our last. We can never plan too far into the future, but I know that for whatever time we have, whether it be ten minutes or ten thousand years, I know I want to spend them together with you. I thank the Gods for the time we have" She said, drawing him close.
"I know Diana, and I would not have it any other way. Whatever life we have left is ours to share. It definitely eases the load that we carry, knowing that you are there to shoulder it next to me. We are not alone my Princess" Clark responded, causing her to briefly look like she was going to hit him for calling her by her royal title, but she could tell by the sincere look in his eyes that there was nothing but love behind the words.
"Don't get used to calling me that Kal just because I chose not to hit you this time" Diana said, pulling him in tighter to her.
She looked to see him smile in his lopsided way that made her heart do somersaults. "I would never dream of it my love".
As they flew along together, speaking of ancient gods and supernatural forces, Clark picked up on something about what she had said previously, and decided to address it outright.
"Diana, I remember when you first arrived in Man's World, it seemed that every other word out of your mouth was addressing the Olympian gods, or calling to them for strength or guidance. I used to think that you said 'Hera give me strength' more often than you said hello" Clark said, briefly remembering the many years that they had fought side by side, and the thousands of conversations they had had. So many memories, so many years while holding back.
Clark watched as Diana sighed, her eyes drifting downward momentarily, briefly contemplating his words. "And I remember a certain Kryptonian who referenced Rao whenever her could. That is the problem with reality Kal, we can't fight it. Your birth-parents educated you about Krypton's mythologies as did my mother about ours. Our Gods are very real, and so are the Egyptian Gods, and the New Gods of Apokolips, and the Roman Gods, the list goes on. As you and I have constantly seen, these 'Gods' can sometimes be petty, cruel, and unforgiving. We have fought too many battles and had too many close calls. We have fought against these Gods themselves and we are about to do it again. They are just super-powered beings, with just a little bit more power. After so many years of living around these so-called deities, I guess I called to them less and less just like you did, but as you see I still call to them every now and then, because they're still a part of who I am" Diana responded quietly, briefly bothered by the memories of how many times various 'Gods' had betrayed or let them down when they were actually needed.
"You're right Diana. Maybe one day we'll finally know what's behind all of it" Clark said, agreeing with his love Diana. "Besides I have noticed that both of us still tend to call to our old Gods in moments of passion in a heated battle" He said, acknowledging her point that they still made up a large part of who they were.
"Just in the moment of battle Kal? I'm willing to wager all the gold in Greece that I could make you call out to Rao at several other moments of passion" Diana responded coyly, catching Clark so off-guard that he almost dropped in the sky.
"Diana, what would your mother say if she heard you talking to a man like that?" Clark replied, while at the same time, reaching over and pulling her closer to him. He watched as a grin tugged at her lips and her left eyebrow raised in mock-scolding.
"A few years ago she most likely would have removed your manhood with the Sword of Hephaestus for thinking you could bed the Princess of Themyscira...but today? She'd most likely be pleased that there was a chance she could have grandchildren" Diana said, causing Clark to laugh at the stark change in reality, while briefly thinking that if his mother and Hippolyta were good friends there was no way they had not spent hours planning a future wedding and speaking about grandchildren.
"Do you even know if we can have children Diana?" Clark briefly wondered aloud, moving the subject slightly, watching as Diana smiled in return.
"Well I may not pray to Aphrodite as frequently as I used to but I do trust that when I was made they would not have left the ability to conceive out of it. Besides Kal, we've got alot of time to make up for, and I'm sure we will try many times to attempt that do you not think so?" Diana smiled, reaching forward and grabbing Clark by his hip and pulling him in tightly. She laughed as she noticed a certain tremor run up through his body, enjoying that she was making a man that could lift a continent over his head both very excited and very nervous.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Clark thought to himself, feeling the blood rush to several areas in his body, his eyes beginning to take on a tinge of fiery red.
Diana looked up into his burning irises, taking extreme satisfaction in the hunger that seemed to be taking over Clark's body. It matched her own as she felt her heart begin to be pound violently against her chest, her warrior instincts running into overdrive. She had been a patient woman for many years, they had waited too long already, and she could tell from the heat coming off of both of them that looked like it was about to set the air on fire, that they were both ready.
"I am a Princess of the Amazons Kal, I have always given everything I have into every battle I have ever fought, and I have alot to give you" Diana said, as she let her fingers stray up to the collar-line of his uniform as he placed his hands on the waistline of her armor.
"I love you Diana and I am tired of waiting as well. We have alot of time to make up and I have been holding so much back" Clark said, his heart caught in his throat as he was finally holding her the way he had always longed to.
"I love you as well Kal. Don't you ever hold back again, we are together now, from this moment on. Show me what you've got Mr. Kent" She said, choking the words out, allowing all her built-up passions to come bubbling up and over the surface.
"As you wish Ms. Prince" Clark responded, capturing his lips with hers, there no longer being anymore need for words, their passions speaking a language as old as time.
Meanwhile back in Gotham...
Alfred hummed to himself as he continued cleaning up the dash of the Batcomputer, ignoring the broken screens and hunks of twisted metal and earth around him. He looked over briefly as he watched Bruce looking over at the broken wreck of his beloved Batmobile, which now resembled something that had been put through the trash compactor...twice.
"The things I do for my friends..." Bruce thought to himself, wondering where he should even start.
"In some ways he will always still be that small boy" Alfred thought to himself, noting Bruce's posture as he surveyed the damage to the cave.
Both their thoughts were interrupted by a slight rumble in the floor of the Batcave, as a small alarm began to sound from one of the few remaining intact screens of the monitor display. Bruce quickly made his way over to the keyboard, furiously tapping away and bringing up multiple geological displays, triangulating the source of the tremors.
In moments the metallic female voice from the computer clarified the situation; "Seismic activity center located twenty miles off the southern coast of Greece. 8.9 magnitude strike, small tidal disturbance, tsunami risk low, Earth axis temporary shift, correcting, no damages reported at this time".
"Well I'll be damned" Bruce thought as he began shaking his head.
"Everything alright Master Bruce?" Alfred queried as he noticed Bruce had stopped typing and just stared at the screen in silence.
"Everything is just fine Alfred, everything is just fine" Bruce said as Alfred watched with slight surprise as his face tugged with a smile at the corner, before quickly going back to his normal stoic expression.
"I think I'll take a break from figuring out how much this is going to cost me to repair and go see how Selina is doing" Bruce said, as he began ascending what was left of the stairs.
"Give the future Mrs. Wayne my best regards" Alfred said, going back to wiping the computer dash.
"I will Alfred, thank you" Bruce said, as he began to look forward to an energetic visit with his soon-to-be wife. His thoughts were again interrupted as the slight rumbling persisted for a few more moments, causing him to let out a small sigh.
"God damn it Kent, you moved the bloody Earth, that's just the two of you showing off".
A/N: Apologies for the long delay everyone. Life happens, we all know that. Back to business. Hope you are all enjoying this. Thank you for the reviews and favourites! Will be posting with more regularity now.
