His body ached, but in a good way. He slipped from his large bed and made his way to the attached bathroom. He turned the light on and looked at himself in the mirror. He was older now and been Batman for quite sometime the sheer plethora of scars along his torso and flanks, some of them from last night he noted, marked him. He traced his hand through his hair glad for not seeing a gray hair even with the compounding stress of the job weighing on him. He hoped he'd be like his father, old but youthful in spirit.
He looked over to his bed and certainly showed a portion of that spirit to Cheetah. He also showed her his face, his home, and his identity. He risked everything, and for what? Was this just a one time fling? He turned on the water and ran his hands over his face. The cool water woke him up and he turned his head side to side, only a few light scratch marks could be seen there nothing scarring but he couldn't be too careful. The night was indeed long, and yet it was still dark out when he rose. He turned his form and looked at his back. It was gouged out in a few places, but his own stubborn body didn't let him detect it. He was tempted to turn on a shower, but he didn't want to wake her. He made his way through the Manor instead to try and make himself tired again. How little that would do for him with his usual nights.
He was in the kitchen and prepared himself a small platter of fruit, despite Alfred's dedicated service he wasn't incapable of grabbing, or making, his own meals. He took a bite of an apple slice and felt a bit more awake. He made his way to the library and set the platter down before he traced his fingers along the many books he read, and a few he hadn't. It was then he felt a claw trace along his back. He turned about to strike the attacker, even his arm flexed to strike the blow, but relaxed at that playful smile on her furred lips.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked, offering a smile.
He smiled at her tiredly. "Something like that."
She pressed against him and their lips met. Her furred body warmed him despite the chill at that touched him before. She pulled away and her claw traced along the back of his hair which sent another chill down his spine, a welcome one. "You have me worried, you know."
His brow lofted at that. "Worried?"
She nipped his jaw. "I see you out there nightly and you're not tired? Not stressed about any of this?"
He took her claws and he brushed his lips along her knuckles. "You helped me forget about being Batman for a night."
There was a hint of playfulness in her eyes while she smiled. "I'd like to make it a night and a day…"
He smiled at that and he kissed her again softly. "Maybe that is-"
"Batman," a voice chirped in his ear, interrupting his musings for now.
He frowned and pressed a hand to his ear. "Go ahead, J'onn."
"Mister Freeze and what seems to be another cold villain are tearing apart downtown Gotham. No identity on the second one yet, but we're trying our best."
Cheetah's ears pressed to her head as she heard the conversation. Batman gave a weary sigh before he responded. "On my way." He then frowned at her. "I'm sorry."
A smile pulled along her lips, showing her fanged teeth. "Oh you think you're going alone?"
Batman and Cheetah moved quickly. It was refreshing to know someone had your back on patrol. That was the whole point of the League. Lately however, Batman had been out of touch with them. Gotham's criminal activity had picked up ever since the Injustice Gang had tried to take the League out in one fell swoop. He shot his grapple, gripping Cheetah close as they swung down. They both were in the air when they managed to share a smile before they both crashed down on their foes.
Batman's foot crashed into the back of Mr. Freeze's glass head while Cheetah pounced on the back of Cameron Mahkent, Icicle, and they both went into a roll before them. The pair of ice villains got to their feet and both threw their fury of cold at the pair. Batman whirled to the left and kept wide while Cheetah pounced side to side, closing in on Icicle. Mr. Freeze switched his target and froze Cheetah's leg. She stumbled and went right to the feet of Icicle who grinned down at her.
Batman made Mr. Freeze pay dearly for not paying attention to the real threat.
He threw a thermite bomb. The deadly explosive knocked both of them far, and Mr. Freeze was rolled along the ground, screaming in pain. Icicle managed to get to his feet in time to receive a batarang across the jaw and a flying roundhouse to knock him on his back again. Mr. Freeze froze himself in place but Icicle stood up again and threw an arc of ice spikes before throwing another.
Batman found himself on the defensive as he weaved side to side and used his cape to knock a few astray before he slapped another to the side. One punched through his thigh and he was sent to the ground on his stomach. He didn't cry out but gritted his teeth. He went prone and Icicle kept his distance, but smirked at him.
"Oh come on Bats, you think a new kitty and you could beat me and Freeze?"
Batman let his arm sail out and shot his grapple at him. It sunk into his shoulder and suddenly Batman closed the distance in moments. His knee slammed into his face before he flipped in the air, bringing his heel hard down on top of his head. Icicle didn't seem to move though it was clear he still breathed.
Then and there Batman didn't care if he was alive or not. He made his way to Cheetah and carefully used his miniaturized laser to cut along the edges of the ice on her leg before peeling the frozen fur away. She cried out and her claw shot into his shoulder. His teeth gritted again but he understood her pain.
"Easy," he murmured, "I know it hurts."
"You n-never h-had fur on your s-skin."
He kept his face neutral, but a smile tugged briefly at his lip. "Last night I did."
The very claw in his shoulder swatted it before gripping it again tight. "S-Smart a-ass."
He leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. She was cold, but still tasted oddly sweet. The action seemed to soothe her as she relaxed her grip on him
"Save your strength. I'm taking you back to the cave. Alfred can get a few warm towels."
She nodded and reached her arms up, curling them around his neck. Even as he called for the Batmobile he felt his leg stiffen, the cold settling in. Another chill went down his spine.
Back at the cave Cheetah was stretched out along one of the may spare tables and her legs were covered in warm towels. She was propped up on a few as well, sitting up and watching Batman strip down. The amusement in her eyes were replaced with worry when she noticed the wound on his leg and gave him a very small pout.
"You're hurt."
"Usually get hurt on patrol," he commented, "it's a work hazard."
"It looks painful."
He shrugged. "Most injuries are."
She folded her arms over her chest. "Come here."
He did and she noticed the wince on his face with every movement of his leg. She pulled him into a fierce kiss. "You should call Alfred."
"Master Bruce is too stubborn to call for aid, Ms. Cheetah, but I believe that I can help with his…curious injury."
Alfred Pennyworth was the image of an English butler right down to the accent. He wore a tuxedo and his hair had settled into a dark gray. He had a few more warm towels and what appeared to be a stitching kit. Bruce swore if he and Alfred were to stand in a room together in darkness he'd be found first and not his surrogate father.
"Alfred I'm fine," Bruce insisted with a wave of his hand, "Cheetah needs to be watched for hypothermia however. Her leg was encased in it."
"For only a short time," she countered, "you had an icicle go through your leg. Don't be stubborn, two to one."
"Democracy at its finest sir, have a seat, mm?"
Bruce finally relented and settled on the table beside Cheetah. He felt Cheetah's hand curl about his own and her furred lips graze along his neck he leaned into it even as he closed his eyes to enjoy it further.
"Thank you." She purred.
He turned his head and kissed her softly, a hand cupped her furred cheek and his thumb traced along it. "I should be thanking you. Icicle was right. I likely couldn't take on him and Freeze in the long run."
Alfred was already working and Bruce scowled as the needle pierced his skin. He kept talking to ignore the pain even as Alfred swatted his knee to keep it still as he worked.
"You managed to take them both easily enough."
He frowned a bit but nodded after. "Icicle is too…young. He can still be formidable though like his father. It is curious though why those two were working together."
Cheetah's gaze was on Alfred's work for a moment before peering to him. "Drawing your attention from something else you think?"
He brought a hand up and cupped his chin, thinking. What could Freeze and Icicle want? Who could they work for? There weren't that many that had enough money to hire on the pair of them, and commonly Freeze operated alone. Icicle simply took on his father's mantle and paired up with other villains to make a quick buck. It made no sense, at least not yet.
"You're brooding." She noted after awhile before kissing at his neck again.
"Thinking," he corrected, "do you know anything of Icicle?"
She shrugged a slender shoulder. "No more then you, maybe Freeze promised him a big score?"
"I wouldn't put it past him. Freeze is obsessive to find a way to bring back his wife and I don't blame him just he's using what he knows in the wrong way."
"…Wouldn't you be doing the same thing if you lost someone and have a chance to bring her back?"
Alfred had finished up the stitching and wrapped a pair of warmed towels around his leg. He barely noticed his departure however as he pulled Cheetah in for another warm kiss. A low purr escaped her and her arms tightened around his neck. He broke the kiss after awhile and pressed his forehead to hers. So much had changed in such short a time. He spoke again without thinking, trusting his gut and the longing feeling he just craved to have filled.
"I'd do that for you, Cheetah. You should know that."
The expression of her face Bruce admitted was priceless. It was happiness, shock and lust all at once. She growled and pulled him down on top of her. His leg protested, but he found himself lost in another kiss before he could say anything. "Barbara," she murmured against his lips.
"Barbara," he murmured and smiled as he said her name, "a lovely name."
She reached her claws down and eased the remains of his suit down. He shivered involuntarily against her. His length was already hard. Her warm claw closed around it and stroked slowly as she eased him against her folds.
"Bruce…" she hissed as he entered her.
That only spurred him on. His thrusts were slow and her legs curled about his waist while her arms went around his neck. He kissed and bit at her neck and her lithe form curled and ground along his thrusts. She moaned softly in his ear. He started to speed up, the sound of flesh against fur echoed throughout the cave. Bruce didn't care. He kissed the moaning Barbara again and suddenly he felt her folds clamp down on him. She gasped and mewled before she pulled back, panting.
"N-Nnh…God that felt so strange…"
He stopped thrusting, his length still fully aroused in her. His playboy side told him to finish, but to his own surprise he stopped and admired the lightly panting, sweaty form. He cupped her cheek and he felt a frown of concern forming along his lips. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine just," her hand trailed down his stomach before she started to rub at her own clit, "just been awhile I guess, even with last night it all feels surreal."
He smiled at her as he kissed and nibbled on what he could of her bust. Soon she was moaning again and his hips began to pound into her own. A hand pulled her hips closer to his. Their lips met again and his tongue traced at hers. The pair of them was soon moaning together with their free hand holding and gripping above Cheetah's head. He gripped her furred rump tightly Bruce's own orgasm shot deep in her folds. Her inner walls clamped and shuddered along his length.
They rested for awhile and soon he moved his hips to try and pull himself out. Her other hand however came around and gripped his lower back. "Don't," she whispered to him, "stay like this with me…please?"
Bruce could only agree as he kissed her softly again.