Sorry for the long wait but someone asked for a new chapter and... I felt like it was needed. Thank you for your support and to those who are still interested in this story.
Chapter 3 : Girls and Boys
He had nothing to feel guilty about. Absolutely nothing. There was nothing to be embarrassed about, either. And yet, Bruce Wayne felt like this was going to be one of the most awkward moments in his life since Alfred had given him the talk a couple of years before with diagrams of the human body and all.
"Wow," Dick muttered as he eyed Wayne manor from inside the car. His eyes were wide and his nose was almost squashed against the window.
"I do not understand the need of such large enclosed spaces. It seems dark," Diana explained in her honest tone.
Of course she disliked darkness. She was light herself, a beacon that called him. He wished he could ignore her and pretend to not care about her every move but, how? Her every move was so graceful.
Bruce smirked to himself. That girl was certainly different from most people. She failed to be impressed by his cars or house and she had no trouble to tell him off, unlike most girls who flirted with him no matter how much of an idiot he made himself look like.
"I enjoy spending time outside," she provided as further information. "How could we not enjoy the fresh air and nature, the songs of birds and sunlight?"
Dick frowned as he poked his head between the front seats. "Diana, this is Gotham. We have no fresh air, it is always cloudy or raining, and most birds are seagulls, crows and vultures."
Crinkling her nose, she huffed.
Who could have thought that half an hour earlier she was wolfing down a gigantic cone of ice cream like a four year old would? Now she was the same princess he had seen at lunch, the one with great energy and incredible strength. Bruce guessed she practiced some kind of sport, or maybe many. As his mind tried to think about that, his eyes tried to roam along her magnificent figure.
"You seem distracted, Bruce," Diana commented, as Dick snickered.
They soon parked outside the manor and made a quick way out of the luxurious car.
"Is this your home?" Diana asked. "Do you have a large family? It seems you could provide shelter for many people." She stood almost as tall as he was, wearing a red jacket and jeans, her long dark hair being mussed by the wind.
"No. It's just me and Alfred."
"But what about your-"
Even if Dick was a very stealth and quick boy, Bruce noticed the way he tugged on Diana's sleeve and shook his head. By then, the whole country remembered and knew about his parents' murder, about the little rich orphan boy who was just two years away of inherit the Wayne empire.
"I texted my parents to let them know I'll be late," Dick said as he climbed up the steps to the front door. "Do you need to let your host family know where you are?"
"No," Diana responded. "I am currently living with… an aunt," she added with hesitance.
"Oh, okay."
Bruce pushed the front door open and let his friends in, hearing a few more wows from Dick and watching how Diana just stood there, waiting for an invitation.
"Princess?" he called in a low voice and saw her cheeks tinting pink, even if she tried to glare at him. "Want a tour around the house?" his voice dropped a few octaves, and he closed the distance between them. He was ready to turn the charm on, finally regaining his composure but just as he was about to put together a witty and full sentence, someone decided to interrupt.
"Master Bruce?"
He almost groaned in reply.
"The school called. They said you had skipped classes but I couldn't believe it." The tone said it all. It wasn't the first time he did it. Granted, most of those times, he was investigating one thing or another, or going over the latest projects of Wayne Enterprises and not eating ice cream with a couple of people in his demographic.
"I was busy."
Alfred's eyes landed on the beautiful girl standing in the middle of the foyer. "I see."
Bruce's eyes narrowed. "A friend," he mumbled awkwardly. "She's new at school and… some kids were picking on her." Diana shot him a look. Yeah, he wasn't a great storyteller, but he doubted Alfred cared. The old man knew he was lying anyway. "She's from Greece. Diana Prince. Diana, this is Alfred Pennyworth."
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Prince."
"You're a butler?" Suddenly, a squeaky voice chipped in. Dick was studying Alfred from up close and with honest curiosity. "I've never seen one in real life, only in movies. He has to be pretty rich, huh?"
Alfred smirked. "Indeed, but as you can see, money cannot buy intelligence."
Diana and Dick snickered despite Bruce's glare.
"And who are you, young man?"
"Richard Grayson, but everyone calls me Dick."
"As you wish, Mister Grayson."
"Ooh, that is my dad," Dick said as he pulled a face. "This formality is not my thing."
"It is an art," Diana replied. "In which Mister Pennyworth seems quite skilled."
Alfred smiled, as if he knew a secret no one else knew. "Please, call me Alfred, Miss. I do not wish to feel older than I already am. Are you hungry, children?"
"Well, not really," Dick mumbled, scratching the back of his head, just as Bruce added,
"We ate half a pint of ice cream each."
But Diana grinned. "I could eat."
"Follow me. I'm glad I won't have to throw away the bouillabaisse. Do you like seafood?"
"I love it," Diana replied gracefully while Bruce and Dick exchanged a look. It was really disturbing how much that girl could eat.
She had more than a few secrets that Bruce was willing and eager to discover.
After watching her eat and listening to her speaking to Alfred about food and social rules, Bruce thought she had to be royalty or something similar. She spoke more than a couple of languages and was very careful of all her words and gestures, even if she spoke truthfully.
And he soon learned that apparently she had many, many sisters but not a father. Not that he believed that was strange.
"Do you have a boyfriend back in Greece?" Alfred wondered and at that Bruce sputtered the soda he was drinking.
"Ooh," Dick taunted, leaning on his elbows over the counter. "I forgot to ask about that, Alfred. You're very smart, almost like a detective."
"I have not engaged a relationship with a man in any form," Diana replied in a frosty tone. "My mother… she does not trust men and we are not allowed to date, as you would say."
"What if you met a nice guy?" Dick asked with an amused smile on his face but clearly looking at Bruce. "Or at least one who is not as much of a jerk as others your age."
Diana ducked her head and sighed. "That is something Mother mentioned, and why she did not want me to come to the Man's World. We reached an agreement. If I happen to meet a man who I believe is worthy of my… affection, he will need to prove himself."
"Prove himself?" Bruce prodded.
"Yeah, like dinner with her and getting the third degree, right?" Dick asked, making Diana chuckle at his naivety. "I could do that."
"You're a very charming boy, Richard."
Bruce frowned at his soda before standing up and chucking it into the trash can.
There was no way she could be interested in Dick. She treated him like a younger brother and, in return, Dick never hinted that he liked her more than as a friend.
"But I believed you told me you were interested in other girl… or girls should I say?" Diana added and this time everyone's eyes fell upon the younger boy who was blushing furiously, trying to hide behind his own can of soda to conceal his embarrassment.
Bruce smirked. "Is he?"
"He happened to mention a pretty and smart-looking redhead with glasses."
"That must be Barb," Bruce offered, suddenly very interested in this topic. If he managed to focus the attention in other people's problems, he would gladly do it. Besides, if something happened between Dick and Barb, Bruce would be the first to tease her about it. "So who are the other girls?"
"A dark haired, shy girl who is always trying to go unnoticed?"
"Helena Bertinelli?" Bruce asked Dick, but the boy only shrugged and ducked his head.
Helena was a strange girl, who had gone through a lot at her young age. Not everyone knew about her family or her past, but he had done more than a little research about her. Despite her shyness, she was smart and devoted to the practice of martial arts. They had been in the same class back when he was twelve, and she was extremely skilled for such a small girl.
"Seems like Mister Grayson has excellent taste."
Dick snickered nervously. "I, I don't know them. I just think they are cute."
Diana sighed wistfully at him. "That's adorable, Richard. You should try to get to know them."
Scoffing, Bruce provided advice without being asked, "Good luck with that. With Helena's shyness and Barb's lack of people skills, you sure will have problems."
"Bruce!" Diana scolded. "That's so… mean!" She glared at him, her beautiful ocean blue eyes icy on him. "Richard is a handsome, sweet and intelligent young man that I'm sure will manage to create a bond with them, if he wishes so. They will be lucky to count with his friendship, as we are."
"Sorry?"
"You should apologize to Richard."
"Fine," he groaned, noticing very well the amusement dancing on Alfred's face. "I'm sorry, Dick."
"It's okay. Maybe you could help me with the… ladies. It's known around the school that all the girls like you, so you must have some advice. I mean, I don't have the money or the looks." Dick frowned and then pouted. "Or the charming personality, much less the popularity because I'm new."
"I'm a jackass, Dick."
"Finally, we agree on something," Diana muttered, earning herself a smirk from Bruce. "I apologize. And I'm thankful for your hospitality, Bruce, Alfred. I should return home before it's too late."
"Yup, I have homework too so I should go with Di." Dick gathered his thing and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"Okay, I can drive you home if you want." Bruce said standing up. "We are pretty far from… almost anywhere in Gotham."
They dropped off Dick first, since he was in a hurry because his parents had apparently been called by the school to let them know about their son's activities. With a little of his charm, Bruce managed to come up with believable excuses for them but the Graysons were mostly happy about Dick making friends with the likes of Bruce Wayne.
As Bruce and Diana reached Gotham Village, they had fallen under an awkward silence. He really did not know how to engage conversation because he had not needed it before. Other girls just swooned at the sight of him and that was why he did not like them; they were not a challenge. Now Diana was there, attentively studying the radio and enjoying the music.
"So," he started.
Diana blinked at him. "Yes?"
"You, you haven't told me where you live exactly."
"Oh, of course. Next block, turn left." She kept giving him instructions, until they arrived to an old building with fancy looking apartments.
"Your aunt seems to have a nice place."
"Yes, she has an unlimited supply of… anything she wants."
"Is she divorced?" Bruce quipped.
"What? Um, something like that. Venus is quite resourceful." As Diana spoke, a white dove landed on the hood of the car, studying them. "I should go. Thanks for everything, Bruce."
"No problem. See you tomorrow at school?" He asked as she tried to make a quick exit.
She turned her head over her shoulder and smiled at him. "Yes. Of course. And this time you are cordially invited to join us for lunch."
There was his opening. "Do, do you want me to pick you up?"
"I don't want to impose."
"It wouldn't be a problem."
"Okay." In an unexpected move, she leaned over and pecked his left cheek and then the right. When she pulled away she was blushing in the most adorable way. "Thank you for a lovely time."
He watched her dash into the building before looking at his reflection on the rearview mirror.
Bruce Wayne did not blush… he was just a little flustered. Perhaps.
