I arrive home with J'ohn discreetly. Not an eye was laid upon us. We cut through the Batcaves road bath, which, my batmobile would have driven over. I'm greeted by a far too familiar face with an even more familiar look towards me.
"Do I bother asking what happened?" He asks, first looking at me, before turning his head the the Martian.
"Dia.." – "nothing happened. Alfred phone Luscious, and ask him to remove rubble down the alleyway we were at." I butt into the Martian, stopping him from saying something stupid.
"Would that bit of rubble be the Batmobile sir?" He asks, with an eyebrow raised, not looking impressed.
"Don't worry, they'll be paying for it" I reassure him. Martian snickers after hearing me "you think Diana has ten plus million to give out?" He asks me, albeit it was more of a rhetorical question.
"Then she'll pay for it in other ways" I simply reply. I get off the Martian's shoulder, as I don't need his support any longer. "You can leave now J'ohn… thank you for helping out"
"Come to the Watchtower meeting later on today (given it was the early morning), sitting next to or across her may get her to come to her senses a bit more" Martian states, as he walks towards the teleporter.
"It's plausible, but unlikely. She is as stubborn as I and won't care to changer her opinion unless absolutely necessary. As well as that, she is a warrior through and through. She won't feel empathy for me" I state, raising my posture straight, and moving my arm, holding my torso, to the side.
"It wasn't a one sided fight Bruce. You wasn't really that prepared, and she is a goddess."
I attempt to reply but Alfred beats me to it: "I shall feed master Bruce breakfast, and me and him will discuss it there-" he pauses, and turns to me, before adding more "he may not like what I have to say upon the matter, but he'd be a fool to neglect my input".
"Your input is biased to Diana. You seem to care for her well-being more than mine" I spit, pushing Alfred verbally.
"Martian: now is your time to leave – I must show this boy some manners once more. The Oreos are up stairs and in the kitchen, I'm sure you can find them, then exit yourself." Alfred states, rolling up his cuffs.
"Right. I shall see you soon friend" and with that, the Martian leaves.
I turn back to looking at Alfred, only to see his hand raised, slamming my cheek. The force cause my head to turn and look down at my shoulder. "Sort yourself out Master Wayne! You are acting beyond a fool, and you are going to die if you keep this up!"
I simply look back up at him "by who? You're the one who seems to be dangerous, not me"
"I am trying to protect you. You think I enjoy seeing my son come home, to be carrying more injuries that the night before? I love you Bruce, but Diana is in the right here. The sooner you realise you can't punch or push you way out of everything, the sooner you'll develop as a person"
"I don't care about Diana, or anyone else for that matter. My goal is Gotham, and Gotham alone. If I have to be alone to complete this goal, then so be it. I started doing this, knowing fully well how it would go. How cold my life would be. How empty it would feel. But if I have to destroy my life, to save at least one child, from suffering the same fate I did with my parents, then I will without a second thought."
"You say you don't care, but we both know that's a lie. If you truly didn't care, you wouldn't of searched for her when J'ohn mentioned her disappearance. If you didn't care, you would of hit me back just now. You care far greater than all of us, you just seem to think it's a weakness, not a strength."
"Goodnight Alfred." As I turn and leave him. Walking up the many steps to get to my room. I'm done talking with him for now. My injuries are bad, but bare-able with the consumption of additional Painkillers. If it gets too much, I'll patch myself up before the morning.
"Your breakfast Sir. I see your injuries have already been attended too. Also, Luscious has taken care of the Batmobile. Needless to say he's not a happy man." Alfred speaks, opening the door with his back, as he holds a tray, with both hands, full of food.
"Thank you." Is all I say, my body arched forward as I sit on the side of my bed, awaking from inconsistent sleep.
"The Justice League meeting is in approximately fourty-five minutes, I suggest getting ready after consuming my food is a good idea." Alfred places the try beside me, before standing up straight, hands behind his back.
"I agree, thank you again."
"Not a problem Sir. It is what you pay me after all."
"No for everything. I haven't been myself these last few days. I'm not used to this, and it's hard coping with this change."
"It's my fault I never taught you to deal with these feelings. I taught you many things, just not one of the most valuable things. To that I'm sorry, Bruce." With that, he turns away and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
I devour the food beside me, and slurp the drink just as quickly. I hop into the shower, then rush to the cave, putting on my gear. I've done my best to hide the injuries, but a keen eye may noise the slightly wonky nose that just about hides under the cowl.
I enter into the Watchtower. Not a single eye is laid upon me as I storm through the groups of people. 'News travels fast' I think to myself. Funny though, they fear me more now. They probably think I'm hostile and desperate to re-assert dominance of some form. The latter is wrong.
"So in the wake of the recent earthquakes, I have elected the League to help hit areas. There are people who need help, and we have bucket loads to offer, in order to help those swing right back" Superman lectures, the other Justice League members sitting in their designated seats, listening.
"That's all good in all, but where's Bats? Why isn't he here today" Flash asks, snickering, whilst looking around. Whilst he's the only one that laughs, Hal, Shayera & Dinah look back, eyes all glaring at him.
"Batman has called in and said he won't be able to attend for a few days, maybe weeks. He has a situation at Gotham which he needs minimal distractions for if he plans to solve it" Superman replied, winging it in Bruce's defence.
"Funny. I don't remember making that call." Everyone hears the Icey voice, and all turn their heads to the door, to see a daunting Batman standing there. Diana turns her head back quickly though, but not quick enough to evade Bruce's keen observations.
"Ah… Batman, you're back already?! Please, have a seat, this meeting has just started" Clark replies, now slightly sweating under his strip of curled hair dangling on his forehead.
I make my way to my seat, all heads and eyes in the room following me, except for one head – Diana's.
"I think it is a good idea to help those who suffered these unfortunate natural events recently. There's no major threats right now, and this time wouldn't be useful otherwise." I reply as I sit down, now completely opposite Diana. The table was circular, in which the distance from me and her was the diameter. The perpendicular bisector of us two was where Superman was aligned. There was a lot of tension right now, more so than usual when I'm around.
"Oh so you heard that then?" Superman asked cautiously.
"Yes." As I coldly turn to face The Flash, who is now seemingly pissing his pants in the chair he sits in.
"I see..anyway, let's continue." Superman states, as he turns around, back to the massive screen.
The talking of Kal became fainter and fainter, relative to me, as I became more and more focused on the woman parallel to me. I can see her chest rising and falling quicker over time. She is looking straight back, but periodically looks away, to either Kal or the background.
"- to come soon. Is everyone ok with this? Batman, are you ok with this?" Clark asks, looking at me. The attention of everyone falls to me, and I have no clue, nor do I care what he said. "I'll decide closer to it. Gotham is crazy and unpredictable." I reply, as vague as possible.
"So is its Defender." Diana commented. People's head turn to hers, before quickly turning back to me. Flash has a slightly open mouth out of shock, blowing in air, saying "oooh" under his breath.
"The bill is 13.6 million dollars. Don't pull a stunt like that again. You caught me unprepared last night, and I still partly broke you. I won't be so unprepared next time, Diana."
The room goes silent. Everyone is looking frantically at one another, confused about what's going to happen. Even Superman is confused about what's happening. Diana just snickers after a short pause: "don't like being beat by a woman Bruce?" She asks sarcastically. I respond as nonchalant as humanly possibly: "who knew Satan had a womb". This causes a snicker from Flash, before Diana shoots him a glare - he's gone within a microsecond (10^-6 seconds).
"Keep talking and you'll being spending the next month eating through a straw" she threatens, her jaw tightens as her body locks up - she's ready for confrontation.
"Ask Alfred, he'll inform you that I don't eat. Your efforts will be useless, like usual."
She stands up, placing her palms on the desk, leaning slightly forward. Her voice is now raised "you want to put your money where that mouth is rich boy?"
"I'll use the money you owe me if that's your fantasy." – most the room laughs. Diana looks around and starts stressing out internally. She flares her nostrils and stands up straight. "The only fantasy I have of you was fulfilled last night." And with that, she too leaves.
The room remains silent for a few seconds. "It was inevitable." I try to assure them. They must of known it was coming.
"She just wants to be your friend. If you wasn't such a bloody arse then-" "-then what Dinah? I wouldn't get surprised attack and have my batmobile flattened in the ground? I wouldn't have my nose, a rib and my skull basically cracked? Enlighten me."
"Obviously, because that's not what friends do."
"I know, hence why I have issues with her. If I didn't eject from the seat, if Martian wasn't there to warn me, I'd be as flat as the roads painting."
"You bring this on yourself"
"I do nothing that warrants immediate death. Am I cold? Yes. Am I a pain? Probably. But I didn't join this team to make friends. I don't put on this cowl to be liked. I do it because I make a difference. So you can dislike me all you like Dinah, you can judge what I do and say until you're too drained to think. But you can never question the progress I've made to rid this world of evil."
"You will die alone if you keep up like this"
"I know."
"Yet you still push others? Bruce, for being a very intelligent guy – you truly are an idiot."
"Has it ever occurred to you that living a life of isolation means I don't feel the need for friends or a partner? My goals is the protect Gotham, that is all. Now enough of this, it's beyond pointless."
Dinah too gets up and starts to walk out: "just open up once, Bruce. If not for any of us, then at least for her."
"She's the last person I'd open up to right now. Along with any of you."
She stops, slowly closes her eyes and breathes in deeply. She tries one more time "your parents would of wanted to se you happy."
I tighten up. How dare she bring them up. I stand up, and just leave, walking past her, colliding shoulders. I don't budge, she, gets sent a metre or two back, into the wall. She doesn't react to it, knowing she went over a boundary.
Diana laid on her bed in her dorm, staring into the oblivion: the ceiling. 'How has this happened?' she kept asking herself. Struggling more and more to understand Bruce. She thought he cared. Never mind that, she knew he did, but he wouldn't budge. Diana was at a cross road. She could either attempt to re-fix this shattered relationship with Bruce, or could just forget about it, and him, completely.
"May I come in?" A voice comes from outside the door. Diana was deep enough in thought to not hear the tone of the voice, just what they had said.
"I, er… who is it?" She asked innocently, knowing her thoughts would be gone till later on now.
"…Bruce."
"You know the pin" she replied, resting her head into the pillow.
"Actually I don't. I swore to myself I'd give certain members (more) privacy. You are one of them."
A few seconds pass of silence.
"Can we talk about…everything? I think it's fair we do now."
"I'm not ready to. I feel like stomping your head through the floor."
"Can I ask of you not to do that?"
His voice was different. No longer was it cold, hard and deep. But rather, a soft, weaker voice, with feelings and tone behind it. For a second, he sounded genuine.
Diana reluctantly got up, walked to the door and opened it up. Bruce walked in.
"Where do we start?" Diana asks, both now sitting on the bed.
"I guess where it mainly begun – my Birthday Party."
His voice seemed so different. Diana was slightly afraid. She didn't know how to comprehend it. She never had to link it to feelings and thoughts, because it was always nonchalant.
"Ok. Regardless of what's been said, tell me everything, like I was hearing it all for the first time."
"I will, Diana, I promise."
He looked at her, with his Crystal blue eyes. They had a faint sheet around them, giving off a slight watery, shiny look. She couldn't help but look into them, and she knew Bruce reciprocated the thought.
Bruce didn't say anything for several minutes, he just looked at her. Pondering what to do probably. He was always four steps ahead, in almost everything he done. If this was truly important to him ,he'd be 'prepared'.
Just because he was though, doesn't mean she was.
He unexpectedly took her hand, gently. He raised it to his cheek and slowly rubbed his cheek in her palm, as he closed his eyes. He was enjoying it, and after a second of shock, so was she.
"I'm sorry for everything." He said softly, looking up to her.
"As am I" Diana replied.
Bruce took her hand off his cheek, and instead kissed it. He then placed it on his chest. "Do you feel that?" He asked. Diana nodded. "You're doing that to me." He responded, causing her to skip a beat.
He was cold, yet warm. It started to seem like he was everything and anything he needed to be.
He then gently grabbed her forearm, slowly planting kisses up her forearm, across a faint vain. Diana became flustered, she didn't know what came over him. Lust? Second thought? She was confused, yet enjoyed being lost in him. That was a no go at all times with Diana.
"Diana"
"Yes Bruce."
"Diana?"
"Yes?"
"Diana?!"
She opened her eyes to see a Dinah in front of her, holding each of Diana's shoulders. It was all a dream. A cruel, wicked dream caused by Aphrodite herself it feels.
"Yes Dinah?"
"I came in to grab one of my items and I saw you sweating, a lot. I thought you was having a nightmare."
"Overall Dinah, I think it was."
She was disappointed. She knew it would never happen. Bruce just wasn't like that, no matter how much she thought otherwise. Bruce just wouldn't show it, he was too far gone down the road of isolation to turn back.
Yet, she still felt a powerful urge to save him.