Protean
"The Man on the Flying Traipse"
Gotham Heights
Clark shifted to the opposite side as Diana slowly walked over. He couldn't help thinking the effect of her in the bathing suit seemed to intensify the closer she got. Quickly glancing down, he was reassured the churning water didn't let you see below the surface. When he looked up, she was standing on the rim of the Jacuzzi looking down at him with a smile.
"I asked do you mind if I joint you?"
"No." His voice actually cracked a bit and he coughed to clear it. "I mean, no, help yourself."
"Thank you."
She stretched out what seemed to him to be an impossibility long leg into the water and then eased the rest of her body down across from him. She watched his reaction the whole time. Her smile grew as he raised his hand out of the water and rubs it across his forehead just above his eyebrows. Diana liked this game. She realized that was what it was, a game of flirting.
When he looked up at her, she reached up and brushed some of her curls behind her ear. She tilted her head to the side, stretching a bit while still holding his gaze.
"The water feels wonderful, Kal, very hot,' she said.
"Ye-Yeah,' he managed to reply. It's not the only thing, he thought. He sunk a little lower in the water, so only his face remained above the surface. She sat a little higher in the water. While her bathing suit was modest by most standards, it provided more than just a hint of cleavage. From watching others on the station and her own personal experience, Diana knew men were fascinated with that part of a woman's anatomy.
She wasn't aware that after Power Girl, hers was the most talking about on the station. Even Wally was smart enough not to let her in on that little tidbit.
Diana shifted again, moving a little closer to his side of the Jacuzzi. She could see he was watching her closely, with perhaps a bit of trepidation. When she accidently brushed her smooth leg against his, he seemed to jerk away as if burned.
"Sorry,' she offered in her most innocent voice. The smile on her face belied this and suggested she wasn't sorry at all.
Something was up, Clark thought. He knew Diana pretty well at this point, but he'd never seen her act like this before. Something was going on in that mind of hers and whatever it was she seemed to be enjoying it. It was almost as if she were intentionally trying to make him uncomfortable or almost as if she were flirting with him. No, Clark dismissed this; he'd never seen Diana flirt with anyone as long as he'd known her. It had to be something else, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what.
Diana, for her part, was enjoying this immensely. She was discovering a truth as old as time. A beautiful woman can affect even the most stoic of men, even Supermen. He'd calmly faced threats from some of the strongest and deadliest villains and tyrants the galaxy had to offer without batting an eyelash, yet just sitting here with her he was nervous.
She casually brushed her foot up his calf and had to suppress a smile as she saw him hastily shift away.
"Is everything all right, Kal,' she innocently asked.
"Hmm? Oh, ah, um, yeah, Diana, just-just changing position,' he managed to reply.
Yes, Diana thought, she definitely liked this game. Her ability to affect him was a quiet power, yet no less potent, she realized. It was a like a game of whispers. Small things, a touch, a look, even a gesture could be as devastating as the most powerful blow.
She found that the game was having an effect on her too. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, as this was quite the heady experience. All her life people had told her she was beautiful, yet she had never really given it much thought. On Themyscira, all her sisters as beautiful, each in their own way. When she arrived in the Man's World, the lessons she'd learned back home caused her to dismiss the constant references to her looks in the media.
She put up with the speculation about her love life from the vanity press as just the cost of getting her message out. On the Watchtower there were many so-called beautiful women, so any added attention she received there, she assumed was because of her powers or that she was a Princess. Wally hit on everyone, so he didn't count.
How she looked had never been something she thought much about. Diana certainly had a healthy ego and liked to think she was attractive, but for the most part it wasn't something she dwelled on. Tonight, she was thinking about it and Kal was the main reason. For most of the time she'd known him he never commented or even seemed to notice how she looked. Catching him watching her walk away the other morning made her realize he did notice. Diana found that she liked that he noticed.
Gazing across the Jacuzzi at him, that sense of quiet power seemed to ripple over her skin. The knowledge that without a punch being thrown, she could affect him more than all the villains combined was very alluring to her. Almost as if to test this newfound power, Diana stretched her arms over her head, arching her back as she did. The sound of him trying to stifle a groan brought an even bigger smile of her face. She looked back at him, holding his gaze.
"Is something wrong, Kal,' she innocently asked. "You seem to be sweating."
"Hot,' he whispered. "Hot water, but-but I'm good."
"Are you sure,' she playfully asked, skimming her foot up his calf again. She had to pull her lower lip between her teeth to stop from laughing as he shifted quickly away.
Clark righted himself and looked at her. He didn't miss the amused look on her face. She's enjoying this, he realized, she doing this on purpose. So the Princess wants to play, does she, he thought? Two can play this game and I've played it before, Clark mused.
"Enjoying yourself, Diana,' he asked.
"Yes, the water is very nice," she replied.
"I wasn't talking about the water."
"Oh?"
"You're flirting with me, Diana."
"Am I? Are you sure, Kal,' she asked. Diana brushd both her feet teasingly against his and smiled as he quickly shifted away.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure,' he said. "I know everyone thinks of me as a Boy Scout, but I know when a woman is flirting with me."
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Kal,' she said with just a hint of teasing in her tone.
"Uh-huh."
They sat across from each other, holding the others eyes. Diana absently reached up and twisted one of her curls around her fingertip. She definitely liked this game and especially playing it with him.
"Oh, I forgot to ask, do you like my bathing suit, Kal,' Diana offered. "You don't think it's too revealing, do you?'
She rose up so the water was at her waist. He ran his index finger over his lower lips as he looked at her.
"It's lovely."
Okay, so she wants to play, does she, he thought. Clark realized he had a rather unique opportunity to be proactive for once to a situation. He was pretty sure she hadn't played this game before, so he had the advantage. It was time he called her bluff and unlike her misreading the situation with her mother, he was almost absolutely sure it was really a bluff. Time to step things up just a little bit, he mused.
"You know, Diana, it occurs to me I never answered your question from before.'
"What's that,' she replied, a little caught off guard by this. He further surprised her by moving towards her instead of away.
"Sex. You asked if I think about it,' he said, moving slowly towards her. He held her eyes the whole time.
"Oh,' she said, blushing just a bit.
"The answer is yes, Diana."
His hand brushed against her knee under the water and it was her turn to flinch away.
"I've been thinking about it quite a bit lately, to be honest,' he said, his voice low and a bit husky.
"You-You have?"
"How could I not,' he replied, "with such a beautiful woman so close to me?"
"Kal?"
Diana was rather flustered, not sure what was going on. This wasn't the way she thought the game would go. Did she push him too far, she wondered?
"Kal, my-my mother is right up there,' she said, nervously gesturing toward the bedroom window.
"They're asleep, it's just you and me, Diana,' he whispered as he moved closer. Diana swallowed nervously, as he was very close now. Things had gotten out of hand, she frantically thought. Her eyes went wide, as he put his hands on the rim of the Jacuzzi on either side of her.
"You're a beautiful woman, Diana,' he whispered.
"Kal, I didn't mean to…" she said, putting both her hands on his chest to stop him.
"Shh, don't push me away, Diana,' he said, bringing one of her hands up to his lips. He kissed just the tips of her fingers. "I would have never made this move, but for your invitation."
"My what?"
He smiled at her and then gently reached up and brushed the hair back from her neck. Diana couldn't believe he was acting like this. She had just been playing and he had misinterpreted it. Her eyes looked around frantically as he leaned in to her. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and then his lips against her ear. Goosebumps rose on her flesh and her breathing was rapid.
"Still want to play this game, Princess,' he whispered.
"Wh-What?"
He leaned back to see the expression on her face and couldn't help laughing.
"That's how you call a bluff, Diana."
His words took moment to filtered through her rattled mind, but as she watched him laugh her nervousness turned to anger.
"Kal!"
She pushed him away from her, practically throwing him across the Jacuzzi to the other side. He went under, but came up with a huge grin on his face. She stood up, her hands balled up into fists as she glared at him. He shifted into a sitting position and put his arms back on the rim of the Jacuzzi.
"Is something wrong, Diana,' he innocently asked.
"You-You! Aaaarrghhaaa!" She was so angry she couldn't even put it into words and just roared at him. He just continued to smile at her. She was so frustrated, she didn't know whether to scream at him or slap his face. He'd been teasing her the whole time and turning the game around on her.
"You might want to keep it down, Diana, you don't want wake up your mother or the general,' he offered.
"I can't believe you did that,' she spat out at him, mindful to keep her voice low.
"Why not," he asked. "You were doing it to me?"
"I was not!"
"Really,' he asked, giving her a look.
"It's-It's not the same,' she fumbled to say. In frustration she sat back down and crossed her arms in front of her, not even looking at him. Several replies were on the tip of his tongue, but he wisely kept quiet. He sat back and waited under she calmed down a bit. He was curiosity about what this was all about.
It took a few minutes for her anger to dissipate, but she still wasn't looking at him.
"So you want to tell me what's going on, Diana,' he gently asked.
"No."
"Please."
"No!"
"I guess I'll just have to put it down to you being hopelessly in love with me,' he teased. Diana gasped and finally looked at him. His smile was still there.
"Don't-Don't be ridiculous, Kal and stop smiling!"
"Boy, you're kind of a poor sport,' he observed.
"I am not!'
"Uh-huh,' he said. "Now do you care to explain what that was all about?"
She felt foolish being caught by him. His continuing to smile only made it worse.
"I just wanted to see if I could get a reaction," she offered.
"By flirting with me?"
"Yes."
"Just what sort of reaction were you hoping for,' he asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.
"I wanted to see if you were attracted to me,' she admitted honestly.
"I see,' he replied. He hadn't expected that answer. "You could have asked me."
"And listen to you make up some more outlandish theories about the differences between men and women,' she answered. "I thought I'd take the direct approach."
"Those were perfectly legitimate points, Diana," he said in his defense.
"They also helped you avoid the question, Kal,' she fired back.
"What's going on, Diana? Why the suddenly interested in whether I'm attracted to you or not?"
"Are you,' she asked.
"Are you,' he replied.
"I asked you first,' she quickly said.
He could see she was waiting for an answer and wouldn't be put off this time. The whole conversation seemed dangerous to him, but he decided to answer truthfully.
"Yes, I am."
"Really?"
"You seemed surprised?"
"I guess I am, a little bit,' she admitted.
"So how about you," he asked. "Are you attracted to me?'
"Yes." She said it so low it was almost a whisper. Neither of them said anything for several minutes. The only sound was the churning of the Jacuzzi.
"Are you still attracted to Bruce,' he finally asked.
"Why do you ask that,' she said, a little surprised by the question.
"I'm just trying to understand what's going on, Diana,' he said seriously. "This started because you were interested in him. So much so that you made this bet and were even willing to get married instead of giving it up. It's only been a week, Diana, are you saying your feelings have changed?"
Diana thought about this for a moment. Had her feelings changed in only a week, she wondered? As the image of Bruce came to her mind, the thoughts she'd been having about him before this started came back as well. If she were honest with herself, she knew she was still attracted to him. She couldn't deny those feelings were still there, but there were others ones as well.
Clark waited for her answer and found he was a little nervous. Part of him actually hoped her feelings had changed. He was more than a little shaken by her admission she was attracted to him, but wanted to hear what she was feeling towards Bruce before he let himself think any further along those lines.
"Diana,' he softly said. She looked up at him and for just a moment he thought she was going to say they had changed.
"Yes, Kal, I still have feelings towards Bruce, but things feel different now, 'she admitted.
He nodded as if he understood and gave her a small smile.
"It's an unusual situation, Diana," he quietly offered. "We've been thrown together in this make believe world and it's easy to forget sometimes."
"So are you suggesting my feelings towards you aren't really,' she asked. She was ready to argue with him on that point, but he didn't give her the chance.
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "It's just that living with each other like we've been doing, I think it's bound to stir up emotions and confuse the issue."
"But you said you were attracted to me, too,' she pointed out.
"I guess I got caught up in it, as well."
"Like the kiss,' she asked.
"Yes, like that,' he replied.
"So are you suggesting we forget this too, just like the kiss," she asked, not liking where this was going.
"No, but I think we have to remember what's real and what's not,' he offered. "You admit you have feelings for Bruce and Lois just broke up with me. Given the situation we're in, I guess it's only natural some part of us would react to it."
"So you're saying your attraction to me is just sort of a rebound from Lois?"
"I don't know," he replied. Clark suspected that wasn't the case, but things were already more complicated then they should be.
"I see."
Diana found she didn't believe him, or at least she didn't believe his explanation. She had noticed the change in him from the moment she admitted she still had feelings for Bruce. Those feelings were all jumbled up with others now. Part of her found that once she had admitted her attraction to Kal, she wanted to pursue it. Another part wondered if this was the right time, so soon after his break up with Lois. Still another was wondering about those still lingering feelings towards Bruce.
It was all very confusing. Looking over at him, she knew what she was feeling towards him wasn't just going to go away. Maybe he could rationalize it and offer explanations as to why it wasn't real, but those rang hollow to her. Diana knew she needed to resolve her feelings first, but at the same time; she wasn't going to pretend they were there.
On the bright side, she realized time was on her side. They still had almost three weeks to go on the bet. What was real and what wasn't would become clear eventually.
"Perhaps we should call it a night,' she suggested.
"Perhaps we should."
As she stood to get out of the Jacuzzi a thought came to her mind. Three weeks meant the game they'd been playing wasn't over. She turned back towards him.
"Kal."
"Yeah,' he absently replied, his mind still going over and over what had happened. He was still sitting deep in the water and as he looked up she was moving towards him.
"Diana?"
She reached out and brushed her fingertips down his chest while holding his gaze. She could feel him tense under her touch.
"I just thought you should know something,' she whispered, her lips within inches of his. "I know you think you won our little game earlier, but you didn't. I got the answer and reaction I was looking for."
She leaned back and smiled, watching his expression.
"Just something to think about, Kal. Good night."
Diana turned and climbed out of the Jacuzzi. She picked up her towel, but didn't turn around as she walked into the house. She knew he was watching and smiled at the thought.
When she finally disappeared inside, Clark let out his breath. He glanced up at the night sky as he chewed the side of his mouth.
"For someone new to the game, she picks it up very quickly,' he mused aloud. "And she's really good at it."