Dick is in the doghouse. Again.
After a night that had started so well, he and Harley had gotten into a fight. A lot of pent up anger and frustration had fueled their words, and they had barely gotten to sleep on good terms.
Now he wants to make it up to her. It's the last day before all the chaos of the wedding begins, and Dick wants to spend it with her. Whether they're doing Christmassy things or not, he wants to be present in their relationship.
Harley woke up to movement, becoming groggily aware of the dark room and the blankets wrapped around her, as if she was still snuggled warm in bed. She was carried towards the bay windows, swung open with the cold air just on the other side. Dick's t-shirt smelled like cologne wrapped around her slender frame. Before she could ask, Dick was suddenly stepping up on the window seat and out onto the roof of the porch, clear of snow from the warmer day before; it had all melted off and was now dry shingles. The cold air hit her face and shocked her into full-consciousness, and he quickly pulled the blankets up around her face, only leaving her nose exposed to the elements. She could hear Dick chuckle quietly.
"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, her voice muffled by the blankets.
"It's alright, Harley," he said calmly, walking easily over the gently sloped roof and then sitting down. She could barely see anything through the wad of blankets enveloping her, giving her a tiny hole to see through. Dick pulled it open a bit and grinned at her, his nose and cheeks pink. A red knitted cap was pulled low over his black hair, and his breath came in little steam clouds from his smiling lips. He picked up two thick comforters lying on the shingles and wrapped them around himself, smiling out at the view of Gotham. Their neighborhood sat on a hill in the highest part of the city, and their bedroom window overlooked it and the surrounding waters.
"No really. What are you doing?" she repeated.
"I wanted to watch the sunrise," he smiled lightly. Dick pulled a stocking cap down on her messy bedhead and pushed her glasses up her nose, adjusting the blankets so they were both wrapped up together. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms over her shoulders.
"Sunrise? How are you even awake for this? Isn't there at least three more hours of reasonable sleep to be had?" Harley clutched the blankets tight in her fists.
"We were going to take a nap later, anyway," he shrugged, pulling out his thermos and handing it to her under the blankets. She could smell the hot cocoa steaming from the opening in the lid.
"If Selina doesn't kidnap us," she muttered, holding the steaming thermos near her face until it fogged up her glasses. Dick smiled a little, watching the sky turn pink.
"Nope. I declare a day for us. No wedding, no family, no Batman. Nothing. It's you and me," he breathed, holding her close. It was warm in the blankets, despite the cold outside.
"Wait." Harley leaned away. "What's my name?"
"Harleen Frances Quinzel, or Harley, for short. Soon to be Harley Grayson," he smiled at her, tucking the blankets tighter around them.
"And for future reference, is the toilet seat down?" She giggled, leaning her head on his neck. "Oh my God!" She sat back up again. "I fell in the toilet!"
"You did. And the seat will be down, from now on," he chuckled.
"That is so embarrassing," she mumbled, putting her head back on his shoulder.
"It's okay," he smiled gently. "Look at those colors..." Harley smiled up at him, looking at his blue eyes as they watched the orange of the sunrise.
"Yup, I've always thought they were pretty." She kissed his cheek before looking back toward the rising sun. Dick chuckled.
"So are you tired? Do you want to stay in today, or go out? We can do either, my plans are equally fantastic whether we do one or the other." He smiled at her and kissed her forehead, taking a sip of cocoa. He handed her the mug again.
"Let me wake up before I make any decisions," she yawned, cuddling up closer to him in the blankets. She took a big gulp of the cocoa. Dick smiled, humming softly. One hand stroked her belly gently as he held her close. His soft t-shirt was warm in her hands. The sunrise was a beautiful one, she had to admit. "Why the sudden desire to wake up for sunrise and plan a fun day?" Her breath puffed out in front of her.
"I just… felt like it," he laughed softly, his breath mixing with hers in a steam cloud in the cold air.
"Just felt like it, huh? Not trying to make me forget about an argument or something?" She smiled against his shoulder.
"No, trying to make it better. You told me that you felt I never spend time with you. Well, from now on, we're going to spend even more time together." He glanced down at her, closing his eyes. Harley kissed him, giggling a little when he jumped a bit in surprise.
"Well at least there was something good that came from it."
"I'm sorry," he said again, his voice soft. He opened his bright blue eyes and watched her.
"I'm sorry too. I have been being a bit emotional. Not completely my fault, but a little bit." She wrinkled her nose. Dick laughed.
"It is exhausting. But… I have been kind of an ass lately." He kissed her wrinkled nose.
"I think we can sweep it all under the category that pregnancy is stressful." She smiled up at him. Dick returned her smile and kissed her cheek.
"Okay. Sun's up, let's go," Dick smiled, picking her up, his beloved blue coffee mug still clutched in her hand. He smiled and stepped back into their bedroom, greeted by Clark and Wally wagging their tails. Dick set Harley on her feet, pulling the blankets back from her head. He smiled and kissed her lovingly, stroking her cheek. "What do you want to do today?"
"What were my options again?" Harley put her arms around him, trapping him in her blankets. Dick laughed.
"We can go out and do Christmassy things, or we can stay in and do Christmassy things," he smiled, tucking his arms around her waist under her blanket.
"Ooo, they both sound like fun." She stood on tiptoe, putting her lips even with his. "Can we do both?" Dick smiled as he watched her, chuckling softly.
"You keep going the way you're going, and the answer is going to be a stay at home day."
"I don't know what you're talking about." She grinned up at him. "I just thought I'd get on your level to talk to you. You're just reading too much into this," she murmured.
"Oh am I?" he laughed, his lips brushing hers as he spoke.
"Definitely." She clasped her hands together behind his neck, the blanket draped over his shoulders. Dick smiled at her, that stupid grin that she fell in love with.
"I guess we'll have to stay home, then," he whispered, lifting her legs around his waist as he held her close, her belly preventing her from being too close to him. His lips remained near hers.
"A shame about all those plans you made." She kissed his bottom lip, biting it gently. Dick had to stop in the hall and lean against the wall, his knees going weak as he suppressed a moan, smiling.
"Plans… right… I- I told you that I had plans either way," he breathed, still grinning like a fool.
"Yeah." Harley grinned as she kissed him again, tracing her thumbs back and forth across the back of his neck. "What was it you had in mind again?" She kissed along his jaw as she waited for him to answer.
"You're ruining my plans," he mumbled, laughing and closing his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall.
"Okay then, I can stop." Harley grinned, leaning her face away.
"No," he whined, sitting up and walking across the hall, pressing her back to the wall and kissing her gently. He kissed her bottom lip and smiled, his eyes still closed. He laughed softly.
"I thought you wanted to do Christmas stuff," Harley giggled.
"I do. Come on," he grinned, kissing her one last time before he leaned back, carrying her down the stairs with all of the comforters from their bed. When he stepped down onto the landing, she couldn't help but smile. The Christmas tree lights were on, and the entire house smelled like pine and cinnamon and- breakfast. She could smell eggs and bacon and waffles- and none of it smelled burned. Dick carried her into the kitchen where the still warm oven was open, keeping the room heated. The kitchen table was set with their nice china and fresh glasses, filled with beautifully prepared food and fresh squeezed orange juice. A crystal bowl of juicy fresh cut strawberries sat in the center. Dick led her to her seat and pushed her chair in for her. Harley glared at him suspiciously.
"You can't cook."
"Ivy," he shrugged, smiling. "She offered to help me, we had a nice chat, and then she left. She didn't even want to eat anything."
"So let me get this straight, you had me sit outside in the cold instead of eating fresh bacon?" She grinned. Dick stared at her.
"Yes."
"Okay," Harley grabbed a piece, "but if it's cold," she warned, still smiling. It was warm and perfectly cooked, and Dick beamed at her.
"Told you," he smirked, drinking his orange juice.
"Well you didn't cook it, so I don't know what you're grinning about." She stuck her tongue out at him before picking out a strawberry. Dick glanced at her and covered his mouth with his hand.
"Sorry," he took his hand away, his face darkly serious. "I'll stop smiling," he watched her, his blue eye intent and piercing, his jaw tight. Harley watched him for a second.
"Having fun there?" she asked.
"I could watch you all day," he said calmly. His face was different when he wasn't smiling, his dark brows hanging heavy over light eyes. His cheekbones and jaw were sharper and more angular. He laced his fingers and rested his chin on them.
"Well serious Batman, are you going to help me eat any of this?" Harley drizzled syrup over her waffle. Dick cut his waffles, glancing at her, his eyes still shining lovingly.
"Being like Bruce isn't so bad," he shrugged. "Maybe that's why we can never figure out what he's thinking."
"Yeah because he doesn't smile is why we don't know what he's thinking." She smiled at him over her orange juice. "Even when you're not smiling, you're not that mysterious."
Dick actually frowned. "That was hurtful."
"I'm sorry," Harley laughed. "Did I crush your dreams?"
"God, I can never be the Dark Knight now," he dramatically slammed his empty juice glass down on the table.
"Damn it," Harley cried. "You know the truth."
Dick couldn't stop himself from laughing and grinning at her. His face softened, his eyes lightened, and he just seemed to look… different. He shook his head, chuckling. "Tried it once. Wasn't as fun as I'd thought."
"It was a lot more fun for me," she told him. "You actually laughed as Batman. It was weird."
"Your jokes were funny," he shrugged, smiling as he finished his breakfast. "And could you really tell it was me?" he glanced at her, starting to clear the table. He loaded the dishwasher and put away the syrup and the butter. When Harley had finished, he put her plate in the dishwasher, and then gave Wally and Clark the rest of the bacon and sausage.
"I knew it wasn't the same Batman, but I didn't know who it was." She shrugged. "I'd never spent that much time around Nightwing."
"Yeah, we never got much quality time together," he smirked.
"What a shame." Harley got up, stretching as she walked over to him. "We'll just have to make up for that now."
"Don't start," Dick laughed, taking her hand. "Or at least wait," he kissed the corner of her lips and then scooped her up, carrying her into the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled the blankets over them. There was a plate of the Christmas cookies that they'd made on the coffee table, as well as a steaming mug of cocoa for her beside his beat up blue travel mug. Dick picked up the remote and turned on a Christmas movie. It's a Wonderful Life was playing.
"You really did go all out didn't you?" She laughed, curling up beside him. Dick put his arm over the back of the couch and smiled.
"Aw, the movie's almost over," he sighed. "Another one will be on."
"It's okay." Harley grabbed her mug, blowing on the coca to cool it. "We get the nice ending even if we missed the build up."
"There's plenty of others to watch, too," he sighed happily, glancing out the window. Clouds were blowing over the city, casting it into grayscale again. Dick looked around their colorfully decorated living room, smiling.
"And didn't you say we have all day?" Harley leaned up to kiss his cheek before settling back down in the blankets with her head on his shoulder.
"To do Christmassy things," he specified, smiling.
"So what, we're on a schedule?"
"Not at all. We just have to do festive things. I demand it."
"Yes sir." Harley tugged her hand out of the blankets to salute. Dick laughed.
"You're cute," he smiled and kissed her head, sitting up and pointing at the window. "It's snowing again!" he cried, half in excitement, and half in disappointment.
"Is the snow ruining your plans?" Harley laughed.
"No, but it'll be colder if Bruce drags us out tonight," he pouted. Harley laughed harder.
"Oh that's cute. You think Selina is letting anyone out tonight?" Dick bit his lip.
"Bruce will put up a fight," he said warningly. "I'm okay with that, but Bruce isn't going to think of that, and he's not going to like it."
"It's the night before his wedding. I'm sorry, he can fight all he wants, but he is going to lose." Harley shook her head as she giggled.
"And what about me? Bruce will choose me as his second," Dick raised his eyebrows.
"I'm sorry, did you not hear my previous statement?" Harley smiled. "There is no way Selina is letting anyone out tonight. It's the day before her wedding, and we all do as we're told."
"Alright, alright," Dick laughed softly.
"Good. Now keep that in mind for another wedding in your future." She nudged him. Dick laughed.
"I would never do that to you," he squeezed her and kissed her cheek.
"But you'll also have to keep your brothers and Bruce in line," she reminded him. "But I suppose you could always threaten them with me." She smirked.
"They're scared of you," he agreed with a laugh.
"Slightly offended, slightly proud," Harley admitted.
"I'd be proud. You scare Batman. And nobody scares Batman," Dick glanced down at her, kissing the corner of her lips.
"Nobody but a five seven, twenty-six year old blonde pregnant woman. We must tell the villains." Harley giggled. Dick smirked.
"Let's not, lest they decide to kidnap you and use you as a weapon," he snorted, nuzzling her cheek.
"Please," she scoffed. "Once they hear Batman's afraid of me, I'll be untouchable." She turned her face and kissed his nose. Dick closed his eyes and smiled.
"I feel bad that Ivy is upstairs all alone. You call her down, I call Jason?" he grinned.
"I don't know," Harley sighed. "I think I'd rather get kicked in the shin. Both shins."
"I don't think it would work, either." He shrugged. "I still feel bad that she's all alone up there."
"We could ask her if she wants to join us in here," she offered. She gave him a quick kiss, resting her forehead against his. "If that's what you want."
"I think she could use some Christmas cheer. Unless the tree just pisses her off," he glanced at it.
"I don't know." Harley frowned at it. Dick leaned his head back over the couch.
"Ivy!" he shouted at the stairs, waiting for an answer. After a pause, they could hear her walking down the stairs.
"What?" she snapped, sauntering into the room and flicking her hair over her shoulder.
"Yay! Come snuggle!" Dick beamed at her. She looked between their two smiling faces.
"No." Ivy shook her head as she grabbed her coat from the coat closet. "I think I'd rather suffer through helping Selina."
"Don't go," Harley whined.
"Have a nice time." Ivy waved before she walked out the front door.
"Well that didn't work," Harley muttered. Dick shot off of the couch and followed her, stopping on the front step.
"Wait. Where are you going?" he asked, looking at her on the sidewalk.
"Why is that any of your business?"
"Because you've hidden up in our guest room and sulked since you got here. You're in my and Harley's house, and we have barely seen you. Maybe you don't like me because I was Robin, or I took her away from you- but she's your friend! Why won't you spend any time with us?" he asked, looking genuinely curious.
"I don't have anything against you, Wonder Boy." Ivy made a mock salute. "And I'm glad she's happy. About freaking time. I just can only tolerate so much mushy romance crap." She turned the collar of her coat up. "Not anymore." She gave him a half smile before continuing down the sidewalk.
"Well wait!" he came down the steps a bit. "Please stay. We'll tone it down- or something, just sit with us for a while. Watch a movie, drink some cocoa, tea- whatever you drink. Please?"
"Really, it's fine. I'll… sit by you two at the rehearsal dinner tonight or something, but with you two hiding out here, Selina really is going to pop her top without help. How about that drink later?" She gave him a small smile. Dick crossed his arms in the cold and smiled.
"I'm going to remind you," he agreed, smiling. "Tell Selina we'll be out in a while," he said as he turned back to the door.
"Don't ask me to tell her a promise you already don't want to keep," Ivy called after him, smirking. Dick glanced over his shoulder.
"I'm not asking," he smiled, closing the door behind him.