Him

Him.

He was the very first man that I had ever laid eyes on, the first man that I had ever spoken to. He had fascinated me from the moment I rescued him. He was quite handsome with sandy hair and a smile that caused butterflies to unexpectedly fill my stomach. At the time, I didn't understand these strange feelings and sensations until later…until it was too late.

Love. I was in love with him.

There are so many things about him that I loved—his bravery, his sense of humor, his purity of heart, his selflessness…the way that he looked at me as if I was the only woman in the whole world. Thinking of it even now creates a sense of warm affection that coalesces inside of me.

Unfortunately, we had so very little time together.

"I can save today, but you can save the world…I love you."

His words roll through my mind as if he had just said them to me. I can still see his handsome face, the love and honesty shining in his eyes…the fearlessness despite knowing he'd never survive what he was about to do. I was so proud of him despite the painful loss, despite my initial anger with him for leaving me like he had.

Thinking of him even now causes a pang of anguish and a sense of loss, but I find that it's no longer the sharp, piercing pain in my chest that used to steal my breath and create a river of anguish that flowed through my veins. Now, it's more of a dull aching reminder that I carry with me, a sweet remembrance.

And it's all because of him…the other man that I have fallen in love with.

I can feel a flutter in my chest just thinking about him. He is so very different from my first love. While he had been open and warm and full of such light, this man is the complete opposite in so many ways. He's closed off, dark and mysterious, intriguing and captivating me ever since our very first meeting.

I haven't felt this same pull of attraction for anyone for a century now, living my life locked in a mournful cocoon of my own making in order to protect myself from ever getting hurt again. I stayed more in the shadows, surreptitiously saving people and standing in the way of injustice when I could, but never really getting involved in the affairs of the world. I had been too afraid of putting myself out there again like I had when I had first left Themyscira.

For a hundred years I had mourned the loss of the man who had taught me so much about the world around him, who had found a way into my heart. I begged the gods for answers as to why they would take him away from only to receive silence for my demands.

Was this their punishment for leaving my home to come to Man's World? Was this a game or a joke to them…allowing me to discover love only to have it ripped right out of my life and leaving a gaping wound that could never and would never heal.

Whatever their reasons for taking my first love from me, my gods and goddesses seemed to have seen fit to bring a second love into my life. He seemingly appeared out of nowhere, turning my world upside down and drawing me out of the comfortable shell that I'd wrapped myself up in for so long that I had forgotten what life could be like if I only let it.

Bruce opened my eyes and my heart to love again in the most unexpected ways. His chivalry and willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of the entire world reminded me of Steve, awakening a need inside of me to know this man beyond the distant and sometimes flippant air.

Despite his sometimes brusque exterior, I see a gentleness and warmth in his brown eyes when he looks at me that I know that most people miss. It drew me in, mesmerizing me and piquing my curiosity about this enigma that dresses like a flying rodent and prefers to work alone in the dark.

To my surprise, I found a man filled with such pain, wounds on his heart that were similar to my own. I discovered a kindred spirit, a man possessing such passion and determination and strength that rivaled, my own at times despite being a mortal man.

We both have loved deeply and lost greatly in traumatic ways that have stayed with us for far too long, clinging to us like a death shroud that we can't seem to rid ourselves of. We are both closed off in so many ways starting with our hearts, afraid of reaching out to others.

After defeating Steppenwolf, we found ourselves opening up to each other, finally making the effort to allow the other in. In doing so, we found redemption and forgiveness, faith and hope. We saved each other and found love along the way.

I smile to myself as I watch him sleep, the dawning rays of sunlight filtering through the wall of windows behind him and casting a soft orange glow. It's a breathtaking view of the lake, steam fog rising up as warm water meets cool morning air and creating a magical aura over the landscape.

I fight the urge to reach out and touch him, not wanting to wake him just yet. I love just lying here next to him sometimes, thinking of all the ways that he has managed to change my life for the better. He has pushed me out of the protective cocoon that I had built up around myself, pushed me to embrace my role as Wonder Woman and to be a leader…to be what the gods had ordained me to be.

For that alone I'll be eternally grateful to him, but even far more than that, he has allowed me past his defenses and into his heart. We're sharing in a love that has slowly begun to knit my own heart back together again and hopefully his as well.

Despite his darkness, he has brought me back out into the light.

Unable to fight it any longer, I lightly trace the curve of his jaw, the stubble I find there prickly against my fingertips. "I know you've been watching me sleep," he murmurs without opening his eyes.

I allow my fingers to trail down his neck and along his collarbone. "You can't know that, Bruce."

"I know everything, princess," he tries to tell me, his eyes still closed. His breath hitches as I lightly trace circles around his nipple.

I try to stifle the chuckle that I feel rising up in my throat. "I don't believe you. You're good, but you're not that good."

"I could feel your eyes on me," he tells me, his lips curling at the corners in smug amusement. "You were thinking about how incredibly sexy I am…how you can hardly keep your hands off my body…how badly you want to take me."

I can't stop from laughing this time, his arrogance knowing no bounds, but he carries it so well. "Maybe I was thinking it's time to get up…leave you here all by yourself."

Before I can draw my next breath, Bruce pounces on me, pinning my back to the bed. I find him hovering over me like a panther about to devour his prey and it causes a shiver to race through me. "You are not leaving me here all by myself, princess," he threatens me with a low growl to his voice.

I gaze up at him with a playful smirk on my lips. "Oh, really?" I tease. "I think I need to get a shower. I'm sure Alfred will be arriving soon."

"Alfred knows better than to show up this early," he reminds me, his lips and nose nuzzling along my jaw and throat. "He learned his lesson the last time."

Laughter erupts as my hands settle on his back, my desire for this man intensifying. "That was all your fault and you know it."

"I am not the one who decided to make breakfast dressed in nothing but my dress shirt," he points out. "I was completely defenseless against you. I had no other choice but to take you right there on the kitchen counter."

"Right…the great Batman completely defenseless," I drawl, amusement lacing my voice.

"Besides, Alfred didn't really see anything," he attempts to reassure me.

"No, but I'm sure he got an earful, though."

"He's seen far more long before I met you," he reveals.

I place my hands on his chest, my expression growing fierce as I push him an arms' length away. "The woman you are about to make love with does not want to hear about your past sexual conquests."

Contrition veils his face as he dips his head. "You know you're the one that I love, Diana," he tells me with a sincerity that warms my heart. "I was just trying to make you feel better about Alfred, not make you feel worse."

"I know," I relent with a sigh, my hands moving to his back as I pull him down to me once more. "Just don't bring up your past love interests and especially not in our bed."

"They weren't love interests, Diana," he clarifies, his eyes gentle. "They were only passing interests. They could never come close to comparing to you."

I gently brush a lock of hair from his forehead as I stare up into his warm chestnut brown eyes. "I love you, Bruce."

His nose brushes against mine as he braces himself above me. "I love you too."

My hands begin to roam over his back as we kiss, losing ourselves in greeting each other good morning. I can't help but think of how my first love had introduced me to the world around me as well as the notion of love. He taught me what love could be…but him…my Bruce…showed me it was okay to love again.

And for that alone I love him.