I close my eyes, resting my head back against the headrest of the batmobile as I allow it to take me back to the cave. My head pounds, my shoulder is on fire, my clavicle screams, and I feel like I'm going to throw up at any moment. It was a miracle I made it through Arkham with Ivy thrown over my good shoulder without hurling.
But my mind continues to swim through different scenarios and possible solutions for Diana as the batmobile pulls to a stop. The second the latch pops open even an inch, I can hear Diana growling and grunting from wherever Clark is trying to hold her.
"Master Bruce!" I hear Alfred call out and I finally open my eyes, making sure to use my good arm to pull myself out of the car. "Master Clark has tried filling me in on what has happened but it's been rather difficult with Mistress Diana acting as she is."
"Any progress on that antidote?" I tear my cowl off of my head and fling it aside.
"Nearly done, sir. There is about three minutes remaining before it is fully synthesized."
"Good. I need you to push my shoulder back into its socket and look at my collarbone. I think it's fractured." I say over my shoulder as I climb the steps to the main landing of the cave, Diana appearing in view as she violently fights against Kent's hold.
"Bruce," her voice rasps harshly. "Let me go." She growls, eyes trained on me with an intense focus, as if her prey just appeared in her sights and she has no care with being stealthy in her hunt.
"Diana, he's hurt. You can't tackle him like before." Clark tries to tell her but though her aggression lessens slightly, she still doesn't relent in her fight to get away from the Kryptonian.
"This way, Master Bruce. I can look at that shoulder while the antidote finishes." I nod, following behind Alfred without a second glance at Diana. I don't need to make it worse on any of us by holding eye contact and her perceiving it as a challenge.
"No," Diana lurches forward and nearly sends her and Clark to the ground as I turn the corner and disappear from her sight once more.
I waste no time in stripping out of the top of my uniform to give Alfred the best access to my shoulder. Without saying a word, Alfred quickly deduces the best way to proceed, places his hands firmly against my arm and pops it back into its socket. Nothing but the grinding of teeth can be heard, though my posture loosens slightly as the muscles surrounding the dislocated joint relaxes some.
"I'll go check on the progress of that antidote. I fear Master Clark is running out of patience." I nod, moving to set up the X-ray machine when I feel a presence behind me. I turn, expecting to see Alfred as I had just heard Kent fighting with Diana but as I move to turn around, a hand fists in the hair at the back of my head and yanks, drawing me down into her mouth.
"Diana," I breathe with alarm against her lips, which doesn't dissuade her from her harsh assault. By the time I finally manage to pull her off of me, my lips feel tender and swollen and she doesn't look much better.
"Please, Bruce." She whispers quite coherently.
"Did Alfred get you the antidote?" my one hand slips into the locks damp with sweat at the back of her neck while my other arm begins to slide around her waist, my eyes darting between hers to try and discern if she's finally free of Ivy's influence.
She nods before leaning back up to kiss me and I nearly melt in relief, glad to no longer fight against her. I crush her to me, returning the passionate dance she's begun with my tongue, hands tightening in their places against her.
She moans against my mouth, hands releasing my hair to grab at my utility belt desperately. My clavicle still aches terribly but I need her. Diana seems to feel the same as once she has my utility belt off, I'm being spun around and pushed towards the infirmary cot she'd been sleeping on just hours prior.
Just as her hands find the clasps at my hips, Alfred rushes into the infirmary, Clark hot on his trail. "Diana! No!" Clark shouts, reaching out to try and snag her but she growls ferociously at him and locks her arms tightly around me.
Noticing the loaded syringe in Alfred's hand, I realize I've been played and was fully prepared to have my way with her, making her condition worse.
"Princess, please. They're only trying to help." I try to assure her, tilting her chin towards me but her eyes are feral once again, burning hot with desire and anger.
"No! They're trying to keep me from you." She rasps, her voice rough. "I only want you. I only need you. I don't need them." She looks back over her shoulder. "Go away! I almost had him!" She snarls.
"Mistress Diana, please-" I hold a hand up at Alfred, signaling for him to stop as I pull Diana closer to my chest. Then I turn my hand to be face up, held out for Alfred to place the antidote in as I return my attention to the irate Amazon gazing up at me with so much unbridled lust, it feels as if the skin beneath her touch is burning.
"Master Bruce-"
"Just go, I've got it from here." A small keening sound escapes the back of Diana's throat at the dismissal and she pulls on my shoulders, ignoring my wince in her attempt to reconnect our lips. I never take my eyes off of her as my free hand smoothes her hair out of her face then gathers it over one side of her head, noticing as Alfred and Kent both reluctantly back out of the room.
"You tricked me, Princess."
Her lips curl into a smirk and she nods, but says nothing, eyes dropping to look at my mouth in a very obvious way.
"Look at me," I quietly command and her eyes rise back to mine. "Come back to me." She begins to shake her head when I bring my hand up and inject the antidote into the exposed side of her neck. A brief look of betrayal glances in her eyes before they droop closed and she sags forward into my chest. I drop the syringe to catch her as she sways before her knees give out.
"Diana?" My mind is already flashing through all the possibilities of what might've gone wrong with the antidote when her head lifts off my chest, swinging as if it's too heavy to keep upright.
"Bruce," she moans, planting her face against the side of my neck, breathing raggedly against the skin as I attempt to get a better grasp on her, hands sliding beneath her thighs to lift her up and around me, ignoring the protests my body tries to raise at the motion.
She completely melts into my hold, breathing evening out as she settles. "How are you feeling?" I ask quietly.
"Mmnnm," is all I get in response.
"Diana?"
"Shhhh," she shushes, her forehead moving back and forth against my neck as she tries to nuzzle further into me.
"Would you like to sleep?"
"Mm hmm," she breathes.
"Let's go upstairs-" I begin to stand but a whine stops me.
"Noooo," she cries pitifully. "Right here."
"Master Bruce, is everything alri-" Alfred hesitantly peeks around the corner, eyes assessing the scene in front of him before smiling and nodding, stepping fully into the room. "How is the mistress of the mansion?"
"Apparently quite tired."
"How is she?" Clark asks, stepping up behind Alfred. "Ahh, knocked out. Not surprising, she put up quite the fight to get to you. What the hell happened?"
"Ivy." I stand and turn, lying Diana back against the medical cot once more, her blanket from earlier still on the floor. As she relaxes back against the cot, I brush her hair out of her face and cover her with the blanket. I gesture for the two men to step out of the infirmary as I dim the lights to allow Diana to sleep.
"She's been experimenting with her pheromones and the effect on Diana was amplified. If what Ivy said was true, then this was not her intended purpose for the new toxin but she didn't seem to be in a rush to change it." Alfred points at my computer chair and I sigh before sitting, too exhausted to put up much of a fight.
"Without taking a proper X-ray, I cannot say for sure whether or not-"
"His clavicle is fractured." Clark reports from just behind Alfred.
"Oh, Master Clark, I forgot that was an ability of yours. How handy! Right then, we'll need to put your arm into a sling to make sure it heals properly and I will get you something for the pain, Master Bruce."
"Skip the sling Al, just bring the meds."
"Master Bruce, we need to ensure you heal properly-"
"I've suffered worse fractures and breaks that have never been held together by slings or casts. I'll be fine, Alfred."
The old man squints his eyes into a harsh glare but when I refuse to waiver, he sighs and nods, stepping back into the infirmary.
"I'm, uh, sure Lois will be reaching out to Diana over the next couple of weeks but figured I might as well tell you now." Clark reaches up to scratch behind his neck and I watch him as he frets nervously.
"She's pregnant." I guess and Clark freezes, eyes darting to mine as his brow lowers in confusion.
"Yeah, how did you-?"
"Lucky guess. You were struggling to get it out."
"Ah, I forgot, you are the world's greatest detective," he teases lightly and I roll my eyes, leaning back in my chair when I hear murmuring coming from the infirmary, Diana appearing a second later with the blanket wrapped around her shoulder.
She completely ignores Clark as she sets her sights on me, eyes half-lidded and tired as she remains mute until she's directly in front of me. Still saying nothing, she bends down to take off her boots before climbing on top of me in the computer chair, tucking her head beneath my jaw and placing one of her hands against my ribs.
I remain still, partially from shock, partially from pain, until Diana settles.
"Master Bruce, have you seen-" Alfred stops as soon as he sees Diana curled up on my chest. "Right then," he steps forward with a glass of water and three tablets for the pain.
"Mm, wha's tha for?" Diana mumbles groggily as I accept the pills first. I toss my head back and swallow them before taking a swig of the glass of water and set it aside.
"Don't worry about it, Princess. Go to sleep." I'm not sure how much Diana remembers from the last twelve hours or so, but this isn't the right time to have that conversation.
"No, what happened? Are you hurt?" She moves to sit up a bit more so she can look at me more directly.
"I think I'll head back to Metropolis now." Clark interrupts from over Diana's shoulder.
"Congratulations," I offer with a nod of my head and a large smile breaks out over the Kryptonians face as he returns my nod before he lifts off the ground and flies out the way he came in.
"Let's get you to bed, Princess," I pull her back against my chest and stand from my chair, fighting a wince at the pull on my collarbone.
"Bruce, what happened?" Diana asks sleepily against my chest.
"I'll tell you everything later, Princess, but right now we both need some sleep." I feel her nod against my shoulder.
I hear Alfred behind me and a brief glance shows his conflict towards me carrying Diana while knowing she's in no state to be walking right now.
"That will be all, Alfred. Please get some rest yourself." I tell my oldest friend as we step into the library. He hesitates for a moment before nodding, though I'm unsure if he'll sleep at this odd time of day, nearing noon.
"Let me know if you require anything, sir." I nod as well before continuing to make my way upstairs to the bedroom.
After closing the bedroom door behind me, I set Diana down on the edge of the bed, turning to open the dresser. I grab a clean pair of shorts for myself and an old Gotham Knights t-shirt. She slowly helps me remove her uniform and lifts her arms to slide the shirt over her head but she's rather dazed and doesn't react very much as I change into my shorts and shift her towards the head of the bed. I step up to the blinds and quickly draw them closed to darken the room before making my way back to the bed.
Diana briefly levitates, long enough for me to pull the covers down. Once I'm situated, she lowers and immediately curls into me.
The pounding of my head and the burning of my collarbone begins to dissipate as I relax against the bed, everything returning to the way it's supposed to be as I drift off to sleep.
A/N: This is not what I was actually expecting for this chapter, which is also a pretty short chapter compared to the last two. I'm hoping for a little more sustenance in the next chapter when Diana fully realizes what happened to Bruce while she was still crazed. Also, the antidote may have pulled Diana from being under Ivy's influence but we're not quite out of the woods yet….
Side note, I had forgotten that Gotham's basketball team was called the Knights, making them the Gotham Knights, which is the title of a game that was released….last year? I think? Anyway, I don't know about you guys, but I didn't like that game. It was trying too hard to be an Arkham game while claiming it's not an Arkham game. I found it very disappointing. But hey, that's just me.
Thx!
AMM