"It's not funny!" Velma said with a stomp and a huff. Getting slightly annoyed at Bruce's reaction.

But Bruce was in tears, having to lean on the side of the store they had just left. He was almost collapsing with laughter, dying with what had just happened. But at least waited till they were out of the store and bit further away before letting loose his held back merriment. The brick siding seeming to be the only thing keeping him on his feet, as he leaned against it.

"Geez." Velma was pouting, but she wasn't really upset that much. And since he was laughing that much, he could see her struggling to stay with a serious look on her face. The sides of her mouth tugging to one side as she fought against it.

"Ah hee ha ha ha haaaaa... That was -heh great." Sliding down the side of the building that had been keeping him on his feet, he didn't care that he was probably sitting on the gross side walk. He was far too tickled at the events that had just happened to them to care that much. Enjoying the moment they had just experienced together. A new one in his book, something that would never happen to him normally.

After Velma left it up to him to guide her, they had crossed the street and entered the Target, which was the real address that he had been wanting to bring her. Figuring that she would feel more comfortable in a more, well known retail store then anything fancy like where he normally shopped at. To buy a new outfit for their date to travel in.

Which she did seem to appreciate. Target was better then shopping at that obscene jewelry store they had talked under only moments before.

It didn't take long for her to find something she was willing to own, but was not her usual garb. (Which Bruce did love the look of, personally. Her orange and red combo was very much her, but today that wasn't the point.) She took the challenge in stride and found an outfit she was comfortable in, but might use later. Making sure it wasn't a waste of clothing.

The pants she aimed for, were something he could see her in at times, just not on the regular. Being a more kinda salmon colored, material pair of pants. It reminded him of a khaki, but not. Being mostly cotton with the tiny bit of synthetic to it. It also had a built in belt, that she tied in a bow off to one side of her hip, above the pocket. So, she would be able to use it later with her normal apparel but it was different enough for that day. Especially with her other choices.

Her top was like a windbreaker. With poofy sleeves, it also had a hood to let her hide her hair if she needed to. It was a black camo, with the surface being more a muted arrangement of various shades of black and dark grey patterning. Not really offering for real camouflage, unless she was hiding in shadows. But black was certainly not a normal Velma color.

And they also matched!

Underneath, she chose a simple navy t-shirt with a plain set of grey lettering across it. It read, 'Silence is Golden, but Duct Tape is Silver.'. She had grabbed out of the section where all the printed graphic t-shirts were. Though he did see her debate on a My Little Pony shirt for a second, before choosing her current option. But while she had been trying to be covert with her choosing, Bruce was also a detective. And he didn't miss the honest smile on her face before she shook it away, grabbing her current choice. (But he had bought it for her anyway.)

But the thing that he was laughing about, was her bag. While Velma was trying out her outfit for the day, (Along with some more comfortable generic shoes, that she wouldn't suffer if they planned to walk across Gotham.) Bruce had looked into a bags for her have for traveling storage for her things. Allowing them to be able to do some shopping and not have a million and one bags to carry everything in. And while he could arrange for a pick up, he was trying to not be himself.

Alfred would be on standby, only if he really needed it.

Once she had finalized her outfit, her normal clothing and his secret purchase was inside the bag. He had paid for it while he waited and offered it to her. Thankfully she approved, but since she was wearing her purchases out, she had to show what was inside the bag at the register. Which made his secret purchase, not so secret. But he did have the receipt for it all, so they were able to pay and start to head out.

But that, is where it got laugh worthy.

Never in his life, had Bruce been stopped by security for a bag search. While Bruce was confused at the gruff looking security guard putting up a meaty hand to halt them from leaving, Velma should have seen in coming. Especially with how shady they both looked right now. Him more then her, but she certainly had on the bag that she had put things into around the store and was wearing clothing on from said store. They had paid for them, so it wasn't theft. But it was something that had to be checked before they were allowed to leave the store safely. Proving that all of the items were in fact purchased. And then double checked with the cashier about it for good measure.

"Hee hee hee."

"..."

Standing with the hoodie pulled over her hair, she waited till he got it out of his system. Down to a chuckle, he looked up at her from the ground. Though their difference in height made him not have to glance up that high to take her in. Gripping the over the shoulder strap of her new satchel messenger bag, Velma hugged the side of the building to not be in the way of the hustle and bustle of the city streets. It wasn't as bad as say, NYC crowds, but it certainly had enough foot traffic in the area they were in, for her to move out of the way of.

She looked good. Though, the wind breaker was built in such a way, like her turtleneck to disguise her figure in general. He wasn't unhappy though, since that left a lot to the imagination. Certainly made it appealing to want to see what was behind all the layers... though in time, once she was ready.

"Alright, Alright. I'm done. A little help there, Ve... I mean Lyds?" Turning his palm towards her, he asked for a hand up. And while he had been ready for it, he was still surprised at how easy and effortless she pulled him to his feet. It had happened before, with her helping his Batman self to his feet after a scuffle. But it still was eye opening to see her so nonchalantly pull his large frame to standing. Earning a slight confused look from her, as he stared a bit before shaking it off.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about taking you somewhere. Not sure if you will like it, since it is a really costly place. I have spent loads there, and I wanted to bring you to he shop before we did some more normal people shopping. I have some places in mind for our date, and I figure buying some bribes for the gang might be in order for when you feel up for telling them about us." Bruce mentioned, especially since the shop was a bit of a detour from the area he wanted to bring her for most of the rest of the day.

"So, would you mind indulging a small, playboy purchase before we get started?"

"Looking like this?" Velma shot him an exasperated look, waving at the two of them. Quite the pair, as the last store proved evidence of. Not sure they can shop at his normal stores looking they way they were. At least without possibly causing a ruckus if she planned to wear anything else out, like they just experienced.

"Well, he's a connection through Lucius. So, he's part of the information network. Oh, that reminds me."

Pulling a crumpled paper bag out of his pocket, Bruce fumbled around with it. Unfolding it and digging his hand into the bottom to fish out a small ear bud. He pulled her aside, to make sure they didn't drop it in the crowd before presenting it to her. Holding it out in his palm, cupping it so it didn't fall and she would be able to take it from him.

"I was thinking of using a ring box to present this to you. But figured that you might not appreciate the outward appearance of the box."

"...I th-thank you for your discretion."

"But what is this?" She knew it was an earbud. But when it's a gift from Bruce... or Batman, it made sense to weary of what it could be.

"Put it in your ear."

Giving him a momentary look, she reached into his hand. Taking the small earbud, Velma fed the small device into her ear. It took a bit of wiggling, but she seemed to have gotten it into place. Picking up his hand, he tapped his own once and spoke aloud.

"Barb, I gave it to her. Can you switch us to the private room now? I'll ping you if we need it."

"You got it Bruce." Came a strange woman's voice that echoed in Velma's head as well. Before a small click sound happened and the line went dead. Bruce knew that she had heard that, with the growing surprise and wide eyes on Velma as she took in the information and processed it at high speeds. As he expected. Also far better then her first reaction to the discovery of his main secret. Thankful for her not shouting the obvious this time, he doubted that he had anything left that dramatic to cause such a response from her.

Shaking her head once, she then blinked at Bruce before pointing to her ear.

"Neat, isn't it? I use this comms all the time for... work. And figure instead of yelling over the city, we can talk normally and still be heard."

Spoke Bruce voice in one ear, as well as in the other normally muted in the din of the crowded sidewalk. Allowing them not to have to yell over the chaos to be heard easier. The earbud had a lot of fancy technology packed into it's little form. And some actually was influenced by Velma herself. Since one of the patents that she had let them use, was a high heat tolerance adhesive she had discovered and gotten legal claim on. And it worked really good for small electronics that he used. It allowed for seemly inner ear communication that was sleek, and covert. Though with all the Bluetooth technology, it was something that wasn't out of place for them to be using.

"I'll update your phone later, for some minor controls to link to the network. But I need to secure your phone, or give you a new one that has updated security. It will also have the network that we can message each other without worry."

"Wow... It's really nice not having to yell to be heard. I was a bit worried, since there are times when I yelled myself horse, talking to Daph in places like New York and Chicago when she dragged me for shopping. So, this is a really nice alternative."

He could see her mind still taking in the information that this earbud represented. Not only was it what he and the rest of his people used on the streets of Gotham, but here she was able to connect to him in such a way that they could talk low without others readily hearing them. Sure, not really able to flat out say things aloud, but it gave her more options to say things that others didn't need to hear.

"Well, I guess if we have to do some shopping for you. We might as well get it over with before we continue with the date then." She seemed slightly annoyed, snorting slightly out of her nose. Which made him inwardly smile at him being mischievous. He felt bad for lying to her, but part of him wanted to tease her a tiny bit before she found out what the real destination was and how much she would enjoy the location as much as he did.

"It isn't too far from here, before we have to take a subway to get further downtown." Waving a hand in a scooping motion, he gestured for her to follow him. Taking a few strides down the city block, he turned to make sure she was following before he continued.

Taking up his normal walking speed he usually took in the city, he made his way towards the location in mind. Eating up about half a block as he was lost in his own thoughts about how he was lying to Velma, he realized that he had been walking his normal pace. And at his tall height, he worried that he was leaving his petite girlfriend in the dust, getting lost in the crowd.

Whipping his head around, he found her at his side effortlessly. Looking up at him with a slight bewildered look as his face had been slightly worried when he had forgotten about their size difference. But it seemed that he was worried for nothing, as she was at his side and matched his local stride of a city dweller without struggling at all. Sighing in relief that he hadn't been rude and left her behind.

"Hm?"

"Sorry, I was walking without thinking about how fast I was going. I wanted to make sure you were still there." He admitted truthfully, which she just laughed.

"Ah, Daphne usually doesn't give me such courtesy at the mall, streaking at full tilt when she get's in Mallrat mode. Leaving me to fend for myself or dash to keep up. Ignoring the countless cities we have visited and traveled through. Where she is the only one who knows where we are going and she just takes off on her speedy little way. Leaving the gang and I to catch up or get lost. Plus, well we normally spend most of the time running on a mystery. So, this speed isn't that bad, comparatively."

She admitted, but was thankful that the moment of panic she saw on his face, was something simple as that. Thankful he was thinking about her, and being mindful around her. Not that she needed it, since he wasn't too much taller then the lanky Shaggy, who's stride could also be long when he got going and wasn't paying attention. It was a bit of an effort, but not that much all things considered in her experience. Also with him being tall enough, he was like Shaggy and a beacon to follow among the crowd.

"Well, It was rude for me to just charge off without thinking about you. I'm sorry." Bruce felt bad. He was trying to not be his normal playboy self for sure, but he also was not meaning to be rude and forgetting to match her pace on purpose. Teasing a bit was fine, but being ungentlemanly like was not something he was trying to do. He was taught better then that, and Alfred would have his head if he did this within reach of the man's gaze.

"It's ok. It really is!" Putting up her hands, she waved them in front of her. "Don't worry about it."

"Still...Sorry."

He shot her a kicked puppy look, feeling bad... It tugged on her heart. Though it did look odd for someone who was pretending to be grizzled and rough with that fake, but realistic scar. He watched as she reacted with mixed emotions fluttering across her face. But she still was trying to dismiss it as something not that bad. What Bruce didn't know, was that a thought popped into her head. But her first instinct was to push it away. But he didn't look like his normal self, and she didn't either. So, if she was really pretending to be someone else today, to let him be his 'true' self today. She should let herself be more 'herself' as well... And allow herself the moment to indulge in something she wouldn't normally do.

...Right?

Bruce had returned to looking forward, since they were still walking to their destination. And since he had been keeping it a secret, and Velma didn't know the area that well. She was still leaving it up to him to lead them to the location.

Still mentally kicking himself, he almost missed the light touch that came on his elbow. It tugged him lightly to a slower speed, as Velma linked her hand around the bend of his left arm that he had tucked into his jean pocket while walking. Leaning her weight slightly back and she slowed down, he turned his head to look at her as he matched the requested speed. Though her head was twisted away from him as she did this. Feeling embarrassed at her forward action, not wanting to look at his face.

She wasn't done though.

What she did next, surprised him even more. Sliding her hand down the silken sleeve of his outer shirt, she then pulled on his wrist lightly to get it out of the jean pocket. Sliding her palm into his palm once it was free and interlaced her fingers with his.

"So, I don't get lost. And to continue our previous experiment." She muttered, that only the fact that he had the earbud in, was how he was able to hear her. Since she was talking to the wall beside them on the city street. Giving his larger hand a squeeze.

"Oh? Oh!" Earning his face beaming, as he turned to look back forward with a dopey delighted grin that was unfitting his current look but he couldn't hide his joy in holding his girlfriend's hand like this. And even interlacing their fingers and everything! Not something he had been expecting from her, but he would take it!

"Hm, we will have to note down the variables and results of the experiment then. When we have some time." He offered the idea, eager to record this later.

Certainly he had wanted to get this far in their first date, when he had been proposing the holding hands experiment previously. But he was surprised that she would be the one to openly restart it. And in such a manner as well! Going to the more advanced techniques, not that he was complaining. This certainly had been on his list of things to try, but wasn't sure how soon it would be able to be snuck in. Instead, she started it, which he would take! Not going to turn down the offer, if it was her idea. With her left hand, woven with his right.

"Mmm." She said with a nod, bringing her head back forward though hiding in her hood a bit to hide her bashfulness of her own actions. He glanced for a second to look at her, that he had spotted it, but returned back to his leading to not draw attention to her. Amazed at how graceful she moved with him, flowing in and out of the crowd as they made their way towards the shop.

Focusing on his hand grasping hers, he was worried that his hand would be clammy or sweaty against hers. But it was comfortable to hold her hand like this. Their grip between them was light, and flexible as they moved. Amazing him with her grace. Tightening the grip or loosening it when they needed to rotate or react to the flow of the public around them. Especially when Bruce had to swing their arms up, to let a over eager child who seemed to have broke away from their parents and dashed between the pair. Making them have to arch their hands over the kid rather then clothes line the little guy. Keeping their arms up as the father ducked and dashed after the scamp, and the tired looking mother apologized for the fuss as she passed by them. But had a smile on her face as she looked back at them.

"Thank you, sorry for that. Have a lovely date, you two. Sorry again" The woman left saying, as she moved to trot after her husband who had managed to catch the boy and was waiting for his wife to catch up. Leaving Velma and Bruce to look at them, and then back to each other laughing.

But sadly, Bruce had to end the fun they were having, as they reached their destination.

"Aw.. We're here"