Fic: How Amazons Say Goodbye
Title: How Amazons Say Goodbye
Characters/Pairings: Steve/Diana
Rating: PG
Summary: Steve meets the new Ambassador from Themyscira in New York City.
Word count: 1200
Continuity: None in particular.
Notes: For bradygirl_12 's birthday and the anniversary of wonderwomanlove !
Steve Trevor glanced at his watch. Not because he was feeling impatient, but because he didn't have much else to do. Crowds ebbed and flowed into the United Nations, people in saris and jeans and turbans and Chanel suits, but Steve had eyes for none of them.
He was waiting for the newest ambassador to the United Nations, from the recently admitted nation of Themyscira.
When she emerged from the building, carrying a stack of folders, Steve felt his heart leap. She didn't see him at first, peering at her folders with a harried air through her severe horn-rimmed glasses. Her hair was pulled into a neat bun, all stray tendrils tucked away. Steve remembered with a pang how her hair had looked, loose around her shoulders in the wind on the beach, how she had smiled at him and said she'd see him again soon enough, the day he had finished repairs on his airplane. He hadn't been sure what she'd meant then; he had only known he was leaving paradise.
He wasn't sure what Amazons did when bidding people goodbye, so he had merely saluted her crisply and climbed into the plane. He didn't dare touch her. They had never touched since that day on the beach, her strong arms pulling him from the waves, pulling him back into life. Embracing Amazon princesses didn't seem to be good diplomacy. No matter how warm their smiles were, no matter how sweet their eyes.
He had saluted her and left. He had looked down one last time, sure he would never see her again, and seen her standing like a statue, her hair a riot of dark and tossing waves in the wake of his plane. She had held them back with one hand and shaded her eyes with the other, watching him go, still as stone.
He had come back to America, back to his life. And yet some part of him always seemed to stay there, caught in the net of her midnight hair, the depths of her sky-blue eyes. And when he had seen the new ambassador from Themyscira on the news, he had headed to New York City.
Now he watched her, formal and elegant in a white suit, head still bent over her folders. "Miss Prince," he said politely as she started to pass him, and she gasped and dropped the papers in a cascade.
They knelt down together to retrieve the folders--no one else in the crowd seemed inclined to help--and his hand touched hers briefly. She turned that smile on him again, the smile that made him feel like it was for him and him alone, and the city crowd seemed to fade away for a moment. "I was going to come looking for you soon," she said as they stood.
"I came looking for you first."
"Yes," she said, tilting her head, the smile still on her lips, her eyes sparkling behind the thick glasses. "You did. Thank you."
He offered her his arm and she stared at it, then took it as if she had no idea how to walk arm in arm with a man. Which she almost certainly didn't. "Would you care to take a walk, Ambassador?"
"I'd love to, Major."
They strolled slowly down the sidewalk together. Diana held him lightly, but her hands closed on his arm with sudden strength as a siren wailed one block over. Her eyes flicked around the crowd uneasily and she almost collided with a few other people. "I'm sorry," she said after nearly getting tangled up with a bicycle. "I'm not...used to crowds like this. So many people."
Her eyes were almost frightened behind her glasses, and Steve felt a wrench of empathy. "Let's stop and get some coffee."
This time her smile was relieved. "I'd like that."
: : :
Steve blew the steam off his coffee, far too hot for mere mortals. Diana drank it straight, of course, a deep draught followed by an equally deep sigh. The heavy steel bracelets on her wrists glinted from beneath her white sleeves. "I'm sorry. It's just...all this." She waved an elegant hand at the crush of people beyond the coffee shop. "Themyscira is quiet. Peaceful. There's space and air and sky everywhere. Here it's all so...narrow. And busy. And noisy."
"You'll get used to it."
Diana grimaced wryly, the awkward expression somehow lovely on her face. "I don't know if I even want that. I don't..." She looked away from him, out the window for a moment. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing here, quite. I have...gifts from my homeland. Treasures that should be put to use. But I don't know how to...to channel them in a way this world will understand. Will welcome." She put down her coffee and rested her chin on her hands. "I don't know if this world has any frame of reference for what I want to become to it."
Steve smiled. "Come with me. I've got something to show you."
: : :
The wind from the bay gusted against them both; Diana laughed as it pulled her hair from its careful bun strand by strand, until there wasn't enough left in to justify keeping it up. She shook her hair out as salty mist spumed around them, the Staten Island Ferry churning it up as they moved forward. She smiled at him from the cloud of darkness haloing her face, and Steve felt his heart lurch. "You wanted to show me a boat?" she asked laughingly.
He pointed. "There."
Diana followed his gaze to the massive statue overlooking the harbor, stern and lovely, and her expression sobered and shifted. For a long moment she looked at it. Then she cast a glance back at Steve. "You arm a goddess of liberty with a book and a torch," she said. "Not very effective weaponry for a warrior of freedom." Her voice was serious, but there were glints of laughter in her eyes. "And I would think such long and voluminous robes would be quite confining in a fight."
"A fighting goddess would probably be more pragmatically garbed," he agreed.
Her expression was thoughtful and assessing, turned inward. Then she nodded, once. "I see," she said. "I can work with this."
: : :
At the door to her penthouse apartment, Steve paused. "Thank you for a wonderful day," he said awkwardly. "I'd...like to see you again."
Diana's eyes were still abstracted and had been since their time on the ferry. "I shall be very busy, I suspect," she said absently. "There are preparations I must make."
"Ah," said Steve.
Her eyes focused on him again at the monosyllable, fully there once more. "Major," she said, "When you left Themyscira, why did you not kiss me goodbye?"
Steve blinked. "I...wasn't sure it was appropriate. I didn't know how Amazons say goodbye--"
Before he could finish the sentence, he found himself being bent slightly backwards, almost dipped in her arms, her mouth against his and her tongue eagerly exploring. He came up panting, surfacing into her amused smile. "So...so...that's how Amazons say goodbye?"
Diana's smile widened. "No. That is how I say 'I would very much like to see you again, Steve Trevor. And soon.'"
Steve reached out to brush back a strand of wind-blown hair.
"I think I'm starting to understand," he said, "But I could probably use some practice on the finer points of expression."
Characters/Pairings: Steve/Diana
Rating: PG
Summary: Steve meets the new Ambassador from Themyscira in New York City.
Word count: 1200
Continuity: None in particular.
Notes: For bradygirl_12 's birthday and the anniversary of wonderwomanlove !
Steve Trevor glanced at his watch. Not because he was feeling impatient, but because he didn't have much else to do. Crowds ebbed and flowed into the United Nations, people in saris and jeans and turbans and Chanel suits, but Steve had eyes for none of them.
He was waiting for the newest ambassador to the United Nations, from the recently admitted nation of Themyscira.
When she emerged from the building, carrying a stack of folders, Steve felt his heart leap. She didn't see him at first, peering at her folders with a harried air through her severe horn-rimmed glasses. Her hair was pulled into a neat bun, all stray tendrils tucked away. Steve remembered with a pang how her hair had looked, loose around her shoulders in the wind on the beach, how she had smiled at him and said she'd see him again soon enough, the day he had finished repairs on his airplane. He hadn't been sure what she'd meant then; he had only known he was leaving paradise.
He wasn't sure what Amazons did when bidding people goodbye, so he had merely saluted her crisply and climbed into the plane. He didn't dare touch her. They had never touched since that day on the beach, her strong arms pulling him from the waves, pulling him back into life. Embracing Amazon princesses didn't seem to be good diplomacy. No matter how warm their smiles were, no matter how sweet their eyes.
He had saluted her and left. He had looked down one last time, sure he would never see her again, and seen her standing like a statue, her hair a riot of dark and tossing waves in the wake of his plane. She had held them back with one hand and shaded her eyes with the other, watching him go, still as stone.
He had come back to America, back to his life. And yet some part of him always seemed to stay there, caught in the net of her midnight hair, the depths of her sky-blue eyes. And when he had seen the new ambassador from Themyscira on the news, he had headed to New York City.
Now he watched her, formal and elegant in a white suit, head still bent over her folders. "Miss Prince," he said politely as she started to pass him, and she gasped and dropped the papers in a cascade.
They knelt down together to retrieve the folders--no one else in the crowd seemed inclined to help--and his hand touched hers briefly. She turned that smile on him again, the smile that made him feel like it was for him and him alone, and the city crowd seemed to fade away for a moment. "I was going to come looking for you soon," she said as they stood.
"I came looking for you first."
"Yes," she said, tilting her head, the smile still on her lips, her eyes sparkling behind the thick glasses. "You did. Thank you."
He offered her his arm and she stared at it, then took it as if she had no idea how to walk arm in arm with a man. Which she almost certainly didn't. "Would you care to take a walk, Ambassador?"
"I'd love to, Major."
They strolled slowly down the sidewalk together. Diana held him lightly, but her hands closed on his arm with sudden strength as a siren wailed one block over. Her eyes flicked around the crowd uneasily and she almost collided with a few other people. "I'm sorry," she said after nearly getting tangled up with a bicycle. "I'm not...used to crowds like this. So many people."
Her eyes were almost frightened behind her glasses, and Steve felt a wrench of empathy. "Let's stop and get some coffee."
This time her smile was relieved. "I'd like that."
: : :
Steve blew the steam off his coffee, far too hot for mere mortals. Diana drank it straight, of course, a deep draught followed by an equally deep sigh. The heavy steel bracelets on her wrists glinted from beneath her white sleeves. "I'm sorry. It's just...all this." She waved an elegant hand at the crush of people beyond the coffee shop. "Themyscira is quiet. Peaceful. There's space and air and sky everywhere. Here it's all so...narrow. And busy. And noisy."
"You'll get used to it."
Diana grimaced wryly, the awkward expression somehow lovely on her face. "I don't know if I even want that. I don't..." She looked away from him, out the window for a moment. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing here, quite. I have...gifts from my homeland. Treasures that should be put to use. But I don't know how to...to channel them in a way this world will understand. Will welcome." She put down her coffee and rested her chin on her hands. "I don't know if this world has any frame of reference for what I want to become to it."
Steve smiled. "Come with me. I've got something to show you."
: : :
The wind from the bay gusted against them both; Diana laughed as it pulled her hair from its careful bun strand by strand, until there wasn't enough left in to justify keeping it up. She shook her hair out as salty mist spumed around them, the Staten Island Ferry churning it up as they moved forward. She smiled at him from the cloud of darkness haloing her face, and Steve felt his heart lurch. "You wanted to show me a boat?" she asked laughingly.
He pointed. "There."
Diana followed his gaze to the massive statue overlooking the harbor, stern and lovely, and her expression sobered and shifted. For a long moment she looked at it. Then she cast a glance back at Steve. "You arm a goddess of liberty with a book and a torch," she said. "Not very effective weaponry for a warrior of freedom." Her voice was serious, but there were glints of laughter in her eyes. "And I would think such long and voluminous robes would be quite confining in a fight."
"A fighting goddess would probably be more pragmatically garbed," he agreed.
Her expression was thoughtful and assessing, turned inward. Then she nodded, once. "I see," she said. "I can work with this."
: : :
At the door to her penthouse apartment, Steve paused. "Thank you for a wonderful day," he said awkwardly. "I'd...like to see you again."
Diana's eyes were still abstracted and had been since their time on the ferry. "I shall be very busy, I suspect," she said absently. "There are preparations I must make."
"Ah," said Steve.
Her eyes focused on him again at the monosyllable, fully there once more. "Major," she said, "When you left Themyscira, why did you not kiss me goodbye?"
Steve blinked. "I...wasn't sure it was appropriate. I didn't know how Amazons say goodbye--"
Before he could finish the sentence, he found himself being bent slightly backwards, almost dipped in her arms, her mouth against his and her tongue eagerly exploring. He came up panting, surfacing into her amused smile. "So...so...that's how Amazons say goodbye?"
Diana's smile widened. "No. That is how I say 'I would very much like to see you again, Steve Trevor. And soon.'"
Steve reached out to brush back a strand of wind-blown hair.
"I think I'm starting to understand," he said, "But I could probably use some practice on the finer points of expression."