(no subject)
Title: Conversations II: Diana
Author: Northernwalker
Pairing: Bruce/Clark
Rating: PG
Warnings: Happy fluff.
Word Count: 1846
Universes: Batman Begins/Smallville. And the Justice League.
Summary: Diana is worried and about to cut a Bat.
Note: This is going off from my AU fics and I need a name for that series.
Diana was frightened. This didn't happen often, but the current situation warranted it. The way Kal had looked the day before…
She knew that Kal was in love with Batman. The men in the League, other than J’Onn, were all quite clueless, but he did do a nice job of covering it. Certainly Batman hadn't noticed. It wasn’t hard for her to spot, though. She knew unrequited love disgustingly well. It infuriated her to see that flash of pain when Batman snapped at him. Kal didn’t hit back- he wasn’t the type. She, on the other hand, had spent the last few years picturing just how she could silence Batman and what parts of his anatomy she could use. She’d often played human shield to protect him from those moments, just as she had when Kal was approached by people who wanted to flirt with him while he was being Superman. He was so shy for someone who should be so confident. It was just as well, though. Kal's abilities combined with Batman's ego would be a disaster.
Of course, she’d never come out and said anything to Kal. He clearly didn’t want to discuss it, and what was there to say? “I’m sorry you’re in love with a clueless twit who doesn’t deserve you and if he had the sense the Gods gave a tomato plant would be begging on his knees for your hand, not to mention other parts of your anatomy?” And bewailing the stupidity of men would sound rather peculiar in these circumstances.
Matters had improved in the last few months. Batman had been listening to Kal instead of automatically slapping down any suggestions he made as useless and impractical. Not having to play referee had gotten League meetings finished a lot faster and left everyone in a better mood. She hadn’t known just why Batman had decided to play nice until she’d come around a corner at the wrong moment and found Batman backing Kal up against the wall while devouring his mouth. Kal clearly wasn't objecting, if his soft moans were any indication. After beating a hasty retreat, she’d decided that the situation would bear watching. Did Batman really care about Kal, or was this a game or a power play?
She’d almost come to believe that Batman wasn’t using Kal. His response when Metallo had nearly torn Kal apart had been...suggestive. His fury had been all out of proportion with the situation. The movie date had very nearly convinced her. No man who wasn’t in love would have willingly explained all the intricacies of the plot (she was still rather suspicious of the whole men-inheriting thing) and sat with her and Kal as they watched a chick flick. (Such a useful term, that.) He didn't even tease Kal when he teared up at the end- she had teased him, just a little.
But yesterday.
Before she’d come to Man’s World, Diana had seen one of her sisters accidentally shot with an arrow. The wound was fatal, but not instantly so. The look in her eyes was recognition of death approaching. Kal had worn that look yesterday. All Diana could do was keep him from shattering during the meeting and fight. He’d vanished shortly afterwards and she hadn’t been able to get find of him. The only thing saving Batman from immediate disembowelment was the anxious glances he shot Kal’s way. He clearly knew something was wrong and was worried.
Now she needed to track Kal down, hug him, tie Batman up with her lasso and strangle him.
***
Diana finally caught up with Kal that night in Gotham, of all places. Calling Batman territorial was like calling the ocean a bit damp. His dramatics about League members entering his city without permission had gotten tiresome fast, but while most of them pretty much ignored the tantrums, Kal had not.
Kal was sitting on a gargoyle in the moonlight when she flew up. He greeted her with a glowing smile and a warm hug, helping her down onto the gargoyle. Diana sat carefully, trying to avoid the poky bits, while attempting to figure out how to broach this somewhat sticky subject.
“…brings you to Gotham tonight?”
“You.” Apparently she’d chosen bluntness, or at least her mouth had.
“Me? Why?” Kal sounded concerned and slightly confused.
“Yesterday you looked like death was an acceptable option. You scared me and I’m worried about you.”
He was instantly remorseful. “I’m so sorry I worried you. Really, I’m all right. It was just…”
“It’s Batman, isn’t it. Damn him, I thought he’d finally gotten the cranial-rectum thing Steve mentioned straightened out. I thought he cared about you! I’m going to tie him up with my lasso and slice bits off him with a Batarang! I’ll…”
“Diana!” Kal interrupted before she could really get going. “Not that I don’t appreciate your willingness to spindle, fold and mutilate in my defense, but he does care. I was being stupid.”
“No, you weren’t.” Batman really had looming down to a science. Everyone shifted as he landed beside them. The reconfigured group had Batman and Diana sitting on the gargoyle with Kal floating beside them. Diana was now wrapped in Kal’s cape, which he’d detached. She appreciated the gesture that was so typically Kal- it was a cool night and she was fine while moving, but stone gargoyles weren’t known for their coziness when being used as an impromptu bench.
Batman turned his hooded gaze on her. “Clark wasn’t stupid, I was. I spent years being an idiot, and when I finally realized how I felt I made a total botch of letting him know. Luckily for me, he’s too forgiving for his own good.”
“Are you going to screw up again?” Diana challenged.
“Yes, but I’ll do my best not to.”
This slightly bleak answer was actually more reassuring than a facile no would be. Diana had learned to mistrust the easy response.
“So I guess we’re telling people we’re together?” Kal quipped, blushing a bit. “At least Alfred thinks I can screw up or I’d get a complex.”
Batman- no, Bruce- looked over at him, the normally laserlike gaze softening as he reached out to pull Kal closer. Diana barely managed to restrain herself, feeling that squeals of “AWWW!” would make the guys flee.
“How did you know we were together?”
Diana smirked at Bruce. “Well, either you were examining his tonsils in the hall that day or you were kissing. I picked option two. Also, you were complaining that Jane Austen wrote sappy romances, but you willingly sat through one with us.”
Batman didn’t blush, but Bruce did. “My hero,” Kal murmured. Diana grinned.
“On that note, I’ll take my leave.” She carefully removed herself from the gargoyle, handing Kal his cape. He caught her in a hug which Diana returned with pleasure.
"Thank you."
Diana turned back to Bruce, raising one eyebrow. "For?" She queried.
"For worrying about Clark."
"I won't stop."
"Good."
Kal looked a little bemused but refrained from comment. Diana dropped a light kiss on his tanned cheek and and launched herself into the night sky, smiling. Kal was happy, Bruce had a clue machine and was using his roll of quarters wisely.
Life was good.
***
"That was more terrifying than meeting the in-laws." Bruce commented.
"Bruce, she is the in-laws. She seems to see me as a little brother who's badly in need of defense." Clark finished reattaching his cape.
"She's right."
Clark rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "I wonder who else is going to brace us on our being together. Alfred already did."
"When?"
"This evening while you were on the phone. It's cool. He's a really good guy, and he worries about you."
"Well, other than my resident mother hen, there's J'Onn. Oliver might. Lois probably will." Clark groaned."Your mother?"
"She won't care." Clark cocked his head to the side suddenly. "Poison Ivy's on the prowl."
Bruce gathered himself together, preparing for the jump. He glanced at Clark, who hovered hesitantly nearby. Bruce's heart twisted as he realized Clark didn't know whether to come with him or to ask, or what to do. He didn't grasp yet how much Bruce trusted him.
"I could use a hand." Bruce said casually.
Clark's sunshine smile was all the reward he needed. "You never know with Ivy," he added. "She could have come up with something really weird, like pollen that makes you want to have sex with the nearest person."
Clark laughed. "You don't want to be a test subject?"
"Not with her I don't. Sleeping with a female praying mantis like Ivy has never struck me as a smart move. I like my head attached."
"Maybe she needs a hobby. Not gardening, though."
"Henna body art." Clark said decisively.
Bruce blinked."Why?"
"It's plant based and pretty."
"I"m afraid to ask how you know that."
"I could show you later." Clark offered.
Bruce smiled. Actually, it was more of a leer. "Yes, you could."
Clark snickered. "Great, now I'm walking into them."
"You could walk into me. We'll fall, of course."
"I won't let us."
"I know you won't." Bruce cleared his throat. "So. Ivy?"
Author: Northernwalker
Pairing: Bruce/Clark
Rating: PG
Warnings: Happy fluff.
Word Count: 1846
Universes: Batman Begins/Smallville. And the Justice League.
Summary: Diana is worried and about to cut a Bat.
Note: This is going off from my AU fics and I need a name for that series.
Diana was frightened. This didn't happen often, but the current situation warranted it. The way Kal had looked the day before…
She knew that Kal was in love with Batman. The men in the League, other than J’Onn, were all quite clueless, but he did do a nice job of covering it. Certainly Batman hadn't noticed. It wasn’t hard for her to spot, though. She knew unrequited love disgustingly well. It infuriated her to see that flash of pain when Batman snapped at him. Kal didn’t hit back- he wasn’t the type. She, on the other hand, had spent the last few years picturing just how she could silence Batman and what parts of his anatomy she could use. She’d often played human shield to protect him from those moments, just as she had when Kal was approached by people who wanted to flirt with him while he was being Superman. He was so shy for someone who should be so confident. It was just as well, though. Kal's abilities combined with Batman's ego would be a disaster.
Of course, she’d never come out and said anything to Kal. He clearly didn’t want to discuss it, and what was there to say? “I’m sorry you’re in love with a clueless twit who doesn’t deserve you and if he had the sense the Gods gave a tomato plant would be begging on his knees for your hand, not to mention other parts of your anatomy?” And bewailing the stupidity of men would sound rather peculiar in these circumstances.
Matters had improved in the last few months. Batman had been listening to Kal instead of automatically slapping down any suggestions he made as useless and impractical. Not having to play referee had gotten League meetings finished a lot faster and left everyone in a better mood. She hadn’t known just why Batman had decided to play nice until she’d come around a corner at the wrong moment and found Batman backing Kal up against the wall while devouring his mouth. Kal clearly wasn't objecting, if his soft moans were any indication. After beating a hasty retreat, she’d decided that the situation would bear watching. Did Batman really care about Kal, or was this a game or a power play?
She’d almost come to believe that Batman wasn’t using Kal. His response when Metallo had nearly torn Kal apart had been...suggestive. His fury had been all out of proportion with the situation. The movie date had very nearly convinced her. No man who wasn’t in love would have willingly explained all the intricacies of the plot (she was still rather suspicious of the whole men-inheriting thing) and sat with her and Kal as they watched a chick flick. (Such a useful term, that.) He didn't even tease Kal when he teared up at the end- she had teased him, just a little.
But yesterday.
Before she’d come to Man’s World, Diana had seen one of her sisters accidentally shot with an arrow. The wound was fatal, but not instantly so. The look in her eyes was recognition of death approaching. Kal had worn that look yesterday. All Diana could do was keep him from shattering during the meeting and fight. He’d vanished shortly afterwards and she hadn’t been able to get find of him. The only thing saving Batman from immediate disembowelment was the anxious glances he shot Kal’s way. He clearly knew something was wrong and was worried.
Now she needed to track Kal down, hug him, tie Batman up with her lasso and strangle him.
***
Diana finally caught up with Kal that night in Gotham, of all places. Calling Batman territorial was like calling the ocean a bit damp. His dramatics about League members entering his city without permission had gotten tiresome fast, but while most of them pretty much ignored the tantrums, Kal had not.
Kal was sitting on a gargoyle in the moonlight when she flew up. He greeted her with a glowing smile and a warm hug, helping her down onto the gargoyle. Diana sat carefully, trying to avoid the poky bits, while attempting to figure out how to broach this somewhat sticky subject.
“…brings you to Gotham tonight?”
“You.” Apparently she’d chosen bluntness, or at least her mouth had.
“Me? Why?” Kal sounded concerned and slightly confused.
“Yesterday you looked like death was an acceptable option. You scared me and I’m worried about you.”
He was instantly remorseful. “I’m so sorry I worried you. Really, I’m all right. It was just…”
“It’s Batman, isn’t it. Damn him, I thought he’d finally gotten the cranial-rectum thing Steve mentioned straightened out. I thought he cared about you! I’m going to tie him up with my lasso and slice bits off him with a Batarang! I’ll…”
“Diana!” Kal interrupted before she could really get going. “Not that I don’t appreciate your willingness to spindle, fold and mutilate in my defense, but he does care. I was being stupid.”
“No, you weren’t.” Batman really had looming down to a science. Everyone shifted as he landed beside them. The reconfigured group had Batman and Diana sitting on the gargoyle with Kal floating beside them. Diana was now wrapped in Kal’s cape, which he’d detached. She appreciated the gesture that was so typically Kal- it was a cool night and she was fine while moving, but stone gargoyles weren’t known for their coziness when being used as an impromptu bench.
Batman turned his hooded gaze on her. “Clark wasn’t stupid, I was. I spent years being an idiot, and when I finally realized how I felt I made a total botch of letting him know. Luckily for me, he’s too forgiving for his own good.”
“Are you going to screw up again?” Diana challenged.
“Yes, but I’ll do my best not to.”
This slightly bleak answer was actually more reassuring than a facile no would be. Diana had learned to mistrust the easy response.
“So I guess we’re telling people we’re together?” Kal quipped, blushing a bit. “At least Alfred thinks I can screw up or I’d get a complex.”
Batman- no, Bruce- looked over at him, the normally laserlike gaze softening as he reached out to pull Kal closer. Diana barely managed to restrain herself, feeling that squeals of “AWWW!” would make the guys flee.
“How did you know we were together?”
Diana smirked at Bruce. “Well, either you were examining his tonsils in the hall that day or you were kissing. I picked option two. Also, you were complaining that Jane Austen wrote sappy romances, but you willingly sat through one with us.”
Batman didn’t blush, but Bruce did. “My hero,” Kal murmured. Diana grinned.
“On that note, I’ll take my leave.” She carefully removed herself from the gargoyle, handing Kal his cape. He caught her in a hug which Diana returned with pleasure.
"Thank you."
Diana turned back to Bruce, raising one eyebrow. "For?" She queried.
"For worrying about Clark."
"I won't stop."
"Good."
Kal looked a little bemused but refrained from comment. Diana dropped a light kiss on his tanned cheek and and launched herself into the night sky, smiling. Kal was happy, Bruce had a clue machine and was using his roll of quarters wisely.
Life was good.
***
"That was more terrifying than meeting the in-laws." Bruce commented.
"Bruce, she is the in-laws. She seems to see me as a little brother who's badly in need of defense." Clark finished reattaching his cape.
"She's right."
Clark rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "I wonder who else is going to brace us on our being together. Alfred already did."
"When?"
"This evening while you were on the phone. It's cool. He's a really good guy, and he worries about you."
"Well, other than my resident mother hen, there's J'Onn. Oliver might. Lois probably will." Clark groaned."Your mother?"
"She won't care." Clark cocked his head to the side suddenly. "Poison Ivy's on the prowl."
Bruce gathered himself together, preparing for the jump. He glanced at Clark, who hovered hesitantly nearby. Bruce's heart twisted as he realized Clark didn't know whether to come with him or to ask, or what to do. He didn't grasp yet how much Bruce trusted him.
"I could use a hand." Bruce said casually.
Clark's sunshine smile was all the reward he needed. "You never know with Ivy," he added. "She could have come up with something really weird, like pollen that makes you want to have sex with the nearest person."
Clark laughed. "You don't want to be a test subject?"
"Not with her I don't. Sleeping with a female praying mantis like Ivy has never struck me as a smart move. I like my head attached."
"Maybe she needs a hobby. Not gardening, though."
"Henna body art." Clark said decisively.
Bruce blinked."Why?"
"It's plant based and pretty."
"I"m afraid to ask how you know that."
"I could show you later." Clark offered.
Bruce smiled. Actually, it was more of a leer. "Yes, you could."
Clark snickered. "Great, now I'm walking into them."
"You could walk into me. We'll fall, of course."
"I won't let us."
"I know you won't." Bruce cleared his throat. "So. Ivy?"