Justice League Fan Fiction ❯ Realization ❯ Chapter 1

It had never occurred to her that scars collected across the body.

That it marred the cool flesh with lumps of hardened skin, giving a topographic collection of battles won and sometimes lost, from years before. The blue and purple bruises that stood in stark comparison to the olive skin looked like angry lashes inflicted by the Gods themselves. So deep.

Sure, sure. She understood that scars could be permanent. She grasped the idea. But… She never bruised. She never scarred.

She watched, somehow held in some powerful grasp, as sweat gathered across the skin, collecting in the narrow passageway down the spine. The up and down motion of push-ups flung droplets to the floor. The skin looked hot, damp and abused. Breath, heavy but even, blew from firm lips, echoing the deliberate motions.

She never sweat like that. She never ached like this.

Something inside her twinged. A hot sensation rose from her belly. Unrecognizable, it drew her attention back to where she was. She moved, her boots making clear, heavy footfalls as she felt like she was waking from a dream. Control room. Break. Apple. Peanut butter. He brain was a slow engine, working through her near future intentions. Don't do that again.

Wonder Woman took her seat at the control panel, her snack in hand. She gazed at the apple, her eyes looking past it.

Since she did not bruise, she did not empathize with how painful they could be and continue to be. They must hurt. When mortals receive that kind of punishment, they cry out. They crumble and they give up when the pain increases. They must hurt badly. They hiss and bark as the wounds heal. The pain can last for days, weeks.

The scars. True, some mortals scar more easily than others - she knew this. Sometimes even a knick that barely cut the surface could leave a lasting impression. But the mass of scarring that riddled the flesh she observed, that was torturous. The body had to have been sliced, again and again. They were deep, painful wounds that would always mar the skin. She wondered how long it took to collect that many scars. Where they all given in a single night? Did they collect one at a time?

She bit absently into her apple, the dampness cooling on her chin. She instinctively wiped it away with the back of her hand. He never complained. He never cried. He never asked for help. He never gave up.

Silence on the waves. Her shift ended, she made way back to her bed. The door that was previously hung ajar was closed like it normally was. Why would it ever be left open anyway?

Days passed. The Justice League continued normally. Bad guys did something stupid; banks were robbed, children were kidnapped and held for ransom, and the good guys prevailed. High fives were shared, smiles abound. Nothing had changed.

She dug a hand through her hair and collected her towel and robe. As she passed, she noticed the door was again left ajar. She meant to not look and to not stop - she did not succeed in either of those.

His back was exposed to her. His legs were folded and collected close to his body. Both his arms were straight with both hands pointed at the floor. He held himself up by his fingertips. And there he stayed.

She had no idea how long he had been there. She let loose a breath she didn't realize she was holding. The dark purple bruises she had seen before had faded to a mustard yellow, the edges simmering off into a green hue. Unconsciously, she wet her lips. I shouldn't be here.

Her house slippers didn't give quite the echo her boots did, but her motion was obvious enough as she reoriented herself toward the bath house.

Wonder Woman made an effort not to stare too long or catch eyes too often with him. Everyone trains. Everyone stretches. She did not see anything inappropriate. Yet, she felt she had violated some type of ethos. Somehow, his privacy was invaded. But, his door was open. Twice! She spent more time fidgeting with her hair than before. Ridiculous.

“Diana?”

“I'm listening.” No, I wasn't.

The League had turned to her, all eyes questioning. “Coming?”

Ridiculous!

She pressed her palms to the table as she righted herself. “Let's go.” This will not happen again.

In the travel to the factory, Superman had caught her up on some things she had missed: the company was suspected of creating biological warfare - the likes that were designed to kill instantly. The toxins were in gas form, the agent delivered through smoke-like bombs among other ingenious tactics. The owners were a group of private investors in an East African country Batman felt was a cover up. The Dark Knight needed some time to determine the truth. In the meantime, the goal was to stop the distribution that he'd discovered earlier that day. Shut down the plant, destroy the chemical plans and make sure no one died.

It wasn't until they came to the production line when the opposition showed up. Men in mechanized gear, guns blazing with powerful lasers, charged the group. The League dispersed. Flash made it to the control room, powering down the line. The Green Arrow perched on the catwalk, arrows hissing through the air. Superman fought with three of the mechanized goons, occasionally catching a stray punch and bursting through the walls. Wonder Woman had made a small pile of goons, preferring to take them one-on-one.

An explosion at the far end of the line, smoke began to fill the room. The bodies closest to the fumes fell to the ground coughing and sputtering as they died. “Everybody out! We have to stop it from spreading!” Superman burst through the ceiling skyward, surely to return with something devastatingly large to plug the gas leak. Men shouted as they filed out of the factory, waving each other on.

“Is everyone out?” Wonder Woman spied Superman's return, a giant rock in tow. The League was ushering the bad guys away, clearing the area. Flash gave her a stunning smile and a thumbs up. She surveyed the area. “Batman,” she breathed before rushing back into the orange tinged air.

With her fists stretched out in front of her, she drove through the cement walls of the factory. She wanted to shout, but unsure of how the toxin would work on her, she kept her mouth shut as she held her breath. She could do this for hours. But Bruce? How long could he last without air? Minutes.

The labs. He has to be in the labs. She drove straight to the labs, knocking aside rubble as she landed. Sparks arched above her as live loose wires trembled. She tossed aside the steel tables and tools, markers of the torture and pain the “test” subjects suffered through. Slumped against a wall, his lower half disappeared beneath beams and crumbled concrete, Batman struggled to free himself.

He was conscious, a gas mask in place over his mouth and nose. Naturally. Why would she suspect him to be unprepared? “Diana! We have to destroy the backup! They can remotely access the data on the server and remake the toxin! Quickly, take this flash drive and insert it into the server over there. It'll upload a virus and destroy the information.” He voice was muffled by the mask, but she understood. He handed her the drive and pointed to the wall of computers. “Any drive will do. Just put it in; it's self loading.”

As asked, she placed the drive into the computer. She risked a few words, “We have to leave NOW.” She pointed up. In the short time she had her back turned, Batman was most of the way free of the pile. His suit was torn, exposing red skin and bloodied patches. One ear from his cowl was broken. Broken red blood vessels had blossomed over one eye. He stood, a hand catching support from the wall behind him.

“Let's go.” He ran, leaping through the holes Wonder Woman had made in her way to reach him. She paused briefly, her idea of escape so much quicker and safe. But then again, she could fly. She could smash through walls. She came away from this without losing a drop of blood.

She followed behind him, her lungs beginning to feel a slow burn. She ignored it; pain was something she could deal with. Batman and Wonder Woman escaped. Superman thrust the factory sized rock upon the crumbling ruins. The orange smoke was clearing, the toxin dissipating. Wonder Woman coughed as she caught her breath, her hand coming up politely.

She slowly brought herself to the ground, suddenly feeling very heavy. She came to her knees. Still, she was very heavy. Her eyes closed and her hands reached out to the ground beneath her as she crumbled slowly, weakly. Her head lifted as her eyes opened, glazed and hazy vision blurred over Batman's countenance. “Diana?” She coughed again, something warm dribbled from her lips as she lost consciousness.

When Wonder Woman awoke, she found herself to be very tired and very weak. She recognized the med lab and the table she was stretched out on. Sensors beeped. She licked her lips, her mouth tasted horrible.

“Diana?” Bruce stood above her, his brow kitted in concern. “How do you feel?” His hand rested on her shoulder, comforting.

“I imagine I have felt better,” her voice sounded hoarse. She coughed, her throat constricted and burned. “What happened?”

Superman strode into the room, his face beaming. Bruce removed his hand and turned to the control tablet. “You breathed in enough toxins to damage your lungs and throat, but not enough to kill you. Bruce was able to synthesize an antidote quickly enough that you won't be permanently damaged.”

She glanced up, the overhead display lighting up the damage in her lungs. Superman continued, “You're healing as we speak. You'll be fine in no time. Meanwhile, get some rest, we've got things under control. Bruce, you too. You haven't slept since the accident, have you?”

Bruce awarded Superman his trademark gruff grunt, his back still turned as he adjusted the touch screen. “I'm fine.”

The Kryptonian reached out, squeezing Diana's hand firmly. “Glad to see you're safe.” He gave her a warm smile, nodded to Bruce's back and left.

Diana smiled at the display and whispered, “Thank you.”

Bruce turned his head over his shoulder to glance briefly down at her. He remained silent.

“How long… was I…?” She flexed her hands and curled her toes, feeling strength returning to be body.

“Thirty six hours. It took me twelve to create the antidote. You were… sick. The drive you placed in the server gave me immediate access to everything saved on their systems. I knew who they were, and their plans. I even had the chemical compound structure used to synthesize the toxin. I used it to create the antidote.” He turned back, showing her his control tablet. “This was your scan when we got you back to headquarters.”

Diana squinted. She understood she was looking at her lungs, but did not grasp how much damage there was.

“And this was your scan before the antidote.” The scan after looked like a block of Swiss cheese in her chest in place of her lungs. She groaned.

“This scan was just a few hours ago.” They looked much better. The holes were now gone. Relief washed over her.

“I believe it is very possible you would have healed in time. You may have even recovered completely. The antidote only stopped the toxin from attempting to continue the damage.” He placed the tablet down and gave her his full attention, “You'll need a few days of rest before you're back to normal. At most two, maybe three. You're healing very well. You didn't need my help at all.” His eye had begun to heal. The blood around his iris was still there. His temple had turned a violent purple color. “Try not to overdo it.”

He turned to leave. “I left your suit and lasso on the chair. I had taken it off because I thought I may have to operate to restore a lung after it collapsed. It wasn't necessary.” The door sealed behind him.

Diana looked down at her toes and saw the medical gown draped over her body. She quickly realized he left her with nothing except her bracers. She stood, inspecting her uniform. It fell into two pieces as she lifted it. She sighed, hating the trouble of attempting to patch her suit. And how in Hades had he managed to so carefully cut it into pieces?

The next two days passed without issue. No calls came to the Watchtower, no explosions, no kidnappings and no aliens bent on world domination showed up on their front door. Batman, being the recluse he was, had disappeared.

Lunches were a group event, each member of the League patting Diana on the back, congratulating her on her health and recovery. It warmed her down to her toes to know people cared about her. She was genuinely happy to be surrounded by those who loved her.

Shayera made way to Diana's table and seated herself across from her. “Must be nice to be so loved,” she slanted. Diana nodded, attempting not to show the glow of happiness. “You know, Batman stayed with you the entire time. Flash and Superman? They tried to take shifts to watch over you. He wouldn't have it. He wouldn't let anyone near you. Something about his fault, his facility, and all that crap he always talks about. I know he owns the place, but damn.” She rested her gaze on Diana deliberately, watching for the Amazon's reaction.

“I know,” was all Diana managed. Shayera shrugged, got up from the table and disappeared into the throng of the League of Lunch.

The following day she ran on Batman's treadmill, a mask to measure her oxygen intake in place. “Is this necessary, Bruce?” she breathed through steady paces.

“I need to make sure your lung function has returned to normal. I don't want you stressing yourself and damaging something irreparably.” He kept his back to her, eyes only on the displayed measurements.

She jogged a few steps before giving a full sprint. Bruce's meters beep rapidly. “Diana, this machine is not meant to…” Smoke began to rise from the motor. The engine seized and the mat refused to spin. “Yes, of course. Was that necessary?”

“I'd say I was perfectly fit, wouldn't you?” She stepped down from the now ruined treadmill.

Bruce turned to regard her silently. He gave his attention back to his machine. “Fine. It seems you're as fit as you were before the accident.”

He glanced at the door before sitting down and entering his data. Diana stood in the silence. She placed a hand on the chair, turning it slightly toward her. “Bruce?”

He relented from his machine and regarded her. “Diana?”

“I haven't thanked you properly.”

A single brow rose. “Oh?”

She leaned down, hands on either arm of his chair. “Thank you, Bruce - for taking care of me. For being there for me, even if you thought I didn't need it.” Closing the gap, she dropped a small, chaste kiss on his mouth. “I'm glad you helped and I'm glad you stayed with me.”

She moved to leave and found his hand wrapped around one of her wrists. “Diana… I…” be began, somehow not knowing the words he wished to say. “I value you. You're a good teammate. I…” He paused, staring at her. “You're hard to hurt and even harder to kill. I'm thankful for that.”

It seemed odd, the compliment he paid her, but coming from the Batman, it was heartfelt and true. “And I'm thankful to have you on the team, too.”

Something in his eyes darkened and his face seemed to fall. He released her wrist. “Good. See you tomorrow.”

But Batman was not at the Watchtower the next morning, or for the next week. He stayed aloof for what seemed like months, only dropping in occasionally when something needed servicing, or to give intel to Superman and the Martian. He seemed to never be around when she was.

She let it go, thinking perhaps he was upset by what he had shared with her. If he needed space, then by all means, she was going to give it to him. He was dedicated to Gotham City, after all. He was their Knight, their hero. He wasn't a full time member of the Justice League anyway.

Passing through the hallways to her chambers was always a heart threading task. Apparently something in her hoped to see his door ajar once again. Something in her wanted to watch him sweat as he concentrated and honed his body and mind. Something in her missed the fact he was never around anymore.

Now his absence was irritating. Why would he deliberately avoid her? What had she done? She stalked through the hallways, a stern look written across her face. Her footfalls were heavy, clinking. She accessed the control room and slapped a hand on the monitor. “Where is Batman?”

“Batman is located in the training hall, section 3.2.”

Without announcing her entrance, the Princess of the Amazonians kicked the door open and stepped into the room. Batman was shirtless, his pants the typical loose workout cloth. He was upside down, one hand balancing his body as it stood motionless above. “Diana,” he breathed. “I suppose if I had wanted privacy, I'd have installed larger locks on the doors.”

For a moment she realized she had, in fact, kicked in a locked door and invaded his privacy. Never mind that. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“You would assume that my schedule would in any way be affected by your presence? Princess…”

“You know damned well you're avoiding me. What have I done? You cannot let a simple disagreement between us damage your ability to be a member of the Justice League. You were wanted on missions - your expertise - and you're off brooding over something that I can't even figure out what I've done.”

He seemed to have given her diatribe some thought. Slowly, one leg came down. He shifted his weight to come to a kneeling position. Wonder Woman watched, holding her tongue, as his muscles hummed with strength and strained at their use.

“You needed my help? Did you fail any of the missions?”

Diana shook her head, “No, we did not fail. But your help would have made things easier!”

“Superman and J'onn know how to contact me. You could have contacted me.”

“If we need to call you each time to bring you on a mission or ask for advice, then there's no point to you even being in the Justice League.” She took a step forward, keeping stride with being aggressive.

“My absence has made things more difficult?” He rose slowly, his arms folded over his chest.

“No… It's not that things are difficult. You'll come back if there's an emergency…” She was losing steam.

“Then why so hostile over me not being there?” He wiped his face to keep the sweat from his eyes.

“You're supposed to be here!”

“It was understood that my priorities were to Gotham City then to the Justice League. Did you not understand?”

Diana's arms were straight at her sides. She furiously thought as to why she might be so mad. He was treating her to the Socratic method - of sorts - one method she was well versed on. “I am upset because I had grown accustomed to you… your presence. Your absence was …noticed and I… I did not enjoy it.” She calmed, her head thinking more clearly.

A small smile briefly graced over Bruce's mouth. “You've all ready thanked me, Diana. You don't need to do it twice.”

She stepped forward, coming closer. Reaching out, she embraced him firmly. “Please do not avoid me. I will… I will miss you.” She squeezed enough to get her point across.

His arms loosely wrapped around her waist. “Diana…”

She listened to her name resonate in his chest. She breathed in deep, smelling the salt on his skin and the effort of his body's workout. She pushed her head closer, resting it on his shoulder as his arms tightened around her.

And so she stayed, his arms holding her close, but not confining her. She nuzzled into him, feeling rather delicate and small. Her hands trailed slowly down his back, feeling the unmistakable terrain of pain he had endured. “Where did you get all these?”

He stiffened, his arms dropping as he pushed away gently. “I don't heal like you do. Like the rest of you do. Every time I take a hit, I take it like a man,” he corrected himself. “Like a mortal. My bones break. My flesh bruises. I heal slowly.” He stepped away and stooped for his towel, drying the rest of his body. “My suit isn't impenetrable, otherwise it wouldn't be flexible.”

“But there's… so many. How long have you had them?”

Sharing was not one of Batman's strong suits. He paused, wondering the way to answer the question with the least amount of information. “Some since I was a kid.”

“And the others?”

“I don't know, Diana. They're just there.”

“You don't remember something that caused you to scar?”

“No.” He shrugged and draped his towel over his shoulder, arms crossing.

He's closing up again. Damnit to Hades. “I feel like I'd remember some of those, Bruce.” She turned, making her way back through the broken door. “And don't you go disappearing on me again. Or it won't be just a door I break.”

Silent as usual, Bruce nodded as she disappeared.

The next couple of weeks felt as though they passed normally. The threats to the Earth were quashed, the cat in the tree brought down and the plot to kill the President of the United States was foiled. Each member was in great form, working like a well oiled machine.

Free time was filled with sparring. Teams matched up, squaring off and battling it out. They attempted to even out their strengths and powers so that the effort was worthwhile for everyone. While Wonder Woman could resist using her God given strength, her prowess in battle and tactical knowledge was not simply forgotten.

She sparred intensely with Hawkgirl, deflecting blows from her Nth mace and sweeping the winged lady from her feet. Tapped out, Hawkgirl let her partner, the Martian Manhunter took his turn with the Princess. He, too, kissed the concrete drain of the floor. Wonder Woman breathed deep and pushed her hair from her face. “Good job guys. Let's get something to eat, shall we?”

Her friends filed out as she swept up a towel and wiped her brow. Was it hot in here? The door closed behind J'onn, its trademark creak followed by its close, lock and seal.

Her attention was immediately captured by the form approaching from the door. “Diana,” Batman greeted.

“Bruce. You startled me. You weren't here earlier.” She offered him a small smile.

“You won too easily.” He stood before her in his Batman regalia sans the utility belt. They usually sparred without the belt, seeing as he had enough knockout gas to send the Superbowl to La La Land. Not to mention the bolas, smoke bombs, kryptonite and whatever else just might be in his pocket.

“Shayera and J'onn are fine opponents.” It was hot in here.

“They're no match for you.”

“And you would have me believe that you are?”

He stared.

“I've bested you before, Bruce. It won't be the last.” She positioned herself in a ready stance, prepared to battle with Gotham's Knight.

“No. Without my tools I cannot beat you. You're faster, stronger and Hell, you can fly.”

She waited, wordless. She knew the rules of sparring - she would hold back her powers and he wouldn't knock her out with any technological tricks.

He advanced on her, faster than she retreated. He was close and she was unsure of his intentions. He did not telegraph his moves as easily as many others. He was well trained, a master of his body and mind through years of studying and intense training.

“I have one trick I have yet to try,” he was close enough to whisper.

She smirked predatorily, ready for a fight, “Show me, Bruce. Let me see if I can beat you and your tricks again.”

He reached out and yanked her to him, his mouth crashing down on hers as his gloved hands wound through her dark hair. His teeth sank firmly into her lower lip and suckled greedily upon it. He released it wetly, his forehead pressed to hers, “I haven't tried getting you naked.”

If it were possible for a woman to blush from head to toe, Diana would have succeeded. “Bruce, what're…” She was cut off as his mouth once again claimed hers. His tongue sought entrance, her mouth parting obediently as she returned his kiss.

She pulled back for air, her heart thudding in her chest. “But why…?”

Of course she wanted an answer. The handcuffs clicked shut, her mouth open in awe. Her hands were behind her back and linked together. “Did you just cuff me? Release me, Bruce! Immediately!”

He chuckled, a dark deep sound that rumbled in his barrel chest.

Her face, previously flushed with excitement, turned a purple hue with a combination of rage and embarrassment. He hadn't wanted to kiss me. He used it as a ruse to subdue me and not to… not to… Something in her chest hurt.

Her voice became soft and quiet. “Release me, or I will be forced to break your cuffs.”

Batman grew still. “Diana…”

“Now. You win this round. Release me.”

“This wasn't…”

“Wasn't what, Bruce? You can tally your victory. Release me. I will not ask again.”

He retrieved his key and turned Wonder Woman around. “Diana, let me explain.” The cuffs came off and Diana stepped away.

He caught her by the wrist. She turned, eyes ablaze. He let go of her, giving her space. “Explain what? You tricked me. Congratulations. You managed to catch me off guard. Your trick will only work once, Bruce. I won't let you do it again.”

“I didn't get to try my trick.”

Wonder Woman's mouth popped open, but no sound came out.

“What do you mean? What were you playing at then, kissing me like that?” She looked like a cat that had been pet in the wrong direction: wound up and ready to claw out someone's eyes.

She received the typical look reserved for moments when Batman didn't feel the answer was really necessary.

Her fingertips brushed over her lower lip, still swollen from his needy ministrations. “You can't expect me to… to…”

Batman's arms folded. “You think I left my door open by accident?”

She searched for his meaning, “You mean, you knew?”

He gave her one, slow nod.

Though not accustomed to the behavior Batman was exhibiting, she collected herself and attempted to piece things together, “Why would you do that?”

He took a careful step toward her. “Why do you think?”

“You stayed with me. The whole time. Shayera said… She said that you wouldn't let anyone else take a shift watching me. That you felt the accident was your fault.”

Another step.

“Then what did I say…? Why did you suddenly spend less time here?” Her mind whirled. If he had wanted to be closer to her, why leave?

He hovered near, his voice soft. “Think about it, Diana. What was our conversation before those months?”

Her eyes blinked shut as she thought back, “I had thanked you. I explained that I was pleased to have you on the team.”

He gave her a meaningful stare.

She shook her head, not understanding, “What, Bruce? What did I do?”

“Is that all I am? A member of the team? A handy-man? The money bags? I can do all those things without being here.”

Realization washed down over Diana. “Bruce. I wouldn't want to assume that you and I could be anything but teammates… Your rules, your way of life. I thought you didn't want anyone - much less me - to be a part of it.”

“I never said I wasn't a hypocrite.”

Diana gave a short laugh. “A hypocrite? You mean a liar!”

He paused, judging her reaction before reaching out for her again. She let herself come to him, let herself be led into his arms. His face softened, “If I lied to you, then I apologize. I had previously underestimated you and I admit that. I did not think you were capable of… the difficulties of a relationship with me.”

“You mean putting up with your pain in the ass?” Diana's face lifted, her mouth parted in a teasing smile.

Though he had a clever quip all ready prepared for a moment like this, it suddenly seemed inconsequential as her mouth lead his in the first of many deep, slow kisses.

Time felt like it stopped as his hands smoothed up her sides, thumbs taking a brief skim along the supple curve of her breast. She shuddered in response, her body growing heavy, her skin tingling at the long forgotten sensation of pleasure at the hand of a man.

Diana paused, her eyes drifting up to the hatch and along the observation windows. Batman had cameras everywhere in this facility. He had promised not to place them in certain intimate locations, and none of the League had ever any reason to question his intent.

“Bruce? Can we be …watched from here?”

Amused, he feigned a look of disbelief, “You think I wouldn't shut down the proper cameras and lock the proper hatches? Princess, no one enjoys their privacy like I do.” His face darkened, “ And no one has the overrides to every area of the facility but myself.”

She laughed, her trust not wavering but her sense of security not yet satisfied. “Perhaps we can take this somewhere else?”

Still amused though understanding, he nodded, “Where would you like?”

Curiosity got the best of her for the moment, “Your room. No one's ever been in there.”

“You realize I spend most of my time in my home, right? In Gotham. My quarters here are Spartan.”

“I don't want to leave the Watchtower yet. Just in case. Your room. No one bothers you.” She pulled away, straightening her tiara and brushing back her hair.

“Give me twenty minutes. And Diana? Don't change.” He turned briskly and stalked to an outer hatch, his hand palming a button he retrieved from somewhere she didn't see. He left, the door sealing behind him without once looking back.

Wonder Woman glanced down at herself, wondering what was so captivating about her attire. She wore her uniform and trademark boots. The center of her uniform had a thick line of patching sewn up the center of cloth from crotch to breast where Batman had sliced it when she was in his care.

“Huh.”

Twenty minutes seemed to be the slowest moving fast twenty minutes in her life. She paced in her room, flicking her eyes to her mirror. She wasn't going to apply makeup. She had brushed her hair and her teeth. She had smelled a bit like stale sweat, but didn't have time to shower so she wiped down with a damp cloth. Faster. Faster.

Twenty minutes. She took a deep breath and made it through her door. She steeled her nerves. Nerves? What nerves. She was just going to go to his room. She was going to have sex. It wasn't like she had never had sex before. It wasn't anything new. She wasn't excited. She wasn't nervous.

She paused outside his door, her mind racing over the implications sex would have on their relationship. They worked together. They were teammates. Sex always complicated things. Was this a mistake?

“Come in, Diana.”

She pushed the door open. Batman, still in his costume, stood waiting for her. His arms were crossed, his face revealing nothing.

She closed the door behind her and fidgeted with her fingertips. “May I sit down?”

He stepped aside, giving her easy access to the bed. She sat upon the edge, glancing around his room. Spartan indeed. There was nothing to look at, nothing to see. Nothing personal, nothing collected. His belt and a few tools on his workbench and a lamp at his side table were all the luxuries she could see. “You weren't kidding,” she breathed.

“Diana, I want to ask you some questions before we begin.”

Resting her palms on her knees, she waited.

“This relationship we are about to continue, I'm sure you know as well as I do, that it is not to impede upon our ability to work together. No matter what should transpire between you and I, we must never let it affect our judgment or our actions. Whether or not you choose to share our status with any others is at your discretion. For the mean time, I cannot be seen with you as anyone other than Batman. Until we can work something out, Wayne must remain single. Do you agree?”

“Fine, I suppose,” Is this just sex or are we getting married?

“I do not enter into casual relationship with co-workers. As you can imagine, I attempted to shake off your intents for me.” A crushed gargoyle's head reminded her. “I believed this to be a bad idea and am still not entirely convinced it is a good idea. Do you agree?”

“I can see your point,” Perhaps this was a bad idea after all…

He loomed closer to her, “And I feel this is very important. Tell me, Diana, have you ever succumbed to a man before? Or have you always been their superior?”

A jolt of surprise tingled up her spine. “What?” she asked with a touch of incredulity. “My previous partners are none of your concern, Bruce.”

He lowered a hand on either side of her, forcing her to lean back to give him room, “Tell me truthfully. Have you ever been dominated? Owned? Tied up? Have you ever submitted to another sexually?”

She shook her head a bit, still not completely understanding his question.

“Diana… it is simple. Have you ever been overpowered by another sexually? Have you ever been helpless?” His body climbed over hers, pressing her down into the mattress. “Have you ever been forced into serving someone?” He continued softly, his words slow and deliberate.

Her brain whirled. “No… No. My partners have been my equals if not… physically inferior.” She licked her lips. Batman was physically inferior. He could not overpower her. He could not dominate her in any way she did not allow.

A gloved hand dragged the length of her upon the bed, forcing her to lay completely beneath him. His lips brushed upon her ear, “I can make that happen for you, Diana. I can make you as helpless as you want to be. I can give you that fear.”

Wonder Woman's eyes closed, her tongue again wetting her lips nervously. “What do you mean?”

She felt him smile, “I was able to create a serum while you were in the infirmary. I can take your powers away… temporarily. It might take some testing to ensure activity in the nervous system as per normal, or should I say… a mortal. You'll feel like I feel. Like humans feel.”

A rush of anticipation coursed through her. Yes, she did not understand what it meant to be mortal. She did not know the fear of submission, the bite of pain, or the weight of helplessness like humans did. A piece of her had always wondered what it would be like. But sexually? Held prisoner by Batman?

He gathered her wrists in his hands, pulling them above her head and holding them still. “You won't have your Gods given strength. You won't resist pain. You'll feel things in a way you never thought possible. I won't lie to you; not everything you feel will be enjoyable. Some things will hurt and it will hurt more than it used to. But you'll finally know what it's like to know the walls crumbling down on top of you can kill you and there is… nothing… you… can… do… about it.”

Her heart thudded in her chest as she struggled to understand everything that had happened in the last two minutes, “How… how could you do that?”

A slow grin spread over his countenance, “I'm fucking Batman, that's how.”