I'm bad at bets.
But betting on us...
Betting on that handsome face beneath the mask and the eyeliner...
I'll never regret that.
...
GRAPHIC ART (To get a feel for the story)
Bruce talking with Kara <3
Bruce and Kara getting close with each other <3
...
THEME:
...
Kara stepped into a limo that was sent to pick her up at the airport, Bruce had Alfred drive her up to Wayne manor, a courtesy that the Butler accepted with happiness because guests meant that Bruce wasn't alone to wallow in his grief or darkness and plus if it was a lady of such high caliber as Ms. Danvers, Alfred was practically ecstatic.
As he picked Kara up at the airport, they chatted about what she liked, what was her favorite color, and her favorite food, because little did Kara know, Bruce had hired chefs and designers to change the appearance of the gloomy Wayne manor and lighten it up for the evening according to all of Kara's preferences.
Bruce listened intently at the listening devices he had put in the car without Alfred or Kara knowing. Bruce cracked a smile as he cleaned his utility belt hearing Kara rant about potstickers, practically seeing the smile she had on her face.
He wrote down what she liked, so far he had a good list.
Kara's favorites:
- Potstickers
- Sicilian Pizza
- The color marina blue
- Roses, Poincetas, and poppies
- 80s rock music (Cheesy as hell)
- Classical music (Better)
- Slow dancing (romantic)
He chuckled aloud, embarrassing even himself as he wrote down the list. His cheeks heated up as he tapped the pencil on the desk. He then got a text from Alfred.
ETA 10 minutes Master Bruce.
He cursed as he ran up the stairs, he had already taken a shower (thank God). All there was left to do was make sure everything was in order and ready to serve.
When Kara got there, she gasped in awe at the dark appearance of Wayne manor, it was like a citadel, a castle. It was as if there was a dark shadow looming over you, it felt imposing. Part of her liked it, she liked having something out of the ordinary.
"Do excuse the gloomy exterior, madam, Master Bruce says there's beauty in darkness but I beg to differ," Alfred apologized.
"I'm fine Alfred, no need to apologize, something different never hurts, and I don't mind the scenery. I'm just a little nervous."
"What's there to be nervous about, my dear? He doesn't bite, not always," He teased as he opened the gates.
Kara saw the flowers lining the gravel path, she smiled at the roses and poppies that lined the path.
"That's funny, those weren't there yesterday," Alfred murmured to himself as he pulled up the driveway.
Alfred got Kara out of the car, Kara was in a dark pink dress with flowers incorporated in the dress's pattern scheme.
Kara's eyes trailed up the gravel path and towards the top of the steps to the door where Bruce was standing. He wore black suit pants, black dress shoes, a white dress shirt, a black tie, and a black vest to compliment the color scheme. He also had his sleeves rolled up to give him a casual look, Kara had to say that it was working. She readjusted her glasses out of nervousness as she made her way up the stairs. She nearly missed a step, that's when Bruce held her hand delicately before she made a wrong move. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds, Kara looked down in embarrassment.
"Careful, the last steps are quite uneven, sorry about that," He meekly apologized.
Kara could tell he wasn't annoyed at her or that he didn't mean his apology, his face held genuine concern and embarrassment.
"It's fine, Bruce, really, it isn't a big deal."
"I can't help it, sorry," He said again.
Kara smiled, she hadn't known this side of Bruce before, it was lovely.
"Come, I'll show you inside," Bruce said as he opened the door, Kara stepped in, once her eyes landed on everything, the vases of poinsettias, roses, poppies, the assortment of potstickers that lined the table, the marina blue table cloths, the ambiance, everything stuck out to her and attracted her attention.
"She sure looks like a keeper, Master Bruce," Alfred whispered.
"Oh shush," Bruce chuckled out, his cheeks turning pink.
Kara's cheeks turned red too upon hearing Alfred's comment even though she was in the middle of the room, she picked it up with her super hearing.
"Bruce... this is amazing," Kara breathed out.
She turned around and faced him, eyes filled with wonder and heartfelt warmth. Her blue eyes met his own and Bruce knew she liked it.
"I hope you like it, I um, I read your Twitter page and it said you liked the color blue but you didn't specify, and you liked potstickers, so I got you those too," Bruce explained.
Kara made a giddy sound, the sound a toddler would make whenever they found absolute joy with a toy.
"Thank you, I love it," Kara responded.
Bruce stuffed his hands in his pockets and smiled warmly at Kara, who smiled back, this... this was Bruce Wayne?
She was captivated by him.
"Shall we dine? Ms. Danvers?" Bruce extended his hand to her, and she tentatively accepted his gesture, his large hand enveloped her smaller one in a warm and fuzzy hold.
"I'll follow your lead, Mr. Wayne."
He chuckled, and his charming smile flashed once more across his face.
"Very well."
As Bruce led her to the dining room, Alfred couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face, his surrogate son just found someone to talk with, someone besides him to have conversations with, and that meant the world to him personally. He smiled at whatever happened during the date was extra, he just wanted someone to provide some sort of company for poor Bruce. Someone to take his mind off of the burden of being the Bat of Gotham, from being Vengeance.
Bruce chose a small table for two people instead of the large medieval table that took up the space originally. Kara gasped in wonder at seeing how many plates lined the white marble countertops.
"This is all for me?" Kara squeaked out.
"I mean yes unless you don't want me to eat," Bruce quirked.
Kara chuckled and looked down, she realized they were still holding hands, Bruce realized too and quickly let go, he was about to mutter an apology but he stopped himself. He had apologized way too much for this 'date'.
"It's great, I can't say thank you enough, in my eyes, you're what Gotham represents," Kara said honestly, Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"And what do I represent exactly?"
"Focus, Honor, Success, your all that and more, which is what this city needs, it needs you, Bruce, I think I see that now," Kara told him.
He wanted to reach out, hug her, lay a hand on her shoulder, pull her in by the hips, something. But he settled for smiling his most charming smile because genuinely, he was charmed. Kara fluttered her eyelids behind her glasses and Bruce thought she looked brilliant, her blond bangs complemented her face and it gave her such a good appearance. So he decided to roll with that.
"You know what you represent?" Bruce asked.
"Do tell," She urged, her blue eyes twinkling.
"Beauty, Hope, and Strength, you're worth the whole crowd put together, that's what I see in you," Bruce told her in a low but loving voice, it was his tone that got to Kara, and it made her heart twist in a good way.
"Why hope?"
"You don't see it? Your articles inspire people, they are given hope that there will be a better tomorrow, your article gave me hope," Bruce said.
"The one about Gotham?" Kara questioned.
"Yes, I believed that this city is plagued with evil, with people who don't know what is good, but you, you gave me that hope to keep believing in this city," Bruce told her.
Kara's breath hitched, she was on the verge of tears, how could she influence this man's whole heart and way of life? His eyes looked so lifeless in the pictures, and when she met him at the gala his eyes were filled with life as he looked at her, as if she had given him a breath of fresh air.
"No one had ever said that to me, t-thank you," Kara whispered.
Bruce was enveloped in a hug, a bone-crushing hug, his eyes widened as Kara hugged him with surprising strength.
"No problem," Bruce muttered as he wrapped his arms around her frame.
"Sorry about that, I just got really excited," Kara meekly apologized with her face turning red.
"Okay, that's it tonight, there are no more apologies, can we agree on that?" Bruce jokingly offered.
"I can agree on that," Kara chuckled.
"Great, let's eat," Bruce said, handing her a plate.
Kara got one of every kind of pot sticker, she chowed down on everything, she decided to let her alien side out a little bit, her stomach was very very empty and especially after enduring a long plane flight. Even though she could be here in 10 minutes from National City, she had to keep up the appearance.
Bruce was surprised by the vast amount of food she could consume in a short period of time, Kara made a variety of noises as she tried all of the potstickers. It was as if Bruce had read her mind. They talked about a handful of things, politics, Wayne Enterprises, and now Kara wanted to touch the subject of the Batman as they finished up.
"So, at what time does the Batman come out to patrol?" Kara asked as Bruce placed the plates in a container for the busboy to come to get them later on in the night when they did the cleaning.
"Some say he's always on patrol, but whenever I see him, he's always patrolling at night."
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Kara asked.
Bruce shrugged, hiding his frown.
"What part are you fascinated about?" Bruce asked her.
"The way he targets his victims, he seeks out the most dangerous ones and puts them down," Kara explained.
"Victims? They're criminals that degrade the streets and rob from whomever they see," Bruce argued, his tone even and still soft.
"Then it's a good thing the Batman is there to beat them to a pulp," Kara said.
"You don't have anything against the Batman?" Bruce asked.
Kara shook her head.
"Superman always says how that's now how you be a hero, being a Vigilante, but he's worked with worse, Green Arrow is way worse," Kara said.
"I heard he's dead. If you see Supergirl, tell her that I'm sorry that Oliver passed, I'm sure she was good friends with him."
"Oliver was a good man, Supergirl knew that deep down, I'll make sure it reaches her," Kara assured him.
"What about you, what do you think about Supergirl?" Kara inquired.
"She's a girl scout, way too soft, but I can see why people look up to her, she's very inspiring, despite being an alien."
Kara's brow quirked up and her lips parted.
"You have something against aliens?"
"Let's just say the last time an alien showed up in Gotham, it wasn't very friendly."
"Not all aliens are like that, Bruce," Kara argued.
"No, just the ones that want to take over our world," He rebutted.
Kara rolled her eyes and huffed.
"And here I thought we agreed on everything," She sighed.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to have prejudices against aliens, I'm just a little cautious," Bruce murmured.
"I thought no apologies tonight," Kara teased, smiling and shrugging off the unpleasant conversation.
Bruce laughed, his eyes lighting up as he eyed her with amusement in its purest form.
"You're right, no more apologies," He said.
He strolled to a nearby speaker he had in a separate room connected to the dining room, he turned his phone on and sifted through Spotify, Kara could see from the table. Slow music started to play in the background speakers that lined the dining room and the event room on the side.
A/N: Song played during Bruce and Kara's dance.
Kara's eyes were filled with surprise and genuine flattery. Bruce flashed her a smile and extended his hand.
"May I take this dance?" Bruce asked.
What a date, Kara thought. Dancing with Gotham's most eligible bachelor, who would have thought a girl from Midvale would dance with a literal prince. But then again Kara was too humble, she wasn't a girl from Midvale, she was Kara Zor-El, a royal herself, she smiled and stood up, reminded of how her parents would go to the galas on Krypton, how she'd watch them dance.
"Take me away, Mr. Wayne."
Bruce gently held her hand and spun her into the room, he gently swayed with her. Kara didn't need to look at her feet, she danced with Mon-El, with James, with just herself on those lonely nights, and lately, she was alone.
♪Some day, when I'm awfully low♪
Bruce looked down at Kara, he stared at those beautiful crystal orbs behind her glasses, the way she looked whenever he met eye to eye with him as they swayed. Her hand on his shoulder and her other clasped with his as they gently danced to the music.
♪When the world is cold♪
Alfred quietly walked into the dining room to take the silverware to clean them himself, and he saw Bruce dance with Kara, and his heart melted at the sight. Alfred sighed in delight as he saw his boy, the boy he raised dance with a highly beautiful and intellectual dame, one that rivaled even Bruce's personality.
"Lord, please let him keep her," Alfred murmured quietly.
♪I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight♪
"Thank you, for this date, for everything," Kara murmured.
"Don't mention it, you saved me from an unpleasant evening with anyone else."
"I'm sure that isn't the case, there's a lot of good-looking women out there begging to be here in my spot."
"But none of them are like you."
The way he said it, the softness in his tone, the longing in his eyes. Kara couldn't help but stare into his deep hazel eyes filled with a whirlwind of emotions. With one reverential look, she was sucked into his orbit, pulled under the tide of emotion he stirred in her. She fluttered her eyelids and set both of her hands on his shoulders, Bruce wrapped his hands around her waist.
♪With each word your tenderness grows♪
"None of them are like you, Kara, I mean it," He rumbled quietly, in a tone that reassured her, a tone that was honest.
A shiver went down her spine at that dizzying rumble of her name, leaning into the cautious curl of his fingers against her nape.
♪Tearin' my fear apart♪
"And no one, I mean no one is like you Bruce, you're one of a kind," Kara whispered, her eyes tracing his features, his handsome face. He smiled, his mouth aching since he hasn't smiled this much in a long time.
♪And that laugh wrinkles your nose♪
Kara laughed softly at the verse.
"It's like you chose this for me," She murmured affectionately.
"What if I did?"
"Then that would make you even more unique."
His eyes sparkled at her words.
♪Touches my foolish heart♪
A sigh spilled from her lips at the comfort that accompanied the feel of his arms firmly wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him.
♪Lovely, never, never change♪
"I have to tell you something Kara," Bruce murmured.
She nodded gently, peering up at him through wet lashes, a tentative smile pulling on her lips.
"Anything," She whispered.
♪Keep that breathless charm♪
"You remember at the gala when I told you that something good will happen from that gala. It happened."
♪Won't you please arrange it?♪
Kara understood. Her heart clenched behind her ribs at the magnificent sight of his smile. Rao, it was brighter than the sun.
♪'Cause I love you♪
He stared down at her, admiring the way the dim Gotham sunlight made the features of her face glow, her hair glinting like spun gold when he ran his fingers through it. She stared into his eyes filled with generosity and contempt, she realized then that this date... this date was the best date she's ever had.
"Bruce..." She whispered his name, airy and delicate, making a swirl of heat slither down his spine.
He pulled her closer, if that was possible, pressing right up against her. They still swayed, even if the song was about to end.
"Kara..." He murmured out, his brilliant bluish-grey eyes not looking down at her lips, but looking right into her eyes, into her soul.
♪just the way you look tonight♪
Kara laid her head gently on his shoulder, sighing contently against Bruce, feeling how his heart beat fast, almost out of his chest. She was also giddy, her heart thumping faster, it made her dizzy.
The song ended and their swaying stopped, the room was engulfed in a palpable silence.
"You wanna go take a look at my terrace?" Bruce asked.
"Is that a cheap way to get into your bedroom?" Kara asked teasingly.
Bruce shook his head, his lips pressing a thin line.
"No way, I think that you'd be the one to ask me first," He retorted, smiling at her reaction.
She was flustered, clearly, she was. Her rosy cheeks told the story, they betrayed her, and still, her stubbornness did not want to let him get away with that. He could see her trying to formulate a comeback but failing as he stared at him with a pouty face.
"Come," Bruce murmured.
He took hold of her hand and led her down the hallways, up some stairs. They eventually came to large double doors that were chained off, Bruce's room was across from the chained-off door. Kara wanted to know what was behind that door, and although she could use her X-ray vision, she did not want to invade his privacy, much less ask him if it was where his parents' room was.
They stepped into Bruce's room, he had a large bed and everything in the room was decorated darkly. Everything about his room was dark, he opened the doors to the balcony, where the terrace was, it was filled with roses and many other flowers.
"Alfred waters them every day, I try whenever I'm not busy, they were my moms, I had them transported to my balcony," Bruce admitted.
She could see the strain in his eyes, the emotional strain in his eyes whenever he would mention his parents.
"So you could keep a part of her with you," Kara said to him.
"Yes, exactly," Bruce said, his face lighting up at her understanding.
"I can't understand what it's like losing your parents, I mean I've lost my father, Jeremiah, and that was painful, but I can't imagine losing both of them, I know you don't want sympathy, but I somehow understand how you feel," Kara explained, pushing up her glasses.
Bruce stuffed his hands in his cuffs and motioned with his head to Kara to follow him out onto the balcony, Kara took a few steps into the balcony and saw how beautiful the view was.
"I'll accept your sympathy because you can relate to me on many levels, that's what I like about you," Bruce admitted.
Kara smiled, she knelt down and smelled the roses.
"They smell wonderful, Bruce, your mother would be proud," Kara told him softly.
His eyes filled with tears as he looked down at her.
"My mother would be ashamed of what I've become," He admitted, his voice rough and course, she never heard him in that tone.
"No, no, don't say that," Kara said as she laid her hands on his shoulders.
"But it's the truth," Bruce whispered.
"Your mother would be so proud of the boy she raised, I was wrong about you Bruce, we all were, deep down you're a good man, with a heart that's trying to do better, and I know when people lie to me, you never lie," Kara said.
Bruce looked at the city, Kara did the same as they fell into a comfortable silence.
"Stay. Stay until morning," Bruce asked.
Kara's eyes widened.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Bruce clenched the sides of the railing, huffing out a chuckle.
"That sounded wrong, I meant you could stay in one of the guest rooms in the manor, you can leave in the morning," Bruce told her.
It was already night, the moon well above the sky as the sun had just gone down.
"Gotham is a dangerous place at night, I advise you to stay here, where you're safe," Bruce explained.
"Well my flight does leave tomorrow, I guess I'll just stay here for the night instead of some hotel in Gotham," Kara reasoned.
Bruce's eyes lit up again, and they stared at the city lights together for a few brief minutes, just taking each other in and the night ambiance.
Just then, a light flashed in the sky.
The Bat-signal.
Kara gasped in awe.'
"It looks much more intimidating viewing it in person," Kara murmured.
"We need to get back inside," Bruce muttered.
"Yeah, okay," Kara said, her curiosity spiking, she would have to investigate for herself later in the night when Bruce and Alfred are fast asleep.
Bruce showed her to the guest room, it was down the hall from his room. Bruce set up her place, Kara attempted to help but she was swatted off by Bruce's strong arm and he assured her that she was their guest, she wouldn't work one bit.
Heat traveled up Kara's neck at the sudden realization that she hadn't brought up her luggage, it wasn't much, just a travel case with her casual and sleepwear, and her computer as well. Bruce saw the worry and slight embarrassment on her face.
"Is everything alright?" Bruce asked.
"I left my luggage in the limo."
"I'll have Alfred fetch it," Bruce said.
"There's no need, I can go get it," Kara moved but Bruce held her wrist gently.
"Please, you've worked the entire week, at least let yourself be spoiled one day," Bruce said.
Kara pursed her lips, Bruce urged her to stay with his eyes, and Kara caved in, she looked down at the ground, blushing.
"I hope Alfred doesn't get tired of me," Kara muttered.
"He'd never, in fact, he's excited that there's a guest here, there hasn't been a guest in Wayne manor in quite some time."
"I don't want to be a burden, you guys already have enough on your plates," Kara tried to justify.
"You'll never be a problem here, Kara," Bruce assured her again.
She nodded and Bruce stuffed his hands in his pockets, he turned around and started to leave when Kara laid a hand on his shoulder.
"I had a really good night, thank you."
"You're welcome, anything for you," Bruce murmured.
She caressed his cheek with her thumb as Bruce leaned into her touch. All of a sudden Alfred knocked on the door, snapping them out of their moment.
"Master Wayne? May I come in?" Alfred asked.
"Yes Alfred, give me a few seconds," Bruce told the butler.
He grabbed Kara and quickly pressed his lips to hers, Kara drew a muffled noise of surprise and then Bruce ended it as quickly as it started, the door opened just as they parted and Kara was left breathless, the air stolen from her, the culprit smiling devilishly stuffing his hands in his pockets and darting right out of the room.
"Goodnight Kara, sleep well," Bruce added from the doorway.
As he rounded the corner, his face turned cold and stoney, he moved the old family clock and a secret door opened, he quickly went inside. Batman was needed tonight, and he would not fail his city.
"Are you alright madam? You seem a little winded," Alfred commented, hiding a smile as he placed the luggage on the bed.
"Y-yes, Alfred, I'm fine, thank you," Kara bit out, forcing her face to return to a normal color, knowing she was blushing a furious red.
"Very well, if you need anything feel free to ring the buzzer located on the nightstand, I shall provide assistance as soon as possible, have a good night Miss Davners."
"Thank you Alfred, good night," Kara said.
The butler promptly left the room and went up to his own quarters to catch a few hours of sleep, he worried knowing that Bruce was going to be out, but he would manage, he always did.
He just hoped he didn't break anything this time, it would really arouse suspicion in Miss Danvers.
...
Batman patrolled the streets, he was on a rooftop as he tried to find someone in need of help, someone to save.
And his wish became an unfortunate reality, a man was being assaulted in a nearby construction site by thugs with makeup on, clowns. Batman thought that sadistic clown was safe in Arkham, and even then his influence still managed to twist the minds of people.
He swooped down, not knowing that there was a figure in the distance watching him, Supergirl looked at Batman from a distance, finding him perched on one of Gotham's buildings wasn't difficult, and it was less difficult to stay hidden because of her super-vision.
Batman soon dealt with the thugs, it wasn't hard at all. His fists crashed into the last man's face with a sickening pop, he fell to the ground, unconscious and bruised. Batman huffed as he hurled him onto the pile of thugs that lay on the construction grounds.
"You're safe now, I promise," He whispered lowly to the man.
"Don't hurt me," He begged.
Batman pointed to the exit.
"Police will be here in a few minutes, EMTs will be here as well, wait there," Batman ordered.
The man nodded and got up and ran towards the exit to the big lot. Batman felt something off, he looked around, he found no one save but the groaning of the thugs. But then he heard something land on the ground with a thud, Batman's hair stood on his neck as he looked around the desolate construction lot.
"That's a pretty rough treatment of criminals, don't you think?" Supergirl asked.
Batman turned around and his eyes filled with anger.
"What are you doing in my city?" He growled.
Supergirl scrunched her nose in disdain.
"I decided to come visit, you know, to come find out if you're real."
"Well, here I am," Batman sassed as he had his arms outstretched.
"Get out of here, before I take you out myself," He threatened.
Supergirl chuckled, he then slammed Batman as lightly as she could into a brick wall.
Batman groaned in pain as Supergirl grabbed part of his cape to hold him in place.
"What could you do to me?" Supergirl playfully threatened.
Batman pulled off his bat insignia on his chest and but the part of his cape that Supergirl was holding off, he quickly dodged out of the way, Supergirl let him have his fun. She turned around to face him, smirking.
Batman launched a few black balls into the air, they detonated into a purple gas. Batman landed behind a metal wall and put on a gas mask. He used the cover of the smoke to hide.
"You know I can still see you," Supergirl said with amusement as she held her breath, careful not to breathe in the gas.
Batman's eyes widened as he sped in front of him, Batman launched his grapple hook but Supergirl sped infront of its trajectory and grabbed it, crushing the grapple with her hand as if it was paper.
"I just want to talk, Batman."
Batman backflipped over the wall and launched an explosive Batarang, Supergirl caught it and it exploded in her face. She spat out the shrapnel from the Batarang and tried not to gag at the sulfur that tinted her taste buds. She saw Batman fire another grapple onto the steel foundations of a building. Supergirl shot her heat-vision out and cut the bar Batman was on, he landed on his feet, he quickly turned around and fired his taser gun at Supergirl and put it at full power. Kara sighed as she felt as if there were small bugs crawling all over her skin, she pulled off the wires and strolled towards Batman.
Batman threw down his last tool, a sonic device, it detonated sending a powerful sonic wave, it phased Kara a little bit, but she recovered quickly. Kara had enough and grabbed Batman's hand, Batman tried to kick her but his foot felt like it was hitting steel.
"I said, I just wanted to talk," Supergirl said with disappointment.
"About what," He choked out.
"About how you handle things in Gotham," Supergirl stated blatantly.
She let go of him as Batman fell to the ground, he stood up and stared at her angrily.
"I have things to do, go back to National City, there's no room here for women like you," Batman growled as he turned to disappear.
"That's funny, a friend said that to me once," Supergirl said to him.
He stopped in his tracks.
"They're wise enough to give that advice, get lost, Supergirl."
Supergirl shook her head and grabbed him by the cape and flew him onto a nearby building. Batman made no noise, he only resisted, fighting like a rabid animal as Supergirl put him on the rooftop of a building.
"Why did you become a Vigilante? Why Gotham?" Supergirl inquired.
"Why does it matter to you?! Why are you here in my city?!" Batman shouted.
"I came to visit a friend."
"You aren't welcome here, leave," Bruce hissed.
Supergirl grimaced.
"That's not how you treat a stranger," Supergirl chided.
"I'm not gonna waste my time with you, Gotham needs me," Batman muttered.
"You're not going anywhere until you've answered my questions," Supergirl said firmly.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
"You remind me of someone," Bruce said.
"Do tell, Mr. Detective."
"It doesn't take a detective to know who you remind me of, Kara Danvers."
After that, his eyes widened.
"Oh my god," Bruce whispered.
Kara looked at him perplexed.
"Kara?!" Bruce almost shouted.
"You're mistaken," Kara tried to deny it, how did he figure it out? As far as she knows he didn't even know Kara Danvers.
It was her turn for her eyes to widen. She used her X-ray vision to confirm.
It was Bruce...
"Oh Rao, Bruce?!" Kara gasped.
He tore off his cowl, the black eye paint visible on his pale face.
"I should've known, you two are practically the same, with your stupid bangs and the way you hide behind those framed glasses, it didn't take a detective to figure it out," Bruce growled at her.
"You... you're him," Kara whispered brokenly.
"I am, I am him, I'm vengeance," Bruce growled.
"No... You're just a scared man wearing a bat suit, and worse, you reject aliens, you're just as afraid of me as any other alien, what have we done to you?" Kara shouted.
"I can't believe this right now, I can tell the world who you are," Bruce said, pointing a finger at Kara and getting close to her, his eyes blazing with anger.
"I can tell everyone who you are too, and tell them what a crass piece of garbage you are," She hissed.
"Princess of a dead world, you're just as garbage as me, you came from debris, from the gutter, you came here to spread your filth, alien scum!" Bruce hissed.
Kara knocked him back, Bruce went flying into a concrete pillar. He huffed as he stood up again, Kara let her tears of frustration finally fall down her face.
"I thought we had something back there, but I was wrong, I can see why no one ever visits you in that damn castle. You deserve to be alone Bruce, I've seen you for how you truly are," Kara spoke brokenly, her red cape billowing in the night wind.
"Look who's talking, you're talking about my faults but what about yours? You've leveled entire buildings fighting evil aliens, guess who picks up after you? I DO. Every single check that was passed for repairs in National city was done so out of my pockets, Wayne Disaster Relief has given millions of dollars to people in order to compensate for their homes lost, their families lost, and guess what, you hide behind a mask, a beautiful one at that, I'll admit, and you pretend to be one of us, you will never be human, drill that into your SKULL!" Bruce shouted.
"You're a bigot, and you're crass, shame on you Bruce, I trust you, I thought you were the most wonderful man, but I guess Gotham trash tricks you for gold."
"Write that in your stupid little article, see you later, princess," Bruce mocked.
He swung off the building, putting his mask back on, Kara balled her fists and didn't bother to fly back to get her things, instead she shot back like a bullet straight back to National City.
Kara arrived at her apartment and slammed the door shut, she let out a choked-out sob and collapsed on the floor. The one person that she looked up to for days, for weeks, she was practically infatuated with him, it was all a lie. She should've known. Everything she gets appears as a blessing, it always is a curse.
She needed someone to talk to, but not now. For now, all she wanted to do was lay on the ground and cry. So she did, she lay on the ground, her cap acting as a blanket as she cried herself into the floor.
...
Bruce entered the Batcave, he let out a yell of fury as he turned a few tables holding his gear over, they clattered to the floor. Alfred rushed downstairs because he heard a commotion and saw Bruce flipping over tables of his work. Alfred yelled for him to stop.
"Master Bruce! Stop! You are going to hurt yourself!" Alfred shouted.
"The damage has been done, already, Alfred," Bruce growled as he pulled off his cowl.
"What happened this time, Master Bruce?"
Bruce almost tore off his eyeball trying to get out the contact lens he used to record his nightly patrols. He placed the contacts on the computer as it analyzed the footage.
It showed Bruce getting thrown around by Supergirl, then Bruce played the footage of when he found out Kara was Supergirl, Alfred gasped at the revelation.
"My goodness, so Kara Danvers is Supergirl?" Alfred asked.
Bruce nodded, rubbing his eyes, red from exertion and tiredness.
"How dare you, boy? How dare you insult her like that? Haven't I raised you to show manners?!" Alfred scolded.
"Alfred, she played us for fools! She could've killed us whenever she wanted to!" Bruce said.
"The problem with you, Master Bruce, is that you don't trust anyone, and until you learn how to trust a stranger, you will never be a part of a greater cause."
"This is a greater cause," Bruce said darkly as he pointed at the bat symbol on his chest.
"This is a crusade, not a cause. I would advise you to apologize to Miss Danvers and beg her not to leak your identity to the world," Alfred told him.
"If she did, I'd be dead, we'd both be dead, but she'd be dead too because I'd leak hers as well," Bruce murmured.
"Dammit boy, that's what I wanted you to avoid!" Alfred shouted.
"It's not my fault, Alfred!"
"So it's hers? She trusted you, Bruce. Even though you both had secrets you had something, you had something good, I could see it."
"Well not anymore."
"It seems so, you screwed it up, Master Bruce, now if you excuse me I have to clean your mess up, think about what you've done, I won't be there to comfort you if you break down crying. I am done listening to the mistakes you could've avoided, consider this a lesson of trust."
Without another word, the butler began to sweep the broken glass from the floor.
Bruce huffed and pulled off his suit, setting it on the table and stomping out of the cave. He slammed the door closed to his room and put his face in his hands.
"How could I have been so stupid," He murmured to himself.
He yelled as he punched a hole in the head of his bed. Bruce let himself fall onto the mattress as he stared at the ceiling. A twinge of regret began to seep into his heart like venom as he had heard Alfred's lecture and Kara's broken face. Seeing the tears roll down her cheeks was almost too much for him to bear, he should've apologized right then and there.
Now he'd just live with regret.
...
Months passed, and both parties got on with their respective lives. Kara decided not to tell anyone about what happened. If Bruce did not tell the media, then she wouldn't tell anyone either, not even Alex. She wanted to talk about it, but she decided to keep it to herself, Alex didn't notice the change. She asked about the date, but Kara told her that it was alright, nothing too special.
But it was special...
She was talking to Alex on the phone when she turned on the TV, it was on national news that Bella Real won by 98% in Gotham City, a historic figure in national history.
"So, you ready for movie night tomorrow? What should we watch?"
"We could Binge watch the star wars shows, especially now that Kenobi is out," Kara mused, she reached to turn on the TV until the TV screen changed.
She saw the headlines and dropped her phone.
BREAKING NEWS: SEAWALL ROCKED BY VIOLENT EXPLOSION, MASSIVE FLOODING IN DOWNTOWN
"Alex, I need to go," Kara muttered.
"What happened?"
"Gotham, flooding," Kara stuttered out, she hung up and bolted out the window.
She made a sonic boom as she flew towards Gotham. Even though it was a few weeks since they fought, Kara still wished she had handled the situation better. She shouldn't have said those things, she knew he was traumatized, and that maybe aliens were a new thing to him, he just wants to protect what he has left, she understood that now. And now what he has left is about to be destroyed, but she can be there, she will be there.
...
Bruce dodged and weaved bullets, taking down the riddler's henchmen wasn't an easy task. As the battle raged on in the Gotham square gardens, water started to fill the arena, Bruce was almost overwhelmed, he was shot from all angles, his body armor barely protecting him from the .308 rounds. He landed on a dangling platform, taking out a couple of the goons, a pair of them grabbed him by the arms and dragged him to the edge, trying to throw him off. But he fought back, and when a goon tried to shoot at him with his gun Bruce quickly moved out of the way, the goons aimed at Bruce fired, but they hit each other and one of the support wires that held up the platform. The men fell to their doom into the flooding stadium as more goons aimed their guns at Bruce, who was dangling over the edge, and fired.
"Hey! How do I get up there?!" Commissioner Gordon shouted at a pair of firefighters.
"This way sir!" One of them yelled, they trudged through the water, looking for a way up there that wasn't destroyed yet.
Bruce placed a charge on a fire extinguisher canister located at the side of the platform, it exploded and sent smoke everywhere. The goons were blinded as Bruce lunged at them from the smoke. Bruce grabbed one of the guns of the goons and used it like a mace to clobber anyone stupid enough to shoot at him. He charged towards a goon who pulled out a shotgun on him and shot it.
Bruce was sent flying across the catwalk, he landed hard and then lost his balance, he was now desperately holding onto the railing. He grunted in pain, letting out choked-out noises of anguish and pain.
The goon took a moment to reload his shotgun. He knelt down and aimed the barrel at Bruce, pressing it right onto his skull. Bruce could almost see the sadistic smile through his mask.
He expected the pull of a trigger as he closed his eyes, but it never came.
Instead, he heard grunting and opened his eyes to see Supergirl-Kara, bending the barrel of the shotgun. She flung the man off the catwalk as he yelled in surprise, plunging into the cold waters below. A few more goons looked at her and shot at her, Kara knelt down to help Bruce but then a short-haired woman dressed in a catsuit ran up to her and grabbed onto Bruce's wrists.
"I have him, take care of them!" She shouted at her.
Kara didn't have time to ask questions, she sped toward the goons and froze them in place with her super-breath. Bruce groaned as he was pulled up by the mysterious woman, Kara helped her halfway, she laid Bruce down and knelt over him, her eyes tracing over his body for any mortal wounds, she breathed in relief when she found just a few bruised ribs.
Bruce let out several gasps of pain. His blue eyes shimmered with gratitude at Kara.
"You came," Bruce whispered.
"I couldn't let them destroy this city," Kara told him.
He let out painful, labored breaths, Kara could sense his heartbeat decrease, he was going to pass out.
"Is he dying?" The woman asked her.
Kara shook her head.
"No, he's going to pass out due to exertion, but that's about it."
Bruce tried to get up, but then Kara forced him down.
"No, no, it's okay, you did your job, leave it to me," Kara murmured soothingly.
"I didn't get to introduce myself, I'm Supergirl."
"Selina, nice to meet you," She murmured.
"Selina, do you mind staying with Batman until I can guarantee the safety of this stadium?" Kara asked her.
She nodded.
"Good, crap," Supergirl muttered as she sped towards the falling platform to hold it in place, stopping it from crashing down onto the people who were struggling to escape the water.
She then heard labored groans and Selina letting out noises of protest, Kara turned around to see Selina desperately holding back one of the goons who was trying to bury a knife into her neck, Kara gasped as she decided what to do, she couldn't put this thing down in time to help her.
"Hold on Selina! Just hold on!"
She considered her options, if she shot at the goon with her laser vision she could possibly kill him or injure someone else, she couldn't use her freeze breath because it was out of range. Kara sighed and flew the platform through the broken ceiling of the stadium as fast as she could. She threw it into the air and blasted it into a million pieces, she then darted back down into the stadium to see Bruce pounding away at the goon trying to kill Selina, Kara's eyes widened.
"Hey, hey! Take it easy!" Kara shouted and held Bruce back before he further damaged the goon's face.
"You're okay, it's okay now, take it easy," Kara murmured as she laid her hands on his arms.
Bruce gasped and rasped, Kara could literally see his heart beating so out of rhythm, he must have taken adrenaline. Bruce calmed down, his head laying on her shoulder as Kara gripped his arms to assure him that she was here for him.
Gordon ran down the catwalk as Selina pulled off the mask of the riddler goon.
"Jesus," Gordon cursed as he saw the Goon's bruised and battered face.
"Who the hell are you?" Gordon asked the goon.
"Me? I'm Vengeance," The goon answered, a sadistic smile growing on his face.
Bruce turned around, looking at the goon, Kara felt a shiver roll down her spine at the answer the man gave.
Suddenly the power went off as water burst through the glass doors of the stadium. Kara flew in the air and froze most of the water entering the stadium, preventing the entire stadium from being completely engulfed in water. Still, the damage was done, the little stage set up in the middle of the stadium collapsed, and many electrified wires hung and sparked if one of them touched the water they were done for. Kara held back cars and trucks from entering the stadium, pushing them back, and making them crash against other buildings.
Bruce looked at the transformer that sat at the very ceiling of the Stadium, then he looked at Kara who was holding back the water. Kara looked at the transformer and made a move to go and deactivate it when Bruce went towards it before she could.
He swung towards the transformer, Kara shouted for him, he could hear her. Bruce cut the wire, electrifying himself as he fell into the dark, murky waters. He gasped as he surfaced, Kara floated down and her feet entered the water, then her knees, then everything else, the level was chest-deep, Kara waded up to Bruce and pulled her close to him.
"Why did you come back?" Bruce rasped.
"Because I realized that you needed help and that I was wrong about you, I know now that you aren't a scared little boy, you're a brave man who wants people to change," Kara said to him, her hair dampening due to the water and the downpour from all the flood, strands of it stuck to her forehead.
They heard cries for help under the metal debris of the stage. Kara let go of Bruce and looked at him, he nodded his head at her and they both decided to help them, putting aside their differences. He pulled out a flare and ignited it, brightening the space with a red light. Kara floated into the air and began lifting up the heavy metal beams and the police car that slipped through her control. Bruce took the hand of a little boy as Kara led several people out of the debris, they followed Bruce, wading through the water to safety.
As Kara saw Bruce being a beacon of light to the people of Gotham, a warm feeling started to form at the pit of her heart. And it was then she realized that she truly couldn't hold any grudges. It never happened with Mon-El, it never happened with James, and it never happened with Bruce. But unlike all the other love interests she had, this one was different. Bruce was wrong sometimes, but he truly cares about his city, and he is willing to sacrifice it all for the people of Gotham.
...
As night turned into day, the sun quickly rose above Gotham, in the wee hours of the morning, as the sun was slowly rising.
Bruce held a girl as he walked towards a medical helicopter. He held her hand as they lifted her onto the helicopter until he could no more as she was now high in the sky, he stared into the sky, at a floating figure who stood levitating, like an angel in the heavens, watching over the grief-stricken population of Gotham. She scanned the waters for anyone, anyone that was alive. Then she stared back at him, the worry in her eyes. He stared back.
...
The sun showed on both of them as they were perched on a building Bruce tiredly held onto a pillar as they overlooked the city. Kara folded her arms and pursed her lips as she turned around to face Bruce.
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I should've come sooner," Kara said with guilt.
"You heard about it on National news, by then the walls were already blown open."
"I should've listened to the explosions, I'm sorry."
"You're fine Kara, even someone like you can't be in 2 places at the same time," Bruce responded.
"What about your girlfriend?" Kara asked him.
"She's not my girlfriend," Bruce insisted.
"The way she looks at you suggests otherwise," Kara responded to him.
He chuckled, his ribs hurting.
"Are you jealous?" He questioned and smirked, watching how Kara blushed heavily.
"No, no I'm not, but I can tell that she likes you."
"I saw her off, she's moving to Bludhaven, I might never see her again, but that's fine, Selina is better off without people like me," Bruce said.
Kara bit her lip and looked down, Bruce sighed.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you, I shouldn't have said those horrible things, I can see that not all aliens are bad," Bruce apologized.
"You aren't the first asshole I've had to yell at about aliens, I was also very racist towards a specific type of aliens too," Kara admitted.
Bruce chuckled, cracking a small smile.
"You changed your hair," He pointed out, Kara nodded.
"Decided to go the old way, it's the best way," Kara told him.
"I liked your bangs though, it really brought out your eyes," Bruce said softly.
"On the other hand though, the city is underwater, what are you gonna do?" Kara asked him.
"The national guard arrived, and martial law is in effect. But I have a feeling that the criminal element never sleeps. There will be looting and lawlessness in parts of the city no one could get to."
"But us," Kara interrupted.
Bruce blinked.
"What?"
"There will be looting and lawlessness in parts of the city no one could get to but us," Kara said assuringly.
"You're gonna stay?" Bruce asked.
"Some will seize the chance to grab everything they can, Bruce. We have to help Gotham rebuild, not just the city, but the faith in their institutions and government officials. From what I read, they don't have very good track records," Kara said.
"I uh... I'm starting to see now. I have had an effect here. But it's not the one I intended. Vengeance won't change the past, mine, yours, or anyone else's. I have to become more."
"You are more, Bruce, you're a hero to these people now," Kara said softly, taking a few steps toward him.
"The people need hope, Kara. To know someone's out there for them," Bruce murmured.
"Then they will get hope, I'll help you be a symbol of hope to these people, I'll help you be something more than just a symbol," Kara whispered.
"I'm scarred Kara, angry, just like this city. How am I supposed to be hope if I can't even have faith in myself?" Bruce doubted.
"Our scars can destroy us. Even after the wounds have healed. But if we survive them, they can transform us. They can give us the power to endure and the strength to fight," Kara imparted.
Bruce grabbed her hand and put it on his cheek, Kara gently rubbed her thumb against the stubble growing on his cheek. The sun cast a shadow of both of them as they basked in the sunset. Bruce backed Kara up to a concrete pillar and stared deeply into her eyes.
Kara put one hand behind her back to steady herself as Bruce laid his hand on her thigh.
"You look tired," Kara murmured softly.
He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. And at that moment Kara's heart squeezed to see how vulnerable Bruce actually was. She was more than moved to see how he let his guard down around her. It warmed her heart more than the sun did each day.
He leaned his head down, their noses almost touching. Kara felt so enamored by Bruce. Never in her entire life had she felt these feelings towards someone who dressed so differently, who acted like it was their duty to protect their city no matter what. He wasn't afraid to die, just to lose the ones he loved.
"You were never afraid to die, weren't you?" Kara asked.
"After Alfred... after Alfred almost died I just couldn't live with myself," Bruce muttered.
Kara's eyes widened.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Kara asked.
"I didn't want to worry you, and we just finished evacuating the stadium," Bruce told her.
"Where is he, is he safe?" Kara asked worriedly.
"I checked the hospital, he was on the top floor, he's safe, we'll see him after we rest," Bruce murmured.
"This sunset is beautiful," Kara commented.
Bruce came closer, laying his head in between her shoulder and her neck, his armored nose poking at her neck. Kara decided to sit down, pulling Bruce down with her, she gently pulled off his cowl. Bruce's hair popped out of the mask and his eyes were crystal blue even though they were surrounded by that black paint around his eyes.
"You're safe with me, rest," Kara gently murmured.
Bruce didn't argue, he didn't tell her to take him back to the manor. In reality, he wanted to spend time with her, to make amends. He closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep in her arms.
"Rest, my weary knight," Kara murmured softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear.
...
When Bruce woke up, it was dark. There was no light in the sky, no bat signal to go to. He was still in Kara's arms, and he heard her soft snoring as Kara's head leaned back on the concrete pillar. Bruce took one of her hands and kissed it, running his lips along her knuckles. Kara woke up slowly, her eyes fluttered open and made contact with Bruce's own eyes through the dark. She smiled and laced her fingers with his.
"Had a nice nap?" Kara asked.
"How long did I sleep?"
"About 7 hours give or take, I didn't want to move, I ended up dozing off too," Kara admitted.
Bruce stood up and then helped Kara up, their hands still interlocked with one another. Kara looked down and smiled shyly.
"You remember when we met?" Bruce asked her, Kara nodded.
"How could I forget that?" Kara asked.
Bruce chuckled.
"True, it was the best thing that happened to me."
Kara's eyes filled with tenderness. Her lip quivered.
"Do you mean that?"
Bruce nodded, his forehead touching hers. Kara cupped his face.
"I mean it, Kara," He murmured.
Her cape billowed in the wind, and her eyes filled with tears.
"To think that I fell for the dark knight is something so ridiculously cliche," Kara muttered through her tears.
Bruce gathered her in his arms, his arms wrapping around her waist firmly. Kara hooked her legs around his hips, gently levitating as to not put too much weight on Bruce. Kara ran her hands through Bruce's messy locks, pulling them softly and making him groan softly.
"So you've fallen?" Bruce teased.
"Not entirely, so don't push your luck, bats."
He chuckled, lovingly leaning into her touch.
"You are the luckiest woman ever I tell you, I've never been like this for anyone, and to show my true self, it's refreshing," He said gratefully.
"Rao, you are giving me such an ego boost right now," Kara laughed out loud.
"Your heritage, I didn't mean to desecrate it, I didn't mean those things I said, I'm sorry."
Kara held the back of his head and Bruce pressed his face into her chest. She sighed deeply, Bruce listened to her gentle heartbeat.
"I can teach you, Bruce, I can teach you the culture of Krypton," She offered.
"I will gladly learn about your planet, I want to change, I want to trust, Kara, I know I can trust you."
She smiled, her whole body just felt like it was glowing. Here, for the first time in a while, Kara felt like she wasn't ashamed of her upbringing.
"What does a man do to court a woman in your culture?" Bruce asked.
Kara's face heated up, she untangled herself from Bruce and smoothed out the nonexistent crinkles on her uniform.
"Well, I-uh... It usually starts slow, a declaration is what's needed, a man declares his interests and announces what house he's from, and then asks the parents for permission," Kara explained.
Bruce gathered her hands in his and smiled charmingly.
"I Bruce Wayne, house of Wayne, descendant of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne, declare my romantic interest for you, Kara Danvers-"
"Zor-El, Kara Zor-El, house of El," Kara corrected him.
Bruce nodded, smiling widely at the revelation of her Kryptonian name.
"Kara Zor-El, house of El, princess of Krypton, do you accept my courtship?"
"If my father was here, he would say yes, so yes, I accept your attempt at courtship although a little bit lousy but passable for a foreigner," Kara chuckled out.
Bruce's eyes narrowed playfully.
"Aren't you a cunning linguist?"
...
Once Bruce had changed, Kara gently flew him to the window of Alfred's hospital window. Kara was still in her Supergirl suit, but once she set down Bruce inside the room and once she got inside, she deactivated the suit. The suit neatly dematerialized and her glasses started to form on her palm with the nanotech. She placed them on her face, she was in a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt with flats.
"You need to let me study that suit," Bruce told her.
"Sure, once we get control of this mess," Kara said.
She then looked at Alfred, who looked battered and bruised. Her heart dropped and her eyes filled with tears.
"Who did this to him?" Kara murmured as she observed the way Alfred struggled to even breathe at times.
"His name is Riddler, he was an orphan in my dad's old program, but it didn't go so well for him," Bruce said vaguely.
"Is he in Arkham?" Kara asked, anger in her eyes.
"Yes, we caught him, he won't kill anyone again."
There was something in Kara's eyes, the equal anger he felt that touched his heart and made him emotional. He cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the knot he had.
Alfred slowly opened his eyes, he smiled weakly as he saw Bruce, and then his eyes widened when he saw Kara in the room as well. Kara smiled softly and waved at him.
"Miss Danvers, what a surprise!" Alfred murmured.
"I brought you a visitor Alfred," Bruce said as he rose from his chair and walked towards Alfred's bed.
"I noticed, you two made up I'm assuming?" Alfred asked.
Kara looked at Bruce with a puzzled expression.
"Oh yes dear, I know everything that happened, I know you're Supergirl," Alfred whispered the last part.
Kara smiled.
"Great, now I won't have to tell you, I just have to show you."
"No need dear, Bruce is many things, a liar is not one of them," Alfred said teasingly.
Kara held his hand, she sniffled and let a couple of tears fall at seeing Alfred this weak.
"I'm sorry I left, I should've done something, I should've checked up on you and Bruce sooner, but my anger blinded me."
Alfred sighed and patted her hand.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, love. This was an unfortunate circumstance, I'm just glad you're back, the truth is we haven't had a guest in forever, we are honored to have you if you let us."
"I'll stay until your better, I can call in sick with Catco and ask my sister and my friends to patrol the city for me," Kara offered.
"No, no my dear I do not wish to be a burden to you," Alfred rebutted.
"You can stay, the manor has plenty of rooms, plus all your clothes are the same place you left them, laptop and everything," Bruce told her.
"Sorry about that," Kara apologized.
"I apologize on behalf of Bruce as well, he is rather paranoid around strangers," Alfred explained.
"Alfred," Bruce groaned out.
Alfred chuckled, he then yawned and his eyes started to get tired.
"I think that's enough surprises for one day, excuse me if I dose off during your visit, I am quite tired," Alfred explained.
"I'll see when they'll release you then you can come to the manor," Bruce said and stood up.
"I'll stay with Alfred," Kara told Bruce.
He nodded, he walked up to Kara and gathered her in a hug.
"If you're willing to try again, I would be so grateful," Bruce murmured.
"This time, this time I'll let you in, no more lies," Kara said. It was like she said it for both of them.
"No more lies," Bruce whispered.
He left the room and walked down the hall to check with the receptionist. Alfred reached out and grabbed Kara's wrist.
"Thank you, dear, for giving Bruce a second chance, he doesn't get many second chances," Alfred rasped.
"What kind of person would I be if I didn't give second chances? Supergirl should always give people a second chance."
"But what does Kara Danvers say about it?" Alfred asked.
"I... I'm conflicted on that, I want a chance, but I'm afraid I might screw it up."
"My dear, that's okay, you have every right to be afraid, but Bruce is also afraid too, I can see it in his eyes, that boy loves you."
Love was something Kara and Bruce danced around, it was like a taboo term to them, an unspoken taboo between them. She blushed red.
"Does he?" She asked him.
Alfred nodded.
"I've never seen someone so torn apart the night you left, he sulked for days, his work only keeping him going."
"I'm sorry I did that to him, Alfred, I had no right to hurt him."
"Bruce needed a reality check, he's Batman more than he's Bruce Wayne. Bring that Bruce Wayne out of him, Kara, heal his scars."
"He deserves someone who could be there for him, with Supergirl... I'm gonna be absent, I'm gonna be out saving the world," Kara admitted.
"It doesn't matter where you are, Kara. Bruce will always be there with you, maybe not physically but in here," Alfred said and pointed to her head.
Kara sighed, she cross her arms across her chest.
"He's someone who knows who you really are, Kara. And for me, that is very important, he already knows you're Supergirl so you got over the first roadblock pretty well."
Kara nodded, she took off her glasses and sighed.
"I just, I want to be myself around someone other than my own family," She admitted.
"Bruce is a closed book, he'll take your secret to the grave, as will I," Alfred assured her.
"Thank you, Alfred, I really needed this," Kara said gratefully, Alfred reached up and wiped a stray tear that trickled down her cheek.
"You look even more beautiful without your glasses, my dear. It will be an honor being able to be able to lend my assistance in any way I can to you," Alfred said.
"Oh no, Alfred, please you have your hands full with Bruce."
"You two will have your hands full with me for the next couple of months, as soon as I am able to walk I am back to my duties."
Kara chuckled.
"Ever the hard worker."
"Well I have to, my boy finally has someone who he can turn to, someone he can confide in, I am beyond happy. Thank you for giving him a second chance."
Kara held his hand and squeezed it comfortingly.
"Any time Alfred."
...
As Bruce and Kara settled Alfred in his bed inside the manor, hooked up some IV drip for him, and bandage his wounds again, they found themselves getting drawn closer to taking care of Alfred.
As Alfred shooed them away with threats of him throwing whatever he found next to him on the nightstand at them after they attempted to dress him. The old man found it humiliating to have help getting dressed, so Bruce and Kara ran out of his room in order to leave him to rest.
It was sundown, and Bruce and Kara had just eaten dinner with Alfred. Bruce looked at the clock and smiled at Kara.
"It's still early, come take a look at this," Bruce said and guided Kara to his study room.
He opened the doors and in the middle of the room was a big table. It had a little model of the city of Gotham. The buildings and infrastructure were well-defined.
"A new hobby?" Kara asked him.
"An old one, actually. It was the Wayne renovation foundation. The improvement of Gotham city."
"I've read that the Wayne's have spent generations trying to make this city great," Kara said as she walked around the table, admiring the miniature buildings.
"My father had a saying: Tomorrow is one dream away. Sentimental words, but they stayed with me, even after they died."
Bruce sighed and his head fell. Kara walked up to him and laid her hands on his shoulders.
"Rather than focus on the demons and the darkness and all that's wrong with Gotham, something I've been guilty of for too many years. It's time to focus on how exceptional this city is, and how much better it can be, will be tomorrow. But before we can build it, we have to dream it."
Bruce activated some holograms as they built new extensions to skyscrapers and new highways around the city. New buildings as well.
"And luckily I have the imagination and the capital to do both," Bruce stated smugly.
"And all they write about is the billionaire playboy," Kara teased.
"Don't worry, he's here too, but just for you," Bruce flirted, Kara's face burned.
He kissed her softly, Kara closed her eyes as her arms hooked around his neck. Bruce trailed his hands down to her waist and his arms looped around her, pulling her towards him.
"Bruce," Kara whispered breathlessly as he pressed his lips to her neck.
Kara settled him on a loveseat in the corner of the room, and the hologram cast a blue glow over them both. Kara had a red hue overcome her cheeks as she straddled Bruce.
Bruce settled one of his hands on her buttock while the other one settled on her upper back to support her. Kara had wrapped one arm around his neck and the other was massaging and scratching the back of his head.
Bruce's hair was long and it was very workable with just her hands. She envied it, her hair was very different, it would not cooperate with her unless she ironed it. She then proceeded to ruffle his hair.
"What are you doing?" Bruce questioned.
Kara left his hair messy and he looked like he had a bedhead.
"There, you have a bedhead," Kara whispered.
"And is that good?"
"I think I'm gonna love seeing it," Kara murmured.
She kissed Bruce's cheek and laid her head on his chest, her forehead tucking into his neck, Bruce looked down at her, his heart swelling with emotion as they both just relished in the warm embrace they were engaged in.
This was the start of a wonderful relationship. A super and a bat. This was proof that humans and aliens could coexist with one another.
...
MONTHS LATER...
Kara stirred in the warm, black silk sheets. She smothered a yawn into the back of her pillow. A groan escaped her lips as she felt the cavernous space in the bed beside her. She found the unoccupied side of the bed still retained a blessed trace of body heat when she pressed a curious palm to it.
Squirming over to the empty side of the bed, Kara hummed happily when she laid her head against Bruce's pillow. A dreamy inhale rewarded her with a light hint of his aftershave, rugged and opulent, stuck pleasantly to the back of her throat. It was warm and inviting, reviving her from her sleep like a lump of sugar melting on her tongue; it felt wonderful.
Sitting up in bed, sheets sliding down around her waist, Kara hummed fondly at the honeyed early-morning sunlight pouring in through the plentiful glass siding of the lake house they moved into. Bruce and Alfred thought they needed a change of scenery, and Kara thought so too. The radiation jittered along her skin like caffeine, stirring her into alertness.
"Can I help you?" The familiar tone of Bruce's voice echoed as her hypersensitive hearing detected it through the walls. Kara tossed off the sheets soon after, sinking her bare feet into Bruce's oversized slippers as she shuffled towards her boyfriend.
"I've come to see if your intentions with Kara," Another baritone explained.
Kara's ears perked up at Clark's voice, she headed in the direction of the sound, clutching at the unbuttoned front of Bruce's borrowed shirt that she shrugged onto her shoulders.
Hearing Clark's voice and how he sounded like her dad inspired a frown from the young Kryptonian. She was a grown woman and could make her own decisions.
"She's like a sister to me, I need to know if you have your priorities straight, Mr. Wayne," Clark added just as Kara peered around the corner to glimpse the sight of Bruce's broad back hugged in a comfortable t-shirt.
"I'm sorry, wh-who are you again?" Bruce asked, voice still pleasantly rough from sleep.
Kara stifled her giggle against her arm, leaning in the doorframe, a smile lilting on her lips as she watched him talk to yet another alien. This time it was her cousin Clark. Kara nodded at her cousin in greeting, he nodded back.
"I'm Clark Kent, Kara's cousin," Clark explained.
"Jesus, you're Superman?" Bruce asked. Clark nodded.
"I dug myself into that hole, didn't I? Couldn't really just sneak up on your property without getting bombarded with defense mechanisms."
"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you, Superman, our long-awaited meeting has come at last," Bruce said with a small exhale through his nose, stopping himself from laughing.
Even still it was horribly contagious and Kara found she was soon smiling with giddiness as well. She was proud of the growth he'd made, it wasn't so long ago that the Bat was facing down Supergirl, fearful of the presence of an entity more powerful than himself. But now? Now he lounged in the morning sunlight, barefoot and still wearing the same t-shirt and threadbare sweatpants he'd worn to bed. He was at ease and she couldn't have been happier for him.
"You know, I gotta hand it to you, Bruce, you saved a lot of people the night Gotham flooded, and the way you plan to redesign the city is really an act of a hero. It wouldn't have been possible without you, Bruce," Clark said as he took off his glasses.
Kara felt a stubborn warmth take root behind her ribs, a huge sense of pride swelling for the man before her.
"Your mother and father would be proud," Clark said honestly.
Kara bit her upper lip, she didn't have to be facing him to picture the fond way Bruce's face got all sugary and warm at the mention of his parents instead of erupting into sadness and grief. It took a lot to change that.
"I hope so," He murmured modestly, voice faintly hoarse for reasons she knew had less to do with sleep and more to do with the emotion tickling the back of his throat, and Kara wanted nothing more than to sweep him into her arms and shower him with kisses and all of the praise and adoration he rightfully deserved, and maybe she would once they were no longer entertaining her cousin.
"On a different note, how do I know you're serious with Kara?" Clark asked.
Bruce rolled his eyes, he looked at Kara with his eyes filled with adoration. Kara let out a noise of pure smitten love as Bruce cupped her face.
"Because this woman changed my life, for the better. Because of her, I can be what this city needs, hope."
With that statement, it was all Clark needed. He smiled, stepping in closer and moving the glass door a little so he could step into the room. He extended his hand.
"I'll be in touch then, nice meeting you Bruce."
He nodded and shook his hand. Clark went to leave but then turned around.
"Just so you know Kara told me everything about you being Batman, that's why I decided to reveal myself the way I did, no secrets she said, so... no secrets."
"I appreciate it, Clark, thank you."
He nodded he walked up to Kara and hugged her.
"You take care of him, Kansas, don't let him bother ya, but if he does you know where to find me."
"Clark! Stop!" Kara chuckled.
"I'll be fine this time, Clark, I have a feeling, that fuzzy feeling you felt with Lois," Kara explained.
"Let's see if it's really then, only time will tell."
With that, Clark stepped back onto the porch and shot into the sky.
Lowering her gaze back down, her nose wrinkled with a fond smile as she met Bruce's gaze where he had turned to face her. His dark eyes drinking her in with intent, she couldn't blame him. She was in his funny glass palace hardly dressed in one of his shirts and his slippers.
"You know I thought you ran off?" Kara playfully jested, eyes raking over him as he began walking back to her.
"Without you?" Bruce asked with a grin that he reserved solely for her.
"Not a chance."
Kara ducked her head in an attempt to hide her red blush and wide grin, because what right did he have being that charming? And that handsome?
He padded closer and Kara glanced up at him, lower lip sucked between her teeth at the absolute indecency of Bruce Wayne walking around in the sunlight. It suddenly made more sense why the Bat prowled at night. He was too damn pretty during the day.
"So, you called your super cousin in order to scare me away?" He asked with a curious quirk of his lips, inclining his head in the direction her cousin had departed in.
Kara snorted at the way his posture intentionally stiffened, making himself appear larger than he already was.
"He's just being thorough, with my track record it isn't easy to trust another guy, according to him," She explained rather vaguely, intrigued with the way Bruce seemed to bristle goodnaturedly in response, more like a big bear than a bat.
"Oh really?" He drawled in that low vocalization that made her bones tingle.
"Mhm." Kara hummed. She was practically boneless where she leaned against the doorframe, admiring him in all his beauty.
"And why didn't he ask you if your intentions with me are serious? For all that I know you could be dating me to extract information from me."
"Aw, baby," Kara crooned, giggling at his playful scowl,
"is it because he and I are aliens?" Kara asked with a tilt of her head, batting her lashes sweetly at him.
No," Bruce said instantly, mouth tightening with another telling grin.
"Maybe?" He amended, eyeing her like she'd condemn him for it.
"You know I'm thinking of starting a support group for us aliens that have all offended you in one way or another," Kara suggested, tilting her head back with an unabashed bark of laughter at his deadpan expression.
"That's a long list," He joked back.
"Alright smartass," Kara snarked, bridging the short distance between them.
"Save me from walking back to bed."
"c'mere," Bruce said in a husky growl while he swept her effortlessly into his arms. It was surreal being held by a human, pressed against his broad chest.
"My hero!" Kara cheered, throwing her arms around his neck as Bruce gladly took them both back to bed.