"Heave-ho!"
Bruce grunted aggressively as he releases the lumber that he carried on the ground next to the pile of literal trees pulled by Diana herself. The Amazon sure is built different, compared to hers, his were merely child's play
The afternoon sun has finally eased down as the Amazon herself was approaching from afar with another yet set of trees on her shoulders as if they were merely laundry. He smiled, impressed and fascinated at the same time
"You think this is all we need?" Diana wiped a sweat from her forehead
"This is more than enough, Princess" the young man then offered her a nice face towel from his satchel
Eagerly, she accepted the towel and wiped her face
"Thanks" her voice was muffled from it engulfing her face
Somehow, it smelled a lot like him. A sprinkle of musk from his sweat and she didn't hate it one bit. It wasn't the first time she and Bruce shared on something like this. In fact, she loves his scent for some reason. It's a weird "Diana" thing
When she was finally finished, Bruce picked up the big toolbox on the table "Shall we begin?" he winked at her
"You bet!" she cheered in response
x X x
It was already midnight when the two finally noticed the cold breeze of the wind hitting their skin. It was at this moment Diana finally decided to put down the big lumber and rest for a while. Bruce followed suit while panting, labor work is something he can handle, but lifting big trees for a straight ten hours is something else of labor
"You okay, Bruce?" he turned to the side to see a pair of concerned sapphire eyes staring at him. Her baby blues showed all concern in the world and he appreciated all of it
"Still alive, aren't I?" He joked while lifting the hammer from the ground "I could still go for another pounding or two, can you?"
Diana rolled her eyes "I don't think so, Batman. I like your determination and competitive spirit, but I wouldn't want you to collapse in my nicely fresh built house"
"I don't care. You'd let me crash in right?"
"Yeah. I'll prepare a mat in the basement" Diana joked in response which garnered a chuckle from the man beside her. He then reached out for a water bottle from the table and chugged it down like its nothing
"Still needs a few more from the base, and the roofs looking pretty inconsistent" he uttered as he handed the bottle to Diana which she eagerly took
Diana drank from the same bottle his lips were on. It wasn't a big deal, but she still thought of it. It was a big deal to her...
It didn't take long before she finally broke out from her daze as she turned to him "What was that?"
"I said the house looks pretty inconsistent so far"
Uncertainty came to her "Y-Yeah.. you're right.." she opened a sketch of what is supposed to be the final look of the house... and it looks nothing like what they have so far "I don't think it looks pretty close to what you drew, Bruce"
"That's because you haven't been taking measurements seriously as always" he sighed in disappointment "Especially with the roof part"
"Measurements are just a bunch of ole numbers in my head that gives me a headache." She whined in complaint "You know I'm not as smart as you with this"
"So that's why you asked me for help eh?" he eyed her from the corner of his eyes
"Maybe" she playfully leered at him in response "But still... I'm not very good at numbers, Bruce." Her voice softened in a passive tone "I wasn't always paying much attention when my sisters used to build our houses and buildings back in Themyscira because it was too difficult to understand"
"I might just not be fit for stuff like this" a frown formed on her face which Bruce noticed rather quickly
"Yeah, just like how I can't lift literal trees like you can.." hearing this made Diana turn to him in interest "But still, I do my best to help. I may not be as strong as you, but I still try my hardest"
Silence followed with Diana only staring at him from close. Bruce finally met her gaze with his and smiled at her. He reached out for a tape measure and some rulers from the table and showed it to him
"Here I'll show you.." he pointed at some random lines and numbers which Diana paid attention too. He explained everything thoroughly, and despite it still being difficult to understand, somehow, she finally got the idea of measurements and how they are supposed to be inclined with numbers. Bruce was a good teacher, he was patient and the way he explained to her was very effective. Not once did she ever feel belittled despite knowing how smart he is, it was more of him wanting to share knowledge to her. He is sincere about it, something she could feel from being close to him
"I see..." her eyes narrowed as the thought finally came to her. And with this, her eyes brightened "I think I got it now!"
Her voice cheered and livened up once again. She turned to him and couldn't help the excitement. But upon realizing that what she has been doing so far with the way she built the house was wrong, regret came to her
"Great Gaia... I've done everything the wrong way, Bruce. That explains why the house is inconsistent" her lips formed into a frown
"Well then we start over again" he responded while looking at her "Together"
Hearing this made her look at him in an instant. It took a few seconds before she could absorb what he said. But when she finally did, her mood quickly brightened up
"You really mean it?" she leaned in closer
"Of course. I gave you my word didn't I?" He said slowly "Wayne Family Principle states that we keep out word no matter what"
"I see... well, I'll take you up on that offer, Mr. Wayne." She playfully smirked at him
Feeling the challenge from her, the man didn't back down. He then stood to his feet and held out his hand for her to take
"Ready to start over, Princess?" he proudly stated "What'dya say we finish this house once and for all?"
Diana smirked at him before taking his hand.
x X x
The sun was already up and the early morning breeze has blew past them. But finally, the house was done with everything in place. With Diana finally mastering measurements and angles, building the house was merely a walk in the park with her seemingly putting stuff together like lego pieces. And with her new found skill of flying, it felt like a video game Bruce used to play back in the day with blocks in it
"Creative Mode.." he murmured to himself, currently seated on a table watching her do some finishing touches on the roof
Diana wiped a sweat from her forehead before finally landing on the ground. She was thoroughly soaked with the entire night of working.
"You ought to change out of them wet clothes" Bruce said as he offered her a bag change of clothes "Here, you can change into this"
Diana hesitated upon seeing this and leered at him "Hmm... how did you get access to my clothes, Bruce?"
"Don't worry, your sister gave it to me. She knew you'd go overboard over stuff like this" He turned away and walked to the bonfire with fishes being roasted on it
With his back turned, she can now be comfortable of taking her clothes off "Don't turn around!" she yelled at him from afar
"I might take a peek or two"
Diana sniggered with that response as she then took her shirt and pants off and unlaced her bra. When she finally put on the new pair of underwear and the shirt, not once did he even move a single angle on her direction. Somehow, she was glad that he respected her that way... but a part of her wished he would've considered it. She wanted him to see her as a beautiful woman and not as a close friend
She approached him "You're all talk, Mr. Wayne." She playfully smiled at him, hiding her disappointment
He wasn't paying attention and finally took out the skewers from the fire. It was still hot to the touch which is perfect after a long work. Of course, the Amazon was excited over this with her joy seemingly increasing upon seeing the wonderfully cooked roasted fishes
"I was fishing by the river earlier when you were finishing the interior of the house." He explained thoroughly while blowing the fish
"And you didn't even invite me?" Diana pouted in response "Why do you get to do all the fun stuff?"
"If I had powers like yours, that house would've been done in an hour" He sarcastically uttered while offering her a glass of water "That water is straight from the river unlike the bottled ones we have in the city"
"This spot is really close to the river, has a nice view of the stars and the air here is very fresh. This is perfect for a girl like me" she couldn't help but fawn over upon watching how nice the view is from their position
"It's nice you finally found a home of your own after Themyscira" Bruce commented
"Yeah, finally I found a place of my own!" she closed her eyes and smiled, her joy was visible from her face "Now I can do whatever I want without your strict rules and regulations of the Manor, Bruce." She jested playfully
When she opened her eyes, Bruce was quietly staring at her with a subtle smile on his face
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
He looked away and chugged his water "Nothing... it's just.. The Manor is gonna feel empty without you from now on" he said in a form of sentimental way, knowing after this, he won't get to see her everyday like how he used to
"Bruce..."
He broke out from his daze upon hearing her voice and turned to her
"Are you gonna miss me when I'm gone?" Diana asked out of nowhere
"Where did that came from?" he looked away "I only said the Manor is gonna be awfully quiet without your nefarious schemes and shenanigans"
"So in other words..." she leaned in even closer "You'll be lonely without me"
He sighed, no point in denying it now
"Yes." He finally admitted "I may be used to it but... I'll be very lonely without you, Diana"
She notices his eyes, longing and sad. Somehow, she was hurt seeing Bruce like this and wanted to console him, but as he returned her gaze, she was met by a smile
"Don't worry about me, Diana" He then got on his feet and stood up "What's important is, your house is almost finished.."
Diana didn't want to change the subject, and she knows Bruce hated being consoled and pampered. He didn't want to be a burden to anyone, and that she understood
The Amazon also stood up, it hasn't sunk to her yet, but her house was finally done. It looked not as extravagant as other houses but this house is made by her and Bruce. And that alone made it more special to her than any other house
"Home Sweet Home, eh Buddy?" Bruce rested her hand on her shoulder as she turned to him
She smiled, remembering something as she held his hand with hers "You know... there's this person who used to tell me.."
"A home isn't a special place... but the feeling you have with people that makes you feel special" she added which Bruce immediately caught on. His response came in a form of a chuckle
"Sounds like a very reasonable and wise man then" he jested in a lighthearted way
"He is~" Diana smiled in a goofy way, as if the man she's talking about isn't in front of her right now
Suddenly, a strong breeze of wind passed by and swayed them with it. Bruce protected his eyes, but as he turns to her, the sight of Diana smiling with her hair flowing with the wind came to his sight. It was... majestic.. and beautiful.
She was majestic and beautiful.
Somewhat, he's gotten used to her sticking around all the time to even consider Diana wanting to be independent one day.
But being honest with himself, Bruce knew he's gonna miss these moments with her a lot. Like when she would do small pranks on him after coming home from a day of work from the company or when he would sometimes watch her play with her sister and Ritchie on the garden and making a mess of it
Bruce was in deep thought that he didn't notice he was spacing out on Diana that he didn't notice her trying to talk to him
"Bruce?"
When she called his name for the fourth time, it does the charm as he shakes his head and looked into her eyes "Yeah Yeah... I'm here.."
"You were thinking about something again?" Diana looked concerned with her eyebrows dropping slightly "You always do this when something is bothering you"
Diana was smart, and she immediately caught on
"Is it about me leaving the Manor?"
"I'm just happy you finally found a place perfect for you, Diana. A place you can call home finally"
Without letting him give a distance between them, she leaned in closer and held his arm "When I was exiled from Themyscira, it was you who took care of me, Bruce." She sincerely uttered while looking into his eyes
"It was you who accepted me for all my flaws and stood beside me in my darkest days. When I needed someone, you were there by my side no matter what"
"No matter how far life takes me... or how apart we are..." Diana slowly leans in closer and rests her hand on his chest. It was a wonderful feeling inside of her, a feeling that gives her courage to say whatever is in her heart. She could almost cry thinking how much Bruce meant to her.
"My home will be always with you no matter what~"