Work Text:
High school
When Diana crossed the school gates, she felt in a great mood. Monday mornings were usually difficult, but the sun was bright, and she was actually anticipating her return. She had just accompanied her mother had been on a business trip overseas, and while she had enjoyed every second of it, she wanted to return to her friends. So many things to say, so many adventures to share…
She headed to their customary spot, and only saw Victor typing on his phone. He blinked in surprise when he saw her, but greeted her with a smile.
“Someone’s back early,” he said. “How was Greece?”
“Great,” she replied happily. “Mother sealed the deal faster than expected, so we got home earlier too. Where is everyone?”
Victor hummed as he raised a hand and began counting:
“Clark is training with the football team.” He lowered a finger as he spoke. “Lois went to watch him,” he lowered a second finger. “Arthur is skipping school, Barry is late and Bruce is still suspended.”
Diana stared at him, surprised.
“Suspended?” she repeated. “How did that happen?”
Victor shrugged, not looking particularly worried.
“He got into a fistfight with Luthor after class three days ago. The headmaster suspended both for the week. He’s in the hospital, by the way –Luthor, not Bruce. Bruce broke his nose and his leg. I wonder what he said to piss him off so much, he didn’t say and Clark wouldn’t talk either.”
She pulled her phone out and checked her messages. Bruce and she had texted a lot–no phone calls as her days were full and tiring and she usually went to bed early –but as she reread their conversations, she couldn’t find anything hinting about him being in trouble. Diana had a feeling that he had deliberately hid it from her.
“You were there?” she asked.
Victor grimaced and shook his head:
“I was in class, I only heard the story from Barry who heard it from hearsay. From what I understand, Bruce and Clark were hanging out speaking sports, and Luthor came by and said a few things. It mustn’t have been pretty because Bruce just blew up and hit him and Clark didn’t even try to stop him. Barry suspects Luthor was trying to get Clark in trouble again, you know, after everything that happened with Zod.”
Diana nodded in understanding. Zod, Luthor’s well-known right hand and first class bully, had ended up in jail for almost beating to death another student. Without Clark’s intervention, he would have gone down for manslaughter. Luthor only saw the loss of a terribly efficient underling.
“Neither would get angry that easily,” she pointed out. Clark was a pacifist at heart. Bruce did not seek fights either, nor did he start any, but he was well known in school for finishing them. If he had attacked first, then Luthor had definitively hit a weak point, and not many would make him angry. She would have to ask him directly.
“I’ll stop by his house tonight,” she announced. “Wanna join me?”
Victor grinned and lifted both hands:
“Hell no. I’m not getting in between you two.” Before she could ask what he meant, he added: “Why don’t you tell me more about what you saw during your holiday? The pictures you sent were amazing…”
HS
Bruce lived in a house a few streets away from the school, so it was still early when she showed up and rang at the doorbell. When no-one answered, she first assumed he would be away. Then she remembered that Alfred would never allow Bruce to leave at leisure, especially if he had been kicked out of school. She rang again and said:
“I know you’re there Bruce. Open the door now.”
It took a few minutes, but eventually, the grumpy face of her friend appeared on the other side.
“Hey,” he greeted. “Thought you wouldn’t be back till Sunday.”
He looked terrible, with circles under his eyes and his hair in a mess. Or rather, he looked like he had been experimenting for two days in a row and hadn’t bothered getting out of the basement. Alfred mustn’t have been that angry then.
“Change of plans, I’m here now.” She entered without waiting for an invitation and crossed her arms. “So, I heard you got into trouble.”
Bruce sighed and shut the door. He shoved his hands in his pocket pants and leaned against the closest wall.
“The others would have told you the story by now.”
Diana narrowed her eyes.
“I want to hear it from you.”
His expression turned grim. He sighed and looked away:
“Luthor was being a little shit. I lost my patience with him and told him he better shut the fuck up.”
“With your fist in his mouth.”
“He deserved it.”
Diana hummed, not fooled for a moment. He was still hiding something.
“What aren’t you telling me?” He gave her a flat stare. She rolled her eyes and added: “I know you, Bruce, you don’t get angry easily. Now, what did he say that made you beat him to a pulp?”
He glared at her, as if silently asking ‘won’t you leave it alone?’. After a few minutes of silence, when Diana didn’t back down, he finally admitted:
“He strongly hinted he would corner you, fuck you and then pass you around his guys for fun.” He met her eye unflinchingly. “So yeah, I made him eat his words with my fist.”
Diana had no reply to that.
She knew the other boy could be provocative to the point of being arrogant and borderline threatening. But such blunt aggressiveness? That was a whole new level. A shiver ran down her spine as she wondered why he went to such length. Sure, there was always animosity between their group and Luthor’s –she suspected the other boy envied them or was angry that they didn’t cower in front of him. But it had never gone that far before.
“I can handle idiots like Luthor,” she said eventually. “You didn’t need to go wild on him. He’s always been more bark than bites.”
“Don’t care. I won’t let them –won’t let anyone talk about you the way he did,” he growled. “I don’t give a damn about the rest.” He looked at her in the eye, and the emotion she read there made her belly tingle and her body warm. After a few beats, she somehow found her voice.
“Yes, and you got suspended for the rest of the week.”
He met her eye, smirked cockily:
“Yeah, like I’ll be missing much in class.”
She didn’t smile back. He was right of course, he was a stellar student who loved to study a bit ahead in the program. It still didn’t sit well with her.
“Don’t do that again,” she said instead. “Or at least, do it with no witnesses around.”
“Can’t promise you that,” he retorted and looked down. “No-one gets away with insulting you.”
Diana pressed her lips together and stepped forward. She cupped his cheek, guided his eyes up to meet hers. They were dark and intense right now, enough to make her senses tingle again.
“And your extreme reaction has nothing to do with your feelings for me? Is that why you wouldn’t tell me?”
It was a bit cruel, to play on that when she hadn’t given him a clear reply yet. Bruce merely leaned into her palm, his hands still in his pockets, never breaking eye contact. They had been friends for years before he made it clear he was interested in her. Diana hadn’t been sure where she stood with him since then, but she hated that he got into trouble because of her.
“No-one gets away with insulting you,” he repeated, his voice turning into a growl. “And that little shithead did far worse than that.”
His cheek felt warm under her palm, and his gaze…too intense. A few weeks back, when he had stopped hiding and downright kissed her in a corner, she hadn’t been able to hold it, too unsure about what to think of this turn of event. Now however…
“You are such a knight,” she breathed, her heart beating loudly in her ribcage. “And I am no damsel in distress.”
“I never thought otherwise,” he replied sincerely. "You are strong, you always were."
For a moment they remained silent, just staring at each other. Diana slowly removed her hand, without breaking eye contact. He was quite handsome, she thought, very in shape. Even with his rugged appearance, he easily drew attention. After their first disastrous meeting, she had put a lot of effort to draw out this solitary kid, who would just send people on their way if they looked too close, because underneath the gruff exterior, he was a kind, patient, brave person. She was proud to be his friend and maybe…maybe she could be more.
Bruce pulled back, his eyes darkening and his jaw clenched. Diana startled at the sudden distance.
“I can handle being just your friend, Di,” he muttered. “But don’t make that look and expect me not to react.”
“That look?” she repeated, at loss, and her heat starting to beat harder. He stared at her a few moments more, words useless as everything he intended to say passed through his eyes.
“I am going to kiss you right now,” he warned as he stepped forward. “If you don’t want this, you better say it now, because once it’s done-“
He would not let go.
Diana didn’t let him finish. She closed the distance before he could, because something snapped inside her –was it this expression, or the end of her own denial- but whatever it was, it ended her doubts. It was clumsy, awkward –their noses bumped, their teeth clashed together and her trying to beat him to it made him chuckle –a happy chuckle, she could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes, and it made her incredibly light too-
They parted for a second, before Bruce pulled her closer –and this time she was the one to laugh –and they were kissing again. It was nice, with his arms around her waist and her arms around his neck and so freeing to just press her lips to his and let it go…
What took her so long? she wondered, before being distracted again. His body felt so warm and strong against her own, his scent so secure, and the knowledge, the certainty that he did feel strongly for her- and that she actually felt strongly for him –more that she had initially believed until now. She had been stupid to ignore it.
Victor was right not to come with her. None of their friends had wanted to go, perhaps because they had assumed something would happen.
They parted to breathe, panting heavily, still not moving an inch away from the other. Her fingers toyed with his hair, enjoying the silky feeling of them. Bruce was still watching her, still holding her close, eyes lost in a daze as if he couldn’t figure out if this was real or a dream. His insecurity gave her the courage to admit what she had known deep inside for a long time, but had never quite acknowledged.
“I love you,” she said quietly, almost like a secret. He stiffened at her words, and she repeated louder: “I love you Bruce. I’m sorry it took me so long.” She paused again and ended with: “I love you.”
He rarely showed emotions. As a child he had little reason to, and even growing up it wasn’t in his nature to do so. But after she spoke those words, Diana thought it was a shame, because his smile, his beautiful smile, could have lightened up the world.