A/N: This is pre-Batman Bruce when he was training around the world.
The corners of Talia’s lips rose as she stared down at the cooing baby in her arms. While she bounced the infant on her hip, she drowned out the volume of clashing metal.
Talia al Ghul may have been one of the deadliest members of the League of Assassins, but she was anything but deadly around children. In fact, most of the youths at the League hovered towards Talia more than anyone else. She had a certain gentleness with them that they were entranced by.
The baby’s eyes finally started to droop, and Talia smiled at the innocence in her grasp.
She loved children, more than anything. They were more tolerable than others, and she had a sort of motherly instinct present in her. She always felt that she had the responsibility to protect them.
And sometimes––sometimes she wondered if she would ever be lucky enough to have one of her own...
But that thought was cut off by the newly present silence. The League’s home was rarely ever quiet. There would at least be the sound of clinking steel throughout the day––and night. There was only silence when...
Talia immediately set the child down in its crib and rushed into the halls. She knew what was happening.
Someone had come...to join the League.
Talia watched from a distance, while he settled in.
The new member.
Bruce Wayne.
Talia observed him intently. He was a bit slouched, and the bags under his eyes made him seem older than he was. He appeared a bit weak––probably from his travels––yet had some muscle. Although, his supposed strength seemed insignificant compared to the warriors in the league.
He let out a huff after drying off his face. “Don’t think I can’t notice you over there.”
Talia stilled, embarrassed to have been caught. Nonetheless, she swaggered out of her place in the shadows. She would not have him think of her as meek.
“What’s your name?” His voice was gruff yet boyish.
Probably no more than nineteen, she assumed.
“Talia,” she answered curtly.
He stuck his hand out. “I’m Bruce––”
“––Wayne. Yes, I know.”
Talia glared down at his outstretched hand, and he awkwardly retreated in response.
“How––”
“My father informed me.”
He stared at her dumbfounded, and also a bit annoyed.
Talia simply glared back at him before turning her back towards him to head out.
However, she paused at the doorway, “How did you know I was here?”
“You should try to hide your hair better.”
Talia scoffed in annoyance and stormed out of the room.
However, she had left too soon to witness the light grin creeping onto Bruce’s face.
Eleven.
This was the eleventh time since he had arrived that Bruce laid on the ground as Talia towered over him.
This was the eleventh time that he had lost to her.
And he did not like it.
Bruce knew that Talia had been training at the League her whole life, and he just for a few weeks, but he was still annoyed. It was not fun to lose.
Talia then extended her hand to help him up.
He looked up at her. To be honest, he was not annoyed with her as much as he was the first they met. And he assumed she felt the same way. She was a bit nicer after all.
Bruce grabbed ahold of her arm, and to his displeasure, she yanked him up forcefully.
Yeah, only a bit nicer.
Bruce narrowed his eyes and glared at her, not noticing that he had yet to let go of her arm.
Her smooth, dark arm.
Talia glanced down at their still entwined limbs and frowned.
“Wayne.”
“Hrm?” Bruce responded with his signature grunt, staring straight into her eyes.
“You can let go now,” she said motioning towards her arm.
He looked down to see what she was signaling at and stuttered out an, “Oh.”
As immediately as he let go of her, Talia held her arm close to her chest. Like she was protecting it from him.
And Bruce did not understand why his heart fell because of it.
It was a simple gesture really, Talia stroking her arm where he gripped her. Her lips pressed into a tight line and eyebrows knitted, carefully assessing the situation. All along with a look that seemed to say, stay away from me Wayne.
It should not have bothered him. This was Talia, after all. Talia the arrogant and angry girl who just annoyingly handed his ass to him.
It should not have bothered him so much that he made Talia––of all people––feel uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, he stalked away without giving her a second glance. He was too confused by these...feelings.
Talia, on the other hand, stayed.
She stared at Bruce while he exited. Stared at the shoulders that were definitely getting broader. Stared at the unruly, inky black mess that she felt the urge to glide her hands through, see what it felt like. And finally, she stared at the sweat that glistened on the curves of his muscles.
Talia started to heat up, and now her sweat was becoming more noticeable.
Probably from the sparring, she thought.
Talia felt that it was getting hotter.
Yes, they were in a desert, and it was supposed to be hot during the day.
But the temperature was rising to the extreme, and she finally began to believe in global warming.
However, she was the only one who felt that way.
She realized this when her father yelled at her. Ra’s could no longer hold it in when his daughter ‘subtly’ mentioned the heat for the eleventh time that day.
“Since the heat is bothering you so much,” he scolded. “You may go to someplace frigid.”
And that’s how she ended up here, on the highest peaks of the Himalayas...with Bruce.
Her punishment was to ensure more of Bruce’s training, and they had to do it in the cold.
But the chill of the mountains is not what bothered her. No, it was the heat that seemed to be following her.
The heat that made her sweat...in the cold.
Bruce, however, was shivering. And he could not comprehend how Talia was so unbothered.
Earlier, he had questioned it. To which, she simply answered, “I’m hot.”
At first, Bruce was puzzled by the answer. Yeah, he thought she was attractive, but..oh wait, she meant warm. Yet even with that clarified he was still confused.
Talia stopped once they had reached an area without trees. She observed the area intently. How she observed everything, Bruce noticed. It was how she looked at him the first time––how she assessed him. It had gotten him flustered then, but she would never know that.
"Strip."
Now that was something that got him flustered. But he would not show it, of course.
Talia turned back towards him and glared in frustration at his blushing self. Luckily though, the redness could have been easily mistaken for the frigid temperature.
"If you want to be a warrior," Talia began removing her thick covers. Now only left in her thin, silk garments, she removed two sharp blades from her pack. She tossed one over to him, "you have to learn to bear the most extreme of conditions."
Bruce clutched the blade in his palm. He could already feel the sweat slipping down his arms. He was beginning to understand why Talia felt hot, yet not knowing why at the same time.
Talia was dressed modestly, the silk dress covering her body well. Yet, for some reason, Bruce was left a blushing mess at the sight of her. The flowing white cloth, matching the movement of her windblown locks as she rose her blade, and locked her eyes with his.
"Strip."
So he did until he was dressed as lightly as her. He rose his blade, copying her stance. Whisps of his hair tickled his neck, just like how the butterflies tickled his stomach.
She made the first move, dashing towards him. He ducked, then slashed. And they continued with similar motions––ruthless, yet graceful.
The pair now hardly gave notice to the cold, too focused on the other.
Bruce had never felt so alive, free even. It was the first time since his parents died that he actually let loose. He was exhilarated.
Bruce had become better, that was for sure, but still not a match for her. Talia could have ended the match a bit sooner, but she did not. She let their dance continue because she had never felt so exhilarated.
The sounds of clashing steel or howling wind never once distracted them. They never wavered, feeling the need to prove themselves to one another. So they continued to lunge at each other, and then back again. Soon enough, they lost their blades, now deeply buried in the snow, resorting to physical contact instead. Never once slipping in the soft snow, off the steep cliff, off into the abyss. No––that was the least of their concerns. The only thing that mattered was the opponent.
Finally, Talia ended it. She kicked under Bruce’s feet, tripping him. And before he could rise, Talia straddled his waist and pushed his shoulders down, locking him in place. Their breathing heavy and sweat mingling, they forgot all about the blades lost, or the training. They just stared at each other, no hate or annoyance present, but respect...and something else.
Talia was about to lean down, and Bruce up...
But.
Talia remembered her father. She remembered all the times he had shown her, had it engraved in her mind, that attachments would only weaken her, they would distract her.
Bruce remembered his mission. Bruce remembered why he was here, the promise he made to his city, to his parents. Talia only would distract him.
A/N: The first Gotham described is the one from Convergence. Some stuff is kind of what I imagined to have happened after Convergence Flashpoint; what I imagined to have happened after all the cities flew away after they had that battle between Earths.
Where is my wheelchair?
That was the first thing that appeared in Barbara’s mind when she found herself seated on the stony ground of Gotham...but not the one she was familiar with.
She groaned and rubbed her head, only to feel a sharp pain and something warm and sticky. She looked at her palm. Red was the last thing she saw before passing out.
She was at the Clocktower--her humble abode--just a few minutes earlier. Snuggled up to Dick’s warm body as they watched a movie, while rain violently smashed down to the grimy Gotham streets. He lovingly stroked her fiery locks while she hummed in content.
Just because this crime-ridden city was the only place left in the world they still managed to make the best of it. Its dark aura allured the pair. Everything was a mystery beckoning to be explored. And of course, the detective's instinct engraved in them at a juvenile age added on to their attraction to the city. The city was as much of a part of them as each other was--like a second spouse.
But for now, Barbara devoted herself to the one next to her. And Dick did the same, with his legs tangled with hers. Her lower limbs may have lost the ability to feel, but that ability seemed to come back whenever around him. She could sense the prominent amount of affection put into that gesture.
Barbara was no longer paying attention to the story on the screen, but the story in his eyes. His eyes unknowingly narrated the tales of his days in scaley green undies to his days of wearing an itching cowl. And the corners of her lips lifted slightly remembering that some of those tales included a certain inferno haired bat.
His palm soon moved from her hair to her arm, rubbing circles with his thumb. She rested her head under his, snaking her arm to his shoulder, returning the gesture there.
Dick was about to say something--probably a sickeningly sweet flirtation--but was cut off by a resounding boom outside.
Dick was instantly on his feet, looking for his nighttime suit.
“I’ll come along,” offered Barbara. Well, it sounded like an offer, but knowing her it really was an affirmation. However, Dick seemed to forget that.
“Babs--” He tried to argue while changing.
She simply ignored his protests and settled onto her wheelchair.
“Come on ex-Boy Wonder,” she announced. “No time to argue.”
The raven-haired man sighed in defeat, knowing that she was coming regardless, and slipped on the final part of his suit: his mask.
He hopped out the window, diving headfirst into the rain, while she went out the conventional way.
Little did she know that it would be the last time she saw her home for a while.
Barbara groaned--for the second time that day--and lightly rested her hand on her head. She felt the smooth bandages and gently traced her fingers upon them. The woman finally opened her eyes to see herself in a familiar environment. But there was something different about it.
The Clocktower--where Barbara presumed she was--didn’t seem so much like a home. There were no comfy couches where she and Dick would usually relax. Or any photo frames of their childhood. There were just...computers. Which yes were at her Clocktower too, but the furniture is what usually took up most of the space. The only thing that gave it away as being the Clocktower was the large Roman numeral clock of a window, bringing in harsh sunlight.
"She's up!" Barbara heard a familiar voice exclaim. A voice that she always hears when it screams at the scum of Gotham.
Dinah?
She didn’t know what to think. It sounded like Dinah, but it didn’t feel right. None of this felt right.
She tried her best to shift around (it was hard due to the paralysis) when she heard the footsteps. Barbara reached into her pocket for a Batarang, preparing to bring it out and fling.
Once the footsteps came closer the Batarang flew from her hand. It whizzed across the room and managed to flick the cheek of the woman of which the footsteps belonged to. The woman gasped just as the Batarang struck the wall with a vibration.
"That didn't really hurt you did it, Dinah?" Another familiar voice announced.
Helena?
Now that Barbara finally got a good look, the woman was, in fact, Dinah. And the second woman now emerging was Helena. But there was something different about them, and it wasn’t what they were wearing.
They were younger.
Barbara’s eyes widened at this realization. Now she was certain of what was going on.
She was on another Earth.
After an awkward exchange of greetings, Barbara recited her side of the story. And Dinah was currently telling her what was going on with them.
“So while chasing after this gang we were after, we decided to split up,” Dinah reminisced. “I had just finished up tying up my guys and got the message form Babs--our Barbara--that she was done--”
“That’s when we heard the shriek,” Helena interrupted.
“Yeah,” Dinah said annoyed but continued nonetheless. “We heard her yell. So we immediately headed her way, only to find you bleeding on the ground."
Barbara breathed out. Never in her whole life had she thought that she would be involved in this dimension traveling drama (that was the Flash’s job after all). The closest she had ever been to it was when that crazy dude had entrapped cities from different Piles of earth and pit them against each other.
But now this had happened.
“So you think that you dimension traveled?” Helena skeptically asked. Though she really shouldn’t be skeptical with a crazy world like this.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t time travel?” Helena inquired once again. “I mean you are older than our Barbara.”
“From what you’ve told me,” Barbara began, “this world is a bit too different to be my past. And I think that I would remember regaining the use of my legs.”
At that last comment, Dinah had a sympathetic look in her eyes. And Barbara felt guilty for bringing it up, she didn’t want them to feel uncomfortable.
“Speaking of which,” Barbara said suddenly switching her tone. “Do you happen to have a wheelchair?”
They did not have a wheelchair.
Though, the two remaining members of this Earth’s Birds of Prey did have an agreement to take her to Batman. So maybe he would have one.
Dinah had managed to get a hold of Batman and told him to meet them on a building near the GCPD. They had a “surprise” for him to see.
Helena decided to stay behind an continue working on the case she and Dinah had dropped after finding the redhead. So Barbara was currently sitting behind Dinah, who was speeding through Gotham on her sleek motorbike.
“How are you feeling back there?” Dinah practically yelled over the roaring engine.
“Definitely not the first time I’ve been on a bike.”
Dinah chuckled. “Good to know that your Earth’s Barbara Gordon isn’t boring.”
Barbara smiled. She felt at comfort with this Dinah Lance, and that would probably be the same with any Dinah Lance.
The tall buildings of this Gotham are also something that gave her comfort. It felt so much like her home, and she soon began to think how the Bats were holding up without her. If they were managing to survive without her.
She sighed, hoping that they haven't damaged anything during her departure. However, knowing her comrades, that was not humanly possible. They’ve probably crashed through (and shattered) her home’s windows for a “dramatic” effect by now. Like they always do.
The blond finally skidded to a stop at their destination. She hopped off the bike and picked Barbara up from under her thighs.
“Do you think he will have a wheelchair?” Barbara inquired. “I’m not exactly too keen on being carried around my whole time here.”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself,” Dinah stated while she looked up at the top of the building. Barbara followed her gaze to find the Dark Knight perched upon a gargoyle, threateningly shrouded in his cape.
“If he’s anything like the one I know,” Barbara said rolling her eyes at his theatrics, “he’ll probably have one.”
Dinah steadily made her way to the top to find the Batman finally off the gargoyle. He stared at the two women taking in every detail. And Barbara stared back at him. He seemed so familiar, it made Barbara begin to think about her Bruce again. A tear threatened to fall when she realized she was already missing her home dearly.
“So,” Dinah said breaking the silence. “She is from another dimension. And our Batgirl disappeared around the time she appeared.”
He seemed to take this fairly calm. But Barbara knew him—even if foreign—she knew that there was a storm raging within him.
He sighed. “I’ll call the League.”
He was staring at her.
Barbara pretended to notice the intense gaze of Wally West, who stands behind her. But she did feel it.
Even around all the different glances given to her by the members of the Justice League, his stood out. It wasn’t like the stare of shock Dick Grayson had when he saw her, nearly tripping over himself when he did. At first, he thought that she was another person from the future here to cause havoc in his family, again.
Tim Drake had the same reaction...except, he did manage to trip over himself. He half expected her to get up and kill someone at first glance. But then realized that she couldn’t get up since she was in a wheelchair...crippled.
Oh, and yes, Bruce did have a wheelchair.
Wally West’s gaze was one of...attraction.
But not to her.
And the longer Barbara sat in the foreign Batcave with the foreign heroes, Wally West seemed...familiar.
But not the familiar she felt in this Gotham, or with these heroes. Not the foreign but familiar kind of familiar. A closer-type of familiar.
He was not infatuated with her, but something about her. Maybe something that surrounded her. He looked at her like she held something of his. He looked at her like her presence is supposed to make him remember something. He felt like was supposed to know her. Not just know her because he knew that there was another Barbara that belonged to this Earth, actually know her.
Forget About Waiting (Tim Drake x Stephanie Brown)
A/N: This is set in in the pre-flashpoint universe. But it doesn’t really matter.
Stephanie fumbled with the tiny velvet box, that she somehow managed to hide within the folds of her violet dress.
God this was making her nervous. But she had to do this if she wanted to move on.
If Tim won’t do it, then I have to. She reminded herself mentally.
While going over how to do it in her head, she didn’t notice Tim return from the ice-cream parlor with their sweet treats.
“Ahem,” Tim voiced, announcing his arrival.
Stephanie discreetly yanked her hand out of the folds of her dress and swerved around on her heel.
“Hey,” she said with a nervous smile, trying to hide her secret.
“So are you just going to let it melt here?” Tim teased with a playful smirk, which melted Stephanie’s heart.
She liked seeing him like this. Relaxed. No weight being carried on his shoulders (well except for that thick suit).
She took her ice-cream from him and retorted, “You might melt dressed like that.”
“Well, I have to look the best for m’lady,” he flirted with a sly grin.
Stephanie giggled but accidentally snorted, causing Tim to laugh at her. She blushed at this and punched him in the arm.
The raven-haired boy mouthed a playful ‘Ow’ and continued to eat his delectable coldness.
They continued to walk through the park in comfortable silence, occasionally glancing at each other and randomly giggling.
It could be said that it was like they were back to their teenage years, full of carefree ways. But that wasn’t the case for the two of them.
Their teenage years had been filled with much drama (mostly caused by Batman).
Right now.
Between the trees arching their branches in harmony to shelter the lovers.
With the glittering body of water flowing near them.
In the slightly cool weather that was about to welcome the warmth of summer.
This was much better than their teenage years.
And it was the perfect moment for Stephanie to make her move.
“Tim I have to--”
“Steph I want to--”
An awkward air had now arisen as the two stared at each other, etching for the other say something first.
Tim finally caved to the blond’s relief.
Tim took the almost finished cone from her hand and went to through it away along with his.
Stephanie took his temporary departure as the perfect chance to plan a surprise. So she turned away from him and frantically tried to fish out the velvet box from her dress.
When she finally found it, she immediately circled on her heel and began to kneel.
But she paused midway, making her stance look like an awkward lunge. Her lower lip was beginning to lower in shock.
Because there resided Timothy Jackson Drake.
Her beloved.
On one knee.
A silver ring with tiny purple stones embedded in it in hand.
Doing what she was about to do.
She was expecting him to say something. Anything! But he was too stunned to move a muscle.
They were probably frozen in that position for a good five minutes. Lucky for them the park was almost empty at this time and the late hour, so no one saw the two heroes gaping like lost fish.
Tim eventually broke the silence.
“Were you just going to...?”
“I was.”
“Why...?”
“I didn’t think you were going to.”
Tim was about to defend himself but stopped understanding her point.
“So,” Stephanie began. “Wanna get married?”
Tim chuckled at the ridiculous situation. He was on one knee with a stupid expression, and she was standing like a goose. (A/N: It’s the best I could come up with)
Stephanie began to laugh with him, and the two soon made themselves comfortable sitting on the cement.
The raven-haired boy took his hand in hers and slipped the ring on her finger. Then she took his hand and slipped a silver band on it.
“Yeah,” they breathed out in unison.
She took his face in her hands and brought it to hers.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer.
It was the perfect proposal for the duo of night stalkers.
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