Imagine accidentally inhaling pheromones, making you unable to hide your feelings for Bruce Wayne.
A strange smell wafted through the laboratory. You couldn’t place what it was, but you could put a finger on the things that it was making you feel. “Oh no,” I said, looking around for who could have been the culprit of such an attack. The Joker? No, this wasn’t funny enough, he’d blow the place up. Scarecrow? He was more into fear gas, not ... whatever this was. Poison Ivy? ... Perhaps.
To your disappoint, your instincts had taken over more than your smarts for once, pressing the emergency button that would send Bruce down here. Or rather, Batman. You were one of the few people who knew his identity, and he hired you to work for him, finding you to be an extraordinary inventor, coming up with ways to improve his gear, and come up with new ideas. But now he was headed down here. And you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to prevent yourself from doing something very, very foolish.
A metallic sound was heard as the secure doors opened. “MASK!” You managed to shout, and Bruce pushed a button that made his mask unfold in a way to cover his mouth and his nose, and filter in the air. You hoped that was enough. “What is it?” He said, walking forward, looking around for an explosion of some sort. A spilled beaker. Anything that made it look like a science class gone awry.
“I don’t know - pheromones,” You said, trying to wave the air away from your face but it was too late. “Pressed the emergency button by mistake - gotta vent this out - sorry, I have it handled...” You went to the computer system and started to type things in to start one of the emergency filtration systems. One was to keep dangerous chemicals in, to keep them from spreading to the city, and others was to get them out quickly. You started the operation for the second one when you felt a hand on your shoulder.
“Hey,” The voice didn’t come out all broody and gravelly like Batman’s did. It was all Bruce through the mask. “I trust you, just relax, and focus on what you’re good at.”
Oh - you really wished he didn’t touch you, because it just set off the reaction.
Goosebumps erupted on your skin. Your face started to feel warm, beadlets of sweat breaking out on your forehead. Your heartbeat increased. Your pupils dilated as you saw the reflection of Bruce in your computer screen. And now he was touching you. His hand - so hot against your skin, you instantly felt feverish. He noticed your reaction, and then slowly let go.
“N-no, please,” You said, putting your hand on top of his, feeling his skin beneath yours, the contact making even more feelings surge through you. “I’ve had feelings for you for a long time and I-” Your breathing started to grow heavier. You were forcing yourself to remember to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. “I just want your hand to stay there while I do this - oh God, please forget this is happening.”
Bruce bristled for a moment, but then he relaxed his hand against you. He kept it there, under yours, while you typed with one hand into the computer. The vents opened and fans started to spread the air out of there, the unnatural pheromones leaving with it, out into the woods beyond the cave. You were left still trembling slightly, still holding Bruce’s hand. Once you realized you were, you moved yours quickly, putting it into your lap.
“I’m sorry-"
“Don’t be,” Bruce said, patting your shoulder, before taking his hand away. “I’ve been wanting to hear that for a long time now.”
Imagine Bruce Wayne taking you to the theater near where his parents were killed.
“Deep breaths, Bruce,” You said, holding on tightly to his hand. “It’s going to be alright.” In a gesture that might have seemed over the top to anyone who might have been looking, you circled inf front of him and put your hand on his cheek so that he was forced to look into your eyes. “We can get through this Bruce, I know that we can - and you’re not alone, not for a second.” You looked over his face, seeing the emotions that were threatening to rise to the surface. Over the therapy sessions that you had spent with him, your relationship turning from something strictly professional into something inappropriate, you hadn’t seen this much come from him. His eyes looked wet and shiny with the threat of tears.
He looked past you to the theater, where the line was moving slowly inside through the damp Gotham weather - but he was Bruce Wayne, he did not need to wait in a line, you would be going straight in as soon as he felt that he was ready. “I know,” He said, his voice sounding hoarse already. The way that sent shivers up your spine. “I’m almost ready-” He said, eyes darting to the alley way, but then found their way back onto your face. “Okay, let’s go.”
You adjusted his collar and let go of his face, and together you would take small, slow steps towards the opening doors. Even though he had not come here since he was a little boy, he was greeted by the staff like he had been a valued patron for years. “I’m with you,” You muttered to him as you entered the main theater to find your seats. “These have already been big steps Bruce, I’m proud of you.” He gave your hand a squeeze in response, but even that reaction was enough to warm your heart. He was getting through this. You were both getting through this.
Requested by: @imaginehuntress
Wordcount: 2685
Prompt: Can you do a one-shot of the justice league where the reader gets them to take a day off and hangout/play cards against humanity. And Alfred takes a picture and puts it on the wall saying "its as close as ill get to a family around here". I'm sorry if this request is kind of stupid. :P
Barry Allen burst into the den, holding a package above his head. He was barely seen due to his speed, but the sound of his footsteps on the ground reached your ears, and then the streak of beige that was the paper the package was wrapped in, gave him away. Slowly coming to a stop in the middle of the room, he looked at you and Bruce, who were watching the six o’clock news together, he beamed a smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial. Then he unwrapped the package like a kid on Christmas morning. He revealed a black box with some writing on it, ‘Cards Against Humanity’ which made you smirk, for you had heard about this game. Bruce though - he had no idea what was going on, and got to his feet to examine the box closer. “Are they some sort of bomb?”
You’re first lit up into a smile, and you chuckled in Bruce’s direction. Around that time, Arthur had entered the room, hearing Barry’s excited voice and your laugh, which usually didn’t mean anything great around here. “It’s a game, Bruce.” You said, giving the vaguest explanation. “Barry, this is the best thing that you’ve ever bought, I’m so in for a round or two.”
Sitting still, Bruce snorted at the idea of playing a game. Barry, he could understand buying such a thing, but for you to be interested in playing it? Even he didn’t think that you would be that childish, and his expression said it all. “Only for adults though, Bruce, so maybe an old man like you wouldn’t enjoy it.” You’re a bit peeved off by the look on his face, and teasing was your go to in times like this.
“This game, I heard about it.” Arthur said, looking at the box, and laughed. When even Arthur, who resided in the Sea most of the time rather than the house that Bruce had made for us, knew about something that Bruce didn’t - that seemed to make Bruce’s jaw tighten. “And I am in for a round.”
Barry had gathered Victor, Diana, and Clark and set the box of cards on the middle of the dining room table, which was more than large enough to hold all of you. You had rung for Alfred and requested some snacks be brought up, because what was a game night without any snacks? You and Barry also had to take turns explaining what the game was to Bruce and Diana for they never heard of it, while Clark had some idea because of advertisements, and Victor through a quick search of the internet through his head.Turns out, it took a lot more convincing to get Bruce to play, since he insisted that he didn’t have time for such games.
“It really will be fun, I promise.” Your lower lip jutted out in your best pouty face. “You might even have a good time, and I know that it’s been a long time since you’ve had that.”
Comfortable and sitting on one of the dining chairs, Bruce sighed as he realized that everyone was looking at him. The masked hero wasn’t giving in to peer pressure, but rather, he just wanted to keep the peace - though it did help that everyone was looking excited - save for Victor who didn’t really have a facial expression - about the stupid game that they were about to play.
Barry’s enthusiasm was contagious enough to get the others excited so Bruce reluctantly agreed that he would play one round, and one only. He was mainly playing just so that he could beat Clark, however, that would give him a good time. It’s just a few minutes later that he had cards in his hand and grew more confused than ever.
“You just put down whichever one you think is funniest for the situation.” You leaned over to explain, tapping on the black card that Barry had turned over, deciding to be the judge for the first round. He squinted to read it. ‘I’ve got 99 problems but a ____ ain’t one.’
There were chuckles around the table as the players read their cards, picked one, and put it down in the pile for Barry to eventually read. Arthur’s laugh was the loudest, as per usual. He’s not one for being quiet when he wasn’t in attack mode. He slapped his card down with a laugh, and looked around confident that he was going to win.
Diana was more subtle. Her dark red lips curved into a closed-mouth smile as she went through her options. She understood the reference that the card was making, since even she could not avoid a lot of music, as much as it wasn’t to her tastes. The manicured fingers tapped on the back of the cards until she found one that she thought suited, and slid it over to the pile.
“I am so excited for this, you don’t understand,” Barry said, rustling around in his seat as if he had ants in his pants. His power just ended up making it worse, the chair nearly jumping from the ground, then roughly landing with little thuds as he anticipated the answers. A game night with the Justice League, including a grumpy Batman - he couldn’t think of anything better.
A laugh came from your mouth as you picked out your card solely by instincts and pushed it over to the growing pile. “I’m sure - wait, why didn’t we bet on this?” You looked around at the company that you were keeping tonight. Bruce especially - you’d bet all your money, what little you did have since you weren’t a big business man like Bruce or a Museum Curator like Diana - that he would lose this game horrendously. He didn’t have a sense of humor, so far as you noticed.
A card did eventually come from Bruce’s side of the table - but his facial expression made it seem like he was playing poker, not a party game. You smiled over at him, trying to bring the mood up, and watched Barry pick up the cards once everyone had chosen theirs. Looking around at everyone as if trying to be able to tell who picked which card, Barry started to read them out loud.
“I’ve got ninty-nine problems but estrogen ain’t one.” Barry laughed. You chuckled as well, finding it funny rather than offensive. It was only going to get worse from there. “I’ve got ninety-nine problems but lumberjack fantasies isn’t one of them? You’re right, I don’t see that being a problem at all.” Barry laughed. You noticed that even Bruce had cracked a smile at that one. Barry moved on. “I’ve got ninety-none problems but oompa-loompas aren’t one. Thank god!” He laughed again, enjoying each and every card. Arthur was really getting into the game, laughing harder with each card that came up. He was the loudest of the group. “Next up - ninety nine problems but a defective condom ain’t one - wow.”
You had put forward that one, thinking it was amazingly true because you definitely weren’t having sex with anyone. You had accepted it though - dating and being a vigilante didn’t go well together. “Ninety-nine problems but extremely tight pants ain’t one.” Barry said, and then paused. A minute later, he grinned. “I think none of us would have problems with tight pants.”
You’ve always thought that Barry was a bit of a flirt when he was in a more calm state, and that was showing a little. You motioned for Barry to go on with the last card that was in his pile. Barry picked it up slowly, just to bother you, then read it out. “Ninety-nine problems but drinking alone ain’t one. I’ll drink to that one, it’s the winner.”
You looked around to see who would claim the card, and to your great surprise, it was Bruce that rose his hand. “Didn’t know you had it in you.” You grinned, clapping him on the back. Everyone else seemed to be a little in shock as well, but then they picked up another card, and the turn switched to Arthur’s.
Soon enough, Alfred came back with more snacks, more drinks and then finally, a rather big box which they all ignored at first. As the game went on, some great cards were played. You had won a couple of rounds with, ‘The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History had just opened an interactive exhibit on Bio-engineered assault turtles with acid breath, I get by with a little help from white privilege, and passive-aggressive post it notes, it’s how I want to die.’ As the game went on however, you didn’t care about all the ones you lost because you were just having too much fun.
A while passed, and Barry finally won the game overall, with Arthur in second, then Bruce surprisingly in third. “Y/N, do you mind moving over a little to the left?” Alfred asked once the laughter had slowed down.
“What are you up to, Alfred?” You asked, scooting over your chair to the left like he had requested. He gave a slight smile, and unearthed a fancy contraption from the box that no one had asked about. Diana stood up, curiosity peeked by the sight of an antique. Her eyes lit up and she laughed, turning to look at the rest of us.
“A camera!” Diana said, leaning forward to look at it. You understood now why Alfred had asked you to move over to the left. His eyes grew excited as Diana marveled over what great condition it was in, and that she had not seen anything like it in meany years.
“Ever since you all have been spending your time here, there’s been a family.” Your face lit up in a smile, and you looked over at Bruce, feeling like you might cry at Alfred’s sentiments. “The halls of Wayne Manor could use a new family portrait, don’t you think, Master Wayne?” He looked towards his butler, more than a butler - a family member - and inhaled quickly, then nodded.
A smile went across Diana’s face too, and she stopped examining the photo to sit back down at the table. You leaned up against Bruce, who was beside you, and put your arm around him from behind, resting your head on his shoulder. You couldn’t see what the others were doing, but you felt Arthur put one of his massive hands on your other shoulder. It’s nice, being close and relaxing like this.
You smiled widely for the camera. But the flash caught you a little offguard, so you were left hoping that you didn’t blink or recoil in the photo that was taken. You then realized that there was someone missing from this family, someone important. “Another?” You asked, getting to your feet. Hands reached out for Alfred once you got close. “It’s an old camera, but it has to have one of those timers, right? What kind of family photo would it be without Daddy Alfred?”
You took a hold of Alfred’s hands, and brought him to the table, letting Diana get up and see if she could find a way to make the timer work on the camera. What everyone else did was stand up, each one of them equally as open to taking a picture as you had been. You positioned Alfred next to Bruce, since they were the closest, and smiled at how the two of them looked together.
It didn’t take long for Diana to set up the timer, then return to the group. There was a clicking sound as it started to count down the seconds before the flash would fill the room with light and the camera would capture your likeness. You didn’t smile this time around, because no one else - save Barry - was smiling. Yet there wasn’t an unhappiness to the photo - it just showed what each of you were. It showed the strength of each person, though each individual had a different kind of strength.
The night continued on after the picture was taken, with another game of Cards Against Humanity being played, and then a couple of beers passed around. How Gotham got through the night without a murder or an explosion while the members of the Justice League were having a good time, you didn’t know. Bruce kept his eye out the window, looking for the Bat Signal every couple of minutes, but it was a clear night. Other than the stars and the moon, there was nothing to be seen except for streetlights. The Batman never took a night off, and you could see how uncomfortable Bruce was about it. He finally stopped checking at eleven though, and put himself to bed at midnight since even he had to sleep at times.
It was about one AM when you, Arthur and Barry settled down. Everyone did consider you three to be the more fun out of the Justice League, though Arthur could get quite grouchy. There were rooms for everyone inside of Wayne Manor, which had become your second home. You loved your position of being on the team but it didn’t pay much at all, and your personal apartment was nothing compared to this place.
You were invited back to Wayne Manor a week later. It had been one hell of a week too - you and Victor ended up having to attempt to capture Catwoman, which is never easy. Well, it can sometimes be easy for Bruce since they seem to have some sort of connection that you weren’t clear about. You never bothered to ask about the rich man’s lovelife - seemed like too much drama there. Which was probably more than anyone could say for yours.
You walked into the dining room where you could hear some voices. Diana’s and Bruce’s. When you stepped into the room, a new feature took over your attentions. Typically, it was rather dark in here, with a couple of antiques well on pedestals around the walls, but today it was different.
You stepped forward to one of the walls. Bruce had the curtains open which was a new thing - sunlight was streaming through but because of the frame’s positioning, it didn’t reflect off the glass which made he picture behind it crystal clear. Your face was looking out upon you, and Bruce’s, Arthur’s, Barry’s, Clark’s, Victor’s, Alfred’s and Diana’s were as well. You were looking at the picture that had been taking during game night.
I was held in place by a rich-looking wooden frame, with the word ‘Family’ engraved on the center of the bottom panel. You touched the F with your fingers, feeling how professional it was - someone had put a lot of work into this frame. Now, you understood why Alfred had wanted to take the photo in the first place.
You looked at your own face, at the hint of the smile that was on the corner of your lips and showed in your eyes. You then looked at the others and you saw a sense of ... of happiness in each of them, even Bruce. It really did make you feel like you had a family with the members of the league - something you didn’t have growing up.
You grinned like Barry had in the picture, went to Diana and Bruce and put your arms around their shoulders to bring them in for a surprising hug. A kiss went onto both of their cheeks with a loud smooching sound. “Aren’t we the greatest family or what?”
Brandon Sklenar follows the bio on the doc, however his metahuman condition is inborn rather than exposed to. Training after the loss of his parents was the trigger for his power's manifestation This is one is for a mix of Arroverse and newmovie verse. He has three of the batfam kids adopted.
Joe Manganiello follows the bio strictly. Age is done to match the Arrowverse so... He has three Robins
Jonathan Bailey's belong to newmovie verse strictly. His powers are thus from birth. His parents never died when he was a child, but rather when he was a teenager. Batman was not created until he abandon the manhunt. He was, instead, a vigilante that used his powers in a similar way to Diego Hargreeves, going crazy against criminals. He has two robins.
Francois Arnaud's has a more comic approach, no Superman or otherwise verse in mind. This is the friendliest to be played against MCU and other universes as well. Follows bio except for the nature of his powers where I introduce the mateor rain from Smallville.
Ben Afflec's belongs to Snyderverse's and Smallville's timeline. In the first, his powers are the result of the kryptonite suit working against him, while in the second, he is a victim of the meteorite rain.
Imagine Bruce Wayne getting annoyed when Alfred keeps bringing you up.
“Another party?” Alfred asked, eyebrows raised. “If you insist sir. Shall I send a special invitation to y/n?”
“Why would you ask that?” Bruce asked, rolling his eyes. This was the fourth time that Alfred had brought you up today. As much as he enjoyed thinking about you, he did not need Alfred to hum ‘Here Comes The Bride’ whenever the conversation comes to an end.
“Because you seem quite enamored sir. Gold gilded invitations, or will an email suffice?”
