Fic: The Raven And The Nightingale Book II: The Gold Coast (12/25)
Title: The Raven And The Nightingale Book II: The Gold Coast (12/25)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Selina Kyle, Bruce/Dick, Alfred Pennyworth, Roy Harper, Donna Troy, Ellery Townsend
Genres: AU, Historical, Mystery, Romance
Rating (this chapter): NC-17
Warnings (this chapter): None
Spoilers: None
General Summary:
General Summary: A series of daring robberies on Gotham City’s Gold Coast catches the attention of the Raven and the Nightingale.
Chapter Summary: Bruce is shaken by Dick’s ‘surprise’.
Date Of Completion: October 26, 2014
Date Of Posting: September 1, 2015
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1922
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: Submitted to my 2015 DCU Fic/Art Dick Grayson Diamond Anniversary Challenge. The entire series can be found here.
XII
SPARKLING SILVER SLIPPERS WITH GREEN ROSETTES
Sparkling roses,
Sweet with the scent
Of success
In a glass house.
Isadora Duncanshire
"The Glass Slippers"
1906 C.E.
Selina and Dick were amazing, as the reviewers would write in the papers for the early edition. They had enjoyed scant rehearsal time, but it did not seem to matter. They moved as one, elegant and beautiful, and Bruce was stunned.
He watched Selina, barely noticing anyone else. Her lithe body moved as if she were as light as air, just as Dick easily lifted her up. She was the perfect Cinderella, first in rags and then in the beaded glory of a ball gown, complete with tiara.
Bruce finally tore his gaze away from her to watch Dick. The applause was thunderous as the curtain fell for the first intermission.
“Alfred…”
“Yes, I saw her.” Alfred drank his champagne. “I am sorry, sir. I was kept in the dark as well.”
Bruce let out a breath of air. “Dick surely doesn’t know.”
“I highly doubt it, sir.” Alfred stood. “I shall return before the curtain rises.”
He exited the box. Bruce was grateful for his tact. He tried to gather his emotions, sipping his champagne and fumbling for a chocolate.
Damn, Selina.
He calmed down enough to pour another glass of champagne, listening to the chatter of people returning to their seats. From the smiles on their faces, he judged that they approved of the new stars of the Gotham Ballet Company.
Alfred returned and handed him a lemon ice. Bruce gratefully took it, the icy coldness sliding down his suddenly-parched throat. He watched as the lights dimmed and the curtain rose.
The splendor of Cinderella was danced once more, sparkling and triumphant. Bruce fastened his attention on Dick. Dick was the one he loved.
& & & & & &
Dick bowed during the curtain calls, gripping the hands of Selina and Roy as the crowd applauded. It was a grand Opening Night. Roses were thrown at their feet. He picked up a bouquet and bowed.
The curtain fell for the final time and Dick smiled at Selina. “Wonderful job, Selina.”
She curtsied. “I can say the same, darling.”
“Thanks.”
Dick found Donna and hugged her. She sniffed. “You were great.”
“Thanks, so were you.”
Donna indicated Selina with a nod of her head. “She’s good. We found our prima ballerina.”
Dick watched as Selina accepted congratulations from the cast and crew. She deserved every rose, every accolade.
He went to his dressing room, laying the bouquet down. The cellophane crinkled as he decided what to do next.
Better get changed. Bruce will be here any minute. He was hungry, damnit, and looking for something to eat. Oh, well, Bruce will take me out to supper to celebrate.
Whistling a cheerful tune, Dick started removing his make-up.
& & & & & &
The voice bade him enter as he knocked. Bruce walked in, seeing the colorful costumes tossed around the dressing room. The star removed greasepaint and kohl expertly at the dressing table.
“Ah, so you’ve come.” Selina looked at his reflection in her dressing table mirror. She removed the blue mascara from her eyelids.
“Yes.”
Selina’s smile was amused, “Have a seat, dear.”
Bruce stayed standing. “Selina…”
Selina turned, her cleavage showing as her peignoir was untied. Her feet were bare, her ballet slippers discarded by the table.
“Darling, you look a trifle peaked.”
“I’m perfectly healthy. So are you.”
Selina stretched out her legs. The peignoir fell away to reveal their bareness. “Thank you. How nice of you to attend Opening Night.”
“Yes, well, I…”
"Of course you were kind enough to attend because of your…resident dancer.” Selina turned back to the mirror and looked at Bruce’s reflection again. Silence hung heavy in the room.
“Welcome to Gotham, Selina.”
Bruce turned and walked out, leaving a smiling Selina alone.
& & & & & &
Dick’s stomach rumbled. Where was Bruce? He was already dressed and still no sign of his rich, handsome lover.
A knock on the door garnered his attention. “Come in.” He smiled as he saw Bruce enter. “Hey, there, what happened to you? You usually like to see me in my unmentionables.” Dick winked.
“Huh? Oh, just listening to the general chatter. You’re a hit in Gotham.”
“Wonderful!” Dick picked up his bouquet. “I better get these in water before we go.”
“I’ll do it.” Bruce took the bouquet and kissed Dick. “You just make yourself as pretty as possible.”
Dick laughed. “All right.”
Bruce left and Dick put on his shoes, checking through his clothes rack for the coat he wanted to wear. He slipped the coat off the rack and buttoned it up, digging out his favorite yellow scarf from the pile on a small table and winding it around his neck with a flourish.
The door opened. “You decent?”
“Never!” Dick laughed. “Come on in.”
Selina was still in her lacy white peignoir. She was freshly-scrubbed and her short hair curled around her face. “Glad to get that wig off.”
“You look good as a blond.”
She smiled. Her silver shoes sparkled with green rosettes on top. Dick smiled as he pointed at her feet. “Those are really pretty.”
“Thank you. They were a gift.”
“Lovely. Not quite glass slippers, eh?” Dick winked.
Selina flashed some leg. “Just a little token.”
The door opened again and Bruce walked in, obscured by the roses in a green vase. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Bruce.”
He lowered the vase and nearly dropped it. “I didn’t know you had company.”
“Bruce, this is Miss Selina Kyle. Selina, Mr. Bruce Wayne.”
“Hello, Mr. Wayne.”
“Isn’t she a great surprise?”
“Very,” Bruce said, setting the vase down on a table.
“She’s the former star of the Boston Ballet Company.”
Selina tugged on her sleeve. “Just asking if Dick here knows of a good restaurant in town.”
“Oh, I’m sure the people waiting to take you out to supper will bring you to a fine place,” Bruce said.
“I bet you have a gaggle of stage door johnnies just waiting for you,” Dick laughed.
Selina smiled. “Oh, I do.” She cupped Dick’s chin. “So do you.” She did an impromptu softshoe. “Maybe we can combine…”
“Come now, darling, we don’t want to delay you,” Bruce said smoothly. “Ready to go, Dick?”
“Sure, Bruce.” Dick took Selina’s hand and kissed her cheek. “Enjoy your triumph, my dear.”
“Thank you, darling. See you tomorrow.”
Selina sashayed out of the dressing room to return to her own.
Dick cocked his head. “Everything all right, Bruce?”
“Huh?”
“You seem…uneasy.”
“Really?” Bruce pulled on his gloves. “Guess I’m just anxious to go out on the town.”
“Well, I’m your man.”
“Yes, you are.”
Bruce pulled Dick close and kissed him with possessive fervor.
& & & & & &
Bruce took Dick to The Pearl Oyster, the finest seafood restaurant in the city. Some of the audience had arrived earlier and applauded when they recognized Dick. The showman bowed elaborately in a swirl of glitter as he had chosen to wear a gold-threaded yellow vest. It actually went well with his green suit and yellow cravat. Ruby cufflinks and a stickpin sparkled under the lights. His yellow-lined green cloak actually matched his outfit, which impressed Bruce.
They had the best table, of course, and ordered the specialty of the house, champagne and oysters. Dick always ate ravenously after a performance. He always burned off what he ate, so he was free to indulge in his appetites.
Among other things, Bruce thought. He watched Dick eat fondly. He liked his lovers to have healthy appetites.
They ordered a light entrée of haddock, deviled eggs, and saffron rice with red pepper flakes. Halfway through their supper, a buzz rippled around the room. Bruce had just finished a deviled egg when Selina walked in on the arm of one of Gotham’s richest men, Ellery Townsend.
Ellery was a man in his fifties, graying at the temples and in good shape for a man his age. His brown eyes were piercing as he scanned the crowd. Bruce had never particularly liked him. The man was arrogant and ruthless, the worst of their class’ characteristics.
“Quite an admirer for Selina,” Dick remarked as he took a bite of fish.
At one table, there men and a woman scribbled in small notebooks. Bruce recognized the men as theater critics and the woman as a society columnist. He expected full write-up in tomorrow’s newspapers.
Selina always knew how to work a room.
“She’s a perfect partner.”
“What?”
Dick nudged him. “Are you all right, Bruce? You’ve been woolgathering all night.”
“Oh, yes, perfectly fine.”
“Good.” Dick squeezed his hand under the table. “Though you’re cute when you’re drifting.”
“Hmph.”
“Better order some dessert. Chocolate always focuses the mind. Or sets one adrift, I suppose, but tastes so good!”
Bruce shook his head as Dick laughed. “Order what you like. I want some coffee.”
Selina’s laughter trilled from her table as she and Ellery enjoyed their meal.
Bruce and Dick finally decided on small slices of Boston cream pie with the coffee. Dick was delighted with his first taste of the American delicacy.
“You were magnificent tonight,” Bruce said with a smile.
“Thank you.” Dick’s sapphire eyes sparkled. “My biggest fan.”
“Always.” Bruce said it with intensity instead of playfulness.
Dick’s eyes indicated his understanding. A small smile played around his lips, his body canting toward Bruce subtly.
Bruce finished his coffee while Dick ate his last bite of pie. “Let’s go home,” Bruce said, ignoring the latest burst of laughter from the Townsend table.
Dick made no protest as they left the restaurant. The stars shone in the clear night sky as Bruce engaged a hansom cab, having sent Alfred home with the carriage after the ballet. They rode in companionable silence, hands clasped under the lap robe the cabbie had provided.
Arriving at the Manor, Bruce unlocked the front door. The house was dark except for the light shining from a lamp on the hall table. Bruce had installed electricity several years ago, the first house in Gotham to use the new energy source.
“Candles are more romantic,” Dick commented as Bruce shut off the lamp. Moonlight allowed them easy access up the stairs.
“Yes, but electricity is much more efficient. Convenient, too. No whale oil or other fuels to light lanterns or matches for candles. No messy melting wax. Just the flick of a switch.”
“Mr. Efficiency.”
Bruce smirked as they walked down the hall to their bedroom. Once inside Dick pulled Bruce by the lapels and kissed him deeply. Bruce responded enthusiastically, cupping Dick’s buttocks as he ravished Dick’s neck after the kiss.
They both fumbled with buttons and clasps, eager to shed their clothes. They finally shed their garments and fell onto the bed, hungry for the taste of skin as the excitement of the triumphant evening boiled in their blood.
“Want you,” Bruce breathed.
“Always,” Dick gasped.
Tongues thrust into mouths as groins rubbed together, the friction causing Dick to moan. Bruce could not resist cupping a firm buttock, stroking and squeezing the warm flesh. Dick wrapped a leg around Bruce as he devoured his mouth.
They were wild with passion as they moaned and gasped. Fingers gripped tightly, leaving bruises as the hunger was far from satiated. They rutted shamelessly against each other, finally sparking orgasms that left them panting and almost passed out. They grinned as they clung to each other.
It was a grand way to end an evening that had started out badly, Bruce thought in sleepy satisfaction.
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Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Selina Kyle, Bruce/Dick, Alfred Pennyworth, Roy Harper, Donna Troy, Ellery Townsend
Genres: AU, Historical, Mystery, Romance
Rating (this chapter): NC-17
Warnings (this chapter): None
Spoilers: None
General Summary:
General Summary: A series of daring robberies on Gotham City’s Gold Coast catches the attention of the Raven and the Nightingale.
Chapter Summary: Bruce is shaken by Dick’s ‘surprise’.
Date Of Completion: October 26, 2014
Date Of Posting: September 1, 2015
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1922
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: Submitted to my 2015 DCU Fic/Art Dick Grayson Diamond Anniversary Challenge. The entire series can be found here.
XII
SPARKLING SILVER SLIPPERS WITH GREEN ROSETTES
Sparkling roses,
Sweet with the scent
Of success
In a glass house.
Isadora Duncanshire
"The Glass Slippers"
1906 C.E.
Selina and Dick were amazing, as the reviewers would write in the papers for the early edition. They had enjoyed scant rehearsal time, but it did not seem to matter. They moved as one, elegant and beautiful, and Bruce was stunned.
He watched Selina, barely noticing anyone else. Her lithe body moved as if she were as light as air, just as Dick easily lifted her up. She was the perfect Cinderella, first in rags and then in the beaded glory of a ball gown, complete with tiara.
Bruce finally tore his gaze away from her to watch Dick. The applause was thunderous as the curtain fell for the first intermission.
“Alfred…”
“Yes, I saw her.” Alfred drank his champagne. “I am sorry, sir. I was kept in the dark as well.”
Bruce let out a breath of air. “Dick surely doesn’t know.”
“I highly doubt it, sir.” Alfred stood. “I shall return before the curtain rises.”
He exited the box. Bruce was grateful for his tact. He tried to gather his emotions, sipping his champagne and fumbling for a chocolate.
Damn, Selina.
He calmed down enough to pour another glass of champagne, listening to the chatter of people returning to their seats. From the smiles on their faces, he judged that they approved of the new stars of the Gotham Ballet Company.
Alfred returned and handed him a lemon ice. Bruce gratefully took it, the icy coldness sliding down his suddenly-parched throat. He watched as the lights dimmed and the curtain rose.
The splendor of Cinderella was danced once more, sparkling and triumphant. Bruce fastened his attention on Dick. Dick was the one he loved.
& & & & & &
Dick bowed during the curtain calls, gripping the hands of Selina and Roy as the crowd applauded. It was a grand Opening Night. Roses were thrown at their feet. He picked up a bouquet and bowed.
The curtain fell for the final time and Dick smiled at Selina. “Wonderful job, Selina.”
She curtsied. “I can say the same, darling.”
“Thanks.”
Dick found Donna and hugged her. She sniffed. “You were great.”
“Thanks, so were you.”
Donna indicated Selina with a nod of her head. “She’s good. We found our prima ballerina.”
Dick watched as Selina accepted congratulations from the cast and crew. She deserved every rose, every accolade.
He went to his dressing room, laying the bouquet down. The cellophane crinkled as he decided what to do next.
Better get changed. Bruce will be here any minute. He was hungry, damnit, and looking for something to eat. Oh, well, Bruce will take me out to supper to celebrate.
Whistling a cheerful tune, Dick started removing his make-up.
& & & & & &
The voice bade him enter as he knocked. Bruce walked in, seeing the colorful costumes tossed around the dressing room. The star removed greasepaint and kohl expertly at the dressing table.
“Ah, so you’ve come.” Selina looked at his reflection in her dressing table mirror. She removed the blue mascara from her eyelids.
“Yes.”
Selina’s smile was amused, “Have a seat, dear.”
Bruce stayed standing. “Selina…”
Selina turned, her cleavage showing as her peignoir was untied. Her feet were bare, her ballet slippers discarded by the table.
“Darling, you look a trifle peaked.”
“I’m perfectly healthy. So are you.”
Selina stretched out her legs. The peignoir fell away to reveal their bareness. “Thank you. How nice of you to attend Opening Night.”
“Yes, well, I…”
"Of course you were kind enough to attend because of your…resident dancer.” Selina turned back to the mirror and looked at Bruce’s reflection again. Silence hung heavy in the room.
“Welcome to Gotham, Selina.”
Bruce turned and walked out, leaving a smiling Selina alone.
& & & & & &
Dick’s stomach rumbled. Where was Bruce? He was already dressed and still no sign of his rich, handsome lover.
A knock on the door garnered his attention. “Come in.” He smiled as he saw Bruce enter. “Hey, there, what happened to you? You usually like to see me in my unmentionables.” Dick winked.
“Huh? Oh, just listening to the general chatter. You’re a hit in Gotham.”
“Wonderful!” Dick picked up his bouquet. “I better get these in water before we go.”
“I’ll do it.” Bruce took the bouquet and kissed Dick. “You just make yourself as pretty as possible.”
Dick laughed. “All right.”
Bruce left and Dick put on his shoes, checking through his clothes rack for the coat he wanted to wear. He slipped the coat off the rack and buttoned it up, digging out his favorite yellow scarf from the pile on a small table and winding it around his neck with a flourish.
The door opened. “You decent?”
“Never!” Dick laughed. “Come on in.”
Selina was still in her lacy white peignoir. She was freshly-scrubbed and her short hair curled around her face. “Glad to get that wig off.”
“You look good as a blond.”
She smiled. Her silver shoes sparkled with green rosettes on top. Dick smiled as he pointed at her feet. “Those are really pretty.”
“Thank you. They were a gift.”
“Lovely. Not quite glass slippers, eh?” Dick winked.
Selina flashed some leg. “Just a little token.”
The door opened again and Bruce walked in, obscured by the roses in a green vase. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Bruce.”
He lowered the vase and nearly dropped it. “I didn’t know you had company.”
“Bruce, this is Miss Selina Kyle. Selina, Mr. Bruce Wayne.”
“Hello, Mr. Wayne.”
“Isn’t she a great surprise?”
“Very,” Bruce said, setting the vase down on a table.
“She’s the former star of the Boston Ballet Company.”
Selina tugged on her sleeve. “Just asking if Dick here knows of a good restaurant in town.”
“Oh, I’m sure the people waiting to take you out to supper will bring you to a fine place,” Bruce said.
“I bet you have a gaggle of stage door johnnies just waiting for you,” Dick laughed.
Selina smiled. “Oh, I do.” She cupped Dick’s chin. “So do you.” She did an impromptu softshoe. “Maybe we can combine…”
“Come now, darling, we don’t want to delay you,” Bruce said smoothly. “Ready to go, Dick?”
“Sure, Bruce.” Dick took Selina’s hand and kissed her cheek. “Enjoy your triumph, my dear.”
“Thank you, darling. See you tomorrow.”
Selina sashayed out of the dressing room to return to her own.
Dick cocked his head. “Everything all right, Bruce?”
“Huh?”
“You seem…uneasy.”
“Really?” Bruce pulled on his gloves. “Guess I’m just anxious to go out on the town.”
“Well, I’m your man.”
“Yes, you are.”
Bruce pulled Dick close and kissed him with possessive fervor.
& & & & & &
Bruce took Dick to The Pearl Oyster, the finest seafood restaurant in the city. Some of the audience had arrived earlier and applauded when they recognized Dick. The showman bowed elaborately in a swirl of glitter as he had chosen to wear a gold-threaded yellow vest. It actually went well with his green suit and yellow cravat. Ruby cufflinks and a stickpin sparkled under the lights. His yellow-lined green cloak actually matched his outfit, which impressed Bruce.
They had the best table, of course, and ordered the specialty of the house, champagne and oysters. Dick always ate ravenously after a performance. He always burned off what he ate, so he was free to indulge in his appetites.
Among other things, Bruce thought. He watched Dick eat fondly. He liked his lovers to have healthy appetites.
They ordered a light entrée of haddock, deviled eggs, and saffron rice with red pepper flakes. Halfway through their supper, a buzz rippled around the room. Bruce had just finished a deviled egg when Selina walked in on the arm of one of Gotham’s richest men, Ellery Townsend.
Ellery was a man in his fifties, graying at the temples and in good shape for a man his age. His brown eyes were piercing as he scanned the crowd. Bruce had never particularly liked him. The man was arrogant and ruthless, the worst of their class’ characteristics.
“Quite an admirer for Selina,” Dick remarked as he took a bite of fish.
At one table, there men and a woman scribbled in small notebooks. Bruce recognized the men as theater critics and the woman as a society columnist. He expected full write-up in tomorrow’s newspapers.
Selina always knew how to work a room.
“She’s a perfect partner.”
“What?”
Dick nudged him. “Are you all right, Bruce? You’ve been woolgathering all night.”
“Oh, yes, perfectly fine.”
“Good.” Dick squeezed his hand under the table. “Though you’re cute when you’re drifting.”
“Hmph.”
“Better order some dessert. Chocolate always focuses the mind. Or sets one adrift, I suppose, but tastes so good!”
Bruce shook his head as Dick laughed. “Order what you like. I want some coffee.”
Selina’s laughter trilled from her table as she and Ellery enjoyed their meal.
Bruce and Dick finally decided on small slices of Boston cream pie with the coffee. Dick was delighted with his first taste of the American delicacy.
“You were magnificent tonight,” Bruce said with a smile.
“Thank you.” Dick’s sapphire eyes sparkled. “My biggest fan.”
“Always.” Bruce said it with intensity instead of playfulness.
Dick’s eyes indicated his understanding. A small smile played around his lips, his body canting toward Bruce subtly.
Bruce finished his coffee while Dick ate his last bite of pie. “Let’s go home,” Bruce said, ignoring the latest burst of laughter from the Townsend table.
Dick made no protest as they left the restaurant. The stars shone in the clear night sky as Bruce engaged a hansom cab, having sent Alfred home with the carriage after the ballet. They rode in companionable silence, hands clasped under the lap robe the cabbie had provided.
Arriving at the Manor, Bruce unlocked the front door. The house was dark except for the light shining from a lamp on the hall table. Bruce had installed electricity several years ago, the first house in Gotham to use the new energy source.
“Candles are more romantic,” Dick commented as Bruce shut off the lamp. Moonlight allowed them easy access up the stairs.
“Yes, but electricity is much more efficient. Convenient, too. No whale oil or other fuels to light lanterns or matches for candles. No messy melting wax. Just the flick of a switch.”
“Mr. Efficiency.”
Bruce smirked as they walked down the hall to their bedroom. Once inside Dick pulled Bruce by the lapels and kissed him deeply. Bruce responded enthusiastically, cupping Dick’s buttocks as he ravished Dick’s neck after the kiss.
They both fumbled with buttons and clasps, eager to shed their clothes. They finally shed their garments and fell onto the bed, hungry for the taste of skin as the excitement of the triumphant evening boiled in their blood.
“Want you,” Bruce breathed.
“Always,” Dick gasped.
Tongues thrust into mouths as groins rubbed together, the friction causing Dick to moan. Bruce could not resist cupping a firm buttock, stroking and squeezing the warm flesh. Dick wrapped a leg around Bruce as he devoured his mouth.
They were wild with passion as they moaned and gasped. Fingers gripped tightly, leaving bruises as the hunger was far from satiated. They rutted shamelessly against each other, finally sparking orgasms that left them panting and almost passed out. They grinned as they clung to each other.
It was a grand way to end an evening that had started out badly, Bruce thought in sleepy satisfaction.
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