Ten Ways to Say 'I Love You'
[nokidflash wanted fic. I wrote fic! Future!fic, to be exact. As always, non-binding, everyone used with love! Prompt from justprompts]
Ten Ways to Say 'I Love You'
Just the thought of being with you tomorrow gives me the strength to go on today. -Jaymilynn Gonzalez
1.
"WAIT! DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!"
Bart froze with his hand on the doorknob. "Uh, Ciss? Everything okay?"
"DON'T LOOK!" Something--or someone--slammed into the door from the other side, surprising Bart into stumbling back into the hall.
He blinked at the door. "You know I can vibrate through that, right?"
The door cracked open just enough for Cassie to stick her head out and glare at him. "Cissie's trying on her dress! You can't see it!"
"What dress? Why not?"
"BART!" both girls cried. Cassie rolled her eyes. "Her wedding dress, Bartholomew."
"Oh." He frowned. "Why can't I see it?"
"You're not supposed to see the dress until the wedding!" Cissie yelled from inside the apartment.
"It's bad luck!"
Bart looked blankly at Cassie, who just raised expectant eyebrows at him. "Wait, seriously?"
Cassie scowled and Cissie made some kind of high-pitched noise. Bart took a step back. "Okay, okay! But you know this is ridiculous, right? And superstitious and silly, because I really don't care what Cissie's wearing when we get married, as long as we get married? I mean, if our marriage falls apart because I see the dress before the wedding, I think that speaks to deeper problems in our relationship, don't you?"
"It's a TRADITION," Cassie said shortly, and shut the door with a click. "Come back in an hour."
"An HOUR?! What am I supposed to do for a whole hour?"
"Bart, please?" came Cissie's voice, pleading through the door.
Bart sighed. He hated it when she did that--he could never say no. "All right. But I'm going to be bored, Ciss."
He could hear her smiling when she answered. "I'll make it up to you later."
2.
Cissie pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it aside. She turned to look at Bart and froze at the look on his face. "What?"
He shook his head, looking uncertain and kind of like a kicked puppy. "Are you sure you want to do this? Because I know I keep bugging you, but we don't have to--"
Cissie rolled her eyes and reached out to grab his hand, pulling him closer. "Bart. We're on our honeymoon. It's dark, and no one's around because we're in the middle of nowhere." She shook her head, smirking. "Only you."
"Only me what?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She leaned up to kiss him and started tugging at his shirt. "Bart, you've been trying to get me to go skinny-dipping with you since we started dating, and now that I'm okay with it, you're freaking out."
He frowned, catching her hands in his and squeezing them. "I just want to make sure you want to do it and you're not just doing it to make me happy."
Cissie squeezed his hands and leaned up to kiss him again. "Making you happy makes me happy."
3.
"Ow!"
"Sorry," Cissie muttered, pulling the suture tight and tying it off.
Bart glanced over his shoulder at her. "You're mad at me."
Cissie sighed and started taping a sterile pad over the stitches in his shoulder. "I'm not mad, Bart."
"Cissie..."
She pressed her lips into a thin line and went to put the first aid materials away, but Bart twisted around and caught her hands in his. "Talk to me, please?"
He sounded so sad and scared that she let her shoulders fall and it took every bit of effort she had not to start crying. "What were you thinking, Bart? You don't have your speed right now--we don't even know--why would you--"
"I had to, Ciss," Bart said quietly, interrupting her. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, looking up at her. "There were kids in that building."
"Kon and Cassie were on their way," she murmured, but they both knew he was right.
He shook his head. "There wasn't time to wait for them."
Cissie looked at him and abruptly moved to sit in his lap, tucking her head in against his neck, mindful of his injuries. "What if..."
"Shh." Bart held her, rocking her gently and rubbing her back. "I'll always come home to you, Cissie. You know that."
She tightened her hold on him and whispered, "You almost didn't."
4.
Bart let himself into the apartment and held the plastic grocery bag high as he entered, triumphant. "Mission accomplished!" He waited for the gushing praise, but stopped short a few steps in. Cissie was sound asleep on the couch. He sighed and let the grocery bag fall to his side. Crossing the room, he took the quilt from the back of the couch and draped it over her, leaning over to kiss her forehead.
When he did, she stirred and blinked sleepily at him. "Hi."
"Hey, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you," he said quietly, sitting on the coffee table. "Fell asleep, huh?"
Cissie rubbed her eyes, frowning slightly. "I guess so." Her frown deepened. "You were gone a while."
Bart made a face and picked up the plastic grocery bag, pulling out the contents to show her.
"Watermelon sherbet is not easy to find in February, Ciss. I found this in New Zealand, though. Which is kind of cool!"
She grinned at him, less sleepy now, and pushed herself to a seated position. "Hey, it's not my fault the munchkin has strange taste and is very demanding. I think she gets that from you."
Bart laughed and leaned over to kiss her. "Sure she does."
Cissie put a hand over his, trapping it against her belly. There was movement under his palm. She smiled knowingly. "She likes her dad's voice. And so do I."
5.
"That's the last of them."
"Good. The police are on their way," Cissie said into her comm, checking the computer. "Nice job, everyone." She listened as everyone said their goodbyes and departed for home, then switched over to a private channel. "Inertia."
"Beacon."
She smiled at his tone. He'd just spent three hours battling an army of genetically enhanced thugs and Bart was flirting over the comms. "I thought you should know Max has Ick tonight."
"Okay. Want me to swing by and pick her up before I get there?"
Cissie smiled, even though he couldn't see her. "You could... Or we could pick her up in the morning..."
"Okay," Bart said, obviously oblivious to what she was hinting. "I may as well run over now and get her, because then--"
"Inertia." Cissie interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Just come home."
"...You don't want me to pick up Ick?"
"Of course I do. In the morning. Which is a few hours from now."
Bart's end of the line was silent for a few seconds. "Why, did Max want--"
"I want to have sex with my husband without worrying about our insatiably curious three year old walking in on us."
"...OH!"
6.
Bart traced idle patterns over Cissie's skin with his fingertips. "Ciss?"
"Hmm?"
He was quiet a moment, listening to her breathing. "Do you ever think about--having more kids?"
She glanced at him, and her eyes were hard to read in the dark. "Sometimes. Why? Do you?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I--yeah. I want more."
Cissie was quiet for a minute, then shifted to put a hand on the back of his neck and draw him down for a kiss. "Okay," she whispered against his lips. "Let's have more kids."
7.
Cissie looked up when the door to the babies' room opened and Bart poked his head in. She lifted a finger to her lips, silently begging him to be quiet. It had taken two hours for Max to fall asleep, and she was so. tired. This was the eighth night in a row that she had spent in the rocking chair and she had no delusions that it was going to change any time soon. But she was wanted to sleep in her bed.
Bart nodded and gently pushed the door open wider so he could come in and kiss her goodnight, but the door squeaked and Max stirred. Both Bart and Cissie held their breath--and then Jenni let out a startled wail and Max woke up and joined her in crying. Cissie dropped her head back against the chair and closed her eyes, trying not to cry herself.
She opened her eyes again when Bart took Max from her. He leaned over and kissed her. "Go to bed, Ciss. I got it."
She looked at him in surprise, and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, go sleep. I'll take over."
"Thank you."
8.
Bart woke up to the feeling of fingers combing through his hair. He gave Cissie a sleepy smile. "Hi."
"Hi," she said, leaning over the back of the couch. She continued stroking his hair. "How're you feeling?"
He grimaced, thinking. "Like I haven't slept in three days?" He frowned at her. "You're awfully dressed up, why--oh no."
Cissie's hand on his chest prevented him from jumping up off the couch. "It's okay, Bart. You needed your sleep. I'll tell you all about them."
He gave her a stricken look. "I missed them all?"
Cissie leaned over and kissed his forehead. "We have very smart, very hyperactive children. And Ick." She smiled at him. "All the conferences went fine, Bart. You'll make it next time."
He groaned and covered his face. "Their teachers are going to think I'm a negligent father."
Cissie laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I think their teachers are too busy being shocked at having students with undivorced parents to worry about why you didn't come."
He peeked through his fingers at her. "You think? What about the kids? They wanted me to come."
"Bart. You saved the world last night. They couldn't care less about their parent-teacher conferences. The biggest issue you have right now is explaining to Bat why he can't brag about it to the entire school."
"Oh." Bart was quiet for a minute, then sat up--despite Cissie's protests--and pulled her over the back of the couch to lie on top of him. He arranged them more comfortably while she laughed and kissed her. "There. That's better."
Cissie shook her head, still giggling, and kissed him. "What do I do with you?"
"Make out with me. I did just save the world. I think this earns me some making-out time with my wife."
"I think you're right."
A while later, they were interrupted by Ick's cry of disgust. "EW! MOM! DAD! GET A ROOM ALREADY!"
9.
Cissie felt like she'd been wrapped in cotton and hit with baseball bats, but she forced her eyes open anyway. Bart's head was on her stomach and he was holding her hand. She reached out and put her other hand on his back. "Bart?"
He turned his head and looked at her, wide-eyed. He looked exhausted. "Cissie. You--are you o--how do you feel?"
"Tired," she admitted. "Achy." She frowned. "What happened?"
He shook his head, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Hmm?"
Bart pulled back to look at her, frowning deeply. "Ciss. You were exhausted. And dehydrated. How long did you go without eating or drinking, anyway? And you gave yourself heat stroke. You've been sleeping for two days. Why didn't you say you were feeling sick?"
She stared at him. "Bart. It was the end of the world. You--all of you--Cassie, Tim, Kon, Steph, Cass, Wanda--the kids--Ollie--everyone--you were all out there and--you and our kids, Bart--I--"
She didn't realize she was crying until Bart had climbed up into bed with her and pulled her into his arms. She curled up against him, clinging while he ran his fingers through her hair. "Shh. I'm sorry, Ciss. I didn't think. None of us did. We just--we had to."
"I know." She pressed closer to him. "I just--wanted to help. I couldn't--if any of you--if all of you..."
Bart pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We're all fine. I promise." He tightened his arms around her. "But we almost lost you, Ciss. And that would have been the end of our world."
10.
Cissie stood on the back porch, watching Bat and Max play tag in the back field. Ick was on the phone with Lian in the tree house and Jenni was sitting in the middle of the back yard, trying to coax a groundhog out of his hole. A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and Bart put his chin on her shoulder.
"What're you thinking about?"
Cissie leaned her head against his. "I'm thinking about how much I love you."
He kissed her neck. "I love you too."
Ten Ways to Say 'I Love You'
Just the thought of being with you tomorrow gives me the strength to go on today. -Jaymilynn Gonzalez
1.
"WAIT! DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!"
Bart froze with his hand on the doorknob. "Uh, Ciss? Everything okay?"
"DON'T LOOK!" Something--or someone--slammed into the door from the other side, surprising Bart into stumbling back into the hall.
He blinked at the door. "You know I can vibrate through that, right?"
The door cracked open just enough for Cassie to stick her head out and glare at him. "Cissie's trying on her dress! You can't see it!"
"What dress? Why not?"
"BART!" both girls cried. Cassie rolled her eyes. "Her wedding dress, Bartholomew."
"Oh." He frowned. "Why can't I see it?"
"You're not supposed to see the dress until the wedding!" Cissie yelled from inside the apartment.
"It's bad luck!"
Bart looked blankly at Cassie, who just raised expectant eyebrows at him. "Wait, seriously?"
Cassie scowled and Cissie made some kind of high-pitched noise. Bart took a step back. "Okay, okay! But you know this is ridiculous, right? And superstitious and silly, because I really don't care what Cissie's wearing when we get married, as long as we get married? I mean, if our marriage falls apart because I see the dress before the wedding, I think that speaks to deeper problems in our relationship, don't you?"
"It's a TRADITION," Cassie said shortly, and shut the door with a click. "Come back in an hour."
"An HOUR?! What am I supposed to do for a whole hour?"
"Bart, please?" came Cissie's voice, pleading through the door.
Bart sighed. He hated it when she did that--he could never say no. "All right. But I'm going to be bored, Ciss."
He could hear her smiling when she answered. "I'll make it up to you later."
2.
Cissie pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it aside. She turned to look at Bart and froze at the look on his face. "What?"
He shook his head, looking uncertain and kind of like a kicked puppy. "Are you sure you want to do this? Because I know I keep bugging you, but we don't have to--"
Cissie rolled her eyes and reached out to grab his hand, pulling him closer. "Bart. We're on our honeymoon. It's dark, and no one's around because we're in the middle of nowhere." She shook her head, smirking. "Only you."
"Only me what?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She leaned up to kiss him and started tugging at his shirt. "Bart, you've been trying to get me to go skinny-dipping with you since we started dating, and now that I'm okay with it, you're freaking out."
He frowned, catching her hands in his and squeezing them. "I just want to make sure you want to do it and you're not just doing it to make me happy."
Cissie squeezed his hands and leaned up to kiss him again. "Making you happy makes me happy."
3.
"Ow!"
"Sorry," Cissie muttered, pulling the suture tight and tying it off.
Bart glanced over his shoulder at her. "You're mad at me."
Cissie sighed and started taping a sterile pad over the stitches in his shoulder. "I'm not mad, Bart."
"Cissie..."
She pressed her lips into a thin line and went to put the first aid materials away, but Bart twisted around and caught her hands in his. "Talk to me, please?"
He sounded so sad and scared that she let her shoulders fall and it took every bit of effort she had not to start crying. "What were you thinking, Bart? You don't have your speed right now--we don't even know--why would you--"
"I had to, Ciss," Bart said quietly, interrupting her. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, looking up at her. "There were kids in that building."
"Kon and Cassie were on their way," she murmured, but they both knew he was right.
He shook his head. "There wasn't time to wait for them."
Cissie looked at him and abruptly moved to sit in his lap, tucking her head in against his neck, mindful of his injuries. "What if..."
"Shh." Bart held her, rocking her gently and rubbing her back. "I'll always come home to you, Cissie. You know that."
She tightened her hold on him and whispered, "You almost didn't."
4.
Bart let himself into the apartment and held the plastic grocery bag high as he entered, triumphant. "Mission accomplished!" He waited for the gushing praise, but stopped short a few steps in. Cissie was sound asleep on the couch. He sighed and let the grocery bag fall to his side. Crossing the room, he took the quilt from the back of the couch and draped it over her, leaning over to kiss her forehead.
When he did, she stirred and blinked sleepily at him. "Hi."
"Hey, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you," he said quietly, sitting on the coffee table. "Fell asleep, huh?"
Cissie rubbed her eyes, frowning slightly. "I guess so." Her frown deepened. "You were gone a while."
Bart made a face and picked up the plastic grocery bag, pulling out the contents to show her.
"Watermelon sherbet is not easy to find in February, Ciss. I found this in New Zealand, though. Which is kind of cool!"
She grinned at him, less sleepy now, and pushed herself to a seated position. "Hey, it's not my fault the munchkin has strange taste and is very demanding. I think she gets that from you."
Bart laughed and leaned over to kiss her. "Sure she does."
Cissie put a hand over his, trapping it against her belly. There was movement under his palm. She smiled knowingly. "She likes her dad's voice. And so do I."
5.
"That's the last of them."
"Good. The police are on their way," Cissie said into her comm, checking the computer. "Nice job, everyone." She listened as everyone said their goodbyes and departed for home, then switched over to a private channel. "Inertia."
"Beacon."
She smiled at his tone. He'd just spent three hours battling an army of genetically enhanced thugs and Bart was flirting over the comms. "I thought you should know Max has Ick tonight."
"Okay. Want me to swing by and pick her up before I get there?"
Cissie smiled, even though he couldn't see her. "You could... Or we could pick her up in the morning..."
"Okay," Bart said, obviously oblivious to what she was hinting. "I may as well run over now and get her, because then--"
"Inertia." Cissie interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Just come home."
"...You don't want me to pick up Ick?"
"Of course I do. In the morning. Which is a few hours from now."
Bart's end of the line was silent for a few seconds. "Why, did Max want--"
"I want to have sex with my husband without worrying about our insatiably curious three year old walking in on us."
"...OH!"
6.
Bart traced idle patterns over Cissie's skin with his fingertips. "Ciss?"
"Hmm?"
He was quiet a moment, listening to her breathing. "Do you ever think about--having more kids?"
She glanced at him, and her eyes were hard to read in the dark. "Sometimes. Why? Do you?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I--yeah. I want more."
Cissie was quiet for a minute, then shifted to put a hand on the back of his neck and draw him down for a kiss. "Okay," she whispered against his lips. "Let's have more kids."
7.
Cissie looked up when the door to the babies' room opened and Bart poked his head in. She lifted a finger to her lips, silently begging him to be quiet. It had taken two hours for Max to fall asleep, and she was so. tired. This was the eighth night in a row that she had spent in the rocking chair and she had no delusions that it was going to change any time soon. But she was wanted to sleep in her bed.
Bart nodded and gently pushed the door open wider so he could come in and kiss her goodnight, but the door squeaked and Max stirred. Both Bart and Cissie held their breath--and then Jenni let out a startled wail and Max woke up and joined her in crying. Cissie dropped her head back against the chair and closed her eyes, trying not to cry herself.
She opened her eyes again when Bart took Max from her. He leaned over and kissed her. "Go to bed, Ciss. I got it."
She looked at him in surprise, and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, go sleep. I'll take over."
"Thank you."
8.
Bart woke up to the feeling of fingers combing through his hair. He gave Cissie a sleepy smile. "Hi."
"Hi," she said, leaning over the back of the couch. She continued stroking his hair. "How're you feeling?"
He grimaced, thinking. "Like I haven't slept in three days?" He frowned at her. "You're awfully dressed up, why--oh no."
Cissie's hand on his chest prevented him from jumping up off the couch. "It's okay, Bart. You needed your sleep. I'll tell you all about them."
He gave her a stricken look. "I missed them all?"
Cissie leaned over and kissed his forehead. "We have very smart, very hyperactive children. And Ick." She smiled at him. "All the conferences went fine, Bart. You'll make it next time."
He groaned and covered his face. "Their teachers are going to think I'm a negligent father."
Cissie laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I think their teachers are too busy being shocked at having students with undivorced parents to worry about why you didn't come."
He peeked through his fingers at her. "You think? What about the kids? They wanted me to come."
"Bart. You saved the world last night. They couldn't care less about their parent-teacher conferences. The biggest issue you have right now is explaining to Bat why he can't brag about it to the entire school."
"Oh." Bart was quiet for a minute, then sat up--despite Cissie's protests--and pulled her over the back of the couch to lie on top of him. He arranged them more comfortably while she laughed and kissed her. "There. That's better."
Cissie shook her head, still giggling, and kissed him. "What do I do with you?"
"Make out with me. I did just save the world. I think this earns me some making-out time with my wife."
"I think you're right."
A while later, they were interrupted by Ick's cry of disgust. "EW! MOM! DAD! GET A ROOM ALREADY!"
9.
Cissie felt like she'd been wrapped in cotton and hit with baseball bats, but she forced her eyes open anyway. Bart's head was on her stomach and he was holding her hand. She reached out and put her other hand on his back. "Bart?"
He turned his head and looked at her, wide-eyed. He looked exhausted. "Cissie. You--are you o--how do you feel?"
"Tired," she admitted. "Achy." She frowned. "What happened?"
He shook his head, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Hmm?"
Bart pulled back to look at her, frowning deeply. "Ciss. You were exhausted. And dehydrated. How long did you go without eating or drinking, anyway? And you gave yourself heat stroke. You've been sleeping for two days. Why didn't you say you were feeling sick?"
She stared at him. "Bart. It was the end of the world. You--all of you--Cassie, Tim, Kon, Steph, Cass, Wanda--the kids--Ollie--everyone--you were all out there and--you and our kids, Bart--I--"
She didn't realize she was crying until Bart had climbed up into bed with her and pulled her into his arms. She curled up against him, clinging while he ran his fingers through her hair. "Shh. I'm sorry, Ciss. I didn't think. None of us did. We just--we had to."
"I know." She pressed closer to him. "I just--wanted to help. I couldn't--if any of you--if all of you..."
Bart pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We're all fine. I promise." He tightened his arms around her. "But we almost lost you, Ciss. And that would have been the end of our world."
10.
Cissie stood on the back porch, watching Bat and Max play tag in the back field. Ick was on the phone with Lian in the tree house and Jenni was sitting in the middle of the back yard, trying to coax a groundhog out of his hole. A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and Bart put his chin on her shoulder.
"What're you thinking about?"
Cissie leaned her head against his. "I'm thinking about how much I love you."
He kissed her neck. "I love you too."