Secrets Away, DCU fanfic (Dick/Babs, R)
Title: Secrets Away
Author: modestroad
Fandom: DCU
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Dinah Lance, Jim Gordon
Rating: R/Mature
Warning(s): Miron drug use. Language. Angst. Adult theme.
Summary: Is a secret strong enough to break them apart or bond them forever? Dick is going to find out that sometimes you have to break something just to fix it.
Notes: I couldn't do it without my fantastic four, alexiel_neesan, ladyithildiel, reginalibintia and megganblack I can't thank you enough, ladies. The story take place after The Return of Bruce Wayne.
Funny.
Despite her photographic memory she couldn’t remember the short trip to Bruce’s Manor. It was as if her mind had shut down for twenty minutes. She could swear that Dinah had said something to her on their way, but all she could remember was her best friend carrying her to the car like six years old.
Or like a cripple.
Without her chair there wasn’t much Babs could do and she wasn’t going to crawl in front of her dad. Black Canary had found an ally in the face of Commissioner Gordon and the last thing Barbara wanted to do was make her dad more worried than he already was. Having one break down in front of him was enough for today, thank you very much.
God, had she really said those things to him? After all years of acting all happy-happy, joy-joy for him, she had finally manage to do the only thing she didn’t wanted to do; she had hurt him with her words more than a bullet would ever do.
“Did you hear anything I said?” Dinah’s voice was full of concern and just a tiny hint of anger.
“I didn’t pay attention to you,” she answered and for the first time in the last twenty minutes she looked at the blond.
Dinah smiled. “I’m not the one you should pay attention to anyway.”
Babs raised an eyebrow in surprise, but she turned her face quickly before Dinah had the chance to see and comment on it. Watching her reflection to the passenger’s window Barbara tried to brace herself for what was about to come.
The day was half way through and she was feeling exhausted already.
“Just remember I do this because I love you,” Dinah said.
“I know,” Barbara agreed. “Doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you though.”
“You’ll forgive me. When you and your boy-o can’t keep your hands from each other, you’ll forgive me. Just so you know I’m expecting something shiny and gold when you come to apologize to me.”
Barbara said nothing. Dick was waiting them patiently since Dinah had parked the car five minutes before. She had faced the Joker twice and hadn’t blinked, but the sight of him was enough to make her legs weak. No pun intended. With a sigh she opened the door and waited for Dick to bring a wheelchair (probably a leftover from Bane) to her side.
“Come with me,” was all that he said.
She looked one last time at Dinah and wheeled herself after him. He didn’t wait for her and Barbara was glad that he was heading on the opposite direction of the manor. She wouldn’t want Bruce or Alfred to hear what they had to say. It also gave her enough time to think of a way to end their relationship without hurting him further-if that was even possible.
They couldn’t work long-term. He was movement and she was sitting in a chair. Even now he was walking with a rhyme he could only hear. One step was more jumpy than the other as if he was dancing. If he stayed with her she would eventually break him down to her level and she didn’t want to lose him. Not like this.
“I was thinking,” he turned to look at her, but didn’t stop walking. “I know. Surprise! But I was Batman for a while and you know Babs, this whole ‘my girlfriend is a pothead OMG! what I’m going to do’ situation is getting a little ridiculous.”
Barbara nervously bit the inside of her cheek. It seemed that Dick wanted to talk things out and she couldn’t have him do that. She had taken her decision and sadly he had no say on this.
“I agree. That’s why I’m breaking up with you.”
That stopped him. “Wait, what?”
“I’m breaking up with you Dick,” she finally caught up with him.
“Again?”
“Yes, and I should had learn something from the first time I did. This,” she waved her fingers between them, “Us will never work.”
“Says who? You?”
Barbara rolled her eyes. “Yeah, says I.”
She turned her chair away with an effort. Who knew the last time Bruce had used it? The wheels were stiff and made a squeaky noise every time she pushed them. She should be glad that he hadn’t thrown that thing the second he was back on his feet.
She lifted her arms and pushed the large wheels only to lose her balance. Her fast reflexes were what kept her for falling on the ground. She grabbed the chair and turned her head to look at him with anger in her eyes. He was holding the chair with one hand while his left foot was blocking the left wheel.
“What are you doing?”
“What it looks like I’m doing?” His voice was as angry as hers.
Barbara felt her temples vibrate with anger. She didn’t want to imagine how that affected her blood pressure. In her condition she had to be careful with that. People thought that she was cold because of what she did, but the truth was that she had to stay calm for medical reasons.
Of course sometimes staying calm was simple not an option.
“Stop acting like a baby and let me go!”
“Stop acting like a bitch and I might!”
“Let go of my chair, damn it!” She yelled at him.
“Fine!”
In seconds she was in his arms, his grip left her no room to move. It was the second time today that someone treated her this way and Barbara felt tears burn her eyes. If she could kick him…if she could kick him probably they wouldn’t need to break up in the first place.
At least no one could see them. She would die from embarrassment if Bruce or worse, Damian, saw him carrying her like a modern version of the Bronze Age man. The little brat would tease her forever.
Fortunately for her, Dick was heading to the hidden, little porch he liked to go when Bruce was having one of his galas. She remembered him looking around if anyone saw him before disappearing for the rest of the night. Dick used to be uncomfortable wearing a tuxedo, but not so much now.
Carefully he set her down on a large chair before taking a seat next to her. His blue eyes were dark with anger, but he was trying to hold it together. She was ready for round two when his question left her speechless.
“What’s the real problem, Babs?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
He stood up and paced for a minute or two in silence. “As I was saying, I was thinking. And as much as I want to believe that you hadn’t planned the whole thing the more it makes sense. You sent me the exact same message so you knew that I was going to come.”
“Dick- -“
“The alarms were down and if there’s one thing you love more than playing with my heart it is your security system.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t play with your heart.”
“Yes, you do,” Dick replied and sat down only to jump up one second later. “You wanted me to catch you and you knew that I was going to be pissed off. Dinah’s your best friend so you know how hard the whole thing with Roy was. So why did you do it Babs? Why do you want to go through all that trouble to break up with me?”
Game over.
Barbara bit her lower lip. “I have a friend. He’s a para like me. We’ve never met in person, but we are members of the same forum. He got married after a six year relationship.”
Dick moved to sit in the lotus position. “Good for him.”
“His wife left him after seven months.”
“And what does that have to do with your little-oh!”
“She couldn’t stand living with him anymore,” she wiped her eyes. “She even left him a message. ‘You’re not the person I thought you were’. It took her seven years to realize that.”
Dick was now at her side, moving fast and elegant. Or maybe her eyes were just blurred with tears.
“And you thought that I would do the same to you?”
“I’m afraid that you’re going to wake up one day and realize that I’m not worth the effort.”
“Never!”
“I assume she said the same thing to him, but never is a long time, Dick; and I can’t offer you the things you deserve.”
“What I deserve is to be with the woman I love,.” he said taking her hands between his. “Don’t you think I know what I deserve a little better than you?”
“Look at me!” she whispered, her energy suddenly gone. “You shouldn’t love me.”
“But I do, Babs. And right now I have a million reasons not to, but I do. God help me, but I do. You play tricks with my heart and keep secrets from me, when I’m saying everything to you; but I can’t change how I feel.”
“You can try.”
“I can try?” He licked his lips and thought for a minute. “You know I’m afraid, too.”
She looked puzzled at him. “Of what?’
“I’m afraid that you’re going to wake up one day and realize that I’m not smart enough for you.”
“What are you talking about, Dick? You’re one of the smartest people I know!”
“Yeah, but I’m not your level smart. I will never be your level smart and that’s terrifying. What would you do, if ten years from now I had a belly and no hair and you woke up one day and realized that I’m nothing but a big ball of lard?”
“I’d call Bruce,” she said trying not to laugh.
“You’d call Bruce?” He asked, surprised and when Babs couldn’t hold her laughter; he joined her.
“Okay,” she said, when she was sober enough to speak. “Point taken. I got scared and acted like an idiot.”
Dick nodded. “More likely like a big gigantic idiot!”
“I just don’t want to lose you,” she said and withdraw her hands from his grip. “I don’t want to lose your respect.”
He smiled. “And how exactly playing mind games with me helps?”
“I got scared and thought- -“
He put one fingers in her lips to make her stop.
“Thinking is good Babs, but you know what else is also good? Trying. I can’t try alone, honey. You need to try, too. Otherwise we’re going to be one of those couples that break up for no reason. I can’t try alone and I need you to try with me. Can you do that? For us.”
Barbara looked straight to his blue eyes. “For us?”
“Don’t you want to try, Babs? Do you want to live your life in fear, every time someone wants to get closer to you?” Dick asked. “Do you want to be like Bruce?”
Barbara flinched.
“If you want to be like Bruce, be my guest. Just tell me now, so I can move my things from your apartment. But if you don’t want to be like him, you’ll have to try, Babs. No more secrets, no more Jedi mind games, no more hiding behind that chair of yours. Can you do that?”
She said nothing, lost to her thoughts.
“Can you do that?’ He asked again.
It was the tone of his voice that warned her that she was going to lose him forever, if she didn’t act right away. She knew that if he walked out of her after the way she treated him, no one would blame him. And she also knew that she needed this second chance more than he did.
“Let’s go home,” she said and was relieved to see him smile.
************
Three weeks later
Dick stretched his arms behind his back.
It had been a long night and he had fallen asleep the moment he hit the bed. Now, six hours later, he wasn’t as rested as he would like, but he was more hungry than tired. Babs had said something about mash potatoes and ribs and Dick felt his mouth watering. No one could cook ribs like Alfred, but her mash potatoes were to die for and right now he felt like he was going to die if he didn’t put something inside his belly.
A sudden loud noise had him on his feet and outside the bedroom in no time. If someone had broken in the security would have woken him. So that meant that either Babs was losing on Playstation 3 or that she needed his help with something. After everything that had happen between them two months ago, Babs still found it difficult to ask for his help.
He was ready to call her name when he heard what he could describe as wood hitting wood. He smiled; Babs was working out at the gym. If he was lucky she would wear that black sleeveless tee that he liked so much-the one that covered her breasts like a glove and he could see every move of her brea- body.
Dick felt his mouth watering for another reason. It had been a while since the last time they had sex and he missed her. Some days he would go to bed and wake up only to find her behind her computers. Unlike him, Oracle’s job didn’t end with the first ray of light. Other times she was too worked up to fell asleep and she would spend hours watching the ceiling. He always felt like a bad boyfriend when he woke up, fresh after his normal six hour nap only to stare at her bloodshot eyes. Forcing her to stay away from her toys was harder than forcing Damian to be polite and Dick made sure to keep tabs on her eye gel drops.
“Babs?”
He stood at the door and watched her hit the target with force. Dick flinched. She wasn’t hitting the target with a technique and if she did it was none than Dick knew. She was hitting the wooden target as if it had done something to her or as if…she was in pain.
Dick gave himself a mental slap at the back of his head. Babs had been extra edgy the last week and was dressed for comfort. Dick tried to remember the last time she had slept in the same bed with him and couldn’t. She was still ashamed from the way her body betray her-no, not ashamed but angry.
Every time she had a bad case of spasms she would disappear behind a computer screen until the meds start kicking. Dick had learned a lot the last couple of weeks and he didn’t mind. If he could live with Bruce, he could live with her too.
“What did the poor thing did to you?” He asked from the door.
“It reminds me of you.”
Dick smiled. She was smiling too. Half a smile, but still a smile. Dinah had warned him about the snarl. She had said that he would know when Babs had more that she could take and she had been right. It didn’t come as a surprise. When two people were as close as Dinah and Babs nothing came as a surprise.
“Now you’re just mean,” he said and rubbed his shoulder.
“But you like me anyway,” she replied and stretched her arm to catch her towel from the floor. “You hurt your shoulder?”
“I slept on it and now it’s numb. What about you?”
She wiped the sweat off her forehead and wheeled herself closer to him. When she was right in front of him she said, “My legs are numb.”
“Har har! Very funny, Ms Gordon. Does your father know you’re such a comedian?”
If she wanted to say something it had to wait. Dick leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Barbara opened to him, her harsh words long forgotten. Dick deepened the kiss and when his lips left hers he heard a groan. He licked his lips tasting her on them.
He wanted her. Despite having just woken up from a six hour sleep, his body felt tense. He clenched his fingers into fists at his sides and leaned his head back against the door, willing himself to gain control.
“I need a shower,” He looked at her. “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine?”
She shook her head. “Not today boy wonder.”
“Why not? I’ll fill the tub with your favorite salt,”he said and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
He knew that by standing between her and the door he kept her deliberately without an escape route. Apparently all that drama that almost broke them apart had taught her nothing at all.
“Any reason I should know about? What is it, Babs?” Maybe if he tried a different approach she would open up the part of her heart she kept locked. “I think I know what it is. You don’t find me sexy any more. It’s because I stopped shaving my legs, isn’t it?”
“Come here,” she gripped the hem of his shirt and forced him to lean closer.
Her mouth sealed to his in a hard, demanding kiss. Barbara wrapped her arms around his neck and caressed his shoulders making his control teeter along a thin line. Even after hours of practice she smelled of soap and shampoo. She was one of the lucky ones; she could sweat like a pig, but didn’t smell like one.
“I always find you sexy although I have to admit that I find men that shave their legs sexy as hell.”
His look puzzled at her.
She explained to him, “Hard muscles under soft skin. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman the feeling is still the same.”
Dick looked at her for a very long time. “Oh my! Aren’t you the kinky type? Should I shave my legs and call you Mistress? Mistress Barbara? Would that please you…Mistress?”
Barbara gave him a mischievous smile. “Yes. Very!”
Dick tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t. He threw his head back and laughed. Barbara of course found the opportunity she needed and wheeled her chair out of the gym. Still laughing Dick watched her go to their bedroom and followed her there.
He expected to see her gathering her things for the shower and was half surprised when he saw her swallow a pill from the bottle she kept to the nightstand of her part of the bed. Slowly he sat on the unmade bed and took her hands on his.
“That won’t help you.” It was a statement not a question.
“Some. It will help me some.”
“But it won’t take the pain away.”
Her green eyes stared at his blue ones and for a moment Dick was sure that she was going to withdraw from him.
“It never does Dick,” she said to his surprise. “The pain never goes away. Some days I hurt more and some days I hurt less, but the pain never goes away.”
He took the orange prescription bottle and played with it. He wished he could turn back the time and be there to stop the Joker before he turned the gun on her and pulled the trigger. But he didn’t have that kind of power, and right now she was in pain and thinking about the past couldn’t help her.
With an elegant move he rolled off the bed and landed on his feet on the other side. He opened the door of the large closet and dove his head in. He heard her calling his name, but paid no attention to it. He didn’t stop the search even when he felt the wheel of her chair next to his foot.
Where the hell had she put it this time?
There! With a triumphed smile he took out the tobacco-pouch and hand it to her. Ever the organizer Babs kept her stash clean and found. From the weight of the pouch Dick could tell that she kept there a lighter as well as papers she needed to roll the...joint.
He wasn’t going to argue that it felt weird to think about it.
“Take it.” She didn’t and he left a sigh.
“You’re not a cripple,” he said and she looked at him. “You’re not a junkie,” he kissed her on the lips. “You’re not a pothead,” he kissed her on the cheek. “You are the woman I love,” he whispered to her ear. “I can’t stand to see you hurt. Take it.”
This time she did take the tobacco-pouch from his hand and Dick felt like he could jump to the ceiling with joy. Of course he could jump to the ceiling with a little speed and some effort, but somehow that would piss her off and he held that impulse for later.
“I’m going to fill the tub,” he informed her before leaving the room.
He closed the door behind him giving her the privacy she needed. His hand stayed on the knob few seconds more than necessary but eventually her well being was stronger than his curiosity.
With fast moves he went to the kitchen and made himself a little something to eat. Nothing fancy, just a piece of bread with some cheese and ham and a glass of orange juice. It was enough to ease the pressure in his belly, and that was what he needed. He put the dirty dishes in the sink, wiped his lips on his tee and went to run the tub.
Twenty minutes later he was soaking alone and thinking that she had ditched him when he heard the door open. She wheeled inside and without speaking she crossed her arms over her body and gripped the hem of her shirt. With one single tug, she pulled it over her head. Barbara tilted her head slightly causing her hair to fall forward against the soft curves of her breasts.
Then her hands went down to the waistband of her jeans. She flicked the button open and slid the zipper down with a loud rasp. Dick wanted to help her get done faster, but he kept his hands down on the opposite sides of the tub. He knew how much Barbara hated for others to help her do things she could do herself.
Slowly she lifted her right leg and pushed the trouser leg down her thigh then did the same with the other leg. She was wearing a black sports bra and matching panties, but it didn’t matter to him. For him she was as sexy when she was wearing panties as when she was wearing thongs.
“You will smell like lavender,” she said
She maneuvered her chair until it was parallel to the tub. With one steady move she was sitting on the edge of the tub and removing her bra. Dick raised his hands to catch her, but stopped middle air. She had been doing that for a long time now and she didn’t need him to remind her of what she had lost.
The tub was design to meet her needs. That meant that it was big enough for two people and had metal bars around so she could move without help from an outsider. The walls of the tub were at the same height as her chair, making the transition easier from the chair to the tub.
Of course that didn’t mean that he wasn’t worried.
“Batman will rip me a new one for making Nightwing smell like Poison Ivy on a good day.”
Dick chuckled. High Babsy was something new and until a few minutes ago he wasn’t so sure how he was going to react. To tell the truth he still wasn’t so sure of how he was going to react but the next thing he knew she was lowering herself inside the water.
“I thought you weren’t afraid of the big, bad Bat. Being the great Oracle and all,” he teased.
Barbara said nothing for a while. With her fingers she played with the water while Dick watched her. She was smiling softly, but what he found it amazing if not a little odd, was her expression. For the first time in a long time worry lines didn’t cross her face.
He knew she was under a lot of stress. Whoever said that Oracle’s job was easy and comfy hadn’t spent days behind a screen not knowing if the next move will cause the death of a loved one.
Barbara couldn’t even pace to ease the tension.
But now she was sitting in front of him so relaxed she didn’t even protest when he took her in his hug and changed her position with three moves, causing water to fell to the floor. He expected her to say something and was surprised when she didn’t. Instead she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
Dick found the opportunity to study her better.
He always had a crush on Batgirl. The mask made her green eyes seem all the more vibrant and hid the cute little line of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Nowadays she used makeup to cover her freckles and Dick found himself missing them. He didn’t like freckles, but he loved her freckles.
“You have such an amazing color,” she said breaking the silence. “I’m too pale.”
“Yeah, well, despite what you think, sitting in front of your computer all day is not healthy. It is useful, I won’t argue with that, but you need to get out more, Babs. See the sun; you remember what this is?”
“The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It has a diameter of about 865,000 miles- -“
He didn’t let her finish. With his hand he forced her to turn her head and his lips caught hers in a passionate kiss. “You’re so full of shit.”
“Sue me, former boy wonder.”
He licked his lips and said to her, “I rather do something else.”
Dick moved her so she was rested between his open legs, her upper body outside the water. More water fell down the tub’s walls, but neither seemed to mind. Her nipples were hard from the sudden change in the temperature and Dick found the opportunity to stroke her nipple between his fingers and thumb.
“Mmm,” she let a soft moan. “I approve of your actions.”
Dick chuckled, but continued to tease the pink nipple. He wasn’t hard, not yet anyway. With the way she was responding it was only a matter of time before he was deep inside of her.
Suddenly he asked her, “I’m not taking advantage of you, am I?”
“Why? Because I smoked a joint? If anyone is taking advantage of the situation it’s me. I’m not in pain, my muscles are relaxed and I want you.”
No one said anything after that. Dick continued to play with her nipples, pinching first the one and then the other, while his other hand went between her things. She moaned again and searched for his lips. Her neck was going to kill her later, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t stop.
He cupped her mound, rubbing his fingers over her clit. In a way Dick was glad that she got infected by the Brainiac since the feeling of her toes wasn’t the only thing she got back that day. Barbara didn’t know it back then and was so happy when she felt her toes move that it took her a while to realize that she had regain the feeling of yet another part of her body.
He lifted his hand and brought it down on her mound in a playful slap. It wasn’t his style to be tough in bed, but as he found out, his sexy librarian liked it dirty. She didn’t like the pain though so his slap was more of a fancy action than a real slap. His cock was now hard and suddenly he was out of patience.
Still she needed more time.
He slid a finger inside her, knuckle pressing into her while he searched for her clit with his thump. Their position didn’t help him much so after a while he added another digit all the way inside her, stroking, seeking her g-spot. He began to fuck her with his fingers, in and out, first slow then hard, and she grabbed the metal bars.
“Dick,” she said breathlessly.
“We don’t have a condom,” he whispered to her ear, his fingers never missing a beat.
“You can pull out,” she tried to convince him, but he shook his head.
“I won’t and you know it. Just enjoy it, honey. Let me see you come.”
“Too soon.”
He kissed her neck. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His other hand left her nipples and went down too. He took an earlobe into his mouth and started stroking her clit with his finger. His other hand never stopped, in and out, hard and fast and after a while he felt her breath change. His cock was rock hard now, but this was about her not him.
“Come on Barbara, come for me honey, that’s it, let it go.”
Barbara came with a loud cry, and collapsed weakly against him, thoroughly overcome as she shuddered in ecstatic release. She twisted and turned her head so she could kiss him again, holding his cheek. When the kiss broke, she licked at his lips and kissed him again. Then she lay back against his chest when the kiss ended, a smile on her face.
“Good?” Dick asked.
“Good,” she replied and closed her eyes.
“Good,” he said again and kissed the back of her head.
The End.
Author: modestroad
Fandom: DCU
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Dinah Lance, Jim Gordon
Rating: R/Mature
Warning(s): Miron drug use. Language. Angst. Adult theme.
Summary: Is a secret strong enough to break them apart or bond them forever? Dick is going to find out that sometimes you have to break something just to fix it.
Notes: I couldn't do it without my fantastic four, alexiel_neesan, ladyithildiel, reginalibintia and megganblack I can't thank you enough, ladies. The story take place after The Return of Bruce Wayne.
Funny.
Despite her photographic memory she couldn’t remember the short trip to Bruce’s Manor. It was as if her mind had shut down for twenty minutes. She could swear that Dinah had said something to her on their way, but all she could remember was her best friend carrying her to the car like six years old.
Or like a cripple.
Without her chair there wasn’t much Babs could do and she wasn’t going to crawl in front of her dad. Black Canary had found an ally in the face of Commissioner Gordon and the last thing Barbara wanted to do was make her dad more worried than he already was. Having one break down in front of him was enough for today, thank you very much.
God, had she really said those things to him? After all years of acting all happy-happy, joy-joy for him, she had finally manage to do the only thing she didn’t wanted to do; she had hurt him with her words more than a bullet would ever do.
“Did you hear anything I said?” Dinah’s voice was full of concern and just a tiny hint of anger.
“I didn’t pay attention to you,” she answered and for the first time in the last twenty minutes she looked at the blond.
Dinah smiled. “I’m not the one you should pay attention to anyway.”
Babs raised an eyebrow in surprise, but she turned her face quickly before Dinah had the chance to see and comment on it. Watching her reflection to the passenger’s window Barbara tried to brace herself for what was about to come.
The day was half way through and she was feeling exhausted already.
“Just remember I do this because I love you,” Dinah said.
“I know,” Barbara agreed. “Doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you though.”
“You’ll forgive me. When you and your boy-o can’t keep your hands from each other, you’ll forgive me. Just so you know I’m expecting something shiny and gold when you come to apologize to me.”
Barbara said nothing. Dick was waiting them patiently since Dinah had parked the car five minutes before. She had faced the Joker twice and hadn’t blinked, but the sight of him was enough to make her legs weak. No pun intended. With a sigh she opened the door and waited for Dick to bring a wheelchair (probably a leftover from Bane) to her side.
“Come with me,” was all that he said.
She looked one last time at Dinah and wheeled herself after him. He didn’t wait for her and Barbara was glad that he was heading on the opposite direction of the manor. She wouldn’t want Bruce or Alfred to hear what they had to say. It also gave her enough time to think of a way to end their relationship without hurting him further-if that was even possible.
They couldn’t work long-term. He was movement and she was sitting in a chair. Even now he was walking with a rhyme he could only hear. One step was more jumpy than the other as if he was dancing. If he stayed with her she would eventually break him down to her level and she didn’t want to lose him. Not like this.
“I was thinking,” he turned to look at her, but didn’t stop walking. “I know. Surprise! But I was Batman for a while and you know Babs, this whole ‘my girlfriend is a pothead OMG! what I’m going to do’ situation is getting a little ridiculous.”
Barbara nervously bit the inside of her cheek. It seemed that Dick wanted to talk things out and she couldn’t have him do that. She had taken her decision and sadly he had no say on this.
“I agree. That’s why I’m breaking up with you.”
That stopped him. “Wait, what?”
“I’m breaking up with you Dick,” she finally caught up with him.
“Again?”
“Yes, and I should had learn something from the first time I did. This,” she waved her fingers between them, “Us will never work.”
“Says who? You?”
Barbara rolled her eyes. “Yeah, says I.”
She turned her chair away with an effort. Who knew the last time Bruce had used it? The wheels were stiff and made a squeaky noise every time she pushed them. She should be glad that he hadn’t thrown that thing the second he was back on his feet.
She lifted her arms and pushed the large wheels only to lose her balance. Her fast reflexes were what kept her for falling on the ground. She grabbed the chair and turned her head to look at him with anger in her eyes. He was holding the chair with one hand while his left foot was blocking the left wheel.
“What are you doing?”
“What it looks like I’m doing?” His voice was as angry as hers.
Barbara felt her temples vibrate with anger. She didn’t want to imagine how that affected her blood pressure. In her condition she had to be careful with that. People thought that she was cold because of what she did, but the truth was that she had to stay calm for medical reasons.
Of course sometimes staying calm was simple not an option.
“Stop acting like a baby and let me go!”
“Stop acting like a bitch and I might!”
“Let go of my chair, damn it!” She yelled at him.
“Fine!”
In seconds she was in his arms, his grip left her no room to move. It was the second time today that someone treated her this way and Barbara felt tears burn her eyes. If she could kick him…if she could kick him probably they wouldn’t need to break up in the first place.
At least no one could see them. She would die from embarrassment if Bruce or worse, Damian, saw him carrying her like a modern version of the Bronze Age man. The little brat would tease her forever.
Fortunately for her, Dick was heading to the hidden, little porch he liked to go when Bruce was having one of his galas. She remembered him looking around if anyone saw him before disappearing for the rest of the night. Dick used to be uncomfortable wearing a tuxedo, but not so much now.
Carefully he set her down on a large chair before taking a seat next to her. His blue eyes were dark with anger, but he was trying to hold it together. She was ready for round two when his question left her speechless.
“What’s the real problem, Babs?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
He stood up and paced for a minute or two in silence. “As I was saying, I was thinking. And as much as I want to believe that you hadn’t planned the whole thing the more it makes sense. You sent me the exact same message so you knew that I was going to come.”
“Dick- -“
“The alarms were down and if there’s one thing you love more than playing with my heart it is your security system.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t play with your heart.”
“Yes, you do,” Dick replied and sat down only to jump up one second later. “You wanted me to catch you and you knew that I was going to be pissed off. Dinah’s your best friend so you know how hard the whole thing with Roy was. So why did you do it Babs? Why do you want to go through all that trouble to break up with me?”
Game over.
Barbara bit her lower lip. “I have a friend. He’s a para like me. We’ve never met in person, but we are members of the same forum. He got married after a six year relationship.”
Dick moved to sit in the lotus position. “Good for him.”
“His wife left him after seven months.”
“And what does that have to do with your little-oh!”
“She couldn’t stand living with him anymore,” she wiped her eyes. “She even left him a message. ‘You’re not the person I thought you were’. It took her seven years to realize that.”
Dick was now at her side, moving fast and elegant. Or maybe her eyes were just blurred with tears.
“And you thought that I would do the same to you?”
“I’m afraid that you’re going to wake up one day and realize that I’m not worth the effort.”
“Never!”
“I assume she said the same thing to him, but never is a long time, Dick; and I can’t offer you the things you deserve.”
“What I deserve is to be with the woman I love,.” he said taking her hands between his. “Don’t you think I know what I deserve a little better than you?”
“Look at me!” she whispered, her energy suddenly gone. “You shouldn’t love me.”
“But I do, Babs. And right now I have a million reasons not to, but I do. God help me, but I do. You play tricks with my heart and keep secrets from me, when I’m saying everything to you; but I can’t change how I feel.”
“You can try.”
“I can try?” He licked his lips and thought for a minute. “You know I’m afraid, too.”
She looked puzzled at him. “Of what?’
“I’m afraid that you’re going to wake up one day and realize that I’m not smart enough for you.”
“What are you talking about, Dick? You’re one of the smartest people I know!”
“Yeah, but I’m not your level smart. I will never be your level smart and that’s terrifying. What would you do, if ten years from now I had a belly and no hair and you woke up one day and realized that I’m nothing but a big ball of lard?”
“I’d call Bruce,” she said trying not to laugh.
“You’d call Bruce?” He asked, surprised and when Babs couldn’t hold her laughter; he joined her.
“Okay,” she said, when she was sober enough to speak. “Point taken. I got scared and acted like an idiot.”
Dick nodded. “More likely like a big gigantic idiot!”
“I just don’t want to lose you,” she said and withdraw her hands from his grip. “I don’t want to lose your respect.”
He smiled. “And how exactly playing mind games with me helps?”
“I got scared and thought- -“
He put one fingers in her lips to make her stop.
“Thinking is good Babs, but you know what else is also good? Trying. I can’t try alone, honey. You need to try, too. Otherwise we’re going to be one of those couples that break up for no reason. I can’t try alone and I need you to try with me. Can you do that? For us.”
Barbara looked straight to his blue eyes. “For us?”
“Don’t you want to try, Babs? Do you want to live your life in fear, every time someone wants to get closer to you?” Dick asked. “Do you want to be like Bruce?”
Barbara flinched.
“If you want to be like Bruce, be my guest. Just tell me now, so I can move my things from your apartment. But if you don’t want to be like him, you’ll have to try, Babs. No more secrets, no more Jedi mind games, no more hiding behind that chair of yours. Can you do that?”
She said nothing, lost to her thoughts.
“Can you do that?’ He asked again.
It was the tone of his voice that warned her that she was going to lose him forever, if she didn’t act right away. She knew that if he walked out of her after the way she treated him, no one would blame him. And she also knew that she needed this second chance more than he did.
“Let’s go home,” she said and was relieved to see him smile.
************
Three weeks later
Dick stretched his arms behind his back.
It had been a long night and he had fallen asleep the moment he hit the bed. Now, six hours later, he wasn’t as rested as he would like, but he was more hungry than tired. Babs had said something about mash potatoes and ribs and Dick felt his mouth watering. No one could cook ribs like Alfred, but her mash potatoes were to die for and right now he felt like he was going to die if he didn’t put something inside his belly.
A sudden loud noise had him on his feet and outside the bedroom in no time. If someone had broken in the security would have woken him. So that meant that either Babs was losing on Playstation 3 or that she needed his help with something. After everything that had happen between them two months ago, Babs still found it difficult to ask for his help.
He was ready to call her name when he heard what he could describe as wood hitting wood. He smiled; Babs was working out at the gym. If he was lucky she would wear that black sleeveless tee that he liked so much-the one that covered her breasts like a glove and he could see every move of her brea- body.
Dick felt his mouth watering for another reason. It had been a while since the last time they had sex and he missed her. Some days he would go to bed and wake up only to find her behind her computers. Unlike him, Oracle’s job didn’t end with the first ray of light. Other times she was too worked up to fell asleep and she would spend hours watching the ceiling. He always felt like a bad boyfriend when he woke up, fresh after his normal six hour nap only to stare at her bloodshot eyes. Forcing her to stay away from her toys was harder than forcing Damian to be polite and Dick made sure to keep tabs on her eye gel drops.
“Babs?”
He stood at the door and watched her hit the target with force. Dick flinched. She wasn’t hitting the target with a technique and if she did it was none than Dick knew. She was hitting the wooden target as if it had done something to her or as if…she was in pain.
Dick gave himself a mental slap at the back of his head. Babs had been extra edgy the last week and was dressed for comfort. Dick tried to remember the last time she had slept in the same bed with him and couldn’t. She was still ashamed from the way her body betray her-no, not ashamed but angry.
Every time she had a bad case of spasms she would disappear behind a computer screen until the meds start kicking. Dick had learned a lot the last couple of weeks and he didn’t mind. If he could live with Bruce, he could live with her too.
“What did the poor thing did to you?” He asked from the door.
“It reminds me of you.”
Dick smiled. She was smiling too. Half a smile, but still a smile. Dinah had warned him about the snarl. She had said that he would know when Babs had more that she could take and she had been right. It didn’t come as a surprise. When two people were as close as Dinah and Babs nothing came as a surprise.
“Now you’re just mean,” he said and rubbed his shoulder.
“But you like me anyway,” she replied and stretched her arm to catch her towel from the floor. “You hurt your shoulder?”
“I slept on it and now it’s numb. What about you?”
She wiped the sweat off her forehead and wheeled herself closer to him. When she was right in front of him she said, “My legs are numb.”
“Har har! Very funny, Ms Gordon. Does your father know you’re such a comedian?”
If she wanted to say something it had to wait. Dick leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Barbara opened to him, her harsh words long forgotten. Dick deepened the kiss and when his lips left hers he heard a groan. He licked his lips tasting her on them.
He wanted her. Despite having just woken up from a six hour sleep, his body felt tense. He clenched his fingers into fists at his sides and leaned his head back against the door, willing himself to gain control.
“I need a shower,” He looked at her. “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine?”
She shook her head. “Not today boy wonder.”
“Why not? I’ll fill the tub with your favorite salt,”he said and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
He knew that by standing between her and the door he kept her deliberately without an escape route. Apparently all that drama that almost broke them apart had taught her nothing at all.
“Any reason I should know about? What is it, Babs?” Maybe if he tried a different approach she would open up the part of her heart she kept locked. “I think I know what it is. You don’t find me sexy any more. It’s because I stopped shaving my legs, isn’t it?”
“Come here,” she gripped the hem of his shirt and forced him to lean closer.
Her mouth sealed to his in a hard, demanding kiss. Barbara wrapped her arms around his neck and caressed his shoulders making his control teeter along a thin line. Even after hours of practice she smelled of soap and shampoo. She was one of the lucky ones; she could sweat like a pig, but didn’t smell like one.
“I always find you sexy although I have to admit that I find men that shave their legs sexy as hell.”
His look puzzled at her.
She explained to him, “Hard muscles under soft skin. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman the feeling is still the same.”
Dick looked at her for a very long time. “Oh my! Aren’t you the kinky type? Should I shave my legs and call you Mistress? Mistress Barbara? Would that please you…Mistress?”
Barbara gave him a mischievous smile. “Yes. Very!”
Dick tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t. He threw his head back and laughed. Barbara of course found the opportunity she needed and wheeled her chair out of the gym. Still laughing Dick watched her go to their bedroom and followed her there.
He expected to see her gathering her things for the shower and was half surprised when he saw her swallow a pill from the bottle she kept to the nightstand of her part of the bed. Slowly he sat on the unmade bed and took her hands on his.
“That won’t help you.” It was a statement not a question.
“Some. It will help me some.”
“But it won’t take the pain away.”
Her green eyes stared at his blue ones and for a moment Dick was sure that she was going to withdraw from him.
“It never does Dick,” she said to his surprise. “The pain never goes away. Some days I hurt more and some days I hurt less, but the pain never goes away.”
He took the orange prescription bottle and played with it. He wished he could turn back the time and be there to stop the Joker before he turned the gun on her and pulled the trigger. But he didn’t have that kind of power, and right now she was in pain and thinking about the past couldn’t help her.
With an elegant move he rolled off the bed and landed on his feet on the other side. He opened the door of the large closet and dove his head in. He heard her calling his name, but paid no attention to it. He didn’t stop the search even when he felt the wheel of her chair next to his foot.
Where the hell had she put it this time?
There! With a triumphed smile he took out the tobacco-pouch and hand it to her. Ever the organizer Babs kept her stash clean and found. From the weight of the pouch Dick could tell that she kept there a lighter as well as papers she needed to roll the...joint.
He wasn’t going to argue that it felt weird to think about it.
“Take it.” She didn’t and he left a sigh.
“You’re not a cripple,” he said and she looked at him. “You’re not a junkie,” he kissed her on the lips. “You’re not a pothead,” he kissed her on the cheek. “You are the woman I love,” he whispered to her ear. “I can’t stand to see you hurt. Take it.”
This time she did take the tobacco-pouch from his hand and Dick felt like he could jump to the ceiling with joy. Of course he could jump to the ceiling with a little speed and some effort, but somehow that would piss her off and he held that impulse for later.
“I’m going to fill the tub,” he informed her before leaving the room.
He closed the door behind him giving her the privacy she needed. His hand stayed on the knob few seconds more than necessary but eventually her well being was stronger than his curiosity.
With fast moves he went to the kitchen and made himself a little something to eat. Nothing fancy, just a piece of bread with some cheese and ham and a glass of orange juice. It was enough to ease the pressure in his belly, and that was what he needed. He put the dirty dishes in the sink, wiped his lips on his tee and went to run the tub.
Twenty minutes later he was soaking alone and thinking that she had ditched him when he heard the door open. She wheeled inside and without speaking she crossed her arms over her body and gripped the hem of her shirt. With one single tug, she pulled it over her head. Barbara tilted her head slightly causing her hair to fall forward against the soft curves of her breasts.
Then her hands went down to the waistband of her jeans. She flicked the button open and slid the zipper down with a loud rasp. Dick wanted to help her get done faster, but he kept his hands down on the opposite sides of the tub. He knew how much Barbara hated for others to help her do things she could do herself.
Slowly she lifted her right leg and pushed the trouser leg down her thigh then did the same with the other leg. She was wearing a black sports bra and matching panties, but it didn’t matter to him. For him she was as sexy when she was wearing panties as when she was wearing thongs.
“You will smell like lavender,” she said
She maneuvered her chair until it was parallel to the tub. With one steady move she was sitting on the edge of the tub and removing her bra. Dick raised his hands to catch her, but stopped middle air. She had been doing that for a long time now and she didn’t need him to remind her of what she had lost.
The tub was design to meet her needs. That meant that it was big enough for two people and had metal bars around so she could move without help from an outsider. The walls of the tub were at the same height as her chair, making the transition easier from the chair to the tub.
Of course that didn’t mean that he wasn’t worried.
“Batman will rip me a new one for making Nightwing smell like Poison Ivy on a good day.”
Dick chuckled. High Babsy was something new and until a few minutes ago he wasn’t so sure how he was going to react. To tell the truth he still wasn’t so sure of how he was going to react but the next thing he knew she was lowering herself inside the water.
“I thought you weren’t afraid of the big, bad Bat. Being the great Oracle and all,” he teased.
Barbara said nothing for a while. With her fingers she played with the water while Dick watched her. She was smiling softly, but what he found it amazing if not a little odd, was her expression. For the first time in a long time worry lines didn’t cross her face.
He knew she was under a lot of stress. Whoever said that Oracle’s job was easy and comfy hadn’t spent days behind a screen not knowing if the next move will cause the death of a loved one.
Barbara couldn’t even pace to ease the tension.
But now she was sitting in front of him so relaxed she didn’t even protest when he took her in his hug and changed her position with three moves, causing water to fell to the floor. He expected her to say something and was surprised when she didn’t. Instead she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
Dick found the opportunity to study her better.
He always had a crush on Batgirl. The mask made her green eyes seem all the more vibrant and hid the cute little line of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Nowadays she used makeup to cover her freckles and Dick found himself missing them. He didn’t like freckles, but he loved her freckles.
“You have such an amazing color,” she said breaking the silence. “I’m too pale.”
“Yeah, well, despite what you think, sitting in front of your computer all day is not healthy. It is useful, I won’t argue with that, but you need to get out more, Babs. See the sun; you remember what this is?”
“The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It has a diameter of about 865,000 miles- -“
He didn’t let her finish. With his hand he forced her to turn her head and his lips caught hers in a passionate kiss. “You’re so full of shit.”
“Sue me, former boy wonder.”
He licked his lips and said to her, “I rather do something else.”
Dick moved her so she was rested between his open legs, her upper body outside the water. More water fell down the tub’s walls, but neither seemed to mind. Her nipples were hard from the sudden change in the temperature and Dick found the opportunity to stroke her nipple between his fingers and thumb.
“Mmm,” she let a soft moan. “I approve of your actions.”
Dick chuckled, but continued to tease the pink nipple. He wasn’t hard, not yet anyway. With the way she was responding it was only a matter of time before he was deep inside of her.
Suddenly he asked her, “I’m not taking advantage of you, am I?”
“Why? Because I smoked a joint? If anyone is taking advantage of the situation it’s me. I’m not in pain, my muscles are relaxed and I want you.”
No one said anything after that. Dick continued to play with her nipples, pinching first the one and then the other, while his other hand went between her things. She moaned again and searched for his lips. Her neck was going to kill her later, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t stop.
He cupped her mound, rubbing his fingers over her clit. In a way Dick was glad that she got infected by the Brainiac since the feeling of her toes wasn’t the only thing she got back that day. Barbara didn’t know it back then and was so happy when she felt her toes move that it took her a while to realize that she had regain the feeling of yet another part of her body.
He lifted his hand and brought it down on her mound in a playful slap. It wasn’t his style to be tough in bed, but as he found out, his sexy librarian liked it dirty. She didn’t like the pain though so his slap was more of a fancy action than a real slap. His cock was now hard and suddenly he was out of patience.
Still she needed more time.
He slid a finger inside her, knuckle pressing into her while he searched for her clit with his thump. Their position didn’t help him much so after a while he added another digit all the way inside her, stroking, seeking her g-spot. He began to fuck her with his fingers, in and out, first slow then hard, and she grabbed the metal bars.
“Dick,” she said breathlessly.
“We don’t have a condom,” he whispered to her ear, his fingers never missing a beat.
“You can pull out,” she tried to convince him, but he shook his head.
“I won’t and you know it. Just enjoy it, honey. Let me see you come.”
“Too soon.”
He kissed her neck. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His other hand left her nipples and went down too. He took an earlobe into his mouth and started stroking her clit with his finger. His other hand never stopped, in and out, hard and fast and after a while he felt her breath change. His cock was rock hard now, but this was about her not him.
“Come on Barbara, come for me honey, that’s it, let it go.”
Barbara came with a loud cry, and collapsed weakly against him, thoroughly overcome as she shuddered in ecstatic release. She twisted and turned her head so she could kiss him again, holding his cheek. When the kiss broke, she licked at his lips and kissed him again. Then she lay back against his chest when the kiss ended, a smile on her face.
“Good?” Dick asked.
“Good,” she replied and closed her eyes.
“Good,” he said again and kissed the back of her head.
The End.