Old Batman Stories, Part 3
Sep. 21st, 2022 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apachefirecatEvery Day Is Laundry Day, posted 5-27-11, rated T/PG-13
Characters: Bruce/Alfred
Bruce knows that life with his beloved Alfred means that every day is laundry day, and he relies on him for that and for much, much more.
He dragged his tired muscles every step of the last way through his headquarters, up the winding stairs, and into the privacy of his bedchamber. His bruised lips curved up into his first real smile all night at the sight of the King bed that awaited him, and he noted, with quiet delight, the way the covers were tucked in just so around the edges of his bed.
It was laundry day, but then with his Alfred, every day was laundry day. He never had to worry about not having the right outfit for the job and knew he would always be greeted with a clean, fresh, and warm bed at the end of his hard night's dutiful work. The sweet scent of the detergent and fabric softener his butler used delighted his nose as Bruce pulled back the covers and slipped into bed.
Dropping the silk sheet and soft yet thick blankets back into place around him, Bruce let his eyes drift closed in ecstasy and gave a sigh of contentment. Could anything be better than coming home to this welcoming warmth? he thought, and then he felt, far more than heard, movement in the room. His blue eyes opened, and he watched as his lover crossed the distance between his closet and his bed, picked up the covers, and slid into bed beside him.
Bruce turned to greet the arms that wrapped around him, and the two men nuzzled each other in delighted welcome. Every day was laundry day with his beloved Alfred, Bruce thought again, and every night was far more than worth coming home. Every battle had its reason, and every night its delight. His life had more purpose than any one outside of their private paradise would ever know, and that, and everything that made his life worth the real living of it, was what his beloved Alfred gave him every day and night.
Bruce sighed happily, his lips brushing Alfred's thinning hair. Alfred beamed up at him. "Welcome home, Master Bruce," he whispered, careful to keep his voice low should their young ward overhear them.
"It always is so welcoming with you here, Alfred," Bruce whispered in turn, kissing his forehead. "I had a rough night," he admitted, "but coming home to you always makes it all worthwhile. I love you, and this is perfect," he whispered and kissed his sweet, tender lips with hot passion.
It was more than perfect. There was no single word that could describe everything that Alfred and this moment they shared meant to him. This was why he fought. This was why he struggled every day and night to survive. This was why he lived, and one of the million, actually countless, reasons why he loved his butler and best friend, his own personal hero, whose loyalty, sweet love, and gentle, caring ways always kept him going when nothing else could. This was what kept his world going around and gave him faith in a better tomorrow, in a day when all people could be safe, loved, and whole. This was, after all, what made him complete.
Alfred smiled against the heated lips of his wondrous master of his heart. Moments like these with his beloved master Bruce was what made his world complete and his life whole. Only his soul mate could ever complete him, and he knew what his love needed and was always more than ready and willing to give it to him. Wry realization twisted the corners of Alfred's mouth against Bruce's own. This was exactly why he kept the bed clean and always ready for his master to come home. "I love you too," he whispered in response, and they were whole, and home, together.
The End
Forget Everything Else, posted 5-2-13, rated R/M
Characters: Bruce/Selina, Cats
She knows how to make him forget.
He wanted this with every fiber of his being. Yet, he still couldn't let himself go. He'd finally managed to forget his duty, the rain outside, and all the criminals lurking in the wet, windy night. He was steadfastly ignoring all his wonderfully hot woman's wrong deeds and all the reasons for them not to be together. What he couldn't forget was all the eyes on him. "Catwoman, I - I can't - "
"You'll forrrget my babies," she purred as all the cats around her bed meowed. True to her words, he did forget everything the instant her lips touched his dick.
The End
Hearts in Time, posted 1-19-12, rated K+/PG
Characters: Bruce/Selina
He brings her here about every five or so years, but the answer is always the same.
He gazes into her big, emerald eyes over the flickering candlelight adorning their table. He reaches out and takes her hand in his. She shivers not just from the excitement of his touch but also from anticipation of the words she knows he's about to speak.
All around them, couples are celebrating milestone anniversaries and preparing to ask the ultimate question. This isn't the type of restaurant she usually frequents, but she's been here before. He brings her here about once every five or so years when things are going well for them again and their hearts have began to dare to hope they could be one of these happy couples around them.
She wishes she could have the hope that's filling his heart tonight and making his baby blue eyes sparkle, but she doesn't. Life has beaten her down too many times, and whereas she'll never allow that to happen again, she knows it's just a matter of time before he'll be closing those silver bracelets she hates so much around her wrists again and taking her back to Arkham. It's just a matter of time before the world puts them at odds again. He'll never be able to accept she deals out her own brand of justice and doesn't mind alleviating treasures from the snobs who have them but don't deserve them.
He'll never be able to give up crime fighting or saving the world or even their own little piece of it. They'll never see eye to eye on true justice. She knows locking a criminal away only delays the inevitable; the only true way to stop a monster is to kill it. Yet he is incapable of killing, or of looking the other way when she or any one else kills some one, no matter how richly they deserve to die. She's stopped asking him to give up that part of him for she knows that it is as much him as the air that fills his lungs.
Yet he'll never quit asking her to give up her side for long. Every time she admittedly reopens her heart to him, he wants her to stay. They both do. Yet it can not be for being Catwoman; liberating the prettiest jewelry, finest diamonds, and the world's cats; and dealing true justice to those who would hurt an innocent animal or girl is as much a part of her as being Batman is him. Without either, they are not themselves, and so it is they can not be just an ordinary, happy couple like those around them tonight.
Selina smiles. If she'd had her tail, it would have swished. Who really wants to be ordinary, after all? She purrs as she leans forward and places a finger on Bruce's lips. "Not tonight," she whispers. He understands immediately; she kisses him. They don't have to have the anniversaries or wedding rings that most couples cherish. They have each other and their love, and that's enough to fill their worlds.
The End
Her Purrfect Family, posted 10-20-09, rated K+/PG
Characters: Bruce/Selina, Cats
A reflection on the Catwoman, her world, her family, and her Bat.
Night calls her friend.
Day sees a different side of her,
More human, more woman
Than cat.
Citizens fear her.
The police and the Batman hunt her.
But others call her name,
And those are the ones who matter to her.
They slink out of shadows,
Crawl away from dangers innumerable,
Run to her safety from horrors
The humans could only imagine.
They, too, call her friend,
But Mother is also her name,
She who finds them,
She who protects them,
She who would give her life
To save them.
They come to her in ones and twos.
They flock to her in groups, herds, and kaboodles.
They seek her shelter, her refuge, and,
Most of all, her love.
They are her cats, and her children.
They are her friends and allies.
They are her family,
And in their loving, purring midst, she knows
She needs no other.
Let the Bat continue being the stickler
For law and order that he is.
She does not need him,
Neither as Selina nor as the Catwoman.
The two faces she wears
Are two sides of the same coin,
Two halves of her one whole.
Once she craved love for both.
Now she has found it,
And it has left her with no need of the outside world
Save the jewels and monies she can gleam from it.
She is the Catwoman
In every sense of the word,
And the cats are her family,
Greeting her always with love, acceptance, understanding,
And, rarely, when she needs it, reassurance.
They are her family.
They are the ones she lives for.
She is the Catwoman.
They are her children,
And she needs no other.
Humans are their enemies,
And the Bat their greatest threat.
Next time, she purrs a promise
While rubbing her head lovingly
Against her favorite baby's,
Next time he breaks a date,
Tells another lie, or otherwise
Tries to come between her babies and herself,
Next time she will unsheathe her claws
And the Bat will become a mouse.
She murmurs, grinning,
As she runs her tongue over her lips
And adds with mischief sparking in her green eyes,
A rather tasty mouse at that!
The End
His Equal, posted 9-8-10, rated T/PG-13
Characters: Batman/Nightwing
Old feelings come rushing to the front again when Batman rescues Nightwing.
He watched, fully captivated by his hero's every move, as his rescuer battled their nemesis who had gotten the drop on him and held him, chained, to lure the Bat into his trap. It wasn't the first time that he had been kidnapped. Indeed, it was far from it, but there was something different about this time.
Dick continued to watch the fight and struggle against the chains that bound him fast and secure in the shadows as memories of the years he'd spent with the wonderful man now giving his all to free him fluttered through his mind. When he'd first met him, he had been angry at him and the world for his parents' deaths, but as soon as that anger had began to subside and he had seen the man behind the mask for the caring, loving person he truly was, he had fallen head over heels for him. He hadn't realized the truth of his feelings for him at that time, however, of course, for he'd only been a boy.
Those feelings had grown into much more than mere hero worship the longer he had stayed with him, but as Bruce had continued to strive to keep him out of the thick of their battles and protect him, Dick had come to realize that he would never see him as a grown man. Sure, he said he loved him and treated him as an adult in their bedroom, but the battle scene was always an entirely different story. His continual desire to protect him had forced Dick to accept that he could never be his equal in Bruce's eyes. Of course, no one else would ever be his equal, either, but that had not been what he had wanted.
He had told Bruce that he was tired of living in his shadow, and in a way, he had been and still was. He wanted to walk beside him, both in the light of day and in the shadows of the night, as his lover and his equal. Their loving union had turned into a constant war, and there hadn't been a night that had gone by without a heated argument. Dick had finally done the hardest thing he'd ever had to do - and the one thing that he'd spent every moment regretting since he had walked away from the man he loved. He still loved Bruce. He would always love him. He just couldn't live with him when he continued to refuse to see him as the man he had become and not merely who he loved and felt he had to protect.
Yet, now, again, he had had to allow Bruce to come to his rescue, and his heart was soaring once more as he watched him battle to save his life. Bruce trumped the villain, as Dick had known he would even at the very moment that he had been ensnared by the villain's trickery, and after he had tied him up securely and hung him like a thrust-up turkey to await the police, Bruce swiftly closed the distance between them, the cape of his Batman suit swirling around his long, muscular legs.
Dick's heart thundered in his chest as their eyes met, and he was reminded again of how infinitely much he loved this incredible man. He just couldn't be his sidekick any longer, he reminded himself, and even though he loved him, Bruce would always see him only as the younger man whose love filled his heart but who still needed his protection. He would never, could never, be his equal. Dick shivered as Bruce gently ran his hand over his handsome face and thought, for the first time in a very long, if perhaps that was really as bad as it sounded.
"I'm sorry," Bruce whispered softly, his blue eyes gazing down into the deep, rich pools of the man he would always love. Dick needed his protection, even if he was too stubborn to admit it, and he would always have it and his love. He could not help loving the younger man with all his heart and soul, though he'd tried countless times in the belief that stopping the love he felt for him and sending him away from him would keep him safe.
Dick's rapid heartbeat now resonated like a passionate drum through his head. He found he could scarcely breathe with Bruce's gloved hand softly caressing his face and sending thrills shooting through his whole being, thrills stronger and more delicious than any he'd ever felt before save at his beloved's administrations. "For . . . " He swallowed hard and licked his lips. "For what?"
Bruce paused, caught in the moment, and almost told him the truth. He almost told him that he was sorry for chasing him away and for not accepting him as the wonderful, strong, and breathtakingly handsome man he had transformed into before his very eyes. He almost told him that he had been wrong, but he knew that Dick would never understand that they had both been wrong, he to refuse his being his equal and Dick for leaving in a fit of fury and destroying everything they'd had, even if it had not been enough to appease him. He almost told him, but then he hushed his questioning by placing his lips with a firm gentility upon his own.
Passion and love surged through Dick, and he trembled in Bruce's hands. This was what he had been waiting for ever since he'd left him. This, Bruce's coming to him and still loving him, was what he had dreamed of every time he'd been granted good sleep since walking away from him. This, he realized, as Bruce slid his tongue masterfully into his mouth and sparked a sweetly heated duel with his own, perhaps too willing tongue, was what made life worth living.
Maybe he had been a young, arrogant fool. Maybe it was worth living his whole life inside Batman's shadow to be with the man he loved. Maybe he had wasted these years away from him. Maybe he had been the one in the wrong, the one who had made the mistake that had nearly completely destroyed his life and had surely filled his heart, soul, and mind, his whole being, with endless torture since he'd been apart from the man he loved. Maybe being in Batman's shadow was exactly where he belonged, and then Dick knew it was as his love silently undid his chains and took him fully into his arms. It was where he belonged for it was with him, and it was, he thought as they ravished each other in the soaring flights of love, exactly where he would stay as long as he let him.
The End
His Greatest Weapon, posted 3-4-09, rated K/G
Characters: Bruce/Alfred
Batman considers his greatest weapon on a miserable night.
He shivered inside his secret hiding place in the mouth of a large gargoyle statue. His keen eyes watched the dark streets of Gotham even as his nose ran. It was a miserable night, complete with a fantastic lightning display; enormous, bone-rattling thunder; and chilling, sleeting rain, hail, and even snow. It was the kind of night that neither man nor mouse deserved to be out on, and yet here he was and here he would be unless he got a call.
His mind flicked back to Alfred's pleading that he stay home this night. He had been sorely tempted to stay, but as he had told his love and had been reminding himself constantly ever since, criminals didn't stay home just because the weather was miserable. This was just the kind of weather that some sick and twisted mind would expect no one to be paying attention during and, therefore, make his move. Bruce sighed as his eyes ran water behind his cowl. He wished he could have stayed home, but that was never an option, not on the best of nights and especially not on the worst.
He coughed, sneezed, and used yet another kleenex. He had enough used kleenex stuffed away in his Batbelt that he was going to soon have to make another trip to the local gas station just to dispense of it. He would never just drop it out of the sky for not only would it give away his location but he could not, would not, diminish what little beauty Gotham had left.
He shivered again and withdrew further into himself and the mouth. He could see out plainly through his specialized goggles, but they could not see him. He silently thanked Alfred yet again for equipping him with his best weapon of the night that he currently hugged to his chest. Without it, he would have been doomed. He uncapped the thermos, poured himself another cup, and sipped it slowly, sighing in relief as Alfred's chicken soup coiled its way around him and warmed him all the way through to his cockles.
He sighed as he recapped the thermos. He couldn't wait to get back home to him!
The End
His Shining Star, posted 1-13-10, rated M/R
Characters: Bruce/Alfred
The age gap between himself and his beloved weighs too heavily on Bruce's mind; Alfred finds a way to reassure him while facing his own fears.
He laid beside his love and tried not to worry. He tried valiantly not to think about anything, not about the criminals laying siege to the city while he rested, not about the next grand scheme by some badass who wanted to rule the world, and especially not about the gaping age difference between his beloved and himself. Yet it was the latter that his mind kept turning back to. Alfred had just celebrated another birthday, and with every joyous birthday celebration came another reminder that decades lay between them.
It wasn't fair, Bruce thought. It wasn't fair that they weren't the same age, that Alfred had lived so much longer than he and would probably die before he did. That was part of why he could so easily laugh Death in the face: he hoped to go first for he did not want to face the dark abyss that his life would become without his love's shining star guiding him.
Without Alfred, the fight would become pointless. Without Alfred, his world would be a gaping, dark hole of nothing but misery, heartache, and pain. Without his love, there was no point in living and nothing to make life worth the trouble. And yet, he feared with all his being, that one day, it would . . .
"Bruce," Alfred's gentle voice cut into Bruce's thoughts. The younger man made a guilty face that Alfred could not see for he was behind him, his muscular arms wrapped around him and holding him close to his naked chest, but Alfred knew it was there. He patted his hand reassuringly. "Go to sleep, luv."
"I . . . can't . . . "
"Yes, you can. I'll be here in the morning. I'll be here every morning." Before Bruce could try to make him promise him that he would keep his word as Alfred meant for him to think it - that he would be there every morning of his life instead of every morning of Alfred's life -, Alfred began to sing softly. He sung Bruce a lullaby, and his beloved hero, the man who had saved his life time and again with just a smile, a kiss, or a mere "hello" and in more ways than he would ever know, drifted slowly off to sleep.
Alfred kept singing even after his sweetheart started to snore. His voice melted into Bruce's dreams, chasing away the nightmares and bringing pleasurable dreams that he far too seldom had. As Alfred himself finally began to fall asleep, he said a silent prayer that he hoped with every inch of his being would be gifted. He asked for no less than an eternity spent loving Bruce and begged to have it granted with his every ounce that day and every day.
The End
His World, posted 9-1-11, rated K+/PG
Characters: Bruce/Alfred
There is one side to the Batman that only his beloved Alfred will ever know.
There are many layers of the man he loves beneath the mask, and only Alfred knows them all. There's the Batman, who the whole world either loves or fears and despises. Beneath the Bat, there's multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne who the women chase after and the men, those who don't also attempt to woo him, either respect him or are constantly trying to devise new ways to take his father's money for their own greedy selves.
Yet there still remains another side to the great, big Bat, a side that is known to only one. He's the same person who bares the honor of having Bruce love him, and though Bruce remains a passionate lover in the bedroom to all those he deigns to take to his bed and a flirtatious fox in love's playground, his heart always remains belonging to that one individual. Alfred smiles, the corners of his mustache lifting. He is that man, and he knows how lucky he is to have his wonderful Bruce's love.
He also knows the one other side which remains unknown to everybody else in the entire world, and even on the alien nations where Batman is kept in utmost honor and respect. He knows the little boy secretly locked away underneath all his love's other many layers, and he knows that sometimes that sweet child needs as much stroking as the man himself. Thus it is that sometimes, early in the morning, as the sun is first beginning to climb over the eastern most hills, Alfred meets his beloved in the Batcave, ready to be there for both the man and the child. He meets him dressed only in an apron and carrying a tray of his favorite cookies and milk.
Bruce removes all of his masks and gazes into Alfred's knowing, caring eyes. A smile slowly stretches his lips and fills his handsome face, and his blue eyes sparkle as they did long ago when Alfred first baked cookies for him. "You waited up," he comments, shutting the Batmobile's door and coming closer.
Alfred answers him with an understanding smile. "I always do, sir."
"I know," Bruce tells him, pulls him close, and takes a bite of cookie. Then he kisses his beloved partner, and Alfred returns his kisses in between feeding him cookies.
Much has changed since his sweetheart was only a boy, and though Alfred wouldn't give anything for most of those changes for they have made his little one into the man he loves and who loves him today, he still cherishes those glimpses of the little boy he receives. Bruce will always be not only the man he loves but the boy he adores, as well, and much, much more. His beloved Bruce is the reason he holds on to life, why he continues on no matter what is done to him to try to get to Batman, and the reason he'll always be smiling and waiting when his love returns home. He is his whole world.
The End
Characters: Bruce/Alfred
Bruce knows that life with his beloved Alfred means that every day is laundry day, and he relies on him for that and for much, much more.
He dragged his tired muscles every step of the last way through his headquarters, up the winding stairs, and into the privacy of his bedchamber. His bruised lips curved up into his first real smile all night at the sight of the King bed that awaited him, and he noted, with quiet delight, the way the covers were tucked in just so around the edges of his bed.
It was laundry day, but then with his Alfred, every day was laundry day. He never had to worry about not having the right outfit for the job and knew he would always be greeted with a clean, fresh, and warm bed at the end of his hard night's dutiful work. The sweet scent of the detergent and fabric softener his butler used delighted his nose as Bruce pulled back the covers and slipped into bed.
Dropping the silk sheet and soft yet thick blankets back into place around him, Bruce let his eyes drift closed in ecstasy and gave a sigh of contentment. Could anything be better than coming home to this welcoming warmth? he thought, and then he felt, far more than heard, movement in the room. His blue eyes opened, and he watched as his lover crossed the distance between his closet and his bed, picked up the covers, and slid into bed beside him.
Bruce turned to greet the arms that wrapped around him, and the two men nuzzled each other in delighted welcome. Every day was laundry day with his beloved Alfred, Bruce thought again, and every night was far more than worth coming home. Every battle had its reason, and every night its delight. His life had more purpose than any one outside of their private paradise would ever know, and that, and everything that made his life worth the real living of it, was what his beloved Alfred gave him every day and night.
Bruce sighed happily, his lips brushing Alfred's thinning hair. Alfred beamed up at him. "Welcome home, Master Bruce," he whispered, careful to keep his voice low should their young ward overhear them.
"It always is so welcoming with you here, Alfred," Bruce whispered in turn, kissing his forehead. "I had a rough night," he admitted, "but coming home to you always makes it all worthwhile. I love you, and this is perfect," he whispered and kissed his sweet, tender lips with hot passion.
It was more than perfect. There was no single word that could describe everything that Alfred and this moment they shared meant to him. This was why he fought. This was why he struggled every day and night to survive. This was why he lived, and one of the million, actually countless, reasons why he loved his butler and best friend, his own personal hero, whose loyalty, sweet love, and gentle, caring ways always kept him going when nothing else could. This was what kept his world going around and gave him faith in a better tomorrow, in a day when all people could be safe, loved, and whole. This was, after all, what made him complete.
Alfred smiled against the heated lips of his wondrous master of his heart. Moments like these with his beloved master Bruce was what made his world complete and his life whole. Only his soul mate could ever complete him, and he knew what his love needed and was always more than ready and willing to give it to him. Wry realization twisted the corners of Alfred's mouth against Bruce's own. This was exactly why he kept the bed clean and always ready for his master to come home. "I love you too," he whispered in response, and they were whole, and home, together.
The End
Forget Everything Else, posted 5-2-13, rated R/M
Characters: Bruce/Selina, Cats
She knows how to make him forget.
He wanted this with every fiber of his being. Yet, he still couldn't let himself go. He'd finally managed to forget his duty, the rain outside, and all the criminals lurking in the wet, windy night. He was steadfastly ignoring all his wonderfully hot woman's wrong deeds and all the reasons for them not to be together. What he couldn't forget was all the eyes on him. "Catwoman, I - I can't - "
"You'll forrrget my babies," she purred as all the cats around her bed meowed. True to her words, he did forget everything the instant her lips touched his dick.
The End
Hearts in Time, posted 1-19-12, rated K+/PG
Characters: Bruce/Selina
He brings her here about every five or so years, but the answer is always the same.
He gazes into her big, emerald eyes over the flickering candlelight adorning their table. He reaches out and takes her hand in his. She shivers not just from the excitement of his touch but also from anticipation of the words she knows he's about to speak.
All around them, couples are celebrating milestone anniversaries and preparing to ask the ultimate question. This isn't the type of restaurant she usually frequents, but she's been here before. He brings her here about once every five or so years when things are going well for them again and their hearts have began to dare to hope they could be one of these happy couples around them.
She wishes she could have the hope that's filling his heart tonight and making his baby blue eyes sparkle, but she doesn't. Life has beaten her down too many times, and whereas she'll never allow that to happen again, she knows it's just a matter of time before he'll be closing those silver bracelets she hates so much around her wrists again and taking her back to Arkham. It's just a matter of time before the world puts them at odds again. He'll never be able to accept she deals out her own brand of justice and doesn't mind alleviating treasures from the snobs who have them but don't deserve them.
He'll never be able to give up crime fighting or saving the world or even their own little piece of it. They'll never see eye to eye on true justice. She knows locking a criminal away only delays the inevitable; the only true way to stop a monster is to kill it. Yet he is incapable of killing, or of looking the other way when she or any one else kills some one, no matter how richly they deserve to die. She's stopped asking him to give up that part of him for she knows that it is as much him as the air that fills his lungs.
Yet he'll never quit asking her to give up her side for long. Every time she admittedly reopens her heart to him, he wants her to stay. They both do. Yet it can not be for being Catwoman; liberating the prettiest jewelry, finest diamonds, and the world's cats; and dealing true justice to those who would hurt an innocent animal or girl is as much a part of her as being Batman is him. Without either, they are not themselves, and so it is they can not be just an ordinary, happy couple like those around them tonight.
Selina smiles. If she'd had her tail, it would have swished. Who really wants to be ordinary, after all? She purrs as she leans forward and places a finger on Bruce's lips. "Not tonight," she whispers. He understands immediately; she kisses him. They don't have to have the anniversaries or wedding rings that most couples cherish. They have each other and their love, and that's enough to fill their worlds.
The End
Her Purrfect Family, posted 10-20-09, rated K+/PG
Characters: Bruce/Selina, Cats
A reflection on the Catwoman, her world, her family, and her Bat.
Night calls her friend.
Day sees a different side of her,
More human, more woman
Than cat.
Citizens fear her.
The police and the Batman hunt her.
But others call her name,
And those are the ones who matter to her.
They slink out of shadows,
Crawl away from dangers innumerable,
Run to her safety from horrors
The humans could only imagine.
They, too, call her friend,
But Mother is also her name,
She who finds them,
She who protects them,
She who would give her life
To save them.
They come to her in ones and twos.
They flock to her in groups, herds, and kaboodles.
They seek her shelter, her refuge, and,
Most of all, her love.
They are her cats, and her children.
They are her friends and allies.
They are her family,
And in their loving, purring midst, she knows
She needs no other.
Let the Bat continue being the stickler
For law and order that he is.
She does not need him,
Neither as Selina nor as the Catwoman.
The two faces she wears
Are two sides of the same coin,
Two halves of her one whole.
Once she craved love for both.
Now she has found it,
And it has left her with no need of the outside world
Save the jewels and monies she can gleam from it.
She is the Catwoman
In every sense of the word,
And the cats are her family,
Greeting her always with love, acceptance, understanding,
And, rarely, when she needs it, reassurance.
They are her family.
They are the ones she lives for.
She is the Catwoman.
They are her children,
And she needs no other.
Humans are their enemies,
And the Bat their greatest threat.
Next time, she purrs a promise
While rubbing her head lovingly
Against her favorite baby's,
Next time he breaks a date,
Tells another lie, or otherwise
Tries to come between her babies and herself,
Next time she will unsheathe her claws
And the Bat will become a mouse.
She murmurs, grinning,
As she runs her tongue over her lips
And adds with mischief sparking in her green eyes,
A rather tasty mouse at that!
The End
His Equal, posted 9-8-10, rated T/PG-13
Characters: Batman/Nightwing
Old feelings come rushing to the front again when Batman rescues Nightwing.
He watched, fully captivated by his hero's every move, as his rescuer battled their nemesis who had gotten the drop on him and held him, chained, to lure the Bat into his trap. It wasn't the first time that he had been kidnapped. Indeed, it was far from it, but there was something different about this time.
Dick continued to watch the fight and struggle against the chains that bound him fast and secure in the shadows as memories of the years he'd spent with the wonderful man now giving his all to free him fluttered through his mind. When he'd first met him, he had been angry at him and the world for his parents' deaths, but as soon as that anger had began to subside and he had seen the man behind the mask for the caring, loving person he truly was, he had fallen head over heels for him. He hadn't realized the truth of his feelings for him at that time, however, of course, for he'd only been a boy.
Those feelings had grown into much more than mere hero worship the longer he had stayed with him, but as Bruce had continued to strive to keep him out of the thick of their battles and protect him, Dick had come to realize that he would never see him as a grown man. Sure, he said he loved him and treated him as an adult in their bedroom, but the battle scene was always an entirely different story. His continual desire to protect him had forced Dick to accept that he could never be his equal in Bruce's eyes. Of course, no one else would ever be his equal, either, but that had not been what he had wanted.
He had told Bruce that he was tired of living in his shadow, and in a way, he had been and still was. He wanted to walk beside him, both in the light of day and in the shadows of the night, as his lover and his equal. Their loving union had turned into a constant war, and there hadn't been a night that had gone by without a heated argument. Dick had finally done the hardest thing he'd ever had to do - and the one thing that he'd spent every moment regretting since he had walked away from the man he loved. He still loved Bruce. He would always love him. He just couldn't live with him when he continued to refuse to see him as the man he had become and not merely who he loved and felt he had to protect.
Yet, now, again, he had had to allow Bruce to come to his rescue, and his heart was soaring once more as he watched him battle to save his life. Bruce trumped the villain, as Dick had known he would even at the very moment that he had been ensnared by the villain's trickery, and after he had tied him up securely and hung him like a thrust-up turkey to await the police, Bruce swiftly closed the distance between them, the cape of his Batman suit swirling around his long, muscular legs.
Dick's heart thundered in his chest as their eyes met, and he was reminded again of how infinitely much he loved this incredible man. He just couldn't be his sidekick any longer, he reminded himself, and even though he loved him, Bruce would always see him only as the younger man whose love filled his heart but who still needed his protection. He would never, could never, be his equal. Dick shivered as Bruce gently ran his hand over his handsome face and thought, for the first time in a very long, if perhaps that was really as bad as it sounded.
"I'm sorry," Bruce whispered softly, his blue eyes gazing down into the deep, rich pools of the man he would always love. Dick needed his protection, even if he was too stubborn to admit it, and he would always have it and his love. He could not help loving the younger man with all his heart and soul, though he'd tried countless times in the belief that stopping the love he felt for him and sending him away from him would keep him safe.
Dick's rapid heartbeat now resonated like a passionate drum through his head. He found he could scarcely breathe with Bruce's gloved hand softly caressing his face and sending thrills shooting through his whole being, thrills stronger and more delicious than any he'd ever felt before save at his beloved's administrations. "For . . . " He swallowed hard and licked his lips. "For what?"
Bruce paused, caught in the moment, and almost told him the truth. He almost told him that he was sorry for chasing him away and for not accepting him as the wonderful, strong, and breathtakingly handsome man he had transformed into before his very eyes. He almost told him that he had been wrong, but he knew that Dick would never understand that they had both been wrong, he to refuse his being his equal and Dick for leaving in a fit of fury and destroying everything they'd had, even if it had not been enough to appease him. He almost told him, but then he hushed his questioning by placing his lips with a firm gentility upon his own.
Passion and love surged through Dick, and he trembled in Bruce's hands. This was what he had been waiting for ever since he'd left him. This, Bruce's coming to him and still loving him, was what he had dreamed of every time he'd been granted good sleep since walking away from him. This, he realized, as Bruce slid his tongue masterfully into his mouth and sparked a sweetly heated duel with his own, perhaps too willing tongue, was what made life worth living.
Maybe he had been a young, arrogant fool. Maybe it was worth living his whole life inside Batman's shadow to be with the man he loved. Maybe he had wasted these years away from him. Maybe he had been the one in the wrong, the one who had made the mistake that had nearly completely destroyed his life and had surely filled his heart, soul, and mind, his whole being, with endless torture since he'd been apart from the man he loved. Maybe being in Batman's shadow was exactly where he belonged, and then Dick knew it was as his love silently undid his chains and took him fully into his arms. It was where he belonged for it was with him, and it was, he thought as they ravished each other in the soaring flights of love, exactly where he would stay as long as he let him.
The End
His Greatest Weapon, posted 3-4-09, rated K/G
Characters: Bruce/Alfred
Batman considers his greatest weapon on a miserable night.
He shivered inside his secret hiding place in the mouth of a large gargoyle statue. His keen eyes watched the dark streets of Gotham even as his nose ran. It was a miserable night, complete with a fantastic lightning display; enormous, bone-rattling thunder; and chilling, sleeting rain, hail, and even snow. It was the kind of night that neither man nor mouse deserved to be out on, and yet here he was and here he would be unless he got a call.
His mind flicked back to Alfred's pleading that he stay home this night. He had been sorely tempted to stay, but as he had told his love and had been reminding himself constantly ever since, criminals didn't stay home just because the weather was miserable. This was just the kind of weather that some sick and twisted mind would expect no one to be paying attention during and, therefore, make his move. Bruce sighed as his eyes ran water behind his cowl. He wished he could have stayed home, but that was never an option, not on the best of nights and especially not on the worst.
He coughed, sneezed, and used yet another kleenex. He had enough used kleenex stuffed away in his Batbelt that he was going to soon have to make another trip to the local gas station just to dispense of it. He would never just drop it out of the sky for not only would it give away his location but he could not, would not, diminish what little beauty Gotham had left.
He shivered again and withdrew further into himself and the mouth. He could see out plainly through his specialized goggles, but they could not see him. He silently thanked Alfred yet again for equipping him with his best weapon of the night that he currently hugged to his chest. Without it, he would have been doomed. He uncapped the thermos, poured himself another cup, and sipped it slowly, sighing in relief as Alfred's chicken soup coiled its way around him and warmed him all the way through to his cockles.
He sighed as he recapped the thermos. He couldn't wait to get back home to him!
The End
His Shining Star, posted 1-13-10, rated M/R
Characters: Bruce/Alfred
The age gap between himself and his beloved weighs too heavily on Bruce's mind; Alfred finds a way to reassure him while facing his own fears.
He laid beside his love and tried not to worry. He tried valiantly not to think about anything, not about the criminals laying siege to the city while he rested, not about the next grand scheme by some badass who wanted to rule the world, and especially not about the gaping age difference between his beloved and himself. Yet it was the latter that his mind kept turning back to. Alfred had just celebrated another birthday, and with every joyous birthday celebration came another reminder that decades lay between them.
It wasn't fair, Bruce thought. It wasn't fair that they weren't the same age, that Alfred had lived so much longer than he and would probably die before he did. That was part of why he could so easily laugh Death in the face: he hoped to go first for he did not want to face the dark abyss that his life would become without his love's shining star guiding him.
Without Alfred, the fight would become pointless. Without Alfred, his world would be a gaping, dark hole of nothing but misery, heartache, and pain. Without his love, there was no point in living and nothing to make life worth the trouble. And yet, he feared with all his being, that one day, it would . . .
"Bruce," Alfred's gentle voice cut into Bruce's thoughts. The younger man made a guilty face that Alfred could not see for he was behind him, his muscular arms wrapped around him and holding him close to his naked chest, but Alfred knew it was there. He patted his hand reassuringly. "Go to sleep, luv."
"I . . . can't . . . "
"Yes, you can. I'll be here in the morning. I'll be here every morning." Before Bruce could try to make him promise him that he would keep his word as Alfred meant for him to think it - that he would be there every morning of his life instead of every morning of Alfred's life -, Alfred began to sing softly. He sung Bruce a lullaby, and his beloved hero, the man who had saved his life time and again with just a smile, a kiss, or a mere "hello" and in more ways than he would ever know, drifted slowly off to sleep.
Alfred kept singing even after his sweetheart started to snore. His voice melted into Bruce's dreams, chasing away the nightmares and bringing pleasurable dreams that he far too seldom had. As Alfred himself finally began to fall asleep, he said a silent prayer that he hoped with every inch of his being would be gifted. He asked for no less than an eternity spent loving Bruce and begged to have it granted with his every ounce that day and every day.
The End
His World, posted 9-1-11, rated K+/PG
Characters: Bruce/Alfred
There is one side to the Batman that only his beloved Alfred will ever know.
There are many layers of the man he loves beneath the mask, and only Alfred knows them all. There's the Batman, who the whole world either loves or fears and despises. Beneath the Bat, there's multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne who the women chase after and the men, those who don't also attempt to woo him, either respect him or are constantly trying to devise new ways to take his father's money for their own greedy selves.
Yet there still remains another side to the great, big Bat, a side that is known to only one. He's the same person who bares the honor of having Bruce love him, and though Bruce remains a passionate lover in the bedroom to all those he deigns to take to his bed and a flirtatious fox in love's playground, his heart always remains belonging to that one individual. Alfred smiles, the corners of his mustache lifting. He is that man, and he knows how lucky he is to have his wonderful Bruce's love.
He also knows the one other side which remains unknown to everybody else in the entire world, and even on the alien nations where Batman is kept in utmost honor and respect. He knows the little boy secretly locked away underneath all his love's other many layers, and he knows that sometimes that sweet child needs as much stroking as the man himself. Thus it is that sometimes, early in the morning, as the sun is first beginning to climb over the eastern most hills, Alfred meets his beloved in the Batcave, ready to be there for both the man and the child. He meets him dressed only in an apron and carrying a tray of his favorite cookies and milk.
Bruce removes all of his masks and gazes into Alfred's knowing, caring eyes. A smile slowly stretches his lips and fills his handsome face, and his blue eyes sparkle as they did long ago when Alfred first baked cookies for him. "You waited up," he comments, shutting the Batmobile's door and coming closer.
Alfred answers him with an understanding smile. "I always do, sir."
"I know," Bruce tells him, pulls him close, and takes a bite of cookie. Then he kisses his beloved partner, and Alfred returns his kisses in between feeding him cookies.
Much has changed since his sweetheart was only a boy, and though Alfred wouldn't give anything for most of those changes for they have made his little one into the man he loves and who loves him today, he still cherishes those glimpses of the little boy he receives. Bruce will always be not only the man he loves but the boy he adores, as well, and much, much more. His beloved Bruce is the reason he holds on to life, why he continues on no matter what is done to him to try to get to Batman, and the reason he'll always be smiling and waiting when his love returns home. He is his whole world.
The End
