Better Together
five.
Charlotte leaned back in Bruce’s chair, staring in awe at her surroundings. She sat at his desk, staring at all the screens in front of her, waiting for the reality of it all to really sink in. Her eyes jumped from screen to screen, watching as the computer ran scans of the southern region of the Pacific Ocean. Charlotte pointed at the radar and looked over her shoulder at Bruce, who was behind her leaning against the Batmobile.
“Is this…” The words were stuck in Charlotte’s throat. She had so many questions but could hardly formulate a coherent sentence. Her mind was running at a million miles a second.
Bruce nodded, “That’s why I was in New Zealand. I’m looking for a metahuman named Arthur Curry.”
Bruce dressing up as a bat vigilante to keep Gotham safe, sure Charlotte could get on board. Finding out there was a huge cave built out beneath your home with millions of dollars worth of military grade technology and information to track down “metahumans” and save the world? Charlotte wasn’t so sure how she felt about that. “What do you mean, metahumans?”
“People with superpowers. People like Clark and Diana, the woman you met tonight.”
Charlotte looked at Bruce with a furrowed brow, “What do you mean like Clark?”
Bruce sighed, knowing the Metropolis reporter had grown on Charlotte, and reached his arms around her to the computer. Charlotte spun slowly in her seat to find Bruce clinking one a file labeled Superman. Her throat went dry as a window popped up. Clark’s photo from his Daily Planet credentials was smiling down at her. Behind it, a small video was playing. It looked like cellphone footage from the incident that tore apart several Wayne Enterprise buildings as well as other structures throughout Gotham.
The billionaire took his girlfriend’s silence as a sign that she was processing all the information and opened a new file. Charlotte let out a soft gasp and brought a hand up to cover the shock plastered across her face. Her other hand reached out to touch the photo of Diana and Steve Trevor. “Bruce… these are-”
Charlotte felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Bruce nodded, “World War II uniforms.”
Chills ran down Charlotte’s spine. “Why are you telling me all of this, Bruce. Two hours ago, you wouldn’t even look me in the eye and tell me you’re the fucking Batman. Now you’re telling me Superman’s civilian identity and talking to me about metahumans.”
Bruce sighed, his hand dropping away from Charlotte’s delicate shoulder. “I wanted to keep you safe and hidden away from this life I’ve chosen. We’re at the brink of something terrible happening, I just know it. I thought if I kept this life hidden from you, you would be better off. I never realized how much more harm than good I was causing.”
Charlotte turned in the seat and took Bruce’s hands in her own. She stood and leaned into his body, melting into his loving embrace. “Bruce, I love you… every part of you. After three years, and you still take me for a fool sometimes. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice how often you sneak out of bed in the middle of the night, or the fact that you’ve clearly been working out more than you ever have since we got together?” She felt Bruce’s chest vibrate beneath her head as he laughed.
“If I’m going to get through this,” Bruce dropped an arm from Charlotte’s waist and dug around in his pocket before pulling out a small velvet box, “I’m going to need you to be my rock and keep me grounded.” He popped the box open. Charlotte gasped and whispered his name, tearing her eyes away from the beautiful ring to look him in the eyes. “If something happens to me, everything will go to you and Alfred.”
“Bruce, I…” Charlotte bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the floor. She pressed a hand against the billionaire’s hard chest and pushed away to create some space between the two. “I would love more than anything to marry you,” Charlotte dropped her hand and closed the velvet box in Bruce’s hand, pushing it back toward his own body, “But I won’t do it because you think you’re going to get killed. Save the world, then come ask me again. I need you to ask me because you want to.”
Surprised by his own reaction, Bruce felt relieved as the ring box was shoved back into his pocket. He dropped a kiss on top of Charlotte’s head and stepped out from her body. He took several strides across the Batcave toward the safe he had hidden behind one of the structural walls. His biometrics were scanned and a small section of the wall disappeared. The billionaire was quick to type in the passcode and retrieve a rectangular box.
“Stop with the jewelry, Bruce. I think a proposal was enough for one night.” Said Charlotte as her eyes followed Bruce across the room.
Bruce let out a soft chuckle as the safe was once again hidden beneath the wall. He turned and opened the box, pulling out a luminescent string of pearls. Bruce held the delicate clasps of the necklace in his hands as he made his way back toward his girlfriend. “When I was a kid, I would aspire to have the kind of love my parents had for one another. That dream faded away after they died and I thought this string of pearls would sit in the safe forever.” Bruce motioned for Charlotte to turn around. He waited as she pulled her hair all to one side over her shoulder. “It wasn’t until I met you that I realized I still had a chance as that great love. If you won’t marry me yet, at least accept these.”
Charlotte felt all the hair on her skin stand as Bruce’s calloused fingers brushed against the base of her neck. She felt the cool metal of the clasps rest against her skin. Charlotte tossed her hair back over her shoulder and turned to face her boyfriend. She brought a hand up to the pearls around her neck gently, almost as if to see if they were real. Looking up, Charlotte found Bruce staring back down at her. There was a small ghost of a smile on his lips, the one he reserved just for her.
“Is this…” The words were stuck in Charlotte’s throat. She had so many questions but could hardly formulate a coherent sentence. Her mind was running at a million miles a second.
Bruce nodded, “That’s why I was in New Zealand. I’m looking for a metahuman named Arthur Curry.”
Bruce dressing up as a bat vigilante to keep Gotham safe, sure Charlotte could get on board. Finding out there was a huge cave built out beneath your home with millions of dollars worth of military grade technology and information to track down “metahumans” and save the world? Charlotte wasn’t so sure how she felt about that. “What do you mean, metahumans?”
“People with superpowers. People like Clark and Diana, the woman you met tonight.”
Charlotte looked at Bruce with a furrowed brow, “What do you mean like Clark?”
Bruce sighed, knowing the Metropolis reporter had grown on Charlotte, and reached his arms around her to the computer. Charlotte spun slowly in her seat to find Bruce clinking one a file labeled Superman. Her throat went dry as a window popped up. Clark’s photo from his Daily Planet credentials was smiling down at her. Behind it, a small video was playing. It looked like cellphone footage from the incident that tore apart several Wayne Enterprise buildings as well as other structures throughout Gotham.
The billionaire took his girlfriend’s silence as a sign that she was processing all the information and opened a new file. Charlotte let out a soft gasp and brought a hand up to cover the shock plastered across her face. Her other hand reached out to touch the photo of Diana and Steve Trevor. “Bruce… these are-”
Charlotte felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Bruce nodded, “World War II uniforms.”
Chills ran down Charlotte’s spine. “Why are you telling me all of this, Bruce. Two hours ago, you wouldn’t even look me in the eye and tell me you’re the fucking Batman. Now you’re telling me Superman’s civilian identity and talking to me about metahumans.”
Bruce sighed, his hand dropping away from Charlotte’s delicate shoulder. “I wanted to keep you safe and hidden away from this life I’ve chosen. We’re at the brink of something terrible happening, I just know it. I thought if I kept this life hidden from you, you would be better off. I never realized how much more harm than good I was causing.”
Charlotte turned in the seat and took Bruce’s hands in her own. She stood and leaned into his body, melting into his loving embrace. “Bruce, I love you… every part of you. After three years, and you still take me for a fool sometimes. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice how often you sneak out of bed in the middle of the night, or the fact that you’ve clearly been working out more than you ever have since we got together?” She felt Bruce’s chest vibrate beneath her head as he laughed.
“If I’m going to get through this,” Bruce dropped an arm from Charlotte’s waist and dug around in his pocket before pulling out a small velvet box, “I’m going to need you to be my rock and keep me grounded.” He popped the box open. Charlotte gasped and whispered his name, tearing her eyes away from the beautiful ring to look him in the eyes. “If something happens to me, everything will go to you and Alfred.”
“Bruce, I…” Charlotte bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the floor. She pressed a hand against the billionaire’s hard chest and pushed away to create some space between the two. “I would love more than anything to marry you,” Charlotte dropped her hand and closed the velvet box in Bruce’s hand, pushing it back toward his own body, “But I won’t do it because you think you’re going to get killed. Save the world, then come ask me again. I need you to ask me because you want to.”
Surprised by his own reaction, Bruce felt relieved as the ring box was shoved back into his pocket. He dropped a kiss on top of Charlotte’s head and stepped out from her body. He took several strides across the Batcave toward the safe he had hidden behind one of the structural walls. His biometrics were scanned and a small section of the wall disappeared. The billionaire was quick to type in the passcode and retrieve a rectangular box.
“Stop with the jewelry, Bruce. I think a proposal was enough for one night.” Said Charlotte as her eyes followed Bruce across the room.
Bruce let out a soft chuckle as the safe was once again hidden beneath the wall. He turned and opened the box, pulling out a luminescent string of pearls. Bruce held the delicate clasps of the necklace in his hands as he made his way back toward his girlfriend. “When I was a kid, I would aspire to have the kind of love my parents had for one another. That dream faded away after they died and I thought this string of pearls would sit in the safe forever.” Bruce motioned for Charlotte to turn around. He waited as she pulled her hair all to one side over her shoulder. “It wasn’t until I met you that I realized I still had a chance as that great love. If you won’t marry me yet, at least accept these.”
Charlotte felt all the hair on her skin stand as Bruce’s calloused fingers brushed against the base of her neck. She felt the cool metal of the clasps rest against her skin. Charlotte tossed her hair back over her shoulder and turned to face her boyfriend. She brought a hand up to the pearls around her neck gently, almost as if to see if they were real. Looking up, Charlotte found Bruce staring back down at her. There was a small ghost of a smile on his lips, the one he reserved just for her.