Last Danceby nw's chicksummary: Bruce and Dick share the last dance notes: this one is for my minion, Sue. *snuggles* takes place in the animated series continuity, i guess. ~*~ Bruce loosened his tie as he pulled away from the driveway. It had been a long night, but given the circumstances, he hadn't felt they could leave without seeing Barb off. Her father had been practically bursting with pride, strutting about the hall with his chin up and his shoulders thrown back. He had been a little worried beforehand about how Dick would react to it all, but that seemed rather foolish now. Dick and Barb had danced once, but Barb had had to seek him out. Bruce had danced with Barb twice, actually, but the second time was only a bunny hop. She had looked beautiful in her dress, the skirt flaring out and covered with sparkles. She had a tasteful amount of décolletage showing, and her hair had been pinned up. She and her new husband looked like they had popped off the pages of a fairy tale. A tiny sigh to his right caught his attention. Dick was leaning on his hand, staring out into the darkness. Bruce considered it carefully before he tried to speak. Dick had been having a great time at the party, and saw Barb off with pleasure, so he knew that Dick wasn't regretting past decisions. Perhaps it was just that he was tired. Perhaps he was feeling a post-party let down. "Ok?" Dick didn't move when Bruce spoke, which was telling in and of itself. "Fine." "Good reception." "Very nice." "She looked happy." "She is." Bruce watched Dick from the corner of his eye as he merged onto the expressway. He was glad that Alfred had taken Tim home earlier; it meant that he could be alone with Dick. They didn't get enough time to be alone, between their night jobs and their day jobs and Tim and the rest of the family. He cherished every second he spent with Dick, no matter what they were doing. But he wanted Dick to enjoy their time together, he wanted Dick to be satisfied, and most of all, he wanted Dick to be content. "What's wrong?" Nothing like the direct approach, when every other option had been exhausted. Dick said nothing for a long time, just continued to stare out the window, breathing slowly and deliberately. "There's nothing wrong." That didn't sound convincing to anyone. "Tell me." It wasn't an order, and it wasn't a request, but it was coming from Bruce, so Dick turned slightly so that his eyes were fixed straight ahead and he could see his lover from the corner of his eye. Even still, he didn't speak for a long time, but he was clearly gauging the situation. "Does it ever bother you?" Bruce sorted through various options before concluding that he didn't know what Dick was talking about. "Does what bother me?" Dick sighed again, but this time, it was more like he was trying to work up the energy to speak. "Going to weddings... Going out... Seeing other people together, dancing together, holding each other... And not being able..." Dick's voice wandered off, and he turned his head away again. Bruce resisted the urge to sigh as he griped the steering wheel a little more firmly. "To hold you." "I know it's childish. I don't even know... why I thought about it. But for some reason... when I thought about Barb getting married, I assumed that, well, *we* could go together. Since it was a 'family' wedding. I guess I just forgot..." Dick griped his elbows in his palms and narrowed his eyes slightly. "I kept watching you with other people, dancing with women, and I wanted... I wanted to be in your arms." Bruce's mouth formed a small line as Dick's words went through his brain and got processed. "I'm sorry." "Why?" Dick turned to look at him, smiling that devilish smile that never failed to make Bruce want to grin. "Did you make society what it is? It's not your fault. It's just a silly thing." Bruce didn't contradict him, but he certainly didn't agree either. He put his hand on Dick's thigh, though, and after only a moment's pause, Dick responded by putting his hand over Bruce's. They finished the drive back in comfortable silence. As soon as they got inside the Manor, Dick made a beeline for the kitchen, as he always did. Bruce shook his head, taking advantage of the moment to slip into his office. Even if they came straight from a fancy dinner, Dick always headed for the kitchen. When he was younger, Alfred would tease Dick, admonishing that growing boys that ate too much grew too much. Dick's appetite was impressive. Bruce pushed aside the wing chairs and small tables that were on the other side of his desk. *All* of Dick's appetites were impressive, and Bruce wished that he could satisfy them better. It was hard to keep up with Dick sometimes, but it was worth it, completely worth it. He went over to the antique shelves, and examined his cds carefully. He wanted to pick just the right one, but his taste in music and Dick's... were not entirely compatible. But he was sure he could find something as a compromise. He could hear Dick outside, leaving the kitchen, seeing the light from the study, and changing directions, so he picked quickly, turning on the cd player and loading the disk quickly. "Bruce? Are you going to be up late? I thought you were done with all your work..." Dick was still shaking the crumbs off his hands as he entered, stopping short when he saw Bruce at the cd player that he would have *sworn* ten minutes ago Bruce didn't know was in his study at all. Bruce cued up the song, and hit play. He crossed over to Dick in four long strides, offering his hand. "May I?" Dick just gave Bruce a questioning look, calculating perhaps the odds of Bruce being under the influence of Poison Ivy or some joker laughing gas. Then the music swelled up. Dick's lips quirked as he resisted the urge to laugh. "I didn't even realize that you *owned* this." Bruce nearly looked embarrassed, and was about to back off, and apologize for his foolish idea when Dick took a step forward, and put his body next to Bruce's. For a moment, Bruce did nothing but enjoy the proximity to his lover, and then he started to think about what they were doing. Confused, he almost stepped backwards. "Who leads?" Dick shook his head, smiling, and put his arms around Bruce's neck. "Don't be so formal. Just dance with me." Bruce had no problem with that. He put his arms around Dick's waist, and shuffled his feet back and forth with Dick. They swayed in a small circle in the middle of the carpet for a few moments. Dick's body was leaning loosely against Bruce, and they were filled each other's personal space as easily as they did when they slept together. It was comfortable and natural. "I'm sorry." "What are you apologizing for now?" Dick teased. "I... want the same things. I wanted to hold you tonight, I want to be open in public..." "*I* don't." Dick sounded quite firm, and Bruce lost the rhythm as he looked Dick in the eye, surprised. Dick, as usual, responded by grinning. "I don't want the media circus, or the speculation about when I was a kid, or the speculation about Tim... I don't want our lives to be any more under a microscope. I knew what I was getting into, Bruce. I know you love me. I don't *need* it to be publicly declared. I just need to be with you whenever I can. I like our life together. We kick ass, help people, and have great sex. It's like magic." Bruce strangled a snort, shaking his head as he thwacked Dick's pert little bottom. "You always have to throw in the pun... Well. Thank you." Dick leaned up, and kissed Bruce, teasingly at first but getting more and more insistent by the second. "Thank *you*. And Bruce? Buffy musical?" Bruce's back stiffened, and he pulled Dick closer to hide any possible outward signs of embarrassment. "I thought it was very creative." Dick wisely chose not to comment, but settled more comfortably in Bruce's arms. ~*~ end hrm... this was supposed to be fluffy, but i think it got a little angsty... *le sigh* for those not familiar with buffy, the song they danced to was I'm Under Your Spell. here are the words...
I lived my life in shadow
I'm under your spell
I saw a world enchanted
I'm under your spell
GIRLS
TARA
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