bakerstreet | Bright Spot

Bright Spot

The world can sometimes seem like a cold, wicked place, and more than likely, it actually is a cruel place. For days, months, years on end, you never catch a break, everything falling to pieces as soon as you pick it up. Maybe, despite this, you still try your hardest. There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel, doesn't there? The fates don't play favorites, so surely your number is about to come up. Or maybe you've given up and decided to allow yourself to barely float along with only bouts of anger or bitterness to keep you above water. There is no light anywhere, is there?

But there is. There's one bright spot in your life - a person who makes everything worthwhile.

It doesn't really matter how they came to you. What does is that they stay. Whether you admit it or not, you seek comfort from them...and, perhaps, them from you, if you're in the same situation.

So, whether you push them away, treat them right, or go so far as to worship them and put them on a pedestal, you don't want them to go now. You crave being with them, or at least being in their presence. Don't ruin this for yourself. After all, what would you do without your little ray of light? You'll do anything to keep them happy and loved. Anything.

Respond to the meme with your character, canon, preferences, and, if you'd like, what position you're character will be in.
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It's a merry chase she leads him on. Sometimes, he's creeping along the path, eyes scanning side to side for the briefest glimpse of a white flicker. Other times, he's running flat out through the flower beds, trampling some viciously in his haste while he pursues a single flicker of her hair.

In truth, he hasn't felt this way in a long time. He's exhilarated. His heart pumping and his senses on highest alert, but with no sense of threat.

But what Bruce does have is no sign of Diana. Staying true to form, he slips off his jacket and drapes it on a topiary about his height, then scrambles up into a nearby tree.

As far as Amazons go, it's a bit of a sloppy trail - but there's too much fun in teasing him. She makes it a point to spin him in various directions, ducking behind and around stone pillars and trees, over bushes, through a tangle of immaculately kept hedges and topiary. Won't Alfred be thrilled at the state of the place in the morning.

Of course he takes the higher ground for a better lay of the land, and perhaps she'll let him catch a peek of the train of her gown blowing from behind one of the larger pillars on the far west end.

He knows she's playing with him, of course. Diana moves too quickly, her senses are too keen, and she's got decades (at least?) of experience on her side. But even with the playing field this lopsided, Bruce can't help himself. It's a challenge, and it's fun, two things he rarely if ever gets to combine.

Seeing the sliver of white, he pauses for a moment, then drops to the ground before bolting in the other direction. It's not long before he decides to change tactics, slipping into the shadows cast by a vine-covered wall and waiting.

She hears the rustle of grass as he darts to the ground, waiting for his footsteps to draw closer. When they don't, she frowns. Listens a little harder now, but even with his intensive training, he's not that good at masking his trail. Arching a brow, she peeks around the edge of the pillar to find no trace of him.

Clever, Bruce. Very clever.

She smirks, walking slowly, almost predatorily towards the tree she left him in, sharp eyes darting for any sign of his trail. The bends of the grass give him away, but she feigns a broad sweep of her surroundings, stifling a smile.

"You're bending the rules on me, Mr. Wayne."

From his vantage point, he can see her searching, just a little less totally in the lead than before, and that's a victory in and of itself. But he knows he can't do much from where he's wedged himself without giving his position away.

But when Diana calls out, it's too tempting to not respond. Throwing his voice was one of the first skills he'd mastered after choosing his mysterious persona, and even if it didn't fool Diana the way it did neighborhood thugs, it should at least not make his location completely obvious.

"No powers. Have to be creative, right?"

Her lips spread into a smile when she hears that echo. He's good. Very good. It's difficult - not impossible, but difficult - to sense the source of his voice, and for that she has to commend him.

But for right now, she'll just edge a little closer to the the subtle trail he's made, pursing her lips as she listens for the sound of his breath.

"No obvious powers, perhaps. But don't sell yourself short, as they say." She grins, lifting herself off the ground and into the air in hopes of disappearing from his radar entirely.

His current efforts are just enough for him to catch a glimpse of her as she rises up from the ground. The voice from the shadows sounds again. "Now who's bending the rules?"

Bruce's eyes dart around the grounds, mapping the shadows and silvers against what he knows about the layout in his mind. Slipping out of his hiding place, he makes for a particularly sturdy trellis, and from there onto the roof of the gazebo.

There's laughter - that impish, musical kind that echoes from a few different places. She's nowhere too be found for a moment, until he finds her waiting for him on the gazebo roof. She greets him with a smile.

"Got you."

The sound of Diana's laugh warms him even though his pride takes a bit of a hit when she's right where she clearly expected him to go. Bruce shakes his head. "I thought I was the one looking for you," he says, stepping closer. "So doesn't that mean I got you?"

Diana smiles at him, crossing a slender leg over the other as she watches him move towards her.

"Ah, but you changed the rules. But even then, I still won. Now what's my prize?"

Bruce sits down next to her and shakes his head. "You took off before we could negotiate terms," he says with a shrug. "I guess that pretty much means you can name your prize."

He knows it doesn't mean anything of the sort, but for once, Bruce is going to just do something for the hell of it.

"If I'd waited to negotiate terms, I wouldn't have gotten to see you look so surprised," she replies simply. "And that, I think, is prize enough."

She rests her chin on her shoulder as she looks over at him, studying his features a moment.

"But if you're making an offer, I won't stop you."

His eyes narrow. Bruce can't deny that his pride does take a little bit of a hit when she admits how much she enjoyed getting the drop on him, but better Diana than anyone else, he supposes.

Diana's sudden closeness makes him tense for a moment, followed by it being more than a little welcome. He looks at her for a moment, thinking about what he could possibly offer an Amazon princess.

"One secret."

She hesitates when he bristles are her proximity, not intending to cause him any discomfort. Still, it seems more of a force of habit than any real aversion, so she stays her ground, leveling him with a steady, curious gaze.

At his offer, her lips spread into a smile.

"Quite a victory from a man like you. Alright, then. One secret."

Bruce nods, looking back out over the grounds and across the distance to the Manor itself. He's a man with many secrets, of course, so it's the much more difficult matter of sifting through them all to pick which one he's willing to share with Diana.

"Even though I don't have a partner anymore," he starts, consciously pushing away any darker memories that accompany the thought, "Alfred still sometimes bakes cookies and has them waiting after I get back from patrol. And I eat them."

The sharp blue of her eyes steadies on his features, watching curiously as the gears turn in his head. He's strategic in every way, even in the levity of this kind of conversation, and she can't help the genuine smile on her lips as she listens to his words.

"What kind?" It's a small detail, but one that means a small victory in knowing the man beneath the mask. Knowing that he still allows himself to be human, and more importantly that he's willing to share a piece of that humanity with her.

"Oatmeal raisin," Bruce replies, figuring that he's gone this far now, so he might as well just keep going. Diana's seen behind the cowl for long enough now, and she's not someone he's interested in keeping intimidated. Not that he could, of course.

"Dick was chocolate chip. Jason was..." Bruce clears his throat. "Jason was sugar cookies. Sugar anything."

"I've never had one," she shrugs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She watches him carefully, gauging his emotions, the way he says each of their names. Gently, her hand reaches out to rest on his.

"Thank you. For bringing me tonight."

Before he even gives it a thought, Bruce is turning his hand over until his palm is against Diana's. He doesn't really feel the night's chill any more, but he likes that small spot of warmth. "That should be remedied, and quickly."

He nods. "You're welcome. I'm glad you said yes to coming. And thank you for this," says Bruce, gesturing at the gardens that they've done a bit of damage to by playing hide and seek. "I didn't know how much I needed it."

His hand is rough - warm and calloused - much like hers would be, if she weren't... well. Still, it's a simple, human moment between a man and a woman whose lives are anything but.

"You'll give my apologies to Alfred for the mess?" She hums a laugh as she follows his gaze to the mess of foliage they've left in their wake. "Though something tells me he'll be pleased to see you having fun that doesn't involve pummeling criminals at night."

"He'll give me one of his disapproving glares before shooing me away. That's usually his M.O. when he's actually pleased with what I've done but he's too, well, British to say so."

By the time he's finished speaking, Bruce glances down. Somewhere in just those last few seconds, his hand isn't just in Diana's-- it's holding hers. He blinks, wondering just how and why it happened, but he's aware that's a question he likely already knows the answer to.

"Did you want to go back?"

[ooc: OMG you have to nudge me when I lose these things!!! :( so sorry!]

"That does sound like him," she hums, a pleasant alto sound in the small of her throat. She keeps her gaze steady on the manor and the low buzz of the party inside it, a playful smile on her lips as he stares down at their interlocked hands. She knows him well enough now - as well as anyone could know a man like him - to know that Bruce Wayne wasn't one to stumble into surprise gestures like this, however small.

She turns her head towards him, shoulders shrugging upwards a fraction.

"If you'd like. It's your party, after all."

[OOC: Don't worry about it!]

Bruce doesn't hesitate to answer. "No. I'd much rather spend the time with you." Oh, how proud of him Alfred would be right now if he could hear him. Being honest. Admitting to being human. It wasn't like him at all, but it felt good.

"Although maybe we should find someplace a little more comfortable than a roof that was never meant to be sat on?"

Her smile spreads wider at his answer. Not just the words, but the truth in them. The vulnerability.

She nods, scanning their surroundings a moment before returning her gaze to him.

"What did you have in mind?"

If Diana has a mind to inquire later on, Alfred would most certainly tell her that clearly, Master Bruce had simply been waiting for the right person to goad him into admitting his humanity, followed by sincere thanks for having accomplished the feat.

On top of the gazebo, Bruce points back towards the Manor. "My rooms have a balcony with a very nice view, as a matter of fact."

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ugh sorry I keep accidentally neglecting this one <3

No problem, I know you're good for it.

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