Chapter seven
He said it! Dick couldn't believe it. Bruce Wayne said he loved him, was IN LOVE WITH him! Dick realized that his mouth was hanging open. He shut it. He opened it again to say something . . . but he couldn't think of anything to say. What an idiot! Here he'd been preparing for this very moment for at least three years, and he couldn't remember a single word from any of those fantasy conversations. He shut his mouth again. Something hurt in his chest. Oh yeah, breathing, he oughta keep breathing, that'd be a good idea. Dick took a deep breath.
"Thank you, Bruce. Thank you for saying it. I love you too."
Bruce relaxed and smiled. Ah, that was good to see.
"It was hard for me too, you know. When I first started thinking of you this way. When you started invading my wet dreams."
Bruce turned about six shades of scarlet. Dick ignored that, he had to go on. If he stopped, he might not be able to start again.
"I mean, you were a second father to me. I was fourteen when it first started. I'd been with you for five years. It was very frightening to me at first. It was disturbing and I didn't know what to do about it. I thought it was wrong too. And I was afraid that if you found out you might throw me out, put me in Arkham or something."
"Dick, I would never-" Bruce protested.
"I know, Bruce, I know that now. But I didn't then. I was just a kid. I didn't know what might happen. Bruce, I didn't even know I was gay! It all hit me at once. And it was my freshman year in high school. Everything in my life was changing and I was really confused and . . . oh god, I don't know how to describe it." Dick took another deep breath and tried to formulate a clearer thought. "That's why I took karate. Why I joined the gymnastics team AND tennis AND hockey AND track. I had to stay out of the house. And I had a lot of energy to work off." Dick laughed.
Bruce laughed too. "I wondered where you got the strength."
"Sexual tension is an amazing stimulant. Anyway, I started reading up on it; homosexuality, May-December love affairs, falling in love with your boss, everything even remotely related to this 'problem' I had. It isn't all that uncommon, you know. It was basically a staple of 19th century romantic fiction. Young girl is orphaned and taken in by wealthy, single, distant male relative, they fall in love and marry. Sometimes she wasn't orphaned, she was hired to be a nanny to his motherless children, or cook or run his household, but the result was always the same. I decided it couldn't be too sick if it was that familiar, it was just . . . out of fashion, so to speak. That helped me a lot. Eventually, I accepted it. I am comfortable with it now. I just had to convince you of it." Dick grinned. He looked at Bruce's face. He had his attention. He had his compassion. He had his understanding. FINALLY! "Bruce, I know that we have a lot more talking to do, and I am not trying to distract you from that, " Dick stood up and sat at the other end of the couch, next to Bruce. "But it's been a long, long time, and I have to do this now." Dick leaned close and kissed Bruce softly. "I love you, Bruce Wayne."
It was Bruce's turn to be speechless. But he wasn't resisting either. Dick slid his hand around Bruce's head and pulled his face closer. He kissed him again, slowly and deeply. Bruce's mouth opened and Dick twisted his tongue around Bruce's. The contact sent a spasm through Bruce's body strong enough that Dick could feel the vibration. He felt Bruce's arms around him, pulling him close, holding him tight. Dick pressed himself into Bruce's lap. Bruce shivered and moaned very softly. Dick broke the kiss and laid his head on Bruce's shoulder, hugging him and breathing heavily. Bruce rubbed his hands along Dick's back and ran his fingers through the long curly hair.
"Dick . . ." Bruce breathed into his ear.
"This feels good, doesn't it," Dick said.
"Yes," Bruce whispered. "Yes, very good."
Dick kissed Bruce's neck. "Just relax. It's okay."
"I am relaxed," Bruce answered.
Dick laughed, kneading the stiff, taut shoulders. "THIS is relaxed? Come on, Bruce, give me a break."
Bruce smiled a bit embarrassedly and shrugged.
"I know something that will help," Dick said, leaving Bruce's lap. He walked into the kitchen and popped something in the microwave. "Come on," he said, returning to the couch and taking Bruce's hand.
"Where are we going?" Bruce asked nervously.
"To the bedroom," Dick answered with a comical leer.
Bruce's eyes widened. "Dick, I . . . I don't know if . . ."
"Take it easy, Bruce, I'm just going to give you a massage, okay?"
"A massage?"
"Yes, a massage." Dick laughed.
"Oh." Bruce let Dick lead him to his bedroom.
"Take off your shirt and -" Dick lowered his voice, "whatever else you feel like taking off. And lie down on the bed."
Bruce unbuttoned his shirt and folded it. The microwave dinged and Dick left the room. Bruce laid his shirt on Dick's dresser. He pulled off his undershirt and laid it there too. He sat on the bed and took off his boots and socks. He stood up and unlaced his riding leathers and let them fall from his waist and legs. He could hear Dick's footsteps coming out of the kitchen. He wanted to make some gesture, to show that he was willing, if not exactly ready. He bit his lip and quickly unsnapped his jeans. He grabbed the zipper and yanked it down before he got cold feet. He pulled them off and laid on the bed, face down.
Dick came back into the bedroom, shaking the bottle of warm lavender oil. He saw Bruce, naked but for his skivvies, laid out on his bed like a main course. Oh, yeah, this was gonna be a night to remember. Dick put the bottle down and skinned out of his clothes quickly, while Bruce watched. When Dick pulled off his shorts and underwear in one swoop, he saw Bruce lick his lips. It looked like an unconscious movement, but those were the most telling, weren't they? He flipped the cap off the oil and poured it into his hands.
"This is gonna be a little slippery at first," Dick said, straddling Bruce's hips.
"Alright," came Bruce's muffled reply. The scent of lavender slowly filled his nostrils. It was nice, soothing. Dick's hands caressed him in long, even, strokes. Then in large circles. His muscles started to unknot.
Dick could feel some of the tension leave Bruce's body. He increased pressure slightly. "Bruce, what is this long scar from?"
Wham! The tension that he'd just loosened came back with a vengeance.
"It's nothing," Bruce answered - No, not Bruce.
"Bullshit." Dick kept his voice low, leaning closer to Bruce's ear. "Lose the damned Bat, Bruce. I'm talking to you, not him, remember?" He leaned back, continuing to work at the knots. "It's a scar, looks to me like a pretty serious wound. You've had stitches, that makes it a hell of a lot more than nothing. Come on, I thought we were getting somewhere here. What happened to that honesty, huh?"
Bruce was quiet for a few moments, then sighed deeply. "You're right."
Dick cheered silently. "Score another one for me," he thought. Aloud, he said, "So, what happened?"
"I was stupid, that's what happened," Bruce said, looking back at Dick and grimacing. "It's not something I'm proud of."
"So I gathered," Dick replied, raising an eyebrow. He poured more of the oil into his hands, and went back to work on Bruce's shoulders. "Well, are you going to tell me, or make me play detective?"
"It was a fight. I wasn't paying attention, I took a knife in the back. End of story."
"Uh huh." Dick knew there was more to the story than that, but this wasn't the time to press the issue. The master plan here was to get Bruce relaxed, not to put him on the defensive. If that happened, the Bat would take over, and Bruce would disappear again; Dick wasn't sure if he'd have the strength to wait for him to return again. "I guess it doesn't matter, anyway. The important thing is, you're alright." He leaned forward again, and kissed Bruce's ear. "Be more careful in the future," he whispered. "I don't want to lose you, now that I've just found you again."
Bruce was happy to have the subject dropped. He didn't want to get into his long drunk days and nights after Dick had left and the reckless chances he'd taken in bars and biker hangouts, and anywhere else his lonely wanderings had led him. Dick's fingers found a particularly tight knot under his left shoulder blade and released it. "Ahhhmmmmm."
"Liked that, did ya?"
He could hear the grin in Dick's voice. "Mmm-hmm. Where'd you learn this?"
"I took some classes in college."
"They gave massage classes at Gotham U?"
"Yeah, they disguised them under 'Physical Therapy'. Wanna know what really went on in 'Animal Husbandry'?"
Bruce laughed again. God, he loved Dick's sense of humor. "I doubt it."
Dick started giving Bruce light hand chops all over his back. That helped release some tension too. Then he got up and sat at the end of the bed.
"Where are you going?" Bruce mumbled. Then he felt Dick take his feet in his lap and rub the lavender oil over the soles and into the heels. "OOOoooooooooh, yeah, mmmmm."
"Musculature of Bipeds, second semester."
"I see. Ever thought about going back for a masters?"
This time Dick laughed. It was rare for Bruce to make jokes, the massage must be having some effect. "I did always wonder about 'Advanced Reproduction', but I could never fit it into my schedule."
Dick moved his fingers up Bruce's hard calves, rubbing small circles over the muscles. He could feel Bruce sink into the mattress. His skin was warm and flushed and his limbs were loose. Very good. Dick pushed his palms up Bruce's thighs to his hips and back down. He repeated this all around each thigh. Then he concentrated on the small of Bruce's back, then the thighs again, back, thighs, back, thighs, then up and over the firm mounds of Bruce's buttocks to his back. Dick felt the little tightening of the muscles when he touched him there. He rolled back over them down to the thighs. He continued this until Bruce relaxed. Then he put his fingers in Bruce's waistband.
'Lift up, will you?"
Bruce thought about not responding, but he couldn't do anything that might hurt Dick again. He Lifted his hips and felt the soft cotton slide off and down his legs. He closed his eyes.
Dick continued massaging Bruce, concentrating on the newly uncovered area until it too was relaxed and flushed and warm. "Okay, roll over."
Bruce rolled over, wondering what to expect. He felt Dick's body laying over him. The curly dark head on his chest, the slim legs entwined in his, the arms around his chest. "What is this called?"
"Resting. My hands are tired."
"Oh." Bruce wasn't sure what his next move should be. He pulled Dick into an embrace. He couldn't ignore Dick's erection poking hard into his thigh, anymore than he was sure Dick could ignore his, which was practically propping up his belly button.
"Let's get under the covers, it's getting cold in here." Dick pulled the blankets out from under Bruce and wiggled under them, throwing the excess over Bruce. He re-situated himself in Bruce's arms.
"Uh, Dick?" Bruce asked.
'Hmmm?" Dick answered, sounding sleepy.
"Are we going . . .further?"
"I think it's a little soon for that, don't you?"
"Um . . .are you serious?"
Dick looked at him. "Yes. Bruce, let's be blunt, okay. You aren't used to this. It wouldn't be comfortable for you to go all the way with this right now. It'd be too much too soon. Let's just get used to how we feel together, okay?"
"Dick, I . . .You're right, but . . .I don't want to deprive you of . . .of . . ."
Dick put his fingers over Bruce's lips. "Shh! Listen, I love you, I really do, and I am just happy right now that you love me back. I know that this whole relationship thing is gonna take some work, well, a LOT of work. There isn't any point in rushing things. If I pushed it right now you'd retreat and I'd end up sleeping with the Bat. I don't want to sleep with the Bat. I want to sleep with you. So, I'll wait until you're comfortable. Right now," Dick reached over and clicked off his table lamp. "I'm bushed, and I gotta get some down time. You'll stay, right?"
Bruce smiled and squeezed Dick a little tighter. "I'd be delighted."
Chapter Eight
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