Bruce and Diana finished their sparring session and made their way back up to the penthouse, sweaty and exhausted. The room they used for sparring was two floors below the penthouse, and Bruce's private elevator didn't have a door that opened on that floor, so they took the stairs.
When Diana looked down the stairwell—which seemed to have soundproof padding along the walls and floors—she noticed that the top four levels of the building were cut off from the rest. The stairs leading down to the 36th level abruptly ended with a flat floor, and it looked as though a construction team had recently blocked off the levels below.
"So how exactly did you get all of this done?" Diana asked. "I thought you weren't going to inherit control of the company 'til next year?"
"Lucius Fox, the man who currently runs my father's company, was one of my parents' closest friends," Bruce replied. "If I ever need anything from the company, he makes sure that I get it. He was the one who convinced the school to switch to Wayne Security last month. Though I don't always have to get it from him; most people in the company are more than happy to give favors to the boy who's going to be their boss in six months."
Diana smiled. As a princess, she'd been treated in much the same way on Themyscira. It was nice to know someone else who was—essentially—royalty.
Diana paused slightly on the stairwell as they passed the 39th floor. All the windows on that floor were blacked out, and the place was cluttered with a mess of computers, work desks, and lab equipment. Diana wasn't sure exactly what it was all for, but she decided to pretend she hadn't noticed.
When they reached the top floor, they walked out through a hidden door in the wall of the penthouse's library. "Why exactly do you have a secret door, anyway?" Diana asked.
Bruce gave a slight boyish grin. "I thought it'd be cool."
Lois had called Bruce earlier in the day, asking if the group could meet up at the penthouse. She didn't say why, but she said it was important. When Bruce had asked Diana if she knew anything, she remained strangely silent.
Bruce and Diana walked into the kitchen, and arrived to find two rather large glasses of icewater already sitting on the counter. Alfred was very good at his job.
The elevator bell dinged, and the doors slid open. Bruce was a bit surprised, as no one was supposed to be here for another half-hour. Lois stepped out of the elevator and was both surprised and confused to see Bruce and Diana in the kitchen together, covered in sweat.
"Diana... I didn't know you'd be here," Lois said, still unsure of what to think.
Here Diana had a dilemma. She knew that Bruce wanted to keep their training sessions a secret, but she had to tell Lois something.
Bruce interjected. "She agreed to teach me how to fight. We were downstairs training until a few minutes ago."
Lois believed him, but was still surprised and confused. "o...kay, then," she said, not wanting to make a scene.
Diana felt the discomfort in the room, and decided that she should be somewhere else. Looking down at herself, she saw how disheveled and sweaty she was. "Um... do you mind if I take a shower before the rest of them get here?" she asked.
"Sure;" Bruce answered. "The bathroom's right around the corner in that hallway."
Diana walked off down the hall, leaving Bruce and Lois alone together.
Lois gave him a look that seemed to say "are you KIDDING ME?"
Bruce sighed and put his hand on his forehead.
Lois nearly stomped as she walked over to him. "What the hell is going on?!" she asked.
"I just told you," Bruce replied. "She's teaching me how to fight."
That apparently didn't matter to Lois one bit. "So, what, she's gonna be coming over to your place every day for private lessons so you guys can get all sweaty together?"
Bruce opened his mouth to defend himself, but Lois cut him off. "No! Don't tell me 'it's not like that.' I mean, look at her!"
Lois's voice started to crack a little as she spoke, and her eyes watered a little. "She's... she's the most gorgeous girl on the PLANET, and—"
This time, Bruce cut her off, putting two fingers gently to her lips. "No. You're the most gorgeous girl on the planet."
Lois felt herself calm down. Bruce put his arms around her, and she let herself slump over onto his shoulder. After a few seconds, she tilted her head up to look at him. "You sure you're not just gonna run off with the amazon princess?"
He grinned at her. "I'm sure."
"Okay," she said as she smiled, leaning her head back onto his shoulder. "She does look pretty hot when she's all wet in that tank top, though, huh?" she jokingly asked him.
Bruce was a little stunned by her joke.
"...I plead the fifth."
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