Work Text:
Barbara opened her eyes to the sunlight streaming in through the window. She was sore all over. Her muscles ached and there was a pleasant tingling sensation between her thighs.
She turned her head slightly and her eyes landed on the face of the man next to her, his crystal blue eyes closed in sleep, his breathing steady. One strong, muscular arm wrapped around her and the other casually flung over his head.
Her cheek rested on his firm, broad chest. She could see the lines of sunlight coming through the blinds and painting stripes across his skin. Some lingered onto his black hair, lighting it in a blaze of fire.
She raised her hand slightly to move some of Dick’s thick, black hair out of his face, trying not to wake him. He looked blissfully at peace, and she loved seeing him like this. His long, dark lashes fluttered against his cheek. She was always slightly envious of his eyelashes.
Barbara noted his hair had grown back to where it was before his head injury. Shaggy and thick, in that casual tousled way he always wore it. She smiled to herself.
She was a bit of an amateur photographer and Dick was her favorite subject. She especially liked to catch him with his guard down, relaxed and at ease. While he was indeed beautiful, she liked capturing his inner light.
As much as she found pleasure in the way his muscles moved under his skin and the way light would dapple across the dips and valleys of his muscles. The straight lines of his nose and the chiseled angles of his cheekbones. The sharpness of his jawline that was sometimes lightly dusted with stubble, she liked the vulnerability he’d show her.
Sometimes the intensity he’d show her as she looked through her lens took her breath away. To most people, he was wisecracking, charming Dick Grayson. To her, however, he was shy and introspective. He was exuberant out in public, but the small moments they shared together were the ones she treasured.
Barbara almost gave up hope when he lost his memories and shunned his friends and family. She tried not to push him to remember because she wanted her friend back. She wanted her Dick back. But, she knew how traumatic brain injuries could be, and while he was able to heal fully physically, his mind had been hijacked by the Court of Owls.
Once his memories came flooding back, she had helped him sort through what was real and what was false. He took the mantle of Nightwing again and they had decided to start their forever stalled relationship.
They had loved one another for a long time. First as friends, then as something deeper. Nothing ever seemed to line up at the right time for them, however. Until they did and they exploded in each others’ arms.
Now, as she lay there in his arms, watching him sleep and draw comfort in his strong arms, she felt safe. She’d been with other men before, but none of them made her feel the way Dick did.
She could feel him stir beneath her. His hand skimmed over the bare skin of her back and his eyebrows scrunched together as he woke.
His eyes cracked open and he turned his head and looked down at her. He gave her a lopsided smirk.
“Morning,” he said sleepily.
“Good morning,” she answered back.
His hand went to his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them.
“How long have you been awake?” he asked.
“Not long. I’ve just been here watching you.”
His eyebrows twitched up. “Oh really? Do I do cartwheels in my sleep? I probably could, though.”
Barbara laughed, “No, nothing like that. The sun was hitting you at just the right angle and I was admiring the way it highlighted your skin.”
Dick placed a kiss on her forehead.
“I’m surprised you didn’t get your camera and take a picture.”
“I didn’t want to wake you. Besides, I’ll remember it.”
And she would. Her eidetic memory had already committed every line of him into her memory banks. Every curve; every dip and furrow; the way his skin felt under her hands; the way he felt inside of her; each scar and beauty mark; the way his hands felt when they touched her.
Barbara reached up and traced her fingers over his face. He took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked her.
She smiled, “Just at how lucky I am to have you in my life. I never want to take that for granted. Especially after everything that’s happened these past few years.”
He smiled that smile that always made her insides melt.
“I’m lucky too, that I have you. You bring out the best in me, Babs. You always have. I don’t want to lose that. The fates always seem to have other ideas, though.”
She scoffed, “Fuck the fates. We’re made of stronger stuff than that. The two of us can handle whatever comes our way, together.”
He kissed her again, deeper this time. She could feel the heat stir up inside her again, despite their activities last night. She’d never be able to get enough of him. She knew that now. He’d permeated every inch of her; her skin, her veins, her heart, her soul.
Dick rolled her over onto her back, lips still locked with hers. She could feel him coming back to life again, firm against her. She threaded her fingers through his dark hair and felt her desire pooling in her core once again. Her skin felt electric.
His lips moved down her throat, pausing to lick and nip at her skin. Her heartbeat quickened.
“God I love you,” he said into the hollow of her throat. “I have for a long time. I was stupid to wait as long as I did to tell you.”
She sighed, “I love you too. My head wasn’t in the right place for a while. But, things are the way they should be now. You and me, right here. Together.”
She knew she sounded corny, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to be afraid of how she felt, nor of telling him how she felt. She held back for so long. Too long.
He worshiped and adored her all over again. She felt it in every movement he made, every whisper against her skin, every touch, every time he cried out her name, and she in turn.
Every moment was like a photograph in her mind. Every ache and every need. Every sigh. She knew she’d always treasure them. Forever.