conflict and compromise / barbara gordon

date

Dick Grayson thought he knew all of the emotions that could pass over Barbara Gordon's face. Considering years of training to read emotions, years of knowing Barbara, and years of dating her on and off, he should know most of them. But this... this was new. Leaning on the doorframe of the ballroom he watched as Barbara led this new girl around. He watched as her eyes trailed over them subconsciously, that wasn't irregular, she did that to people she liked, but the hunger she did it with, that... that was new.

He smirked, the new girl looked fun, he wondered how easy it would be to get them together...

⧖⧖⧖

"This is getting worrying, I already finished the upload ages ago, the amount of people that know your face..." Oracle muttered in her ear.

Wenlock smiled tightly, meeting these vigilantes outside of the profiles Oracle had written up for her was proving interesting. Without the reports, she would have never thought the shy Wayne girl was one of, if not the most dangerous fighters on the planet. 

"Another reminder that Barbara Gordon has an eidetic memory, she'll remember everything you do tonight, try and act slightly differently, or more normally? or..." Wenlock panic pushed her glasses up her nose and poked herself in the eye with the nose pad, hearing a small crack. 

"Ow, sorry one sec" She took the glasses off to see what happened. Christ, she thought, cracking the nose pad had pulled out a wire, and suddenly Oracle's voice wasn't there anymore...

damn

Well she had to make do. She had tried Oracle's advice on acting differently for the first few conversations but it was getting harder and harder to force herself to act a certain way, it was uncomfortable, every time Barbara's eyes swept over her she wanted to just run more and more. She slowly breathed in and out, acting naturally would probably be less suspicious... probably.

Turning around, she smiled at Duke Thomas, "Sorry, it was nice meeting you, I gotta do something. Hopefully, I'll see you around!" Turning around she looked for Barbara, not seeing her there.

fuck

She turned and walked through to the next room, considering her options. It was fine, she'd just say she was nervous because she didn't know anyone! But she'd stayed so long it would look suspicious if she left as soon as Barbara stopped being with her... She needed to find Barbara, apologise and say she felt nervous, then she would leave. Oracle was probably screaming at her right now, but she needed to act natural, and natural would be telling Barbara she's tired and going to leave. She stopped pacing, now she at least had a plan.

She strolled through the rooms, scanning each one as casually as she could, spotting a head of red hair she walked over and saw Barbara talking to... Bruce Wayne.

shit

♡♡♡

Barbara had just finished informing Tim and Bruce of what conspired on the rooftop, with Tim immediately taking the opportunity to leave the gala to check the Batcomputer and Bruce going to inform the others. She smiled, and turned to see Wendy at the door looking at her, unimpressed. 

With an annoyed expression on her face, Wendy walked over, "I cannot believe you just dipped on me like that, so rude." 

Barbara smiled in return, "I felt bad dragging you around, thought you might want your own time, apparently not." 

"Barbara? Who's this pretty thing you're with?" Barbara sighed at the sound of Dick introducing himself. 

"This, is-" 

"Wenlock- Wenlock Ludlow, I, uh, nice to meet you," Wend-Wenlock? interrupted.

Barbara frowned, it was not uncommon for those with special names like Wenlock to lie about their names to stay safe in the city, but to lie to the commissioners daughter... she shook her head. 

"Nicer to meet you," Dick replied with a smile, okay Barbara needed to get Wenlock out of here before Dick did something.

"I came to tell you I'm leaving, I'm getting tired," Wenlock said to Barbara with a light smile, grabbing her hands she whispered "sorry about lying about my name, force of habit." before patting her hands and turning to leave.

Barbara, frown broke back into a smile, turning to watch watch Wenlock go...

"Nope, nuh uh, I'm not letting you do this," Dick grabbed her shoulders, "you are not fumbling like this." 

"Dick! what are you doing?" Barbara whispered angrily as he pushed her towards Wenlock.

"Helping you shoot your shot, you lonely idiot," Dick replied, "Now go!" He pushed her hard this time, and as she turned around to balance herself, she fell into Wenlock. 

♡♡♡

"Oomph," Wenlock exhaled something slammed into her back, closed her eyes as the floor came up to meet her and...

 When she opened her eyes she was staring into green eyes, her world framed by blazing orange hair. 

"God this is embarrassing," Wenlock muttered, eyes avoiding Barbara's face, which was growing a light shade of pink in tandem with hers. 

Barbara was posed over her, cradling her, one arm around her waist, the other supporting her neck and holding her head. Suddenly she swung the both of them up, straight and staring at each other, as if nothing had happened. It was such a fast movement Wenlock wasn't sure anyone other than Dick had noticed.

"Y-you owe me now, when are you next free?" Barbara said breathlessly.

"Uhm- next Wednesday? anytime after 12 is fine," Wenlock barely processed what she had said before replying, too exhausted and stressed to think.

"That's fine, same diner we met, 2pm, its a date," Barbara was calming down now, the embarrassed energy being replaced by an assured confidence. 

Wenlock covered the blush on her face by burying her face in her hands, "Christ, yeah okay," before turning to leave.

"See you soon," Barbara called as she went down the stairs.

She turned, pausing for a second before letting her emotions overwhelm her, breaking into a smile. Which immediately fell into a Batfamily certified scowl when she turned back to Dick.