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aphrodite can be a cruel mistress to make me fall for you

Summary:

There were only a scattered few who could proudly say that they were able to kiss Bryce Wayne. Or Batwoman, for that matter.

Notes:

In light of Valentine's Day coming up, I just wanted to write about the various types of loves, romantic, casual, possessive, etc. I had fun writing Harvey Dent's part as full of dramatic irony seeing how Bryce and Clark would be together already at that point. Likewise, with Oliver Queen's part.

Work Text:

Tommy Elliot was almost seven when he kissed Bryce.

 

His mother always liked Bryce, liked how pretty she was, how well-behaved she was, how good of a child she was. Unlike Tommy.

 

She pushed the two of them together, finding reasons and excuses to come to the Wayne estate, announcing herself and her son's presence without so much as an invitation. “ If you marry that girl, we will never have to worry about another cent,” she smirked, already planning out his and Bryce's future. “ The Waynes are exasperating fools but their money is real enough.”

 

Marriage meant kissing, as far as Tommy could figure out. So that's what he did.

 

However, no sooner than his lips touched Bryce's, she shoved him away with a surprising amount of strength for a girl her size, hard enough to actually make him stumble backwards, and she started crying.

 

Not certain what he did wrong (was it possible to kiss someone incorrectly?), Tommy stood there awkwardly, watching the tears streak down Bryce's cheeks.

 

Bryce's parents quickly came into the room upon hearing their daughter's sobs and they politely but firmly asked Tommy and his mother to leave.

 

“ You idiot!” his mother hissed as she yanked him along the paved road to their car. “ You ruined everything!”

 

But even as his mother's hand was tightening over his wrist hard enough to leave bruises, the only thing Tommy could think about was how soft and warm Bryce's lips were.

 

(years later, he kissed her again, just as forcefully, just to prove that he was a good kisser)

 

~.~.~

 

Oliver Queen kissed Bryce Wayne as a dare.

 

His drunk friends had pointed out this might be the only chance he got before she left for university. Slightly less drunk, he agreed to do it.

 

WayneEnterprise threw a farewell party in honour of the young heiress and Ollie's family was among the many who wanted to bask in the limelight and enjoy a good night out drinking and partying away.

 

Ollie might have spoken to her only a handful at times, both of them being children of such prestigious families. He thought the last time they might have had a conversation was on the first anniversary of her parents' death and at best, it was him offering his condolences and her politely thanking him.

 

If he had more time, Ollie would have asked her out on a date first – he had some decency after all – but his drunken, immature self reasoned it would be best to do it this way.

 

“ Hey Bryce,” he smoothly said, laying the charm on thick.

 

For all the talk and gossip that Bryce Wayne had a glower that could curdle milk, the smile on her face was pleasant enough. Along with the rest of her, decked in expensive jewellery and a low cut dress.

 

“ Yes, Mister – ?”

 

She didn't get to finish before he bent down and kissed her in front of everyone.

 

Someone in the crowd gasped. His friends hooted and hollered. Whispers immediately sprung forth. Bryce was frozen in place.

 

“ It's Oliver,” he smugly said. “ Remember that.”

 

He was still smirking even as Bryce slapped him across the face and marched away in indignation.

 

It wasn't like he was going to interact with her on a frequent basis anyways.

 

~.~.~

 

Ra's had always done everything with intention and purpose and kissing Bryce was no exception.

 

She was an exceptional student, young, driven and brilliant. In his quieter moments, he was reminded of his younger days, of a similarly young and beautiful woman who had died far too early and was far from his reach.

 

So Ra's put a claim on Bryce.

 

He kissed her passionately, sweeping her off her feet, biting at the bottom of her lip. To his delight, she responded in kind, eagerly, without holding back. By the time they kissed the second, third and fourth times, Ra's had to admit he too enjoyed kissing her.

 

It was easier to convince himself that he kept his emotions in check, that his heart was kept safe, that he wasn't getting too involved and he wasn't falling in love with Bryce.

 

It was just a shame that in the end, Bryce did not held the same ideals as him and refused to be swayed.

 

They parted as enemies, to his regret.

 

(Ra's still called her beloved, even as he tried to kill her and kidnap their son a half a dozen times)

 

~.~.~

 

Lex Luthor chose to kiss Batwoman as a means of his dominance over her.

 

It was a rare day that he had Batwoman in his grasp, at his mercy. A lesser man would have done all he could to discover her identity but Batwoman's mask had several measures in place to shock and disable anyone who came near. But ultimately, it did not matter who Batwoman was. She was simply a nuisance and another obstacle to be rid of.

 

He kissed her quick and unexpectedly; when it came to dealing with Batwoman, it was always best to act as such to catch her off guard.

 

Her eyes underneath her cowl did widen and her mouth curled unpleasantly just a touch more.

 

Luthor was satisfied with this, even if moments later, she found a way to break free from her chains and escape with flawless grace.

 

“ I enjoyed our time together,” he called after Batwoman's disappearing cape.

 

Because he knew how much it rattled Batwoman to have allowed him to get that close to her and it pleased Luthor to hold that upper hand above her.

 

~.~.~

 

The Joker kissed Batwoman spontaneously.

 

Out of some twisted form of nobility, she had decided to save the Joker from falling to his death when it would have been beneficial, even logical, to just let him fall. Batwoman never failed to tickle his fascination when it came to his little experiments.

 

And the Joker was not one to leave a debt unpaid. Much less one to Batwoman.

 

“ Batsy!” he swooned. “ My hero!”

 

Right before planting a kiss on Batwoman's lips.

 

If she was another person, she would spat out the taste of his lips or furiously try to rub away any trace of the kiss or even attempt to punch him across the face. Instead, she appeared to be hardly affected by it (which in itself was slightly disappointing to the Joker). Her eyes narrowed at him, as if trying to figure out what his end goal was.

 

“ Can't a guy thank someone for rescuing them?” he simpered.

 

Batwoman's lips were pressed into a thin humourless line. For once, the Joker couldn't quite decipher what it meant and it was both frustrating and exhilarating.

 

“ Don't push your luck,” she finally said.

 

~.~.~

 

When Clark kissed Bryce, it was done tenderly.

 

It seemed strange for the Man of Steel who could move mountains to do anything with such gentleness and carefulness but when it came to kissing Bryce, he did.

 

Kissing her came easily as breathing. Holding her like this, so close, everything just fell neatly in place and all was right in the world.

 

Her body relaxed against his, warm and safe, close enough for him to feel her heartbeat against his chest. Her fingers reached up to cup his cheek, reach around his neck. Bryce gave a little content sigh. It was permission to deepen the kiss and continue to pepper her face, her jaw and her neck with many more kisses.

 

It wasn't long before Bryce returned each and every one of his kisses tenfold.

 

It was a privilege to kiss her. And Clark did not want to miss a single second.

 

~.~.~

 

Funny enough, Harvey kissed Bryce as a means to slight and mock Superman.

 

It was not common for both sides of Harvey Dent to agree on the same thing but when it came to Superman gazing warmly at Bryce, they couldn't agree more.

 

Harvey was working with the Ventriloquist but once the Ventriloquist decided to kidnap Bryce Wayne to further his plans, Harvey broke off their partnership. Their plans were further derailed when Superman also got involved.

 

Superman escorted Bryce when she came with Harvey who turned himself in back to Arkham as a gesture of goodwill. But Superman's eyes never left Bryce the whole time.

 

Harvey knew that kind of look. He did it himself to Bryce in his quieter moments when she wasn't looking his way.

 

Bitter jealousy rose. He heard the rumors and how there had been no father. Perhaps Superman was the one responsible for Bryce being pregnant. Or perhaps he was the one to help Bryce recover from the miscarriage. It didn't matter either way. Bryce always did fancy strong and handsome men and Superman fit that category all too neatly.

 

“ Harvey?” Bryce looked curiously at him, mouth pressed into a frown. “ Is something wrong? You don't look – ”

 

Only for Harvey to break the distance between them and kiss her.

 

He was close enough to feel the flutter of Bryce's eyelashes and see the way her eyes widened in confused astonishment before the guards yanked him back.

 

Bryce was staring at him with a range of emotions that Harvey could not make out.

 

Superman looked shocked – but more importantly, to Harvey's immense pleasure, he looked displeased. Harvey might have imagined it but Superman's gaze on him appeared to be downright infuriated.

 

At the very least, even as the guards dragged him back into Arkham, there was something Harvey was able to claim that Superman wouldn't.

 

~.~.~

 

Bonus:

 

Thomas Wayne could proudly say that he was the first person to kiss Bryce Wayne.

 

She was a tiny squalling thing. The soft curve of her cheeks, her forehead and the damp dark curls were all Martha. But her eyes, not yet fully opened, were as blue as her father's.

 

His hands never faltered in all his years of practicing medicine and yet, they trembled as Thomas tentatively reached out to take Bryce from Martha's arms.

 

Thomas had never fallen in love with someone as quickly as he did.

 

As he pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead, the first of many, he could only marvel at how perfect she was.

 

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