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It is Gotham’s custom to get married in the dark.
A groom does not see their bride until the morning after. The married couple wakes up and sees each other for the first time in the sunrise, and then they begin their life together.
In Themyscira, the thread that links the married couple together is made from the finest gold. It glints under the moonlight.
Dick knows who his bride is. Was in the meeting when it was decided. Sees the glint of Donna’s eyes reflected in the golden thread and beams at her, knows that his white teeth might be all she sees of him from under her veil.
She squeezes his hand tight, and he breathes out.
The priest above their bent heads drones on and on. Dick would get sleepy, but he’s wound too tight, memorized all the words, and is listening only to be sure he doesn’t miss anything.
In Themyscira, Donna told him when they were younger, there's music. The married couple dances before they ever say a word. The high priestess takes the couple’s linked hands and dances with them. There's laughter and joy.
Dick hears that story and then hops up, pulling her with him. Her laugh was infectious as they swirled around the room.
He never doubted that he would live to see her on her wedding day, that he would get to experience all that joy.
Back then, he hadn’t realized that he would be standing beside her.
When they were younger, her visits to the castle were always an exciting time for him. The Themyscira Princess was always so energetic and fun to be around. Used to not care about any type of decorum, would roll around in the dirt in her fldress, would pull him down there with her, much to the chagrin of his caretakers.
Side by side, the two royals could be taken for twins and often sneaked out of their lessons to get a full run of the castle.
Dick remembered running along the top of the eaves of the roof on Donna’s heels, the princess’s dress fluttering in the wind, her gold ribbons flying behind her.
“You can’t catch me,” she called over her shoulder. Dick had laughed as he rushed to reach her.
Considering the close relationship between their people, they saw each other often. She was one of her best friends. And then the war with the Atlanteans started, she got called away and he thought he would never see her again.
Then the alliance was stuck. And Themyscira, a stubborn, prideful people offered Gotham their princess, and the Gotham King said yes, even when Dick begged him to reconsider.
Royals rarely marry for love. Dick didn’t know why he thought he would be different.
In the dark of their room, he undresses her. Feels the lace, pearls, and gold beneath his fingers, tries to imagine what it looks like in the light and can’t. Realizes he’ll never see it the way it was meant to be seen.
In the light, with all their people watching.
“Do you really,” and that’s Donna’s voice, dry, husky, soft but sure. He doesn’t why he expected to hear her sad about this, searches for the regret in her voice, and doesn’t find it. “Is it really all in darkness?”
“Yes,” He says back in a whisper. “That’s the custom,”
“But you’re not from here,” she says. There is a brief bit of anger in her voice. “that isn’t how your parents would have done, not what they would have wanted.”
“Yes, but I’m their prince,” the eldest. “I have to do it this way.” He stopped talking, his fingers frozen on her shoulders. “But Donna,” He says. “You don’t.”
She gives a small chuckle. “Yes, I do. We do,” she says. “You and I both know how the magic works” She plops down on the bed, with no grace. “There’s really no light?” And Dick knows he shouldn’t, knows that he should follow the customs of his land that raised him, but he moves to throw the curtain back, allowing the stars and moonlight to drift into their room.
“I can’t light a candle,” He says, dips his head, and looks away from her. “They’ll see, but I can do this for you.”
“Look at me,” she says, and that smile on her face is all for him, a small soft smile, one of camaraderie. Even without the dress, she is still as beautiful as he expected her to be on her wedding day. Her hair is perfectly curled, her eye makeup down in the bold markings of the Amazons. Her underclothes are thin and lacy in true Gotham style and she’s wearing pearls. He wonders if Bruce saw that. The stars fall over her, sprinkle a pattern of light against her skin.
“Hi,” she says, there were never any titles between them. “I’ve missed you,”
Holding Donna in his arms feels like coming home. She’s warm and he can feel her muscles beneath his hands. He squeezes her tight.
“We have time,” not much, but they hold on before they do anything. “It has to be done before sunrise. We can wait.”
“But we don’t have to,” she says, determination in her eyes. Her lips graze his forehead, featherlight. “We can get through this together.” A tilt of her head before she nods. “I’m glad it could be you.” He is comforted by her words.
Donna lies back on the bed, takes his hand, and presses it to her chest. He can feel her heartbeat beneath his hand. It’s steady.
“You know I would do anything for my people.” She says. “I know you would too, that’s why they chose us.” And he thinks even if Bruce hadn’t told him, he would have volunteered. If Donna had asked him, he would have said yes in a heartbeat. It’s just the fact that now he can’t say no. “Marrying my best friend, that’s easy. I’ve always loved you,” she says and there is no ounce of romance in it, just pure fact.
“And I you,” He says, moving his body to meet her on the bed. His fingers run across the lace, finger the strings.
“And while I love you,” she says. “I do need you to get on with it.” Lace tears beneath his fingers (as is custom), the pearls go rolling across the fabric, the shadow of his body blocks the stars.
The skin he shows to the air is not unblemished. The Amazons were true warriors, and it was rare to come upon any unscarred.
Donna was one of the best warriors he’d ever seen and underneath all the Gotham lace, she is still her. He places a kiss on the crease between her thigh, places a kiss on the line across her belly, the scar on her hip.
“Dick,” she says, and on her lips, his name makes him pause, look up at her strong blue eyes, the resigned expression on her face. “I’m already prepared, let’s not drag it out.”
The protection magic for their people has been woven into their vows and the consummation is all it took to finish the spell.
It has to be done for the Amazons to win the war, to have Gotham behind her in all of her power. This is much bigger than them and their personal feelings. Donna is right.
He undresses quickly before he climbs back into bed with her.
“Skin to skin,” she says. Part of the spell and their vows.
“Heart to heart,” he says, presses his forehead to hers, stares into her eyes as he enters slowly. She’s tight and he closes his eyes, stops the moment he hears her small grunt of pain.
“Am I your first?” He hopes not, hopes that Donna got to choose her partners before she signed herself away for her people.
“Yes,” she says, nodding her head, and his heart stops.
“Donna,” and he’s so sorry, wishes more than anything that he wasn’t. She shushes him, shifts her body to try to get accustomed to the intrusion of her body.
“I was busy training, I don’t regret it.” She says, flashes him a quick smile. “Am I yours?” and he wishes she were, wishes this was just two childhood friends breaking that milestone together and not two people in a marriage for political reasons, but it isn’t.
“No,” He admits. “It was taken from me,” she brushes her hand across his cheek, a saddened expression crossing over her face.
“Then I guess we have to make this pleasurable for the both of us.” She says. He does not disagree with that. She clutches his hand. “You can move now,” He begins to thrust, in and out of her tight, warm heat. He tries to keep his movements fluid, tries to ensure he causes his friend no pain. If they are going to do this, they are going to do this right.
And he does not think about his first (Liu), showing him how she likes to be pleased, nor any of the others that came after her. Instead, he focuses on making sure his best friend cries out only in pleasure. She digs her nails into his shoulders, forces him to move to her pace by the hold her strong legs around his waist. He rolls to her rhythm, lets her set the speed.
They are skin to skin, and she is his heart and always has been, his best friend, his other half.
“I missed you,” she says, her words full of air, but she’s being truthful. The Amazons were never the type of people to lie. “It’s not the same fighting without you beside me,”
“I love you too,” he says as his pleasure builds in his gut. The magic symbols on their chest glow hot and burning. Dick’s is in the shape of the bat while stars light up on Donna’s skin. While this is for their people, this type of bond is forever.
“Hold me,” Donna says afterward. The warrior allowing herself to be soft, wrapped up in his arms.
“I return to the battlefield at the end of the week,” she tells him. “I will fight until the war ends, or I am killed, whatever comes first.”
“I’ll be right there beside you,” He says.
“You have people who need you,”
“People like you,” he says. Squeezes her right. “And where I go, the others will follow, so I guess I will just follow you.” She looks at him with wide eyes.
“For how long?” and his heart sings forever. He will protect his best friend for as long as she lets him.
What he says out loud is “for as long as it takes.”