Work Text:
Becoming
“I should have become a nun,” Dinah announced as she stormed into the inner recesses of the Clocktower, the door slamming shut with a loud crash behind her.
Caught in simultaneously trying to direct rescue operations over an oil fire in Kasnia and a tsunami in Australia, it took Babs a moment to process what her partner was saying. “Uh…what, Dinah?” she asked, blinking up at the blonde.
“If I was a nun, I wouldn’t have to deal with men,” Dinah said vengefully, stalking across the room like an angry leopard.
Because of her divided attention, Barbara didn’t immediately parse what Dinah had said. “Well, I think most churches also have monks, or at least priests,” Barbara called out absently as she tried to finish Oracle’s work so she could go see what was bothering her best friend.
Her best friend who was even now raiding her chocolate stash, if the sounds of cupboards and then the freezer door opening and closing was anything to go by.
“I wouldn’t have to deal with dating them!” Dinah glared at her over a bowl of rocky road ice cream.
Ah. That explained it. “You have another fight with Ollie?” Babs tried to keep her voice calm; the man was charming and charismatic, but he wouldn’t be nearly good enough for her, even if he could keep it in his pants. His roving eye put him out of the running on that score.
“No,” Dinah stated, stabbing her spoon into her ice cream. She took a large bite and savored it for a moment, then let out an angry sigh before continuing. “He messed up, I told him it was over, and he pleaded for me not to leave. There was no fight.”
Well…that was something. A step in the right direction, at least. Having finally finished directing ‘air traffic’ across the world, Babs put Oracle on standby so she could devote her attention to her hurting best friend. “So you broke up with him,” Babs said, wondering how long it would last this time. Dinah loved Ollie like she loved Dick; it was just taking Dinah longer to realize that love wasn’t always enough to build a relationship on.
Dinah nodded, swallowing down a mouthful of whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and nuts. “Don’t know how long I’ll stick to it, though,” she grumbled under her breath into her bowl.
“You’re strong enough to stick to it forever, Dinah,” Babs said, all the while knowing that Dinah’s heart was the one weak spot she had.
Dinah snorted. She nibbled on an Oreo chunk topping a mound of whipped cream, and then ate more ice cream. Finally, she asked, “How can you have so much faith in me?” It wasn’t an idle question. At times like these, when Dinah’s self-esteem had taken a blow, she had a hard time having faith in herself.
Barbara smiled bittersweetly, waiting for the moment when Dinah’s eyes would look at her, yet still not see the whole truth in her eyes. “Because, Dinah, I love you.” So simple, and yet that wasn’t even half of what she felt.
Dinah half-smiled back at her, lowering her spoon into her now-empty bowl. “I love you, too Babs,” she said not-quite dismissively, proving Barbara right about her obliviousness. “And I really appreciate everything you’ve done fo–”
“No, I mean I love you,” Barbara broke in, exasperated, and for once willing to risk telling Dinah exactly how she felt. Maybe it was her frustration or Dinah’s sudden availability; more probably she was just tired of being alone.
Dinah froze, finally breaking her imitation of a statue by blinking. “Oh,” she said in a small voice. Opening her mouth, no words came out, and finally she closed it. She stared down at the melted remains of her ice cream, and turned towards the kitchen, dumping the bowl in the sink. Dinah took a moment to wash her hands, and when she turned back towards Babs, her eyes were worried and searching, damp hands fisting in her skirt. “You…really?”
Barbara nodded, too tired to think of something to say, except, “I do.”
“Oh,” Dinah repeated. She stared at Barbara for a few minutes, then crossed the room with long, purposeful strides. As she reached Barbara, she knelt in front of her, taking her friend’s hands in her own. “Babs…do you really…I mean, I’ve never thought about it, but…” She sighed, flushing ruefully. “You’re my best friend, and if you think it could work – we could work – then…”
Feeling her heart lodge in her throat, Barbara swallowed it down. “Then…?” she prompted.
“Then I’d be willing to give it – give us – a shot,” Dinah told her, ducking her head bashfully.
Barbara swallowed hard, unable to believe what she was hearing. “You…really?” she asked, unconsciously repeating Dinah’s own words. It couldn’t possibly be that easy. They needed to talk about things, discuss them, and Dinah wasn’t even bi…
Was she?
Dinah looked up at her, blue eyes wide, lips curved up slightly in a smile, and squeezed her hand as he nodded. “Yeah. I mean, if you do.”
Maybe she was putting too much thought into the wrong things. “Oh, I do, Dinah,” Babs said, her own smile radiant. “I do.”
Dinah’s smile widened into a grin and she rose up slowly, to press a tentative kiss to Barbara’s still-smiling lips.
Babs kissed, elated to feel her friend – her girlfriend, now – respond.
An irreverent thought crossed her mind: apparently it wasn’t that Dinah should have been a nun; she just needed to become a lesbian.