[Third Person Pov]
The two of them lost themselves to the fiery passion of the kiss, Ember holding onto Danny's cheeks as she kissed him, her grip firm as if she refused to let him go. She pulled him closer, her fingers pressing slightly into his skin, grounding him there with her.
Their noses brushed and pressed together as their breathing grew heavier, uneven from the intensity of it. When they finally pulled away to catch their breath, their foreheads lingered against each other for a moment, neither of them quite ready to create any real distance.
"Are you back to normal now?" Ember breathed softly against him, their faces still only centimeters apart, her voice quieter but carrying a teasing warmth.
"Yeah… I suppose I am. That kiss was enough to make the dead come back to life," Danny answered in a rough tone, still catching his breath, his voice slightly hoarse from everything that had just happened.
Ember giggled at that, the sound light and genuine as she leaned in and pressed her lips against his once again, brief but deliberate. "Anything you want to say?"
"Yeah…" Danny answered subconsciously, trailing after her lips as she pulled back just slightly, his focus clearly not where it should have been. "My jokes are far from terrible, take that back."
Ember held onto Danny's shoulders as she threw her head back, roaring with laughter, the corners of her eyes glistening faintly with tears. "Hahaha, are you serious right now?"
"I am, but that isn't what I wanted to say first," Danny said, his hands settling at her waist as he kept her close, not letting her drift too far from him.
He shifted his footing and spun slightly with her still in his arms, bringing her back in front of him as he looked at her with a warm, genuine smile. "Congratulations on being scouted, I knew you could do it."
Ember blinked, caught slightly off guard since that wasn't what she had been referring to. She had meant her confession, but honestly, his response felt just as meaningful, if not more.
She smiled back, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck, her expression bright and sincere. "Thank you, I couldn't have done it without you."
…
Dick and Bruce stared up at the dripping ceiling and walls with straight, unreadable expressions as water continued to fall on top of them.
"Looks like Ember did it," Dick said in a monotone voice, his hair flattened and matted against his head.
"I'll be sure to thank her personally for her assistance," Bruce replied in the same flat tone as water dripped steadily onto his shoulders.
Alfred stood nearby with an umbrella already open above his own head, holding out two more toward them. "Umbrellas?"
"Thank you," they both replied in unison, each taking one and opening it above themselves.
"I shall get into contact with the right people to have this place fixed immediately," Alfred said as he observed the damage with a half-formed smile. "I fear the walls will become moldy if left as is."
"Please do," Bruce sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Whenever Danny decides to come down from his room, send him my way. I would like to have a word with him."
…
When Danny and Ember finally exited his room, Dick was already waiting, leaning casually against the wall just across from the door.
"Ah… hey, Dick," Danny greeted awkwardly, his posture stiff and expression just as tense. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Yeah, I live here," Dick answered with a snort.
"Right… haha…" Danny muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nice weather we're having, huh?"
A small smirk formed at the corner of Dick's lips. "I'm not exactly a fan of cold weather, so I can't say I agree."
"…Sorry about that," Danny said, his tone shifting into something more sincere. It wasn't hard to tell he wasn't just talking about the weather.
"It's cool, I'm not mad about it," Dick replied with a casual shrug before his smirk returned. He motioned toward the corners of his own mouth. "You've got a little something there."
"Huh? What?" Danny immediately panicked, frantically wiping at his mouth in an attempt to get rid of any possible evidence.
"I was just messing with you. Are you serious right now?" Dick asked, clearly amused as he looked between the two of them. He had only been guessing, trying to fluster Danny, but he hadn't expected to be that accurate.
"Ah…" Danny stopped, realizing what had just happened, his movements slowing as a flush crept onto his face.
Beside him, Ember stood with a proud, completely shameless grin, clearly enjoying every second of it.
"Unbelievable…" Dick muttered, shaking his head as he let out a quiet breath. "Anyways, Bruce is looking for you."
"I suppose that's my cue to leave now that my work here is done," Ember said with a small, satisfied sigh.
"Thank you for what you did, Ember," Dick added with a grateful nod. "We were at our wits' end with this one."
"Always happy to help. Not to mention I managed to get something exciting out of this," Ember replied, her tone turning playful as she glanced over at Danny and gave him a wink.
"Right before I leave—since you wiped it away—I guess I'll leave you with this so you don't forget, and you can give me a proper response next time," she said as she reached forward, grabbing Danny by the collar and pulling him into a firm, deliberate kiss.
Dick turned his head away with an awkward expression, though not before catching the way Danny's leg curled slightly behind him, nearly making him snicker.
"Mwuch! There," Ember said proudly as she pulled back, leaving Danny looking a little dazed. She wiped lightly at the corner of her lips before adding, "And don't go wiping it away this time. Ciao~"
She gave one last wink before turning intangible and phasing straight through the wall, disappearing from sight.
"You really are something else, you know that?" Dick said, shaking his head as he let out a quiet sigh, gesturing for Danny to follow as he started down the stairs.
Danny buried his face in his hands, completely overwhelmed with embarrassment. "Ahhh, kill me…"
"You're already dead."
"Then kill me again, I don't know."
"What about Sam?" Dick suddenly asked, glancing over at him with a curious look.
Danny paused mid-step, lowering his hands as he looked at Dick cautiously. "What about her?"
Dick didn't answer, only giving him a pointed look.
Danny let out a slow sigh, running a hand through his hair as his expression turned conflicted. "I don't know, Dick… I really don't. This is all just too complicated for me right now. I need to think about this carefully, figure out something that doesn't end up hurting either one of them."
"That's wishful thinking and you know it," Dick scoffed.
"I know… trust me, I do. But wishful thinking is all I've got at the moment," Danny admitted, shaking his head slightly.
Trying to shift the conversation, Danny spoke again. "Say, do you still have Spectra with you? Or did you already release her to the Phantom Zone?"
"I still have her. She's down in the lab, inside the thermos. I was planning on depositing her soon though. Why?" Dick asked, his tone turning more cautious as he studied Danny, trying to read his intentions.
Danny's hand slowly clenched into a fist, his expression hardening as his demeanor shifted. "The prison in the Ghost Zone… I feel like it's too light for her."
"Danny… what exactly are you planning on doing with her?" Dick stopped walking, placing a hand against Danny's chest to halt him.
Danny met his gaze directly, his voice firm and unwavering. "I'm giving her what she deserves… The Death Penalty."
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