I Promise

(I don't know why this takes place during winter but I started writing it that way and I was too lazy to change it)

Diana sighed as she pulled her jacket tighter around her body, watching the cloud of her breath dissipate into the cold winter air. She wove easily between the people crowing the street, doing their last-minute Christmas shopping. She loved to watch the people walking by, to see how a little boy's eyes lit up as he excitedly told his eagerly listening mother about something, to see how everyone was happy. Eventually, the cold forced her inside a small coffee shop on a street corner, where she ordered a hot chocolate.

Wrapping her hands around the warm drink, Diana went right back outside to find that the street lamps had been turned on and a light snow had begun to fall. There were less people on the sidewalk now, and less cars on the road. It was quieter, and the snowfall coupled with the slowly fading daylight gave Diana a feeling of contentment and relaxation. She found she didn't want to go home quite yet, so she kept walking, letting her feet carry her wherever they may, and her mind wander.

"Bruce?" Diana asked tentatively, reluctant to break the peaceful quiet that had settled between them since they'd lay down in the lush green field behind her house.

"Yeah?" Bruce asked, looking away from the wildflower he was twirling between two fingers and towards the girl he'd been friends with for as long as he could remember.

"Do you… are you worried about the future?" Diana continued staring up at the blue sky above, watching the fluffy white clouds floating slowly by.

"The future?"

"Yeah. What about having a family and getting a job?"

"I don't know." Bruce answered honestly, continuing to watch Diana.

"We'll still be friends, won't we?" She asked quietly.

'Of course!" Bruce insisted, as if the idea of them not being friends was impossible.

Diana still looked doubtful as she finally switched her gaze from the blue sky above to the seven year-old boy next to her.

"Look," Bruce said, taking a breath, "When we grow up, I'll take you on a date and maybe we'll get married and have kids."

"Promise?"

"I Promise."

Diana looked up to find herself at the entrance to a park, and her warm drink almost gone. The sky was completely dark now, only the lamps on the sides of the path lighting up her surroundings. She quickly finished her drink and threw the cup away, her pace not slowing. The snow was falling faster now, and the ground was covered in a thin layer of white.

Diana was growing cold, and she was getting tired of walking around. She caught sight of the swing set in the playground of the park and smiled. After glancing around to make sure no one was around, she slowly approached one of the swings and gently brushed the snow off of the seat before sitting down.

She began swinging slowly back and forth, using her legs to stay in motion. The wind pulled at her hair and chilled her even more, though she didn't stop.

Diana pulled her lunch bag closer to her chest, gripping it tightly to reassure herself that this was going to be alright. Her feet moved as if of their own accord, down a familiar path through the twisting corridors, weaving between the many other middle schoolers heading to the cafeteria until she finally reached Bruce's locker.

"Hey, Di." He smiled at her upon her approach, closing his locker. "Come on, I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry." Diana commented as they headed for the doors to the playground.

"So are you." He shot back, pushing open one of heavy doors and holding it there until Diana had passed through, before falling into step beside her.

Diana was unusually quiet, Bruce noticed. She was always talking about this or that, always had some story to tell and something to say. Today, she just stared down at the ground as it passed by under her moving feet until they reached their usual picnic table and sat down. They unpacked their lunches in silence, neither of them making eye contact.

"Um, Diana?"

"Yeah?" She said after a pause, rolling her apple in the palm of her hand but not taking a bite.

"Is everything okay?"

She didn't respond, just continued watching the red fruit as her fingers turned it slowly over before stopping and finally looking up to meet his worried gaze.

"Diana? You know I didn't mean what I said yesterday about that stray cat…"

"No, it's not that." She interrupted, taking a deep breath. "Remember how my mother applied for that job in Gotham?"

"Yeah…"

"She got it."

It was Bruce's turn to stare silently before dropping his gaze. "You're moving?"

"Yeah." She whispered.

"But." Bruce blurted, but he cut himself off when he saw Diana's bright blue eyes fill with tears as she violently shook her head.

"I'm sorry." She told him, not exactly sure what she was apologizing for.

"No, it's okay…" He didn't hesitate before wrapping his arms around her in an embrace. "When are you leaving? You're staying at least until the end of the school year, right?"

"No.." She pulled away, wiping away her tears. "Mother starts her job next week… we're leaving this weekend, on Saturday."

Three days. He had three days before his best friend left his life for good, before he never saw her again.

"But..." He said again. "What about growing up together?"

"We'll see each other again… I know it. When we're older. I promise."

Bruce's vision blurred.

'You can't promise that…"

Diana stopped swinging, deciding she should probably go home before the cold got the best of her. Just as she planted her feet on the ground and prepared to stand up, she noticed a hooded figure heading her way. Diana tensed up a little, feeling uneasy, though she didn't let it show.

Please just walk by, Diana pleaded in her head.

No such luck. The figure, she could tell by now it was a man, came closer, stopping right in front of her.

"Hello?" She said warily. Maybe staying out this late hadn't been such a good idea after all.

"Hi." The man said, revealing a deep baritone voice at the same time as he pulled back his hood to expose handsome features.

"Do I know you?" Diana asked, noticing how the defined jaw line and messy black hair looked eerily familiar.

The man cocked his head to the side as if thinking, his bright blue eyes sparking. "You should."

Diana tilted her head slightly too, studying the man before her.

"Maybe this will help you remember."

Diana raised an eyebrow, a feeling of curiosity now mixing in with the wariness and confusion.

"Diana..." He began, and she visibly started at the mention of her name. "Will you go on a date with me?"

Her mind went blank for a second, her body stilling completely as the pieces suddenly snapped together.

"Bruce!" She yelled, flying up out of the swing and wrapping her arms around her childhood friend, nearly knocking him down into the snow with her enthusiasm. "Yes!"

He laughed and returned the hug, her joy contagious.

"I was worried you wouldn't remember me."

Diana reluctantly stepped back. "Oh, I never forgot you, Bruce. I just didn't recognize you at first."

"I didn't recognize you at first either." He admitted with a smile. "But once I did, I knew I had to talk to you again."

"I'm glad you did." She shivered, from excitement or the cold, she wasn't sure. "And you kept your promise."

"I did." He smiled. "And so did you."

A/N: This was actually based off a prompt I found on tumblr which was something like,

As little kids, Person 1 makes a promise to take Person 2 on a date when they grow up. Person 2 moves away, however. One day, when they are both grown up, someone approaches person 2 with a bouquet of flowers, and Person 2 doesn't recognize them at first. It's Person 1, they kept their promise.

Well I forgot the flowers but I think it's pretty good nonetheless.

Oh and my friend StormCloud11 finally posted the oneshot I wrote with her, Puppy Trouble, so go check that out. It's WonderBat, of course. :)

~Uni