Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League, DC, or any of its characters.
"Come on Bruce, lighten up a bit."
"That won't be necessary."
"It won't take that long…"
"No."
It was one of those rare moments when Earth was not facing any otherworldly threats. In fact, it was very peaceful, considering that most villains were now behind bars, and there haven't been any signs of aggression, as shown by the Watchtower's global surveillance system.
However, Batman forever remained the vigilant one, sitting in a single chair in front of the Watchtower's control board, observing every monitor like a hawk. Even during times of peace, the Batman never put his work behind him.
Princess Diana, better known to the world as Wonder Woman, had only gone through her first few years outside of the all-femalre nation of Themyscira. She had been trained all her life to maintain a certain level of distrust towards the world of man, but as time passed on, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Often alone in her endeavours, she had explored many parts this new world had to offer, and was intrigued by its many aspects.
And while the Justice League continued to expand, new possibilities and pathways were opened up, further inviting Diana's curious little mind. Meeting new people and interacting with them helped broaden her own mindset, gradually minimizing her naivety since coming into this world.
However, that naivety still lingered within her, and it was not until a recent creation by a member of the Justice League that Diana decided to bring that trait out.
Leaning against a wall with her arms crossed, Diana glared at the masked vigilante still working away throughout the day. Why couldn't he ever let loose a little and try to have a bit of fun? It was not like they were gods or anything; the world didn't need to be protected 24-7. When the time came, members of the Justice League would be dispatched to handle whatever situation, but right now was not the time.
Diana's mood shifted a little. Tired of waiting around with nothing to do, she walked over to one of the monitors.
"Diana…"
SMASH! The screen cracked and shattered into pieces as Diana ran her fist through it. Looking at Batman, he still had that same, unemotional expression; hidden beneath that mask he wore. This only further fueled Diana's rage.
"Seriously though, what does it take for me to get you away from that chair? It's not that hard for you to leave it, you know?"
Batman stood up from his chair. "There. I did it."
Diana rolled her eyes. Always playing the sarcastic, snidely one, she thought. "So what are you going to do now since you've left your chair?" she asked with a hint of disdain in her voice.
"Go get a glass of water, then come back and continue sitting."
That was it, if anything was going to fix up Batman's stuck up demeanour, it was going to be through brute force. Without questioning her actions, Diana took flight and grabbed Batman by the cape, dragging him along with her. However, Batman did not retaliate.
"Very fitting for an Amazonian princess."
"Hmph. Like you know anything." Diana grumbled as she flew onwards.
Turning at a corner, she searched for the location Dr. Palmer had indicated where he was conducting his research. Yes, it was Ray Palmer, now known as the Atom, who was in the midst of creating a dimension-shifting portal that was free to access at will; without any harmful threats to be careful about.
That's not to say that didn't sound a little shifty. There was no such thing as minimal danger when traversing dimensions. Yet, our Amazon princess couldn't help but wonder what it would be like. It was through a little rumour of this pocket universe that Diana had became intrigued into exploring it. Maybe it was just to confirm her doubts. Nevertheless, she wanted to do it, and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her.
"You just skipped past it." Batman mumbled in a monotone voice.
"Oh?" Diana, in her excitement, had only just realized she had flown just a few doors too far. Shaking her head, she turned around and flew back a couple of steps. However, Diana came to the realization that Batman just happened to know where she was taking him. Well, didn't he always know everything?
"The Atom's experimental dimension-shifting portal. Yeah, I heard the rumours."
"Never fail to surprise people." Diana replied. "So, you're not going to fight back?"
"I don't see a need to."
"So then…"
"Do whatever you want. I'm… a little curious."
Satisfied, Diana took Batman by the hand and entered the Atom's empty study.
There it was: the strange device that Palmer had been working on tirelessly for the past few days. It had been powered on, probably after a few test runs by other League members. Strangely enough, the ID scanner device installed on the portal showed that most recent users were none other and John Stewart, the Green Lantern, and Shayera Hol, better known as Hawkgirl. How interesting…
"Well then, shall we?"
Batman remained silent. Seeing this as a confirmation, Diana walked through the portal, with Batman following not too close behind.
Through a flash of intense white light, into the worlds unknown; who knew what these two heroes were getting themselves into.
…..
"Wayne Manor…"
Diana and Batman were standing in front of what seemed to be this dimension's version of Batman's multi-million dollar home. The only difference was that it didn't seem as luxurious as what Batman was accustomed to.
Choosing to remain hidden, our two heroes hid behind a small thicket of trees as they say a young teenage girl make her way to the entrance of the building. Surprisingly, she almost looked like…
"But that's…"
"Mm hm." Diana only nodded as she continued to watch the scene unfold.
This younger version of Diana, dressed in civilian clothes, was shifting a little uncomfortably as she stared at the massive oak doors situated in front of her. She was undoubtedly nervous, but towards what, that has yet to be seen.
And make no mistake; it didn't take a detective as brilliant as Batman to know who this second character was to be.
Dressed in a college-issued sports jersey, this younger-looking Bruce Wayne looked more like a jock. Well-built, almost the same physique as our Bruce Wayne, currently in hiding as he and Diana watched the little scene.
The two characters talked for a bit, albeit inaudibly, laughed, and then taking each other by the hand, walked back into the manor. Very interesting…
"So, is that all you wanted to show me?"
"What, you don't like what you see?"
"Need I mind you that dating within the League is…"
"Yes, and that was overturned at the last general meeting held not too long ago." Diana was getting slightly irritated now. What did it take to crack the Bat? It was no wonder he was feared amongst most of his rouge's gallery.
Hold on, why was Diana comparing herself to that of a common villain? Despicable, Diana thought to herself as she contemplated on her foolishness. Maybe being in the world of man for so long had hindered her more than it helped. Well, moving on…
Another flash of white light, moving through to another plane of existence.
…..
"What in the world…?"
This was definitely not the planet Earth either of them was used to. Everything, including buildings and landmasses, were miniaturized. It was as though they had traversed into one of the Atom's shrunken pocket dimensions (which were purely for research purposes). However, the oddities did not end there.
Standing at about 100 feet tall, Batman and Diana were giants compared to what everything else was. Interestingly enough, there was a magnifying screen that was conveniently placed right in front of them, allowing them to observe the comings and goings of this miniaturized city.
"Go on Batman, have a look." Diana teased in a playful tone. Batman, slightly disgruntled, decided to oblige, and peered down into the screen.
The ground began to rumble. Odd, wouldn't that be an earthquake? Yet, none of the civilians seem to be startled. Beneath the cracks of the uneven road, out popped an awkwardly-shaped version of the Watchtower, suited to the views of an immature child. Wait a second, this couldn't mean…
And from the Watchtower, out came child-versions of every member of the original Justice League, with Superman in the lead, of course. Standing proudly in front of a podium (which somehow appeared out of thin air), Superman beamed as he made speeches along the lines of "being proud of this planet", "saving the world", "truth and justice", and so on and so forth.
What did catch Batman's eye was the child version of himself, standing to the side with a frown on his face. Was I really that moody? Batman had thought to himself before something else caught his attention.
The child version of Diana was at his side, clinging to his arm rather affectionately, albeit a little awkwardly. Resting her head on his shoulder, mini-Diana seemed to be teasing mini-Batman, which was wrong on so many levels, which was what our Batman thought. Though, who would've thought that this would…
"Getting the idea now?"
"Not even close."
"Alright then, let us continue." Grabbing Batman by the shoulder, Diana turned away, guiding them towards another flash of light, and into yet another dimension.
…..
"Now this is odd…"
To the average person, a change in one's perspective would be mind-boggling. However, Batman kept his cool as he and Diana traversed into this world's two-dimensional planes, filled with bland colours and hardened outlines.
It was as though they were in some sort of comic book; one of the few in which Green Lantern had read in his childhood, Batman deduced from his surroundings. It was peculiar enough that they were able to pass through each panel undetected, and even more that they were able to retain their form in this universe. The Atom must have outdone himself…
"See that over there?"
"Hm?" For once, Diana had caught the Batman off guard, a feat in which not many were able to do on a regular basis. Guiding his eyes to where Diana was pointing, Bruce observed the occurrences in said panel.
"THE DARK KNIGHT. BATMAN."
"PRINCESS OF THE AMAZONS. WONDER WOMAN."
"MARRIAGE!? EXCLUSIVE 3-PART ISSUE COMING OUT NEXT WEEK!"
And there was an image of a two-dimensional Batman, with what, a blue mask and cape? Arm in arm with a two-dimensional Wonder Woman, with bushy black hair and white streaks, walking down a red carpet towards what looked like a minister, standing out in the distance…
"Okay, that's it! We're done here!"
"Bruce?"
"Palmer Industries. System override. Authorization: Wayne Enterprises. System shutdown."
Walking out of the portal, Bruce Wayne shook his head as he removed his cowl and tossed in aside. Diana had never seen him so frustrated. Sure, she was curious as to what would make the Bat crack, but never did she foresee this outcome.
"What are you trying to do?" Bruce spat, his face contorted with rage. "What is it that you are trying to accomplish by showing me all this?"
"Bruce, I…"
"Did you know the consequences of tampering with untested devices? Did you know what sort of fault we would be at if this was to spread? Did you even think about it? Did you?"
"I'm sorry, I just wanted…"
"That's why I want to be with you so badly!"
"Sorry?" Did Diana hear that right? For a second it seemed like their working relationship might have ended there, but this?
"Go on, I'm listening." Diana pressed on.
Bruce took a deep breath before he continued. "That's why I want to be with you. I've been in the vigilante business for so long, I forgot what it was like to live. Like a normal person. My responsibilities just keep piling up, and I always end up putting work in front of me, living a double life, thinking that it'll all drive me insane if this keeps going…"
"Stop it Bruce, that's enough."
Who would've expected Superman and the Atom to show up? Now this was embarrassing…
Superman, being the reassuring man he is, clasped his hand on Bruce's shoulder. A firm grip, not too strong, yet reassuring.
"Everyone wishes they had a chance at living a normal life. Myself being Kryptonian and all, will never live to see that day. However, that's not to stop us from trying. Sure, duty will always come first and foremost, but despite whatever universe we came from, we're all human inside."
"And that's why Superman came to me to create this dimension-hopper." The Atom added. "To tell us all that no matter where we are, we would always come to acknowledge each other. For our strengths, our weaknesses… pretty much everything."
And Superman gently shoved Bruce towards Diana. Right into her open arms.
Diana smirked. "Not feeling so tough now, big guy?"
"WARNING. WARNING."
In that instant, all 4 League members were on the alert. The Atom rushed over to the nearest computer to receive in incoming transmission.
"What's the status?" Superman inquired.
"Multiple distress signals detected throughout Sectors E through K. Need immediate assistance ASAP."
"I'll go handle Sector H with Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. Atom, make sure you deploy the appropriate teams to the rest." With a curt nod, Superman flew out.
"Then I'll take Sector J." Batman turned to make his leave.
"In that case, I'll…"
"Hold it Diana."
"What?"
"You're coming with me on this one."
Diana smiled as she followed Bruce out the door. The Atom shook his head as he went to issue orders to the other League members. Maybe his device did help, but then, he came to the realization that he needed to get his own love life sorted out…
A/N: Oh gosh, this was horrible. OOC Batman and Wonder Woman, my failed attempt at humour, not to mention I don't know anything about the Atom... Nevertheless, I like me some WonderBat, and one of the hardest things in writing for an already established fan pairing is that you don't know whether or not a story idea had been used already.
Anyways, reviews are appreciated, if not, constructive criticism is accepted as well. But please, no hate and bashing. No one likes that. Thanks!