I do not own DC Comics, its characters, locations, or fictional elements. All rights belong to the appropriate parties. No copyright infringement intended. The picture is from the film Justice League: Doom. All rights associated with it belongs to the appropriate parties.
Author's Note: Hello! This story will follow an episodic format with each chapter representing a different "episode" of the story which will follow the members of the Justice League (specifically the "Trinity" of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman) in some off-duty adventures. You know their heroic identities, and you know their civilian personas. This story explores the part that lies just in between.
Now comes the question of whether this story is a SM/WW or a BM/WW story. My answer to that is, you'll have to wait and see :J But my hope (and sort of my goal) is for this story to act as a sort of peacemaker between the two camps. I feel that fans of both pairings will find things to enjoy in here.
In any case, I hope you enjoy and would love to hear what you think! I know that this is probably the corniest title ever created, but it's the best I could come up with off the top... Anyways, on to the story now.
Justice League: Off Duty
Episode 1
Superman/Wonder Woman
The Coffee Shop
A horrible screech punctuated the hour-long battle between the Earth's greatest heroes and the starfish conqueror Starro. The monstrous creature's flailing arms sunk below the foaming waves and into the murky depths from which they came.
Three figures floated a couple hundred feet above the water line with bated breath. Their opponent had feigned retreats multiple times during the battle, only to return in a ferocious surprise attack as the heroes lowered their guards. This time, they were determined to remain ready.
After some time passed, one of the six heroes – a sharp featured, blonde haired man – emerged from under the surface. From the look on his face, his companions above could tell what the nature of his news was.
"The conqueror has fully retreated into the depths. Victory is ours for now," the man said cautiously in a steady tone. The relief could be seen on his teammates' faces as he spoke. The three that hovered above him were visibly more relaxed.
Suddenly, the one in the middle threw his arms in the air and let out a celebratory yelp.
"Woooo hoo hoo HOO! That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you take on a bloodthirsty sea monster and win!" he cried enthusiastically, the green glow around his body growing brighter with his exuberance. He swiftly extended both hands to either side of him for the teammates to high-five. Reluctantly, they both obliged which triggered another whoop from the ecstatic young man. The two teammates on either side of him exchanged sheepish glances behind his back before smiling warmly to one another.
The blonde-haired man who was treading water was not as joyful despite their decisive victory. He shot an irritated glare in the glowing man's direction before ducking back under the water and accelerating off in the direction of his underwater kingdom. The floating man didn't bat an eye at the departure of his indignant teammate.
"Good riddance, fish stick," he said out loud as he slipped a rude gesture in the direction of the man's disappearance. Ignoring the disapproving glances he received from the two next to him, he focused his attention on a red blur that was swiftly darting around below him. "Yo, Flash! It's over man, you can settle down now!"
"If only that were true, Hal," the speedster replied as he continued to dart across the surface of the water, "but I physically cannot stop running unless if I plan on taking a dip."
Hal frowned and extended his arm toward the waves below. From a green ring that sat on his middle finger, he materialized a shape from green light that resembled a hot air balloon. He lowered this construct into the water at a level that Flash could reach. "Well hop in buddy, I've gotcha covered," he announced as he waited for the red blur to return to where the "balloon" sat.
While this was going on, a jet-black jet was circling the group of hovering people. Inside was the famed vigilante from Gotham City that occasionally joined this group of heroes on their exploits – battling the threats that the Earth occasionally faced from dangerous enemies… despite not having any special powers of his own. He peered out of the cockpit's windshield at the ocean below and once satisfied that the enemy would not be returning, he turned the plane towards the mainland and thrust the engines to full power. Hal shook his head as the black dot grew smaller and smaller.
"Well, I guess the Bat and grumpy gills are spoken for, but do you guys feel like going out after this? Maybe grab a bite or catch a show or something?"
His two companions were caught off guard by the question but each started to ponder the offer.
"I don't know," said one of them, a man with a full red cape flowing from his shoulders. He stole a sideways glance at the other teammate, Wonder Woman. She was strikingly beautiful with a piercing gaze and firm confidence.
"I should probably return to Washington D.C.," she said after a short pause, "I'm meeting with members of the Pentagon tomorrow morning and need to prepare some statements…"
"Hey, you've gotta let yourself live a little sometimes, princess," Hal chuckled, "for the short time you've spent in America, it seems like you're always working. Either sitting in some government building talking to the suits in charge, or running around with us. Have you even tried to try out life in the American culture?"
"Hal…" came a call from below. The Flash was inside of the hot air balloon construct, patiently waiting to be elevated.
"Cool your jets Barry, I didn't forget ya," Hal assured him as he raised the makeshift vehicle to meet the rest of the group. Turning back towards the woman, he continued. "I know some pretty hot parts of town out in DC. My girlfriend goes down there all the time to talk to different contractors and sometimes the government since she's in the aircraft business. Sometimes she drags me along which usually bores the crap out of me. Yet, I've managed to find some fun in the city, so I can testify that it's not all that much of a drag…"
"What are we talking about?" Flash asked innocently as he shifted his gaze between his teammates. Hal ignored him.
"As generous of that is, I really should turn in. I need to check in with my correspondent before it gets too late to discuss the agenda for tomorrow," Wonder Woman insisted.
"Suit yourself. But, you'll burn yourself out if you don't take time to let loose every now and then," Hal warned.
"Washington is on the way for me," the other floating man known as Superman interjected, "maybe we could fly back together?" His question was offered up gently, almost timidly. After a brief pause, Wonder Woman accepted the offer and drifted closer to Superman's side. Giving a nod of acknowledgement to the Flash and Green Lantern, she continued her flight towards the mainland. Superman turned to give a small wave to his two remaining teammates which Hal reciprocated with a mock salute.
"Maybe next time, huh guys? We're in some serious need of team bonding. I feel like I barely know you guys!" he called after the two as they left.
"You know me," Flash said in a reassuring tone.
"Give it a rest," Hal pouted. He began fly off with the hot air balloon construct that still contained his friend.
"Hey, Hal? Are you planning on putting me down? I think I can make it back to shore… it'll be faster. No offense," Flash asked cautiously.
"What? Are you skipping out on me too?" Hal asked with frown.
"No no! I… *sigh*"
"Good. Next stop, Central City!" Hal said, his frown transforming into a smirk.
Superman and Wonder Woman remained silent for most of their flight back to land. They volleyed small talk for a short time, but only in awkward little bursts. Superman couldn't help but steal glances at his teammate as she radiantly reflected the sunlight as it set on the Western horizon. She was one of the few women that he had consistent contact with that really stood out him. Part of the attraction stemmed from their similar circumstances – both were not of the world as most people knew it. He was actually an alien that migrated to Earth in his infancy via an escape pod launched from his home planet of Krypton moments before its destruction. She was a princess from a magical island whose residents consisted entirely of women. She only recently left the island for the first time in order to return an American pilot that crash landed on the island by accident. She was now considered an ambassador to her country by the US government and was still under heavy scrutiny due to the unknown nature of her homeland.
Superman had the benefit of growing up among mainstream society, but still felt like an outsider much like Wonder Woman was. The fact that they both could exhibit superpowers beyond the capability of normal humans only widened the gap of their perceived "normalcy". Though they didn't speak of it much, the two mutually sympathized with one another over this shared bond.
Shaking himself from his absentmindedness, Superman decided to break the silence again.
"So, this meeting you've got tomorrow. Must be pretty important, huh?"
"Not really," she said apologetically. This shocked him slightly but he let her explain herself. "I merely exaggerated its importance to prevent Hal from pressuring me any further. I don't dislike him as a teammate, but I don't appreciate his advances nor do I feel entirely comfortable around him all of the time."
Superman nodded in acknowledgment as she spoke. He personally thought that Hal was a bit over the top at times, but generally kept his feelings to himself. He was yet to see him cross the line too far. "That's too bad. You should sit down with him and confront him about it sometime if you really feel threatened by the way he treats you," he suggested.
Wonder Woman burst out in a hearty laugh. It make Superman jump a little. He wasn't sure if she was laughing at him or at what he just said.
"It would take a lot for me to feel threatened by him," she said after she recovered her composure, "but I understand what you mean." Superman fidgeted in his flight position a bit. Waiting to speak up again, he noticed the outline of a shoreline appearing in the distance.
"Well, one thing that he said did ring true. We haven't really taken much time to get to know each other as teammates since banding together a month ago," he observed. "We could probably benefit from developing friendships on a personal level outside of our heroic activities together."
"You're right," Wonder Woman said with a warm smile. Superman noticed it out of the corner of his eye since he wasn't brave enough to look her in the eye just yet after his minor embarrassment. But he couldn't fight back his own smile as it broke. "Would you like to start tonight… right now perhaps?" That caught him off guard.
"But I thought you said…"
"I was dodging a bullet, as people like to say. I'm not quite ready to delve into getting to know Hal just yet, but I have a pretty good impression of you," she said. "He was right about me not knowing much about the American culture as of yet. I've gleaned some things from watching television broadcasts, but most of which has been… well, fairly disturbing…"
"Yeah," Superman laughed, "that's pretty much the LAST place you want to look. I can show you as much I can, I guess. I've had some time to soak in some customs and traditions. Have you ever been to a coffee shop?"
Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow. "I've heard quite a bit about this 'coffee'. It's enormously popular among the governing officials and representatives that I've met with throughout my time here. It smells wonderful, but I've never actually tried it myself."
"Wow, well you're in for quite an experience," Superman said in a facetious tone, "I know a good one in Metropolis if you want to swing by with me?"
"Sounds wonderful," Wonder Woman said with a small smile. They two changed course accordingly and sped off towards the City of Tomorrow.
Everything seemed to come to a stuttering stop when the two heroes entered the small coffee shop in full costume. Superman immediately kicked himself mentally for forgetting to have them change into civilian clothing before showing up… he knew the owner as Clark Kent, not Superman, and he knew this was bound to happen. However, they were there now and were essentially past the point of no return. Turning to Wonder Woman briefly, he led her further into the shop as people began to turn back to one another as hushed murmurs filled the room.
The city of Metropolis had become well acquainted with Superman since his debut just under a year before. The city was largely divided on how they felt about the supposed savior of the city – some stigma did exist about aliens due to a number of encounters that had happened in the past. However, thanks to his assistance with some of those incidents, he gained the trust and respect of many of the city's residents.
Wonder Woman was still a new face among the people of the country, but she was in the news enough to be recognized. She had begun her own small career of crimefighting since arriving in "Man's World" as she typically referred to it. Seeing the two together seemed to have sparked quite a bit of discussion among the shop's patrons.
The two heroes approached the front counter where a skinny teenaged boy stood stiffly. He seemed to be trembling beneath his 'Coffee Nook' baseball cap, but mustered up the courage to ask "Can I help you, Superman?"
"Yes, but I think I'll let my friend order first," he said in a gentle tone with a friendly grin. This seemed to put the boy at ease a little bit, but he was still visibly shaken. His coworkers were practically cowering at the other end of the counter in anticipation of having to make beverages for the high profile superheroes.
"I don't have a clue of what to even get," Wonder Woman said as she scanned the menu that hung above the boy's head. She stared at it as if it were written in hieroglyphics. She had no idea what the difference between mocha latte and a French vanilla Frappuccino was.
Superman suddenly felt a rush of panic. His face turned red from blushing when he realized that he didn't bring his wallet with him. With the prior knowledge that the League would be engaging in a battle at sea, he figured he didn't want to risk it getting wet. He stood for a couple more moments as Wonder Woman went back and forth with the patient cashier boy as she explored the ins and outs of the basics of coffee.
"Hey, I need to step out for a minute, I'll be right back," he finally said as he backed away towards the door. He exited the shop and took off for his place of residence – a modest apartment building just outside of the downtown area. He went through a great deal of trouble to enter and exit the apartment without being seen in his Superman outfit, but managed to make it in and out successfully without causing a scene.
As he reentered the coffee shop minutes later, he saw that a fairly lengthy line had formed in his absence – and that Wonder Woman was not present in it. Determined to keep his cool, he scanned the shop with his highly perceptive vision until he spotted her at the far end of the counter where people typically picked up their drinks after ordering. In front of her, she had at least 20 small paper cups spread out with a young female employee filling new ones as she sampled each one.
"This one probably has the most potent caffeine content of anything that we sell here," the girl said proudly as she laid down a fresh cup of incredibly dark coffee. "Triple shot of espresso that'll have you bouncing in your seat for hours." Superman nervously watched Wonder Woman take the cup and down it in a fluid motion – ignoring the hot temperature that it undoubtedly was at. Her eyes grew wide as she licked her lips slowly.
"Ooh! I think I really like that one," she said excitedly. Superman could hear a distinct difference in her tone from the last he heard from her… the coffee's temperature might not have affected her, but the caffeine certainly seemed to. She turned her head quickly as she noticed Superman standing there with wallet in hand (and jaw slightly dropped). "Superman! You have to try some of these! I will admit that not all coffee tastes as good as it smells, but they sell kinds here that they never drink at the government offices that actually taste really good! It's like nothing I've ever had before, even on Themyscira! And some of them can make you feel –"
Superman stopped her by putting his hand on her arm. It was gentle, but firm. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, but do you think you can narrow down just one to have, maybe?"
She turned her attention back to the assortment of empty cups and the barista girl who was struggling to hold back giggles. Wonder Woman furrowed her brow in thought, then picked up the cup that the triple espresso was in.
"I think I liked this one the best after all," she said. The barista's grin widened as she took the cup then jotted down the order.
"Excellent choice, and for you sir? I can take your order here, we know you were in line before," she said referring to the line that had grown even more during the sampling episode.
"Oh, I'll just have a regular… decaffeinated cup. Two creams, two sugars. And a croissant. Oh, and I'll take care of any charge for the samples my friend here burned through," Superman said with a slightly apologetic tone.
"No worries! Samples are actually free! Plus, seeing someone open themselves up to the world of coffee for the first time is rewarding enough in itself!" the girl said in an amused voice as she turned her attention back to Wonder Woman who was rapidly looking around, taking in her surroundings as if for the first time (despite having been in the shop for at least 20 minutes).
Superman paid for everything and showed Wonder Woman to a table in the corner booth of the shop. Based on her reaction at the moment, Superman wasn't sure if he was dreading or looking forward to her reaction after finishing a full cup. But regardless, he had a wonderful time swapping stories with the beautiful Amazon princess as his adopted city bustled outside in the crisp night air.
As I said before, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Like I said, this story is going to feature BOTH SM/WW and BM/WW moments eventually. I just decided to have this first part start off this way. For those of you who enjoy the bromance relationship that Green Lantern and Flash have, you'll he happy to know that a few episodes will feature some of that as well.
Speaking of the future, I'd be interested in hearing suggestions of different situations you'd like to see the characters interact in. This one just happened to be a coffee shop, but I've got plans for things ranging from mini golf, to hayrides, to ice skating, and even a 'guys night out'. If you've got ideas, I'm very open to adapt them into future installments. Until then, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! Keep an eye out for an update soon!