Preliminary Notes: This story was created in accordance of the release of the new Justice League movie on November 2017. There is very little that we know about the full in-depth plot/synopsis of the movie, thus I am merely writing based on what I know from a mixture of comic lore and inference. Simply know that it is set within the movie verse of Justice League (2017).

Chapter One: Don't Forget You Chose This Life

It was Friday night, one of the most turbulent nights of the week considering the average influx of crime rate that would spike between the hours of eight to four in the morning in Central City.

Barry found himself holed up in his surveillance room, passing time by lackadaisically scanning each parameter that he tapped into from the traffic cameras all over the city. Hours before, he had finished sending his last written analysis for a toxicology report on a driver who was attempting to plead innocence for the murder of two passerby while he was driving home inebriated. After the files were reported, he was allowed to finally retire to his home. But it was no rest for the weary really, since he knew he'd only end up in his surveillance room. Darting in and out to stop petty crimes every now and then, but inevitably ending up sitting on his chair and waiting for the most part.

Such was the life of a vigilante.

At one point in his life, he had been seriously considering to fully drop his primary job altogether and channel all his time into the League. However, he knew that pretenses needed to be held up and in a sense, forensics had been a hobby that blunted the momentum of the League's day-to-day pressures. Thus, to keep his sanity in check, Barry decided to keep on with the mundane. Someone had to do it.

Every one of his colleagues had their own respective day jobs—Clark worked in the Daily Planet, Bruce played the part of billionaire chairman, hell, even Victor worked as an engineer at S.T.A.R. Labs. Every single one of them had a part to play, a facade to maintain. It was strange when he thought about how different each and every one of his colleagues occupations had been. They all varied in degree and upbringing. And yet, all of these people who came from different walks of life managed to come together as one collective. It was nothing short of remarkable.

To think that it all started when Bruce Wayne magically appeared in the middle of his surveillance room to offer him a position in the League. He hastily accepted the offer with fervor even, seeing as he was aware that he needed to make friends with the metahuman community. It was only after Darkseid's acolyte Steppenwolf came into the picture when the entire group became a cohesive force, binding on the fact that an imminent threat with the power to rival Superman had made an appearance on earth.

The battles they had endured in order to protect the earth were some of the most thrilling of his life. Never in his existence as a simple man with an immense love for science, would he imagine himself fighting on the battlefield next to the likes of actual gods and goddesses and even cyborgs. The idea in it of itself was what had him reeling, trying to ponder it all. And now, he himself had become a permanent fixture in the League—a now globally known force that had its own division in the U.N. It was the stuff of fairy tales really, not that he was one to believe in anything of the sort.

And now here he was, lounging on his second favorite chair while switching back and forth from watching a group of men coming out of a sports bar and crossing the walkway of Buchanan Ave. and 85th street at the same time trying to catch up on the last recording of Rick and Morty that he missed out on two weeks ago. The screens blurred into a jumble of colors and indiscernible noises now. Every now and then would his selective perception detect something amiss on the streets, though nothing serious had come about. Simply blank, white noise with the muffled sound of overtly obnoxious cartoon characters prattling in the distance was all that swarmed his senses.

Suddenly, a knock resounded throughout the room and his eyes immediately landed on the door.

Wondering who it was, he casually leaned in further in his chair to wait for whoever it was to let themselves in. After all, his surveillance room was inconspicuous to the casual wanderer, meaning only close friends and colleagues even knew of its location. He averted his eyes from the door and continued to fixate his attention on the screens before him.

"Who is it?" He called out, not once looking back as the door slowly creaked open.

"It's me," he heard the familiar lilt of a feminine voice. "Just came in to check on you, Bruce said you'd be here."

He recognized that voice from anywhere. It was that strong, regal voice that was domineering yet gentle, a voice that belonged to a diplomat. Barry turned around to meet her visage and smiled lightly at her.

"Hey Diana," he greeted.

"Hello," she greeted back evenly as she sat herself on the arm of his chair. She was dressed in her civilian clothes, wearing a simple ensemble of a white mohair turtleneck sweater and black leather trousers. Though he wouldn't quite put it as simple as he knew that the princess was often casually wearing Givenchy and Margiela—apparently, designers loved her. He saw the appeal, but never really cared.

"Figured Bruce'd know where I'm hiding. I won't be surprised if he had some sort of hidden batcam somewhere around here that's been evading my sight."

"He probably does," Diana laughed before idly picking at a bag of Funyuns and a half-eaten container of instant ramen that had been haphazardly scattered around his desk. She then proceeded to give him a pointed look.

"What? I didn't have time for dinner, so I just made a quick stop at the convenience store down the corner," he shrugged.

"Mhm, that's exactly why I came to pay you a visit. I knew you'd probably be starving yourself from a proper meal."

"Well thanks for the concern, mom," he rolled his eyes. "It's not like I have the luxury of getting a hot five-course Michelin dinner at my five-star embassy. Peasants have to suffice with what we know as the dollar menu. Y'know, living in squalor and whatnot."

"It's actually a four-course meal," she replied sarcastically before shaking her head in all seriousness. "I've forgone the recherché dinners for a simple plate every night thank you very much. And you actually have the luxury to potentially grab a meal halfway across the world within minutes. Didn't you mention sharing a tilapia with a tribe in some obscure Central American village not too long ago just for the...how do you say...just for the hell of it?"

"Maybe so, maybe so. But I digress, simple carbohydrates aren't so bad once in awhile," he gestured gracefully towards the cold ramen bowl.

"Not with the amount of sodium packed into those bowls I'd argue."

"Eh, can't say I live for luxury."

"Or perhaps just a proper meal? A real dinner?" She continued. "You practically eat like a...how do you say it?"

"Like a poor man?" He joked.

"No, like a...like a college student!" She said brightly, having finally found the words she was thinking of.

Barry threw his head back as laughter erupted from his throat. "Same thing nowadays," he said as he wiped a tear at the corner of his eye.

"But instant ramen and Funyuns? Come on, Barry, you could do better than that."

"Eh, I had a long day. Had to be hasty with my dinner choices, albeit questionable as they are. Don't judge me."

Diana smiled at him, a gesture that would often have any other person swooning. Though with him, he had become desensitized to the act and simply shrugged it off.

"Why don't we grab some dinner?" She reached over his shoulder to pick up the plastic ramen bowl before tossing it in the trash. "I know a nice ramen bar in Little Tokyo. You know, the real stuff."

"But I'm—"

"Give it a rest Barry, you already know that Victor has the entire globe on surveillance back in the League HQ. A little time away from your surveillance room might just do you a little good."

"Yeah, but Central City's my turf," he whined.

"But you need to get out—decompress, eat a meal. Come on, Barry, just for an hour or two."

She gave him a look, one that he was quite familiar with. It was the authoritative no-nonsense look that meant for little room for arguments. He knew it well and he knew that there was no way in fighting her on the matter because once she put her foot down and gave that ostentatious glare, there was nothing that could appease her. And like always, Barry conceded. He sat up from his chair and threw his coat on without any further argument.

"Fine, fine. Let's go get some food," he sighed before opening the door for her and leading the way out.

"Glad you can see things my way," she replied triumphantly before reaching into her purse and pulling out a pair of sunglasses. She was a public figure around the world, her visage was found all over social media and publications, yet for some odd reason people managed to not notice her when she wore those giant sunglasses.

"Sometimes it's good to listen to a friend's advice every now and then, hm?"

"I don't really have a choice, now do I?"

Diana smirked the entire way there.

Nakiryu's was nestled in between the borrows of Little Tokyo right next to a commodity shop selling imported goods from Ginza and a Japanese-style bakery. It was a standard ramen bar that was outdoor and with stools for customers to sit and enjoy their bowls in the cold winter night. Thankfully, Central City's temperatures never dropped below zero, so snow was never really an issue.

They sat far off on the corner and away from most of the customers while the cook hastily took their orders and left to wait on the other occupants. Both he and Diana had ordered a simple bowl of miso ramen and some hot tea. While they waited, they conversed back and forth with idle chatter.

"How are things doing in the embassy? I saw on the news last night about some swanky governor's ball you attended. Did Clark go?" Barry inquired as he fiddled with a pair of chopsticks.

"Yes, I actually saw Clark among some of the other journalists at the ball the other night. And things are going fine I suppose. I'm going to be apart of a diplomatic convoy for the Red Cross to visit Burundi in a few days. Relations between the country and Rwanda are looking rather dubious seeing as its past history with genocide and race relations continue to bear a burden upon its diplomatic relations with their neighbors. I'll actually be there for a healthcare and education initiative that Red Cross has been trying to get the U.N. to approve."

"Hey, I was just near Burundi and the DRC area the other day actually. Arthur and I went there to check on some small-scale riots between Tutsi and Hutu gangs near a village in Ngozi—"

"Ah, I've heard about that from Victor. How did things go?"

"Well, aside from a few casualties, I think that the domestic issues are over...for now. Ngozi is edging near Rwanda and a lot of domestic terrorist groups have been emerging, lots of bad blood from the Tutsi genocide not too long ago I guess."

"Hm, I always knew things wouldn't change overnight. Though it has been nearly two decades...how long has it been, since 1994? You know...that was always something I never could quite understand when I first came to the patriarch's world. War over the oddest things has always been existent—race, religious differences—there's always some type of conflict that men find to fight about."

"Guess people are just sensitive about their beliefs, though that may be an oversimplification," he replied as he took a sip of tea that had been placed in front of them when they were not looking.

"Tell me about it."

Suddenly, a figure stepped out from the bakery next door causing Barry to nearly jump out of his seat.

"Shit!" He hissed before attempting to duck behind Diana.

In her confusion, Diana began to frantically search for whatever had him suddenly frightened. She turned her head side-to-side to find the source before giving him a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" She queried.

"It's Iris!" He said with his countenance now flustered. "Oh my God, oh my God, why is she here?"

"Iris?" Diana echoed in confusion before widening her eyes in realization. "Oh, you mean, Iris. Iris West? Your colleague's daughter from that publication...what was it? The Central City Picture News, right?"

"Yes, must you be obvious?" He whispered anxiously.

She turned around subtly to gaze at a petite brunette with glowing sable skin and long curly hair walking out of the bakery next door with an older man in tow, possibly her father from the similar features they shared.

"Ah, isn't that the woman you like?"

"Shhh! Yes."

"You know, from the stories you've told me, your depiction doesn't do her justice. I think she's beautiful," Diana smirked. "Why don't you call her over? That's her father isn't it? Maybe you can greet your colleague as a way to talk to her, huh?"

"Nope, nope, and nope. We will not be doing any of that nonsense tonight. I just wanted to grab a hot bowl of ramen, that's all."

She nudged him playfully. "Aww, come on, Barry. There's no fun in trying."

"Nope."

He hid closer behind her shoulder, but she seemed to only want to turn away from him each time he did.

Much to his dismay, Detective Joseph West's keen eye managed to spot him from a mile away despite the fact that he had been attempting to hide behind a statuesque woman.

"Barry! Is that you?" Joe exclaimed as he began to amble towards their direction.

"Shit, shit, shit," Barry murmured into Diana's sleeve, before peeking hastily over her shoulder to greet him. "Uh, hey, Joe. How's it going?"

Both Joe and Iris West made their way towards him and he could feel himself internally screaming.

"Hey Barry, how've you been?" Iris greeted sweetly and she turned over towards Diana with a slightly surprised expression. "Don't tell me you're on a date?"

"Hm, now I understand why you were in such a rush to leave the office tonight...you had a date!" Joe chimed in while patting him on the shoulder.

Iris laughed and Barry could only flush even redder at the sound. "I, uh, she's not...We aren't—"

"Hello, I'm Di-Demetria. I'm just a friend of Barry's, nothing else. It's nice to meet you," Diana introduced herself as she reached over to shake both of their hands.

"Nice to meet you too. Demetria, huh? That's quite a unique name," Joe said with a smile. "The name's Joseph West, but you can call me Joe."

"And I'm Iris, nice to meet you," The other woman chirped.

"Iris? What a lovely name. You know, that's actually one of my favorite flowers."

"Aww thank you, mine too! And I think your name is really pretty. Demetria sounds like some kind of Greek goddess, are you Greek?"

"Well, uh, yes. Yes I am," Diana affirmed lightly.

"Ah, so that's what the accent was. I was trying to determine what it was from the moment I heard you. It makes sense—I mean the sunglasses at night, must be a foreign thing..." Joe nodded his head.

"So, uh, what were you guys doing here?" Barry questioned awkwardly. Diana elbowed him lightly before smiling at the two.

"Oh, I mean, where are my manners? Uh, how've you been?" He continued.

"Well, we just came to stop by and get some crepes at the bakery after dinner. Dad and I have been dying to try this place here in Little Tokyo," Iris replied.

"And we've been well for the most part. You literally just saw me a few hours ago," Joe added teasingly. "But then again you and Iris haven't spoken in awhile, right?"

"Uh, yeah... How've you been Iris?" Barry flushed.

"Doing good. Same old same old at CCPN...buut, I've actually been coordinating for the most part as editor for the editorial and global pieces on CCPN's online platform, so I guess that's something new."

"That's great! You always seemed to have the makings of a good editor."

"Aw, thank you. That's very sweet of you Barry. Honestly, not many people tell me this. I honestly love reporting and doing actual fieldwork, but I really do think that my calling might be in editing. What do you think dad?"

"I think you do a splendid job dear," Joe beamed.

"Anyways, how've you been Barry?"

"Well, same old too I guess. Still doing forensics. Still at CCPD. Nothing new in all honesty."

"Well, you've always loved science and forensics seemed really up your alley. So, I'm glad you're doing what you love," Iris replied.

"Uh, thank you."

Joe waved hastily at the two interrupting the conversation midway. "Well, I think it's time we head home now huh? It's getting a bit late. Shall we go dear?"

"Yeah, it is getting a bit late," Iris nodded.

"We'll see you around, alright son?" Joe said with one last smile.

"Yeah, I'll see you later. Goodnight."

As the two began to walk away, Iris turned around and waved towards them. "Goodnight Barry!" She shouted and he waved lightly at her in acknowledgement.

Once they were finally out of view, the man slumped in his chair from complete mental exhaustion. By then their orders had arrived but he wasn't so sure whether he even had the appetite to eat now. "Oh my God," he groaned. "That was by far the most awkward conversation I've ever had with her. Did you see how uncomfortable she looked? Ugh, could things get any worse?"

Diana chuckled. "Well, it was a...just a tad bit awkward. But, I think she likes you. She was just as flushed as you were the entire time, I think Mr. West might have noticed it too."

She broke her chopsticks apart and proceeded to slurp down some noodles.

"W-Wha—Really?"

Looking up and halting herself from eating, she nodded her head," Mm, probably. I think that's why he, how do you say it? Um, I think that's why he...cut the conversation so short. You know, once he started noticing the attraction. Must've felt a little overprotective over his daughter I suppose. My mother was just like that when I first came to the patriarchs world. They call it...what do they call it now? Oh, that's right! Tiger parents I believe."

"Figures Joe would be overprotective. He's always been one of those gruff, hard ass kinda guys. No surprise there..."

"It can't be helped," Diana shrugged.

Barry gazed at her inquisitively as if he were pondering something important. However, he shook his head and sighed in exasperation before saying," No... I guess it can't..."

Author's Note: Barry and Diana are an odd dynamic, moreover, they are a dynamic that is not too often played around with among many of the DC comics and the fanfics that follow after them. I wanted to try something out, to do something unique because I like the idea of playing down the usual glamorous persona of Wonder Woman with the more pragmatic Diana Prince—and I wholeheartedly believe that Diana Prince and Barry Allen would get along immensely. This first chapter was a little mundane, however we will pick up on more momentum soon.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave a review!