#SecretAdmirer

"Okay, guys. How 'bout we just up and face the truth already. Diana. Is. Not. Getting. It. We've been at this all day and she still hasn't adapted to anything. Honestly, we should probably just call it a day at this point." Kara complained as she exited the theater with her super friends, looking not at all chipper after processing Diana's latest shenanigan during the movie.

"Yeah, as... 'fun' as this whole evening has been, I'm with Kara on this one." Zee spoke. "No matter what we try to teach her, Diana just can't seem to make progress on anything. Now, believe me, I wish things didn't have to end this way, but everything just seems so... fruitless by now. I'm sorry."

"I hate to say it, but... I agree." Jessica said hesitantly, a guilty Karen frowning as she agreed with a nod.

Diana sighed at all the things being said, and as hurt as it all made her feel, she can't blame them. She knows that she's been screwing up royally, and for some reason, she just can't seem to learn from these mistakes. Why does she take every little thing to be a threat, when they obviously aren't? By Athena, why can't she just... relax for one second? Hell, the spa was supposed to help her with that, and even she couldn't get into it. Not like Zee.

...Maybe she is hopeless, after all. she thought as she lowered her head in shame. "I... apologize for all the trouble I have caused." She sighed in defeat.

Barbara couldn't believe what she's hearing. Okay, sure, this whole training bit of theirs hasn't exactly panned out in the way they hoped. However, she was determined to get at least something right. Their hero training may be a lost cause, and she can somewhat accept that for the time being. But Diana... She's anything, but a lost cause. She truly believed that Diana had what it took to adapt to their neck of the woods, but there's just something within the Amazon that's holding her back. And she couldn't for the life of her figure it out.

"Come on, guys. Don't talk like that! Yes, today hasn't really been kind to us when it comes to success, but I just know Diana can do this. We can't lose faith in her, nor this team!" Barbara said, her voice still full of hope as she looked at her friends.

Diana was stunned to hear that one of them still believed in her, bringing a smile back to her lovely face. 'Thank you, Barbara Gordon..' She thought gratefully, her own determination to be better rising.

Seeing as Babs wasn't gonna let this go, the other girls sighed and reluctantly remained on the side of hope after giving it some thought. "All right, Babs. You win. We'll stick with you guys and keep trying this. However crazy things may get. But, we don't have all night, so if things don't improve by the time we have to get home, we're done." Zee said adamently for her and her fellow almost quitters, crossing her arms as she gave the redhead a stern stare.

"Understood. One more shot is all I'm asking for." Barbara smiled at hearing the good news. It's the best she's getting, and she'll take whatever she can get. "Okay! Before we continue on with another lesson, maybe we should actually take the time to reflect on what has happened so far. I mean, there's obviously something going on with Diana that causes her to react violently. If we can find out what it is and get rid of it, or at the very least suppress it, we should be able to get through these lessons smoothly enough. Alright, now let's see... What. Could. It. Be?" She pondered, the other girls leaving the thinking to her. They knew that if anyone can figure it out faster than them, it'd be Batgirl. What they didn't know however, was that someone else with them had been thinking it over ever since they abandoned their ruined movie, having come to the same conclusion, and a possible solution, before them.

"I... may have an idea."

Simultaneously, the girls perked up at hearing Izuku finally speak, seeing the boy look deep in thought for a moment before he faced them with a curious look.

"Oh yeah? What is it, greenie?" Kara asked, everyone eager to hear his thoughts.

"Well, before I say it, I first need to be sure of one thing. Diana?" He locked his sights on the Amazon.

"Yes?" Diana acknowledged, blinking curiously at the serious expression Izuku donned.

"This land that you come from, Themyscira. Now, I don't know anything about it. Heck, I doubt any of us do. But, judging from what I'm able to pick up about you, am I correct in assuming that battle is all you've ever known being raised there? Both you and your people?"

"That is correct." Diana nodded. "Throughout history, the Amazons have always been known to be strong and fierce warriors. We train and study our entire lives to be as such in order to protect our home. For it is our very way of life. So yes, from a very young age, battle is all that has ever been taught to me. However, it is all that I have ever aspired to learn if I am being honest."

After hearing this... somewhat sad tale, the other girls looked at Diana as if she had been through something traumatic. They struggled to comprehend the fact that her entire childhood... revolved around her learning how to wield a sword and shield, never having the chance to truly enjoy the good things about being a kid. At least, a kid in the modern world. God, even if Diana is comfortable with it, none of them could imagine themselves ever living such a... dangerous life. Being molded into a battle-hardened warrior for the sole reason of defending their land. While it's a noble gesture, it's also quite depressing when you consider the fact that you never get to live life for yourself, to see what more life has to offer. And with Diana being Themyscira's princess, one can only imagine the pressure that comes with the position. Hold up, what she even doing here anyway? Eh, that's a question for later.

"..That's what I thought." Izuku hummed, his worries confirmed. "Well, there's our problem, ladies." He added, garnering everyone's attention once more. "This whole time, we've been going about these lessons all wrong. We've been trying to teach her these things with her battle instincts still active. And it certainly didn't help that we were doing them right in the middle of your hero training."

Instantly, the realization dawned on the girls as their eyes slowly widened.

"Ho-ly crap.." Kara breathed.

"See? Makes sense, right?" Izuku continued, getting everyone to nod. "Even if she doesn't realize it, Diana's guard is so high up that she risks seeing almost anything as a potential threat, especially in a land that's completely unfamiliar to her. It's just the way she was raised to be."

"Wow... Our world is more far apart from hers than we initially thought." Karen commented.

"More like they're complete opposites if you ask me." Said Zee, and she wasn't wrong.

"Oh, bestie! You are a genius!" Barbara chirped, pounding a fist lightly into her opposite palm as she grinned at the revelation. "It's all so clear now! All we needed to do first was get her to loosen up somehow, and we'd have been golden!"

"Exactly. If we had managed to do that earlier, teaching Diana how to be a 'normal teenager' would've been a tad easier." Izuku chuckled.

"So... there truly is potential for me to adapt, after all?" Diana asked as she looked to Izuku with a hopeful expression, her eyes lit up as she eagerly awaited his confirmation.

"More than you know, Diana. More than you know." Izuku replied with a kind smile, reaching to give her shoulder a comforting pat as he stepped in front of her.

On top of hearing his words with that physical male contact, Diana suddenly found herself... blushing? as she met his eye, that smile of his not being any help to shield her heart from the foreign feeling that so unexpectedly attacked it. A feeling that caused said heart to race like crazy. She couldn't bring herself to question it right now as she rather... enjoyed it. "Th-Thank you... Izuku." Diana cutely smiled as she then looked down to her feet bashfully, her hands coming together at the back of her waist as she relished in these strange, but pleasant, feelings.

"Don't mention it." Izuku responded, taking back his hand as he was glad to see her smiling again.

Diana's whole reaction didn't slip past the others girls as they all had their brows raised, astonished as they momentarily looked at one another to confirm if what they saw was real. They never would've expected Diana of all people to express such a manner of... jubilance. Did Izuku believing in her really have that much of an impact? Heh, it's kinda funny seeing as they were just trying to teach her about romance a few minutes ago. Now, here's the real question that lingered in the back of their minds...

Does Izuku believe in them as much as he does Diana?

Out of them all, the question seemed a bit more apparent to Babs as she looked at Izuku with a brief look of... fear.

Ultimately though, they shrugged it off as that's a concern for another time. For now, they really had to deal with their warrior princess problem.

"With all that said, Zee, Kara, Karen and Jessica?" Izuku called as he looked at the named girls. "Since our next objective is to show Diana here a heck of a good time, do you know of any places we can go to do just that?"

"Yeah! Surely there's something in this huge city that can get even a warrior princess to unwind!" Barbara said.

It barely took a few seconds before one of them came up with a place.

"Oh! Oh! I know a place that might work!" Karen spoke up excitedly, raising a hand while bouncing her heels slightly.

And like that, they had their destination.

"Woooaah.."

Izuku and Barbara gasped as one, them and their super companions now standing at the entrance to a massive pier that had an equally massive amusement park to it. From a roller coaster to a ferris wheel, bumper cars to an arcade, food stands serving treats from cotton candy to pizza! This place looked to have it all! It's a friggin' wonderland they tell ya!

"..Babs?" Izuku called, a dumb smile stuck on his face as he was hypnotized by all the bright lights that littered the fair.

"Yeah, bestie?" Same can be said for Babs.

"Is it just me, or did we somehow die and end up in heaven?" Izuku asked, his body beginning to jitter with hype.

"I have no idea, but if we did, I have no regrets! Mm-Gah! Oh, I can't wait anymore! Come on, let's get in there!" The redhead giggled happily as she bolted into the amusement park, causing Izuku to chuckle as he followed suit.

"I'm right behind you! Woohoo!" Izuku's cheer echoed, the besties letting their excitement consume them as they ditched the others in their dust. Unintentionally, of course.

"My, well that was... something." Zee stifled as she dusted herself off, smiling as she found the event rather adorable. Despite getting dirtied by them.

"They must really like amusement parks." Jessica chuckled.

"Apparently. Hey, good find, pipsqueak." Kara ruffled the young Beecher's hair, who took it in stride as she grinned while waving off the compliment, but took it to heart.

"Oh, it was nothing." Karen blushed.

"In the world of man, an... amusement park is a place people visit in order to unwind?" Diana asked while gazing at the fair in amazement, taking in all the fun sights the landmark had to offer as the cheers and happy chatter of the many people around filled her ears.

"That's right, princess." Kara answered, saying the title with no hostility this time around. "When it comes to hanging out at an amusement park, you can't not unwind. Fun is literally what they're made for."

"Mhm!" Zee chimed in. "And it's guaranteed if you come with the right people. Luckily for you, you came with us. Thus, you've hit the jackpot." She giggled.

"I see.." Diana muttered, taking a deep breath as despite her apparent awe, the place had her kinda intimidated. Jessica noticed as she brought a hand to the Amazon's shoulder.

"Think you'll be okay, Diana?" The brunette asked concerningly, smiling gently when Diana looked to face her.

Before answering, Diana first looked to the other girls to see them sharing the same look, nodding as if telling her... she can do this. She resisted the urge to frown at not seeing Izuku doing the same, but wouldn't be upset with him about it.

As courage started to fuel her, she gave the fair one more good look before giving her answer.

'No fighting. No being on your guard. This isn't home. Here... In the world of man, you are free. For the time being, just let go of all your training, and your instincts. And for the love of Aphrodite, just go and have some fun... with your friends.' That last thought made Diana grin as she then looked back to Jessica and gave her a sure nod.

"Yes. I can handle it this time, I promise."

"Good." Jessica acknowledged, releasing her gentle hold.

"All right! Let's stop all this before things start getting too sappy." Kara stifled, rolling her eyes as she found this all somewhat amusing. "Let's roll and catch up with those two, huh? Can't be letting them have too much fun without us." She suggested as she began entering 'heaven', her hands hiding in her pockets.

"Sounds good!/Let's do it!/Yes!" Were Zee, Jessica, and Karen's responses, moving up after Kara to keep up.

"Yes... Let's." Diana whispered before doing the same. She could already feel her tension slowly dissipate just by entering the fair's lively atmosphere.

Like they had been all day, they're still blissfully unaware of the drone watching them from above..

Elsewhere..

"So, any updates on the status of your little... project since the mall trip, my niece? There's been good developments, I hope. It's been a few hours since my last call."

"I'll admit, Uncle Tony, things were a little rocky with them at the beginning."

"..Explanation?"

"Well, first off, Batgirl, Bumblebee, Supergirl, Zatanna and Green Lantern all failed these hero exercises that Spider-Man and Wonder Woman had cooked up for them at this local junkyard. They failed miserably I might add. Honestly, be glad you missed it as it was all just... painful to watch."

"Okay... So far, I'm not hearing any positives, kiddo."

"It's a good thing I'm not done yet."

"Carry on then."

The female voice then gave a complete breakdown of the teens' day so far, explaining to her 'Uncle Tony' in great detail all the issues that stemmed from trying to teach Diana how to be a normal teenager.

"Yikes, it's been a hectic day for all of them, that's for sure."

"You're telling me. Thankfully, things look to be turning for the better as they're just now using an amusement park as a means of sedating Wonder Woman's inner warrior. You know, showing her what it means to have a good time here in the 'world of man'. Despite how confident she seemed about not messing up this time, it remains to be seen if she'll actually pull through. I'll continue to have hope for her though. I've got a good feeling about this one."

"Here's hoping that feeling actually pans out this time."

"I find your lack of faith disturbing, Uncle."

"Yeah, well, can you blame me after what you've told me?"

"Heh, I suppose I can't."

"I gotta say though, that boy being surrounded by all those super girls.. He's damn lucky. Kinda reminds me of my own playboy years, except you know, the girls weren't supers."

"Ugh, men.."

"O-Oh! Not that I miss them or anything. Heheh. I have your Aunt, after all! Yyyup! She's the only woman I'll ever need in my life."

"Mhm, whatever you say, Uncle. Let's just hope Auntie hasn't heard you say any of that."

"She didn't, thank God... A-Anyway, onto another topic. When do you plan to start the next phase? Kid, I pulled a lot of strings to make sure Batgirl and Spider-Man got to Metropolis for you. So excuse me if I get a little upset if you end up chickening out in the end."

"Don't worry, Uncle. I won't chicken out. Plus, we've been over this. That phase doesn't start until I've seen what they can do as a team without me first. And no, I'm not gonna base the result on how they did during those exercises. I imagine they weren't too into it seeing as real lives weren't at risk. So until I've seen what they can really do, I'll continue to remain... non-existent. Just as they had trials for each other, this is my trial for them."

"So, what? You're just going to wait around until they resolve a major crisis on their own?"

"That's the plan."

"That's really dangerous, kid. You know that, don't you? Especially with this Wonder Woman being added into the plan so suddenly."

"I do know, yes. But, like I mentioned before, I believe in them. They all have what it takes to be the world's greatest heroes, that I can tell. Heck, Spider-Man and Wonder Woman have already proven themselves well enough. As for the others, they'll get there. We just need to be patient."

"I sure hope you know what you're doing. Faith, hope... Cheesy crap like that can only get us so far with something like this."

"But in this case, we will get far. I swear, Uncle. Have I ever let you down before?"

"..."

"Exactly. I haven't. I've never let you down once, and I don't intent to start. Just... trust me, okay?"

"...All right, kiddo. I have complete and utter faith in you. Boy, I better not regret saying that.."

"You won't."

"..They're gonna have A LOT of questions for you by the time this is all over.."

"..I'll deal with it when we get there. It's not your problem.."

"Ha... Okay, I'll leave you alone for now after one more question."

"Shoot."

"The suit. You taking good care of it?"

"You do realize how silly you sound asking that, right?"

"Just answer the question."

"Geez, fine. Yes, I'm taking ultra premium care of the suit, Uncle. As per your everyday requests."

"Hey! I've literally spent MILLIONS to get you that suit made, kid. So don't you go giving me lip for asking about its condition."

"Oh, please. That's chump change for you, and you know it!"

"I... Well.. Okay, fine. I'll stop asking about it from now on. I did say I trust you, after all.."

"Thanks a lot. I'd like to finally stop pointing finger guns at my head everytime you ask."

"I can always continue.."

"...Sorry, Uncle Tony."

"That's better. All right, I'll leave you be for tonight. Gonna go catch some Z's before I stress out too much about all this. I have more than enough white hairs growing already."

"Oh, you'll be fine."

"We'll see.. Goodnight, Melissa. Don't you stay up too late. I'll check in again tomorrow."

"Night, Uncle. Tell Aunt Pepper I said goodnight. Love you guys."

"Love you too, kid. And I'll tell her."

"Thanks. Ironheart, out!"

The Harem! ( Just a reminder! And catch the Review Responses below! )

- Barbara Gordon/Batgirl

- Diana Prince/Wonder Woman

- Kara Danvers/Supergirl

- Jessica Cruz/Green Lantern

- Karen Beecher/Bumblebee

- Zee Zatarra/Zatanna

- Felicia Hardy/Black Cat ( Civilian - 1994 'Spider-Man' cartoon/Black Cat - Ultimate Marvel/Earth 1610 )

- Melissa Shield/Ironheart ( AAH! There it is! XD )

- Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana

- Mary Jane Watson ( Ultimate Marvel/Earth 1610 )

- Rose Wilson/Ravager ( Prime Earth )

- Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman ( Into The Spider-Verse movie )

- Natalia Romanova/Black Widow ( Ultimate Marvel/Earth 1610 )

- Lois Lane

- Silver Sablinova/Silver Sable ( Ultimate Marvel/Earth 1610 )

- Sue Storm/Invisible Girl ( Ultimate Marvel/Earth 1610 )

- Barbara "Barbi" Minerva/Cheetah

- Rachel Roth/Raven ( OG animated 'Teen Titans' )

- Kory Anders/Starfire ( OG animated 'Teen Titans' )

- Elektra Natchios/Elektra ( Ultimate Marvel/Earth 1610 )

- Kitty Pryde ( Ultimate Marvel/Earth 1610 )

- Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch ( Earth 616 )

- Laura Kinney/X-23 ( Earth 616 )

- Elizabeth Braddock/Psylocke ( Earth 616 )

Review Responses!

Whitetiger789:Thanks, my dude!

XLR8 The Fox:It sure seems that way, doesn't it? XD But nah, I didn't extend it.

Glad to hear it, bud.

LoamyCoffee: Yeah, I'm really enjoying writing him this way as well. Glad you're liking it so far!

Karlos1234ify: Thanks!

superfanman217: That, and sooooo much more, m8. ;)

Menydragon5: Not much, but... there you go. XD

Hestia is Bestia: First off, I appreciate the constructive criticism. Thank you for that. :) As for your concern, I understand that things can go downhill for stories that have crazy harem lists, believe me. But, when it comes to this story and the plans I already have for it. To me, it's a risk worth taking as it's all gonna be fun in the long run. And that's all that really matters to me. A lot of people will come and go for this, and I'm okay with that. XD

Anyway, Glad you like what you've see so far!

Follow, Favorite and Review if you'd be so kind! It is always greatly appreciated to know what you guys think of the story so far!

Until next chapter, deuces!