#SleeplessInMetropolis
At night, Johnny and Diana took the opportunity to get some sleep after all that had happened. After the weekend helping Jessica and Renee at the animal shelter and the events involving the cat named Dexter, there was a chance to rest after all that had happened. The boy then, awoke to an unexpected noise, seeing the Amazon snoring in her sleep, leaving Johnny worried about it. Putting two pillows to his ears, it became clear how this thing of having a roommate with different habits was starting to come back with a totally unusual feeling around it.
"I said a while back that the concept of roommates used to apply to people sharing the same place, except that it also shows a certain unexpected feeling. The difference that exists between two people sharing the same place just put points of view on display for what was to come. Living with an Amazon has its ups and downs, but I could still understand that feeling very well. Sometimes, though, it's hard." In his own thoughts, Johnny wondered about everything, including after his fight against Cheshire, the fact that everything was back to normal just put him in front of something, along with his friends, trying to find a reason to end his boredom at times. - "But I can understand it very well living with Diana. We are so much alike that many would be surprised at our attitudes. But still...you have to adapt to many things."
Johnny knew he needed to sleep, even more so considering some of his classes the next day. Something that was made more difficult with Diana's snoring, trying to find a perfect position to be able to sleep and above all, not to fall asleep in class.
The next day...
In the school, Johnny started to open his locker room, getting ready to start one of his class, until he slept with the head inside his locker. Without seeing him, Zee started walking towards the boy, with the book Johnny had lent to her a while ago. With a smile on her face, without realizing it, Johnny was still sleeping, trying to recover from the night before.
"You know, I'll admit that this book left me surprised. It was a thrill from beginning to end. The Orient Express really is an immersive plot and the whole theme of mystery and the crime that happened on the train was quite interesting. The twists and turns alone were worthy of a movie script, in all means possible." Reviewing the book, she imagined that Johnny was listening to what she had started to talk about, until she heard the boy snoring at the closet door, leaving her surprised. - "You've got to be kidding me. Johnny?" Snapping her fingers, the boy woke up, half surprised by the scene. - "Finally."
"What happened?"
"You were sleeping with your face in the locker. I was talking about how you had just finished reading the book you had lent me and you were sleeping the whole time."
"Sorry. It's just that I couldn't sleep last night. Diana was snoring all night and I had a problem getting back into my sleep." Grabbing a thermal bottle with coffee in it, Johnny took a sip, trying to understand what might happen now. - "Good thing at least we don't have exams yet, because I would be in serious trouble."
"Okay. You really couldn't sleep?" Seeing Diana approaching, Johnny turned his focus to the materials in his closet, looking at some notes as the Amazon gave a smile back to Johnny and Zee.
"This day has started very well! I managed to break my training record. It seems I'm really managing to outdo myself in a lot of things. Johnny?" He kept himself awake, while slowly, holding the bottle in hand, he looked at Diana with a smile on his face.
"I'm fine, Diana. I just didn't get a good night's sleep."
"What happened?"
"Insomnia crisis." Not wanting to admit that he hadn't been able to sleep because of Diana, Johnny just went towards the living room, with the thermal bottle in hand, trying to understand what might happen, but at the same time, Diana was confused to see this scene.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No. He's just having some problems. But Johnny will get over them."
The optimism was clear. After drinking another thermos of coffee, Johnny stayed awake, partially refreshed. Slowly, he became calm, observing the scenery, taking advantage that his next class hadn't started yet, until he heard a somewhat unexpected sound coming from the music room: The sound of a piano and a melody, almost fast-paced, as if it were an old movie, of drama, but at the same time, a rhythm that had a spy theme, like 007. Approaching the room, Johnny saw Helena playing the piano, with a softness and delicacy around her hands.
(Helena)
Where you go, I go
What you see, I see
I know I'd never be me
Without the security
Of your loving arms
Keeping me from harm
Put your hand in my hand
And we'll stand...
The girl then stopped playing the piano when she saw Johnny at the door, which left Helena with a smile on her face, almost with a feeling that everything was back to normal and the worst was over, but there was still something else hovering around that put everything at an unexpected point, because even though they had returned to their normal routines, they still had the task of protecting Metropolis with all their might.
"It looks like you haven't lost your touch, Johnny. But still, you look kind of strange."
"I didn't sleep very well last night. I had three cups of coffee to stay awake and not fall asleep in the middle of class." Managing to get a laugh from his friend, Johnny knew how much he still had a certain connection with Helena, but still couldn't figure out what it was, considering the same interests and stuff. - "But at least you're okay."
"Laurel and Renée have their activities and I have mine. It turns out that since they don't have any classes, I thought it best to have the sweet silence around so that I could get my talents in hand. The truth is that for singing, it's something quite unusual, but for the other, I'm still left wondering what to do." Suddenly, Johnny began to laugh, causing Helena to smile back at him. - "But apparently, you have your tricks."
"At times, I keep thinking that I can't be someone else when I'm on the streets, fighting crime. I think part of being a hero, you have to resolve a little bit more of the uncertainty that surrounds me. You, on the other hand, get to be the Huntress and when you wear that mask, you get to be much more confident and determined to solve any problem in your face, Helena." Realizing the irony of things, Helena moved closer to Johnny, putting a certain unexpected situation around their bodies. - "But it's kind of complicated in some parts."
"You can sing, but still, playing the piano in public is something difficult? Show me a little more of what you know." Even though Johnny was tired, he still had a certain mood around his body, with a feeling of uncertainty, but he could feel a confidence arising, ready to try to understand what was going to happen now.
Without realizing it, Mary Bromfield approached the music room, starting to look at the pair, as well as Dinah and Renée, a little surprised, trying to understand a little more of the feeling at that time, but at the same time, bringing an unexpected feeling around their bodies.
"That song is a little rock 'n roll, but I think I can turn it into something a little more suitable for the piano."
Closing his eyes, Johnny began to feel the keys of the instrument in front of him, while little by little, he placed his fingers close to them, where he began to play the piano, keeping a calm and creating a very soft introduction, until he began to intensify the rhythm of the song in a very slow but subtle way, almost turning the rock song into a power ballad.
(Johnny)
Sometimes you twist
Always insist that you know a way
Should I let go now
Would I even know how to anyway
And all that matters
Is turned around
Over and over again
With that full circle
It comes down to now again
Stay the night
Let a little love show
Stay the night
It's all right, yeah
Stay the night
Don't say you don't know
Stay the night
Managing to work out a much more frequent rhythm, Johnny kept his eyes on the prize, trying to stay awake, but at the same time, managing to feel a certain optimism around his body. With each key he played, Johnny seemed to be creating a new rhythm for the song he was playing, a complete power ballad at that very moment. Just then, he stopped the music, looking at Helena.
"Your voice even sounds like that of an opera singer at times, Helena. As far as I can remember, I'm still left thinking a lot about the fact that you still have many surprises ahead of you."
"My mind had a natural talent for songs. And I inherited that from her. But deep down, a part of me keeps thinking about what I have to offer now. A true mezzo soprano, who has a natural talent for opera, but I've always liked other genres of music." Laughing at the scene, Johnny and Helena could feel a certain sensation around his bodies, however, the boy still stated in his mind that the girl he loved was his favorite magician, making his statement clear. - "You have class in how many minutes?" That was enough to make the boy look at the clock on his cellphone, keeping his cool.
"10 minutes. Can we talk later?"
Helena just nodded, and Johnny started to walk, which made Dinah, Renée and Mary stand in position, to try to disguise the suspicion around their bodies. At this, calm came over Mary's face, as she started to walk, staying close to Johnny at that moment, leaving the boy surprised by this attitude.
"Mary? I thought you would be in your next class now."
"I still have a little more time. So, I couldn't help but watch you and Helena in the music room, but if you ask me, you two would make a great couple." These words left Johnny a little surprised, trying to understand what Mary meant by this.
"What are you talking about?"
"You really don't get the signs, do you? Helena has a crush on you. You really couldn't pick up on those details?" The surprise in his body was enough to make Johnny keep walking, towards the room where he was about to have his next class.
But that seemed to be a totally different feeling at the time. Johnny had noticed that there was something out of the ordinary, but now that he knew that Helena liked him more than as a friend, his thoughts were racing, unsure of what was going to happen now.
On Zee's penthouse, Johnny took the opportunity to spend more time with the girl of his dreams, in his mind, with a feeling of uncertainty around his body. Still reading some of the books Zee had with herself on the house, the magician still had in hand the book The Orient Express, reading some of the pages of the book, but noticing something quite unusual at that time, she got close and looked at Johnny, worried.
"You're kind of quiet today. Is there something wrong? Is it still that thing about your powers?" The magician asked, trying to understand a little bit what the boy was feeling, until Johnny gave a little laugh.
"It's nothing like that. It's just that I just discovered something kind of curious. I was in the music room with Helena today and when I left the room, Mary Bromfield kind of let me know about the details that I hadn't noticed in our last few conversations." With a smile around her face, the curiosity on Zee's face was louder now. - "It's kind of a confusing thing, even. She told me that Helena likes me. More than as a friend."
Zee kept herself surprised, but regaining her composure, she looked at the boy, with a smile on her face, almost with a calmness around her body. Slowly, she approached the boy, as she lay down on his bed, facing in opposite directions now.
"Certain girls might have a crush on you and that might even be a normal thing, but if you ask me, you have a kind of interesting feeling. It's like they have surprises hovering around your body, Johnny."
"The girl I like is you. And it will be you, Zee. Have no doubt about it." Johnny reaffirmed his decision, putting everything on the line about what he believed now. - "I have no way of knowing what will happen now.
"It seems difficult, but the answer will come. You can be sure about that, Johnny." She looked at Johnny, noticing the weariness around his body again. - "You don't look so good."
"It's already going to be nighttime and I keep thinking about how to deal with Diana's snores when I go to sleep. I can handle it a little, but I don't think it will be forever." Zee put her left hand on the cheek, nervously.
"Just tell her the truth and say what you are feeling at those times."
"I can't do that, Zee. If I do that, I might hurt her feelings, and I like having Diana as my roommate. Even with everything that happened, I don't want to say something that might hurt her emotions." Even more with everything that happened, Zee Zatara could understand some of her boyfriend's emotions at that moment, seeing how much he cared about people and didn't want to hurt them. - "I think I can solve this issue. Unless you have a solution to help me now?" Laughing at the scene, Zee looked at the boy, keeping a certain sarcasm around her body.
"If that happens, I'll see what I can do."
In his house, Johnny was taking the opportunity to try to sleep, at least as best he could. Still listening to Diana's snores around the room, almost with a worrying feeling that he wouldn't get another night of sleep in those hours. Putting two pillows over his face, Johnny still struggled to try to sleep, until he realized that there was something very strange and realized that the Amazon would not stop snoring so soon, he took the pillows to the living room and lay down on the couch, realizing that he could not hear Diana's snores in the room, Johnny gave a smile, which made he close his eyes, willing to sleep. Some nights were a little complicated at times, but the boy liked to have the Amazon as his roommate, doing everything to do what was necessary at that time, however, hearing a sound a little unusual, he looked outside, seeing Diana holding a sword, the shield on her back and with her eyes closed, making clear the surprise on Johnny's face at that time.
"She's a sleepwalker? Seriously?" Realizing that he wouldn't get a good night's sleep at that hour, Johnny got up and with that, he took advantage of the fact that there was no one around and started walking towards Diana and with that, he approached the Amazon placing one of his hands on top of the girl and walked, where out of nowhere, Diana picked up his arm and threw it on the ground, making it clear the boy's concern at that hour.
"You vile enemy! I will make sure to send you back to the place you came from!" Johnny started to move, avoiding Diana's attacks, until he put his hands around the girl's body, making clear the concern around his body now.
"Diana, it's me. Johnny. The enemy is gone." Managing to calm the Amazon, the boy gave her a smile back.
"Johnny. You're so strong. Did you know you have a good heart?" Getting a little nervous at the Amazon's words, Johnny began to lead her back to his house, maintaining a calmness. - "Johnny, have you ever been told what an off-beat beauty you have?
"I'm starting to get a little embarrassed here."
"I don't think I've ever performed the act of humans meeting and the sweet feelings of lips touching another person's, but we're dealing with something out of the ordinary." Out of nowhere, in the state she was in, the Amazon tried to kiss Johnny, which made him put one of his hands in front of him to avoid the situation, considering something out of the ordinary and put her back on the bed, keeping calm around her body. - "Johnny, I think there's something that we need to understand about us. All of this dynamic."
"I understand you on that question, Diana."
Leaving the room, Johnny went toward the living room, and went back to sleep, hoping that Diana would stay still this time. Slowly, the boy fell asleep, while he couldn't hear the snores of the Amazon, trying to understand what was going to happen.
The next day, in the cafeteria, Johnny held two thermos bottles with coffee in them and started to put the cup of coffee in, trying to keep calm, while Zee, Jessica, Kara, Karen and Barbara looked on, nervous to see this scene coming from the boy in their fronts.
"Did I miss something or what?" Kara asked, trying to understand what Johnny was doing with two thermoses of coffee.
"Something tells me our friend couldn't sleep again." Jessica said, almost answering the question, but at that, Johnny just gave a small laugh, leaving her surprised.
"The other way around. This time, I was able to sleep. Only getting nervous all night in some parts. Remember what I said about Diana moving into my house? I've talked with Zee that she snores when sleeping. And now, I found out that she has become a sleepwalker. I had to convince her in her sleep that I was not a villain. And that's when the conversation got really weird." Sipping another cup of coffee, his nervousness only increased.
"Weird in what way?" Zee said, dreading to find out what the exact answer was.
"She was all lovey near me, almost like she was saying that she liked me. I don't know if Diana was in clear state or if she confused me with someone else." Taking her coffee on the table, Babs placed one of her hands on Johnny's, nervously.
"Look, you need to end this. Tell Diana the truth, that you can't sleep because of her snoring and the fact that she sleepwalks, and see if you can come to an agreement."
"I'm not going to say that, Babs. If I say it, I'll hurt her feelings. But if I can come up with a plan, I'll fix it." The grin around his face made it clear how hard Johnny was trying to stay awake for any situation, until he looked at his friends. - "Or one of you could talk to Diana for me."
The silence hovered in the worst possible way, making it clear that they also had their doubts about talking to Diana about the problems, proving that they didn't want to hurt the Amazon's feelings at that time either. There was a huge stalemate at that hour. At the same time, Diana started to come closer, which made Johnny keep up appearances, at least until he could get a good night's sleep.
The next day, waiting at the bathroom door, Johnny stared at the door, hoping that at least he would be able to take a shower before the next class on the day. Slowly, the boy knocked on the door, while listening to the shower on the other side.
"Diana! How long will it take? I need to take a bath and brush my teeth!"
"Just give me a few minutes. I'm almost done. But if you want to enter and clean your teeth, go on."
Nervousness showed on Johnny's face as he opened the door, keeping calm, which made him look in the opposite direction, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste, trying to at least keep what little hygiene was left around his body. Still being a little tired, Johnny struggled to stay awake, and at this, he began to see a certain fog around the place.
"Diana. You've been using the hot water in the shower for how long?" Suddenly, Diana opened the shower curtain, leaving her body exposed to Johnny, who looked in the opposite direction, realizing that she was naked inside the bathroom.
"A few minutes. What happened?"
"Don't get me wrong, but... you're still taking a shower and I didn't want to be a bother." The Amazon then laughed at the scene, as she realized that Johnny seemed to be a little embarrassed about the scene.
"Back in Themyscira, the Amazons bathed themselves out in the open and, manners in this point, didn't matter for this one. Back on the island, we were more open about certain topics than we could expect. I thought that here, in the World of Men, you didn't have any issues about that."
"I know, but it's kinda odd." Laughing at the scene, Johnny just struggled to keep his cool at that very moment, with the feeling that seeing an Amazon before his eyes, naked in his front, was still something kind of unexpected at that time. - "But you know, you do have a nice body. Not to sound wrong." Diana too, chuckled a little at the scene, noting how a certain inspiration there was in the dynamic between the two of them.
"According to my mother, the Gods gave me various attributes and some of them, were beauty and the gifts of certain deities. But let's just say I'm still trying to find something beyond my purpose." The boy began to brush his teeth, keeping calm, and after a few seconds, Diana returned to the shower, but at this, Johnny just tried to keep calm at this point, realizing that he would have to do something complicated.
"Do you remember anything from last night by any chance?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Actually, I had a kind of complicated dream. In that dream, I was facing the Minotaur who escaped from the depths of another world, until I heard a somewhat unusual voice. Let's just say that was kind of surprising."
"It's just... you were sleepwalking last night. I had to take you back to our bedroom, without waking you." The surprise was clear, which made Diana realize right then and there what he was talking about. - "And you've kind of been snoring some nights. I haven't been able to sleep for a couple of days."
The boy then left the bathroom, which made Diana put a towel between her body and her head, trying to understand what was going to happen. Slowly, she saw Johnny entering the bedroom and sat down beside him, with a calmness around her body, and with a concern around her sibling and friend.
"Why didn't you tell me about this? I go out of my way to be a perfect guest, but-"
"You are not the problem, Diana. I enjoy having your company in this house. You have been an excellent roommate. I just haven't commented on anything with you because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. I guess deep down, I care about you so much because I've gotten used to your presence around the house." Out of nowhere, Diana hugged the boy, giving him a smile right then and there.
"You could never hurt me, Johnny. You are always thinking of other people, that your greatest gift is the heart you possess."
The two looked at each other, keeping their cool, while thinking about the fact that they still had a lot of things to work out. Still realizing that Diana was naked in his room, Johnny laughed at the situation, while at the same time, the Amazon noted that they still had a lot of things to work out.
"So... what do we do now?" The boy asked, wanting to see how they would resolve this story.
At the safe house, Johnny and Diana were gathered with their friends, where Jessica started to play the role of a therapist, using all her knowledge about anger management and all the causes she was defending to try to get the clue about what to do at this time, but with the feeling of uncertainty hovering, Zee, Kara, Karen and Babs looked at the pair, with a concern on their bodies.
"All right. You guys want to understand a little bit about this dynamic as roommates, now that you're trying to see how to change certain things?" The two just nodded, which made Jess get annoyed. - "I'm not a therapist, but I think I can try to mediate between the two of you now."
"And there we go, acting like we're on a show, similar to a couples therapy." Kara said, annoyed at what was to happen now.
"Well, Johnny. Diana. I think that to try to understand what you want to do, we need to get to the root of what involves you. You enjoy each other's company as roommates, but even the most compatible of you have certain issues. In your case, Johnny, you've taken a lot of that on yourself because you care about your sibling and friend at times like this."
"She said that my heart is my greatest quality and that it makes me a better person with a willingness to help other people. Just as I also see that in Diana."
"Well, he himself admitted how much you snore and are usually sleepwalking at times."
"It's a work in progress. Johnny opened my eyes to these little issues, that I am committing myself to try and fix this. Of course, we need to have some consensus, some equality in our turns so that we don't have any problems because of what might happen." Diana seemed to be more optimistic, which made the Amazon giggle. - "But at least he never complains about some things around."
"True. I never complain about the equipment you kept inside my closet. I only don't complain about other issues because you are my friend, Diana. Even so, we still need to come to a consensus."
"Don't you ever complain? After that, I won't say anything else." Zee talked, which made the pair look at the magician, surprised. - "What? It's just that usually, when you're in a fight, you usually complain, even more so when there's some joke in the middle."
"I never complain! Wait a second, we're getting off the main subject here." Johnny said, irritated.
"Even I don't usually be mean with my roommate, even with so many problems, we can get along just fine." They both had a consensus, until Kara started looking at Johnny and Diana, leaving the pair surprised.
"You may live together, but the fact that you have different personalities is what makes you the perfect match for being roommates. You each have your problems, but that doesn't make you incompatible. If you ask me, the fact of reaching a consensus means that they both need to agree on how to solve every problem that involves them." Managing to leave the group surprised at this scene, Kara just crossed her arms, irritated. - "Even being the voice of reason, they find it strange."
"Well, then I guess we can say that this analysis is over. But how are you going to solve this whole thing?" Diana and Johnny started to think a bit, but at that, Babs, Zee and Kara gave a smile, looking at the two of them.
"I think we have an idea." Zee had a look on her face like she had a new plan for a situation like this, which made Babs and Kara agree on what she would have in mind at that moment.
Back in their house, night was falling, on which Johnny and Diana seemed to be enjoying the night in a very unexpected way now. Lying in their beds, the boy put a certain sound device around his shelf, leaving the Amazon a little surprised about the whole thing.
"Are you sure this is going to work out?"
"Yes, Diana. It's a noise converter. I really have to thank Zee for this later. It turns any sound around into relaxing music. So I guess that helps us with something. What about your sleepwalking? How's that?" The girl giggled, which made Johnny a little awkward about the scene.
"You know, we take care of this matter, but certain answers sometimes don't need to be answered. Johnny, if you want to talk to me about anything, any conversation at all, you know I'll be here."
"Thank you. And now that I've figured out how to talk to you and how I know you won't be hurt, I think we can say that this is a new chapter in our dynamic."
"Agreed. Good night."
Turning off the lights, Johnny turned his head to the left, which made him close his eyes, until he began to hear the snores of his friend, however, hearing a soft jazz coming out of the device, which made him give a smile, finally feeling that he would get a good night's sleep now.
"The term roommates can be a difficult one sometimes. It can mean many things, but for me, it means family. In the middle of everything, finding a certain agreement can be difficult, but by opening our hearts, we can find much more than we can imagine. And with that, we shouldn't worry about what might happen. In case they have their issues and problems, we can always try to find a consensus if things turn out the right way. But I think for the first time, being able to have the chance to sleep normally was worth it, after all." Johnny's inner thoughts only symbolized how happy he was with himself and with that, optimistic for what was to come ahead.
The challenges in the personal lives of our intrepid heroines are not over yet. Very soon, various facets would be shown and with that, new journeys would be about to begin, in an unimaginable way.
To be continued...
Author's Note: So, that's a wrap for today, folks. Indeed, this breather episode was original in certain ways, to showcase some of the personal lives of our favorite group and in the next chapters, there's going to be more of these scenes, that will leave you very surprised, dear readers. And very soon, we're gonna start our next arc, but keep your eyes ready for the unexpected in all means possible.
See you all next time!