Welcome back to my writing! It's going to be a little slow, and probably a little rusty at first, so just hang with me. I'm super excited to be writing again!
"Bruce, honey, we're going to be late!" I called through the cave, trying to keep my balance as I put my boot on. "You know how Lantern will get if we're late…again." I was met with silence as I slid my boot over my foot and stood up. I searched through the Batcave but saw no sign of him anywhere, just a few bats flying around the cave. "If I miss seeing Ollie, Bruce, I swear-" I was cut off as two arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back into the shadows.
"You know, some days I think you're more excited to see him than me," Bruce murmured against my shoulder. I rolled my eyes, and managed to turn around in his arms, wrapping my own around his neck.
"If that were true, then I guess I'll have to start greeting him like I do you," I said as I leant up on my tip toes and captured Bruce's lips in a small kiss. I smiled as I pulled back and stared into the blue eyes that I loved so much.
"You're evil," Bruce said, a smile creeping on his face to match mine.
"Hmm, well I guess you shouldn't get on my bad side then," I laughed, placing another small kiss on his lips before wiggling my way out of his grip. Bruce shook his head but pulled his cowl on. "You don't seem very excited about this," I said, grabbing my staff off a table and clipping it to my waist.
I was met with silence, which wasn't unusual, but this was a silence I couldn't understand. On paper, Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne should be best friends. They are both rich, both are powerful figures in their respective cities, both extremely smart, and both are superheroes. Granted, Ollie doesn't know Bruce is a superhero…but still.
I had gotten to know Oliver Queen pretty well over the last few months. While constantly recruiting (aka begging and slightly stalking) him to join the League, there had been a lot of late nights of us helping each other out. The League had assigned me to his recruitment and I had been trying my hardest to get him there. I offered to work patrols with him, saving his ass a few times in the process, and over the months we had become decent friends. Well, as friendly as we could be with having to worry about secret identities.
From the start I had given Ollie my name, and it took a while to get it out of him, but eventually he trusted me enough to let me in on his. It was fun acting like I was so surprised to find out THE Oliver Queen was Green Arrow. Bruce had figured it out ages ago and filled me in when he was made my assignment.
My powers of persuasion seemed to be lacking. For his own reasons, Ollie kept refusing to join the League. He seemed to be teetering on the edge of acceptance, and the rest of the League decided to have a meeting with him, trying to push him over the edge.
Bruce still hadn't said a word, leading me to the jet and helping me in as he prepared to take off and head towards the new and improved Watchtower. I knew that he knew we needed Ollie on the team, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he was holding something back.
I brushed my hand over his shoulder, "You okay?" I asked him.
He reached up and slid his hand over mine, grasping it in his gloved hand. "I'm fine."
I raised an eyebrow, not believing him but deciding not to press him further right now. The last thing we needed was him being extra grumpy at the League meeting.
Within a few minutes we had pulled into the hangar and made our way up to the main hall of the Watchtower. I still couldn't believe how updated the new tower was. It had taken forever, and quite a few checks with too many zeroes on it to think about (thanks to Bruce), but it was up and running and had been serving as our new headquarters for a little while.
"Evie!" Flash yelled before sprinting over and catching me in a bear hug, spinning me around before setting me on my feet.
I giggled, "Flash, it's been too long!"
"It's only been a week, Ice Queen," He said, ruffling my hair.
"Exactly, too long," I said, fixing my hair and shoving his hand away from my head. He rushed back over to where he was standing beside Diana, and after quietly greeting everyone else, I took my place besides Bruce. "Are we late?" I asked.
"No, Lantern just went down to get him," Diana answered.
I nodded, excited to have Ollie up here for the first time. A few moments of silence later, and the bright lights of the portals, yes, I said portals, shone through the room before Lantern and Ollie stood in the center. The portals were a new creation, using some alien technology and Bruce's brainpower. The idea was to have a way for non-flying heroes to be able to have access to the Watchtower without needing to rely on another super for transportation. As someone with no flying powers, it was really nice, and made it feel like a burden had been lifted.
Whatever Ollie had been saying trailed off as he looked at his new surroundings, noticing all of us. I grinned, and gave him a tiny wave, mouthing a hello.
"Glad you could make it," Superman said, stepping towards the portal platform.
"And where am I, exactly?" he asked, gesturing around.
"Among friends," Superman answered, and I held back an eye roll at his theatrics. Ollie turned around and saw the rest of the League on the deck below.
After the almost world ending disaster of the Thanagarian invasion, we decided that we needed a more widespread protection plan for earth, and the eight of us weren't cutting it anymore. We had all been stretched too thin, so we started reaching out to other heroes. Most of them were like us, having their own powers and abilities who had started small in their own local cities and towns. They had a detailed vetting process, but had eventually been allowed on board, literally.
Some of the heroes had been standout picks, like Aquaman. I thought he would have been hesitant at first, but he seemed eager to join and help. It was an easy acceptance on our end. With him around, we had most of the ocean covered.
Another stand out was Kara, Clark's younger cousin. She was a kryptonian and had all of the same abilities as her older cousin. Well, except Clark's well balanced attitude. Kara was still pretty young, and had the immaturity levels to reflect that. She was hot headed and hormonal but she was slowly learning to deal with it. It had been a treat seeing her train with Lantern. Her quirky comments and sometimes snarky attitude could match Flash's, and that was something Lantern wasn't prepared for.
Bruce had put in a lot of effort tracking some of the lesser known heroes. The one's who were more likely to stay in their own neighborhood as opposed to saving the whole world. Honestly, it helped quite a lot. It meant their egos weren't so big they thought they were better than us. If anything they really looked up to us, and that reflected in their eagerness to help out.
This was the first real gathering of all the heroes we had recruited, with Ollie being the most recent, as long as he accepted. We had called a meeting to set some ground rules, and to let them know what our expectations were when it came to being the new Justice League.
Superman called for everyone's attention and took center stage, clearing his throat before starting his speech. The heroes huddled around the platform, seeming to hang onto his every word. Granted, it was Superman who was addressing them. For some of the younger and less known heroes, it was an awe inspiring moment. Superman was the poster boy for inspiration for these guys.
"Each of you brings something different to the table," he started, "strength, speed, stealth, whatever. But we're all equal in at least one way. Each of us is willing to make the sacrifices a hero needs to make. Even the ultimate one." Everyone was hanging onto his every word, attracted to the natural leadership that rolls off of Superman. Even Bruce seemed interested in what he had to say. "Since there are so many of us we have a chance to do more than just put out fires, both literal and figurative. "We can be proactive. We can do some real good in the world, but we're gonna have to be organized." He gestured to J'onn, who stood up on a balcony, peering at everyone around him. "Jonn'll be up here, keeping an eye on everything. He'll be the one to decide who's going where and when."
It was a decision we had made together. Out of all of us, J'onn was the most calm in situations. He knew how to maintain a level head, perfect for keeping him in charge of making the hard decision of where we needed to be and who to send.
Superman continued, "I know a lot of you are used to making those decisions for yourself," and a few heroes looked around, obviously a little uncomfortable with being told when and where they could go somewhere, "but from now on, we have to be more coordinated than that. We can't be cowboys anymore," He said. His confident facade cracked as he cringed as he peered around at Diana and I, "Or cowgirls," He added. This earned a few laughs from everyone, filling the room with a small sense of ease.
Bruce took a few steps forward so he was standing next to Ollie, who had slipped into the back of the crowd. He had his arms crossed, and a small scowl on his face. I knew him enough to know that he wasn't thrilled about being dragged here against his will. "We sent the Lantern for you because you never gave Aquatica an answer," Bruce said quietly. Ollie looked over at him and then glanced back at me before looking back at Bruce.
"Come on, I don't belong up here," he said, "fighting monsters, aliens, and super villains." He looked down at his shoes. "I just help the little guy. And in a big club like this, you tend to forget all about him."
I skipped forward so I was standing next to both men. "Now really, Arrow. I said you needed to work on your confidence," I said, shaking my head at him.
He rolled his eyes at me before continuing, "So, gee whiz, I'm flattered to be asked and all, but no thanks." He looked down at me, "And I want to be a little mad at you. You couldn't have given me a heads up about this little kidnapping?"
I grinned, "But then you would have made it difficult for us," I said, shoving his shoulder. He huffed but dropped the air of fake frustration he had towards me and gave me a small grin.
Bats suddenly turned away and walked off towards one of the screens, "Suit yourself," he said. He stopped and looked back at Ollie, "Those monsters you don't fight? They tend to step on the little guys." He turned back without another word and sat down at one of the screens.
After a few moments I turned to Ollie. "Sorry about that, I swear I'm trying to get him to work on his people skills." I started walking towards Bruce but turned back to Ollie, "He does have a point though. If you want to help the little guys, you can't always do it on your own. It was good seeing you again, Arrow. Don't be such a stranger," I said, waving and making my way towards Bruce.
I sat in the chair next to him, scooting closer to him so our knees were touching and we wouldn't be overheard. "Is this some reverse psychology thing you're doing with him?" I mumbled. He gave a shrug, continuing to type. "Fine then, keep your secrets," I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest and leaning back into my chair.
I saw the microscopic grin on his face and felt one grow on my own. He was playing a game, and who was I to stop his fun?
"Captain Atom, Kara!" Lantern yelled. I swiveled my chair around to face where they were both talking. "Follow me," He said, walking out of the main room.
"Well, well, looks like we're finally letting Kara loose. It's about time. She's been doing really well in training." I said. Bruce hummed in agreement, but didn't say anything else. I glanced at the security cameras and saw Arrow jogging up to catch up to Lantern, probably asking for a lift back. I grinned, knowing that the unofficial plan was working.
"Well, darling, I'd hate to interrupt you when you're this chatty, but I have some reports to look over," I said, pushing out of my chair and standing up. I brushed my hand against the tops of his shoulders and stepped away, knowing that was enough of a goodbye for now. In uniform, Bruce wasn't a huge fan of PDA. He wanted to make sure that the line between Bruce and Evie and Batman and Aquatica was drawn distinctly in the sand. It was annoying sometimes, but I understood what he meant by it. Having people outside of the core group of the League know about us not only would cause quite a few questions to be asked, but it could be dangerous. I was perfectly content with making up for the lack of PDA in the Watchtower back home at the manor.
I made my way through the halls until I got to one of the offices we had set up for report writing. Even though we had help now with handling cases, the paperwork never ended. I had after action reports to write, personnel files to look over, and enough surveillance video to comb through, I could sit here all night.
I had tuned my comms in so I could listen to what was going on with the active mission. It sounded like they were handling it well enough, until Lantern got hurt. J'onn said he was fine, but I was still a little wary. I kept an eye on them from the satellite views we had, willing to step in if needed, but it looked like after a few hours, they had wrapped it up, with Ollie stepping up and becoming the leader.
It was unsurprising, really. The reason we needed Ollie up here was because he was a natural leader. He had enough experience to help guide some of these new guys into becoming the heroes we needed and the patience to work with them.
After the hours of hunching over the desk, I stood up and stretched, feeling my back pop and my muscles ache. I left the office, on the hunt for some food, or at least a cup of coffee. No sooner was I about to enter the threshold of the kitchen, an arm grabbed my waist and pulled me into an alcove in the hallway. Gently pressing me against the wall, I was face to face with Bruce. I raised my eyebrows, silently asking what he was doing.
He didn't say anything, just stared intently at me as I started to squirm under his stare. "I don't need to worry, right?" He asked, breaking the silence. I just stared at him, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Right before I could speak up, he shook his head and pressed a finger to my mouth. "That didn't come out right," he sighed. He looked me in the eyes and I saw a hint of frustration and a lot of uncertainty. "I think I'm…jealous," he said, looking down at our shoes.
My eyebrows shot up. Jealous? Jealous of what? And then I remembered the conversation in the batcave, and how he was with Ollie before, and understanding washed over me. I smiled against Bruce's finger, still pressing against my lips, and lightly took his wrist in my hand. He looked up at me as I slid my hand up his wrist and joined our fingers together. My pale fingers were a stark contrast against his black gloves, but like every other time, our hands fit perfectly together. Like they were made to be intertwined forever.
"Bruce, my Love," I whispered, bringing our intertwined hands up to my lips and I pressed a gentle kiss against the backs of his fingers. "You have nothing to be jealous of. Ollie is my friend, my co-worker. The feelings I have towards him aren't comparable to what I feel for you. Not even close." I wrapped my other hand gently around his. "I'm sorry if I did anything to make you think otherwise."
The words were hardly out of my mouth before he was shaking his head. "No, you didn't. It was just in my head. I guess I'm not used to…well to all of this," he said, gesturing between us.
"It's alright. It's an adjustment for both of us," I smiled. "I'm actually proud of you for saying something. Normally when you feel like this you are a ball of pouts and broodiness," I teased.
Bruce gave a small frown, "I don't pout."
I laughed and kissed his fingers again, "Of course you don't. Now, do you feel better?"
He nodded and pressed a kiss to my forehead. He untwined our fingers but slid his hand to the small of my back and led us out of the alcove and down the hallway. "Come on," He said.
I followed him without a sound until we had crossed across the Watchtower towards the dorms and locker rooms. One of the locker room doors was closed, and Bruce stood outside of it, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed.
Not even thirty seconds later, a half dressed Oliver Queen walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, and his mask still on. Steam rolled around him in waves and that was the last thing I saw before averting my eyes and staring at the ceiling. "A warning would have been nice," I muttered.
"Well, if it isn't the monster killer," Bruce said.
"I was lucky. So was everybody else," Ollie said and out of my peripheral vision I saw him mussing his hair up with a towel. "Some still don't think I belong up here."
"That's the point," Bruce countered, "Someone like you will keep us honest."
"Gee, Bats, I don't know," Ollie said, rubbing his chin. I was still looking at the ceiling, not wanting to make Bruce think I was staring after the conversation we just had. Not that I would have been staring anyway. Ollie is decent looking, but he doesn't have the Greek statue body that Bruce has. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good radiation burn as much as the next guy but I don't think…" Ollie trailed off as a movement caught his eye. I turned to see what he was looking at and saw Black Canary tying up her boots.
Her and I had also learned to get along quite well. We had a similar fighting style, and obviously a scary similar fashion sense. She was a straight to the point gal and I liked that. I looked back at Ollie, noticing how his jaw was still open and he hadn't stopped staring at her. I looked between the two of them again, the gears in my head turning as I started grinning. Ollie practically had hearts in his eyes and if his jaw was open any longer there'd be a puddle of drool.
I could hear the grin in Bruce's voice as he asked Ollie, "So, see you soon?"
Ollie looked at both of us and smiled, "You just might."
I chuckled and grabbed Bruce by the arm. "Come on, Caped Crusader. Let's not interrupt." I steered Bruce out the way we came. I looked back at Ollie, "See ya later, Robin Hood," I said, waving.
"You know I hate that nickname." Ollie yelled down the hallway. I laughed and kept walking.
"Well, that was easy," I said. I let go of Bruce's arm to let mine hang freely.
"I had a whole speech planned and everything." Bruce mumbled.
I cackled, "Yeah, and you don't pout." He looked offended as he stopped walking and I kept going. "Come along, Dear. You owe me a coffee," I said. I smiled as I felt his presence behind me again and he brushed his arm against mine.
Everything was going so well, the new team, the new tower, the new boyfriend. After ages of uncertainty and confusion I finally felt like all the pieces had clicked into place. And I was going to enjoy every second of it.