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It’s an empty carton of eggs that prompts her to leave the house for the first time in six months.
She’s at the fridge, sleepily regretting their spontaneous decision to have breakfast for dinner last night. With Diana already gone to the Museum for the day, she can’t expect for her to be back with groceries anytime soon. She has half a mind to simply crawl back into bed and sleep the day away until Diana wanders back in with takeout, which, to be fair, is… how she spends most of her days.
But Barbara’s appetite burns through a lot quicker than it used to, so sleeping in really isn’t an option.
“Come on, pup. We’re going for a walk.” Cerberus II rises from the floor, tilting his head to the side as if in question. “Don’t give me that look.” She slides her ratty NU sweatshirt over her head and wonders for a moment if she should ditch her linty legwarmers before she opts to leave them on. With a nod of the head, she then snatches her umbrella off the table, taking a moment to brush aside the pizza crumbs and unpaid light bills. Finally ready, she then grabs a plastic bag and Cerberus II’s leash. Barbara inhales shakily, her golden ears pressed flat against her skull. And then she walks out the door.
There’s a fog to accompany the slight drizzle that’s laid claim to Gateway City, the streets weirdly barren save for the occasional weary-eyed businessperson. She garners more than a few bewildered stares. Cerberus II returns their stares with defensive growls, which, needless to say, doesn’t really help matters. Cheeks growing warm under the spotted fur, Barbara tilts her umbrella so that it shields her face from view. “Sorry about that.” She quickens her pace, and in no time at all, they’ve arrived at the Wild Onion Market.
“How much is too much for a carton of eggs?”, she murmurs to herself. She has five dollars, two quarters, and a piece of lint to her name. She opts for the cheapest carton they have, a whopping one dollar, and resigns herself to spending the night shaking down their raggedy futon for change. Cerberus II whines up at her, and she purses her lips, her pupils slitting as she casts a cautionary stare about her before she slips a box of biscuits up her shirt. She affords the dog a pointed stare before lifting a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell your mom.”
When at last she leaves, it’s with a cotton tote bag full of eggs, ramen noodles, and some sort of grape beverage. They’re halfway to the apartment when she catches sight of a cluster of people gathered before the wall of TVs on 7th street. She’s about to walk past when Cerberus II suddenly yanks away from her, his leash trailing behind him as he goes. With a tired huff, she stalks after him, proud of the restraint she shows when she has to walk through several muddy puddles. There’s a light reprimand on the tip of her tongue, but she finds it quickly dissolving to ashes once she finally catches sight of the T.Vs.
It’s Diana. Or rather, she thinks as a tremor of fear prompts her fur to stand on end, Wonder Woman, straining against some sort of giant gorilla before she gets hurtled through a billboard.
Cerberus II lets out an anxious whine as a man in a soggy leather bomber jacket muses, “That’s the same woman from the attack at Gateway Station. She’s working with the League?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” The woman next to him scoffs, her eyes glued to the screen all the while. “She’s completely out of sync with the others. If you ask me, this is her first time ever fighting at all.”
A growl slips from Barbara’s throat. She locks eyes with the woman, her paw clenched into a fist as she hooks Cerberus II’s leash back into place. “She’s fighting like someone who’s used to fighting for another team.”
“...You look like one of the freaks she should be fighting”, the man beside her snickers, lips twisted into an awful sneer as he stares down at Barbara. “That or a Cats reject.”
The crowd erupts into laughter, briefly distracted from the wonders unfolding on the wall of screens, only to then falter when Cerberus II turns upon them, turning a ferocious snarl upon them. But Barbara just shakes her head. Her whiskers droop as she tugs at his leash and urges him along. It’s only a small consolation that the drizzle’s given way to a full on downpour. At least now as she walks away, she can pretend those are raindrops sliding down her face instead of tears.
They’re just a block away from home, lightning etching a striking display against the skyline when something suddenly comes careening out of the sky. With a startled yelp, Barbara can only tightly grip her umbrella in one hand and Cerberus II’s leash in the other. The object digs up a cloud of debris as it comes to an abrupt stop at a mailbox. When at last the dust settles, Barbara shakily lowers her umbrella. And she gasps.
A groan escapes Diana as rises from the crater and pauses when she notices the woman and devil dog standing just before her. She holds Barbara’s stare before the shock within her blue eyes gradually gives way to amusement. With a wink and a reassuring smile, she leaps once more into the air and disappears just as quickly as she’d arrived.
For a long moment, Barbara can only stand there, chest heaving and eyes as wide as saucers until the sound of squeaky wheels draws her from her thoughts. When she at last tears her stare from the skies, she finds Leon standing beside her, his own eyes full of awe. He lets out a whistle and muses, “Well, that’s a sight you don’t see everyday”.
“Yeah, no kidding.” With some effort, she manages to shake herself free of her shock, then digs through her tote bag. She passes the foil-wrapped plate to Leon before humming lightly to herself. “It was leftover night. You said you don’t mind breakfast for dinner, right?”
The man offers her a kind smile as he accepts the plate. “Yeah, I can dig it.” He affords Cerberus II a pat before he turns a knowing stare upon Barbara. “You a’ight, kid? You look peaked.”
“Oh. I’m fine”, she says after a moment. She tucks a lock of frizzy blonde hair out of her face and returns his smile with one of her own. “Just…nothing. I’m fine.”
He looks at her for a moment like he doesn’t quite believe her before pointing out, “Haven’t seen you around much lately. I’d heard about the accident”. When Barbara just looks away, silent, he lets out a quiet breath. “You’re gonna beat this, you know. I don’t know how. But you will.”
“...Thanks, Leon. That…That actually means a lot.” She finds the smile that climbs to her lips this time is easier than the one before.
Leon just hums to himself, leaning against his shopping cart as he turns to leave. “Tell your old lady I said to stay out of trouble.”
“Leon!”, Barbara lets out, her whiskers straining against her cheeks. “She is not my old lady.” But by then, of course, Leon’s already made his way down the street. Barbara shakes her head fondly after him before she tucks her umbrella closer to her and quickens her pace. With the battle currently unfolding, many of the streets have been sectioned off. So when she finally gets home hours later, it’s all she can do to shudder at the feel of water in her fur. She lets out a fierce shake, freezing in place at the startled yelp that greets her.
Diana stands before their bed, shaking off the water Barbara just shook onto her when she scoffs, “This is how you greet me after a long day apart? Drenching me in-oh!”
“Diana! I was so worried!” Breathless, Barbara dives into her roommate’s arms. She’s thankful for the fur that covers her cheeks because if not for them, she’s almost certain she would be blushing. Before Diana can recover from her shock to return the hug, Barbara pulls away, shoulders hunched as she wraps her arms around herself. “L-Leon says you should stay out of trouble.”
Diana simply rolls her eyes. There’s a sway to her hips as she saunters over to the closet, her steps confident and assured when she shoves open the doors. “Well, be sure to tell Leon that I do stay out of trouble.” When she reemerges with a drawstring bag, there’s a playful glint within her eyes. “Of course, I can’t exactly help it if the trouble always seems to find me anyway, now, can I?”
“Yeah, I-I guess not. It’s just. Your fight was all over the news. And you were all over the city, it was amazing, like something out of a…out of a movie”, Barbara cedes with a shake of the head, only to trail off at the sight of Diana dropping her drawstring bag beside the pile of clothes on their bed. Realization draws her fur to a stand, her feline eyes locked with focus where Diana considers several items of clothing before shoving a handful into her bag. “Are you…are you going somewhere?”
By now, Cerberus II has trotted over to her, prompting the other woman to pause in her packing to scratch him under one of his three heads. Diana’s eyes are bright with glee when they turn back upon Barbara, and as she strides forward to take Barbara’s hands in her own, it’s almost enough to calm the tumultuous seas of her belly. Diana squeezes her hands tightly before saying in an airy voice, “It was amazing, Barbara. I got to fight on a team for the first time since Themyscira”. A squeal escapes her, and before Barabra knows it, Diana’s lifted her off the ground and spun her in a circle. “And you’ll never believe it, but they invited me to the Watchtower!”
“Well, goodness.” When at last she’s brought back to rest on solid ground, it takes everything in Diana to regain her sense of stability. She lowers to her fours, her spine arched, her claws digging into the floorboards as she watches Diana happily float about the room. “Well, of course, they invited you. I mean, you’re amazing, they’d be a bunch of doofuses if they didn’t invite you. I just…w-what exactly does this mean?”
A snort escapes Diana before she casts a glance back over her shoulder, curly blue hair coming to rest against the crook of her neck as she draws her bag shut. “Well, it’s probably too early to say, but I’m fairly certain it means I’m famous enough to’ve garnered The Batman’s scrutiny.” When this fails to assure her, her eyes soften, and she pauses for the first time since she walked in to simply look at Barbara. “They just want to know a few things. Who I am, where I came from, how I got my powers, where my allegiances lie. Of course, the press being how they are, we couldn’t very well discuss all of that. I assure you, it’s all very professional.”
“Right”, Barbara says and, with a huff of air, blows her blonde bangs out of her face. “And I’m sure seeing The Superman again has nothing to do with it.”
A mischievous grin stretches across Diana’s face before she retorts, “Well, I wouldn’t leave you out, of course. I know you’re a pretty big fan of that new Lantern woman. I could put in a good word for you”.
“I told you, I only have that poster for inspirational purposes.” Barbara takes in a sharp breath, ears standing upright as she locks eyes with the poster in question up over their bed before hastily turning her stare away. “I-I don’t know any other reason I would have it.”
Silence stretches between them. Diana lets out an awkward laugh, sounding unsure of herself. “Oh. Uh, okay. I’m…sorry, I must’ve…must’ve misinterpreted that. Well, in any case, I’m only gone for the weekend. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Right”, Barabra lets out after a moment. “The last time you said that, you disappeared into space, and I didn’t see you again for three months.”
An exhausted sigh escapes Diana before she admonishes, “Do you realize you are the only person in this realm that sees a weekend with the Justice League as a bad thing?” She grunts and saunters past Barbara, vibrant blue curls bouncing as she ventures into the kitchenette. “This could be wonderful for us. It’s more exposure, which could mean more funding. I, for one, think it’s totally tubular.”
“Uh huh.” After a moment’s hesitation, Barbara follows her and climbs atop the kitchen counter. “Right. Totally tubular.”
A slight blush climbs to Diana’s cheeks. “Don’t make fun. You know I’ve been trying to grasp Terran lingo, but it’s…been difficult.” She shakes her head at herself, blue brows furrowed in frustration as she yanks open the fridge with enough force to nearly tear it off its hinges. With a wince, she reaches inside for a can of grape soda before slamming the door shut once more, back pressed miserably to it. “And you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t understand the problem. Look me in the eye and tell me you’re happy here.”
Her ears fall back against her skull as her tail simultaneously coils around her. She glances down at her paws and presses her lips tightly together.
Hard as it is to believe, it was just three years ago when she found herself crying on a park bench. Eviction notice in hand, discredited by the geologist community, fired by the Museum. She had no job, no friends, and absolutely nowhere left to turn.
That is, of course, until a woman with shiny blue hair and even shinier armor stepped off the train. Looking like something out of her more unmentionable dreams, the woman stepped through the crowd, sauntered confidently down the path, and took a seat beside her on the bench. Between one breath and the next, they were agreeing to share her loft. Diana wound up covering her share of the rent until Barbara found a job writing a cryptologist column for the Daily Gateway.
It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, just until they both found something more suited to them. They’re living paycheck to paycheck, and they haven’t much space to call their own but…Somehow, Barbara never quite saw a problem with it. And maybe that was selfish on her end, thinking that Diana never saw a problem with it either.
“I’m not saying that our life here is perfect”, Barbara says at last. “I know it’s not, believe me, I do. It’s just-”
A scoff escapes Diana before she questions, “Just what? You’re content with the leaky roofs and the rodents? This can’t be all you want from life”.
“All I’m saying is you’re enough.” With a growl, Barbara hops off the counter and turns to face Diana. And all at once, the frustration and anger that’d be building within her vanishes at the sight of Diana staring at her with wide eyes. She backtracks, panic drawing her fur to rise as she realizes what she’s just said. “B-but that’s not the point. I’ve heard about the Bat, okay? Who’s to say this isn’t just some scheme to get you under a scalpel knife?”
Diana’s silent for a moment, seeming to seriously consider this. And then she smiles, that good-natured confidence returning once more. “Tell you what. You can ask him when we get there.”
“...When we get there?”, Barbara asks, her eyes as wide as saucers when Diana saunters over to their dresser and starts packing a bag for her. When at last she shakes herself free of her reverie, it’s to dart over to her in a flash of golden fur. “I can’t crash a Justice League party.”
To Barbara’s horror, Diana grabs a pair of heart-studded underwear from the top drawer and shoves them into a bag. Her tone is far too casual as she reaches for a sports bra, all the while insisting, “You’d hardly be crashing anything. They said I could bring a plus one”. Before Barbara can so much as object, Diana turns a big-eyed stare upon her and lightly bats her lashes at her. “And for my plus one, I choose you.”
“You…you choose me. Diana.” She lifts a trembling hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. She forces herself to focus on her breathing as opposed to the feeling of her claws. “No one wants to see some washed up alley cat.”
An indignant scoff escapes Diana. “You are not a washed up alley cat, Barbara. You are a beautiful, beautiful woman, and I should know because I just so happened to grow up on an island full of beautiful women.”
“I’ll bet none of them came with a tail and whiskers”, Barbara lets out, trying very hard not to think of said island full of beautiful women.
Diana just smiles, then reaches out to take hold of her hands, panties and bras thankfully forgotten when she admits, “They didn’t. Hey, if you really don’t want to go, I won’t push you. But when I come back, I’m getting you out of this apartment”.
“Trust me.” She shakes her head, shoulders sagging ever so slightly. “I’ve got a killer case of cabin fever, I would love nothing more than to get out of here. But I can’t even walk two steps out the door without drawing attention.”
Silence stretches between them for a moment before Diana’s eves brighten. “For the record? I love you either way. But if it means this much to you, then, maybe it’s time you returned to the Jungle.”
“...We can’t afford that”, Barbara objects, even if her heart flutters at the mere thought of the idea.
But Diana’s insistent when she says, “So we dip into the rainy day fund”. She casts a stare out the window, then raises her eyebrows for emphasis. “It is raining.”
“...I guess it is raining.” A small smile graces Barbara’s lips. She looks down at where their hands remain intertwined and bites back the purr eager to slip free of her. Instead, she glances down at the bag Diana had packed for herself. “Let me help you pack.”
A haughty laugh escapes Diana as she tosses back her head and asserts, “I am an Amazonian Warrior, a Daughter of Themyscira. I do not need help packing”.
“Did you pack your ID? Some cash? Address book?”, Barbara asks as she briefly looks up at her from underneath her bangs.
Diana’s silent for a moment. And then she grins. “I have my Walkman.”
“Okay, yeah, you need help.” She gives her a fond shake of the head. “Come on.”
When at last it’s time to walk Diana up to the roof, Barbara finds her paws dragging, her heart beating just a little bit faster. And when the Batplane emerges on the horizon, she can’t help the strange sense that they’re at a crossroads of sorts.
Then Diana reaches for her hand. And just like that, she finds her concerns melting away. Diana simply stares at her and says, “Save me a pack of noodles, okay?” The smile upon her face is small, uncertain. And it dawns upon Barbara that she may be the cause of it. In a rare moment of confidence, she takes a step closer to her, breathing in deeply as she rises to her tiptoes and brings a kiss to Diana’s cheek.
“I’ll save you two packs”, Barbara says when at last she pulls away.
For a long moment, Diana can only stare at her. A blush the color of dawn skitters across her cheeks as she brings a hand to rest where Barbara’s lips had just been and breathlessly says, “Groovy”.
“Pardon me.” The two jolt away from one another, startled by the sudden, silent arrival of the Batplane. With his face concealed by the cowl, the only indication Barbara has of Batman’s unease is her heightened sense of smell. The anxiety wafting off of him is so strong, it makes her fur stand on end. “The others are expecting you. We really should get going.”
Whilst Diana turns a disappointed stare upon the man, Barbara simply clears her throat. “Right. Of course.” She tucks a lock of curly blonde hair behind her ear, then turns a sheepish smile up at Diana. “I’ll, uh, see you Sunday.”
“S-See you Sunday”, Diana lets out a tad unevenly. With that, she strides over to the edge of the roof and, accepting an extended hand from Batman, climbs into the Batplane. She affords Barbara one last glance over her shoulder, blue eyes bright with warmth before they disappear behind the closing door of the Plane.
When at last the Plane has disappeared, Cerberus II lets out a whine and tilts his head up at her. She gives him a thin smile, scratching him under the chin as she assures him, “It’s okay. It’s only for the weekend”. She stares at where the Plane disappeared over the horizon and nods to herself. This is just a brief detour. When Diana gets back, they’ll go back to the Jungle, find a cure for her Curse, and, well, she can’t say for certain. But she just has this feeling.
One way or another, everything will be different when Diana gets back.