(A;N : Whoa honestly I was not planning on concluding on the polls this early but man this is too overwhelming.
we're up 53 - 7 in favour of not having the Mc have a kid...
Apologies for the ones who did want it, but counting offsite and onsite votes the results are written clearly ... Anyways here's the chapter )
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Lucian stood on the edge of a high-rise rooftop, wind tugging at his coat as storm clouds smothered the moonlit sky over New Haven. The city below was restless yet quieter than usual—rare peace after weeks of chaos. His eyes swept the horizon, scanning for trouble like a guardian who'd long stopped believing in the gods he served.
"Some protector I turned out to be," he muttered, his tone clipped with exhaustion. "Can't even protect my sleep."
He exhaled through his nose, the chill of the night grounding him as his thoughts began to drag him back—back to a few days earlier.
### Flashback
Lucian had been seated at a corner café, the hum of warm chatter wrapping around him. The neon sign outside flickered in rhythm with the rain. A half-empty mango smoothie sat between his hands, condensation dripping onto the glass table.
He took a slow sip and sighed. "Holographic mask busted. Great. Now everyone gets a nice look."
Glances from nearby tables met him—some curious, others admiring. He could feel their eyes crawl up his jawline and linger just a little too long. Once upon a time, he would have basked in it. But now, the attention grated on him. Ever since the car wreck and the cruel breakup that followed, trust had become a dead language—a dialect he no longer spoke.
"Bet R.O.B. did this on purpose," he murmured to himself, swirling the straw through the smoothie. "Give the hot guy trust issues. Classic cosmic joke."
The bell above the café door chimed, but it wasn't the sound that broke his calm—it was the explosion that followed seconds later. Glass shattered outward, the ground trembled, and through the mayhem emerged a man caked in white mime makeup, dragging two money bags and an ego the size of a parade float.
Lucian's eyelid twitched. "A mime with a machine gun. Perfect. And I thought this universe couldn't get any dumber."
### End of Flashback
And that was how he'd ended up here again—the reluctant guardian of New Haven. After stopping the "Mime of Mayhem" and a handful of other lunatics, Lucian was learning that this world operated on absurdity and irony. Yet, in a strange way, it still worked—more honestly corrupt than the Earth he knew before.
He was studying the streets below when he felt it: a subtle shift, a familiar presence. Someone had sidestepped his awareness.
"You know," he said without turning around, "you could've just called."
A soft, confident voice answered behind him. "I would have, if you weren't so mysterious about your contact details."
Lucian finally glanced back. His lips curved into a half-smile. "Diana. You brought company, I see."
Behind her stood Batman—silent, intense, every inch the brooding shadow he was reputed to be.
Lucian arched a brow. "So what is it this time, Diana? Autographs? Or are you both finally here to arrest me for being criminally handsome?"
Diana chuckled, her eyes dancing like sparks. "If that were a crime, Lucian, the prisons would be overflowing."
Batman stepped forward, voice low and deliberate. "We're here to recruit you."
Lucian leaned against the railing. "Recruit me… for what, exactly?"
"The Justice League," Batman said simply. "We're rebuilding. Preparing for the next crisis."
Diana nodded. "Darkseid may return—or worse. We want you on our side."
Lucian smirked. "You, Batman—working as a team? Now I've seen everything."
"I don't have to like it," Batman replied, tone edged with steel. "But I know what's coming. And this time, we need to be ready."
Lucian watched him silently. For all his sarcasm, he respected that resolve. Then, slowly, he shook his head. "I'll pass."
Batman didn't look surprised. Diana frowned. "May I ask why?"
Lucian tilted his head, eyes distant. "Because I'm not a hero. I don't do committees. My morals aren't… convenient. I'll stop the monsters when I see them, but joining a group that debates the ethics of pulling the trigger while another child dies? No, thanks."
Diana took a step closer. "You think justice is a debate?"
"No," Lucian said softly. "I think justice is a luxury."
Batman turned away without a word, vanishing into the night. Diana stayed behind, watching Lucian with quiet curiosity.
"Aren't you going to follow him?" Lucian asked.
She shrugged lightly. "I already knew you'd say no. I came to meet you, not convince you."
Lucian chuckled. "So this was a social call?"
"You could say that," she answered, stepping to the edge beside him. "You brood with style, I'll give you that. Very dramatic lighting."
He snorted. "I try my best. So what, now you're here to distract me?"
She turned her head, her smile sly and knowing. "On occasion… I can be distracting."
Lucian met her gaze, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "I'll admit, Wonder Woman, flirting with you makes me feel a little out of my league."
Her eyes lingered on him, half amusement, half challenge. "Don't be afraid, little man," she said in a teasing murmur. "I don't bite."
Lucian chuckled lowly, his voice dropping to match hers. "Good. Because I don't heal fast."
For a brief moment, the night felt less cold. Diana turned back toward the skyline, a faint blush warming her cheeks, though she masked it with a smirk.
"See you around, Lucian," she said, taking flight into the clouds.
He watched her disappear, whispering to himself with a small grin,
"Of course you will."
***
P.S. if you think wonder woman would never say those words look it up I got those lines from numerous other shows where she did say them. ;) 🕊️