DC: Vessel

It was hard to look at her for long

Backlit by fire, she seemed sculpted from light and shadow. Smooth, powerful curves framed by golden armor that clung to her form. Strength, yet softness—each line of muscle hinted at a story I couldn't name.

Her hair fell in waves that shifted even without wind and her eyes— they didn't glow, but they burned with something older than I could grasp.

Power. Grace. Control.

I'd seen her on TV of course, but nothing prepared me for how her presence made the air itself feel heavier.

'Different from Waller.'

My body locked without permission as she landed beside me, handing the two people she'd rescued to paramedics. A gasp rippled through the crowd.

"It's Wonder Woman!"

·——·

*"Titan, time to come back and—"*

"You did well."

I turned fully toward the heroine. Her voice wasn't sharp and gentle like Waller's, it was firm yet soft, resonating differently.

"Those people are alive because of you." she said, gesturing to the civilians I'd saved.

Waller's voice kept buzzing in my ear—something about returning to base—but it faded to white noise as Wonder Woman kept speaking.

"You did well…" Her sentence hung, the unspoken question clear.

My throat tightened. A hot knot rose in my chest. 'Please, not now.'

"I… I j‑just…" My fingers twitched at my sides. Camera flashes sparked in the corner of my eye, twisting that knot tighter.

I couldn't meet her gaze. Instead, I stared at her shoulder.

"You saved lives." She stepped closer, lips parting to say more—

*"Titan, return to base."*

Before I knew it, I shot into the sky, heading back to Waller.

She hadn't sounded happy.

·——·

"Cut his audio." I ordered the techs.

They obeyed without question.

I watched, coffee in hand, as the monitor displayed what should have been Titan's second public showcase. But somehow—somehow—one of the Justice League's main members had shown up.

"Why was she there?"

Silence.

Sighing, I pressed a button to switch the feed to Titan's point of view.

'Enough is enough.'

I'd let this carry on too long. And I knew—if I allowed him to keep being this… pathetic, the people who'd invested in him would pull out.

Standing up, I turned to one of the aides.

"Have Titan head to his room and get some sleep. Tomorrow, he'll focus on training."

While he did that, I'd handle the media… and his future.

·——·

My shoulders slumped, feet dragging along the quiet hallway as I made my way to my room.

'She must be really upset.'

Waller hadn't even come to speak to me when I got back. Just one of her staff members with a short message.

'I'm not even tired…'

Sighing, I pushed open the door and blinked. On the bedside table sat a small plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

'Huh… Guess she's not that mad.'

Rolling my shoulders, I sat on the edge of the bed and started nibbling on the snack. My thoughts drifted—first to Waller's disappointed face, then to her. Wonder Woman.

Even though the knot in my chest had eased when Waller didn't yell or scold me, it hadn't vanished. It was still there—tight and hot—as I closed my eyes and pictured Wonder Woman again. Her presence. Her beauty. Her strength.

"She has a nice voice." I muttered.

A lie. It wasn't just nice—it was something else. Something that made me feel… odd.

I let out another sigh, finishing the snack before flopping onto the bed.

'Maybe tomorrow… maybe Waller will let me go out again.'

And just maybe, I'd see Wonder Woman again.

That thought carried me off to sleep, accompanied by the soft white noise of the fan.

...

..

·——·

I had to have done something wrong.

Why else would I be in the training area, curling a weight I didn't even know the number of—watched by silent researchers—and worst of all, left alone with my thoughts?

'I want to touch the clouds again...'

Letting the weight drop to the floor, I walked over to the shoulder press machine and started another set. Again, no idea how much I was lifting.

'Why don't they tell me the weight?'

'Am I not that strong?'

That thought felt stupid. I ripped a bathtub out of the floor yesterday.

'A normal person couldn't do the things I can… not even Batman.'

I snorted at that and finished the set before moving on to my last task of punching a reinforced section of wall that supposedly calculated my power.

'I wonder if Waller will let me learn martial arts yet.'

The last time I brought it up she told me that my suit would protect me and that I could already hit harder than anyone who'd try to hit me. That was the end of that conversation.

Sighing, I put a little more strength into my final blow. The wall gave slightly under my fist.

"Dean."

I flinched and spun around—relieved to see Waller entering the room, a small smile on her face, hands folded behind her back.

"Waller, I'm sorry that I didn't—"

She chuckled, shaking her head.

"It's my fault, Dean. I forgot that you've been cooped up here too long—and you're a young man. It's only natural you'd be distracted by a beautiful woman like Wonder Woman."

My ears burned.

"Sorry, Waller…" I mumbled, eyes dropping to our feet. She patted my shoulder, and my eyes rose slightly—just enough to focus on her shoulder instead of her face.

"As I said, it's my fault for not thinking of having you go out more."

I hummed, uncertain. Then I heard her sigh softly before continuing.

"That's why, starting tomorrow, you'll be on a routine—hero work from morning to evening."

A smile bloomed across my face—

Then everything went black.