The bar was supposed to close over an hour ago. The bartender was a college student with tired eyes, clearly regretting accepting this job. She just kept wiping down counters and tables as Willow and Mike occupied a table in the corner.
"We should go. That poor woman wants to go home," Willow said, not moving.
"Probably. Five more minutes?" Mike agreed, also not moving.
"You said that an hour ago."
"And yet here we are, still talking. Must be an interesting conversation," Mike replied, smiling slightly as he finished his drink.
Willow also smiled. They had been talking for five hours now, about topics like their childhood to fears and failures. They were enjoying each other's company.
...
J'onn had entered at 8 PM. Usually he would go straight to his corner booth, but this time he went towards the main table where Sarah and the others were already gathered.
"John! We got your usual, ginger ale. Do you ever get anything else?" Sarah asked, waving at him.
"I just like being consistent," J'onn replied, sitting down like he belonged.
"How's your niece settling in? You mentioned she started school last week, right?" David asked.
J'onn had told them about Kira, of course, omitting the whole Martian thing.
"She's doing well. Struggling with the slang still. She called me 'big and ugly' and then proceeded to say it was a 'sick cool'," J'onn answered.
The table laughed, and J'onn found himself smiling. He found himself amused by watching Cay'an learn to integrate into human life.
"I remember when I first moved to the States. English was my third language, and someone had told me to 'break a leg' before one of my presentations. At the time I was still learning and thought he was actually threatening me," Jessica added.
"Did you do anything?" asked Marcus.
"I reported them to the university. It was a very awkward conversation when I learned it was encouragement. Your niece will figure it out. It just takes time," Jessica replied, laughing at herself.
"She's a resilient girl and smarter than she gives herself credit for. She's teaching me as much as I'm teaching her. About how to be a family again," J'onn replied, sipping his ginger ale.
...
"Okay, different question. What do you actually want?" asked Willow.
"I don't know," replied Mike, staring at his empty glass.
"Just say whatever comes to mind."
"To write, I guess. To make something meaningful. Having more conversations like this wouldn't hurt," Mike replied, looking up.
"That's a start."
"What about you? What do you want?"
"To stop avoiding relationships instead of focusing only on work. To start trusting people again and have more conversations with someone I like," Willow answered with a cheeky smile.
"We're quite the pair."
"Clearly opposites don't always attract."
The two gathered their things, the bartender looking relieved in response while also being exhausted. Outside, the street was quiet and empty.
"This was good, better than I expected."
"A perfect match. Two broken people who don't have time for all this bullshit in the world. Same time next week?" she replied, pulling out her phone.
"You want to do this again?"
"Obviously. If I didn't like you, I would have left many hours ago," she answered.
"Next week then. Though we should go somewhere else that closes later, I feel bad for that bartender," Mike said.
"Deal."
She left, walking away with a casual wave. Mike stood there, alone but not lonely this time.
...
The Cornerstone was starting close. J'onn and his group stood outside getting ready to leave, though none of them actually wanted to go.
"Alright, confession time. We've been inviting you for so long. What changed your mind?" Marcus asked.
"I realised that I was drowning in the past and that I've built walls around myself. I had a little unconventional help to push me forward," J'onn replied.
"Well, glad you're finally with us. You're good company," Sarah replied.
"I try."
"Next week, same time?" asked David, placing his arm around J'onn's shoulder.
"I'll be there," replied J'onn.
They went their separate ways, all going to their cars. J'onn walked towards his apartment, where Kira would either be reading or sleeping. His phone buzzed.
'Justice League meeting tomorrow at 2 PM. You available?' asked Superman.
'I'll be there,' J'onn replied.
In different parts of the city, two people were making their way home. Mike was returning from a date, proud of himself. He felt a sense of connection he hadn't since coming to this universe. Then there was J'onn, returning from an evening out with his new friends. Making memories filled with genuine laughter instead of trauma.
Both of them were learning and letting down their walls, one by one. Mike was still struggling with being Sophist and being Mike. For the first time since he entered DC, he felt like Mike Hayes. He enjoyed talking to Willow.
J'onn was still struggling, but tonight he made a small step forward. He was starting to finally heal and find a life beyond the scared Martian on Mars.