hush, little baby

     ( @fearfvvl | BATGIRL VS ABUSE. )

      taking out someone twice her size should seem more daunting, but barbara has feared worse in her life. rather, there’s an anger thrumming below the surface of her skin that has her feeling overheated in her kevlar suit. she hasn’t felt like this in years and certainly NEVER towards someone she considers a friend. sweet, innocent colin – the poster boy for the people they’re meant to protect in Gotham. and yet now, with a split lip and dull ache from where he’d managed a few lucky punches, all barbara sees is a threat. rationality is gone, thrown out the door the moment she was thrown into the arena and unknowingly subjected to a force she has no knowledge of to begin with. 

    threats need to be taken out – they need to be eliminated. it’s – wrong. somewhere, deep down, she realizes this and perhaps if she weren’t so tired, hit so unexpectedly from this mess, than she would be able to fight it better. as it is, barbara squares up, one hand falling to her utility belt to grasp at her smoke bombs. 

     “ get up. we aren’t finished. don’t tell me that’s all the fight you have left. ”

     ask colin now, and he’d tell you he’s not any fucking kind of poster boy, thank you very much.  big eyes and a bright smile make him look sweet, innocent.  but he’s grown up in the worst parts of gotham.  has crawled through its worthless underbelly to carve a niche for himself.  

because no one protected him when he needed it, he became a protector.  but he’s no angel.  not ever, and especially not now.  and if there’s one thing colin’s life, short though it’s been so far, has taught him, it’s how to take a punch.  

  “ is that rumor true? i bet nico and nadia like ten bucks that she fucked the puppet. “ he joked, trying to bring colin out of a mood. “ you’re a good kid, and who she is doesn’t define how you’re gonna grow up. peyton is her own deal but you grew up without her. “

There was no book on how to deal with these kinds of situations, no precedent Peyton knew of that she could use for some kind of guidance. She had pushed enough, she’d hoped by giving him her address that she could wait and eventually hear from him again. Normally she knew all her steps ahead of time, she was in control, but with this she had to be so careful and mindful of what she said. It wasn’t what she was used to.

She could hardly believe he was actually there, but she tried not to show too much expression. She was happy to see him, but she didn’t want to scare him off either. “Of course, I’ll answer anything I can. Do you want to come in?” she offered, standing aside to allow him to pass.

 “ um, yeah.  i guess so, ” colin agrees, walking through the door when she steps aside.  he probably shouldn’t.  there’s part of him that thinks he should be suspicious of this woman.  she’s --- a criminal, at the very least.  could definitely pull a fast one and kill him.  but that also could be the paranoia talking.  they’ll find out, won’t they ??

colin’s gonna take the chance because...because he’s got a thousand questions for this woman who might be his mother.  for now, he wants to stay away from the why.  he suspects no answer for why he was put up for adoption will make any of the past years seem worth it.  

 tony frowns, he’s never been incredibly good with the emotional things with colin but he can tell there’s something here. “ it won’t make you big, promise. but it’ll make sure you have energy. i just don’t want you to end up getting sick. “ he tries to explain. “ but, otherwise, how’re things with peyton & her puppets?”

     damian barley holds back an annoyed huff, but he decides against it once colin is pressing a kiss to his palm. it brings a fond look into his eyes, one that he only reserves for certain people. “i don’t need stitches. it’s hardly that serious. but i will be certain to keep an eye on the wound in case it does get worse. can we do something else now??”

  “ tall and lanky like a goddamn bean pole. “ tony shakes his head, stealing another fry. “ you gotta keep up to whatever speed your body is running to make you big. “

  “ it’s genetic. you’ll catch it soon enough. “ tony reaches over quickly to snag a fry anyway, sticking his tongue out back at colin. “ probably for the best, you look too thin. “

  TONY zoned back in to the person across from him. “ i didn’t hear a single word you said. “ no apology, his daydreams were far more important than whatever they had just said. “ you going to finish your fries? “

Sitting on a rooftop with his feet dangling off the edge, Spider-Man sighed softly as he watched the last rays of sun disappear from the sky. ” Well guess that’s my cue. It’s time to go to work. ” He said, getting to his feet. and letting out a groan  as he stretched out his limbs. “Aw come on, can’t I just have five more minutes?!” He added, before sighing in relent ,and then leaping from the rooftop and shooting a web from his wrist  “Alright, alright, I’m going. Let’s see what the twin cities have for me tonight.”

     it’s difficult to continue pouting once colin kisses him, but damian is anything if not stubborn about things. he let out a small huff. in any other situation he would have gotten up already, but laying in colin’s lap was rather comfortable. “you don’t have to worry about me, colin. i can handle things. and yes, i am aware of that, but it still shouldn’t have occurred. i won’t let it happen again.” he went silent for a moment, peering up at the other. “it’s over and done with now.”

colin hates the indie-movie vibe of having to admit this, but he’s spent all week watching a small bouquet of flowers wilt and die.  bought on mother’s day, colin almost convinced himself to give them to peyton.  not because he feels anything really, for her, but it seems like the right thing to do.  or maybe he had hoped doing something like that would make him feel something.  but no such luck.

it had been a hollow gesture, a pitiful attempt at sentiment.  the flowers had laid on his counter for days before the lack of water made them unsalvageable.  

Lois shrugged before doing three flips in a row.