WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.

hands  raise  in  surrender.        “  easy  does  it.  ”        once  a  boy  raised  by  batman,        it’s  a  second  nature  to  him  to  want  to  be  suspicious.      but  long  ago  he  vowed  to  be  something  more,         to  be  dick  grayson      :      to  always  believe  in  second  chances.  “        i  wasn’t  trying  to  stare        ———        sorry  about  that.        ”        he  offers  a  gentle  smile,       an  effort  to  ease  the  tension.         “        look  doris,             i  know  this  is  all  a  little  strange  but  the  way  i  see  it,       any  friend  of  ryan’s  is  a  friend  of  mine.        you’re  welcome  here.         ”        

FRIENDS.  IT WAS AN ODD concept when she came from a world where backstabbing was so common. there was no honor amongst thieves and that was certainly true in doris’ eyes.  there wasn’t one fellow villain that she wouldn’t sell out if it meant that she got to get the hell out of dodge.  trust wasn’t something that doris placed in people and ryan was the only exception to that.  especially after standing up to diana trying to wiretap him to see if she had actually changed her ways. that wasn’t something she was ever going to forgive.  

      ❝ if you keep starin’ at me i can and will punch you in the face.  the only reason i haven’t yet is because i know better.  ❞      RYAN CHOI WAS ONE OF the few people she would actually listen to about these things.  being here was weird enough, she didn’t need the third degree from a former sidekick.  she KNEW she didn’t belong here, she was a wag, a wife or girlfriend and a former villain at that !  

“    𝙰𝙽𝙳   𝙸   𝙳𝙸𝙳𝙽’𝚃   𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆   𝚂𝙴𝙽𝙸𝙾𝚁   𝙻𝙸𝚅𝙸𝙽𝙶   𝙻𝙴𝚃   𝚃𝙷𝙴𝙸𝚁   𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚂   𝙾𝚄𝚃   𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂   𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙴.    ”  the   branch   creaks   as   he   shifts   his   weight   forward,    perching   carefully   above   her.      had   oracle   warned   him   it   was   wonder   woman’s   rogues   wandering   into   town,    he   would’ve   stayed   home   and   let   the   birds   handle   this   for   a   change.     not   exactly   a   fan   of   getting   his   ass   kicked   by   metas,    and   by   big   ones   at   that.

“errands?   ”   robin   parrots,    brow   creasing.    “    HUH,    never   pegged   you   as   the   errands   type.    ”      errands   are   something   rogues   run   when   they’re   up   to   no   good,    when   a   simple   roll   of   duct-tape   is   all   they   need   to   finish   their   doomsday   device   and   flatten   gotham   like   a   damn   pancake,    but   he   can’t   exactly   say   out-of-rogues   share   the   same   level   of   disdain   for   the   city   as   the   locals.      most   of   ‘em   haul   ass   the   second   they   wrap   a   job.      or   before,    depending   on   how   south   their   contract’s   gone   since   they   arrived.      doris   is   no   different,    even   if   she’s   not   dressed   for   it,    and   especially   when   she’s   dragging   this   out.     “   what's   gotham   have   that   you   can’t   get   in   your   own   damn   city?    ”

SHE SHOULD PUNCH HIM for that alone, but she wasn’t here on supervillain business.  if she had it her way she would have left years ago, but there was such a thing as BLACKMAIL and cash flow problems.  she was on what most would consider a hiatus.  though she had lost her actual legitimate position at ivy university, she still had a reason to stay there.  this was probably the closest thing she could ever get to going legitimate and even then she would be doubted.       ❝ what, do you think i don’t have to grab shit like milk at three in the morning like most people ?  do you think i pull it magically out of my ass or somethin’ ? ❞      fucking asshole.  

ALL SHE WANTED WAS A DRINK.  she already hated more than anything that she was stuck in gotham while she waited for instructions from whoever had hired her, the fact that she couldn’t get service was really starting to her on her nerves.  fingers drum against the table as she waited, eyes shut as she tried to get a SEMBLANCE of calm so she didn’t completely lose her shit and destroy the entire building.

     "     𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 , 𝐚𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 .     “     is his comment under breath as he watches the caped crusader heave himself deftly over the edge of the roof , telltale cape snapping out behind him as he descends on the city below .     “     too bad he’s a buzzkill as all hell , bless his heart .     “ 

@gignta​ // sc

      ❝ do you know how many times he’s pulled the ‘i’m going to wrap her legs in wire and watch her fall into a building’ on me ? it’s absolute fucking bullshit.  not to mention dangerous. ❞      DORIS ZUEL ISN’T BITTER.  no, not at all.  batman isn’t someone she enjoyed being around, especially during her time as a superhero wag.  he’d always been rather ---- rude.  

“   geez ,   that’s   all   you’ve   heard’a   me ?   ”     there   are   deeply   dug   various   meanings   of   her   pleas .   so   immaculately   hidden ,   not   even   miss   quinn   herself   would   be   mindful   of   those .   in   fact ,   if   ever   confronted   about   them   by   asking     “you   don’t   want   me   to   leave   because   you’ve   grown   fond   of   me?”     the   answer   would   be     “of   course !” ,   or   how   about :     “are   we   having   fun   together   &   happen   to   also   serve   each   other   as   protection ?”     “surely !” ,   or :     “this   is   a   rather   dismal   place   full   of   dismal   strangers   that   want   nothing   to   do   with   you ,   &   if   i   leave   it   would   utterly   break   you   since   you   cannot   be   alone   one   second   of   your   life   to   save   it ?”     “[  horrified   gasp !  ]”

     each   time   propped ,   it’s   ensured   doris’   torso   doesn’t   go   free   from   a   graze .     “   ‘zat   what   you   want ?   ”     her   face ,   every   feature ,   still   taking   up   the   entirety   of   her   attention ;   harley   bids   a   smirk   &   her   fingers   engross   in   between   red   locks   of   hair .     “   they   forgot’a   mention   th’   part   where   i   am   a   dedicated ,   recognized   people   pleaser ,   i   think .   ”     there   is   no   kiss   this   time .

      ❝ do i look like someone who likes boring. ❞      SOME WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED RYAN THAT, but their relationship had been FORBIDDEN !  something between a hero and a villain come mercenary for hire ?   a scandal, at worst a liability for both of them that ended in death.  and ryan had died though it had not been her fault.  he’d been avenged and she had made sure those who had caused his death had made to wish that they’d died instead.  his death weighed heavily on her.  that’d been the closest she’d come to love and it had been ripped away from her as part of a larger conspiracy.  deathstroke may still be alive, but he knew better than to go anywhere she was.

      awareness   flooded   &   overwhelmed   her   mind ,   but   as   any   other   thing   hard   to   carry   for   the   heart ,   it   had   been   disregarded ;   it’s   all   about   play - pretend ,   &   luckily   for   doris ,   there   was   no   other   thing   miss   quinzel   had   achieved   mastering   to   the   t .   

     a   smile   was   missing ,   yet   her   frontals   were   making   a   rather   comfortable   shelter   of   the   scope   of   her   lower   lip .   “     promise   me   you   won’t   leave .   ”   sounds   like   a   threat—   a   condition   set   for   another   peck   to   happen .   still ,   she   leans   in ,   briskly   &   desperate   for   intimacy ,   taking   in   all   that   she   can .   she   gives   another   one .   “   pinky   promise   you’ll   come   back .   ”    &   another   one .   “   pinky swear .   ”

      ❝ if i don’t will you kill me ?  will you carve my heart out ? ❞       THEY WERE AS DANGEROUS AS EACH OTHER.  doris had a rather large disregard for matters of the heart after ryan died.  it would be cliche to say that her heart died with him, but she most certainly didn’t bother trying to create any emotional attachments with anyone.

     “   there’s   summin’   on   your   lipstick .   ”   

     unhooked   from   external   worries ,   bind   to   the   existing   moment—  plump ,   shiny   lips   annihilate   the   distance   between   them   &   dori’s   crimson   ones .   less   than   a   brief   moment ,   eyelids   dare   remain   broadly   open ,   willing   to   take   hold   of   any   reaction   from   her   counterpart .   “   there .   ‘s   gone   away .   ”

@gignta​.

    SHE CAN’T SAY THAT SHE EXPECTED IT when harley demanded to be picked up.  for someone so short she sure liked trying to be tall.  maybe that was why the clown often ended up on precarious edges of buildings.  it’s all about the thrill !       ❝ you know that i never wear lipstick. ❞     she’s never really seen the point.  aesthetic wise doris and harleen couldn’t be any further apart and yet they got along like a house on fire.

repost, do not reblog! bold what consistently applies. italicize situational, not always.

DOES YOUR MUSE,  WHILE FIGHTING  …