Sphinx Writes Things

Bruce tented his fingers as he stared at the Batcave’s screen, trying to decipher the images before him. There wasn’t any sort of riddle or code there, just a collection of pictures that made his stomach turn. The idea of any woman being hunted by the Joker was bad enough, but the fact that it was Harley…It made anger burn in his throat. It felt like was his fault, if he hadn’t been with Harley she wouldn’t have appeared on the front page and the Joker wouldn’t have any idea of where she was. Of course he knew that wasn’t totally true, there was always the chance that something else would have set the Joker off and she would have been found out anyway. 

At the very least she was safe inside the mansion now, however over stressed and upset she was. Now all that he had to do was find the Joker and beat the ever-loving hell out of him. No one deserved what had happened to Harley, but the fact that she was so close to him made it that much more personal to him. 

He knew that when things got personal he tended to react without thinking, but it was hard to see through the blinding rage that he was experiencing. It was the same as when anything happened to his kids. They were his family and he would do whatever it took to bring down that bastard once and for all.

Or try his best, because somehow the Joker never stayed down for long, at least not long enough for it to do any good. The only permanent solution was one that he didn’t care to think of. No matter how much it might save the people of Gotham, not matter how much it might save Harley pain. He didn’t kill people and he wasn’t about to start just because it might make him feel a little bit better. 

“She’s watching cartoons with Damian, they’re making comments about the characters mental health status”, Dick leaned over the back of his chair, “I think they’re enjoying themselves, but I can’t really tell anymore”

Bruce grunted, tapping a few keys on his keyboard as the pictures disappeared off the screen replaced with icons, “As long as they’re enjoying themselves I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that. She is resting isn’t she?”

Dick nodded, his head bobbing against the back of the chair, “She’s in bed, Damian is sitting with her. I took pictures. It’s almost like they like each other”

He snorted, turning his chair so that Dick had to move with it, “They do like each other, maybe not as Damian likes you but…”

“Are you going after him?” Dick leaned against the console, giving Bruce a pointed look. He knew what was going on, everyone in the mansion did and he wanted to know what was going on. 

“We have no idea where he is”, Bruce didn’t want to be the first one to say his name, preferring to pretend that they weren’t talking about a murderous abuser, “And I would rather stay close to her in case there’s some sort of emergency”

“She’s doing okay and she’s a super healer, I think that we can afford to look for him”, Dick didn’t mention that he thought Bruce might be over paranoid at the idea that Harley couldn’t survive without him.

“We’ll go tonight, there’s no point in running around in the daylight looking for him. We’ll just ourselves in trouble if we do that. I’ll work on it down here, unless you have some sort of amazing clue that I haven’t seen yet?”

Dick shrugged, tapping a key and allowing the pictures to pop up again, “Besides that this is a little…I dunno personal even for the Joker? Normally he’s paint a building with his face or poison the whole city. Plastering the city in fucked up pictures of her face is…”

“Disturbing”, Bruce filled in, staring at the pictures. He hadn’t even known that anyone was taking those pictures. He had been so engrossed with Harley, with how happy she looked that he could barely see anything but her.

“Disturbing”, Dick agreed as Harley’s defaced picture grinned back at them.

*

Harley’s hand stroked Damian’s hair, he had fallen asleep half way through a cartoon that she barely understood. She was feeling her own eyes getting droopy but the twisting fear in her stomach made it hard to think about such a thing. It was silly, that she was so safe in the mansion but she was still so scared of what could happen. She was sure that this place had security like nothing else, there was very few break-ins at Wayne Manor. Still the lingering doubt that she wasn’t safe nagged at her. 

It had been gone for a little while when Bruce had been with her, but now it just came back to her. Damian’s distraction had been welcome but all the while she felt the reality of what had happened. Of what was going to happen coming down on her.

“You should be taking deep breathes”, Damian muttered, his head not moving from her shoulder, “I can hear your heart beating, which I doubt in your condition is healthy. Father would not like it if you had a heart attack”

Harley held back a laugh, even after knowing him for a while Damian’s strange adult way of speaking still got to her a little bit, “Thanks kid. I’ll keep that in mind. And you wouldn’t be upset if I had a heart attack then? Is that what you’re implying?”

Damian simply tch at her, a noise that she learned meant he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. That was okay with her, his word had been enough to bring her down a little bit. And he was right, she should be taking deep breaths considering she was on the edge of a panic attack. When there was a knock on her door, it became clear that her nerves were more far-gone than she had thought, nearly jumping out of bed at the noise. But if was just Alfred, even if his face said that he was carrying some bad news with him.

“Miss Harley, I apologize as you should be resting, but there are some officers here that would like to speak with you. Master Bruce called them after your incident”, he pushed open the door just slightly and a larger man in a trench coat barreled past him.

“That’s detective to you”, the man gave Alfred a glare, which the butler just ignored, “Detective Harvey—“

“I know who you are Detective. I’m not brain damaged, just tired”, Harley gave him a glare of her own, not pleased with how Alfred was being treated.

“There might be someone brain damaged in here,” Damian murmured, just loud enough that she could hear him and no one else in the room did.

Harley stifled a laugh, “And where’s your partner? I’d rather be lookin’ at her right now then you”

Almost on cue Detective Montoya came through the door, giving Alfred a small smile as she did so, “I’m sorry Miss Quinn, I advised my partner that in cases like yours most women would rather speak to a female officer, but he doesn’t seem to agree”

Bollock wrinkled his nose in a way that said just what he thought of Montoya’s attempts at civility, “I don’t think that there’s another case of whacked out clown on whacked out clown violence”

Harley had been willing to speak to them up until that point, maybe she would have even wanted to speak to just Montoya, but the stress of everything, the judgement that she faced again and again. No Harley Quinn couldn’t be a battered woman because she was a criminal, because sometimes she wore a little bit of face paint. 

“If that’s what you think I don’t get why you’re here”, Harley wrapped her hands in the blankets, pulling them closer to her body. She was tired, too tired to deal with all of this. She wanted to get out of bed, she wanted to yell at them.

To his credit, Alfred stepped in, putting himself between the bed and the police officers, “I must ask that if you’re going to harass Miss Harley that you leave. Now. Or I will be forced to speak with Master Bruce and he may be forced to speak to Commissioner Gordon” 

Bollock was ready to argue but Montoya nodded her head, grasping her partner by the arm, “Come ‘on Meathead. I’m sorry about this Miss Quinn”, she said tugging Harvey out of the room despite his protests.

Harley leaned back into her bed, any of the nervous energy that she had possessed before had drained out of her at the confrontation. She hated cops, even though she knew there were good ones they just set her on high alert. Honestly she didn’t think that they would be able to catch him anyways, she would have left that job to the Batman. Not that he was going to be able to get in there and interview her.

“Should have punched them”, Damian had been there for the whole exchange not saying a word after his comment about Harvey, “Not that I suppose that would have helped. But if might have made you feel better”

“True that little guy”, Harley said patting his head gently, “True that”

*

Despite the fact that he knew he had to be looking, Bruce still felt a tingle of apprehension as he stood on top of one of Gotham’s churches, Nightwing silently beside him. Damian had chosen to stay at home, arguing that someone needed to look after Harley. Bruce was fairly sure that the attraction of someone who made fun of cartoons with you was enough for Damian but he didn’t comment. At least there would be something there for her.

“Any chatter?” Nightwing asked noticing that his mentor hadn’t moved or said a word. Not altogether an unusual action, but considering what was going on he had to ask.

“Nothing. They’ve been taking down the posters all day, but keep finding more. Unknown if he’s replacing them or there are just that many. No sign of any other activity. I don’t like it”

Nightwing nodded his head, he wasn’t overly fond of the idea of the Joker doing nothing either. It might mean that he was plotting something or that he had a plan that was already in motion. One they had no idea about. It could mean that Harley was in more danger then they thought or it could mean that his plan wouldn’t come into effect until a week later. Neither Option settled well with Batman, the Joker was too unpredictable. But one thing was clear, when he had a goal in mind he would go after it like a rabid dog. He wanted Batman dead? He was refusing to stop until his goal was fulfilled? He wanted Harley…they didn’t even know what he wanted with Harley? Did he want her dead? Tormented? Back? Whatever his twisted plan was, Batman wasn’t about to let it happen.

“I’m going to check out the apartment. Encase there’s anything that we missed”, he didn’t wait for Nightwing to reply as he shot out his hook and swung away. 

Nightwing watched as he went, grumbling to himself. A noise on his police scanner caught his attention, possible break-in at a biology lab. One that specialized in plants. Well that was something he had to deal with, they couldn’t have Poison Ivy running around too.

*

Batman landed on the fire escape of Harley’s building, just outside the window like he had been those scant months ago. Before he had known how everything was going to change and go upside down on him. He hadn’t expected to fall in love with her, he hadn’t expected for her to blend into their family like she had always been there. His biggest hope was that he would find Poison Ivy or realize that yes Harley was truly reformed and it could happen to anyone. It was possible.

More than a few things that he thought impossible were becoming possible in seemed. His mind flashed to a ring, sitting alone in a jewelry back that hadn’t been opened in years. Would it even be the right time to try? Was it too soon? Was he just riding the wave of emotions that he felt because she was unsafe? Was it even a good idea? Could he do it if she didn’t know his secret?

Too many questions, and if they weren’t related to case he couldn’t think about them right now. He opened the window, and climbed inside. The apartment looked very much the same as the day he had come to apologize, but the glass and flowers had been cleaned up by the crime scene techs. Even the hint that they were contaminated flowers was a worry in Gotham. He had taken one himself to analyze and there was nothing to it but a rose.

Which he could have guessed. The Joker knew that Harley was immune to poisons and toxins. Unless the clown was trying to kill him, there was no reason to make them anything other than flowers. The fact they were form him was enough. A sick joke, red roses for love, form a man who couldn’t love a thing. 

His gloved hand gripped the counter as he attempted to steady himself and clear his head. He was getting too involved gain, couldn’t think of Harley as anything but another victim. She was Bruce Wayne’s girlfriend and right now he had to be the Batman.

The thought cleared his head and he began to rise form his bent over position but he heard something. Barely there, a steady beeping. He opened the cabinets under the sink and with dread in his stomach wasn’t surprised with what he found. A pipe bomb, no timer, just a smiling face painted on the front. For the cops or for Harley? Was it remote activated? Or was it for him?

He had no time to consider those questions, there were other people in the building who could be hurt or killed if it went off. Dismantle it and then call the police? No, he would bring back to the cave. Analyze it, figure out just what the Joker had been planning.

There was always that nervous feeling in the back of his head, what if he didn’t do this right? What if this was how the hero went? He pushed those thoughts from his mind, unscrewing the cap of the pipe bomb. When he did so a cloud of green smoke exploded out, hitting him in the face. Not a real bomb then but whatever was on his face could be deadly.

Peter was so very confused by women, not just in general but more by the women who existed in his life. Aunt May always seemed to be hinting at something that he couldn’t quite begin to understand, sly little hints that he thought with his brain he should be able to figure out. But still all he knew was that she wanted something.

May Jane was just as bad, he felt like that she might be flirting him, small touches that she didn’t have to do, coming over for dinner, and the smiles that she aimed at him...Harry would have told him to go for it no questions asked, but Peter wasn’t so sure.

Of course, Harry would have told him to ask Ava out too, and she was even stranger then Mary Jane sometimes. After he had talked her through her episode in the library she might be friendlier towards him. It wasn’t that she was cold, just that she wasn’t the same person she had been that night. Not that he blamed her, she had been vulnerable and scared of something, he hadn’t asked.

Ava was still a good partner for their class, and she was social enough before and after, he was just thinking there would be some kind of dramatic change in their relationship. Apparently that was the wrong idea. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been wrong so many times before.

He really wished that Harry wasn’t an ocean away, because as much as he could skype or call, there was something to be said for face to face communication. Harry might not have had the best ideas all of the time, but at the very least he could talk it everything that was happening out.

If he thought it would be that easy, he might have tried to find someone else to talk about all of this too. But besides Harry, or even with Harry, it would be hard to explain why he was so concerned with Ava. He didn’t want to date her, he sort of got the feeling that she wasn't interested in any way in anyone. Not to mention there was a few times in class, even if she wasn’t looking at him all he could think was that she looked deadly. He understood resting bitch face as it was called, but Ava had something closer to resting murder face.

It had been a long time since he was confused by someone without romantic intentions or intentions of putting them in jail. Maybe that’s why he liked Ava because she wasn’t just straight forward enough for him to assume he knew her. He had learned that most people had hidden depths (he had never expected Flash to admit he bullied to release some of his own pain), but Ava was like a brain teaser.

A pretty, smart brain teaser. Which made the fact he didn’t want to date her all that more confusing, he should have been interested, he should have been as Harry would put it, “Putting the moves on her”. But he didn’t, he just wanted to talk to her and understand what was going on under the mask of displeasure.

He had been putting off asking anyone for the pure reason he didn’t want romantic advice, he wanted friend advice. But everyone kind of got stuck in their own world of assumption, even Aunt May if he dared use a gendered pronoun. It all came to a head when M.J. came over for dinner again, giving the excuse that she had nothing in her fridge and Aunt May had given her an open invitation to come over whenever she wanted. If it was anyone else he would have asked why she didn’t just go over to her parents, but he understood for years of muffled yelling that MJ’s parents were why she valued Aunt May’s offer so much.

Since the age of thirteen MJ had been a constant figure in his life, the cute girl next store, someone who needed comfort, a friend, the comforter, the person who was there for him when it all seemed to go to shit. So, of course, she noticed when he was picking at his tuna casserole like it was garbage and he was trying to find his phone.

“Okay Petey, come on, what’s wrong?” She nudged his leg with her foot, raising her eyebrows at him, “You love Aunt May’s cooking, and I’ve never seen you not eat it before”

He gave her a small smile, putting his fork down before he would completely destroy his food, “Ah it’s nothing don’t worry about me”, and he was tempted to ask her for advice but would rather not get into the ribbing that would come along with admitting he was having girl troubles.

Mary Jane pushed her foot against his leg again, leaning across the table, giving him a look that said she would drag the whole story out of him if he had to, “Come on…tell me. Don’t you trust me, Peter? Aren’t we friends?”

“I…”, he bit his lip, thinking of just what he wanted to say about all of this, “There’s a girl”, he could see what she was thinking and cut that thought off at once, “No. Not like that, she’s a friend. Or I want her to be a friend, I don’t really get what…she wants out of me”

“Just be yourself. How can she not like you if you do that? Unless she’s some kind of statue or something…which I guess is kind of possible. She isn’t a statue is she?” Mary Jane thought she should ask before she could into giving more any advice.

Peter shook his head, trying to think of how to work out just what Ava was, “I think she’s just…I dunno, there’s something about her. She’s quiet but really smart. But it’s not like she’s not nice, she’s never been anything but nice. I think she’s just”, he wiggled his hands there weren't words that he could find for Ava.

“But you think she wants to be your friend right? So just…ask her if she wants to hang out later or something.  Like a normal person”, Mary Jane shoved hr foot against his leg again, a little bit harder this time, “I swear I don’t know how you made any friends in high school”

Peter grinned, holding up fingers and flicking them down as he spoke, “Tutored Harry, lived next to you, Gwen was a science geek…”, he didn’t add that he had almost lost a few of those friends because of being Spider-man but MJ didn’t need to know that, “High school was easier, I saw you guys every day”

“That’s a terrible excuse, you don’t see Harry all the time and you guys are still friends…right?” she added the last part cautiously, aware of what had gone down that senior year of school. Or as much as she could be. Everyone knew that Norman Osborn had become the Goblin, but only he knew that Harry blamed him.

“…Yeah. I think so he’s talking about coming home for Christmas and how we’re going to hit up all the college parties. Apparently whatever he’s doing over there doesn’t allow for very much fun, keep a lid on the anger”, the idea of seeing Harry again twisted his stomach up, on the one hand, it was his best friend, or the other, who knew if Harry’s anger towards Spiderman was really under control.

“Oh, I’m sure that will go fantastic. He still wants to get you a date”, Mary Jane grinned, putting her head in her hands, “Hasn’t he learned yet that you don’t have any time for that sort of thing? I mean the first time I hear you talking about a girl in years and it’s someone in your science class that you just want to be friends with. Because she’s smart”

Peter shrugged, internally dreading the idea of Harry attempting to get him laid. IT never went well and Harry just didn’t seem to learn that Peter wasn’t the one-night stand type. Or possibly the girl type, he hadn’t even started to try and analyze that. There were other things to worry about.

“Hopefully, he’ll just want me to be his wingman”, Peter gave Aunt May a shy smile as she took his plate away, and she only shook her head at how little he had eaten.

“A growing boy and he still won’t eat all of his food, what will I do with you?” May clicked her tongue, Mary Jane laughing as she did so, “Look Mary Jane eats all of hers, I wonder who my real relative is”

Peter put his head in his hands, flushing with embarrassment at Mary Jane witnessing this, “I’m sorry Aunt May. Just thinking about things”

“Always thinking, just like your Uncle Ben”, May smiled, slightly wistful at the mention of her late husband, “And apparently thinking about girls. Just like your Uncle Ben”, she rolled her eyes, taking the plates into the kitchen.

“It’s not like that Aunt May!” but he knew it was useless, she was really just teasing him. All she wanted was for him to be happy he knew, but being happy brought about its own set of issues that he wasn’t ready to deal with, “…so how do I ask her to hang out?”

Mary Jane raised her eyebrow, “Peter. Really”

“What! The only person I see on a regular basis is you and that’s because you come to steal our food. I don’t invite you here”, Peter narrowed his eyes before jumping back with a shriek. What had originally been a gentle shove was now a sharp kick to his shin.

“You love me”, she gave him a sweet smile, “Now, all you have to do is call her, you do have her number?” he nodded, “Call her, ask her to have coffee with you, and do homework or something. Be sure to add that it’s not a date”

“I...I can do that”, he nodded his head, crossing his arms over his chest. Despite the fact, his stomach had dropped like a rock, “I think? Can I? Oh Jesus”

Mary Jane kicked him again, “Look call her right now while I’m here so if you get nervous and you start acting like an idiot, I can kick you. Or give you advice, either or. Whatever it comes to. You can deal with that right?”

Peter nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket though his shaking hands caused him to drop it on the table. He coughed before picking it up again. He could do this, it wasn’t any different than calling Gwen about a study date. But it wasn’t a date, there was no dating involved. Mary Jane kicked him again, pulling him out of his circle of terror.

“Okay okay! I’m calling her”, he scrolled through his contacts until he hit Ava. Not that he had to go very far, he didn’t know that many more people with names that started with A. It took a few rings but she picked up.

“Ava Ayala”, she sounded a bit out of breath, “If this is Matt, I don’t care” He blinked, confused before he answered, “Ah…no, it’s Peter. Peter Parker, form class? We traded phone numbers encase of you know homework stuff?”

“Oh shit Peter sorry”, Ava was apologetic and a little embarrassed, “I thought you were someone else. Didn’t really look at the number before I answered, “What can I do for you? You got the assignment form last class right?”

“Um yeah I did, that’s not why I’m calling…I was just wondering if you would want to get…like coffee or something. We could work on the assignment and stuff, not a date like just…friends. Coffee friends. With Studying involved”, he winced at how stupid he knew he was sounding, but it was hard to make his thoughts work.

*

White Tiger landed on the roof top with a thump, her phone buzzing away in her pocket. The only reason she brought it with her on patrol was incase someone was critically injured. Like herself. Or something she happened to punch in the face. Pulling it out of her coat, she maybe a little bit too quickly answered, “Ava Ayala if this is Matt I don’t care”

She flushed with embarrassment as she realized that no, it wasn’t Matt. It was Peter, the poor kid who she just seemed to keep insulting somehow. And he just wanted to get coffee with her. Listening to him go on, he was clearly nervous, she settled herself on the ledge of the roof. If they were going to take she would be comfortable at least.

Ava leaned back, her feet dangling over the ledge of the building. The alley bellow didn’t look like anything much, but that meant no one would look up and see the white figure sitting up there. “Peter, I understand that we’re going to get coffee. And study, but not in the sense of a date”, she pulled her knee up to her chest, “Saturday work for you? I’m going to the gym around 2 but I should be done by 3 if that works for you?”

Peter took a moment to answer, “Y-yeah that’s great. Um, the place by the college? Or do you want to meet at the gym? I assume you mean the gym at the college?”

“I’d rather meet at the gym if you don’t mind. It’s easier, especially when there’s like three coffee shops near the college. I get the feeling we’d get confused and go to the wrong one”, she closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about Saturday. It was kind of hard to think of a time that she had done anything normal. Normal didn’t really fit into the schedule of a superhero.

“Yeah I can do that! In the lobby, if you don’t mind. There’s someone who likes the gym I’d rather not run into”, Peter still sounded nervous, why she couldn’t begin to guess but it was starting to albeit a little bit.

“I’m looking forward to it Peter”, she smiled under her mask, enjoying the one moment of calm before she went off again, “See you then”

“Yeah! Can’t wait!” Peter hung up though she thought that was probably more because he was so nervous and less because he was trying to be rude. He was a strange guy, not that she really minded. IT was hard to find someone completely normal in this day and age.

She locked her phone, sliding it into the protected pocket of her jacket. Couldn’t have someone punching her and breaking the phone. She really liked that phone, and she didn’t honestly want to spend the money on a new one.

Ava sighed, wondering if maybe she should just go home. There hadn’t been enough activity for her to even get a slight work outgoing, let alone enough to think about losing another night of sleep. Not that if she went home there would be a lot of sleeping going on. Her dreams wouldn’t stop, and she was half a second away from going back to a psychologist for some kind of sleeping pill. PTSD was a bitch, especially when she had been dealing with it so well for most of her life.

Getting to her feet, Ava stretched her arms above her head and arching her back like the cat she took her name form. The moment of speaking to Peter had been nice, but it was time to go form Ava back to White Tiger.

White Tiger jumped from her ledge, landing on the next building. Cats did always land on their feet and she was no different though it did send slight shocks up her legs. It didn’t hurt anymore, though, her tights were strong enough that she could stand most things at this point. She continued on, jumping form building to building if only to feel the burn start in her calves. It was always a weird night when the city was quiet, but on some level that meant there might be something worse going on. Something that she couldn’t see yet.

A thought that made her irate and angry, most of the time criminals were idiots and not smart enough to keep their shit under wraps. And as much as she wished it sometimes, she wasn’t her brother. She wasn’t a trained cop, she was just a college student who half the time felt like she was drowning under the pressure of her name.

She really needed to find someone to hit because she was thinking too much about her life and how it always seemed to come back to Hector. Everything was Hector, always Hector.

White Tiger groaned, holding her head. There was the barest bit of a headache beginning to start, something that wasn’t helping with her patrol. Her fingers found the back of her neck, kneading the tense muscles there. It helped a little bit but she knew that if she didn’t get home soon that it would just get worse. To the point where she would probably being seeing things that didn’t really exist.

A noise caught her ear, something that maybe a human wouldn’t have been able to hear but the enhanced hearing that her amulet gave her easily caught. A bit of violence, the sound of flesh hitting flesh. It was one that she heard a little bit too much in this city, but at least, this time, she could do something about it.

It was easy enough to find what was going on, two guys ganging up on a girl that was clearly uninterested in what they were trying to say. The bright purple bruise on her cheek was telling about what had happened before she showed up. Thankfully she would be able to keep any more violence form happening that night. And maybe someone would end up going to jail, or just in traction. Traction and then jail would be preferable.

“Come’on baby we paid for a dance don’t you wanna dance with us?” one of the men, barely older than her in a lime green sweater was grabbing at the girl’s arm, “We paid, don’t that mean you’re ours for the night?”

The girl pulled away, her coat falling open to reveal the short skirt and tight t-shirt underneath, a waitress or a dancer maybe. Someone who had probably dealt with idiots like that a few too many times. She didn’t even seem scared just pissed as hell.

“Get. Away. Form. Me.” The girl hissed, her hair swinging as she jerked away from the man.

White Tiger stepped on to the fire escape, attempting to not make a sound. She grabbed the railing, hanging off of the fire escape before she dropped to the ground. The girl’s eyes widened before White Tiger pressed a finger to her masked lips, and shook her head. Thankfully the men were too distracted by the woman they were sexually harassing to notice that anything different had happened.

White Tiger stood up, sliding up behind them with silent footsteps. She raised her hands, grasped the backs of their necks. They struggled for a moment before she shoved them to the ground, “I think you should go. Be careful”, she looked straight at the girl as she spoke, and the girl nodded, sprinting as fast as she could in her teetering heels, “Now boys”

The pair tried to struggle but Ava held them strong, enough that she was sure there would be bruises on their necks in the morning, “I find it very disturbing that you think that paying a woman to dance for you means that she’ll do anything for you. Do you think that the cashier at the grocery store should sleep with you because you pay for some M&Ms?” she thought for a second before answering for them, “Don’t say anything. I’m sure I know what you two idiots think of that comparison”

She released her grasp on their necks, just enough that she knew they were still breathing, “SO this is how it’s going to work, I’m going to take your pictures and I’m going to tell everyone that you are disgusting assholes who harass women, good?”

White Tiger lifted up one of her feet, pushing her foot into one of the men’s back. She lifted her hand form that one’s neck, using her hand to dig through his pockets, “Jeremy White? That’s a terrible name”, she flipped through his pictures pulling one out and sending it to a friend, “Annand”, she found a girl’s name on the phone, sending a text message, “Okay so I just told your girlfriend that…’Check out the tits on this one’, I hope that goes well for you”

She shifted so that her hand was back on his neck and her foot was on his friend’s neck. She repeated the process with the second phone, “I think you two should be arrested but I suppose if I can get your stupid asses banned from every strip club in town that will be good enough. And if you think about going after our mutual friend, then”, she pulled at their necks, before slamming them down into the pavement, “Don’t fucking think about it”

White Tiger stood up, before she had a thought. She grabbed the two phones again, throwing them on the ground before her foot came down on them with a crunch, “Have a fun with buying new phones. Yours are shitty anyways”

For a moment she considered what to do, the girl couldn’t be that far away and it was possible that she was still terrified. On top of that if she had a phone, it would be better for her to call the cops then White Tiger. No need for her phone to traced. White Tiger groaned, her fingers massaging the back of her neck again. It was going to be a longer night then she thought but she couldn’t leave the poor girl alone.

She took a step out of the alley and was met with a purse held high by the girl she had been protecting. Clearly the woman had been expecting one of her harassers to come out. That or she wasn’t totally sure that she could trust White Tiger.

Not that Tiger really blamed her, the Avengers sure, but a six-foot tall person dressed in all white with a mask was a little bit more suspicious then Iron Man or Captain America. She raised her hands, waiting for the purse to hit her but it never came.

“You scared the shit out of me” the girl lowered her purse, letting out a sigh of relief, “I thought those assholes got the jump on you or something, “I guess luck was on my side tonight if you came to my recuse…”, she grinned, and for the first time, White Tiger took note of her hair, not blond but pure white, curling around her shoulders.

“White Tiger”, she managed to force out, suddenly aware that there was a lovely woman standing in front of her. She felt like a teenaged boy trying to talk to a cheerleader. IT was stupid she was a superhero now, girls loved superheroes. Well maybe straight girls didn’t love female superheroes but still, “I don’t think they’ll be bothering you very much anymore Ma’am”

The girl flapped her hand, “Felicia, please. And I’m less worried about myself and more worried about the girls at the club. I’m just the bartender, they’re the ones that have to deal with those idiots head on all the time”

She grunted, understanding what Felicia was talking about, “I don’t suppose you have a cell phone. As much as I dislike their behavior, I don’t kill people”, despite what the nagging voice in her head said sometimes, and the blood lust that threatened to overwhelm her if she got too out of control.

“Yeah sure, I get you. Murder is bad for business anyways”, Felicia pulled her phone out of her purse, dialing the number. The instant someone picked up her voice went form confident woman too terrified girl, “Oh god I got attacked outside Kitty’s Club and then this handsome person in white”, she winked at White Tiger as she said it, “saved me but I think the guys that attacked me are hurt and-and oh no there’s blood!” she hung up before any more questions could be asked, “Good?”

White Tiger flushed under her mask at the suggestion that she was the handsome person, not a title she was unused to with her height and build but still. It wasn’t very often she heard it out of the mouth of someone like Felicia. The lovely dark red mouth of someone like Felicia, “Perfect thank you. I have to insist that you either take a cab home or allow me to walk you home”

Felicia put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at White Tiger, “I don’t think my luck is that bad, that’ll be attacked twice in one night”, before White tiger could protest she continued, “But I won’t turn down the assistance of a lovely lady”

“You can’t even see my face”, White Tiger mumbled but Felicia was already strutting down the sidewalk, not waiting for her new bodyguard to follow. Not that it took much to catch up to her, but White Tiger was impressed at how fast Felicia went in those heels, “Does this happen often?”

“Hmm? You mean the assholes harassing people outside the club?” Felicia turned her head slightly, still having to look up at White Tiger despite her heels, “Yeah pretty much all the time. Most girls get away okay but we’ve had a few bad times. Not like the cops really care, even if you end up dead”

Her face twitched slightly to hear cops talked about like that, but she knew that not everyone was her brother. That’s why it was so important for him to be Whit Tiger, because sometimes the police wouldn’t or couldn’t do anything, “I can swing by more often then. Or…ah”, it wasn’t like she was flirting or trying to set up a date, such things didn’t work when you wore a mask but she was still nervous, “Give you my number if something happens”

Felicia raised her eyebrows again, which White Tiger noted where the same pale white as her hair. No dye, completely natural. “I guess you could do that, I mean it is Kitty’s club so a Tiger protecting us would make sense”

“Puns. Hilarious”, White Tiger said in a vaguely deadpan voice, she hadn’t even considered that part of it, “As long as you don’t hand me over the cops or anything”

Felicia snorted, shoving her phone into White Tiger’s hands, “I think we just discussed this. Cops don’t do shit for us, if you’re willing to help out…then I’m not going to say no. On that same note if you know anyone who needs a job as a bouncer, send them our way. We’re so lacking”

White Tiger nodded, entering the number for her cell in Felicia’s phone under W.T., hopefully not something that would raise any suspicion, “I’ll ask around” she handed the phone back, Felicia’s hand brushing over hers as she did so. Even through her gloves she could feel the warmth of the other woman.

“Ah this is me”, Felicia smiled as they stopped in front of a building. It wasn’t much better than the one White Tiger lived in and honestly not that far away, “Thank you again. I don’t know where I would be without you”, she stood on her toes, grasping White Tiger’s shoulders as she pressed a kiss to her cheek, “I’ll call”

Harley was going to murder something, damn her parole and damn going back to Arkham someone was going to have to die for this. The first thing that had greeted her when she woke up was not the view of the building next store, but the image of her own face. It was the picture that had been in the paper the previous day but with a few alterations. Someone, she had her guesses, had scribbled a bright red smile over her mouth and black circles around her eyes. Like a mockery of the makeup she had worn once upon a time. It was enough to make her want to puke. She pulled her shade down with enough force that it almost snapped off its rod.

She pulled her knees to her chest, pressing her head to her knees. Of course, the universe was telling her right now that Harley Quinn wasn’t allowed a moment of piece. She was happy with Bruce and then he had gone off the deep end on her. Now when he had sent her flowers like he was trying to makeup, her past was coming back all in a rush at her. Harley took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth like the therapists had taught her. Technically she knew what was happening, she had studied it enough, but it was hard to admit when you were having a PTSD flashback.

“Don’t you know you’re useless?” it felt like the voice was coming from everywhere in the room, that whine of a voice she had once wished would say I love you. Harley covered her ears with her hands, shutting her eyes as tight as she could. He wasn’t there, he wasn’t there, he could be there and she wasn’t going to let some stupid memory get to her like this. She was beginning to taste bile in her mouth, hinting to her that she was not okay and that she would not be okay for the rest of the day.

She groped for the phone, knocking it to the floor in the process. She didn’t want to look up to find the phone, just encase she saw the pictures again. Harley let out a choked sobbed, she didn’t have the energy to deal with this today. And she couldn’t even get out of bed to get away from the fucking pictures.

She almost wanted the cold white walls of Arkham again, at least then they might have been able to give her something to knock her out. Then she wouldn’t have to think, sometimes she missed that lovely cloud that the drugs would put her on. That or Ivy. She wanted Ivy so badly right now, Ivy could take everything away. Ivy would pet her hair and tell her it was all okay…

She could almost imagine the green hand against her head, warm breast underneath her head…but the breast was hard instead of soft…and the skin was pale rather than green. Bruce, she wanted Bruce. He should have been there petting her hair and telling her that it would be alright.

Harley wanted to vomit, just vomit and hope that would mean it would all finally be okay. Or maybe do something worse, there was always a knife in the—she nearly slapped herself at that thought, that was the PTSD talking. That was the Joker talking and he wasn’t going to take her life away without one hell of a goddamn fight.

*

Bruce felt his heart drop into his stomach, he always watched the news just encase there was something that his scanners hadn’t caught. This was not what he had expected after seeing the paper yesterday, but maybe he should have been. The screen showed the streets of Gotham littered with the article and photo of him and Harley, his eyes crossed out and her face almost covered with black and red. Apparently the Joker wasn’t pleased with the news that his ex-had found happiness with someone that wasn’t him. Not that she would have ever found happiness with that bastard.

He wrapped his hands around the remote, as the screen continued to show buildings, cars, even trees were covered in those god awful pictures. As the reporter spoke, Bruce could just barely hear what was being said but he caught one word. Joker. The Joker. Everyone knew that’s who had done it, but there was no way to prove it unless he took credit. Or there was a second half to the plan. Harley. Harley might not be safe.

With a word to Alfred, something about how he wouldn’t be going to work that day he excused himself to the garage, it didn’t really matter how mad or upset at each other they were right now. He was going to go be with her. And convince her that the safest place to be right now was in the mansion with him.

*

Harley had managed to call the school to inform them she wouldn’t be in today, of course, they understood they were closing the school anyways just encase the Joker was planning something that would involve the whole city rather than just her. At least, that was one thing she didn’t have to worry about. But now her stomach was twisting with the idea that her students might be in danger.

So she was sitting in her living room, where she could see the door and tackle anyone who tried to come through (not to mention the only room without a window). She had managed to calm down to a point, she was good at shoving her emotions down into nothing and pretending that everything was fine. It wasn’t so much that she was scared of another beating. She could take physical pain, she had proved that over and over again.

It was the psychological affects that she was worried about. The Joker had a way of twisting your thoughts, making you think that his ideas were your ideas. She knew that he could twist and break her until she was ready to be his little henchwoman again. Harley was strong enough to resist for an amount of time, but everyone broke. A master manipulator was coming for her and she didn’t know what the hell she was supposed to do right now.

Hell, maybe she could just beat the shit out of him until he was the one crying, the one in the full body cast who had to do months of therapy only to learn that he might not even have a full range of movement in some of his joints ever again.

While she was stewing in her rather comforting thoughts, there was a knock at the door. Harley almost jumped out of her skin, before she realizes that the Joker wouldn’t knock. Or if he would he’d yell something like, “Pizza delivery!” after words.

She got to her feet, holding a kitchen knife close to her thigh as she went. Looking through the peep hole, she breathed a sigh of relief. Not the Joker. Just Bruce. Maybe he wasn’t the first person she wanted to see (Ivy was high up on that list), it was definitely a step up from being alone. She opened the door, still holding the knife out of sight.

“Harley”, He didn’t come in just encase she didn’t want to see him but kept one eye on her face and one on her knife. He wasn’t sure how she was doing right now, but he didn’t want to risk any violence, on his side or hers. Without his suit, he could be in trouble against her.

“Come ‘on in, please”, she backed away from the door, keeping out of sight form the Hallway, “Not that I’m sure this is the safest thing for you to be doing right now”, she shut the door as soon as he was in, locking the door. Not that she was sure it would do much good.

“I have private security waiting if he tries anything you’ll be fine”, he reached for her shoulder, but took his hand away at the last minute, he didn’t want to evade her space if she didn’t want him there.

When she looked at him he was surprised at how upset she looked, scared and angry all at the same time, “Bruce did you send me flowers?”

He shook his head, he had been thinking about buying her some jewelry…or a new apartment, but no flowers had been sent form his office. Not with his knowledge. Her reaction surprised him, though, she stalked past into the kitchen. He followed her, only to see her glaring at a vase of roses.

“Did you think I—“ he started to ask before she picked it up and smashed it to the ground, water going everywhere. She was surrounded by a ring of roses and glass, just looking down at the ground like she couldn’t believe that had just happened, “…It was him wasn’t it?”

Harley stared at her legs, bared by her shorts that had a few drops of blood rolling down them down. Bright red against pale skin. A lot of memories had that color profile, painting her face, her own crushed hand, blood red lips on a pale white face. Her legs shook, and she lost all control falling to the ground despite all of the glass.

“Harley!”

* Her head hurt, hurt so badly. It did that ever so often despite her super healing abilities, apparently there were some things super powers couldn’t cure. Including serious head trauma. She must have hit her head again, something causing the pain that she was experiencing to reassure. That would explain why the idea of opening her eyes made her want to cry and her stomach rolled with bile.

She groaned, about the only sound that she could even think about making right now. Harley rolled over so slightly and did just about vomit straight on to the floor. Someone grasped her head, rubbing the back of her neck until the desire to vomit subsided, and her head was guided back to the pillow.

“Are you alright Miss Harley?” the British accent told her who it was, Alfred. Which meant she was in the manor. That explained why the bed was so soft and nice, though not why her whole body hurt.

“…maybe?” she managed, her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, like she hadn’t in a few days, “Water?”

A straw came in contact with her lips, and she managed to take a few sips before it made her stomach roll again.

“You’ve been out for two days. The doctor believes it was a stress reaction, the ah…”

She winced, she remembered what had happened two days ago. The pictures, the flowers, the cuts on her legs, Bruce. Where was Bruce? She wanted Bruce right now, she wanted someone that cared about her. Someone who wasn’t that fucking bastard, “Bruce?”

She could almost hear the smile when Alfred spoke, “He’s outside, and I think he was afraid that you wouldn’t want to see him. You did faint in his presence. He carried you out to the limo, I thought you might be dead. Gave both of us a terrible fright. I’m glad you’re doing alright Miss”

Footsteps out of the room, and then heavier ones into the room. A rough hand clutched here’s, making her feel just that much better about everything. It was stupid, but she did that. She formed bonds with people too quickly sometimes. Maybe she shouldn’t have relied on him so much, but at the moment, she didn’t have to psychoanalyze herself.

“Hey Big guy”, she squeezed his hand, feeling the warmth soak into her like she had been freezing, “Did you miss me?”

“Miss your voice for sure, I’ve begun to realize you talk a lot. Enough that without it…it’s been so quiet without you. All of this reminded me why I need you…this might be a lot. After what happened, but I wanted to kill him. For what he did to you. Before and after. I don’t want anyone to have that effect on you”

He knew what PTSD was, he knew what it felt like and how easy it was to fall back into those deep pits of memories and painful feelings, “I want you to be okay and I know that I can’t make you okay because that’s now how the world works. I know I can’t wish him away, or kill him”

“Legally”, Harley added in, pulling him down closer to her. She heard him as he adjusted himself so his head was right on her shoulder, she could smell the soft scent of leather that always followed him around, “Or at all. Other people have tried it. He’s a slippery bastard”

He wanted to laugh, but that was hard right now. He was just glad that her heart was still beating under that skin, that she was safe and with him now and that was all he could do right now, “I would. If I could if it would make you happy”

“You make me happy. Even if you did push me away….I get it…I think. I dunno I’m not supposed to psychoanalyse people without permission”

Maybe the fact that he could have lost her, or that he was full of so many emotions that he couldn’t deal with all of them right now, but he spoke, “I saw my mother that day I turned you away, that’s all I could see. Was her. And what happened to her. And it…hurt. It hurt to think that there was even the slightest idea that I could lose you again…her again, anyone that I love again”

Harley pressed her lips to Bruce’s hair, just ever so gently, “I understand, you don’t have to talk yourself into circles. I think we’re both a little bit too tired for talking about serious feelings…but I love you too Bruce Wayne”

He pressed his head into her collarbone, his mind a mess about everything, the very idea that he could confuse Harley and his mother, maybe that love was such a mess up thing. Maybe there was some kind of terrible Freudian subtext to all of it that he didn’t want to think about. Harley was alive. She was alive and she was with him.

And he was very tired, he hadn’t slept for the past two days attempting to track down the Joker. He wanted to make the Joker hurt, hurt and then throw him into a cell where he couldn’t get out of. Or maybe he should just catch the Joker and let Harley go to town on his ass. It would be more satisfying for her, to make him hurt like he had hurt her so many times over the years.

“I can hear your gears going, you should stop thinking so hard”, Harley’s fingers threaded in his hair now, “Maybe you should sleep”

It was a party, a party at Aki’s house that he honestly hadn’t really thought about going to but Jack and Yusei were going so, in the end, it was easier to just go with them. A general kind of party, a lot of music, a lot of drinking (though Aki would have killed anyone she saw and she didn’t supply any herself), and plenty of dancing which was probably helped by those two other things.

 He wasn’t drinking, if there was a bust and he was caught, well who knows what could happen with his record, and he wasn’t dancing. He was just sort of watching the flow of people go by. It wasn’t as though he was uncomfortable in his surroundings, he just hadn’t got the chance to find a partner. The last girl he tried to dance with, her girlfriend had some strong words to say to him after that. Strong words and a strong fist. So he was going to stick to people watching for the moment, less risk that way.

 Crow’s eyes dragged over the Crowd, picking out people he knew as he went, a shock of blond hair towering above everyone else, Jack, blue leather just barely visible, Yusei, red hair that could almost be unnatural, Aki. In his searching for anyone that he might know, his gaze fell on a pair of skinny jeans wrapped around an ass that could have been criminal. The owner didn’t seem to have a partner, just simply moving his hips back and forth to the beat of the music. Some sort of loose top hung just barely over the waistband, giving him ever few seconds a glance of pale skin.

 Maybe it was a little “I apologize Brave, but it’s just that traditionally the role is played by a girl and I’m not sure if anyone would be comfortable with playing your opposite. And if we don’t have a Romeo, then there’s no play is there?”

 There was a huff, “That’s not a great answer is it? What kind of actor can’t play opposite to anyone? And we both know that the female roles used to be played by men more than they were ever played by women. How is that for traditionally for you?”

 “...I…I don’t know, there might be issues with some of the parents too. I know you could do it, but the idea of a man playing the role in a dress could be possibly upsetting to—“

 “There could also be issues if I raise the issue with the news, it’s just a role and you won’t let me play it because of some kind of homophobia?” Brave’s foot tapped against the hard wood floor of the stage, clearly waiting for some kind of answer, “You’ve seen what can happen, I get it out to the right people…”

 “I’ll let you audition, that’s the most that I can promise. You can’t assume that we’ll give you the part just because of what might happen. There might be someone else who’s better than you are. I just can’t promise you anything, I want you to remember that”

 “Of course, I just want the same chance that anyone else would have. I mean that’s all that everyone wants in this world”

 Crow snorted gentle, it was almost amusing to him how Brave managed to talk and wiggle his way into what he wanted. Not that he wasn’t wrong, technically there was no reason that Brave shouldn’t be allowed to audition for the role. Not that Crow could understand why he would want to do such a thing.

 He had only met Brave a few times, but he could defiantly say that the man could wiggle.

 To stare so much, but whoever it was just had such a hypnotic movement to them that he couldn’t quite convince himself to take his eyes off of them. Maybe whoever it was had eyes in the back of their head or he was just staring so hard that they could feel it, but the person turned their head, looking at him over their shoulder.

 He still couldn’t have told you what gender they were, but that didn’t really matter. All that really mattered was that look those green eyes were giving him, not upset that he had been staring, but pleased. That was a person that knew what they were doing and was happy that someone had taken the time to notice all of their hard work. The hair was the next thing that caught his attention, it was rare enough to see red hair that it caught his attention. Even if it hadn’t been red, the fact it was sticking straight up like a flame growing from his head.

 “Enjoying the show?” the voice was defiantly masculine and at odds with a ridiculous shirt, he was wearing. It could only have been described as a bright green tank top though with the lack of fabric on the sides it was looking a little more like a poncho.  Honestly, it looked kind of stupid, but Crow was willing to overlook that considering the ass.

 “Considering how you were waving it around out there I don’t know how I could have missed it. Do you always wiggle like you’re doing a mating dance for a bird or is that a new thing?”

 The man flicked Crow’s hair with a finger, “Well you do have the plumage to attract a mate, so maybe I was just looking for you. I’m Brave”

 “Hilarious considering your hair. And your clothes, if anyone is trying to attract a mate I’d say it’s you. Crow”

He could have sworn that Brave’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline at the mention of his name,

“I’m the bird, says the man named Crow? I suppose it makes since you do seem to be attracted to shiny things like myself”

 “What did you cover yourself in oil before you came? Going for the overdone frat boy thing but with the added touch of being super gay? “Crow pulled at the green fabric in front of him, barely a tug but Brave came closer towards him always.

 “I mean it seems to be working doesn’t it?” Brave’s elbow came up beside Crow’s head against the wall, Brave leaning forward, “I attracted your attention after all and if I can get the attention of someone as cute as you then there can’t be that much wrong with my look”

 “Are you ever going to shut up, or are you just going to talk until I walk away? I mean you can’t get any more obnoxious in the nest couple minutes can you?” Crow leaned against the wall, if he was going to have to listen to Brave he was going to get comfortable while he waited.

 Instead of another comment, Brave’s lips came down to meet Crow’s, the arm that was on the wall slid around his neck. It took Crow a moment to react, and when he did, he was tempted to slam his knee into Brave’s crotch. But thankfully, Brave was apparently a damn good kisser. The lips were soft against his, Brave’s hair drooping against his forehead. The noise of the party slowly drifted out of his realm of conscious, all that he was really focusing on was the warmth of Brave’s body against him.

 He wasn’t sure how much time passed until Brave moved away from him, their forehead’s still pressed against each other. Their chests heaved together, the heat of the room pressing against them. Crow jerked forward a little bit so that he was away from the wall, pressing even closer against Brave. He couldn’t seem to get enough of the contact yet.

 “So did the mating dance work then?” Brave smirked, his tongue dragging over his lips like he was trying to take in all of the taste of Crow.

 “…we’re not talking about this anymore”, Crow twisted his hand into Brave’s shirt, pulling the other man back down into another searing kiss, his hips jerking at the spark that he could almost feel jumping between them. No matter how stupid Brave’s shirt was, it was all made up for the fact that the man could kiss so very well, “You taste like weed”, he said between kisses, taking a deep breath before he dove back in.

 Brave chuckled, taking just a moment to draw his own breath, “You mean the guy I was making out with before tasted like weed, and you should have smelled him like he was smoking three or four joints all at once”

 “Gross”, but he didn’t cease his kisses, sucking on Brave’s lower lip ever so gently between his own lips, “Maybe I’ll just have to see if I can get all of that taste out”

 “Bring it on”, Crow let his hand drop below Brave’s waist, taking a hand full of the ass that had previously been tempting him out on the dance floor. Apparently that was the right move as Brave let out a breathy gasp into Crow’s mouth, “If you do that again I can’t be held reasonable for what I’ll have to do”

 With a smirk on his face, Crow looked him right in the eye and repeated his previous action, just hard enough that he was sure there would be red marks on Brave’s skin tomorrow. The thought gave him a certain prickle of pleasure in his heart that would make the man remember who he had been with in the morning.

 That was enough to incite Brave to action, slowly so very slowly he began to kiss his way down Crow’s chin and neck until he reached just underneath Crow’s jaw bone. For a moment he just sucked on the skin there, making a bright red mark appear on his lips. Another moment and Brave let his teeth sink into the pale skin, barely hard enough to mark but hard enough that Crow would know what he did.

 “Unneeded” Crow’s hand came away from Brave’s ass, coming up to hold the throbbing skin, and “I’m going to have to wear a scarf or something tomorrow. No one is going to see your ass”

 “Maybe I want you to see my ass”, Brave had gone back to placing kisses along Crow’s chin, like he was trying to apologise for being so rough previously.

 “Give me your number and we might have to see if that’s going to happen later. Or not. Who knows”, Crow tilted his head back ever so slightly, allowing Brave to continue his movements but not giving any other indication that he was, in fact, enjoying it.

 Brave smirked against Crow’s jaw, “Considering the way you are going to my ass right no I’d say that the chances are that you really do what to see it. Maybe all of that or not shit would fly if you were trying to knead me through my jeans”

 “Stop talking and we might increase your chances of anything happening after I come to my sense tonight. I must be confused before of your ridiculous ass shirt, I can’t think straight with it blinding me like that”

 He would have been willing to blame everything on the excitement of the party, and whatever was floating around in the air that night if Brave hadn’t cornered him a few days later at school and the same thing had happened. It wasn’t if they were dating, he got the feeling that wasn’t Brave’s thing.

 It wasn’t really his either and he was having plenty of fun with the whole making out in random places thing. Contrary to what Brave had thought they hadn’t made it past that stage yet, not that Crow wasn’t tempted. Just he’d rather be in a bed than in a closet. A literal closet because Brave apparently knew where all of the open one’s were.

 Brave wasn’t what was on his mind he was stuck working on the school play. He wasn’t that much of the sort of person who enjoyed plays and he wasn’t in the Drama Club, but it was a good way to get extra credit. And he needed that credit if he was going to graduate this year. Maybe he could have come back, but he really didn’t have the desire to come back and do another year of this.

Honestly if it hadn’t been for his foster Mother, Martha, he wouldn’t have even been trying right now. It wasn’t though he wasn’t smart, just that he didn’t have the desire to get all of those perfect grades like some people did. To him, it didn’t feel like it was something that would affect where he was going in life.  Crow liked where he was, what he was doing. As long as he was happy, there wasn’t a lot of concern about what was going on with his schooling.

Of course, he hadn’t realized he would be attempting, along with Jack to paint bricks on a wall that was a lot taller than him. It had been only been a couple of minutes into it and he was already convinced that Jack was intentionally dripping paint into his hair.

 “Why do we need a castle anyways?” Crow said, scooting a few inches away from Jack if only to get away from the increasing amount of paint splattered on him.

 Flicking his brush out, and spraying more paint, Jack sniffed like he couldn’t believe that Crow couldn’t understand what was going on, “It’s a balcony first of all, and we’re putting on Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare?”

 “I knew that”, he still didn’t get why they had to paint everything, there wasn’t any need for the balcony to be this high unless Jack would be playing Romeo. Everyone else was a normal height, and it was ridiculously high.

 “I apologize Brave, but it’s just that traditionally the role is played by a girl and I’m not sure if anyone would be comfortable with playing your opposite. And if we don’t have a Romeo, then there’s no play is there?”

 There was a huff, “That’s not a great answer is it? What kind of actor can’t play opposite to anyone? And we both know that the female roles used to be played by men more than they were ever played by women. How is that for traditionally for you?”

 “...I…I don’t know, there might be issues with some of the parents too. I know you could do it, but the idea of a man playing the role in a dress could be possibly upsetting to—“

 “There could also be issues if I raise this with the news, it’s just a role and you won’t let me play it because of some kind of homophobia?” Brave’s foot tapped against the hard wood floor of the stage, clearly waiting for some kind of answer, “You’ve seen what can happen, I get it out to the right people…”

 “I’ll let you audition, that’s the most that I can promise. You can’t assume that we’ll give you the part just because of what might happen. There might be someone else who’s better than you are. I just can’t promise you anything, I want you to remember that”

 “Of course, I just want the same chance that anyone else would have. I mean that’s all that everyone wants in this world”

 Crow snorted gentle, it was almost amusing to him how Brave managed to talk and wiggle his way into what he wanted. Not that he wasn’t wrong, technically there was no reason that Brave shouldn’t be allowed to audition for the role. Not that Crow could understand why he would want to do such a thing.

 He had only met Brave a few times, but he could defiantly say that the man could wiggle.

   So considering that they weren’t really dating and were the only sort of friends, Crow hadn’t been expecting any kind of favor to be asked of him by Brave.

 “I want you to help me with this”, Jack had long since wondered off to do something he felt was more worthy of his time, leaving Crow alone painting when Brave spoke up. Crow hadn’t even know he was there, but somehow he managed to sort of appear, “My audition I mean, I think if I have a Romeo it will make my chances that much better”

 “And why do I have to be your Romeo?” Crow didn’t bother to look up, he could hear the shuffling of papers, implying that Brave was waving the script at him, “I’m sure there’s plenty of other people who’d love to do it. Not to mention I’m sure that you could find someone who’s actually going to audition for the part, and then you can get ready together”

 The ream of papers came down on his head, with a soft thump, squishing his hair down against his forehead, “Yes but I asked you to do it. And if you do, maybe I’ll be able to convince our lovely director that you should get extra credit for helping me out instead of standing out painting”

 Admittedly that did sound like a good idea, the paint fumes were starting to make him a little woozy and it would mean spending more time with Brave, something he wouldn’t mind in the least but there was one issue that he could see with this idea, “Are you sure we would get anything done? It seems like every time we’re around each other you end up with your hands half way down my pants”

 Brave sniffled, waving the script around so hard Crow was afraid that it was going to fly out of his hands and hit someone, “I have some self-control I’ll have you know, and this is important, normally I just come after you when something unimportant is going on”

 “Like class”, Crow said, raising an eyebrow at Brave. He was starting to get used to the whole ridiculous thing that the other man had, a bizarre personality that Crow wasn’t sure he could even begin to describe.

 “Like class”, Brave agreed, sticking the script into Crow’s face again giving the other man a pointed look, “SO are you going to help me or are you coming to sit around here painting and getting high off all of these fumes? And of course hanging out with Jack instead of me”

 Crow took the script, rolling his eyes as he did so, “I see enough of Jack at home. I’ll help you. But don’t blame me if you don’t get the part because my help was bad. I’m not an actor”

 “I know that, if you were maybe you wouldn’t have gone to juvie those times right, or is that just a rumor?”

 Crow used the script swinging it at Brave’s legs with enough force to cause the man to fold a little bit with a noise of pain “Shut up, I already agreed to help you. Are you trying to get me to take back the offer or do you just not know how to control your mouth?”

 Brave’s lips twitched like he was trying to contain whatever comment that was bubbling up. He was unable to as he spoke, “I think that you already know how well I can control my mouth”

 Another hit and Brave went down that time kneeling on the ground staring at Crow like a kicked puppy. The look in his eyes implied that he couldn’t believe that Crow had chosen to hit him again after the first time.

 “I will see you when I’m done painting, I do have to finish these and you are getting really annoying”, Crow dropped the script on the stage turning back to his work at the backdrop.

 Brave wrapped his arms around Crow’s neck for a moment, pressing his lips to Crow’s cheek, “Thank you, you’re the best Sweetie”

 Crow snorted, attempting to swat Brave away though his attempts to do so were half-hearted, “Go away”

 Brave’s room was just what Crow would have accepted of him, bright and honestly a little annoying. He was starting to think that Brave had no idea of what people actually found appealing in colors and just threw whatever he liked together.

 “Why do you want to play Juliet anyways?” Crow leaned against the bright green wall, flipping through the script, barely picking out the words that he was looking at, “I mean you go around seducing people so much that you could be Romeo”

 Brave pulled his legs up, crossing them over his knees, putting the script on his knee doing the same thing that Crow was doing, “Romeo is boring, anyone can play Romeo and anyone has. It’s not as interesting as Juliet. Romeo had choices, he was a man, and he could technically pick whoever he wanted to marry as long as he spread the family name. Juliet on the other hand, she had to do what her father wanted her to do. Marry some old dude that she didn’t actually like, but instead, when she fell in love with some else. Instead of just pinning she married Romeo, she changed her fate. She went against society’s expectations of her and she did want she wanted. What was going to make her happy?”

 He tapped on the script for a moment with his pencil before circling something, “Also I would look fantastic in her costume and we both know that. Plus it would be a bit of a shakeup wouldn’t it? A switch around about what everyone thinks is going to happen”

 “So you want to fuck with everyone, and you want to wear a pretty dress. That sounds like you, I guess that means I get to help you with your silly goal, no matter what the whole point of it is”

 “My goal is so not silly, you should be more supportive of my goals. You want to make out with me but you don’t want to help me with my goals?” Brave tilted his head, looking a little bit like a sad puppy begging for attention.

 Crow snorted, pushing at Brave’s knee with his foot, “That sounds like the sort of thing a boyfriend would be doing, and the last time I checked, we’re not. Unless you changed our official name in your book or something without telling me”

 Brave shrugged, “I hadn’t really thought about it. I mean, we hang out…sometimes. We like each other don’t we? What else is there to being in a relationship then liking each other romantically?”

 “Dying?” Crow picked up the script with two fingers, waving it in front of Brave’s face as if to remain him of why they were there, “We can talk about this later, for now, and I’m starting to think that if we don’t start you’ll just get distracted”

 “Well, what if you gave me a reward for getting through some of these scenes? Like…” Grave rolled his tongue around, twisting it so the very tip of it poked out of his mouth.

 “I’ll tell you what you can blow me if you get through the first four scenes without getting distracted”, Crow rolled his eyes, shoving at Brave’s knee with his foot again, “Can we get started, or am I going to be here all night waiting for you to decide to actually work?”

 Brave leaned in ever so slightly, grabbing Crow’s foot with his hand, “That sounds fair to me, I mean who wouldn’t want that as a reward”, he tugged Crow towards him, putting Crow’s feet into his lap with one final tug.

 “…fine”, he didn’t really think that Brave would want that, but apparently he was underestimating just what Brave wanted. Not that he was complaining, if they got this reading done and maybe he got something out of it from Brave he would be happy.

 Not that he was really expecting Brave to get anything done, but there was a chance.

 He really was starting to learn that doubting Brave was going to get him in trouble most of the time, or, at least, more of the time then he would have thought.  After actually getting through Juliet’s first five scenes, Brave was kneeling before him. Time seemed to slow down as Brave undid his waistband and pulled his fly down, “Are you ready?”

 Crow took a deep breath and nodded, it wasn’t that he was nervous he was sure that Brave knew what he was doing but it was after the whole conversation about their relationship it seemed like this could be a bigger step then it might seem like.

 Brave pulled his jeans away, his boxers coming away in the same motion. For a moment, Crow just thought about the trick where you pulled the table cloth out from under the dishes. He stifled a laughing, covering his mouth with his hand. Brave grasped Crow’s dick with his hand just gently stroking.

As he was already half hard it didn’t take him very long to stand at attention for Brave’s next move. Even as Crow was hard, Brave continued to just stroke for the time being.

 He leaned back on his hands, taking a deep breath as he watched Brave’s tanned hand move against his pale skin. It was a different sight, he was used to seeing his own hand against his skin that someone else’s was almost making him feel like this was really some sort of weird sex dream. About Romeo and Juliet.

Brave’s tongue gently dragged over the head of Crow’s dick, watching with a grin as the appendage moved under his movements. Crow sucked in a breath, dropping his hands down to the bedspread. The touch of Brave’s tongue on him was warm and wet, and as he continued to lick Crow could only feel himself getting warmer underneath the touches.

 It seemed to go that Brave couldn’t get enough of him, just continue his soft little licks along the shaft as he moved his way down. Everything for Crow was completely on fire, like rather than Brave just touching his dick, that he was touching all of him at once with that damn tongue of his.

 Just when it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to take any more, Brave’s lips wrapped around the head. Whatever that he had felt before was completely overridden by that feeling, soft and wet, but mainly hot. Brave’s mouth began to slide ever so slightly down, his tongue brushing along the underside of Crow’s shaft.

 One of Crow’s hands had twisted in the bedspread, but the other had made its way into Brave’s hair. He held on tight, his fingers intertwined with the bright red strands. He was almost tempted to just pull Brave’s head away from him completely because he was getting to the point where he couldn’t handle the feeling. It was more than just the soft heat of Brave’s mouth, it was all of the buildup of their meetings. It was everything that they had already done, all of the kisses and groping. All of it was coming to a head as it were in this one moment.

 Maybe if he hadn’t been so pent up (there hadn’t been anyone else, only Brave in those last few weeks), he might have been able to last a little bit longer. If only so that he wouldn’t have to listen to Brave go on about how good he was at blowjobs. In truth, he was good, though, good enough to bring Crow to pieces.

 It only took another swirl of that tongue around him before he lost all of his control. His hand was tighter in Brave’s hair as he felt his peak coming, and when Brave looked up at him with those big green eyes he couldn’t stop himself.

 Crow groaned, leaning back in his one hand, “Brave I’m…”

He nodded, as much as he could with his mouth full but didn’t release the dick from his mouth. Instead, he only sucked harder, the slick skin moving easily in his mouth. Crow made a noise of pleasure as he came, almost pulling Brave’s head away from him, as he fell against the bed. Brave pulled himself away, taking a deep swallow before he climbed onto the bed with Crow. For a moment they just laid there, Crow panting, as they stared at the ceiling together.

 “We’re dating now”, Crow announced, putting his hand over Brave’s, “I’ve decided that”

 Brave smiled, turning his head so that he could look at Crow, “Why because I can suck dick well?”

 “Yep. That’s what I’ve decided. You’re the one that started this earlier so now we’re dating. Blow me if you don’t like it”

 “I thought I just did that. But you know because I did like it”

 “Shut up I don’t want to have to kill my boyfriend after we just got together. Where else will I find a mouth like that attached to someone I actually like?”

 “Aww you like me”, Brave rolled over pressing a kiss to Crow’s cheek, only to get gently pushed away.

 Crow made a faux disgusted face at Brave, “Brush your teeth before you try that again.  Gross”

 Brave arched an eyebrow before he rolled over so he was basically on top of Crow, peppering the other man’s face with kiss, “I’m sorry I can’t hear you over how much I’m going to kiss you right now”

 “Ahh stop it”, Crow laughed as he attempted to swat the bigger man off of him, though his efforts were only half-hearted, “At least let me put my pants on before you’re going to start harassing me!”

 “I don’t think so that doesn’t sound like something I’m going to do”, Brave wrapped his arms around Crow, pulling Crow against him as tight as he could. Apparently there was no concern for the fact that Crow was naked from the waist down.

 “Asshole”

He switched the TV on straight to the news, he had spent the last few hours working on his blog, updating it with the pictures of the damage. The blog had been Harry’s idea more than anything, but it had been inspired by JJ Jameson, even as much as JJ hated him. It had been a contest for decent pictures of Spiderman, a 500 dollar prize. Taking pictures of himself was easy enough, and despite the fact JJ tried to argue his pictures had to be fake, he had gotten the money and a job offer. It had been Harry’s suggestion that because the paper news was dying out that he start his own blog. In the end, he had gone with that idea, and Spider Sightings site was born.

The pictures of the damage weren't as interesting as Spiderman pictures, but it was something and he was hoping that one of his viewers could give him a rumor or something that he couldn’t see. From what he could see, and what he knew from prior experience being thrown through walls, he knew for sure that the holes were made by someone going through the wall.

Crossing his legs underneath him, he leaned back and let the sounds of the new wash over him. It was easier to get his information from the locals because anything important would be repeated several times over until he could repeat the report word for word.  

Despite his more scientific pursuits, he always had enjoyed photography, if only at first because of the chemical reaction involved in developing photos. As he continued on the path, he found it more enjoyable just for the artistic side of it. He took pleasure in setting up the shots of himself, working out how to make it look like someone else was taking the shots.

It was sort of weird, but when he looked at Ava, even when he had been afraid she was going to start screaming at him, he had wanted to take pictures of her. It wasn’t a thing where he was attracted to her, he got the feeling she didn’t date a lot, but that he thought she was aesthetically attractive.  

Of course he had never actually asked anyone to pose for him, it always seemed like the sort of creepy thing that you didn’t say to someone you just met. The only person he had actually had posed for him was Mary Jane, and only because she wanted headshots. Him doing a favour because they were friends was a hell of a lot cheaper than her paying a professional.

In that case, she had asked him and he hadn’t asked her, so the creep factor was a hell of a lot lower. Peter pushed the heels of hands into his eyes, trying to rub out the thoughts that were overwhelming his head. Maybe it would have been easier if there was someone he could talk to about all of this, but no one knew his secret, he was alone.

“Today in Soho the residents were shocked to find that several buildings within their neighborhood were destroyed by a mysterious force. Reports started at 5 am this morning, but no one can say for sure what they saw. The sightings are scattered, but all that has been confirmed is that it was one person”, the blond reporter stood in front of the police tape, the destruction in the background. She had chosen one of the largest holes, to display the most of the damage as she could with one shot.

She took a step to the left, the camera panning with her, so a black van came into view, “SHIELD Is on the scene, not having been seen this publically since Captain America's take down of the Hydra cells working within them. Their involvement implies that we are dealing with another threat on the level of Ultron or the Battle of New York. Just how bad this is, only time will tell”

So SHIELD was involved, something that everyone knew meant there was something big going on in Soho. It would also mean that he would have to be a hell of a lot more careful when he was sneaking around. If SHIELD caught him, he wasn’t sure what they would do to him if anything. But the fear was still there, the fear that he would be put under the microscope and be poked and prodded like the spider who had originally bitten him.

Peter found it hard to trust anyone, even the people who were supposed to be the good guys. He had gotten burned one too many times by the people who were supposed to be the good guys. Norman was only one example of what he had dealt with, in that case, Norman was someone who had taken Peter under his wing, if only because he saw Peter as the perfect son. When everything had come crashing down around the Osborn, Peter had felt like he had been betrayed almost as much as Harry had.

It was hard to trust when your father figure turns into a green bastard who wanted to kill you. Even before Norman had become the Goblin, he had wanted Spider-man for his own reasons, reasons that weren’t about helping people but power and money. It was an attempt to make another Spider-man that created the Green Goblin, that attempt combined with Norman’s own rage.

If he couldn’t trust someone he had known since he was a child, there was no way that he could trust someone he didn’t even know. Especially people like SHIELD who had been proven to be corrupted from the inside out, no matter what they said about being a new SHIELD. The risk was way too high for someone like to be turned into the next super soldier project.

So in short he couldn’t trust anyone, not even the people he was supposed to be able to trust. Something that drove him up the wall, he had been told from the time he was small that he was supposed to be able to trust the authorities. Of course, as he had gotten older he had learned, that the authorities couldn’t always be trusted. Uncle Ben’s death had taught him that if nothing else. He could tell that they weren’t putting their full attention into the case, an old man who was going to die anyways wasn’t that much of a priority for them.

Captain Stacy's desire to keep Spider-man off the streets just made that point even more clear to him. He didn’t see why resources should be wasted on him when there were actual monsters out there to be caught. He was attempting to help and they were just hindering him. He had to wonder if the same thing had happened to Captain America or Iron Man if he was the only Superhero that got completely railroaded by the police or other authorities. Probably not, they weren’t teenage superhero when they started and most of the time they either had the government or money behind them. Things he didn’t have, he was just a poor nerdy kid with none of the resources that so many heroes got. Peter had really got the short end of the stick in the hero game.

In the end, there wasn’t a hero that didn’t get some bit of screwed over if he really thought about it. Tony Stark had lost his parents at a young age and everyone could tell you about his battles with alcoholism. Steve Rogers wasn’t known as the man out of time for nothing, he had literally lost everything in his life and he still went on protecting people. That wasn’t even getting into what Bruce Banner had gone through becoming the Hulk, being hunted down like an animal because of what had happened to him.

Maybe that was the thing with being a hero, that you had to go through something  terrible so that you could have a reason to keep on fighting or protecting people so they wouldn’t have it as bad as you did. Not that he could claim to be as heroic as Captain America or to have saved as many people as the Avengers had. He was only doing his best, what he could do with the limited resources that had been given to him. Peter was smart and resourceful, but there was only so much one college kid with a blog and superpowers could do.

A kid with superpowers and a blog who was being hunted by the police and constantly being harassed by the media could do. Peter leaned his head back against the couch, his life was like some kind of goddamn ridiculous TV show.

One he was being forced to star in against his will like it was some kind of sick joke the universe was playing on him.

*

“So I’ll see you next week teach?” Flash attempted a smile as he hoisted his backpack over his shoulder. When they had first met it had been hard for him and Ava to get along, he had assumed that she would be doing all of his homework instead of teaching him to do it himself. After she had kicked that idea out of him, they had gotten along better. She still didn’t want to be friends with him, he was nice but...just not her type. And apparently anything in a skirt was his.

“As long as you keep the money comin’”, she smiled slightly, she would have let Flash miss a few payments because he was actually trying, but she couldn’t afford not to be paid completely. Tutoring was where her rent payments and grocery money came from. She was lucky enough to have her tuition covered to a point, but there was always something coming up.

Flash laughed nervously before he left the library, Ava stayed behind not quite ready to go. She liked the main room of the library, where they were allowed to talk and the TV was turned on to the news. It was nicer than being alone where she’d be alone with her thoughts. Even if she didn’t talk to anyone else at least they were around.

The past few days, in fact, since she had met Peter Parker and been late to class, the news had been talking about nothing but SHIELD and the destroyed section of town. It had become nothing but speculation about who was doing it and why they hadn’t struck again. Apparently going over the same material over and over again wasn’t enough to drive them out of their minds yet.

It was definitely driving her out of her mind if nothing else, but tonight they had a new story for their viewing public.

“This morning’s shooting victim has been identified as Officer Harvey Bullock, a rookie officer with only a few months of services. He leaves behind a young wife and daughter…”, the reporter’s voice trailed off, Ava barely hearing it after she realized what the story was about.

Of course it had to be a shooting of a young cop with a family, not that any shooting wouldn’t have affected her at least a little bit, but cops always hit her a little bit harder than most.

The reporter’s voice seemed to fade in and out, Ava just catching bits and pieces of the story, “Unknown assailant...bank robbery...died almost immediately”, at the same time she could almost hear the reports of Hector’s death from when she was in the hospital.

“Officer Hector Ayala also known as the White Tiger to some was shot by an unknown man while still in costume. Police are unsure if his death has anything to do with his police work but believe that the deaths of his family are connected. At this time none of the Ayala family survives. The memorial date has yet to be set”

Ava leaned head back against the headrest of the couch, attempting to remind herself that she wasn’t in ten years old and in the hospital. It was hard to forget sometimes, that fourteen years had passed since her shooting. Sometimes she felt like she was ten still just in a body that was too big and too old. It was a terrible feeling, there was no physical pain, but the emotional pain was still deep in her soul.

She whined slightly, a throbbing headache starting behind her eyes. Stress tended to cause them, which never seemed to stop coming for her. School, bills, superhero, it all just kind of piled on one after another until she couldn’t take it anymore.

There were probably healthier ways of dealing it all of it, but by the time she thought of them, her brain was already exploding from the pressure. Sleep. Maybe she just needed a little bit of sleep, something that she hadn’t been getting lately with trying to find the thing that was running around destroying the city. Not that she could sleep her, or that she wanted to go home.

If she looked at her bike it might be enough to break her down all over again. It had belonged her brother originally, and sometimes just seeing the things that belonged to Hector was enough for her.

“You should rub the back of your neck, right where your head and neck connect”, she hadn’t noticed that Peter had appeared beside her until he spoke. She stared at him with wide eyes, blinking at him, his words seemingly unable to be understood, “Ah...you were holding your head like you had a headache. If you rub where your head connects to your neck, it helps relieve the pressure in your head”

She stared at him for a moment longer, before unfurling her legs from underneath her. Her hand went to her neck, kneading her fingers into the spot that Peter had suggested. The pressure slowly started to alleviate from her head. “...Thank you”, Ava wasn’t sure why he had come over in the first place, they weren’t friends, they were really barely lab patterns at this point. Beyond having run into each other rather literally, they didn’t have anything in common.

“It’s no problem. I used to get them in high school, stress and not enough sleep. Caffeine helps sometimes too...not that I assume you need my advice with all of this”, he rubbed the back of his own head, ruffling his hair a bit as he preached on the edge of the couch, “I didn’t mean to bother you, especially if you’re in pain”

Ava shrugged her shoulders, dropping her hand to lap, the pain had gone away enough that she could function now, “You helped me, that’s the important part”, despite the fact her head barely hurt, she still felt a little fuzzy, like her head, was full of cotton, or she was completely detached from her body. It was almost weird to feel connected to herself someday, “I was going to have to take aspirin or something”

“I mean we have class tomorrow and you having a headache in class wouldn’t be good for our projects. And I want to be friends, I mean if you want to be friends”

It seemed like Peter was the kind of person that once he got nervous he talked until he couldn’t talk any longer, rambling just to cover up how nervous he was. She didn’t mind, she didn’t talk a lot herself so having someone else to fill the silence was nice.

“I’m rambling”, he said finally, his face a slight pink colour with embarrassment at realizing what he was doing.

“I don’t mind, you can keep talking”, she said, giving him the most of a smile that she could manage. That probably looked more like a grimace, but it was good enough for the moment. He wasn’t making her happy, just, keeping the worse feeling away.

Peter didn’t seem to mind her terrible excuse for a smile, but he continued to speak, about their project in class, or nothing at all. She didn’t mind what he talked about, it was just that the sound of his voice was enough for her. Something to allow her to connect her to the real world instead of just floating anyway for a few hours.

Maybe Peter wasn’t so bad, even if he didn’t know why she wanted him to talk.

*

Peter didn’t tell Ava the real reason that he had come over, he was able to notice the signs of a panic attack or a flashback, and she had been displaying them pretty strongly. To someone else she might have just looked like she was just zoned out. It wasn’t that he was lying why he said he had noticed she had a headache, he had. She was rubbing her head, and his tip had clearly worked for her.

She was looking at least a little bit more comfortable now, listening to the sound of him talk. Maybe they weren’t friends, but he didn’t think anyone should have to sit alone and feel like their brain was betraying them.

Her eyes were a little bit glassy still like she wasn’t totally able to focus on him or anything in the real world, so he kept talking.

“I mean I didn’t think I was going to be here this late, so I wouldn't have seen you. I guess it’s good because you wouldn’t have been able to go home on your bike with a headache. I mean I assume so, but I’ve never been on a bike”

“It wouldn’t have been pleasant. A lot of vibrating”, she admitted, just thinking about sitting on her bike when her head hurt would have been greatly unpleasant, “Maybe I’ll take you on a ride someday, as long as you promise not to scream”

“I don’t scream!” he laughed at her comment though, on some level glad that she was comfortable enough to make a comment like that, “I mean it can’t be that scary!”

There was the possibility that even with that small gesture he was getting closer to Ava then he had wanted too, he had become convinced that he didn’t need any more friends to hurt. But there was just something Ava that made him feel like maybe it wouldn’t be so bad being friends with her.

Peter had always been interested in biology, even before the accident, but it had only encouraged his interest in the subject. He wanted to understand what had happened to him, why everything had been so twisted and changed to the point where sometimes he still looked in the mirror wand wanted to ask who it was. His work at the school lab and his lab at home let him understand his own biology and at the same time get the grades that some people would dream about. Grades that made him the center of much mocking and physical abuse throughout high school, at least until his powers made it so no one wanted to mess with him anymore.

“I’m fine Harry”, not that high school had been all bad, he had his friends, those that had been able to stick with him when Uncle Ben died. He understood that for a lot of people it had been a little bit too much. Fifteen-year-olds didn’t lose one of their guardians, and they didn’t know how to deal with it. He didn’t blame them for that, he had his own issues with the whole thing. Uncle Ben’s death hit him hard, losing his only father figure took away lot of the support system that he had, “School is great, I’m getting through all of it”

Harry had stayed with him, trying to be as much of a friend as he could, even after Uncle Ben’s death. He didn’t understand totally, but he knew enough to know that losing someone that actually loved him was hard. Harry didn’t have that, he always felt that his father didn’t love him because he wasn’t good enough.

“Have you even be doing anything fun?” Peter could hear whatever Harry was doing on the other end, probably getting coffee because he was too hungover to function, “It’s college Pete, you can’t just study yourself to death”

Peter sighed, shifting his phone to squeeze it between his shoulder and ear, swinging through the rooftops sometimes it required almost losing his phone. But still even with that it was faster and cheaper than driving or taking the bus, “How’s your dad Harry?” He asked, hoping to shift the conversation away from his habits, to what was going on with Norman. He was the reason that Norman was in a hospital right now, doctors trying to figure out if they could help him.

Spiderman and Norman’s accident tore them apart though in the end. Harry just hated Spiderman so much that it took over his being. The few times Peter had seen him, he felt like he was talking to someone completely different than the boy he had grown up with. It was his fault because he was Spiderman and Spiderman was the reason that Harry lost his own father. It was hard to talk to harry now, even if Harry didn’t know that Spiderman and Peter Parker were one in the same.

“...he’s fine. He still won’t talk to me”, there was a hint of Bitterness in Harry’s voice, not at his father but at Spiderman. Peter knew Harry well enough to know that much, even if Harry had changed in that year.

Peter had hoped that maybe leaving the country, going to study in Britain would help Harry, a change of scenery away from everything that had caused him so much pain. Apparently it wasn’t actually helping. Harry was still bitter and angry about everything that had happened. “I’m sorry Harry…”, even with Harry’s voice in his ear, he could hear the sirens in the distance, telling him that something was going on, “Ah I gotta go, I’m gonna lose the signal in a second, I’ll call you later” He slid his finger across the phone, not waiting for Harry’s answer and shoved it into his pocket. He changed his direction, heading towards the sound of the sirens.

It was enough to find the police cars, they were all crowded around a few blocks, including at least two buildings that looked like something ran straight through them. Peter landed on a building a little ways away from the commotion, pulling his phone back out. He zoomed in with his camera, snapping a few pictures of whatever was going on so he could look later. He checked the time and cursed. He was going to be so late for class.

He had still managed to squeeze out a scholarship and admission to Berkeley even with all of the Goblin mess. Still, he had to live at home because there was no way that he could afford rent right now. Not that Aunt May would mind, she loved having him around, Peter being the only family that she had left. University wasn’t much better than High School, he was still the one on the outside. Yes, there was people just as smart as him, but he was a poor kid, someone who could barely afford his books. Too geeky for the frat boys and too poor for the smart kids.

So he stopped trying to relate to anyone, talked just enough that he could call someone if he needed homework. He didn’t make friends, he didn’t try. Making friends would just end up with someone else getting hurt all over again. Uncle Ben, Harry, even Flash he had hurt because he was Spiderman.

Like Uncle Ben had told him, With great power comes great responsibility. And his responsibility was to make sure that no one else got hurt, either because he was stopping someone from hurting them, or making sure that he didn’t hurt them in the first place.

That thinking started to change when he met someone, however, someone who made him look at everything just a little bit differently.

*

He had pulled his clothes over his suit in an alley, something that was never comfortable no matter how many times he did it and raced towards his classroom. Peter jogged through the hallway, just in front of the classroom door he smacked into something hard. His head snapped back and he almost fell back.

“Shit ow!” a woman’s voice said, his mind a little foggy from the hit to get where she was coming from. His vision cleared and he could see her standing in front of him.

The dark skinned woman was holding her head, a motorcycle helmet in her other hand. From the process of elimination he guessed she had been what he had run into. She was pretty, but her brown eyes were flashing with anger.

“I’m sorry!” He lifted his hands, he wasn’t sure if he had run into her or if she had run into him, but she was looking incredibly pissed at him and he had learned anything it was not to make her any more angry.

“You can come in students, I’m sure that we’re all waiting for you”, a voice called from inside the classroom, followed by some snickers. Apparently the professor had heard their little incident

What a fantastic way to start off the day, he thought to himself as he walked in the door of the lab, the woman following behind him the helmet still in hand.

“You two can take your seats right there, Mr. Parker and Ms. Ayala” he pointed to the empty lab bench in the middle of the classroom, “Now that we’re all here”, the Professor sent a look Peter’s way, “We can continue…”, he began  speaking about the syllabus, what they would be covering that semester, the dates of exams and his policy on lateness, yet another look at Peter and Ava, and so on. The sort of thing that everyone was expecting on the first day of class, even if they were the third year students at this point.

Finally when he was done going through everything, he began speaking about something more relevant to them, “Your lab partner for the rest of the semester will be whoever you have chosen to sit with today.  That is, the person you share a lab bench with is the same person you have to work with. And with that introduce yourself because we’re going to be starting your first assignment very soon”

He still didn’t know his partner’s first name, but he knew that it was totally possible that they wouldn’t be getting along. Her forehead was bright red where he had smacked into her, he was sure that his forehead looked the same. And her lips were pressed into a solid line, showing her displeasure.

It took a moment but she finally spoke, “Ava”, he blinked at her, like he was confused with her statement” I’m Ava Ayala”, she raised an eyebrow, he could only assume that he was sitting there with a dumb look on his face.

“Ah...Peter Parker”, he held his hand out to her, and she took it. Her grip was strong, even for him, which was surprising. Since the bite, his strength was more than average humans and he couldn’t find anyone to match him. She was some kind of special something, he could tell that already. And he was a little terrified, he had made a woman that strong angry.

“...I think we can forget about the whole running into each other thing, if you don’t mind”, she tried to smile at him, but the look was more forced. He didn’t blame her for that, his head hurt too, “If you don’t mind Peter. We do need to get along if we’re going to be working together don’t we?”

“Yeah...I think that’ll work”, he felt a little better that she was saying that, apparently she didn’t blame him for what had happened, or if she did she was willing to forgive, “I’m still sorry about running into you. I didn’t want to be late”

“Did you see the mess in Soho too or was it just traffic?” she put her helmet under the desk, the fiberglass clicking against the tile floor, “Or  I guess both of them are connection, the traffic is shit because of that mess”

“Ah, yeah the mess. I was...a little confused about what was happening. It looked like a rhino had run through the building or something. Wish I had more time to look around”, of course, that’s why he had taken the pictures he had, so he could look later.

The professor handed a pile of papers to the first desk, “A fairly simple activity for you on our first day, I want you to identify the 36 different bones that are displayed in this booklet. If you can’t do that...then you might not be suited for this class”

When the packet reached them, Ava looked back at him, “What did the femur say to the patella?” She asked, a different sort of a smile on her face. It wasn’t mocking or anything, just that she was pleased with something.

“Ah...what?” What a weird thing for her to ask him, “I’m...not sure?”

“I need you”, she continued to smile, like she was expecting him to get the joke.

It took him a moment to understand what she was getting at, his brain still a little bit stuck on the fact everyone in the class seemed to want to make fun of him.

“It’s a joke”, the smile fell from her face, a disappointed look replacing it.

He realized that she had been attempting to be friendly with him, making a joke that was related to the project they would be working on, “I’m sorry!” Peter had a feeling that he was going to be saying that a lot in the next little while. Apparently he couldn’t do anything right with her right now.

Her face changed again, this time she looked a little more confused, like she didn’t understand why he was apologizing for not getting her joke, “It’s not your fault, my jokes aren’t that great. I know that much”

“And I’m not smart enough to get them even”, he smiled, the edges of his mouth curling up sheepishly. This day was just a mess of embarrassment, it was starting to feel like nothing was going right today. Considering Peter’s life, though, things often didn’t go right for him. He didn’t have good luck with friendships or any sort of social thing most of the time. Not that he should get too friendly with her, it would probably end in tears for one of them.

She smiled, “I think we’re both doing a completely shitty job at getting along. Maybe we should just work on the project and then try and deal with being friends another time?”

Peter brushed his hair back from his head, if he had been more interested in her, which he should have been, she was a pretty girl, he would have been happy to get a second chance, “That’ll work”, he grinned at her, feeling a little bit more relieved that even if they couldn’t be friends, they could be partners.

It was a hard that she was so nice, if she had been angry or cruel it would have been easier to brush her off. She might be a problem for him.

*

When Ava Ayala was ten years old, she came home to find her whole family dead on her kitchen floor, just moments before the bullet went straight through the top of her chest, just above her heart. She would never find out if the killer only wanted to wound her or if he was just so surprised that he missed her heart.

She never would either, not that she ever found out much about the murders until years later. She was shuffled around family members, under fear that whoever had killed her family would come after her again. SHIELD had done most of the shuffling, apparently a ten-year-old was easier to hide in her family than any kind of witness protection.

It wasn’t until she was older that she's understood why it had all happened. Her brother hadn’t just been a cop, he had been a superhero too, one of the first since Captain America to get any press. He had gone after a high-level mobster, one who had figured out his identity. Apparently getting rid of just Hector wasn’t enough, they had to get rid of everyone.

For most people what had happened to her family would have been enough to keep her from becoming a hero like her brother. But she wasn’t most people, as soon as she had been old enough and had been able to find what had given him his powers she had started her career as the White Tiger.

Ava swung her leg over her bike, pulling her helmet on over her head. The bike had been her brother’s, even after he was gone she kept it running just as nice as the day he bought it. He had loved it, and she loved it for him.

Pulling out of the parking lot Ava took a deep breath as she started on the road towards where the damage was. She had managed to get it out of Peter that he had been around Soho, s all she had to do was look for the mess of people who wanted to see what was going on.

Hector would have told her she was being too curious, that she should leave it for the proper authorities. He had said that every time she even thought about asking him about one of the cases she heard on TV, just because he was a cop didn’t mean he would tell her everything.

Now that he was gone she was the proper authorities, technically. The Avengers dealt with those things that were worldwide, like the robot who had tried to kill everyone, but she was the one who was dealing with New York. Well her and that Spiderman dude, not that she had seen very much of him. He was sort of elusive, she was more so. Spiderman was on the news if it was only because JJ was ranting about him. She never showed up anywhere. The White Tiger could stay in the shadows, something he could learn from her.

The damage was easy to find, as she had thought there was a great amount of people crowding around the yellow police tape. She pulled the bike off to the side, not bothering to remove her helmet. She would prefer not to be noticed right now, it was easier to hide under the helmet.

It was just like Peter had described, several buildings had large holes in the side, almost like something had run straight through them. The several police officers standing around looked just as confused as everyone else. She could hear the noise of the crowd, muffled by her helmet. The words aliens and superheroes appeared several times but as far as she could tell, no one could figure out what was going on.

Once she could have gone up to one of the officers, casually dropped her brother’s name and gotten any information she wanted. Those days were long past, she wasn’t allowed to mention his name anymore. Witness protection was something she had been dealing with since she was ten, but it still didn’t get any easier.

She scooted through the crowd, attempting to get closer to the yellow police tape. As she reached the edges, the crowd was beginning to part away from something. The closer the parting got to her, it was easier to see what was going on. A large black van was pushing its way through, with no identification on the shiny surface. Feds was her first guess, that was generally who you saw in cars like that.

The van pulled to a stop just outside the yellow tape, not that far from where she was standing. After a moment the doors of the van slid open, the first person that came out was what she would be expecting for a fed. Middle aged man with a close-cropped haircut and a nicely tailored suit, he even put a pair of mirrored sunglasses on.

It wasn’t until the next few people came out that she started to reevaluate her originally idea that they were feds. The rest of the team was wearing street clothes, and none of them was what she would call a fed.

The two of the people, the fed, and an Asian woman approached the police officers that were standing around. Ava strained her ears to hear what they said, but she wasn’t quite ready for what she did hear.

“SHIELD”, he flashed a badge in their faces, though that didn’t stop the look of shock from crossing the police officers face.

She was fairly sure that the same look was on her face, SHIELD had been out of commission since the Captain had revealed them to be HYDRA. They had been attempting to rebuild their reputation, but she hadn’t actually heard anything about them beyond that. Apparently they were doing good on that front.

Whatever was going on it wasn’t good if SHIELD was there, they only went after the big things. She knew that from personal experience, though at the time she hadn’t known what they really were. For a moment, Ava thought about staying to hear what they thought was going on, but it was safer to leave.

 The paper was spread out before Bruce on his desk, it had appeared in his mail something that shouldn’t haven’t been there. Someone either thought that he should see it or was trying to be funny, either way he wasn’t amused. A large picture was spread across the paper, Harley’s head was leaning against his shoulder, her eyes closed as her mouth was spread into a wide smile.   a look that he had seen on her face many times. The look on his face wasn’t something he was used to seeing, though, he couldn’t   place the look in his eyes, but the headline had.

“Playboy finds love in former Inmate”.

He couldn’t decide which part he disliked more, the privacy of his and Harley’s relationship being interrupted by the media, or the fact they had to call her an inmate, like that, was the only part that mattered.

Bruce crumpled up the paper, tossing it into the trashcan. He would consider something to fix those idiots another day.

The telephone rang a sound that he was sure he would be hearing for the rest of the day. The reporters wanting to know just everything about his relationship with Harley. He scowled, picking up the receiver, “Yes?”

“Nice pictures Bruce”,   a reporter, but thankfully a reporter that Bruce could actually deal with. Clark Kent knew how to push a few buttons, but he wouldn’t print anything Bruce said to him.

“Trying to get the scoop on?” He leaned backwards in his desk chair, pressing his hand to his forehead, “Because I don’t have anything to say.  Even if it is you”

Clark chuckled, and Bruce could just see him shaking his head, “I just wanted to congratulate you. You look   happy though you couldn’t have found someone who doesn’t have a criminal record?”

Bruce grunted, shifting the telephone a bit as he turned around in his chair to look outside at the city skyline, “If I were ever arrested for the things I’ve done, I think we both know I would have a record as well”

“IS she   reformed then? I mean, I heard this started as a way to keep on eye on her, but you seem to have gone beyond that now…”, Clark’s voice held a tone of teasing in his voice, clearly amused with Bruce’s situation.

“I’m hanging up now”, Bruce pressed his fingers to his head, as good as of a friend as Clark was that didn’t make him any less annoying.

“Hey we should doub--”, Bruce didn’t let him finish that thought, just slammed the telephone down on the base.

He pressed his intercom, connecting with his assistant, “Hold all of my calls. Please. For the rest of the day”, he didn’t let her answer, just released the button. He would need some sort of quiet if he wanted to get anything done.

*

Ivy had been stuck isolation  for months before her  escape, a new way of keeping her powers in control until they thought she could be reformed. Reformed or depowered, whichever one was easiest in the end. She had no contact with the outside population, and only one doctor had been allowed any contact with her.

So when she finally broke out (they had underestimated how strong her powers were, the sewer under her cell had enough pond scum that she could use. Her cell no longer existed), she had plenty that she had to learn about what she had missed.

Her plan had been to get Harley and maybe get out of the city for a little vacation. Her thoughts hadn’t even went to the idea that Harley had been reformed. Ivy had still gone to find her, and find her Ivy had.

Just a little bit of watching, the flowers outside of Harley’s office were easy enough to speak with, asking if they had felt anything bad coming from the office. All they could say was that the pretty one gave them lots of water and she was very sunny. All good things according to plants, still she wasn’t convinced.

So Ivy watched something that she found hard. She just wanted to speak with Harley, touch her or kiss her, just to show Harley that she still loved her. It might have been a little sad, to some people, the fact that she was watching a woman like this, but she just wanted to know.

Maybe she wanted to know that Harley wasn’t happy without her, that she missed the life of crime and excitement. Or just missed Ivy even. She didn’t find any indication of that, Harley was as happy as could be.

It was bizarre, seeing Harley living out such a mundane life when she had been the woman who thought that breaking into a department store was a great date. Now she was working a school, living in a shitty apartment and buying second-hand clothes.

Harley had gone from the clown princess of crime, to normal. Normal and happy. That part was what was rubbing Ivy so wrong, that the woman who had been so off the wall was so...like everyone else.

Or it was possible it was the man Harley was seeing was what was rubbing her the wrong way. It shouldn’t have mattered if Harley was happy, without bruises or broken bones, but Ivy was jealous. Jealous that, that man was touching her, kissing her, loving her.

Bruce Wayne didn’t deserve Harley, but Harley deserved to be happy. And that’s what she should have been concerned about.

*

The Joker did never reacted well to anything he didn’t want to hear.  One of his henchmen had brought him the paper, putting it on the desk with a smack. The Joker had taken one look at it and started laughing as hard as he could.

“I thought you’d want to see it, Boss…”, the man, whose name the Joker couldn’t even begin to care to remember said, as he began to back up, closer to the door. He had thought he was being smart, let the boss know as soon as possible, but apparently he had made the wrong choice in that regard.

The Joker cackled, slamming his hands down on the desk, “Oh of course I want to know! I want to know everything that idiot is doing! She left didn’t she, left everything behind because she couldn’t take a little joke!”

 never a mention that the joke he was referring to was beating Harley so badly that even with her metahuman abilities she had been put into a full body cast and need extensive physical therapy. To the Joker as long as he thought   funny, it didn’t matter what harm he brought to other people.

He removed a knife from his pocket, laying the paper flat against his desk. With as much precision as a surgeon, he began to crave the picture from the paper. The Joker held it up so that he could see it clearly, nearly a perfect square of paper.

“She went and got herself some damn pretty boy did she?” The Joker crooked his fingers, motioning for the henchman to come closer. The man hesitated a moment too long for the Joker, “GET OVER HERE”

The man in his fear scooted closer to the desk, his fingers tapping on his palm. The Joker looked at the man, leaning over the desk slightly before he pulled his gun out. The henchman didn’t have time to react before   a bullet between his eyes, his body slumping over the desk.

Picking up the knife again, he thrust it into the man’s neck, when he pulled it out the blood rushed forth just enough. The Joker stuck his fingers in it, dragging the blood soaked digits over the paper. When he was done both Harley and Bruce had large bloody smiles spread across their faces.

“Much better”, he leaned back, holding the still bloody piece of paper up the light. He laughed again like the picture was the funniest thing that he had ever seen in his life.

Joker stood up, slamming his hands and the paper onto the desk. Before he walked away from his desk, he took the knife slamming it into the paper and the wood of the desk. Right, straight through Harley’s face, between her now bloody eyes.

He strolled out into the main part of his hideout, where the rest of the henchmen were waiting, looking rather terrified at whatever it was that their boss might do.

“We’re going to need...some newspapers boys”, he threw his hands in the air, laughing. His actions made the henchmen draw a sigh of relief, he wasn’t going to be killing them tonight.

His plan didn’t make any sense to them, but the ones that lived long enough had learned there was no reason to question the boss if they wanted to continue to live. *

Batman landed on the roof, his boots making barely a thump on the rocky surface. There wasn’t any reason for him to be out, Nightwing was in town and even if he wasn’t, Batwoman or one of the others could have been working. Dick had even offered to take over his time tonight when he had heard about the fight. Batman had refused. He choose to come out when he had other options.

The picture was itching at the back of his mind, reminding him that despite what the headline said, he and Harley currently weren’t the happy couple in that picture. He had to wonder if Harley had seen the picture and was thinking the same thing he was. What had happened to the pair of them and could they get that back or were they done before they had even begun.

For most people, they wouldn’t have been able to hear Selina when she landed on the roof, but he had heard her so many times he would have known her anywhere.

“What do you want?” He didn’t even turn his head to look at her as she stepped ever so lightly over to him, “I’m not really in the mood for you tonight”

“I saw the picture”, she said, her hand touching his arm, in an attempt to be comforting possibly. He shook the touch off, turning away from her, “It’s not that bad, you have your picture plastered all over everything all of the time don’t you?”

Batman turned back towards her, his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her, “It’s different”

Catwoman put her hands on her hips, giving him a look that would have sent most men packing with their tail between their legs, “Because of her?” They both knew who she was talking about without referring to a name, “It’s that serious is it?” “This is not the time or the place for this conversation”, he hissed, squaring his shoulders back as he glared down at her.

She poked his chest with one finger, “Do not pull that Batman bullshit on me, I am not afraid of you. And I’m not jealous of her”

“Then what is this all about”, despite any romantic interaction they had shared, it wasn’t in his nature for him to open up to anyone, “Why are you so interest in something that doesn’t concern you?”

Catwoman pulled her hand away from his chest, putting her hands on her hips, “Harley is my friend, I’ve seen what she went through with him, I’m just trying to protect her. Having her face plastered all over everything is going to cause some issues”

He tilted his head, finally softening to her attempts, if only because Harley’s safety was concerned, “He’ll be coming after her, abusive and jealous that anyone else has her when he can’t”, He had been so concerned with his own feelings he hadn’t even considered what might happen if their relationship was that public.

“He’s going to be coming for her. And for you. I’d step up security, maybe keep her at the house with you”

“She won’t like that”, if not for his control he might have flinched. He would rather have her with him, but the chances that she would let him do anything at this point, “She’s…”

“Independent”, Catwoman finished with a sigh, “I can watch her, and I’m sure you have enough of a brood now that they can too. Especially if you two are fighting”

That time he did flinch, he had assumed that she couldn’t tell there was something going on with them, but apparently he was very wrong, “Disagreement. Not a fight”

Catwoman made a noise, rolling her eyes at him, “Fine. I’ll watch her, and you watch her and we’ll hope that one of us gets to him before he gets to her”

“Agreed”

*

Despite the fact his henchmen were the most inept people that he could have hired, he had a fantastic pile of copies or newspapers with the one picture he wanted. A practical ocean of the picture, the disgusting picture that he could barely stand to look at. But this was the first step, just the first step of his grand joke on Gotham and his disloyal henchwench.

The local university library wouldn’t be very happy to see how much paper and toner had been used during the night. Joker didn’t have any concern for them, he had the boys leave his card that would cover everything. His card being an actual Joker playing  card that was coated with a liquid version of Joker Gas. Now, why couldn’t he sees the look on whatever idiot’s face who grabbed his card that would most certainly be a gas.

Oh, how he cracked himself up, too bad no one else seemed to get his jokes. Maybe Batman did, but he just didn’t pay attention long enough to get the joke. He liked the pretend that he didn’t like the joke.