#espurreso

robby has to grit his jaw against the wave of breathlessness that goes over him at the sound of that name. he's taken to calling it 'the mass casualty event,' rather than pittfest– though that only makes it marginally easier. running from what happened is stupid and he knows that– but it's the only way he can find to keep going.

" okay, but like, it's the effort that counts, right? " there's nothing rhetorical about this question. she genuinely needs to know.

exasperation. it's not a feeling alex is unfamiliar with, and yet... and yet, this feels like an entirely new level. jesus christ.

a sharp inhale through her nose precedes her turning on her new co-host.

CAT GRANT: 8. SENDER PATCHES UP RECEIVER'S WOUNDS, HANDS TREMBLING AS THEY WHISPER, 'YOU CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS TO ME.'

the antiseptic stung, but sam didn’t flinch. not from the pain, at least. he watched her hands — how they shook, how she pressed gauze to his ribs like she could hold him together by sheer will. her voice was barely above a whisper, but it hit harder than the hunt had. you can't keep doing this to me. his jaw tensed. he hadn’t meant for her to see him like this, again; bleeding, broken, half conscious on her doorstep at some godawful hour. he was supposed to keep this world away from her, but hasn't succeeded, so far.

'i know,' sam said quietly, voice rough. 'i know, cat, i didn’t plan for it to go sideways,' he reached for her hand, stilling it against his side, grounding her as much as himself. 'but i couldn’t let that thing hurt anyone else. i couldn’t —' he stopped, swallowed hard. the words didn’t matter; not with the way she was looking at him, like she wasn’t sure whether to scold or fall apart. 'i’m sorry,' he said instead. 'you don’t deserve this. not from me,' and that was the truth of it: she deserved normal, peace, something — someone — who didn’t come with scars and blood and half a dozen hex bags stuffed in their coat. but another problem was that he didn't want to leave, and sam understood how deeply selfish that was. @espurreso.

the tick , tok , tumble of it all went ( fully ) over his head. there was one thing , and one thing alone that he knew was keeping him present in this situation. the fact that if he leaves to do anything , she might end up with a bullet in her head , and then the boy scout would show up because for some reason , " superman " seemed to have an unhealthy attachment to all the daily planet reporters ( something that , his old mentor had mentioned , would probably give away his identity eventually ). still , if it was one thing those reporters were good at , it was gathering information. and considering bruce had put him in time out for the time being , with no access to alfred or oracle. she was probably his best bet at finding --- well this little goose chase he'd been on for about a week or so... still. arms cross over the red bat on his chest. he hopes the mask obscures enough of his body language by hiding his face. mostly because , he was about to say some dumb shit ( artemis would think he's so stupid ).

« so , dark alley with nothing but me for protection ? » something about those from metropolis trying to skip around gotham always felt a little strange. metropolis was gold , gotham was silver , in more ways that one. silver went unnoticed , silver blended in perfectly with nickle and steel , it fought for it's position and yet always played second fiddle to gold. « i'm telling ya , we're probably gonna want backup if you wanna walk up in there. » not that he actually needed it. but he'd like to be able to get out without having to worry about another life , and that was always easier with a friend. ( jason might actually enjoy the challenge).

not a known enthusiast of the press, or showcase media of any kind despite what his job ultimate requested from him ⸺ a proper public persona. alejandro despised some fair share of reporters ever since he was a rookie in formula one. after all, they were easily convinced they could handle exactly the pressure and skills necessary to drive such cars. when the reality is that they wouldn't least a day, let alone more than eleven years. CAT GRANT, HOWEVER ⸺ SHE COULD BE FAR WORSE if properly tempted to be. one dangerous woman he could appreciate and respect, even when she was way forward than the most. one last silent warning to tread carefully with words, anything out of context could lead to ruin.

❝ Half of my work " colleagues " , as per say run away from you like you are the devil in disguise. ❞ that's how he realized how he and the blonde had a strange friendship of sorts, if one could even consider it as such. perhpas naming it a friendship was way too bold, more like a respectful understandement of her doing her job and him providing the minimal information possible. ❝ you tell me, should I fear my name being dragged through the mud? ❞

well i think ur neater so there

❛ hi , excuse me can i borrow this for a second ? just one second ; pinky promise. uniform is looking great on you ... did you lose some weight ? i told you that you could do it. would i lie to you ? just --- just one second. ❜