The Bat and the Cat - Redux Who: Batgirl and Black Cat NPCs: Tom Cruise and Elizabeth Shue (sorta) Where: The rooftops near the Spider Signal, and then Felicia’s safe house. When: [Backdated!] July 6, 2012 Night - Right after this What: Batgirl tails Black Cat, runs afoul of her as-yet-unknown bad luck powers, and ends up with girl talk, ice cream, and dating advice. Rating: PG-13 for girl talk. *Completed in chat/Gdocs.
The signal shined in in the distance, shaped like a spider. Batgirl recognized it as the same spider shape worn by that Spider-Man person she’d met at Blackgate. It seemed he was taking a cue from Batman’s playbook; she wondered if that was allowed.
Curious, she quietly approached it and spotted Spider-Man and Spoiler arguing about something. Closer in the foreground was a black-clad figure -- female -- with light-colored hair. Judging by her body language, she was agitated in some way about the costumed people at the Spider-Signal, which suggested a possible sniper. Before Batgirl could move in, the black-clad woman darted off, apparently with something thin and rectangular strapped to her back.
Batgirl wasn’t sure whether or not her presence had been detected, but she decided to follow the woman, to see what this was all about.
* * *
Curious to watch if Spider or Spoilsport would follow, Black Cat held her position on the roof opposite them. Satisfied that she would go without being pursued, and also disappointed, she picked up the painting once more.
Leaping off the rooftop, Black Cat raised both arms, shooting her grapples at a narrow angle that allowed her to swing and pull at the same time, slingshotting over and to the top of a building further away. She stopped and smelled the air for a moment, picking up the faintest scent of chocolate chip cookies and the faintest whiff of jasmine. Looking around and spotting nothing, she continued to move forward, heading back to base with the intent of blowing off some steam, watching a movie, and enjoying a long bath in her Jacuzzi. The heat of the night, and her own flaring temper, drove her forward.
* * *
Batgirl continued to follow at a safe distance, blending into the background as her quarry looked around. Once the coast was clear, she resumed following until they reached what seemed to be a safe house. She looked for an alternate way into it.
* * *
Felicia’s apartment, while nice on the inside, looked plain on the outside with nothing to grab one’s attention. A small balcony with barely enough room to put a plastic chair and table on, was her usual means of egress. Sliding the door open, she slipped inside, closed it and locked it, sliding the blinds shut swiftly before walking to the corner to set the recently acquired painting aside.
Felicia kicked off her boots with a few shakes from each leg, spread her toes on the shag carpet at her feet, and sauntered toward the kitchen. Opening her refrigerator door, she stood in front of it for the blast of cool air, then grabbed a pitcher of water, and held the spout to her mouth as she gulped thirstily from it, water trickling down both sides of her chine, along her neck and down the valley between her couched breasts. Sighing as she cooled, she set the pitcher back in the fridge and stretched, looking over at a small pile of dishes yet to be washed. “Ugh,” she rolled her eyes and walked back into her living room.
* * *
Batgirl easily slinked into the building and crept toward the kitchen, following the sounds of rooting around and drinking. She listened to the woman's breathing and footsteps to determine the general level of alertness. The woman seemed like she was settling in for the night.
* * *
Cranking up the air conditioner, Felicia then peeled off her gloves, tossing them over toward the boots, and zipped her costume down, starting to peel it off of her arms.
* * *
Batgirl peered into the living room once the woman had returned to it, and witnessed the unzipping of the tight catsuit. She found herself leaning in to get a better view ... and somehow stumbled forward into the room.
* * *
Felicia spun, reacting on instinct, to witness the fallen Batgirl on her living room floor. How had they found her? Had they always known? This wasn’t Batman, this was some girl dressed up just like him, and she’d been following her for a while. Felicia sniffed the air, her heightened senses linking the smell of jasmine and chocolate from earlier to this girl. The smells and the terrifying costume seemed to be at odds with each other. “How the hell did you find me? Who do you think you…” Then, noticing the girl in pain, Felicia paused, and dropped her ready stance to offer a careful hand to the girl as she slowly approached her. “Are you alright?”
* * *
Batgirl’s gaze darted up at the woman, panic evident in her body language, as she assumed a crouched position. The smallest amount of weight put on her left foot lanced it with sharp pain.
She winced. Sprained ankle. Wonderful. She communicated a 'Stay Away' glare with her entire body, even the part that was hurting.
* * *
"Ah, geez, my hideout's blown anyway. Stay right there, I'll get a frozen ice pad from the freezer." Felicia held her hands up to indicate her good intentions, then moved into the kitchen again to get a freezer pack. Out of sight from the girl, she eyed the door to the building’s main hall, wondering if she should bail. Her instincts told her this situation was manageable… that the girl could be persuaded.
"Batgirl, right? Look, I know how things must have seemed, but nothing is going on here. I'm friends with Catwoman. She gets a free pass from you bats, right?" Walking back from the kitchen, Felicia watched her carefully. "Take off your boot." She held up the ice pack, couched in soft fabric.
* * *
Batgirl nodded in response to her first question while scowling at being in this predicament. Her every movement conveyed that she didn't want to be helped, right up until the woman dropped a particular name. "Catwoman?" She looked down at her left leg and reluctantly removed her boot, revealing a swollen ankle wrapped in a black legging.
* * *
Felicia flashed her biggest smile. "Yeah! Catwoman. You know, you don't talk much. Unlike..." she shook her head angrily, "Spider and that other one."
Pointing to the large L-shaped couch in the living room, Felicia helped pick up the girl and guide her over. Once Batgirl was seated, she proceeded to carefully peel the girl’s legging bandages off, he fingers gingerly avoiding the worst of the swelling. Then, taking the icepack, she wrapped it around, the pocket it was in fastened tightly with Velcro. She sensed the girl was young, maybe her age or still in high school, and decided to let her guard down a little. It wasn’t like she had any real friends in this city, and it seemed having a vigilante on your side did wonders for Aunt Selina. She looked the girl over. "Ugly, scary costume, but it does show off your shape.” That garb needed some serious makeover work, but one step at a time. She knew the best remedy for pain at a time like this. I have something else in the freezer you might like..." Grinning again, Felicia went back to the kitchen.
* * *
Batgirl allowed herself to be helped over to the couch, still wary about this woman. Apparently they had a mutual friend in Catwoman, but considering Selina's former life as a thief, that wasn’t exactly comforting.
Still, she was willing to tend to Batgirl's embarrassing injury, which counted for something. And worst-case scenario, Batgirl was sure she could still kick this woman's ass even with a bum leg.
And then the woman walked back to the kitchen, leaving Batgirl to wonder if she should hobble after her to make sure the woman in black wasn’t trying to escape.
* * *
"Ice Cream! Rocky Road? Or Mint Chocolate Chip?" Felicia rounded the corner again, holding both containers up with her hands, spoons resting on top.
* * *
Batgirl scowled. The woman had discovered her one weakness. Well, one of them. "Mint ... chocolate chip." She decided this woman must not be all bad. "And ... not ugly."
* * *
"I'm sure you're very pretty, but that costume is not a fashion statement, it's a nightmare."
* * *
Batgirl considered her comment about the costume, rolling her response around in her head and tapping her thumb against her fingertips in a sequence meant to jog her memory of sentence structure. "Nightmare ... is the fashion." She hoped that worked for an answer.
* * *
Felicia waltzed over and handed Batgirl her ice cream carton and a spoon, then dropped lazily beside her. "You need to let the swelling go down in your ankle before you rush off to whatever hole you call a home." Felicia grabbed her remote and turned her television on. "Cocktail - the best of both worlds! Tom Cruise in his young, pre-crazy days, and Elizabeth Shue at her peak!" Felicia figured that the more she focused on smiling and kindness and simply relaxing, the less attention she brought to the painting, and that Batgirl had only spoken a few words and nothing about it, she took as a good sign. Also, she really loved this movie. "I have champagne too, but I don't think you'd want anything that delicious."
* * *
She shifted uncomfortably as the woman sat next to her and turned on the TV. Some movie. She recognized the male actor from the Wayne Gala months ago. The actress she didn't recognize, and really she didn't have much interest in following the movie. Eventually, she said, "Painting. Put back."
* * *
"That's what I'm doing... in a way. It's been stolen over a dozen times in the last decade! I'm taking it back for the original owner, who finally decided normal channels weren't going to cut it. It's an ugly painting, let me tell you, blegh." Felicia stuck out her tongue to emphasize her point. "As for your costume, I get it, I do. You nearly gave me a heart attack, though. I'm still kinda freaked out." She took Batgirl's hand and placed it above her chest line, heart still beating rapidly despite trying to calm down. "Well, freaked out and kind of tweaked. I've got the fever," she whispered conspiratorially, "and the guy I like keeps saying no. What about you? Anyone you fancy? I bet that costume isn't doing any favors."
* * *
Batgirl stared at her as she described the backstory of the painting. She flinched as the woman took her hand. For a brief moment she considered reversing the woman's grip and driving her thumb into a pressure point to get her to let go, but then she felt the strong heartbeat in the woman's chest. She wasn’t sure how to react. "Fancy?"
* * *
"Someone you like - you know - that way. Who makes your engine purrrr. Boyfriend? Girlfriend?" It was starting to dawn on Felicia that the girl’s lack of ability to understand meant that language was an issue. Not knowing what that language might be, she just tried to use as few words as possible.
* * *
With her hand still on the woman's chest, Batgirl figured out what she meant. “Boyfriend.”
* * *
Slightly disappointed, Felicia leaned her head back against the couch, enjoying the cool air as the AC finally started cooling the place down. "Tell me about him."
* * *
Batgirl shrugged and rolled her mask up to expose the bottom half of her face in order to eat a couple of spoonfuls of ice cream. She used both hands during this; at some point she'd slipped out of the woman's grasp. She let the woman wonder when that happened.
Finally, she replied. "Swims. Smart. Met him - months ago. Train him. Self-defense. He ... train me." That last part came out with a noticeable amount of affection ... more emotion than she'd conveyed during the conversation so far.
* * *
Felicia sat up and stared meaningfully at Batgirl, concern in the back of her mind. "He... trains you?" That meant what, like a pet? "What do you mean, he trains you?"
* * *
Batgirl turned her head to the side, studying the woman's protective body language. Interesting. "He ... showed me ... how to be ... girlfriend."
* * *
Black Cat’s eyes narrowed. "That sounds like a player. A user. Does he make you do things you don't want to do, you don't like? Does Batman know? I think Batman needs to know."
* * *
Batgirl wondered as she replied why she was telling this woman all this. She supposed she couldn’t help defending her boyfriend’s honor. "He's good boy. Doesn't … force. Would … break him if did." She paused. "And ... Batman knows. He ... knows we ... almost did sex." She looked at the white-haired woman, kind of embarrassed. "Almost."
* * *
"The world is upside down. I'm living vicariously through the girl with the nightmare-inducing costume. Well?! Are you going to leave me hanging? What happened?" Noticing she was getting a little hot under the collar and flushed, Black Cat zipped her costume back up and crossed her legs, elbow on knee, chin on elbow as she leaned forward with a smile.
* * *
Batgirl felt the sudden urge to look away as she replied, as succinctly as possible. "Kissed. A lot. Felt up. Kissed more. Took off clothes. Kissed and ... felt more." She rolls her mask back down to hide her blushing. Her body fidgeted a bit at the memory of what Doug's hands and lips had done to her body. "But ... didn't want to ... make baby. So ... no sex."
* * *
"Afraid to have sex? You can do other things, you know... sheesh."
* * *
Batgirl gestured for her to go on. She was curious about this.
* * *
“You know.” Felicia raised her arms and made jazz hands, eyebrows raised, figuring the girl should have an idea. What teenager didn’t these days?
* * *
Batgirl stared at her. What was she doing?
* * *
"If you've got an itch, you scratch it. Nothing wrong with that. Who raised you, a nun?"
* * *
Batgirl tilted her head to the side again, trying to decipher her words. "Scratch ... itch? Instead of ... sex?" She’d scratched itches plenty of times, and while there was a certain release, it didn’t seem like it would be nearly enough to cure what she felt every time her body called to Doug.
And what was this about a nun?
* * *
"Condoms. The pill. Doing other things instead. You have options, is the point."
* * *
Behind the mask, Batgirl’s eyes widened in understanding. "Oh. Condoms. He has. Wanted to use." She still felt bad about leaving that night, when he’d gone to grab some condoms. To this day she wondered what it would have been like if she’d stayed and gone through with it with him.
* * *
"Well good. Was he rubbish or something?"
* * *
And then she was back to saying something unintelligible. She stared at the woman with a questioning tilt of her head.
* * *
"Did he... not know what he was doing? Was he bad at touching you?"
* * *
Had she given that impression? "No! Good! Very good! Touched a lot!" Just to be clear, she pantomimed where she was touched. It brought back the pleasant aspects of the memory. "Knew."
* * *
"Okay, so be smart. Go to your doctor - you have a doctor right? I know some people, but they're not exactly above board. Ask your doctor about the pill. It's great, even if you don't do ‘the nasty’. It helps regulate periods, it helps if you have acne issues... but you need to ask your doctor because, I don't know what your medical issues might be. Besides that you dress up like a scary person and beat up… people that aren’t me."
* * *
Batgirl blinked several times, having gotten lost partway through the speech. She tried to answer the part she’d caught before the stream of words had become too much. "Have doctor."
* * *
Black Cat sighed deeply. "English... okay... umm... ask doctor... birth control pill."
* * *
That was simple enough. "Oh. Okay!" She nodded in understanding. "Could have ... said so. First time." Why did people tend to use hundreds of words to say what could be said in five or less?
* * *
"Finding a guy who knows what he's doing is rare, so if you break up, give me a number... he's not a dog, right?"
* * *
This woman was making her head hurt. "Not dog. Person." She spoke the words slowly and carefully, all the while wondering where the hell this woman got that idea.
* * *
"I mean, what's he look like? He's not Batman, is he? I want to avoid heroes... unless it's Spider-Man, then I want to know your secrets, because he's, like, impervious to temptation."
* * *
Batgirl’s scandalized look was evident even through her mask. "Not Batman! Would be weird!" Now she could not unsee that mental image. "Not Spider-Man. But wants to be hero."
* * *
"Wants to be? Why?"
* * *
Batgirl shrugged. "Likes me." That seemed to say it all. She was proud of her Brave Stupid Boy for wanting to learn how to fight and defend not only himself, but other people. Still, she had yet to shake the feeling that his primary reason was to stay in contact with her. If that’s where his priorities lay, he was going to get killed no matter how much training he received.
* * *
"You mean he's saying that just to get in your costume? Sounds like manipulation to me. Maybe I should check him out, kick his ass if he's using you."
* * *
Batgirl looked down at her costume. "Wouldn't ... fit him." Looking up at her, she filled her voice and body language with as much intimidation as she could muster. She did not appreciate someone threatening her boyfriend. "Don't ... hurt him. I hurt you."
* * *
"Look, babe, I'm just making sure he's not hurting you. You know, your heart."
* * *
Batgirl was still in Intimidaton Mode. "Isn't."
* * *
"I mean your feelings.”
* * *
Yeah, Batgirl understood what she’d meant. "He feels too. Strong feelings. Would break own heart ... if broke mine."
* * *
Felicia nodded, somewhat impressed if not entirely convinced. "You seem really sure of that. You know, if you want to stand out more, I could give you a few costume tips. See how mine looks?" She struck a pose for Batgirl.
* * *
That seemed like an abrupt subject change. And what was wrong with Batgirl’s costume anyhow?
She studied the other woman’s costume for a moment. Tight material, but not as well-armored. She recalled that the facemask had been tiny like Robin’s, which wouldn’t work now that Cassandra Wayne’s face had been so widely seen.
And then there was that plunging neckline. All Batgirl could think of was, "chest get cold?"
* * *
"Not with the serum I've got pumping through my veins." She grabbed the girl’s hand again and placed it on her collarbone again. "See?"
* * *
Batgirl felt her warmth. Tilted her head to the side. Then she looked down at her own chest and with her free hand, cupped her own meager breasts in comparison.
* * *
"All shapes and sizes," Felicia said, waving her hand at Batgirl’s comparison. "You have a lovely figure; I wouldn't worry too much."
* * *
She still wasn’t convinced. And now her focus was completely on the woman’s generous shape and size. Impulsively, her hand slid down to one of the woman's breasts, testing to see if it was real or fake. She could typically tell from observation alone, but she wanted to be sure.
* * *
"Or you could just grab mine," Felicia said, brow furrowing. "You're very strange, you know that? Umm… they’re real, thanks.”
* * *
Batgirl noticed that the touching seemed to be somewhat unwelcome, so she let go. “Sorry.” She was even more confused now; hadn’t the woman given her permission to touch her chest when she’d guided it to her heartbeat? Plus, the older woman’s body was calling out to Batgirl, wasn’t it?
* * *
"Don't be, I like you, you're even kind of my type... all muscle and adrenaline... people just don't tend to go right for the boob grabbing. But you like guys, right? I like guys and girls, but I don't want to take advantage of you... you seem so new to stuff. Even if I am giving sex and fashion tips. Hmm..."
* * *
For the umpteenth time that night, Batgirl tilted her head to the side, processing all this. “Like guys. Like girls. Both.” She certainly knew people of both sexes, and she liked them. And her body had even called out to a few of them. Like Doug. And Kristoff. And Spoiler. And now this woman, whom Batgirl was thinking of as Large Boob Cat.
* * *
Felicia smiled, re-appraising Batgirl. "Well if and when that guy breaks your heart, or you just get sick of him, find me on a rooftop. If you can catch me, maybe we'll get along real well."
* * *
Batgirl nodded. "Okay." She found it unlikely she'd get tired of Doug or have her heart broken by him, but she filed away the offer for future reference.
* * *
“Let’s take a look at that ankle.” Felicia carefully raised the girl’s leg, examining the injury. There was a lot of swelling. "Unless you want me carrying you home, I don't think you should be putting any weight on this for 24 hours.”
* * *
Batgirl winced as her ankle was examined. "Twenty-four?" She knew how long that was, and she didn't like the sound of it at all.
* * *
"You could make the injury worse, unless you want to be laid up for weeks without doing anything. I'll let you stay here if you promise not to mess with things you don't understand, okay? Like that." Felicia pointed to the painting. Then her eyes lit up and she pointed to her hallway. "I don't know what cave you crawl out of to do your hero thing, but I've got a Jacuzzi tub in the other room. Soothes muscles and sprains!"
* * *
She tried to wrap her head around the idea of staying there. What was she going to tell Bruce? Or Barbara and the others? Lost in thought, she pondered this until a familiar word filtered in. She'd heard the word Jacuzzi before. And she'd been in one. Next to seeing Batman for the first time, it had been the closest thing she'd had to a religious experience. She nodded. "Okay. Will stay."
* * *
"I don't want to get accused of kidnapping you, so you should call someone while you use it. Towels and soap are in there. Don't use my toothbrush." She frowned at the ankle. "Do you want my help?"
* * *
She nodded at the suggestion of calling someone. She'd have to. She waved off the woman's suggestion of help; she still had one working leg and the ability to hop. It wasn’t easy for her to hobble her way to the bathroom, but she managed. Once she was inside the bathroom, she closed the door and activated her commlink, calling Oracle.
* * *
Black Cat put her hands on her hips and looked around the room, then quietly moved the painting behind a false wall, stripped down and used her small shower in the other bathroom while Batgirl settled into the Jacuzzi in the main one. She did not want to give up her bed, so she pulled sheets out for the couch and grabbed a few pillows from her own bed, and proceeded to brush and dry her hair. She tried to wait up for the girl, but after a few hours, passed out asleep on her bed, limbs dangling like a rag doll.
* * *
Four hours later, Batgirl was still in the Jacuzzi, after having called Oracle. The jets of hot water relaxed her muscles to such a degree that she was almost falling asleep, but she remained awake and alert in this strange place.
For the first hour she kept her Batgirl mask on in case Large Boob Cat barged in. Then when the mask became too uncomfortable, she took it off, but kept it within arms' reach. Eventually she emerged from the tub, dried off, and got dressed again. She was still having difficulty walking, but she made her way out into the rest of the apartment.
Batgirl hobbled back to the L-shaped couch, where she found folded sheets. The sound of soft breathing led her to a bedroom where the woman slept, still wrapped in a towel and holding a book with tiny print and no pictures.
She took a moment to study the woman's face now that it was not covered by a mask. She didn't recognize the woman, but she hoped she would one day learn the woman's name. Or at least, something besides Large Boob Cat.
She hobbled back to the couch and slept in her costume with the sheets wrapped around her.