big shipment of ugly shit coming into town made sure it got blown up before it arrived drugs mostly some weapons too might have read about it caused some traffic on the freeway and the driver has NO IDEA how all that bullshit got in there its so straaaange
anyway the bat has to take the credit i have a cover to be under remember
[ family's a funny thing. especially for kara. she loved her father. she loves kal more than she can possibly express, even if they don't always see each other clearly. she loved her mother and thinks, sometimes, that her mother loved her in her way. other times, kara thinks alura only saw her as a tool. and she's had so many people that she loves and considers family that aren't related to her by blood--thara, boomer, diana, dick... bryce.
the last two get a little tricky. mostly because of kara's own neuroses and the way she never lets herself get too close. oh, she'll readily say that she loves dick and bryce, considers them family in a nebulous kind of way. but every once in a while, she looks at bryce and thinks she's been more of a mother to me than mine ever was. kara never gives herself more than a moment to wistfully dwell on that before shoving the thought back in the box she keeps such things locked in.
still, when may rolls around one year and kara finds herself having recently had a few good, quiet moments of the kind she can really only have with bryce, she ponders. pulls a pandora and peeks into that box in her head, an idea drifting out and sinking its claws into her. it won't let go and so, very late at night on the second sunday of may, kara leaves a little package in bryce's study while she's out on patrol.
it's a little book full of notes and schematics. some purely kryptonian designs and some tweaks and improvements to current equipment in the cave that kara's seen. and scribbled in the front cover is a small note. ]
[ Bryce gets there are eight, just like she said. At 8:01, there's a shadowy figure lurking behind wherever Otto is in his HQ and definitely should have made more of a sound before showing up. How did she get in?? Please, she definitely installed a backdoor in his systems the last time she was here. During all the sex.
But she's here now and if Otto doesn't immediately react, she's going to lean in towards his computer screens to peep his shit. This is a professional visit, god damnit. ]
[ Its always been a weakness of Otto's tech- whilst most people couldn't hope to hack it, compared to fellow geniuses, his is amongst the easiest to seize control of. Mechanically he tends to leave the opposition in the dust, but that doesn't do him any good if someone takes it from him. Blame it on the reliance on controlling it with his mind. ]
Thunderation!
[ He starts in his big fancy seat (it's a very big seat, this is an old HQ from the Overweight Gilbert Gottfried days), his octopus-sense not doing anything for him as she doesn't intend to harm him. Unless shattering his pelvis counts. ]
...Don't do that!
[ He's clearly pretty flustered at her sneakiness, face red and pouting. He's got an unbuttoned lab coat on over his shirtlessness now, but the effect is ruined now. ]
[ She doesn't outright react to his shock but there's a slight, the slightest smirk on her face as she pulls back. The cape still drapes around her, making her a shadowy figure in the dim light but the way she circles around him to come closer to his computer is very... predatory.
It's easy to see how dangerous Bryce can be when alone with her like this. ]
Relax. I'm not going to hurt you.
[ Super reassuring, Bryce! ]
Yet.
[ And now that's just unnecessary. Still, she's going to reach for his mouse, going through whatever files he has on the screen a little obnoxiously. No real manners on this one, really. ]
[ He turns to follow her, but it's a bit awkward from his chair. Ack. Damn. Not fair. He can't be sexy like this but somehow she's twice as sexy. ]
Mmm. History may repeat, eh?
[ It says a lot about him that he tenderly touches his black eye as if it's the spot of a schoolyard kiss. It's a physical sign of the attention he got. It counts.
His response to her rudeness is to put his hand over hers, just a shade of a loving squeeze. ]
[ Well, if he wanted to be glared at, he sure gets it. There's a sharp turn and her teeth bare slightly at him at the innuendo. No, professional only and if she has to beat the shit out of him again to show that, she will.
Then he puts his hand on hers and that's too much. She's immediately going to shove him back in the chair and move to put some space between them. ]
First of all, get your mind out of the gutter. Not happening, Otto. And secondly, I wouldn't have to pry if you just got to the point already and told me what you know.
[ She should have just taken the files herself from his system. Why is she indulging this? ]
[ The chair rolls smoothly across the sterile, shiny floor and to his credit he releases her hand the second she shows she doesn't want it there. ]
I was actually referring towards your propensity toward unwarranted violence directed at my person.
[ And he actually was, hence the gentle touch to his bruised eye. She had been talking about hurting him at the time.
He doesn't show the tiniest bit of satisfaction that that's where her mind goes first though. Not when he has mild indignity to show, arms crossed and a mild glare. ]
Which as you can see, was not entirely groundless.
[ He could let that hang, but no, he's going to push ahead a bit further. ]
Stop demanding my respect whilst according me none!
[ Well, great. Way to make her feel a little shamed, Otto. She opens her mouth to argue before closing it, frowning slightly. He's a jerk with a point. She doesn't really like that.
There's a hh noise that comes from her as she looks away from him, hands balling into fists at her side but he's right and despite the way she's treated him, he hasn't done anything to actively deserve it. Yet. His claim that he's trying to be better now has held true and she's not fool enough to not know that some of her ire is just her embarrassment over sleeping with him. ]
Fine. I'm sorry.
[ But she spits it out, which doesn't make it seem too genuine, really. ]
[ He keeps up his burning, intense stare for a while- the deep green of his eyes really does go well with the purple of the bruise she's given him.
He gives a small, pouty huff as he steps out of his chair, letting the lab coat flap behind him like a white version of her cape. ]
I did say you just had to ask.
[ He simply nods his head and all the data is revealed at once, his holographic tech displaying footage he hijacked from security, full disassemblies of the weaponry is dissected views, lists of the men they pummeled and their links to known associates, everything. And this type is moderately solid- he pulls one of the weapons to the front, splitting it apart and showing the guts. ]
The tech I recognised- it's a bootleg version of Osborn's Goblin Army armaments. At first I thought it might be Hobgoblin, up to his old tricks of selling on the identities and technology of villains no longer operating, but I couldn't find a trace of him.
[ He grips a small view of the security and pulls it wider. ]
And I... have no idea who this is.
[ Probably some sort of Bat rogue. He hasn't teamed up with many of them- they're too creepy, mostly. ]
[ Bryce is really not a fan of the guilty feeling in her stomach, it's too soft and she shouldn't feel remorse towards anything that has to do with Otto. She shouldn't.
So, instead she's quiet as she watches him explain, this time not reaching out to touch the light, even if it's clear in his motions that it's hard-light technology. She's content to instead stand back here, watching him, expression neutral as he explains.
It's only when he gets to the last page, to the rogue, that she knows exactly who it is. The photo is grainy, hard to make out details even with the widening but she knows that figure when she sees it. ]
Pyg.
[ If he wanted creepy, he got creepy. Pyg's one of the creepiest. Her lip curls slightly in disgust as she explains. ]
Professor Pyg. He wants to make things beautiful. Does this by turning people into his dolls -- peeling the skins of their faces off and replacing it. Mild brainwashing as well. Not sure what he's doing with guns, not quite his style, but it might be related to his current theme.
[ The hobgoblin route might make sense, Pyg's current theme might be recreating those old villains through his dolls. Bryce is already unhappy about this situation. ]
[ Whilst Otto doesn't want her to feel bad, he does take her stillness and silence as a sign she's regretting treating him the way she has. He can't quite parse why either, which frustrates him. He can't fathom she's ashamed that they slept together- he's always been quite unabashedly red-blooded and can't really imagine sex with him is anything less than a highlight of one's life. Why could it not be? He's so good at it!]
...Gross!
[ Every now and then he does that, stops talking like he checks the thesaurus for every word and says something like a normal person. He can speak pretty naturally when he wants to, he just finds it boring. The same way Peter has enough brain power lying around to think of five jokes a second, Otto likes making his sentences unnecessarily frilly.
He does cough lightly into his hand in embarrassment at that slip. ]
It's not just guns, though they were most numerous. Flight wings, electric gauntlets, an insultingly crude attempt at my own arms-
[ As he speaks, examples pop up in the holograms. Others he doesn't mention but still appear. Some he recognises from former associates or rivals, others she's likely fought. A few so obscure neither could guess what it replicates- who even remembers Turner D. Century, let alone his flying bicycle made for two? Her theory seems more likely with each entry. ]
[ That... actually gets her to react. The sudden gross, the slight break in his character. It gets a sudden smile out of her, reactive than anything else, just the slightest flick upwards as he tries to cough his way out of the slip.
He wasn't trying to impress her then, he was just genuinely reacting to something. That's much better.
And look, yeah, she really enjoyed the night they spent together even if he came out of it with a black eye and her, a lot of embarrassment. It was good, he was good, and if he was anyone else, she'd have been back the next night. Unfortunately, it's Otto. That makes it harder to accept.
But then he goes back to describing the pieces Pyg took and Bryce finally steps forward to explore the examples. An angry frown pops on her face, more displeased than anything she's directed at him, when she spots a certain hang-glider in the midst of some of the weapons Pyg's been taking and recreating. ]
Kite Man.
[ Hell yeah!
She lets go of the light and in a really flat, dark voice -- ]
I'm finding him. And I'm breaking him.
[ Pyg overstepped and now he's going to get what's coming to him. ]
[ It's hard for him to put aside the constant attempts to impress. It stems all the way back to a miserable childhood, in which signs of weakness got him beaten by his father and proof of genius got him loved by his mother. It takes him a phenomenal amount of trust in someone to relax around them.
As into Bryce as he is, he still needs to prove himself to her. It's just a shame he doesn't grasp what exactly he should be proving. She already knows exactly how capable he is, which to him is the important part. Proving he's pointing it in the right direction seems a given to him- he's already said he's a hero.
He's super into her very brutal declaration and decides to join in with his catchphrase- ]
Yes- the die is cast!
[ Although after a second of posing with his fist clenched and a determined look, she's treated to a second instance of him being a guy rather than a mad scientist, though not quite as intense as the first. ]
[ It doesn't really help Bryce but just watching this makes her kind of smile, a little amused at the whole look here. It's ridiculous, his weird enthusiasm for the whole thing and she doesn't exactly laugh but there's a exhale through her nose that's kind of amused. Absolutely ridiculous.
But when he asks her about Kite Man, her reaction is immediate and unthinking -- ]
Hell yeah.
[ And then she winces, gritting her teeth because she didn't mean to say that. It was just automatic, because of that god damn idiot. ]
I mean, yes. Kite Man. He's one of... mine. He's not... bad. He's just. Stupid.
[ Which means Bryce has to take care of him, a lot. It's a weird relationship and she should probably check up on him soon, actually. Just to make sure he's still alive and not being taken advantage of by anyone again.
Lifting a hand, she pinches the bridge of her nose. Her weird relationships with some of other rogues doesn't need to come up now when she's trying to be strict with Otto, damnit. She's undermining herself. ]
[ It seems today is the day they both let slip weird things that don't fit their image. He gently lifts a hand across his lips in a not too subtle attempt to disguise amusement at her awkwardness words, both the spontaneous repeat of someone else's catchphrase and her difficulty in explaining what exactly Kite Man's deal was. ]
Well. I'll be sure to be gentle with him should we cross paths then.
[ Or at least, Otto's version of gentle.
Otherwise, he agrees to move on. He can't think he can pick apart her breaks of character and not expect her to do the same.
Oh wait, he totally can think that, he's Otto. ]
Now, where were we- Oh yes.
[ He repeats his clenched fist and dramatic stance but instead yells- ]
Batwoman, hell yeah!
[ The fist uncurls to a soft nose boop and a gentle smile light on smugness and heavy on playfulness. ]
[ Kite Man's had a hard life and is both a point of shame and a point of exasperation for her. He reminds her of one of the few times she almost broke her cardinal rule and how the only person who stopped her from killing Riddler was... the Joker. Every time she sees the Joker, she remembers that. The line in the sand was never drawn by her, but by him. To him, it's a great joke.
And now Kite Man lives as a reminder to what she almost did. Once.
She's not expecting what he does next though, eyes widening a little behind the cowl once he poses like that and then -- and then he says that and she makes a strangled noise after he boops her nose. Her nose. ]
Otto!
[ Burying her face in her hands, she can't deal with this. He's such an infuriating dingus and these are the moments that make it heavy on the dingus. ]
[ It's quite a different approach to Otto. In his heyday as a villain, he had a large body count. They were typically quick and efficient things of a particular purpose, usually finding harming civilians to be distasteful (aside from those bad days he had, the ones where his mind nearly shattered to pieces and he forgot even the small shred of goodness he usually carried. The bad days were few and far between and ended with him in psychiatric care than prison). Now as a 'hero' he didn't kill as a matter of course, but if he considered an enemy to be a hopeless case... well, why not do the smart thing and end it right there? If they call themselves Massacre or Carnage or the Spider Slayer, it's time to do the world a favour. A criminal like that, a killer with such devotion to wicked ends doesn't just... change for the better... ]
You can deal with anything.
[ He says it so naturally there's no way he doesn't mean it. ]
Darling, it's just you and I. You don't need to be so severe. You don't even need the mask.
[ She didn't show her face when they had sex. The cowl stayed on, even though it would've been better with it off. It was messy, needy sex that came out of nowhere and was a breaking point for her frustration.
Now, she's here, and she could so easily take off the cowl and let him see her face. Let him know who she is. That she's not just Batwomn, but Bryce Wayne, who he's dealt with before. Bryce Wayne, who once offered him investment opportunities in a way to save him from himself. Bryce Wayne, who when once kidnapped by Otto, told him she admired his work and that it was a shame she couldn't hire him. She couldn't knowingly hire a super villain, she remembers joking. Who is she, Lex Luthor?
Bryce Wayne, who ate and enjoyed his pastries and never showed him anything but respect, even when he had her tied up in his lair. ]
I'm still not...
[ She trails off, awkward. ]
I don't trust you.
[ But the difference this time when she says it is that it doesn't sound sharp and cutting. It sounds kind of defeated, with a sigh. She wants a reason to trust him but she can't do it. Not with her level of paranoia. It's still too new for her to give in, to let him into her inner circle. Once he knows her identity, there's no going back, even if she's already been intimate with him. ]
[ He steps forward, fingertips at her elbows as softly as a breeze. If she shows the slightest hint of rejecting his touch, he'll step back without delay. It's not quite the asking for permission insisted upon, but at least he doesn't leap right into intimate touch straight away.
If there's no objection, Otto will slide those hands around her and give a hug, tight but gentle. That this would mean she's pressed against his bare chest isn't really considered for once. ]
We'll get there.
[ No matter her physical reaction, those will be his words and they'll be said as confidently. He's not so idealistic he thinks they're 'meant to be together' or some other hokum, but he does feel they're too compatible for them to not improve their relationship. ]
She doesn't reject him and in fact, it's when he slides his arms around her that she lifts her own to go around his shoulders. She stays there, chin dropping onto his shoulder as she leans forward a little to tuck her nose against his coat. Her fingers curl into the fabric of his lab coat and she stays there.
If someone breaks the hold, it'll have to be him. ]
I know.
[ She leans her head against him, cowl against his short hair. ]
You're not entirely bad like this.
[ Like this, alone and a little more human. Neither of them have chance of being caught by anyone else, just the two of them here with their guards a little down. She said no to him and she stills means it! But... the hug isn't so bad. It's kind of nice. Bryce is hugged so rarely, she might as well take it when she can. ]
[ He can't help but chuckle, his deep voice improved by his new body. He once self-described his old self as sounding like a walrus underwater- he's retained the bass register, but none of the tremor his weight gave it. A dead ringer for Thurl Ravenscroft. ]
High praise indeed.
[ He'll not be breaking them apart quickly, if doesn't have to. One arm moves lower, but he doesn't take advantage and go too far, stopping at the small of her back. Not only would playing grabass now damage his future plans... it'd just ruin the moment and he's enjoying the moment immensely. The other moves upwards, between her shoulder blades and moves in slow, gentle circles. ]
You, on the other hand, are wholly lovely like this.
[ Her suit may well be the furthest thing from huggable an outfit has ever been designed to be, but he can tough out some small discomfort for a taste of affection. If that is what this is. God, he hopes so. He knows he has her attraction, probably her respect. Her trust he knows he doesn't have. But affection... floats in the horrid position of unknown. ]
[ She definitely takes note of where his arms are going but... they haven't gone anywhere entirely inappropriate so she's able to accept them. They're fine, for now, and she doesn't disengage just yet.
The compliment he pays her doesn't do much other than get a noise of acknowledgement from her. She's a little used to his comments and it's not like they're what's making her like him, after all.
There's a bit of movement from her though and that's because she's tugging off her gloves. Arms still around his shoulders, she just tugs lightly at the fingertips until one drops off, and then the other.
Bare fingertips now curl in the back of his short hair, holding onto him lightly as she stays just like this. There's no specific intention here, other than her just being kind of tired and going with it for a moment. ]
You think I'm lovely all the time, doesn't really hold any weight anymore, Otto.
[ He takes a breath when he feels her fingers scrape his scalp lightly, the thud of her gloves hitting the floor sending sparks of excitement through him that he has to contain. He can curb his red-blood for her comfort, he CAN, he knows he can.
His own hands move a little, simultaneously to the side. But before it seems he's letting go and give her chance to release him, they slide back. This time under her cape, rather than over it. The fingertips between her shoulder blades are a little more forceful, just a shade of that mastery of pressure he'd shown before but still not overtly erotic. Just... trying to ease the tension, the tiredness. ]
And you have appalling manners sometimes.
[ As he says it, they're still like compliments in tone. Flaws can be appealing. ]
...But even then you're lovely, so I suppose you've got me there.
[ Well, she can't exactly argue with both of those points. They're true and exact. She knows her faults pretty well, honestly. So, she's not insulted by any of it, just makes a noise of acknowledgement and continues with the slow hug. The hug that's gone on for a while now.
When his hands move under her cape, she knows she's missed her window to break the hug naturally. She supposes that's alright, doesn't quite want to pull away yet. Otto is warm and broad and firm and she very clearly expressed interest when they were together the last time.
What she says next, might be a bit surprising to him but is definitely something she's been thinking about since she texted him earlier. ]
[ The length of their embrace is, he feels, maybe a misstep. It could get more awkward and end up being less a romantic connection between two souls with their own pains. But... it just feels nice.
As close as she is, she'll feel as much as hear the sharp intake of breath when she apologises. That is a surprise and he can't hide it, pretend he knew it was coming. He wasn't thinking about the eye, the dull throbbing of it forgotten from the softness of their touch. ]
All is forgiven.
[ This is it, he thinks. He has to let go now. Otherwise, it's just so... mushy and not suave. ]
[ It's a nice moment and it would be a shame if it ended. She doesn't want it to end, she just kind of wants to... stay right here. Damn. Damnit, Otto. She can't even blame him this time, it's all her. ]
I'm not exactly dressed for it, Otto.
[ Said a little wryly, but her head turns towards him when she says it. There's hot breath on his skin and the nudge of the cowl nose against his jaw. She should know better, she should do better, but she is... not.
She's just here. With Otto. Enjoying the softness. Maybe she's a little more lonely than she's been letting on. ]
[ It's an involuntary sound as the heat of her breath on his skin, just a quick quiet hum. He's instantly embarrassed about it but doesn't do anything to try and cover it up. They're too intimately linked at the moment, it would be too obvious. ]
I was asking for our date.
[ She did promise him that, remember? ]
But... if you want to try now, I'd love to.
[ His head tips just a hint, bringing their faces closer a shade. Letting the warmth of his cheeks and his own breath touch her. ]
Which is... going to be interesting, if she still doesn't let him see her without the cowl. Will their date be something in costume? Does he want it to be a real one? Something with the both of them, as people, not as vigilantes? If that's the case, then Bryce really has to make a decision here.
These are her thoughts even as she presses a little closer, just a little and -- And then her lips press to Otto's in a kiss. Her hand moves down from his hair to curl against his cheek as she presses her mouth to him, sweet and gentle with her kiss. The cowl will poke at him slightly, still too firm for these kind of actions, but it's very clear -- she initiated the kiss. She kissed him.
And she's going to kiss him for a while, actually. ]
[ It's not totally unprecedented, to date with the masks. Peter had the Black Cat, after all. Peter even had dates in public with civilians whilst in full costume, because he might be a super genius but he's also stupid. If she does choose to keep her identity hidden, he'll not have a problem with it (yet. He may get impatient eventually because he's... Otto). He'll figure something out.
He's not entirely surprised when she kisses him, because he always assumes she wants to but some irrational insistence on not indulging stops her.
Amongst those many skills Otto has developed is kissing and he doesn't hesitate to apply his experience. Not too heated, not too deep. Keep it sweet, but not entirely chaste, a little like their embrace. Press his fingertips at her shoulders into the knots of tension. Move his other hand down just the smallest fraction. ]
[ He's not... totally off the mark because she definitely has a lot of frustration towards him that stems from that. She'd like to be able to just kiss him and not also want to punch him at the same time but that's a little harder to manage. Right now, she's not feeling too twitchy about it so hey, that's an improvement!
Because yeah, she's definitely going to keep kissing him. It stars veering a little from one kiss to you know, making out but she's going to ignore the little voice telling her to stop. Instead, she stays there, hand moving away from his cheek again to his neck as her other curls in the fabric of his lab coat and maybe the kiss becomes a little firmer. That's fine, it's fine.
So, yeah, not entirely chaste and it isn't all on Otto either. She definitely notices his hands but she's not shoving him off, so maybe that's a sign. After a bit, she will break the kiss to catch her breath a little, lingering right above his mouth and glad for the white lenses of her cowl so she doesn't have to make direct eye contact and, you know, give herself away entirely. ]
Don't talk.
[ And that's all she's going to say before she's pressing in for another kiss, firmer and definitely not chaste this time. ]
[ Proving Otto is exactly as stupid as he is smart, he was already taking a breath to say something when Bryce shuts that shit down with a kiss that is just as good as hearing his own voice.
In his Otto fashion, he can Ode to Joy in his mind. He had fuzzy formations of it from that sweet kiss that sadly ended, but the music is clear as if there's an orchestra of history's greatest musicians when she delivers a second.
She likes him! She really likes him!
He gets into the mood straight away, his hand no longer shy. Getting a full and firm grip of her ass, whilst the other loops at her shoulder. He tries to turn the experience into one of those sweeping, swooning affairs- but leans back rather than into her, still taking most of his weight on his tip-toes. Surrendering control to Bryce, showing the trust she'll hold him. She's already made it quite clear she's more comfortable calling the shots.
...And maybe this way it's more ingrained that it's her choice to be with him. ]
It's a little frustrating, maddening really, and she keeps trying to think herself out of it. But then she spends longer and longer moments with him and he gets under his skin like a plague and frustration overtakes her. It's getting more frustrating by the minute and the more time she fights it, the more intense the feelings return.
It makes situations like this, where he's being absolutely ridiculous, letting her dip him into the kiss catch her off guard. She ends up letting out a huff of laughter against his lips, not even that angry about the groping. She ends up breaking the kiss, holding him in the stupid dipping position for a moment with a hand in the middle of his back and the other curled against his neck.
Murmured against his mouth is a -- ]
You're ridiculous.
[ But it's fond, which is the worst part. She's going to move her hand then, curling it around his lapel and getting a good hold on it before she moves the other one, until she's tugging him back up by the front of his lab coat and leaning forward to press their fronts together as she keeps against his mouth. ]
And you're touching my butt.
[ Not a reprimand but kind of wry, like it's expected in an exasperated kind of way. She's not sure where she's leading from here, if she's going to keep kissing him like this or... what. She's not sure! She actually reached the end of her plan here!
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happy mothers day
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bryce is immediately tired. ]
What did you do?
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big shipment of ugly shit coming into town
made sure it got blown up before it arrived
drugs mostly some weapons too
might have read about it
caused some traffic on the freeway and the driver has NO IDEA how all that bullshit got in there its so straaaange
anyway the bat has to take the credit
i have a cover to be under remember
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Any injuries or casualties?
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nothing serious
i did check
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Do you want something else?
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the last two get a little tricky. mostly because of kara's own neuroses and the way she never lets herself get too close. oh, she'll readily say that she loves dick and bryce, considers them family in a nebulous kind of way. but every once in a while, she looks at bryce and thinks she's been more of a mother to me than mine ever was. kara never gives herself more than a moment to wistfully dwell on that before shoving the thought back in the box she keeps such things locked in.
still, when may rolls around one year and kara finds herself having recently had a few good, quiet moments of the kind she can really only have with bryce, she ponders. pulls a pandora and peeks into that box in her head, an idea drifting out and sinking its claws into her. it won't let go and so, very late at night on the second sunday of may, kara leaves a little package in bryce's study while she's out on patrol.
it's a little book full of notes and schematics. some purely kryptonian designs and some tweaks and improvements to current equipment in the cave that kara's seen. and scribbled in the front cover is a small note. ]
Thank you for everything you've done for me.
♥ Kara
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What happened?
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That's happened to me too. I typically terrify them in warning but I don't think that's much of an option for you. What did you do?
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i may have threatened to heat vision him if he did it again
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then he realized i wasn't joking and ran away
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[ Bryce gets there are eight, just like she said. At 8:01, there's a shadowy figure lurking behind wherever Otto is in his HQ and definitely should have made more of a sound before showing up. How did she get in?? Please, she definitely installed a backdoor in his systems the last time she was here. During all the sex.
But she's here now and if Otto doesn't immediately react, she's going to lean in towards his computer screens to peep his shit. This is a professional visit, god damnit. ]
This better be good.
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Thunderation!
[ He starts in his big fancy seat (it's a very big seat, this is an old HQ from the Overweight Gilbert Gottfried days), his octopus-sense not doing anything for him as she doesn't intend to harm him. Unless shattering his pelvis counts. ]
...Don't do that!
[ He's clearly pretty flustered at her sneakiness, face red and pouting. He's got an unbuttoned lab coat on over his shirtlessness now, but the effect is ruined now. ]
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It's easy to see how dangerous Bryce can be when alone with her like this. ]
Relax. I'm not going to hurt you.
[ Super reassuring, Bryce! ]
Yet.
[ And now that's just unnecessary. Still, she's going to reach for his mouse, going through whatever files he has on the screen a little obnoxiously. No real manners on this one, really. ]
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Mmm. History may repeat, eh?
[ It says a lot about him that he tenderly touches his black eye as if it's the spot of a schoolyard kiss. It's a physical sign of the attention he got. It counts.
His response to her rudeness is to put his hand over hers, just a shade of a loving squeeze. ]
You could ask, you know.
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Then he puts his hand on hers and that's too much. She's immediately going to shove him back in the chair and move to put some space between them. ]
First of all, get your mind out of the gutter. Not happening, Otto. And secondly, I wouldn't have to pry if you just got to the point already and told me what you know.
[ She should have just taken the files herself from his system. Why is she indulging this? ]
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I was actually referring towards your propensity toward unwarranted violence directed at my person.
[ And he actually was, hence the gentle touch to his bruised eye. She had been talking about hurting him at the time.
He doesn't show the tiniest bit of satisfaction that that's where her mind goes first though. Not when he has mild indignity to show, arms crossed and a mild glare. ]
Which as you can see, was not entirely groundless.
[ He could let that hang, but no, he's going to push ahead a bit further. ]
Stop demanding my respect whilst according me none!
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There's a hh noise that comes from her as she looks away from him, hands balling into fists at her side but he's right and despite the way she's treated him, he hasn't done anything to actively deserve it. Yet. His claim that he's trying to be better now has held true and she's not fool enough to not know that some of her ire is just her embarrassment over sleeping with him. ]
Fine. I'm sorry.
[ But she spits it out, which doesn't make it seem too genuine, really. ]
I won't hurt you. Can we please get to work?
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He gives a small, pouty huff as he steps out of his chair, letting the lab coat flap behind him like a white version of her cape. ]
I did say you just had to ask.
[ He simply nods his head and all the data is revealed at once, his holographic tech displaying footage he hijacked from security, full disassemblies of the weaponry is dissected views, lists of the men they pummeled and their links to known associates, everything. And this type is moderately solid- he pulls one of the weapons to the front, splitting it apart and showing the guts. ]
The tech I recognised- it's a bootleg version of Osborn's Goblin Army armaments. At first I thought it might be Hobgoblin, up to his old tricks of selling on the identities and technology of villains no longer operating, but I couldn't find a trace of him.
[ He grips a small view of the security and pulls it wider. ]
And I... have no idea who this is.
[ Probably some sort of Bat rogue. He hasn't teamed up with many of them- they're too creepy, mostly. ]
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So, instead she's quiet as she watches him explain, this time not reaching out to touch the light, even if it's clear in his motions that it's hard-light technology. She's content to instead stand back here, watching him, expression neutral as he explains.
It's only when he gets to the last page, to the rogue, that she knows exactly who it is. The photo is grainy, hard to make out details even with the widening but she knows that figure when she sees it. ]
Pyg.
[ If he wanted creepy, he got creepy. Pyg's one of the creepiest. Her lip curls slightly in disgust as she explains. ]
Professor Pyg. He wants to make things beautiful. Does this by turning people into his dolls -- peeling the skins of their faces off and replacing it. Mild brainwashing as well. Not sure what he's doing with guns, not quite his style, but it might be related to his current theme.
[ The hobgoblin route might make sense, Pyg's current theme might be recreating those old villains through his dolls. Bryce is already unhappy about this situation. ]
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...Gross!
[ Every now and then he does that, stops talking like he checks the thesaurus for every word and says something like a normal person. He can speak pretty naturally when he wants to, he just finds it boring. The same way Peter has enough brain power lying around to think of five jokes a second, Otto likes making his sentences unnecessarily frilly.
He does cough lightly into his hand in embarrassment at that slip. ]
It's not just guns, though they were most numerous. Flight wings, electric gauntlets, an insultingly crude attempt at my own arms-
[ As he speaks, examples pop up in the holograms. Others he doesn't mention but still appear. Some he recognises from former associates or rivals, others she's likely fought. A few so obscure neither could guess what it replicates- who even remembers Turner D. Century, let alone his flying bicycle made for two? Her theory seems more likely with each entry. ]
None are originals, as far as I can tell.
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He wasn't trying to impress her then, he was just genuinely reacting to something. That's much better.
And look, yeah, she really enjoyed the night they spent together even if he came out of it with a black eye and her, a lot of embarrassment. It was good, he was good, and if he was anyone else, she'd have been back the next night. Unfortunately, it's Otto. That makes it harder to accept.
But then he goes back to describing the pieces Pyg took and Bryce finally steps forward to explore the examples. An angry frown pops on her face, more displeased than anything she's directed at him, when she spots a certain hang-glider in the midst of some of the weapons Pyg's been taking and recreating. ]
Kite Man.
[ Hell yeah!
She lets go of the light and in a really flat, dark voice -- ]
I'm finding him. And I'm breaking him.
[ Pyg overstepped and now he's going to get what's coming to him. ]
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As into Bryce as he is, he still needs to prove himself to her. It's just a shame he doesn't grasp what exactly he should be proving. She already knows exactly how capable he is, which to him is the important part. Proving he's pointing it in the right direction seems a given to him- he's already said he's a hero.
He's super into her very brutal declaration and decides to join in with his catchphrase- ]
Yes- the die is cast!
[ Although after a second of posing with his fist clenched and a determined look, she's treated to a second instance of him being a guy rather than a mad scientist, though not quite as intense as the first. ]
Err, sorry, did you say 'Kite Man?'
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But when he asks her about Kite Man, her reaction is immediate and unthinking -- ]
Hell yeah.
[ And then she winces, gritting her teeth because she didn't mean to say that. It was just automatic, because of that god damn idiot. ]
I mean, yes. Kite Man. He's one of... mine. He's not... bad. He's just. Stupid.
[ Which means Bryce has to take care of him, a lot. It's a weird relationship and she should probably check up on him soon, actually. Just to make sure he's still alive and not being taken advantage of by anyone again.
Lifting a hand, she pinches the bridge of her nose. Her weird relationships with some of other rogues doesn't need to come up now when she's trying to be strict with Otto, damnit. She's undermining herself. ]
Can we move on please?
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Well. I'll be sure to be gentle with him should we cross paths then.
[ Or at least, Otto's version of gentle.
Otherwise, he agrees to move on. He can't think he can pick apart her breaks of character and not expect her to do the same.
Oh wait, he totally can think that, he's Otto. ]
Now, where were we- Oh yes.
[ He repeats his clenched fist and dramatic stance but instead yells- ]
Batwoman, hell yeah!
[ The fist uncurls to a soft nose boop and a gentle smile light on smugness and heavy on playfulness. ]
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And now Kite Man lives as a reminder to what she almost did. Once.
She's not expecting what he does next though, eyes widening a little behind the cowl once he poses like that and then -- and then he says that and she makes a strangled noise after he boops her nose. Her nose. ]
Otto!
[ Burying her face in her hands, she can't deal with this. He's such an infuriating dingus and these are the moments that make it heavy on the dingus. ]
I can't deal with this.
[ Ughhhh. Ughhhhhh. ]
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You can deal with anything.
[ He says it so naturally there's no way he doesn't mean it. ]
Darling, it's just you and I. You don't need to be so severe. You don't even need the mask.
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Now, she's here, and she could so easily take off the cowl and let him see her face. Let him know who she is. That she's not just Batwomn, but Bryce Wayne, who he's dealt with before. Bryce Wayne, who once offered him investment opportunities in a way to save him from himself. Bryce Wayne, who when once kidnapped by Otto, told him she admired his work and that it was a shame she couldn't hire him. She couldn't knowingly hire a super villain, she remembers joking. Who is she, Lex Luthor?
Bryce Wayne, who ate and enjoyed his pastries and never showed him anything but respect, even when he had her tied up in his lair. ]
I'm still not...
[ She trails off, awkward. ]
I don't trust you.
[ But the difference this time when she says it is that it doesn't sound sharp and cutting. It sounds kind of defeated, with a sigh. She wants a reason to trust him but she can't do it. Not with her level of paranoia. It's still too new for her to give in, to let him into her inner circle. Once he knows her identity, there's no going back, even if she's already been intimate with him. ]
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If there's no objection, Otto will slide those hands around her and give a hug, tight but gentle. That this would mean she's pressed against his bare chest isn't really considered for once. ]
We'll get there.
[ No matter her physical reaction, those will be his words and they'll be said as confidently. He's not so idealistic he thinks they're 'meant to be together' or some other hokum, but he does feel they're too compatible for them to not improve their relationship. ]
I've never been afraid of hard work, you know.
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She doesn't reject him and in fact, it's when he slides his arms around her that she lifts her own to go around his shoulders. She stays there, chin dropping onto his shoulder as she leans forward a little to tuck her nose against his coat. Her fingers curl into the fabric of his lab coat and she stays there.
If someone breaks the hold, it'll have to be him. ]
I know.
[ She leans her head against him, cowl against his short hair. ]
You're not entirely bad like this.
[ Like this, alone and a little more human. Neither of them have chance of being caught by anyone else, just the two of them here with their guards a little down. She said no to him and she stills means it! But... the hug isn't so bad. It's kind of nice. Bryce is hugged so rarely, she might as well take it when she can. ]
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High praise indeed.
[ He'll not be breaking them apart quickly, if doesn't have to. One arm moves lower, but he doesn't take advantage and go too far, stopping at the small of her back. Not only would playing grabass now damage his future plans... it'd just ruin the moment and he's enjoying the moment immensely. The other moves upwards, between her shoulder blades and moves in slow, gentle circles. ]
You, on the other hand, are wholly lovely like this.
[ Her suit may well be the furthest thing from huggable an outfit has ever been designed to be, but he can tough out some small discomfort for a taste of affection. If that is what this is. God, he hopes so. He knows he has her attraction, probably her respect. Her trust he knows he doesn't have. But affection... floats in the horrid position of unknown. ]
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The compliment he pays her doesn't do much other than get a noise of acknowledgement from her. She's a little used to his comments and it's not like they're what's making her like him, after all.
There's a bit of movement from her though and that's because she's tugging off her gloves. Arms still around his shoulders, she just tugs lightly at the fingertips until one drops off, and then the other.
Bare fingertips now curl in the back of his short hair, holding onto him lightly as she stays just like this. There's no specific intention here, other than her just being kind of tired and going with it for a moment. ]
You think I'm lovely all the time, doesn't really hold any weight anymore, Otto.
[ So, affection? He may have a little bit. ]
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[ He takes a breath when he feels her fingers scrape his scalp lightly, the thud of her gloves hitting the floor sending sparks of excitement through him that he has to contain. He can curb his red-blood for her comfort, he CAN, he knows he can.
His own hands move a little, simultaneously to the side. But before it seems he's letting go and give her chance to release him, they slide back. This time under her cape, rather than over it. The fingertips between her shoulder blades are a little more forceful, just a shade of that mastery of pressure he'd shown before but still not overtly erotic. Just... trying to ease the tension, the tiredness. ]
And you have appalling manners sometimes.
[ As he says it, they're still like compliments in tone. Flaws can be appealing. ]
...But even then you're lovely, so I suppose you've got me there.
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When his hands move under her cape, she knows she's missed her window to break the hug naturally. She supposes that's alright, doesn't quite want to pull away yet. Otto is warm and broad and firm and she very clearly expressed interest when they were together the last time.
What she says next, might be a bit surprising to him but is definitely something she's been thinking about since she texted him earlier. ]
I'm sorry about your eye.
[ She felt guilty, she really did. ]
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As close as she is, she'll feel as much as hear the sharp intake of breath when she apologises. That is a surprise and he can't hide it, pretend he knew it was coming. He wasn't thinking about the eye, the dull throbbing of it forgotten from the softness of their touch. ]
All is forgiven.
[ This is it, he thinks. He has to let go now. Otherwise, it's just so... mushy and not suave. ]
...Do you like to dance?
[ And that is him not letting go at all. ]
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I'm not exactly dressed for it, Otto.
[ Said a little wryly, but her head turns towards him when she says it. There's hot breath on his skin and the nudge of the cowl nose against his jaw. She should know better, she should do better, but she is... not.
She's just here. With Otto. Enjoying the softness. Maybe she's a little more lonely than she's been letting on. ]
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[ It's an involuntary sound as the heat of her breath on his skin, just a quick quiet hum. He's instantly embarrassed about it but doesn't do anything to try and cover it up. They're too intimately linked at the moment, it would be too obvious. ]
I was asking for our date.
[ She did promise him that, remember? ]
But... if you want to try now, I'd love to.
[ His head tips just a hint, bringing their faces closer a shade. Letting the warmth of his cheeks and his own breath touch her. ]
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Which is... going to be interesting, if she still doesn't let him see her without the cowl. Will their date be something in costume? Does he want it to be a real one? Something with the both of them, as people, not as vigilantes? If that's the case, then Bryce really has to make a decision here.
These are her thoughts even as she presses a little closer, just a little and -- And then her lips press to Otto's in a kiss. Her hand moves down from his hair to curl against his cheek as she presses her mouth to him, sweet and gentle with her kiss. The cowl will poke at him slightly, still too firm for these kind of actions, but it's very clear -- she initiated the kiss. She kissed him.
And she's going to kiss him for a while, actually. ]
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He's not entirely surprised when she kisses him, because he always assumes she wants to but some irrational insistence on not indulging stops her.
Amongst those many skills Otto has developed is kissing and he doesn't hesitate to apply his experience. Not too heated, not too deep. Keep it sweet, but not entirely chaste, a little like their embrace. Press his fingertips at her shoulders into the knots of tension. Move his other hand down just the smallest fraction. ]
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Because yeah, she's definitely going to keep kissing him. It stars veering a little from one kiss to you know, making out but she's going to ignore the little voice telling her to stop. Instead, she stays there, hand moving away from his cheek again to his neck as her other curls in the fabric of his lab coat and maybe the kiss becomes a little firmer. That's fine, it's fine.
So, yeah, not entirely chaste and it isn't all on Otto either. She definitely notices his hands but she's not shoving him off, so maybe that's a sign. After a bit, she will break the kiss to catch her breath a little, lingering right above his mouth and glad for the white lenses of her cowl so she doesn't have to make direct eye contact and, you know, give herself away entirely. ]
Don't talk.
[ And that's all she's going to say before she's pressing in for another kiss, firmer and definitely not chaste this time. ]
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In his Otto fashion, he can Ode to Joy in his mind. He had fuzzy formations of it from that sweet kiss that sadly ended, but the music is clear as if there's an orchestra of history's greatest musicians when she delivers a second.
She likes him! She really likes him!
He gets into the mood straight away, his hand no longer shy. Getting a full and firm grip of her ass, whilst the other loops at her shoulder. He tries to turn the experience into one of those sweeping, swooning affairs- but leans back rather than into her, still taking most of his weight on his tip-toes. Surrendering control to Bryce, showing the trust she'll hold him. She's already made it quite clear she's more comfortable calling the shots.
...And maybe this way it's more ingrained that it's her choice to be with him. ]
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She really likes him.
It's a little frustrating, maddening really, and she keeps trying to think herself out of it. But then she spends longer and longer moments with him and he gets under his skin like a plague and frustration overtakes her. It's getting more frustrating by the minute and the more time she fights it, the more intense the feelings return.
It makes situations like this, where he's being absolutely ridiculous, letting her dip him into the kiss catch her off guard. She ends up letting out a huff of laughter against his lips, not even that angry about the groping. She ends up breaking the kiss, holding him in the stupid dipping position for a moment with a hand in the middle of his back and the other curled against his neck.
Murmured against his mouth is a -- ]
You're ridiculous.
[ But it's fond, which is the worst part. She's going to move her hand then, curling it around his lapel and getting a good hold on it before she moves the other one, until she's tugging him back up by the front of his lab coat and leaning forward to press their fronts together as she keeps against his mouth. ]
And you're touching my butt.
[ Not a reprimand but kind of wry, like it's expected in an exasperated kind of way. She's not sure where she's leading from here, if she's going to keep kissing him like this or... what. She's not sure! She actually reached the end of her plan here!
Oh god, what if they have sex again?
(Not an entirely unappealing outcome now.) ]