Tempest: A spin-off of Teen Titans GenderBender(Closed for Eazy)

[UnseenMaiden]

(GothicVampire's GB Teen Titan rp that started all of this....
Match and Ula's profiles .. and theme song for this particular thread)

"Oh my god! That's just the best thing ever, I swear. Too bad you're too much of a dumb ass to do anything about it."

Any sort of retort that might have been thrown Match's way was lost on the wind as she narrowly dodged a beam of black energy that had been aimed the two heroes' way. Not that it stopped the girl from laughing at the look on Terran's face. She'd been berating him off and on for the past half hour, as well as various times in the past about his treatment of Ula. Sad that it had taken her this long to realize exactly why he was being particularly asinine towards Aqualass. Now that she knew it just amused her that much more.

A wriggling mass of black tentacles came her way and she quite unceremoniously, burned the beast with a blast of heat from her eyes. Even when it was mostly little more than steaming jello, it tried to attack her. A black tentacle shot bodiless into the air, only to be met by glowing pink bit of rubble.

"Thanks, sweetie."

Grinning at Hex, she kissed his cheek as he came closer and flipped Terran off when she noticed the gagging noises he was making behind her back. Then a delicious idea entered her thoughts and she faced the earth-mover with a smile. Something that was enough to make him at least a bit leery of the Kryptonian clone.

"Tell you what. I'm in a good mood today. Jump City in one week at 11 pm. Be at a club called 'Labyrinth'. Don't forget. I'm sure you'll thank me."

Then the lull in the fight picked up again and they spoke in person no more that day.
__________

The music seemed to echo in the very bones of not only the denizens of the club, but those that lingered just outside of its' walls as well, like her. Jump City. It seemed almost an eternity since she had stepped foot within its' territories. Yet, in truth, it had only been a handful of years after the incident, the disbandment of the Teen Titans. If asked, Ula would have said that it was Sunfire's leaving that truly marked the beginning of the end. He may not have been their leader, but he was their light and when he had left for Tamaran, that light had gone with him. Beyond that, she was at a loss as to what happened exactly in order to pull the others apart.

Terran and herself had already left, traveling as they had before aimlessly from town to town, crisis to crisis. The same way it had been for years, just the two of them. The rest of the Titans East had quickly become tired of his company and Ula... she just feared what he would become if left to his own devices. They never stayed long in one place. Terran never wanted to. Doing so would mean running the risk of growing attached and truthfully she felt about the same. It was why she never argued the times he'd wake her up in the middle of the night, something dark and painful glimmering in his eyes, and tell her that they were on the move again. She may not have known his entire story, probably never would now, but pain, loneliness, betrayal, those she knew on a very intimate level.

When she spotted her, Match grinned and waved, completely ruining the dark and depressing mood her songs were supposed to be setting. Not that many seemed to notice.They were far too busy with trying to hook up with the opposite sex, and the same sex in some instances to care overly much about the atmosphere. She had the sudden urge to mention to Terran that it seemed like his kind of crowd, except he wasn't there and Ula hadn't seen him, beyond a news report some time back, for years.

She never knew exactly why he left, but she could have guessed that part of it had something to do with Taras. He'd never been particularly fond of Aquaboy and even less so when her fellow Atlantean began courting her. For once, there was no leaving others behind. Taras' presence was nearly constant and they fought often enough those last few days. Then one morning she had woken up with a note that told her not to look for him. Despite his callous nature, had thought that Terran was her friend and, in an idealistic way, it had took her awhile to admit to herself that he'd just tired of her like he did everyone else. Taras hanging around had only helped to make his leaving that much easier.

"Hey! Long time. No see."

Ula had been sitting in the same spot, undisturbed, for the past half hour. Her iced tea, the only land dweller beverage she actually liked, had already melted into mostly very weak tea, not that she really minded. Surprisingly, most had ignored her. She usually got all sorts of question about her eyes, or even worse, someone would recognize her and get a horrible case of xenophobia. Now Match was standing in front of her, pale blond hair almost about her shoulders now, greeting her visiting friend during a break in the set.

"Match, I just saw you a month ago."

This earned her a careless shrug as a drink was set in front of Match, moments before she even sat down. It seemed the band played here often enough that their preferences had been memorized.

"Yeah, but we were fighting mole people. So it really doesn't count."

Ula had to at least concede that point. It was fairly hard to catch up with each other when all their meetings tended to center around one disaster or another. Yet, it was enough to trade off important information, like the reason behind Match's good mood, when years ago the girl seemed fairly close to homicide when Ula had met her. Speaking of which..

"Where's Hex? You guys have a fight or something?"

Match scowled for a moment before shaking her head and grinning at her. It was a look that Ula had come to realize meant the clone was up to something or new something. Both of which were entirely possible. All things considered, she wondered if perhaps she would have been better off not coming tonight.

"Nooo we did not have a fight. He's off at the airport picking... Okay! Okay! I'm coming already, sheesh!"

Grumbling, Match stood back up and made her was over to the stage before hopping agilely up onto its' elevated surface. Her irritation at being interrupted was plainly written across her features, but then she lit up and said something to the rest of the band, causing them to start into a melody as she grabbed the microphone, much to the groans of the few people that actually did seem to be noticing the world around them now.

"Oi. Oi! Shut up! Terran, this one is for you."

Ula had a very limited time to absorb the fact that the song Match was now singing, was a Disney one. Gods, she should have known better than to let her coerce her into renting The Little Mermaid all those years ago. Her eyes met Terran's and the shock was enough to make her forget to breath for a moment. Then he turned to Hex, said something and laughed as the pink-haired man glared at him.

She'd missed him. Odd how she had known it, but not completely realized the fact until this moment. About six months after he'd left, her and Taras broke it off and Taras had returned to the ocean. It hadn't been particularly difficult for either of them. In the end, he had felt more like family than a lover and besides, it had turned out that he was gay. Ula supposed that she probably should have been a bit more broken up about turning someone on to the same sex, but somehow it turned out to be just what she had needed to get over Raven, or her infatuated obsession as it was.

There was little in the way of excuses she could have offered for the actions of her younger self. It was hard not to hold onto any measure of kindness with everything in her, when more often than not her mere presence was enough to inspire a fierce hatred within those around her. Now she was alone, had been traveling completely alone since the first time she had met Aquawoman over a decade ago. That was one of the reasons Match had given her to come on an official visit. She needed actual company.

 

[Eazy]

(Terran and Hex's profiles)

While he couldn't put his finger on what had crossed his girlfriends mind at the time, Hex knew almost immediately that he'd somehow find himself in the middle of whatever Match had in mind after offering an invite to someone she could barely stand. Thus, a weeks time later, he really shouldn't have been grumbling to himself as he sat there at the airport, trying to ignore the occasional stare at his unusual complexion and hair color as he waited patiently for his friends arrival. Or as close to being a friend as one could currently hope of becoming when it came to this particular person.

"How on Earth did she ever talk me into going along with this?" The pink-haired former villain turned former Titan mused to himself while waiting in the terminal, his eyes remaining peeled for any sign of his ex-teammate, then allowing a slight smile to spread over his features, "Oh, that's right; she's just about the best thing that ever happened to me and I'd do just about anything for her."

"Don't forget she can suck a golf ball through a garden hose." The familiar voice called out as it neared approach, bringing about an annoyed groan from Hex as he turned to face the pain in the neck he'd been asked to pick up, "She is a Kryptonian, right? I've seen how they use that super lung capacity of theirs for sucking in toxic fumes out of the air. I'm still waiting for you to give me a definite answer on if she uses that in the bedroom."

Giving a simple roll of his eyes in response, Hex pulled himself back to his feet as he went about greeting the young hero for which he'd arrived to give a lift, "Nice to see you again, too, Terran. It's just a good thing Match isn't around to hear you. Unless you want a repeat of the black eye you got after asking about how a regular person could break through a Kryptonians hymen."

"That was a lucky shot and she knows it!" Terran quickly shot back in a brief burst of aggression, placing his heavy bags onto the floor while taking a short breather before they'd have to make the long walk back to Hex's car.

"Lucky shot? She flicked you with her pinkie finger!" The pink-haired hero was fast at pointing out while attempting his best at hiding the amusement over the memory of said incident, gesturing with a nod of his head before asking, "Anyway, are you ready to get going?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Terran grumbled out while starting to lift his bags, staring at Hex with a mischievous smirk, "But since your superstrong lady friend isn't here, you're gonna need to carry my stuff. Since it was her idea of inviting me and all."

Before Hex could begin voicing any objections, Terran effortlessly lifted up and handed over the largest of his luggage, followed by a second one and finally the third of the baggage he'd brought along for during his stay.

"Let's go, porter. You can point out where my transportation is located once we're outside." Terran ordered after giving a 'chop-chop' hand clap and leading the way out toward the parking lot, the long stretch of walkway seemingly a lot easier to make it through now that he didn't need worry about the items he'd brought along.

Struggling in keeping up as he trailed only a few steps behind the other male, Hex called out after having made several silent curses behind the bags which suitcases which obscured his vision, "What the heck do you have in these things anyway? Rocks?"

"Only in one of them." Terran responded nonchalantly without bothering to turn back, quickly adding on before Hex could get over the initial surprise enough to speak up again on his own behalf, "Hey, do you know how dangerous it could be if I were caught within an inclosed area without anything to defend myself with? My archenemies would have a field day if they discovered I was traveling in an airplane without any material for my powers."

His eyelid twitching at the other heroes comments, Hex shouted back with more then a hint of frustration in his voice at this point, "What archenemies?! It's not like you're Batwoman!"

Not receiving any response out of Terran as the pair continued on their way, Hex decided on biting his tongue and putting up with it for the sake of Match's little scheme, all the while daydreaming of the various ways he'd normally get back at the blonde hero for this one.

The drive toward the club had been about par with the average conversation the two would have on the rare occasions they'd gotten together. A few genuine conversations about respective missions, both dealing with small time crooks and superpowered baddies. The conversation was sprinkled with a couple of sarcastic comments brought about by the blonde which earned several glares from his chauffeur, as Terran occasionally referred to the pink-haired male that was sitting in the drivers seat. It'd almost been a relief when they did finally arrive at the club.

"Interesting choice of music." Terran commented as the pair of young heroes made their way through the crowd of club hoppers, a look of mild interest etched upon his face as he immediately started eyeing around the sea of people for anyone which may have caught his eye; having long since made it a habit of using his now former Titan status for picking up on different women on a number of occasions.

"Mmhmm." Hex gave an almost equally uninterested reply as he immediately started searching out his coconspirator and the second half of their 'victims' in this game of matching making.

In a short while, his eye did fall upon the pale skinned girl and their Atlantean friend in the distance, being able to catch only glimpses of the two heroines as others were constantly walking past the girls.

"Match! Match! We're here!!" Hex quickly started yelling out over the music which would have made his calls a lost cause on a regular set of ears, his voice sounding almost too eager on dispatching of Terran for the time being.

Terran gave the other hero a questioning glance when he'd noticed Match scurrying by and toward the stage, all the while Hex continued leading him into the direction from which she'd popped up only moments ago. The blonde-haired young man glanced over his shoulder and toward the clone when he heard his name called out; remaining clueless even as the music started playing. It hadn't been until the first few verses of the song were sung out that his eyes widened in realization, his head quickly turning back toward his front and making eye contact with a face he hadn't seen in what felt like ages.

Staring at his old friend as the music from that old Disney flick was sung out by Hex's girl, Terran diverted his gaze toward the pink-haired companion, "So, if she's the crab, would that make you the seagull?"

Terran gave a laugh at his own bad joke and showing of Hex's annoyance, the reaction actually working as a mask for what he'd actually been feeling at that moment. While he may have been hesitant in admitting it toward anyone including himself, he actually had missed Ula during the time they were away. Out of the few Titans whom had relationships with him which he'd even consider resembling that of friendship, she was the one he grew the closest to by far. But that's about all he'd actually consider it. He came to truly care about her, but that was what friends did, especially in their line of work where danger was an almost daily occurrence.

Then Aquaboy came along. Terran hadn't been particularly fond of Taras, which in and of itself wasn't exactly a shocking development. What did surprise the stubborn young hero, had been the feelings of jealousy and presumed rejection whenever he watched them together as the three traveled. At first, it was simple for Terran to write it off as being uneasy over the notion of playing second fiddle to one of the few friends which accepted all of him. The more he thought over how seeing them made him feel, however, the more worried he became over the possibilities. Those two times he allowed himself to experience such feelings since his powers manifested had ended in heartbreak; either his own or of the person who his affections were directed toward. Neither of which was a predicament he'd been in any hurry of going through again. So, he left the problem alone by ditching the couple. It was the logical thing to do. It was the easy choice to make.

Snapping himself out of his short trip down memory lane, Terran gave Hex an expression which showed his lack of amusement in this entire fix up, "Very cute, but I have more important things on my schedule then indulging your girlfriend in her little matchmaker games."

The blondes lets started moving, then Hex shot a brief burst of pink colored energy toward the heroes feet; causing his shoelaces to tie themselves up and trigger a trip up which resulted in Terran stumbling straight ahead several feet before regaining his footing.

Next thing Terran knew, he'd been standing only a couple feet away from Ula, which meant his option of simply walk away without saying a word was suddenly obsolete. Crouching down to fix his laces and buy him a minute before having to say anything, he flashed a glare over his shoulder and in Hex's direction. The former villain could only shrug while flashing him a sly smirk, figuring that now they were about even for the luggage thing earlier in the night.

"Dear lord, I am the seagull." Hex muttered to himself while keeping the smirk on his face for a few seconds longer as show, changing it only when he could give Match a look which read 'you owe me one' as he faded into the crowd for now.

Standing up before the Atlantean, gave a nod of his head in greeting as the music continued behind him, seemingly picking up as if they'd only seen each other a few days ago, "So, were you involved in this entire scheme at all or did they simply trick into coming here, too?"

Reaching up and scratching behind an ear as he stared at Ula, his eyes occasionally drifting away as he tried looking casual while standing there, the music still playing behind him while he attempted to gather his thoughts.

"Geeze, will you give it a rest, Britney?!" He called out toward Match as she continued singing the entire time, ignoring any actual quality there may have been in the clones voice as she carried on despite him for the time being.

Returning his attention toward Ula, he glanced over her briefly while trying to think of what to say, slowly admitting to the girl, "Yeah, it's been a while since we've seen each other. You're still looking pretty good, though. And it's....nice to see you."

These were probably about the most honest words he could bring himself to say while attempting to break the proverbial ice. He couldn't bring himself to admitting that a part of him may have missed her. Least without knowing if she'd felt the same about the time spent apart from one-another. Even then, Terran doubted he would truly express how hard it'd been before he grew somewhat accustomed to traveling on his own again. But he was used to the loneliness, so he somehow found a way of adapting over time. Or, rather, shutting enough of it down to take away that nagging urge for companionship.

Realizing he'd remained silent perhaps a bit longer then he should, the frustrating young man gave her a seemingly uninterested expression while inquiring, "So, what happened between Taras and yourself? I'd heard a few rumors sometime back about things not working out between the two of you?"

Truthfully, he knew about as much as anybody in the superhero grapevine could know about the relationship between the two Atlanteans. Terran simply wanted to hear it; perhaps out of a strange mixture of stubbornness on his part and an odd need for closure on the subject. Still, if he knew about the other male leaving her so long ago, it begged for one to ask the question of why he never bothered getting back in touch with her after all of this time. A frustrating young man, to say the least.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

"So, were you involved in this entire scheme at all or did they simply trick into coming here, too?"

She'd been startled, to say the least, when Hex practically shoved Terran over here after he tried to leave. Even more so that he was now accusing her of roping him into seeing her, like it was such a horrible thing. Of course both of those still paled to actually seeing him again in the first place. She was still trying to figure out what Match was trying to do with forcing them together like this? It wasn't like the girl particularly got along with Terran, so it couldn't be for his sake. Oh. She wanted them to be friends again. Looking at him now, she shook her head slowly, not really trusting her voice enough to speak just yet.

"Geeze, will you give it a rest, Britney?!"

Catching his shout, Match smiled sweetly and flipped him off, before the song ended and she changed to something more befitting the club. The song wasn't actually part of any sort of ploy. She'd just thought of it when walking back up on stage and couldn't resist poking fun. Her eyes scanned the crowd for Hex and eventually spotted him in a deserted corner at the bar. Knowing how much of an asshole Terran was, he'd probably had a rough evening. She'd make it up to him somehow.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've seen each other. You're still looking pretty good, though. And it's....nice to see you."

Ula wasn't even sure if she wanted to be friends with him anymore. Sure she'd missed him a lot, but there was little guarantee that this wouldn't happen again. Hell, he probably didn't even want to see her at all, going by his earlier escape attempt. It took her a moment to realize that she could no longer read him as well as she used to. He looked at her now like he was watching the weather channel and a small part of her was sure it was a ruse. Something she shrugged off as hopeful thinking on her part. Was it so bad that she wanted him to have missed her too, thought of her once in a blue moon, maybe even regret leaving so abruptly instead of saying goodbye to her face?

"So, what happened between Taras and yourself? I'd heard a few rumors sometime back about things not working out between the two of you?"

To her credit she stayed somewhat calm. What was she expecting? An apology? This was Terran. Even if he was sorry, he'd never say so. Even when they had been friends, this had frustrated her. She hid stuff, from herself, from everyone. Every moment she was hiding the absolute desperate loneliness that lingered inside of her. It was a madness born of a childhood with only herself for company. So she didn't think about it, didn't acknowledge it most days. Ula hid who she really was, just like he did, but at least she was somehow more open on a day to day basis. So maybe underneath all that missing him, she was a little angry at being so easily cast off. She could handle it. She was only supposed to be staying a week after all. She could be civil for however long they were stuck around each other.

"It was a mutual break-up. Very civil. What about you? Anyone keep you at her side for more than a couple weeks?"

Well it really wasn't her business either way. Yet, he was the one that brought the subject of relationships up, she might as well ask. Only other thing she could think to say was to berate him about being a coward and running away from one of the few people that actually took the time to get t know him instead of depending on that outward cockiness he was always portraying.

Match mentally sighed as they were finally over for the night and walked off the stage. She liked doing this, something normal like singing, but it was still tiring, night after night like this. The world faltered around her for a moment and she stumbled and nearly fell into someone's table, before righting herself. So she didn't go straight to Hex or Ula and Terran. Instead she stuck close against the walls until she was in the bathroom. Her breathing grew shallow as she slipped into the stall. The world was beginning to shake around her and, she hurriedly dug around in her pants even as she slumped against the cool tile wall next to her. Securing her prize, Match pulled the needle out of her pocket, an all too familiar neon blue glowing through her fingers, before she plunged the titanium alloy tip into her arm. The bathroom door opened and a few girls came in, causing her to bury her head against her shoulder to stifle her cries of pain. She was injecting lethal cocktail in her veins, enough to kill a human ten times over. It was meant to do the reverse for her, slow down the deterioration of her cells so she could function properly, but it still felt like it was setting her body on fire.

Minutes later, empty needle and plunger safe in her pocket, she was washing the evidence of tears from her face. She wasn't supposed to be here, wasn't supposed to have lived as long as she had. Her mission, if done properly, would only have taken a year to complete. There had been no reason for the scientists to keep such a dangerous creation alive for longer than she was needed. Things had never been exactly right inside of her, but now it was like she was falling apart. The chemicals helped, but they only gave her borrowed time. Eventually her anti-bodies would grow immune to the stuff and shut down. No one else except Superwoman and the doctor that tended the little troupe of Kryptonians knew about this, and for now that's how she wanted it to remain. Knowing would only make everyone worry.

Maneuvering through the now much emptier club, Match slid in on a stool next to Hex's and draped an arm over his shoulder, before she leaned in close and grinned.

"So, I take it he was a complete ass at the airport, huh? Think it was a good idea? Are you mad at me for not letting you in on it?"

As he looked at her, she pouted, though her eyes clearly said that she was only sorry when it came to him and would fool Terran and Ula again if she had to do it over.

 

[Eazy]

Terran waited for her reaction, an idea of what he should expect already formulating itself in his head, though he partially hoped for something different. Where many others would normally blow up at or dismiss him with contempt after his attitude spills, Ula would often show patience. It's not that she was a pushover, or would pretend to like him because it'd been the expected way for a superheroine to deal with such nuisances. For whatever reason, she genuinely seemed to enjoy his friendship, despite all of the hardships he frequently threw into its mixture. The very notion unsettled his nerves, but also left him feeling a sense of endearment toward the girl which he'd formed long before the Titans even broke up.

"It was a mutual break-up. Very civil. What about you? Anyone keep you at her side for more than a couple weeks?"

Again, she wasn't a pushover. He'd been the one which brought up relationships in such a cross way, now he had to deal with the slight sting her question, especially its wording, brought about within him. Whether it were due to Ula being the one asking it, or because he didn't need to even think back on the past couple of years to know his answer was a negative, he couldn't truly say. Perhaps a mixture of both. Not that his stubborn pride would allow her a clear indication of the hurt this simple question brought about inside of him. Save, of course, for the slightly snippy comeback response which came to mind during his short pause in responding.

"A couple lasted about three, maybe four weeks in one case. It's more due to a lack of options while being stuck in one location then anything else." The blonde haired young man answered while appearing rather dismissive of the question, leaning before the table rather then helping himself to a seat as he continued, "You find one grimy diamond while stuck in a cave, then you'd better hang onto it until you're able to get the hell out of there and find a better one."

Having let out that offensive little pearl of wisdom, Terran stood silently before the Atlantean, not being certain of what more he could say the moment. It didn't help that, while she wasn't saying anything about it, he could tell she was thinking about how things had ended between the two of them. How he'd callously tossed their friendship aside for whatever selfish reasons he may have had at the time. He knew what they were, but couldn't tell if she did. Nor could he figure out if it'd make things easier or harder if he were to tell her what his reasons were. It'd probably been for the best that he didn't attempt to, as his current frame of mind would have likely resulted in half-truths which could only complicate matters.

"So, while we're on the subject of relationships; have you found any other fish in the sea since Taras?" The young hero asked while gazing toward his former partner, asking the question in a fairly flippant manner despite holding a sense of genuine interest toward her response.

Uncharacteristically, his attention hadn't shifted toward any of the impressive pieces of eye candy which strolled past the pair as they carried on with their uneasy reunion. He'd barely even taken notice of any song changes on Match's part as she carried on and eventually finished her set. Why didn't he simply leave? If it'd been anyone else, he would have done this long ago, regardless of a simple trick on pinkie's part which forced an initial greeting. Slowly, his head lowered itself as he stared toward the surface of the table, the blonde locks of hair hindering a clear shot of his eyes. He couldn't say if this was done on purpose, but it did serve in blocking Ula from seeing into his eyes when next he spoke.

"You know, just because you were roped into this meeting with me, it doesn't mean you have to keep hanging around. You could simply catch up with Hex and Match if you'd prefer." Terran started offering while continuing to stare downwards, his voice coming out rather flatly, but with a hint of remorse as he added, "I doubt anyone would really place the blame on yourself if you did."

Even though he hadn't said it, and while he'd be reluctant of admitting it to his own else, let alone anyone else, Terran did include himself among those in his last sentence. It certainly wasn't much, but, for this guy, even a subtle showing of the slightest remorse could be classified as a near miracle.

Shortly after leaving Terran and Ula to their own trappings, Hex resided himself on sitting quietly at the bar. The former HIVE Student wasn't an antisocial person. If anything, when caught on a good day back in his prime, he could often be found as a center of attention during many social gatherings. He'd simply been tired, both emotionally and physically, after dealing with Terran and his weighted down luggage on his own. Not that he necessarily disliked his fellow hero. Not anymore, at least. In fact, he could relate to some of his issues; particularly their respective misguided affections toward people who ended up lying to them. Still, by the heavens, could that man become an incessant ass at times.

His time at the bar hadn't been a completely lonely endeavor. There were a couple occasions of informing women interested in his company that he was spoken for in that department. Once upon a time, he may have considered taking at least one of them up on it. It's funny how time changes a person, despite how stubborn they may be along the ways. Besides, even if he were somehow stupid enough to consider cheating, a girlfriend which had been gifted with super hearing wasn't exactly the easiest of partners when it came to getting around the problem. It was a joke he'd heard numerous times from those familiar with his past indiscretions during his time in the HIVE. Including Terran, for that matter.

So lost had Hex been in his own thoughts, that he'd barely noticed Match approaching before she plopped down beside him and threw an arm over his shoulder; his attention being partially divided between her and the drink he'd ordered as she spoke.

"So, I take it he was a complete ass at the airport, huh? Think it was a good idea? Are you mad at me for not letting you in on it?"

"We're talking about Terran, hon. It almost goes without saying he'd behave like an ass." Hex promptly responded while staring back with a slight smirk at the young woman sitting beside him, perfectly reading her expression in a way that only one whose come to know another so well could hope to do, "As for if I think it's a good idea? Eh, I'm gonna go ahead and reserve judgment on that one. We'll see if he doesn't try and make a run for it again."

The former villain snickered slightly at remembering his own method of aborting Terran's escape attempt, glancing over his shoulder in the other pairs direction and barely being capable of making them out from this distance. Least they were continuing to talk under their own free will. Compared to the blonde initial response toward the idea of talking with Ula, that had to be considered progress.

"And of course I'm not mad at you. Maybe a little annoyed over being put in the middle, but it's Terran which has me more worked up then anything else." He told her with complete honesty, giving her a reassuring smile despite the look in his eyes conveying the slight annoyance he'd spoken of just previously.

Truthfully, it actually was Terran which had him frustrated more then anything Match herself was guilty of doing. Her intentions were of the best nature, even if he didn't fully agree with them just yet. If it were anyone other then Terran which he'd been forced to deal with alone, he doubted he'd even give being put into the middle of her plans a second thought.

Staring back at her after taking a final sip out of his cup, Hex only now began noticing the subtle change in her eyes through the lighting of the club setting, his hand reaching up as he gently rubbed a thumb underneath one of her eyes, "Is everything all right?"

While she'd done a fine enough job in covering her tracks, he could almost swear she'd been crying only minutes ago. And it wasn't the first time he'd taken notice of similar incidents in the past. After so much time together, Hex need to be blind or incredibly naive to have not noticed anything by now. Slowly, any indication of annoyance on his part were faded away from his eyes as he stared into her own. He trusted Match. He truly did. Still, it didn't keep the young man from wondering, worrying, if perhaps she'd continued keeping a secret buried away and as her own burden to carry alone. Hex hadn't pushed the subject outside of the occasional voicing of his concern, but he did wonder at times.

Gazing into her eyes, the young hero remained silent as he stared at the woman who, for some reason, came to care about him in the same way he'd cared for herself. Without truly thinking of the action, he leaned in slowly and placed his lips softy against her own, kissing her sweetly while not giving a care toward anyone else within the club around them.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

(my theme song for this post.. *shrugs*)

"A couple lasted about three, maybe four weeks in one case. It's more due to a lack of options while being stuck in one location then anything else. You find one grimy diamond while stuck in a cave, then you'd better hang onto it until you're able to get the hell out of there and find a better one."

Apparently, she had hit a nerve. For a few moments, Ula wondered who these few girls were that he would stay with for lack of anything better. Then a thought occurred to her and she frowned. She knew it was a completely relationship base, but his explanation of why he had stayed with those nameless women seemed horribly close to home. They served to remind her that she too was little more than a 'grimy diamond' in his eyes. She would have cried, wanted to cry in an odd way, but if anything she had grown just a bit stronger over the years. She wasn't going to show weakness for the sake of someone that had quite obviously been through with her friendship the moment he wrote that note. She'd done so enough over the course of her life.

"So, while we're on the subject of relationships; have you found any other fish in the sea since Taras?"

"No. Nor have I been looking."

The answer was out almost automatically. It was true enough, but she was surprised that she did not care to waste time in informing him of this fact. She was probably just defensive. He'd asked her in such a bored tone, and with recent events, not to mention past ones, she was understandably on edge. Movement made her focus on the man before her. His hair had gotten a bit longer. She was sure it had not so effectively covered his eyes before. She had a mad urge to lean forward and get it out of the way so she could see what he was thinking.

Questions burned on her tongue. Though they all essentially boiled down to one thing. Why? She supposed she knew, but she wanted to hear it out loud from him. She wanted him to admit that he'd grown tired of her and left, because something resembling doubt was beginning to make itself known in the back of her mind and Ula was determined not to be that girl again. It had taken her years to stop hoping that Aquawoman would want her around again. She wasn't going to sit and uselessly pine after what was done and over with.

"You know, just because you were roped into this meeting with me, it doesn't mean you have to keep hanging around. You could simply catch up with Hex and Match if you'd prefer. I doubt anyone would really place the blame on yourself if you did."

It seemed she was doomed anyways. At his words her heart gave a dull ache. In his own way, he was sorry. She knew it without him having to say so. She knew it in the same way, from the faint inflections of his voice and the choice of his words, that she knew he expected her to hate him for it. To her distinct surprise, she didn't hate him. Indeed she struggled to hold onto the anger she had been cultivating for these past few years against him. Mentally, Ula berated herself. Was she so very desperate for friendship, that she would even forgive someone that had just abandoned her out of nowhere? Apparently.

Sighing, Ula took one last gulp of tea and stood up before leaning over him. Finally she satisfied the urge to run her hand through his hair and smooth back the strands that had blocked her view of him. When she kissed him, she acted without thinking, but didn't bother to pull her lips away from his relatively cooler forehead. Instead she mumbled her words against his skin, her tone just a bit sad, as it almost always was, and just shy of a whisper.

"You wounded me when you left, my friend. I don't know if I'll ever forgive that, but you'll not escape my presence that easily, all the same."

It was a week. Only one week. If he could bear it, so could she. Then he could leave all over again and Ula would be back where she started, a fool.

"We're talking about Terran, hon. It almost goes without saying he'd behave like an ass. As for if I think it's a good idea? Eh, I'm gonna go ahead and reserve judgment on that one. We'll see if he doesn't try and make a run for it again. And of course I'm not mad at you. Maybe a little annoyed over being put in the middle, but it's Terran which has me more worked up then anything else."

"True. True. Couldn't exactly say why I think they'd work myself. I mean he's definitely into her, but Ula's sort of closed herself off."

Her pout quickly turned into a grin as Hex looked over at their friends. Well, friend. She was still incredibly reserved on the blond. There were a few rare times she could almost see them kind of getting along, but that had been back when Ula had actually been around him, not to mention that they all paled to the many other times he was a complete asshole. She was doing this all for Ula. No matter how much of a prick Terran was, Ula missed him, who the hell knew why. It wasn't like he'd ever been any nicer or less of an ass to her, then he was to anyone else. Of course now the more she thought about it, the less certain she was that any of this was a good idea. All she had was gut instinct practically yelling at her to lock them in a room together until they came to some kind of an understanding.

"Is everything all right?"

Her eyes widened in faint surprise as the question and his gentle touch drew her out of her thoughts. She'd really hoped that he wouldn't notice. She hated lying to him, even if she felt it was necessary, and his blatant concern only made her feel worse. Her fingers dug into her jean clad leg as tears threatened to spring forth once again. She wouldn't admit it for the world, but everything about her slow demise scared her to death. Each time she said something wrong, her vision faded, or pain inexplicably gripped her; she always wondered if this was it. She only had a year or two left. One day the serum would stop working and that would be it. She was living on borrowed time as it was. The Agency hadn't meant for her to live nearly this long after all.

There'd be bruises on her leg later on. It was all Match could do not to cry as he kissed her. Instead only a small gasp escaped her lips as her covered them with his own. She loved him. It had taken her seemingly forever to realize it years ago, but now that she did, it was so painfully obvious that it made her heart ache. She constantly wondered how anyone so wonderful could want her, but Hex did. He said he loved her and she knew it to be true even though she couldn't understand the hows or whys for the life of her. There was little she wouldn't do for this man. Hell, he probably could have taken her right here and now, regardless of those around them. She wouldn't have minded much, not that she would exactly admit to it. Grinning against his mouth at the naughty thought, she eagerly returned his kiss. All she had was borrowed time, but she'd happily spend it all with him. The scraping of chair legs broke her out of her Hex-induced reverie.

"Aww... damn it all to hell!"

It had only taken one look to realize that Ula and Terran's reunion hadn't turned out to be the stuff made of Disney fluff and fireworks. Not that she had ever thought it would quite yet, but she'd seriously thought that they could have a conversation that lasted, oh, more than ten minutes. Heaving a laborous sigh, she watched Ula walk away from the blond that Match had determined must have rocks for brains, and shook her head.

"Sorry, sweetie. Girl talk. I'll make it up to you, whatever you want, when we return. Promise."

Leaning back towards him, she gave the pink-haired man a kiss that she definitely wished could be longer, before following her friend out the door and into the dark, damp, and relatively quiet streets of Jump City.

 

[Eazy]

The blond stood in silence and waited anxiously, yet with more then a fair share of apprehension, for any response out of Ula. It didn't take long for him to realize there remained a great deal of conflict within her. Even after what he'd done, she apparently couldn't brush him aside so easily like many others in her situation would. In a sense, perhaps he should have felt a twinge of flattery over the remaining threads which connected them from the past friendship they shared. However, it basically made him feel like a bit of an ass, which, despite all of the things he did on a fairly regular basis, wasn't something he actually felt all too often.

Before he could think of saying or doing anything to break the awkward silence, Ula stood up from her seat and stretched a hand out toward him. As the strands of hair were brushed aside, the blue eyes of the young man gazed up at his old friend, a hint of surprise in his expression when she leaned closer. For a brief moment, he let them close shut when she kissed his forehead, the unnatural (least by human standards) warmth of her body evident against his own skin during the contact.

"You wounded me when you left, my friend. I don't know if I'll ever forgive that, but you'll not escape my presence that easily, all the same."

While he knew her enough to realize she didn't mean to be anything more or less then truthful with him, her words, combined with the melancholy tone with which she expressed them, were enough to complete the effect of making him feel like an ass. By the time she moved away enough to gather a clear viewing of his features, his eyes were once more opened, but staring downward and at nothing in particular. If she said anything more to excuse herself before walking away, they fell upon deaf ears.

Glancing over his shoulder as she stepped away, he stared at her back and let his lips part, not letting out a sound as they mouthed out a silent apology which he knew she couldn't pick up on.

Pulling up a seat at the table where she'd been sitting only moments ago, he let his fingers tap idly against the wooden surface, making for the only sign of his restlessness as he attempted fitting back in by looking casual. It's times such as this which often made him wish he was a more heavy drinker. Or a drinker at all, for that matter.

"Aww... damn it all to hell!"

Hex raised an eyebrow as their kiss came to an abrupt end, followed by those first words out of Match's mouth which were about the furthest he'd expected after such an embrace.

"Was it that bad? Am I losing my touch?" The former manwhore half-joked as he stared at his girlfriend, following her gaze and quickly realizing what her words were actually in response of, "Oh, right."

Not that he could say he was surprised over the current results of the get-together. Unless you were someone he was hoping to share a short-term relationship, Terran wasn't an easy person for anyone to spend more then a few minutes with, let alone establishing any sort of friendship connection. And while Ula was a hero of a considerably more pleasant personality, she seemed to have her own barriers in place which wouldn't make things easy. Not that Terran exactly deserved to have her welcoming him back with open arms in the first place.

"Sorry, sweetie. Girl talk. I'll make it up to you, whatever you want, when we return. Promise."

Watching as the clone walked off after their friend, Hex let a slight smirk spread across his face as he whispered, "That include dressing up in the Batwoman costume?"

Letting the words out in a teasing tone which mirrored his intentions, he knew she could pick it up with her hearing, but couldn't tell if she'd actually had. Regardless, he did mean to tease rather then hint with his words, despite having a passing interest in role-play for sexual means. Then again, his interests tend to vary and stretch out into a number of kinks. It came from his past sexual explorations during the H.I.V.E which, while he wasn't exactly proud of them, were an undeniable part of his life experiences. It led to a few interesting conversations after he first became sexually active with Match about what she felt comfortable exploring. Considering her own dearth of experience before him, she turned out to be surprisingly open.

Snapping out of the train of thought which resulted from the aftermath of their heated embrace, Hex glanced toward the blond who sat alone and let out a sigh. Pulling himself out of his seat and making his way toward the other former Titan, he assumed the best thing to do was see how Terran himself was holding up after the initial meeting. If anything, it should prove for an interesting way of passing the time until the girls came back.

The pink-haired youth closed the gap between them in a short amount of time, standing before the table with his hands on the head of an available chair as he promptly broke the silence, "So, do I get to be the best man at the wedding?"

Perhaps not the best choice of opening words when considering the male sitting before him, but Hex knew Terran enough to realize pleasantries were usually a lost cause in dealing with the hero. Besides, getting Terran worked up could sometimes initiate slip ups in keeping himself guarded from showing anything 'real' about his feelings.

"Real fucking funny, pinkie." Terran shot back while glaring up at his former teammate, the conflicting emotions in his eyes playing second fiddle to the brief surge of anger he currently felt, "Next time your girlfriend wants to play matchmaker, why not tell her to invite Beast Girl and Raven along? Even those two would be easier to deal with then....look, just tell the clone to mind her own business in the future. I don't need her getting involved in my life."

Pulling out the seat before taking a spot upon it, Hex leaned back a bit while watching the almost-friend which sat on the other side of the table, "For the record? I think she did this more for Ula then yourself. She actually did miss you after all of this time."

"Whoopee damned-doo. Neither of those factors make any of this any easier." He explained in an almost whisper, his anger slowly subsiding, yet remaining slightly on edge about everything as he continued, "I don't know what you two had in mind for this happy reunion, but Ula wasn't exactly thrilled at seeing me. Let's face it; everything would be a lost simpler if I just left."

"Yeah, great. Run away again. Like you did with the Titans and everyone else who tried helping you out." Hex countered as he continued staring back at the other male, his hands resting against the edge of the table as he relaxed in a relatively laid-back manner, "Look, I don't know how good of an idea this entire meeting may have been, but the only person your leaving would make things easier on is yourself. It would only hurt Ula more she's already been and, more importantly to me, it'll make Match feel terrible."

Rolling his eyes, Terran crossed his arms over his chest as he quickly shot back, "Please. Look who's lecturing me about the importance of not hurting others? You don't exactly have a squeaky clean background yourself, pinkie. Particularly what I've heard about what happened with See-m..."

His words were cut off as he caught the angry glare which projected itself out of Hex's eyes. While annoying and making the former villain angry hadn't been something the hero had any qualms about, Terran recognized that he'd crossed a line which wasn't to be taken lightly. Outside of a couple instances several years back, he'd rarely come across that look in the young man's eyes.

Fighting back the temptation for telling of the other hero, Hex instead swallowed that anger and explained in a solemn voice, "We've both walked our own mistake ridden paths, Terran. I don't want to come across as pretending I know what's best for your own life. All I can say is there are worst things then trying to learn from the past. But, in the end, it's your life and your call."

Another awkward silence filled the immediate area around the table, making Terran's current record of killing any positive atmosphere an astounding 2-for-2 thus far. The blond knew enough about Hex's own habits of using his popularity with the ladies for sexual gain to realize it'd anger the former H.I.V.E. student to bring it back up. Particularly when it came to See-more. He simply hadn't realized how deeply driven the scars were from when he grew a conscious. It seemed no matter how healed a person can be, certain wounds would forever carry a scab which bleeds profusely when picked at the wrong way. This was something Terran could partially relate to in his own way.

"I'm gonna grab a drink." Terran suddenly announced while standing up from the table, starting to step away when he paused and glanced over at Hex, "You want anything while I'm up?"

Staring back at the blond, Hex soon realized the drink offer was the hardheaded man's way of attempting to make amends. A rather piss poor attempt, all things considered, but it wasn't often the blond actually took another persons needs into consideration enough to inquire about picking something up for them. It certainly did little in making up for the old wound which Terran's venomous words dug into, but at least he was already beginning to get over the insult.

"I'll take a coke while you're up." Hex finally answered while looking over at the man on the other side of the table, his eyes only showing hints of his steadily fading burst of anger he'd felt earlier.

Giving a brief nod in response, Terran silently walked back to the bar for a couple of drinks as the pink-haired hero remained seated in place. Letting out another light sigh, Hex couldn't help but think of how simpler everything seemed when he pretended to not give a crap about others. Times like this served as a reminder of how the whole personal growth thing could often be a true pain in the ass.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

Hearing Hex's last few words before the door shut behind her, Match laughed. It used to bother her in the beginning, all his little kinks. They were sort of glaring reminders of his rather daunting sexual history. Well, daunting to her at least, virgin territory as she used to be. But it wasn't like he was still carrying on like that and she eventually got over it. Though sometimes there were moments his mind would wander and she'd catch herself feeling jealous over any number of the girls he'd been with in the past. Especially See-more. The female cyclops was a subject she could never really bring herself to broach, though she'd come very close a few times during fights. A few people would have tried to point out that See-more to Hex was like Chris to her, but that wasn't nearly the same thing. She'd liked Chris sure, but she'd never loved him, not like she did Hex. He'd only been her first crush was all. Even if Super-girl had never shown up, her affection for him probably would had faded within a few months after some more life experiences.

"What?"

The night was blessedly humid, something Ula was incredibly thankful for. She was starting to get dried out. Though she wasn't exactly thankful for Match's presence. She knew her friend was worried about her, but she wanted to be alone with her thoughts for now. Terran was back, albeit temporarily, and instead of yelling at him as he'd more than deserved, she'd practically invited him to hurt her all over again. It was Match's sudden giggling that made her pause mid-step and wonder about the reason behind it. If she didn't know Match as well as she had come to over the years, she would have thought the blonde was laughing at her. In fact a little bit of her still sort of did, even as Match shook her head, an amused grin lingering on her lips, and shoved a thumb in the direction of the bar behind them.

"Nothing.. My boyfriend's just a freak is all."

Ula visibly relaxed, her mouth forming a small 'o' before she heaved a sigh and suddenly head in the direction of Jump City Bay. She was beyond stressed and if immersing herself was the way to calm down, at least a little, then she would do it. She didn't speak for a long while, even though she knew Match was staying with her, easily keeping pace as the Atlantean walked mechanically through streets that she'd once had more than a passing familiarity with.Apart of her, a really really big part of her, wanted to take of Terran's offer. She wanted him to leave, for her to leave, one of them at least. She wanted to seperate now before she got used to having him around again, but she knew she wouldn't. Somehow, no matter how much of her life she spent alone, Ula never got used to it. It wasn't like she wanted to be the center of attention and have masses of friends. She just wanted someone to need her. She wanted someone to need her enough that they wouldn't leave, unlike everyone else in her life. No matter how important she might think herself as their child, friend, lover; they always ended up leaving her alone. Even now, it was only a matter of time.

"So.."

"Why'd you bring me here, Match?! Why'd you get Terran to come!? Truthfully."

Her voice shook faintly as she yelled in the mostly empty street. A hand flew to her mouth once she realized what she'd done. Almost in answer to her mood, the sky opened up above them and with one great peal of thunder, let rain pour from the dark clouds that had floated almost invisible overhead. She hadn't meant to shout. She was usually so quiet, so contained. It was just easier that way. If she didn't show how much everything hurt her, then she could fool herself that her charade was real. Now the pouring rain di alot to mask the tears she'd been fighting against for so long and, to Match's credit, the blond girl only seemed mildly surprised by her friend's sudden outburst. Looking at her, Match was silent for what seemed like ages before she finally heaved a big sigh, smoothed her wet hiar from her face, and shrugged.

"It's hard to say in words without sounding stupid, but ...the long and short of it is I think you guys would be good for each other. You know I can't stand the guy, but you're different when you're around him. Stronger somehow. I dunno, it's just a feeling I get."

It was enough of a surprise to make her sit down on the wet pavement, with Match taking it upon herself to sit beside her. Even then she didn't fully realize the implication in her words until moments later. Then she really was too surprised to speak. Instead she just sat there, gaping, as she tried to think of some sort of suitable response. All this time, she'd just assumed that Match was trying to shove Terran into being her friend again. So she'd been worried about accepting him as a friend and the loss of that friendship once again. Instead her friend was trying to play matchmaker and going about it in just about the most horrible way possible. Forget the fact that Terran had never had any interest towards her in that department and forget that she'd never entertained the notion herself, Terran was awful boyfriend material. She couldn't count how many times she'd watch him crush one girl after the other, unknowingly or not. To be nice about it, he was a playboy and while she'd never much cared what he did with his dating life, there was no wayon earth she'd let herself become another broken heart left in his wake. She may have made some bad relationship decisions, but she wasn't stupid.

Well that had gone over about as well as possible, she supposed. Match had meant it when she said it sounded stupid. She was so used to making informed decisions as it was. With this, she had nothing to go on but her feelings and that made her nervous, part of why she'd held off on going through with this sort of thing for so long. Now Ula knew her reasoning and looked like a fish out of water, the way she kept opening her mouth and closing it with that wide-eyed look on her face. Lying would have been easier. It was generally her first instinct to do so. It was always weird knowing that certain parts of her personality had to do with being programmed for covert operations. Or one covert operation as it was. If she really wanted to psychoanalyze herself, she was probably pushing the Ula/Terran thing as a way of tying up loose ends. Thinking maybe if she made sure everyone important to her would be alright, then it would be a little easier to say goodbye. Sighing softly, she shook her head. There was very little point in entertaining depressing thoughts. Especially now.

Hlshfnf sakhrfow elkafh oiwfo piwnsa oiaqi!

There was no time to react. Just as she looked up, her vision was filled with a man holding wicked looking dagger and lunging toward her, screaming in a tongue she'd only heard in certain parts of Atlantis. Then he was flying away from her and landing with a resounding thud against the concrete wall on the opposite side of the street, courtesy of a backslap from Match. It didn't look like he was getting up, but she didn't think Match had killed him. The Kryptonian was usually very careful on how she measured out her strength. Even if they were superheroes, they weren't above murder charges. Sudden;y police surrounded him and the two girls. They put the Atlantean in special issue handcuffs and carted him away while questions sounded over her head. Match answered them, but she didn't know what they were saying exactly. He'd wanted to kill her. She'd been on someone's hit list before. It wasn't uncommon. But he was from the ocean, her world. Furthermore he'd called her 'The Abomination'. Even when she was dating Taras, she'd stayed above, far from the cities underwater. She hadn't heard anyone call her that in years and now that she had, it sent a tremor of fear down her spine.

"What'd he say? Ula! What did he say?"
She was pale. well, paler than usual at least. Ula had looked like she'd seen a ghost ever since Match had smacked that guy into the wall. She would have asked then, but the cops had been right behind their unconscious assailant and as they were both in street clothes, she'd chosen to lie her ass off and pretend like they were nothing but innocent bystanders. It took forever. Apparently the strange man had drawn quite a crowd of onlookers before he found them and Jump City's finest had to hold curious bystanders back until matters were settled. So eventually they asked once more if injuries had been caused or if they needed to talk to someone, before leaving them pretty much as they were before hand. Except the only thing Match really had to go on was a hunch that Ula knew what the knife-weilder had been saying where she didn't, despite knowing a number of languages that most people tended to think were beyond her.

"Oh! Um he... he said that.. that he ..would see me in.. hell."

It was a lie and Match knew it. Ula could tell by the small frown that the blond was now wearing. But what was she supposed to say? It was close enough to the truth. The assassin wanted her dead and more than that, they'd probably try again. She just didn't want to go so far into it that she'd need to delve into her past. She worked far too hard to separate herself from the unconcealed hatred of her fellow people. She wasn't going to let herself get caught up in their fear of some prophecy that had been made before her birth. It had already ruined enough of her life, enough of her family's life. Somehow Match left it at that and Ula was silently escorted back through the various alleyways and streets that she hadn't been paying attention to. She didn't realize where they were going until she was allowed to sit with a wet plop into a chair. The bar was practically deserted. How long had they been gone? It seemed like the employees were getting ready to close up shop.

"Someone tried to kill Ula."

She said it calmly, matter-of-fact. The words had enough weight to them, that sounding worried would only make the situation worse, because Ula was definitely in some form of mild shock. There was no mistaking the guy had been after Aqualass. If the odd language and only passingly familiar garb wasn't enough, the deadly focus he had on the dark-haired girl before she'd taken him out was enough to tip her off. It wasn't like any of them were without enemies. Attempts on their life just happened from time to time like anything else. So with that thought, she sat down too, not bothering to let her eyes stray from Ula for now, hoping the knowledge was enough to shake off the creepy feeling she was getting over this entire situation.

 

[Eazy]

"And that's how I ended up explaining the birds and the bees to Plasmus." The pink-haired hero finished regaling Terran with the amusingly disturbing experience, a shudder racing through his very being as he took a drink out of his glass before adding, "Ever since that day, I've never been able to look at a pair of sock puppets the same way again."

His former teammate couldn't only stare back at him as an awkwardly silent moment passed them by, an obvious expression of near revulsion temporarily etched upon his features, "And I'll probably never be able to look at a bowl of Jell-O the same way again."

Giving a shrug of his shoulders, Hex leaned against the smooth surface of the tables top as he clarified, "Look, it's not like I planned for the conversation to take place. She railroaded me with the questions and the only other person around whom she was interested in talking about it with was Raven. And with his family tree, it seemed the better option."

"Can't argue with you there." Terran voiced in agreement before taking a sip out of the nearly empty glass which contained his first, and likely only, alcoholic beverage of the night, "We have the weirdest conversations when we're drinking. Well, when I'm drinking."

Not that he'd drank nearly enough for him to logically blame it upon the alcohol. Terran was far from a heavy drinker, but he also wasn't a lightweight. Nor did he actually hold as much disdain toward Raven as his words may have indicated. But there would always be the past issues with Beast Girl which kept a thin wall between them, least on his own part. That tended to be his way, however. No matter what changes may happen between him and others, he always kept up a barrier, hard as they may be to see at times, which allowed the hero a sort of protection or cushion for if things turned sour once more.

The pair of former Titans conversed with a short while longer about a few topics which came to time; mostly buying time until they saw the girls returning to the bar. Hex gave the blond a look which more or less suggested he keep from being his usual standoffish self. Terran responded with a glance toward Hex which could be taken a number of ways; none of which being particularly pleasant. It was times like this where the former HIVE student almost longed for the days when he could resort to more physical threats for resolving head-butting moments such as this. The thought, however, was quickly brushed aside when he noticed the expressions on the girls faces. Something was wrong, and it wasn't brought about by a simple discussion about the less then spectacular results of the nights double date.

"Did something happen?" He asked calmly once both of the young heroines were united with them once again, the question open for either to give a response, but his eyes primarily falling upon Match out of habit.

"Someone tried to kill Ula."

Without thinking, Terran's head jerked up from the slouching position which had him staring down into his drink. The blond first glanced at the clone to make certain this wasn't somehow a sick joke, before letting his line of vision shift toward Ula. She was obviously affected by the failed attempt on her life, and while he said nothing, the look in his eyes did reflect the concern he held after this bit of news. Terran did begin to mask it a little better, however, the moment his visual examination showed no obvious signs of bodily harm having been placed upon the Atlantean.

"Someone, huh? I'm guessing that means you let whoever it was get away before you found out anything concrete?" Terran asked the clone while under the assumption the would-be killer spoke English as their primary language, his tone coming off rather accusingly as he added, "I hope you at least played a part in keeping her alive. Since it was your idea for Ula to be here and out in the open at night."

Of course, he ignored how he was the one who upset Ula enough for her to step out of the bar in the first place. Not that this was the only area in which he was putting his foot into his mouth, though he didn't know it at the time. Still, despite how hard he may have tried playing this off as another day in the dangerous lives they were thrust into a long time ago, he had begun assuming this was more then an attack by a costumed clown or random street thug. He knew Aqualass well enough, and he'd rarely, if ever, seen her react this way toward any past attempts on killing her. It came with the job, after all. But this seemed more like it was the who or why rather then the actual attempt which was bothering the girl.

For his part, Hex was picking up the same vibes. He hadn't come to know Ula anywhere near as well as the other heroes gathered around the table did, but he recognized the difference in reactions to having someone attempting to kill you for foiling their plans and having them try it because of a deeper, more intimate reason. Regardless, his immediate attention was on the other male seated at the table, whom had once again earned his temporary contempt.

"Terran, shut the hell up for once?" The former villain quickly responded once the blond was finished speaking, keeping his tone calm despite the obvious stern manner in which he was getting his words across, "And don't you ever talk to her like that again. Ever."

As expected, Terran began playing things off like he hadn't done anything so terribly wrong. Not that Hex was exactly expecting an apology out of the young hero. And he did know that Match could handle herself when it came to trading insults with another person. She had pretty thick skin, in more ways then one. But she also wasn't without feelings, nor did he ever like anyone attempting to hurt them; regardless of what their chances of success may be.

Adverting his attention back to Match and the more serious issue at hand, Hex began probing for further information out of his girlfriend, "What exactly happened out there anyway? Do you two have any idea what the motive may have been?"

Terran listened to what the couple said greater interest then he may have shown; though it was clear he'd been taking in whatever information was given by the Kryptonian. Which may have come across as him simply being interested for basic superhero-type reasons. Or for a desire to see some action outside of hanging around a bar which was practically dead by now. But, again, the way his eyes would occasionally watch the obviously shaken up Atlantean with concern which he failed to completely mask had given away a different story.

"Ula?" He let out in a relaxed, almost sympathetic tone of voice as he finally attempted speaking with the intended target of the nights attack; his eyes watching as he spoke, "Are you going to be OK? Is there anything we can do for you? Anything....you'd like me to do?"

Truth be told, what he'd really enjoy doing at that moment was getting his hands on the person which tried to kill her. Primarily to force out whatever information they may have needed, not to mention avenging an attempt on the life of a teammate he cared about more then he dared to admit. Unspoken moral code of the hero be damned.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

amusingly enough..the original post looked nothing like this

"Someone, huh? I'm guessing that means you let whoever it was get away before you found out anything concrete? I hope you at least played a part in keeping her alive. Since it was your idea for Ula to be here and out in the open at night."

"Terran, shut the hell up for once? And don't you ever talk to her like that again. Ever."

At Terran's accusation, her eyes snapped towards the blond human as she opened her mouth to tell him off, but Hex beat her to it. Heaving a small sigh, she let her eyes slip close and her head drop, as Hex's threat whispered over her skin. She felt guilty. This wasn't the moment for it at all, but she was happy that he jumped to her defense like that, happy that he cared enough to do so. Though she wasn't bothered by Terran's insult. She was used to him being an ass towards her. Not to mention that if their roles had been reversed, she probably would have said about the same thing. Hell, if something had happened to Hex with him ending up feeling anything like Ula looked, and she'd probably say or do something worse.

"What exactly happened out there anyway? Do you two have any idea what the motive may have been?"

Looking up at her boyfriend, she couldn't help the smile that came with his presence. Even at a time like this, she was still a little giddy about being around him. Damn school girl complex. Her continued infatuation was not important right now. Sighing, more at her foolishness than anything else, Match shook her head.

"I should have heard him sooner, but I let myself become...distracted."

She'd tell him about it later in private, but it really wasn't her place to alert Terran to Ula's feelings about her matchmaking and she knew he was listening. Terran was right in a way though. She should have heard the killer coming sooner. Instead she'd allowed her thoughts to get all wrapped up. Though by the looks of things, she didn't think Ula would be any less shaken up if she had been on the alert. Flexing her hand, she related what little she understood about the would-be assassin and what she told the police as well when they showed up.

"He was definitely after Ula though..... A calling card from beneath the sea. The police have him in custody right now, but judging how hard he hit the wall, he probably won't be awake to answer any questions for awhile."

She had little concept of time. One day was much like the next and even his lessons took on a tiring sameness. Though, she had to admit, that perhaps the chills that racked her body right now and clouded her thoughts, lent a level of other-worldliness that she had not experienced before. He could do nothing. Teacher was only shadow and voice after all and little more. She didn't understand why this was happening to her. It was not as if she hadn't been attacked before. Teacher had called it poison, but she hadn't heard that word before and needed it explained to her. She'd never known fish could be even scarier than before. Voices caught her attention, more than one, but she'd only ever known Him. That was why she cried out, her voice almost too weak to be heard, before her world slipped into darkness.

Her days had always blended seamlessly into the other, with nothing to distinguish them. Yet, now there was finally a moment for her to base the passing of minutes on. She'd never seen others like her before. There was Teacher but she couldn't even touch him and, therefore, didn't count. She knew words, knew what they were saying, that they were talking about her as her eyes slid shut once again. She was 'poor child' and 'sick'. They'd stopped her being sick and wrapped her in something weird. It was new and uncomfortable against her skin, but she wasn't as cold as before and didn't fight it.

The comfort she had gained from the kind travelers was son brought to an end when they finally got a good look at her. She was no longer 'poor child' but 'witch' and 'abomination'. Words that she had never heard before, but clearly seethed with fear and hate all the same. She didn't understand and begged them to explain why they had changed towards her so suddenly. They only chased her away back into the wild that she had always known.

"Ula?"

A strangled gasp escaped her lips at the sound of his voice, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as she looked at Terran with wide eyes. Her mind had been firmly entrenched in a past that she almost never took the time to think about. All those years of being alone and then hated for something prophesied before her birth. It had been ok for awhile when she'd been with Aquawoman. There had been more people then and more of a threat, but Aquawoman had been quick to squash any attempt on her sidekick's life. Even when that haven had been taken away from her, she was still thankful for those years when she'd thought she had been loved.

"Are you going to be OK? Is there anything we can do for you? Anything....you'd like me to do?"

Lowering her hand, she shook her head, a small smile on her lips in an attempt to comfort those worrying about her. She didn't want to show them the fear that had been choking her. The land had been her last resort. She'd been so sure that they wouldn't chase her here. That she'd be allowed to live her life without being seen as a threat to their precious prophecy. She didn't care if her heritage practically confirmed her as the key to chaos and doom or that her eyes marked her forever as such. Why couldn't any of them see that?

"I'm all right. Just tired."

It sounded false, even to her own ears, but mentally she was begging her friends to let her get away with it. She was trying so hard not to cry. They were never going to stop, were they? The Ilsand that appeared tonight had been proof of that. She was going to have to leave again, but there was nowhere else to go. She needed to run and leave her friends behind. They'd get hurt if she stayed.

"Oh bullshit you are."

Match didn't have much patience left. The night's events had worn her out and all she really wanted to do right now was to go home and sleep. She wondered if Hex had noticed that her sleep was getting less restless these past couple of months. When they'd started living together, she'd shunned her isolation tank in order to join him on a normal bed. Most nights the noise wasn't too bad with the sound-proof walls, but it wasn't like they'd have the apartment to themselves tonight. Staring at Ula now, she didn't bother to sugar coat her mild annoyance with the lie. Ok, she did feel a twinge of guilt for saying it in such a cold tone.

Heaving a sigh, she pulled herself from her chair and effortlessly scooped Ula up in her arms. Ideally, she would have wanted Terran to do this to bring them a little closer together. It may have been cliche, but Ula really hadn't looked like she could really stand on her own two feet. Besides, a stubborn part of her really just wanted to prove that she could, that some part of her still worked properly despite her condition. It was kind of awkward carrying someone taller than she was, but it wasn't like this was the first or the last time. Still she'd been expecting Ula to fight more than she did. Instead, she'd almost immediately given up and had her head against the crook of Match's neck, black hair concealing her face from view. Hot tear's seeped onto her skin, but he didn't react to the strong sense of deja-vu as she turned to the other too.

"We should probably go."

 

[Eazy]

"I should have heard him sooner, but I let myself become...distracted."

Hex gave a slight frown as he watched and listened while his girlfriend showed remorse over her delayed reaction time. She always tried her best, as many in their line of work did, but it was difficult to not kick yourself over any slip ups; particularly when they allow teammates or friends to find their safety in jeopardy. The latter part of her sentence also left him rather curious, but he figured she'd share any further details when she wished. Whatever it had been likely wasn't best suited for Terran's ears, given how he had a habit of making just about anything his business if he believed it a source of annoyance.

The former villain listened as she further explained what happened during their relatively short time outside of the club. As did Terran, though once it became clear they wouldn't get any answers tonight, he gradually resumed carrying about traces of his usual aura of apparent disinterest in what the clone had to say. The passing thought of saying something on this had skimmed through his mind, but a brief glance toward Hex made him think twice about it. Not that he was afraid of his former teammate. He simply didn't feel it worth any further hassle it would undoubtedly cause.

"The important thing at this point is both of you made it out of that tussle without injury." The pink-haired hero stated as he stared at Match with a look of dead seriousness, letting a smirk spread across his features as he added, "And if he had anyone else working with him, there are plenty of other walls in this city for you to toss them into."

Ula, meanwhile, appeared to have been miles away in thought at the time; with Terran's calling her of her name having been what stirred the heroine out of her deep thoughts. Not that either young hero could blame the girl after what she'd been through tonight; even when going only by first hand accounts. As she stared at the blonde, that small smile on her lips as she shook her head, he could almost guess what her response would be.

"I'm all right. Just tired."

"Oh bullshit you are."

Marking a rarity in the tenure of their acquaintanceship, Terran actually found himself agreeing with Match on something. In fact, he would have easily said the same himself if he weren't beaten to the punch. Thing is, he had ample opportunity, yet, ended up censoring his harsh thoughts for concern of how she may be negatively affected by them. The former Titan chalked it up as simple feelings of guilt which would pass, as he never hesitated in chiding Ula or others about anything he could think of while in the face of danger.

Hex, for his part, had been taken slightly by surprise over his girlfriends outburst. It wasn't out of the norm for Match, and heaven knows the night wasn't going wonderfully even before the assassination attempt, but Ula was probably the last in their strange quartet who deserved such cold words. Before he could think of saying anything for moving the night along, however, Match stood up and went about hoisting their friend into her arms. Even Terran couldn't help but crack a brief smile when he saw Ula eventually settling into the clones arms. Considering their height difference, it must have made an interesting sight for the few patrons remaining at the club.

"We should probably go."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Just let me take care of the tips." Hex explained as he stood up and reached into his pocket, taking out the fair amount for their earlier service before glancing toward the blonde, "And you're carrying your own damn luggage when we get back to our place, Terran."

"Whatever, you whiner. It's not like I can't just lift most if it with my powers, anyway." The original earth-bender stated as he stood and began walking ahead of the others, glancing over his shoulder and adding with a teasing grin, "And I'm guessing it's not a very big secret on how half of the sleeping arrangements are going to work out?"

The former Hive student rubbed at his temples a bit as he followed with Match carrying Ula, whispering in a low enough tone where only her and possibly the Atlantean in her arms could hear, "Are you sure we can't just drop a wall on him and tell everyone he was working for Slade again?"

He was mostly joking when making this suggestion, of course. Tempting as it may have been at times. Regardless, when they reached the doors and Terran took the liberty of leaving first, it did come as a genuine surprise when he held the door open for the girls. It was a small gesture, and the former Titan remained silent about it as the ladies passed through, but all it required was one look into his eyes as he watched the dark-haired woman in Match's arms for his intentions to be made clear. It'd certainly been more for Ula's benefit then for their Kryptonian friend, as Match's powers certainly made such a multitask easier then it would be for even a full grown man.

Hex likely would have dwelled upon the sweet gesture a while longer, had it not been for Terran releasing said door and allowing it to swing shut against the young man's head. Not hard enough for even coming close to risking the chance of leaving a bruise, but enough to effectively draw out a string of mumbled curse words as the pink-haired hero rubbed gently at the bride of his nose.

"I'm going to go Doomsday on his ass, one of these days." Was about the closest thing to a PG rating which slipped through his mouth as the hero fiddled with the car keys in his pocket; trying not to let Terran get too under his skin as he prepared for the trip to his and Match's place.

The trek back home turned out as a rather uneventful one; save for the occasional snide comments by Terran and a couple of brief anecdotes reflecting upon their time in the Titans. Within a short amount of time, this quartet of heroes pulled up to the parking lot an apartment complex with a rather crummy looking outer appearance. It wasn't exactly to the point where it may run the risk of being mistaken for a place to ask around for illegal narcotics, but give it a few more years for the remaining patches of grass to die out and the paintjob to continue chipping away, and it just might at that.

"You two have come a long way from Titan Towers and your days of supervillain headquarters." The blonde spoke with obvious sarcasm dripping off his words, eyeing the place and wondering if he'd been better off sleeping in a sleazy motel.

"It's a lot nicer on the inside." Hex said in his best attempt at a Doctor Who impression as he stepped out of the car, going around toward the back for the opening the backdoor on his side before having to move onto the luggage, "Or at least that's true of our place at the top. Just don't expect cybernetic butlers or anything like that. I keep putting in requests, but, well, you know how the League and their excuses of being too busy with saving the world. Nice big screen, though."

They were helped out in affording the place by a few friends and associates in higher places and with connections which allowed for modest but workable accommodations to be offered their way. Terran was correct about it not being close Titan Towers by any stretch of the imagination, but custom touches such as the soundproof bedroom and a training room with a variety of high tech equipment for helping Hex keep in shape during lull periods were of considerable use. Besides, it wasn't as if either one exactly looked normal enough for making a secret identity with a source of income easily workable. Not did a certain former Hive Academy students old reputation as a supervillain do him any great favors in this department.

"Need help?"

From around the trunk, Hex glance toward the side of the car, expecting those words from Terran to have been directed his way out of respect for their previous exchange about the luggage. Instead, he saw Terran standing before the back-seat where Ula had been seated; holding her door open as he stood there with an outstretched hand for her to accept on the way out. If it were anyone else, this could, and often should, be written off as a simple kind gesture for a friend or well-liked colleague who'd gone through a rough day. Fact is, such small acts of consideration weren't normal for the blonde to express. Not unless he was trying to impress a young woman who didn't know better, at least.

Letting out a light sigh, Hex figured it was one of the better reasons for not helping with the unloading; thus went about taking out the bags and suitcases loaded in the back. Though he did take the liberty of emptying Terran's of his collection of rocks before starting to drag them toward the entrance for their apartment complex. No point giving himself a hernia now that he didn't need to play nice with the young hero to keep him around.

"Now, the man who created elevators? He's my personal hero." Hex commented toward Match as he stopped a few feet ahead of the car, seemingly trying to guess how many steps they needed to take regardless of said lift, then shooting a glance over his shoulder as he started, "Think you could....I mean, unless Ula needs you, of course."

The former Titan flashed her his best attempt at a puppy dog look, though he never could master it to the effect Beast Girl did. A lot of other guys would probably feel threatened, least to an extent, about having a girlfriend whom was so considerably stronger then themselves. Outside of the occasional concern about being able to protect her from any higher power leveled villains they infrequently came up against, Hex never saw much of a threat to himself in it. If anything, it came in handy whenever they came across the wrath of a stubborn jar top.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

Unusually enough, Match was silent during their trip back home, not even reacting to the small jokes Hex made at Terran's expense, save for a smile ghosting across her lips every now and then. More or less though, her thoughts centered on Ula. Surprisingly, or not so much considering this recent bout of stress, the girl had fallen asleep in matter of minutes, leaving not one damn answer about what the fuck that assassination attempt was about. Personally it was annoying the crap out of her. She was smart, smarter than most people thought she were. Thanks to scientists fucking with genetics, neural programming, and memories of things implanted in her head that the Agenda had felt she would need to know, Match could do quite a bit if she put her mind to it. She was fairly sure that part of her frustration was due to her faulty synapses effecting more than her speech nowadays, but another part was something that had escaped her notice entirely all of these years. She knew almost nothing about Ula, nothing of importance at least.

Match had never pressed the Atlantean for information, too used to the partial anonymity that came with what the all were, what they chose to do. Ula had never shared either. She didn't not only find she was lacking knowledge of the big, life-defining events, but the small things that people let drop every now and again, like one's favorite food as a kid. The latter she usually noticed. Call it a perverse interest in something she'd never had herself. Well, unless they counted that one time. That had been beyond amusing in retrospect, if not so much at the time, especially since if she brought it up just right she could still get Hex to blush. Looking over at her pink-haired man, she caught his gaze in the rear view mirror and smirked at her most recent thought. Then a small noise from the girl next to her brought her back to reality, serving as an acute reminder that now wasn't quite the time to be thinking about teasing her boyfriend, even if it was incredibly fun to do.

Rubbing a hand over her face, she sighed in mild annoyance as she mentally sifted through what she did actually know about Aqualass, than what she didn't know. Hell, even most of that was hear say from one titan or another. She felt so stupid. Worse than that, she felt guilty for not noticing earlier, how completely off-limits Ula had made her personal life. She was a horrible friend it seemed.

"You two have come a long way from Titan Towers and your days of supervillain headquarters."

"It's a lot nicer on the inside. Or at least that's true of our place at the top. Just don't expect cybernetic butlers or anything like that. I keep putting in requests, but, well, you know how the League and their excuses of being too busy with saving the world. Nice big screen, though."

Tilting her head to look at the familiar apartment complex, she shrugged and nudged Ula awake before stepping out and stretching her limbs. Damn, she felt fried. Bloody arsenic was probably having a hayday with her system. Nope, scratch that. It definitely was. That building was swimming in her vision like no one's business. It was cause enough to make her start doubting if that stuff was even working at all. Not that it mattered. It wasn't like she had a menagerie of options to choose from. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a few deep breathes and tried to get her bearings. She could always take another shot, but one more now meant one more less for later. It also meant that that stuff was wearing off faster than anyone had predicted and there was no way in hell she was going to admit that. She'd manuever around with echolocation first.

Sleep had been a mixed blessing with her for a long time. It was rest for body, heart, and mind. It was rest she both need and craved, but when she was asleep, she couldn't ignore her past or her future. So sometimes, nightmares slipped in. Things that would have her waking up with her eyes wide and her mouth frozen in a silent scream. She was lucky. Usually she didn't remember the details and eventually she'd forget that she woke up with that fear at all. Still, she hadn't meant to sleep in the car, hadn't meant to do a lot of things tonight that she had. Her gaze slid over the unfamiliar interior as she did her best to adjust back to the land of the living, urging her breathing to steady and deepen instead of the quick, shuddery breaths she was taking now. At least that car was empty, gave her a few more minutes time. More than anything, she really didn't want to cry again. Ula hoped that Match would let that slide, hoped she wouldn't bring it up, and hoped that neither Hex and Terran, especially him, knew about that. It wasn't like she expected him to mock her, well, not too much. Movement caught her eye, surprising her as she turned to look at the man who suddenly came to stand next to her.

"Need help?"

Her eyes widened ever more as she stared at his outstretched hand, then at his face. Something bordering on panic was insisting on fluttering in her chest. She couldn't understand the simple gesture, the reasons behind it. He wasn't like this. He wasn't this nice, ever. Not to her. So, why? Why was there worry at the edges of his indifference? She knew she was over-reacting. That everything was just compiling together until the instinct to fight or flee rose up strong within her. He wasn't trying to hurt her. He may have been acting odd, but this night had not exactly been normal and more than likely part of it was still that bit of guilt for the empty years between them. Yes, that was it, a peak of conscience, nothing more. Looking back at the hand that still was waiting for her to take, Ula flexed her fingers, a grim line of determination flattening her lips. She was being foolish. She knew that much, but, as she set her hand in his own, she wasn't sure what that foolishness was.

"Now, the man who created elevators? He's my personal hero.....Think you could....I mean, unless Ula needs you, of course."

"Hmm? She's in shock, not pregnant."

Blinking her eyes a couple times, she was satisfied in the knowledge that the world seemed to wish to behave once again. Taking in the scene before her, she raised an eyebrow at the suitcase-laden Hex, before letting her gaze drift over to the odd couple of Terran and Ula walking into the building. What the hell had she missed exactly? She'd closed her eyes for a couple minutes. Was she that self-engrossed that she'd just missed everything else completely? Shaking her head in abject disgust with herself, she closed the distance between herself and Hex before snatching the suitcases from his hands.

"What would you do without me?"

Grinning, she gave him a peck on the lips and stuck her tongue out at him before pulling away. The shift of weight felt weird though. Frowning, she actually took a good look at them, experimentally shaking the large cases in her hand.

"Oi, Terran! What the hell do you put in here?! Roc.. yep... Paranoid much!?"

So rock-for-brains didn't exactly have super hearing like she did, but she was still fairly sure he heard her. Quiet neighborhood and all. In a fit of pure spite she almost dumped his precious rocks right there on the sidewalk. It wasn't like anyone would steal them and even if they did, he could always get more. Wasn't like there was a lack of them on the ground.A mumbling of freak could be heard under her breath, before she waited for Hex to get inside before carrying Terran's crap in with her.

You ok?

I thought I told you not to get the green kind.

Tomorrow at noon.

And I'll wear the pink dress with the blue shoes. No the red shoes!

'The time has come,' the Walrus said, 'to talk of many things.'

Never gonna give you up.
Never gonna let you down.
Never gonna run around and desert you.

Oh god, don't do that. It's so dirty.

Damn tenants. Admittedly they were actually pretty nice quiet neighbors, if you had normal human hearing, and their presence even served a purpose. It would have looked incredibly suspicious if only two people seemed to live in the entire building, even to casual observers. Still, she couldn't wait to get into the relative silence of home. All these collective voices were giving her a headache. Which is why when they did reach the top floor, one of her first acts was to slip a pair of headphones on and turn up the volume on the cd. Maybe not the most effective way but try getting aspirin to permeate her digestive system. She still wasn't exactly sure how she managed to get the nutrients she needed from eating. Of course, like other certain people, she was probably better off not knowing how everything worked. Nothing like the ambiance of a mystery.

 

[Eazy]

The blond held his hand out in wait of the Atlantean female to take it, with part of him not fully expecting her to take it after their earlier awkwardness. While his intentions were genuine in giving her aide out of the vehicle, there was a hint of surprise in his expression when Ula did finally take his hand. Enough of a surprise to cause Terran to pause for a moment before finally making good by helping the girl out and onto her feet. He gave hints of a half-smile out the corner of his lips as he watched taking a moment for straightening out; having noticed her own determined smile only seconds ago.

Glancing toward the other half of their unusual quartet of characters, he took Match's strength into consideration, or as much consideration as he cared to muster, before deciding on heading inside ahead of them. Besides, judging by the kiss she'd just planted onto her boyfriend, he knew the temptation for sarcastic comments would prove too great of a temptation to avoid.

"Come on, let's get you out of the open." He urged Ula in a firm manner, reluctantly placing a hand upon her shoulder as they started for the apartment complex, trying to keep from coming across as overly concerned about the days events as he added, "We can wait for the lovebirds inside. One of them has superspeed among their list of powers, anyway. May as well let her put it to use."

"Oi, Terran! What the hell do you put in here?! Roc.. yep... Paranoid much!?"

Terran heard Match's comments, of course. One would have to be near deaf to not hear that girl when she got her big mouth running. Still, he did begin grumbling to himself a bit as he led Ula into the building and, eventually, heading toward the top floor where Hex had previously mentioned their loft to be located.

Hex, himself, couldn't keep from snickering over his girlfriends comments about ditching Terran's rocky supply. In a way, it made sense for the young hero to carry a couple of rocks when traveling by air. At the same time, one would think he'd planned for a battle against the entire Sisterhood Of Evil, due to the amount he carried. Shaking his head, he started following after Match with his own share of the luggage, having felt guilty over the prospect of her carrying everything; regardless of differences in power level. Also, he'd caught wind of the momentary daze she slipped into minutes ago, though he ultimately chalked it up as being tired after a long day. Still, he'd end up keeping a concerned eye on her for a few minutes longer.

Soon as Terran was out of sight and unlikely to make any of his usual commentary, he leaned over and placed a peck onto Match's cheek as he gave a delayed response, "Without you? I'd have to start paying money for help around the apartment, rather then earning it through sex."

The former villain flashed her a teasing smirk as he quickened his pace a bit, as if trying to avoid her potential wrath despite knowing he wouldn't be capable of getting away if she really wanted to get back at him. Regardless, the short trip up was rather peaceful, even after catching up with Terran and Ula, perhaps due to their respective minds being elsewhere then simply focused on their own antics.

As they finally reached the top, Hex searched around inside of his pocket and took out a specialized key. It allowed access to their loft without needing anyone on the inside to turn off the security system. Not that it'd keep the average superpower crazy from crashing their pad if they truly wanted, but it helped in avoiding any unwanted incidents with curious neighbors or the occasional petty crook who picked the wrong place to make off with a few items to sell for a quick buck.

"Woah." Was the first thing Terran said as he followed the others into their home, Ula currently beside him as his eyes took in the sight of the nicely furnished flat which served as a stark contrast when compared to the rest of the building, "Somebody won big on Extreme Makeover."

A brief sense of satisfaction came over Hex as he heard the other hero actually eat his words for once; even if he probably wouldn't go so far as to admit it. Gesturing with his head for them to follow, he led their two guests toward the set of guest rooms they had for anytime visitors would stay the night. Both were nicely furnished like their own bedroom, though without the personalized touches made in consideration of Match's superhearing. Not that they weren't without a few security touches to alert those sleeping within of intruders and what have you.

"Here are the guest rooms for when you two feel like getting some rest. They aren't much different from each other, but feel free to take your picks." Hex explained as he set the luggage down outside of the rooms which were separated by only a few feet of wall, shifting his shoulders a bit to work out the strain his muscles were put through.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter to me." Terran pointed out as he gave a shrug over the choices presented to him, glancing toward Ula as he added, "Guess I'll go with whichever one Ula doesn't want. Ladies choice and all."

Perhaps one of the nicer things the blond-haired young man had done that night, although he presented it in his typical indifferent fashion. Now that they were inside and away from danger, he actually left Ula's side for the first time since they'd exited the vehicle. He also seemed to take this opportunity for slipping further into his usual ways of jackassery.

"So, what you two have to eat around here? I could go for a snack before calling it a night." His voice was rather nonchalant as he bordered on treating his hosts like the help, his feet having carried him behind Match as he added with a smirk, "How about it, Match? Make yourself a good little super housewife and bake us up a fresh batch of cookies?"

Hex noticed the way Terran's hand was starting to move, then quickly warned his former teammate with a tint of obvious annoyance in his voice, "Terran, you slap her bottom, and you're losing that hand. And that's just what I'll do to you."

Having frozen in mid-swing, Terran considered the other heroes warning before relenting on his intended gesture, "OK, OK, I'll just help myself to whatever you have left in the cupboards and fridge. Assuming that's fine with the two of you?"

The pink haired former Hive Student rolled his eyes as he walked past the other male, intending to check up on any messages or reports left during the time they were away, "Whatever, Terran. Just don't leave a mess in there after you're done. Living alongside Gizmo and Mammoth during all those years with the H.I.V.E. has given me a low tolerance for having to clean up after others."

Giving an amuse, but ultimately dismissive scoff over Hex's comments, Terran once again diverted his undivided attention toward the Atlantean, "How about it, Ula? Feel like grabbing anything to eat before calling it a night?"

As usual, his tone carried a certain sense of indifferent smugness when addressing anybody he hadn't intended on impressing into a date or more. However, at least since the failed attempt on her life, it often seemed to soften somewhat when addressing Aqualass. This time was no different as he waited patiently (or at least by his standards) for the superheroine to give a response.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

"Woah. Somebody won big on Extreme Makeover."

Match rolled her eyes. There was a time where she would have answered that with a biting remark of the wonders of funding, but there'd just been far too much bullshit going on the past hour for her to bother dragging the words out. She didn't have it in her to be annoyed for very long and time reminded her that, given Terran's penchant for roaming, not to mention pissing people off, he didn't have the stability of a sponsor. A majority of the upkeep this month came from the Poke-Match-with-a-Stick foundation. At least her status as a freak of nature had some redeeming qualities.

For Ula, it was nothing she hadn't seen before. Though now that she took stock of her surroundings, she had to admit that it was a lot nicer than anything she was used to. Even if she didn't take into account that most of what she was used to was one stagnant body of water after another. Which still wasn't saying much. What monetary means she ever managed to acquire went towards clothing and little more. Still, she paid enough attention to be polite as Hex went through the guided tour, and nodded at the appropriate times. He seemed to enjoy showing the place off.

She had calmed down a lot, it seemed, on the elevator ride up. Really it was only because she was completely distracted with making decisions, coming up with alternatives, and discarding the ones that wouldn't work along the way. She was trying to be removed about all of this, trying to look about her escape like it was game of chess. It was a reference her tutor had been fond in using but one she had never understood until she had spent some time on the surface. Her mind shied automatically from the memory. A habit that was quickly born after Aquawoman's betrayal. There was no use dwelling on the past if it would only bring pain.

"Here are the guest rooms for when you two feel like getting some rest. They aren't much different from each other, but feel free to take your picks."

Quickly she forced herself to pay more attention to what was actually going on around her, busy her mind so that she could not be brought to tears again. Once had been enough, too much really. She was embarrassed by her weakness. She could plainly see that the event had already brought suspicion to the faces of her companions. Only vaguely interested, she politely peered into each of the rooms.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter to me. Guess I'll go with whichever one Ula doesn't want. Ladies choice and all."

Ula shook her head faintly as she finally raised her eyes to look at Terran fully once again. What would usually be taken as indifference in others, was more often that not his way of trying to be nice. Then he pulled away from her, leaving far cooler air to coast between them, and she looked away. It was an unspoken reminder of the fact that she obviously didn’t know him as well as she thought she once had. Maybe indifference with him was just indifference. Suddenly angry once again with his past actions, she answered him with her own cold indifference.

"It doesn't matter. I usually sleep in a bathtub.”

Match raised an eyebrow at the change in attitude with her friend as she dumped Terran’s stuff into the first bedroom she ran into. If he wanted the other room he could just carry his damned stuff all of the ten.. fifteen feet it took to get there. Even if it was all practically weightless, she didn’t want to be stuck holding the things until the blonde guy decided where he was crashing for the night. Part of her almost wished they only had one room so she could force them together, but she’d done enough already. Really she was probably moving too fast. It was just that she was so impatient. Every moment was one moment closer to the last and she kept wanting to make sure that she made things right. Hoping that, somehow, she could make everyone she cared for happy before she died or melted as she’d been told was an alternate method for her demise. Anyways, with all of that in mind, she opted for something of a normal reaction and turned her attentions to Ula when she was out in the hall once again.

"I can pull the coffin out, if you want?"

"So, what you two have to eat around here? I could go for a snack before calling it a night. How about it, Match? Make yourself a good little super housewife and bake us up a fresh batch of cookies?"

Match almost missed Ula’s rejection of the offer underneath Terran’s loud interruption into their conversation. She had been concentrating hard enough through the background of her cd that he actually caused her to wince for a moment. Grumbling about what little good that was doing her head right now, she flipped him off, not bothering herself to look behind her and see his reaction.

“How about you go fuck yourself, Terran?”

"Terran, you slap her bottom, and you're losing that hand. And that's just what I'll do to you."

"OK, OK, I'll just help myself to whatever you have left in the cupboards and fridge. Assuming that's fine with the two of you?"

Her irritation, along with Terran’s not so harmless flirting with others, was disturbingly familiar as she watched Terran back away from the Kryptonian in front of her. Ula’s gaze flitted back to check on Match when she noticed no immediate retort. Her eyes narrowed with what she found there, which was nothing.

“Match?”

The vacancy in her friend’s eyes scared her for just a moment and then it was gone and Match was staring at her as if the sudden silence between the two had been her doing. So perhaps she’d imagined it, but Ula really didn’t think so, even if she didn’t even begin to know what could be happening here. Still no one else seemed to have noticed, perhaps it was only the stress of the evening getting to her.

"Whatever, Terran. Just don't leave a mess in there after you're done. Living alongside Gizmo and Mammoth during all those years with the H.I.V.E. has given me a low tolerance for having to clean up after others."

For Match’s part, she wasn’t sure what had happened, or if anything had happened at all, except her dazing off for no reason at all. That was weird in and of itself. Sure, she daydreamed sometimes but she at least knew what she had been daydreaming about. Now there was a moment in time that she couldn’t see in her head. The longer she dwelt on it, the worse she worried, and she could feel hysteria creeping in. It didn’t make sense, she wasn’t making sense. Damn it! This shouldn’t have been happening!

"How about it, Ula? Feel like grabbing anything to eat before calling it a night?"

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

She didn't usually eat. Not unless she had to. It wasn't anything intentional. She just usually had no time to do so or couldn't seem to crave any of the synthetically flavored and preserved plants and meats that most humans ate. At the moment, eating really was the last thing on her mind, but she supposed she should. Depriving her body of nutrients wasn’t really the wisest course of action. Especially as it gave her an excuse to leave what had become an awkward scene of Match burying her head into Hex’s back. It was enough to bring a faint blush to her cheeks with embarrassment. Turning on her heel, she grabbed Terran’s, not bothering to think about the contact this time, and tugged him towards the apartment’s kitchen.

“Come on. I know about where some of their stuff is.”

Standing like this, she wanted it to last. Found herself wishing that time would stop so she wouldn't have to eventually pull away from his warm, familiar body. Twisting her fingers in his shirt anxiously, she made sure not to rip the delicate material that covered his far more precious, delicate skin. Everything about him would be so easily broken under her hands. Yet, she was too selfish to stay away. It was stupid of her. She was going to hurt him so much more if she let this drag out. It didn’t matter that she was calm now and everything seemed to be running smoothly once again. It was only going to get worse. She should push him away. She knew that, but could only bring herself to do so physically right now, or else she’d stain the back of his shirt. Heaving a sigh, she wiped the gathering moisture from her eyes.

“Hex? I love you. You know that, right?”

In the kitchen, Ula was silent, a small frown on her lips as she went back to turning things over in her mind. Her hands were busy with a fish. She’d almost pulled it apart and eaten the tender flesh right then and there, but remembered that it was perhaps best not to act the part of a heathen in front of others. So the knife earned the task of filleting as she continued to scowl at herself. She should have said something back there. Nothing felt right tonight, even discounting her own personal problems. She could also say something now, but Terran had never been the easiest of people to speak to and he possibly wouldn’t even care, given how the two fair-haired heroes had never had much of a liking for the other. Hex was of course the more obvious choice, but that would have to wait until morning. Except that, of course, she wouldn’t be here come sunrise. A letter then? Her minor concerns casually slipped into last goodbyes. Would it not be better to appease her curiosity now sooner than never? And wasn’t she curious about more than just Match’s peculiar behavior? Knowing that she would never get the chance again gave her the confidence to ask what she’d been wondering for so long, even if her voice came out rather unsteadily.

“Terran… why… did you leave?”

 

[Eazy]

“Match?”

Though largely preoccupied with showing their guests around and attempting to keep Terran from getting carried away with his snippets of sarcastic commentary, Hex had gradually started to notice his girlfriends unusual bout of silence. The latter of which was proving a near full time job as the night continued on and slowed to where they were now. Still, as he glanced in Match's general direction every so often, the former villain started to question if she had simply grown tired or if there was anything else going on with the woman he loved. And when he lost track of her for several moments, only to find her deceptively powerful arms wrapped around his body from behind, Hex began to silently muse on how the other heroes decision for raiding the kitchen may make for a hidden blessing.

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

The former Titan hadn't exactly expected for Ula to jump in joy over spending time alone with him, but he hadn't fully noticed how far away her mind seemed to have wandered. Only having vaguely noticed the change in Match, he generally chalked it up as her mind reeling over what happened earlier in the night. For which he couldn't blame her, as it left him a little eager for answers or an outlet for misplaced aggression. As had often been the case for Terran, his outlet would turn out as being the very people he should have been turning toward for aide in dealing with said emotions.

“Come on. I know about where some of their stuff is.”

"Cool, long as it gets us far enough from these two. Think they're about to have a moment." Had been Terran's only response as he glanced toward the superhero couple, letting out a scoffing noise as he turned away and followed the Atlanteans lead toward the free eats.

Understandably, Hex was left rather frustrated over Terran's parting comments, but gave them nary a second thought as he directed his attention to the girl holding him in her arms. Her power was something the former HIVE student had been aware of for about as far back as he'd known of her existence. In the past several years, as allies and parts of their respective factions on both sides of the never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way, he'd seen her perform incredible feats. Feats which made him fully aware of how easily she could crush or snap him in half with the simple flexing of her Kryptonian muscles.

However, despite this knowledge, the young man felt no fear or anxiety as she kept her arms wrapped around his body. Raising his hands, Hex allowed for his fingers to trace along the outline of her white knuckles, before cupping his palms over her own and giving a firm squeeze. It wouldn't be the same as if he did such an action to a more evenly powered female, but the symbolism and meaning behind this act remained the same. Unknown to the young hero, Match's own thoughts of how she could stay this way forever had largely mirrored his own thoughts at the moment. At the same time, he now knew there was something more behind these actions, which is why he felt mixed emotions when she pulled away from his body.

“Hex? I love you. You know that, right?”

Without thinking, Hex spun around in order to face his girlfriend; the expression on his face showing the confusion etched upon it as he responded without a moments hesitation, "Of course. What...what type of question is that?"

Gazing down into the moist eyes of the Kryptonian, Hex felt any possible pings of anger he may have developed over her questioning his knowledge of her feelings melt away. Times like this reminded the hero of how vulnerable the clone of the worlds greatest heroine actually could be. Underneath that near invulnerable body, beneath those displays of blunt honesty and sharp wit which gave an impression of someone who could never be hurt was a person who suffered more then anyone should for the ideals of others. And as Hex stretched a hand out to gently stroke along her soft cheek, letting his fingers carefully wipe away any trace amounts of tears left underneath her tears, there remained little doubt in his mind that something important was causing her a deep amount of pain.

Without truly thinking, Hex continued gazing into the eyes of the woman he loved as the emotions and words started to pour out of his mouth, conveying much of what he felt about the clone, "Match, you're the one who made me believe I could actually love and be loved in return. That even after all of my past mistakes, the people I'd stolen from, those whom I'd hurt in more ways then one and the way I lived in general; that after years of this there was someone like yourself who could see me as more then a former villain in need of guidance."

For all of his time as a known villain and supposed 'bad boy' hero, the former Titan knew he could have a flair for the melodramatic when it came to his feelings for Match. Still, as the young man gave a knowing chuckle over this aspect of his personality, he decided on letting what was said stand as he tried wrapping up the remainder of his thoughts.

"Not that I don't appreciate the parts the other Titans played in helping me out during those years amongst them. But you? You're something else." The pink-haired hero stated as he stroked his hand along Match's cheek a few more times, then lowering it to his side as he felt compelled to toss one final thought out there, "I don't care how many times they try to clone the Big S; you're one of a kind. And I don't care how cheesy that may sound."

Smirking at his girlfriend, Hex leaned in and placed a brief peck upon her forehead, before standing straight up again with a more serious expression etched upon his features, "Now, would you mind telling me what ever made you ask such a question in the first place?"

Back in the kitchen, things weren't proving any less tense between the couples out of town guests. Save for a scarce question on the location of utensils or what-have-you, Terran was about as silent when compared with the silence coming from the female Atlantean. Likely out of guilt, the blond had barely glanced in Ula's direction as he sat with a small serving of salad placed before him. While not a vegetarian, a finer appreciation for vegetation had been one of the few things he picked up from Beast Girl during their time together. That, and a small case of fleas during one week.

“Terran… why… did you leave?”

Taken by surprise at the unexpected question, the young hero nearly choked on and spat up the serving of chewed up lettuce and tomato in his mouth. Once he swallowed this down, he stared across the table at Ula, hints of surprise evident on his features, but otherwise showing uncertainty and annoyance over how he should approach answering her question. Hoping against hope, Terran had actually held onto the slim chance of this not making its way into a full blown conversation piece. Seemed rather inevitable at this point.

"I had my reasons. And it's not like I've ever been known for my stability. I'm sure you must have realized this long before I'd left." The young man simply stated as he looked away from the Atlantean, resuming to fiddle around with his serving of food as he reflected upon the line of reasoning which likely made sense only to himself.

"I'd traveled a lot on my own throughout the years. Even when I was with the Titans, it was rarely for more then a few months at a time. And you saw how irritable I could get around others." Terran pointed out as he continued reflecting on his past behavior, rarely glancing up from his salad bowl as he spoke between chewing on the occasional fork full, "Especially after what happened between Beast Girl and myself. Not to mention the whole betraying their secrets to one of the teams worst enemies. That sort of thing tends to stay lodged up a few peoples butts for a good while afterward."

The fair-haired male gave a roll of his eyes, almost as if he'd expected everyone to get over such a betrayal after a while. Granted, a few had held onto their suspicions for a long while, but a good deal of this was due to his own obnoxious habits constantly interrupting any mending of bridges. Aside from this, however, he started questioning exactly why he said what he just did to Ula. Much of it she already knew, but the way he expressed these recollections showed a growing amount of emotion behind the words. Emotions which continued being expressed, in his own way, as he decided on speaking further about the topic.

"That sort of thing happens a lot with me, you know?" The former Titan explained as he glanced up from his meal, taking a break from eating as he focused more of his attention upon the conversation at hand, "Rubbing people the wrong way, hurting them. Even before the Titans, I'd make it a bad habit of acting on my emotions and speaking my mind to the point where others would consider me rude or stuck up. Then when my powers..."

Terran froze up unexpectedly, a far away look in his eyes after having found himself so caught up in his uncharacteristic showing of open emotions where he came close to speaking on a subject which was taboo for himself. Outside of several members of the founding Titans, he hadn't spoken much on this aspect of his past. And he wasn't prepared for breaking his unspoken rule at this moment.

Thus, wiping away the hint of sadness which threatened to fill his features, Terran temporarily resorted to using an approach he felt more comfortable using, "Look, why do you care, anyway? It's not like you're the first person who's been let down by me in the past."

The young man's rush of aggression, while certainly filled with more venom then Ula deserved, didn't last for long as he stared across the table at the female Atlantean. Guilt came back in full force as he contemplated who he was starting to blow up at this time. Inwardly, he cursed himself for not being capable of detaching his emotions so easily when it came to his former teammate. Then, gradually, Terran continued to cool down from his hotheadedness until a semblance of his previous rational returned. Enough for him to pick up where he left off after a short pause had come and gone.

"But if you must know....maybe I just wanted to avoid the inevitability of my turning you against me just like I'd done with so many others? Because you actually seemed to like me rather then simply tolerate my existence. And I actually grew to enjoy your friendship. In a way I hadn't for a long while." The blond explained as his words barely came out above a whisper, as if he silently knew how selfish his course of actions were where it concerned Ula's feelings, though he knew his current experiences would prevent himself from doing anything different should he repeat the process.

At the same time, watching the young heroine as he went about his spilling of information, Terran thought back upon what she stated earlier and hesitantly admitted, "Not that it seems to matter, since I'd waited too long to cut the strings and my leaving hurt you anyway. Guess I just thought it would be easier if I weren't there when the hurting actually took place for a change."

That was Terran, all right. Always running away from his problems and reality in general when it started becoming too hard or complicated; thus making things worst for everyone in the process. During his best moments, he could admit such mistakes to himself while reflecting upon them in private. But rarely had he actually spoken out loud and confessed to them to other people. Especially where it related to screw up's this large, which was why he started questioning exactly why he'd done as such now of all times. The primary explanation he could come up with had to do with the previous attempt on Ula's life outside of the club. It made him think about how many unresolved issues remained between himself and others. How many would possibly remain as such forever, due to the dangerous lifestyles they took on once they joined the ranks of the hero. Regardless of how this conversation may end, he continued to feel compelled to at least make an effort for once in his life.

And the former Titan said something with a hint of pain in his voice which, while a far cry from making right what he'd made wrong, was a rare attempt at making amends with anybody, "I'm sorry, Ula."

 

[UnseenMaiden]

I'm fairly sure what I had before was better.. but I don't remember most of it

Ula

Choking on his dinner wasn’t exactly the reaction she had been looking for. Though the look of annoyance and surprise was closer to her expectations. Resolutely she stared him down, clenching her hands as she mentally chided herself for considering backing away. She wanted an answer. Not that he had ever been inclined to answer her before on personal matters. Asking him had probably been a foolish endeavor.

"I had my reasons. And it's not like I've ever been known for my stability. I'm sure you must have realized this long before I'd left."

It was more than she thought she was going to get. Her eyes were wide as he avoided her gaze in favor of fidgeting with the silverware. It made her oddly aware of her own hands. Looking down at them, she frowned. Here on the surface, it was fashionable to be painfully thin. Even she had noticed such things, but beauty was not what she saw in her hands. They were bony and hard. They suddenly felt cruel in their ability to kill. Ashamed, she tucked her hands in her lap. She could hear him going back to eating, but she found she didn’t have much of an appetite any more.

"I'd traveled a lot on my own throughout the years. Even when I was with the Titans, it was rarely for more then a few months at a time. And you saw how irritable I could get around others. Especially after what happened between Beast Girl and myself. Not to mention the whole betraying their secrets to one of the teams worst enemies. That sort of thing tends to stay lodged up a few peoples butts for a good while afterward."

She already knew all of that. Even before she had met him she’d heard tales of him, of his impromptu visits with titans, and how he’d seemed to never trust anyone long enough to stay. She still remembered the look of the Titans West when their friend had betrayed them. There was regret but almost everyone had already begun to treat it as inevitable. The faint sound of remorse in his voice surprised her though. Glancing at him through her lashes, she studied her friend. There was anger there too, but he’d always been so good at hiding what he didn’t want others to see. Everyone used to always comment about how unusual it was for him to stand being around him, but she’d never thought of it much. She was too used to being brushed off by people in her life that his rude nature didn’t phase as it probably should have.

"That sort of thing happens a lot with me, you know? Rubbing people the wrong way, hurting them. Even before the Titans, I'd make it a bad habit of acting on my emotions and speaking my mind to the point where others would consider me rude or stuck up. Then when my powers..."

A small mournful sound escaped her lips when he caught himself. He always did. He’d forget she was there and then realize she counted as a person and shut himself away again. She could see it in his eyes, there was something that he kept firmly off limits. For some inane reason, Ula had always wanted to see what it was, but had only ever caught glimpses of it before he slipped from her grasp. A voice in the back of her mind told her to stop trying. She didn’t mean enough to him or anyone for secrets to be shared with, never had. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have her own secrets, after all. She didn’t have the right to know.

"Look, why do you care, anyway? It's not like you're the first person who's been let down by me in the past."

Apparently he thought so too, suddenly angry at her for wanting to know something that had plagued her since he’d left. She still remembered that morning, Taras waking her up to tell her Terran had gone. She’d thought little of it at first, except for the concern for his safety that just came with her not knowing exactly where he’d gone off to this time. Then in the next few days it had dawned on her that he wasn’t coming back. Her mouth had fallen open, but no answers came. She cared because she just did. That was enough for her.

"But if you must know....maybe I just wanted to avoid the inevitability of my turning you against me just like I'd done with so many others? Because you actually seemed to like me rather then simply tolerate my existence. And I actually grew to enjoy your friendship. In a way I hadn't for a long while. Not that it seems to matter, since I'd waited too long to cut the strings and my leaving hurt you anyway. Guess I just thought it would be easier if I weren't there when the hurting actually took place for a change."

He was watching her now, somehow intent on her reaction to him. Did it matter? He was already expecting her to reject him. Ula could tell that much, even if she was still turning over the rest of his whispered confession over in her mind. His words only left her with more questions. He had liked her, her presence, had thought of her as a friend, and had tried to avoid hurting her by purposely doing so anyways? It didn’t make any sense, not one little bit of it made sense to her.

"I'm sorry, Ula."

His apology didn’t comfort nor did the faint line of pain in his voice. Instead it hurt. Looking at him now, she opened her mouth and closed it again several times, searching his gaze for something. Then she looked away and stood up, taking her plate from the table and placing it next to the sink in quick efficient moves. She made to leave him completely, but paused next to where Terran sat, her hands clenched into fists, nails biting into the flesh of her palms. It was too late. This was going to be the last time she saw him and the others. It had to be. She wasn’t going to let her friends, any of her friends get hurt because of some damned prophecy looming over her head. Blood burned hot over her fingers and she forced herself to relax her hands, taking a shaky breath. She wouldn’t break her promise to herself not to cry again to night.

Finally, she walked away and down the hall, not trusting herself to speak. What was she going to say anyways? The forgiveness he sought from her, Terran wouldn’t get. It wasn’t true. He’d hurt her then, he hurt her now. Just another person to leave her behind, but at least this time she was the one doing the leaving. A grim smile painted her lips at that thought as she shut the door of one of the guest bedrooms behind her. Leaning her head on its’ cool surface she took a deep breath, one laced with pain that was more emotional than physical. Fingers pulled at the awkward surface world clothing that she wore and the layers were quickly shed on the floor. At least her drying out was something she could address without fear.

Match

"Of course. What...what type of question is that?"

His response was nearly instantaneous; causing a small smile to flirt with her lips as a familiar rush of elation filled her. It was stupid. She was supposed to be strong, push him away, not giddy over him loving her. Tears threatened to rise again as he stroked their predecessors away, but she choked them down. A million selfish thoughts told her such valid reason why she should delay or why she really shouldn’t do this at all. She knew he was worried even before he started blurting out whatever was on his mind. It made this decision so much more painful to make.

"Match, you're the one who made me believe I could actually love and be loved in return. That even after all of my past mistakes, the people I'd stolen from, those whom I'd hurt in more ways then one and the way I lived in general; that after years of this there was someone like yourself who could see me as more then a former villain in need of guidance."

She wasn’t any good at this. Match trusted him with her life, her heart, but she just sucked at saying it in any way that wasn’t clichéd or idiotic. They’d been dating for years now. So why couldn’t she just say what was in her heart? It’d taken her forever just to be able to say those three little words. Of course, if she bothered to think about it in a purely arbitrary manner, not clouded by her feelings for him, she’d more than likely accuse Hex of sounding exactly how she was too embarrassed to. Hell, if she trusted herself not to cry about it right now, she’d be teasing him about it even now. As it was, she just smiled as he laughed at himself, with no comments from her about how whipped he was if he was going to insist on sounding like some dime store romance novel.

"Not that I don't appreciate the parts the other Titans played in helping me out during those years amongst them. But you? You're something else. I don't care how many times they try to clone the Big S; you're one of a kind. And I don't care how cheesy that may sound."

Rolling her eyes, she softly snickered at him mentioning that particular well worn subject. She cared about her being seen as ‘just a copy’ more than she liked to admit and being among the alumni of converted villains meant she never really got those little peptalks about being one of the family that Superwoman tended to give most of the kryptonian family. That was something she’d always liked about Hex, even when they’d only been little more than two people who just happened to be working on the same team together, he’d never treated her like she was only the sum of her parts or her short past. As he pressed his lips to her forehead, she was quite ready to tell him how whipped he was and let the whole conversation go at that, but she knew from the look he gave her that he hadn’t forgotten what had started it.

"Now, would you mind telling me what ever made you ask such a question in the first place?"

Match hated lying to him. It made her feel guilty in a way that so few things did. They loved each other and she wanted to spend what was left of her life with him. How was she supposed to keep this charade up between them when she could barely bear doing so now? She almost told him then. She wanted to, hated bearing this alone. Sighing, she closed her eyes, shutting him out as best she could. It wasn’t like she was betraying him or anything, she just didn’t want to see him worry for her like she knew he would, mourning her before she was even gone. No, the deception was for a good reason and she could do this. She was made to deceive after all and she’d done a pretty damn good job of it as well before everything went to hell. She just needed to stop being so emotional about it all. Opening her eyes, she gave him a teasing smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering to him conspiratorially.

“I like making you wax poetic. It does funny things to me in naughty places.”

She’d meant it to be simple kiss, really, but what had started as a not so innocent way of shutting her boyfriend up changed without her consent. She’d heard that incidents of death or dying tended to make people really want to live, which got translated into doing outlandish things. If asked, Match would’ve denied it. Sure at first, her mouth on his had felt like goodbye. Hell for the past couple of weeks she’d had this resounding voice in her head saying this or that could be for the last time, but she pushed it aside now. Because, she had time, a little bit of time, and she didn’t want to give him up just yet, not now. Dying or not, she’d always felt alive with him.

A soft moan escaped her lips as she felt his tongue enter her mouth, her fingers tangling in his pink hair. The familiar taste of him, the feel of his body pressed to hers, it was enough to scatter her worries for now. The presence of their guests had escaped her mind as well. Grinning against his mouth, one of her hands moved lower as his belt loosened itself before the buttons and zipper followed suit. She wasn’t a prodigy, but her telekinesis was always good for the little things. Reaching down, slim fingers trailed over the thin cloth that separated her from him, and she chuckled against his ear.

“Now, what were you saying about Batwoman?”

 

[Eazy]

Hex

Concern started to mark his features as the former villain watched his girlfriend close her eyes. A simple enough act, but he'd known Match long enough to recognize this as a temporary shutting out of everything around her; save for whatever thoughts were on her mind. What those particular thoughts were, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as easy for Hex to decipher. Granted, it was possible he was mistaken about the severity of whatever brought about her question, but something in his gut, a feeling which only came with growing to truly know another person, had persistently stated otherwise. Even as she opened her eyes to him once again and wrapped her arms around his neck in an affectionate manner, causing a genuine smile to spread across his features as he gazed into the eyes of the person he cared about above all others; that annoying feeling would remain.

“I like making you wax poetic. It does funny things to me in naughty places.”

His smile promptly widened as she hit just the right button to temporarily divert his train of thought elsewhere. Hex always enjoyed it whenever his girlfriend would playfully tease him, regardless of the subject behind said teasing. However, anything of a sexual nature, whether or not they had any intention of following through on it, was a surefire way of grabbing his attention. Cursed overactive libido which never truly got over the 'hormones in sneakers' phase of his teenage years. Nonetheless, the head which didn't lie between his legs did remind the former Titan about how they had guests staying in the large apartment; which was why the meeting of his lips against her own was intended as a simple, albeit heartfelt embrace of the first and only woman he ever came to truly love in his short life.

That was how he'd intended this to start out, but it wasn't long before he felt his arms wrapping themselves further around her slender waist; gently holding her protectively within his grasp. Though protective and tender it may start out, however, the young hero didn't hesitate in deepening their embrace by letting his tongue begin an intimate exploration of her opened mouth. A slight smirk spread across the side of his features as he heard the Kryptonian let out a muffled moan against his firmly planted lips. While not completely forgotten, his thoughts about their company and wherever his previous suspicions might lead toward were soon drifting away. His last coherent thought before it letting it drift into a nagging suspicion at the back of his mind was how, even before things took this unexpected turn, he trusted Match to tell him when she was ready.

When one of her hands left its place around his neck, Hex felt a sense of anticipation fill himself as he continued embracing his love. The former villain would not be disappointed as he felt an invisible force working against the belt around his waist, followed by the front of his pants. The young man stiffened against his girlfriend as her telekinesis finished undoing the material of his jeans, causing them to slide down partly as he noted the grin which form against his lips as they kissed a short while longer. How far she'd come from the inexperienced clone she was during their first time those short years ago. As their embrace halted, he bit back a groan upon feeling her fingers trailing against the thin material of his boxers, causing himself to harden under her touch, his eyes gazing into her own with a look which seemed to both scold and applaud her efforts thus far. Hex truly had been a rather bad influence on this girl during the past few years.

“Now, what were you saying about Batwoman?”

Feeling her breath against his skin as she whispered the words into his ears, Hex briefly nuzzled his cheek against her own as he stifled a small laugh over her comment, which caused his body to shake slightly as he whispered in return, "Actually, how would you feel about putting on pink body paint and letting me call you Plasmus?"

The former Hive student waited a moment for his words to sink in, before letting his face break out into a sly smile which silently stated he was joking, which was swiftly followed by his lips meeting her with own in another firm kiss. Of course, it was probably obvious he meant it as a joke, like he had with the Batwoman costume, though one couldn't always tell when it came to Hex and his fetishes. Still, as his hands started roaming lower along her body, letting themselves cup his open palms against her backside through the material which surrounded her body, his memory did recall her saying she'd make it up to him for having to put up with Terran as part of her matchmaking quest. Much as he loved the girl, the guy did enjoy pushing at her buttons every so often.

Letting his tongue sweep itself across her tasty lips, the young man pulled back enough for her to see his features clearly, while at the same time keeping his body firmly held against Match's own as he started brushing against her, "You want to know what I would enjoy, sweetheart?"

His voice came out in an almost sickeningly sweet tone, which contrasted the clearly devious expression which filled his face as he stared at the woman before him; one of his hands having since slid down in order to grasp itself around the one she used to tease along the front of his underwear, "Since you're so eager to get things started, why don't you finish me off right here and now?"

Briefly, his white orbs glanced in the direction their guests had left toward earlier; serving as a less then subtle reminder of how exposed they potentially were in this particular hallway. Keeping his hand clasped around her own, Hex started to lead it along the outline of his hardening cock as it started to strain against the material of his boxers. She could easily pull away, obviously, as his own abilities (both natural and unnatural) could never come near matching her own while on this planet. But he trusted she wouldn't, at least not so quickly in this case. As his fingers aided hers in parting the opening at the front of his underwear, the young male knew he didn't need physical strength in order to take control while they remained in the open of their usually private home. When he felt the tips of her slender fingers starting to come into contact with the heated skin of his hardened shaft, it took everything Hex had to maintain what composure he could muster.

"Of course, we could eventually head back to our room in order to continue throughout the night, but I'm not sure if that'll happen unless I find some relief between us right now." He stated cheesily with a shit eating smirk which, even if she hadn't come to know of his habits over the years, would let anyone know beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was lying out his backside.

Both of his hands promptly slid underneath his girlfriends top, letting his fingers glide in a teasing fashion as he gently tickled along her abdominal muscles. Steadily, they worked their way upwards, causing the bottom of her top to bunch against his arms as more of her bare skin was exposed to the cool night air which filled their apartment. As the tips of his fingers reached the restraining material of Match's bra, a visible smirk could be seen spreading across the young man's features as he watched his lovers reaction. His palms slowly started massaging her sensitive orbs through the lacy material, albeit with a bit more added pressure then he'd normally give a partner, due to her Kryptonian DNA making it where he couldn't easily cause any discomfort; let alone draw out pain.

Staring into the girls eyes, his smirk began to widen ever so slightly, serving as the first warning as his fingers made certain of grasping only the bra itself for a few brief seconds. The next they knew, a brief flash of pink light could be seen emitting itself from around the collar, sleeves and lower half of Match's top. Though he kept that mischievous expression plastered upon his face, he did silently hope she wasn't terribly attached to the bra he'd just finished shredding with his powers. For the moment, however, his primary interest was on the now exposed mounds of flesh which were pressing against his firm palms. Little time was wasted as he started kneading the flesh with those skilled hands of his, as he began feeling her sensitive nipples starting to harden against the manipulations of his fingers.

"If you'd prefer, there's always the option of calling it a night and popping a movie into the DVD player." Hex suggested in a deceptively innocent manner while he continued toying with his lovers sensitive breasts, moving his body closer as he steadily backed her into a nearby wall, pressing against Match in a suggestive manner as his hardness rubbed against her own hand.

-----------------------------------

Terran

The young man sat there in silent anticipation over receiving whatever response the Atlantean felt like giving after his awkward attempt at explaining himself. How relieving it would be if she simply accepted his apology and took away much of the guilt he'd felt bottled up inside of him since they last saw each other. But he knew, even before seeing the hints of frustration on her face as she silently stood, that it wouldn't happen. Which made him wonder why he bothered? After all, despite the great number of things he had to apologize for in his life, it was something Terran rarely did unless he considered there a possibility of seeing any actual results in his favor. Funny enough, he didn't really dislike the fact that he'd made an apology, so much as he regretted the way it inevitably came out.

Turning his head as he followed her movements throughout the kitchen, Terran directed his gaze in her direction when she stopped beside where he sat, but didn't raise it in order to catch her present expression. It wasn't needed for the former Titan to recognize the growing tension within the room which was nearing a fevered peak. Instead, his eyes lowered themselves to see the heroine's clenched fists, wincing with concern as she started drawing blood, but only gazing upward to try and look into her face mere split seconds before she finally moved in departing from the kitchen area. His eyes followed Ula until she made a turn and wasn't any longer within his range of sight, wanting to say something, but never finding himself capable of doing more then watch one of his few true friends leave him behind.

"I deserved that..." Terran let out in a barely audible whisper as his gaze left the doorway Ula had vanished through, letting his head lower itself as he planted an elbow on the table and raised a hand to prop his chin upon.

Normally, this was where he'd get his mind off things by heading out and burying himself in a few 'super heroic' antics, or at least pestering whomever he could reach at the moment. In this case, it that would leave Match and Hex as his most obvious 'victims'. This time, however, he simply sat there while silently belittling his stupid little tirade and that pathetic excuse for an apology he'd just offered. After everything he'd done, and especially after the earlier incident outside of the club, Ula deserved a better effort out of the former Titan. Besides, considering the type of paths in life which they walked, either by choice or due to the cards dealt in their hand, it was difficult to say when he may see her again after this weekend. If ever.

Returning his attention to the helping of salad laid out on the table, the young man tried finishing his late night meal as he reflected upon various aspects of his life. Mostly those mistakes he'd made, of which there were many, both before and during his tenure as one of the Titans. Although he suspected things would come to this apparent conclusion, ever since he made the selfish decision to leave her without a word, Terran didn't enjoy the thought of his friendship with Ula taking a similar turn as his relationship with Beast Girl. Granted, what he did to Geraldine was considerably worst, and the two had since managed to reconcile their problems to the point of managing a professional atmosphere when around each other, but they weren't friends any longer. In all likelihood, they never would be again. And now it seemed things with the heroine known as Aqua Lass was heading down a similar path.

The blonde was able to finish off a few more mouthfuls of his meal, as natural hunger demanded he continue to sate his need for food, but soon found that his previously healthy appetite had wane considerably since jabbering on with Ula. Thus, with little less then half of his plate finished, Terran dragged himself out of the chair and, perhaps for lack of anything better to do, decided on cleaning up the dishes and utensils left by both of the respective guests. His mind remained focused on those depressing thoughts concerning his strained relationship with the Atlantean as he finished this short task, which was likely why he decided on going against his better judgment by stepping out of the kitchen with his head set on locating his currently absent former teammate.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

*crosses her fingers* please let the internet work

Ula

The surface world had spoiled her. Before teaming up with Titans East, she had only barely known of the existence of heated water. As silly as it seemed now, she hadn’t even had the remotest interest in the stuff for the longest time. Water was water. Why would she care if the temperature changed or not? Now she reveled in the luxury of warmth as it, and the chemicals in the soap that Match had left in the bathroom, sluiced away the grime that had collected on her skin and in her hair. Even if she spent every night immersed in water, she wasn’t generally as clean as was considered clean on the surface world.

Twisting the tap off, she idly watched as the last few drops of water fell from the shower head and onto the porcelain tub. Fingers wrung the excess moisture from her own hair, before she stepped out. Clothing, like body, needed a good washing. It didn’t matter that these vain functions she was going through would mean little the moment she stepped foot into the bay once more. This was the last time she’d probably get the chance and she found herself strangely hanging onto such insignificant tasks. Padding softly over the carpet, she kept her mind centered on them to keep out more dangerous thoughts. Small things were safer, like worrying tangles from her dark, wet hair, and gathering the various articles of clothing she wore in her attempts to seem normal.

Her hands were full of them when she finally noticed. For a few moments, she stood like a deer caught in the headlights. Not because she was embarrassed at her rather nude state, but more because she had little idea what to say. All the angry words that had buzzed around her head earlier seemed mildly inappropriate at the moment, especially as all the heat had left them for now. Averting her gaze finally, she went back to what she had intended to do and walked into the bathroom adjoining the room once more, her voice echoing behind her.

“Did you want something?”

The door was put between them, though she’d still be able to easily hear his words over the rush of water now that she knew to pay attention. She doubted that he would follow her. Humans and even her own kind had a certain amount of shame engrained in them that she had never quite mastered. Though, she did decide to honor those boundaries now with the door and the towel she slipped from its’ rung now to cover herself. For a few moments silence regained the space between them. She wasn’t sure what to say and refused to think of it as she scrubbed dirt and stains from the clothes in her hands. Not that her mind would listen. Slowly but surely, angry thoughts began buzzing around in her head. Suddenly, her body slumped over and fell gracelessly to the bathroom tile.

Then she appeared in the guest room she had just left, fury making her eyes bright and her cheeks flush. She was just a projection of herself, but appeared solid enough to have fooled many a foe in her lifetime. It also had come in handy during certain instances with Terran, before. Now she used it only because it was quicker than actually walking physically from the bathroom. Closing the distance between them, she met his gaze squarely for once that night. All of these years she’d been so hurt and angry and now that he was here with her, she’d just allowed him to apologize. If she was staying, like she had at first thought, she would’ve taken it. It would have been enough to have that from him. There would have been time to hope for a mended friendship. Now, though, there was no chance of that and even though most would want to leave things as pleasant as possible, Ula wanted to say what she truly felt for once. She wanted him to remember her as she was.

“Sorry? Sorry?! As if that one word will make everything all better. I thought you were my friend once, Terran. Even if you were an ass, I didn’t care! How dare you leave just like everyone else! And then you come back now…”

Just like that, the courage of anger failed her and a lump rose in her throat. Didn’t she know that people had left and hurt him too? She just couldn’t understand why, no matter how many reasons he gave her, he’d done exactly what he in turn would hate having done to him. Desperation had her considering shaking sense into him, but even if she appeared solid, she was anything but at the moment and her hands would just go straight through. Tears pricked threateningly at the back of her eyes and she clapped a hand over her mouth, before she disappeared. Gasping for air, she held onto the edge of the tub and pulled herself up from the cold floor as her body resumed its normal functions once more. The words she’d almost said tumbled whisper soft from her lips as she furiously wiped hot tears from her cheeks.

“..when it’s my turn to leave.”

Match

"Actually, how would you feel about putting on pink body paint and letting me call you Plasmus?"

His words gave her only a moment’s pause. She was fairly sure he was joking, but he’d surprised her enough over the years that she wasn’t entirely confident in her assumptions. For all she knew, he was fancying a more mature rendition of the birds and bees talk he’d given the neon pink girl some time ago. The cocky smirk on his face did little to enlighten her, but then she realized she didn’t care so much as his lips pressed firmly against her own. Ever since the beginning, she’d always been aware of how her heart pulsed so strongly when he kissed her, just like now. The press of his body though, with his hands wandering far enough that she could feel he heat off them through her skirt, had other things pulsing. The blush on her cheeks that came with this revelation was something she’d never been able to quite get rid of. So generally she just ignored it altogether. There were more important things to linger on anyways, like the taste of Hex that lingered on her lips when he pulled away.

"You want to know what I would enjoy, sweetheart? Since you're so eager to get things started, why don't you finish me off right here and now?"

As his gaze drifted from her and down the hallway, she followed his line of vision. It took her a moment, her attention being pulled from his words and more towards his hand as it led her own to explore the material of his boxers and that which lay underneath. She knew where this was leading, and unconsciously a smile drifted to her lips. He’d been a very bad influence on her over the years. There were things that she would have been shocked by five years ago, that she didn’t bat an eyelash at now. Such was the burden of experience, she supposed. Then, she laughed softly when it suddenly dawned on her that while she had completely forgotten, more or less, that Ula and Terran were here, he had not. Her enthusiasm waned for a moment before she squashed down the fluttering fear that her lapse in memory was caused by something more sinister than her distracting boyfriend. Looking at him with wide, innocent eyes, she stroked the heated flesh of his cock as she questioned his motives.

“Oh, but you’ll ruin my reputation with such indecent acts.”

"Of course, we could eventually head back to our room in order to continue throughout the night, but I'm not sure if that'll happen unless I find some relief between us right now."

Her laughter was muffled by his neck as she pressed her face into it. While she didn’t really care what they did right now in this hallway, she didn’t necessarily want to earn them an audience either. She knew damn well that his ‘threat’ was pure bullshit as evidenced by his wanderings hands as they crept under her shirt. The steady combination of heated skin and cool air brought a soft gasp from her lips, before she pressed a kiss against her lover’s neck. Soon enough those hands of his found purchase on her breasts and she lifted her head to shoot him a warning glance. One that held little force behind it as he kneaded her flesh through the lace of her bra and what remained of her attention was spent on keeping herself quiet. Then her eyes widened as he smirked in a particularly wide manner. It was the first time this night that she had considered pulling away from him.

All this time she had yet to stop stroking his length, then his actions startled her into pausing. She wasn’t particularly attached to the bra as the garment was more of an accessory than anything else. When gravity held little hold over you, sagging breasts weren’t really among your list of worries. In the back of her mind though, she did wonder if that meant her underwear was without a match now. The look on Hex’s face told her that he probably wouldn’t mind if she had to wear mismatched undies because of him now. No, he was far more interested in what was underneath and her breathing grew just a bit more shallow as he continued to his ministrations.

"If you'd prefer, there's always the option of calling it a night and popping a movie into the DVD player."

It wasn’t until her back hit the wall, that his words shook her out of the mild shock she’d been in. It wasn’t the first time she’d been so ‘roughly’ handled by him. As strong as she was, she didn’t mind letting her boyfriend take control of her a little. It still took her by surprise sometimes when he did, though. Normally, she would have laughed at his comment about quitting their little tete a tete and watching a movie. What she got out was a shuddery sounding gasp as she arched into his hands. Suddenly, as she resumed moving her hand between them, stroking him slowly up and down, an idea occurred to her through the pleasant haze her thoughts had taken. Two could play at this game.

He had asked her to finish him off, after all. She had started this. It was only right that she oblige his request. Grinning mischievously up at him, Match decided quite suddenly to turn the tables and, pressing her unoccupied hand against his chest, she pushed him away from her and around into the wall she had just been pressed against herself. Closing the distance between them once more, she claimed his mouth with hers as the hand she kept wrapped around his shift increased its pace. Her other hand slid between them slowly, pulling at the material of his shirt until tore at her grasp. Smiling against his lips, she chuckled and pulled away enough to speak.

“Oh? And what kind of movie were you thinking of watching?”

As she asked, she teasingly ran her thumb over the head of his cock, smearing his precum over the tip before running back down his length. Pulling the remains of his shirt aside, she didn’t wait for an answer as pressed her lips to his collar bone, trailing kisses downward until she came to a particularly lovely nipple and swirled her tongue around the rosy bud, grinning at her partner’s reaction. Traveling further south, his hands fell away from her chest as she nipped softly at each new inch of flesh. And, as she lowered herself onto her knees, she looked up at him and grinned coyly.

“How about an action flick?”

Keeping her eyes on his own, she studied his reaction to her as she lowered her head and slowly trailed her tongue over the head of his penis, dipping the tip into the hole there, tasting him. She liked doing this with him, even though a few years ago, she’d been afraid she’d mess up somehow or hurt him. Like everything else about her life, it was all about control with a few perks that came with her genetics. For instance, the fact that her body took longer to process oxygen, meaning she could hold her breath for a really long time. Something Hex had no doubt learned about her by now as she had employed that particular talent on more than one occasion.

 

[Eazy]

Hex

A sly smirk continued playing at the corner of the former villains lips as he watched his girlfriends reaction to his ministrations. One of the initial details he took notice of about Kryptonian's was the irony of, despite how impervious their bodies may be to many means of harm, they remained as sensitive as anyone else to the intimate touch of a lover. The way Match's back arched herself into him as his fingers explored the peaks of her breasts served as an obvious reminder to go along with the hardened flesh he firmly rolled between his fingers. Not that he was any different, as was evident by the way his hips subtly moved themselves against the strokes of her warm hand which kept itself firmly wrapped around his length.

As the expression on his features showed clear signs of the growing degree of pleasure she was drawing out of him, Hex briefly mused on how far the young woman had come since those early days when her own experience in sexual matters were understandably limited; given the unusual origin behind her birth. Almost as if on cue, the considerably more experienced male caught sight of a mischievous grin on his lovers face; serving as the only warning as she placed her free hand against his chest and pushed her boyfriend away. Before he could think to voice any complaints (as if he could think of one), Hex was spun around until his back was now pressed against the wall he had previously cornered the Kryptonian into.

Blinking out of initial surprise, there was a brief smile on his features before Match closed the gap between them and returned her lips to his own. His hands resumed their own efforts as he squeezed and kneaded her mounds of flesh within his grasp; subconsciously not wanting to get too rough, yet adding a greater amount of force due to knowing he couldn't truly hurt her so easily during their near feverish embrace. Much to his delight, her hand maintained its grasp around his cock, stroking it at an increased pace as the other hand moved to his shirt. Soon as he felt the material starting to be ripped free of his body, Hex let the mixture of a groan and a growl slip free of his mouth, only to be stifled by Match's own lips as he felt said lips curling into a smile. As she pulled away enough to speak, he couldn't help but offer up a halfhearted glare while enjoying the continued ministrations of her talented fingers.

“Oh? And what kind of movie were you thinking of watching?”

The idea came to him to answer with a snippy retort, but this was promptly hindered as the sudden sensation of her thumb rubbing over the sensitive head of his cock caused a number of his muscles to tense up. That felt too good, and while the young man enjoyed the pleasure she was bringing to him, he didn't wish to let her earn every pleasing sound so easily. As she finished smearing the precum over his bulbous head, Hex complied in her efforts to remove what remained of his shirt by pulling his back away of the wall, only to let himself settle against it once more by the time her lips ascended to his collarbone.

Taking advantage of their height difference, Hex placed a single kiss on the top of her head, then letting his unnaturally colored eyes follow Match as she worked her way lower. There was a sudden intake of breath as her mouth reached his nipple, teasing the sensitive skin until the tip grew erect under his girlfriends tongue. A teasing glare was what met the girls grinning expression as she gazed up at her lover, his hands finally released her chest as she descended further down with every trailing kiss along the muscles of the former Titans body. Slipping them out of her shirt, they simply pressed themselves flatly against the wall as he gazed down at the now kneeling Kryptonian; eyes full of growing desire as he smiled slyly at the heroine.

“How about an action flick?”

Biting his lower lip as he tried to simultaneously silence a snicker and, considering her position, bite his tongue on any obvious references to the porn classic Deep Throat. Still, he wasn't able to remain completely quiet as her tongue slid out to slide along the cum coated head of his member. The groan this action drew out was soon followed by a near incoherent mumbling of mild curse words as the tip of her slippery appendage pressed into the slit in the center. His eyes clenched shut, fingers curling into fists as the knuckles started to brush against the wall which supported Hex's body along with his slightly shaking legs. Slowly, those lids opened up again, hooding his eyes as he gazed down at Match, moving a hand in order to stroke the set of digits through her soft strands of hair as he watched the girl bath the head with her tongue.

"Perhaps something imported from Japan or Hong Kong? Those are always....good." The young man started to respond in an attempt at replying to her tease, only to let his last word come out in a labored, near groaning voice as he felt Match's tongue working itself in just the right angles to figuratively drive him up the wall.

Hex had been with a number of sexual partners over the years. Almost exclusively during his time as a villain. One thing he found during his escapades was the truth that, while swinging from one partner to another could be fun, nothing could beat finding that right person whom would come to know the finer points of pleasing your body as the weeks, months and indeed years together passed by. This was a particularly true fact of his relationship with Match, as his unoccupied hand moved to join the other, gripping the top of her head while not obstructing his view of her oral ministrations. Hex couldn't exactly force her onto his length if he so desired, but the nudging of his hands was adequate enough in letting her know what he wanted next.

Eventually, as his throbbing sexual organ was properly bathed around the tip, she did comply in parting her lips further and drawing the shaft into her warm mouth. No matter how often they did this, the sight and feel of his love doing this for him had always excited Hex as much, if not more, then their first time together. This was no exception as he let out a contented sigh, letting his head fall back until it lightly bumped into the wall which supported his body. His hips pushed forward slowly, feeling her tongue slither along his length, the head pressing further down her throat, squeezing around the tip as he steadily worked every inch of himself into his girlfriends mouth. Watching for her reaction, he took advantage of how long Match could hold her breath by taking his time in pulling back; doing so only when the first sign of her gag reflex started acting up.

"Oh, God..." He breathed out as he felt her throat muscles briefly squeezing around the thick head; feeling grateful, not for the first time, that her enhanced alien strength didn't make it so there was any immediate risk of injury by the clenching of her throat around him.

Pulling back until only the head of his cock remained between the girls lips, Hex watched intently as his now slicked member started to slowly slide back into Match's mouth. He worked it in almost as deeply as before, only to pull his hips away once more, before sliding back in at a slightly quickened pace. The young hero repeated this action several more times, his fingers tangling in her strands of hair, face contorted in a strained expression of mounting pleasure as he watched every thick, throbbing inch of himself pass in and out between her parted lips. His pace wasn't near what he would consider it a 'proper' fucking of her face, but it was certainly enough to bring about a steady, pleasurable friction. Even more so as the length continued to wetly rub itself against the roof of her mouth and the slippery appendage that is her formally teasing tongue; letting Match taste more of the precum which slipped out of the head with every thrusting movement.

Terran

The blonde had tried to follow Ula's trail by heading in the direction he last saw her take before losing sight from the kitchen area. Still, this place was deceptively difficult to find you way through, which lead to him knocking on the doors for several rooms he figured she might be in along the way. After a couple of empty guest rooms, a broom closet and what appeared to be a modestly sized trophy/memorabilia room, Terran had taken to simply helping himself into every room he came across. As he reached one room in particular, however, the former Titan would come to at least partially regret this as he helped himself inside; only to be greeted by a pleasant if rather unexpected surprise.

His eyes widened as the sight of the naked Atlantean girl filled his senses and likely forever embedded itself within the young man's memory. Not that he hadn't seen any number of nude women in his time, nor was Aqua Lass exactly the first former Titan to be amongst those he'd seen in the past. Nevertheless, whether it be over guilt from their past few encounters or something deeper, Terran showed a rare display of shyness by lowering his gaze to the floor, muttering a few whispered apologies at the same time. Unfortunately, where he'd normally feel a sense of satisfaction over the chance of seeing a perfect beauty in such a natural state, this had served in inadvertently costing him his train of thought. A factor which apparently wasn't completely lost on his former team mate.

“Did you want something?”

Following her legs as she moved, Terran finally raised his head upon seeing the door close behind the Atlantean as she moved into the bathroom. The blonde himself had closed the door behind him to allow them privacy, simultaneously respecting her own by keeping to the guest room. Not that he was exactly a modest person, as he'd done far more shameful things then knowingly walking in on a person in the buff. Now wasn't the time for his usual antics, however, which left him with but a few fleeting seconds to regain a semblance of composure as he stood by the bathroom door.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he let himself lean his shoulder against the wall, arms crossed and head lowered as he stared into nothing while speaking loud enough for her to hear; yet keeping his tone relatively soft, "Look, I deserved the response I got back in the kitchen, and, frankly, you're perfectly within your right to tell me to take a flying leap if you wanted. But I....I don't know, I just don't want things to end like this between us. Even if we never saw each other outside of 'work' after this weekend, I don't think I could stand letting another relationship go out on such a bad note. Not with you."

More than a little selfish on his part, he realized. Especially after his leaving on his terms had done much of the same in terms of ending their friendship on negative terms. At least Ula had thus far appeared honest and direct with her soured view on their fractured relationship and any attempt by those around her in repairing it after what happened. Either way, Terran paused in his words for several moments, as he did have more to say, yet felt off about doing so through a door. She did eventually come back out of the bathroom. Or rather an astral projection of her which briefly confused the young man had come out. Not quite the face to face he was hoping for, but it was better then anything. Yet, he found himself continuing to struggle in finding the words which properly expressed the whirlwind of emotions and thoughts which made up his present train of thought.

As he straightened himself out, watching the projection for several seconds, his awkwardness in apologies remained evident even as he finally let another, partially strained string of words to escape his mouth, "Ula...please say something?"

Despite his choice of words, as he carefully watched the young heroine close the distance between them, gazing back into her eyes as she finally met his own for the first time; it became evident that what she said next was going to come out regardless of what he had to say upon entering her room.

“Sorry? Sorry?! As if that one word will make everything all better. I thought you were my friend once, Terran. Even if you were an ass, I didn’t care! How dare you leave just like everyone else! And then you come back now…”

Trying to mask any sign of hurt in his eyes, Terran had once again felt second thoughts fill him over whether or not his following after her had been the right thing to do. It was what he wanted, but it evidently, understandably wasn't what she wished and, while 'credit' for this meeting had fallen onto Match's shoulders, this current confrontation was squarely on his shoulders. Slowly, his blue eyes started to avert their gaze, not being able to look Ula in the face anymore as an unprojected comment caught his attention.

“..when it’s my turn to leave.”

"What?" The blonde blurted out without thinking as his head suddenly shot up, confusion evident on his features as he stared up at where Ula's projection used to be; then turning his head toward the bathroom door upon realizing it was gone.

Terran hadn't heard the majority of what was said in the short spurt of words, but could swear he picked up the word 'leave' toward the end. It briefly crossed his mind that she was speaking about their eventual parting by the end of this trip, yet that didn't make sense for him. If her words were related to the trip, then she would have likely said it clearly through a projection. Heavens knows she wasn't pulling back any other punches before this sudden bout of meekness in expressing everything which raced through her mind. As these thoughts briefly filled his mind, it nearly escaped the young man's notice that he'd continued staring into nothingness, confusion having slowly given way to concern, before he tried to correct this rather then stand there dumbfounded.

Trying to push these thoughts aside rather then putting her on the spot, which the young man likely would have done if he heard everything she said, Terran tried a considerably more restrained approach; at least by his standards as he spoke at the hard bathroom door, "Ula...I guess you're right. No, I know you're right. A simple sorry can't fix what I've done, and, to be honest, I didn't expect it to. But a person has to start somewhere, right?"

There was a short pause as he tried to gather the words for what he wanted to say next. Speaking to someone in such a restrained manner wasn't one of Terran's strongest points, but it also wasn't like he had started censoring himself to the point where he was keeping his own honest opinions from being known. Eventually, he decided to simply roll with whatever came to mind while trying to remain respectful along the way.

"It's not like I helped to plan this little gathering, you know? I was as blindsided by it as you. And I'd be lying if the thought of slipping away hadn't crossed my mind since realizing what Match and her boy toy had in mind for this weekend." The young man let out in a partially emotional outburst; letting a bit of his own frustrations over this trip seep out as he lowered his gaze toward the floor, then steadily calming himself as he hesitantly admitted, "But I stayed. I stayed because, while I've made a lot of mistakes in the past, what happened with you is the one I continue to feel the greatest guilt over."

Despite his habitual attempts at masking it, Terran's features had shown a fair amount of remorse as he finished with the previous line; which weren't showing signs of improving as he finished, "If anything, I figured you deserved a chance to say what you wanted to my face. That I needed to stop running away long enough to treat what we had with the proper final respects."

Gazing at the light which creeped out from underneath the door, his mind started to reel back on that single word he picked up from the other side of the bathroom. Leave. Terran could only guess it was related to the earlier attempt on the heroines life which he'd tried avoiding for the rest of the night. Tried avoiding out of respect for how deeply this attempt had evidently affected the young woman. After years of growing up around constant attempts on their lives, for Ula to be so bothered by this one meant there was a deeper reason behind it then a simple need for revenge over a foiled attempt at something so trivial as world domination.

It was something he could relate to in some degree, after his own rather personal dealings with Beast Girl and Slade in the past. Of course, despite this, he couldn't truly hope to understand anything unless she opened up to him. A feat which, admittedly, was perhaps asking a bit much of her to do after his own treatment of their friendship during the past few years. For better or worse, however, Terran was rarely the type to let such things get in the way of what he felt necessary.

Stretching out with an arm which was hanging lazily at his side, Terran placed an opened palm against the door as he leaned his weight against it ever so slightly; placing his forehead upon the barrier between them as he continued staring toward the floor as he calmly yet clearly finished, "Ula, even if we can't go back to what we used to have, I do hope we can maintain some type of relationship, if not friendship. Because I know I've done a horrible job of showing it in the past, but I truly do care about you. And I want you to be able to trust me enough to realize I'll be there to have your back when it matters the most. I'd...like it if you could come to trust me enough to let me help you whenever you need someone."

 

[UnseenMaiden]

Ula

"What?"

That single word was enough to freeze her in place, her eyes wide as she scarcely dared to even breathe. Somehow, he’d heard her. She felt like she’d suddenly been caught doing something wrong and expected to be chastised any moment for it. Ula wasn’t sure how long she knelt there, staring blankly before her, all of her senses directed towards the movements on the other side of the door. She didn’t know what to do, hadn’t thought her words through. Usually, Terran was so quick to anger or, at least, he had been once. She had expected. No, that was the problem. She hadn’t thought to expect, but if she had guessed, she would have guessed that his reaction would have to explode at her in a tirade that would no doubt find its’ mark with her, before storming off and leaving her to silence. She certainly had never thought that he would even hope to hear her last words. Her chest hurt with each forceful beat of her heart as moments continued to slip by. Mentally, she begged for the silence to stretch on between them so that she would never have to know what he would say next.

"Ula...I guess you're right. No, I know you're right. A simple sorry can't fix what I've done, and, to be honest, I didn't expect it to. But a person has to start somewhere, right?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, she slumped against the edge of the tub. A small pitiful laugh, so soft that even she could barely hear it, bubbled out from her lips. Even now, she was so caught up in what was thought of her, that she’d allowed herself to needlessly panic. What did it matter if he knew? She highly doubted that he would care enough to even try and stop her and even if he did try. Well, the tub in front of her was chockfull of weaponry. Not that she particularly relished a fight. Staring at the water before her now, she dipped in a hand, letting the damp heat seep into her body in a vain attempt to comfort herself. She was going to have to fight again. Not against villains plotting to take over the world like usual. She’d have to fight her would-be assassins and she didn’t want that, had never wanted it. Her teacher had once told her that she had a strong will to survive and Ula knew, deep down, that this was true. Yet, if it was just herself that she was fighting for, she had to admit that she didn’t really see the point.

"It's not like I helped to plan this little gathering, you know? I was as blindsided by it as you. And I'd be lying if the thought of slipping away hadn't crossed my mind since realizing what Match and her boy toy had in mind for this weekend. But I stayed. I stayed because, while I've made a lot of mistakes in the past, what happened with you is the one I continue to feel the greatest guilt over. If anything, I figured you deserved a chance to say what you wanted to my face. That I needed to stop running away long enough to treat what we had with the proper final respects."

It was funny. When they had been friends, traveling together when no one else wanted to bother and visiting allies that never seemed to quite take to either of them, she had always prided herself on knowing Terran best. It wasn’t that he confided in her anymore than he did anyone else or even had seem to take any sort of special consideration. She had just put up with everything, like she had always done from others all of her life, and had watched him, thinking herself superior because she had fooled herself into believing that underneath all of his pride and anger, there was something about him that could be a great man. When he’d left, she’d realized her mistake. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to her. It was the same sort of mistake that she’d always made. One day the lesson would stick. No matter how close she thought she became to someone, they would be able to leave her easily, painlessly. When Terran mentioned his guilt, that he felt the most guilt about leaving her, she caught herself slipping back into old habits. She hoped. Ula hoped that he was telling the truth and she hoped that he would never hurt her like that again and she hoped that they could be friends once more. Then she remembered that her hope was even more foolish than usual because it didn’t matter anyways.

"Ula, even if we can't go back to what we used to have, I do hope we can maintain some type of relationship, if not friendship. Because I know I've done a horrible job of showing it in the past, but I truly do care about you. And I want you to be able to trust me enough to realize I'll be there to have your back when it matters the most. I'd...like it if you could come to trust me enough to let me help you whenever you need someone."

Tears stung her eyes again and even though she wiped them away, more persisted in taking their place. Turning around she nestled herself against the edge of the tub and the tile floor and tried to be firm in her mind. Hadn’t she just promised herself that she wouldn’t cry again tonight? Had she just not mustered enough courage to show her anger? Wasn’t she, Aqualass, superhero and savior of the world several times over? Wasn’t she supposed to be stronger than this? She’d lived by herself, wild and untamed for over a decade, but now her she was crying over the fact that some..some jerk that had hurt her years ago had finally decided to apologize and his timing could not have been worse. Sniffling, she turned the water off in the tub and finally pulled herself up, wiping uselessly at her face. Lithe fingers snatched at the damp clothes and she wrung the water as quickly as she could, her movements furtive even as she hung them over the curtain rod to drip dry. She wasn’t avoiding now. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe that doing so would stop her from crying. In all probability it would just make matters worse. She always did fret so much more when she was left alone and after this she was going to be alone for such a long time that there was no pointing in avoiding the little bit of company she could allow herself to have now. Refastening the towel around her, Ula ignored the shakiness in her legs as she walked the couple of steps to the bathroom door and pulled it open.

“Trust you? Like you trust me?”

It would have sounded harsh, if her voice wasn’t still shaky from the ache in her chest or if her eyes were not cast towards the floor. She didn’t mean it to sound harsh either or anything else. The words had just popped out of her mouth before she’d even begun to think of what she would say. Now that she had said them, she really didn’t think she should have said them at all. He had never trusted her. She knew that. Everyone knew that. She doubted he had ever trusted any of the heroes, except maybe Beast Girl, once upon a time. But, even though he question had been stupid, she wasn’t taking it back. It didn’t matter if he trusted her or she trusted him. She wouldn’t be here in the morning and under the ocean waves, whether she was trusted or trusting , they would still hunt her down and she would hide.

“I thought, perhaps, if I stayed on the surface, they wouldn’t come looking for me, but I was wrong.”

These two facts were spoken just as quietly and mindlessly as her other words. Her hands drifted up to clutch her arms to her sides. Her skin had never quite took to scares the way her companions always had. She healed quick enough with nothing to show for her injuries, but that didn’t stop her from feeling where they once were or knowing what had caused them. Aquawoman had always been there to save her from death numerous times, but there were worse things than death. At least she could give thanks that now they didn’t feel like playing before doing her in. For a moment, her earlier courage returned and she searched for his gaze so she could clearly show him her curse. They were the one thing, on the surface, that she had been complimented for. How exotic her purple eyes were, how pretty. She had never once bothered to tell them that she thought they were wrong.

“These eyes mark me. I’m considered unnatural, a monster, an abomination, ‘The Abomination’. I guess they couldn’t bear my existence any longer. I’m bound to end the world soon enough anyways. Twenty plus years is a really long time to tempt fate.”

A hand slid over her mouth now at those last words, an attempt to keep herself quiet when she wasn’t entirely sure whether she was crying or laughing anymore. Probably a mixture of both. She’d heard of hysteria before and was pretty sure that wasn’t what she was going through, but it felt really close. She’d known the prophecies about her for a really long time now and had wondered about them for a really long time. Unlike the surface world, mysticism still reigned supreme in the underwater world. So she had never really doubted the truth about them, but had furiously hoped that it applied to someone else with purple eyes, anyone but her. She’d never done anything wrong after all. Even now, as she suddenly accepted the possibility that those that wanted her dead were right, she didn’t feel like she was evil. Maybe, she’d be like the Christian anti-christ, though. Perhaps she had never had a choice and fate would turn her into some sadistic psychopath. If that was the case, it was better that she did die. Moving towards a nearby wall, she slid down it until she was sitting upon the floor, no longer trusting her legs to hold her up. Eventually she pulled her hand away from her mouth and wrapped her arms around her bare legs.

“If you want to help me, Terran, forget me, forget that I ever existed…. please.”

Match

(omfg that took FOREVEREVEREVEREVER)

Oddly, it was Hex almost cursing, her exceptional hearing not really needed in picking up the by now familiar inflections in her boyfriend's voice, that brought her down from the sweet high she'd been coasting on for the past few minutes. Normally she would have laughed. Well, not so much with a rather delicate part of his anatomy in her mouth, but amusement along with a certain amount of pride in herself definitely would have made themselves nice and cozy at such a moment as this. It was the creeping thought that this time was not normal, no matter how much she tried to fool herself into thinking it was, that stopped her. Yet, just as soon as the clone spared a moment to wallow in self-pity, fingers wove themselves through her hair and Match looked up at the man touching her, and trusting her with such an intimate part of himself, and she smiled. Worry was pushed out of the way by the light of confidence that lingered in the depths of her eyes, as she licked the head of her lover's cock slowly.

"Perhaps something imported from Japan or Hong Kong? Those are always....good."

Now, she did laugh in her head, outwardly her lips just curved into the same self-satisfied smirk that he'd given her earlier when he'd shredded her poor innocent bra. Years ago, before Match had met Hex, when she was just getting used to her new-found conscious in prison and trying to figure out what she was ever going to do with it, she would have balked at even the thought of doing something so involved with her own anatomy. After she’d met her boyfriend and had got over that whole awkward stage of realizing her own feelings about him and not knowing exactly what it was he felt in return, a combined effort of the fear of harming someone she cared for unintentionally and a complete lack of experience had been a big hurdle for them to get around. Time had effectively taken care of the latter problem, and after biting the bullet, so to speak, she was a quick study. So the kryptonian clone therefore knew very well that when she curled her tongue just right against a particularly sensitive spot, he would make the most interesting sounds every time.

As his other hand slipped into place next to its’ twin, fingers twining in amongst pale strands of hair, cupping her head as one of many quirks she’d come to recognize over the years, an interesting sound of her own slipped from her lips before she even thought to catch it. Flushing cheeks were so much harder to hide when you were pretty much albino, but she wasn't trying to at the moment either. Her whole body was probably pretty flushed by now. One tiny embarrassment would pass unnoticed. She was sure he'd be far more intent on her mouth as she refused, just for a moment, to allow him entry, taking her sweet time in lathing the soft skin of his cockhead with her tongue, until she was content, before opening her mouth just a bit wider. Then the taste of him hit her mouth fully as his penis slid smoothly past her lips and into her. This was just a premonition of things to come to her. She couldn't help connecting the feel of his rod sliding ever further towards her throat with the same part of his anatomy sliding somewhere else. When he shifted, the sound of the back of his head softly hitting the wall made a resonating background to the sigh that issued from his lips.

The answering murmur in her throat was more carnal than his sound of content. Hex was taking her illusion of control, pressing his hips towards her skull, inch by inch, filling her mouth and creeping into her throat. There was a fine line they were treading here. She was created with a better control of her powers than Supergirl had had, but there was only so much she could do in the way of involuntary reactions. Still, she did her damnedest not to try and breathe, to accidentally clue her body in to the fact that her esophagus was currently being blocked. Instead, she kept her mind on far more pleasant things. The feel of the heated weight of him, the smell and taste, the little sounds he was making, the look of lust and love in her boyfriend's eyes as he watched her. It was look she knew she held in her own gaze as he toed that fine line, taking his nice, sweet time in sliding back out from her lips. Then it happened, as it always inevitably did. She gagged, her throat spasming around the cock that filled her throat. Precious moments slid by as she waited, ready to pull away before any damage was done. Not that there had ever been any harmful incidents in this particular act of intimacy with them, but she was pretty sure that even if she had all the time in the world, Match would always be afraid of herself.

"Oh, God..."

It was just that sort of remark that kept her from pulling away completely from his grasp. Relaxing, breathe found its' way from her nose, a sigh if relief now that that particular danger was passed. Fingers that had been occupied with his shaft before, now slid away, between the folds of cotton to graze along the skin of his hips. Idly, she let her hand wander lightly as Hex’s cock reclaimed her mouth once more. Only this time he did not linger long enough to make her choke. Instead, his hands made sure of their grip on her head, a grip that might’ve hurt a little if she was human, as the thick heat of him plunged back between her lips. She watched her boyfriend boldly as he thrust against her, debating whether to continue letting him use her like this or to have through with it and take the reins from him. She rolled the train of thought idly around in her mind, losing track of it more than once as she got caught up in what was happening. The taste of him kept catching her up and soft little needy sounds escaped her lips each time he pulled away from her.

Without her consent, one of her hands had drifted underneath her skirt and was quite busy. There were tattered remains of the underwear that had started well on its’ way to matching the bra it had been paired to only that morning. Match was long past caring about the weakness of fabric. Two fingers took residence inside of her, long, hard strokes that weren’t nearly close to what she craved, but still had her rocking her hips in time to Hex pumping his cock into her mouth. All thoughts of taking over ceased as she felt him drawing near. He wasn’t playing games tonight, though she’d known him to wait until she begged for him to cum. Instead, his grip tightened in her hair even more. It would’ve been painful if she was human. Match let him force her all the way onto his cock as his whole body seemed to tense. Then she felt it, his sperm, pleasantly warm against the back of her throat. She couldn’t help the smile that came to her lips, feeling absurdly proud even after all this time, as she swallowed to avoid choking. His cock was growing soft in her mouth, but she didn’t mind and suckled softly for a few moments before letting it pop free from her mouth. Standing up, now that he didn’t have a death grip on her hair, Match pressed herself against him, a mischievous look in her eyes. Then she pressed her fingers, dripping with her own juices, against his lips and grinned as she twirled around and meandered towards their bedroom.

“How about we watch something classic, like the Drunken Master?”

 

[Eazy]

Terran

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as seconds appeared to be replaced by minutes with every passing instant that the young hero awaited a direct response. This really was so much easier for Terran when he'd let others try to be the understanding one while he sat back with the occasional smart ass quip. Not since his infamous relationship with Beast Girl had the blond bothered to stick his neck out this much for a person. There perhaps wasn't a person in their teens and beyond which didn't need to be told how that turned out. Still, as he heard the water turning off in the bathroom, the earth mover remained firm while successfully awaiting for Ula to open the door.

“Trust you? Like you trust me?”

Fair point, Terran thought to himself while wincing ever so subtly at her choice in opening remarks. The closest he'd come to truly trusting anyone was Beast Girl. And Slade, foolishly. Anyone else he could occasionally trust in having his back during heat of the moment situations involving megalomaniac villains; but little else. Ironic, really. The former Titan could trust Robyn to watch his back against any nut with a laser attached to their arm, but wouldn't talk about his time with their mutual adult aged nemesis outside of a life or death situation.

What drew the majority of his attention, however, was the way her voice shook as she spoke and how Ula refused to raise her eyes to meet his own. Granted, there'd been a hefty passing of time since their last confrontation, and such actions weren't unprecedented with the Atlantean, but she seemed past them when he last saw the heroine. A telling sign of how dangerous and/or personal the attempt on her life had been? Pretty much a given, but as his blue eyes gazed over the dark-haired woman, a part of him wondered if part of her reaction to do with it being him specifically that she was speaking to at the time. Of course, his admittedly large ego often made him think this of many instances with numerous people, so he tried not to let it go to his head...for once.

“I thought, perhaps, if I stayed on the surface, they wouldn’t come looking for me, but I was wrong.”

The young man listened with considerable interest, trying to work with what limited knowledge he had of the underwater colonies which the Atlantean people were housed within. It was almost a necessity for Titan members to have at least a passing knowledge of other civilizations and their cultures; particularly due to the number of non-human recruits that made up the past and then present ranks. And, yet, Terran hadn't asked many questions about Ula's past, outside of what common knowledge there was of her life. He rarely shared anything of his pre-Titan days with anyone other then Robyn and a few other 'higher up' alumni, so the blonde respected her own privacy. As she spoke now, however, he found himself filled with a sense of genuine interest in another persons plight that hadn't been felt in the hero for a long time.

“These eyes mark me. I’m considered unnatural, a monster, an abomination, ‘The Abomination’. I guess they couldn’t bear my existence any longer. I’m bound to end the world soon enough anyways. Twenty plus years is a really long time to tempt fate.”

Feeling his fingers curl into a fist at the mention of her being considered an abomination or monster, Terran tried to push down the anger which had risen at such an absurd notion. Perhaps not surprisingly, since such words were used in describing himself, both by 'regular' people whom witnessed his then untrained, raw power and a certain masked villainess whom used such insecurities to her twisted advantage. While he couldn't say for certain whether or not such knowledge would have changed the young hero's past approaches toward the Atlantean, it certainly strengthened his current resolve.

His own eyes sought out Ula's aforementioned purple ones as she neared completion of her most recent exchange. Surprisingly, Terran hadn't given them any deeper thought after their initial meeting when he joined the team. They were different from Aquawoman's, he realized, but there hadn't been any reason for thinking them so strange. At least not when compared to the aliens, half-demons and other oddities which made up the old rosters. Even as she slumped against the wall, legs slowly giving out until she was eventually placed in a sitting position upon the floor, his blue eyes remained focused on the troubled former Titan until her next words broke him out of his reverie.

“If you want to help me, Terran, forget me, forget that I ever existed…. please.”

Those words took Terran a little by surprise. It was a request which wasn’t too dissimilar from his own thoughts and words following what happened between himself and the other Titans during the whole Slade debacle. Even before that time, there were many instances in which he felt like forgetting about him was the best thing anyone could do for both him and themselves. In a way, while he couldn’t completely relate to her situation, he could somewhat respect her outlook and feelings in response to this development.

Still, whether it was knowledge of how pushing others away rarely amounted to anything good or outright stubbornness, the blonde couldn’t help but crack a faint smile as he noted, "Ula? In all the years that you've known me, how often have I done as others asked?"

There was a slight pause there, but he didn’t wait long, didn’t allow her a chance to try and dissuade him again as he started to elaborate, "Look, I'm not the model idea of a hero or even an ideal friend, and I've done a lot of shitty things in my life. And...it may not be possible for me to completely understand the ways of your people. As it is, I can barely understand the ways of my own people half of the time."

Not exactly the most compelling of arguments for a person to make if they wished to highlight their valor, and yet, as he watched her with notable hints of concern on his features, it was also a very honest and heartfelt response to what little he knew about Ula’s problem. "But I'm not going to knowingly stand aside while letting one of the few people whose treated me decently in the past several years be thrown to the wolves." He continued to explain, pausing for a second before correcting in a partially tongue-in-cheek manner, "Or sharks, or whatever sea creature it is your people metaphorically throw their kind toward."

Gazing at the Atlantean for a few moments, the former Titan gave a shrug of his shoulders while making note of his own strange behavioral habits, "Yeah, yeah, I know. While you weren't looking I ran away, but when you actually want me to leave I decide to keep sticking around like a bad rash. I'm pretty frustrating in that way."

-----------------------------------------------------

Hex

His body jerked a bit as Match began showing a greater level of enthusiasm for taking and suckling upon his length. There wasn't really any one easy way of complimenting a girl on her oral skills, but Hex had made his appreciation for the Kryptonian's natural talent known in the past; in the unlikely possibility that she hadn't figured it out by his physical reaction alone. He let out a lot groan as her tongue worked over his flesh, feeling her lips running along the shaft as his hips moved themselves in and out at a steady, forceful pace. Outside of a couple of villainesses with considerably masochistic sides to themselves, it was rare for him to show this amount of force.

Granted, there was always a part of the young man which told him to be careful when thrusting himself into the blonde; for reasons both unique to the species she was cloned from and the same for any oxygen breathing female. At the same time, he enjoyed being able to add a little roughness to their play without any concern of inflicting actual pain. This was evident in the way he slid his cock into her moist mouth, feeling his heavy sack smacking against her chin as he quite literally started to fuck her face as the pleasure intensified. The sound of his flesh smacking wetly against her face as she tried taking him into her mouth and throat every time had joined the occasional noises uttered by both of them as they grew lost in the moment.

His back nearly pressing into the wall behind him for leverage, his hips did occasionally bump against the hard surface with a thump as he would piston his arousal into her mouth; feeling a familiar swelling deep inside beginning to mount, "Match…I'm….oh, fuck!!"

Not exactly poetry, but was as meaningful as anything else he could muster right now as his hips moved in an almost blurred motion (or what would feel like a blur to one without superspeed) as his girth swelled within the heroines orifice; before suddenly erupting as she was rewarded with torrents of his thick, warm essence. Hex's body jerked as he let out a pleasure induced groan which would have been louder if a portion of his rational wasn't mindful of their guests; causing him to continue thrusting into Match's suckling lips as strands of his cum streamed out to fill her mouth. He didn't know if it was the thrill of doing it in a relatively unprotected space or another factor, but Hex came hard as he coated her tongue with his taste; moving his hips slightly to milk out the last drops even as he felt himself starting to grow soft between her lips.

Eventually, his grasp relaxed enough where she could pull back and stand before the young hero; his breathing currently labored as he fought the temptation of simply letting himself go limp and slide down the wall. His legs were a little shaky as it were, and having Match pressed against him now wasn't doing Hex any favors. Still, as she raised her fingers, slicked with her own juices, and placed them upon his lips for a taste, he knew that any chance of immediate rest wasn't going to happen. Not that he was about to complain, as he gave her a sly smirk while licking the taste of her off his lips and her fingertips before she pulled them away.

"How about we watch something classic, like the Drunken Master?"

"Well, I'm definitely drunk on something right now…." He stated with an almost goofy smile playing at the corner of his lips, working in contrast to the growing lust in his eyes as he watched his girlfriend, his love, make her way for their shared bedroom.

Almost like a lost puppy, the former villain followed after the clone as they made their way into the room; wasting little time to close the door of the soundproof room after them. Along the way, Hex had gone about removing the remaining pieces of clothing, which he quickly tossed aside before wrapping his arms around Match from behind; slowly leading her toward the bed as his hands began to explore her body. The movements of his hands were fairly frantic, yet surprisingly precise as they held her close to him from around the waist, before sliding up to cup at her soft breasts. He could feel the head of his cock, already rejuvenated into a semi-erection, rubbing against the material of her skirt with every step.

His hands squeezed at her breasts, firmly, roughly working around the nipples while supporting them with the palms as he kneaded them. One good thing about his less then virtuous past was the amount of experience he gained in exploring the female body. At the same time, every woman's needs were different, and he knew Match's enough as they reached the bed; sliding his arms away and placing the palms of his hands against her back to give a firm push. Not that he could actually push her by force even if he wanted, but it was enough to nudge her into bending over against the edge of the bed.

Slipping a hand down and between her legs from behind, he hooked it up underneath the girls skirt until the tips of his fingers were brushing against the moist folds of her sex; revealed now after she ripped the panties, causing Hex to smirk over the expected discovery while he teased, "I see a certain somebody got a little carried away back there. Does the thought of a movie night together really turn you on this much?"

His hand hiked her skirt up a little as it started moving into the clones already dripping sex, inserting two at a time rather then starting with one like he often would; picking up where her own fingers had left off only minutes earlier as he kept her bent over the bed. The young man's erection brushed along her clothed cheeks, building up a slight friction even as he drove his thick digits further into her moist lips. In the past, there was concern about having anything of his inside of her body during intimacy; particularly whenever he'd start to really work it in there like he was starting to do now. Hell, if she wanted, Match could probably crush a steel pole with her vaginal muscles like a drunkard would a beer can on their head (a visual Hex occasionally fought the temptation for them to try out).

Like everything else, it came down to control on her part, along with trust and consideration on his own behalf. As the wet noises started growing louder, the feel of her juices running down and coating his hand as he moved to driving three fingers into her sex; a portion of Hex's thoughts reminisced on how he learned to trust her with just about anything in his life long ago. The fingers hooked into her, letting the fingernails, which couldn't actually cause any pain, yet still stimulate the sensitive nerves drag roughly along her walls every time. As they did this, a fourth finger would occasionally brush along her exposed clit, while the other hand asserted a supposed dominance in the situation by keeping itself planted on her back.

"You like this, sweetie?" He whispered into her ear while leaning in closer; his body starting to press along her own a bit as he fucked her hard with his fingers, his hips beginning to lightly mimic the motion of thrusting against her as he noted to both tease and slightly embarrass her, "You're getting awfully wet down here. I'm starting to think we should have brought a towel in here with us. How about you?"

His fingers drove into her again and again as he awaited any possibly response, already know what he planned on doing next as he tried working her near a climax; only to suddenly pull his hand out from under her skirt after about another minute of this. Without a word, Hex brought the coated, almost dripping fingers to his lips for another taste of her sweet nectar. As he ran a tongue along the long digits, licking them clean, he wondered for what wasn't the first time if this was how Superwoman and Supergirl taste, or if it were one unique to Match. Either way, he doubted either of those two would bring about the same excitement he got when being near the woman before him.

"Have I mentioned lately that you're delicious? It's hard to remember when my head's still ringing from all of the moaning and groaning that goes on in here." The former villain stated with a sly smirk as he finished licking the fingers clean; moving in closer and starting to grip his lover by her waist, nudging her to crawl onto the bed as he added, "The reason I ask now is I don't think I'd be able to hear you as well in about a minute."

Continuing to nudge her forward until Match gave in to crawling upon the bed, Hex needed a great deal of self control to keep from simply mounting her right now. She certainly was a tempting sight, with that skirt partially hiked up and the trails of her juices starting to down her thighs. If he hadn't already cum once, it might not have been possible for him to show the patience needed; as he crawled onto the bed after her and turned lay down on his back. With her front facing his head, the former Titan nudged the girls legs further apart as he slid underneath; his face partially obscured by her skirt as he reached up to pull her back and down onto him.

Hex took in a deep breath of her almost intoxicating scent, his eyes gazing up and toward her face, a smile almost evident just by looking into his gaze as he parted his lips and began to drag it along the Kryptonian's dripping sex. The young man licked at it again, then again, as he both lapped up her juices and lathered her lovingly with his tongue. He pulled Match down firmly, allowing her to begin resting herself on his mouth as he started driving the moist appendage between into her sensitive lips. Like with everything, it was about trust, and he was showing both his love and trust in her as he began delving his tongue deeper into her core; beginning to work it around meticulously as the heroines thighs remained on either side of his head while trying to pleasure his love.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

Match

"Well, I'm definitely drunk on something right now…."

A cheeky grin spread across her lips and a little bit of extra sway introduced itself to her hips, but she didn’t look back or give any other sign that she’d heard him. Not that her heart wasn’t pounding with his words as experience only made her anticipate the meaning behind them even more. Whispers of cloth rustling easily told her that she was going to be the only one semi-dressed between them in a moment, and, sure enough, almost as soon as they were both inside their bedroom, the door clicked shut and a soft whoosh of air accompanied Hex’s clothes being deposited on the floor. A soft shudder ran through her as strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to his familiar, warm body. Sure she was technically stronger than him, but that didn’t change the impression of strength she felt from her boyfriend every time he held her. Even before she’d realized her feelings for the pink-haired man, Match had thought this, much to her embarrassment at the time.

Now, it was something she privately reveled in, as he slowly but surely guided her towards their bed. Arching into her lover’s touch as his hands made their way to her breasts; a soft gasp came from her as the heat from him soaked into her sensitive flesh. Just enough sense remained in her head for the blonde to finally pull her shirt off, not really caring where it went once it left her grasp, as Hex manipulated her breasts, increasing the lustful yearning between her legs. As much as she loved his current attentions, she’d be begging him to pay attention to other areas soon if he kept tugging her nipples like that. Still, a small mournful sound escaped her when her boyfriend complied with her thought and pulled away and slid around to push against her back, making her bend over until the hard points of those sensitive nubs were rubbing against the comparable rough surface of the bedcovers. Then a plaintive moan tumbled from her open mouth as the soft touch of Hex’s fingers grazed her dripping sex, causing the woman’s hips to move of their own accord against the light pressure, wanting so much more.

"I see a certain somebody got a little carried away back there. Does the thought of a movie night together really turn you on this much?"

She could practically hear the cocky smirk in his voice as he pointed out her current and earlier enthusiasm. A small, husky laugh came from Match as she rolled her shoulders in a shrug. “Every night with you turns me on this..” Her breath stuttered in her throat as chose that moment to interrupt her by plunging two of his fingers inside of her eager cunt. His other hand had remained on her back and now it pressed down enough to keep her in place when all she wanted to do was meet each thrust of his digits. Instead, she had to settle for wriggling her hips in a vain attempt to increase the friction. For a few moments, she was nothing but a writhing mass of need as the feel of what she really wanted inside her could clearly be felt through what was left of her panties, effectively scattering her thought. Then she remembered she’d been trying to say something and continued with, “..much. Ripped undies are a small price to pay after you already ri....” Arching her head back, the clone gave a loud moan as a third finger entered her and she shuddered against the extra stimulation his nails provided. Despite having every intention to finish her sentence, it never happened. Instead, her voice and the various keening sounds she made were resigned to the background as Hex’s own husky baritone filled her ear as he leaned over her.

"You like this, sweetie? You're getting awfully wet down here. I'm starting to think we should have brought a towel in here with us. How about you?"

His words were punctuated with the continuous thrusts of his fingers into her aching cunt mimicking the tamer motions of his cock against her ass. He couldn’t possibly be expecting her to answer him, not with pushing those thick digits into her as hard as he was and taking what breath she had left with the odd brush of his thumb against her throbbing clit. It was all getting to be too much, building into that glorious tensing of muscles that came right before an orgasm. Somehow she managed to breathe out something of an answer, meant to be vaguely insulting regardless of whether it made sense or not. It wasn’t quite enough; she was so close, but oh just a little bit more and she’d topple over the edge she was teetering on so precariously right now. Then all of a sudden her boyfriend withdrew his fingers from inside her completely, the motion of his hips stilled, and even the heat of his body disappeared. Match groaned in faint disappointment and let her head and shoulders fall onto the bed below. Hex knew damn well how close she was and she’d bet money that he was getting all sorts of enjoyment out of seeing her all hot and bothered like she was right now.

"Have I mentioned lately that you're delicious? It's hard to remember when my head's still ringing from all of the moaning and groaning that goes on in here."

Tilting her head so that she could see him better, the blonde glared at him and stuck out her tongue. He was probably trying to tease her further, licking her juices off of himself like that just to punctuate his naughty compliments. He was succeeding, after a fashion, she was becoming increasingly aware of the flow of air between them as it breathed cool against her hot sex and damp thighs. A small shiver even ran through her as warm hands lent a contrast against her waist and hinted that she needed to move up fully on to their bed.

"The reason I ask now is I don't think I'd be able to hear you as well in about a minute."

Soft laughter came from her as she climbed on to the bed properly, before shaking her head a little. The heat in her cheeks was probably what the pink-haired man had been after before with his little teasing comments and well, Match had given up trying not to blush in these instances long ago. Her pride was a small price to pay for her boyfriend’s amusement, she supposed. Looking over her shoulder, the kryptonian grinned at him, before her eyes trailed away from his face and down his beautiful body. Sure he was kind of a pasty grayish color, but that had never kept her from perverted thoughts before, and she was one to talk being as albino white as she was. Match bit her lip and idly watched as he made his way underneath of her, waiting until she could see his eyes peeking from underneath the edge of her skirt to answer his question.

“Oh I’m pretty sure you mentioned something of the sort yesterday morning.”

Of course, he chose that moment to pull her towards him, centering her already dripping core over his mouth, turning her teasing tone into something far more sensual. Her breathing grew shallow as he caught her eyes with the cocky smile evident in his gaze, and the muscles in her abdomen contracted every time Hex exhaled, his warm breath tickling her overly sensitized nerves in that intimate place. Then his tongue touched her where breath had teased and she closed her eyes, shutting out the sight of him as he left her trembling with each pass of that moist appendage. Soon enough it penetrated her aching body, Match was left gasping his name, her hands burying themselves into the blanket underneath of them.

This was one of the hard parts of having a sex life, resisting the instinct to clamp her thighs around his head, bury her hands in his vibrantly pink hair, and hold on for the ride. Though there had been that one time she had made herself powerless for a couple days with some red kryptonite. It had been a lot more trouble than it was worth, but, oh, not having to control herself during sex had been fucking amazing. Not that it wasn’t now, but not having to treat her boyfriend like he was made of glass had been something she would’ve kept if she could. Fate just decided that what she was didn’t allow her that kind of choice. So she kept her hips in place for the sweet torture her love was putting her through, and chose to tear fabric instead of skin as he quickly brought her back to the edge she’d been teetering on moments before.

Suddenly a sharp pain flashed bright in her skull for second, a different gasp from the others tumbled from her lips, then it was gone. It was brief, but enough to pull her from the orgasm she’d been only seconds from having. It was enough to give her pause and make her pull away from the pink-haired man’s sweet ministrations. Match slid her body down over his, until her thighs were firmly around his waist, the tip of his cock nestled just against her sex. Closing her eyes, the blonde rested her forehead on her boyfriend’s and took a few breaths, resisting any urging from either herself or him to move down any farther quite yet. Then her dark eyes opened enough for her to peek at him through her eyelashes, a soft smile spreading over her lips. That pain wasn’t much to worry about; the doctors had mentioned that might happen. Every medicine had side effects after all. And Hex, the man she loved, was right here in front of her. Moving her hand from the cloth she’d been gripping moments earlier, she ran her fingers through his magenta locks before trailing the tips over the stubble that dotted his jaw line at this late hour. Her lips brushed his lightly as she spoke.

“Enough of that. I want you to fuck me.”


Ula

"Ula? In all the years that you've known me, how often have I done as others asked?"

The Atlantean didn’t stiffen or bat an eyelash or give any sign of the dull shock she felt at his words. So casually. He brushed her one wish of him aside so very casually. She couldn’t understand it. Of course, he had come here make an attempt at being friends again now, but couldn’t he just as easily oblige her now and leave. A small ripple of anger born out of frustration went through her, though she stayed as she was, leaning into the wall for support and holding onto her legs for dear life. It didn’t matter. So Terran had decided to remember her. She’d only asked it of him to put her own heart at ease, to try and make sure there was no chance any of her friends would put their lives at risk to help. This didn’t change her plans, she told herself. Ula could take him down if she needed to. The water in the bathtub stirred in the room behind her for a moment.

"Look, I'm not the model idea of a hero or even an ideal friend, and I've done a lot of shitty things in my life. And...it may not be possible for me to completely understand the ways of your people. As it is, I can barely understand the ways of my own people half of the time. But I'm not going to knowingly stand aside while letting one of the few people whose treated me decently in the past several years be thrown to the wolves. Or sharks, or whatever sea creature it is your people metaphorically throw their kind toward."

Where before she’d shown no signs at all of her reaction, now Ula quickly inhaled at his statement of standing beside her, and then suddenly her eyes flared in bright recognition of a faint scent that had not been in the room before. It was to be expected really. Guests had never dissuaded Hex and Match from doing those sorts of things before. Not that experience kept her pale skin from flushing faintly in embarrassment. Then she realized she’d been holding her breath all this time and let it softly out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. While you weren't looking I ran away, but when you actually want me to leave I decide to keep sticking around like a bad rash. I'm pretty frustrating in that way."

It was perhaps a testament to how weary she actually was that something like a stray scent could throw her off of the gravely serious topic at hand. Or, perhaps, it was more a testament to her willingness to ignore the bad things in her life at all costs. The couple had provided a ready distraction and old habits died hard. When she looked up at Terran, her gaze was intent as she searched his own. If he was doing this out of rebellion, because she’d asked him to forget her, she needed to tell him that this wasn’t any time for his usual antics. For a moment, she thought perhaps she hadn’t been clear on that point. She needed to be clearer. His stubbornness wouldn’t do a bit of good if he decided to get himself killed to help her. Yet, it wasn’t either rebellion or even stubbornness she saw most clearly in his eyes. He was concerned. He was concerned about her of all things. Somewhere deep inside her heart, there was a flutter when she realized that.

“The wilds.” Her voice was soft as it had been most of the evening, but the tears that had been threatening to fall almost every time she spoke were gone. There was even a small smile, though it didn’t exactly reach her eyes. The hopelessness she felt was still tempting her, pushed to the fringe of her thoughts for the moment, but the woman felt like she had enough strength to stand now. Which, she did, adjusting her towel slightly as she straightened up so she wouldn’t inadvertently flash Terran again. “When abandoned, we are thrown into the wilds to parish….. or, at least, I was. Sharks weren’t half as bad as octopus.”

Shaking her head, unconsciously protesting at the memories of her past, her eyes slid away for a moment. Not because she’d lost her nerve, but because she didn’t know what to do now. She’d never explained herself to anyone before. Aquawoman had known about as much as Ula had herself when they met, and Taras had known all about what she was without her having to say it. Neither had ever really pressed her for details about what it was like though. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to share now, even if she might have a need to. The Atlantean sighed again, louder this time, as she mulled over her thoughts. She shouldn’t even be thinking of explaining. It was like she could include the blonde in her plans. For one, no matter his intentions, breathing posed a major problem for his kind where she was going.

“Even if I was willing to take such a risk with your life, what then? I don’t have a plan of attack or anything. I’m just going to run as far away and as long as I can. Eventually they’ll find me and they’ll find a way to kill me. Or I’ll destroy the world. Or..”

Stopping in mid sentence, she ran her hands through her, now mostly dry, hair, as frustration thrummed in her veins once more. A childish mantra of how it wasn’t fair ran skipping through her head and tears pricked the edges of her eyes once more. It wasn’t fair. Her life wasn’t fair and now even if the few good things she had were being thrown away just so she could run away and be safe for a little bit. She was so tired of running. She wanted to fight. Her body was just itching to do something, to move, to act, to stop them, to stop everyone, to make sure she could actually live a life. But she stayed still, her toes digging into the dark carpet underneath her feet. She couldn’t do anything but run, she reminded herself, even if it wasn’t fair.

“All the same, I have to go and you can’t follow.” With an effort, she made herself look back up at him. Her friend deserved that much. “I….. I have to go get dressed. Terran…… thank you. Thank you for wanting to help. It means a lot.”

 

[Eazy]

Terran

The silence felt understandably awkward for the blonde, almost to the point of nudging him into falling back on the undesirable habit of issuing a flippant remark. Anything to break the silence, the uncertain tension he felt on how she may react to his attempt at opening up to her. But he refrained from doing as such, instead showing a rare display of patience as he watched her thoughtfully, seeking out any type of response; spoken or unspoken. After a short while, his head lowered, eyes averting away as he began doubting if anything he could do would get through to his old teammate and friend.

"The wilds."

"Huh?" Was the young man's only initial response as the sudden break in silence caught him off guard, his blue eyes returning to the Atlantean almost instantly, with the blunt of his attention drawn toward the faint smile which peeked out on her lips.

"When abandoned, we are thrown into the wilds to parish….. or, at least, I was. Sharks weren't half as bad as octopus."

In spite of what she just said, Terran couldn't keep from giving a slight smile of his own. What she described was indeed heartless and cruel. It was the type of faint but clear description which would draw an initial response of anger on any other occasion. However, having just seen what felt like perhaps her first truly genuine and warm smile directed toward him, the blonde found it hard to fully focus solely on any feelings of anger. Besides, if anything, seeing Ula smile was a step up from how she was only minutes ago. Sadly, it didn't change the reality of her situation, as she soon reminded.

"Even if I was willing to take such a risk with your life, what then? I don't have a plan of attack or anything. I'm just going to run as far away and as long as I can. Eventually they'll find me and they'll find a way to kill me. Or I'll destroy the world. Or.."

Reluctantly, Terran had to silently concede on the first of these points. It's not like the two of them could charge into whatever metaphorical underwater HQ these 'people' resided and pull the same old superhero routine. This ran deeper, and on a level the former Titan continued to have difficultly in fully comprehending. They could run together, if things came to be at their worse. It's not as if he had anything else to devote himself toward, but after the way he ended their last partnership, he would have some nerve to make such a suggestion. For that matter, he also doubted she would agree to it in the first place.

Still, as he tilted his head slightly, a smirk slowly spread across his features as he considered her final words. "Ula?" He finally broken his own silence, speaking with a hint of humor yet also letting his next words come out with a sense of conviction which showed he couldn't be swayed on this matter, "You couldn't destroy an ant hill."

At her worse, the young heroine known to the world as Aqua Lass would never let herself be sunk to such levels. That was one of the few truths Terran believed in when it came to his many experiences in the wild world of super powered spandex wearers. Perhaps it was because of this that he was drawn toward her during their past friendship during and after their time in Titans East. She was flawed, but also purer in heart then most, and stronger then many, maybe even herself, would give her credit for. In a way, she reflected many of the things he wished to have been.

"All the same, I have to go and you can't follow." With an effort, she made herself look back up at him. Her friend deserved that much. "I….. I have to go get dressed. Terran…… thank you. Thank you for wanting to help. It means a lot."

The 'thank you' caught Terran by surprise. He wasn't sure why, but at least it was an enough pleasant surprise. One which allowed a small smile to ghost the side of his lips, even as the greater disappointment of not being able to help stood out for him. Still, he nodded his head in understanding, and then started to turn toward the door out of the room. As he started to stretch a hand out toward the handle, he paused, and then quickly spun around again to face and speak with the young Atlantean once more.

"You said earlier that you couldn't take that risk with my life….but that's the thing, Ula. All we do in our line of work is taking risks. Risks for a supposed greater good, risks for people who we don't know, risks for people who fear or outright hate us and risks for masked clowns whom we don't have anything in common with other then being on the same side of the 'us or them' spandex wars." The string of words came out clearly, with a sense of unwavering determination as he gazed across the room at the former Titan; only showing the slightest hesitation as he got to the main point of that outburst, "So…why shouldn't I take a risk with my life if it meant helping one of the few people who I've really cared about?"

For him, this was especially true, as much of his life during the past year or so had been spent living in different parts of the country as a solo hero without much purpose. There hadn't been much in terms of purpose for him since leaving the Titans, and even then, when he wasn't betraying them, it was generally about redemption for the young earth mover. Granted, maybe that was part of his reason for wanting to help the girl standing before him. No, it was part of the reason, but there was also a genuine sense of companionship with Ula which he rarely felt in his life. It was something he hadn't felt since leaving her out of fear, and the past few hours only served as a stressful reminder of this.

"It was going to be hard enough saying goodbye. I…I don't think I could live with myself if I knowingly let you face this alone." The blonde stated slowly, lowering his eyes slightly and moving a hand to start rubbing at the back of his neck; as if trying to find the right words as he confessed, "It's selfish on my part, I know. You've made it clear what you want to do and if I forced you into letting me come, then you'd just feel worse if anything happened. And from the sounds of it, that's a likely possibility."

A low sigh escaped his lips as he struggled in explaining how he felt, as such displays of personal feelings weren't exactly his strong point, "I don't know what I'm saying. It's not like I could fling a few rocks at this and hand them over to the police. I'm not even sure what the League could do to make it all go away for good."

Rubbing his fingers lightly along the tension he could feel building up, Terran finally looked up at her again; almost hesitant to say what came out next as he spoke with total sincerity, "I just…know….that I want to protect you."

Yes, but how? That was the million dollar question. It was one which the blonde wished he knew the answer to, but couldn't come up with anything other then running together. Which Terran wouldn't feel terribly opposed to, but the question is, even if she wasn't worried about their lives, would she trust him? In spite of the dire situation she faced, it wasn't like the young hero had given her any reason to believe he wouldn't chicken out again if the danger ever seemed to fade. In either case, they both had a lot to consider after the events of the day.

"I'll let you get changed." The blonde finally stated after his long pause, turning toward and gripping the door handle, starting to turn it as he turned around once more, "But, I don't know, think about what I said? Maybe you can make more sense out of it then I could."

Offering up a slight smile over his own trouble in getting his thoughts straight, Terran faced forward and started out the door; knowing he would need to keep an eye and ear open during the next 24 hours.

----------

Hex

"Oh I'm pretty sure you mentioned something of the sort yesterday morning."

A slight, less teasing and very genuine smile briefly spread across his features as he held Match close to his face. He couldn't say anything at the time, but in his mind the young hero reflected on how, when it came to her, he couldn't say it often enough. Of course, she'd probably make a cheeky remark on how cheesy and/or inappropriate that sounded, so it was perhaps for the best that his tongue remained occupied in other endeavors. Picking up where his fingers had left off, Hex continued to work the moist appendage between her lips, delving deeper into her body as his mouth was overwhelmed with the sweet taste of her arousal.

She was already so close after their respective ministrations on her sensitive sex, and he easily could have brought her to climax earlier. Instead, Hex wanted to keep her waiting a little longer, until he was good and ready to have her cumming around whatever part of his own body was used to achieve it. Knowing how she'd be afraid of moving too much, every so often he would help guide her hips with a nudge of his hands at her hips so that his tongue would better reach into her core. The moist sounds of the appendage lapping at her juices as they fell could occasionally be heard, along with the light squish of having its length plunged back into her sex; making sure to drag itself along her slightly clenching walls as she steadily soaked his face.

Being the experienced lover he was, Hex listened carefully during every pleasurable sound which escaped from his loves lips; using them as a means of gauging without words which methods or areas were best for pleasing her. Because of this, he did pick up on the brief gasp of what seemed like pain, which caused the former villain enough alarm to pause in his oral assault right as she pulled away. Briefly, and for the first time since their period of experimenting with red kryptonite, the thought of having caused her any accidental harm during their lovemaking had entered his mind. That seemed unlikely, and whatever it was didn't seem anything serious, but as he watched her slid down his body there was a fair amount of concern on his features.

Granted, this look might have appeared more effective if it wasn't interrupted by the brief shiver caused by the sweet friction of her warmth again his sensitive hardness, but traces of it remained as she laid her forehead to rest upon his. The former Titan's arms stretched up to wrap themselves around her waist, holding his lover in an assuring manner as her eyes began opening. His worry remained upon his features at first, only to slowly melt away a bit as a smile spread across the Kryptonian's lips. He remained concerned and slightly confused, but her smile and the way she moved her hand to touch his face had a reassuring effect as his own fingers trailed along her soft back; caressing the pale white curves of her flesh as he returned the warm expression.

"Enough of that. I want you to fuck me."

Now that warm smile had taken on a noticeable more lecherous turn, as he started to let the hands along her back roam lower; inching toward her skirt as he gazed up at the blonde above him with a sly smirk as he teased, "Naughty girl. What would people think if they knew someone from Superwoman's gene pool talked like that?"

Without waiting for a response, he quickly pushed his head forward, just enough to catch her lips in a forceful kiss. Hex let the clone taste herself on his lips, much like how he could pick up traces of his earlier semen deposit lingering as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. When the young man mentioned earlier about how good she tasted, he meant more then whenever they went down on each other. As his tongue continued to sweep itself against her own, he reflected on how the sweet taste of her lips were one he didn't think possible for him to grow tired of; almost making the young man regret that both hands had found her skirt and slid it up enough for their purpose.

Hesitantly breaking the embrace, Hex gazed up at her, taking a moment to catch his breath as he smirked at the blonde; licking his lips to take in one more taste of her off of them as he admitted, "Not that I'm complaining. I always love it when you start talking dirty. It helps to get me more worked up."

Letting out a low, almost devilish chuckle, he then diverted his attention downward as his shaking hands moved to lift her up, just a little, before gripping at himself and starting to direct the tip toward her tender sex. The young hero knew she wouldn't feel completely comfortable doing this part alone, so did the majority of the work as he used his fingers to help spread her lips, pushing the head against the opening before moving one hand to help guide the aliens body down. Despite how often they explored each over the years, Hex couldn't truly stretch her out like he could a normal woman. Not because of size issues and certainly not due to a lack of 'effort' on either persons part, but for the fact that, powers and appearance aside, he was a normal human with a woman whose flesh couldn't be pierced by bullets.

"Oh God…"

Because of this, every time felt close to how it did when he first took her virginity, as the length and girth of his cock was slowly, carefully enveloped by the warmth of her folds as she was lowered onto his body. As his teeth gritted from the wonderful pressure, Hex briefly thought on how fortunate it was that he assisted in adding lubrication only minutes ago. His grayish hands held firmly onto Match's hips, making sure she came down at a steady pace and didn't mistake any sounds he might make for those of discomfort or pain. Slowly he filled her out, letting out a low groan as the Kryptonian woman's sex stretched out to her body's mostly (they did, after all, make good use of when her powers were out) natural extent that her inner walls would extend around his hardness.

"This always makes it worth it, you know?" The young man softly whispered as he grew used to the fit, his vibrant pink yet deep eyes gazing upon the woman he loved; enjoying the feel of her body against him as his chest rose and feel with every breath, "All of our precautions, the limits to what we can do, the past missteps. Everything is worth it for being able to share this feeling, this intimacy with you."

Moving his head forward once again, Hex placed a second, softer kiss against Match's lips; kissing her lovingly before letting his head settle back on the bed, just as a wicked smile crept at the corner of his mouth, "But…I don't think I can…fuck you, like this. Not truly."

Gripping firmly at her waist, the rather worked up male quickly pushed off in order to make them both around upon the mattress; keeping himself inside of the young heroines body (and bringing about some lovely friction in the process) as he went about switching their positions. Soon enough, Hex was planting his hands upon the bed for leverage as he rested on top of the albino girl. A few adjustments later, and he was kneeling over Match, with her legs on either side of his body as he gripped at her wrists and linked them over her head.

His eyes showed a mischievous glint in them, mouth remaining curved into a smirk which almost gave way to an almost victorious smile as he settled into her from this position, "Much better…."

The hands at her wrists were largely for a display of power, despite not being able to actually keep her in place in a million years. It worked as a way of showing how he would give her what she wanted, but it would be under his terms, as his hips pulled back slowly, teasingly as he slowly drew the length of him out. But only until the tip was all which remained inside, as Hex then pushed his throbbing cock back inside, forcefully, smacking his skin into hers while taking advantage of that invulnerability and strength on her part which normally resulted in restrained motions. While they were capable and did enjoy slower love making sessions, this was one of the few positions they had where Hex could truly and fully fuck her like she desired.

The sound of moist flesh slapping together joined their mutual gasps and moans, his hips pulling his cock out before thrusting into the clone girl's body; pushing into her so hard that the bed itself would shake. Hex would then pull away again, only to repeat the motion, then again, and again, with each thrust almost literally driving her into the bed. His knees remained planted into the soft surface they laid upon, as the toes of his feet started pressing into the mattress as he used his legs for aiding his hips in these movements. It was the type of force he would only apply to a girl of her abilities, and as Hex stared down at her, pleasure etched on his face as grunts and groans escaped his lips, he wanted to make sure Match was enjoying herself. But not without being a bit of a brat, of course.

"Is…Is this what you had in mind, sweetheart?" His words came out in an attempt at teasing Match for her earlier 'impatience' over his slower actions; even as part of him wanted to make certain she was happy at every turn.

The entire bed started to shake with every thrust as he drove her into the mattress, his fingers gripping into her skin at such a force that would hurt a normal human. It'd gotten to the point where his pistoning movements were nearly pushing the former villainess along the bed; with perhaps the hands over her head being the main thing keeping her from being pushed into the headboard. He could feel her secretions flowing around his cock as she coated him, some of it splattering onto his thighs as the growing lubrication caused numerous squishing sounds to emit between them. God, this felt so amazing, and yet, he wasn't quite ready to simply let her cum so easily after his steady teasing.

"Do you like the way my cock feels inside of you, Match?" His words came out in quick yet coherent bursts as he tried reeling in the mounting pleasure; gazing down at her with a certain air of dominance which didn't completely mask the devilish look in his eyes, which was further accentuated by the fairly taunting way he spoke, "Are you enjoying being held down and fucked hard?"

Watching over the girl beneath him, Hex started smirking as he leaned in a bit, showing her a look in his eyes, on his features which she was perhaps all too familiar with by now as he finished, "You'd better make me believe it….or I might have to stop myself again."

To further his point, the former villain started to slow himself down, ignoring his own body's cry for them to continue as he decreased the force and frequency of his thrusts. Soon, the young man's body was moving at a pace which, from past experience, he knew would keep her so close to the edge without actually letting her get off. Sure, she would easily push him back and finish things herself, and he couldn't say he'd be completely against the notion of her either retaking control or giving him a show. But it wouldn't be the same as having a warm, thick cock pounding into her without any fear of injury. It was with this that he continued the slow, steady, torturous pace as he grinned down at the powerful woman who was at his mercy.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

Match

"Naughty girl. What would people think if they knew someone from Superwoman's gene pool talked like that?"

She laughed at that, or started to, but the mirth that had bubbled up in her throat was quickly cut off as he moved in to claim her lips with his on, turning the sound into this weird little laughing gasp. For some weird reason, these hard, forceful kisses usually caught her surprise. Not that Match minded. Nor did she mind when his tongue found its’ way between her lips and into her mouth. She could taste herself now, on him, just like she knew he could taste his own cum on her tongue. She could also taste his toothpaste, what he’d eaten for dinner and a flavor that was distinctly him and made her moan as she returned Hex’s kiss eagerly. Her hand had fallen away from his cheek when he’d lifted his head. Now, she brought it back up to bury in his hair, trusting herself, for now to be gentle, because she wanted to feel her lover as much as she could at this moment.

Eventually, though, this kiss had to hand. There were more pressing matters to attend to, like the one currently pressed delightfully against her sex. Hex’s hands had been busy, pulling her skirt up enough that it wouldn’t possibly get in the way. Grinning, she met her boyfriend’s cocky gaze as his chest rose and fell in quick, deep breaths. It was tempting, very tempting to pull him towards her once more for another kiss. As aroused as she was, as much as she definitely wanted his cock inside of her as quick his possible, she did so enjoy making out with him. Something he damn well knew when his tongue swiped across his own lips, unconsciously she mimicked the action.

"Not that I'm complaining. I always love it when you start talking dirty. It helps to get me more worked up."

“Oh, really? I’ll keep that in mind next time we’re all costumed in public.”

Her tone, while teasing, was quite a bit distracted now that she could definitely feel Hex getting ready to enter her. It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it herself, but more often than not, she wouldn’t. There were too many instances with sensitive anatomy for her to feel quite comfortable still. Though there had been some times where she’d sincerely tried, but fact of the matter remained, there was never going to be a quick and forceful entrance between them that didn’t involve kryptonite. So she did what she could, letting her love maneuver her enough so that he could put his cock in place. She shuddered slightly as his fingers grazed against her sensitized sex, spreading her lower lips to accommodate their lovemaking, and she didn’t try to hurry the process as he guided her onto his cock. Her gaze had stayed on his face this entire time, gauging his reaction, and slightly paranoid that there would be some sign of pain even though they’d done this more times than she could count.

"Oh God…"

That exclamation of his was enough to assuage most of her fears and she let out a sigh of relief, allowing herself to finally give in to the sensations coursing through her. According to Hex, it was like he was hardly making an impact on her body at all, but she had to disagree. She could feel him, every inch, every vein and bump, as he slid into her, filled her, until she was gasping for air. It was possible, and she had to admit it was possible though she’d never bothered to say so outloud, that she probably felt this way partially because she had no one else to compare him to, but that didn’t matter. She could think of quite a few people that were more than human, but she didn’t want them and it wasn’t daydreams about them that made her flesh yearn to be touched.

"This always makes it worth it, you know? All of our precautions, the limits to what we can do, the past missteps. Everything is worth it for being able to share this feeling, this intimacy with you."

Her cheeks were already flushed, as was the rest of her body, but still she could feel herself blushing as he whispered lovingly to her. There he was with those sweet words again, making her heart flutter in her chest in a giddy beat, despite the fact that she was firmly situated around his hard prick at the moment. Her gaze lowered slightly as, for the millionth time, she struggled to find the right response that would do his own declaration justice. Then he kissed her and this time it was soft and just as sweet as the things he had said and Match desperately kissed him back, willing her feelings into that meeting of lips. When he settled back into the bed underneath of him, her head followed, slipping to the crook of his neck as she simply breathed him in for a moment, acutely aware of not only the feel of his cock inside of her weeping cunt, but the pressure of his hands as they casually gripped her waist, the feel of the hairs on his chest as they tickled her breasts, and his breath as it just ghosted over her shoulder. Pressing her lips against his heated skin, she kissed his neck and whispered her love for him against his throat.

"But…I don't think I can…fuck you, like this. Not truly."

Lifting her head slightly, she looked at the pink-haired in faint surprise, taking in the wicked gleam in his eyes and that smile she’d come to view as just slightly evil, though her body tightened slightly in distinct anticipation. Then he rolled her over so that it was her back that pressed against the covers, making her moan and wriggle as that hot organ inside her shifted but never left, stoking the flames of the lust that had simmered down but never left. Hex spent the next few moments shifting them both until he had her, from the twinkle in his eyes, exactly where he wanted her. She flexed her fingers some, but didn’t really do anything to break his dominating grip on her wrists.

"Much better…."

Match lowered her eyelids, looking up at him through the veil of her pale eyelashes, mostly to hide the amusement she knew had to be in her eyes. Not that this emotion was alone or even dominated her gaze, but she felt like being a little coy at the moment. Then that amusement disappeared as Hex started to pull out of her, her body protesting the action every inch of the way. When he slammed the full length of his cock back into her, she cried out in pleasure, arching into him as best she could without breaking his grip on her. Dimly, in the back of her mind, she realized he was taking her command to heart, though she hadn’t quite thought out all of the consequences of telling the man to ‘fuck’ her. Really, she should’ve known he would do just that, not that she was complaining in the least. Match watched her lover through half-closed eyes as he pounded into her, making her squirm in his grip as her body sought to meet his hips with her own. She sometimes worried about him being bruised from doing this with her, someone whose skin deflected bullets, especially when he was using as much force as he was now, but he tended to laugh off that concern and in the end she never did find any evidence of injury. The look of lust in those bright eyes, combined with the noises that joined her own utterances of pleasure to echo around the room told her she had nothing to worry about now either.

"Is…Is this what you had in mind, sweetheart?"

“Damn…. You.. know me too..too well. Oh fuck.”

Her words, delivered between each gasp, whimper, and moan that interrupted her, were delivered with a shaky, amused tone turned deep with desire. Her lips tilted into a grin to assure her man that she was thoroughly enjoying everything he chose to do to her, in case her body was doing well enough on its’ own to convince him of that point. Match could feel her juices sliding down her ass each time he entered her, soaking the fabric of blanket she was being pressed into with his ministrations. Sweat pricked her forehead, matting the pale locks of her hair to her skin as he continued to drive into her, pushing her ever closer to the edge he’d been teasing her towards all this time. Her eyes flutter closed as she groaned, the muscles in her abdomen clenching as she teetered there, so close to cumming.

"Do you like the way my cock feels inside of you, Match?"

Her eyes snapped open then and her dark gaze met her boyfriend’s own. She knew that tone of voice and looking at him now, she knew that look. Nervous fluttering filled her heart for a few moments as he continued to use the force of his body to fill her completely. Her body trembled in his grip with cautious anticipation. Experience taught her that that look meant her boyfriend was going to do something completely evil and very soon. A wordless murmur of approval slipped from her pale lips.

"Are you enjoying being held down and fucked hard?"

Sure enough he taunted her. Jerk. The sounds of pleasure that echoed in the back of her throat morphed into a whimper and the repeating of one vaguely incoherent word. Match couldn’t do much more than gasp as she watched his lips curve into a familiar smirk as he leaned in to intimately deliver his threat.

"You'd better make me believe it….or I might have to stop myself again."

“Cocky …bastard.”

That was the wrong answer, but she’d said it without thinking, teasing petulance evident in her quivering voice. Almost immediately he had ceased his hard thrusts and slowed down into a more leisurely pace, pulling out of her until only the tip rested inside of her, making her body clench instinctually at the loss, and then sliding back into her just as unhurried as he’d exited. Her gaze never left his as she fought him for a few moments, her hands flexing softly against his grip as she arched towards him, trying to taunt her lover into taking back his command. She was also fighting against herself, a part of her mind whispering to her that this small bit of control of her was just an illusion, reminding her of the fact that she could quite easily overpower, switch their roles, and ride his gray ass until he was begging her to come. It was very tempting, especially with the benefit of experience telling her that course of action would be just as fun as anything else involving her lover boy.

The same one that was grinning at her like a hatter at the moment, because he could probably very well guess what was going on in her mind at the moment as she laid underneath him like this. Suddenly she was reminded of some interesting training sessions they’d had when they were still among the titans. Robyn had been so pissed at them getting distracted like that. The memory made her laugh softly even as a sharp inhale of breath twisted it a little. It was true that his hands on her wrists were mostly visual, but the control he really had over her was emotional. She loved him, every part, and even when he was slightly getting on her nerves, like now. Sweat was freely rolling down her body, joining the rest of the various liquids soaking into the fabric below them. Despite the slower, evil pace, he’d kept her at the edge and left her there, quivering with each move he made. She bit her lip as she tried to hold out a bit more, for the sake of posterity of not her pride, but her tongue had other ideas and the words came tumbling out.

“Oh god.. Please, Hex! Slap my ass and call me Baby! Just..unn..”

To her disappointment, he didn’t choose that moment to resume his earlier force. Instead, his grin was still just as evil and cocky as ever, and she could feel as his grip shifted on her, pulling her arms into the grasp of just one hand as the other appendage pulled away, the fingers trailing down her skin, tickling her faintly with the light touch. Their journey seemed to end at her breast and she arched into him as nails dragged torturously across her sensitive flesh, eliciting a soft whimper from her. The action distracted her from the fact that Hex had leaned in closer still. His breath against her cheek made her turn back to look at him, faint surprise evident in her eyes.

Ula

He smiled at her when she thanked him. It wasn’t much of a smile, but she knew it was an honest one, and those from him were rare. It was comforting, in a way, to see it. Then he nodded his head and moved away, towards the door and out of her life. This was what she wanted, she told herself. This was what she needed him to do so he would stay safe, so she could disappear. So then, why was her heart sinking and a keen sense of disappoint claiming her with each step he took? Torn between watching her friend while she still could and shutting her eyes so she couldn’t see him go, Ula finally chose the latter. A tear surprised her when she did, scorching a trail down her cheek before falling to the carpet below.

"You said earlier that you couldn't take that risk with my life….but that's the thing, Ula. All we do in our line of work is taking risks. Risks for a supposed greater good, risks for people who we don't know, risks for people who fear or outright hate us and risks for masked clowns whom we don't have anything in common with other then being on the same side of the 'us or them' spandex wars. So…why shouldn't I take a risk with my life if it meant helping one of the few people who I've really cared about?"

Her head had popped back up, eyes flaring wide in surprise as he began his tirade. It was the most animated she’d seen him all day. If the moment wasn’t so serious, if he wasn’t trying to insist on something that would get him killed, if she wasn’t trying to get over the shock of his outburst so she could plan a way to evade her friends, Ula would’ve laughed. She had missed this part of him, the fierce stubborn side that wouldn’t be swayed from doing what he completely meant to do. She found herself staring at him openly now, etching this scene into her mind, preserving each inflection and movement, so that she could use it later. For what, she wasn’t sure yet, but it was important enough, Terran doing this, that she wanted to never forget it. So she watched him as he continued to speak, with the hand at the back of his neck giving away his nerves.

"It was going to be hard enough saying goodbye. I…I don't think I could live with myself if I knowingly let you face this alone. It's selfish on my part, I know. You've made it clear what you want to do and if I forced you into letting me come, then you'd just feel worse if anything happened. And from the sounds of it, that's a likely possibility. I don't know what I'm saying. It's not like I could fling a few rocks at this and hand them over to the police. I'm not even sure what the League could do to make it all go away for good."

Then he looked at her, their eyes connecting, startling her out of the dreamlike quality she’d assigned to observing him. Part of that might have been exhaustion catching up with her, adrenaline wearing a little earlier than was appropriate. Primarily it was that it hurt a little less that way and she didn’t have to think. Now, as she stared into his blue eyes, that sense of dreaming quickly evaporated and she almost stepped back. The intensity she saw there filled her with some nameless fear. It was strange. She had seen him ready to tear apart the world if he could once, but she had been perfectly calm. Now, when he was only looking at her, only trying to reason out a way to help her, she was afraid. And, when Terran opened his mouth to speak, she suddenly wanted to clap her hands over her ears to preserve her ignorance.

"I just…know….that I want to protect you."

It hurt. Those words hurt. He wanted to protect her. This time she did step back. One step and then two as if she was stumbling in slow motion. She felt faint and sick and overwhelmed like she had earlier on the street with Match, like everything was moving too fast around her, one right after the other, and she just needed a bit of time to digest it all. It was time she didn’t have, time she wasn’t going to have for a long time. Not until she was long gone and hidden away in some alcove or another. He wanted to protect her. Why? No, he already answered that. She was his friend. That was reason enough, wasn’t it? He was going to die. The reasons didn’t matter. She couldn’t let him do it.

"I'll let you get changed."

Even though she was looking right at him, those words surprised her too, snapping her out of the panic-filled spiral she’d started going through. The Atlantean nodded to show that she’d heard him, and tried to act as if she was calm enough to be allowed to be left alone. This new Terran, because he was new to her, even though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he was so different quite yet, was throwing her off balance. She didn’t know what to do that wouldn’t make him change his mind and stay. Silence was the neutral option at the moment. Not that it mattered, he was already turning away from her and turning the knob of the door, ready to leave to give her privacy, which oddly amused her in more ways than one. Then he turned towards her once more, making her muscles tense, the dim plans to fight her way out coming to mind once more.

"But, I don't know, think about what I said? Maybe you can make more sense out of it then I could."

Then he was leaving and she was backing away, nodding, almost as an after thought, until her back hit the doorjamb for the bathroom. Looking at Terran one last time, she sighed and turned away, into the bathroom in order to get her clothes. The material was still pretty much soaked when she touched her shirt. Unlike her hair, it hadn’t the benefit of her body heat to dry it. Sighing again, she pulled her hands away as her gaze traveled down to the still warm water in the tub before her. She’d never been the plan maker when with anyone else, even Terran, and when by herself she would just fall on experience and instinct to guide her. When she’d talked about getting dressed, she really had only wanted him out of the way, though there’d been a vague concept of getting out as soon as the fabric was safely on her skin.

Now, Terran was leaving her alone, at least for the night. There was no need to leave this exact moment and she was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. Even now, she was almost asleep on her feet as her thoughts were being forced into some semblance of order. If pressed, she could survive days without sleep. Experience had taught her that, just like it had taught her how long she could go without food, or at least as long as she had gone without food before, which was close enough. That probably wouldn’t be a problem this time, her fish phobia was something she’d more or less coped with by now. She could sleep now. She’d meant to before Terran had come knocking. She’d sleep some hours, then leave before anyone else was awake. It could still be done. Just because he knew she was going to leave, it didn’t mean that her friend knew when, and by his demeanor, he probably wouldn’t be telling Hex or Match anything tonight. It would give her enough time to slip away. Once in Jump Bay, she’d be long gone. Nodding softly to herself, she let the towel she’d been holding so tightly for the past half hour fall to the tiled floor, and stepped into the tub.

"You couldn't destroy an ant hill."

Out of nowhere, Terran’s words echoed in her head. He’d seemed so sure of them, even though he knew so little about her history. A small smile tickled the edge of her lips before sorrow came rushing in like a wave. She’d tried so hard to be good, but there were times in her life, moments, where something dark had loomed in her mind, and she was sure that she could be capable of cruel, heartless things if she wanted to.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of, Terran. I can destroy a lot more than anthills.”

She spoke for her ears alone, the defiant statement only whisper soft. She knew Terran was gone, though his smell, still so fresh, lingered heavy in the air. Then she fell, the water rising to meet her as she did, welcoming her in its embrace, so that when she finally lay fully in the tub there was no splash or ripple to betray her arrival. Unconsciousness was quick to claim her. She hadn’t needed the skill as often as she once, as much as she probably would, but it was still very useful to make herself sleep at the drop of a hat. There was no telling when she’d be able to do so safely ever again.

 

[Eazy]

Terran

As he left the room, closing the door behind himself to allow his friend a chance to (hopefully) rest after the day she’ had, the blonde muttered out a silent curse. Not necessarily at either of them, nor the pair whom were inadvertently responsible for pulling him into this situation, or really single thing which came to his mind in particular. Terran hadn’t any time to focus on it while speaking with Ula, but he was frustrated. Frustrated at being here, at the earlier attempt on Ula’s life, for not being able to do anything about it at the time and, now, not being capable of figuring out a resolution after having an idea of what she, they were dealing with here. And it wasn’t like they had much time, from the sounds of it.

While he walked further away of the room, somewhat pacing around the large apartment without any true destination in mind, the former Titan reflected on what he should be doing. The young man supposed he could tell Match and her boy toy, but there likely wasn’t anything they could do on this night which couldn’t wait until the following day. Well, aside from perhaps taking turns keeping watch on Ula for the night. All of this brought to mind the question of why he felt so certain, so sure that there was something, anything he could do to help the Atlantean when they spoke only minutes ago. He did want to help, but it seemed like the makings of a well meaning, but ultimately futile effort.

Terran knew first hand how naturally strong her people were, albeit largely due to his past dealings with herself and others such as Aquawoman. As he entered what he could safely guess as the living room area, the blond considered how difficult facing several dozen or more of their type may be; especially if any conflict brought them underwater, where he couldn’t breath naturally and hadn’t any real combat experience.

“Damn it.” The young hero whispered to himself, reaching a hand up to rub at the back of his head as he contemplated his current thoughts and what had just happened over in Ula’s room, “What was I thinking? Here I was, giving her some talk on how she didn’t have to face this alone, and now…ugh, and now I can’t even convince myself that I’d be of any use.”

They could fight, but to what end? Fight until they kill them both? Until they kill her and leave him either seeking revenge or spiraling into a rage unfelt by him since his betrayal of the Titans? At best, they would continue running, always having to watch each others backs for an assassin while also dealing with whatever costumed clown they came across that week. There was also the possibility of what she said coming true. That he could seriously be injured, or worse, and how guilty that may make her feel. For most, using this as a justification for backing out may seem a complete lie. And, honestly, part of it was him just making excuses. But for one with fairly little regard for his own safety, it actually did come across as a genuine concern.

As he stood in the middle of the living room area, eyes directed toward the nearest window, the young man’s mind raced through all of the variables; until finally falling back on his own answer to so many problems, “It….it would be so easy. To leave.” His words came out slowly, below a whisper, as if worried about anyone hearing him even as he remained lost in his thoughts, “I mean, she was going to leave us first. She’s probably still planning on doing it once our backs are turned. Maybe even planning on returning to her old flame for the help I can't give her.”

It was a coward’s way out, Terran knew that, but he also knew that he wasn’t exactly above it. He’d run away from Ula and their friendship in the past. Ran away from the Titans, from Beast Girl, from home. True, this was a more serious situation then the first time he ran away of Ula, but it wasn’t much worse then what he’d done to Beast Girl and the others in the past. At least he wasn’t playing an active role in trying to kill the Atlantean like he had with her former team mates so many years ago. As his eyes glanced toward the hall which led to his room, to where his luggage had been left, he considered how easy it would be to take his stuff, or even simply leave it, and head out that door. Hell, if he left, then it’d even give Ula a possible out for leaving without raising suspicion from the others. It would be so easy.

His eyes lingered upon the door for several seconds, which then grew into several minutes, until finally letting out a sigh as he came to a decision.

“I’m an idiot.” The blonde grumbled to himself, although he couldn’t say whether his words were in response of his contemplating running, or the final decision of staying with the young heroine to try and see things through.

Not really feeling like going to his room and settling into a bed, Terran turned toward the sofa and promptly dropped himself butt first upon those soft cushions. His mind remained filled with questions, uncertainties and fears; but those were items he’d need to deal with later. Little point in dwelling on them now, the blonde figured as he didn’t bother taking off those shoes before lying back on the couch. His blue eyes stared up at the ceiling, contemplating many things, yet coming up with little in terms of answers as he steadily drifted back and forth between capturing some sleep and keeping an ear open for any tiptoeing fish girls.

-----------------

Hex

“Cocky …bastard.”

“You had better believe it, sweets.” The former villain quickly replied with a sly smirk which he managed to briefly flash despite the amount of pleasurable strain building up with his body.

The young male knew his lover’s body, and, while wasn’t one to bring the subject up (not anymore, at least), he did have enough experience with various past partners to feel a level of confidence in his acquired talents. She was enjoying this slow, methodical, teasing pace; even if a small part of her may later entertain the idea of flying over the city while holding him dangling from his ankle. Lord knows Hex was, as he watched his powerful, proud girlfriend struggling to maintain her composure; or at least what composure one could muster given the way he was repeatedly, if slowly moving his hips to drive that hard cock of his into her tender lips. It was almost a shame when she did finally relent to his ‘request’. Almost.

“Oh god.. Please, Hex! Slap my ass and call me Baby! Just..unn..”

Despite himself, the young man couldn’t keep from letting loose a stifled slight snicker at his girlfriend’s outburst. She could be so sexily amusing when there was a hard dick pushing its way in and out of her warm, moist sex. As such, while he may have wished otherwise at the time, the young hero allowed one of his hands to begin a teasing journey along her body; inching its way along the Kryptonian’s impenetrable, yet soft flesh as his nails dragged along her skin every step of the way. When they reached her breast, there was a conscious effort on the man’s part to let his fingernails dig firmly into her sensitive flesh; his fingers circling around the mound of flesh as he began to squeeze it rather roughly.

She may be impervious to being pierced by most kinds of bullets, but the Kryptonian’s enhanced bodies were in every other way as sensitive to touch or sensation as a regular person’s. Because of this, as he began leaning in closer while she arched into his body, those devilish fingers of his shifted to centering their attention upon the sensitive nub of flesh at the center of Match’s breast. Another bonus to having a super invulnerable girlfriend? You can pinch as hard as you wish, nails first, into practically any portion of skin without concern of causing actual injury. When she did turn to meet his gaze once more, Hex promptly captured her lips in another passionate kiss; plunging his tongue briefly into the woman’s mouth in order to fully taste her one last time before resuming his pace. It also served in aiding to capture any whimpers or moans she may let out as his fingers continued to meticulously ‘torture’ her trapped nipple.

His fingers played with her sensitive nub of flesh during their embrace, before the young man relented on doing both; gazing into her eyes with a teasing smirk as he addressed her earlier pleading, “Good enough.”

The hand which had previously occupied itself at her breast moved, purposely letting his fingers trail along the smooth, pale abdomen of the woman under him as prior to them working their way higher. Those fingers slid along her chest, paying special attention to the collarbone area when he reached her neck, tracing a couple of the digits along her tensed muscles before going for her ‘pinned’ down hands. Grabbing each of her wrists, Hex kept his gaze locked upon Match’s own as he brought her arms lower; until both were spread along the bed and held down on either side of her body. Another positive aspect to her powers? He could maintain this dominating grasp and apply further weight onto her wrists as his body shifted in order to prepare for picking up his previous pace.

Steadily, his hips began to pick up in resuming a rhythmic force after settling into a near lull in their movements. His features strained just a little as he resumed pushing the length of himself into the Kryptonian; pulling out until only the head remained, before thrusting forward hard enough to hear the faint, moist slap of their skin upon contact. The skin surrounding her body was technically harder then a normal persons when it came to yielding under such force, but it wasn’t nearly enough to hinder the young male as he started to pick up speed. And it certainly rippled in much the same way a human woman’s would, as Hex kept increasing the speed, the force of his hips as he came closer to matching where they’d left off earlier.

The hands holding onto her wrists began to really press her arms into the mattress as he soon matched his previous efforts, then surpassed them as the brightly hair colored hero watched over the woman he was fucking through nearly hooded eyes while fighting back the urge to cum on the spot. Not yet, he kept telling himself, as Hex remained focused on refusing to relent in his assault until finally giving the woman he loved the release she sought. As he watched her now, those magenta eyes of his watching the young heroine in a mixture of lust and adoration, this was the only thought on his mind. After all of the teasing, the false attempts at finishing her off, the taunting; after all of that, this was what it truly came down to for him. For them.

Again and again his lower body would pull away, only to slam back into her, causing the bed itself to shake as he lowered his head and noted the way those muscles around her abdominal area would tighten every so often. When his eyes trailed a little higher, they were greeted with the sight pleasant sight of her full, heaving breasts as they swayed with the motion of every forceful, pistoning action of his hard cock into her body. His labored breathing came out in quicker bursts, causing short waves of warm air to brush along her bare flesh with every breath which escaped as he attempted to stifle the groans which threatened to burst out of his clenched jaw.

“I’m almost there, baby!” He nearly groaned out in the middle of those occasional grunts and labored gasps for air, with a little extra emphasis on the last word as a conscious attempt of poking at her earlier outburst.

The young man’s hips continued slamming into her lower body, his fingers digging hard enough into her arms where he may have risked scratching or drawing blood on a normal person as every thrust drove them closer toward their goal. He could feel her fluids running down his inner thighs as he carried on the rough, forceful assault; the way Match’s secretions had poured out and pooled around them upon the bed sheets. She was so close, and he was perhaps closer still as it became harder to fight back the urge to let himself release inside of her; his features showing the pleasurable strain as the thick length of his cock glided in and out of her tight sex.

His back arched, nostrils flared, hands tightening until his knuckles were nearly white as he dug into that bulletproof flesh; all while the former Titan attempted to alert her through gritted teeth, “Oh God….Match, I’m….”

Tried as he might, those final few words were incapable of escaping his lips, as they were promptly drowned out by a silent, then very vocal moan as the pressure within his loins built reached its limit. His hips slammed forward between her spread legs, the increased sound of wet flesh having long since joined any other noises within their bedroom as he felt his cock begin to twitch and jerk about as torrents of his thick cum flowed within its length and started spilling out of the tip. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled throughout his body as related sounds of pleasure escaped from his lips as he momentarily closed his eyes shut in the heat of it. The entire ordeal was almost clockwork after their time together, yet also felt spontaneous as those fingers continued digging into her arms, his body moving to piston the length of his dick in and out of her, trying to draw out and ride the wave of her own orgasm even as he started to fill her up with his warm seed.

 

[UnseenMaiden]

Match

When her lover’s lips crashed down on her own, she gasped, not from the fierceness of the passions shared in their kiss, or the mixture of pain and pleasure that radiated from her breast as he buried his nails into her sensitive flesh, or the achingly slow rhythm of his cock, or the uncertainty of whether her pleas had succeeded, but from a combination of all of these things. The sound was easily lost on her ears, muffled by Hex’s mouth, as his tongue swept inside of her. Her hands flexed, unconsciously, in his grip, wanting to act, to pull him impossibly closer. As much as she wished he would answer her already, let her know if her words had been enough to spur him into picking up the pace once more, she was caught up in this moment, wanted it to last, torturous aching included. Match met his gaze when the kiss ended, their breathing intermingled for the space of a few moments, and could feel his lips curving into that self-satisfied smirk she’d come to know so well.

“Good enough.”

The pale blond relaxed minutely at his acceptance of her earlier pleas. If he’d decided to press her any further, she wasn’t entirely sure what she would’ve done. It felt like she was at her wit’s end as it was, watching her boyfriend as the hand that had been mauling her poor breast slid away. The muscles in her abdomen clenched involuntarily as his fingers ran over them, only to have the soft touch trail away and up, through the valley between her breasts, along her clavicle, over the pulse that thrummed past and hard in her throat. All along she held his vibrant eyes, searching them for hints of what he was about to do, reading the cues as she bit the inside of her cheek softly in order to keep quiet. Not for the sake of their guests, whom she’d actually more or less forgot about, but because she knew if she said anything, it’d only make him draw out this teasing exploration he was performing at the moment.

Then, suddenly, he was all business once more, magenta gaze catching her own in a way the made her shudder. His grip on both of her wrists was renewed. The strength he exerted, as he moved her arms once more, in his hold on her was at complete odds with the nearly gentle movements the main event of their lovemaking had become during this time, making her wonder what it was he was about with such contrary actions. She waited, with the kind of patience she wasn’t entirely sure she had, for the answer. Her breath caught in her throat as she got it, every inch of his hard cock being slammed into her with enough force that she didn’t need super hearing to catch the slap of their moist skin meeting.

From there, he quickly picked up the pace with Match dripping in more ways than one. His nails were biting into her pale flesh, forcing her hands into the mattress, just like the rest of her, with each thrust. Her cries of pleasure were lost on her ears. That edge he’d been teasing her towards all of this time, only to draw her reeling back from it, was racing towards her now. The clone’s mind was a pleasant haze, pushing back the world so that she cared for little more than the man that was fucking, and she watched him intently, allowing herself a moment of unreserved emotion as his eyes trailed away from her own, tracing his features with her gaze.

Her previous sorrow whispered to her in the back of her mind, telling her this could possibly be the last time, but she quickly squashed it down. No matter if she knew it was stupid, weak, and possibly even cruel of her to hang on like she was, Match didn’t want to say goodbye, not yet. She especially didn’t want this act between them to be tainted with her own pain. The medicine was still working. There was time. For now, she was going to stay in the moment, linger in the feel of her lover taking her with his cock, just as his eyes were raking over her body, subconscious motions claiming her as his.

Soon, very soon, Hex was going to cum. The thought alone was enough to cause her breath to hitch, just slightly. A sound that was more than likely lost between all the other various noises they were both emitting. She wanted to reach that peak with him. It wasn’t a conscious thought, but a matter that she didn’t need to give a conscious thought to. He was holding himself back for her, could see it in the taut hardness of the muscles in his jaw. Even as his breath, warm and moist, ghosted over her skin, a physical echo of each groan that was stifled in his throat, and he slammed into her, harder and faster until she was almost sure that he would’ve ripped her apart if she was at all ordinary, he was going to draw this out.

“I’m almost there, baby!”

Her lips twitched in amusement at his teasing, and the fact that his words lost a lot of their impact being delivered among a wave of gasping pleasure. She was well aware that she wasn’t the most eloquent of people, especially in bed. She didn’t mind and knew that, as much as he teased her about it, Hex didn’t really mind either. The breathless laughter that echoed within in her throat in response was pushed aside as pain arched through her. All of this time, her lover had been keeping such a tight hold on her and she hadn’t minded. Frankly, she didn’t much care now either. Each sensation she was feeling only served to enhance the shuddering peak she was headed for and she arched against Hex as his grip tightened even more as he continued to fuck her.

“Oh God….Match, I’m….”

He tried to warn her, he did, but it was quickly lost as his voice faded into a silence that had her gripping the damp covers beneath her even before the quiet moment of his was replaced with the sound of Hex tumbling over the edge. Erratically, he continued to thrust into her as his sperm fired into her sex. Breathlessly, she called out his name in answer.

“Hex.”

Then she was tumbling with him, her cunt spasming around her lover’s cock, drawing his hot seed deep inside of her body. She wanted to draw him to her as well, pull him close so that their skin would touch and slide together as ecstasy flowed through them both, but he still held her wrists tight and so she clutched at the covers and sheets instead, her mouth open in the screams of her pleasure, even as her eyes closed to the world around her.

Eventually, his grip on her loosened and she opened her eyes to Hex’s tired, but grinning face. Reaching up, she placed a hand on his cheek and smiled back at him. A soft moan of loss escaped her lips as his softening cock slipped out of her, their intermingled juices sliding out of her in its’ wake. Her pussy ached in a pleasant manner after being fucked so thoroughly, and a lazy grin drifted over her lips as her eyes roved over his grey skin. She missed having him inside of her already and it was tempting, very tempting, to work the pink-haired man up again so she could satisfy her craving. Raising herself up some, she nudged her lover with the hand that had previously been stroking her cheek, pushing at his chest in an unspoken wish for him to roll over. Once he was on his back, she straddled his crotch. Then, unbidden, she yawned, and then frowned at herself for yawning. Sighing petulantly, she let herself fall to the side and curled up against her boyfriend, the beginnings of a pout evident in her tone as she spoke.

“Damn, you tired me out.”

She could distinctly feel his laughter rumbling through him, making her shake, but any response he might’ve had was lost on her. For a few moments, nestled comfortably between afterglow of their lovemaking and the strong pulse of Hex’s heart beating against her palm, she drifted into the beginnings of sleep. She wasn’t sure how to take her fatigue these days, whether to assign it as a side effect of the medicine she was taking or a symptom of the cellular breakdown she was trying to fight or if it was nothing more than her being stressed out so much more than usual. Kryptonian physiology was an imperfect science, and she was nowhere even close to an expert when it came to her own anatomy. It annoyed her at times, but generally she felt ignorance was something she liked when it came to how she operated.

“She lied. The guy was speaking Atlantean or something before I smacked him. Sounded like a pissed-off greek dolphin to me. When I asked Ula what he said, she lied.”

Match wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed (seconds, minutes, hours), though she knew she’d fallen asleep for a bit, embarrassment lightly tingeing her cheeks at that knowledge. The words she spoke now, or more the knowledge behind them, was what had woken her up. Her mind had suddenly felt the need to remind her that she had meant to speak to Hex about what had happened earlier that night. So she had said the first thing that had come to mind, her sleepy voice divulging one of the main things that had been bugging her about the event. She didn’t hold anything against the Atlantean for lying to her. She was her friend, but everyone had their secrets. She just didn’t understand why Ula would like that, especially considering what the lie had been. It was beyond weird.