October 19th
Gotham City
0135 EST
Barbara slipped past the RA in her boy's dorm without even trying. It might have been because it was a boy's dorm, and the RA was less motivated to keep girls out, than the other way around. It was a double standard, but at the moment, it was beneficial.
She ducked into his room and shut the door behind her quietly. She could hear his breathing, soft and shallow, and it was clear he was asleep. She flirted with the idea of waking him up in the most 'friendly' manner possible, but decided to save that for a day where they didn't both have class bright and early the next morning. Besides, she was still a little sore at being handled so roughly the other night, despite enjoying every second of it.
Instead, she ditched her socks and shoes, sweatpants and bra, and curled up against her boy. He smelled of his soap and shampoo, a comforting scent to her. Reflexively, his arm found her and pulled her against him, so she nuzzled into him, enjoying the contact.
After the argument she'd had with Bruce, which had almost resulted in her getting benched just to cool off, she needed it. He had, again, withheld things, and had also used her to effectively stunt her boy's development. Yeah, he was picking up useful skills, but it shouldn't have been at the expense of his powers, or worse, at the expense of her integrity. She detested not being trusted, and was beginning to understand Dick's reasoning for starting to break away to do his own thing. She feared Tim would do the same, but he'd joined because Batman needed a Robin, so the odds of it were slim. If it did happen though, it would be a horrible mess.
Her patrol had been cathartic though. She'd caught Ivy, almost completely by accident, trying to rob a facility which housed some kind of state of the art fertilizer that LexCorp of all people were developing. That robbery had been nipped in the bud, and apparently, she'd spent too long talking to the Flash, because that was horrible the moment she'd thought it.
She was almost asleep when she felt Deke's body shifting, Surprised, she propped herself up on her arm and hip and watched as he fussed for a moment, but she had to clear the small twin bed quickly when his fussing turned into thrashing. He was muttering something unintelligible amidst distressed moans, and he grabbed his pillow, locking it into a choke hold, which, if she was being objective, was one she'd taught him.
She was going to let him ride it out, no stranger to foul dreams, but when his bedside lamp, cell phone, and the laundry on the floor began twitching, she had to do something. "Deke, babe." She said, patting his arm defensively. "You're having a nightmare Cowboy, it's okay."
His eyes flew open, and for a moment, murderous intent was etched into them. She backed off quickly, hoping she wouldn't have to defend herself against the man she loved. He held that expression a moment longer, but it softened around the same time the objects around him settled back into stillness.
When he saw her in a defensive stance, with an icy calm on her face, he realized what had happened. "My God, I'm sorry. Did I swing at you or anything?" He asked, immediately terrified.
"No baby, but I think that pillow will never mess with you again." Barbara said, sitting down next to him. She pulled him to her and held on, happily returning the favor he'd shown her. "What were you dreaming about?"
He took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around her, filling his nose with her wildflower perfume. "I was a puppet or something. People told me to do things and I just did them, like a weapon. I kept trying to refuse, but I couldn't, like my body wasn't mine anymore. I had to hurt people. My mom, otra mami, my team, and you." He said, fighting an errant tear away. The mental picture was burnt into his mind, of him being ordered to rip her apart, and his inability to do anything about it.
"It's okay now," Barbara said, clutching tightly to him. "Just dreams, they can't hurt you. They feel real in the moment but I'm here, you didn't hurt me."
"Thank God." He muttered into her shirt. He gripped her tightly, and pulled her back down to the bed with him, trying to hold every part of her against him. She snuggled into him and put her hands on his, clutching tightly.
"If I made a call tomorrow to have you meet with someone to talk about this, would that be going too far?" She asked, trying not to be tickled by his nose nuzzling into her neck.
"No, but it's just a dream babe, you said it yourself, it ain't real. Or, are you worried I'm gonna go nuts or something and do some damage?" He asked, getting lost in her hair.
Busted. "Not exactly. I don't think you'd hurt anyone, but it might not do your private life, or your education any favors if it happens again and on a bigger scale."
"Only because it's you." He muttered, using his powers to force his fight or flight back down. "Think I could get some more incentive though?" He asked with a snicker in his voice. He was by no means in the mood at the moment, but trying to laugh the experience away might help.
"Boys." Barbara said, exasperated. "I tell you what, you do this tomorrow evening, and the person you're meeting says you're absolutely cooperative and forthcoming, then I will give you some incentive." She said this with a bit of wiggle in her bottom, pushing up against him.
"I wasn't being serious, but okay, deal." He said, nipping lightly on her shoulder. "Make the call and I'll make the meeting."
October 19th
Destin Florida
1800 CST
Deke was sitting on the couch in the hacienda, fresh out of the shower. He'd flown down, and had pushed himself again, exceptionally hard, meaning he was once again sweat soaked by the time he landed. Babs hadn't told him who he was meeting, so when the Zeta tube spoke up, he was a little surprised.
"Recognize Black Canary A One Three."
Why in the world did Babs bother Black Canary? "Hello Mustang." She said, walking to the living space and taking a seat opposite him. "Batgirl said you'd feel more comfortable here."
"Yes'm, Mount Justice is someone else's place." Deke said with a shrug. "But if she'd said she was calling you, I could have waited or something else."
"I'm a licensed therapist in my off time, and as a member of the League, I know enough that we can speak plainly. I was the best choice for her to make." Canary said calmly. "She said you were experiencing nightmares, after never showing evidence of them before."
Direct, he couldn't hate that. "That's right. All the recent news has had me twisted up I guess. I thought I'd let it go, but I reckon not. I suppose Batman has you up to speed?"
"No, Barbara does. She's worried about you so she gave me everything she thought might be pertinent." Canary said, getting comfortable on the sofa. She saw an empty takeout container sitting on the coffee table between them, with remnants of Chinese food, and an open guitar case sitting by his sofa. He wasn't in costume either, instead a plain shirt and jeans. These things spoke to her, telling her he was feeling uncomfortable in his role, and showing some lack of motivation.
"Like, what all did she tell you?" He asked too quickly, his face flushing red.
"Only what pertained to your recent activities with the Sigma group. The personal details between the two of you remain exactly that, personal. Unless you feel like your relationship to her is a contributing factor." Canary said, reading the embarrassment on his face. It didn't take much to put two and two together, but it also didn't take much to know she didn't need to bring that up.
"Oh, no, not really. She's probably the only thing keeping me sane at the moment." Deke said, making a gesture towards the fridge. A pair of water bottles came to his hands, one of which he offered the more experienced hero.
"Thank you." Canary said, setting the bottle aside. "Can you expand on what you meant by feeling sane? I'm not assuming you're crazy, but it seems like you might be assuming it." She added, trying to put him at ease.
"Well, I mean, my life was all cattywampus after I lost mom and moved to Gotham, and then I met her, and suddenly, boom, I'm superheroing, doing productive, good things. I thought I was getting some direction too. Awesome girlfriend, awesome scholarship in an awesome school, I've got friends, and I kinda stopped caring about how I got my powers, and I was more concerned about just using them right." He said, opening his water bottle and taking a drink.
Canary nodded and steepled her fingers. "Go on please."
"Okay, well, all of a sudden, I've got answers to questions I stopped worrying about, and for the first time, I felt powerful enough to do something about it. I'm sure you get that. But, when I went to do something about it, all of a sudden my friend gets hurt, and I'm left, if you'll pardon the expression, holding my junk while the League takes over the investigation." Deke said, glancing anywhere but at Black Canary.
"So, if I get you right, you're upset that you can't finish what got started, and you're angry about it?" She asked, finally opening her bottle of water to take a drink. "And since you were having a nightmare about being a weapon, you're concerned about your place in the world?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Deke said with a shrug. "I just kinda feel like I'm in the wind or something."
Canary nodded. "I saw similar problems with members of the other team. It's not uncommon. At your age, your hormones aren't helping you any either. You can't rule out biology. Can I give you some advice?"
"Sure, you're the smart one here." Deke said.
"You need to work some of this off in a productive manner. Healthy expressions of negative emotions can purge them, and it also serves to wear you out so you can sleep better at night." She said, remembering the problems she herself had experienced not that long ago.
She saw him flush bright red again, and he fumbled around his words before he finally spat out what he was thinking. "I kinda don't like being that guy, it's not fair to, uhm, well, oh never mind please."
And that's what he thought she meant. Of course it was. "I more meant exercise and activity, but you bring up an excellent point. Barbara is there for you, and she's a smart woman. Talk to her. I know her well enough to say if she's accepted you into her life, she's going to accept you on your worst days too. Use the chance to communicate to bring you both closer."
"Okay, I can do that." Deke nodded. "Not so sure about the activity though. Not much I can do out there that'd let me work this out without breaking something."
"How about this?" Canary asked him. "A couple of League members, as you might know, are rather wealthy, which puts them in contact with the business world at large. We also have connection to the United Nations. The next time a building or something similar needs demolished, will you give permission to be volunteered for the task?"
"Yes ma'am, in a heartbeat. What should I do until then though? I don't think there's a list of demo projects sitting around somewhere." Deke asked.
"There probably is, but until an opportunity presents itself, I'd suggest chamomile tea and a better diet." She said, glancing pointedly at the empty box of Chinese takeout. "Also, your music is a good outlet. Try that as well."
"Thank you, I appreciate it. Are we done here?" He asked, surprised it hadn't taken as long as he'd expected.
"We are, for today. I want to sit down with you again in a couple of weeks, and see how you're doing. I'd also like your permission to ask Barbara to keep me in the loop." Canary said, standing up.
"Sure, that's fine by me." Deke said. "Thank you again though. I don't want her worried about me."
Canary smiled at him, her heart warmed by his devotion. He hadn't tried looking down her top once, and he was worried about Barbara, not himself. "You're welcome. When I'm not handling problems out there, this is what I do. I'm happy to help."
She walked to the Zeta stop, got recognized, and flashed away, leaving Deke alone in the base. Godiva had taken to working shifts at a local 'Gentleman's Club' to make money, and it was apparently good money. She hadn't lied about knowing her stuff on a pole, though she did have to promise not to use her pheromone control. Whether or not she still did was a whole other thing entirely.
She'd actually left a standing invitation to the whole team to come see her, especially since they'd all seen one another naked already, it's not like she had anything to hide, or be ashamed of for that matter. Eventually, once he had some spare money, he was going to take her up on the offer, and absently wondered if he could talk Babs into coming with him. She'd expressed an attraction to girls, something he still found incredibly hot, but he knew her opinions on a lot of things, and wondered if instead she'd be upset about the girls being objectified.
There was only one way to know for sure, which he would find out eventually. While he pondered it, he took the time to do some cleaning of the hacienda. While Liho and Maddy were neither one much interested in cleaning, Fractal, Daeva, and he were, so there wasn't much that needed done. Still, it was productive, and he could make a game of it.
The major focus was the locker room. He grabbed the high pressure hose and cleaning solution, and went to town, blasting every surface both horizontal and vertical, though he used his abilities to block off the lockers, to make sure nothing inside would get soaked and potentially ruined. Fractal had cooked up some kind of antimicrobial treatment they'd covered the floors in, but now and again, it could still get funky in there, especially with Liho and himself contributing, and nobody deserved to contend with that kind of odor.
His watch beeped at him a while later, reminding him he needed to get back to Gotham. As he put the cleaning supplies away, he worked out some quick math, a subject he wasn't so great at. He could have used his powers to readjust his brain chemistry, to make logic puzzles easier, but in this case, doing it the old fashioned way really was the better way to go towards self-improvement.
He arrived at the same conclusion he'd come to the night before. Flying was just as fast as hoofing it to and from the Zeta stop, even including landing far enough away to conceal his destination.