"I don't want him here." Catwoman groaned. She felt as if she'd been stabbed in the eye with a sandy shovel. Her vision was blurred, her back stung where it was in contact with the ground, and her face was sticky with the blood that oozed from her cheek.
"Shush." Ivy silenced her, unwrapping the vine from the rudimentary brace on her ankle.
"Aren't you- mph- going to- ah- need that?" Selina gritted.
"No." Ivy replied, curtly, as she began to wrap it tightly around Selina's thigh, hoping to slow the bleeding.
Selina inhaled sharply and then sat up. propping herself on her elbows so she could assess the damage. "It's- uh- it's really not that bad."
"She cut down to the bone here." Ivy indicated the center track mark that Cheetah left before looking at Selina's face for the first time. The woman's goggles were torn apart, ripped in two…as was her right eye. "And you can't see, can you?"
It was true- mostly. Selina could make out shapes and colors. She could see the green of Ivy's skin and the red of her hair, but she couldn't see the muscle and tissue spilling out from her own leg. She could feel the blood as it dripped from her, but she couldn't see it, which gave her some plausible deniability on claiming she was fine. "I think- mmm- I think I need to upgrade my claws."
"Let me see your back." Ivy sighed as she helped Selina to turn over, careful not to let the open wound on her thigh touch the dirt. "Mmm." Was the only verbal reaction Ivy provided.
"It stings like a motherfucker." Selina whined.
"Given the size and depth of the wounds, I would expect it does more than sting." Ivy let her lay back into a more comfortable position.
"Looks like Bruce and I won't be such a handsome couple anymore." Selina tried to chuckle, but it ended as more of a painful cough.
"Cosmetic surgery will do you wonders." Ivy replied distractedly as she held the brunette's face between her hands, examining her eye. "But I don't believe you'll be seeing out of this eyeball again."
"Poetic justice." Catwoman grunted. "You know, after Bane."
Ivy was silent again, examining Selina like she was a plant in her lab rather than a human woman. The redhead moved closer and Selina was able to make out the outline of her lips and the electric green of her eyes.
"I thought you were so pretty." Selina told her with a slight sigh.
"I am 'so pretty.'" Ivy pressed lightly at one of the scratches on the brunette's face and she inhaled sharply again.
"No." Catwoman gritted. "I mean the night we met. At the party. You know, while you were actively poisoning Two-Face. I couldn't believe how beautiful you were."
"Well he was only Harvey Dent back then." Ivy narrowed her eyes and sat on her heels, taking as much pressure off her injured ankle as possible. "This one isn't as deep as the others." She referred to the back wound.
Catwoman nodded slightly, appreciating the return of the cold, clinical Ivy that the moment called for. Selina was in pain and already emotional because Harley's…demise. She needed someone to be strong for her so didn't fall apart. "What did you think of me?" She asked. "The night we met. What was your first impression?"
Ivy sat cross-legged on the grass and took a deep breath, taking a long moment to consider the question. "I thought…" she paused to organize her thoughts, "I knew you were different from them. I knew you were too smart for that stupid show you were being forced to put on. I was grateful to have met you."
Selina was stunned. That was, by far, the kindest thing Poison Ivy had ever said to her. The words washed over her like warm bathwater and for a moment, she felt good. "I just figured it out." She tried to smile.
"Hm?" Pamela prompted.
"What you are to me. I could never figure out what we were on the friendship continuum." Catwoman explained. "Because I kind of hate you, but I still choose you." She adjusted herself and whimpered slightly at the pain, but continued as Ivy hadn't yet interrupted her. "You're not my friend at all. You're my sister. I'm allowed to hate you because no matter what, you're still here. It's unconditional, just like…" she cleared her throat. "Just like with Harley."
Ivy didn't say anything, and Selina couldn't gauge her reaction because she couldn't see her expression…but they'd been through so much in the past week- and the last 24 hours especially- that Selina felt they both deserved a relationship that was clearly defined. Ivy had desperately wanted that with Harley, but now that she was gone, and it was just the two of them. Selina felt like she owed Ivy something- like she owed Ivy everything.
The sound of a plane overhead broke the silence. Selina's heart lept and she looked up to the sky, even though she knew it would just appear as bright splotches of color. But then suddenly there were hands pulling her face back down and soft lips pressed against her own. It was Ivy…and Selina could feel the woman's tears pressed against her face. Selina felt like she was drowning. She was melting into Ivy, her senses all overtaken by the woman's scent and touch…on her lips, on cheeks…Selina wanted more, and Ivy gave it to her just for a moment, deepening the kiss before pulling away and whispering "I'm sorry."