Sorry for the delay but I added a new chapter (this one) because people wanted more Jinx. Sorry, Kid Flash pushed his way in too! Hope you enjoy! Thanks to Glyth for her snarky input!
With Me Tonight
Never going to let you go, I want you all
the time
I gotta prove you can trust me
---The Stained
Jinx had heard that no good deed goes unpunished. She just didn't know that was meant literally. She had come from that date exhausted and thrown herself into bed, only taking her shoes off. When she awoke that next afternoon, she was nauseous, cold, and her throat felt like she swallowed sandpaper. She…graduate of the Hive Academy, formerly feared villainess was now the victim of the common cold. That stupid Spandex wearing idiot had taken her to a crowd full of germ-infested hippies and gotten her sick!
This wasn't fair. She never got sick; she had always enjoyed excellent health besides the usual injuries that came from her line of work, like being dumped into radioactive slime. She was supposed to beyond this line of indignity. This is what she got for fraternizing with the enemy.
She was determined not to allow this to defeat her. She was a brilliant thief; she could work from home today. In fact, this sickness was a blessing in disguise, she could purloin in an area where Kid Flash wouldn't be able to find her. Gizmo had taught her a lot about hacking into bank accounts and she wouldn't even have to part herself from the enormous cup of tea that she was planning to make herself. Too bad the little know it all had preferred physical robberies to tech ones, the Hive Five could have done pretty well in cyber-crime.
She logged into her computer and began to get to work. Her hands were feeling clammy and cold, but she forced herself to keep working. Hacking into Jump City's First National Bank, she easily bypassed security codes to find herself into the main network. A few simple keystrokes and she was transferring the money from outside accounts into her offshore banking stash. It was stealing while still in her pajamas, a delightful experience.
She didn't know she had enjoyed stealing physically so much. She supposed she had just gotten used to it, having been with the idiots from the Hive Five so long, who couldn't reprogram a security account if their lives depended on it. She was starting to sweat terribly, but she pushed aside her discomfort and continued to work.
The hours seemed to fly by, almost supernaturally. Jinx was careful not to leave an electronic trail. She had a feeling the Justice League had a mainframe for keeping tabs on major banks, so she avoided the mistakes most villains did, like taking too much from any of the Big Six financial institutions.
There was a powerful enemy after her and from what she heard last night, the Spandexed fool could hack into computers too. Somehow, that frightened her that they had something in common. Jinx loved hacking…bur she had a feeling they hacked for different reasons.
She felt good, stealing. It gave her a rise, like a delicious cappuccino. She could return all her miseries on the world and still manage to profit from it. There was a joy to that.
Someday, she'd be a villain like Lex Luthor or Slade. She'd be feared by everyone, and they would pay her handsomely for not bringing her wrath upon them. She'd have a beautiful lair with a chef, a personal trainer, and lots of henchmen to do her bidding. She'd be a crime boss that made the history books.
Jinx forced her tired hands into furious typing. She was not going to let a minor bug disrupt her plans. When she was wealthy and powerful, she couldn't show weakness or she'd be overthrown. The Joker or Metallo never had colds, or at least, none she had known about. This was an excellent lesson for her, she had to push through this. Now to rip off Bob Kane, the next person on the register. But first, a little stretch break!
Jinx got up from the computer, and was shocked to see the entire room was spinning. She wobbled around, trying to find something to grab before tumbling to the floor, as everything went black before her eyes.
"Take it easy. You're dehydrated and running a fever," a voice whispered, as a hand took hers. Either she was delirious or that was….
"How did you find me?" Jinx rasped, feeling so weak. She was definitely feeling hot now, like an oven was inside her, grilling her.
"Took me an hour to search the entire city for you. When you missed our date, I got worried and thought you might be in trouble," Kid Flash said gently, as he tucked the covers around her. "Now stay still. You need to rest."
"I…can…take…of myself," Jinx coughed, as helpless as Superman in a roomful of Kryptonite. "Go away."
"Yeah, I can tell. I know villains are supposed to be all tough but I think we both know how appreciated I am," Kid Flash said, giving her what she imagined was his most winning smile. "Besides, I bought you chicken soup, your favorite food, with matza balls and croutons. Also plenty of nice dry toast. You'll be back to making me miserable in no time," Kid Flash said with a grin, as he sped over to the kitchen and brought back a steaming bowl on a tray. He was worming his way onto the list of people Jinx only wanted mildly tortured and not killed. "Come on, you know you want that."
It was true. Besides, she was not going to get any better offers. "You know…this better not be a trap," Jinx growled, humiliated but gratified. She shivered and sank down into the covers. "I can still defend myself."
"Yeah yeah, growl growl, we know, defending your territory, looking tough," Kid Flash said, as he took a spoonful of soup and held it out for her to drink. "Knock off the act."
Jinx growled in response. "I'm a villain from the Hive. I have all sorts of weapons at my…" she began, as a coughing fit took over. Damn it, she was really starting to feel sick to her stomach.
"Yeah, you might infect me or something. Come on, just let me help you. I promise, I'm just here because I am a good guy who is concerned for your health. I know what you are going to say, this isn't winning me any points. I get it, so now open up and eat," Kid Flash coaxed, his blue eyes twinkling.
Jinx sighed and opened her mouth, allowing the spoon inside. "OWCH, it's hot!" she shrieked, as the liquid burnt her tongue. "I can feed myself, you know." He really was babying her, something she hated.
Kid Flash sighed. "It really isn't," he said, blowing on the next spoonful. "You're so delicate. You might burn your sweet little hand. Come on, don't you want a super hero as your personal slave for the day?"
He had a point there. "Whatever. I'M hot," Jinx mumbled, hating to show such weakness to anyone, especially a grinning superhero.
"You got that right," Kid Flash said, as he popped the next spoonful into her mouth.
Oh, he did not just say that! He was getting far too cocky for his own good and to quote Billy Numerous, he was getting too big for his britches. "What was that?" she demanded, pondering if she could hex his head off. She was quite weak now, and she was doing her best not to cough her lungs out. Still, she would not tolerate disrespect, or really lame come-ons.
"I…erm said, you do have a temperature," Kid Flash said, saving himself a future hexing. He continued to feed her in silence for a few minutes. "So... you wanna sponge bath to cool you down?" he asked, as his ears turned red.
Jinx managed to have extremely good aim with a pillow, even when she was sick. And this time, she caught him off guard and got a direct hit to the hair. All while coughing. She still had it. "Ewww, now my pillow will have gel in it."
"Oh…very funny. It's the bed-head look," Kid Flash said with affected dignity. He fixed his hair with one hair, balancing the bowl with the other. "Girls find it adorable."
"Apparently, they find you so adorable that you have all the time to chase after me. Your social calendar isn't too full," she mocked and didn't exactly find herself entirely disappointed with her mocking skills. "So why are you here with me? Did all your girlfriends 'need to wash their hair'? Off chasing the boy blunder?"
The look on Kid Flash's face kinda stung. "No need to be rude. I'm here on my own time to make sure you get better," he said, trying to keep that laid back grin on his face. "I can leave if you want…" he trailed off.
Jinx decided that she could write off being weak enough to ask him to stay as using him, taking advantage of him and being evil. That made her feel better. "Well…just finish giving me the soup first. And no sponge baths. I don't care if you closed your eyes," she said, giving him a glare as she opened her mouth. She had to admit, she liked being pampered.
"I appreciate the chance to serve you. So, nice digs you got here. They belong to Glyth, who's currently in Hong Kong. Pulling some favors?" he asked, as he continued spooning the now cooler and flavorful soup into her mouth.
"Yeah. You've been cutting off all my money supply, so I've been forced into lair-sitting," Jinx mumbled. "And it stinks, believe me." She wasn't going to mention the money laundry she had done today.
"Look, I care about you. But I am not going to let you steal from innocent people. I am trying to help you, but I took a vow to protect the innocent and all. Can't let your deeds trash my rep," he explained, continuing to feed her.
"You're awfully preachy," Jinx said. "And I still haven't forgiven you for making me tell you about my family. You were a real jerk, you know."
"I know, I know. I was just trying to get to know you. You know, you don't make it very easy," Kid Flash said, looking very sheepish. He put the bowl down and wiped her brow with a cloth.
"You're the one chasing after me. Why should I make it easy on you?" Jinx rasped, actually enjoying herself.
"If I had any assurance I'd catch you, I'd be happy to take the abuse. Am…I wasting my time?" the boy superhero asked, looking actually serious for a moment.
Jinx considered the question for a long moment. She wasn't actually that taken with him, but he wasn't bad to have to around. He did care about her and he was mostly interesting, for a preachy, snoopy, interfering superhero. And there was still a chance he'd let his guard down and she'd have a goldmine of information on the Titans. "You have some hope." There, that would keep this fish on the hook until Jinx was ready to gut him. "Now keep feeding me."
---
Jinx had actually felt better. After a delicious lunch, Kid Flash had even rented a movie for her to watch, which she was shocked she would actually like. It was some tripe called the Princess Bride. As she chuckled through the movie, she wasn't surprised to find herself falling asleep. She felt so relaxed and comfortable. And in a weird way…safe…
She wasn't sure how long she slept. It was delicious and heavy and she wasn't sure she wanted to move again. It was only when a phone disturbed her that she stirred slightly. That wasn't a ringtone she used. It must be…Kid Flash's. She barely moved and decided to listen. Could it be Robin or Starfire or one of the other high powered misfits she wanted to throttle?
"Ummm…this isn't a good time," Kid Flash said, his voice tightening up from that laid back drawl. 'All right, all right. Yes, I am aware of my grades….no, I do not want to be sent to live with the Jesuits," he mumbled, sounding chastened. Jinx was amused, someone was torturing him for her while she rested up. How convenient, she'd have to leave a tip to this new helper.
"Yes, I am aware that I have potential and I should be utilizing it better. May I go now, sir?" A long pause for Jinx to ponder who he was addressing as sir, with such respect in his voice. Could that be…Batman, Superman or the Flash? What she wouldn't give to hack into that frequency instead of hacking coughs!
"I'm fine. I'm really okay, I just have a project I'm working on and I have been a bit disorganized." The term Jinx believed he should be using was smitten by her, and risking smiting. So, goody boy was lying about her. This…she liked.
"You know, hyperspeed, lack of attention, it's the universe balancing out." Another long pause resulted, and Jinx could hear Kid Flash begin to pace nervously. "No, I don't want to be grounded. Come on, have a sense of humor? You aren't serious, are you? No, Batman doesn't need to have a talk with me, I'll shape up. I'll speak to you soon, all right. I..umm…yeah…you're good." So he was emotionally constipated as well. That was probably the Flash himself, calling his little protégé up on the carpet. She wasn't sure if she should be envious of K.F having someone caring for him or snicker at how the "fastest boy alive" could be grounded.
"So, you're up?" was the next thing she heard from her hero as he walked into the room. "I can hear you snickering, you know."
"Yeah. And you better not get caught over her or Batman might rake you over the coals," Jinx giggled, feeling a lot better. She was refreshed from her nap, her fever seemed to have broken, she had twenty million in a Swiss bank account and Kid Flash was uncomfortable. If she was religious, she might actually praise the Lord.
To her surprise, Kid Flash laughed too, almost a little too hard. "Don't worry, you'd be worth it," he said quickly. His eyes were darting around. He was nervous. It was almost adorable.
"Meaning you're only saying it because he's not here," Jinx concluded, sitting up comfortably.
"If he were here, after he finished with me, he'd have to deal with you," Kid Flash reminded, giving her a small smile when she grimaced. No one wanted to face Batman unless they were suicidal. Or insane like the Joker. "So how else can I serve you, Princess?' he said, bowing low.
"You could make me another tea," Jinx yawned. "And fluff my pillows. And do my laundry. And clean the lair." Hey, he had asked for it.
"As you wish," Kid Flash quoted, buzzing around the room faster than her eye could see. She pondered her situation as the chores she had dictated were being done. She was letting him get too close. He knew where she lived…he was cooking her food…and she was trusting him.
She didn't have too long to ponder this. In the time it took to pick a proper lock, all of the chores were completed. "You seem to be on the mend. The color has left your face," Kid Flash said softly. "So in a week, will you meet me by the park? You'll be well by then and I have a beautiful night planned. Believe me, every girl is going to envy you," he said softly.
Jinx in spite of herself nodded. It was only when she realized she was humming the theme song to another movie, (a Disney movie!) that she realized that the fever hadn't addled her brains. Kid Flash had.
No good deed went unpunished.
AN-Coming soon, a lot more!
