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[batricide]

@hafid.alghul| ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

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[fledges]

[She sighs.]

I'm just trying to figure out where you're coming from.

[batricide]

[ He pinches the bridge of his nose. Give him a minute. ]

I don't need friends. I don't have friends. People don't tend to like me, and I don't tend to like them. It doesn't matter so long as they listen.

[fledges]

[Kate props her chin up on her hand.]

I like you.

[batricide]

You don't know me.

[fledges]

What else do you think I need to know?

[batricide]

[ He crosses his arms. ]

You don't even know my actual name.

[fledges]

[She smiles at that.]

Isn't that kind of a normal thing in our line of work? Are you gonna tell me?

[batricide]

No.

[ Can you really call it normal? Hiding it from even your allies? People you're supposed to be trusting and bringing into the fold? ]

I have a body count higher than some small countries.

[fledges]

[Spider-Man sure does. And speaking of spider-themed heroes...]

So do about half the people I've worked with. Are you proud of it?

[batricide]

What if I am?

[fledges]

I think you're trying to scare me off.

[Is this a Thing in their family?]

[batricide]

I'm not.

[fledges]

Okay. Why are you proud of it, then?

[batricide]

Because it means I survived. And I survived by not having friends, and bring the best.

[fledges]

[Kate narrows her eyes at that, but she doesn't say the obvious—that there's no way he's the best in his world at everything, and that she certainly proved that he's not the best at marksmanship, at the very least. She thinks he probably survived in spite of not having friends, but... Whatever.]

Okay.

[Why not!]

But you didn't answer my question before.

[batricide]

Remind me.

[fledges]

I asked you if you ever get lonely.

[batricide]

[ a beat. ]

No. I always had Kal-El.

[fledges]

Who's that?

[batricide]

The closest thing to a caring father I ever had.

[fledges]

Oh.

[Kate hesitates, then leans her elbows on the table, scooting a bit closer.]

So everyone else was just... dead weight? Or he is the only person you trust?

[batricide]

( he shuts his eyes. )

Two of them were worth something. The rest of them stabbed me in the back.

[fledges]

I'm sorry.

[She says it gently, quietly enough so that he's the only one who will hear, and then reaches out to brush her fingers against his.]

Not everyone will treat you that way.

[batricide]

( he holds his hand back out of reflex, tensing. )

What does it matter anyway? I'm going back to my world to fix things. You'll go back to yours.

[fledges]

[Kate lets him pull away, but doesn't move her hand back.]

Because I care about you, and we don't know how long we're going to be here. Besides, my best friend can punch portals through the multiverse. We can always visit each other, if you want.