[flashfic] BoP
Fandom: Birds of Prey
Words: 1042
Notes: Spoilers up to BoP #99. Utterly random and senseless. But, you know, Helena honors the request of her friends.
“You know you want her.”
“Honestly, Helena, I don’t know what put that absurd notion in your head.”
“Just look at her! Cute as a button! How can you not want her?”
Barbara regarded her with the slightest of frowns. “One, I don’t want her running around the equipment and, two, I don’t have the time to take care of a pet.”
“One, cats are totally trainable and, two, you already have a bird.”
“Exactly,” Barbara said, “and we know how well cats and birds mix.”
Helena frowned. She sat cross-legged on the floor, a broken shoelace dangling from her fingers. Tiny paws struck at the string, sending it swaying this way and that. Helena looked down at the small culprit. “You hear that, Hero, she doesn’t want you. Isn’t she a meanie? Only meanies could say no to a cutie like you.”
Barbara took a deep breath, counted backwards from three, and exhaled evenly. “Helena, if you’re so concerned about the kitten, why don’t you take care of it?”
“I have been,” Helena said, scratching the kitten under the chin. It leaned into her touch and then began to clutch at her fingers, nibbling at them in a way that might have been threatening if it were ten times bigger. “But I’m busy with school and doing your missions all around the world, so I thought since you have so much time-”
“I’m a very busy person, Helena. And with the Aerie One, I do travel with you on missions. I’m away when you’re away.”
“Yes, but not all the time,” Helena clarified. “Most of the time you hang out here. Besides, your apartment is much bigger than mine. Cats aren’t that much work, not as much as dogs. You just have to provide her with food and water-”
“Which you can do perfectly well with your schedule.”
“-and give her some love and attention. Really, Babs, do you have something against cats? Or just cute things?”
“No, I have something against keeping a shedding furball. Why are you asking me, Helena? I’m sure you know someone who’d want to take her in. Catwoman probably always has room for one more stray.”
“It’s not like I can just call Catwoman up,” Helena said, wryly.
“I can call her for you.”
Their eyes met. Helena raised one eyebrow.
Barbara sighed again. “Give her to Dinah. I’m sure Sin would love to have a kitten.”
“Maybe, but I’ve already brought her all the way here,” Helena protested. She scooped the kitten into her lap.
“I’ll just end up running over her tail and her fur will clog my systems,” Barbara said, irritated. Helena said nothing, but continued to pet the kitten. It settled down with slit-eyed contentment. Leaning an elbow on one armrest and propping her chin in her hand, Barbara watched her agent silently. Finally she asked, “Why did you take it in if you don’t have any time for a pet?”
Helena shrugged. “I got home one night and heard her crying in the alley. I found her behind the dumpster, shivering and wet-it was raining that day. Tiniest little thing I’d ever seen. Her mom must have abandoned her. Poor thing, she was probably the runt of the litter.” Something softened in Helena’s gaze. “So I took her in and gave her some milk.” She ran her index finger down the little nose. “She just kind of stuck around.”
“So you haven’t had any problems taking care of her? Why give her away?”
Helena smiled tightly. “I feel bad leaving her alone in that apartment.”
Barbara pursed her lips. Helena didn’t elaborate.
“Why ‘Hero’?”
“We’re reading Much Ado about Nothing in my classes. She was cute. Innocent. It made sense at the time.” Helena looked up. “You’d make a good Beatrice, Babs.”
Barbara smiled wryly. “I can’t play guardian cousin to a cat, Helena. We’re not even the same species. Besides, I wouldn’t consider any of the men who have been in my life to be a Benedick.”
“No, I guess that’d be more like us, huh?”
A short silence followed that statement. The two studied each other. Helena spoke first.
“Anyway, you’re all for rehabilitating broken superheroines. What’s so different about nurturing a Hero?”
Barbara pulled a face that told Helena exactly what she thought about that pun. Helena snickered back.
Both of them ignored any bitterness that might have been in that statement.
The elevator pinged on arrival, drawing their attention and breaking the tension. Zinda stepped out cheerfully. “Hey, skipper, Helena!” Then, upon noticing the kitten, added, “Oooh, what a cutey pie!”
She crossed the room and began to fawn over it while Barbara pinched her nose. She let Zinda go on for a moment and then clapped her hands. “Alright, enough, time for work, ladies.”
Helena shot her a look of askance.
“Hero… can stay here for now-tonight-while you’re out, but you’ll have to find her another home, Helena.”
To her consternation, Helena smiled as she stood up. She approached Barbara and then put the small kitten atop Barbara’s lap. The kitten looked up at Barbara curiously.
“You be good,” Helena said and Barbara wasn’t sure who she was speaking to. She gave the kitten one last pet and then squeezed Barbara’s shoulder. “Thanks.”
When they were alone, Barbara gazed down at the bundle of fur. She sighed. “We’re the Birds of Prey. We can’t have a cat for a mascot. You understand, don’t you?”
The cat peered up at her guilelessly. Barbara ran her hand over its soft fur. It purred.
Barbara sighed and reached for her headset. On her lap, Hero settled in for a long night.
*
“So you tried to give her the cat, huh?” Zinda asked.
“Yeah,” Huntress said, checking her crossbow.
“Too bad it didn’t work out.”
Huntress grinned to herself. “Are you kidding? Barbara is a big softie. She’ll break.”
Zinda laughed, loud and long, missing the following words that Huntress uttered softly.
“She could use the company.”
She cast a glance back at Dalten Tower as the Aerie Two lifted away. Her eyes might have narrowed slightly and her lips might have curved imperceptibly.
Then her headset crackled and Huntress did smile.
Words: 1042
Notes: Spoilers up to BoP #99. Utterly random and senseless. But, you know, Helena honors the request of her friends.
“You know you want her.”
“Honestly, Helena, I don’t know what put that absurd notion in your head.”
“Just look at her! Cute as a button! How can you not want her?”
Barbara regarded her with the slightest of frowns. “One, I don’t want her running around the equipment and, two, I don’t have the time to take care of a pet.”
“One, cats are totally trainable and, two, you already have a bird.”
“Exactly,” Barbara said, “and we know how well cats and birds mix.”
Helena frowned. She sat cross-legged on the floor, a broken shoelace dangling from her fingers. Tiny paws struck at the string, sending it swaying this way and that. Helena looked down at the small culprit. “You hear that, Hero, she doesn’t want you. Isn’t she a meanie? Only meanies could say no to a cutie like you.”
Barbara took a deep breath, counted backwards from three, and exhaled evenly. “Helena, if you’re so concerned about the kitten, why don’t you take care of it?”
“I have been,” Helena said, scratching the kitten under the chin. It leaned into her touch and then began to clutch at her fingers, nibbling at them in a way that might have been threatening if it were ten times bigger. “But I’m busy with school and doing your missions all around the world, so I thought since you have so much time-”
“I’m a very busy person, Helena. And with the Aerie One, I do travel with you on missions. I’m away when you’re away.”
“Yes, but not all the time,” Helena clarified. “Most of the time you hang out here. Besides, your apartment is much bigger than mine. Cats aren’t that much work, not as much as dogs. You just have to provide her with food and water-”
“Which you can do perfectly well with your schedule.”
“-and give her some love and attention. Really, Babs, do you have something against cats? Or just cute things?”
“No, I have something against keeping a shedding furball. Why are you asking me, Helena? I’m sure you know someone who’d want to take her in. Catwoman probably always has room for one more stray.”
“It’s not like I can just call Catwoman up,” Helena said, wryly.
“I can call her for you.”
Their eyes met. Helena raised one eyebrow.
Barbara sighed again. “Give her to Dinah. I’m sure Sin would love to have a kitten.”
“Maybe, but I’ve already brought her all the way here,” Helena protested. She scooped the kitten into her lap.
“I’ll just end up running over her tail and her fur will clog my systems,” Barbara said, irritated. Helena said nothing, but continued to pet the kitten. It settled down with slit-eyed contentment. Leaning an elbow on one armrest and propping her chin in her hand, Barbara watched her agent silently. Finally she asked, “Why did you take it in if you don’t have any time for a pet?”
Helena shrugged. “I got home one night and heard her crying in the alley. I found her behind the dumpster, shivering and wet-it was raining that day. Tiniest little thing I’d ever seen. Her mom must have abandoned her. Poor thing, she was probably the runt of the litter.” Something softened in Helena’s gaze. “So I took her in and gave her some milk.” She ran her index finger down the little nose. “She just kind of stuck around.”
“So you haven’t had any problems taking care of her? Why give her away?”
Helena smiled tightly. “I feel bad leaving her alone in that apartment.”
Barbara pursed her lips. Helena didn’t elaborate.
“Why ‘Hero’?”
“We’re reading Much Ado about Nothing in my classes. She was cute. Innocent. It made sense at the time.” Helena looked up. “You’d make a good Beatrice, Babs.”
Barbara smiled wryly. “I can’t play guardian cousin to a cat, Helena. We’re not even the same species. Besides, I wouldn’t consider any of the men who have been in my life to be a Benedick.”
“No, I guess that’d be more like us, huh?”
A short silence followed that statement. The two studied each other. Helena spoke first.
“Anyway, you’re all for rehabilitating broken superheroines. What’s so different about nurturing a Hero?”
Barbara pulled a face that told Helena exactly what she thought about that pun. Helena snickered back.
Both of them ignored any bitterness that might have been in that statement.
The elevator pinged on arrival, drawing their attention and breaking the tension. Zinda stepped out cheerfully. “Hey, skipper, Helena!” Then, upon noticing the kitten, added, “Oooh, what a cutey pie!”
She crossed the room and began to fawn over it while Barbara pinched her nose. She let Zinda go on for a moment and then clapped her hands. “Alright, enough, time for work, ladies.”
Helena shot her a look of askance.
“Hero… can stay here for now-tonight-while you’re out, but you’ll have to find her another home, Helena.”
To her consternation, Helena smiled as she stood up. She approached Barbara and then put the small kitten atop Barbara’s lap. The kitten looked up at Barbara curiously.
“You be good,” Helena said and Barbara wasn’t sure who she was speaking to. She gave the kitten one last pet and then squeezed Barbara’s shoulder. “Thanks.”
When they were alone, Barbara gazed down at the bundle of fur. She sighed. “We’re the Birds of Prey. We can’t have a cat for a mascot. You understand, don’t you?”
The cat peered up at her guilelessly. Barbara ran her hand over its soft fur. It purred.
Barbara sighed and reached for her headset. On her lap, Hero settled in for a long night.
*
“So you tried to give her the cat, huh?” Zinda asked.
“Yeah,” Huntress said, checking her crossbow.
“Too bad it didn’t work out.”
Huntress grinned to herself. “Are you kidding? Barbara is a big softie. She’ll break.”
Zinda laughed, loud and long, missing the following words that Huntress uttered softly.
“She could use the company.”
She cast a glance back at Dalten Tower as the Aerie Two lifted away. Her eyes might have narrowed slightly and her lips might have curved imperceptibly.
Then her headset crackled and Huntress did smile.