Barbara's Sorrow

Pizza night? More like a drunken night.

Upon entering Barbara's apartment, Aaron was hit with a strong odour. Cassandra tagged along with him and her face was scrunched up in pure disgust.

Clumsy. Dirty. Sloppy. Those words appeared at the forefront of Aaron's mind as he inspected Barbara's apartment. The lights were off so the apartment was shrouded in a veil of melancholy. The door had also been unlocked.

'Setting aside the abysmal security, this place reeks and looks bad. It's like a maze.'

Each step was a carefully placed puzzle piece. For Aaron, of course, it was an easy puzzle. He could see through the darkness through his enhanced vision and his spatial awareness was godly. Both he and Cassandra were cruising.

Aaron went to the kitchen and set the box of steamy pizza he had prepared. He setted over an ensemble of discarded food cartons and drinks.

"She's in her room," Cassandra muttered, nose wrinkling. "I can smell the ****."

Aaron shrugged. "We should go grab her."

A trail of clothes was left in the wake of the path to her room. He and Cassandra exchanged worried looks. Barbara's door was closed but creaked open at their presence.

"Hey, Barbara." Aaron had sensed her behind the door, her intense emotions and the smell like a limelight. And due to his enhanced senses, he had detected another thing: she was standing. Barbara had activated her neural implant.

Instantly, both of them were concerned. It wasn't like Barbara to use her neural implant willy-nilly. Aaron had seen first-hand how unreliable it could be. Moreover, Barbara was supposed to be a woman as tall as him yet right now she was barely managing to lean on the door. She was shorter, weaker, and hiccuping.

"H-hey, guys…!" Barbara laughed as she gestured and waved, an arm still on the door frame. Cassandra's expression hardened. So did Aaron's.

Not only was Barbara feeling off, but she was borderline undressed. Her white shirt was sliding off one side and revealing her shoulders, and she was missing her pants, leaving her in lacy red panties. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and her glasses were out of the picture.

Aaron doubted Barbara even recognized them.

Her cheeks were red and her eyes were buzzing out of her mind. She looked like she had been drinking for hours. Aaron peered over her shoulder and saw bottles upon bottles of beer.

"You–"

Aaron couldn't finish his sentence as Barbara Gordon dropped to her knees. Time felt slow for him at that moment–the Speed **** suddenly decided to activate. It was strange. She went down, down, down, and her eyes were glued to his crotch.

This situation…it wasn't new to him. In fact, it was quite nostalgic.

He anticipated what would happen next: she would drive his zipper down, grab his slacks and the waistband of his boxers, and throw it all down in one quick move. His cock would plop out, whacking her chin with a comical slap, then settle on her face.

Her fingers would attempt to wrap around his girth, only to fail. Though flaccid, his dong was twice as girthy as the average male's put together.

Then she would say:

"Biggest. Cock. Ever."

But Aaron stopped her. He prevented the aforementioned future from occurring by grabbing her wrist. Barbara struggled, arms failing to break out of his hold, and she glared up at him.

"Come on! Let's fuck! Your cock is so much bigger than Dick's, it's not even funny. He's a chump, a little dick–"

Aaron intervened, "Barbara, no."

Barbara humphed and looked to Aaron's left. Her eyes narrowed as she looked Cassandra up and down. "And look at Cassandra. Her tits are small and I bet she has no clue how to suck your dick."

Silence. Cassandra pursed her lips, a little hurt, but managing to hide her pain.

"Dick is gone. We're here for you."

Barbara's glare intensified. Cassandra didn't back down either. She met Barbara's animosity with kindness.

A minute later, Barbara broke down. Her emotions spilled over and she began to sob uncontrollably.

"I hate him! I hate him so fucking much! He just…ugh!" On her knees, she slammed a fist into the floor. The sound was deafening. She placed a hand on her face, breathing erratically. "God, I hate myself for being such a coward. I hate myself so much!"

Her emotions were coming from a place of misplaced anger, sorrow, and envy. Anger that she was incapable. Sorrow that Dick had left. And envy that Starfire had taken her old flame.

"Come on, let's get up." Aaron gently pulled Barbara by the arm. She didn't resist nor did she help. It was like moving a human-sized puppet, its limbs dead yet heavy. Cassandra took the other side and helped him take Barbara to the living room.

Along the way, Barbara moaned and complained. Her words were slurred, her voice choked with tears. "I don't know... don't know how... to go on without him," she managed to say between sobs. "He was... everything to me."

They set her on the couch and let her lean back. Tears rolled down. Her breathing steadied.

Cassandra silently went to get her a glass of water. Aaron sat by her side, waiting.

"Maybe before," Aaron said, patting her on the back. "But the two of you have moved on. You've made your choices. It's okay to cry today, Barbara, but don't let this turn you into something you're not."

Barbara's breath hitched, and she suddenly clung to Aaron. Her eyes were wide open and glowing with desperation.. "But who... who could ever love me now? I'm in a wheelchair! Everybody takes one look at me and thinks I'm helpless. They see me as the Commissioner's daughter, they see me as tech support, a-as…useless! Replaceable!"

Aaron grimaced. "That's not true–"

"It is! Only Dick a-and Stephanie and Cass saw me for what I was! They helped me so, so much and without them I…I might as well be useless." Barbara went quiet. Aaron didn't speak. "We married each other for a while–back during the Batman Who Laughs incident when we thought it would be impossible to survive. We said if we lived that it would be annul but…secretly I wanted us to marry." She laughed bitterly. "I mean, after Bruce's failed wedding, we used his honeymoon suite and fucked like rabbits. We talked about so many things–the future, marriage, children. You know, it was because of that fuckfest that we decided to adopt a puppy."

Aaron did not sense any puppies in the apartment. That meant Dick must have taken the puppy with him. Damn.

"His name is Haley," Barbara muttered. "Yes, he's with Dick. It was better off with him anyway. How's a disabled girl to take care of a puppy anyway?"

"Please drink," Cassandra said, having arrived with a glass of water. Barbara gulped down in ten seconds flat.

'What should I even say to her? I mean, she's known Dick since she was a teenager. Their relationship is steeped with love and friendship. Imagine that: dedicating over a decade of your life with someone, only to break up and see that person end up with a gorgeous alien princess.'

Insecurities sucked. They plagued the human mind like a disease. Men or women–it didn't matter. It affected all equally.

Barbara hiccuped as she drank down the water. It was a sad, miserable sight. He couldn't believe the strong, beautiful redhead was rendered to such a measly state. Neither could Cassandra. Seeing her mother-figure, her mentor, break down and cry like twisted her heart.

"You'll find love," Aaron said. "I know you will."

Barbara returned the glass to Cassandra. Her eyes were puffy and she stared at her bare feet without emotion. Then, it started again. The unwanted thoughts and the insecurities. Barbara's cries subsided into sobs as she leaned against Aaron. "I want... I want to believe you," she whispered, her voice filled with vulnerability. "I want to find love... but I don't know how."

Empty bottles lay strewn across the coffee table. **** was gripping the air. Theoretically, the pieces were set. Barbara Gordon was in her panties and ****. Cassandra was open to him having sex with other women.

But no. Aaron had said it once and he'd say it again. He wasn't a villain. He wasn't obsessed with sex. For the rest of the night, he and Cassandra comforted Barbara like ordinary people. Platonically. With love and affection devoid of sexual chemistry.

"What about Chloe?" Barbara asked, sniffing. "Won't she be alone?"

"It's fine," Aaron responded. "I texted my neighbour to take care of her. She'll be fine."

Silence. "...I'm sorry," Barbara murmured. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Cassandra replied, a hand on Barbara's shoulder, hugging her. The three were intertwined and the emotions practically rolled off of them. When Barbara trembled and cried, Cassandra and Aaron comforted through physical touch. Their affection melted her fears and desires. She returned to reality–to her future.

The night was tearful and unhappy. An explosion of emotions that Barbara never got to release. It was messy, childish, and time consuming. Even so, Aaron didn't regret it. He was glad he was here for Barbara in her time of need. He was glad he could help someone as a normal, ordinary person.