﹙ TAKE A BITE ★ ﹚

AZRAEL WANDERED DOWN THE STREETS, LOOKING FOR A COMMOTION!

He hated being stuck in the house. He didn't even know where he was going. All he knew was that Aurora was doing her patrol around this time.

He spotted her at the top of a building and climbed up the fire escape, plopping himself beside her. His legs dangled off the edge of the tall building.

"Not having a good night, Rory?" Azrael asked, which earned a scoff.

"Why are you here?" Aurora questioned, not even bothering to correct the nickname.

"I can't keep my friend company on top of this public building?"

"We are not friends."

"I thought superheroes were supposed to be nice."

That word came off bitter on his tongue, the urge to become a villain pounding against his heart. He wanted to corrupt every piece of purity that stood in his way, staring at her.

He wanted to burn the floral lace that adorned her soul.

She was too good for the universe. How did she enjoy obeying every rule?

"Why are you out here?" Aurora repeated her question.

She hadn't gotten any disturbance notification, which suggested he hadn't done anything, but she didn't believe that at all.

"Maybe I was looking for you." Azrael shrugged, playing it cool as if he hadn't humiliated himself in front of her every night for a week straight.

"Don't." Aurora suggested, looking back towards the skyline.

"Okay. Maybe I was bored."

"Really? But I'm so sure plenty of people would love to keep you company."

Azrael didn't miss the sarcasm in her words. He shrugged it off. When he was just Colby, he had a flock of admirers.  It was just her who didn't want anything to do with him.

"They're not you, though." He replied smoothly.

"You're annoying." She stated.

"And also your future husband."

"You disgust me, do you know that?"

"You say that but you haven't run away from me yet."

"You'd follow me."

"That's a bad thing?"

"A terrible thing."

Aurora tapped her nails against the concrete of the roof. He wondered if they ever caused a disturbance when she fought. He doubted it since he'd been on the receiving end of those punches and had bruises left over to prove it.

Azrael tilted his head as his eyes traced over the features he could see. "I think you secretly like me."

"No." Aurora denied immediately.

"Okay, I'll restate myself-"

"Fuck no."

He smiled beneath the mask. He had a habit of doing so even though he knew she couldn't see. Though, he practically had a full view of her face.

He enjoyed the way it contorted in anger when he said something stupid. With every comment that came out of his mouth, he made her feel how she made him feel.

It sucked to not be taken seriously.

"I can't think straight when I look at you." Azrael piled on.

"Will you shut up?" Aurora questioned, trying to resist the urge to laugh at the words coming from someone in a Halloween mask.

"Talk to me like that again and I'll kiss you." He blew her a kiss.

She made a motion of grabbing it and dropping it to the floor below her feet, offering him the same stupid smile she knew he was wearing.

He scoffed as she moved to stand up. She just always had to have the last word.

"Go home." She suggested as she peered over the edge of a building.

"Only if you come with me." He grinned.

With that being said, Aurora leaped off the roof and flew off to finish her patrol.

Huh, Azrael thought to himself. I'm so charming I make girls jump off of buildings.

Aurora and Vindicate stepped onto the stage beside Starling. There was already a line forming out the door. Hartley being there was expected, but Amy being beside her wasn't.

"Is she dressed as Starling?" Vindicate whispered, referring to Amy.

"And Hartley is dressed as Havoc." Aurora confirmed. "Maybe it's because you can only enter with a costume?"

Starling took center stage to recreate her defeat of Havoc in front of a bunch of fans dressed as the villain. She took pictures with the fans as Amy tried not to overreact.

"That's so fucked." Aurora almost gasped.

"Why is Jake here?" Vindicate questioned, peering into the crowd. "And what's with the kid dressed as a horror character?"

That caught Aurora's attention. She glared at the familiar figure before they disappeared into the crowd.

Without warning, she stepped off the stage. Vindicate called after her, but it was no use. She moved to the side as Amy crashed onto the floor, a failed attempt to embarrass Starling.

Hartley repeated apologies as she dragged her friend away.

Jake lingered beside Starling, taking the opportunity of having a distracted crowd. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" Starling tilted her head before she was surrounded by fans and dragged away.

Vindicate remembered the girl bragging about saving a nemesis from falling off a ledge once. Was she talking about Chaos?

She really needed to pay more attention to Starling when she spoke. The hero was fine on her own but never in front of a crowd of people.

Aurora followed Azrael through the crowd until she got to the storage room. She peered inside, her arm pulled in. She locked the door behind herself and prepared to fight just as the light flickered on.

The lightbulb didn't do much for the enclosed space. "Missed me already?" He questioned sarcastically.

"Says the one following me at a convention. You're a villain. Why are you here?"

"Cause you're my favorite hero. I'm not allowed to be interested in a pretty girl?"

"Gross. You're not here to do something stupid?"

"Not here to do anything besides flatter you."

"You make me sick. See you."

"I bet I can change your mind."

Aurora turned around, reaching for the doorknob. Azrael took her wrist and she moved back too fast for him to react. He put his hands up in surrender.

He lowered his arms back to his side. "Relax. I won't touch you. I just wanna talk. What's with the dude walking with you the other night?"

"Nothing." She shrugged it off. "He just thought I could use some help."

She knew exactly who Azrael was talking about. An illusion-based hero, Vision. He had offered to return to headquarters with her after their patrol.

"Help?" He scoffed, more amused than angry. "Please don't tell me you believe that."

He'd seen her kick someone's ass in about three seconds. She'd kicked his ass in three seconds with a punch to the nose that'd sent him stumbling into a dumpster.

The longer Azrael spent trying to make a name for himself by trying to defeat Aurora, the more time he wasted.

"Opposites attract." Azrael changed the subject.

"I'm not into villains." Aurora rejected it easily.

"Great. Suddenly, I'm a vigilante."

"You tripped over your own feet the other night. You aren't vigilant at all. You also can't really fight for shit."

Aurora spun on her heel, not letting him get another word out. She pulled the door open and checked the hallway before stepping out.

He smiled as he watched her walk away from him. "Don't miss me too much."

"I'll try not to." She commented, her expression completely neutral.