Cat and Mouse

"Stop right there, evildoer!" Quantum Girl had blasted herself straight through the warehouse door, tumbling over several times before effortlessly springing to her feet. Yeah, the door might have been unlocked, but a dramatic entrance was essential for any superhero with a reputation to uphold.

"I know you're in here," she warned. "C'mon out and there won't be any trouble."

Dead silence. Then from somewhere to her left, the sound of very sarcastic slow clapping. "Well done," murmured a familiar voice. "Guess I should've sprung for some better tech on that job."

Quantum Girl actually smiled as she turned to face her opponent. Tisiphone was the closest thing she had to an archnemesis in this city, and by this point was almost a friend.

"What did you think would happen?" She let herself be mildly amused. "You'd just waltz out of Union Bank with the contents of the vault, screw with everyone's memories, and then stroll away whistling innocently? You...you realize they've got

cameras

in those banks, right?"

There was a brief silence from the shadows in the corner. "Oops."

"Yeah, it's hard to erase something when it's backed up to a computer," Quantum Girl said, a teasing note to her voice. Her opponent had actually sounded embarrassed. "Lucky for you the local cops can't find their asses with both hands."

Footsteps, and then Tisiphone finally came into view, stepping into the dim light cast by an emergency panel. She shook her head. "Well, I wouldn't have needed to hide from them forever. Once they'd thought to check the tapes, I would've been clear out of town. All I needed was a bit of a head start -- and then I'd be gone."

Quantum Girl pursed her lips. "It almost worked, too."

"Almost did." Tisiphone cast an appreciative gaze over Quantum Girl's costume. "Too bad my favorite busybody got here first."

It was not a particularly subtle bit of flirting, and Quantum Girl rolled her eyes at it, because by this point it had become a bit like their own private joke. Form-fitting aerodynamic uniforms were superhero tradition, and Quantum Girl always dressed the part. Tisiphone made it clear that she thought it was all a bit stupid. Her own attire was lightweight, semi-armored, and very utilitarian.

"Let's just skip the monologues this time," Quantum Girl said. "You'll argue that taking money from the bank was actually justified, I'll point out that using high explosives to crack the vault could've seriously hurt someone, you'll say that of course you calculated it perfectly, I'll say it's the principle of the thing, and then we fight? I'd rather hurry up and get to the fun part."

Tisiphone smiled. "Well, when you put it like that, I'm ready when you-"

She didn't have time to finish the sentence before Quantum Girl lunged at her.

Most people, when they thought of superhero battles, imagined a lot more energy beams and poison blasts. Most people were pretty stupid. It was considered polite to take your opponent alive and mostly unharmed. Even with superpowers, murder was still murder. The only times that superheroes and villains went all-out were in response to genuine existential threats.

For her own part, Quantum Girl just didn't enjoy the idea of apprehending people by burning them into a pile of slightly radioactive ash. It would have bothered her conscience.

So, like most superhero battles, the first few moves were all about grappling as Quantum Girl tried to hold and subdue her opponent, while Tisiphone scrambled to evade. And it was going pretty well until Tisiphone pulled out a spray bottle and puffed something sweet into her face.

"Agh! What the-?" Quantum Girl stumbled, shook her head. It felt like she'd been hit by a train. In a pleasant way, though. A very

friendly

train.

Tisiphone casually leaned over and spritzed her twice more.

"How are you feeling?" the supervillain asked, quite cheerfully.

"Gnh. That was...dirty trick," Quantum Girl mumbled, swaying on her feet. Tisiphone helped her gently to the ground.

"Oh, yes, all's fair in love and war." She patted Quantum Girl on the cheek. "Now, sit tight for just a second, will you? That's a dear."

It wasn't like Quantum Girl was in any state to get up. She waited until she heard Tisiphone's footsteps return.

"Now, the aphrodisiac effects should kick in any moment. But, just to help you along, I had this specially made for you." She was holding a large headset, all in white plastic, with a visor that would fit over its wearer's eyes and headphones to nestle over the ears.

"This should keep you distracted," Tisiphone said, "for a little while. Enough for me to get a head start. Have fun!" She clicked it into place. Quantum Girl could see nothing, and when the headphones went on she could hear nothing as well.

Deep breaths

, she thought. Her superpowered metabolism would be able to efficiently filter out whatever Tisiphone had sprayed on her, and pretty soon she'd probably be able to move again, maybe even get this headset off of her. It didn't seem like a good idea to leave it on, because obviously-

The visor whirred. Quantum Girl blinked.

Did she see something? A faint afterimage, just out of focus. Something almost, but not quite, pink.

There! There it was again! She squinted. Man, it was hard to make out. Swirling, darkness against darkness. Almost as if-

Quantum Girl suddenly realized that she probably shouldn't be looking so closely into the pictures displayed by the visor, but when it flashed a third time, this time somehow pink (and soft, and warm), it was too late for her to close her eyes.

Oh. Dazed thoughts floated through her mind. Tisiphone's pheromones had slowed her reaction time by a lot. Made it really hard for her to form coherent, um. Things in the head.

Another flash, insistent, and this time an actual word that penetrated her concentration.

Relax.

She sighed, letting her legs sprawl wide, tension ebbing from her muscles. The visor swirled colors before her eyes, and Quantum Girl placidly watched them, waiting for its next command.

Obey.

Anything it wanted her to do. Her hand slipped down her front, rubbing against her pussy. Something in the back of her mind regretted the design of her costume; it was hard for her to do much more than grind against her hand through its extremely durable fabric. If she were more desperate, she might have tried to tear it off of her to get better access. But she hadn't been told to do that, and in any case while her costume was hardened against most superpowered attacks, it was still quite good at transmitting tactile sensation, so she left it alone.

Relax.

The subliminal messages being whispered in her ears were incorporated into her thoughts as easily as if they came from her own mind. Quantum Girl wasn't thinking much for herself anymore. Her body felt so loose, sprawling on the floor, unmoving except for her hand's steady assault on her own pussy.

Obey.

She was going to do whatever it wanted. Whatever commands were whispered into her ear, she would follow without a second thought. It made her hot all over to imagine, doing anything that-

Cum for me.

Quantum Girl screamed, humping frantically against her hand as fireworks exploded in her brain. White-hot pleasure crashed through her as her body obeyed its command, as the pleasure centers of her brain flooded her with endorphins. She shook as her orgasm took her, moaning wordlessly, crying out, cumming

hard

until her climax left her spent, lying nervelessly and blank in the aftermath.

Relax.

Again, Quantum Girl sighed, every part of her body entering relaxation while her mind attentively waited for orders. Again, the machine led her through its routine, demanding obedience that she readily gave...

It was several hours before the batteries started to run down, and several hours more before the exhausted superhero had the strength to escape.

-----

Tisiphone, for her part, managed to stay gone for a solid week before Quantum Girl caught up with her.

"Not taking any chances, are you?" This time, Tisiphone had been hit with some sort of disorientation ray, and by the time the supervillain's head cleared she'd found herself tied spreadeagle to a metal rack in a darkened room, completely naked. Unknown location, but probably still within city limits.

"Nope," Quantum Girl replied. "And while I was searching you, I found the hidden knife and both syringes you were carrying. Gotta say, you take preparedness seriously."

"Hmph."

"Just next time, y'know, might wanna invest in contact lenses that filter out mind weapons."

Tisiphone squirmed in her bonds. "I don't like those things. Contact lenses suck. Besides if I lose one, I'm out a hundred bucks for a replacement." High-tech enhancements didn't come cheap, not in the arms race that was superhero-supervillain rivalry.

Quantum Girl tapped her foot. "Speaking of money," she said, "the loot that you took from Union Bank. Inquiring minds would like to have it back."

Tisiphone hummed innocently. "Hmm. I spent it."

"Like hell you did. Even if you managed to get all that laundered in a week, someone would've talked. You don't get to be a high roller without turning a few heads. So either you're recently gotten a lot better at being discreet, or you've stashed it and the money's still out there." Quantum Girl shot her a significant look. "And I'd like it back."

Tisiphone, for her part, looked nonplussed. Or at least as nonplussed as a supervillain can look while tied up and completely nude. "Really? Like, most of that stuff is insured by the feds. Nobody with an account is going to lose anything. You're seriously doing the bank's dirty work?"

"Don't care. Want it back." Quantum Girl crossed her arms. "I'll get the information out of you eventually. It's up to you whether we do it the easy way or the hard way."

Tisiphone snorted. Some superheroes could actually be intimidating. Quantum Girl was about as scary as an exasperated kitten.

"Hard way it is, then." Quantum Girl serenely reached down and picked up...a bottle of something. Oil? "Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

"Yeah, yeah," Tisiphone said, "whatever you- ahh! That stuff is cold!"

Quantum Girl had squirted a substantial amount onto the supervillain's exposed torso. "Oops," she said, not at all apologetic. "Maybe this'll warm it up." She began to rub the oil all over Tisiphone, spreading it around her breasts and down to her navel before squirting even more from the squeeze bottle and applying a second coat.

Tisiphone bit her lip. It wasn't...bad, it actually felt kinda nice, especially once the oil stopped being quite so cold, but the way Quantum Girl's fingers were gliding across her skin, slick with lubrication, every touch seemed to spur a wave of frantic giggles from her chest. She ruthlessly clamped down on the sensation, biting her lip harder. She wasn't ticklish, that was absurd, it-

Quantum Girl's fingers trailed into her sensitive underarms and Tisiphone could not quite muffle her startled shriek.

They stared at each other, the superhero and her prisoner, for a few seconds.

Then Quantum Girl's lips curled into a smile. "Knew it."

"Okay," Tisiphone said, "w-we can cut a deal, alright? If you let me go right now, I'll hand over fifty percent of what I've got. That sound good?"

Quantum Girl pretended to think it over before scribbling her fingers back into the supervillain's armpits.

"Nope," she said, listening happily to Tisiphone dissolve into helpless laughter. "In case you still don't get it, this isn't a negotiation. You're going to give back everything you took. Nod your head 'yes' if you agree."

It sounded like Tisiphone was cursing her out. Well, it was a bit hard to tell.

"Bad girl." Quantum Girl spidered her fingers up Tisiphone's forearms, almost to the elbow. "Tell me when you're ready to cooperate." Those fingers began tickling back down, inching steadily towards the villain's torso.

That's hilarious,

Quantum Girl thought to herself.

She's actually

more

ticklish up here.

Without warning, she reversed course, attacking the spot on Tisiphone's lower forearm just above the armpit.

Tisiphone had apparently been bracing for Quantum Girl to travel lower, down her sides, and the sudden change in direction shocked her into another fit of screaming laughter. Quantum Girl kept going until Tisiphone's face started turning red. Then she stopped, while Tisiphone gratefully gasped in several breaths.

"Ready to talk now?" The way that her technically-an-archnemesis hung limply in her bonds made Quantum Girl feel almost sorry for her. Then Tisiphone glanced up, a glint of mischievous defiance in her eyes.

"Fuck," the villain panted, "you."

Quantum Girl shrugged. "Suit yourself."

She needs to really learn a lesson.

So Quantum Girl kept going, as Tisiphone's screams of defiance gave way to helpless hysterics, as the supervillain struggled against bonds that would never, ever give way. Tisiphone didn't stand a chance.

"Shihihihihi! Fuck fuck fuck!"

"Where'd you stash the money?"

"Fuck y-" The words were lost as Quantum Girl drove Tisiphone further into hysteria.

The way that Tisiphone was being lately, it was super satisfying for Quantum Girl to be able to wipe that smug look off her face.

"I can keep doing this for a long time," she taunted the thrashing supervillain.

"FUCK YOU!" Tisiphone shrieked. "SUCK MY DIHIHIHI-"

Quantum Girl worked her over until she could no longer muster the strength to utter words of defiance. Only then did she give her nemesis a break. Tisiphone panted and shuddered with relief, only barely conscious of the oxygen (?) mask being held against her face.

"There you go," Quantum Girl cooed soothingly. "Breathe it in. Now, you can answer just a few questions for me, can't you?"

Tisiphone, slightly dazed, just looked at her. That sounded like a good idea. Wasn't there something that she was trying to hide...?

It didn't matter. Every time that Tisiphone managed to pull enough of her concentration together to realize that she shouldn't be spilling the beans, Quantum Girl would tickle her harder, and Tisiphone would laugh and laugh as she breathed in more of the sweet-smelling gas. The third time that Quantum Girl had reason to punish her, Tisiphone nearly passed out from her rough treatment. And the more she breathed in, the harder it was to remember how to tell a lie.

The money was hidden. She knew she wanted to hide it. But Quantum Girl kept quietly asking, and occasionally unleashing a new round of tickle torture, and Tisiphone...well, she couldn't really figure out how to stop talking. So she told Quantum Girl all about the bearer bonds, and the suitcases, and their locations, and the decoy, and the booby-traps...

Quantum Girl miiight have taken a little more time than she needed "confirming" the information. Not by actually going out to check the location, mind you. No, she just tickled Tisiphone until, long after she'd stopped, the villain's breath came in ragged gasps, because she figured that by this point there was no way the girl was lying.

"Please," Tisiphone panted, "I've told you everything."

Quantum Girl gave her a hug. "I know." She could've kept going, but that would've been just plain cruel. "Thanks for being so cooperative."

Tisiphone let out a tired giggle. "You're such a dick."

Quantum Girl pulled back a little. "Oh? What was that?"

"Aah! I mean, uh, um, no no nohohoho! Wait! I'm sorry! Ahahahaaa!"

Quantum Girl didn't let Tisiphone go for another twenty minutes. Sometimes, it just felt good, teaching someone their manners.

-----

She woke with a start, whipping out the Pulse Pistol from beneath her pillow and flicking on the bedside lamp in one smooth motion. Then she rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Quantum Girl said, "it's you."

Tisiphone grinned, sitting on the ledge of the superhero's very open bedroom window. "Good morning!"

It was still dark out. Quantum Girl didn't think she'd slept for more than a few hours. "What the shit, Tisiphone."

Her unofficial archnemesis stood up, casually turning to shut the window behind her. Quantum Girl tried not to stare at the woman's ass. "So I've been doing a little...investigating."

Quantum Girl said nothing.

"You know, it's funny," Tisiphone said, "but my sources in Union Bank say they haven't recovered a dollar of what I stole. In fact, they're still filling out the paperwork they need for the insurance payout."

Quantum Girl still said nothing.

"So I looked a little further," Tisiphone continued, "because I thought, well, I might have missed something? And then I hit on the idea of taking a look at you, instead. Because obviously, you were the one with all my cash. I've managed to locate a few of your proxies over the years...and well, what did I see?"

She strolled forward until she reached Quantum Girl's bed, where she casually sat down. Quantum Girl kept her Pulse Pistol pointed at her opponent's face.

"A number of very interesting transactions." Tisiphone smiled. "So many local nonprofits received a statistically significant boost to donations over the past forty-eight hours, wouldn't you know it? A few thousand for the community fridge fund, another infusion to the legal aid society...and in every case, I could ultimately trace each one back to a certain meddlesome busybody." She patted Quantum Girl affectionately on the leg.

Quantum Girl didn't raise so much as an eyebrow.

"An impressive bit of vigilantism," Tisiphone said. "Of course, you couldn't let me keep it, that would be super unwise, especially how much you know I just love pyrotechnics. But you weren't gonna give it back to those greedy bastards, were you? A real-life Robin Hood." She mimed wiping a proud tear from her face. "It warms my heart, darling, it really does."

"I could still shoot you," Quantum Girl said. "You broke into my house."

"Yeah, just like you did last year, remember? In fairness, I definitely deserved it, that was before I learnt what Kessler Syndrome is and if you hadn't stopped me-"

"What do you want?"

"Hm?" Tisiphone seemed startled. "Well. Um. Stop me if I'm being too forward," she said, scooting a little closer. "I just wanted to..."

She leaned over and kissed Quantum Girl on the lips. Then she jerked back, suddenly worried. "Um. Sorry if I, uh, if you, I mean that-"

Quantum Girl pulled her close and kissed her

hard

.

Maybe it was the warm thrumming in her core that propelled her. After all, they'd been sparring for ages, now, and what was this but another level of that? So she kissed her villainous...friend? Over and over, dizzy with sudden desires as Tisiphone pressed against her.

A sweetness in her mouth. Her lips? Oh, that clever little-

Getting dosed by someone's lip gloss was a new experience, but Quantum Girl wasted no time. The next time their lips met, she kissed with reckless abandon, holding Tisiphone close until the girl actually moaned into her mouth, and then she knew she had her. At least leveled the playing field a little. Because Tisiphone hadn't counted on Quantum Girl kissing her hard enough to smear the lip gloss around, to get dosed herself-

Or maybe she had counted on that.

Panting, she tugged her rival close, fumbling with her clothes, holding her, kissing her, covering every inch of bared skin with kisses and caresses. They tumbled over each other, scrambling for leverage, until finally Quantum Girl was able to distract Tisiphone long enough to get her pinned down. And then she started to work her over in earnest.

It wasn't like one of their normal fights, not really. Neither of them were aiming to subdue the other but there was definitely a competitive edge to it. Nor was there a defined end goal, not in the sense that they were trying to drive the other to a climax, but just listening to Tisiphone squeal, feeling her squirm against her as she pulled out every trick in the book...she didn't know how much she needed it until now.