Volatile

[i]

I don't really know where the idea for this story came from, but I'm glad it did because I've been thinking about this for weeks and it's annoyed me to no end that i haven't known what to write down. Then, suddenly - this appeared. Hope you guys enjoy.

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Though friendship is

not quick to burn,

it is explosive stuff

May Sarton

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And to think, he'd complained about doing patrol tonight.

Scouring the rooftops had never been his favorite activity - his heart was in the stars, not on the concrete ground. Even before the star-twisted helmet had found it's way into his hands, his head had been permanently in the clouds, so it was miracle that with his feet dangling over the lip of the world of New York and the glare of his phone in his hands, he'd looked up long enough to find the scrambling form of Batroc. The leaping thief's agile body leaped out of the staircase doorway to the roof, his laugh mingling with the background alarms to his escape.

A smile tugged at his lips and his fingers pocketed the phone carefully away in his suit, standing and stretching with a self-satisfied smirk on his mouth. He lingered where he was, his eyes momentarily searching the stars - Batroc was easy prey, easy enough for the last of the Nova corps to apprehend. "Time to go to work."

The blur of power from his helmet bled down and encased his entire body in a blue glow, his feet making a scraping noise on the rooftop as he was lifted into the air. Elation flooded his body, the sensation of flying was something he treasured dearly. So he set off, arms thrown outwards after the thief that jumped rooftops like it was child's play.

But Batroc disappeared suddenly, veering off of his course sharply and violently when he saw the glowing Nova tailing him, body twisting almost violently in shock at the appearance of the vigilante. Nova felt his lip turn down, a rumble of annoyance fitting itself into his throat as he sped up, in order to catch up to him.

But as he turned to follow Batroc the way he came, Nova felt pain bloom in his chin and he dropped, heart and body falling from it's perch in the stars and smacking into the concrete. A stinging sensation in his upper lip stole focus from the vague recognition of Batroc's brittle laughter. His hand pressed to his mouth and pulled away - blood coated his fingers.

The acrobatic leaper took the chance of the disorientated Nova, bouncing away down the rooftops as he collected himself, brows turning down in anger. Never had Batroc laid a finger on him - he was usually bouncing away, effortlessly slipping out of their fingers and out of jail, back on the streets by the next few days. So he felt his blood boil when the usually useless thief had gotten the jump on him.

"Alright, leapin' loser," he muttered angrily as he watched the retreating form of the yellow-and-purple clad villain, "enjoy the night in a jail cell."

The vigilante teenager reared upwards, much like a bull seeing red and shot through the air towards the escaping criminal. But as Batroc dropped downwards to a lower level of a building and disappeared from sight, Nova suddenly heard a sickening crack - bones being broken and a yelp of pain. In surprise, he pulled back, hovering in mid-air with a perplexed expression and cautiously hovered over towards where Batroc had disappeared, touching the ground and looking downwards.