Cat and Mouse

CHAPTER ONE

warning for kind of depressed/suicidal thoughts. they're p subtle but they might pervade throughout the story. other than that, enjoy!

Dan picked fastidiously at his nail, barely bothering to glance up and survey his surroundings. The waiting part was definitely less entertaining, and he was disappointed to say that this was taking longer than usual. With a sigh, he settled onto the edge of the roof, letting his legs dangle precariously over the edge. He leaned back on one hand, using the other to rub at the skin of his cheek just under his mask—sometimes the fabric scratched his cheeks and left red marks behind, which wasn't really good for helping to keep his identity hidden.

With an annoyed huff, Dan leaned further over the edge of the building, letting his weight carry him further and further, until he was just barely balancing on the edge. He briefly entertained the thought of letting himself fall—and with it, the thought of not activating his gear—but refrained from doing so. He had more entertaining evening plans.

Far below, a man loitered in front of the building, occasionally pacing a few steps in one direction and then another. He tapped his foot, appearing impatient. Dan couldn't help it—sometimes his own emotions interfered. And he did feel impatient; he'd been waiting for almost ten minutes now.

Almost as soon as he thought this, there was a change in the atmosphere. It was subtle, and Dan doubted whether anyone besides himself would've noticed it, but it was definitely there. Dan blinked slowly, his contacts settling easily into place and changing the outlook of his entire surroundings. They were nifty things, able to make him see in the dark as easily as if he were a cat—which was kind of the point. And it was only due to his aesthetic that he'd made them look like cat eyes as well, the pupils thin and slitted.

With them, everything was focused into a much sharper clarity, and Dan almost wished it was a new moon tonight. There was nothing so great as being able to see all of his surroundings while the Raven stumbled to and fro, unable to see so much as Dan's fist connecting with his face.

By closing his eyes, Dan's sense of hearing intensified, everything around him becoming sharp points of focus. It was thanks to his mask, and the enhanced features the cat ears contained, but it felt as much apart of him that Dan felt an acute sense of loss when he wasn't wearing it, when he couldn't comfortably hear what was happening on the other side of the room.

Now, he heard the soft murmur of voices on the street below, and the thrum of cars passing by. Far away, a car honked, and another one returned the greeting, its sound higher pitched. Closer, Dan could hear a rodent of some kind—how it got onto the roof of the building, Dan didn't want to know—scuffling over the metal of the roof, its nails clicking distinctly. Finally, he focused on what was really drawing his attention, what he'd deliberately saved for last. Carefully, quietly—though not quite enough—two human sized feet eased their way across the roof, coming closer and closer to Dan.

Finally, he thought irritably. Took you fucking long enough.

The careful footsteps continued on their way, and Dan let them. Though really, hadn't Raven's mother ever told him it wasn't polite to sneak up on your arch nemesis?

"You should be thanking me," Raven's voice drawled, and Dan felt his lips pull into a smirk. He'd been waiting for this. It was as if his body finally activated when Raven was around, his blood pumping, his senses coming alive.

"And why is that?" Dan drawled. He leaned back on his hands again now, tipping his head backward to look at the other man. He was taller than Dan, that was for sure—not that it was a difficult feat. Dan had long since become acquainted with his height, however, and it only helped his image. The Panther, he thought. Small. Lithe. Unarguably evil.