It was the morning. Jane was straddling Ben in bed as she kissed him. Her hands ran up his defined torso as his own caressed her thighs.
But she had a sudden, terrible feeling. She lifted her head as she frowned and grabbed at her stomach. It was sudden nausea.
"What?" Ben asked breathlessly but she bolted from the bed as the nausea kept rising.
She rushed into the bathroom and she puked into the toilet. Ben had immediately came to her aid and he held her hair away from her face. (It was so different from John who shied away from sickness because he thought it was beneath them).
Jane tried to catch her breath as the nausea started to subside. Ben was concerned but he tried to make her feel better by making a joke. "Jeez, when did kissing me become so revolting?"
She chuckled a bit as a small smile formed and she responded sarcastically, "Yeah, it's totally your kissing skills."
Jane flushed the toilet as she looked up at him in worry, "I...I don't know what happened."
"It's probably just something you ate," Ben assured as he let go of her hair.
"Right," Jane responded meekly as she started to feel sick again and she turned back to the toilet, puking again. And Ben quickly held her hair away, content to stay with her all day until she was better.
_____
Her sudden sickness didn't last. It faded after the morning. But Ben wanted to make sure she was okay so he held her for most of the day while they watched movies in bed.
After not being sick for hours, she convinced Ben she was okay. So he went down to the gym to work with the weights.
The weight plates were made out of osmium and each one weighed five-thousand pounds. He put ten on each side of the bar he used to do a bench press.
What he was lifting was about the weight of a plane. He laid on the bench and he finished a whole set which included about fifty reps before he notched the bar on the stand above his head.
But Venus appeared above him. She had been in there practicing her flexibility as she did splits and handstands that made her shirt fall down and reveal her lacy bra.
She smiled down at him, "That's impressive."
Then she leaned down over him, bringing her face close to his as her hand pressed on his chest and traveled down. She suggested seductively, "You're welcome to benchpress me."
"I could but why would I fucking want to?" he remarked harshly and he got up rather quickly to move away from her.
She pouted before she slithered up to him, standing on her tip toes, pressing her chest against his. She ran her hands slowly up his arms. She whispered, "She doesn't have to know. It can be...our little secret."
As her hands ran up his arms, her nails turned thorny and green. The tips turned into a sharp point and a sticky substance coated them. It was how she poisoned.
She dragged her nails across his skin but found they didn't pierce his skin. There wasn't even a mark. But he could feel the sticky substance on his arms which drew his attention. She blinked as she faltered.
Suddenly, Ben grabbed her by her neck, "Really? Poison?"
He squeezed her throat but she wasn't injured. A main difference between her and Jane was that Venus had super strength and super durability; not as much as someone like Ben or Jawbreaker but enough.
"A bit kinky but it's not like I'll break," Eve smirked and winked.
Ben clenched his jaw and threw her away from him slightly, putting distance between them, "Listen, Venus, I don't want you so leave me the fuck alone."
"I'm Poison Ivy," Eve exclaimed. "How can you not want me?"
"You're fucking nothing to me," Ben argued. "Go find somebody else."
And Ben walked out.
Eve crossed her arms as tears pricked her eyes. Every guy she ever met had wanted her and left lingering stares but not Ben. It infuriated her.
"Look at you. Can't even make a plant grow. Why can't you be like Poison Ivy?"
She remembered her mother's stinging words. You're supposed to be Poison Ivy. That's not what Ivy would do. Why can't you be perfect like Ivy? Why can't you...why can't you?
But her mother was in the grave now and she became Poison Ivy. Eve squared her shoulders and made her tears go away as put on a smile. I am Poison Ivy.
____
Jane paced the floor.
Ben was honest and he told her everything. He sat on the couch in anticipation of her reaction although with the fact she hadn't said anything put him on edge.
"So...I'm guessing we're mad?" he swallowed.
She stopped pacing and lightning flashed in the sky through the windows. His eyes widened, "Yeah, we're definitely fucking mad."
"Not at you," she said. She trusted Ben.
Her anger dissipated as tears fell from her eyes and she sniffled, "Why...would she do that?"
"You're...crying now," Ben furrowed his eyebrows.
"Yes, Ben," she snapped at him but it made her feel really bad and she really started to sob. "I'm crying."
Ben was floored but he quickly got up and pulled her into his embrace. He held her while he rubbed her back.
Her shoulders shook as she cried into his chest, "I don't know what I did...to make her hate me."
"She doesn't hate you. She wants to be you," Ben soothed. "But it doesn't matter; it's just you and me, angel."
"You and me?" she lifted her head as she peeked up at him and her breaths started to even out but tears still fell down. "Forever?"
"Forever, angel," he smiled as he wiped her tears away.
It made her smile brightly before she reached up and pecked him on the lips. Then she clung to him happily and Ben was so confused how she could go from angry to sad to happy in minutes.
_____
The prison was cold.
John was always stuck in solitary but today he had a visitor. A special one as the visitor room was cleared out and a single table was set out. He had a smirk on his face as he saw his visitor; someone he'd seen plenty of.
Venus.
She was practically bouncing with nervousness and joy. He sat down across from her and she immediately leaned across, planting her lips on his.
He kissed her briefly with distaste. But it was necessary. She leaned back, seemingly satisfied.
"I don't know how she ever left you," she smiled. "You're perfect."
She sighed dreamily. In her quest to become Ivy, she needed the boyfriend to go along with it. So she sought out Homelander and he was all too pleased to acknowledge that she was Ivy. (But John just manipulated her to his own gain).
"Did you do what I told you?" he asked. "My little Ivy."
She smiled nervously, "Soldier Boy...didn't want me."
He rolled his eyes. Of course he didn't; not when one could have Jane. But he asked for one simple task.
"You couldn't seduce one man?" he asked in a judgmental tone. "Venus."
"Don't say that," she crossed her arms. "I really, really tried."
"Why does it matter, though?" she started to smile as she placed her hand on his arm. "You have me now."
He sighed and before patting her hand with disdain, "Yes...I have you."
That made her smile and she leaned forward. She kissed him again, even swirling her tongue around his mouth and he was in literal agony. But if this was the hell he had to pay to get back to Jane then so be it.
She pulled away and uttered quietly, "Why can't you break out now? You have your powers back."
"I told you why," John said in frustration. "They have to be unsuspecting."
She pouted as she leaned back in her seat as John continued, "Now, since you can't seduce a man, your new task is to find out everything new about Jane and then report it to me. Am I clear?"
"Crystal," she huffed before explaining. "Well, she's getting married to him."
"Married?" he seethed.
"Yeah. Jawbreaker really likes her, though," she chuckled a bit. "I think he's heartbroken."
Eve ranted, "And she's pregnant but she doesn't know that. I can sense it, though. It's early..."
"That's impossible," John said. "She can't have kids."
"Well, there's a hormonal imbalance. I can sense it. What else would it be?"
"She told me she couldn't," he said in anger and hurt. Had she lied? Now, she was having his kid.
His eyes glowed red.