In which a superhero meets his match, masks are uncovered and a mad scientist just tries to get some mad science-ing done without getting distracted by the antics of her magical minion.

---

Kara loved women.

She always had. She loved everything about them – the sound of their voices, the gentle slopes and curves of their bodies, their enticing scents and most of all she loved their colorful fashion which only enhanced their natural loveliness.

Yet making love to them always left her feeling vaguely nauseous.

Between her wealth and her looks she’d had no trouble attracting lovers willing to overlook her increasingly antisocial tendencies. Hell, her coldness only seemed to make them want her more. Gorgeous debutantes and social climbers simpered and smiled, fighting to get her attention.

Soon enough her discomfort outweighed any pleasure she gained from such encounters. So she’d stopped, almost fully withdrawing from high society.

This was different.

Kara buried her nose in luscious golden hair, inhaling the sweet scent. Diane was curled up atop of her, her lips trailing gentle kisses along her jaw, both of them still breathing heavily and basking in the afterglow.

“Kara,” Diane murmured, affectionately rubbing herself along her body like some sort of overgrown cat.

This was heaven.

For a brief moment she had felt that unease that had permeated all her previous relationships. Kara had frozen, panicking at the thought that this would be no different, that the connection they shared was just a figment of her sex-starved imagination, that she was stooping to fucking a villain for nothing. She hadn’t even been able to articulate what she wanted, but then Diane had taken one look at her and understood.

Kara turned her head and pressed a gentle kiss to Diane’s brow, tightening her arms around her.

Diane laughed with delight, the soft noise soon becoming a small giggle fit. “Well. That escalated quickly.”

“It always does with you,” Kara answered in a low rumble.

Diane laughed again and kissed her cheek. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

“No.” Kara’s voice was a murmur as she trailed her fingertips along Diane’s flawless back. “Not a bad thing at all.”

Diane flashed Kara a grin, and then pushed herself to sit up, still straddling her. She reached to adjust her corset. It had slipped somewhere along the way – probably when Kara had gone out of her way to make it slip – revealing pink nipples just begging to be sucked. “And here I prettied myself up for slow seduction,” she mock-whined.

“You’re always pretty,” said Kara, lips twitching into a smile. “Though I find it amusing that you’re actually wearing more in the bedroom than outside of it.”

She pouted. “I need sunlight!”

Kara tilted her head, arching an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Mhm. Can’t eat food.” She sighed, longing in her voice. “I miss chocolate.”

Kara’s hands travelled down, resting on Diane’s thighs and squeezing gently.

Diane smirked down at her. “Of course now I have something much better than chocolate.” She leaned forward, her long hair cascading over her shoulder and tickling Kara’s ear. “My very own toy to play with.”

Kara shivered, subtly shaking her head.

Diane’s grin widened and she reached out, her fingertip tracing Kara’s lower lip.

“Would you like that? Being my little girl toy? My doll to dress up how I please?”

Kara whimpered, a confused wave of emotion crashing over her. Please, moaned one part of her while her pride yelled No!

Diane pressed her lips to Kara’s, coaxing her mouth open with her scorching tongue. “I brought gifts for you,” she murmured.

Just think of all the things I’ve yet to make you do. Don’t you think you’d look pretty in high heels and a corset?

Kara’s eyes widened as her words echoed in his ears, the memory of the humiliating image in the mirror flashing through his mind.

“No,” he rasped, and pushed her away.

She sat back and frowned down at him. “No?”

He gritted his teeth and looked away, staring blankly at the nearby wall. There was a curtain draped over a painting. Mirror. She’d covered the mirrors so he wouldn’t be reminded of what a freak he was. “No,” he repeated firmly, hating the way his eyes were burning.

Diane did not say anything for a long moment, her long fingers reaching to gently stroke his cheek. Then she roughly grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at her.

“You seem to be under the impression that I’m giving you a choice,” she said, lips curled into a cold smile. “Let me be clear – you don’t have one, Kara. I will have my wicked way with you tonight whether you like it or not.”

His mouth went dry and he blinked rapidly. “It won’t… look… good,” he rasped hoarsely.

“I will be the judge of that.” She loosened her hold on his chin, affectionately stroking a finger up and down his cheekbone. “You are beautiful, Kara. I will make you see that.”

Diane was a very good liar, as would be expected of a villain. She sounded almost like she meant it.

Kara closed her eyes, giving a small jerky nod.

“Good girl,” Diane purred approvingly, reaching out to stroke Kara’s hair. Then she shifted her weight, climbing off of her. “Undress for me.” Her voice was clipped; it wasn’t a request, it was a command.

Kara lay there for a long moment, lost in confusion and conflicting impulses. She couldn’t even begin to sort out her feelings on what was happening, let alone figure out what she wanted to do. She found her hand slowly inching to the hem of her shirt, pushing it up further.

She was so tired of second guessing her every decision.

And with that thought, some switch in her brain just flipped. Kara pulled the shirt over her head, revealing her flat chest. Then she rolled off the bed to kick away her jeans, which had already been pulled to her knees.

Kara had decided that she would let Diane take the lead. For now. Really, what choice did she have? The neverending roar of conflicting voices in her head faded to soft whispers until only Diane’s still rang loud and clear.

She took the panties off with more care than she had afforded her other clothes, neatly folding it. Then she looked to Diane, heart pounding fast and hard.

Diane was bent over some bags in the corner of the room, prominently displaying her bare ass. Kara’s cock twitched at the sight, and she willed it to stay down. Diane was sorting through several bags, rearranging their contents until she was seemingly satisfied.

She looked over her shoulder, her gaze raking over Kara’s nude body. Then she smiled approvingly, red eyes twinkling. Kara felt absurdly proud.

Diane picked up a white bag, the contents hidden from view, and sauntered back up to the bed. Her eyebrows drew together in a slight frown as her gaze focused on the bandage around Kara’s knee. “What happened?”

“Hm? Oh. Just a scratch.”

“So that’s the reason for the radio silence, huh?”

Kara silently inclined her head.

Diane set aside the bag and slowly dropped to a crouch, fingers tracing the white linen. “You should have said something. Hold on.” She started undoing the bandage, hissing in a sharp breath as the half-healed gash was revealed. Diane looked up at her incredulously. “You call that a scratch?”

Kara shrugged. She’d had far worse.

“Crazy hero,” Diane muttered under her breath. She reached to press her hand against the raised crust, prompting a pained wince from Kara. Then her eyes pulsed, and her palm started glowing with dark red miasma. Heat washed over Kara, a tremor radiating from Diane’s touch and she yelled in surprise.

“What the fuck, Dia–“

Kara trailed off. The skin on her leg was smooth and unbroken, as if it had never been damaged in the first place. Her eyes widened, meeting Diane’s red gaze. The villainess smirked.

“You can heal?”

“Yeah. Kind of my, you know, raison d’être.” She took the pronunciation of the French idiom out the back and shot it. She also looked incredibly smug. “Haunted healing flower! Who’s got the lame origin now?”

“You…” Kara stared. Healers were rare, and highly treasured for their gifts. And she wasted her time robbing banks? “You could do so much good with a power like that.”

Diane cocked her head, then pinched Kara’s knee. “Am I not doing good right now?”

Kara had no answer to that. Diane smiled and ran her fingers up and down the now smooth skin. Kara waxed meticulously; body hair and skintight suits were a combination that invoked the wrath of the chafing gods. Kara had other reasons to eradicate almost every trace of body hair, but that was the only reason she allowed herself to acknowledge.

Kara’s brows knit together in a sudden epiphany. “Are you the reason my scars are gone?”

“Probably,” Diane said, fluttering her eyelashes prettily. “You’re welcome,” she added at her less than thrilled expression. “What?”

Kara shrugged, gazing down at her strangely smooth skin. “I liked my scars. They were…” She struggled to find the right word. “…trophies. Of a sort.”

“Oh.” Diane didn’t look at her like she was crazy to mourn her scars, which felt gratifying. “I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose; I just heal everyone around me without consciously willing it.” She sighed and shook her head, lamenting, “If you continue to spend a lot of time around me, you are doomed to perfect health. Oh, the humanity.”

Kara laughed softly and Diane grinned.

“I have a trophy of my own,” she crooned and leaned forward, cupping Kara’s cheek affectionately. “Won it in a long hard battle with a hero. I believe you are familiar with it? Red, lacy and dainty. You are never getting that back, by the way.”

“Thief,” Kara teased.

“It’s in the job description.” She rose and crooked her finger, signaling Kara to do the same. “I have something to make it up to you.”

Kara tensed, mouth suddenly dry, and stood up as well. Diane went up on her toes, pressing a gentle chaste kiss to her lips.

“Close your eyes.”

She obeyed, swallowing heavily.

“Good girl,” Diane purred. Then followed the sound of rustling as she bent down to retrieve whatever she had brought. Silk brushed along Kara’s hand, and she could make out the raised edges of a delicate lace pattern. Panties. “Put these on. Do not open your eyes.”

Kara fumbled awkwardly, stepping into them one leg at a time. She felt the soft fabric sliding over her smooth legs and reveled in the feeling despite her nervousness. Once in place, Diane tugged at it a few times, adjusting everything.

“Turn around.”

Once she did, she felt Diane’s warm hands soothingly running up and down her spine. Then she hooked two straps over her arms, moving them around at her leisure as if Kara were a doll. Heavy fabric was pulled over her chest – far heavier than it should be. Padded?

She felt cloth brush up against her hip, seeming to extend even past that. A gown? No, the fabric felt all wrong for that; too light and breezy.

Kara gasped a little when Diane pulled the strings at the back, constricting the – what? Corset? It didn’t feel that tight.

“It fits,” Diane said with approval, quickly and skillfully tying a knot. “Not bad; all I had to go on for size were your panties.”

“What is…?”

“Shhh. Don’t spoil the surprise.”

Diane stepped back, seeming to admire her handiwork. Kara could hear the footsteps as she circled around her, occasionally reaching out to tug and pull at whatever it was she was wearing.

Kara cracked open one eye; she couldn’t help it. She peered down at herself, catching a glimpse of half-transparent black material before a stinging slap came down on her ass. She yelped.

“Eyes. Closed. Sit down on the bed.”

Kara obeyed, squeezing her eyes shut.

For a few agonizingly long moments there was only the sound of Diane’s footsteps as she left the room, coming back a few seconds later. Warm fingers brushed along Kara’s cheek, caressing it gently – massaging it. An unknown scent reached Kara’s nose and she frowned.

Ah. Makeup. Foundation?

Diane rubbed the barely noticeable cream into both her cheeks, dabbing at her jaw and chin until she seemed satisfied.

She ran her fingertips along Kara’s upper and lower lip, coated in a sticky sweet substance that smelled like strawberries. Kara playfully nipped at the finger, and Diane laughed.

“Patience,” she said affectionately, reaching out to ruffle her short hair. Kara hadn’t had it cut in several weeks so it was slightly longer than usual, curling just over the tip of her ears. She’d tried growing it out once, on a whim, but found it annoying in battle, cutting it off before it got past chin length. Diane brushed her fingers through it again, and then once more, obviously trying to style it in some way. Kara’s eyelids fluttered subtly as she relished the sensation, calming her wracked nerves.

“Almost done,” Diane murmured. “You look stunning.”

Kara refrained from voicing her skepticism.

There was a rustle as Diane sank down in front of her, coaxing Kara to raise her foot. A shoe slipped over her toes, her foot barely squeezing in the heel. It pinched painfully. Diane hummed and took it off, discarding it. She tried another, but that one she didn’t even bother to fully slip on before throwing it away.

Then she chose a sandal, slipping a strap over Kara’s toes and began weaving a seemingly complicated strap pattern around her ankle. Diane purred in what Kara assumed was approval, as her other foot got the same treatment.

“Lovely,” she breathed, and Kara wiggled her open toes. “Stand up.”

Kara stood up carefully, wobbling unsteadily. The sandals had a small but noticeable high heel; somewhere between one and two inches.

Diane took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, slowly leading her to the far end of the room. The shoes felt strange and foreign, forcing Kara to alter her stance and stand up straighter.

She heard the sound of a curtain being pushed aside. Then Diane’s arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

“Open your eyes.”

She did.

Kara’s heart stopped as she gazed in the mirror.

A pretty tomboyish girl gazed back at her with wide eyes. Diane had managed to arrange her hair in some semblance of a stylish Pixie cut, the subtle makeup concealing Kara’s hated perma-stubble. Her rosy lips seemed fuller, glistening with reflected light.

Her gaze travelled lower, lips parting as she took in the slinky black chemise. It was padded to create the illusion of cleavage, half-transparent veils cascading down her hips to hide the lack of curves.

Kara swallowed heavily.

“You are beautiful,” Diane whispered in her ear.

And for once, Kara believed her.