"I swear, Colin doesn't act human at all," Harley Quinn muttered as she strolled through the aisles, her pale legs swaying lazily while her eyes darted from shelf to shelf. "He's got that look—like, piss him off just a little, and he'd grind your bones into dust. Seriously, Ivy, I don't even wanna be near him. Feels like the guy's a walking death flag."
"Then don't piss him off," Poison Ivy replied flatly.
At first, she'd been just as terrified of Colin as Harley was—but after spending time with him, she realized he wasn't that scary. As long as you didn't cross him, he was fine. Simple as that.
Colin was, in a way, a normal man—just one who happened to wield world-breaking power.
And because he was still human at heart, he lacked the boundless patience that the other Superman possessed.
Ivy sometimes found herself admiring that Superman. No matter how much slander or political pressure he faced, he'd endure it all with a calm, almost saintly restraint.
Colin, though? If someone dared to insult him, he'd take it as an open invitation to die.
After all—if you'd already been granted the power to shatter worlds, and someone still stood there shouting at you… weren't they just asking for it?
Even Ivy had to admit—if anyone ever cursed her out to her face, she'd probably make sure they never opened their mouth again.
"...Ivy."
Harley's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"What is it?" Ivy asked, half-distracted.
"We got company. Some little punk who doesn't know how to live," Harley said, tilting her head toward the end of the aisle.
A teenage boy stood there, glaring at them with eyes full of fury—as if they'd personally destroyed his life.
Ivy frowned. She didn't recognize him. Colin had told her not to kill anyone unless provoked, but this one was clearly spoiling for a fight.
If he wanted to die, that wasn't her problem.
Harley waved her hand lazily. "Scram, kid. Go home, take a nap. Mommy's waiting."
But the boy suddenly lunged at her with inhuman speed—his fist slammed into Harley's face before she could even react.
The impact sent her flying.
"Harley!?" Ivy gasped. That speed—it wasn't normal. The kid was a meta-human.
"Son of a—" Harley groaned, staring up at the ceiling. The shopping cart had crashed down over her, pinning her beneath it.
She wiped her nose, felt the blood, and hissed.
Her head was still ringing. First the Joker, now this random brat? She was done being a punching bag.
With a snarl, she grabbed the overturned cart and hurled it aside. It smashed into a shelf with a deafening crash.
She rose slowly, her grin turning feral. "I'm gonna kill you."
The boy sneered.
Once upon a time, he'd feared Harley Quinn. But not anymore.
He had power now—real, unstoppable power.
Why should he fear anyone?
He'd already beaten those who bullied him. Crushed them. Robbed them. He'd even made a quick ten grand from selling stolen goods—but that vanished fast.
Now he wanted more. Luxury cars. Designer watches. Recognition. Fear.
He wanted everything this world had denied him.
And now fate had dropped these two women in his path—the same ones who once treated him like trash, like less than a dog.
He licked his lips.
"Oh, this is gonna be fun," he whispered.
The fantasy played in his head: Ivy and Harley kneeling before him, broken and humiliated.
He grinned.
Then Harley moved.
With a snarl, she grabbed her baseball bat from a nearby rack and charged.
The boy scoffed. "Too slow."
But before he could dodge, pain exploded through his legs. He looked down—vines, studded with sharp thorns, had wound tightly around his calves, piercing through skin.
"What the—?!" He strained, but the plants wouldn't budge.
Then
CRACK!
Harley's bat came down hard.
The boy screamed as his forearm shattered. But Harley didn't stop—she swung again and again, venting every ounce of pent-up rage into his body.
People screamed. Shoppers ran for the exits, calling the police.
Within minutes, the boy was lying in a pool of his own blood, barely breathing.
Ivy walked up quietly, her eyes cold. Then she kicked him—hard—in the groin.
That disgusting, lustful look he'd given them earlier? She'd seen it all too clearly.
"C'mon, Ivy," Harley said, tossing the bloodied bat onto the floor. "We should finish shopping before Colin gets pissed. I hear guys aren't big on patience."
Ivy simply nodded. "Yeah."
They resumed shopping as if nothing had happened.
By the time they reached the counter, the cashier was crouched behind it, trembling.
Harley rapped her knuckles impatiently on the counter. "Hey, get up. Time to pay."
The man stayed silent, praying they'd just leave. But Harley wasn't in the mood for games.
She tapped Colin's sleek black card against the counter. "Move it. Or I'll kill you."
The cashier flinched and scrambled to his feet, scanning the items with shaking hands. He didn't dare meet their eyes.
He couldn't understand—why would two demons like them pay when they could just walk out with everything?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet
Colin was lying on a beach, basking in the sun. He yawned, then sat up, gazing off into the distance.
His senses stretched across the globe, pinpointing Harley and Ivy's location.
Time to head back.
He rose slowly—and with a ripple of air, vanished into the sky.
No one noticed. No one ever did.
Within seconds, he was standing outside the supermarket.
Harley and Ivy were just coming out, arms full of shopping bags—and both froze when they saw him.
He wore nothing but a pair of beach shorts, sunlight still glinting off his perfectly sculpted frame.
Harley blinked, then glanced at the sky.
The moon was already up.
So he really had been on the other side of the Earth just a moment ago… tanning.
She whistled. "Damn. That's one hell of a body. Bet it'd feel amazing in bed."
Colin shot her a brief glance. She looked beautiful enough on the surface—but the moment he remembered what he really saw beneath human skin, the thought made his stomach turn.
"Since you're done shopping, let's go," he said flatly.