𝕊𝕆𝕃𝕀𝕍𝔸𝔾𝔸ℕ𝕋║[ᴅ. ᴡᴀʏɴᴇ]

ᴘᴇᴛʀɪᴄʜᴏʀ

"Good morning, Caro." Vin crooned lovingly. Though feeling playful, a tinge of exhaustion remained apparent in his smirk.

Damian slapped his hand away, which had been shaking his shoulder. The hit was weaker than usual, which Vin attributed to the boy's sleepiness.

Vin sighed, rolling his eyes. "Come on, pal, I don't want to get up either, but the sooner we get this bullshit done, the sooner we can get back here and take advantage of the hotel's five-star room service."

Damian only grunted, curling further into his pillows. The fact that the sleepy boy was willing to keep his eyes closed for a prolonged period of time while in Vin's presence spoke a testament to their evolving friendship.

Upgrades, people, upgrades!

"Ugh, what is with you? I'm supposed to be the lazy bastard here; quit honing in on my turf!" Vin complained. The dozing boy on the bed was unresponsive, and Vin groaned, "Fine, we'll go to Metropolis Zoo on the weekend. My treat."

"Tch. Very well, Bertinelli." Damian sat up, looking worse for wear with slouched shoulders and his half-closed, drowsy emerald orbs.

"Hey, we match!" Vin beamed, pointing his fingers toward the bags dragging under his amber eyes. Damian only scoffed and heaved himself out of bed, trudging towards the bathroom. Vin, already dressed, rummaged through his bag and pulled out his hair gel. He looked into the decorative mirror by the TV and ran a light amount through his dark chocolate locks. It was in no way a first-year Draco Malfoy style but a fair amount just to shape his hair into a more acceptable appearance than his sleep-wild look. When left alone, two large tufts of his hair would always stick up like a pair of devil horns. Maybe the universe was trying to tell him something...

Vin observed himself on the reflective surface and ran his tongue over the smooth, clean rows of his freshly-brushed teeth. His gaze roved over the numerous scars covering the visible skin of his face and hands, mentally shrugging. These people asked for the Gotham package; they're damn well gonna get the Gotham package. Scowls, cuts, standoffish, paranoid demeanors, and the ridiculously low-interest rate on housing since the building quality sucked worse ass than Riddler's comedy routine. The question mark man had taken over Gotham's citywide broadcasting system, and everyone was forced to hear the guy's downright heinous sense of humor.

Then there was the week when Poison Ivy discovered that the majority of the restaurant industry spiked the production of paper straws. Coincidentally enough, the sale of weed killer also went up substantially. It was an unspoken rule to coexist with the city's unending violence. Just because Ivy's 'babies' took up most of the street didn't mean life stopped. It was all a part of living in Gotham.

Did Mr. Freeze cover the main road in ice again? Well, that's too fucking bad. It's no excuse for being late to your classes; grab a sack of salt and get cracking.

Harley left a bunch of C4 lying in the street? Time to play lethal hopscotch, kiddies.

Is Scarecrow being a creep again? Kick him in the balls; that man is frailer than your grandpa crossing the street.

Did Catwoman steal your bus pass? Fill in an application at the GCPD's help desk. Check 'non-meta' and 'robbery'. Fill in 'Catwoman' as the perpetrator and 'bus pass' as the missing item. They will give you a written letter of pardon, which you can present to your professor/mentor/mafia boss.

Yes. It was all a part of living in Gotham...

...

...

Ugh.

Vin scrubbed a hand down his face, pulling on the skin beneath his eyes. He watched his eyesockets' watery, red, and veiny skin struggle to blink against his tugging.