Chapter Text
Gotham for once is quiet, except for police sirens and gunshots but for those living there, it’s a relatively peaceful night. In Gotham, there are some things that the people get used to quickly, which may explain why the city feels so dull on this night. Despite it being dull, there are the hushed sounds of footsteps on the roofs. Everyone knows that they are there; it's the unofficial secret that the city has. The secrets can be told through the hard-hitting punches, the sounds of a cape in the wind, or a grappling hook being shot through the air. Even tonight, they are all on edge. It's too silent. They all wait for the bell to ring like soldiers waiting for the call to shoot but the call never comes, the bell never rings, and the shoe never drops.
On the rich side of Gotham the place that seems never gets touched by the people that roam the streets looking for fear. A family that looks way too tired for a normal “night shift at work” and a butler setting the table for a very late dinner. A man with black hair with dark blue eyes sits down at the head of the table while the others sit around him. It used to be a house, now a home filled with warm voices joking, and teasing, but two who are in a heated debate about a book. The home is filled with different portraits of different people, but there’s one with just two kids, a girl and a boy, both look just like their parents having black hair and blue eyes. It’s not a new portrait but it’s kept in fine condition.
Meanwhile in New York Queens, in an apartment. A son is already peacefully asleep, a man snoring by the TV, empty beer bottles surround him, and a woman with wavy black hair but with white streaks showing themself like the sun shining through dark clouds, she is inside her room and the same dark blue eyes praying she can protect her son. But there is only so much she can take. She slowly goes up to her room door and slowly opens it but a loud creek makes herself known. The snoring stops, and she catches her breath… loud thumps of her heart sound like drums in her ears, one.. two… three…, and then the snoring continues.
She goes to the room to the right of her door and opens it thankfully with no sound. Quickly she goes inside and lets out a breath she was holding. She looks at her son, his messy black hair paints his pillow like black ink spills on paper. He turns on his side. That's when his hair moves from in front of his face, she sees it… a black and blue spot on his eye, the worst part is she knows exactly who did it. Anger, guilt, and sadness come through so hard that she is choking, and tears start to fall. She was supposed to protect her son from monsters and forgetting that humans can be monsters. Heading back from her son’s room she stops in the bathroom. That man wouldn't take this, but she couldn't stay here and she wouldn't stay for longer.
That moment choice was made. A choice that she wouldn't act upon now but soon that bell would ring and soon the soldiers would shoot. She washes her face with cold water then the door slowly opens.
“Are you getting ready for work?” a young tired voice whispers, breaking her out of her mind.
“Yeah, go back to sleep sweetheart.” She whispers back. It feels like a secret between them even though they were just talking. She hears the door softly click close and soft thumps of feet going back. She knows what she has to do and she will keep him safe until his time… May The Gods Show Them Mercy.