Chapter 2

Bruce looked at me as I walked into his study. He went into his analytical mode, you could just see it in his eyes. "My Croc tapes are missing, Alfred says you have them."
"You make things all the time, things that can do things other things can't. or can more efficiently." He looks at me intensely.
"Yes."
"Would you make a pair of bracelets, and sell them to Arkham, that are shock... shock collar replacements?" He stared into my eyes.
"Croc?"
"Even if you have to put tranquilizers with needles in the bracelets, anything, just take... tell them to take off... the collar. Please." My lips tremble and I end in a whimper.

He stands up and walks over to hold me. He doesn't seem like he'd be good with emotion, but he's always a loving friend when I get upset. Dick is right, he IS just like a dad. "You are too good for this kind of life." I hear the blame in his voice.
"I know that you always know what's right and wrong, Bruce. So tell me, is it wrong to feel bad for him? Is it wrong to care about him?"
"No. Not wrong, just... self-destructive."
"I want to help him, I want to, so bad."
"I know, you always have." I blink and make an inquisitive noise. "Well the first time you told me about the guy you saw, in that fight with Bane... you were so upset because you thought he'd grown up in the sewers or something... and you just hated society for a few seconds. Then you said you understood their side, but you wished people were less stupid." He was chuckling. I smiled a little.
"Bruce, would you do it?"
"I'll have them made. Honestly it never occured to me. I heard the tapes too, how did I not think of it?"
"You didn't want to... because you thought it was necessary." He laughs.
"You just know everything, don't you?" I smile again and wrap my arms around him.
"It should take three or four days to have them mass-produced."
"Can I go to make sure they do it? And check up on him every once in a while?"
"... check to see if they keep the bracelets, yes. I don't want you alone with him. Regardless of how good your intentions are..."
"I know. I'll have guards with me... and I CAN shock him you know. I haven't yet, but I can."
"I don't know if you know this, but you won't. You will let him kill you before you even think of it." I realize in that moment, he's right. I would. Why?
"Why?"
"Because he makes your heart ache."

I didn't go on patrol, for a few nights. I was still recovering from my power usage, or at least that's what I told myself. I couldn't lie, though. So if anyone else had asked me, I'd just have told them. 'I'm worried about Waylon.' They would look confused.
'Who's Waylon?' They'd ask. If it were Bruce he'd know, but he wouldn't ask in the first place. I'd tell them,
'Waylon is Killer Croc's real name, and I'm worried he's being treated badly.'
'Worried, about him? He's got thick skin and he's huge, I think he can take being locked in a cell.' But that's just where they'd be wrong, I'd think.
'Even if they shock him, just for the fun of it, and didn't treat the electrical burns for more of a kick?'

I don't think they'd say anything after that.

I slept for a whole day before I was supposed to go to Arkham. I woke to the sound of Alfred knocking on my door. I stood and walked over, shaking the sleepiness off and looking bright and alert when I opened the door. He looked surprised. He must have seen me sleeping before. Maybe he even tried to wake me up. "The... bracelets, Miss Dart." I look down at the metal things in his grasp and see that they are specially fitted. Giant. There are probably a lot of them made, just for Croc... and more that are normal sized for other people.
"Thank you."
"I don't think I should tell you, but Master Bruce wondered if you... Two more tapes have been made, Miss Dart." I blink. It's only been four days.
"Apparently... the doctor was jubilant about some breakthrough Killer Croc had made-"
"Call him- Mr. Jones. Please. Just... with me?" He looked heartbroken for me.
"Yes, miss Dart. Of course. I meant no disrespect."
"I know. It's just... the only name you knew..."
"Would you like... the tapes?" I think maybe I should wait until after I see him. But I nod anyway and he hands them to me, apparently knowing what my answer would be.
"You are the perfect butler Alfred." He hemmed and Hawwed in embarrassment for a moment and I hugged him. "And the perfect uncle too." He hugged me back, more of a pat on my back than anything but he was embarrassed so I didn't take it to heart.

Doctor: Waylon, I was wondering, if possibly I could ask you something about Whitefire.
Waylon: Go ahead.
He was at ease.
Doctor: Before when you said you wouldn't say tame things about her. What WOULD you say.
Waylon: God, Doc.
Doctor: I apologize, but I would very much like to know.
Waylon: *Sigh* Yeah alright.
I was suddenly pacing with the ear buds in my ears and the player clasped tightly in my hands. Not too tightly and I made sure to keep a rein on my power.
Waylon: Where do ya want me to start?
Doctor: *Inquisitive noise*
Waylon: Top, middle, bottom. Hair, body, legs?
He was teasing him. I laughed, forgetting for a moment what he was talking about.
Doctor: Let's start with... her face.
Waylon: Paragon of feminine beauty, what else is there to say? Smile like a hundred watt bulb... That's all I got.
Doctor: Hair then, and then body and legs, I suppose. Anything you can think of.
Waylon: *amused sigh* Don't know where you're goin' with this, but whatever. Her hair's... the color of wheat stalks you know? That yellow-y blonde that isn't ugly like on most women. It just fits her complexion and eye color perfectly.
He seems to be trying to think hard.
Waylon: Body like a brick house I guess.
Cue my face erupting into flames.
Waylon: She ain't a toothpick and you KNOW just lookin' at her... she knows how to kick your ass. She ain't fat, either. She's... she looks, healthy. Strong... mouthwatering.
He seems to forget who he's talking to.
Waylon: Legs... god, I want to see 'em. They're... long. God are they long. I know they gotta be as pretty as the rest of her. Never seen them without somethin' on them, seen the shape, not the skin.
I lean into the wall and fall to the floor slowly.
Doctor: How does her manner affect you? When she is kind?
Waylon: Hm. Confuses me. Makes me... kinda hate her, and... kinda not, at the same time. Conflicting thoughts at first, now I just feel bad that I gotta smack her outta my way.
Doctor: And when she is angry?
Waylon: Makes ME angry.
Doctor: Why?
Waylon: ... I don't really know.
He sounds contemplative.
Doctor: Do you like her at all? Or is she simply a confusing nuisance?
Waylon: ... I really don't want to talk about this.
The tape ends and I snap in the other without even really pausing to consider the end of the tape.

Waylon: Are you gonna ask about her again?
Doctor: No. Well... yes. But it is hypothetical.
Waylon: I can do hypothetical, I think...
He sounds wary and suspicious.
Doctor: Imagine for a moment, that you were not Killer Croc.
I can just hear him lifting an eyebrow.
Doctor: No really. Imagine you did everything you did up until you got here, and then you met her, not as a villain, but as a person.
Waylon: Yeah okay.
Doctor: What if she said she liked you, would you believe her? That she liked you being around, that she wanted to be friends with you?
Waylon: I'd believe her. She doesn't lie, but it'll never happen like that. She might tell me I ain't evil, might tell me she likes sparring with me... but she sees everyone the same Doc.
Doctor: ... you think she cannot love... because she cannot hate?
Waylon: Can't have one without the other. And we ain't talkin' about love. We're talkin' about likin' havin' me around more than most other people. She sees everybody the same. Everybody's fascinating. She don't have a preference.
The tape ended and my eyebrow was lifted almost to my hairline. I'm pretty sure I was wearing 'the look'.

When the guard saw me and his jaw dropped, I was pretty proud of myself. It was the reaction I was looking for. After all I dressed this way just to get a reaction from him. Not the
security guard doofus, the other him. I walked past him, Bruce had made arrangements for me to put on the bracelets with guards in the room and then take off the collar after I'd given them the remote for the bracelets.

I stood in front of the doors that led into the room they directed me to and the other guards eyed me as I slammed the door open. I looked irritated. They all just looked surprised. He didn't even look at me, didn't seem to even know it was me, until he inhaled and his head snapped down to look at me, finally. I was tapping my foot and glaring at him, not angry, just annoyed. My brow was twitching. His mouth dropped open. I wanted to grin and crack a joke about catching flies but instead- "Are you gonna give me your damn wrists or what?" His mouth clamped shut and he held them out like he was supplicating. His eyes were wide, and raking over me like a hungry man over his first meal in days. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to blush, I wanted to strut.

I lock them onto his wrists and he seems surprised. "What... they said you were doin' somethin'-... what do I need bracelets for?" I toss the remote to a guard and he catches it clumsily. Then I hold my hand out and they hand me a key. He looks like he's trying to figure it out, he knows what the key is for, but it can't be what he thinks... right? It saddens me to see that look on his face. Disbelieving that someone wants to retain his human dignity.

I unlock the collar and when it comes off I use my power to smush it into a little round ball. I put it in his hand. "Smush it, I know you can. If you really want. You've always been the strongest guy I know." I say it matter-of-factly but the way he stands up straighter makes me happy I did. He knew I meant it.
"Miss... Ah, whitefire?" I turn to the female doctor with an icy countenance. She flinches. "Wh... why are you dressed like that?" I lift an eyebrow.
"It's my new outfit." A stiffening beside me had me glancing over to see him going ramrod straight backed and still. "That I'm wearing for fun sometimes." It relaxed. He didn't want anybody else looking at me. That's... god I don't even want to know why THAT makes me happy. "Oh, and by the way, I'm going to be... checking in. Every so often."
"Of course, we can schedule-"
"They're going to be surprise visits. If you don't take care of these inmates... I'm going to erase your memory, from birth." She stiffens and drops her clipboard. "and if I see electrical burns on him, untreated, or if I find out you zap him for fun?" I put out my hand, my thumb up, and turn it down, "I'll destroy your life and make sure you remember it. Over and over, along with every other bad memory you've ever had." She's terrified of me. They all back away a little. I turn around and walk toward the door. "Do you know why?"
"N-no." She meekly answers.
"Because unlike the other people in this city I don't just like him. He's. My. FAVORITE." Then I looked over my shoulder, my eyes closed and my lips turned up in a heartwarming smile. "Take care of him, or else."

Then I was outside, laughing my ass off at their faces when I walked out, and jumping into the Batcar. I was laughing even while Batman eyed me disapprovingly and then smirked at me. "And you said you'd never use fear." I wiped my eyes and giggled.
"Yeah, I was wrong. It's useful sometimes. I hated it, but god... their faces!" I laughed all the way home, and he laughed with me.

The first patrol without expecting to see Croc, was hard for me. He wasn't there, so I was uninterested. Stopped a rape with barely any effort or showmanship. The woman had clung to me and sobbed and I had patted her on the head and told her I'd walk her home. She went inside and I walked on, jumping to the rooftops and taking off from there. I came across Robin and didn't notice. He followed me for a while, waiting for me to realize he was there. When it became fifteen minutes later his patience broke. "Whitefire." His tone was annoyed and I stumbled, hitting the ground with a smash and a thump and busting open my lip. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" He helped me up and tried to pull out his ice gun thing that would freeze the blood in one section of a body enough to keep the swelling down. I just sighed and sparked the nerves into repairing the damage to the tissue, you know take down the inflammation. It still bled and hurt, but now it wouldn't swell. "I forgot you could do that." He sighs. "The old man says you're going to Arkham tonight, later. Can I come with you?" I lift an eyebrow. He fidgets. He's already seventeen and yet he acts so young sometimes. Four years older than him and I even act his age more than he does. "I'm... worried." I frown,
"About what? Is there an inmate you-"
"About you, god." He sighs. I smile and flinch at the sting. He reaches up to cup my face and looks concerned, then turns bright red and I realize our faces are about two inches apart. I wonder what the hell made him blush, since we've been close to each other before... hell even closer. He sleeps in my bed sometimes, so what the hell?
"D-... Robin, what's wrong?" I grasp his wrist and tilt my head at him, and I'm completely shocked when he kisses me. I hiss in pain and he leaps to his feet and backs away.
"God. Fuck. Shit. I forgot. Sorry."
"Just pinched a little, it's fine. No damage done. But you know-" I sigh, "I kinda think you should get a girlfriend to do this kind of thing with. I'm not really into having a friend with benefits at the moment." I stand up and dust myself off. He sighs.
"And if I asked you to be my girlfriend?" I blink at my hands, frozen in the act of dusting myself off.
"Robin. I... you're like... my brother. I'm sorry!" I know that could've put a knife through his heart and when I looked up, I know it did. His face was crumpled and grief-stricken. "I love you, you know. You know I do, right? I mean, I don't think of you as a brother, because you're younger or unworthy or unsexy or anything like that. It's because you understand me, and I understand you, and we bicker like siblings and Bat is like our dad-"
"I know. I just." He sighs, "I guess I should have made a move before you became my sister, or whatever."
"No." I say in horror. I would have gone out with him, I would have loved him, and Waylon still would have captured my attention, I could have broken his heart into bits and stomped on them. "Us, together. Bad. For you."
He snorts, "Because of that monster." I swallow hard and push down the static and the rage.
"Yes." I whisper.
"You'd rather him than me." I bite my lip.
"I would have wondered, even if I were with you, and you would have gotten hurt. But I would have been faithful to you, I would have loved you with all my heart. I just... I can't control this, when I love someone without even thinking about it."
"... You love him?" His voice is dark and I realize what I said.
"... yes. I do. I'm sorry, but I do. I just... can't help it."
"So loving him is natural, and loving me is what? An effort?" I blink in surprise and shake my head.
"Loving you is the easiest thing ever. I just... I never thought about loving him, because he was... well you know. I thought about compassion and everything. But not... I didn't think I'd ever love him. I didn't think I would never love him either, I just... didn't think about it."
"Do you mind if I go home, I don't want... to talk about this anymore." He turned and walked off before I could answer and I frowned, turning and heading for Arkham. I was wearing my skintight jumpsuit, and I landed in front of the building with a roll. I opened the pack I was wearing, I never usually wore a pack but, well... I took off my skintight suit and put on the Short shorts and off the shoulder, bare midriff top. It had straps... around my arms.

I stashed the pack in the bushes and put on my cloak. I wrapped it tightly around myself so no one would see what I was wearing and walked confidently inside. The Joker was my first stop, since Waylon had mentioned him before. I looked over his room as he slept peacefully and then hid my presence as I walked in and examined him with my power to see how healthy he was. He seemed to be fine mostly, just a few fading bruises from days earlier... could have been from the Bat... dunno.

I walk into Harley's room sometime later and she's sleeping fitfully. I check her over and her room, and then I leave a small spark in her mind. It's not much, it just pretty much smoothes out her face and makes her sleep more peacefully.

Ivy was awake, and completely calm, but sickly without any plants. I frowned at this and walked away, wondering what could be done. Then I was finally at the gates to the sewers beneath the Asylum. The guards followed me down and I shrugged off my cloak, sighing and rolling my shoulders like I just couldn't be bothered with it any more and stuck it through my belt. It draped over half my leg and didn't really hide anything, but I felt cooler so I sighed happily and wiped the sweat from my forehead. Suddenly I was stopped with a hand. I looked over to see a man looking worried. "No offense ma'am... but I really don't want to protect you if you're just goin' in there to rile 'im up with somethin' he can't have. I really don't want to be on the receivin' end of his frustration."
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." What he can't have? What the hell were they talking about? Like he couldn't have me, why? He frowned and shut up as I stepped into the sewers. I heard his voice. Low and thrilling, to himself. It was a song, I didn't recognize it. I realized he was singing in French.

My lips parted and I made a small noise. The guards glanced at me, like they weren't sure if it came from me. I lick my lips and motion them back. "I think I can handle him," I snap my fingers and light them up with spark. They nod, apparently perfectly willing to let me go alone. If that Cash guy were down here with me, he'd probably follow me anyway.

I swallow hard and walk until I get to one of the floating wooden things that make a bridge. I end up hopping to keep from falling into the water. It was definitely sewer water, but... weirdly clean. Must be that doctor's doing. I tried to be silent, because honestly the song was entrancing and trying to hear it was taking most of my attention. The rest was dedicated to hop, skip, jumping until I ended up on an island in the middle of it all. I walk further and find that the whole thing wasn't water, about half of it, in fact.

I hear his song get to the middle, you know how you can always tell it's at the climax? I jump up and grab onto a ledge, jumping to any small out-cropping of concrete or brick or rock I can get to and stopping to look around the corner. My breathe is knocked out of me. He's just lying there, singing. He's lying flat on his back, with his eyes closed, singing to himself, his hands on his chest and stomach, his forefingers just sort of moving in circles over his scales. His lips move to articulate the words more clearly than he's ever spoken before. So wait, he WANTS to sound all hissy and growly when he talks to people? That confused me for a moment but then he starts singing again and I'm kinda caught up in the emotion in his voice. So you see it's HIS fault that I lose my footing and plummet to the ground with a loud WHUMP! I roll backwards so he doesn't see me, as the song stops and walk out into the open, just as he speaks. "Who's- oh."

For some reason I start laughing. "I think... I fell... on... my head!" And I'm pretty sure I did, with how hard I was laughing, as I fell into the wall and tried to spark myself back into sanity. When I finally calmed down and looked up, he was there, kneeling in front of me. I burst back into giggles. I really hoped he wouldn't laugh, but how could he not? I was ridiculous.
"What did you fall from, and why?" He tapped the wall next to my head. "And why are you laughin' so damn mu-" I look up as I stop laughing again to see his eyes flat and angry. Oh god, what did I do.
"Sorry, I... I just tend to laugh at myself a lot, when I get embarrassed..." The more embarrassed I am, the more I laugh. "I guess I was too focused on trying to figure out what you were singing." I bang my head softly against my knees, pulled up to my chest with my arms wrapped around them. There was an irritated sigh.
"You coulda just asked, idiot." I snort.
"That's so easy." He seemed to be surprised into a snorted laugh, but he stopped and seemed to calm down because then his voice was normal again.
"Not everything needs to be an adventure, Bitch."
"Hm. Yeah, I mean you would never do something hard and stupid, right?" He snorted and I cut him off, "I mean it's not like you broke into a building just to talk to me, or anything." The silence was dangerous. "Will you sing something else?" The tense atmosphere lifted.
"Why would I sing?"
"Because I like when you sing."

Je vous ai dit dernièrement que Je t'aime

I look up, certain I know that melody from somewhere but not sure where, and I'm pretty sure it'd be an english song, so...

Je vous ai dit il n'y a pas d'autre dessus de vous
Remplis mon coeur de joie
Otez toutes ma tristesse
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites

I close my eyes and sigh, sitting more comfortably with a slight smile on my lips. I was only halfway surprised when he sat next to me. I lean on him as he sings.

Pour le soleil du matin dans toute sa splendeur
Accueillir la journée avec espoir et de réconfort trop
Vous remplissez ma vie avec le rire
Et de toute façon vous faire mieux
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites
Il ya un amour qui est divin
Et c'est la vôtre et c'est la mienne comme le soleil
Et à la fin de la journée,
Nous devrions rendre grâce et prier
Pour l' un, à l' une

Je vous ai dit dernièrement que Je t'aime
Je vous ai dit il n'y a pas d'autre dessus de vous
Remplis mon coeur de joie
Otez toutes ma tristesse
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites

Il ya un amour qui est divin
Et c'est la vôtre et c'est la mienne comme le soleil
Et à la fin de la journée,
Nous devrions rendre grâce et prier
Pour l' un, à l' une

Et je vous ai dit dernièrement que Je t'aime
Je vous ai dit il n'y a pas d'autre dessus de vous
Vous remplissez mon cœur de joie
Emporter ma tristesse
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites
Otez toutes ma tristesse
Remplir ma vie avec joie
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites
Otez toutes ma tristesse
Remplir ma vie avec joie
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites

His voice was soft when he finished and he mumbled something else in French. "Je pense que Je t'aime." I blinked and looked up at him. He looked weak, like he hadn't eaten in days, how had I not noticed before?
"Waylon, are you not eating?" He blinked slowly and looked at me like he didn't know who the hell I was.
"What?"
"Fuck, are you really that out of it? Wait... did they already use the Tranquilizer on you?" I sit on my knees and pull his head around so I can look at his pupils. They seem a little bigger than usual.
"You... I only... why did you call me that?" I blink and realize I'd called him by his name, which was a bad move apparently.
"You're not a Croc, Waylon, and I refuse to call you one anymore." I lean in and spark up my fingertip to get a bit more light, trying to see if his pupils will contract, but they just get bigger and I frown before I notice I'm practically on his lap and he's got his hands hovering in the air, unsure where to put them. It strikes me as the cutest thing I've ever seen and I bite my lip to keep from smiling as I lean back on my haunches and clear my throat. "Waylon, did they dose you?" He blinks slowly,
"No."
"Wait." I lift a hand and touch his shoulder, I didn't take note of his skin temperature before, it is definitely not as warm as it should be. His body didn't hold heat but he's not usually cold. "Shit, you're cold."
"Always cold, down here." I blink and look up at him.
"They didn't do anything to help you get warm down here?" My anger makes my body begin to spark.
"Why would they?" The electricity leaves my body in a bolt, hitting the ceiling and fizzling out.

I try to breathe, but his own labored breathing is just making me angry again. So I spark up my skin until it's pink and warm, then I put my hands on his face and spark his skin too. He grunts in discomfort, because of course warmth can burn when you're cold. I sigh as the sparks run over his body and he's suddenly much warmer. I pull my hands away and he's sitting there with his eyes closed. "God, I'm hot." He opens one eye to half-heartedly glare at me. I can't help but chuckle.
"Well would you rather be cold?" He grunts and crosses his arms, relaxing against the wall. "I'll get you some heat lamps or something." He hummed in affirmation and I bit my lip, looking over at him. He was just so tall usually, and I'm sitting on my knees, so I'm a bit taller, our faces are almost even now. I chew on the inside of my lip and suck it into my mouth, running my teeth over it. He snorts in derision and I realize I spaced out, staring at him.
"You're always so fuckin' indecisive. Just say it, whatever it is, or ask, or whatever, quit fuckin' worryin' about everythin' all the damn ti-" So I gave him what he wanted and I kissed him.

He stilled, like he was afraid to move. I just sort of sat there, my legs on either side of his and my hands on his chest. His lips seemed to be almost normal, just underbelly scales instead of soft skin. But it's not like they weren't soft. He seemed to go limp, his arms the only things tensed, tightly coiled into each other. My lips only moved a little, but he shuddered and kissed me back. I didn't want to overwhelm him or make him think I just wanted to tease him, so I pulled back and looked at him. He was eyeing me in a tense way.

"What?" I lift an eyebrow at him as he glares at me.
"What was that for?" He seemed to be annoyed, but not particularly angry. Then I remembered he thought I did everything for everybody else. He thought I did things just to make others feel better, because of course having any kind of desire wouldn't fit with the image he had of me. The innocent angel.
"Hm." I lick my lips and chew on the inside of my cheek. "You don't like me." I stand up and dust off my knees, his incredulous look amusing me. "That's fine. I don't normally like people this much, it would be stupid to assume the first guy I took an interest in would automatically be into me." I walk away, waving at him as I step toward the watery bridge of wood planks. "Bye."