I stared at him. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

"What, pops knowing about your boyfriend is bad?" He grinned. He clearly loved being in on a secret.

"Great. Absolutely wonderful. Go ahead, shout it out. Might as well. Rex thinks I'm banging Batman." I muttered.

"Keep it in the family!" He cackled.

"What?" I squinted at him.

"Anyhoo, Rex!" He shouted up the stairs.

"What?" Came a loud voice from inside.

"Harm has something to tell you!" He sang as he pranced away.

What was wrong with that man?

"Wonderful." I sighed.

Rex peaked down from the top of the stairs as I walked in.

I looked up at him. "I think I'm going to my Dad's place." I spun around and walked out.

Rex laughed and followed after me. "See you tomorrow, Pops! Tell Ma I'll be home for dinner!"

Shit.

Rex was too cheerful as he followed me.

"I don't have anything to tell you that you probably don't already know." I grumbled. Joker needed to learn to mind his own business.

"Oh I heard Pops."

"Figures. Loudmouth."

"I'd like to hear it from you." He poked my arm.

I shook my head.

"C'mon, you know you want to tell me."

"Why?" I looked up to his grinning, smug face. "How will it benefit you? I'm not gonna convince him to turn on Bats, if that's what you and Joker want."

"What kind of fun would that be?" He shook his head. "Nah, just Bats knowing that someone who lives with us is dating his precious little Robin, that's gotta be driving him mad."

I stopped. "You're not gonna do anything?"

"Should I? I only wanted to know in case you were hurt." His face was serious. "People in this city are cruel, Harm. They don't care about people like us."

"Robin cares…" I said almost silently.

He still heard me. "Maybe. Or maybe he's doing what you thought we'd ask you to do."

"What?" I was too tired to try and understand.

"Maybe Bats is gonna try and convince him to convince you to turn on us."

That's why his face was serious.

"Yeah, right." I could feel just a pinch of doubt. Robin wasn't… Using me… Was he? "Bats would do that."

"Would Robin?" He stretched. He must have been playing Playstation, or something. It would be the only reason he would need to stretch. He would sit for hours in one position, something he would do nowhere else. He was never more still than when he was playing a game.

"I don't think so, Rex. He asked me to take off my scarf." I automatically tightened the fabric around my face.

"So?"

I pulled the scarf down and pointed at my shark teeth. He pointed at his own in response. He didn't understand.

"Robin is normal, remember?"

"Oh. Normal." He looked bored with the word. "Right, normal people aren't into biting."

I felt my skin heat up and I smacked him.

"Hey!" He grinned.

"That is not what I meant and you know it!" But now I was wondering if Robin liked biting…

"Aw, I know, Harm. Calm thine mammaries." He mussed up my hair. "So he's okay with your teeth. Does that make him trustworthy? He's a goody goody. No fun."

"Because he won't go out and rob a bank?" I sighed. "Not everyone was raised by psychos."

"Everyone in Gotham is a psycho. It just manifests itself in different forms."

"Trying to be wise doesn't suit you."

"I am wise beyond my years." He was serious again.

"Of course you are."

He gave me a shove that almost knocked me to the ground, gentle for him. Gentle for me too, just enough to knock me off balance. I didn't have much balance in the first place. We were in front of my house, so it didn't much matter anyway.

"I wanna know how you would give a hickey." Rex leaned in front of me to look at my scarfed mouth.

"Rex, knock it off!"

"Wonder if you like the taste of blood?"

"Rex, please!"

"I'll quit for now." He was way too happy. "But I wonder if when you go d—"

"Rex, Jesus Christ knock it off!"

He exploded into laughter at my embarrassment. How anyone could laugh so hard was beyond me. I didn't smile that time. I wasn't all that in to being laughed at for my mouth.

"Lighten up, Harm."

Rex started to walk into my house, but I stopped him.

"Something is wrong." I felt scared, anxious.

"Door's ajar."

"What?" My head felt light. No, nothing could happen to them. Nothing.

"I said—"

"That's a no-no, we avow it. No, we simply can't allow it." I shook my head.

"Huh?" He blinked a few times, trying to make sure he heard me correctly.

I pushed the door open.

The whole place was trashed.

"Dad?" I whispered. "Daddy?"

There wasn't a sound to be heard. The TV was off, the heating/cooling system wasn't running. The computer wasn't on. Everything was a mess.

There was black smoke in the kitchen that looked like it had been hanging there, thinning, for hours. The fan was on, but it was silent too.

"What, did they burn a turkey?" Rex walked past me.

"Rex, w-wait…"

He didn't wait. He opened the oven. I turned around and my legs gave out. He didn't shut the oven door and the smell filled the room.

I ran up the stairs to my room to hide under my blanket, like some scared little kid, but I couldn't make it to my bed. Not when Daddy was on it. Not when there was such a mess.

Rex came up the stairs after me, unfazed. Like he'd seen Wally cooked like Christmas dinner a thousand times. Like he'd seen my dad diced like vegetables a thousand more.

"Harm? You okay?" He sat beside me.

"Daddy?" I stared at my father on my bed, my eyes filling with tears and blinding me.

"That's a no…"

I couldn't say anything else. I didn't start sobbing, I just kind of sat there. Tears fell down my cheeks, but I couldn't make a sound. Seemed almost criminal to break the silence.

"I'll be back." Rex put a hand on my back before his footsteps clunked down the stairs and out the door. The door closed, the lock probably latched. Or didn't. The door looked busted.

I began humming music from some of Daddy's favorite musicals. He and I sang everything from Phantom of the Opera to Mary Poppins.

It's okay, Daddy. I'll sing you to sleep, just like you used to do for me.