The brothers Zsasz walk silently through a hall of one of Gotham Cemetary's columbariums. Frosted glass over head lets in light but staves off the summer sun leaving the space beneath cool. Their footfalls echo off the marble walls. It was clear to Victor who paid to have his parents resting here. He owes the man no thanks beyond what he's been doing for a few years now. Staying out of his hair until he crosses a line.
Victor and Doug stand before the plaque of Alan and Ilia Zsasz's final resting place. Both young men were dressed in fine suits. Doug's hair was combed back out of his face and he held a graduation cap in his hands. Victor grasped the neck of a bottle of bourbon Oswald stashed away and three crystal tumblers. It took him some time to understand why people visit the deceased. It may seem like speaking no no one but it did not feel that way. As Victor poured three glasses Doug removed the tassel from his cap and wrapped it around a small vase meant for holding flowers on the plaque. One of the glasses was handed to him, the third set before the plaque and both brothers raised their glass to their parents memory before drinking.
Doug coughed and shuddered causing Victor to laugh and nearly spit out his own drink. "Gah! Dad was looking forward to this?" he asked in disbelief.
"It's pretty great once your balls finally drop," Victor teased and received a punch in the arm. They were nearly the same height now. Doug refused a new suit so Olivia bent the rules and crafted him a new one from one of Victor's old suits. She wanted Doug to look his best for his graduation.
"Think they're happy we found each other again?" Doug asked and took another sip of his glass. It was painful to drink but it was growing on him.
"Of course they are. They never wanted us to be apart," Victor points out. "Things just turned out a little better with us separated for a bit." He finished his glass and set the bottle at their feet while they talked.
Doug looked over the bottle then back at his brother. "So does this mean you're done with the families?" he asked. Over time Doug picked up that his brother was a vigilante and a mercenary. What bothered him was how he worked for people that cost their parents their lives.
Victor nods. "That last foot is finally out. Doesn't feel real. None of it," he mused.
"You should thank Olivia," Doug said while elbowing his brother in his side. Victor grunts! There's a fresh wound still healing from last night. "And you should do it by finally asking her!"
Victor softly laughs as his free hand clutches something in his jacket pocket. "Oh yeah? Don't think it's too soon for that?" he asked. It always felt too soon for all that they did but that was all based on what they'd seen around them. On TV, in stories. Turbulent relationships that probably should have never been a thing to begin with.
"Yeah, the worst she can do is say no," Doug says. "But I don't think she will."
"False, the worst she could do is laugh!" Victor knows deep down she wouldn't do that either. "Yeah, might as well ask. If she says no, I'll just ask again when it feels right again. She hasn't gotten sick of me yet." Victor raised a brow as his brother finished his glass and winced. "Such a lightweight," he laughs.
"Hey, fuck you!" Doug laughs. They spare a few more moments in silence. "I think they'd be proud of you. I'm glad you're my brother, Ictor."
Victor snorts. "Wow! You really are a lightweight. You haven't called me that since you were four!" Victor laughs. His little brother grumbles and tries to squirm free of the arm now around his neck. "I know they're proud of you too, Dougie. Let's go. Time for me to man up and get my heart broken."
As the brothers gather what they cannot leave behind Victor takes his phone out to call Olivia. She picks up after a few rings and he can hear her saying goodbye to someone in the background. "Hey Sunshine," he says with a smile. "What are you up to right now?"
"I just finished meeting up with the colony in the park. Sorry I had to hurry off after the ceremony. Tell Dougie I'm proud of him!"
"Thanks!" Doug called out and ducked a swipe by Victor.
Olivia's giggling fills Victor's ears and he's smiling again. "At the park we met, right?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Something I need to ask you. I'll come pick you up."
Olivia's hair sparks and her cheeks darken. "Oh, okay! I'll be at my usual pick up spot then," she said while trying to keep her voice from rising too high. "Don't keep me waiting too long."
"Wouldn't dream of it, Sunshine."
Olivia ended the call and clutched her phone to her chest. Sensing the shift in her demeanor Arthur gently nudges her. He's also gotten a little taller but not by much. "Everything okay?" he asked as a few other fae paused in their leaving.
She nods and smiles cheerily. "I'm fine. I'm just going to wait on Victor to pick me up. He said he has something to ask me."
Arthur blinks and then it sets in what that could be. "OH! Well, I'll get out of your hair. We can catch up later." He hugged her. "Good luck!" He called out to her as she hurried to the gate of the park to wait. He isn't far behind and knows she can feel him lingering. He's got his camera ready.
Olivia waited for what felt like an eternity but in reality very little time had passed. She was pacing, clutching her phone again to her thundering heart while she let off static. Her mind was going a mile a second and her senses were getting scrambled. And then she felt him approaching. Her eyes were wide and hair raised as Victor stepped out of his car, hands jammed in his pockets. Olivia froze with a bolt rushing up her spine and through her hair.
Victor smirked and reached out to tip her chin up. "Someone's excited to see me," he said in a low voice then leaned down to kiss her lips. A small jolt arced off her lips to his.
"Heh, hi!" she squeaked. "What did you want to-" Her voice trailed off as he pulled a box from his jacket and held it out to her. Her eyes flashed and she nearly dropped her phone. It was quickly stuffed into her pocket and she took the box. Inside was...a key? "You want me to move in with you?" she asked. This felt just as exciting as what she was anticipating. He didn't answer and nodded towards the box. There was a folded piece of paper at the bottom. She opened the note to find handwriting that wasn't his own. It was a recipe written in Korean. Her wide eyes welled up with tears.
"She wouldn't let me have it until I was ready to ask," he points out. "So how about it, Sunshine?"
Olivia's heart skipped and she nodded fervently. "Yes!" she squeaked and threw her arms around his neck to kiss him. He fell deep into that kiss before lifting her off her feet feeling her energy surging around them. There were sudden cheers coming from the park's gates. It would seem the fae did not leave after all.
Victor smiles and hoists Olivia to hold her in a bridal carry. "Guess it won't be a small ceremony," he laughs.
"We can have two," she laughs as tears stream down her cheeks. "I love you, Wolfy!"
He presses his forehead to hers enjoying the soft prickle of her energy. "I love you, Sunshine."
