Sewer King - DC SI

Chapter 06: How to Build an Empire (Part 3)

[Clock - 19:00 | 07:00 PM]
[Calendar - 05/01/2003]
[Location - Random Dark Alleyway - Old Gotham, Gotham City]
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POV Change
Waylon Jones - Killer Croc | King Croc

Not many people understand why others would live in Gotham. Waylon also, sometimes, asked himself why people would come to this cursed land... But that was the reason, wasn't it? Because there wasn't anything in this world that would make others want to come to a city famous for its many, many crimes and many deaths, as well for the many batshit (heh) insane fuckers that go around doing their batshit insane crimes.

Talking about batshit-

"Time to go back to Arkham, Croc." The deep voice of the bat was easily recognizable, making Croc want to sigh- He had escaped Arkham Asylum alongside the many other residents after The Joker made his own escape on New Year's Eve, and of course he was one of the first ones to be found... It's not like he made an effort to hide, after all, he didn't really have a reason to hide until two days ago- Oh shit. The kid (Well, he isn't really a kid, but it's fun to call Atlas that and watch as he looks so offended), what will happen to him? Waylon does not trust the Bat, he wouldn't trust the Bat with anything in his fucking life, but- He looked around, sniffed the air trying to find him, but he saw him walk out of the shadows from behind the bat. "Co-operate, and everything will be painless."

"Hey, kiddo." Greeting the one and only Dick Grayson- He would recognize that child no matter what. He was taller than the last time he had seen him, he looked to be about 9 or maybe 10 years old now? Waylon doesn't remember very well how old the kid was when his parents died, all he remembers clearly is the taste of flesh on his teeth, and the sound of bones being broken and chewed on. "Good to see you again... Dick." He had never, while the boy was wearing this ridiculous costume, referred to the boy as "Dick", he always called him Robin as a way to make sure his secret identity was hidden... But he didn't care about that now. He was tired, tired and he didn't want to pretend anymore, so he just... sat down. His long tail swayed from side to side as he looked at the two vigilantes of Gotham City, one clearly showing surprise in his younger eyes than the other older man: "You remember what day is tomorrow, right?"

How could Dick Grayson not know what day was tomorrow? The 6th of January, the day his parents plummeted to the ground and blood sprayed his young face, the day he saw the gray matter of brain, a cracked skull, and boken bones for the first time. The same day, he saw a monster for the first time- You see, after his parents hit the ground, he ran. Something inside him made him snap and he ran to the only adult that his child brain could trust, and that person was Waylon Jones, nowadays famously known as Killer Croc.cHe went seeking help from an adult, only to find a monster covered in blood, holding broken bones, and with flesh on his many teeth- not everyone believed him when he told them what he had seen, after all, although Waylon was one of the Circus' attractions, everyone believed it to be some sort of costume! And, well, if the owner of the circus mysteriously disappeared right after two of his best performers died and it was confirmed he had connections to a crime family, it was only sane to assume said crime family got rid of him.

And not that a crocodilian monster ate the guy.

Years later, nobody would even question the veridity of his claim anymore. Croc has been confirmed a cannibalistic dangerous monster that would hunt and hurt others, Dick himself has witnessed him hunting down another person to eat them, and that was the last straw- he threw away the vision he had of him as a misunderstood man trapped inside a cage, unlucky to be born with a disease that made him look like a monster, and embraced the vision that all of Gotham had of Waylon... That he was a monster.

"Of course... I know..." Hesitantly, Dick said. He ignored Bruce on his side, focusing entirely on Waylon and with heavy caution, analyzed everything about him. He looked tired, he looked down, and most importantly he looked like had lost the will to fight for now. They- he and Batman -could easily overpower him in a synchronized attack and knock him out long enough for the folks at Arkham Asylum to take him back to their little lizard. "Why would I ever forget?" Seriously, that day shaped him as the boy he is today- a 10 year old boy, who saw his parents brutal death, and now works alongside a billionaire furry to keep the streets of Gotham as safe as they could possibly make it -and the man he will be in the future. "...and why would you ever remember?" That... He doesn't remember much about Waylon, maybe its repressed memories due to the shock he was in, or maybe its the trauma itself, but he knew that both his parents interacted with Waylon sometimes, but that's about it.