Paralyzer [Gotham]

2

I watched from my bedroom window as Gotham descended into madness, the voice practically screaming at me to join in. Whatever was happening on the streets had been happening to me, only it seems a lot slower. It made me wonder just what this all was exposing little Andromeda to, after all, my blood was the source of hers. I don't even know how I'd gotten infected.

These lunatics seemed far worse off than the ones that came around when the power went out, so I'd opted for a knife instead of a bat. There would be no scaring these ones off, just putting them down. I hung in the doorway as hard knocks came down on my front door, the second round coming much faster. They went for the handle next, tightening my grip on the blade and waiting at the ready.

I released a tense breath when Victor came through with wide eyes, walking to the kitchen and replacing the knife. "I should just get you a key at this point," I greeted. I had barely turned around before he was holding me tightly, remaining aware of the speed bump between us. "We're okay," I assured gently.

"How is Dante?" he asked, squatting down to put his cold, gloved hands on my stomach. I rolled my eyes, since we hadn't even settled on Dante for the boy name, and relaxed under his meticulous care.

"Andromeda is doing just fine. Just a little excitement going on." He scoffed, eyes glued to my belly.

"My little galaxy," he mumbled, making my face flush. I didn't think he was capable of such childlike tendencies. He righted my shirt before standing, the wonder in his eyes diminishing. "It's not so much exciting out there as it is insanity." I frowned at his description, the insistant yelling in the back of my mind feeling not too far off. "I won't let anyone near you," Victor assured, resting his face on mine.

I nodded and held my hand to his neck, having to push aside his worry. I don't need him looking into this as much as I was. "I know. I've just got a bad feeling of what this means for the city." I fidgeted with the collar on his dress shirt, still oblivious to just how many tallies he had hidden from me. Tell him to show you. Take what you want. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, walking past him and trying to distract my mind, as futile as it seemed to be.

I went back to the window, watching all the chaos and wondering what had happen to me, to the people down there. I stilled when Zsasz looked over my shoulder, hands on my hips as he observed the madness as well. "You know, apparently this was the stuff that Mario had." I turned to him with wide eyes, his death finally making sense. "Funny, he didn't seem that far gone."

"You saw him like that?" I whispered, confusion dragging me down.

"Yeah, Jim Gordon tried to tell me about it but I wasn't focused on it at the time. Had a job to do," he offered with a shrug. Well, now I almost wish you had been. I dropped my stare from his face, getting stuck on his collar. It had pulled away from him a bit, one of his scars peeking out and ensnaring that voice in my head. I took a deep breath and went to sit on my bed, fidgeting with the legs of my cat and attracting Zsasz's attention. "You alright, Luce?"

I tried not to smile at the nickname, looking up from the cat with a shrug, I really didn't know. "We've been at this a while now," I prompted, treading on thin ice. "Whatever we are, it's gotten pretty serious." Folding his arms over his chest, Zsasz nodded, still watching me like a hawk. "I want to see." He eyed me even closer now, not moving an inch. "You won't scare me away--"

"That's not what I'm worried about," he excused, a pointed look on his face.

"Then what is it?" I huffed. "I'm carrying your baby, for crying out loud! What more do you need?" Irritation quickly came over him, I couldn't tell if the yelling was coming from outside or my own head at this point, everything was loud. "I just want to see you, for all that you are. I don't see what's so wrong about that."

He was extremely relucant about it but he slipped the gun holsters off his shoulders, tossing them to the bed as he took a step closer. I took a deep breath and simply watched, letting him take whatever pace he needed, as he was obviously out of his comfort zone. He started with his vest, undoing the two buttons before doing the same on his shirt, avoiding my eyes the whole way down.

Once he pulled back the fabric my eyes couldn't stay still, taking in the massive collection of tallies across his torso and down both arms as he tossed his shirt over his holsters. I held onto the cat for a moment longer, setting it down as I stood. Some had faded into his pale tone, pointing out which were the oldest, most though were a fresh pink, scarred over but still healing. There were even a few that had scabs, they were so fresh.

I could only guess there were more hidden from my view, but this was enough to sate the voice, enough to turn down the volume. My hands were light as I ran my fingers over a few, feeling his muscles tense under my touch. After a second more of taking them in, I reached up and brought his head down to mine, still refusing to look at me. I kissed his cheek and held him there, gently smoothing my fingers over his chest. "What were you so scared of?" I asked softly.

"Good doctor didn't need to see just how bad I really am," he explained in a low grumble. "You didn't need the full picture." I frowned a bit, bringing my other hand down from his neck to trail over his skin like the first one had been. Part of me believed that he still hadn't given me the full picture.

"I don't care about that," I informed, bringing my face closer to his. "I... I love you." For a moment he didn't move, completely tense wherever my hands trailed before grabbing my wrists and holding them back. "I just wanted to see what I was getting myself into. I'm not here to judge you."

I relaxed under his hands as he pressed his lips to mine, an upwards tug to my lips as my fingers curled around his back. It didn't hold any scars, as far as I could tell. It explained a lot, really. After a moment he held a hand to my jaw, pulling me back some but keeping me close as he ran his thumb over my jaw. "Thank you," I whispered, unable to help my smile.

He didn't answer, just kissed me beneath my eye and walked past me to get dressed again. I held my hands over my belly and grinned. So far, so good.