Lady Marmelade

[zsaszle]

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[zsaszle]

Honestly, Victor had never been all that into these kind of parties, but it had gotten even less appealing as time moved on. As things changed. As less mattered.

Getting drunk had never done much for him, drugs were already losing their novelty too. He was the richest teenager in Gotham, just old enough to be the sole heir after his parents had been pronounced dead. There was really nothing he couldn't afford, which made it a lot less fun to get anything.

The crowd at this party was too boring. Everyone looked the same. Sounded the same. Blah blah. Next time he'd invite better people, he'd have to do some careless curating.

Someone was talking at him and he wasn't even attempting to listen. Instead he scanned the room, wondering if he should just throw everyone out. Then his eyes were drawn to someone with a different energy. It was subtle at first. Just a different infliction to his voice, different than all these other young, rich socialites with their vapid lives.

Then the guy started dancing and - given the way it definitely did not fit the music - the standing out was much less subtle now. Victor smiled to himself and walked right over. Some people could be a better high than any drug.

[zsaszle]

Victor walked into the room with Lin and Latoya in tow, hands by his side, but not reaching for a gun yet. He didn't think he'd need a gun, Roman wouldn't want to get caught in crossfire and he wouldn't want him shot at anyway. He imagined parts of Roman would probably enjoy the ability to do other things to Victor, but shooting him? Nah, he wasn't concerned.

"Hi." He greeted everyone, but then really just looked at Roman. Why was the man's office so comically oversized? If he hadn't known better, he'd have guessed he had a small penis. "You got time to talk business?"

Of course everyone was supposed to have time for him, having no time for him was like having no time for Falcone. Anyone else, he'd not have extended the courtesy of asking, but this was Roman. He liked him. They had something. So he showed him more respect than he'd earned.

[trustfiend]

"Zsasz, darling, my love!" Roman declared as Victor walked in, lazily sprawled at the visitor table with his legs up, eating some grapes because he'd felt like it and bribed the idiot guards to get him some. For once in his live, his money mattered and worked for him. He was finally top dog and Arkham was something he could rule.

It's the little things that mattered most.

"How you doing, Vic? Is Gotham burning yet?"

[zsaszle]

Throughout his life, Victor couldn't really remember many instances of being afraid. Thrilled, sure, he was actively looking for that. But this was different. His heart was racing and it was harder to breathe than it should be. He had people all over the city looking for escapees in Arkham uniforms. He knew that Roman didn't work well with people, so if that was the intention of whoever broke them out? Unlikely to end well.

When he finally got a tip, it made it sound dire. Of course he hurried and by the time he got to the place, Roman had lost consciousness.

He carried him to the car and Roman did open his eyes then, smiled a dopey smile and passed back out.

Hours later, Victor sat next to him in his bed, holding Roman's hand, not caring how sentimental that was. The doctor who'd stitched him up had given a good prognosis, so he shouldn't feel this tense any more, but here he was still, staring at him watchfully, as if he could keep him from being shot retroactively.