"Loving a wild thing is like having a lion for a pet. You know it's a creature of violence whose very nature and talent is murder, and yet it lies down at your side and purrs for your touch alone." - disillusionedhumanity, tumblr
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••• flashback •••
Martha Wayne sat in the early afternoon sun at a small table outside on the roof of one of her favorite restaurants. In the summer they always set up a dining area right under the sky and she'd called ahead to the popular eatery to make sure they kept a table open for her and her daughter.
It was the first time she'd be seeing her in close to a month. The last time they'd been together had ended in a miserable yet typical fashion; a fight.
Every single time Bird had met up with her parents after moving out on her own they always ended up in a fight. Usually erupting between Bird and her dad, who try as he might to keep the peace, proved over and over again unable to hold his tongue and not judge her for the criminal life she chose to lead.
She'd picked today for the lunch, knowing that Thomas would be going into the office and she could meet with their daughter alone.
Martha leaned back in her seat some, eyes closed and face tilted up towards the sun beaming down in the near cloudless sky from above.
It was a beautiful day. A rarity in Gotham. Even the bright days still seemed to produce clouds and shadows.
When she opened her eyes again she saw Bird had arrived and was making her way towards the table.
Dressed in her usual style of jeans, scuffed leather boots that went to her knees, a plain dark color top and a black leather jacket.
Her long, brunette hair hung messily in waves that left Martha questioning whether she'd bothered to brush her hair that morning.
Large dark shades covered her eyes and left her mother unsure about the mood she'd be in today.
"Hi, honey." Martha greeted with a wide smile as she stood to greet her.
"Hey mom." Bird said as she slid into her seat and left her mom wavering next to the table awkwardly, before Martha took her own seat again and realized a hug was wishful thinking on her part.
"How are you?" Martha questioned as her smile grew tight lipped over her teeth.
She was determined to have a pleasant lunch and conversation.
"Good." Bird automatically answered as she pushed her sunglasses up on her head.
Her mom's smile faded some as she finally got a look at her daughter's face.
Bird's skin was unnaturally pale. One might even call it pasty. She looked like she hadn't seen the sun in weeks.
Then again working nights a club, she probably hadn't.
There was a cut above her left eyebrow and a faded bruise on her cheek and beside her eye.
"Thank you for finding the time to meet me." Her mom politely said, "I know you're busy."
Bird cocked an eyebrow at her.
This would usually be the time in a conversation where the other person would say something to effect of; 'I'm so happy we could find the time to meet up' or talk about how much they missed the other back.
But not Bird.
Instead, she let out a low hum and reached for the glass of ice water that was on the table waiting for her.
"What happened there?" Martha asked, motioning to her eye.
YOU ARE READING
Devil's Playground • Gotham Fanfiction •
Fanfiction"Sometimes you have to just sit back and watch people destroy themselves." Bird's own words after watching her biological mother die. Little did she know that apparently it was something she'd inherited. Maybe that's just part of the madness of life...
