Gotham? Yeah, it never actually sleeps. It doesn't matter if the skies are screaming or things are blowing up; give it an hour, and the city returns to its usual mix of sirens and broken neon. Same old, same old.
Tonight, though, something felt off. It was too quiet, almost like the city was holding its breath. Maybe that was just Rex, still buzzing from his fight with Wonder Woman. Physically, he looked fine, but inside? That was another story.
"Sit before you eat the floor," Evelyn snapped as she tossed a bloody rag into a dented sink. She had claimed this abandoned clinic as her own little island in Gotham's sea of forgotten junk. The lights overhead flickered like they might fail, and honestly, the place smelled like old medicine and regret.
Rex leaned against a cold, metal table, watching her playing nurse. "Most folks would freak out after seeing me go a round with a demi-god."
Evelyn didn't even blink. "I guess I'm not most folks."
He really liked that about her.
"You've got guts, doc."
She shot him a side-eye. "No, I've got a brain. You should borrow it sometime."
Rex snorted and rolled his shoulders like he was checking for invisible bruises. "This is the second time you've patched me up. People talk, you know."
"They can say whatever they want. You're still breathing, aren't you?"
He stepped closer, and that cocky grin slipped from his face, replaced by something genuine. "You could've fled, Evelyn. For Twice. But here you are."
Finally, she looked at him. Eye contact, sharp as glass.
"I don't walk out on people. Even if they're demon-chasing idiots with a death wish."
No bite in her voice this time. Just the facts.
Rex tilted his head. "Is that your motto, or do you just have terrible timing?"
She hesitated for a moment. "I lost people I should've saved. So now? I will stay. It doesn't matter how ugly it gets."
For once, Rex was silent. It felt like the whole room was too.
He moved a little closer and felt the space shrink. "You're not built for this war, doc," he said, lowering his voice. "But you're here, keeping morons like me from leaking out before the real fight."
She held her ground. "Someone's got to keep the future casualties upright."
And right there, he saw it—the spark beneath all that sarcasm. She was fragile, sure, but she'd rather die than bend. Human as hell, and stubborn about it.
That kind of backbone? Is more Dangerous. And he liked it.
"You're trouble you know," he grinned. "My favorite flavor."
She didn't blink. "Then we're both lost."
He reached up and brushed a stray hair from her face. His hand lingered a moment too long.
She didn't move. Didn't lean in, either.
"I don't do attachments," he muttered.
"Great. I don't do white knights," she shot back, stepping away and creating just enough space between them.
That should've been it.
But Rex? He knew better.
This was just round one.
"Oh, cram it, V.E.R.G.I.L."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Is your imaginary buddy giving you a hard time again?"
"He called you a liability."
She smirked. "He has a point."
For the first time in forever, Rex laughed for real. Not his usual tough-guy act. It was rough and honest.
Somewhere outside, Gotham still made her noise. But inside, under cold lights and blood stains, Rex felt…peaceful? Yeah, weird right. But it wouldn't last. It never did.
But maybe this time that was alright.