The Fun Zone: Chapter 16
Had to do a doodle of my favorite chapter of my fic.
The Fun Zone was unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon, which made Danny suspicious. Normally, kids were running around, screaming over their ticket totals or fighting over the last slice of pizza. But today, it was eerily calm.
That was until the front door opened, and a massive figure ducked inside. The arcade fell silent as Killer Croc—towering, scaly, and looking very out of place—stood in the doorway.
Danny blinked, frozen in place behind the counter. “Uh… welcome to The Fun Zone?”
Croc grunted, his yellow eyes scanning the room. For a moment, Danny thought he was going to rip the skee-ball machines apart or turn the go-kart track into a wrestling ring. But then, Croc’s gaze landed on the claw machine.
“What’s that?” Croc growled, pointing a clawed finger.
Danny followed his gaze. “The claw machine?”
Croc nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. “What’s in it?”
Danny hesitated. “Uh, stuffed animals, mostly. A couple of plushies, keychains, some candy—”
“I want the crocodile,” Croc interrupted, stepping closer. His massive frame loomed over the machine as he squinted at a small green stuffed crocodile wedged between a panda and a rainbow-colored unicorn.
Danny tilted his head. “You… want the plushie?”
Croc nodded again, his claws tapping impatiently on the machine’s glass. “How?”
Danny walked over, trying not to look as nervous as he felt. “Uh, you just put some tokens in and use the claw to grab it. It’s… harder than it looks.”
Croc grunted and fished a handful of change from his pocket, slamming it onto the counter. “Tokens. Now.”
Danny scrambled to exchange the money, handing over a stack of tokens. Croc shoved one into the machine and gripped the joystick with surprising delicacy for someone his size. The claw creaked as it descended toward the crocodile, wobbling slightly before clamping down on its tail.
For a brief, glorious moment, it looked like Croc might win. But then, as the claw ascended, the plushie slipped through its grasp and fell back into the pile.
Croc growled, his teeth bared. “It dropped it.”
“Yeah, uh…” Danny scratched the back of his neck. “It’s kind of a scam. The claw’s weak on purpose.”
Croc turned to him, narrowing his eyes. “Fix it.”
Danny held up his hands. “I can’t! It’s rigged by the manufacturer. But I can, uh, coach you?”
Croc stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “Fine. Teach me.”
Over the next hour, Danny coached Croc through countless attempts to snag the plushie. They tried angling the claw, timing the drop perfectly, even jiggling the joystick to get a better grip. Each time, the claw either missed entirely or dropped the crocodile just before it reached the prize chute.
“You’ve almost got it,” Danny said for the twelfth time, trying to sound encouraging as Croc jammed another token into the machine. “Just… a little more to the left.”
Croc’s tail twitched in frustration, but he followed Danny’s instructions. The claw descended, grabbed the crocodile by its snout, and finally—finally—dropped it into the chute.
Croc stared at the prize slot, his eyes wide with disbelief. Slowly, he reached in and pulled out the plushie, holding it like it was the most precious thing in the world.
“I got it,” Croc said, his voice softer than Danny had ever heard it. “I got Lil’ Croc.”
Danny blinked. “Lil’ Croc?”
Croc nodded, cradling the stuffed animal like a baby. “Yeah. Lil’ Croc.”
Danny suppressed a laugh. “Well, uh, congrats. You earned it.”
Word spread quickly among Gotham’s rogues that Killer Croc had a new companion. Wherever he went, Lil’ Croc went too. He carried it to meetings with Penguin, perched it on his shoulder during heists, and even set it on the table during card games at the Iceberg Lounge.
Penguin was baffled. “Is that… a toy?”
Croc growled. “He is Lil’ Croc. Say hi.”
Penguin blinked, unsure if Croc was joking. “Uh… hi?”
Scarecrow tilted his head, examining the plushie. “Psychologically fascinating,” he muttered. “A manifestation of suppressed nurturing instincts, perhaps?”
Harley Quinn thought it was adorable. “Aw, Croccy! You got a baby! Can I babysit?”
“No,” Croc said firmly, pulling Lil’ Croc closer.
Even Joker, who rarely cared about anyone else’s quirks, raised an eyebrow. “What’s next, Croc? Matching outfits?”
Croc bared his teeth. “You touch Lil’ Croc, and I’ll rip your arms off.”
A few days later, Croc returned to The Fun Zone with Lil’ Croc in tow. He set the plushie on the counter and stared at Danny.
“I need tokens,” Croc said. “For backup.”
Danny grinned, handing him a stack of tokens. “You’re really committed to this, huh?”
Croc nodded solemnly. “Lil’ Croc deserves friends.”
Danny watched as Croc lumbered back to the claw machine, his massive hands surprisingly gentle as he tried for a stuffed panda. Shaking his head, Danny turned to Jason, who had just walked out of the back office.
“What’s going on?” Jason asked, his gaze fixed on Croc.
Danny smirked. “Just Gotham’s best Fun Zone customer bonding with his new plushie family.”
Jason stared for a long moment before wiping his hands down his face and grumbling towards his office.
Danny chuckled watching his hard ass of a boss exasperated at the scene.
