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thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

They laughed softly as they switched on the television and sat back on their chair. Nigel was correct, the scene on the screen was in fron ot Ace Chemicals and the reporter was interviewing a number of glitter covered security guards and police officers.

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

They chuckled as they looked at the images of the glitter on the screen. They relaxed as they continued watching the news segment. It played a few clips of the actual event, depicting Nigel and Rhapsody chucking glitter at a number of security guards through grainy CCTV footage.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

They continued watching the screen and it changed to the next news segment which had a much more serious tone. A school near the East End had gone up in flames out of a negligent accident during the day. It seemed to be happening live as well.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

[He muttered as they neared the school. It was worse than the news made it out to be. Firemen were working to put out the fires. There were a few groups of students here and there being tended to by paramedics and police]

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was completely still. They had no idea what to do in this moment. Everything happened so fast that they had not fully processed what was in front of them. Everything inside of them hurt, yet they felt completely numb.

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

The area was swarming with cops, paramedics and firefighters who were bound to recognise them soon enough. While Rhapsody was not fully clad in their suit, they had enough recognisable pieces on that would compromise them. And Nigel was already a rther known figure.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody clenched their jaw and they ran back to Nigel. While they knew it would ultimately end with both of them getting arrested, they couldn’t leave him. They couldn’t lose two people in their life today.

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody raised their pistol to try to shoot the cop that had attacked Nigel but they were overpowered by another cop who had used a taser on them from behind. They were surrounded soon enough and they already weren’t in top fighting shape.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

[Nigel elbowed the officer holding him down hard before he could be cuffed and started towards Rhapsody, but got a taser to the neck. He staggered and held his neck, still holding his cane up as defence]

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody winced as they noticed Nigel getting stamped on. The officers had continued teasing them with a much higher voltage and then they felt their legs getting cuffed and their weapons being taken off.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

“Stick with me.. There’s some nasty folk in Arkham and they love to pick on new crazies.. But uh.. They know not to pick on people like me. Try to cooperate with the ‘doctors’.. they can be assholes but uh.. better than getting your arm broken by them for not listening properly.. hopefully you can avoid certain types of therapy they like”

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

They were pulled away from the room and taken to a table where all of their possessions were confiscated. Surprisingly the guards didn't seem to put much consideration into the fact that they were a metahuman.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

They were pushed roughly by a guard towards their own cell. Rhapsody was honestly quite surprised at how little precautions the guards were taking with them. In all honesty, they thought that the guards viewed them as kind of miserable. They seemed to have the uncanny skill of making themselves appear much more harmless than they actually were.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sat on the ‘bed’ and rooted under it for the chalk he had smuggled in here once to doodle on the wall while he waited for yard time. He reallt wanted to see Harvey, but was still worried about Rhapsody. He glanced out the cell door every so often to where Rhapsody’s cell was wondering how they were doing]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody's cell was a few down from Nigel's. They paced around the cold room before settling on a spot on the ground before sitting down. The numbness and emptiness returned and it was a feeling that made them feel a bit sick inside,

They sat down on the cold floor, not really caring about what had been on it before. If there was any pathogens or infection, their body would heal anyways. After a while, they soon laid down on the ground, slightly enjoying the cool feeling of the ground.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel laid back on the bed after a while, his injuries catching by up to him. Unfortunately Nigel doesn’t have any super healing and he could feel it. He wiped blood away from his nose and mouth, holding his sleeve against his head]

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

They glanced at Nigel and then offered their arm for support. As they arrived in the yard, they were a bit surprised at the sheer amount of people on it. They didn't really know what to expect but this was a bit more than they expected.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

“Maaaybe don’t start a fight.. Normally ends either with being thrown in solitary or electro ‘therapy’.. I wouldn’t recommend either. If ya need to punch something I recommend rolling up the pathetic excuse for a mattress and punching it”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

Their eyes fell back on the yard where all the other inmates were and they seemed a bit restless. In their mind, they were still struggling to accept that their brother was gone and they desperately just wanted to do anything….it felt wrong for them to do nothing.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“Unfortunately there’s not really a whole lot to do in Arkham. For a place that’s supposed to help the insane sometimes it makes ya go even more crazy staring at the wall for hours.. There’s group therapy sessions and shit or art therapy but ehh.. I don’t think that’s gonna do a whole lot for ya”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

drnigelevergreen

[He shook his head as they left and headed back to the table] “Don’t worry about it”

[When they got back to the table, Nigel was absentmindedly chewing on his hand as he traced shapes on the table with his other hand]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody followed Harvey out before sitting back down in the table near Nigel. They rested their head back in their hands.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel blinked and looked up as they sat back down, immediately leaning back against Harvey. He’d never admit it but he was very clingy]

“How’d it go?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“She heard about what happened to my brother…but we kinda just chatted for a bit. She said that she’d hopefully come soon…”

Rhapsody fidgeted with their hands but there was a small smile on their face. They were also very fond of their girlfriend.

“She…has quite a few connections and a contact in Arkham who’s managed to smuggle in some nicer food…”

drnigelevergreen

“That’s nice..Hope you can see her soon. Nicer food huh..? Oh yeah you haven’t actually had Arkham food yet.. if it can even be legally classified as food”

[Nigel pulled a face]

“Fairly certain it’s radioactive or something.”

thesecond-death-stroke

When the relity of the horrible Arkham food dawned on Rhapsody, their expression dropped a lot. One of the few things they enjoyed a lot in their previous life was good food. Both them and their girlfriend were really good at cooking so they dreaded the thought of the food in Arkham.

"Oh god-"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel snickered at the look on their face]

“Yeah I sometimes think the food is the worst part about this asylum.. I hope one of these days they hire a competent cook that they didn’t pull from the depths of hell”

[Harvey just grumbled something, he’d already been here a month with the awful food, and was getting rather sick of it]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah..."

Rhapsody hummed to themselved as they were deep in throught for a moment.

"I would love to cook but I don't think they'd allow me to be in a room full of knives-"

They paused athen sighed.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeeaaah they’re really strict about the kitchen..”

[Nigel shrugged and yawned]

“Well hopefully you won’t be here too long.. You don’t exactly deserve it but not like the guards here care”

thesecond-death-stroke

"They don't...they don't get paid enough for that job of theirs and honestly, its just a death sentence. There's no way that any of us will be merciful to them during a breakout-"

drnigelevergreen

“You’d be surprised.. I did research into it once and they get decently paid it seems.. I’m fairly certain one of the job requirements is just “capable of being an absolute asshole to the mentally ill”” [He deadpanned]

“It’s likely someone’s planning a breakout soon enough..” [He looked around the yard, curious if Joker was currently in Arkham. He couldn’t see the clown anywhere, but that didn’t completely erase the possibility] “Normally Joker plans them.. Two you heard any rumours of a breakout?”

“Nope.”

“Ughhh..damn”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Tch...of course the biggest jerks in Gotham actually have a well paying job..."

Rhapsody overdramatically rolled their eyes and then turned to Nigel and Harvey. They didn't see the Joker earlier when they were observing the yard.

"Guess fate really wants us to be in Arkham right now"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel groaned and buried his face against Harvey’s shoulder]

“Fuck fate.. I don’t wanna be in Arkham I hate it here..”

“Someone needs to just blow this place up for good. Would be better off for everyone in this hell hole”

[The bell rang to signal the end of yard time]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Actually yeah...why hasn't anyone blown up this place completely yet?"

Rhapsody had never considered that before. Why hadn't anyone completely oblterated Arkham yet?

They stood up and started to slowly walk back to their cell but offered their arm to help support Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

“Gonna be honest I have no clue.”

[He mumbled a small thanks at the help, using the support from both of them on the way back to their cells. He quickly kissed Harvey before they separated, getting shouted at by the guards]

[Nigel rolled his eye at the shouting as he and Rhapsody headed to their cells]

“Uhhh don’t go crazy.. See ya”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I'll try, see you soon"

Rhapsody soon separated from Nigel and headed back to their cell. They sent the guard who had shouted at Nigel and Harvey a dirty look before stepping into their cell.

[end?]

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

drnigelevergreen

[He shook his head as they left and headed back to the table] “Don’t worry about it”

[When they got back to the table, Nigel was absentmindedly chewing on his hand as he traced shapes on the table with his other hand]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody followed Harvey out before sitting back down in the table near Nigel. They rested their head back in their hands.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel blinked and looked up as they sat back down, immediately leaning back against Harvey. He’d never admit it but he was very clingy]

“How’d it go?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“She heard about what happened to my brother…but we kinda just chatted for a bit. She said that she’d hopefully come soon…”

Rhapsody fidgeted with their hands but there was a small smile on their face. They were also very fond of their girlfriend.

“She…has quite a few connections and a contact in Arkham who’s managed to smuggle in some nicer food…”

drnigelevergreen

“That’s nice..Hope you can see her soon. Nicer food huh..? Oh yeah you haven’t actually had Arkham food yet.. if it can even be legally classified as food”

[Nigel pulled a face]

“Fairly certain it’s radioactive or something.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh god-"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel snickered at the look on their face]

“Yeah I sometimes think the food is the worst part about this asylum.. I hope one of these days they hire a competent cook that they didn’t pull from the depths of hell”

[Harvey just grumbled something, he’d already been here a month with the awful food, and was getting rather sick of it]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah..."

Rhapsody hummed to themselved as they were deep in throught for a moment.

"I would love to cook but I don't think they'd allow me to be in a room full of knives-"

They paused athen sighed.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeeaaah they’re really strict about the kitchen..”

[Nigel shrugged and yawned]

“Well hopefully you won’t be here too long.. You don’t exactly deserve it but not like the guards here care”

thesecond-death-stroke

"They don't...they don't get paid enough for that job of theirs and honestly, its just a death sentence. There's no way that any of us will be merciful to them during a breakout-"

drnigelevergreen

“Nope.”

“Ughhh..damn”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Tch...of course the biggest jerks in Gotham actually have a well paying job..."

Rhapsody overdramatically rolled their eyes and then turned to Nigel and Harvey. They didn't see the Joker earlier when they were observing the yard.

"Guess fate really wants us to be in Arkham right now"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel groaned and buried his face against Harvey’s shoulder]

“Fuck fate.. I don’t wanna be in Arkham I hate it here..”

“Someone needs to just blow this place up for good. Would be better off for everyone in this hell hole”

[The bell rang to signal the end of yard time]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Actually yeah...why hasn't anyone blown up this place completely yet?"

Rhapsody had never considered that before. Why hadn't anyone completely oblterated Arkham yet?

They stood up and started to slowly walk back to their cell but offered their arm to help support Nigel.

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

drnigelevergreen

[He shook his head as they left and headed back to the table] “Don’t worry about it”

[When they got back to the table, Nigel was absentmindedly chewing on his hand as he traced shapes on the table with his other hand]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody followed Harvey out before sitting back down in the table near Nigel. They rested their head back in their hands.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel blinked and looked up as they sat back down, immediately leaning back against Harvey. He’d never admit it but he was very clingy]

“How’d it go?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“She heard about what happened to my brother…but we kinda just chatted for a bit. She said that she’d hopefully come soon…”

Rhapsody fidgeted with their hands but there was a small smile on their face. They were also very fond of their girlfriend.

“She…has quite a few connections and a contact in Arkham who’s managed to smuggle in some nicer food…”

drnigelevergreen

“That’s nice..Hope you can see her soon. Nicer food huh..? Oh yeah you haven’t actually had Arkham food yet.. if it can even be legally classified as food”

[Nigel pulled a face]

“Fairly certain it’s radioactive or something.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh god-"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel snickered at the look on their face]

“Yeah I sometimes think the food is the worst part about this asylum.. I hope one of these days they hire a competent cook that they didn’t pull from the depths of hell”

[Harvey just grumbled something, he’d already been here a month with the awful food, and was getting rather sick of it]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah..."

Rhapsody hummed to themselved as they were deep in throught for a moment.

"I would love to cook but I don't think they'd allow me to be in a room full of knives-"

They paused athen sighed.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeeaaah they’re really strict about the kitchen..”

[Nigel shrugged and yawned]

“Well hopefully you won’t be here too long.. You don’t exactly deserve it but not like the guards here care”

thesecond-death-stroke

"They don't...they don't get paid enough for that job of theirs and honestly, its just a death sentence. There's no way that any of us will be merciful to them during a breakout-"

drnigelevergreen

“Nope.”

“Ughhh..damn”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Tch...of course the biggest jerks in Gotham actually have a well paying job..."

Rhapsody overdramatically rolled their eyes and then turned to Nigel and Harvey. They didn't see the Joker earlier when they were observing the yard.

"Guess fate really wants us to be in Arkham right now"

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

drnigelevergreen

[He shook his head as they left and headed back to the table] “Don’t worry about it”

[When they got back to the table, Nigel was absentmindedly chewing on his hand as he traced shapes on the table with his other hand]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody followed Harvey out before sitting back down in the table near Nigel. They rested their head back in their hands.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel blinked and looked up as they sat back down, immediately leaning back against Harvey. He’d never admit it but he was very clingy]

“How’d it go?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“She heard about what happened to my brother…but we kinda just chatted for a bit. She said that she’d hopefully come soon…”

Rhapsody fidgeted with their hands but there was a small smile on their face. They were also very fond of their girlfriend.

“She…has quite a few connections and a contact in Arkham who’s managed to smuggle in some nicer food…”

drnigelevergreen

“That’s nice..Hope you can see her soon. Nicer food huh..? Oh yeah you haven’t actually had Arkham food yet.. if it can even be legally classified as food”

[Nigel pulled a face]

“Fairly certain it’s radioactive or something.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh god-"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel snickered at the look on their face]

“Yeah I sometimes think the food is the worst part about this asylum.. I hope one of these days they hire a competent cook that they didn’t pull from the depths of hell”

[Harvey just grumbled something, he’d already been here a month with the awful food, and was getting rather sick of it]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah..."

Rhapsody hummed to themselved as they were deep in throught for a moment.

"I would love to cook but I don't think they'd allow me to be in a room full of knives-"

They paused athen sighed.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeeaaah they’re really strict about the kitchen..”

[Nigel shrugged and yawned]

“Well hopefully you won’t be here too long.. You don’t exactly deserve it but not like the guards here care”

thesecond-death-stroke

"They don't...they don't get paid enough for that job of theirs and honestly, its just a death sentence. There's no way that any of us will be merciful to them during a breakout-"

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

drnigelevergreen

[He shook his head as they left and headed back to the table] “Don’t worry about it”

[When they got back to the table, Nigel was absentmindedly chewing on his hand as he traced shapes on the table with his other hand]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody followed Harvey out before sitting back down in the table near Nigel. They rested their head back in their hands.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel blinked and looked up as they sat back down, immediately leaning back against Harvey. He’d never admit it but he was very clingy]

“How’d it go?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“She heard about what happened to my brother…but we kinda just chatted for a bit. She said that she’d hopefully come soon…”

Rhapsody fidgeted with their hands but there was a small smile on their face. They were also very fond of their girlfriend.

“She…has quite a few connections and a contact in Arkham who’s managed to smuggle in some nicer food…”

drnigelevergreen

“That’s nice..Hope you can see her soon. Nicer food huh..? Oh yeah you haven’t actually had Arkham food yet.. if it can even be legally classified as food”

[Nigel pulled a face]

“Fairly certain it’s radioactive or something.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh god-"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel snickered at the look on their face]

“Yeah I sometimes think the food is the worst part about this asylum.. I hope one of these days they hire a competent cook that they didn’t pull from the depths of hell”

[Harvey just grumbled something, he’d already been here a month with the awful food, and was getting rather sick of it]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah..."

Rhapsody hummed to themselved as they were deep in throught for a moment.

"I would love to cook but I don't think they'd allow me to be in a room full of knives-"

They paused athen sighed.

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

drnigelevergreen

[He shook his head as they left and headed back to the table] “Don’t worry about it”

[When they got back to the table, Nigel was absentmindedly chewing on his hand as he traced shapes on the table with his other hand]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody followed Harvey out before sitting back down in the table near Nigel. They rested their head back in their hands.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel blinked and looked up as they sat back down, immediately leaning back against Harvey. He’d never admit it but he was very clingy]

“How’d it go?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“She heard about what happened to my brother…but we kinda just chatted for a bit. She said that she’d hopefully come soon…”

Rhapsody fidgeted with their hands but there was a small smile on their face. They were also very fond of their girlfriend.

“She…has quite a few connections and a contact in Arkham who’s managed to smuggle in some nicer food…”

drnigelevergreen

“That’s nice..Hope you can see her soon. Nicer food huh..? Oh yeah you haven’t actually had Arkham food yet.. if it can even be legally classified as food”

[Nigel pulled a face]

“Fairly certain it’s radioactive or something.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh god-"

#//krita is testing my patience #// :']#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

drnigelevergreen

[He shook his head as they left and headed back to the table] “Don’t worry about it”

[When they got back to the table, Nigel was absentmindedly chewing on his hand as he traced shapes on the table with his other hand]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody followed Harvey out before sitting back down in the table near Nigel. They rested their head back in their hands.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel blinked and looked up as they sat back down, immediately leaning back against Harvey. He’d never admit it but he was very clingy]

“How’d it go?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“She heard about what happened to my brother…but we kinda just chatted for a bit. She said that she’d hopefully come soon…”

Rhapsody fidgeted with their hands but there was a small smile on their face. They were also very fond of their girlfriend.

“She…has quite a few connections and a contact in Arkham who’s managed to smuggle in some nicer food…”

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel #//good luck with the thing you’ve got due #\\<- tyy TwT i also with you luck with the tasks you have 🙂‍↕️

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

drnigelevergreen

[He shook his head as they left and headed back to the table] “Don’t worry about it”

[When they got back to the table, Nigel was absentmindedly chewing on his hand as he traced shapes on the table with his other hand]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody followed Harvey out before sitting back down in the table near Nigel. They rested their head back in their hands.

#//i’ve been procrastinating locking in on work for like three days help #//<- that’s so real TwT i’ve just finished my exam block but i still have a thing due next week and i kinda just changed my whole idea-#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey leant against the wall, his arms folded as he glared at the warden. He stayed quiet, mostly having an internal argument as he waited for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody soon finished up and then hung up before turning to Harvey.

“Sorry for makin’ you wait-“

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel watched as they walked away, mildly miffed he couldn’t go with them]

[Harvey showed Rhapsody to the Wardens office and knocked on the door]

“Hey warden new inmate wants to use their phonecall”

thesecond-death-stroke

The warden cast a sceptical glance to the pair before reluctantly obliging. He led Rhapsody towards the phone and continued to give both of them a firm look.

Rhapsody gingerly picked up the phone and then dialled their girlfriend's number, silently hoping that she would pick up.

[insert very wholesome, pining lesbians]

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

thesecond-death-stroke

[Nigel lead Rhapsody to his apartment block, taking a while to get up the stairs and unlocking the front door]

“Welcome to my humble abode. Feel free to make yourself at home. You want a drink?”

- @drnigelevergreen

Rhapsody stepped inside and looked around.

"I'll...just have a water if that's okay"

They settled down on a chair as their gaze explored the room. They noticed the television and gazed at it for a bit.

"Could I turn on the news?"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh sure. Remotes on the table.”

[He glanced from the kitchen as he filled a glass with water]

“How much you wanna bet it’s about our fun earlier”

[He came back with a glass of water, and a can of coke for himself. He sat down on the couch and handed them the water]

thesecond-death-stroke

"i wouldn't be surprised if the news was already on it."

"Peak comedy"

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel grinned and cracked open his can]

“I think we did a fairly good job, beautiful handiwork.”

[He leant back with a hand behind his head]

“Shame they always make it out to be boring. How the hell any of those reporters are talking with a straight face is beyond me. They’re all covered in glitter for crying out loud”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Some people in Gotham have no sense of fun" they scoffed.

drnigelevergreen

“You know what I’ve always wondered? In this age of technology, how do we still have such shit security footage? Like surely it could be upgraded by this point”

[He sipped his drink]

“Security footage is still way too hackable as well. Not that I’ll complain, makes my job easier”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Honestly yeah...I'm sure security cameras could run with better quality..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had been looking out of the window, looking back at the screen as he heard the news]

“Oh jeez.. That doesn’t sound good.. Hope the kids are alright”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“You alright? Look like you’ve seen a ghost”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I think...that's the school my brother goes to-"

They stared at the screen, their gaze searching the screen for any hint. As they fixated on the screen, their body grew restless and their heads clenched on the chair they were seated on.

"He hasn't left yet...I think..."

drnigelevergreen

“Oh.. Oh shit..”

[He got up and headed towards the door]

“Come on I’ll drive you”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You...you sure...thanks"

They got up warily and followed Nigel. They didn't know what to think about, this didn't exactly feel real.

"I really hope he got out..."

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel dragged them down the stairs and through to his car, his actual car not the stolen one from earlier]

“I hope so too.. For both your sakes”

[He drove quickly, probably breaking a traffic law or two as he headed to the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Surely he must've gotten out...there has to be evacuation stuff...and fire drills and all that stuff..."

Their voice was panicked as they attempted to rationalise any thought in their mind.

drnigelevergreen

“They don’t do fire drills for no reason, I’m sure the teachers got them out in time”

[Nigel glanced at them as he drove]

“Breathe. You look like you’re about to either pass out or throw up.. We’re nearly there”

[He sped up as he swung around a corner, stopping somewhat violently near the school. The smoke hit them instantly, clouding the air around the school]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks...a lot for this..."

They glanced up at Nigel before getting out of the car. Their steps were a bit shaky as they made their way towards the school. The smoke was strong and quite thick.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel just gave them a firm nod before following them, covering his mouth with his sleeve]

“Fuckin hell..”

“Can you see him anywhere?”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody frantically looked around, trying to find their brother. They looked at all the kids that the paramedics were tending to and none of them were their brother.

Their gaze shifted to the ground where a few bodies lay. Some firefighters had managed to pull out a few bodies but they were unable to be saved.

"I...think I found im'"

Their heart dropped as they found a recognisable face amongst the bodies that were found. Their knees buckled and they kneeled down next to their brother's body.

drnigelevergreen

“Oh god..”

[Nigel stood back, covering his mouth with his hand as he watched. He let them have a moment with their brother, grabbing an officer away from them that was going to try separate them]

thesecond-death-stroke

However, their gaze shifted to Nigel and their mind was torn. What were they supposed to do now?

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel had ended up getting himself in a scuffle with the officer, punching him and quickly coming back over to Rhapsody. He crouched down next to them]

“Hey. You okay- Stupid question obviously not-“

[He glanced down at their brother then back at them]

“We should go.. Staying here is only going to hurt more..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...going is...probably good"

They shakily pushed themselves off the ground and glanced around, trying to get their bearings. Their gaze dropped back to their brother but they tried to focus back on Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel wrapped an arm around their shoulder to guide them back to the car. He glanced at the cop he’d punched earlier, who was now coming straight at them with a few others]

“Shit-“

[He let go of them to whack one of them with his cane, making sure to keep himself between the cops and Rhapsody. Getting sent to jail right now was definitely not going to help]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was snapped back into focus as a group of cops ran at them. Their muscles tensed and they sent a strong blow to one of them. However, both of them were heavily outnumbered.

drnigelevergreen

“Just run- Getting sent to jail is a really bad idea right now!”

[He chucked Rhapsody his car keys]

“Get out of here!”

[Nigel took a bad hit to the side and staggered, taking a second to recover before continuing to fight.]

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m not leavin’ you…I know it’s a dumb move but I’m not gonna lose you as well-“

They unholstered their pistol and shot at one of the officers that had hit Nigel’s side.

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit don’t be so stubborn- I’ll be fine I can handle myself, you on the other hand are-“

[His sentence was cut off by an officer decking him. He staggered back rubbing his jaw]

“Ow.”

[He spun his cane between his hands and brought it down against the back of the cops neck, before turning back to Rhapsody]

“Trust me, Arkham is not the place you want to go right after losing someone.”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody knew that Nigel was right but there was something in their mind that swayed their rationality.

“I don’t…wanna be alone” they admitted.

Rhapsody was tackled to the ground by another officer and they kicked their attacker in the gut before pushing themselves up.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel sighed and glanced at them then at the officers]

“I.. Alright..”

[He punched one officer, but was grabbed from behind. The officer slammed him over a car with his hands behind his back. Nigel tried to struggle but got his head slammed against the car hood again]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Dammit-“

“You cops are worse than us- Their brother just fucking died at school and you’re gonna send em to jail?! Heartless bastards”

thesecond-death-stroke

The cops were relentless as they continued teasing Rhapsody before pulling their arms behind their back and cuffing them roughly.

The cops paid no attention to Nigel’s words, merely dismissing him with a sidelong glance.

drnigelevergreen

“Rhapsody duck.”

[Any emotion in his voice was gone as he pulled out his gun and sprayed it at the cops, the acid doing its job]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody quickly curled their body into itself as they avoided the spray of acid. Despite their pained yet numb state, they were still so impressed by Nigel’s gun.

The taser stopped sending shocks through their body and they managed to manoeuvre their body to kick out an officer that was approaching Nigel.

drnigelevergreen

[As effective as his gun was, they were still outnumbered and it was inevitable what would happen. A cop came up behind Nigel, tasing him in the neck again, and once he was down, stamped on his head]

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel struggled as the officer pinned him down, earning his head being slammed into the concrete and everything going black. The officer cuffed him and dragged him towards the cop car]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody was thrown into the back of the same car and their gaze was downcast.

“I’m…sorry for dragging you into this mess…I should’ve known this place would be full of cops…”

drnigelevergreen

[He took a moment to respond, ears ringing and head pounding. Nigel shifted and looked at them, trying to ignore the blood running down his face]

“It’s not your fault.. Don’t apologise.. I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster..”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody’s eyes widened as they noticed the blood running down from his head.

“You okay?” they asked softly.

They couldn’t move to help as their hands were cuffed behind their back and the officers were quite thorough in cuffing their ankles as well.

drnigelevergreen

“M’fine.. I’ve been worse..”

[He leant his head back and looked at them, trying to hide how heavily he was breathing. The officers had done a number on him]

“Looks like they did a bang up job on you too… you alright?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“A couple of them managed to get the jump on me…”

Their lip was cut and they had a bruise on their jaw

“But I’ll be fine soon enough…”

Guilt filled them for what happened but they tried to suppress it.

“Guess we’re goin’ to Arkham…”

drnigelevergreen

[He sighed and slumped in the seat]

“Seems like it..”

[Nigel glanced at them]

“I’m sorry.. I… you don’t deserve this man”

thesecond-death-stroke

“You won’t have to apologise…I dragged you into this”

They glanced out the window as the police cruiser pulled away from the school and headed towards Arkham.

“I…It honestly doesn’t feel real. Just hours ago…I was with him and everything was fine…how can everything change so quickly?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. I.. get the feeling.. life really likes to just fuck this ya over in the blink of an eye..”

[He glanced at them]

“Guessing you feel pretty numb..? It’ll.. probably hit you hard later.. The brains weird like that… five stages of grief and allat.. You’re not alone though.. remember that”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks…for sticking by me…”

They turned back to the front before glancing at Nigel.

“Guess life really likes screwing us over…”

They glanced out the window again and sighed. The memory of their brother was too fresh in their mind despite their attempts to push it down.

“I also guess this is my first stint in Arkham…you have any tips or anythin’?”

drnigelevergreen

[He glanced at the cops driving the car then back at Rhapsody, lowering his voice]

“Don’t try to organise your own escape plan, slip out in the chaos of someone cough Joker cough else’s”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I will keep these in mind..."

They watched through the window as the police cruiser started to pull into Arkham.

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah..”

[He sighed]

“You’ll be alright..”

[He glanced at them and hummed]

“Did you know some of us get chucked in here so often we have permanent labelled cells?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...oh wow"

They turned back to look at Nigel.

"You got one of those yet?" they asked jokingly.

Some lightness returned to their voice as they tried to put up a composed front.

drnigelevergreen

“Yep. They put mine next to Nygma’s and as far away from Two’s as possible because god forbid two consenting adults in a relationship talk to each other.”

[He huffed, and would have folded his arms if he could]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oof...that sucks. I wonder which cell they're gonna put me in..."

They watched as the police cruiser stopped and they were both taken out to be escorted to the main admission area.

drnigelevergreen

“Probably an empty one that doesn’t get used very often.. I think there’s some nearby my cell for the new residents”

[He shrugged as an officer shoved him forward]

“Ey- Watch it! Don’t blame me for not walking when you took my damn cane”

[He glared at the officer before turning back to Rhapsody, giving them a small smile]

“Either way let’s just hope you’re not with anyone bad”

thesecond-death-stroke

"I hope...but I don't think they're gonna be lenient...I've evaded capture for quite some time now-"

Some officers undid the cuffs around their ankles and they were guided to the admission area before they were led to the place to take their mugshot.

drnigelevergreen

“Is that your first mugshot?”

[Nigel grinned as he was shoved into the area after them to get his own]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yup...well...my first one since I lost my eye. I think there's a pretty old one of me when I went to juvie when I was much younger"

They forgot what they were meant to do in a mugshot so they ended up having a weird, lopsided half-smile.

drnigelevergreen

“Heh I remember my first one.. I was a mess, all bandaged up after the incident. I’m much more photogenic these days”

[He gave a smug grin and the middle finger as his was taken, earning a jab in the side from a guard]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Definitely" they hummed.

A simple prison uniform was on the table in front of them. They begrudgingly changed into it, grimacing slightly at the uncomfortable material.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel was handed a uniform that already had his name on, and changed into it while arguing with a guard]

“For crying out loud have you ever heard of personal space!?”

[He glanced at Rhapsody]

“Heh you’ll get used to it.. better than the straitjacket”

thesecond-death-stroke

"That's true...at least I'm not in a straitjacket..."

The guards took their previous clothes and rougly shoved them into storage.

drnigelevergreen

“I was the first time I was here. Wasn’t fun. Didn’t help the healing.”

[He was shoved towards the cell block by a guard]

“Can I just please have the cane-? Ow- Okay fine whatever.”

[Nigel rolled his eye as a guard shoved him again, clearly he wasn’t getting it back.]

“See ya in a bit. Uhhh don’t start a fight”

[He waved at Rhapsodu as he was dragged to his cell]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh...yeah, see you-"

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

drnigelevergreen

“Could’ve at least given me some sort of bandage..”

[He muttered to himself and closed his eye. His head was pounding]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody fidgeted with the fabric of the prison uniform and let out a seep sigh. The bruises on their face had healed so their face no longer throbbed. However, their emotional scars remained.

drnigelevergreen

[After what felt like an age, the doors opened for yard time, guards stationed around the hallways. Nigel got up and leant against the doorway of his cell, waiting for Rhapsody]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody pushed themselves up from the ground and walked out. Their expression brightened slightly as they made eye contact with Nigel and they walked up to him.

"How are your injuries?"

drnigelevergreen

“Haven’t really changed all that much. You doing alright?”

[They headed out to the yard, Nigel using the wall to keep himself upright]

thesecond-death-stroke

"I haven't been thinking much...I've just been on the ground and zoning out-" they admitted.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel appreciated the support, leaning on their arm as they moved.]

“Rogue table is over there, and uhh.. Oh thank god Harvey’s there”

[He led them too the table that was kind of reserved by villains and other inmates knew not to mess with. Two-Face looked up as they approached]

“Nigel? What are you doing here-? Who’s this?”

[Nigel sat down next to him and gestured to Rhapsody]

“Long story but this is Rhapsody.. Friend of mine.. Things got a little fucked up. Rhapsody, Two-Face”

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody sat down at the table and nodded politely at Two-Face.

“It’s a pleasure…well as much of a pleasure as Arkham can be…to meet you”

drnigelevergreen

“It’s not the most ideal situation in the world to meet but from what Nigel’s told me you seem nice” [Harvey held out his hand to shake]

[Nigel leant against Harvey, practically melting against the man, haven not seen him in some time]

“To sum it up.. basically we vandalised Ace Chemicals CEO’s office with glitter.. uh.. scammed a bunch of people then..”

[He trailed off, glancing at Rhapsody as a empathetic look crossed his face]

thesecond-death-stroke

“…someone close to me was in the recent school fire…and the place was crawling with cops”

They rested their head on their hands as they frowned slightly.

“It was a mess…everything just happened so quickly…”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah.. It.. tends to go like that..”

[Nigel paused and sighed]

“You’re not alone though.. if you need a shoulder to cry on m’here for ya.. well unless we’re in cells but point stands..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“Thanks” a small smile came onto their face.

They glanced up at Nigel and Harvey before their gaze panned across the yard.

“I guess the good thing is that I haven’t started a fight with anyone yet…”

They rolled their fists, getting the circulation back into their hands.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…I guess that’ll work. But sometimes it feels better to just get in a scuffle with someone, y’know?”

drnigelevergreen

“Yeah I understand the feeling..”

[Nigel watched them look around the yard, still leaning on Harvey]

“You’re thinking about starting one aren’t you?”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I’m tempted” they admitted

Their gaze scoured the yard, observing the expressions of all of the inmates. They seemed to be searching for the most confrontational of all of them.

“I know I’ll probably regret it later but I honestly don’t really have much goin’ on for me now…so there’s little to lose”

drnigelevergreen

“I mean.. I suppose. If you wanna start a fight do it but just be prepared for the consequences..”

thesecond-death-stroke

“I just have no idea what to do now…I want to do something cause doin’ nothing is just eating away at me…”

They sighed and turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

thesecond-death-stroke

“Yeah…so…what do you usually do?”

They stopped glancing at the other inmates in the yard and focused on the individuals on the rogues table.

drnigelevergreen

“Draw on the walls… listen to Tetch recite Alice in wonderland for the millionth time..” [He gave a sidelong glare to the Mad Hatter]

“We’re normally in here together so we spend a lot of time together”

[Nigel nodded] “Yeah.. Sooometimes try to come up with an escape plan but never really works. Mostly though? I just sleep.”

thesecond-death-stroke

“That’s fair. I guess I may be able to fix my sleep schedule here…maybe.”

They cast a sidelong glance at Mad Hatter before chuckling softly.

“Any other rogues here who have interesting habits?”

drnigelevergreen

“Oh don’t even get me started..” [He rolled his eye] “Nygma rarely shuts up, Cranes always just freaking the guards out, Ivy always gets plants in here.. constantly sets off my hayfever”

“Oz always manages to get birds in here when he’s here and not Blackgate”

“Joker is the Joker.”

“I could go on but I think you get the picture..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Damn..."

Rhapsody relaxed their posture and then a small laugh escaped them. The mental image of Cobblepot getting birds in Arkham was rather amusing to them.

drnigelevergreen

[Nigel smiled a bit, glad they seemed okayish. He then paused]

“Oz is gonna be so mad next time he seems me.. Let’s hope he doesn’t get thrown in here soon-“

“Nigel. What did you do?”

“Uhhhh” [A sheepish look crossed his face] “Nuthin”

thesecond-death-stroke

"We just had a drink together"

Rhapsody mimed the motion of drinking and a ghost of a grin appeared on their face.

"Nothing too major happened"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey glanced between them and raised an eyebrow] “You get drunk very easily. Did you get in a fight?”

“Nooooo…”

thesecond-death-stroke

"...if it helps to know...we did win it-"

Rhapsody rested their arms on the table before resting their head on their hands.

"Don't worry, I can take the brunt of Cobblepot's annoyance. He still hasn't gotten back at me for breaking an expensive bust of his on a job a while back"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey tilted his head slightly at them] “That was you?”

“Heh that’s what I said”

“He was pretty annoyed about that one. You’re a contractor right?”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Yeah...I mean, contractor's a pretty nice way for saying a merc"

They absentmindedly fiddled with their prosthetic finger.

drnigelevergreen

“That’s the one.. couldn’t think the word off the top of my head. That’ll be why Oz never did anything about it.”

[Nigel watched them fidget, half falling asleep]

“He’s not too fond of potentially having a hit on him”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Fair, guess him pissing me off will give me more of an incentive to take a contract on him"

They glanced at Nigel who was half falling asleep and chuckled softly.

"I don't think Cobblepot realises he's worth more alive. He's worth more as a client rather than a contract"

drnigelevergreen

[Harvey nodded] “Oh definitely. The man’s an excellent deal maker and more often than not it’s his side you want to be on.”

“Plus it would be a shame if his bar shut down.. I like it too much..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"The Iceberg Lounge is pretty nice. But if you're lookin' for any alternatives...there's my girlfrie-"

They paused as they realised they'd completely forgotten about their girlfriend due to everything that was going on,

"I don't know if she knows I'm in Arkham-"

drnigelevergreen

“Oh you get a free call.. need to ask the warden though.. she can come visit you as well”

[Nigel gestured vaguely at the wardens office]

thesecond-death-stroke

Rhapsody glanced where Nigel had gestured and they shrunk into themselves a bit. They weren't the best at asking for things and they were definitely not fond of the warden.

"I hope she's okay...she's probably busy..."

They turned back to Nigel and Harvey.

drnigelevergreen

“I can come with you to ask if you want..?”

[Nigel offered, despite being half asleep and still fairly exhausted from the fight with the officers]

thesecond-death-stroke

"Oh! It's...okay. You still look pretty beat from earlier...you-uh...should rest"

Rhapsody gave a reassuring nod to Nigel as they had a small, lopsided smile on their face.

drnigelevergreen

“I’m fineee.. just a scratch.”

[He grinned]

“No you’re not.” [Harvey pulled Nigel to face him] “The hell did they even do to you, you look like shit baby.”

“…Can’t remember to be honest”

[Harvey sighed and glanced at Rhapsody] “I can come to badger the warden into giving you your phone call, this idiot needs rest.”

thesecond-death-stroke

"You sure? I really don't want to burden you-"

Rhapsody had shrunken into themself a lot. For a notorious mercenary, they were rather timid and they had very little self confidence.

drnigelevergreen

“You’re Nigel’s friend and if he trusts you I trust you, and I wouldn’t offer if that was case.”

[Harvey gently shifted Nigel off him, and stood up. Nigel pouted a bit as he rested his head on his hand]

“Have funnn..”

thesecond-death-stroke

"Thanks..."

Rhapsody slowly stood up and then looked down at Nigel. They'd never seen Nigel so pouty before but it was kind of endearing to them.

"See ya' soon"

#deathstroke speaks #⚠︎ nigel

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