Chapter Text
Going out on dates is never fun. It felt like she was forcing herself to be someone she wasn't, however, right now, standing in a junkyard filled with cars by the sea, arguing about the best way to get rid of a body was not where she had expected to find herself tonight. Especially not with the Red Hood who had allegedly come back from the dead– or so some people online say.
“Feeding it to pigs would be better than burning it.” She snapped, making a face as he grabbed gasoline from some corner of the junkyard.
“You don’t get to talk, you’re the reason I’m here!”
Melody-Rose rolled her eyes. “You could have just left but you just had to sit down and watch the show.”
“It was funny watching you, a five foot four woman beat up a six foot three man!” Red hood whined, throwing his hands up after setting the gasoline down. “I wouldn’t just not watch!”
“You didn’t stop me from killing him!”
“Now it's my fault!?” The dramatic, over the top gasp seemed to make the vigilante more human. Melody-Rose paused. He was teasing her, being playful. Only James had the guts to do that with her, granted they had grown up together but still; this was new.
“You’re messing with me.” She said slowly, processing. If she could see the man's face, she had a feeling there would be some kind of chaotic, mischievous grin or smirk laying on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. “Why.”
“You made this into a date, am I not meant to act like we’re on a date?”
Her eye twitched. Melre, you can not strangle Red Hood, that's a bad idea. “I see why you’re single.” It was a playful jab she hadn’t even noticed laying on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes went back to the dead body on the back of a truck. Blood pooled around it, bruises covered its skin as well as what seemed to be a stab though his cheek, a missing eye as well. “I didn’t think I did such a number on him.”
“You literally pulled his eyeball off your heel and tossed it down the gutters.” Red Hood pointed out, shivering slightly at the memory. “You better wash your hands before going anywhere to eat after this.”
“I was going to anyway. They touched that disgusting mistake of a man.”
Red Hood lent against a random red car. “What made him a ‘disgusting mistake of a man’?”
“Did you not hear what I was saying to him while I cut open his stomach with my heel?” The feeling of a man beneath her, crying out in pain as she slowly dug her heel deeper, twisting it slowly and tearing the skin, it was soothing.
“Sadly, I didn’t get to as I got to you right before you ripped the guy's eye with your heel.” Red Hood sighed, remembering the rage he had seen flash across her face from his spot on a rooftop, then how her body had launched across the table. It was like a lion pouncing on its prey. He had to watch as this woman tore into a man who had clearly been getting on her nerves all night. “Tell me how you ended up with this guy.”
“Tinder.” She said simply, yanking open the door to a purple car and sitting in the passengers seat, staring at the body before her. “We were talking for a couple weeks, he seemed decent so I said yes when he asked to go on a date.” She looked at the clutch in her hand. “I should have done a background check.”
“Why?”
“He did one on me. Admitted to it while asking me about my family.” Melody sighed, shaking her head. “Who asks about someone's mothers death on the first date?”
Red Hood sucked in a breath. “I see why you started to punch him.”
“That’s not why.” Melody-Rose groaned. “My mother sold her body to be able to provide for my older brother and I.” She explained, waving her hand. It’s how she grew up during the first five years of her life. It was normal for her to know this side of people, this side of the city superman protects. “My date, Marcus was insulting both my mother and my sister when he was calling them ‘holes to fuck’ and I lost my temper.”
Red Hood opened the gasoline bottle, pouring it over the body. “Your sister is older than you?”
“My sister is twelve. Well, was twelve.” She mumbled the last part, heart feeling like it was breaking all over again using past tense when talking about the sunshine of her family really hit her soul, embedded the fact that Lillian was gone. “She didn’t deserve to be beaten to death by that man.”
Red Hood paused, setting the empty gasoline bottle down as he slowly turned towards her. “He was calling a child a whore?”
Melody-Rose frowned. “What? Going to get mad at me for losing my shit over it?”
“No. It was justified.” The weight on her shoulders lifted slightly. “However,” Red Hood continued. “This isn’t a very date-like conversation.”
“Depends on the vibe of the date.”
She could have sworn she felt him roll his eyes. “I would rather get to know you a bit better. Like your name, age, favourite colour, job.”
“My name is Melody-Rose, I am in my late twenties, my favourite colour is royal blue and I work at Gotham Academy as the headmistress’s secretary.” Melody-Rose explained, giving slightly more information then she would on her tinder profile. “What about you? Age and favourite colour?”
“You don’t want to know my name, Melody-Rose?”
“Your name is Red Hood, whoever you are under that mask is now my accomplice in murder so I don’t think you’d like me telling the police on you if you told me your identity– One second.” Melody pulled her phone out of her clutch, it was ringing. The woman cleared her throat and answered the phone to her ear.
Her voice had switched to professional, distant and cold. “Elizabeth, why are you calling me at seven in the evening?” She made a grunt of acknowledgement, Red Hood watching her face twist with annoyance and anger. “I will handle him tomorrow. For now I’d recommend sleeping in Skylar and Mia’s room– yes I know they hate you but if you tell them I sent you, you should be allowed in. Skylar is the top of our fencing program while Mia’s the top in her athletics class and is known to have a black belt in two different fighting styles. Yes, he won't be able to get you there. Alright, have a wonderful night. Sleep well.”
As she put her phone away she rolled her eyes. “What? It was a student.”
“You know them by their names, know what subjects they’re in, what out of school activities they're in and all the relationship drama?”
“Yes.”
“You sound like their mother.”
“I am not the mother to over two hundred teenagers.” Melody-Rose huffed, shaking her head, the casual tone naturally coming back after the conversation she had just had. “I just keep track of them all and who is on their last warning.”
“And the boy you were just talking about?”
“Being expelled and put into juvie.”
“That’s a harsh punishment.”
“At Gotham Academy we do not accept bullying, fighting or assault of any kind. Especially not sexual assault and stalking.” The rules were simple. “You have three warnings for bullying or fighting, however any stalking or assault will have you expelled on the spot. However both parties are normally put on suspension while an investigation is held.”
“Why isn’t it happening this time?”
“He was transferred to Gotham Academy to get away from his past at Morison academy where he had been reported for sexual assault against two girls. We have been keeping a close eye on him and as he has been stalking a female student we will be expelling him and sending him to juvie.” Melody explained, looking at her nails, painted nails which had been painted over with clear gel to keep the colour for as long as possible. Yes they looked horrid, yes they were chipped and flaking but she loved them. These were the last ones Lillian had painted for her.
“I see.” Red Hood cleared his throat and lit a match, holding it out to her. “Want to do the honours then go get burgers?”
A small smile slipped onto her lips. “Are you asking me on an actual date?” She stood from her seat in the car, closed the door behind her and took the match. “Burgers do sound good.” Tossing the match onto the pile of wet flesh was satisfying, yes, however the smell was as horrendous as she thought it would be. “But I would have to take a raincheck, I have work to do when I get home.”
“What kind of work?”
“Working out allowance funds for a new scholarship student from France."
“Could I walk you home?”
“No, I’m strong enough to get there myself.”
“A goodbye kiss?” He teased, making a kissing sound.
“Maybe in your dreams.”