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Ivy Pepper sat alone in her house fuming. Ever since Penguin had returned to power, Ivy had been tossed aside. She’d saved his life dammit, and helped him regain power, and all she had gotten in return was insults and being ignored.
“Ivy shut up!”
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion.”
“God you’re so annoying sometimes.”
They all rang in her head, and there was little else for her to think about. She tried losing herself in her plants, but the intrusive thoughts always came back.
Her shears moved over the bush, her hand shaking as she tried not to cry. She thought she’d grown out of that weird little girl whom everyone overlooked, but even Cat couldn’t even speak to her now. Penguin was right, she was still that weird little girl.
A single tear dripped into the bush.
“Wow. Growing anything interesting in here?”
The shears clattered to the floor as she whirled around, one of the poisonous vines wrapped up her arm poised to strike.
“Woah. Did I walk in at a bad time?” Victor Zsasz stood before her, hands up in surrender. She knew he could tell she was crying, and she felt even more humiliated.
“No, I’m fine.” The vine returned to its original position, and she wiped her eyes. Zsasz bent to retrieve her shears, and sat in one of the chairs.
“Penguin sent me to get you.” His voice was without its usual sarcasm. “You’re needed.”
“Yea? To yell at me some more?” She laughed humorlessly, making no move to go with the assassin. “Tell him to fuck off.”
“Ivy-”
“I’m sorry Victor.” Ivy shook her head. “Tell Penguin I signed up to help him. We’re supposed to be friends. I’m not putting up with him bullying me.”
“I wouldn’t call yourself his friend.” Zsasz chuckled. “Ed Nygma was his last friend, and look where that ended up.”
“Yea but he also wanted Nygma to stick it up his ass.” Ivy rolled her eyes. “Or did he wanna stick it up Nygma’s ass…?”
Zsasz chuckled, and silence fell between them, the assassin flipping the shears in his hands. Ivy continued to tend her plants, dribbling some water into some of her hanging vines.
“Penguin does treat you pretty badly.” Zsasz spoke after a few seconds. He used the shears to clip a flower from one of her bushes. He stuck the flower in his suit pocket, and turned to her. “But that’s not gonna change unless you do something about it.”
“What can I do? Can’t you speak to him?” Ivy’s sigh was one of exhasperation.
“Not my place to.” Zsasz checked his watch. “You coming or not?”
“Let me get my coat.”
…
Penguin had hit her. Smacked her right across the face when she’d confronted him. His rings had snagged on her cheek, drawing blood.
She’d left with a glare, only to break down at the entrance to the building.
“So that didn’t go well.” Zsasz appeared beside her.
“You think?” She stopped crying long enough to give him a glare.
“It could have gone a lot worse.” He turned to her. “Let me see.”
Ivy turned her tear stained face up to him, and wordlessly Zsasz pulled out a handkerchief to dab at the cut. When he seemed satisfied, she watched him pull out a bandaid and apply it to her cheek.
“See, all better. The bandaid even has flowers on it.” He smirked. Ivy thanked him, a light blush spreading across her cheeks at the contact. She couldn’t quite understand why he was being so nice, but didn’t despise it. She allowed the assassin to walk her home, her arm through his.