With These Hands

-[Liam]-

Highschool…the best years of teenage life. Not if you've already done it before. He couldn't stand watching the science teacher repeat what he already knew in convoluted and half assed manners. 

It was maddening and a waste of time. 

"What are you doing?" Artemis' voice came from behind him. 

It was barely twenty four hours since their kiss and while things weren't awkward, they were different. Different didn't necessarily mean bad. 

He couldn't count how many conversations had devolved into make out sessions. The fact that neither of them were shy only incensed the passion. 

She didn't necessarily like the fact that he sold drugs but it was a necessary evil. 

"I'm applying for a college level examination program." He explained but that didn't really lessen the confusion on her face. "I want to skip the rest of high school and college to get a degree." He added in easier terms. 

"Why would you want to do that?" She asked, somehow looking even more confused. 

"So I can have more time to do this." He said, swiftly getting off the chair and pulling her towards him by the waist. 

His lips crashed into hers as they engaged in a battle of passion. One of his hands slid down her back to grab a handful of ass, feeling her shudder and lean further into the kiss. 

Her need for air soon caused them to separate, Artemis panting and slowly regaining her breath.

"You can't just do that out of nowhere." She complained without any real bite. 

"You say that but you love it." He said, giving her one more squeeze before returning to his seat. 

"So what's your other reason?" She asked, now paying attention to the monitor of the computer he was browsing on. 

"If I'm able to go through with this, I might be able to file for emancipation. I've got a few ideas in my head but legal issues are at the forefront of it and minors aren't exactly able to solve it even if this is Gotham." He explained. 

The fact that he's lived this long alone after his mother's death with no legal services intervening was a mix of stunning and irresponsible from the state itself. 

Through emancipation, he'd be recognized as an adult by law and be able to make actual decisions in some areas. 

"So biochemistry?" She asked after seeing the area of study he'd picked. 

"I'm good with chemicals so I thought I'd go for it." He admitted with a shrug. 

"'I'm good' says the person that casually cured cancer." She said, tossing her bag on the couch. 

He was previously a medical student but now he didn't exactly fancy spending hours in an operating room every week. Biochemistry was the best choice in his opinion and that wasn't just because of his power set. 

"I like to be humble." He said, smirking as he continued perusing the steps to go about it. 

The college level examination program basically awarded college credit per exam passed based on proficiency. What he needed now was study, very intensive study. 

How else could he speedrun that other than by using brain boosting concoctions? If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying hard enough. 

"So I take it you're not coming to school today?" She asked, straightening out the wrinkles in her clothes. 

He shook his head. When he pulled this off, a few missed days in highschool wouldn't matter. 

-[Bruce]-

Despite his alliance with Liam, his study into the boy hadn't lessened. If anything, it increased. Taking down Sportsmaster with no visible injury wasn't a small feat. Even Robin couldn't beat the man despite his years of training. 

Just what kind of strength was he hiding behind that intelligent mind? People of great physical prowess tended to lack in the intellectual department so a combination of both was either bad or good depending on how he looked at it. 

He had run every test and scan he could on the cures and antidotes he'd gotten from Liam. They worked wonders but for all his knowledge, he couldn't figure it out. 

He'd even had Barry look at it and the CSI was completely stumped. Lucius was of no help either. All of that meant that he couldn't replicate either of them. 

Even the sample of white powder he snagged from Liam's kitchen when he first paid him a visit was a bust. As far as he knew, it boosted muscle growth but he couldn't figure out how it was made. 

He'd offer Liam a job if the boy wasn't still in highschool. Or a drug dealer. 

With so much of the boy's products on hand, he was able to see the connection between the miraculous drugs and the street drug Euphoria. Both had been concocted in a perfect manner. 

He'd gotten a sample of the recreational drug when he happened upon a thug who had it in his pocket. Upon testing, he was just barely able to figure something out. 

While it was even more effective than Cocaine and the likes, it didn't deteriorate the user's health in the long run. 

Still, selling drugs was a criminal offense. There came the conundrum. 

The boy had the potential for good. Throwing him into jail might just squander that potential. Plus, he was still a kid. He had a soft spot for kids, orphaned ones especially. 

He needed to think on how to go about this. He needed Alfred's advice. Maybe the wizened butler would have some insight.

-[Poison Ivy]-

She was the mother of plant life, she'd been like that for a very long time. The foliage and the green roots of life were her children and they called to her. After all, a mother needs to be able to communicate to be able to take care of her children. 

She could hear them everyday, crying for help as the citizens of Gotham trampled on them everyday. Destroying plant life for their own selfish needs. Industrial innovation and the general recklessness of humans stood in the way of her babies getting what they needed. 

Her hideout was a safe haven where all of her children could bloom and live safely and away from man's destruction. Even Batman wouldn't dare enter.

Yet, there had been an uptick. The plants were crying even more. Someone was torturing her babies. She couldn't ignore it, she wouldn't. 

Whoever it was had stopped for the meantime but she'd been on guard. They were bound to do it again, such was the arrogance of humans. Once she found out who was harming her babies, she'd be sure to make them suffer. 

It was only a matter of time.