Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 Akira watched from behind the corner of an alley as a penguin goon stomped forward with a scowl on his face. He scanned the man quickly, taking note of his pocket and the very obvious bulge from a wallet along with the gun that rested on his left hip. 

 Akira had spotted the obvious penguin goon leaving the Iceberg Lounge that evening a few blocks back and told Morgana about it. Who was now crouched on a nearby fire escape above the man. His eyes narrowed in slits with his tail lashing back and forth behind him in anticipation. The feline glanced over at Akira, their eyes meeting. Akira smirked sharply and nodded minutely in response to Morgana’s questioning gaze. Akira’s muscles tensed in anticipation as he felt the buzz of adrenaline wash over him.

 In the next second Morgana leapt onto the goon's face letting out a loud yowl.

 “What the hell?!” the goon shouted as his large hands reached for Morgana.

 Akira launched himself towards the man, his hands deftly dipped into the man’s pocket wrapping around the wallet in one swift movement. Then in the next second he dashed into another alley behind the man. Once Akira rounded the corner he heard the sound of Morgana’s paws hitting fire escape and the clang of the steps as he made his way out of the goon’s sightline. 

 “Stupid fucking cat!” the goon shouted.

 Akira ran behind a large dumpster in the new alley, his back hitting the brick of the alley walls. He crouched there forcing himself to breathe through his mouth slowly. His heart was pounding in excitement, the wallet clutched tightly to his chest. 

 “What the fucks wrong with that thing?!” the penguin goon yelled “Never just been fucking attacked by one of those thing.”

 Akira listened to the man’s quick breaths as they began to even out.

 “Just my luck, First I get a long ass shift at the club and then I get fucking attacked by some some fucking alley cat.” the man grouched tiredly, “That thing probably has fleas-”

 “I do not!” Morgana shouted through their mind link

 “-or hell given my luck tonight rabies!”

 Akira could practically feel Morgan’s indignation but ignored it in favor of listening to the man’s heavy footsteps heading in the opposite direction of them. He listened closely until he was certain he couldn’t hear the goon’s boots hitting the ground. A wave of satisfaction washed over him. The man hadn’t even noticed they’d nabbed his wallet. Of course it’d be hard for the man to have noticed given Mona’s distraction but Akira had done it and the man hadn’t even felt him. Akira didn’t bother holding back the excited smile that crossed his face. Imagine how much more they could do if they just had the chance they could probably even get a bigger mark like the Penguin himself. They’d rob the man blind and he wouldn’t even know it.

 In the next moment he heard the sound of Morgana’s weight hitting the top of the dumpster. “How much did we get?” he asked, peeking down at Akira.

 Akira shook himself; they couldn’t take a risk like that. If they got caught everything would be over for them. He grabbed all the cash from the wallet and held up a twenty and a five dollar bill for Mona’s inspection.

  “Nice!” the Feline praised excitedly 

 “It won't be enough to buy you some fresh fish though, sorry Mona” Akira thought to him with a slight frown crossing his face as he looked down at the cash. 

  Morgana leapt onto his shoulders and rubbed his face against Akira’s face comfortingly. “It’s ok at least we can get dinner for tonight!”

 “I guess so” Akira thought back dejectedly as he patted the feline’s head. He definitely couldn’t be thinking about risking everything when he couldn’t even get enough cash to let Mona try a good fish.

 Standing up from behind the dumpster he took what was left of the wallet and chucked it in the dumpster. They left the alley heading in the opposite direction they’d heard the penguin goon stomp off to, towards a convenience store far enough away from Crime Alley to have better goods but still close enough for no one to bat an eye at a homeless teen and a skinny alley cat.

 Once the convenience store was in sight Morgana leapt off his shoulder and crept off into the shadows. The feline couldn’t exactly go into the store with him and people didn’t tend to like stray cats hanging around on the sidewalk. Akira knew the feline was still close enough to keep a lookout if anything happened though. 

 The bell jingled as he entered the store. He noticed the back section past the aisle shelves where there were some wrapped sandwiches and immediately made his way there. He picked up two different sandwiches. He looked in his left hand at the Ham and cheese sandwich then glanced at the turkey sandwich in his right hand then looked back at the ham and cheese. They were the same price and he and Mona hadn’t had the chance to try either yet so neither of them had a preference but he heard cats couldn’t have milk. Did that even count for Mona? 

“I don't think so and can you hurry up?! I wanna eat tonight!” the feline complained, projecting his impatience. 

 Akira hadn’t jumped at the sound of Mona’s voice; he was far too familiar with the feline’s presence in his mind to really be surprised by it anymore. That is if he ever was in the first place. He looked between the sandwiches once more and decided to put the ham and cheese back and grabbed a bottle of water on his way to the cashier.

  The cashier didn’t look up when he walked over to check out his and Morgana’s food. She was a hispanic girl with green highlights, and was reading through a large textbook on the counter. Akira stood in front of her hoping she’d hear him shifting his stance. It wasn’t exactly that he couldn’t talk, it was just hard. His throat would start to close up on him whenever he tried and his voice would come out all raspy and quiet if he even managed to talk. He could speak more easily when it was just him and Mona but it was still hard and he could usually only manage a few words. It didn’t really matter most of the time he was usually just with Mona who could just read his mind for what he wanted to say.

  He stared at the girl hoping she’d notice him but she just kept reading through her textbook. He was about to tap on the desk to get her attention when she ducked below the counter.

 “Where the fuck is it?” she muttered as she rummaged below the counter.

 She kept rummaging through it until suddenly her head popped up right in front of him, “Fucking Hell!” the girl shouted as she jumped back. “How long have you been there?!”

 Akira shrugged giving her an embarrassed smile and held the twenty dollar bill along with the sandwich and water bottle out to her.

 She gave him a slight frown but scanned his two items and handed back his change.

 “You want a bag with that?” she asked

 Akira shook his head and took them both in his right hand. She nodded and went back to searching under the counter. Just before he was out the door he heard her grumble “How hard is to find a stupid frog eraser?” under her breath.

 He shoved the sandwich and water under his jacket once he left the store. He wasn’t looking to get robbed by one of the other homeless kids if they saw what he had. It was everyone for themselves in Crime Alley especially if you weren't a Gotham native. He’d been shown how unwelcome an extra teen in the Alley was on his first day at Gotham. Luckily for them no one really paid attention to new cats on the street though Morgana had had a few run-ins with the local alley cats. 

 He met up with Mona a block later and without even thinking about it Akira had held out his arm to the feline who easily jumped onto it to reach Akira’s shoulder. Once they reached Crime Alley though Mona had to get off his shoulder. They didn’t want to risk drawing any more attention to themselves. Akira kept his head low avoiding eye contact with anyone they passed in the back alleys. Morgana followed close by scanning for any threats.

 After winding through the back alley they reached the abandoned block of buildings at the back of Crime Alley that usually had too much gang activity for anyone to squat there. They quickly made their way to a particularly old corner building. It was a dilapidated two story coffee shop with a hole in its left wall that you could see the entire bottom floor through. They didn't enter through there though, instead they took their usual route to its right wall where a fire escape was.  Akira held out his arm for Morgana who used it to leap onto the fire escape platform and kicked his back paws against a lever on the ladder making it clatter to the ground so Akira could climb up after him. Once he reached the top he pulled the ladderback up and locked it in place. 

 They clambered up the stairs in the fire escape until they reached the top and made their way to the edge of the roof at the front of the building. Morgana sat to Akira’s right, tail wrapping around his paws as he sat at the roof’s edge. Akira's legs dangled off the edge as he pulled the water bottle and sandwich out from his coat. He unwrapped the plastic from the turkey sandwich and placed a piece of the turkey at Morgana’s paws. The feline’s eyes narrowed curiously as he batted at the piece of meat with his paw. 

"Think it’ll taste better than rat?”  The feline wondered 

“Only one way to find out” Akira responded 

 Mona nodded in agreement and the two took their first bite. Akira chewed it slowly, allowing the flavor to wash through his mouth. Morgana did the same, tilting his head to the right as he tested the meat's taste.

“It’s ok” Akira supposed

“I’m not sure about it yet” Morgana added

 Akira nodded in understanding, and took another bite. The food was better than anything they had at the compound, not that it was a high standard. He stared distantly at the sky. He could barely see any stars; he wondered what they would look like without light pollution. Would they look just like his implanted memories? Or would it be far better than he could ever imagine? He hoped it was better. It would be nice to have something to look forward to.

“I’ve made up my mind” Morgana began

“What’s your decision?” Akira asked as he laid back against the roof.

“It’s good but it can’t beat fish.”

“Then let's hope we can get some soon.”

 Akira hoped Mona could try fish at some point. He couldn’t help but recall hidden conversations in the backs of their minds sharing small secrets and the desire to see beyond the dark compounds of Cadmus. Mona’s whispered desire to try fish once he’d smelt a lab assistant's tuna sandwich once. Akira recalled wondering how air would feel against his skin instead of the thick liquid constantly surrounding him in the tube. How the air would smell out in the open instead of the stale air from his oxygen mask that was constantly pumped into his lungs. 

 Akira took a deep breath through his nose. There was a hint of diesel and he could pick up a whiff of rotting coffee beans and rat poop from downstairs. Gotham air didn’t smell pleasant, not by a mile but he could trust that it was real and he’d prefer that over anything an oxygen mask could produce.

Chapter Text

 A red light flashed violently, making Akira feel like his eyes were burning.  While an alarm blared loudly pounding through his eardrums at the same time. He could barely focus on where he was, all he could see was bright red. The alarm only seemed to blare louder the longer he sat there until he could hear nothing else as it continued echoing through his ear drums. He needed to get out. He had to get out! He tried to push himself up from the ground only to feel sharp pain digging into his palms. He squinted down at the ground where red light reflected off of glass shards in a pool of a very familiar liquid. 

 Akira felt his heartbeat quicken. No! No! No! He couldn’t be back! He swiftly stood up barely noticing the pain of glass shards digging into the palms of his hands as he pushed himself off the ground. All he could focus on were the pools of a liquid he knew far too well scattered across the ground which was a cold concrete floor he’d wished he’d never see again.

 All he could feel was an overwhelming panic as the sound of the alarm felt like it was digging into his skull. Akira couldn’t suppress the horror of what had to be behind him. He didn’t dare look though, he knew what he would see and he didn’t need to see it. He couldn’t see it again! He desperately scanned everywhere else only to see familiar cold sterile walls with no exit in sight. He ran towards the walls nearly slipping in a puddle, the pads of his feet stinging as they landed on shards of glass. He banged against the walls desperately for someone to hear him. He had to get out!

 “Akira?!”

 A deep ominous laugh cut through the sound of the alarms. Akira felt dread pool into his stomach and he banged the side of his fists rapidly against the wall of solid concrete.

 “Akira!”

 Blue smoke began to pool around his feet. He rammed his shoulder against the wall. Blood began to run down his arm as rough concrete dug into his skin. The smoke was starting to slowly creep upwards.

 “Well, Well, Well” a familiar deep voice drawled

 Akira could barely hear the alarms anymore over the sound of his heart pounding rapidly through his veins. He threw his entire body against the walls. He had to get out! The smoke was growing thicker and thicker by the second as more pooled in below him rising higher and higher. Bright red lights mixing with billowing blue smoke. He sensed A familiar presence as it began to take form at his back. No! No! No! Akira couldn’t be with him again! He couldn't suppress the insurmountable panic clogging his throat. 

“Akira wake up!”

The world around him twisted unnaturally, the lights growing fuzzy as the red and blue overlapped making a bright magenta he felt himself be stretched sideways by a familiar presence tugging at him until he was taught like a rubber band. And then it let go.

 Akira jolted up gasping for air, sweat dripping down his neck as he blindly looked around. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as he desperately tried to take in the world around him. All he could see was the dark world encased in shadow instead of the violent reds and ominous blues from before.

“Akira! It’s ok, you're not there anymore.” a voice echoed through his skull

 He couldn’t help but flinch at the feeling of a presence in his mind. His eyes honed in on the walls surrounding him, scanning them urgently. He needed to find a way out! His eyes locked onto a large wooden door. Before he could run for it,his gaze caught on a grey splotch on the wall. It was stained…The walls from his dreams had never had stains; they'd been kept pristine devoid of any personality, with just a simple white coloring. 

 He felt his muscles loosen slightly which shifted a weight on his lap. Dread pooled in his stomach as he began to look down only for it to dissipate the instant he saw Morgana lying on top of him worry clear in the feline’s eyes.

 “We’re at the old Coffee shop. We haven’t been there in months, Akira.” he reassured

 Akira's heart beat began to steady out and the world around him began to fade back in slowly. Morgana wouldn’t be right in front of him if he was back.

“Can you take a deep breath for me?”

 Akira nodded and inhaled through his nose. The air smelled moist and he could pick up a hint of rat poop. It didn’t smell sterile or stale, it smelled like Gotham. 

 “Alright and can you exhale?”

 Akira nodded and let out the air through his mouth. He kept breathing in and out, in and out, in and out. He could hear the distant sound of sirens racing across Gotham and people shouting angrily somewhere in the Alley. He could feel the stiff mattress underneath him with its broken springs. He began to taste the distinct tang of metal in his mouth. He must’ve bitten the inside of his cheek during his sleep. He started rubbing his hands across Morgana’s fur at some point. It was coarse and rough to the touch; he could feel a few of the feline’s bones jutting out. 

 Akira couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt wash over him. Here he was waking Morgana up in the middle of the night. When he wasn’t even able to get the feline enough food to  keep him full.

“I’m Sorry” Mona sent quietly 

 Akira jumped, what did Morgana have to say sorry for? If anything he should be the one apologizing. “For what?”

 “I-” the feline shifted uncomfortably glancing away “I pulled you out of your dream and I know you don't like me going that deep in your mind or influencing you but you wouldn’t wake up and you were sweating and I panicked so I just… did it.”

 Akira couldn't suppress the full body shiver at the idea of what the feline could’ve done. He knew Morgana wouldn’t try anything but he still couldn’t get the idea of what the feline was capable of making him do out of his head. He was too used to the feeling of being suppressed in his own mind only so he would do what someone else wanted. Mona only read messages Akira sent through a link between them or surface level thoughts he didn’t mind the feline reading. Morgana never went any deeper or truly influenced his decisions, at times he projected his emotions but that was different from forcing his will onto Akira. But at the end of the day-

 “You did what you thought you had to do Mona. If you saw a different option you would’ve taken it, besides like you said you panicked.”

 “I guess so” the feline said still looking guilty

 “It’s ok Mona”  he reassured patting the feline’s head “It’s better than being stuck in my nightmares” he quietly admitted 

 Morgan leaned into Akira’s hand “If your sure” he responded uncertainty 

 “I am and you should head back to sleep Mona”

 “What about you?”

 Akira shuddered at the thought of going back to sleep. “I’m gonna stay up for bit longer”

 Morgana gave him a concerned look but eventually got off Akira’s lap and curled up at his side. Akira started to pet the feline slowly along his spine Morgana kept glancing up at him while he thought Akira wasn’t looking but his eyes began to droop and his side glances became less frequent until his breaths eventually evened out. Distantly Akira heard the sound of guns going off, Morgana’s ears didn’t even twitch at the sound. Gunshots were pretty common in Gotham; you just had to get used to it if you wanted to sleep, especially if you were in Crime Alley. The sound wasn’t really muffled by the walls around the old coffee shop much. Even though he and Mona were on the second floor where they always slept considering there wasn’t a large hole in the side of the wall.

 The second floor had been a small apartment for whoever owned the coffee shop last. One of the only pieces of furniture left behind was an old couch that he and Mona rarely used. The windows in the livingroom were shattered and let in the cold Gotham air so it wasn’t really comfortable sitting on the old couch. They usually stayed in the bedroom where Its windows were at least boarded up with wooden planks. He didn’t know what happened to the bed frame but all they found in the room was a mattress. Akira couldn’t really say if it was all that comfortable compared to other mattresses though considering that before this he slept in a tube. It was something though even if at times it felt like a plank of wood. They found an old ratty blanket to use when they first got here but in all honesty it was thin and barely helped them keep any warmth but it was still better than nothing. 

 Morgana snorted and shifted his feet lightly, kicking at Akira’s side. He smiled down at the feline, at least he could get back to sleep. Akira was technically being useful by keeping a lookout, but they didn’t really need it considering a new gang hadn’t moved in yet. So no one was around to take a look at the coffee shop and even when gangs used the abandoned buildings they didn’t really go over here. They’d typically stayed in the bigger buildings until they either moved locations or got kicked out by the Red Hood.

 They hadn’t noticed any gangs making moves to set up yet but it was only a matter of time. Since he and Mona had been here there’d already been three different gangs using the area at some point. He wondered why Hood didn’t have some of his people there; the crime lord didn't like anyone on his turf but he was basically leaving it up for the taking. Or maybe it just wasn’t something Akira could understand; he wasn't a Crime lord afterall. And besides if Hood’s people weren't here he and Mona had a place to stay.

 When the sun had begun peeking through from between the gaps of the boarded up windows he had to wake Mona up. The feline had protested against it but had ultimately gotten up. They finished off the leftovers of the turkey sandwich from yesterday. Realistically Akira shouldn’t have wasted money on it. The bread and meat would mold too quickly to last for any meaningful amount of time especially considering where they lived but he’d wanted them to try something new even if it was a bad idea.They’d been having the same food for weeks and it had become so bland and tiring. And A bit of fresh meat in Mona’s diet was probably good for him. They wouldn’t be able to do it again for a while though. They'd just have to make do with the rest of the money from the penguin goon. 

 They never really pickpocketed two days in a row. Mona was all about planning and scouting out things ahead of time. They’d had their eyes on the Iceberg lounge for a while once they’d noticed how exhausted some of the goons looked after leaving. Akira wouldn’t exactly mind doing things the moment they saw a good mark but the feline’s way was safer and they were less likely to get caught. And they really couldn’t risk that. Mona and him had no clue where Cadmus had influence but they’d rather not take the risk to see if the notoriously crooked Gotham PD was safe.

 They’d probably go for a goon at the lounge in a few weeks but for today they wandered the Gotham streets. It was good to keep their eyes out for new marks. They couldn’t just rely on one source to feed themselves after all. And it was good to make sure they still had a decent idea of the city layout. It had been surprising at first how rapidly Gotham could change. Akira could still recall when he and Mona had accidentally stumbled into a neighborhood where Mr Freeze went on a rampage. It had been covered in ice from head to toe and the temperature had been below freezing. Akira hadn’t even had a jacket at the time and Morgana had nearly run directly into a group of extremely angry looking cops. The neighborhood had been just fine the last time they visited two weeks before but with villain attacks things changed quickly.  So they scouted the places they could actually go to in Gotham as often as they could. 

 Eventually dusk hit while they were a few blocks away from the convenience store Akira visited yesterday. 

“We should probably stock up and head home,” Morgana noted from beside Akira’s feet.

“Yeah,” Akira agreed. Just then something green on the side of the road caught his eye. He crouched down to get a better view. It was a frog eraser that was bright green with a broad smile that ended with light pink circles at both ends. He grabbed it and turned it over to see a small hole on the bottom for a pencil.

 “Akira lookout!” Morgana shouted in his mind.

 He looked up barely seeing anything before the world blurred as his body moved back at a nearly inhuman speed. In the next instant he was standing safely on the sidewalk away from the road. Just as a car ran right over the spot Akira had been. The image of a large car nearly on top of him Akira’s eyes locking with the driver's which were wide with shock was imprinted in the back of his mind as he finally realized what happened. 

 “Watch what you're doing shithead!” The driver shouted from his rolled down window as he drove past them.

 “Rude!” Mona shouted mentally like the driver could even hear him, “Honestly he should’ve been watching where he was going! Unbelievable! I mean you could’ve gotten hurt!” 

 “It’s ok Mona I’m not hurt” Akira reassured 

 “Well yeah but if your reflexes weren’t enhanced you could’ve been!”

 Akira shrugged, he couldn’t disagree with the feline. A normal person wouldn’t have been able to react in time. He hadn’t even had a clear idea of what was going on before it was all over. The moment there was a threat his body moved even faster than Akira could on command. Mona always said it was hard to follow along with what he was doing when his reflexes activated. Which made sense since the few times he’d gotten into fights the other person hadn’t stood a chance. His body had moved too swiftly for them to even see a hit coming let alone for them to actually land one. He’d even dodged bullets in situations when a normal person shouldn’t have been able to. Sometimes Akira could process what his body was doing if his mind was already going a mile a minute which only really happened when he had already been stressed and panicking or in a situation that triggered it for a prolonged amount of time. But when sudden things happened he couldn’t process what was happening until it was all over. His mind just couldn’t catch up. Whether he knew what was going on or not he always managed to come out unscathed though.

 Either way he shouldn’t have gotten so distracted. He should be able to hear a car coming without Mona warning him. If the driver had noticed Akira’s ability they could’ve been in big trouble.Trafficking metas in Gotham was pretty common along with the fact Batman was strict with his no metas in Gotham rule and while Akira wasn’t sure if he and Mona counted as actual metas he doubted Batman would care.

“What do you have there?” Morgana asked

 Akira looked down and realized he felt something in his right hand. He pulled his hand up to see the frog eraser resting in palm. He must’ve taken it with him.

 Morgana jumped onto Akira’s right arm straining his head to get a look into Akira’s palm

 Akira tilted his hand so Mona could see the eraser “The girl at the store lost this” he responded 

 “She did?” The feline asked, then sniffed at the eraser “It seems like it's in pretty good shape.” He said than perched on Akira’s shoulder

 “Yeah”

 “You should probably give it back” the feline continued 

 Akira nodded in agreement and put the eraser in his pocket. He headed off making his way towards the convenience store. Once it was in sight Morgana as usual left his side scampering off into an alley. 

 When Akira entered, the girl from yesterday was behind the cash register again. She hadn’t looked up when the bell jingled at his arrival. Instead she stayed hunched over the same textbook from before while she muttered to herself with a deep scowl set on her face as she chewed on the tip of her pencil. 

 Akira took one look at her scowl and decided he’d just give her the eraser when he checked out. Instead he went to the back section of the store again where the sandwiches still were. He tried to avoid looking at them, instead he kept his sight on a large bag of beef jerky opposite of them hanging at the side of an aisle shelf. It was fairly cheap and If he and Mona spaced it out right this could last the two of them at least a week. Plus if Mona managed to catch another rat the jerky would last them even longer. They could get more food and stock up for longer but with where they lived they weren't sure how well the food would last. The coffee shop was falling apart and it just wasn’t that clean.They also had rats which as much as Mona tried to hunt them kept coming back. If they managed to get into the entire stash then he and Mona were out of money and food. Plus they weren't sure how long they could actually stay at the coffee shop. If it got caught in a stray explosion then it was gone. Besides, it was easier to protect and keep track of extra cash than food. 

“Some suspicious people are coming your way look out”

 Akira’s muscles tensed in anticipation just as the bell jingled signaling a new arrival. He whipped his head over to see two men in black ski masks.

Chapter Text

 One of the men in black ski masks pulled out a handgun pointing it at the girl and shouted “Put your hands up! And put the money in the bag!” While the second man held out a duffle bag and stomped towards her out of Akira’s sight line.

 He forced himself not to leap into action like his instincts were demanding him to. His muscles tensed and ready to fight. It would be too easy to disarm the men. Akira’s body was hidden behind the side of an aisle shelf; there was no way the first robber would be able to see him at this angle let alone the second robber. It would be so easy to just sneak up behind them and take them out. But that would draw too much attention to himself and his abilities. 

 He couldn’t see the girl from behind the shelf but she must have been doing what the first robber told her to since he could hear the cash register opening along with the duffle bag shifting. He also heard the second robber’s footsteps make their way down an aisle as he rummaged through the shelves. If he reached the end, he'd have a clear view of Akira by the aisle shelves end. The store broke into a tense silence, the only sounds filling it was the sound of cash being shoved into the duffle bag and the second robber's footsteps getting further and further down the aisle stopping every so often as he dug through the store’s shelves.

 The first robber shifted his stance impatiently and kept looking out the store door nervously. 

 “Hurry up!” he demanded pointedly, jerking his gun threateningly.

 The second robber stopped just as Akira could see the corner of his shoulder peeking out from behind the aisle shelf and yelled “Yeah you trying to get us caught by the bats?!” 

 “Help’s on the way”

 “I- I- I’m going as fast as I can!” the girl stammered 

 Akira’s eyes caught sight of a shadow moving just outside the convenience store window.

 “I don't care! Go faster! We’re not getting caught by the Bats!”

 Before the girl could respond, the second robber turned the corner and locked eyes with Akira. Clutching tightly onto his gun he raised it aiming directly at Akira.  

 “Hey Hands-”

 The bell jingled loudly as a blur of green, yellow and red burst through the door. The second robber jolted in surprise, his gun going off. Akira’s world slowed for an instant as the bullet came barreling towards him.  Robin had the first robber on the ground and was looking directly at him. Akira was already in motion to dodge but he forced himself to slow into a sloppy stumble even as he felt his body try to fight against him and go into the smooth motion it could easily accomplish. He felt a flash of pain as the bullet grazed his right shoulder.

 In the next Instant Robin was forcing the second robber to the ground, his gun clattering out of his hands. The vigilante glowered down at the robber as he forced the robber's hands behind his back and locked handcuffs around his wrists.

 “Tt” Robin looked up from the man to Akira, his eyes narrowing at Akira’s shoulder where his blood had begun to stain his jacket sleeve. Without even thinking Akira had his left hand covering the injury in the next instant.  “You require medical attention” the vigilante stated, pulling out a bandage patch from his belt and holding it out to Akira. 

 Akira stared blankly at Robin’s eyes or his mask Akira supposed, then glanced at the patch in his hands. Robin’s face was stern and far too intense for just a minor graze. Akira didn’t need the bandage. The wound wasn’t that bad but he couldn’t exactly tell the vigilante that and somehow he suspected he wouldn’t care if Akira could tell him. They stood there for a long moment neither one of them looking away from the other, Robin's scowl only increasing as the seconds dragged on.

 “Take the patch already!” Morgana sent impatiently 

 Akira held Robin’s gaze for a second longer before relenting and took the bandage patch with his right hand since it was clear Mona was getting impatient and probably worried. Plus it seemed like Robin wouldn’t leave without him taking it.

 “This is only for temporary use. An ambulance has been called and they will provide you further medical attention.” Robin informed him

 Akira nodded in understanding but Robin continued watching him intensely until he removed his left hand from his shoulder and put the patch over his injury. Akira ignored the itch he felt in his shoulder as the vigilante gave him a once over. Once he seemed satisfied he made a sharp turn towards the second robber and hauled him over his shoulder, he then grabbed the first robber by the back of their shirt and dragged them both out the store, the bell jingling behind them. Akira wondered if Robin had super strength with how easily he maneuvered them. 

 He glanced back at the beef jerky he’d been looking at before and grabbed the bag. Before he could make his way to the cash register Robin came back into the store and went straight towards where Akira knew the girl still was.  

 “Are you injured?” he asked his voice was even and just as intense as it had been with Akira

 “No I’m obviously not” the girl practically snarled she was clearly annoyed or maybe she was anxious and covering it up Mona did that sometimes

  Akira couldn’t see them but he could imagine Robin giving her the same intense glare he gave Akira. “Very well the police and an ambulance are coming, be ready to inform them-” 

  Akira peaked around the shelf as the vigilante stopped mid sentence to see him, He had a hand to his ear with a look on his face that made Akira think he was listening to something but before he could explore that thought more it was cut off as Robin said “Affirmative I am on my way” he then looked back at the girl “Be ready to inform the police-”

“Yeah, Yeah I know the drill” she snapped, cutting off the vigilante.

 Robin's scowl seemed to intensify but then he was running out the store.

 After a long pause he went to the front of the store where the girl was unceremoniously shoving the cash back into the register. A scowl set on her face as she grumbled to herself.  

 “Just my fucking luck for the store to get robbed on my shift!”

 She must have heard him because she glanced up at him and all but growled “What?!”

 Akira doubted this would make her day that much better but he dug into his pocket and pulled out the girl's eraser holding it out for her to take.

 She stared at him then back down to the eraser, the scowl on her face morphing into confusion “When-? How did you-? Where did you even find this?” 

 He gestured out the door vaguely towards the road he found it at. He doubted he got the actual message across though considering the road was an entire block away.

 The girl took the eraser from his hand, gave it once over then set it beside her textbook which was still open and as far as Akira could tell undamaged.  “Right well…thanks.” she said awkwardly  “Is that all or do you need me to check something out?”

 Akira nodded and handed over the jerky along with some cash. 

 While the girl began fishing out his change from the bag she asked “So you gonna wait for the ambulance or ditch?”

 Akira pointed towards the door with his thumb hoping she’d get it. She asked it so casually that it made him think it was a pretty common thing Gothamites did.  He wouldn’t know though he didn’t really talk to anyone in Gotham not that he could say much if he did. For the most part he and Mona just kept to themselves. But it made sense ambulances were expensive and the police weren't exactly pleasant. Morgana and Akira would never let an ambulance pick them up either but it was more because they didn’t need records of their DNA that Cadmus could find. 

The girl nodded in what Akira assumed was approval “Wish I could but boss deducts our pay if we ditch after a robbery especially if we don’t report it! God it’s so annoying!”

 Akira nodded along, it did seem annoying it made him a bit glad he couldn’t work at a store. Considering he had no proof he even existed legally. 

The girl handed the change and jerky over to Akira. “No bag this time too?”

 Akira nodded and started to leave only to stop midway when the girl said. “If you can’t talk, I'm learning ASL so you can just sign to me next time,” she then gestured to her textbook on the counter.

 In response Akira tilted his head in confusion.

The girl moved her hands in a strange way as she said “You know ASL? The sign language”

 Akira shook his head. He had no clue what she was talking about. Was this something that  his implanted memories hadn’t taught him?

 She stopped moving her hands oddly and said “Well it’s basically a language but with your hands and body language so a lot of deaf people and people who can’t talk use it or at least they use some type of sign language.” she finished 

 Akira nodded along to the girl’s explanation. It sounded interesting and he was tempted to ask her more about it. It was strange to think basic information like a language hadn’t been at least a small fact implanted in his mind but he didn’t know how to ask anything else and Mona was probably worried. So Akira nodded his thanks, waved goodbye to the girl and left.

 Outside the door he saw the two robbers tied around a light pole with Morgana sitting on one of the robber’s head. The moment the door opened the feline looked up from his post on the second robber whose face was suspiciously covered in scratch marks that Akira could’ve sworn weren't there the last time he saw him. 

 “Akira!” Mona practically yelled through their link “Are you okay?!”

 He nodded and held out his left arm that Morgana easily leapt onto, and used to perch on Akira’s left shoulder. He ignored how his shoulders wanted to sag in exhaustion. The feline sniffed at his right shoulder appraisingly. He probably would’ve done more but it wouldn’t have been a good idea to draw too much attention to it out in the open.

 Akira patted his head reassuringly rubbing behind his ears.

 “Sorry I couldn’t help more” the feline sent apologetically 

 “It’s fine Morgana you warned me and got help that's all I could ask for” Akira assured.

 “It’s really not, I mean you got hurt! I could’ve helped more if it weren't for that stupid vigilante!”

 “Who Robin?”

 “Yeah that bastard!”

 “Didn’t Robin just help?”

 “As if! He was sabotaging me Akira I tell you! I mean here I am trying to get over to you and he just pops up out of nowhere! And he just starts trying to give me treats that smell sooooo delicious! But obviously I ignore it and ditch him but then this guy just follows me! And I can’t exactly set up a mind link and say ‘I have something to do, leave me alone’. Ugh and this guy wouldn’t stop no matter what I did! And then he just swoops in to save you like he’s the hero!”

 Akira nodded along to Morgana’s complaints about the Gotham vigilante as they began heading back to the coffee shop. He didn’t really think it was that bad, the vigilante probably liked cats which was kind of cute especially considering all he’d done at the store was scowl and boss people around. It was funny to think of that same vigilante innocently following a cat around just trying to give it a treat.

 “God if he saw me when he was tying up the robbers he would have been the biggest pain to lose but I stayed out of sight until I was sure he was gone. How is it so hard to lose a traffic light?!”

 When the two were almost there they saw a group of Two Face’s goons setting up in an abandoned building near the old coffee shop so they had to backtrack and take another route to avoid being spotted.

 “I don’t even get why he was invested in me! It makes no sense!” Morgana whisper yelled in Akira’s mind. Which didn’t make much sense considering the goons wouldn’t have heard him either way. They silently snuck through the shadows in a back alley until they safely made their way through the hole in the coffee shop and up the stairs to the living room. Where Morgana then continued where he left off. 

 “I mean his entire theme is a bird! Why would he even be friendly to a cat? We eat birds!” 

 They quietly went to the bedroom where the goons wouldn’t be able to spot them through the boarded up windows.  

“I’m gonna eat the first Robin I see! That’ll show him!”

  Akira didn’t really think that would matter to the vigilante but didn’t bother telling the feline that. Instead he sat on the floor near the old mattress and opened the beef jerky bag. While Morgana sat in front of him continuing his rant. 

 “Why’d the first Robin even choose a Robin?! Like who looks at a bat theme and goes: add a bird to it?!”

  Akira wasn’t sure why Morgana was picking on the first Robin now considering Nightwing had nothing to do with the convenience store incident but he just placed Morgan’s portion of the jerky in front of the feline’s paws. He pulled out a clip he and Morgana had found and managed to wash and put it on the bag. And began to eat from the small handful he had portioned for himself.

“Honestly it’s so stupid I could choose a better name than that.” The feline grumbled quietly as he ate the jerky with a disgruntled look on his face but didn’t say anything else. They continued eating in silence or as much silence as they could get considering they could hear the Two Face goons grunts of exertion and whispered conversation. They didn’t seem happy but then again he’d never seen a goon happy before. He wondered how long they would be here; the last gang had only been there for a week before Hood chased them out. Maybe they’d last longer than the others it depended on when the crime lord found out about them.

 “Hey” Morgana called softly

 “Yeah?” Akira asked as he looked over at his friend 

 “You're ok though right?” he asked his gaze locking onto Akira’s shoulder 

 Akira gave the feline a slight smile and pulled off the patch, leaning his shoulder closer for Morgana to see his perfectly uninjured shoulder up close. The skin there  was covered in blood but there was no hint of the injury it came from. “It’s like it was never there,” Akira sent comfortingly.

 The feline scanned his shoulder squinting at it as if he was making sure the injury was truly gone. Akira hadn’t felt it since they left the store. His super healing ability had already taken care of it. When he’d first experienced this ability he’d known that he could heal from nearly any wound in a matter of seconds but it had been different experiencing it. To feel a visceral pain and your skin begin to itch as it knit itself together only for it to feel like nothing happened a moment later. It had been jarring and Akira had kept looking at where the wound should’ve been for the entire day.  

 “And you're sure nothing hurts?”

 “I’m sure Mona.”

 “And you’d tell me if it did, right?”

 “Of course I would” Akira could hear the lie in his own thoughts so clearly that there was no doubt the feline heard it too. Morgana stared at him for a long moment, his gaze finally flicking towards the boarded up window when they heard a shout from one of the goons. Akira couldn’t fully make out what they said but they had sounded more annoyed then angry so they were probably fine. 

 “Just… tell me if it ever gets bad”  the feline pleaded. He hadn’t looked away from the window but it was clear he wasn’t actually looking at anything.

 “I will”   Akira sent gently and patted Morgana’s head. Not that it would matter if it did but Akira kept that thought to himself. He couldn’t help but remember flashes of red light along with the sound of blaring alarms echoing through his ears over and over again even when he had long outrun the compound. The pain of glass embedded in his skin and how it dug further into his feet as he ran across cold concrete. He flexed his feet on instinct but there was no flash of pain and he knew if he were to take off his rundown shoes there wouldn’t be a single mark on them.

 He remembered the jolts of pain that ran through his arms as he clutched on tightly to Morgana’s small form. He knew that if he looked at his bare arms there would be no hint of his skin being torn into. The only indicator that it even happened were the memories that accompanied them. 

  “I’ll be the lookout first”  Mona said

 “I can do it if your tired” Akira offered 

 The feline shook his head “You need to rest after healing”

 Akira wished he could disagree but he had felt his energy begin to drain the moment his injury had started healing and now that he was safe or as safe as he could be his eyelids were beginning to droop. Healing a small injury like that shouldn’t make him so tired but with how little he was eating his body just couldn’t support it. So he didn’t have the energy to argue Mona’s point so he drowsily crawled onto the mattress pulling the thin blanket over his body. 

“I’ll take over in two hours” he sent to the feline before he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

 Akira stared up at the Gotham library. It was exactly what you would expect: Gothic, large and intimidating. He’d seen it once when he first got to Gotham but he’d never gone in. There hadn't really been a point as far as he and Mona were concerned. Akira already had basic knowledge about the city and all its hero’s implanted in his mind. The moment he’d heard someone call the city Gotham he knew all he’d needed to know. So it wasn’t a surprise that they’d never gone to the library and had assumed they’d never need to. But here they were. 

 Morgana yawned from his perch on Akira’s shoulder and Akira was half tempted to tell the feline that’s what he got for not waking him up last night. Of course Mona had defended himself when Akira woke up that morning. Saying Akira needed the sleep after healing and being a lookout would just get in the way of that but now the feline was tired and couldn’t stop yawning. 

 Akira wouldn’t be surprised if Morgana fell asleep while he was in the library. The thought of that was making his stomach churn. Pets weren’t allowed in there and even if they weren't sure that Morgana counted as a cat the librarian wouldn’t care. So he would have to go in alone. He didn’t like having to go to new places without Mona. It made his skin crawl, and he felt far too vulnerable.

 Akira found himself wishing not for the first time that they had something for the feline to hide in. But instead Mona jumped to the ground from Akira’s shoulder and turned to him.

  “Alright well you better get going” Morgana said as he tilted his head towards the library.

 Akira nodded and forced himself to start heading up the steps. He was pretty sure they were marble and he noted cracks and burn marks criss crossing across each step. Which was impressive considering it was extremely hard to burn marble as far as he knew but at the same time he wasn’t sure if he’d expect anything different from a library in Gotham.

 The doors of the library opened smoothly as he entered it felt far warmer than it was outside. Gotham’s winter was beginning  and a chill had started setting into every crevice of the city or that’s at least what it felt like so it was pleasant to feel the heat to say the least. 

 To his right at the reception desk he noted a red headed woman sitting there typing on her computer. He considered asking her where he’d find the book he was looking for but decided against it. He could find it on his own and he didn’t want to go through the process of trying to talk to her.

  So instead he quickly walked to the first row of bookshelves he saw. He followed along the row noting how each individual shelf has a letter label.  

 “I’m pretty sure libraries are organized alphabetically, right?” Mona sent questioningly 

 “Yeah I’m pretty sure.” Akira agreed

 He follows along until he finds the A section. He scours through it but when he doesn't find the book he backtracks through the shelves with no luck. He avoids looking at the librarian when he makes it back to where he started. He can’t help but feel like she’s watching him even though she never looked up from her computer.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she was though. She feels more…” the feline paused and Akira wasn’t sure if he had drifted off or was just thinking but before he could figure that out Mona continued a moment later and said “...attentive than most people.”

 Akira doesn't know what to do with that so he just continues further into the library finding more and more shelves and multiple A sections not even close to each other which just confuses him. He looks through each one until eventually noticing a larger metal plate at the end of a shelf that says Political Science .

 There are different sections? He lets out a quiet huff of Annoyance. Why hadn’t his implanted memories ever covered this?

 “Probably because they thought you’d never need one” Morgana responded. It was a surprise to hear him again; he'd been half convinced the feline had fallen asleep already. His side comments had begun to dwindle and stagnate while Akira had continued his search. His comments or responses lagging behind and taking longer than they usually would. He tried to ignore how that made his anxiety spike. 

 He wasn’t sure which section he’d find his book (or how many there were) in the library but he was certain it wasn’t Political Science so he continued on. Eventually he stumbled on a staircase up and felt dread pool in his stomach. He was already struggling with just the first floor. Not to mention this whole experience was taking longer than expected.

 But he steeled himself and went up the stairs. To the right of the staircase all he found were rows and rows of Gotham newspapers carefully stored, consisting of some even dating back to the city’s founding. To the left of the staircase consisted of multiple History sections including: Gotham History, U.S History, History and Law. 

 So he headed back down and rechecked the plates wondering if he missed something. By then Morgan’s commentary had completely petered out. He ignored how that made his anxiety spike. 

 While he was scouring through the General Works section in hopes he’d missed something he noticed a book on the ground behind the end of a shelf that he hadn’t seen before. He made his way towards it. The cover’s color was a yellowish white with the dark figure of a man with a top hat and moustache. While in the bottom left corner was a man with an orange flat hat, his face scrunched in concentration. At the top in thin black lettering it said ‘The Extraordinary Adventures of’ with two black lines underlining the words. And right under those lines were orange letters reading ‘Arsene Lupin Gentleman Burglar’. 

 He picked up the book without even realizing that he did. It wasn’t the book he was looking for but there was something about it. Akira couldn’t exactly explain why but he felt like he should read it. So he kept it in hand and was about to continue his search. Only for his eyes to focus on a plate on a shelf that he hadn’t noticed before right in front of him and it read education . It would make sense if the book was in this section. 

 He began to search through each individual shelf in the section double checking each book until eventually three bold red letters on the spine of a book caught his eye. The letters reading ASL. 

 He pulls out the book and just stares at its cover, it's old and beaten from use. At one point the textbook had probably been purely white but now it had brown stains at its corner and the white had faded into a pale yellow. The large bold red letters saying American Sign Language on the front cover had most likely been bright at one point but now it was dull and could be mistaken for orange. 

 If Akira was honest he didn’t think he needed to learn ASL. He only really talked to Mona and that didn’t seem like that was going to change. Most Gothamites wanted to be left alone and were down right aggressive to anyone they didn’t know. And that all went double for Crime Alley.

 But a part of him desperately wanted to know it. This was something that his creators didn’t think he needed to know. Something they didn’t think was worth knowing. And that fact just made him want to learn it more. It made him want to know every detail and facet of it like how they made sure he knew each and every weakness or quirk of the Justice Leaguers front and back. The idea of learning something he didn’t need to know that no one but himself was forcing him to know was exhilarating. It felt like another step away from Cadmus, another way to say “I’m not yours”.

 So he headed determinedly back to the reception desk. Where the librarian immediately looked up from her computer the moment he stepped in front of her desk. She gave him a pleasant smile that he wasn’t expecting if he was honest. Not many people smiled in Gotham and if they did they didn’t look so genuine doing it.

 “Can I help you?” she asked pleasantly 

 Akira nodded and tilted his head at the books in the crook of his elbow. 

 “So you want to check out those books?”

 Akira nodded and was grateful for how easily she read him. 

 “Alright, do you have a library card?”

 He shook his head and noted that she had a nametag pinned to her shirt that said Barbra Gordan .

 Barbra nodded then went onto her computer typing something “In that case I’ll have to print you a temporary card. Is that ok?”

 Akira nodded but didn’t really think she could see it, considering she was looking in the desk drawer she’d just opened.

 She pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it on the desk in front of Akira. “If you fill this out you’ll get a permanent card and that’ll require a parent’s signature so just turn it in as soon as you can.”

 Akira nodded, folded the sheet up and stuffed it in his pocket. He didn’t know if he’d need it. Would it take him longer than a month to learn a language? Learning things was quick and easy when they were implanted in his mind so he wasn’t sure how much longer it would be learning things like everyone else. He was still learning a lot about surviving in Gotham and it had been about two months but was that the exception or the rule? He couldn’t deny a part of him was excited to find out.

 “What’s your name?”

 Akira jolted and looked at her tilting his head in confusion. 

 “Your name needs to be on the temporary card,” she explained easily.

 He glanced around and his eyes caught on a cup of pens beside Barbra. He gestured at it and without even a confused glance she handed over one of her pens as well as a sticky note. He gave her a slight smile in thanks and wrote his name. 

AKIRA

 She read it over then looked back up at him and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry but I need your first and last name for the card”

 Akira nodded and took it back. He didn’t show it but he wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t have a last name, he'd never needed one afterall it was just him and Mona. He had to put something though. He tried to project his problem for Mona to pick up on but the feline didn’t respond. Which meant he was either not awake enough to sense it or he was ignoring Akira which he rarely did. 

 What last name should he put? How had Morgana even come up with Akira’s name again? He racked his brain trying to figure it out until a memory came rushing to the forefront of his mind. 

  “What kind of name is AK-2?” the feline had asked “I don’t wanna call you that!” 

 “Then what else are you supposed to call me?” Akira had responded

 “Hmmm.” the feline had sent over but didn’t continue his thought instead the silence between them only grew and grew. Akira had begun to suspect the feline had gotten bored of him. Until he loudly exclaimed, “Oh I know! Akira!”

 “Akira?”

 “Yeah! You know since AK-2 starts with an A! Do you like it?” 

 “...Yeah” he’d admitted quietly

  Akira wrote Down a K and tried his best to come up with a believable last name. Morgana made it look incredibly easy. He managed to jot something down On the sticky note quickly enough to probably not seem suspicious.

 Barbra took it and began typing on her computer. “Alright it’s printing now. While we wait I’ll go ahead and check out your books.”

 She scanned the Arsene Lupin book without a second glance but paused when she saw the ASL book. Barbra frowned slightly reading over the cover and flipped through the first few pages. 

  “This book’s out of date. We have some newer ones that’ll be better than this one. I can get it for you if you’d like.” She said, smiling kindly.

 Akira nodded and the librarian backed out from under the desk but instead of getting up from a chair like Akira had thought she would. She rolled back on a wheelchair and wheeled herself to one of the shelves behind her desk and pulled out a similar sized textbook  replacing its empty spot with the book Akira picked out. She then reached into a lower shelf Akira couldn’t see. 

 When she came back to her original spot at the front desk she scanned the new book along with a card and slid them both over to Akira. He picked up the card and glanced over it. In simple black letters there sat the name ‘Akira Kurusu’.  

 He put the card safely in his pocket then took the two books and nodded his thanks.

 “I have an extra bag if you need one.” she offered smiling at him

 Akira was about to shake his head but then paused. He couldn’t exactly hide both books in his jacket. He probably could with the Arsene Lupin book but the ASL book was a large textbook. So What was the harm in having a bag if he’d be carrying them in sight either way? So he nodded and Barbra pulled out a simple beige tote bag from under her desk. 

 Once he put his books inside he waved goodbye to Barbra and left. There was no call from Mona telling Akira where he was when Akira walked out the doors and while he hadn’t really expected it considering the feline was probably asleep. He’d hoped Mona would have been awake enough for this.

 It took him a while but eventually he found the feline curled up under a trash can lid in a decently clean alley. Maybe he was just used to the Alley and Bowery but the buildings here were so much more pristine than the ones he was used to. 

 He lightly knocked on the lid above Morgana. It let out a louder clanging sound then he’d expected and the feline jumped up quickly, banging his head against the lid. Letting out a loud yowl “OW!” 

 The feline jerked his head around scanning the area quickly until his gaze landed on Akira’s face. His gaze then traveled down Akira’s arm to his hand still hovering over the lid. He looked back up at Akira with narrowed eyes. 

 “Akira.”

 He gave the feline an apologetic smile “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 The feline looked at him indignantly and puffed out his chest “Scared? Who's scared?”

 He didn’t bother pointing out that Morgana had been scared and instead held up his new bag for the feline to see.

 Morgana stepped forward and sniffed at it curiously. “Where’d you get this?”

 “The librarian gave it to me when I checked out my books.”

 “Books?”

 Akira nodded “I saw a second one I wanted while I was there.”

 Akira then pulled out the card from his pocket “I also got a temporary library card.”

“Temporary?” the feline asked

“Yeah it’ll only last a month. I have to fill out this to get a permanent one.” He said, pulling out the form that Barbra had given him.

 "What information do they want?”

 He unfolded the paper and scanned over it frowning slightly at what he read. 

 “I have to put down our place of residency and bring proof we live there.”

 “How are we supposed to-?”

The sound of a door creaking open had them both jerking their heads towards it. A large man glowered at them from inside a backdoor of one of the buildings. In his right hand he held the door and in his left he held a large trash bag. 

 Akira hunched his shoulders and discreetly hid the form and card in his pocket that was facing away from the man. 

 “What the hell do you think you're doing here?!” the man shouted.

 Morgana fur puffed up defensively and his lips unfurled showing his teeth in what was undoubtedly the start of a hiss. Akira found himself sending a mental warning against it. Mona glanced over at him and it almost seemed like he was about to ignore it but then his jaw snapped shut.  

 “You better not be digging through the trash! Street rats!” 

  The man dropped the trash bag and reached somewhere in the building. Adrenaline began to pool in Akira’s gut, he already knew how this played out so it was no surprise his body was already in action as he snatched Morgana up from the ground and ran out the alley. Behind him he heard the sound of something wooden clattering harshly against concrete. There was no doubt it had landed close to where they’d originally been.

 “And stay out! Fucking Alley trash!” 

 Akira didn’t look back; he just kept running his feet pushing against concrete propelling him forward, the world blurring. Morgana’s body clutched in his arms while the feline's claws dug into them. His new bag beat against his side with every step. He tried to ignore how much the scene mirrored two months ago. How familiar it felt to run pump full of adrenaline as he held tightly onto Morgana’s form. While he could barely see what was going on around him. 

 Eventually the world started to clear up and he began to recognize the surrounding older buildings that were full of stains and the distinct stench that came with being in the Bowery. He slowed to a stop. The people on the street had a more defensive posture than the usual Gothamite. With a matching aggressive gaze daring anyone to come near them. It wasn’t as intense as the one’s he’d seen in Crime Alley but it was as close as you could get outside it. He felt a wave of relief wash over him and almost relaxed but stopped himself and turned into the closest alleyway he saw. 

 Once they were safely out of sight he let himself sag in relief. His grip loosened enough for Morgana to leap out of his arms.

 “What an Asshole!” the feline exclaimed as his paws hit the ground

 Akira nodded as he leaned against a nearby wall. 

 Morgana’s tail was lashing back and forth and he seemed like he was about to go into another one of his rants when his eyes caught on something beside Akira. 

 “Are your books ok?” he asked, his voice laced with worry.

 Akira looked sideways at the bag and fear washed over him like a bucket of ice water. It was tilted over enough for the books to have fallen out easily especially given he’d sprinted all the way here. 

 He quickly looked in the bag and felt his shoulders sag in relief seeing the two books lying in there perfectly fine.

“They’re good”  he sends to the feline

 Mona lets out a relieved sigh “That's good. You should probably have it on so the strap goes across your chest it’ll be harder for them to fall out” he advised.

 Akira nodded in agreement and moved the strap onto his other shoulder.  He sighed as exhaustion began to tinge his movements now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade. He’d run way too much for someone who just had one handful of Beef Jerky for energy. 

 “We should head back to the coffeeshop” Mona sent giving Akira a concerned once over. 

 Akira might have argued but even with Morgana’s nap he could tell the feline was still tired from his all nighter. So he just nodded and held out his arm for the feline who easily made the leap and took his usual perch on Akira’s shoulder.  

  “You could use the bag to rest,” he offered.

 The feline snorted and shook his head. “I’d just be uncomfortable, there's not really a solid base for me to lay on so I'd just be resting on loose fabric. I think I’d just be paranoid about falling through it if I got in.”

“If it did have a base would you sleep in it?”

The feline tilted his head thoughtfully “Probably”

 Akira nodded and didn’t bother continuing to speak. The two of them made their way towards the shop in silence, the both of them too tired to do much else. Morgana didn’t seem interested in jumping off Akira’s shoulder when they made it to Crime Alley and Akira figured one time wouldn’t matter. Especially given how Morgana’s eyes were beginning to droop and he was leaning heavily against Akira.

 Neither of them were paying as much attention as they should have while they were taking the back route to the coffee shop. But it was out of sight and people rarely took this route if ever. That was why it was such a convenient way to avoid the Two face goons in the first place. So neither of them were prepared for when a man came running around a corner right in front of them. 

 They jolted awake in an instant and Akira took quick stock of the man. He was one of Hood’s gang. Were they already here? It’d only been a day! A loud gunshot rang out and Akira’s gaze landed on a Two Face goon running around that very same corner. 

 Then the world became a blur. Mona was in his arms again, the feline clutched tightly to his chest and he crashed against the ground. He heard the sound of bullets whizzing overhead. He felt his heart pounding and the next thing he knew he was running in the opposite direction.