Idk why I wrote this I just thought it'd be fun - maybe if it sparks any ideas I'll expand it

also posting now because im busy over the weekend :)

Poison Ivy had seen a lot of weird things in Gotham. She'd teamed up with half of the weird things there and had to admit that she was also one of the weird things in Gotham. However, she was still caught off guard when she noticed a child staring in awe at one of her carnivorous flowers while tending to her plants. He stood slightly away from its reach but she noted a rat's tail hanging out of the plant's mouth which explained why it wasn't reaching out to snap at him. Ivy was so stunned at the appearance of a little child in her greenhouse that she just watched him for a good minute. He hadn't noticed her and seemed completely at ease amongst her plants. Everyone in Gotham knew that you should never feel at ease amongst her plants, especially not whilst you're surrounded by them. Eventually, he seemed to notice he was being watched and turned to her with a curious expression. 

"Hi," he greeted. His voice croaked as though he hadn't spoken in a long time or he could've been crying judging by the tear tracks in the grime that clung to his face and clothes. Most notably, he didn't fear her in the slightest. He acted as though she was a worker in a store that happened to come across him.

"How did you get in here?" she snapped. 

"A door," he replied simply, pointing to the direction of the delivery door. She must've forgotten to close it when she was accepting her last shipment of fertilizer. 

"Do you know who I am?" Ivy asked, trying to be threatening. Everyone feared her, some dared to lust after her but no one looked at her with the innocence that this child did. He simply kept staring at her as he shook his head and tilted it to the side. She wasn't one for people, in fact, she'd happily run away from humans altogether and live amongst her beloved plants if humans didn't pose such a threat to them but she could appreciate the young soul that was watching her with care. "You don't know who I am?"

"No. Not from here. You famous?" he answered. He was missing the Gotham accent so his words were most likely true. That only brought her more questions as to why the hell someone who wasn't from Gotham let their kid roam around the crime-ridden city and make their way into her greenhouse. He knew to respect her property after breaking in to explore it as all her plants remained unharmed so he had to have learned manners somewhere. He hadn't learned to acknowledge danger though. Maybe he was too naive to know not to stroll around one of the most villain-dense cities in America or perhaps he just didn't feel the need to be aware of the danger. Could she possibly put him at ease?

"Infamous, yes," she confirmed carefully. He made an o shape with his lips and then smiled.

"I am famous."

"Are you?" God was she smiling at this kid? She couldn't be letting him get through her defences that easily especially not when she had no idea what his intentions were. "What for?"

"Haleys Circus. I can do a quad-rou-ple flip," he explained, being careful with his pronunciation in a practised manner. She regarded his clothes for a moment and she could imagine beneath the grime they were once bright red, yellow and green. Very fit for a circus performer. The circus sounded familiar and if she remembered right, they'd left around a week ago after a police investigation of some sort that she hadn't followed. So why was this child here now if he was from there?

"You're far from home."

"My parents died," he stated like that explained everything. Thankfully he noticed her blank look and continued to explain himself. "The people with the badges, not the police the other one, said I should go with them. I said no."

"Did you?" Ivy had no idea why she was humouring the little boy but she couldn't help but ask after his story. Hopefully, he'd let her know where the hell she needed to drop him off. 

"Mhm. Kicked them and ran. Been here a while."

"You've been living in my greenhouse?" He shook his head. "You've been in Gotham since they died?" He nodded. "But not with the state?" He nodded again. "So, where have you been?" He pointed to his right and when she followed his gesture, she frowned. He'd been staying in the abandoned office building beside her that she'd planned on buying to expand her greenery. She hadn't noticed him there but then again, she didn't explore her surroundings any further than she needed to, especially with how suspicious Batman could be. 

"It got cold but here is warm." He gestured around himself and then refocused on her. "Is that why you are famous? For plants?" Ivy mulled over the question. She should say she was a villain by Gotham's standards but she hadn't been around someone for so long that didn't fear her since Arkham and Harley wasn't getting out for a while yet. It couldn't hurt to bend the truth, could it? 

"Yes. Very famous for it. I...fight for the environment and try to protect it the best I can." He nodded with a smile and she couldn't bring herself to explain that the fight was literal and often ended with an addition to her body count. "You can't stay here you know?" He nodded, frowning a little but not making the effort to fight for his right to stay. "You really don't want to go with the state? To an orphanage or foster home?"

"Not safe."

"No?" He hummed. "You can't stay here and you can't stay in that building. You'll freeze or get sick and end up dying in there." He nodded slowly and then turned, walking away from her. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"Moving somewhere new," he stated. "Might be somewhere warmer." 

Logically, Ivy knows she has no reason to help this kid. In fact, she was rather surprised at herself for not having already thrown him out or used him to feed some of her hungrier plants but she can't bring herself to send him away when it's been so long since someone stared at her work without fear but pure appreciation. He didn't have anywhere else to go and she had no intention of letting him stay but she didn't want to leave him to fend for himself either. He was skinny and small and covered in dirt whilst sleeping rough in a city he didn't know. He stared at her, his blue eyes burrowing into her soul before shrugging like he'd given up on her stopping him and making his way to the delivery door. She could let him. She could watch him leave and become yet another kid fighting for their life in this city. She could. Yet...

"Stop," she called out, the boy pausing at her command. "You'll only get yourself killed if you go out there alone."

"I can look after myself," he replied defensively. 

"I'm sure." He narrowed his eyes at her which was the first time he'd looked anything other than impassive or happy. It wasn't as hard-hitting as he'd hoped but she didn't tell him so. "Look, just come with me to get something to eat at least. You're far too skinny." 

"Fine."

"What's your name?"

"Dick Grayson. You?"

"Poison Ivy." It was here she expected him to suddenly piece together who she was, as though green skin and owning a massive greenhouse wasn't clue enough, but he just tilted his head with a confused smile. "What?"

"Your parents called you Poison Ivy? Like the plant?"

"I named myself that," she answered. 

"Ohh, like I said my name was Dick but my parents called me Richard so I guess it's the same." She nodded because it was much easier than correcting him. "Can I call you Ivy for short?" 

"I suppose." 

They didn't talk much as Ivy led Dick to her small kitchen, hidden behind another door beside her lab. She often forgot to eat when she was working on her next plan to prove to Gotham it was harming the environment so having the kitchen so close was helpful. She gestured for him to take a seat at the dinner table, one that was only used occasionally when she needed a change of scenery, and then went on the search for food. Her fridge was barren aside from some chicken she'd prepared the night before and mystery meatloaf Harley had gifted her that she wasn't sure was edible especially since it had been gifted months earlier. Maybe they needed to order in? She sighed and decided he'd just have to be happy with some chicken. 

"It's not much but it's enough to keep you going," she stated, leaving no room for him to whine about the portion. He made no attempt to anyway. He quickly seized the fork handed to him and make quick work of the meal as though he hadn't eaten in months. She doubted he'd found much food living in that abandoned building. "Slow down or you'll choke."

"Sorry," he apologised through a mouthful of food. 

"What's your plan, kid? Are you going to live in abandoned buildings for the rest of your life?" Dick shrugged and looked off where a newspaper rested on the counter. 

"Is that new?" he asked. She nodded. "Can I read it?" Intrigued, she grabbed the paper and passed it to him, smiling a little when his brows furrowed in concentration. He studied each page carefully and his eyes lingered as he got to the bottom of the page in case he missed something small.

"Looking for something?"

"Mhm. A man."

"Who?"

"Tony Zucco. He killed my parents." Tony Zucco. She knew him vaguely, as much as every villain knew another. He liked to make his money through extortion and had once tried it with her but she very quickly proved that wouldn't work. A week ago she overheard that his car took a long drive off a short pier but those rumours spread every other month. 

"And he would be in the paper because?"

"I cut his brakes." Or maybe it wasn't a rumour? 

"You cut his brakes?"

"Yep," he replied, popping the p. "And put a hole in his fuel tank."

"You killed him then?"

"Hoping so." He tilted his head to the side and smiled, slamming the paper down on the table and pointing to it aggressively. "I did!" Ivy looked over where he was pointing and confirmed that Tony Zucco had certainly died. 

"That's," her sentence trailed off. She couldn't be blamed for not knowing how to respond to a child gleeful at murdering his parents' murderer. It wasn't like she could turn her nose up at murder given her countless charges of the same crime but he was awfully young to start. Still, he was also smart. He'd have to find the right car, he knew how to cut someone's brakes and he'd chosen a method that was near impossible to pin on a random child from the circus when someone like Zucco had so many enemies. All of which would be all too happy to take the credit. 

"He ruined my life," Dick told her, defending himself against her perceived judgement. 

"Not judging," she replied. "Just surprised. Where did you learn to cut brakes?"

"Auntie worked on cars and taught me. Easy to do when you know what you're looking at," he replied. 

"Auntie?"

"She didn't like being called by her name." He grew nervous, his hands beginning to rub anxiously at his dirty arms. "Are you gonna turn me in?"

"No, but this does make knowing what to do with you a lot harder." He raised an eyebrow at her as if surprised that she wasn't going to throw him out on the street or call the police to collect him. 

What the hell was she going to do with this kid?