[center][color=black][b][u]12:03 PM; January 11th, 2026
Big Belly Burger, Downtown Gotham; Gotham City, New Jersey[/u]
[i]'The lunch rush. Dear God, [u]the lunch rush.[/u]'[/i][/b][/color]
[color=2E2C2C]"This isn't working! These memories don't mean anything. Why don't we pry his head open? We need to know what the numbers mean."[/color][/center]Work was never easy. If it wasn't for the fact that it was the only job he could get, David would have jumped at the chance to have a job that wasn't prone to making people go grey from stress. He had a hard enough time keeping his own anger in check dealing with customers who were clueless, obnoxious, rude, or, God forbid, all of the above, never mind trying to reign in the nigh uncontrollable anger of a certain psychopath he was sharing a body with. If he had to listen to Hood scream bloody murder in his head [i]one more Goddamn time[/i]...

[b]"Uh, excuse me. I'd like to order."[/b] David blinked, focusing his attention on the customer in front of him. An older man, a teenage girl glued to her phone beside him and a young boy on his shoulders.

[color=black][b]"Oh, sorry. Zoned out a bit. Welcome to Big Belly Burger, what can I get you?"[/b][/color] The teen looked up from her phone at David's voice, looking him up and down and biting her lip slightly. David blinked, avoiding eye contact. This was [i]not[/i] a thing he needed right now.

[b]"I'll take two Big Bonus Burgers, a Little Belly Meal, one large fries, two large cokes, and a small chocolate shake."[/b]

[color=black][b]"And will that be for here or to go, sir?"[/b][/color]

[b]"Here."[/b]

[color=black][b]"That'll be twenty-six dollars and seventy-six cents."[/b][/color] The man handed Dave a twenty and a ten, and David put the money in the register before handing the man his change. [color=black][b]"You're order number... Forty-two, sir. Have a nice meal."[/b][/color] The man nodded to David, before taking his children to a booth, the girl looking back at David and winking at him. The young man pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Save for the unwanted flirting, this was pretty routine, not too bad except for the obvious. But it always got worse.

After about half an hour, things started to go bad. A larger man approached the counter, a particularly dopey look about him.

[b][color=black]"Welcome to Big Belly Burger, what can I get you?"[/color][/b]

[b]"Can I get... Uh..."[/b] The man looked up at the menu, tapping his chin in contemplation. This continued for close to a minute, the man tapping his chin and occasionally saying [b]"Um..."[/b] while staring up at the menu items.

David quirked a disapproving eyebrow. [color=black][b]"Sir. You're holding up the line."[/b][/color]

[b]"Oh, sorry. I'll take... Um... Hm..."[/b]

David's brow furrowed. Sighing slightly, he put on a false grin, saying, [color=black][b]"Sir, if you're not sure what to get, I suggest the Big Belly Combo Meal. You get a Big Bonus Burger, one large fries, a box of four buffalo wings, and a large drink of your choice. All for only twenty dollars."[/b][/color]

[b]"Sure, I'll take that."[/b] The man pulled a twenty out of his wallet, handing the money to Dave.

[color=black][b]"You're order number fifty-seven, sir. Have a good day."[/b][/color] The man went on his way. David took in a deep breath, counting to ten before releasing it. This was bad. [i]But it could only get worse from here.[/i]

Worse came twenty minutes later in the form of a slimeball clad in a grey suit, hair slicked back, tie neatly held in place by a clip, phone pressed to his ear and endlessly jabbing away to the person on the other end of the line. [i]A fucking businessman.[/i] [color=black][b]"Welcome to Big Belly Burg-"[/b][/color] David's typical greeting was cut off by a slender finger being held up and a sharp [b]"shhhh"[/b]. David fought back a sneer of disgust.

[b]"Look Charlie, you'll get your Goddamned paycheck when I see those reports on my desk... Oh don't give me any of that 'oh, it's been two months since I've been paid' or 'I have kids to feed at home' bullshit, Charlie, we both know that second one's a fuckin' lie."[/b] He pressed a hand against the phone. [b]"Big Bonus Burger."[/b]

[color=black][b]"Right sir, that'll be nine dollars."[/b][/color] The man slid David a ten, and David handed him back a dollar. [color=black][b]"You're order sixty-six."[/b][/color] The man nodded, heading to his seat.

That went... Surprisingly well, actually. David allowed himself to breath in a sigh of relief. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad after all.

[i]Ten minutes later...[/i]

The businessman marched up to the front counter, looking positively furious. [b]"I told you no lettuce!"[/b]

David blinked. [color=black][b]"What? No you didn't."[/b][/color]

[b]"Yeah, I did. Are you calling me a liar?"[/b]

[color=black][b]"Sir, I'm sure if we just talked this thro-"[/b][/color]

[b]"Don't back talk me, [i]boy[/i]. Now, I want some compensation for the poor service here."[/b]

David gritted his teeth. [color=black][b]"Sir, can't you just, oh, I don't know, [i]take the lettuce out of the burger[/i]?"[/b][/color]

[b]"The point isn't that I can take the lettuce out of the burger, it's the fact that you didn't listen to my instructions in the first place. Now, I want a refund, [i]and[/i] a burger with no lettuce to make up for this."[/b]

[color=black][b]"Sir, you're being unreasonable."[/b][/color]

[b]"Unreasonable, eh? Are you sure you wouldn't like a talk with my lawyer? About the fraud you pulled?"[/b]

[color=black][b]"Fraud? What fra-"[/b][/color]

[b]"The fraud you pulled by telling me there would be no lettuce in the burger!"[/b]

David was practically grinding his teeth to a fine powder at this point. Deep breaths, David. Deep breaths. [color=black][b]"... Fine, sir. I'll talk with the cooks."[/b][/color]

Spoiler alert: the guy walks away with his nine Goddamn dollars and another burger, looking smug as a snake. Inside David's head, Red Hood's cries for retribution were left unanswered, and he returned to work.

Fuck the lunch rush.

[center][color=black][b][u]8:42 PM; January 11th, 2026
Some Back Alleyway; Gotham City, New Jersey[/u][/b][/color][/center]

[color=black][b]"FUCK YOU!"[/b][/color] David shouted as he slammed his fist into the mugger's ear, sending the man to the ground. Crawling on top of him, David began to beat relentlessly on the thug's face. [color=black][b]"FUCK YOUR SUIT! AND YOUR TIE! AND YOUR HAIR! AND YOUR PHONE!"[/b][/color] Each sentence was punctuated with a fist pounding down onto the crook's face. [color=black][b]"AND FUCK! YOUR! NO! LETTUCE!"[/b][/color]

The poor guy probably had a fractured skull, but he was alive. David pulled himself off the mugger, letting out a long breath. He turned to the would-be victim, who was staring in shock at the bloodied and bruised face of her attacker as he squirmed around and whimpered in pain. [color=black][b]"... Sorry you had to see that. Been a long, [i]long[/i] day at work. You, uh, need someone to walk you home?"[/b][/color]

[b]"U-um, no t-thanks, I'm fine w-walking on my own..."[/b] With that, the woman began to speedwalk away, before breaking out into a sprint once she reached the sidewalk.

David shook his head, massaging his temples. He still had a headache from work. [color=black][b]"... Fuck businessmen."[/b][/color]