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She/her.♈️❤️‍🔥    #DCU  #AOT  #Anime.  #fanfics  #Battinson😸  #iwritefanfics.  #IstandwithYeager🥲🙃

[allfandomstan]

After Dark~(Batman x Vigilante Reader), Chapter 4.

Genre: Action, Mystery, Suspense, Noir, Crime.

Setting: Gotham City Hall from ‘The Batman’ 2022..

Warnings: Mentions of Violence, Swearing, Dark themes, descriptions of blood, Cynicism, Psychopathic themes.

Word Count: 1.9K

Hey its me back with another chapter to the series! Finally after an 8 months hiatus or so, I conjured up the will to publish this chapter I’ve been working on. It’s not much but just something to smoothly carry the series forward🫣..

And my apologies if I screw up the movie timeline in upcoming chapters!😫 it’s been a while since I revisited the movie as a whole so you might see some errors here and there🙃.

Hope you enjoy!

***

Here you were, back at in your apartment.. again. Millions of thoughts ran through your mind like a flowing river that won’t stop at any point unless an intentional obstruction to the constant flow of water was put in place. Like a dam of sorts. All you could think of was about the event that unfurled earlier. From your argument with Sam to meeting Bruce Wayne, for the first in your life. Although you weren’t much sure about it..

The way his gaze met yours resembled some kind of shocking recognition and truth. Those deep ocean eyes looked familiar as ever, but you couldn’t quite pin point where you saw them. Yet..

His expression changed from monotone to slightly ‘intrigued’ when he laid his eyes on you. You noticed him scanning your face for something, like trying to read you like an open book. But why?

‘Had he seen you somewhere before?’

It sure looked like he did.

‘But where?’

****

The final touch you needed was your dark crimson coloured lipstick and then you were ready to go. To the Mayor’s funeral to be exact..

Today was the day Mayor Don Mitchell Jr. would be laid to rest six feet under, and you won’t say he will be resting in peace. You don’t think he’ll be resting at all because of the way he was taken from this world.. Brutally hammered to the head by a madman.

In a way you felt bad for the deceased Mayor even though you knew he was a corrupt-to-the-core asshole, but at least he should’ve been given a not-so fucked up death.

He died absolutely humiliated. With the words ‘No more Lies’ written on his taped up head with his very own blood. Not only did the Riddler kill him in the most devastatingly gut-wrenching way, but also tried to expose his deep seated secrets… The ones he feared would soon come to get him. And get him it did..

Bats hadn’t contacted you at all for two days straight. Not that you minded, really. You figured he was just busy getting his knuckles bloody from beating up the average Gotham thug he crosses more than once in the night. The city was crawling with them, especially during the late hour. But not just that, He’s most probably working on the case involving riddler, of course. The average Gotham thug was nothing compared to the chaos Riddler would bring if he’s not taken care of.

You wondered if The Bat had a life beyond crime fighting. Well of course he did. He’s human too, after all..

‘Why the fuck do I even care?’

You snapped out of your daze and tried to focus on the task at hand.. The Mayor’s funeral. Sure enough, you had to be there. Incase something happens.. And you had a tad bit of a gut feeling, that it would. You supposed he might be there too. Watching in the shadows, hidden from view. Of course he wouldn’t miss such a vital event if it means catching Riddler. This could be his right time to strike and evoke chaos among citizens in that town hall. You’d just had to wait and see if you were right. But you hoped the fuck not.

You finally put your trench coat over your self and grabbed your bag which contained your keys, burner phone and of course, your blade. You just had with you whenever you went out. Just in case..

****

The streets surrounding the Gotham Town Hall were packed with eager citizens who wanted to catch a glimpse of their coffin-ridden Mayor one last time. The Press and media were there too, to report and keep updated the curious minds of people who couldn’t make it to the funeral. The crowd was large pushy and suffocating.

You tried to get to the front, pushing past the crowd of people. When you finally got to the front you let out a deep breath. You had to say you were surprised as to why you you weren't smothered to death but you were grateful to make it out of the restless crowd alive.

At your current position you had a clear view of the road and the front of the Town Hall. There you saw police officers, prestigious politicians and a bunch of celebrities standing around, waiting for the venue to open. But your eyes landed on one particular person..

Carmine Falcone.

At the sight of that man, your fists subconsciously clenched inside of your coat pockets.

'What was he doing here?'

Then it made sense. Since the late Mayor himself wasn't the sinless of people, of course it was expected of him to have ties with someone as notorious as Falcone.

As you were focusing in on the Mob Boss, you became distracted by the sudden yelling of the people around you.

"Oh my Lord! It's Bruce Wayne!!"

Your gaze immediately took itself off Falcone and focused on the new subject at hand.

And there he was, The Gotham Prince.

Clad in a dapper black, wool coat and sporting the typical rich-guy look, appeared Wayne from his black Corvette.

Hmm, expensive you had to say. But of course.

You refrained from subconsciously rolling your eyes at the display. Bastard, making poor people eat shit.

You watched as he gave his car keys to an officer so he could park it elsewhere, and then walking off to climb the steps leading to the entrance of the Town Hall. You noticed his slight heaviness in step and the light hunch of his shoulders. And shit the guy looked like he hasn't slept in ages..

He involuntarily talked to the people around him which included Cops, celebrities and the Mayor candidate herself, Bella Real.

You watched as his head slowly turned to acknowledge the ungodly Man standing behind him with a crooked smile etched onto his face. Bruce then too, reluctantly met his gaze and engaged in a not so jolly conversation. Falcone placed a hand on Wayne's shoulder and patted it a few times before returning to talk to his henchman, Penguin.

'The guest list is just fucking incredible', you thought.

First you had the displeasure of finding Carmine Falcone and now, Penguin.

You watched as Penguin laughed, flashing his crooked brown stained teeth at Falcone. You bet whatever the asshole said must have been very funny indeed.

You looked away, disgusted. Men like Penguin had no right to laugh when so many lives had been ruined because of their deeds. Men like Penguin had no right to even breathe.

You would take care of that, soon enough..

****

About 45 minutes had passed and you found yourself pushing past crowds again trying to get into the Town Hall. You somehow managed to get in, all in one piece and stood by the side of the Hall along with the many citizens who already got in before you. After a while, the officers cut off any more citizens trying to come in as it was getting suffocating with the amount of people already inside the buliding. After entrance doors were closed, a metal barrier was put in place to separate second citizens, standing at both sides of the building from the first class. And among the second class citizens were you, of course. And among the first class were Falcone, Penguin, Bella Real and Bruce Wayne.

You sighed at the unlawful segregation, but you came to accept it eventually.

After about fifteen minutes the loud chatter quite down as the speech began. Several people, mainly Mitchell's Family and some politicians came up to deliver their honary speeches to commemorate the life and apreciate the accomplishments and 'good work' of the late Mayor. You scoffed at this. ‘How naïve where these people?’ Believing blindly to whatever Mitchell did was correct and truely for the betterment of Gotham. You doubted the man gave a single shit about this City or it’s citizens. The continuous speeches went on and on and you found yourself zoning out, voices becoming muddled and vision unfocused. Your mind started racing with thoughts consisting of ‘other things’. You couldn’t help but reimagine your first interaction with Vengeance. The way he pushed you against the wall, your chest flush to his abdomen. The way he held his intense gaze on you for longer than you’d wanted.. The way the rough fabric of his glove came to rest on the tender flesh of your neck, bruising it lightly..

All of this reminiscing totally had you off guard. You noticed that things were different now. In that very moment, it felt different.. You suddenly noticed that everything was abruptly called to a halt. Time had entirely stopped for a moment or so. Silence.. Chaos hidden in the element, waiting to strike like a serpent. There was complete silence until..

“Everyone, get the fuck out!”

You heard a man shout, possibly an officer on patrol. Then it all began. You heard multiple screams from behind you and then it all turned to chaos. People started running one by one trying to get away from something coming through the front. You wondered what it was and pushed towards the frantic crowd and towards where you supposed the danger was coming from. And then you saw it. Suddenly a GCPD SUV crashed through the glass doors of the building and skidded towards the Mayor’s casket. It all happened so quick you thought it was all in your head. Only that it wasn’t, unfortunately. You took a quick look around and there you saw Bruce on the floor with the Mayor’s Son in his arms. The boy must’ve been in the car’s way, you thought. And Bruce must’ve ran to get him out of the way before he got hit. Your focus was glued on Bruce and the way he gently helped the boy get back on his feet and tenderly guided him back to his Mother, horror etched onto her worn out features. Before you knew it a hand wrapped around your forearm rather harshly. You whipped your head around to stare at your intruder in the eyes but was met with the ones of a worried-sick to the bone Cop’s. “Mam’ you need to get out of here”, he calmly said trying to keep his cool in spite of all the chaos. You just stared at the officer for a moment or so without emitting any words in his direction. You found your eyes wandering back to Bruce once more. He was also being held by the forearm and being escorted out by some officers trying to get him to leave before the situation gets worse. You noticed his frantic eyes searching the place for something, or more like someone.. And then those Ocean blue eyes you found so mesmerising just a day ago found your own. You almost wanted to look away out of embarrassment because he caught you staring. But you didn’t. You kept your eyes glued onto his and his to yours. You two held a moment of eye-contact before your attention snapped towards the cop shaking your forearm. “Mam’ we don’t have much time. You have to evacuate.. Now!”

You nodded your head hastily and followed him to the evacuation exit. You looked back one last time, trying to catch a glimpse of Bruce, but he was long gone..

***

[allfandomstan]

When is chapter 4 coming out? 😭🙏🏻

Hey, I’m glad u liked my fic!😄 I’ve been quite busy for the last few months, and I’m sorry for the late response😭😭. Hopefully chapter 4 will come soon(if I get any new ideas lol) and stay tuned!!!☺️☺️

[allfandomstan]

After Dark~(Batman x Vigilante Reader), Chapter 3.

Read chapters 1 and 2! Find it on my ‘posts’

Genre: Mystery

Setting: A café from ‘The Batman’ 2022.. Let’s just call it Gotham Café 😫

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of adult themes.

Word count: 3k

Author Notes: Hey, it’s me!! Back with chapter 3 of this series.. This one came out relatively quick compared to the last chap as I was quick to come up with ideas for this one😄. Anyways, this is also a chill chap and it basically gives you slight background info on the reader, a.k.a Red. Hope you guys enjoy and pls let me know what y’all think!😉

P.S There also might be slight ‘tension’ between Bruce and reader😳. It all depends on your perspective..👀👀

You walked through the dark city streets of Gotham to reach your final destination for the night- your apartment. Nothing too fancy, or special but just enough to serve the purpose. You walked and walked.. your legs ached from the uncomfortable heels you wore for the night, for your little trip to the Iceberg Lounge to meet up with Batman. You were all dolled up before, but now your mascara was running and your foundation fading from the heavy rain that hit. Despite all these years living in Gotham, and experiencing the heavy torrential rain that often fell without warning, you never learned what the importance of having an umbrella was in this city. Well at least now you did. “Fuck”, you groaned and kept walking. You made sure to stay in the shadows of the sidewalk and not attract any unwanted attention to you. Who knows what’d happen if some creep sees a young woman walking all alone in the middle of the night? Not that you were scared or anything, but you just didn’t feel like fighting anyone right now..

****

You opened your apartment door and it made of loud-ass creaking noise. “Stupid door” you mumbled irritated. It did that all the time and you particularly hated it, especially when you arrived home late at night after your tiring shifts at Falcone’s. You darn well hoped that it didn’t wake the neighbours.

You got inside and threw your fur coat on the couch. You were absolutely wrecked..Well, mostly from the rain and walking back in fucking high-heels..

You sat down, letting out a huge sigh and slumped onto the couch, resting your head on a pillow. You really needed a break. From all this. You needed a break from yourself and from this city. They were both wearing you out, but you knew you couldn’t because of this Godamn psychopath that has been running around and hunting down the Mayor for Christ’s sake. And you new he wasn’t done just yet. He had more victims in mind and he was going to strike again, soon..Very soon. The city is going to drown if someone doesn’t save it from this monster and you weren’t going to just sit around and let that happen. Even though you were pretty sure your contribution to the saving of Gotham was a bare minimum, you still had to try. The ratio between good people and bad people in Gotham was pretty uneven, so whatever you did was worth it in the end. Or so in your eyes…

It would take you years to be as influential as the Bat, but you weren’t gonna give up just yet. Besides you only had limited money and technology when Batman possessed both in vast amounts. Oh yeah, the guy had to be rich. You had some theories In mind of who the caped crusader could be, but you weren’t able to come to a conclusion just yet. Maybe you’re going to have to see of yourself later.. And you assured yourself you will. After all the cryptic riddles and enigmas have been cracked.

****

You once again found yourself walking on the cold city streets of Gotham. It was early as 6 in the morning and the cold morning air stung you. It was drizzling lightly and you were sure that it would only get worse, so you opened up the umbrella you actually bothered to bring, and held it up over you. You were walking to your workplace, this time not as infuriating and intense as the nightclub you did your nightshifts in, instead it was a cute little corner Café in Gotham Square. You were delighted to have this job, even though it meant working two jobs. You just loved the peaceful aura of the place, despite sometimes facing grumpy customers who weren’t the slightest bit nice at all…

When you finally reached the small building, you closed up your umbrella and stepped inside only to be met with the familiar face of a smiley barista waving at you.

“Hey, Red!”, she whisper-shouted and motioned for you to come over.

“Sam!” You smile, and go over to her.

“Girl, I haven’t seen you in ages.. Where have you been?”

You take off your raincoat and hang it on the coat hanger. You let out a defeated sigh and look up at her.

“I’ve been busy.. with things”. You look down to avoid eye contact.

Upon hearing your confession a look of concern finds its way across her face. She stays quiet for a moment.

“Red.. you-“, she stops mid sentence as she caught sight of your eyes once again.

“I know what your going to say, Sam”.

The barista takes a deep breath in before speaking again:

“You can’t keep doing this. It’ll take a toll on you, one way or another!”. Your childhood friend was genuinely worried for you and you didn’t complain. Instead your eyes found its way to the floor once again.

“Can we talk about this later?”

Sam gives you an incredulous look. She can’t believe you’re willing to put off an important matter at hand.

“No Red! I want to talk about this now and right now!”, Sam half-shouted and you gotta say you were lucky that no one else was around to hear her. It was a little early for customers too.

“Sam, please..”

You mentally facepalmed at the fact you told her you were ‘busy’. You figured you should have made up a suitable lie or something. But you just couldn’t. You found it impossible to lie to Sam, almost every time. Is it because she reminded you of your mother a bit? You didn’t know. Maybe it’s because you see her as your older sister. After all it was her who looked after you when you were put out on the streets, hungry and alone. It was her you grew up with after the death of your Father and the downfall of your family. She always looked out for you when you found yourself in trouble or situations you found almost impossible to get out of.. You couldn’t complain one bit because she cared for you and wanted the best for you. She obviously didn’t want to see you killed in some heroic act that’ll fade away with time. And that’s why she wasn’t very keen on your vigilante activities.

“I wanna know why my friend is sacrificing herself for this City, when all it did was take away what was most important to her, to us!”

“Sam, you wouldn’t understand I-“

“Red, you shouldn’t be so reckless! You have a future ahead of you and you should protect it instead of trying to protect this Godforsaken city!”

She was getting emotional, and you could see the tears that were threatening to spill. No matter how much you try to reason with her, she always sticks to her own perspective and refuses to see yours. And it was frustrating as hell..

“Sam, stop it!”, you yell.

She comes to an abrupt stop and stares at you. You look at her for a moment before rushing over to her side to envelope her in a big hug.

“Sam, I know you care but its my life! I can’t just sit around while more lives are snatched and taken. I need to be there to serve justice to those whose lives have been destroyed”. You stroke her back gently to calm her down. You could hear the light sniffles that were coming out of her. You back away and look at her, cupping her face gently. “Sam, it’s okay I promise you”. and with that you hug her one more time before letting go.

Sam around turns to wipe her tears and regain her composure.

“C’mon, we got a Café to run!” you chirp with as much enthusiasm as possible just so you can lighten the mood a little. You give her one last smile before going to change into your barista uniform. ****

An hour and a half passes and it was 8 in the morning. Some customers started arriving to get their morning coffee to start the day. You and Sam haven’t really talked much, apart from the occasional small talk you both had. The light drizzle from earlier had now turned to full on rain and it splattered on the window panes harshly. The sound of rain splatter accompanied both of you as you worked. It was kind of soothing, in a way..

“You must’ve heard about the Mayor”.

You were suddenly snapped out of your thoughts and brought back to reality. It took you a while to make out what Sam had just said, so you stare at her point blank for a minute or so.

“Oh yeah, yeah I did”, you stutter. Sam takes a minute to read you and raises an eyebrow at you in question.

“Do you know anything about this?”.

Wow, what a suitable question to ask.. Just great!

You send her a hesitant glare. You really didn’t want to let her know about all of this and especially about the Bat. But you found yourself struggling to lie and you soon realised you couldn’t lie, just not to her of all people.

“I think I have an idea, yeah. It was clearly a political terrorist attack. Whoever did this has a grudge against Gotham’s constitution and men in power”.

Sam hums in acknowledgment as she keeps working. “Great input, I see”

“Thanks”.. “You getting any help?”

You froze for a second.

“What?”

“I mean like, you have any work buddies or are you all on your own?”

You stopped what you were doing to look at her properly.

“Well obviously not, who can I possibly share this with and, and-“, you failed miserably in getting your words together.

Sam let out a worn out, low chuckle. You really could never lie to her..

“C’mon Red, you can tell me”, she said rolling her eyes at your pathetic attempt at lying.

You groaned internally. Why did things always have to go against plan?

You let out a tired sigh, and face her again.

“Well if you absolutely must know..” You say with a sarcastic tone and roll your eyes at her.

Sam smiles, amused.

“Go on”, she says as a smirk forms on her lips.

You send her a hard, steely glare before giving up and answering her question:

“Believe me or not but.. I may have ran into Batman”.

A moment or so goes by without any reaction from your friend. Then you see it..

Her pupils dilate into huge dark circles, enveloping the leaf green of her irises. “You’re joking”

“Well you’re the one that asked”, you shrug.

“Seriously?”, the look of concern was back again on her features.

“Yes”.

“Red.. Vengeance? Are you serious?”

You groan loudly and hold the bridge of your nose.

“You know, I knew it’d be a pain explaining all this to you, I should really get better at lying”..

Sam scoffs at your snarky remark.

“Well, I gotta say I am impressed.. You’re only one year into this and you’ve already made some interesting ‘friends’”.

You roll your eyes again… You really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. You really didn’t want to have it, ever.

“Well ‘surprisingly’ I’m not as dumb as I look.. I know how to get my way when it comes to certain things, y’know. A smirk forms on your lips. You hoped she got your little hint.

“Certain things like men”, she smiles back, a mischievous grin forming.

“Working at Falcone’s really did do you good eh? Hope the pay’s good”

“Yeah, but not fucking enough”, you let out a sardonic chuckle.

“I thought Falcone would be giving you extra tips since y’know, you’ve been a long-time employee”..

“Extra tips my ass”, you scoff and start pouring some water into the kettle for coffee.

Sam lets out a silent ‘Oh’ and looks down at the floor.

“Then why do you even bother working there?”.

You put the kettle on to boil, then turn around to look at her.

“The pay’s shit but better than anything else in Gotham.. At least it puts a roof over my head”.

You knew that was far from the truth. You had to lie to her just this once. What you told your friend was far from the reason you were working at Falcone’s… Let’s just say you had some set ‘intentions’ and there was no way you’d leave it undone..

Just as Sam was about to speak, the front door to the Café opened with a little ‘ting’ of the bell that chimed in response…

There stood a tall man wearing a raincoat and holding up a small umbrella over his form. The darn umbrella surely served him little to no use as he was already drenched by the rain. He had his hood up, so you weren’t able to make out his face just yet.. He walked over closer to the both of you, his steps slow and calculated. He really didn’t want to wet the floor from the raindrops that fell from his coat and boots. Hmm, how mannered and soo unlike most Gothamers.. You guessed he was a customer coming over to order his morning coffee or something..

The stranger lifted off his hood to reveal his face and speak:

“Hi, can I get an extra strong expresso for takeaway with no-“

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, he caught sight of you and paused.. And you came to recognise him.

Shit, it was Bruce Wanye..

What the hell is the prince of Gotham doing here?

You let out a silent gasp and stared at him. And he stared back.. There was silence. Noticing the tension between you two, Sam cleared her throat and greeted the billionaire with a warm smile.

“Oh Hi Mr.Wayne, it’s nice to see you again!”

But Sam’s greeting didn’t stop Bruce from staring. His eyes were glued on you..

How strange.

Wanting to subdue the awkwardness, Sam nudged you in the ribs lightly, snapping you out of your thoughts immediately.

“Oh”, you say and start making the coffee Bruce requested.

“Oh and did you say anything about not adding sugar?”, Sam asked the man.

As if realisation struck him hard, Bruce instantly snapped him eyes off you and turned to look at your friend instead. “Oh sorry, yes. Yes I did”.. Much to your surprise his voice came out softer and quieter than expected.

Sam nods at you to add no sugar, and then walks over to the till to bill Wayne’s coffee.

While you were preparing the drink, your mind was occupied with thoughts.

‘Why is he here all of a sudden?’ He’s only out and about in public once in a millennium and why would he wanna come to this boring little coffee shop?’ And most importantly why was he staring at you like that? Like he’d seen you somewhere before? ‘Could this be of any significance to you?’

Through the corner of your eye, you could see the man turn his head slightly to look at you once more. It seemed as though he was curious.. But why?

All your thinking got you to mess up his coffee before you even realised.

“Oh shit, I accidentally added sugar”, you whisper to your friend in a panicked tone.

“Red!”, Sam scolded you.

“It’s alright, I’ll take it..”, Bruce’s low yet soft voice made both of you jump. He was listening in.

“Oh no, it’s alright we’ll make you another one!”, Sam instantly responded, guilty that you got the billionaire’s order wrong.

“It’s okay, I’m in a bit of a hurry anyway”. His low, mellow voice was ringing in your ears. There was an undeniable familiarity in it..

“Oh well, it’s on the house then!” Sam said, faking a smile.

“No, really its okay”, he said adamant not to make her feel bad.

Just as you were done making his expresso, you took a marker out of your apron pocket and wrote ‘Bruce’ on the plastic cup to give his messed up order a final touch. You might as well do at least that little kind gesture to apologise..

You then turned around, and held the cup in your hand to give it to him. As you turned to face him, you caught his gaze on you once again and instantly he looked away. But shit, you caught him red handed.

Putting on a cheerful facade, you handed him the coffee with a big smile plastered on your face.

“Here you go, Mr.Wayne”..

Your eyes met his once again and you froze. There was something very familiar about them.. Dangerously so.

Quickly, snapping you out of your trance, Bruce whispers you a quick and quite “thank you”, before grabbing the expresso from your hands and them going over to Sam to hand her the money for the coffee.

He waists no time and reaches for the door.

“Have a nice day, Mr.Way-“, and Sam was cut off by the door which closed behind him. And there he was, out the door in no time..

Sam let out a heavy sigh, and turned to look at you.

“Well, What’d you think?.. He left just as fast as he came”.

You were there, staring at the door like an idiot.

“Why the hell was Bruce fucking Wayne here?”

“He comes here sometimes..”

You turn to face your friend.

“What?”

“Yeah, but it’s just since you’re part-time you never see him”.

And why the fuck didn’t she tell you that?

“And you never told me that Bruce Wayne comes here!”

Sam gave you a look of nonchalance and shrugs.

“What, it’s not like he’s some kind of extraterrestrial creature or something.. I didn’t think it’d interest you”. She gave you a sly grin afterwards. She knew she was playing with you.

“Ughh, Sam!”, you groan and roll your eyes.

Sam shrugs again and gets back to work.

****

It was 12 noon, almost time for you to finish work. Over the past few hours all you could think about was the man who showed up earlier..

All you could think about was ‘Bruce Wayne’.

‘Why did he look at you like that?’ Like he was suddenly captured by your eyes, and frozen in place by them.

Did he recognise you from somewhere?

Well you sure as hell haven’t seen him anywhere before..

Or have you?

****

[allfandomstan]

After Dark~(Batman x Vigilante reader), Chapter 2.

Read Chapter 1! Find it on my ‘posts’..

Genre: Action, Mystery, Crime, Noir.

Setting: The Iceberg Lounge from ‘The Batman’ 2022.

Warnings: Swearing, minor sexual harassment, minor violence, mention of adult themes, dark themes.

Word count: 4.6k

Author Notes: Hi guys, its me again! Back with another chap!! I was dying to get this one done cuz I’ve procrastinated enough😫…Anyways, this is kinda a chill chapter compared to the last one(Vengeance and reader get to know eachother a bit) and I hope you enjoy! Pls let me know what you guys think.

****

You were currently in your apartment, going through the events from the previous night. You just witnessed a high-scale murder of Gotham’s very own Mayor to be exact.

And you also ran into him..

You were still in your home clothes which was just an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts. You were slumped on the living room couch with a tub of instant noodles in hand. Quick fixes had to do. You wrote down the events from the previous night into your diary, the one you keep for your work. This way it allows you to recollect vital moments and distinguish key information you may need later. You had to force yourself to remember..

You kept writing and recollecting when you heard a loud buzz come from your burner phone. Putting down your pen slowly, you curiously picked up the phone.

The message came from an unknown number. Wait..

That must be him.

So, He did notice the tiny piece of paper that you slyly slid into the side of his belt after all?

Grinning you open up the message…

“It’s me”

Your grin widened upon the realisation that it was actually him. He actually bothered to contact you.  Well, why wouldn’t he?

You start typing slowly.

You just have to hold your ground when it comes to him. You can’t risk giving away too much information.. Even though he probably did a whole-ass background check on you already.

“Who’s me?”, you respond back mockingly, even though you already knew who it was. Not a minute was wasted, as he responded right after:

“You know who it is”…

“Do I really?”

You chuckled to yourself at the way you teased him. Alright, maybe you should stop.

“Alright, alright I got you Bat”.

You gave up joking around and got down to business. Inhaling deeply, you ask:

“What do you want?”

“I want to see you”.

Ok, now you figured he was genuinely interested. Or maybe just curious.

“Why?”, you type, aiming to get a reason out of him even though you knew already. You had to admit, you wanted to hear it come from him.

“Because of what you said.. about cooperation. And because I know what you saw.”

“And?”

“And maybe we can get somewhere with it?”

Wow, he caught on rather fast. The little giving your number trick did work well, and it worked almost instantly. Shit, it worked like that most of the time when it came to men.

“Fine… where?”

Now this was getting serious. He wanted to see you again and you know he meant business. Well, so do you. ‘Was he gong to interrogate you even further or was he going to cooperate?’

Uncertainty filled you to the very core but you couldn’t miss the chance you get to know him even more. Not that you knew very much about him to begin with. You always wondered who the man behind the mask was.

‘Who was this caped crusader that head been haunting the nights of Gotham for the past two years?’

‘Who was he under there?’

‘What were his motives?’

‘Why did he love this godforsaken city so much?’

‘Why does he want to protect it?’

Oh what you would do to find out. The curiosity bubbling inside you must be subdued, but it only will when you find the truth. But you had to be patient. Couldn’t get too nosy or he just might shut you out completely and maybe call this whole thing off. Without pondering much further you decided to keep engaged in the conversation:

“Oh are you sure about that?”

“Yes”

“Fine, but where can we possibly meet up?”

“The Iceberg”

Ok, hold the fuck on right now. He wanted to meet up with you in the Iceberg Lounge? Where all the fucking crackheads, crime lords and corrupt cops go to? Shit, that’s the sketchiest place in Gotham. Or even the planet, in your opinion. But nevertheless, that place hit too close to home.. Way too close. And that’s exactly why you hated it.

“You want to meet up in the goddamn Iceberg Lounge?”

“Yes. I got some things to deal with”

“What things?”

“That’s none of your business”.

To be honest, when he put it that way you kind of knew what he was talking about. C’mon you knew that place way too well..

“It’s the Penguin, right?”. You waited for him to respond. He must be baffled. You were able to read right through him…

After a minute, he responds with:

“Like I said, that’s none of your business”.

Heh, how rude. But you didn’t blame him though. Anyone who came to deal with the Penguin had to keep it incognito.

“Fine”, you respond. You knew there was no use in trying to interrogate him. He just won’t budge.

“See you there at 9”

“Umm, where exactly?”

“The 44 below”

“Shit, you want me to venture into danger zone?. Damn, I won’t even be surprised if I were to be murdered in there. And besides, you’ll just walk into the 44?

“Just do as I say”

“You really don’t care what happens to me, don’t you sweetie?”

“Just.. trust me”.

****

Back at his cave, Bruce was watching you. He was watching what happened the previous night on his big computer, after attaching his eye lens to the flash drive. He was watching through what he saw with his own eyes. His eyes scanned your face seeking recognition, but he received nothing. He certainly haven’t seen you around and definitely not once in the two years he served as Batman.

‘Who was this mysterious woman and what did she want?’

He let his eyes wander over your features, letting his gaze linger a little longer. He took note of your eyes and how they had a beautiful darkness in them, very much like his own. You were clearly angry, hurt and disturbed in some way like him. But nevertheless, he found you quite beautiful, and he didn’t want to admit it. He let his eyes wander over your fierce eyes, your little pointed nose, your blush cheeks and your defined jawline. And then he caught sight of your lips. They were lush, plumped and a deep maroon in colour. They looked soft…

Shit. He was getting carried away.

“Stop It Bruce!”, he mutters to himself, frustrated because he was getting distracted by this woman who he doesn’t even know the name of..

“Is that a friend I see?”

upon the realisation of his butler in the room, Bruce whips his head around frantically, glaring at Alfred. “I didn’t see you there”

“And I didn’t see her before. Who is she?”

Bruce lets out a heavy exhale, clearly irritated by Alfred’s intrusion.

“I don’t know”, he responds, voice filled with hesitancy. The butler gave Bruce a long, searching look. “If you want to invite her over for tea or something I-“, Alfred was cut off by Bruce.

“It’s not like that, she’s not a friend”.

Cutting off all of Alfred’s suspicions. Well, at least now he’s clear. “Oh well, okay”, Alfred said, looking down at the dark, tiled floor.

“You really shouldn’t sneak up on me like that”, Bruce said eyeing the butler.

“And you shouldn’t be caved up in this God forsaken terminal all day. You missed breakfast.”

Bruce let out a long and heavy sigh, indicating he was no longer interested in this conversation. “Alfred.. It’s what I do-“

“And It’s taking a toll on you!”, Alfred said out of pure frustration and concern.

“Alfred please..You’re not my Father”.

Fuck.. That wasn’t meant to come out like that. Yeah, the sleepless nights were really starting to take a toll on him. The butler just stared at him, wide-eyed and obviously a little hurt. But despite Bruce’s shockingly true statement, Alfred just responds with: “ Yes, that is very much understood”. By his strained voice, Bruce could very much understand that he has hurt Alfred. He’s gonna have to make up for it later. “Alfred, I-“

“No, no I insist. You carry on with your.. work”.

And with that, Alfred walks off to the elevator to leave. He spares Bruce one last glance over the shoulder and says:

“Hopefully we’ll see each other for dinner”…

Bruce lets out a heavy sigh. Again. Was his life really this dark and gloomy? He really needed to improve on his relationships, especially with the only family he had..

****

You stood outside the Iceberg Lounge, waiting to get in. You were standing in the queue for the club, which was filled with random civilians, most probably druggies and alcoholics who can’t get their life together. Here you were wearing a crimson red strapless corset top, with a black, tight mini skirt that showed off your curves spectacularly. You were wearing sky high black heels, and carried a elegant red handbag to carry your things in, including the little knife that you took with you everywhere. It had become a habit.. And it was part of your identity now. Besides, one can’t be too careful in a city like Gotham…

You had your hair down and styled to the side, and you had the perfect makeup for the occasion. Some smoky eyes and red lipstick did the job perfectly. It worked for the appeal. A little too well..

“Hey baby”.

A tall, lanky man with several golden teeth approached you. He smelt of cigarettes and weed. “Hey”, you say, trying to sound bored and aloof clearly not interested in further conversation. “You look nice tonight.. You single?” He snickered flirtatiously at the last line, inching closer to you. You could feel his hot cigar smelling breath on your face. It was sickening.

You moved back a bit, disgusted by the man’s advances. “Umm, no..”

You knew it was a lie, but you hoped it would falter his disgusting intentions ever so slightly. But you were wrong..

He hungrily eyed you up and down, his gaze penetrating your body and scanning over your features and curves, especially your ass. “Well that’s an awful shame.. I mean whoever that lucky bastard is, I envy him.. or her”. He let out a low chuckle.

“Heh, thanks for the compliment”.

“No problem, princess”.

you turned away from him, trying to put a stop to the conversation but then you felt a calloused hand grabbing your forearm. “And hey if you uh, ever feel lonely or just wanna have some fun.. Come over to Daddy, I’ll be right there waiting for you”.

You glared up at him, annoyed. Did this fucker not get the hint?

“Umm, thanks but I think I’m fine-“

“Oh are you sure, honey? You look like you could use some-“

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure thanks”..

You were now starting to lose patience with this guy. His grip on your arm grew ever so slightly.

You tried to yank your arm away but he wouldn’t let you. He grabbed on even tighter.

“Woah, woah, woah.. What’s the hurry for sweetheart?”

Grabbing your forearm, he brought you closer to him. His hand reached for your ass-

“Don’t touch me asshole!”

you tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t let go of your arm. As retaliation, his hand went up behind you to slap your bottom. He wanted to provoke you even further.

“What’s wrong babe? No one’s gotta find out!”. His voice was laced with pure cockiness.

With one swift move of your free hand, you punched the guy in the face. Instantly blood started leaking from the man’s nose, dripping down his mouth and chin and onto his brown leather jacket. Oof, that must’ve hurt. And that is what you intended, anyways.

“You little slut!”, screeched the man and lunged toward you. His hand latched onto your throat. “Listen here you-“

A hard slap right to the face was all he received from you.

He stumbled back, bumping into another man.

“Oi, watch were you’re going mate!”

Annoyed, the man pushed your attacker back. A fight ensued between them and all you could hear was yelling and shouting.

A crowd was beginning to form, encouraging the fight.

“Finish him!” “Take his eyes out!!” “C’mon dude, you can do it!”

You didn’t know who the crowd was rooting for but you didn’t want to stick around and find out. You just wanted to get into the nightclub and get your job done with. You’d much rather be with Vengeance than with these nut jobs.

You used the distraction as the perfect opportunity to cut ahead of people and get into the Lounge. There wasn’t a proper line anymore, as everyone was dispersed and running to get into the crowd to get a better look. “Losers”, you mumbled to yourself as you walked forward, towards the entrance of the Lounge. There you met two bouncers, who were clearly identical twins… Shit.. Not them again.

One of them caught sight of you walking up, and eyed you closely..

“Hey lady, you know what’s going on back there?”

“Nothing, just two dickheads getting it on”, you respond coolly, as if you totally didn’t cause the fight.

“Ahh ok.. Well then, what are you here for, ma’m?”

He eyed you up and down suspiciously.

“To have a good time like everyone else, obviously”, you say fluttering your lashes.

“She’s lying”, whispers the other twin into his ear.

“Yeah, you seem kinda fishy lady”.

You arch your brow. “Well, why?”

“Fuck I dunno, maybe cuz you’re the only one who didn’t run to join the crowd”

“Oh c’mon, why the fuck would I wanna see that?”

“Because you caused it?”

“Yeah, she caused it!” whispers the other twin a bit too loudly that you wondered why he even bothered to whisper. After what seemed like ages pass by, you were starting to get pretty restless. You had to make up an efficient lie that’ll convince these two bozos to let you in.. And Bingo. You knew exactly what to say.

You walked closer to them, slowly.. Lowering your voice to a sultry timbre, you say: “Hey, you wanna know something?”

The twins look at each other confused. One nods for you to continue.

“I’m actually here for Oz”.

“Here for Oz?”

“Yeah I’m here for him, if you know what I mean”, you chuckle playfully, fluttering your lashes.

They go still, trying to process what you said. You gave them a minute because you knew they were known to be a bit retarded.

“Ohhh” one of them speaks up after an eternity of thought. You fidget around, twirling your hair and fluttering your lashes. “Alright, sorry ma’m we didn’t know you were-“

“Oh it’s fine, it’s just that Oz doesn’t like his sessions delayed”, you chuckle.

“Yeah umm, come on right in”. One of them hastily holds the door open for you, consumed with guilt.

“Thanks boys!”.

****

“One martini coming right up!”, chirped the bartender rather gleefully. Damn, she was an awful lot positive for a Gothamer, it kind of creeped you out.

You were inside the club, after lying about being the Penguin’s prostitute which was fucking sadistic, but it served you good, nevertheless.

‘Where the hell is he?’. You were here for about 20 minutes and you were starting to get restless..

you suddenly heard loud screams and curses escaping people’s mouths.

“Get him!”

“Don’t let him fucking escape!!”.

you whipped your head around frantically to see what was causing all the commotion. You saw a black, armoured figure running around and beating the absolute shit out of people. Oh. That’s what he meant when he said he’ll meet you at the 44. Fucking lunatic.

He took the men down, one by one with such ease and grace. How did he fucking move like that? Especially in heavy plated armour? The man had to be some kind of combat God.

You see him abruptly come to a stop once he sees a round, plump man in front of him. Which was none other than Oswald fucking Cobblepot, a.k.a the notorious Penguin.

A conversation happens between them and then Vengeance heads up with Penguin to his dorm. You supposed it had to do with whatever he had to ‘deal’ with.

****

“I’m on the roof”

“How the hell am I supposed to get up there?”

“There’s stairs at the very back”.

Sighing, you walk towards the exit. Whatever dealings Batman was conducting in Cobblepot’s dorm was now dealt with and now he wanted to see you.

You exited the building and now the cold, night air stung you. It was so much different from the hot, moist and suffocating atmosphere inside the Lounge. You walked to the back of the building to find a long stairway which led to the roof of the building. This was going to be a pain in the ass, especially with heels.

Taking in a deep breath to soothe your nerves, you started going up the set of stairs. You climbed slowly up the stairs thinking about what you wanted to gain from the little meeting with Batman.

Once you reached the top, you slowly walked in, looking around yourself for any signs of human presence. He was nowhere to be seen. Where was he?

“Hello?”, you called out, hoping to get some form of response.

You looked around impatiently. The cold chilly air was getting to you, and you were underdressed for the weather. It was probably going to rain soon.

Letting out an irritated groan, you pull out your burner phone and start typing.

“Where are you for God’s sake?”

Just as you were about press send, you were startled by a voice talking to you.

“You actually came”.

You almost jumped out of your skin. It was him..

Whipping your head around frantically, you send him a panicked glare. You took a moment to take a deep breath and compose yourself before saying:

“Jesus Christ. You really know how to sneak up on girls in the dark”.

“Yeah.. I do”.

He walks closer to the light, out of the shadows and now you see him fully in view. He was still towering over you by a couple fucking feet. “So?”, You ask trying to get to the point.

“You never told me the truth about why you were at Mitchell’s house”

“Oh, I don’t think we need to go there”, you stated.

He gives you a hard stare, calculating and inspecting.

“What? You said our meeting was conclusion based, not a freaking interrogation!. How’d you feel if I asked why you’re doing all this?”, you rant.

He lets out a heavy exhale, and glares at you.

“Exactly, that’s what I thought”, you say crossing your arms over your chest. Bruce knew you were one stubborn bitch, so he decided to get to the questions about your choice of actions later..

“What do you know about him? What’d you see?”

"What do I get from you in return?"

You wanted to know what it had in it for you. There was no way you were simply going to ‘give’ him the info.

He took a step towards you, eyeing you menacingly.

He scoffs.

"I'll make sure not to hand you in to the cops".

"aww, what a pity.. You're threatening me?"

"What if I am?"…

A long pause ensued after that.

Sighing, you decided to make a choice fast. What if you ask him directly if you could work on the case with him? It'd save a lot of time to just get to the point than trying to play mind games with this guy.

"If I tell you.. Will you let me work on the case with you undercover?"

He froze on the spot. ‘Did you take it too far?’ You didn’t care as long as it triggered some kind of outcome. You were getting tired just beating around the bush. After a minute of silence he spoke up, voice hesitant and cautious:

"It all depends on what your motives are.. So you're gonna have to answer my questions".

Damn it.. This again.

"Listen, I'm not just some creep trying to get info off the case so I could mishandle it. I'm trying to solve this case because I don't want this dick bag running around and doing the same to other people. Whoever did this, deserves to suffer.. And I will make them pay". Your voice was low and filled with hatred.

"Why do you bother?"

"I could ask the same for you"

"Don't try to dodge my questions!"

He grabbed you by the forearm to bring you closer to him so he can look straight into your eyes.

"I wanna know why a woman spies on Mitchell one day, witnesses his murder and then wants to avenge him so badly!"

"I don't give a fuck about that corrupt asshole!" you spit, your voice seething with venom.

"Then why?!"

"Because, this killer doesn't deserve no mercy!!"...

You yank your arm out of his grasp and take a step back, angrily.

"He doesn't deserve to take the lives of other people.. He can't have that power".

You looked down at the floor trying not to lose your cool. You held back the tears that were forming in your eyes.

Bruce stood still for a second, frozen in place. You looked broken.. You looked like you had the same reason he had and you wanted to unleash vengeance on those who did the wrong. You were trapped in your own hysteria of revenge.. Much like him.

He looked down, not knowing what to say.

"It's alright you don't gotta be sorry", you say sarcastically, wiping a tear that was threatening to spill.

It looked like he was empathising with you because of his sudden lack of aggressiveness. He was docile, and willing to listen further in hopes you'd reveal your story. But you just couldn't give in. Not now anyways.

Bruce took a moment to recollect his thoughts and think. Whatever you were, villain or vigilante, you sure looked desperate to solve this case. On the plus side, you had witnessed a vital part of the crime. Maybe even the whole damn thing to be honest. You might prove to be very useful, so he can’t just let you go…

"Maybe you could work with me.. And my partner".

Bingo.

You'd just made him agree. In your own terms emotions were always stronger than intellect, no matter how irrational. But you just couldn't celebrate yet.. You didn't want to work with his 'partner'. Whoever the fuck he or she was(you were damn sure it was Gordon) you weren't interested in this 3rd party business.

"Heh, Honey no... I just want you alone. Let's just say I don't do threesomes".

As you said it, you stalked closer to him flirtatiously until you were able to stare at him in the eyes and asses his feelings. He didn't give into the temptations just yet.. Instead he took a step back clearly not wanting to engage in the flirting. When he finally regains his composure (after your little advance), he speaks up again, his voice low: "Whatever dealings you have with me, my partner knows.. Its either you stick around with him or you don't get involved at all".

“What is your partner? The freaking Pope?”, you say mockingly. Was Gordon really that important after all?

“You either go by my terms or you don’t stick around, it’s as simple as that”.

“Woah woah there, chill. If you wanna have your partner around you could, I’m not gonna bite your head off.. I’ll do anything to be with you even though it means we’ll have company”. You send him a wink after that comment.

He doesn’t look away irritated, but instead stares directly at you, eyes showing the slightest sign of fascination.. Damn, this always worked when it came to men. Always. Maybe you could keep it up? That’ll help you a lot in the long run. You also didn’t mind flirting with him because he wasn’t too bad himself..

But he wasn't done with you just yet..

Quickly he transitioned back to his intimidating demeanour and gave you a stern, hard look.

"But if I find out you're manipulating the case or screwing with the evidence, I’m calling this thing off”.

“Oh baby, me screwing with evidence? Please. Remember, I got your back and I’m not supposed to be betraying you?” Your tone was once again laced with cockiness, clearly irritating him.

“Yeah, I hope you won’t”, he said in a bland tone.

You scoffed at his rather blunt statement and smirked.

“And I look forward to working with you too, Bat”.

You eyed him up and down before finally settling in on his eyes. Once again you noticed with colour of them. A deep sea blue with tiny specks of marine-green. The shade stood out strikingly against the black of his eye paint. It looked beautifully ominous.. Your gaze moved down to the lower part of his face; You took in the sight of his sharp jaw and noticed the tiny stubble forming. Your gaze shifted again to look at his eyes.. Damn it, you couldn’t get enough of them.

“Are you just gonna let me stare?” You ask, arching a brow. Bruce didn’t say anything, instead just stared into your eyes, his gaze intense. What was it with this guy and talking? He only used words when absolutely necessary.. But his eyes expressed things more than words ever could. He was an intense man.

Breaking out of his trance, Batman took another step back. He titled his head down to look at the floor before he brought it back up to look at you..

“I’ll see you”

“Yeah.. Hopefully if this fucker decides to make an appearance again”.

The Bat signal was lit up in the sky tonight meaning he was needed. He couldn’t stick around long- he had places to be. After all, Gotham was a big city. Too big even for its own good.. That meant it was also a knife-up-the ass for the vigilante in front of you; The crime came back to haunt him every night, capturing his body, mind and soul and dragging him into the depths of its inner turmoil, much like the resentment that comes back to terrorise you, delving into your blood like an unwelcome parasite. You couldn’t help it.. That’s just the way you were.

“He’ll be back”, he said looking at the Bat symbol in the sky. “And if we’re lucky, we might have another high-profile victim on the way”. His voice was dark and gruff but a hint of resolve and enthusiasm was making its way through.

You hummed in agreement, your eyes also tuned in to the light up in the sky.

“We will see each other.. Again”, He said with conviction in his voice, sure that the sadistic killer will strike again. As he said that final statement, his gaze met yours, once again captivating you.

“Oh I suppose we will”, you smile..

“If you get anything, let me know”. He indicated to the burner phone still in your hand with his index finger.

“Oh yes, definitely”.

Another smile creeps its way onto you face.. You were actually going to work with him! The very masked vigilante that had been terrorising the nights of Gotham for the past two years. Wow.. You had gotten far.

And with that he walks towards the edge of the building.. As he stands on the edge, he gives you a look over his shoulder.

“I didn’t ask for your name”.

“Call me, Red”..

He gives you one last knowing look and nods, before turning to jump off the roof. You heard the sound of grappling hooks and you ran towards the edge..

He was gone. And once again you were left alone on the roof, with your thoughts racing…

***

[allfandomstan]

After Dark~(Batman x Vigilante Reader), Chapter 1.

Read Chapter 2! found on my ‘posts’.

Genre: action, mystery, crime, Noir..

Setting: Gotham City from ‘The Batman’ 2022.

Warnings: swearing, mention of violence, dark themes, mutual ‘tension’😉.

Word Count: 2.6k

Author Notes: Hi, this is my first time writing a fanfic (hope its not too bad!) and this is certainly my first Dcu fanfic. Most characters are adapted from ‘The Batman’ and character credits goes to Matt Reeves, the director. I’m hoping to make this an ongoing series, depending on the feedback I receive and motivation I get to write😫. Anyways, the reader is a newbie vigilante in Gotham(you'll know more about her in later chapters) and she's doing her own little ivestigative work when she crosses paths with Batman...

pls, tell me what you guys think (constructive criticism is always welcome) and hope you enjoy!

P.S there ought to be a lot of ‘tension’ between reader and Vengeance.😏😏

Fuck.

You witness the Mayor getting hammered by some fucked-in-the-head maniac, wearing a dull green trench coat and a leather- green face cover. He had a large, white question mark painted on the side of his coat.

‘What the hell could that mean?’

You blinked twice as you took in the sight  of the man taping the Mayor’s head in Duck-tape and writing something on it.

With his own blood.

“Sick Bastard”, you murmured to yourself as you focused the binoculars even more to read what he wrote on the Mayor’s taped up face. 

You couldn’t see it. 

You had to get a better view, but you couldn’t go down now. If anyone caught you, you’d be a prime suspect in the upcoming murder case. And that would only consist of them digging further into your background which you figured wouldn’t go down too well for you.

You had to wait it out. And wait for the sick Fucker to leave, or you could end up like the unfortunate Mayor.

****

An hour passed and you soon saw the outside of the Mayor’s house crowding up with Police Officers, detectives and the forensic crew. Shit, you even saw Jim Gordon. 

And seeing Gordon meant that ‘he’ could be nearby.

Hurriedly and by instinct,you looked up at the sky.

And there is was.

The notorious ‘Bat signal’ was lit.

It was the only thing that had been scaring the living shit out of the crime underworld of Gotham for the last two years. Well, it’s safe to say that Gotham itself is a crime underworld. Corruption, brutality and lies everywhere. Gotham wasn’t a compassionate city, nor was it a hopeful one..

Upon the realisation of the signal up in the sky, you immediately rose to your feet, taking your backpack and binoculars. You had to get out of the roof soon enough or Vengeance just might interfere. He’s always seen on high ground, right? On roofs and shit like that.

He stalks the city from above, and you were too vulnerable.. You had to get down, and now.

You raced to the door leading you to the stairs of the abandoned building which will take you down to the street.

You were breathless by the end of your journey down the damn stairs, and you had to convince yourself to get out of there fast. You crossed the street and went to the back of the Mayor’s house to catch a glimpse of what was going on, but you had to stay far away to keep a safe distance between you and the house. It felt like a fucking ridiculous plan but all you could find was a bush. 

Great.

Making use of what you had, you crouched down behind it. Nevertheless, the spot you were in allowed you a great vantage point to the window of the Mayor’s TV room; the place he was murdered.

So, you held up your binoculars and watched.

Closely.

Trying to find clues or vital information about who the fuck the crazy maniac who did this was.

You made sure to stay low, watching the officers and crew scrambling around, clicking pictures and searching the furniture for hand prints. Minutes passed by and nothing out of the blue happened. Until…

You could faintly hear shouting and sensed the tension rise. You saw people running around, shuffling and shouting to one another.

And then..

You saw him.

Everyone seems to have froze, as The Batman walked in. Slow and steady in his movements, but no less fucking intimidating. You froze as well, a chill running down your spine. 

This was going to be, interesting…

Hell yeah, fucking interesting..

You were extra cautious now that he was here. If he caught you, you were beyond fucked. Not that you were involved in the case in any shape or form right?..Or were you?

You just came here to spy on the Mayor,  nothing evil at all! 

And he ended up dead.

But Mr.Batman here wouldn’t understand that, now would he?

You crouched down even more from the position you were in and watched closely. You saw Jim Gordon trying to get Batman’s attention but his gaze was glued to the Mayor. Or to say, his corpse.

Suddenly the light lamp opposite you in the Mayor’s compound lit up, and it shone to the glass of your binoculars.

Shit.

The shine immediately reflected of the glass and onto the Mayor’s window…

The TV room window.

You didn’t notice it at first, but then you realised. And it was too late.

Vengeance took note of the shine and walked towards it, eyes desperately searching for the source. And then he took note of you, crouching down behind the bushes, with binoculars in hand.

You locked eyes with him..

Shit, shit, shit.

Immediate flight instinct.

You jumped out of your position and start running. Running away from the compound. A bit like a caught-in-the-act criminal, who knows he’s fucked it. A bit too much alike.

You run as fast as you could, not knowing where to go but still running as far away as you could from the Mayor’s house.

‘Could he be after you right now?’

You didn’t want to know.

Or you didn’t dare to look back and find out. You had no time anyway. You took a sharp left and ventured into a dark alleyway. You stopped running, trying to catch your breath but not getting enough oxygen.

Fuck, you ran like a bitch.

You haven’t ran as fast as that in your life..

You turned around to see if there was anyone behind you.

There was no one.

He probably thought you were a random curious reporter. 

‘He probably let it slide, right?’

You frantically look all around you, eyeing your surroundings to make sure you aren’t being stalked or followed.

You look around yourself, but you don’t look up.. At the roof.

Suddenly, as if it were a gust of wind, a black figure jumped down from the roof. Before you had time to run or even react, he took hold of your arm, swinging you around and smashing you into the brick wall. You winced in pain, as it all happened so quick like the speed of light.

The tall, dark figure closed the gap between the two of you and held you further against the wall, his tall form hovering over you.

His hand went up to the bandana scarf that was half covering your face.

Oh no.

Oh hell no.

Quickly with your free arm, you hit his intruding hand away. He growled in annoyance, and took hold of your free hand in his other one.

“The fuck do you want?”, you shouted in utter hostility.

“To see your face”, He replied in a low growl, still resisting your restless form trying to break free from his firm hold.

“Yeah, right! Like you’ll even come close-“

With a swift move of hand, he snatched the scarf right off your face..

For the first time in your life you felt naked. Truly exposed. For what you are and what you’ve done.

You were about to shout, when you felt his large hand cover your mouth shut.

Something was wrong.. You realised weren’t alone.

You suddenly heard the loud banter of very obviously ‘drunk’ men walking by the alleyway. There was a club nearby, which explains it.

Vengeance made sure you stayed quite until they were gone, and then he released his hand from your mouth.

But this time you didn’t say anything. You just stared. 

Into his eyes.

His gaze was intense, fixed on your face like he was trying to read you like an open book.

You wouldn’t let him get to you that easily, would you?

To his scrutiny you looked down.

But soon enough he placed his fingers under your chin harshly and tilted your head up forcing you to look at him.

“Look at me” he said sternly with a dark tone. You had no choice but to comply.

“Why were you there?”

“Why the hell does it matter to you?”

He pushed you further into the wall, reaching to a point where you found it difficult to breath.

“Tell me”.

You struggled against his form, wriggling under him and trying to find a way to break free.

You knew your own share of martial arts and things but he put you in quite the sticky situation here. Well, the man was pretty heavy.

Wheezing you say:

“I would tell you if you weren’t smouldering me to death!”.

You stopped fighting and let him think about the offer.

He backed away.

Now you felt like you were finally able to breath properly again.

“Now, tell me” he growled, maintaining an alert posture incase you tried to run.

“Alright, alright won’t you give a lady her space?”

He didn’t respond, instead just stared at you ominously, his steely gaze fixed on you. Damn it, you felt like prey being watched by its predator.

You knew he wanted answers and fast, so, you gave in. You decided to at least give him something to sooth his nerves, even though it wasn’t entirely the truth…

“Fine..I’m a GCN reporter and I was trying to get some scoop on the Mayor, since y’ know the election is near and he could be down to something that reporters like me just don’t wanna miss. But then…”

You trailed off, the memories of the murder flooding into your mind. He was listening, carefully.

Now you didn’t entirely give in.

You weren’t going to give him the entire details.

“Then what?”, he pushed.

You took a moment to inhale sharply. You then decided to give him a not-so-retarded answer that didn’t make your little lie so obvious.

“Then I got an important call from my friend, and I had to leave.. And when I came back to spy on Mitchell I saw that he was murdered and dead, sitting on the TV room chair with his face taped up.”

You prayed that it was a reasonable enough answer and that it would convince him to let you go. 

But no..

“Bullshit” he murmured. 

He took a step closer to you, a bit too close for comfort. He gazed down on you with utmost spite he could possibly muster.

“You saw who did it, didn’t you?”

You were offended. How dare he suspect you of lying?

“Listen Batboy, I don’t have a lot of time here and I don’t think you do too. So it’s  better if you just let me go my way and do my thing, and you do yours. I didn’t kill anybody and didn’t do no wrong. I was just trying to do my fucking job here, and I think you should do yours-“

“Tell me the truth!” He growls, and places a hand on your throat. And holds on a little too tightly for your liking.

“OR WHAT?” You challenge, looking straight into his burning eyes.

“You’re not a reporter, nor did you leave when Mitchell was getting murdered. You stayed right there and watched it happen…You know saw killed him”.

You were astonished.

‘How the fuck was he able to read through you?’

Like a fucking open book.

There was no use in trying anymore. In trying to lie anymore. It would only make him suspect you even more.

‘Maybe there’s no use in lying?’

‘Maybe both of you can call it a truce?’

‘Maybe you and Vengeance can get along and come up with some, compromises?’… ‘And maybe even some ideas?’

All of it for the exchange of information and maybe even a little ‘cooperation’..

“And what if I did?” You ask with cockiness lacing your tone.

His eyes grew bigger, possibly by realising the possibility that you truly did see what happened.

He took another step closer and now your chest was flush against his abdomen.

“What are you gonna do, baby?.. Arrest me?”

You flutter your eyelashes at him, tone laced with the same cockiness from before, but this time also teasing.

“Maybe..”

With his head bent towards you, ocean blue eyes searching for answers, he adds:

“Maybe I’ll let you go if..you cooperate”.

You look into his eyes and then your gaze wanders to his lips and to his sharp jawline. You scan his face, noticing the sharp-chiselled features.

Damn, the man certainly wasn’t ugly…

Snapping out of your little day dream, you think about his offer.

‘He’ll let you go if you cooperate?’

Well you didn’t really want him to let you go. Not that easily, anyway.

“Cooperate? Me and you?”, you ask trying your best to sound surprised.

But he saw through your facade and silence was all you received.

“That would be a little dangerous don’t ya think, Batman?”

“I don’t care”, he replied with a heavy tone.

“Well, you seem to like danger don’t you?”

You held up your hand to cup the side of his face when he suddenly caught you by the wrist to stop you.

There was silence…

Moments passed as he spoke up again.

“Who are you?” He asked, unable to hide the curiosity within.

You cocked your head to the side, arching an eyebrow with a mischievous smirk forming on your lips.

“Oh you’ll soon find out, sweetheart.”

Just as He was about to speak, the sound of police sirens and tires interrupted him.

“Looks like your friends are here. They’re probably looking for you”.

He turns his head to look onto the road.

You were about to yank your wrist out of his firm hold and run, but he tightens his grip even further.

“I’ll find you”, he says, blue eyes focusing in on yours.

“I bet you will”, you smile..

You quickly slip a small piece of paper into his utility belt.

You didn’t think he noticed, as he was so focused on your eyes.

“Maybe we can..cooperate?”

The sound of car doors closing and footsteps approaching snapped him out of his daze.

Using his lack of focus as the trump card, you quickly snatched your hand away and ran off further into the alleyway, turning a corner and disappearing out of sight.

‘Perfect’, you thought.

He didn’t chase after you.. After all he was going to find you.

Bruce was interrupted with the loud footsteps of Gordon and two other cops following behind him.

“Why the hell did you just run off like that, Man?”…

“Nothing. Just thought I saw somebody.”

“Oh and you sure did. Who were you talking to?”

Bruce lets out a long, heavy sigh.

“It was just a GCN reporter. She was just snooping around.”

“And you let her go!?”, Gordon asks frustrated.

“She’s of no use”, Bruce insists.

“Man, she could’ve been a witness!”, Gordon shouts, unable to hide his anger.

“She’s got nothing, believe me”.

The commissioner groans in annoyance and and brings his hand up to palm his face, shutting his eyes.

“I thought we agreed in deciding on things together”.

“We did”, Bruce responds almost instantly without hesitation. Gordon just stares at him in disbelief.

“So you let go of a possible witness without even confirming with me-“

He was cut off.

“I told you, she’s got nothing” Bruce interjects, passing the commissioner a glare.

He resigns, shooting his hands up in surrender.

“Okay, I believe you man but if I ever find out you’re lying to me, you and I are going to have to talk”.

And at this Bruce scoffs.

Gordon backs away with his officers onto the street, and passes Bruce one last look before saying:

“I’ll be in the car”..

When Bruce was finally left alone in the dark alleyway, he took out the note you had given him. After all, he did notice your little trick…

It was a small, white, crumbled piece of paper. It had some digits written on it.

Your number….