could I request a riddler fic where he just finished doing his riddler business (killing mayors & things lol) and sees the reader getting mugged. normally he’s not the type to help but the riddler suit gives him more confidence so saves her and feelings developp
detour
warnings: cursing, mugging, violence, guns, mentions of death, blood (not a lot just… as much as fighting would give you i guess)
edward didn’t usually just go out and about walking in his riddler suit, or, even at all. being the introvert he was, people and interactions really weren’t his thing. especially after just killing someone in your fancy(?) green getup, the public eye is not something you’d want to be exposed to. edward usually just opted for whatever unnecessarily difficult exit through a window or fire escape or something unusual that there was to avoid attention. slip out, be inconspicuous, and do not let anybody see you.
tonight, however, was different.
edward hurriedly walked through the dark, strayed alleyway, all in efforts to stay hidden and get back to his apartment quickly. it had just stopped raining a half an hour earlier and edward’s boots splashed through puddles as he shivered slightly underneath his suit; he hadn’t thought to wear anything to keep him warm underneath despite the fact he usually got quite hot in there.
keeping his head lowered, he saw the streetlights reflecting in the puddles as he continued his quick stride. edward was tired and cold, giving him just slightly more motivation to get home sooner. the alleyway he walked through paralleled with downtown gotham, usually only a few dropheads or sleeping homeless people coming into contact with edward. tonight, the alleyway was empty. as he made his way closer to his apartment and a more open sector of the city, he heard a voice yell. edward stopped dead in his tracks, his quick heartbeat halting momentarily. who was there? did somebody see him? was someone getting killed?
edward quickly jumped behind a dumpster, his muffled breathing loud in his ears. he searched around the dimly lit area just ahead of him until he found you being held at gunpoint against a wall by a man.
edward blinked and exhaled. just someone getting mugged; happens all the time in gotham. edward adjusted his large leather coat and regained composure before continuing to move along.
“what’ve you got hiding? drops? cash?” the man’s voice barked closely at you. the barrel of his gun was pressed firmly against the bottom of your chin, your hands were up as you tried to peer down at him from the position your head was in, and you were being pinned firmly against the damp brick wall. you grit your teeth and exhaled; you had simply gone out to buy painkiller at the drugstore, carrying just enough money to do so, and of course you got stopped on the way home. your plastic bag and painkillers were on the wet concrete now, and this bozo was refusing to let you go.
“i told you, i’ve got like a dollar and thirty cents in the pocket of my raincoat and that’s it pal. take it, go ahead,” you repeated flatly as the man growled.
edward had stopped when he heard your voice, not far beyond you at this point he turned around to once again look at the scene. something in him decided he could wait a minute, see how this played out.
the man stomped on your foot angrily and you whined in pain as the gun felt like it was going to break your skin if he pushed it any higher. “that’s not good enough!!” he screamed in your face as you began to cry. this was it, you thought. just another poster girl warning people never to go out in gotham alone. your life taken by some crazy mugger in the streets. you cried and cried as you wondered just how much longer you had before he’d pull the trigger and run, leaving your body in this godforsaken alley for god knows how long before maybe the GCPD found you.
edward frowned as he watched you cry. you were quite pretty and seemed very innocent, just another poor girl being mugged for no good reason in gotham. eddie’s brain was conflicted with thoughts of moving on or intervening as he watched the man growl things out to you as you shook your head and begged him to let you go. was he the hero type? i mean, not exactly. was his motive, however, for a better gotham city? yes.
“fuck,” edward muttered defeatedly before tugging on his mask and striding towards you, boots splashing harshly in puddles. as he quickly approached you, your teary eyes squeezed shut as you were held at gunpoint, he yelled at the man and both of you gasped. “get the hell away from her, you piece of shit,” he growled as he kicked the man in the stomach. you held yourself firmly against the wall and watched with wide eyes and an open jaw as this leather-donned guardian angel came to your rescue. as they fought the mugger fell to the ground, and edward kicked the gun away just before kneeling over the man and punching him relentlessly.
overwhelming tears continued to flow down your cheeks as you watched edward’s punching slow and the mugger taking deep breaths. was this real? what the hell was happening? who was this? where did he come from?
edward grabbed the bloodied and bruised man by the collar of his shirt before muttering “try this shit again and see what happens.” the man nodded as eddie let him go, the mugger quickly picking himself up and running away as fast as he could, forgetting his gun. edward looked up to meet your shocked gaze, your chest raising up and down rather fast as tears still flowed down your cheeks.
“are you alright?” edward asked. your eyes darted from side to side and you gripped the brick wall as you let out a sob, edward’s question not registering. “oh my god,” you choked, emotions rushing over you as fast as the batmobile. edward quickly stood himself up and reached out hesitantly, unsure of what to do. “oh my god… oh my g-god-“ not only were you recovering from what traumatic events had just taken place, the presence of this vigilante was somewhat offsetting and you were unsure if he beat off the other guy just to take you for himself or if he actually meant well.
“hey,” edward whispered, stepping closer to you so his hands were just an inch away from holding your shoulders. you looked into his eyes, and edward froze as he scanned your expression. a momentary panic flooded him as he wondered if you knew who he was, but it died down as he realized how intimidating he probably looked. “o-oh,” he chuckled awkwardly as he ripped off his mask (and the cling wrap before you could process that was on his face too) and put his glasses back on his face, the cool air engulfing his sweaty head. “s-sorry about that…”
your bottom lip trembled as you shook your head slightly, feeling more relieved now that you could see his face. you tried to take a deep breath and edward watched you nervously, rocking back on his heels. he gave you a moment to regain a stable breathing pattern and something in his heart exploded when you looked so gratefully into his green eyes.
“thank you, th-thank you so much,” you whispered. edward blinked and ran a hand through his tousled locks, now nervous for a different reason.
“not a problem,” he replied humbly, trying to give you a small smile. you looked into his eyes for a moment before biting your lip and throwing your arms around him in a tight hug. edward’s breath hitched as he momentarily wobbled off balance from the sudden force of your body against his. his eyes were wide and his arms were awkwardly out to the side, unsure if he was capable of hugging you back.
“i was so scared,” you exhaled as you held him tightly. edward’s stomach did somersaults as his brain swirled around the person who was currently hugging him. he felt a little dizzy, definitely less confident than he did minutes ago. he watched as you pulled your face from his chest to look up at him. you let go of him and backed up, wiping your eyes and lightly laughing and edward longed to feel your touch again.
“sorry, that was abrupt,” you admitted. edward shook his head and smiled weakly.
“no no, it’s okay,” he reassured. another moment of eye contact made eddie’s heart absolute swell and feel as though it was going to burst. you. you you you.
“i don’t know how i can ever thank you, i really thought i was done for,” you said. edward fiddled with his glasses and shrugged.
“it was really no problem, i’m glad i was here to help you,” he smiled. you smiled back and held your hands to your chest, absolute gratitude just pouring from your soul for this stranger.
“what’s your name?” you asked. edward paused before clearing his throat.
“e-edward,” he replied hesitantly. you grinned. “i’m (y/n).”
“it’s nice to meet you, (y/n),” edward replied politely. you reached down to pick up your wet painkillers and you sighed.
“all this for some painkillers,” you joked. edward laughed lightly as you shifted your weight to the side you intended to leave towards. edward felt like he could stare at your eyes all day. the innocent way you looked at him after he just saved your life, how angelic you looked after just hugging him, your smile, your pretty little misty eyes.
“thank you so much again, edward,” you repeated genuinely. eddie nodded and suddenly felt exposed in his riddler costume.
“i-i gotta go… do you think i can see you around soon?” edward asked hurriedly. you blinked before nodding.
“uh, yes! yes, please! how can i contact you?”
edward began to walk away and put his mask back on as he spoke. “don’t worry, i’m sure we’ll see each other soon, okay?” he reassured. your brain was swirling as he held a hand out towards you before running off, leaving you alone once again in the back alley. your brain was swirling. this had to have been a fever dream, there’s no possible way it was real. you stood and regained a slight sense of consciousness before resuming your walk back home, a little quicker than before.
as edward ran away, the only thing he could think about was you. how lucky he was that he found you. how blessed he was to have been able to meet you and see your face, hear your voice, even watch you cry. he saved you. his heart beat rapidly in his chest as he slowed down, his breath hot and heavy in his mask. he felt a little stupid for falling in love with a girl he had just saved, but he was convinced he was in love with you. this was meant to be. you were made for him. this was good karma of some sort. he cringed as he wondered what would have happened to you if he would’ve just moved on, and it made his blood boil.
he had your name and knew your face. you asked how you two would be able to get in contact again. edward chuckled and thought about you lovingly. oh darling, he thought. he’d find you very soon.
i have no words besides the fact that i’m nervous and i hope y’all liked it :’)
