all the fics I've got on here on tumblr. feel free to check me out on ao3 or wattpad if you'd prefer.
Redlight
Monkey Man | Kid x (fem) reader | completed | word count: 14.5k |
When a tall stranger is suddenly hired into the King's Club, your world shifts abruptly--whether for better or worse. As he unravels the threads of his history, you find yourself running from your own. Can you confront the shadows of the past, or will they ultimately consume you both in the end?
Sonata in Darkness
The Batman | Batman x (fem) reader | completed | 21.7k words |
When a new serial killer prowls the streets of Gotham and murders politicians in Gotham, Batman is forced into unraveling the city's dark secrets. Only, he didn't expect to team up with you. What an unlikely duo...
Can't Sleep
The Suicide Squad | Polka-Dot Man x (gen. neutral) reader | completed | 12k words |
Unwillingly team up with supervillains to form Task Force X, or more affectionately called Suicide Squad, as they fight tooth and nail through the island of Corto Maltese to complete their objective.
note: this was a lot of fun to make, and the love/support makes me so happy! I hope everyone enjoyed this series as much as I did <3
Now it was time for phase two of his plan: kill Rana Singh
Queenie had called your cell phone late last night. While you were laying next to Devu, talking about his fight with Sher Khan and holding hands, your phone buzzed.
“I don’t know where the hell you’ve been these past few days but you better have your ass here tomorrow,” Queenie growled into the phone. Putting the phone on speaker, you set the phone to where Devu could hear as well.
“Baba Shakti is celebrating at the King’s Club, which means that Chief Rana will be there to guard him. I need tomorrow to go perfectly, which means I need your ass in a red dress on his lap before dinner, you hear me?” Her voice was increasing in volume by the second. “Not the club dress, that one’s too distasteful. I need you in that one evening gown,” she explained calmly, her tone doing a 180.
“Okay,” you assured, looking at Devu and forming a plan in your mind. “I’ll be there.”
“Great, see you then.” You could practically hear the smile through the phone. Devu went to speak but you hushed him, your mind racing as you thought of your plan.
It was relatively simple. When you went to the club, you would stash a knife in the kitchen so you could retrieve it before meeting with Rana. It would be hidden under your dress, along with a small firework explosive. Devu would break into the kitchen and make his way into the elevator. You tried to persuade him to take a quieter, more discreet route, but he wanted to make as much noise and destruction as possible. Once he made it into the lounge, you would set off your explosive at Rana while Devu fired his explosives into the air, causing as much chaos as possible.
Rana Singh would die, and then you would be free. Both of you would be free.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Making it into the kitchen, you grabbed the knife and took the elevator to the dressing rooms. Changing into an elegant red dress, with the knife and explosive hidden on your thigh, you did your makeup. Hands shaking, you had to take a deep breath to calm your nerves. You didn’t speak to anyone–not even Sita.
Soon the guests arrived and were escorted into the lounge. Rana saw you waiting patiently by the wall near across the elevator doors and joined you.
“Hey, baby,” he whispered, voice deep and rich.
“Hey there yourself, handsome,” you purred, leaning closer to him. Making small talk, the guests sat themselves and a man took to the stage. “Is that…?” you asked quietly in fake astonishment.
“Baba Shakti?” Rana finished. “Yeah, I’m guarding him tonight,” he smirked, eyes scanning over the entire room. He smiled handsomely. “So you can’t distract me too much tonight, hmm? Even though you’re simply to die for.” He made a point by grabbing a handful of your ass.
Gasping in surprise, you giggled. “Oh, baby, you have no idea.”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the man on the stage started. “What an honor it is to be here with the Sovereign Party on the cusp of our historic victory.”
Rana immediately went to work and diligently scanned the crowd.
“One day, the maharajas on these walls will be replaced with portraits of each and every one of you,” the speaker smiled, making the audience quietly laugh. “We will rid Mother India of her scars and make her beautiful once more. I would like to acknowledge the great contribution of a mighty chief of police, Rana Singh!” The crowd applauded him, and you did as well, along with giving him a small kiss on the cheek. “His courage and integrity has led to Yatana’s lowest crime rate.”
‘Devu should be making his way through the kitchen,’ you thought, still standing by Rana.
“There is still one other person, without whose blessing, we would not be here. My guru. My mentor. His Holiness…Indian’s lion…Baba Shak-!”
A huge explosion from below you shook the walls and flickered the lights. The crowd gasped and murmured amongst themselves. Rana, now at full attention, began looking around the room for possible answers.
Your hand slowly shifted down your thigh and through a hidden slit. Grabbing the explosive, you shifted behind Rana so he couldn’t see. There was a candle a few feet away from you. If only you could just…
The elevator doors opened with a ding! Devu’s explosive fireworks flew into the room and straight for Rana. Taking this as an opportunity, you lept towards the candle to light your own explosive while Rana shielded himself with his arm. Everyone rushed to the nearest exit, screaming, which left you a nice and clear target.
With no warning, you lit the firework and watched as it exploded against Rana Singh. It caused his skin to open and welt, but if it hurt him he didn’t let it show. Devu was lighting his own fireworks and making impressive work out of Rana’s men.
“You bitch!” Rana yelled, voice growling dangerously. He stalked towards you. Turning to run, he grabbed the hem of your dress, pulling you to the ground. Rolling out of the way of a punch, your hand quickly found the hidden knife in your dress, but unfortunately, Rana was able to pick you up and throw you back onto the floor.
Groaning, you stumbled back and onto your feet in time to meet Rana’s fist, but you ducked just in time. Using the momentum, you sank your blade into his shoulder with a grunt of effort.
Rana yelled in pain and pushed you away, back onto the floor. Grabbing the handle of the knife, he yanked out the blade and stalked towards you. Just as you stood up, his hand wrapped around your throat and constricted. Your scream attracted the attention of Devu, which Rana took note of.
Instinctively, your own hands flew to paw and claw at Rana’s, but it was useless. Rana started to walk forwards, which made you instinctively want to walk backwards as to lessen the pressure on your neck. Your back hit the wall of the elevator room and the hand on your throat increased in pressure.
Devu heard the elevator ding. Looking over, his eyes widened in dread as Rana Singh met his stare, his hand still choking you.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Devu rushed after you as quickly as possible. Alpha and her warriors arrived, which let him focus his attention on you. However, Queenie arrived with a gun and almost shot him. Sita managed to strike a devastating blow against Queenie's head, killing her and allowing Devu to sever her thumb for later use.
Devu tried to catch his breath during the elevator ride to the VIP lounge, but the thought of you in danger through that out the window. Hands clenching with blood, he readied himself to save you.
When the doors to the VIP lounge slid open, he heard a wet gasping and several body blows. Throwing all caution to the wind, he sprinted inside to find you. Laying in a small puddle of blood, you gasped for air, crying. The knife you struck Rana with was now in your own shoulder, blood oozing out of the wound.
He’s seen this before, hasn’t he? Devu, paralyzed by the memory of his mother, looked at you in horror as the realization of the similarities set in. Immobilized by fear, Rana took advantage of his trap and struck Devu across the face, sending him to the ground next to you. Your bloody face with eyes peering into him would haunt him for the rest of his life.
“Finally out of your tree, huh?” Rana mused. “Get up.”
Devu groaned as he got up, giving you one more heartbroken glance before steadying himself for a fight.
“Did your mother send you back for more?”
Devu dodged Rana’s heavy punches with incredible speed. They exchanged several blows, but Devu was fully prepared for this fight. He was able to knock Rana down briefly, but the chief of police shoved him through a glass display, temporarily halting Devu’s progress.
“Get up, motherfucker!” Rana let Devu rise to his feet. “You son of a whore. What are you looking at?” Following his gaze, he saw that Devu was watching you slowly climb off the floor and rest your back against a tipped over table. The knife was out of your shoulder and rested loosely in your palm.
Rana hummed and chuckled. “The son of a whore is in love with a whore. How romantic.”
Devu went feral. Yelling, he dodged another blow and kicked Rana in the thigh, stunning him slightly. Sizing each other up briefly, Devu glared at Rana with fire in his eyes before they each threw a punch, which landed on the other’s punch. Rana shook his hand to ease the pain as Devu just watched.
It was over for Rana. Devu, now wild and reckless, attacked the man with full abandon. Rana got sent to the floor. Devu, panting, strolled to you and grabbed your shoe that had slipped off. He winked at you before striking Rana across the face with the heel.
It was…terrifying to see Devu like this. He striked Rana again a few more times with the heel of your shoe before dropping it to the ground. Grabbing Rana by his hair, eyes crazed, he punched him again, sending him to the floor.
“Get up,” Devu ordered. “Get up!” Rana groaned; he rolled onto his back as he wheezed for breath.
You watched–eyes wide in horror–as Devu delivered blow after blow onto the man’s face, killing him with nothing but his fists. A large puddle of blood flowed out and away from his head, life slipping away with it.
As if suddenly remembering, he turned on his foot and dashed to you, yelling your name. He extended his hand rather quickly to help you up, but you flinched. Devu’s eyes widen and his brows knit together, realizing that you just watched him kill a man with his bare hands. His bloody hands shook as he displayed them, trying to relay that he was no harm.
Breathing raggedly, you shifted against the wall but moaned in pain. Devu instantly came to your side, helping you stand and lean against him. The blood on his hands transferred to your skin.
Devu helped you get into the elevator. His finger hovered over the lobby button, but you smacked his hand away with effort. His brows furrowed in confusion.
“Penthouse,” you gasped. “Shakti’s there.”
“But you need-”
You shook your head. “I’m f-fine. I can wait.” Devu watched you, unsure. “Baba Shakti will get away if we don’t go now.”
Devu, eyes still on you, slowly retrieved Queenie’s severed thumb from his pocket and used it to get into the penthouse. The blood on your hands made it difficult to keep the blade in your grasp.
“Welcome, Queenie.”
Devu maneuvered your arm to wrap around his shoulder for better stabilization. The elevator display screen image turned into a crown, signaling that you had made it to the penthouse. The doors opened to reveal Baba Shakti sitting across the wall, foot lazily splashing in the water below his seat. Devu and you slowly walked towards him, stopping beside the painting of Hanuman.
“So you are the one?” Baba Shakti looked out the window and at the fireworks dancing across the sky. “Look at them all…Diwali. The triumph of light over darkness. The defeat of Ravana. But Ravana was no demon. He was a scholar. A visionary. He built an empire out of nothing.”
The man shook the water from his foot and grabbed his shoes before coming to a stop in front of you two. “Why not end this cycle of violence? Or we will be trapped in it for generations.”
“Do you even know my mother’s name?” Devu asked quietly. “Do you know any of their names?”
Baba Shakti rolled his eyes. “Anger will not quiet your soul, my son.”
“Don’t call me ‘son.’”
The man scoffed softly and tapped his wooden shoes together. “These were carved by a devout follower, who wore them to protect his feet from harming any small creature. On the side here, there’s an old prayer: ‘Forgive me, Mother Earth, for the sin of injury which I inflict with each step.’”
A helicopter slowly whirred outside, its beacon blinding you with its light.
“My chariot is here.”
Baba Shakti revealed a hidden blade from his shoe and stabbed Devu in the stomach. He gasped and gripped the hand that was twisting the blade further into his abdomen.
Quickly, you brought your blade over your head to stab the guru, but he was too quick. His second blade from his other shoe lodged itself into your chest. Screaming, you dropped the knife, landing it right onto his arm, the one that was still holding the blade. Baba Shakti shrieked and let go of both blades as fell backwards onto the ground, his good arm holding the wounded one.
Eyes suddenly becoming hazy, you slipped off of Devu’s shoulder and onto the ground. With your hand feeling the hole in your chest, you gasped raggedly as you kneeled on the floor. Blood seeped past your fingertips and onto the marble.
Devu became overrun with anger and allowed his adrenaline to kick into overdrive. Yelling, he took the blade that was in his stomach and lunged for Baba Shakti. Sinking the weapon into his chest multiple times–the same place he stabbed you–he readied himself for the final blow.
Shakti gurgled, blood flowing past his lips. “You can’t,” he said weakly. “These people need me. Please, I’ll give you what you want.” He started to plead. “I’ll do anything. Forgive me! Ha-ha-have mercy, please!”
“Only God can forgive you now.”
Devu heaved the small blade above his head and stabbed it in the middle of Baba Shakti’s forehead, killing him instantly. Panting quietly, Devu stumbled to his feet and clutched his stomach. His eyes slowly panned over to you, and he screamed in agony.
There you were–lying on the floor, hand to your chest, eyes staring into nothing.
He didn’t bother to stifle the sob that escaped him. Crashing onto his knees, he gently picked up your head and let it rest in his lap. Bending down to kiss your forehead, tears raining onto your face, he placed a small kiss on your temple.
He did not get back up.
His body slumped over yours.
Three bodies entered the room that night. Not one made it back out.
note: sorry for the delay guys, I've been busy with college (it sucks lol) and sometimes I just forget to update.
The next few days were probably the best you’ve had in a long while.
Your daily activities were simple, but having Devu by your side made it all the better. You’d wake up together, eat together, do chores together, and you’d watch him train with various equipment to get stronger. Sometimes he would coax you into training with him–it always ended with the both of you doubled over from laughter.
Currently, you were sitting next to the tabla maestro as Devu punched the sack of rice to the rhythm of the drums. When the rice came spilling out and onto the ground, you grinned at him with pride. Devu grinned back, but it soon fell when screaming came from inside the temple.
Running to the entrance, you and Devu saw a crowd hunched over a limp body. Alpha was trying to get information on what happened.
“What happened? What happened?” She demanded.
“These men put a notice on the door. She tried to take it down, but they beat her!”
“She’s not breathing-”
“-Breathe, Lakshmi, breathe!”
“Did you see who it was?” Alpha pried further.
“It was Shakti’s men-!”
“-They said the temple never belonged to us. Alpha, where will we go? If we don’t have money, they will keep doing this. We cannot pay off some thugs.”
“We all must pray,” Alpha ordered. She looked up and saw you and Devu peering through the doorway in horror. “God has a plan.” Devu grasped your hand and forced you to follow him.
Speeding through the courtyard, he grabbed an abandoned hoe and brought you into the part of the temple with Parvati and Shakti.
“What are you doing?” you whispered, but he ignored you. Sending a small prayer first, he heaved the tool high above his head before crashing it down on the lock of the donation box. “Devu!”
He grabbed as much money as he could with one hand and dragged you out of the temple with the other.
“I have a plan.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Ladies and gentlemeeennn-!” Tiger’s voice rang through the arena. “Are you ready for a fucking fight?!”
You had to admit, it wasn’t a bad plan. Devu took the money and gave it to his friend Lucky so he could bid on himself. His plan was to win and give the earnings back to the temple. He would earn an impressive amount back since he was the underdog. The only hazy part was that he had to win.
Currently, you were standing in the pit, right next to the ring. Devu put you there, and Tiger sure wasn’t going to complain about it.
“On my left, the still undisputed champion in aaallllll of India! The s-s-s-s-snake…” he hissed, getting the crowd to join him. “King Kobra!” The fighter was wearing a nylon mask and flexing to the audience. The crowd chanted his name.
“Settle down. Settle down, you animals,” Tiger ordered. “From his majesty, all the way to the deepest, darkest jungles of my mother Africa. I hunted him down. I-” he blew into the mic. “-darted him myself, and I brought him all the way here for your entertainment. He’s evil-” You rolled your eyes. “He’s ferocious-” Scoffed. “He’s a dark destroyer-!” That was a new one. “I give you…Kong!”
The crowd jeered as he crouched menacingly in the corner of the ring, but you clapped and yelled his name in excitement. This time it would be different. You weren’t going to see him take the beatings this time. This time, he would be the one dishing them out. Your heart beat fasting as you waited in anticipation.
“Do you want to see these two animals fight?! The snake and the monkey…Fight!”
The crowd chanted King Kobra’s name as he jumped up and down, reading himself. Tiger collected some of the biddings and tried to show it off to you, but your eyes were entranced by Kong, who stood perfectly still in a guarded position.
Finally, the bell rang for the fight to start. Holding your breath, you watched as King Kobra rushed at Kong…only to be knocked out by a single swift kick to the head. The crowd gasped, but you cheered with the breath you were holding. Kong gave you a thumbs up as he prowled the ring’s floor.
“Did he fucking knock him out? Kobra, wake up!” Tiger demanded, voice hushed. He turned his attention to Kong. “You get him up right fucking now!”
Kong blew a kiss instead.
Ordering his men to take Kobra out of the ring, he grabbed the mic and took to the stage. Kong was standing in front of you and watched as you patted the ring’s floor in excitement. Your faith in him kept him going, and he hide a grin of his own behind his monkey mask.
“Wow. Woooowww. That was a surprise,” Tiger announced, slightly nervous. “Fucking lucky kick, eh? Looks like we got a cheeky little monkey on our hands tonight…” The crowd was chanting ‘kill the beast!’ as Tiger brought out another fighter. Giving Kong two thumbs up, he readied himself.
“Ladies and gentlemen! I give you the biggest, the baddest, the bone crushing… Bhalu the Bear!”
He was almost an entire foot taller than Kong, standing at an impressive seven feet and two inches. Tiger instructed Bhalu to fuck Kong up royally.
Kong tilted his head to the side, studying his opponent as the bell rang.
Kong kicked Bhalu in the stomach, but he didn’t budge. Instead, Kong was knocked back into the ring’s rope. Using the force of the ropes to his advantage, he rolled along the floor, dodging Bhalu. Kong threw some punches, but was eventually knocked to the ground where he had to roll out of the way of Bhalu’s stomps.
They’re dance of rolling and jumping around went on for too long. Tiger threw a bat wrapped with barbed wire into the ring.
Bhalu grabbed the weapon, but he was too slow. Every swing was dodged. Eventually, Kong was able to kick the weapon out of Bhalu’s hand and punch him in the throat with a jump. Kicking him in the balls allowed Kong to get a good hit on his face before he kicked Bhalu with both feet, sending him to the ground.
“Yes! Go, Kong!” you screamed. Faintly in the crowd, you heard another person cheer for your Monkey Man. Kong pointed at you before beating his chest like an ape, grunting as played the part of the monkey.
The crowd chanted for him to ‘kill the beast’ as he picked up the weapon, but he soon dropped it, letting it clatter to the ground. A hush fell over the crowd.
“Hail the mighty one!” you cheered. Kong looked at you in surprise, and then looked around the crowd as they started cheering too. Tiger was even speechless. He looked sort of…proud.
Kong basked in the praise for a moment before hopping off the stage. Coming straight towards you, he picked you up in a very tight hug and spun you around. Laughing, you kissed the cheek of his monkey mask. He slipped off his mask and kissed you–no hesitation. Squeaking in surprise, you quickly recovered and flung your arms around him, pulling him into a deeper kiss.
When Bobby woke up, he didn’t know if he was dead or alive.
Peering through his lashes, he spotted a statue–Parvati and Shiva–with someone sleeping below it. Opening his eyes more and propping himself on his elbow, he saw that it was you, peacefully sleeping on the ground. You were now out of that red dress and into something more comfortable–he had never seen you out of uniform. He sat up more and was about to call out to you, but he winced instead. Touching his cauterized wounds, he sighed in relief.
“You’re awake,” an unfamiliar voice said softly. Snapping his head to the woman, his brows furrowed slightly. “Finally.” Alpha smiled, pointing towards the statue. “Beautiful. Isn’t she?”
Devu followed her finger and nodded. “Yes,” he whispered, eyes on you.
“Parvati and Shiva. One half devotion, the other destruction. Male. Female. Neither. Both. Some people find that…strange. But we hijras understand it completely.” Devu went to call out to you, but Alpha sensed it and hushed him by putting a finger to her lips. “Let her sleep. She’s earned it.”
“Who are you?” he whispered.
“I’m Alpha, keeper of the temple.” Devu stood up and groaned in pain. “Careful, careful!”
“Why did you help me?”
“You should have died from those injuries. If it wasn’t for her-” she gestured to you, “-you would have died. The gods must have a greater plan for you.”
Bobby stared at Alpha for a moment before turning his gaze to you, still asleep on the floor. Bouncing between the two of you, Devu said slowly, “I should go.”
“No, I wouldn’t do that,” Alpha warned, voice rising slightly before lowering again so as to not wake you.
“The police are looking for you. All over town. But not here. They find us too…” Alpha struggled to find the word. “...unsettling. Stay with us. With her. Rest. You need to heal…Maybe she will speak to you,” she suggested, pointing to Parvati and Shiva.
Devu must have taken too long to say something, for Alpha spoke again. “Come. You must be hungry.”
Bobby watched Alpha slowly shuffle down the hall and further into the temple. Instead of immediately following her, he slowly walked to your sleeping frame. Kneeling down quietly, he gently pressed his lips against your forehead before standing back up and following the keeper of the temple.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Waking up on the cold stone floor was not pleasant, but at least you got some rest. Looking through the windows revealed it was nighttime, and if you listened closely, drums could be heard from a distance.
A quiet gasp echoed in the room and you quickly turned to investigate where the noise came from. It was your Romeo. Eyes wide and smiling, he carefully stood up from where he sat to stand in front of you. Taking his offering hand, you threw your arms around him, burrowing your head in the blanket that was wrapped around him. Devu gingerly wrapped his arms around you as well, resting his chin on your head while your tears seeped into the fabric he was wearing.
“I hate you,” you sniffled before a broken laugh bubbled out of your throat. Devu smiled as well and hugged you tighter. Taking a deep breath, he breathed in your scent as if he was trying to remember it forever.
“Thank you,” he whispered into your ear. Looking up at him showed that his eyes were just as teary as yours. Devu took a deep breath to explain himself, but you hushed him.
“Not now,” you whispered, returning your head to his chest. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. Let’s just…just follow me.”
Taking his hand carefully, you led him outside and into the courtyard. The tabla maestro was playing while people chattered amongst themselves. You led him to a space in front of the maestro to sit.
“This one is a story of a husband and wife,” he started. “Husband-” he played a low note. “-and wife.” He played a higher note. He started the show by playing the deep and low notes separately in long sequences, indicating that they were arguing. He then played a steady beat using both notes together. “...and now they are okay!”
Laughter erupted from the crowd, and a small, sad smile took its place on your lips.
Devu glanced at you from the corner of his eye. You were curled up beside him, holding your knees to your chest. Devu opened the blanket that was wrapped around him and draped it over the both of you. Head resting on his shoulder now, his eyes twinkled in contentment.
The maestro picked up speed. He played the notes together quickly and quietly, with sharp staccatos, and jerked his head from side to side to signify that they were hitting each other.
“...and that is why she ran away with the priest.”
The crowd erupted into laughter once more.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Waking up with light streaming through the windows and birdsong, you noticed Devu was gone. You had fallen asleep curled up beside him as he rested against the wall and played with your hair; he claimed he wasn’t tired.
Wiping the sleep from your eyes, you set off to find him–it wasn’t hard. Following the sounds of the tabla drums and soft thuds, you leaned against the wall and watched Devu punch a sack of rice to the rhythm of the tabla. He seemed to be getting into quite the groove. You decided to make yourself known when he slipped off his tank top.
Devu looked at you in mild surprise and embarrassment; it didn’t help that the other women also whooped and cheered when he showed his muscles. He tried to get back into the rhythm, but after every other punch he would glance your way.
He did an experimental back kick and looked at you for approval. Fanning yourself playfully, you swooned with exaggeration. He laughed before going back to fighting the sack of rice. He eventually kneeled to the ground in exhaustion, sweat beading on any visible part of his body. Devu watched you slip away after giving him a sly smile, leaving him alone.
He found you by a pond after he cleaned himself up. He sat right next to you–against you–and watched the fish swim below the water’s surface.
“What are you doing, Devu?” you asked quietly, eyes focused on the water. Bobby knitted his brows together in slow confusion.
“What-what do you mean?”
“I mean,” you sighed, taking a moment to think. “What are you doing? The fighting, the club, the gun-” you said, slightly exasperated. “I mean, what were you thinking, Devu?”
He was quiet for a while. Finally, he spoke. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he sighed slowly. “Or at least, I didn’t.” His eyes met yours with sincerity. “Alpha said that I fought to feel something…to feel pain. Now, I’m fighting with purpose.” You looked at him, urging him to continue.
“When I was a boy, Rana Singh…killed my mother. And I watched it.” His eyes watered, but no tears fell. “I learned that he went to the King’s Club, so I made an elaborate plan to get hired as staff so I could get revenge,” he laughed dryly. “But then I met you.”
Your face fell and your eyebrows knit together, upset.
“That night when I had the gun, I was ready to throw everything away. But, then I saw you,” he paused, voice cracking. “When I…failed…I knew I had to get away alive, no matter what.” Devu looked at you, crestfallen. “I almost failed at that too,” he whispered.
“Oh, Devu,” you whispered, hand grasping his. “I’m sorry.” He swallowed but made no further comment. “...I have something to share as well.” Devu perked his head up and wiped the moisture from his eyes.
“I want to share my story,” you started, nervous. You’ve never told anyone the full story, besides Alpha and Queenie.
“Do you remember that night when I had a reservation with Tiger and I told you that I ‘wasn’t on the menu?’ Well, I got taken off.” Devu improved his posture slightly and turned to face you.
“One night, I was reserved for a…’special’ dinner.” Your eyes stayed glued to the ground, scared of what he might think. “We finished our meal and went to the backroom to finish the night, but two more men were there. I tried to play it off, and even went along with it for a while because I was so scared of Queenie, but then they became violent…so I got violent.”
Your nails were digging into Devu’s hand, but he made no move to stop you. Instead, he grabbed your hand and brought it closer to his chest.
“Three bodies entered the room that night. Not one made it back out.” Eyes narrowing, you finished your story. “Alphonso was right, you know. I was the only one who left that room alive.” Lifting your head to look at Devu, he saw tears welling up in your eyes.
“He said there were five…?”
“Semantics,” you laughed bitterly through a sob. Wiping your tears, you took a deep breath to calm yourself. Bringing your hands in front of you, you inspected them as if they were stained. “My hands are never clean enough. I can never get the blood off.” Peering at your hands, Devu saw nothing. He brought his arm around you and pulled you into his side. “He was right about something though.”
Devu hummed quizzically.
“‘Queen Whore.’ My nickname.” He frowned as you rested your head against his shoulder. “When Queenie learned about what happened, she wanted to kill me herself. Chief Rana called her while she was deciding if she should do it with her hands or a gun, and…he saved me.” Devu’s head snapped to look at you, but you were looking blankly ahead at the pond.
“He booked a reservation with me the next day. He wanted to ‘Wine and Dine.’ Just dinner and conversation.” You wiped your nose before continuing. “I was his favorite–is his favorite. Queenie knew it too. She tried offering other girls but he wouldn’t listen. She made a deal with me after that call. She said, ‘I’ll take you off the menu, but you have to serve anyone who remembers to request you.’ That’s why I work in the kitchen, and that’s why I stay at the temple. Alpha took me in when no one else would. I had nowhere else to go.”
Your breath turned shaky and your voice cracked. “Rana is the only reason I’m still alive. I’m…trapped. ”
Devu took a labored breath and pulled you tighter to him, sitting with you in silence.
Now it was the weekend, and Queenie made sure you wouldn’t forget.
You were in the dressing area getting dolled up for tonight. Sita was seated beside you, putting on her own makeup, but the other girls tended to ignore you. You were Chief Rana Singh’s favorite, and no one was allowed to forget it. Already in a revealing red dress that complimented you perfectly, you were currently applying makeup to accompany it. The radio was broadcasting the news as you swiped on some mascara.
“Baba shakti today held a public prayer for victims of the ongoing land disputes, advocating that violence is never the answer. Elsewhere, the transgender inhabitants in Yatana’s northern district have been filmed being attacked by officers. Chief of Police Rana Singh assured the public that the culprits will be brought to justice.”
Putting on some accessories, you twirled for Sita. “How do I look?”
“Hold on.” She grabbed the perfume sitting on the counter and gave you a light spritz. It had some glitter in it, making you sparkle. “Perfect,” she grinned. Mirroring her grin, you linked arms with each other and took the elevator up to the VIP lounge.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Devu's hands shook as he passed through the building’s metal detector successfully. Taking a quick detour through the kitchen to get to the alley, his eyes searched the room for you. You weren’t there. Disappointed and nerves growing ever so steadily, he went through the back door that led into the alley and whistled. The dog came trotting along and dropped a bundle of cloth at his feet. Opening it revealed a gun. He concealed it in the waistband of his pants and walked back inside.
Devu met Alphonso in the hallway where he had just finished putting coke into vials. Devu was dressed in his finest waiters uniform, gun tucked into the inside of his coat pocket. Bumping into a cart and causing a clatter, Devu slicked back his hair, trying to hide the sweat.
“Where the fuck you been, man?” Alphonso asked, cocaine evidenced upon his lip. “I nearly finished it all waiting for you,” he complained, referring to the small vials filled with drugs. “You ready?”
Devu took a trembled breath and nodded. “Let’s boogie.”
“This guy!” Alphonso laughed. “Come on.” He escorted him to the elevator, handing him the tray full of vials. “Hey Fresca,” Alphonso greeted the woman in charge of admitting guests into the VIP area. “Brought you a new boyfriend.”
Devu did not smile.
Fresca admitted them in. Alphonso opened the door with a smug look. “Welcome to heaven, baby.”
Devu took a deep breath and swallowed as he walked into the room. His eyes were darting everywhere, but they never lingered anywhere for too long. Women were dancing and entertaining men in every square inch of the lounge. He immediately busied himself by passing around the vials of cocaine.
Just when it was becoming too overwhelming, he spotted you. Sparkling underneath the blue glow of the dimly lit room, your red dress was tight and revealing, leaving little to the imagination. Looking closer, he saw you straddling a man, red manicured nails raking their way through his hair. Heart pounding, his mouth became dry and he smoothed his own hair back.
The man below you was worshiping you; his hands danced around your skin as he muttered something Devu couldn’t hear. He wished for a moment that he could magically switch places. You giggled, but there was no warmth in your eyes. When the man looked down, you couldn’t hide the pure hatred you had for him.
You bent over to whisper something to the man. Devu’s eyes followed–of course they did, he couldn’t keep them off you. He saw the distinct scar slashed across his ear; it was Chief Rana. Breath quickening and panicked, Devu stumbled away and into the restroom.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Hey, Alphonso. Show us your leg,” Rana said smugly. You were currently nestled against him on the couch. Alphonso just so happened to pass by–he was entertaining the guests. Rana’s boys laughed as Alphonso’s smile dropped. “Fucker tried to run from a drug deal so they chopped it off. Isn’t that right?”
Alphonso looked away in shame as the men laughed harder. Frowning, you also looked away.
“Tell me one thing,” Rana demanded, voice smooth and deep. “Your dick still works, huh?” He was leaning forward by now. His men cackled. “He doesn’t need one. He’s got no balls.” Rana leaned back into the couch and into your arms. Alphonso looked to the ground as you caressed the man under you.
“Fuck off. Go get my maal now.”
“Here, sir.”
Your body froze when you saw who the voice belonged to. You didn’t know he was even able to work in the VIP lounge–he wasn’t supposed to be here. Devu had an outstretched vial of cocaine for the man, but his eyes were on you. They were watery, but other than that he was calm. You continued to stare at him, even as Rana lifted your leg and raised your dress.
“Come here, baby.”
As Rana organized the contents of the vial into a neat line on your thigh, you peaked under Devu’s suit jacket. Eyes widening at the reveal of a gun, your gaze snapped back to Devu’s. Your quiet anger subsided into fear, an emotion not well known to you. Devu’s resolve hardened as he watched the emotion in your eyes change and he gained confidence in the consequences that would soon follow. Both of your attention turned to Rana as he snorted the powder and relaxed against the chair.
Devu stole your hatred expression as he watched the man twitch before screaming in pain. Blood was pouring out of Rana’s nose. Getting off him, he quickly went to the restroom.
“Bobby,” you warned, grabbing his arm and using the name on his name tag. He held your hand briefly. Squeezing it once, he pried his hand away and followed after Rana.
It wasn’t long before a loud bang echoed across the room. Everyone looked around, assuming it wasn’t serious, until a second bang confirmed it was from a gunshot. Panicking, women screamed and men clambered to get to the elevator. Alphonso quickly found you.
“Come on! We have to go!”
“But Bobby! He’s-”
“We have to go now!” Alphonso ordered, grabbing your arm and dragging you away.
Eyes wide in terror, you rode the elevator down to the lobby. You spotted Queenie angrily yelling into her phone while trying to make her way up to the VIP lounge. Alphonso grabbed your arm again and led you to the parking garage. Running through the exit door, Alphonso’s rickshaw greeted you by revving and doing circles around the garage.
“Is that your-!”
“Hey! Hey! Bobby, wait!” Alphonso cried, dropping your arm and hobbling towards the vehicle. The car skidded to a halt.
“Get in!” Devu’s voice rang. Alphonso limped as fast as he could, leaving you behind.
Gunfire chased after them. The men going after the rickshaw sprinted to their cars to give chase, but it was already gone. Devu was gone.
Tears welling in your eyes, you had to stifle a sob. The world was moving too fast. Your world was moving too fast…this couldn't be real.
Now you were walking alongside the road, heels in hand and on the way to the temple. Some time had passed and you were reflecting on everything; your job, tonight, Devu…
…Devu. The new tears that formed were wiped away before they could fall again. A soft whirring sound could be heard in the distance, and it was growing ever louder. Looking up, a bright beacon attached to a helicopter was shining past you and onto the rooftops. Squinting, you could barely make out a tall lanky figure running across the horizon. Was that…?
“Police!” the speaker on the helicopter roared. “This is your last warning!” Following the beacon, you picked up the past, briskly walking before breaking out into a full sprint. You were close, but not close enough. A river flowing through the residential area separated you from Devu. A loud crack bounced off the walls of the apartments, and a bullet whistled through the air before hitting its target: Devu.
He fell off the roof and into the water, his body sinking. Crying out, you ran and threw yourself to the wall’s edge, which was keeping the river contained, and watched for movement. Not even a bubble.
The helicopter and it’s beacon quickly flew away, deeming their target down.
Breathing deeply to calm yourself, you dropped your shoes and took a few steps away from the edge. “This is crazy,” you whispered. “This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy–!”
Soaring through the air, you held your breath before plunging into the cold, dirty water. You didn’t find him your first try, nor the second. It was during your fourth dive beneath the surface did you actually brush up against him. Wrapping an arm around his midsection, you pulled him up to the surface and swam toward the nearest exit.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Please!’ you cried out, gaining the attention of anyone who was awake at the temple. “Alpha!”
The woman, Alpha, appeared and gasped. Quickly, your friends helped you drag the man who was draped over your shoulder over to a clear area.
“Please, Alpha, you have to help me!”
As the women ran around to grab supplies and tools, Alpha stood frozen, stunned. You were soaking wet and shivering from head to toe with tears streaming down your face; blood was smeared across you. Alpha feared that the worst had happened again, but she quickly realized the blood was coming from the man on your shoulder.
She had never seen you so…vulnerable. Not since…well, nevermind. She nodded gravely and helped you strip the man of his clothing. There were scars–some old, some new–bruises and cuts, but the ones concerning you the most were a stab wound on his leg and a bullet hole on his abdomen, just below his pec. Under better circumstances you would have loved to admire his physic, but not now.
“Hold him down,” Alpha ordered. The women around you took hold of his limbs and secured him to the ground. Alpha, now wielding a red hot rod of metal that was given to her, approached Devu. His beautiful eyes snapped open and an impossibly painful cry erupted through him. His body tried to curl in on itself, but the women held steady. Someone was breaking the handcuffs off his wrists.
“Devu?” You kneeled above his head and over him. Your hands rested on the sides of his face and held his head in place. Eyes jumping across his face, studying him, you tried to meet his gaze but he was looking straight forward and through you. His eyes were open but he wasn’t seeing.
Glancing down his body to see the progress made, the women had cauterized the stab wound and had just dug the bullet from his abdomen. Devu’s body was tense and twitching the whole time, but his head fell and rested in your lap, eyes rolled to the back of his head. Kissing his forehead, you clenched your teeth as the wound on his stomach started to be cauterized as well. The smell of sizzling fleshed burned your nose while his screams pierced its way into your ears. His eyes fluttered and he fell limp against you.
Alpha gave you a minute to study the man. She had never seen you with this much emotion–this attached to someone. When you came home every evening, you never mentioned being with someone; although you coming home almost every night with a small smile gracing your lips should have been a sign in itself.
The woman gently touched your shoulder and encouraged you to move away from the man. Sniffling, you followed and joined in the prayer circle around his body. Devu’s eyes flickered from under his eyelids after a while before opening briefly. Sliding to his side and brushing his curls away from his face, you whisper, “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Devu gave a short, incoherent nod before passing out. A single tear slid from under his lashes and down his cheek.
Your Romeo really was acting like a Romeo during those three days. There was something new or surprising that he did that made your attraction–your bond–to each other grow.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
On the first day you had caught him feeding that dog again. The kitchen was closing for the night, so after you washed your hands you left out the exit door that led into the alley way. Opening the door only to reveal your Romeo crouching in front of it with that dog scared the shit out of you.
Bobby fell back on his ass as he let out an uncharacteristically high yelp of surprise–it seems like you scared him too. He was in his waiters uniform with his vest and jacket neatly folded out of the way. He did not appreciate you chuckling at his misfortune.
“What are you doing?” you asked, voice warm and welcoming, but your face was otherwise neutral. He stayed seated on the ground, but his posture relaxed.
“I’m, uh, I’m training her.” The dog was sniffing at the scraps of food hidden in the palm of his fist. You raised a brow, and Bobby scurried to stand on his feet. “No, no! Look,” he tried to convince hastily and held a treat out.
“Sit.”
The dog did not listen. He tried again, and again, and…again. He finally focused his attention on you when a small giggle escaped past your lips.
“She just did it, I swear! Right before you came out here.”
“Of course,” you assured, teasing. “I’m sure she did.”
He rolled his eyes and tried one more time, but the dog didn’t sit. Sighing, he sat back down on the ground, his elbows resting on his knees. After a moment, you folded your apron that was slung over your arm and joined him on the ground. His face held a look of surprise, but his eyes revealed that he was delighted.
The two of you spent the next hour teaching the dog to sit, and with great success. When she sat for you the first time after you gave the command, Bobby excitedly hopped up and towards the dog to pet her.
“Yes, yes! Good girl!”
When he sat back down, he moved a little closer, with his leg touching yours. Stealing a glance at him, he seemed slightly nervous, but he could not stop smiling. A small smile graced your own lips as you continued to perfect the trick with the dog.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
On the second day, you were both cleaning in the kitchen; Bobby was assigned to be kitchen staff that day. You were already at the sink when Bobby joined you, although his positive mood didn’t seem to leave him from last night. If anything, he was happier.
“What’s got you in such a good mood?” you asked, slightly suspicious.
He shrugged with a smile. “I don’t really know.”
You squinted your eyes, but he just gave a wider smile that reached his eyes in response. It was infectious. Rolling your eyes playfully, you turned your attention back to the sink. Bobby would scrub a dish and pass it to you for rinsing and drying, and it stayed like that for a while. Until–
Bobby gasped loudly and the bowl he was holding clattered its way into the sink. Snapping your head to him, you couldn’t even try to suppress the laughter that suddenly erupted from you. In front of you was an annoyed Bobby, covered almost head to toe in powdered sugar.
“How-how did that even happen?” you cried, wiping a tear away. Watching him just stand there was so humorous that you had to cover your mouth in an effort to stop laughing. He somehow got sugar in his hair! He had never heard you laugh this much before, and in an effort to make it funnier, he wore a mock scowl and crossed his arms.
“Is this funny to you?” he asked, slightly exasperated.
You shook your head and tried to deny it. “No, no! It’s-it’s not funny,” you huffed out in between giggles. Bobby grinned and took a step closer.
“Ohhh, right. So it wouldn’t be funny if I did this?”
You tried to scream but he was too quick. He enveloped you into a tight hug, ensuring your demise.
Gasping, you tried to push him off, but it was too late and he was too strong. He laughed as he held you close, resting his chin on your head, and smeared the powdered sugar all over you as he began to sway. Because you both worked by the sink, the water that dampened your aprons made the sugar turn into a slimy, confectionary mess.
Letting you go, it was now his turn to laugh at how you looked. There was still way more sugar on him, but he managed to transfer some to you. Now it was your turn to scowl.
“This isn’t very Romeo of you,” you noted, but his smile grew in size at the name. “You think this is funny?”
“Oh, yeah. Very.” he chuckled.
“I’m glad. I’m glad I could humor you.”
Bobby took off his apron–which was where the bulk of the mess was–and set it off to the side before offering to take yours. Untying yours, he slipped it off and put it with his. Trying to suppress a giggle, he tried to shake out the sugar in his curls as you carefully washed your hands.
Alphonso would later tease Bobby about this encounter; he was walking over right when Bobby hugged you. He decided to bother you guys at a later time.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
On the third day, Bobby invited you and Alphonso to watch him fight in the ring later that night. You were in your apron sitting on the counter while Alphonso was leaning against it. Bobby was in his waiter's uniform, bow tie untied and hanging loose around his neck.
“Come on, what do you say?” he asked, eyes bouncing between the two of you. Alphonso whooped and agreed, but you were a little less enthused.
“Last time I went, you got your shit rocked and your boss harassed me,” you sighed, crossing your arms.
“...Maybe I’ll win this time?” he said hopefully, voice increasing in pitch. It was an obvious lie and you rolled your eyes.
“You don’t want to watch some guys beat each other up?” Alphonso asked you, grinning.
“No! Why would anyone?”
Alphonso shrugged.
“You’re paying to watch guys get hurt.”
Bobby was silent for a moment. His facial expression softened, and his eyes were a little larger than before. “Maybe it would hurt less if you were there…” he suggested slowly.
“Oh, no. I see what you’re doing,” you accused, furrowing your brows and pointing a finger at him. “You’re trying to use those big eyes against me. Well, it’s not gonna work.”
. . .
You and Alphonso were in the audience waiting to see Bobby fight. His eyes definitely worked; Alphonso kept trying to tease you, but one threat later and he dropped it. Soon, Kong took his place, crouching in the corner of the ring, as Tiger announced his opponent.
“We have the champion of India! The s-s-s-s-s-snake!” he hissed as the crowd hissed along with him. “King Kobra!” Kong menacingly stood up and waited for the command.
“Fight!”
For the duration of the entire fight, your hand was practically glued to your mouth in concern. It was hard, though. On one hand, he was getting beaten to a bloody pulp and forced to lose, but on the other, it was hot to see him fight. The way his muscles tensed and relaxed with every punch or kick was mesmerizing. Everytime he got hit, you winced or gasped worriedly.
Tiger must have spotted you in the crowd, for he stopped his commands in the ring and raised the microphone up to his mouth. Kong must have noticed as well, because he delivered a shockingly heavy punch to King Kobra, knocking him off balance. A loud cheer came out of you, earning a surprised look from Alphonso, but he soon joined in. That was enough to redirect Tiger’s attention away; he started yelling insults at Kong again.
After the fight, Alphonso immediately left to collect his earnings.
“I can’t believe you’re betting.”
“What?” he shrugged. “If I’m gonna be here, I might as well make some cash. Want some?”
“No,” you deadpanned. Your eyes scanned the arena, trying to find Kong. He was supposed to meet you after the fight. “Actually,” you doublebacked, holding out your manicured hand. “Only a little. Just enough for dinner.” Alphonso laughed with his finger in your face before handing you some cash. It wasn’t enough. “Dinner for two,” you corrected.
Alphonso raised a brow in mock suspicion, but his grin ruined it. “Are you…?”
“I’m hungry and I’m sure Bobby is as well. I was going to suggest grabbing some dinner,” you stated objectively, as if that was the only reason.
The short man chuckled. “So then can I come?”
“No.”
Alphonso scoffed and crossed his arms, but there was a glint in his eye. “Whatever, man. But I’m not driving you home in Nicki then.”
“That’s fine, I was just going to walk.”
He pouted. “You don’t want to take Nicki?” he whined in offense. Shaking your head in amusement, you bid him farewell and waited for Kong. It didn’t take long.
Bobby returned to you–slightly bruised and with specks of dried blood along his hairline–with a big smile. It looked like he had tried to clean himself up a bit before coming out. He laughed as he approached. “So, how was it?”
“It was…interesting,” you answered. You were about to elaborate before you noticed a slow stream of blood flowing down his face, just above his eyebrow. A scab must have torn while he was on his way to you. “Oh–baby,” you sighed. “You’re bleeding.”
“What?” His brows furrowed and he walked to the nearest reflective surface that he could find. Looking around, you spotted some napkins at the bar nearby.
“Come here,” you ordered, grabbing his hand and making your way to the bar. He was a little surprised and stiffened up, but he quickly recovered and tightened his grip on your hand. Grabbing some napkins, you gestured to a bar stool. “Sit.”
He stared at his scarred palms for a very long time before focusing his gaze on you.
His eyes followed your every movement as you blotted his eyebrow and wiped away the blood. You tried to ignore his staring; it was very distracting. The bar stool luckily gave you the perfect height advantage to properly reach his face.
“Thank you,” he said after you were done.
You hummed in acknowledgement and lightly shook your head. “What am I going to do with you, Monkey Man?” He smiled in response.
Making your way out of the stuffy building, you both walked aimlessly along the road. Bobby was trying to make you laugh, and he succeeded a few times. He had loosely twirled around a street lamp but was interrupted when his stomach growled, which earned a quiet giggle. He chuckled in embarrassment.
“Hungry?”
“Only if you are,” he shrugged, but you rolled your eyes. Holding up some cash, you placed it in his hand. “What’s this for?”
“Dinner,” you answered. “Alphonso’s paying.”
“I know a place!” Bobby lit up and gingerly grabbed your hand, immediately dragging you down the street. Once arriving at a street vendor, he slowed his pace. He realized that his hand was still in yours and quickly dropped it, laughing out of nervousness. Smiling slightly, you snaked your hand into the crook of his elbow and left it there. Bobby’s smile grew along with his flushed face.
“Have you ever been here before?” You shook your head. “What would you like?”
“Whatever you think is good, I’ll have.”
“Four samosas,” he ordered. “Oh, and two regular paan.” As the vendor was making your meals, he bent down slightly to whisper into your ear. “I just got my regular to play it safe.” Your food was quickly made and Bobby handed over some money. You both sat along the roadside curb and started eating.
“This is really good!” you complimented after taking your first bite.
Bobby swallowed. “Thanks. I come here pretty often.”
“I can see why. I’ll have to start coming here too.”
Finishing your food, Bobby stood up and extended his rough hand for you to take. Helping you up, he continued to hold your hand as you walked while you smoothly guided him to the area that you lived in.
“This was nice,” he said quietly, hand squeezing yours ever so slightly.
“It was,” you agreed. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
“You know, it did hurt less-” he started, breaking the silence that had formed. “-with you being there.”
Your cool exterior broke as you let out a short laugh. “I’m glad.”
“I think you’ll have to come to all of my fights now.”
“Don’t push it.”
Bobby laughed and squeezed your hand again. You squeezed back. Raising your entangled hands, you asked, “What happened, Bobby?”
He hummed in confusion.
“Your hands.”
“Oh.” Bobby dropped your hands and looked at his own. “Fire. Although I do work with my hands a lot, so some of its chemical burns.” You reached for his hand and inspected it.
“Does it hurt?” You softly traced a finger down his palm to his fingers. Bobby swallowed.
“Not anymore.” You ran your fingers back up to his palm and interlaced your hands. Bobby was silent for a very long time as he was lost in thought. “You know…” he started slowly. “My name’s not Bobby.”
“Well I guessed that,” you chuckled. “Don’t tell me it’s not Romeo either?”
The man huffed in fake annoyance, then smiled as he nodded. “I’m tired of you calling me by my fake name–names,” he corrected. “I want you to call me by my real name.” Watching him curiously, your hand tightened in his as you waited for the reveal. “...Only if you tell me yours. Deal?”
Nodding slowly, you agreed.
“My name is Devu,” he explained nervously, eyes piercing into yours. “My mother picked it. She used to yell it across the whole forest when I would run off,” he smiled sadly. You squeezed his hand back.
“Devu…” you tested. He looked at you anxiously, his eyes wide. “...I like it,” you smiled. You told him your name and he whispered it several times, his smile growing with each repetition. Suddenly, you laughed in disbelief. “I can’t believe it,” you giggled. “I’ve known you for weeks and I’m just now learning your name.”
“I could say the same to you.” Devu’s eyes twinkled. He shifted his hand to better grasp yours.
The rest of the walk was in silence. You kissed Devu on the cheek and told him goodnight when you reached the temple. He watched the shadows absorb your figure, leaving him alone under the street lights.
“When you said ‘show,’ this was not what I had in mind.”
Alphonso drove the two of you to the address written on the piece of paper. He was instructed to bet on some “Khan” guy, so he put some money down at the booth. “You want to get in on this?” he asked, but you shook your head. Afterwards, you had both made your way into the dingy underground ring.
It was noticeably hot and stuffy–not to mention dirty–so you tried to keep to yourself as much as possible. There was already a fight going on, but the two men in the ring were shorter than your Romeo. Alphonso led you to an area with a clear view of the fight, which meant that there was a clear view leading to you. The fight started to wind down as one of the men became significantly tired, and the victor was declared.
A South African man took to the stage, obviously the pseudo-ringleader, and congratulated the winner before announcing the next fight.
“Ladies and gentleman!” his voice rang out from the speakers. “Tonight we have the return of the beast! Kong!” The crowd booed loudly before quieting down to let the man talk. The said beast was crouched in the corner–he was wearing a monkey mask. “But fear not, for Sher Khan will put up a worthy fight!” A fighter, a man with long hair, entered the ring and basked in the applause.
The monkey stood up, and that’s when you realized who it was; it was Romeo. He was oddly…muscular. Not in a jacked sort of way, but he was lean and obviously strong.
“Is that…?” you trailed off, standing taller to get a better look.
“Bobby? Yeah!” Alphonso finished for you. He seemed to already be enjoying himself, excited to see the fight.
The announcer was soaking up the energy the crowd was throwing at him, and he was loving it. Glancing at the audience, his gaze rested on you, which made his evil smile grow a bit wider. “And who do we have in the audience tonight, aye? Is that a princess in need of saving!?” His voice rang out again, arm outstretched into your direction. You looked around to see if he was talking to anyone else, but you were the only woman around that area. Alphonso clapped you on the shoulder and laughed loudly in your ear.
“Fear not maiden! For the brave Sher Khan will vanquish this beast for you, or at least go down trying!” The attention was now on you for a moment. Sher Khan started to showboat and even blew a kiss in your direction, but you ignored him. Kong was a bit harder to read; he just stood there motionless, staring at you.
The monkey was actually having an internal struggle within himself. When he gave Alphonso the address, he didn’t expect him to take you. Not only were you seeing him like this, but he also had to ultimately be the loser in the end. He groaned before readying himself for the fight.
“Fighters! Are you reeaaaddyyyy?” the ringleader drawled. “Fight!”
Sher Khan instantly flew into action, but Kong dodged quickly–though not without getting a swift kick. The first round went quickly, and the second went by just as fast, with the winner being Kong, making you and Alphonso cheer. Money was being passed around and the constant booing was starting to get annoying. When Kong delivered a heavy kick that sent Sher Khan flying against the ropes of the ring, you let out a loud, happy cry of surprise. The monkey seemed to enjoy it and did a little hop to show off before Sher Khan returned to the fight. The announcer seemed irked and was encouraging Khan to beat Kong. Unfortunately, Khan was able to get past Kong’s defense and throw him to the ground. When the monkey got to his feet, he was unbalanced and unable to block an incredible punch to the face, making your eyes go wide.
Kong touched his mask to reveal droplets of blood oozing from the mouth of the monkey. You gasped as the crowd cheered, and Kong made eye contact with you before ordering Khan to hit him again, but harder. Khan obliged–multiple times–and blood poured faster out of his mask’s mouth. You watched with a mix of disgust and horror as he fell to the ground, succumbing to his injuries.
The announcer cried out, “Fucking yes! Yes!” He rang a bell and congratulated Khan as the crowd went wild. “Get this fucking monkey off here,” he ordered some men. “The winner, the killer of the beast and knight in shining sweat to the fair maiden-” he gestured to you again in the crowd- “Sheeerrrr Khaaann!” He held the man’s arm up in victory as Kong still was on the ground, trying to catch his breath. “Come on, Princess! Come say thanks to your knight!”
You shook your head but the man’s lackeys were already on their way to bring you to the stage. Alphonso even helped them by shoving you forwards and giving you a thumbs up. That asshole was laughing and having a great time. They brought you into the ring where you stood next to the announcer and Sher Khan.
“What did I say? Get this monkey outta here!” he ordered before clearing his throat. Khan wrapped an arm around your uncomfortable shoulders while his other hand was still in the air in victory. You were only looking at Kong, worry etched all over your face. The crowd became louder than before as they cheered. “Come on, sugar, give this knight a kiss, huh? After all, he defeated the beast for you!” You tried to deny it but eventually kissed him on the cheek as the crowd’s hounding became relentless.
Kong watched the scene from under his mask, a new and different sense of defeat flowing over him.
You tried to leave the ring but the man pulled you back, this time his arm wrapping around your waist. “Come on, baby! We’re all having fun here.”
You laughed flirtatiously, but the way your eyes darted betrayed how you actually felt. “I should get going,” you told him.
“Nonsense! Stay! I’ll even let you hang around the pit where I am,” he tried to persuade. When you tried to leave again, he obviously got the hint and let go, but not before giving you an exaggerated kiss on the cheek for the crowd. When you left, the man noticed something on the ring's floor. It was a black business card; it must have fallen out of your pocket when you were forced into the ring. Interesting…
Alphonso quickly met with you after you left the ring, but not before collecting his impressive winnings. You did not see your Romeo after the fight. Alphonso drove you home in silence, although not on his part. He kept trying to talk to you but you ignored him. You did say goodnight to him, and he to you, when you made it to your stop.
“This isn’t where the housing complexes are,” he noted. You instructed him to drop you off at a temple.
“Goodnight, Alphonso.”
“So what? You just gonna walk home from here? I could drive you-”
“Goodnight, Alphonso.”
“Yeah, yeah, ‘night,” he sighed. Alphonso sped off on his rickshaw, leaving you alone in the dark.
It was a couple days later. Romeo was promoted to work as a waiter in the lounge while you stayed down in the kitchen. He would often try and make time to see you, even if it was for a brief moment. Sometimes he would try to talk to you–even if you weren’t the best conversationalist–and other times he enjoyed a cup of tea in silence next to you as you washed some dishes. It was…sweet. And he looked mighty handsome in his new uniform.
He had tried to see you today, but you were nowhere to be found in the kitchen. Unbeknownst to him, Queenie had called you into her office that morning.
“Sit,” she ordered, cigarette lit and taking a drag. She blew the smoke before talking again. “You have an admirer,” she smirked. You mirrored her smile, but it was noticeably weaker. “Some guy called this morning. Said he’d like to make a reservation with you. He didn’t know your name, but when he started to describe the women he saw, I knew it was you. He’s paying a pretty penny to have dinner with you tonight.”
You frowned. “What did he order?”
“Nothing crazy. Definitely manageable.” She took another drag from her cigarette. “Just the ‘Wine and Dine.’” You let out a breath of relief. “His reservation is for 7pm. Don’t even bother working in the kitchen today.”
“What is the reservation under?” you asked.
Queenie shrugged. “Said it was for ‘Tiger.” Whatever the fuck that means. Sounded South African…men are so fucking stupid,” she said with exasperation and a disgusted look on her face. Your brows furrowed at the information. That ringleader guy must have found you from that underground ring. Queenie let you go do whatever it is you wanted before you had to get ready.
Bobby was working in the lounge again tonight. Spotting an empty glass, he smoothly walked over to the table and poured red wine for the couple. The woman was nestled against the man while his hands were exploring her legs.
“Mate,” he scoffed. “What are you doing? That’s red wine.”
“Yes, sir,” Bobby confirmed.
“Well, that’s a white wine glass,” he chuckled. “Who is this guy, huh?” he whispered into the woman’s ear. It was Sita, your coworker. She distracted the complaining man, letting Bobby get away without getting an earful.
His eyes were lazily scanning the lounge before settling on your figure. You were…beautiful, to simply put. But you were with Tiger, his boss at the fighting ring. It was as if his heart stopped right there. He was going to walk away–run–go anywhere but here–but Tiger flagged him down. He slowly made his way over to your table. When your eyes met, you both froze, locked in a staring contest.
“We need some more wine, mate, and some–” Tiger stopped mid sentence. His surprise quickly turned into smugness. “Well look who we have here, monkey,” he smiled. Bobby’s throat catches and he can’t find himself to speak. He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. “You know who this is, princess?” Tiger asked you. “It’s that fucking monkey from the fight you saw. That loser that was defeated in your name, remember?”
You finally broke the staring contest with Bobby and turned your attention to Tiger.
You simply smiled and relaxed into your seat. “I remember,” you said, taking a sip from your wine glass and finishing it. You smoothly pushed it to the tall man to refill, your nails almost the same color as the drink. “He was very impressive.” You winked at Bobby, smile turning more seductive. He was still in shock, and your obvious flirting was not helping the poor boy.
“Impressive my ass, he went down like a limp dick,” Tiger crudely cackled. His arm snaked its way behind your back, allowing him to shift you closer. “I’ll show you what isn’t limp later…” he whispered into your ear, but it could clearly be heard by anyone remotely near you. Bobby frowned as you smiled coyly at Tiger.
You tsked at the man playfully. “That’s not what you ordered, baby,” you hummed before kissing his cheek. “You only ordered the ‘Wine and Dine’ special, remember?” Tiger’s hand started to wander, and Bobby bit the inside of his cheek. His hand twitched when he saw Tiger make you jump; he had just groped you. “You’re gonna need to upgrade your meal if you want to eat out,” you warned. The innuendo was blatant, but it got the point across. Bobby snapped out of his shock and busied himself with pouring both white and red wines into the correct glasses.
“Or I could eat you out right here, right now,” Tiger playfully suggested. Bobby’s breath hitched and his eyes started to water. As the piano swelled, Bobby’s tears mirrored. He quickly excused himself and left the lounge, almost knocking down a cart. “What the fuck was that about,” Tiger chuckled. You straightened yourself and looked at the clock.
“Sorry, baby, but it looks like our little dinner reservation is over,” you smiled. He tried to negotiate with you, and even offered to upgrade his meal plan, but you shut him down. “I’m afraid it’s too late.” You got yourself out of the booth and kissed Tiger on the cheek. “Maybe next time,” you winked. Tiger was left stunned in his seat as he watched you leave the lounge.
You figured there was one place where you could find your Romeo, and that was in the alley behind the kitchen. You indeed found him, but he was crouched over a dog and feeding her with what looked like leftover scraps.
“Good girl,” he whispered. “There you go. Good girl. You like that? That’s good,” he encouraged the dog to eat. “You like that?”
“You better be careful with how you talk, or it could be taken the wrong way,” you said humorously, but there was no smile on your face. He jumped at your presence and slightly flushed at your words.
You sat next to him for a few moments in silence. The dog sniffed your fingers and let you stroke her fur before going back to lick the newspaper. He looked at you almost expectantly. You sighed. “I try to work in the lounge as little as possible. I’m not on the menu–well, kind of,” you smiled awkwardly. The man looked at you, interested. “I’m available by request, but only to people who already know me.”
“Why?” he asked, but got no response. You both watched the dog together for a bit before he spoke up. “It’s not true, you know. Me being a loser. Well, I-I guess I am, but I lost on purpose. I’m not supposed to–I’m not allowed to win…I’m never allowed to win.”
You frowned and cast your eyes onto his frame, admiring his profile while he continued to watch the dog. You sighed again and slowly rose to your feet. “Be careful when feeding her. She’s going to keep coming back for more, and it would be cruel to leave her after all that.” You made your way into the kitchen door before stopping. “And don’t let Queenie find out. She can’t stand dogs.”
When Bobby turned to watch you leave, you were already gone.
summary: When a tall stranger is suddenly hired into the King's Club, your world shifts abruptly--whether for better or worse. As he unravels the threads of his history, you find yourself running from your own. Can you confront the shadows of the past, or will they ultimately consume you both in the end?
pairing: Kid x reader
total word count: 14.5k
note: I did give Kid's character a name, but it came from an interview that Dev Patel did.
summary: When a tall stranger is suddenly hired into the King's Club, your world shifts abruptly--whether for better or worse. As he unravels the threads of his history, you find yourself running from your own. Can you confront the shadows of the past, or will they ultimately consume you both in the end?
pairing: Kid x reader
word count: 2k
warning: spoilers!
notes: I did give Kid's character a name, but it came from an interview that Dev Patel did.
Redlight: masterlist ... [2]
There was a new man in the kitchen today.
He seemed nervous as he made his way over to your area–you were washing dishes. He was here just the day before when he was escorted into Queenie’s office. It was surprising that not only Queenie didn’t immediately throw him out, but that she also gave him a job. His eyes met yours briefly before turning away to busy himself with some miscellaneous cutlery. You did the same, although you noted how beautifully big they were.
The peacefulness of working in silent tandem would be interrupted when Alphonso, your “manager,” showed up. “New guy, huh? What’s your name?” Your ears perked up, also wanting to know what the quiet stranger's name was.
“Bobby,” he answered unconvincingly.
Alphonso hummed before making his way closer to your station. “Wear your cap properly,” he chided one of the cooks. “We don’t want one of your pubes in the curry.” Alphonso stood next to Bobby–who was next to you–and only made it up to his shoulder. “Bobby,” he repeated with humor. “I think we’ve met before, right?”
“Don’t harass the new staff,” you reminded him impassively. The tall man quickly turned his attention to you. He hadn’t heard you speak until that point–he liked your voice. Alphonso waved you off.
“You like tequila, huh, Bobby?” Bobby walked around the short man to pick up a dirty pot to clean. “Patrón, Don Julio, the one with George Clooney in the photo?”
“I just want to clean the dishes, okay?” He took his place beside you, which was at the sink.
“Coke? Morphine? MDMA?” Alphonso continued.
“Alphonso!” you snapped as your actual manager intervened.
“Oi, Alphonos, eh, I’ve told you many times to stop hassling my staff.”
“Quality control, man,” he answered nonchalantly as your manager walked away. “You’re gonna thank me for this one day!” Alphonso got close to the new hire. “Stay cool, Bobby. Stay cool, hmm?” Alphonso turned his attention to you. Leaning against the sink, and right in your way, he laughed. “And how is it being in the kitchen today, hmm? Better than up there?” He extended a single finger up.
“Alphonso,” you started calmly. “If you want to keep your finger, I suggest you get out of my way.” He quickly slid off to the side, but he was still leaning against the sink. You brought the newly dirtied dish to the sink to start rinsing it.
“Okay, okay,” he smirked. “This is her on a good day, if you can believe it,” he said pointedly to the new hire. The tall stranger raised an eyebrow, but ultimately said nothing, “You should see her when she’s really on duty. She’ll have you-”
“Alphonso,” you interrupted, eyes glaring. “If you don’t leave us alone, a leg won’t be the only thing you’ll be missing,” you reminded as you walked past him and into another part of the kitchen, leaving Bobby alone with the short man.
“If it pleases her majesty,” he mocked while doing a small curtsey. The tall man looked at Alphonso quizzically. “Whatever Queen Whore wants, she gets,” he laughed, but Bobby frowned.
“Don’t call her that,” he said quietly, eyebrows furrowed, but Alphonso wiggled his brows playfully instead with a smirk.
“Hm, what’s that, Romeo? You like her or something?” he grinned.
Bobby opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out as you strolled back into the area, this time holding a fresh set of towels. Alphonso laughed as Bobby scowled at him.
“Alphonso, if you don’t leave this second, I’ll get Queenie myself,” you cooly explained, ignoring all eye contact and continuing to dry the dishes.
Alphonso tsked and swatted the air with his hand before deciding it would be wise to leave. “You better be careful with her,” he announced as he was leaving. “Five men entered a room with her, and only she came out-” he cackled. “Alive!” He then chastised a cook for bumping into his leg before exiting the kitchen.
Quietly going back to work, you ignored Bobby’s glances and carried on with your day. He was quietly thinking about his earlier interaction with Alphonso. What did he mean by that? And Romeo? He had some things to ponder over…
When your back was turned, he noticed that when you washed the dishes, you spent extra time cleaning your already clean hands.
The next time you worked with Bobby, he was tasked with preparing Queenie’s tea. He seemed a little lost, but you quietly helped him before sending him to her office. He was surprisingly in a light-hearted mood at the moment. A cook made you bump into a table and almost knocked Queenie’s favorite cup off, but he caught it. Instead of a snide comment or remark, he just laughed and handed you the cup. His positive mood improved your own, slightly sour one. You wore a small smile.
“I never got your name,” he said quietly after a while as he put the sugar bowl onto a tray.
“And I never got yours,” you replied as you grabbed the small milk pitcher.
“Oh,” he chuckled. “It’s Bobby.”
“No it’s not,” you stated nonchalantly, as if it was a simple fact. Bobby looked at you confused, although his heart beat a little quicker, fearful that he’d been spotted out already. He was quiet as he gathered his thoughts. Then he had an idea.
“Okay, okay,” he chuckled nervously. “You got me. I-I’m Romeo. That’s my name” He was wearing a big smile, sure that you would buy this one.
You paused what you were doing and met his eyes. “Romeo?” you asked in disbelief and he nodded hesitantly. “Romeo?” you asked again. “So why ‘Bobby?’”
His smile fell slightly and he shrunk into himself. He chuckled a little, seemingly to stall for time. “I, uh, well-” he shrugged as he tried to form a sentence. “You know Alphonso. I said that to get him to leave me alone,” he said unconvincingly. He was bad at lying.
Staring at him for a few moments, a smile slowly formed on your face. “Sureeee your name is Romeo,” you drawed. “And I’m Juliet.” The tall man laughed, his smile reaching his eyes. He had a nice smile, you noted. “Anyways, Romeo,” you emphasized sarcastically, obviously not buying this name either. “Queenie’s tea is done. Probably shouldn’t keep her waiting too long,” you directed, handing him the finished tray. He took it gratefully and made his way to her office.
You didn’t expect to be interrupted so quickly after sending him on his way, but Sita–an escort–came over to your station. It surprised you seeing the state she was in; she had just been crying and was wearing a plain chemise. “Queenie wants you,” she murmured before hurrying off.
Heading towards Queenie’s office, you could see the new hire and Alphonso already in there. You knocked on her door and she waved you inside. “See? How hard is it to learn some fucking manners?” She berated Alphonso. You waited on her couch and got comfortable. Bobby glanced at you as he was pouring her tea; he was surprised at how…confident you were in her office. Queenie went over to her safe. “Hey, you,” she snapped at Bobby. “Face the wall.” He turned around, which allowed you to discreetly admire him in his uniform.
Queenie finished her discussion with Alphonso. “Tell Naqeeb that if the maal is good, we’ll buy some more for Chief Rana.” She handed a stack of cash to him. You could see Bobby stiffen. “Get it sorted by the weekend. He is coming with his boys. Remember, only the best serve the VIPs.” Alphonso left, and soon Bobby as well, although not before giving you a quizzical look.
Queenie sat behind her desk and got comfortable in her chair. “I need you to be on your best behavior this weekend, got it? No funny business, not like last time.” You scowled but nodded in understanding. “Good. And wear that little red dress you have, you know it’s his favorite.”
Rolling your eyes, you sighed. “Okay. Anything else?” You stood up from the couch and made your way to the door.
“Yeah. Watch over that little goat fucker. You seem to keep him in check.”
“Who? Alphonso?”
“Yeah, him, whatever. He seems to harass my employees less when you're around,” she smiled.
“Yes ma’am,” you chuckled before leaving her office and heading back to the kitchen. You scanned the area for your Romeo, expecting him to be there, but he wasn’t.
Bobby was currently hurrying after the shorter man. “Alphonso! Hey, uh, good job with Queenie, huh? She really respects you.”
Alphonso scoffed. “The only person in that room she remotely respected was your little work wife. What do you want?”
“Um, look. If you- if you,” he stopped to calm himself before starting again. “Look, if you need any help with the VIPs…”
“Hey, new guy. You know what happens to earwigs around here? You hear nothing, you see nothing. Got it?”
“Look, I’m just saying. If you need someone to go and do the job…”
“Does it look like I need help from someone like you?” Alphonso continued walking, but the tall man grabbed his shoulder. “Hey! What the fuck, man?”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” He was looking slightly more desperate. “Look. You want to make some money? Guaranteed?”
Alphonso humored him, but he did look interested. “Go on.”
The tall man quickly found a piece of paper and wrote an address. “Come to this place tonight…bet on Khan. You’ll make a killing.”
“How the fuck do you know?”
“I-I’ll be fighting him.” Alphonso scoffed before laughing at him. He obviously didn’t believe him and told him to fuck off. “The monkey will win the first two rounds and go down in the third.”
The shorter man became serious. “What’s in it for you?”
The tall dishwasher replied, “I want a promotion,” before patting him on the shoulder and leaving to go back to his job.
You didn’t see Romeo or Alphonso for the rest of the evening after what happened in Queenie’s office. Your shift was over and you had just finished washing your hands when Alphonso strolled over. “Hey, baby-” he smiled.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Okay, okay.” He straightened himself before lowering his voice. “I need a favor. Well, not really a favor, but I’d appreciate it if you went with me to this place.”
“Where?”
“I’m not sure. That tall fucker–the new hire–gave me this address.” He passed the piece of paper with hurried writing over for you to see.
“...And you want me to go?”
“Yeah!”
“Pass.” You hung up the towel and took off your apron before folding it over your arm. Alphonso followed you as you made your way to the exit.
“Aw, come on! You’re gonna make me go to this sketch ass place by myself?”
“No one is making you go.”
“Yeah, but aren’t you at least a little curious about Bobby?” You slowed to a stop. Alphonso smiled, seeming to sense his victory in winning you over. “I mean, come on. No one knows anything about that guy. He just keeps to himself and washes dishes. He said that if we go and bet on this guy named ‘Khan,’ then we’d make a lot of money.”
“I don’t even think his real name is Bobby…or Romeo,” you muttered to yourself, finger pressed to your lip as you looked away in thought.
“Soooo…” Alphonso looked at you hopefully. A few moments passed before you rolled your eyes and relented. “Yeah, baby! Come on, we’ll take Nicki!”
“Your scooter?”
“Hey, now. Nicki is not a scooter. She’s a classy rickshaw,” he huffed before smiling. “Let’s go before we’re late to the show.”
“Isn’t that just terrible? Him raining on your parade like that? What is it they say? One day you’re on top…the next, you’re a clown. Well, let me tell you…there are worse things to be…”
The Riddle shrinked to the floor after wailing over his failure. He cried and as he became unresponsive.
“Don’t be sad,” the voice beside his cell cooed. “You did…you did so well. I heard you didn’t get the girl, but that’s okay. Because you know, Gotham loves a comeback story…”
The Riddler slowly rose to his feet and peered through the bars of his enclosure. “Who…who are you? How…” The Riddler’s face twisted in confusion. “How did you know…?”
“Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?” The unseen man paused before continuing, “Riddle me this…the less of them you have, the more one is worth.”
The Riddler pondered for a moment before slowly brightening up. Hopefully, he answered, “A friend…?”
The unseen man began to laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and soon the Riddle followed gleefully while horrible ideas brewed in his mind.
The man’s words echoed in his head…
He didn’t get the girl, but that’s okay. Gotham loves a comeback story.
Batman was busy helping rebuild Gotham. It helped to throw himself at his work, that way he didn’t have the time to think of you. He was currently exhausted and resting at Wayne Towers. He barely sat in his chair before his phone buzzed. Checking it, his heart swelled when your name popped up. It had been a few days since he last spoke to you. He still didn’t know your name, so he had you added as “Rat <3.”
I’m sorry! Something came up…
Would dinner work?
Dinner sounds perfect. I’ll let you know on the date soon.
Speaking of dates, am I finally going to learn the name of my mystery date?
Mmmm sorry, I guess you’ll have to find out at dinner ;)
…
I’m guessing we aren’t going to get that dinner anytime soon…
So I thought I’d tell you my name, but only if you confirm something for me.
Got it?
Bruce raised his brow at the message, but he missed you so much that he’d be willing to say just about anything to continue a conversation with you.
Yeah, sure. Anything.
His heart raced as he watched the three little dots move to indicate that you were typing. He meant what he said too.
I just want to say that this will stay between us, okay?
Our little secret :)
You sure you want to know? Because then you’d HAVE to tell me the truth…
Bruce smiled at your message before answering.
I promise to tell you the truth.
Bruce’s smile widened when you replied with your name. It was pretty and he thought it suited you nicely, which he made sure to message you. He quietly whispered it to himself to see how it would sound, but then quickly stopped upon realizing how cringe he was acting. He was Batman! Batman doesn’t act like he’s in love or anything… right? God, he was going crazy.
Thank you, Batman ;)
His heart stopped and he froze immediately. His smile fell just as quickly. How…what? How did you…? He took several minutes to think. He did promise that he would confirm something for you and tell you the truth, but that would be telling someone of his secret identity. It’s called a secret identity for a reason. But if he lied, then he probably wouldn’t forgive himself. Plus, it would be so much easier to just tell you instead of dance around it. He must have taken too long to respond, because he could see you typing again.
I know that it might sound crazy, but I’m pretty sure that I’m right.
I mean, there were a couple clues that pointed to you, but there was one big one.
…
You were oddly nice to me at Mitchell’s funeral, and even asked me out. That doesn’t seem like something a billionaire would do to just anybody.
And when the bombs went off, you were super protective. A normal person would have been running away, but you didn’t.
And when Batman (yes, you) and I were on the tower, he asked why Falcone would take me with him to the funeral. Batman wouldn’t have known…unless he was you.
Bruce just stared at his phone a little numbly. He felt so stupid; how did he not cover his tracks better?
The icing on the cake is that I’ve kissed both Bruce Wayne and Batman…
They’re like the same, haha.
Bruce slowly started to laugh. It started quietly, but quickly he was actually laughing. He rolled his eyes in amusement.
Alright, you’ve caught me Ms. Detective.
I’m impressed.
I knew it!!!
We really do need to meet up for dinner now, you need to tell me everything.
He smiled at your excitement. It felt strangely good for someone else to know his secret, someone other than Alfred. Maybe he could see you more because of it. Bruce quickly typed back, secretly excited and filled with content.
You followed Batman on your motorcycle as he directed you to Gotham Square Garden. The streets were chaotic; water was everywhere, traffic made it hard to navigate, lights were flashing everywhere, and the screaming was almost too much to bear. As you were driving, you could see people staring and pointing at you and Batman. Was it a look of curiosity? Hope? Perhaps it was a third unidentifiable emotion—you didn’t know.
Batman didn’t take you towards the entrance of the building, but I guess you should’ve expected that. Instead, he parked his bike in an alley nearby and grabbed his bag from the back. Then he guided you towards the back of the building. As he was fumbling with something around his waist, he asked, “You ever scale a building before?” It looked like a gun.
“Can’t say I have.”
“Well you’re about to.” He finished setting up the gun and pointed it towards the top of Gotham Square Garden. “Here, hold this.” He tossed you the small back that he had grabbed from earlier.”
“Yeah, okay, suUUUREE–!” No sooner than you caught the bag, Batman wrapped an arm around your waist, fired his gun, and sent the both of you flying through the air. You made it to the top in no time. Collecting yourself briefly, you looked inside the building through the glass ceiling and gasped. “Batman, look!”
There were men dressed up exactly how the Riddler was in his video. They had guns and seemed to be setting up for something big. Men were focusing their scopes while some were loading their guns. “Give me the bag,” Batman whispered. Tossing it to him, he opened it to reveal tiny explosive devices.
“You–you had bombs and you tossed that at me?!”
Batman had a small smile on his face before taking half the explosives and tossing you the bag again. Jumping, you fumbled with the bag after learning about its contents. “Set these up along the perimeter of the glass dome. We need to create a distraction big enough to gain the attention of everyone.” Nodding, you scurried away and did as you were told as quickly as possible. Within a few minutes, it was done.
“Here, this was at the bottom of the bag,” you said as you handed him a small remote.
“Thanks,” he pocketed the item. “This is what’s going to detonate the bombs when we need to.” Batman looked inside the building again and was lost in thought briefly. “You up for a fight?”
“How many people can say they fought alongside Batman before? I’m in,” you smiled. A moment passes and there’s a tenderness there that has returned. You open your mouth to say something but—
BANG!
A shot was fired from inside the building. Quickly looking inside, the newly elected mayor, Bella Reál, was on the ground while Batman’s cop friend dragged her off stage. Batman frantically dug into one of his many pockets and pulled out a thin rope. “Here!” He pushed the thin material into your hands. “Get ready!”
Batman used the remote and detonated the bombs. Systematically, the bombs went off and destroyed the glass. Not one to waste time, he jumped into the building and landed on a catwalk. You landed behind him and quickly got to your feet. As Batman was just starting to get up from his landing, you sprinted and used his back as a launching pad while he was still crouched. It gave you a boost into the air as you landed on the nearest terrorist, wire in hand. As you choked the surprised man, Batman used his grappling guns to suspend two more bad guys into the air. Clearing the top most level, you continued on.
As Batman descended, you followed. Making sure to stay at an appropriate distance, you let Batman take the brunt of the action. This allowed you to sneak behind unsuspecting victims and either knock them out with your wire or thighs, or kick them into the stadium below. As you were dealing with a particularly tough guy who was actually able to fight back, you looked around for Batman and saw two men dragging him from his cape. Angry, you kicked the shit out of your opponent, which knocked him over the edge and down below. Batman had managed to free himself from the assailants, but as you made it to the platform he was on, a rogue gunshot hit a support wire and sent the platform off balance. Batman tumbled over the platform while you were knocked to your knees. Crawling quickly to the caped crusader, you attempted to help him up, but in a surprising twist he brushed your awaiting hand away. He instead slapped a sticky charge onto a fire extinguisher that was nearby and detonated it.
The tides had turned back into your favor as the battle was blanketed in a thick white smoke. Batman quickly got back up and went back into the fray with you following close behind. The smoke was an excellent cover–the feeling of being a genuine predator was exhilarating. As Batman swung from up high, you tag teamed and swung from below, making sure to knock them to the ground so Batman could finish them off. As you were choking a guy with the wire you had, Batman went to finish off another who was awake but on his back. Hearing a shot, you looked over and saw Batman roll away and hang off the side of the catwalk. That moment of distraction almost allowed the man below to knock you off him, but you refocused and tightened the rope until he stopped moving. Throwing yourself off him, you sprinted for the man aiming the barrel of his gun at Batman. Swiping your leg, he was knocked off balance. You kicked him hard in the face, stunning him, and went to Batman’s aid. Grasping his hand, you tried to pull him up but his weight almost sent you falling with him. Yelling with frustration, you tried again but to no avail–he was too heavy and weak to help you pull him up.
A hand from behind frantically grabbed for Batman’s wrist and, with a lot of effort, helped drag Batman onto the platform. It was Selina! Batman unfortunately fell onto you, but with more effort you were able to flip him over so that he could rest on his back. He looked…tired. It was genuinely unsettling to see such a strong man at his weakest, and it made you swell with emotion. Selina stood behind and watched as you tenderly placed a hand on his cheek. He tried to get back up but he let out a pained wheeze. “No, no. It’s okay,” you smiled at him. “It’s done. It’s over.” Batman’s eyes looked unfocused as he tried to steady his breathing.
Selina suddenly hit the ground hard. Turning around just in time to see your own attacker, a second man lurched for you and pulled you off Batman. His hands went straight for your throat as he yelled, “Let’s see how you like it!” Frantically, you kicked his legs but he was steadfast as his grip tightened. Choking you, he slammed the back of your head into the grated floor, making your eyes see black for a moment. A man screamed behind you, and Batman tackled the assailant from off you. Gordon had gotten there just in time to save Selina.
“Hey! Hey, man, take it easy!” Gordon yelled to his vigilante partner. Batman was going wild and smashing the guys face in with no sign of stopping. As you stumbled to your feet, Gordon roughly pulled on Batman’s shoulder, which caused him to stop but raise his fists at him. His eyes looked animalistic and unfocused. “Easy,” Gordon soothed. Batman looked behind Gordon and saw you; you looked…disgusted–no–you looked horrified. Slowly, he cautiously stood up and faced you. You felt grateful, but the way Batman went completely feral…
“Jesus,” Gordon cursed as he took off the Riddler-like mask from the man on the ground. His nose was broken for sure, and the skin that was originally against the mask was now pink and red from being beaten raw. Blood oozed out from the broken skin located at the high points of his face. “Who the hell are you?”
Through labored breathing, he managed to answer in a whisper. “Me? I’m Vengeance.” Batman ominously turned to the man, and as the man reciprocated his gaze, the glass walls of Gotham Square Garden caved in. Water rushed inside the building as the lights went dark. People screamed from below as the weight of the water caused the stage and metal to bend and break. Electricity sparked wherever an open wire was found.
You watched helplessly as Batman sprang into action one last time. Using his grappling hook, he flung himself onto a large wire hanging dangerously over the middle of the now flooded floor. Reverently, he used the bat symbol on his chest to cut the wire, falling with the piece he had cut into the water below. As he hit the water, all remaining lighting in the building vanished. Batman was illuminated briefly by the flashing lights of a cop car, but that too extinguished as it submerged into the water. Finally losing sight of Batman, you gasped and searched the inky black water.
Harsh red light suddenly flashed, and Batman was holding a flare into the air. Wading through the water, he made his way to a group of civilians. Watching as they cowered away, a single brave boy–Mayor Mitchel’s son–accepted his helping hand. More soon followed in the boy’s footsteps as he followed Batman through the destroyed building.
You jumped as Batman seemed to appear out of thin air. Selina thought it would be a good idea to lay low for awhile and get out of Gotham while there was still time. You thought it would be easier if you did it without telling Batman, seeing as he’s been busy rebuilding Gotham, but that obviously didn’t work. He must have purposefully sought you out to find you and Selina at the cemetery; Selina was paying respects to her mother.
You avoided his eyes as you came up with some half-hearted quip. “Would it kill you to say ‘hello,’ or do you just enjoy scaring us?”
Batman wasn’t in the mood to humor you. His demeanor was solemn. “Where will you go?”
Selina stood behind you, sensing that this was more of a conversation between the two of you. She went back to her bike; Annika was leaning against it, looking worse for wear. She was still injured, but for the most part she was fine.
Looking between Selina and Batman, you finally answered him. “I dunno, upstate…? Selina was thinking Blüdhaven maybe…Why?” A smile smirk crept on your face as you tried to play with Batman. “...gonna miss me?” Your smirk slowly fell as his demeanor stayed the same. You sighed, “ You know this place is never going to change. With Carmine gone, it’s only gonna get worse for you. You know, with the power grab and everything. I bet Oz is thinkin’ of some plans while we speak…it’ll be blood–”
“I know. But the city can change–”
“It won’t–”
“I have to try–”
“It’s going to kill you eventually, you know…and I don’t want to be around to see it.” Batman’s gaze lowered as your face morphed to a saddened expression. Tearing up, you sniffled and wiped your eyes before forcing a laugh. “Why don’t you come with me? Come with us? It’ll be safer for everyone if we just leave this place.” Approaching him, you lazily draped your arms over his shoulder and got close. “It’ll just be the Bat, the Cat, and the Rat…,” you smiled. Getting even closer, you whispered, “...or just the Bat and the Rat. Whaddya say?” you asked while looking up at him through your lashes. His eyes looked tenderly into your own. His hand moved to rest on your waist as his whole body seemed to relax under your touch. He dipped his head and caught your lips with his own. Enjoying the kiss, you deepened it for a moment before pulling away and looking at him through your lashes. Just when you thought you had him, he suddenly stiffened and his eyes looked into the sky. Following his line of sight, you saw the bat signal beaming. Your smile slowly disappeared and was replaced with a frown. You sighed, “Who am I kidding? You’re already spoken for.” Pushing off him, you turned your back and went to your own bike that was parked next to Selina and Annika. “You should go,” you called out to him, fighting to stop your eyes from burning with tears of disappointment.
Batman broke the silence as you were hopping on your bike. “I…” Placing your helmet over your head, you looked to the man standing before you. “I never got your name.” Sadly smiling under your mask, you revved your bike and took off. Selina, along with Annika sitting behind her, followed closely behind.
Racing along the various roads with Selina, you saw Batman on his motorcycle through your side mirrors. He caught up and weaved himself into the dance of the bikes. Finding yourself trailing behind your companions, you studied each of your friends closely. Selina, your best friend and whom you’ve come to treasure on your left, and Batman, your newest companion who you’ve found yourself falling for on your right. Selina turned left and drove down the road that would take her to Blüdhaven, like you’ve discussed. Batman stopped at the fork in the road and turned to give you one last look–one last plea–before turning right to follow the bat signal.
Coming to the fork in the road you stopped and looked left and right. Selina was already on her way down the street while Batman looked to be slowing down, eager to see your decision. Shedding a tear over choosing between the two you love and fearing you betrayed the other, you sighed deeply and turned…
Selina went straight to bed after you made it home. It was over; Carmine Falcone was dead. You’d be lucky if you still had your job after a week. Sitting on the kitchen counter, you idly listened to the tv news broadcasting the events that just unfolded in front of you. Batman had given Carmine to the police, and if you looked in the background, you would be able to see yourself on the screen.
Your apartment was quiet. It was a nice change of pace from the crazy that’s been going on. One of the cats started fighting with another over a toy before running away—that made you laugh. Fishing out your phone, you checked your notifications–one new message from Bruce Wayne.
It’s okay!
Don’t worry about it, I’m sure there’s enough on your plate
Yeah, haha.
I was thinking maybe we could meet up sometime?
I really need a break, it would be nice to relax after everything that’s happened.
Coffee, lunch, or dinner? Your pick.
…
Hello?
With everything going on, you didn’t have time to reply! You typed on the keyboard.
I’m sorry! Something came up…
Would dinner work?
A ball rolled across the floor and hit the counter that you were seated on. One of the cats looked up at you and stretched his paws in your direction. Leaning down, you gave him a pat before he took off with the toy ball. Your phone buzzed again.
Dinner sounds perfect. I’ll let you know on the date soon.
Speaking of dates, am I finally going to learn the name of my mystery date?
Mmmm sorry, I guess you’ll have to find out at dinner ;)
Finally feeling like going to sleep yourself, you turned off your phone and went into your bedroom so that you could be done with this horrible day.
You would not be going to bed that night.
Your room was still trashed from when they took Annika, but Selina had made slight improvements from when she cleaned the broken furniture. Other than that, everything was in place…except for a red envelope that presented itself on your pillowcase. It was addressed to no one, but there was a small heart drawn onto the middle of the paper. Opening it revealed a cute card with a cartoon surgeon performing surgery. It read, ‘What’s yours but cannot be held?’ Opening the card revealed the punchline, ‘My heart!,’ but there was extra writing inside. In sloppy handwriting was an address.
Paranoid, you started looking around your room for anything that could give you a hint as to how this got here. Nothing looked suspicious. Nothing was out of place. Checking the rest of the apartment yielded the same result. Looking back at the card, you stared at the little address for a very long time. You knew it was wrong and tried to talk yourself out of it, but you had already made up your mind.
Back in your catsuit and mask for the umpteenth time tonight, you crept out of the house and made your way to the address on your motorcycle with a navigation map telling you where to go. It ended up being an apartment complex right next to the IceBerg Lounge. Following the room number on the card led you to a police taped door—no entry. ‘Was this…where The Riddler was?’ Mind racing, you had to take a moment to rationalize this. Did he send you the card? Why would he want you here? Why would he want you? Making up your mind, you left the apartment complex and stood in front of the IceBerg Lounge to scope it out. Looking up to the building, you saw broken glass; it was the same window that Batman had propelled himself to. The area was dead empty–officers weren’t around–so you made your way around looking for a better way inside. Finding a fire escape led you to a conveniently open window that should be the apartment number listed on the card. Crawling inside, you stood in a dark, dingy bathroom. You could not have prepared yourself for what was on the other side of the bathroom door. Quietly opening the door, you saw the entire room filled to the brim with—I don’t know—nonsense?
Papers cluttered every surface, there were weird torture contraptions strewn about, photos were tacked onto the wall, and there was shit (literally mouse shit) all over the place. Not daring to touch anything there, you went into the next room, which happened to be his bed room…and what a psycho! The room was surprisingly clean, although the bed was messy, but his closet was a nightmare. Hidden behind some jackets was a shrine…with your photos. Some were printed from your various social medias, but most were taken from Polaroids of his point of view. There were pictures of you in your work outfit in the club, some were taken while you were out and about doing errands, but there was one of you asleep in your own bed. There were two more photos to look at. One was a selfie of the Riddler with Phil Colson, who had a bomb strapped around his neck, terrified. The last photo pinned up was a standalone selfie of the Riddler, unmasked, with the caption ‘Surprise! <3.’ It was the man that you helped that night in the club while you were undercover for Batman. The same guy that had helped you get away from the D.A. when he was making you uncomfortable. You couldn’t believe this…
“Hey! What’re you doin’ in here!?”
A man’s voice yelled from the other room. Jumping out of your skin, you looked around the room. The bedroom was empty. You figured that the man hadn’t spotted you; crouching low to the ground, you listened. Lights from a flashlight flickered from behind the cracked bedroom door.
“Hey man, I don’t think you should be touching that,” the same man said. Quiet rustling followed. “Boy, this guys a real nut job, huh? Killing Mitchell with a friggin’ carpet tool…not to mention his creepy shrine.” There was a pause and the light moved away, then, “My uncle’s a—He’s an installer. You know, it’s a…oh, you know. It’s a…a tucker.” The light shifted again, followed by frantic movement of furniture. Daring to take a peak, you saw Batman crouched on the floor; he was peeling back the carpet. The cop beside him tried to stop him, weakly, but ultimately let him finish. The lights focused on something on the ground, leaving the rest of the room dark. Gaining confidence, you stood up and slowly crept out of the room.
“Whatcha lookin’ at?”
The two men whipped around instantly, startled. The cop quickly drew his weapons, but Batman covered the barrel and tipped it down. The caped crusader let out a sigh.
“What are you doing here?” Batman asked.
“Wait—you know her?” The cop cut in. Both of you ignored him.
“Someone snuck in my room and left me a little present,” you said, handing over the envelope. Batman opened it and looked at its contents; his face darkened. “Have you checked his bedroom?” Batman shook his head but the officer nodded.
“Yeah, real weirdo,” the cop said. “Has pictures of this girl everywhere. Believe me when I say you do not wanna look under his bed.” You cocked a brow but dropped it. Batman quickly brushed past you to look inside the bedroom; you followed. You pointed out the closet and Batman broke the clothing rack with how roughly he moved the jackets. The shrine was on full display. Batman took his time analyzing each photograph—he looked angry.
“Man, I feel bad for whoever that girl is,” the cop whistled. You pulled your mask off and blankly stared at him. The officer looked as if he saw a ghost. “My bad, ma’am,” he apologized. You left the room and the two men followed.
In the main area, the carpet was pulled up to reveal a crude drawing of the city with the words ‘A REAL CHANGE’ scrawled out. You pointed out the small red heart that The Riddler had drawn—that was yours and Selena’s apartment. Batman turned to the computer and started typing in a box that asked for a password.
>A REAL CHANGE
…
>>ACCESS DENIED.
Batman furrowed his brow and started typing more, but each entry yielded the same result. Placing a hand on his shoulder, you gently asked, “Can I try?” Batman took a step back, giving you space to type. You typed in your name that you gave customers at the lounge and…
>>ACCESS GRANTED.
A video immediately started playing. The Riddler was talking to some viewers; they left comments on the side. “Hey guys. Uh, thanks for all the comments and, uh, a special thanks to everyone for the tips on detonators,” he started, voice normal. “And a special hello to this…girl. You know who you are.” Batman put a hand on your shoulder protectively as you stared, eyes wide. “I just wanted to say…this will be my last post for a little while, and, uh…” He started getting a little choked up. “What this community has meant to me…these weeks, these months…let’s just say that none of us is alone anymore. Okay?”
“Jesus,” the cop commented.
“Tomorrow's Election Day,” he laughed. “…and Bella Reál will win. She promised real change. But we know the truth, don’t we?” Riddler grabbed his camera and got close to it. “You’ve seen Gotham’s true face now. Together, we’ve unmasked it. Its corruption, its perversion, masquerading under the guise of renewal.” Batman stiffened. “But unmasking is not enough… the Day of Judgement is finally upon us.” The camera flipped to show the floor that was just behind you; he was showing his viewers the map. “And now it is time… for retribution.” Batman and the cop started examining the floor; you took a peek but continued to watch the video instead. “I’ve parked seven vans all along the city sea wall…and on the big night, they will go boom.”
As The Riddler uttered the last word, a giant explosion went off nearby. Rushing to the window, clouds of fire and smoke erupted into the air. More soon followed.
“When the vans blow,” he continued. “…the flooding will happen so fast, evacuation will not be an option. Those who are not washed away will race through the streets in terror.”
“Call Gordon,” Batman quietly ordered. The officer fumbled for his phone.
“As breaking news hits higher ground at Gotham Square Garden, celebrations will turn to panic as the venue becomes the city’s shelter of last resort. And that’s,” you turned back to the monitor to see that he switched it back to his face. “…where all of you come in.”
The comments were filled with all sorts of horrible questions and suggestions; ‘what gauge? what caliber?’ ‘Rifles are good,’ and ‘don’t forget your Cling Wrap!’ were some of the ones you glossed over.
“My dear—” he said quietly into the mic. “—I know that you’re watching.” It felt like he was looking through the screen and at you. “And I need you to do something very special for me, okay? Stay at the address I gave to you. I made sure that area would be safe just for you. Please, stay.” He had gotten a tad emotional but cleared his throat before continuing. “Now, when the time arrives, I will already be unmasked. The pigs will have me in their custody, but that’s okay. Because then it will be your turn. You’ll be there, waiting. It’s time for the lies to finally end—false promises of renewal? Change? We’ll give them reaaal, real change now.” His voice was booming into the mic, “We’ve spent our lives in this wretched place suffering! Wondering ‘Why us?’ Now they will spend their last moment wondering ‘Whyyy them?’”
Batman whispered, “Follow me,” as he slid his hand from your shoulder to your hand, pulling you along. You slipped on your mask.
“I can’t get through! The lines are down—“ the office said, but it was only him in the room.
There was no speaking between the two of you as you parked your motorcycles. You didn’t have to talk—it was like you could read her thoughts. Checking the clip in the gun that she took, she put it back into her bag after inspecting the rounds. Getting off the bikes, you undressed out of your catsuits, revealing your work attire underneath. Selina slipped on her wig that she had with her in her bag, taking only a few seconds to smooth it down. You made your way inside.
“Can you tell Mr. Falcone I’d like to come up?” Selina asked the man guarding the elevator door. He jerked his chin to the side and made a dismissive gesture to her.
“She can go, you stay. He ain’t seein’ nobody tonight,” he said, waving you forward.
“Tell him it’s about Annika.” The man straightened his back, his face darkened. Mumbling into his ear piece, he finally let you both pass. Mr. Falcone greeted you both when the elevator doors opened to his floor.
“Heyyy, look who it is, huh?”
“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Falcone,” you apologized, placing a kiss on his cheek as you met him halfway.
“Nah, it’s fine, gorgeous. You’re always welcome, you know that,” he chuckled. “And please, it’s Carmine to you.”
“I was hoping we could talk to you for a minute?”
“Absolutely.”
Selina eyed the other men in the room. “Alone?” He snapped his fingers and everyone cleared. He led you both into the lounge area to sit.
“What’s this all about, huh? You need somethin’? Cash?” Falcone sat across from the two of you. “I’ll get you anything you need, doll.”
“Actually, Mr. Fal—Carmine,” you gave him a weak smile. “My friend is worried sick and I didn’t know what to do, so I brought her to the only person I thought could help…” Carmine had a sly look on his face as he leaned closer.
“Oh, is that right? Well you came to the right place. What you girls need?”
“We can’t find Annika anywhere. It’s like she just disappeared!” you exclaimed, faux tears in your eyes. Carmine leaned back into his chair. His face dropped for a second before he replaced it with a carefree facade.
“I’m—I’m just so worried,” Selina choked out, letting out a few fake tears of her own. “I don’t know where she is. I know you’re a very important man from what she’s told me—“ Selina gestured to you, “—and I was hoping you could help me find her. I mean she’s been gone so long, I’m starting to think she might be…” Selina let out a few sniffles as you patted her back comfortingly. “I’m sorry…” You looked at Falcone with pleading eyes.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I understand. Here.” He offered her tissues but she declined.
“No, that’s okay, I have a tissue.” Selina slowly reached for the gun in her purse as you distracted him.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Carmine. Nobody knew anything or wanted to help—“
“Mr. Falcone?”
“Vinny!” Falcone yelled at the man who interrupted. “Didn’t I tell ya?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Falcone. I really think you’re gonna want to see this.”
Falcone looked back at you. “I’m sorry, beautiful,” he apologized. “I’ll be right back so we can continue.” You and Selina gave each other a hardened look as he walked away into another room. So close.
The voicemail that Annika had left Selina could be overheard from where you were sitting. As if empowered by her voice, Selina carefully strided over to the man, gun pointed. You placed yourself behind the wall, hidden from the men’s view, ready for whatever was about to happen.
“Hey, Dad?”
Falcone turned around to see her, mildly confused and surprised. “What?”
“I’m Maria Kyle’s kid…You remember her?”
“Yeah…Just—just put down the gun, honey—“
“This is for my mother.” The gunshot echoed as all the lights shut down and were replaced by shadows. The only thing to illuminate anything were the lights from outside peering in.
Quickly sneaking into the now dark room, you lunged for the guard that was about to attack Selina. With a yell, you managed to jump and wrap your legs around his neck, choking him. Selina went after Falcone as you fought the guard. More gunshots fired, each round making you jump in your skin. When you were finished with the man, you ran into the other room to see another fallen guard and Falcone choking Selina with a pool stick. Grabbing one off the table, you hit him in the back of the head as hard as possible. He shouted and got off of her, coming for you. Selina gasped for breath, blindly reaching around for the gun that was knocked away.
“You bitch!” Falcone yelled as he lunged for you. Dodging, you dealt him a few blows yourself and even managed to leave a nasty scratch along his face. “I’ll kill you!” He sent a powerful kick to your legs, sweeping you off your feet. He was on you instantly and wrapped his hands around your throat. “You made me do this, sweetheart. You were my favorite! You’re making me do this!”
“Help—“ you choked out, suffocating. Struggling, he had a hard time keeping his hands around your neck, but he managed. Your mind froze—this has happened before, hasn’t it? Instead of Falcone above you, digging his nails into you, the image of Batman with his own hand around you appeared instead…just like he did at the mayor’s house. Black was creeping into your vision as you let out shallow gasps before Falcone was harshly pulled away. Your eyes squeezed shut in anguish as you coughed out.
Your savior, the caped crusader, immediately reached for Selina and aimed her gun away when he noticed she was about to shoot. “He has to pay!” she shouted.
“You don’t have to pay with him.” He assured her. Selina, crying, looked at Batman. “You’ve paid enough.” She relents and drops the gun, defeated and emotionally drained.
Batman was by your side in an instant, cradling you. He tenderly brushed his fingers against the marks on your neck made by Falcone. “Rat?” The way he said it reminded him of how he called out to you over the contact lens camera system: pathetic. Vision blurred, you recoiled quickly after seeing who it was, weakling pushing him away.
“Please,” you pawed away at his hands, trying to get them away from your head. “Not again.” His eyes held a great sadness in them as he instead held you closer, moving his hands from holding your head to your lower back, waiting for you to calm down. Struggling more, your breathing quickened as you flung your hand towards his face. His hand caught yours quickly and held them firm against him. He looked anxious, eyes searching over your body for more potential damage as you calmed down. Realizing the situation after seeing Carmine on the ground, you raised yourself to hug your dark knight. He wouldn’t hurt you again, right? You were soothed as you felt him let out a heavy sigh into your hair.
“Please,” he whispered into your ear. “Don’t scare me like that, please…” Gingerly, he helped you up, arm wrapped around your waist.
Reluctantly, he let go when Falcone started coming to his senses. Picking him up roughly, he led the man through the club where onlookers watched with curiosity. You and Selina followed.
“Jesus,” Carmine laughed. “Look at you. Whattaya think this is? You think you’re gonna scare me with that mask and that cape? I’m gonna start crying, and all of a sudden some big secret’s comin’ out? Let me tell you something?” Carmine stopped walking and leaned in close to Batman. “Whatever I know, whatever I’ve done, it’s all going with me to my grave.” Batman shoved him forward and into the hands of Gordon. “What, you with Zorro over here? Don’t you know you boys in blue work for me?”
Gordon took him outside to reveal the dozens of police officers waiting to arrest him. “I guess we don’t all work for you.” Gordon read Carmine his rights as another officer handcuffed him. “Do you understand?”
Carmine looked straight at you, almost admiring your tears and the marks he left behind on your neck. “Yeah,” he turned back to Gordon. “I’ll see you when I walk out.”
“Goddamn rat.”
“What’d you say?” Carmine asked Oswald.
“Enjoy your night at Blackgate, Carmine. Probably be your last.”
“Oh-ho! So you’re a big man now, huh, Oz?’ Carmine scoffed.
“Maybe I am,” Oz challenged.
“Really, Oz? Because to me, you were always a gimp in an empty suit.”
Oz reached into his jacket, pulling out a gun. “I’ll spray paint your ass!” A single shot fired and Carmine hit the ground. The crowd roared as officers tried to get a handle on the situation. Oz was tackled to the ground. “I didn’t shoot! I didn’t shoot!”
You walked over to Batman as he hovered over Falcone, watching him take his last breath. You spat on his body, satisfied. Batman, however, looked above him to see the flickering street light. “Bring him into the light,” he muttered. “And you’ll find where I’m at.”
“There!” An officer yelled. “The shot came from up there!” Following where the man’s finger pointed, you saw an apartment window open with a gun pointed out. No one was there.
“It’s Riddler!”
Majority of the officers left Carmine’s body to get to Riddler; only a few stayed back. Selina strolled over and stared at his body for a bit. Also satisfied, she linked arms with yours and walked away. “Let’s go home.”
You made it to your motorcycles in silence. The only thing you mumbled after putting on your helmet was ‘Karma’s a bitch’ before returning to your apartment.
Finding Bruce Wayne at your place of work was rather surprising. You felt bad looking at him; he was a total mess after what the Riddler revealed to the public about his family. Although it seems like the Wayne’s deserved it, you still felt bad for the surviving Wayne. Before, you thought Bruce might have thought himself too good for the public—he was never out, never did anything with his money, didn’t do anything. Now, things were different. The way he interacted with you at the funeral changed everything. He was not above anyone; he treated you, someone who people like Falcone take advantage of, with respect and kindness. The assumption that he didn’t want to be out in the public because he was too good for anyone was wrong; you could see that he was just slightly awkward and introverted. ‘Maybe I’ll have to give him a call later,’ you thought. ‘But not right now. I have to find Selina.’
Selina was supposed to find Batman—she had thought of a plan that they could use to find Kenzie, so she was grabbing him. ‘Just don’t make any moves without me,’ Batman’s voice echoed in your head. You touched your lips as you remembered your kiss that you shared shortly after. As you were heading out of the building to meet Selina at the bat signal, you found her leaning against the alleyway outside of the building. She was fuming.
“He’s not there,” she shouted, frustrated. “I’ve waited for hours—he never showed!”
“Maybe he’s just busy—“
“I say we do this without him,” she decided. “Probably easier too. That asshole has to pay now.”
Honestly, you thought that you really should wait for Batman. “Selina,” you said gently, hoping to calm her down. “Remember what happened last time? At the recycling plant?” Selina arched her brow. “Last time we did something without him, we almost died.”
“Yeah, well, you live and you learn. So what, you backing out too?”
“No—“
“Then come one, let’s go. I’ve already thought up an alternative plan while I was waiting for the dick to show up.”
You found yourself back into the club and applying a fresh swipe of lipstick as you approached the 44 Below entrance. Kenzie was there guarding the door, eyes already on you and staring hungrily.
“Hey, sugar,” he greeted cheerfully. “Haven’t seen you for a while. You working tonight?”
“No, I just got off,” you giggled. “I was hoping on catchin’ a ride home…”
“Well if you need a ride, I can pay a taxi for—“
“…with you.” You batted your eyes and picked at his sleeve. “Please?”
Whatever internal battle Kenzie had with himself was short lived because he gave in rather quickly. “Ah, what the hell. Just let me grab my keys and ask one of the guys to take my place. I get off in 15 minutes anyways.” He returned to you, eagerly. “Let’s go, baby.”
Taking his hand, he followed as you led the way. He was getting rather handsy. The twin bodyguards let out a whistle as they saw you leave with Kenzie; you flashed them a smile. The alley was pretty dark—no street lights—and you were gonna ask him something before he suddenly pushed you against the wall.
“I don’t think I can wait that long,” he huffed. “I’ve been eyeing you for a loooong time now. Be a good girl and—“ His feet slid back from beneath him, causing him to drop to the ground hard. He let out a wheeze.
“What—!”
Before he could make another remark, you quickly covered his mouth and wrapped your arm around his neck. You only let up once he passed out.
“Nice job,” Selina complimented while coming out of the shadows. She was retrieving her chain from around his legs. You shrugged and started going through his pockets. A watch, his phone, his gun, another phone—wait…
“Selina, I think this is your phone.”
“What? Give it here,” she demanded before immediately grabbing it from you. She swiped on it for a few seconds before letting out a chilling cry. “I—oh my god. She called me! Annika called me!” Crying, she clutched her phone to her chest. You had to pry her fingers away so you could grab it back. Pressing play started a horrifying voicemail.
“Help,” Annika pleaded into the phone before a man yelled at you to get back.
“Hey, hey, what’re you doin’, Kenzie? You’re scaring her.” It was Carmine Falcone. You paused the recording.
“I really think we should wait for Batman,” you told her.
“Play it.”
“Selin—“
“I said play it, goddamnit!”
Staring at her, you thought for a moment. “Not here,” you said slowly. “We’ll listen to it but not here.” Selina nodded curtly after a while. “Help me with him, would you?”
Selina tied him up with some zip ties that she had brought and you both heaved him onto your motorcycle—not before she took his gun, of course. You handed Selina her phone, which you were sure she listened to on the way to the bat signal given the tears going down her face. She helped you carry him into the elevator, albeit rather roughly, and dropped him onto the ground by the ledge. You turned on the light to signal Batman hoping that he would see and put on your catsuit that Selina brought with her. She was already in hers.
You sat against the building near the elevator; you were waiting for Kenzie to wake up or for Batman to show up—whichever came first. Your phone buzzed once in your pocket. Fishing it out, you saw a text from an unknown number.
Hey, it’s Bruce.
You totally forgot to text him with everything going on. Under better circumstances, you would have loved to talk to him; you’re a little busy at the moment. Kenzie was still down though, so you tapped your finger on the keyboard as you replied.
Hey… How’re you doing? You feeling alright?
I’ve been better.
Sorry about earlier, I was a total mess.
It’s okay!
Don’t worry about it, I’m sure there’s enough on your plate
Yeah, haha.
I was thinking maybe we could meet up sometime?
I really need a break, it would be nice to relax after everything that’s happened.
Coffee, lunch, or dinner? Your pick.
Bruce Wayne asking you out? Say it ain’t so! As you thought up a reply, Kenzie soon woke up dazed. He groaned as he sat up. Quickly pocketing your phone—and leaving Bruce on read—you stood up and made your way to the man.
“Get on your knees,” you ordered. He spat at your feet so you kicked him hard in the ribs. “Now!” He let out a pained wheeze as he shuffled into position.
Everything was rather quiet as you waited. Kenzie’s labored breath and the bustle of the city were the only things you could hear as you stared at the bat-shaped light in the sky. Your phone buzzed once again after a while, but you couldn’t check it as you were watching Kenzie. Selina, however, was growing in frustration, gun in hand.
“What do you want? Please, don’t—“
“Shut up,” Selina shouted as she punched him from under his chin, causing him to reel his head back. She let out her anger by assaulting him, causing him to cry out. This lasted for a while before the sound of the elevator stopping to open caused you to turn around. Batman, as well as a police officer—whom you recognized as Gordon from the funeral—marched out. You stood by Kenzie, waiting. A memory of you flashed in Batman’s mind; ‘So anytime I want to see you I just need to light that bad boy up?’ He was hoping you would have called him for a different reason…he also understood why you never texted him back.
“I found him,” Selina called out as she gave him a kick that made him bend over.
“I see that.” Batman’s guard was up.
“He had my shit and my phone. She left a message the night they took her. She called me—“
“—Gordon! Help me out, man! She got my gun!”
“Shut up,” you ordered as you smacked the back of his head. Selina aimed the gun at him.
“Put the gun down.”
“I’m telling you, god damn it! She called me,” Selina yelled at Batman. When he didn’t relent, she pulled the gun away and fished out her phone. “Listen.”
“Help—“
“Hey, get back here! Where are you going? Come back here!” Annika cried into the phone.
“Hey, hey, what’re you doin’, Kenzie? You’re scaring her.”
“Hey, don’t be scared,” Falcone assured. “Come here.” Batman and Gordon leaned in closer, listening. A tear fell onto your cheek as you covered your mouth in silent horror. “Now let me ask you again. What did Mitchell tell you?”
“No—nothing. He—“
“Don liked to talk, I know that. Especially to pretty girls like you. That’s why I made him take your passport, until we could have this little…conversation.”
“All I want to do is get out of here, okay?” Between Annika’s voice trembling and her thick accent, it was a little hard to hear. “You’ll never hear from me again, nobody will, please—!
“We’re gonna get you outta here, I promise,” Falcone raised his voice in frustration. “But first, I gotta know…what did he tell you?”
“He…he just said that they all made a deal with you.”
“Oh,” he hummed. “He told you about that, huh? The deal?”
“He said you gave some information on some drops thing, and that’s how he became mayor. He said that you were a very important man.”
“Right,” he hummed again. “Okay.” Annika’s piercing scream filled the air. More tears fell from your eyes as you could hear her struggling. “Just take it easy.”
“Jesus, he’s strangling her,” Gordon said. A few more seconds of tussling played until the phone call ended. Batman was deep in thought.
“Rata Alana,” he said. “A falcon has wings, too.”
“Falcone is the rat?” Gordon asked. The men looked at Kenzie. Walking up to him, Gordon asked, “Falcone works for you guys? The mayor? The D.A.?”
Kenzie swallowed. “No,” he sighed shakily. “We work for him. Everybody does.”
Batman asked, “How?”
“Through Renewal. Renewal is everything.”
“The Renewal fund?” Gordon pressed.
“Yeah. After Thomas Wayne died, they all went after it like vultures. The mayor, Falcone, Maroni. Everyone got in on it. It was perfect for making bribes, laundering money—a huge charitable fund with no oversight. Everybody got a piece.” Kenzie took a labored breath before continuing, “But Falcone wanted more. So he orchestrated a play to take Maroni down big. He’d rat out his drops operation, make the careers of everybody that went after him, then install them all as his puppets.” Batman looked at you. “You think this goddamn election matters? Falcone’s the mayor. Has been for the last 20 years.”
“Come on, Vengeance,” Selina said. “Let’s go kill that son of a bitch…this creep too—“ you put your hands on Kenzie’s shoulders to hold him still. “—let’s finish this.”
“No!” Batman knocked the gun out of Selina’s hand. She readied herself for a fight. “We’ll get him. But not that way.”
“There is no other way,” you finally said. “He owns the city! Did you not hear him?”
“Cross that line, you’ll become just like him.” Batman’s gaze shifted from Selina to you. His eyes pleaded as he said, “Listen to me. Don’t throw your life away.” His attention went back to your feline partner as she studied his face. Her composure suddenly changed to a relaxed one; you knew what was about to happen. Batman was not with you.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Selina said as you rested your foot onto Kenzie’s chest. You smiled at him as she said, “I got nine of them.” Instantly, Selina shoved Batman away letting you kick Kenzie off the building. Both men lurch forward to save the falling man, letting Selina grab the fallen gun. Batman’s harpoon gun quickly fires around his ankle, allowing the men to pull him up. As they were distracted, you and Selina ran to some wires that were used to pull a crane, sliding down them gracefully. You could hear Kenzie screaming.
Already speeding away on your motorcycles to the club, you couldn’t see Batman chasing you down the building.
When Selina was done talking to Batman, you returned from the bathroom, took the contacts back and pocketed them. Selina’s face was hard to read.
“How do you know about this ‘bat signal?’”
You didn’t know how to respond for a second. “He showed me.”
“When.”
“…After I got done scouting the recycling plant.”
Selina let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? Are you hiding things from me?”
“What? No! Selina, I didn’t mean to—“
“To what? Make me worry? Not tell me the truth?”
“Okay,” you started. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you everything and for making you worry. To be honest, I was worried that you would have been mad about Batman. You don’t really seem to like him.”
“There’s hardly anything about him to like,” she huffed as a small smile crept onto her face. “Anyways, I know you didn’t really want to go, but now I guess you have to take me.”
“Why?”
“He wouldn’t tell me exactly where to meet him. All he said was, ‘The bat signal’ and that you knew how to get there.”
“I was barely there, he just told me to drop him off at the building it was in.”
“Well, that’s more knowledge than me, so I guess you’re coming.”
It scared you a little to see him. Batman almost died saving you. Nervously, you both got dressed in your suits again and shared a motorcycle to make it easier. Finding the elevator took longer than you thought, but seeing Batman’s silhouette along the tower’s edge was a pretty good indication that you were in the right spot.
“Cat burglars pulling another score?” He was a little guarded.
“What?” Selina asked as you both pulled off your bike helmets. You stayed quiet and settled yourself a ways away from Batman. This was Selina’s situation; she was the one that wanted Batman’s help.
The man lowered his voice and looked at you with a surprising softness. “Wasn’t sure I’d see you again.” You gave him an uneasy smile.
“I, uh, wasn’t sure you were alive,” you admitted. “I was worried about you…Scared, even.” Batman’s chest felt warm; ‘you worried about him?’
Selina was pacing back and forth, frustrated. “How could they do that to her? That piece of shit cop, Kenzie. Her body was in his car. I’m gonna find him and I’m gonna make him pay. You gonna help me?”
“Help you?”
“Yeah. I thought you were ‘Vengeance.’”
“There’s no need.”
“What?” Selina looked pissed. “What do you mean there’s no need for vengeance? He killed—“
“—Because she’s not dead,” Batman revealed. You and Selina were stunned. “My sensors picked up a faint pulse on her. When I chased after Penguin, I had a… police friend tail Kenzie’s car. She’s in emergency care, somewhere safe and hidden.”
You couldn’t believe it. She was okay! Thankfully, Selina voiced your thoughts aloud. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Teary-eyed, she tried calming herself down.
“You didn’t think I tried? You’re not exactly the easiest to get in contact with.” You approached Batman and reached for his hand, but something within Batman quickly snapped and he snatched his hand away; his whole demeanor changed. It was as if he remembered something he was upset about. There was a beat of silence as Batman turned to you and got directly in your face, invading your space. “…was it worth it?”
“Excuse me?”
“Compromising yourself for money?” You didn’t know how to respond, but how dare he judge you for your actions. You needed that money and it sure as hell was gonna come from Oz one way or another. Selina joined you in glaring at him. “What’d you have to do to set up that score? How close did you have to get to Penguin? To Falcone—“
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Selina barged, but Batman ignored her. He was slowly taking steps toward you, making you back away cautiously.
“—there is some kind of relationship, right? Back in the club. Why would his behavior be like that to you? Why else would he bring you along to Mitchell’s funeral?” He was getting angry, and your anger morphed into fear. He stopped walking when your heels grazed the edge of the building—you had to hold onto his shoulder to keep from falling back but his composure didn’t change. “Did you do something for Falcone to owe you?” He was intimidating; he was scaring you.
Selina had enough. “He owes me!”
“Owes you?” Batman backed away from you and approached Selina. You shakily released a breath of air that you didn’t know you were holding.
“Yeah, and a lot more!”
“Oh really,” he smirked. “Why’s that?”
“You know what? I can’t even talk to you.” Selina turned for the elevator but Batman grabbed her arm.
“No! I want to know why a guy like Falcone would owe you anything—“
Selina shouted, “Because he’s my father!” You took your place beside Selina, making sure to avoid Batman’s eye contact. Selina calmed down. “My mother worked at the 44 Below…just like Anni,” she met your eyes. “…and just like her. She used to take me there when I was a little girl.”
“…to the club?” Batman’s demeanor had changed; he was softer.
“Yeah,” she continued. “I hid out in the dressing room while she worked. Used to see him there. He scared the shit outta me,” she whispered the last part. “I could never understand why he looked at me the way he did. Then one night, my mother told me who he was…” The man glanced at you before studying Selina. “When I was seven, my mother was murdered…strangled. They never found out who—probably some creep from the club. Anyway, social services came to take me away and he didn’t say a thing. Couldn’t even look at me.” She looked away briefly before meeting Batman’s eyes. “He owes me that money.”
Taking Selina’s hand into yours, you squeezed it affectionately. She squeezed back.
Batman was silent for a while, studying the both of you. “…I’m sorry. For what I said.”
“Ah, it’s alright,” she said. “You assume the worst in people—-but it’s not me you need to apologize to.” She squeezed your hand again before dropping it and taking a step back. You avoided Batman’s gaze.
“I’m… sorry. For everything.” Your eyes flickered to his before looking away again. “I keep assuming that—“
“‘’s alright,” you interrupted. You didn’t want to have this conversation. Not in front of Selina. “It’s like you both said, you ‘assume.’” You took a step closer to the man, not daring to go any closer after earlier. Batman closed the distance for you. “Who are you under there?” Your hand ventured to his mask, just barely hovering over his face. His hand took yours and pressed it against his cheek.
“Who am I?” His lip twitched up briefly, ghosting a smile. “I don’t even know your name.”
“I guess we both have some secrets,” you chuckled. “You hideously scarred behind that mask?”
“‘I guess we both have some secrets,’” he echoed softly. He smiled at you before you smiled back. Selina rejoined the conversation and your hand dropped.
“If we don’t stand up for people like Anni, no one will. All anyone cares about in this place are those… white, privileged assholes—the mayor, the commissioner, the D.A.—and now Thomas and Bruce Wayne. Far as I’m concerned, that psycho’s right to go after those creeps. I think you’d be on his side.”
Batman’s tone changed. Solemnly, he asked, “What do you mean, ‘Thomas and Bruce Wayne?’”
“What, you live in a cave?”
“The Riddler’s latest,” you informed. “It’s all about the Waynes.”
“Listen,” Selina interjected. “If I can find that dick bag Kenzie, will you help me? Please?”
Batman made no moves. Sliding your hands up his armor chest, you looked at him through your lashes. “Come on, Vengeance…please,” you whispered.
The man seemed to have an internal struggle and lost whatever battle he was waging. “…Just don’t make any moves without me, understand? This is all more dangerous than you know—“
Your hands slid from his chest to his face, bringing him down to meet you for a long kiss. He closed his eyes and subconsciously deepened it, moving his hand to grip your waist. His lips moved to follow yours as you broke it and backed away, but he caught himself. “Don’t worry, baby,” you grabbed Selina’s hand and made your way into the elevator. “We can handle ourselves.”
He stayed staring at the elevator for a very long time after you left.
The ride down the elevator was silent as you spent the ride reflecting over what happened the past few minutes. “I don’t know how, but you have that man wrapped around your finger,” Selina mused. It was an intriguing thought, but something else was bugging you…
How does he know that Falcone brought you to the mayor's funeral?
————————————————————————————————
Bruce Wayne was a complete wreck after watching the Riddler’s latest announcement. His father was a murderer? Why would Thomas Wayne ever go to Falcone? It didn’t make any sense; Bruce decided to go straight to the source.
The ride to the club didn’t help soothe him, if anything it made him feel worse. He felt—and looked—absolutely pathetic. He was soaking wet from the rain.
“Do you know who I am?” Bruce asked one of the twin bodyguards at the door.
“You’re Bruce Wayne,” he said in disbelief.
“I wanna see Carmine Falcone.”
The door shut on his face and stayed closed for a while. Bruce had a slight shake to him; he didn’t know if it was from the cold or his unstable emotions.
The door opened to reveal both twins. “See?” The other twin scoffed, but he seemed impressed. The pair guided Bruce to the elevator that would take him to where Falcone currently was.
When the elevator opened up, soft jazz music could be heard while the sound of billiard balls clattering together over a game of pool. The lights were dim, giving the illusion of a relaxing ambience. He picked up on some of the conversation as he made his way into the room.
“Briscoe, do you know how much this sweater cost?”
“No, boss.”
“$1,183. You know why communism failed, right?”
“No, boss.”
“Austerity.” The men laughed but there was a quiet, feminine giggle among them. Bruce saw you sitting on the side of the pool table, dolled up next to Falcone, holding a tray of drinks and cigars. He sloppily brushed the hair in front of his face to the side, trying to hastily improve his appearance. He didn’t think you’d be here. Everyone in the room stared at the intruder, the soothing atmosphere diminishing slightly.
“Hey, Johnny Slick,” Oswald greeted, trying to size him up. “What’re you doin’ here?”
“Give us a moment here, fellas,” Carmine ordered. You looked at Falcone and Bruce, giving them both a smile.
“Come on,” Oz ordered the men as he lent you a hand so you could slide off the table. “See ya, Champ,” Oz said. You brushed your hand against Bruce’s shoulder as you walked past; his eyes followed you intently until you left the room.
“Have a seat,” Carmine said. “I thought I might hear from you. This, uh, Riddler sonuvabitch is really stirring things up, huh?” He hit a billiard ball.
“Is it true?”
“What? That reporter business? What do you wanna know here, kid?”
“Did you kill him? For my father?”
“Look, your father was in trouble. This reporter had some dirt. Some very…personal stuff about your mother—her family history. He didn’t want any of that coming out, not before the election. Your father tried to pay the guy, but he wasn’t goin’ for it. So he came to me,” he admitted. “I never seen him like that. He said, ‘Carmine, I want you to put the fear of God in this guy.’ And when fear isn’t enough…” Carmine trailed off.
Bruce had a strange look to him; he was very unnerved—disturbed—frightened? He didn’t know, but there was a certain disconnect to him.
Carmine continued, “Your father wanted me to handle it, so I did. I handled it.” Bruce couldn’t get any words out, he felt something in his throat. “I know,” Carmine said with faux sympathy. “You thought your father was a Boy Scout. But you’d be surprised what even a good man like him is capable of in the right situation. Do me a favor, don’t lose any sleep over it. This reporter was on Maroni’s payroll—he got what was comin’ to him.”
Bruce’s throat bobbed as he choked out, “Maroni?”
“Oh yeah, he could never stand that your father and I had history. And after what happened with that reporter, he was worried that your father would be in my pocket. Forever.” Carmine stopped playing pool and approached Bruce. “He would have done anything to keep him from becoming mayor. You understand?”
Bruce lip twitched. “Are you saying…Salvator Maroni got my father killed?”
“Do I know it for a fact?” Falcone shrugged. “I’m just saying, it sure looked that way to me.” He decided to egg Bruce on, truly loving how undone the man in front of him was becoming. “This is what you wanted, huh? This little conversation here? It’s been a long time coming.” Carmine rested a hand on his shoulder. Whether it was for comfort or mockery, Bruce didn’t know. “I mean, you ain’t a kid no more. Now come on.” Carmine led Bruce to the elevator. “Unless you want anything else, I suggest you go home. Try not to let this get in your head.” Bruce wordlessly followed his order.
When the elevator opened up, all the men that were previously with Falcone were waiting by the door. The guys all had snide faces and laughed as they brushed past him, going back onto the elevator to see Carmine. You were the only one that stayed behind. He stared at you, waiting.
“I’m..sorry,” you told him. “I saw the news. I can’t imagine how you feel.” Bruce gave a slight nod, not exactly sure on how to respond. “I heard that the Riddler targeted you. Wayne tower was smoking for quite some time—you’re lucky.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Lucky.” He looked at you as if he was a lost boy. Choking out a dry laugh and brushing his hair back, he said, “God, you must think I’m such a mess.”
“Hey,” you grabbed ahold of his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “I don’t know what Carmine said, but don’t let him get inside your head. Trust me, I’d know.” Bruce squeezed your hand back. “If you need anything, and I mean it, don’t hesitate to reach out. I know we haven’t known each other long—“ Bruce’s lips burned at the thought of your searing kiss, ”—but I care about you.” He tilted his head inquisitively, curious. “You remind me of someone I know,” you admitted, your face feeling a little warm. You wrote your number on a notepad, like he did for you back at the church, and gave it to him.
“Thank you,” he said after a while. You gave him a parting smile before you passed him, walking away from the elevator and into the club.
Bruce had much to do when he got back to Wayne Tower.
“God, you look like a mess. What the hell happened?”
“Gee, thanks hon, hello to you too,” you rolled your eyes as you entered the apartment. It was slightly cleaner than the last time you saw it; Selina had made a noble effort at restoring it to its former glory. The cats swarmed to your feet. “Have you checked the news?”
“No, why?” The tv was shut off but the music was playing over the radio quietly. Selina was doing the dishes.
“I had a very interesting morning. Let’s see: Boss man picked me up, we went to the funeral, I met a cute guy, I almost got hit by a car in the church, the guy who crashed into the church had a bomb on him, the cute guy paid for my taxi, and now I’m here.”
“What!? What do you mean there was a bomb?”
Filling Selina in on what happened exactly didn’t take long, although you did leave out some names, cough Bruce Wayne cough—not the D.A.s, however.
“So the D.A. was the hostage?”
“Yeah, he was wearing the same outfit from the other day, too. Remember when he asked if we needed a ride?”
“Yeah. I’m guessing he was taken not too long after that.”
“Had to have been,” you agreed. You opened the fridge to see what was inside. There wasn’t much, you knew that, but you hoped there was at least something. You closed the door, frustrated. After a moment of silence, you remembered something.
“What about that score you were talking about?”
“Oh, the narcotics one. Some guy at the club was talking about it. It’s apparently at Gotham Recycling.”
“Okay, cool. So do you have a way in?”
“…no,” she admitted. You rolled your eyes.
“How about this,” you said after a beat. “I’ll go check it out right now and see if I can find us some cover spots and places to hide. That way we aren’t taken by surprise.”
“Perfect,” she complimented with a growing smile. “Hey, while you’re at it,” she pointed to a pile of broken furniture. “Be a doll and take that with you, hmm?”
“You’re joking, right?”
She smiled and shrugged.
————————————————————————————————
“Can’t believe she made me take all that. I mean, how the fuck do you fit a broken dresser onto a bike?”
Selina was, in fact, not joking about taking some items to the recycling place. It ended up being a good cover, though, because it gave you an excuse to look around the area without being suspicious. It was rather hard to find where you were supposed to drop things off at. Currently, you were complaining as you made your way home after securing the location; there were already some shady guys lurking around, but they didn’t pay you any mind. You had just passed Gotham’s Police Department when you saw something in the sky.
“What…the…fuck?”
The large object soared in the air, which made you slow to a stop in a side alley and get off your motorcycle. When it approached the ground, a parachute popped from its back. It hilariously hit the bridge over top you and crashed onto a bus, crashed into a parked car, hit some garbage, and then finally skidded to a stop at your feet. The masked man groaned as his eyes traveled from your feet to your eyes.
“Well hi there, stranger,” you greeted cheerfully as you crouched down. “How was the fall?”
Batman caught his breath before muttering, “It was shit.” You helped him to his feet. “What’re you doing here?”
“What was that about?” You ignored his question.
“…Nothing.”
“Didn’t look like nothing to me. Looked like you fell from the police building.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Fine,” you shrugged back. “Didn’t want to know anyway—by the way, you look like shit.”
He let out a surprise chuckle before coughing out, “Thanks.”
“And he laughs! Didn’t know you could do that.”
“I can laugh,” he said defensively. You two started making your way down the alley. “And more.”
“Can you now? Like what?” He said nothing, but his eyes held a bit of mischief. “So what, you taking a midnight walk or something to clear your head? Where’re ya going?”
He gave it some thought before responding. It seemed like he trusted you more. “The bat signal.”
“You have a signal? Damn.” You let out a whistle. “So anytime I want to see you I just need to light that bad boy up?” Batman gave a small smile but made no comments or objections. “Anyways, need a ride? It’s the least I can offer after you ate concrete and groveled at my feet.”
Batman got your bike, behind you, and wrapped his arms around your midsection. “I did not grovel.”
“Uh-huh, sure, now tell me where to go.”
————————————————————————————————
“Alright,” you announced as you barged into your home. “I found some spots—it’ll be a piece of cake. What time did you want to leave?”
“Now.”
“Now—oh shit, uh, okay. Lemme get dressed.” Selina was already in her catsuit and sitting on the counter waiting for you. You quickly got dressed yourself, not wanting to keep her waiting any longer. She seemed a little tense. Walking out of your room, Selina hopped off the counter and left the apartment. You followed after her to where your motorcycles were. Putting on your helmet, you asked, “One bike or two?”
“What took you so long?”
“What?” She gave you a pointed look before putting on her own helmet. “I’m sorry, I guess I was a little distracted, why?”
“I thought—“ she paused before continuing. “I thought someone caught you. You were gone longer than you should have, I was worried.”
“Oh.” You felt a little guilty now. You could see how she thought that. “The building was a little bigger than I thought, so it took a bit longer. On my way back, I went a little slow and enjoyed the ride.” Something told you that if you mentioned Batman that she would not be happy. So you shut your mouth.
“Two.”
“‘Scuse me?”
“Two bikes…and I’m sorry for overreacting.” You both got on your bikes.
Grabbing her shoulder, you squeezed it affectionately. “You don’t have to apologize, Cat. I’m the one sorry for making you worry.” She squeezed the hand that was touching her.
“It’s okay, Rat,” she said before riding off. You followed.
As you approached the recycling plant, you moved in front of Selina and followed the path that you planned earlier. You stopped and signaled to her to shut off her bike between two large trucks. It was time to get to work. She grabbed a long chain from the back of her bike as you stretched—you didn’t want to pull anything. You even slipped on some brass knuckles, ya know, just in case.
Quietly making your way past where the trucks were parked, you surveyed the area. You held up a peace sign to Selina. ‘Two guards.’ Nodding, she slipped in front of you and whipped her chains around the first guy’s ankles. You quickly pounced on top of him and knocked him out as he hit the ground with a thud.
“Hey! What happened? You alright?” The man on the other side of the car that you were hiding behind started making his way over, but was stopped by Selina. He also hit the ground, knocked out. Quickly getting up, you followed Selina to the car’s trunk where two duffle bags were located. Unzipping them revealed the cash she had promised.
“Dangerous crowd you’re stealing from.”
Whipping around revealed Batman. You put a hand to your heart, startled.
“Jesus,” Selina sighed out. “Is this how you get your kicks, hon? Sneaking up on girls in the dark?” She was preparing the duffle bags. When she was done, she handed the first one to you. Batman made no move to stop you.
“That why you work in the club? It was all just a score?”
“You know, I would love to sit down and go over every gory detail with you, bat boy, but uh, those assholes are coming back—“ she let out a surprised gasp. You looked over her shoulder in horror and dropped the bag.
Annika was laying in the back of this car in a body bag. Batman looked intensely at the girl and furrowed his brow. He was about to say something, but gunfire ruined it. Batman, almost thoughtlessly, let the bullets bounce off his suit as he instantly moved to cover you. Everyone dropped to the ground as the men making the drops deal moved forward. A nearby car revved and sped closer, gaining the attention of the armed men. An undercover cop stepped out of the car and gave you guys some cover, which gave you time to look over at Batman. He was knocked breathlessly onto the pavement from the barrage of bullets.
“Shit, shit, shit!” You were terrified; your throat choked up on you as the men walked over to your location. You recognized one as Oz when he started yelling.
“Hey, Vengeance!” A wave of bullets pierced into the car that you and Selina used for cover. “You think you can come after my money, huh?”
“What’re we gonna do,” Selina whispered, scared, as tears threatened to spill. You looked over to Batman again, but he was gone. ‘What?’
You could feel Oz’s footsteps vibrate the ground from how close he was. A loud engine captured everyone’s attention instead, causing heads to turn. Daring to take a peek, you could see the silhouette of a car as the engine powered on. Gunshots fired and men started running for their own cars. You dragged Selina with you as you sprinted to where your bikes were parked, using the distraction as cover.
“Kenzie! Get the money!”
Hopping on your bike, you quickly revved your own engine and made your way back to the action. Fortunately, all the cars were driving away after the mysterious car—‘hopefully Batman,’ you thought—which left you with Kenzie holding the two duffle bags filled with money. Swerving your bike last second allowed you to knock the man onto the ground, making him drop the bags. You grabbed one and sped off without looking back as Selina grabbed the other one, following you shortly after.
————————————————————————————————
Bruce was pouring over some ‘Renewal’ files after he had spent the last hour trying to piece together everything that had happened. The orphanage he traveled to seemed to make more questions rather than answer them, and unfortunately lured him away from Wayne Tower when the explosion happened. He was a mess; Alfred was in emergency care, he learned that his father was more sinister than he appeared, and you disappeared after the fiasco down at the recycling plant. He found himself craving your presence after staring at you in the photograph that started it all for an uncomfortable amount of time; the one with Mayor Mitchell, Annika, and you and Selina with Oz in the background.
His monitors flashed to life as a cat appeared through the contact lenses he lent you and Selina. It was your camera. Hope sparked through him as he made out a note that read ‘Where are u?’ printed in neat handwriting.
“Rat?” He sounded a little pathetic when he whispered it. He wished he could’ve gotten your real name instead of your stupid little nickname. After a moment you appeared on the screen briefly, but only to move the cat away. You barely even looked at him–just one quick glance before you scurried away, scared-like. Selina’s face popped into view as you left.
“Can you see me?”
Bruce, slightly disappointed that it wasn’t you, reluctantly answered. “Yeah, I can see you.”
“I need to talk to you. Where can we go?”
Bruce was quiet as he thought of a place. By the way this was going, he assumed that it would just be him and Selina. That wouldn’t do, he had to see you. He came up with the perfect place. “The bat signal. She knows how to get there.” He shut down his monitors, hoping that you would take Selina to his signal. He gathered his things and slowly dawned the bat suit—his mood improved a little bit.
You had just finished telling Selina about what had happened down in the 44 Below as you sat in the cab. You didn’t even hear what place Selina told the man to drive to, you were so upset and instantly started ranting.
“An absolute asshole,” she said as she rolled her eyes. She started telling you about what had happened on her end of the line, before she gave a sudden gasp. “I just remembered!”
“Jesus, Cat, way to scare the shit outta me. What’s wrong?”
She gave a sly look and smirked. “While you were busy with bat freak getting info from that D.A. guy, I was getting info from some loud-mouth customers.”
You raised a brow, silently asking her to continue.
“Well, let’s just say we’ll be busy tomorrow night… hope you didn’t have any plans,” she said amusingly, before turning her gaze out the window.
You looked at her in silence, expecting her to continue, but she still looked on. You scoffed, “Um, hello? Are ya gonna clue me in on what’s going down?”
She looked at you seriously, before a smirk crept onto her face and her facade broke. Laughing, she filled you in. “Okay, okay. According to some guy working in some narcotic lab, there’s supposed to be a drop going on—a score, if you will. I wrote down the place he was talking about. Anyways, we sneak there and steal whatever money they’re trading right from their noses. Come on,” she winked, “can’t be too hard.”
She gave you an eager look as you thought it over. On one hand, you guys could really use that money—living isn’t cheap. And it isn’t like this would be the hardest thing you’ve done; you’ve done way worse…probably. But on the other hand…the consequences of getting caught are much higher. These guys probably wouldn’t slap cuffs on you and send you to jail, they’d more likely shoot first and ask questions later, unlike that cop paroling the Mayor’s office. But the money…
“Yeah, okay,” you gave in. “Just give me the details-“
Your phone interrupted with a bzzzz.
Looking at your phone, you and Selina could see that it was your boss, Oswald Cobblepot.
Bzzzz.
You stared at the screen, panic filling you. Did he find something out? Are you in trouble? Maybe-
Bzzzz.
“I think you should answer that,” Selina whispered. You hastily accepted the call and put the phone to your ear.
“Heya doll, how’s it going?”
“Oh, it’s going alright. It was a busy night tonight, you know how it gets,” you laughed nervously.
“So me ‘n Mr. Falcone have been talking; he says he’s missed seein’ ya ‘round his place. He’s invited you to accompany him to the Mayor’s funeral tomorrow morning. Ain’t that nice of him?”
You held your breath for a second. Carmine Falcone invited you to go with him? You must have stayed silent for a beat too long, because Oz spoke up.
“Hon?”
“Oh, um, yes! Yes, thank you for the invite. I’m just not sure that-“
“-I think you should go. Wouldn’t want to upset Mr. Falcone, would you?”
“…no. Tell him that I’ll be ready in the morning.”
“Great, great. I’m sure he’ll be pleased. We’ll pick you up, darlin’, don’t worry about it. Have a good night.” He hung up, leaving your eyes to linger on the dark phone screen. Selina’s eyes burned into you as she nearly died of curiosity.
“So,” she finally gave in. “What was that?”
“Oz was asking if I would accompany Falcone to the funeral tomorrow.”
“…you’re joking.”
“I’m not! I tried backing out, but… you know…”
“Nah, I get it.” Selina had a strange look on her face. “Just be back for the score, got it?”
“Of course,” you smiled.
“And hey,” Selina got serious. “Just be safe, yeah? You know Carmine Falcone…”
————————————————————————————————
“You know Carmine Falcone?”
“I work at the mob spot, of course I know him.”
“You didn’t tell me you had a relationship with him.”
“I don’t have a relationship with him. Never did. What’s your problem?”
“Well, that’s not what it looked like.”
“You don’t believe me? You really gonna be an asshole about this?”
“Are you going to tell me the truth? You seeing another one of these mobsters? Some loser nobody—“
“Pretty,” Alfred interrupted Bruce, causing him to hurriedly pause the recording of the night prior. He had been rewinding that last bit of conversation for quite some time now. Alfred continued, “New friend of yours? Although by the way you’re talking, it seems a little more serious.”
Bruce gave him a sharp look before sighing and looking back at the screen. “I’m not so sure.”
“Looks like you upset her.” The recording was paused and zoomed onto your face. Even with your angry expression and tears that threatened to swell, you still looked beautiful. Bruce casted him an annoyed look. “Shall I take this as a good sign?”
“What?”
“Your attire.” Alfred gestured to Bruce, who was dressed rather handsomely. He was wearing a nice black suit and tie. “Is Bruce Wayne making an actual appearance?”
“There’s a public memorial for Mayor Mitchell. Serial killers like to follow reactions to their crime,” Bruce said as if it was the most obvious thing. “Riddler might not be able to resist.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Alfred jumped as he took a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I took the liberty of doing a little work on this latest cipher—the one from the rat maze.” Bruce turned fully to face him, his back now facing the digital you. He could feel your eyes burning into him. “I’m afraid his Spanish is less than perfect, but I’m fairly certain it translates to ‘You are El Rata Alada.’”
“Rata Alada…” Bruce pondered for a moment before continuing, “‘Rat with wings?’”
“It’s slang for pigeon,” Alfred informed. “Does that mean anything to you?”
“Yeah, a stool pigeon-“
“-Where are your cufflinks?” Alfred interrupted.
“I couldn’t find them.”
“Well, you can’t go out like that,” the older man declared as he started to undo his own links.
“Alfred, I don’t want your cufflinks.”
The man handed Bruce the small piece of jewelry. “You have to keep up appearances. You’re still a Wayne.”
Bruce scoffed, “And what about you? You a Wayne?” Your cyber eyes felt hotter against his back.
“Your father gave them to me…” the man said solemnly. Bruce looked downwards, a little ashamed, but glanced back up to see Alfred giving him a small smile. “And besides, I’m just loaning them to you. I want them back!”
————————————————————————————————
Getting ready in the dingy, broken, and mess of an apartment you called home sucked. There was no time to clean after the break-in and unfortunately, it was hard to look at the place without seeing Anika. You kept your eyes on the floor for the most part.
You picked what you thought was most appropriate for a funeral; it was challenging considering that most of your clothes were for your work. Simple was the key—simple black dress, simple makeup, simple boots. The fall weather was chilly, so you borrowed Selina’s black trench coat to layer over your outfit. A car horn made you jump away from the mirror.
The driver politely opened the door so you could make your way into the vehicle. Your boss was sitting in the passenger seat, smoking a cigarette, while Falcone was sitting beside you.
“Morning darling, you look absolutely gorgeous,” he kissed your hand, “let’s get this shit show over with.”
You smiled, albeit uncomfortable, and stayed silent the whole trip. The men were discussing how much they did not want to go to this event but hey, gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. It didn’t take long to reach the church and with a look from Falcone, Oz got out of the car to deal with the crowd.
“Hold it,” he ordered, voice muffled through the car. “You good, fellas?” The crowd took the hit and backed away. He opened the door with a “We’re good Mr. Falcone” and Falcone stepped out, but not before giving you a wink. He cautiously looked around before offering his hand to you. You took it.
Your black knee-high boots clacked against the wet pavement as you settled yourself into the crook of the man’s arm, making your way into the building. You were about to enter until-
“Hey—hey! Give us a wide berth here, will ya, Slick?” You turned around to see Oz yelling at a man, but he was already looking at you with a strange intensity in his eyes. Wait a minute… was that?
“Watchit, fellas. You got the Prince of the City there. Some event, huh? Brought out the one guy in the city more reclusive than me.”
“Thought you’d never leave the Shoreline,” Bruce Wayne fired immediately. “Aren’t you afraid someone’ll take a shot at you?”
“Why? ‘Cause your father ain’t around? Guys,” Falcone looked back at you and Oz, “you know Bruce Wayne?”
“Wow, is that right?” Oz was not impressed in the slightest, unlike you. Bruce Wayne never makes a public appearance; it’s a rarity. Honestly, if it weren’t for all of Gotham never shutting up about his parents, you would have thought him a myth. You had to admit though, he was a little handsome.
“His father saved my life. I got shot in the chest, right here,” Falcone pointed to the place on yourself, ghosting over your right lower rib. Bruce’s glare darkened. “I couldn’t go to no hospital, so we showed up on his doorstep. Operated right on the dining room table. Kid here, he saw the whole thing from up on the stairs lookin’ down.” Falcone lowered his voice and leaned towards Bruce. “I remember your face. You don’t think that meant something when he did that?
“It meant he took the Hippocratic Oath.”
Falcone looked taken aback before letting a small chuckle escape. “‘Hippocratic Oath.’ That’s good.”
“Excuse me,” Bruce went to pass by as Falcone laughed.
“Hey.” One of Falcone’s bodyguards took him by the shoulder. “I was thinking, ya know, since I have my lovely assistant here,” he clapped you on both of your shoulders and gave them a squeeze. “Baby, you know I hate to share, but be a doll and keep Mr. Recluse some company, will ya? Help him loosen out of his shell a bit, I think he needs it,” Falcone laughed again. You expected Bruce Wayne to reject his offer, but he surprisingly obliged. Politely smiling and offering his elbow to you after sending Falcone one more glare, you took it with a shy smile and followed after him. The camera’s of the paparazzi exploded with light.
Bruce kept you nice and close to him as you both made your way inside. There were mourners all around; some cried, some looked bored, and some had a look of disdain.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer started. “Thank you all for coming to today’s memorial for our beloved mayor, Don Mitchell Jr. Our program will begin shortly. As a reminder…”
“I’m sorry,” Bruce spoke softly after a while of silence. “I can’t figure out how such a gorgeous woman is hanging around a guy like Falcone. I’ve seemed to have forgotten my manners. My name’s Bruce Wayne, what’s yours?” He smiled slightly at you as he introduced himself. He looked slightly eager. You already knew who he was, of course because who didn’t, but it was nice to see him introduce himself. It was… kinda cool.
You bashfully smiled back. “Thank you, Mr. Wayne—“
“Bruce.”
“—Bruce.” Your smile grew as you played along. “My name is—“
“What good is a safety net if it doesn’t catch nobody?” A man interrupted. “Didn’t help my daughter when she needed it, I can tell you that. Guy was just another rich scum sucker. He got what he deserved.” The man looked Bruce in the eyes. “Know what I mean? Hey… don’t I know you?”
“Bruce Wayne,” another voice interrupted. Bruce looked a little annoyed. He pursed his lips and frowned before turning to Bella Reál. “Why haven’t you called me back?” She turned her gaze to you briefly and looked surprised. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you had company. I’m Bella Reál, I’m running for mayor. I wouldn’t be bothering you here, but your people keep telling me you’re ‘unavailable.’ Will you walk with me?” Bruce followed the woman, tucking you into his side even more. Bella paused as she looked at you, but continued as she positioned herself onto the other side of Bruce. He gave you an apologetic look, as if he was trying to say ‘sorry for dragging you into this.’
“You know, you really could be doing more for this city. Your family has a history of philanthropy, but as far as I can tell, you’re not really doing anything.” You rolled your eyes, but she couldn’t see. “If I’m elected, I want to change that.” The three of you found yourselves at the front of the session where the ex-mayor's son could be seen. “I’m gonna go pay my respects. Will you wait for me? I want to continue this,” she said adamantly before approaching the casket.
The only thing not deeply depressing in the place was the music, which was lovely. You were going to make a comment to the man you were standing beside, but he was staring at the little boy. You could only assume what he was thinking, and you had a pretty good guess, so you squeezed his arm to try and bring him back. His eyes snapped to yours before squeezing you back with a small smile.
“‘Scuse me, Chief?” Being nosy, both you and Bruce shared a look before eavesdropping. “Gil Colson is missing.” Your grip on Bruce’s arm tightened.
“What?” The Chief asked. His badge name read ‘Gordon.’
“He hasn’t been heard from since last night—“
“—Christ, not again,”
“—Hey, Mr. Wayne,” a new, friendly cop chimed in with a smile and wave after noticing Bruce staring.
Bruce sighed before turning back to you. “Hopefully no more interruptions,” he whispered to you. “Let’s start over. My name’s Bruce, what’s—“
The world hated you because just as he uttered those words, screaming and the sound of revving engines echoed in the church. People, you included, fearfully looked around. Following Bruce’s gaze upwards, a sinister presence of a lone person looked down at you. You reacted quicker than Bruce—you could see a car driving up the church steps before he could, so you made a beeline to the little boy looking curiously. The boy, however, refused to move. He was transfixed at the vehicle heading towards him. Luckily, Bruce dove for you both and managed to roll and take the brunt of the impact as you all fell away from the car. The boy’s mother quickly gathered her son and hurriedly left as you stared at where the car crashed beside you. You looked down at the man who saved you but his gaze was still at the place the lone figure was—although he was gone now. Bruce’s grip tightened on you as you laid atop of him. Helping you to your feet, he saw the scared look on your face.
Cops rushed in with their weapons drawn and pointed at the vehicle.
“Get out of the car! Get out of the car and show your hands,” Gordon ordered.
The car door slowly opened as the driver raised their hands above their head. The person stumbled out and, oh my god, was that…?
“Christ, it’s Colson.”
It was the D.A.! He was still wearing the same outfit from when you last saw him, but there was a bomb around his neck and an envelope taped to him. One of the other officers yelled about the bomb, which caused the funeral attendees to panic. Bruce tucked your face into his chest and backed away as the phone taped to Colson’s hand went off. He was oddly protective, but you appreciated it for the moment.
“Let’s clear this place out now!”
Police began hurriedly ushering people out of the building for their safety, but Bruce stood still. The envelope was addressed to ‘The Batman’ in handwriting that could only belong to a childs. Dragging Bruce to the exit after not wanting to spend more time next to a bomb, you looked for Falcone and Oz. Bruce also kept an eye out, but after about 5 minutes of looking from out the front steps, you gave up. They must have left after the first sign of trouble.
“Those assholes,” you cursed under your breath. “Can’t believe they left me here. I didn’t even want to be here in the first place.”
“Well I couldn’t have met you if they didn’t make you come,” Bruce spoke up after a while.
You softly laughed, “Yeah, I guess you’re right, although I would hardly call it a meeting. It could’ve been done with less bombs.” You looked helplessly at the road; your boss was your only ride and you didn’t want to pay for a taxi.
“Yeah, less bombs would be nice during a proper meeting, but ideally it would be best over dinner, wouldn’t you agree?” You looked at him with surprise as a taxi stopped next to you. Bruce, a little nervously, continued. “Listen, I’m sorry about all the interruptions from earlier. As you can probably tell, I don’t get out much.” He laughed bitterly and opened the door for you. “I would like to get to know you better under better circumstances, truly.” He took a notepad and pen from his coat pocket and scribbled. “Here,” he passed it to you. “I hope to hear from you.” You looked at the numbers he wrote down as he gave a wad of cash to the driver. Looking back up at Bruce, he gave a small, genuine smile before shutting the cab door and hurriedly retreating.
You were mentally screaming but paused for a moment to reflect: You could tell that he was trying to charm you as he was laying it on rather thick, but you found it endearing. I mean, it’s not everyday that the Prince of Gotham lets you hang on his arm and accompany him. Besides, it really did seem like he wanted to get to know you. And most importantly…
