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Gotham Nights (Batman4560 & VelvetWhispers)

"Places nobody knows you.... Eight year old me could recommend a few places. Santa Prisca isn't so bad if you like a war torn vibe." Bruce mused... Tibet, people don't ask a lot about where you're from there either." If anyone knew how it felt to need to start new, it was Bruce. He just hoped she said it for better reasons than he did...

As they exited the tunnels Bruce didn't mention Selina giving him assurance but his thumb brushed the back of her hand as if he was trying to sooth her in return. "Wayne? I thought we were past such formalities. There is a circus... fair thing in Gotham this month. They used to be a full on circus but now they don't have animals and instead have games and rides. We should check it out." Bruce explained while pushing the turn styles over to leave the Zoo behind.

The pair found themselves driving across one of the many bridges in the city, headed north. From the corner of his eye, Bruce noticed a car trailing them from the zoo. He wondered who they were but they were too sloppy at following to be criminals.

Spotlights could be seen from blocks away, music filled the air and people flooded in and out of a wooden fenced in field. The air reeked of greasy foods and sugar. Bruce paid for two tickets and took Selina's hand. From the side, a man in a red and white striped shirt stood on a soap box, barking advertisements and handing out maps of the area. His mustache was twisted by fingers every time he went to hand a new flyer out, taking wax from the hair so he could get a grip on the paper.

Flashes from bulbs, cameras and games lit the area, but Bruce moved quick, pulling Selina behind him until the pair were out of the main walkways so they could hear one another. "Alright what do we have..." Bruce held the flyer up that he snagged on the way past the barker. "Flying Grayson's in an hour... so food or games first?" Bruce asked and locked eyes with Selina until a man wearing thick rimmed glasses and a brown overcoat took a photo of Bruce and Selina. The flash drew Bruce's gaze then he shifted his cool eyes over towards Selina's emeralds.

She looked uneasy, upset almost and Bruce felt protective of his date. "Wait here for second." Bruce insisted and excused himself.

Slowly Bruce approached the dark haired man wearing a small brimmed hat that matched his coat. As Bruce stepped up, he noticed the man was the same height and almost same build as Bruce. He too even wore baggy clothing to hide how large he really was. "Excuse me...." Bruce's eyes darted around until he noticed a press badge on his chest. "...Clark. Hi, can I talk with you for a moment?" Bruce asked and the man with thick black glasses extended his hand sheepishly and let his camera hang from the straps around his neck. "Oh hi there, Mr. Wayne. Sure sure, I hope the photo turns out okay, My partner has our photo journalist tonight." Clark explained with a dopey smile covering his square jaw.

Bruce and Clark took a few steps aside and Bruce glanced at the camera. "I don't care if you say I was on a date in public tonight in an article but my friend there doesn't like attention on her. I'll tell ya what. I'll give you five thousand dollars for that photo and the next time I go out for some big public event, I'll get you the first scoop about it and in. Can we make that work?"

Ten minutes later, Bruce returned to Selina with a stick of cotton candy in one hand, and a photo in the other. At the elbow he gently reached out to her. "For you."
 
The circus was alive with energy. The scent of fried dough and caramel filled the air, mixing with the bright pop of fireworks bursting somewhere in the distance. Laughter and excited chatter buzzed all around, punctuated by the chime of bells and the occasional victorious whoop from someone winning a game. Selina took it all in, her lips quirking as she squeezed Bruce's hand. Their third date. She had to admit, there was something sweet about the effort he put in, about the way he wanted to share experiences with her rather than just impress her with expensive dinners and champagne. Not that she minded the finer things, but this—this was different. It was simple. And she liked simple.

They strolled through the fairgrounds, past stalls of oversized stuffed animals and game booths promising prizes nobody actually needed but everybody wanted. The whole scene was bathed in the golden glow of carnival lights, casting a warm hue on Bruce's face as he held up a flyer. "Flying Graysons in an hour... so food or games first?"

Selina parted her lips to answer, but before she could speak, a flash caught the corner of her eye. Instinctively, her gaze sharpened, scanning the crowd. It didn't take long to find the culprit—a man in thick-rimmed glasses and a brown overcoat lowering his camera, the remnants of the bright burst still dancing in her vision. Her stomach twisted.

Of course. She should have known. Bruce Wayne, Gotham's favourite son, couldn't so much as breathe in public without some vulture trying to make a story out of it. And now, here she was, caught in the frame. Her face remained composed, but irritation curled in her chest. This was exactly the kind of thing she didn't need. If the tabloids got wind of this, it wouldn't just be a nuisance—it could make her life a whole lot more complicated. Paparazzi meant eyes on her, attention she didn't want, people digging into who she was. And if they started digging too deep, well... her night time activities weren't exactly the kind that held up under scrutiny.

She clenched her jaw, shifting her weight slightly, about to turn to Bruce when she realised he was already moving. "Wait here for a second," he said, voice low, before striding toward the photographer. Selina crossed her arms, watching as he disappeared into the crowd.

Minutes passed. Her foot tapped impatiently against the ground, arms tightening across her chest. She wasn't used to waiting around, especially not for something she could have handled herself. But then, Bruce wasn't her. He had his own way of dealing with things, and if she knew one thing about him, it was that he wasn't the type to leave things unfinished.

By the time he returned, ten minutes later, her irritation had begun to wane, replaced by curiosity. He approached with that easy, confident stride of his, a stick of cotton candy in one hand and—

A photo in the other.

At his elbow, he reached out to her. "For you."

Relief washed over her as she took the picture from him, her fingers grazing his as she studied it. It wasn't some intrusive, unflattering shot taken at the worst possible moment. It was just... them. Walking together, smiling, wrapped up in each other and in the moment. It looked real. And for a brief second, she let herself imagine what it would be like if they didn't have to worry about who was watching.

Selina smirked, tilting the photo slightly. "Well, well. I think this is the first time I've ever looked decent in a tabloid shot. You must have bribed him." Her eyes flicked up to his, teasing, but there was warmth there, too. "Thanks. For this. And for the sugar." Without warning, she leaned forward, taking a bite out of the pink fluff still in his hand. It melted instantly on her tongue, dissolving into sticky sweetness.

She licked her lips. "I don't need the world to know I'm dating Bruce Wayne," she murmured. "As long as we know, that's all that matters."

Then, before he could respond, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and, with a devilish grin, took his hand and led him toward the game booths.

They stopped at one lined with rifles, a simple shooting game where players had to knock down targets to win prizes. Selina let go of Bruce's hand just long enough to toss a few bills on the counter. The booth worker barely had time to react before she picked up the rifle, shouldered it with the ease of someone who knew her way around a weapon, and squeezed the trigger. One. Two. Three. Every target dropped like clockwork.

The man running the booth blinked, stunned, before turning to the prize wall. "Uh... well, miss, you get the highest prize. Take your pick."

Selina tapped a finger against her chin, surveying the plush animals, avoiding the Batman stuffed toy, before settling on the biggest one she could find—a cartoonish black cat with oversized green eyes. Something to remember her by. She turned, holding it out to Bruce with a saccharine smile. "For you."

His brow seemed to arch, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Pressing the stuffed cat into his arms, she teased. "Figured you could use a little company in that big, empty mansion of yours."

And with that, she tugged him toward the ring toss, already plotting her next win.
 
"You've been in tabloid shots before?" Bruce asked with playful confusion laced in his tone. "I did, I bribed Clark with an invite to my next big public showing." Bruce admitted as Selina took a bite of the cotton candy still in his hand but her admission that she was happy with the pair knowing that they were dating made Bruce's heart flutter in a way he hadn't felt since Talia when he was still traveling the world. It very quickly made Bruce's walls come up just a bit, put him on edge... lest he was drugged again after dropping his guard around a pretty face... But Selina wasn't like that... right? She was an honest flirt that was hard as nails and gentle as a kitten.

Before he knew it, Selina was tugging him along quickly, the cool air making the kiss she gave his cheek feel cooler than it should have as it caressed his slightly bearded face. When they stopped at the rifle range, Bruce clenched his jaw but remained cheerful. Bruce hated guns but understood them and could operate them when needed but Selina swiftly paid for it and deftly took out three targets as if she had been shooting her entire life.

Bruce and the man running the booth, Eli, stared in awe at Selina for a long breath. The two men glanced at one another then Eli gave Selina her prize. A hearty laugh escaped Bruce's lips as Selina handed him a large green eyed cat stuffed animal that was easily the size of his torso. Bruce slung it over his shoulders and held it by the arms with one of his hands tight.

At the ring toss, Bruce didn't even give Selina a chance to pay before he handed the man a black plastic card. "All of your rings please." Bruce stated cheerfully and spun a ring around his index finger and let it fling through the air, it bounced once off its rim high into the air again and twisted, landing dead center of a five by five box of bottles without touching the rim of the bottle at all. Four ring's left and each ring tossed bounced off of something Bruce was aiming at from the corner of his eye before it effortlessly landed with precision until he connected all five rings in a row.

"Can I just have those two fish stuffed animals there instead of a big one?" Bruce asked and pointed to two stuffed goldfish no bigger than the size of his fist each. "I'll keep these in my pocket for now, but they are for the girls, as an apology. Sorry about stuffing in your apartment for a week." Bruce shrugged his shoulders and let her have a turn at the rings while he took a bite of the cotton candy and watched carefully.

From the corner of his eye, Bruce spotted a ferris wheel that seemed to touch the skies of Gotham. Bruce got rid of the empty cotton candy stick and took Selina by the hand, leading her towards the wheel only to stop in line to wait. "Think you can not show off long enough to enjoy the ride, Roof Runner?" Bruce asked while wrapping his arm around Selina from behind to keep her warm against the cool Gotham air. Soon they were being seated and wrenched up on the wheel slowly. The city started to open to view once again to the pair and fireworks streaked through the sky and exploded in vibrant hues of red, blue and gold, casting light over the pair's features as the looked out over the city. Bruce sidled up to Selina and placed the tip of his thumb and index finger to cup her chin and direct her eyes to his.

Slowly he leaned in and gave Selina a slow, deep kiss that left his tongue gently massaging and exploring hers for almost the entire time the wheel left them suspended in at its peak. As they started to be lowered forward and down, Bruce broke the kiss and whispered against her lips. "Happy Valentines Day, Selina."
 
Selina watched, thoroughly impressed, as Bruce dominated the ring toss like it was a precision exercise designed specifically for him. Each ring hit its mark with effortless skill, barely grazing the rims before settling perfectly. She arched a brow, a slow, sultry smile curving her lips. "I don't think I've ever been more attracted to you," she teased, folding her arms as she admired his handiwork. "You should take me to carnivals more often if this is the kind of show you put on."

When Bruce collected his prize—two small plush goldfish—her teasing smirk softened. He held them up almost sheepishly, mentioning they were for her cats as an apology for all the roses he'd flooded her apartment with. That earned him an amused shake of her head before she leaned in and pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to his cheek. "You don't have to apologise for those, you know. I kind of liked it," she murmured against his skin. "But the fishies are sweet. Isis and Bastet will approve. Midnight… she'll pretend she doesn't care."

Bruce's warmth was steady beside her as they walked through the fair, the din of laughter, distant screams from rides, and the scent of caramel and fried dough filling the air. She felt at ease, something rare for her, and she basked in it. But that moment of quiet was short-lived when Bruce took her hand and started toward the Ferris wheel, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Think you can not show off long enough to enjoy the ride, Roof Runner?"

Selina let out a playful scoff, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "It's hard not to when you're this good at everything," she quipped, but there was no real challenge in her tone. Just the thrill of their usual game. Still, she let him lead, for once.

The Ferris wheel creaked as it began its slow ascent, the cityscape unfolding beneath them. Gotham at night was an intoxicating sight—glittering skyscrapers, traffic like slow-moving veins of gold and red, and the occasional burst of fireworks in the distance, painting the sky in vivid hues. The smell of sugar and salt lingered in the cool air, and despite the crispness of the night, Selina felt nothing but warmth as Bruce wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She leaned into him, letting herself enjoy the sensation of being held, the steady rise and fall of his breathing against her back. When he turned her chin gently with his fingers, she let herself be guided, her green eyes meeting his just before he captured her lips.

The kiss was slow, deep—unrushed in a way that made her heart stutter. His tongue brushed against hers, exploring, savouring, and she matched him with equal intensity. It wasn't just a kiss. It was a confession, a claim, a moment she knew neither of them would forget anytime soon. By the time the wheel left them suspended at its peak, she barely noticed, too lost in the feel of Bruce kissing her like she was the only woman in the world.

When he pulled away, whispering against her lips, "Happy Valentine's Day, Selina," she felt a rare kind of contentment settle deep in her chest. One that scared her, just a little.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bruce," she echoed softly, her fingers brushing his cheek before they descended back to earth.

They walked hand in hand through the fairgrounds, the plush cat slung over Bruce's shoulder and the goldfish tucked into his pocket. The large circus tent loomed ahead, glowing warmly from within, the buzz of excitement palpable as they found their seats among the crowd. The scent of sawdust and popcorn mixed with the faint whiff of metal from the acrobatic rigs above. The murmur of anticipation rippled through the audience, and Selina felt a genuine thrill—partly for the show, but mostly because she was here, with him.

She leaned in close as the lights dimmed, her lips barely brushing the shell of his ear. "You know, I'm having a really great time with you tonight."

Bruce turned his head just enough to look at her, his expression unreadable for a moment before his hand found hers, squeezing gently. Before he could say anything, the ringmaster's voice boomed through the tent, and the first figures of the Flying Graysons appeared, poised high above, ready to defy gravity.

Selina settled back into her seat, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Think they can show off as well as us?" she murmured, eyes glinting as she turned her gaze skyward, watching the performers take their first leap into the air.
 
"Oh I wouldn't be putting on a show like this if you hadn't shown me up at the rifle range... But I'm glad this is what makes your heart race." Bruce offered in jovial explanation. Bruce found himself smiling all teeth when Selina pressed her lips to his cheek, it had come to be a sign of affection that he recognized as her being genuine with him, each time it made his toes curl in his shoes just a bit. "Then it's a good thing the flowers were for you and the apology is for the trio of little fur balls that curl up against us in your bed." Bruce chuckled.

Selina flipped her hair and playful jested about how good at everything she was, and in that moment, in Bruce's eyes, Selina was the only woman in the world he would call perfect from head to toe, inside and out...

It was nice to feel Selina relax into him, Bruce had always got the feeling that Selina kept her guard up around everyone in her life and it made Bruce feel like she trusted him and felt safe. Bruce was terrified of letting her down so he took her chin and kissed her, pouring his everything into the kiss that he was afraid to say to her.

Before he knew it, the pair were stepping into the big top together and finding some seats in the middle of a large crowd. Bruce felt his allergies kick in from all the thick scents in the air but being stuffy wasn't going to stop him from enjoy the date. While his heart thumped rapidly at the sound of Selina's voice ringing in his ear, Bruce barely did more than glance and turn his head towards Selina.

His hand found Selina's and gave it a warm gentle squeeze while he licked his lips to speak but suddenly the Ring Master started to speak and drew everyone's attention.

Above them, maybe a hundred feet in the air on opposite sides of massive pillars, stood a tall dark haired man with a mustache that rivaled Bruce's fathers and Alfred's in sheer thickness and flare. Across from the lithe man at an equal distance away as they were high into the air, a stunning blonde stood holding trapeze and the pair waved to the crowd and both jumped into action!

The man wore green and the woman wore red, as the two drew close together they let their trapezes go, the male reached out and caught the blonde's bar and the blonde did the same while also leaping completely over the male. In one fluid motion the duo split away from one another and landed atop the pillars again. "Give a round of applause for John and Marry Grayson!" The Ring Master shouted into the microphone while the crowd cheered. Bruce leaned closer to Selina and whipsered into her ear. "Lets see if they start doing any flips, until then I think we have them beat."

John jumped next and twisted mid jump so that his knees caught the bar and he swung forwards towards Mary who kicked her legs out to pick up speed as she barreled towards John. John's arms reached out and caught Marry's the moment that she reached out for him and let go of her bar. As the pair began to swing back the way John had come from, he let Marry go and Marry flipped so that John held her legs while she was balled up. Without looking, John hurled Marry towards the pillar he was last standing upon. Mary flipped through the air and waited for John to come back and let herself fall backwards off the edge of the pillar and into John's waiting arms.

Bruce whistled, even while falling twice that distance, Bruce wouldn't have tried to flip if he didn't have to. The Grayson's however seemed fearless as they continued to dance and twist through the air with flips, twists and rolls mid air. Just when the crowd seemed to be caught up in the moment, a small boy, no older than fourteen wearing a green and red singlet climbed up the pillar that Mary had been started upon. He moved a few strands of dark hair from his face and rubbed chalk into his hands. "And introducing for the first time, Dick Grayson!" The Ring Master announced and gestured with his large arm towards Dick, who took off in a dead sprint across the four foot platform. He jumped and at the same time his father threw the trapeze bar in his son's direction so it would swing sharply.

Richard's body curled in on itself and rolled forward, once, twice,.. four times before he sprang out of his roll mid air and caught the bar, easily clearing near fifty feet of space without aid of rope, wire or a second body. Bruce's jaw dropped in shock as Grayson sprang up on the bar with his feet and effortlessly sailed across the gap and stepped off it onto the platform to stand with his parents. Now everyone seemed to be gasping in awe while the applauded the child. "That doesn't seem possible..." Bruce marveled and glanced towards Selina. "Maybe we should ask them for advice?"
 
Selina lounged comfortably in her seat, absently twirling a lock of dark hair between her fingers as she watched the Graysons soar through the air. They were good. Really good. But as the crowd gasped and applauded, Selina merely arched a brow. She could do all that and more in her sleep. Hell, she had done crazier stunts just last week, usually with a bit more at stake than applause and a bouquet of roses.

Still, the act was entertaining enough, and she had to admit there was something admirable about their precision and trust. She let herself enjoy it—not because she was impressed, but because she was having a damn good time with Bruce.

When he leaned over and murmured about getting advice, Selina smirked, her lips curling with amusement. "Advice? From circus folk? On physics? Please, Bruce. If I wanted to hear about impossible feats of balance, I'd ask you how you manage to keep a social life and a brooding habit at the same time."

Her teasing was light, affectionate, but she could see the way he was genuinely enthralled by the act, and it made her smirk soften just a touch. The kid, though—he had guts. She could respect that.

The show continued, the stunts growing more daring, but Selina found herself more entertained by Bruce's reactions than anything happening overhead. The way his normally composed expression cracked with genuine awe was downright adorable. He could hurl himself off rooftops with her and still be surprised by a kid pulling off a quadruple somersault. She gave his hand a squeeze, letting him have his moment.

By the time they wandered out of the big top, the scent of buttered popcorn and roasted nuts filled the air, mingling with the crisp Gotham night. Selina stretched her arms above her head, feeling entirely too satisfied, treating herself to another ball of cotton candy.

"Sticky fingers," she murmured innocently around a mouthful of spun sugar, offering him a saccharine smile before handing the remaining piece to him.

They meandered through the festival, stopping to grab more food—corn dogs, a caramel apple—before finding a spot to watch the fireworks. The sky burst into vivid streaks of crimson and gold, casting Bruce's face in flickering, molten light. Selina leaned against him, sighing contentedly. She wasn't one for sentimental moments, but there was something about this—about him—that made her linger in it just a little longer.

"Well," she mused, glancing at him with a mischievous glint in her eye, her fingers still laced with his. "For a man with terrible taste in hobbies, you sure know how to plan a good date."
 
"Brooding, you noticed that huh? Keep that our dirty secret please." Bruce chuckled happily. As the show continued and Bruce lost himself in the Flying Grayson's act, he was only pulled back to the situation he was really in when Selina squeezed his hand gently. Bruce picked his jaw up off the floor and smiled down at Selina with a glint in his eye. "... When my Parents were alive, they would bring me to see the Grayson's every year." Bruce explained. "They are older than my parents would be now, and its great to see their son is even more capable than they were at their prime."

Together the pair grabbed some more food and headed out to watch the fireworks for a final show. Feeling Selina lean against him, Bruce thought that his parents must have felt the way he did at the moment. Happy, safe, content with the world. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and his fingers laced with hers, wanting to keep his date as warm as possible.

Bruce sharply raised his brow at Selina's statement and scoffed. "My hobbies are just fine... But I'll take the complement. I enjoyed the date you took me on too." Bruce winked and gave Selina's cheek a quick kiss this time.

Soon enough the couple were headed back to Selina's apartment one Island away from the Big Top. "So, you got some stuff for your cat's and a photo of the evening... what are you going to do when I drop you off?" Bruce questioned, sparing a glance as often as he could at Selina's lips or eyes. His right hand's fingers remained laced with Selina's and the stuffed cat rested comfortably buckled into a seat in the back, looking over Bruce's shoulder.

As the Rolls Royce reached Selina's devastated home town, a soft and fluffy snow began to lazily dance from the sky and landed in wisps that slowly collected against walls and stairwells first but by the time Bruce stopped in front of Selina's apartment, the snow had began to coat the street and sidewalk. He threw his car into park and ran around to the other side of the car to help Selina out and walked her to the door, offering his arm so Selina wouldn't fall on the wet snow.

At her door, Bruce turned and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and gave the woman a warm smile. "I won't keep you in this snow. Thank you for the amazing date. I promise I'll be in touch. But you can always message me too." Gently he leaned down to give Selina a gentle kiss against her lips, letting his breath ghost over her lips as he pulled away. "Before I go..." Bruce started to blush again, a clear sign that he was excited but uneasy about whatever he was about to ask. "... What are we? Exclusive, feeling things out? Because I have to tell you, that if we are together, this." Bruce tapped the photo in Selina's hand. "It's eventually going to happen and get out without either of us noticing. But it's easy to make them see what you want them to see, same with what they believe." He tried to assure her...

...Bruce closed his drivers door and let a big wide grin spread over his face and couldn't stop the butterflies in his stomach from flitting around in them. He lazily checked the clock.. one in the morning. Bruce still had time to hit the rooftops, he wanted to look into what the Joker was planning after he robbed five different seemingly random common cleaning products. With the Ace Chemical's hit and the fish factory, Bruce was starting to wonder if the clown was planning on poisoning the food supply. The Rolls Royce pulled away finally and made a B-Line for a run down gas station near Wayne Tower...
 
Gotham had been on edge for days, the streets bristling with unease in the wake of the Joker’s latest atrocities. First, the Ace Chemicals hit—an explosion that sent green and purple flames licking at the sky, staining the Gotham River with something that authorities swore wasn’t hazardous, though no one believed them. Then, the fish factory incident, where entire shipments had been tainted with that infamous Joker Grin, leaving bloated, rictus-faced corpses bobbing along the docks. Panic gripped the city. The GCPD scrambled, and Batman, undoubtedly, was hunting in the shadows.

But Catwoman wasn’t interested in Gotham’s broader suffering. Let it crumble under its own weight. The East End, though—that was personal. Joker had turned its streets into a war zone, leaving charred-out buildings, orphaned kids, and too many bodies in his wake. It had been weeks since the attack, and still, the people there were clawing just to survive. And someone had to make sure he answered for it.

She’d spent days following Harley, trailing her through the labyrinthine back alleys, the underground clubs, the seedy dive bars where the scum of Gotham whispered the name “Mistah J” with equal parts fear and worship. Harley was his shadow, his mouthpiece, his rabid little pet—and if anyone could lead her to the Joker, it was her.

Dressed in her sleek black suit, Catwoman moved like smoke across the rooftops, her eyes locked on the woman below. Harley strutted down the cracked pavement of Crown Point, the rhythmic click of her heels oddly cheerful against the desolation of the neighborhood. She was heading somewhere specific. Somewhere important.

The chase should have held all her focus, but despite herself, Selina’s mind flickered—briefly, maddeningly—to a different night. To a moment far removed from Gotham’s filth and madness.

Bruce had stood on her doorstep, shifting his weight like a nervous schoolboy, though his broad frame and deep voice betrayed the illusion. “Before I go…” he had started, pausing as a flush crept up his neck. “…What are we? Exclusive, feeling things out? Because I have to tell you, if we are together, this—” he tapped the photo in her hand, the one of them at the fair, all smiles and stolen touches, “—is eventually going to happen and get out without either of us noticing. But it’s easy to make them see what you want them to see. Same with what they believe.”

The answer had been simple. “Exclusive,” she had told him. “That’s not a question for me.” As for their faces making the papers? She’d deal with it when it happened.

And yet—

Silence. Days of it. Even after she finally caved and sent him a message. The space between his responses was stretching too thin, too loud. It was the part of Bruce she hated the most—the way he disappeared into himself, into his work. She knew what she was signing up for, but still, the waiting gnawed at her.

A sharp giggle snapped her attention back to the present. Harley had ducked into an abandoned arcade, the neon sign flickering weakly, buzzing like a dying insect. Catwoman narrowed her eyes. She landed soundlessly on the fire escape, peering through a broken window. Inside, figures moved—Harley, for certain, and others, lingering in the shadows. One of them was tall, lanky, and carried himself with a theatrical air.

Finally.

Her muscles coiled, ready to pounce. The Joker had a debt to pay. And she was here to collect.
 
While working closely with Jim Gordon from the shadows, the pair came to the same realization, Joker, was planning to poison the population but he was trying different things and not happy with the outcomes before his plan went fully into effect. While the GCPD scrambled about to keep the population under control and calm, it left Batman unopposed on hunting down the newly dubbed Clown Prince of Crimes and the Jester of Mayhem to the worst of places... The very Carnival grounds that had been abandoned just a day after Bruce's date with Selina.

Bruce hadn't called Selina in the days since confirming they were going steady. At first he was elated at the idea of being Selina's boyfriend and feeling like he wasn't being used for his money, but the following night he realized that the shockingly clever woman would discover who he was or he would wind up dead, either way Bruce couldn't imagine the shock on her face or the hurt she would have at not being told sooner.... He was afraid of hurting her one way or the other.

Silently a manhole cover was lifted out of the ground with a great effort put in shoulders first from the Dark Knight of Gotham and he crawled out behind an old arcade at the edge of the Carnival. It still smelled like popcorn and sugar, the air tasted like grease and against his right side, Batman felt like he could feel Selina against his body soon. He turned to look up through his lens protected eyes and saw a familiar thief stalking a catwalk. His chest tightened, he didn't know how Catwoman was involved, but she was going to get herself killed dealing with the pair of clowns lurking nearby.

Moving like a ghost, the Dark Knight seemed to bound from shadow to shadow without sound until he was on the same platform as Catwoman. He saw just as the woman began to tense. Batman's gaze flicked into the broken window and zeroed in on heat signatures, The only female was Harley, Joker was the tall lanky one, three animals and five men. Bat knew Cat could handle some common thugs but there was more to Joker and Harley than met the eye....

Batman silently sprang and twisted towards Catwoman, an arm wrapped around her waist and a hand covered her mouth and yanked her towards him hard! Swiftly he pressed her back to the wall of the building near the edge of the fire escape and kept his hand against her mouth, the other moved to hold her shoulder. His masked head glanced up and down as if inspecting her for injuries for a quick moment then he leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

"You're going to get yourself killed here. These aren't mobsters, they are insane. Go home, go rob someone else, just leave." His gravely voice held a hint of softness to it, as if he were pleading with her but still trying to command her in the way that only Batman could. His head pulled back and slowly he removed his hand from over Catwoman's mouth so she could speak...

Inside Joker held a trio of leashes in a white gloved hand and seemed to lumber about jovially while a few men in the shadows played a game of air hockey and the others tinkered at a table with some odd jack in the box looking device.

"We're close Harl! Thornie called before I was ready but.... I think I've finally got it! Not the fish, or the water.. no no no no... I have a much better idea..." Joker's lips twisted in a wide smile while he tried to hold back another fit of laughter. He pulled his pin striped hat over his face and giggled into it then tossed it aside and atop a dead cop's head. Joker finally sauntered over to Harley and held out the leashes. "To celebrate, I've got you a gift!" He extended his hand to give her the three leashes. "The spotted ones with their tongues hanging out are Bud and Lou. The one that looks like me is Jr." The Joker started to giggle and in turn the only chalk white hyena twisted its red lips into a grin and began to chuckle, causing the two stronger looking ones to join in on the laugh. The animals laughter started to echo from the arcade in a haunting roll.
 
The moment she felt the arm coil around her waist and the gloved hand clamp over her mouth, Catwoman went rigid. Not out of fear—no, she’d felt this grip before. It was the unmistakable, brooding presence of Gotham’s Dark Knight. Annoyance curled in her chest, but she didn’t resist, allowing herself to be dragged back into the shadows and pressed against the cold steel of the fire escape railing. The night had been going so well, too.

When his hand slid away from her mouth, she inhaled slowly, tilting her chin up just enough to let her lips ghost near his cowl. “Well, well, I didn’t know you cared, handsome.” Her voice was velvet laced with mischief, but she arched a brow, letting her annoyance bleed through. “You’ve got a funny way of saying hello. But I guess that’s your thing—sweeping women off their feet without so much as a dinner first.”

She tapped a clawed finger against his chest before pushing off the wall, slipping just out of his grasp. His hands were strong, firm, and for a fleeting moment, she thought of another pair of hands—bare, warm, pressing against her waist with a different kind of tension. But that was Bruce, and this was Batman. And he hadn’t called.

She shoved the thought away and focused on the present.

“Relax, Bats. I’m not here for the usual. I’ve got a little… personal debt to settle with our dear Clown.” Her voice lost its teasing lilt, turning sharp like the edge of a blade. “East End is still bleeding thanks to him. He doesn’t get to waltz around, playing chemist while my people scrape what’s left of their lives off the pavement.”

She turned her gaze toward the broken window, where the eerie glow of arcade machines barely lit the twisted scene inside. The hyenas' laughter sent a shiver down her spine, not from fear, but because she could already feel the chaos building. Joker’s manic energy was like a pressure valve moments from bursting, and if Batman thought she was just going to turn tail and run, he didn’t know her at all.

“Since you’re so worried about little old me, I’ll let you in on what I heard before you got all grabby.” She leaned in close, enough to catch the faintest scent of leather and rain from his suit. “He’s done playing with the fish. Something about a ‘better idea.’ And considering what he’s got tinkering on that table, I’d say it’s got a lot more teeth than his usual punchline.”

She let her words settle before flashing him a smirk, her crimson lips painted in moonlight. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an entrance to make.”

With that, she slipped away, lithe and silent as the night itself, leaving Batman in the shadows. His order had been clear, but she was never much for orders. Especially not from men who thought they could keep her at arm’s length one moment and dictate her safety the next.

Joker was close, and she wasn’t leaving until she got what she came for.
 
"Hello." Batman growled through clenched teeth. His body moved back each time Catwoman tapped her claw against his black bat emblem covered chest. The reveal that Catwoman was seeking revenge for the East End was enough to confirm to the Dark Knight that the Princess of Plunders had been operating out of the dirty and run down town in Gotham. Part of that made Batman furious, he needed to call Selina in the morning, apologize for not being in touch... maybe even tell her about himself.

Batman's breathing grew deep when Catwoman got close enough to smell the leather and rain in his suit, the man in turn couldn't help but take in the scent of floral perfume and oil worked into the catsuit she wore to keep it silent and flexible. He listened to her warning and melted in response to Catwoman's ruby red smile. He watched her slip away from the fire escape but Batman took the chance to peer into the arcade, knowing Cat would wait for the right moment to strike instead of rushing in.

A grimace set on the Batman's face when he thought about the last time he and the Joker came to blows, now there was more of them, but now Batman expected Joker's tactics. Batman reached into his belt and pulled two palm sized devices from it then took a running start as far as the escape would allow and he jumped through the broken window...

Below, mid conversation, the Joker and his goons looked up at the raining glass as the Dark Detective landed, rolling forward and towards the larger men working at the strange device on the table. Bat pressed the tools he drew outside into their chests while the goons stood and turned to face him. They blinked twice and ignited, then propelled the goons across the arcade and into the wall with a devastating thud. Soon guns were drawn but the Bat was ready for it, he dropped a pellet from his belt when his hands went down towards his belt, at the same time he ducked. Black fog exploded from around Batman's feet and he charged.

Just as he exploded from the fog, a mallet came arching up hard into his chest! Batman was thrown with from his feet and grunted under his breath on impact. From above he spotted Catwoman in the rafters and decided it was best to give Catwoman an opening to act. As he landed upon the hard ground, Batman threw his weight backwards and rolled to his feet, coming up and twisting to drive his fist into the throat of a goon who was moving to bear hug the Caped Crusader. Batman wrapped his cape around the head of the man he just struck and twisted again, yanking and using the goon as a human shield against a hyena bite!

A gunshot rang out from Batman's flank and drilled into his right shoulder but bounced off of his armor. Batman seethed, there would be a healthy bruise on the flesh before morning. Batman fell with the blow the but didn't topple. Instead he snarled and stared to stalk towards the gunmen until Joker drew a knife and charged the Batman.

Joker's long legs carried him in a swift stride towards the Dark Knight, and spun his gleaming blade in his hand, then took a swipe for Batman's neck. Batman could hear Harley dragging her mallet and slipping towards him to try a pincer attack. If the Caped Crusader were going to give an opening to Catwoman, he had to do it now. Batman spun on his heel, and pulled his head back and in the same motion backhanded Harley across the side of the head just as she was starting to lift her hammer, and it caused her to stumble backwards awkwardly. To counter his own tumble Batman threw his knee up into Joker's stomach as the Clown Prince over extended.

Finally it seemed Catwoman was joining the fray and just in time as the two goons at the opposite end of the arcade started to pick themselves up off of the floor. Batman rolled his shoulders and put his attention back on the gunman who was trying to get a clean shot. "SHIT, WAIT!" The goon cried out until the Dark Knight hoisted the man up by the neck and hip then threw the goon into the hyena's who were starting to break off at Catwoman. Suddenly Joker's blade dug into the back of Batman's right shoulder and he roared in pain like a wounded lion.

Batman pulled himself forward and reached back for the knife, ripping it from his body and tossed it to the ground with a clank then rushed the Joker as blood ran like a small river out of the wound and soaked into his body armor.
 
From her perch above the chaos, Catwoman watched the fight unfold below, the arcade bathed in flickering neon and the hazy glow of old, failing bulbs. It was a madhouse of movement—Batman was a living shadow, brutal and efficient, his blows landing like thunderclaps against the bodies of Joker's goons. The gunman who had shot him was already regretting it, scrambling backward, while Joker himself slithered through the fight with that unsettling, unnatural grace, his blade flashing in the dim light.

Harley was a wild thing, her mallet dragging lines in the dusty floor, moving with a dancer's unpredictability, waiting for the perfect moment to bring it down. And then there were the hyenas—ugly, slavering beasts, their laughter bouncing off the walls in a grotesque symphony, eyes locked onto their next target.

The air reeked of old grease, sweat, and something bitterly chemical. The flashing arcade machines cast broken reflections in the shards of glass scattered across the floor, the distorted images of Joker's men picking themselves up like twisted spectres from the neon glow.

Catwoman's muscles tensed. This wasn't just a brawl; it was a warzone, and Batman was bleeding. She saw the blade plunge into his shoulder, saw the dark stain spreading fast. That was all she needed.

With a smirk and a sharp breath, she let herself fall into the chaos.

"You boys sure are lively tonight."

Catwoman's voice purred above the chaos as she dropped from the rafters like a shadow given form. Her boots hit the ground without a sound, her body already moving as a thug barely had time to register her presence before she lashed out, twisting in a graceful arc. A sharp kick to the knee sent him crumpling, and she followed with a backhand across his face with her clawed glove.

"Sorry, darling. Didn't mean to scratch you up… much."

A guttural snarl cut through the air—one of the hyenas lunging, its powerful jaws snapping inches from her calf. Catwoman pivoted, narrowly evading the bite before using its own momentum against it, flipping over its back and raking her claws down its flank. It yelped and stumbled, but its sibling was already coming, maw open wide—

"Down, boy!"

She rolled aside, snatching up a nearby fallen stool and slamming it down over the beast's head. The wood splintered on impact, the hyena shaking itself off with an angry growl but momentarily dazed.

That moment was all she needed.

Catwoman sprung forward, closing the distance between her and Batman in a flash. Her whip cracked in the air, wrapping around the wrist of the gunman aiming at the Bat. With a hard yank, the weapon was wrenched free and skittered across the floor.

"Tsk tsk. Firearms are so impersonal."

She barely had time to smirk before the distinct swoosh of a mallet swinging through the air made her spine tingle with warning.

"Ya think yer so special, kitty?!"

Harley came in swinging with a manic grin, her hammer crashing down where Catwoman had been only a second before. The impact sent shards of tile flying as Catwoman backflipped out of reach.

"Special? No. Better? Absolutely."

She lashed out with her whip, aiming for Harley's ankles, but the clown girl leapt onto a game console, giggling.

"Ooooh, ya really think ya got me? I learned some new tricks, pussycat!"

Harley kicked off the console, launching herself at Catwoman with a wild cackle. The move was too unpredictable, too fast—Catwoman only had time to twist before Harley's knee slammed into her ribs, knocking the wind from her lungs.

She stumbled back, just in time for Harley to follow up with an upward swing of her mallet. Catwoman barely got her arms up before the impact sent her crashing into a broken arcade machine, sparks flying around her.

A sharp sting lanced through her side—she'd landed on a jagged piece of glass.

Selina sat in the wreckage of the broken arcade machine, the scent of burnt wires and dust thick in the air, drowning out the faint metallic tang of her own blood. Pain radiated from her side, sharp and deep, the glass wedged into her flesh a cruel reminder of how reckless she'd been. Stupid. She should've seen that hit coming. Should've been faster. But the fury burning in her veins outmatched the pain—Harley's mallet wasn't just a weapon; it was a symbol of everything wrong with Gotham. Chaos. Madness. And the Clown's unchecked destruction. The East End was still bleeding, still crawling from the gutter because of what Joker had done, and Selina wasn't about to let that slide. Her fingers curled, claws digging into her palm as she forced herself to breathe through the agony. She couldn't afford to break now. Not when she still had a score to settle. Not when the Bat was out there bleeding too.

"Not bad," she gritted out, pushing herself up. "But I'm not done yet, clown."

"Oh, I KNOW ya ain't! That's what makes this SO fun!"

Harley twirled the mallet over her shoulder, her smile sharp and wild.

"Now be a good kitty and STAY PUT!"

With a yell, she swung again, and this time, Catwoman had nowhere to go.
 
For a brief moment there was a wash of relief over Batman when Catwoman made her entrance and started to help clean house with the man. She took a hyena and goon out at nearly the same time then was beating down the gunmen who had shot him. Then she started to take on the much more skilled Harley Quinn....

With a thunderous blow, the Dark Knight drove both his open palms into Joker's chest and stomach and sent him rocketing back into the air hockey table. Batman then ducked a heavy left hook swung by a goon, then he countered with a heavy uppercut that knocked the heavy goon out could when he rag dolled to the floor. Swiftly Batman's fingers moved to grasp three small batrangs and he hurled them into the floor at the feet of the remaining two hyena's and exploded! They released a thick gas that knocked the beasts out and filtered out in the large arcade.

By then Joker was up and starting to laugh while he shrugged his purple tailed coat off and pulled the straps of his black suspenders down. "Okay Batsy, no more Mr. nice Clown!" Joker fished in his pocket and pulled a rubber chicken from it and started to swing it around like they were nunchaku. Batman side stepped to swipes from the chicken that sliced through the air with a force that showed Joker had super strength or the chicken was loaded somehow. As the grinning man sharply arched his chicken down for Batman's head, he swiftly twisted his wrist up hard and sent the chicken soaring up into Batman's jaw sharply enough that stars exploded in his vision and the Batman was sent off his feet and crashed onto his back hard.

Batman groaned and blinked the haze out of eyes while he clutched his injured shoulder. Then he heard it, an echoing thud of wood and what he was sure was bone. Glass shattered and sparks popped while Bat rolled to his chest and looked up to see Catwoman laying in an arcade machine that was smoking and whirling while Harley started to move in on her menacingly.

"Cat! Catwoman!" Batman called out, trying to get her to stir while he tried to pull himself up, only to be met with Joker's polished shoe colliding with Batman's armored stomach hard enough to send the man rolling across the floor while he gasped for air weakly. Joker drew his revolver from behind his back and spun it while he stalked closer towards Batman.

The Dark Knight had to act fast, Catwoman was stirring but Harley was lifting her hammer for a killing blow, there was no way the catsuit clad thief would move in time. "Damn it..." The a few of the goons were starting to stir, Joker pulled his gun trigger and a flag extended that said bang on it with a white starburst around it. Batman grabbed his grapple and knew he'd be making a choice that might have ended in his death... "I'm sorry.." He whispered through his teeth to Selina, knowing she would never hear him say it if he was killed.

Batman's arm shot up and out just as Harley's hammer reached the apex of her upswing and fired his grapple line for her hand, as the woman swung down, the claw grasped the hammer just under the mallet and against the shaft. The force of Harley's swing pulled Batman away and he rolled to his chest then sprang up, letting the wire reel him into Harley's back to throw her forward and past Cat before the hammer could collide with her completely. Harley bounced off the machine and landed at Batman's feet as he started to straighten.

Bat locked eyes with Cat as he caught the edges of the machine with his palms, then a gunshot rang out that boomed through the arcade! Smoke rose from Joker's revolver and his grin deepened while his left brow arched in confusion and his gun hand twisted the revolver. "How the hell aren't you?" Batman's eyes rolled up into his head the moment the gunshot rang out and he stumbled backwards while something clattered to the ground behind him. His hand clutched the back of his head and felt the thickest part of his armored suit crumble in his hand and the glove started to get heavy with the dampness of his blood. The steel and kevlar plated cowl likely saved his life but he wasn't going to make it long at this rate.

Batman turned to face the Joker and snarled while trying to focus on the man through vision that was burring and splitting at random. He took one step and another shot rang out. Batman hit the ground back first and everything... sight, sound, all of it ceased.
 
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