❝ you’ve stolen my heart, the least you could do is tell me what you intend to do with it. ❞ dealer's choice
send me a yearning prompt and i may or may not bend it to suit my needs. thanks for the ask! one riddlebat coming up
As Edward knelt in the remains of his hideout, the weight of the situation finally began to sink in. His toys were destroyed. Any help was thoroughly estranged. His shoulder stung under his hand. The blood dripping from his nose left the taste of iron on his tongue and stained his slacks, which he'd likely never get the chance to repair. In a matter of minutes, the GCPD would be taking him into custody, again.
Dirty water dripped from the leaky ceiling, joining the small puddles in the cracked concrete and dirt. The petals he'd ground into the floor hours before greyed slowly with the accumulation of filth. Beyond them, Batman was little more than an outline in the dim light, framed against the doorway. His cape swept gently around his feet, flowing like a real hero's.
But the combat boots underneath were caked with the same dirt as the knees of Edward's slacks.
"I don't have time for this." Batman's voice was quiet, low and rumbling with the same threat he leveled at any villain in Gotham. But it was tired, too. "Valentine's Day is busy enough without you trying to get in on it too."
Edward knew the script for this. This was where he teased Batman, making some jealous crack that Batman would ignore the same way he ignored every attempt at flirting.
But his heart wasn't quite in it, tonight.
He'd had something different planned. He'd entertained the idea, just for a moment, that maybe he could find a way to really catch Batman's attention tonight. The way he wanted to. But he'd scrapped it at the last moment, deciding it was better to play it safe and stick to what was familiar.
Playing it safe hadn't served him very well. Now, he felt daring. Or maybe just desperate.
"I'm sure Holiday and Calendar Man will be less than eagerly awaiting your presence," he said, rolling his eyes. Maybe he couldn't resist the crack. But he pressed on, "I tried, you know. For you. I tried to play it the other way, but it just isn't in my nature. I was never the one who wanted to flip the script."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Is this another riddle?"
Edward smiled at him, just a little sad. "If you're going to steal my heart, the least you can do is tell me what you intend to do with it."
He could see the hesitation in Batman's stance- the way he rocked onto his toes, as if to move, and then settled again. The pause stretched into nearly a full minute before the detective- his detective- brilliant and stupid all at once, said softly, "It's Valentine's Day."
Edward held out his hands, wrists pressed together. Despite everything, his voice came out fond. "You always do get it in the end."
Batman hesitated again. Then, at last, he stepped forward. The hero- the legend- slipped out of the silhouette and became human again, blood and bone as he crouched in front of Edward. As he clipped the handcuffs in place, Edward took advantage of the closeness to study the curve of his lips, the pale white of the scars cutting along his cheeks and jaw. He could hear Batman's soft breathing, almost loud in the quiet of the hideout. He itched to feel the gentle rise and fall of his chest under his hands, to feel the warmth of Batman's skin against his own and know, as he'd always known, that Batman was human somewhere under there. He could never feel it through Batman's gloves, only knowing it in the lower half of his face.
When he lifted his eyes, he could swear that somewhere behind those lenses, Batman was studying him, too.
With careful fingers, Edward traced the sharp line of Batman's jaw, ghosting his thumb across the curve of Batman's bottom lip. It was just slightly uneven, marred by a scar that pinched the skin.
It felt like an eternity passed. Then, finally, Batman leaned in, pressing his lips softly against Edward's.
The world spun. Had Edward not already been kneeling, his legs might have given out from under him. He wanted to claw at Batman, to drag him closer, to kiss him harder, but too soon, Batman was pulling back again. He thought he made a noise, desperate and pathetic.
But Batman only stood, silently crossing to the door. In the frame, he paused, just for a moment. "Happy Valentine's Day, Edward."
Then, he was gone.
