Detective | ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴛᴍᴀɴ

𝒆 𝒊 𝒈 𝒉 𝒕 𝒆 𝒆 𝒏

The ear-splitting headache Jess had was finally beginning to numb over. She grabbed her keys from Martinez, who was more than happy to drive it back from the church. An ice pack was pressed against her cheek as that pain dissipated into a dull ache.

Wanting nothing more than to take a hot bath, she fumbled with the handle of her car door. She finally wrestled it open with a huff. "Jess!" The familiar voice of Edward called from down the street. She raised a brow at why he was out so late.

"Hey, what are you doing out so late?" Jess asked when he finally reached her.

Out of breath, Edward stuffed his hands into his pockets. He tried to make it seem like he didn't just run from his apartment to the precinct to talk to her. "I saw... what happened on the news. Are you okay?" Jess gave a small smile, trying not to stretch her busted lip too wide.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She nodded. "I just... want this whole thing over with, that's all."

Edward pushed a strand of her hair away from her face. "Well, the diner's just around the corner. Maybe, I can finally chalk up the courage to... ask you out?"

An awkward feeling crashed down onto her shoulders. She shouldn't be surprised; from the way he was always trying to be around her, she should've expected his date request sooner. "Listen, Eddie..." She rubbed her forehead, the headache on its way back. "I'm kind of... seeing someone at the moment." She sighed. "Or we're not on speaking terms right now. It's complicated." She bit her lip. "Look, you're a great guy, Eddie, but...." She sucked on her teeth. She always said friend-zoning someone, after turning them down was a terrible plan. It happened to her brother in high school, and she vowed to never do it; it seems like there was a first for everything. "I hate to do this to you, but you make a better friend."

She noticed the way his hands clenched beside him. Suddenly, her gut was truck with anxiousness. "Is it Bruce Wayne?" He questioned, his eyes shifting from that friendly, lovesick puppy look to sinister anger.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Ed." She took a step back as her hand itched to rest on her thigh holster.

"But I can make you happy."

"I think you should go home." She was trapped between Edward's chest and her open car door. He breathed her in like the most delicate rose. "Ed, stop it." She warned. She was too weak to push him off. Every time she moved; her muscles burned in agony. If it weren't for the way he grabbed her at her ass, her adrenaline wouldn't have kicked in. She cocked her hand back, smacking him right across his cheek. "Back off!" She barked.

Edward stumbled away from her in shock. His glasses were crooked on his face, and his eyes were wide. He tried to take a step forward, to grab her hand when she held her hand out to stop him. "What's going on here?" A voice asked from the shadows. Bruce tried to walk generally up the street, his poorly scrubbed off eye paint still lingering and his black backpack slung over his shoulder.