The Bat and the Riddler

2. DVD

Bruce woke to Alfred knocking on his door, him waiting a few seconds, then coming into the room. Bruce had already sat up on the edge of his bed by the time Alfred was in the room. They discussed plans that needed to be upheld by Bruce Wayne and not as the Batman. Bruce, as always, grunted and sighed at these. He quite disliked having to keep up an image for the family name. He, quite frankly, did not care. However, he did care about Alfred's opinion. He saw him as a father figure that he would never admit to anyone, especially Alfred. Alfred left his room soon after to head to the dining room to set a meal. Bruce stayed behind to get ready for his day.

Bruce's day wasn't on the same schedule as the regular Gotham citizens schedule. He slept during daytime hours and was productive at night. He got dressed in a plain black long sleeve shirt with gray sweatpants for comfort. Slowly, Bruce Wayne walked down the stairs of his gothic architectural home. He sat at the oddly shaped dining table and ate in silence with Alfred sitting across from him. Once Bruce finished his meal, he left and headed to the Bat Cave without a goodbye to Alfred.

Bruce would typically say something to Alfred after a meal, but his mind was elsewhere. It was trapped on the thought of the plain looking DVD, addressed to Batman, from the Riddler. The elevator ride from Wayne Manor to the Bat Cave felt longer than normal. This could be because Bruce is excited or nervous; or both. As soon as he reached the Bat Cave, he rushed to his desk. There, he pulled the DVD from the drawer in his desk and fished for the DVD player to connect to his PC in the drawer underneath it. For a moment, he contemplated watching the DVD once more, but decided he would watch it later in the night, he wanted to have a clear mind for protecting Gotham.

Bruce walked over to his suit and put it on. He made sure to put in his contacts as well, then went to his motorcycle and drove off. It was a long night. He was perched on a roof of a tall building, hiding in the shadows, watching. The city was large, and he couldn't be everywhere at once, but he sure could keep an eye out regardless. His presence alone every night was an omen in the city. It affected the way the criminals would act. They wouldn't know where he is at, so it made for a good way to strike fear into the villains of the city. When the Bat Signal lit up in the night sky, it would make all villains, who can see it, nervous. The batman had an effect on the city now, and it was showing. Still, it caused larger criminals to show, like the Riddler, in a way that was meant to mess with the Batman specifically.

Over the night of watching the city, he kept his mind on the DVD sent by the Riddler. Part of him was itching to watch it, while the other part was trying to avoid it. It made the night seem very long; much larger than what it normally felt like, and it always felt long. Batman's night was coming to an end, and he could leave Gotham to the corrupt police. He wasn't too worried, though, because he knew Gordon would be on site with the other police. He knew that there was an insight through him, and he trusted him with the city. With that, the Batman headed to the Bat Cave.

Once he got home from his long night, the Batman took off his suit and put it in its respective place. He sat down in the relatively comfy chair at his desk and grabbed the items previously set out in order to watch the DVD. Bruce plugged in the DVD player into his PC. He slowly put in the DVD from the Riddler, waiting for the computer to read it, then pressed play.

His heart was beating hard throughout this. He was worried about what could be on there. It was a black screen at first. Then, there was simple chuckling as the Riddler came on screen. "Hello, Bats," he had said as he sat down on a chair in front of a black tarp, "do you like the little nickname I have given you? I find it quite fitting, might even add cute to it." Bruce's body tensed at the word 'cute' coming from the Riddlers mouth. He felt like he was getting warm and his heart rate quickened even more. "I made this special little movie just for you, so make sure no one else is watching, 'kay?" the Riddler spoke. Even though Bruce was watching a pre-recorded video, he still felt like he was right there with the Riddler. As the Riddler shifted in his seat, so did Bruce. "I wanted to make this video for you, to tell you that there will be more in the future, along with one more thing," he got closer to the camera as he spoke, "I know how you really feel about me." The video ended. Bruce felt a wave of nervousness go throughout him. What did he mean by that? What could he know? His thoughts were interrupted by chuckling through his speakers. The laugh makes Bruce feel more warm than before. Every time he hears it, it has some effect on him.

Little to Bruce's knowledge, the Riddler knew who he really was. He knew that the great and powerful vigilante, the Batman, was the orphaned Bruce Wayne. He kept a close eye on him, he watched him throughout the day, and at night when he was hiding his true identity under a mask of a bat. The Riddler has picked up on Bruce's schedule and has learned more things about him. He knows how Bruce feels without Bruce even knowing how he feels himself. The Riddler has taken the time, how could he not? He is practically obsessed with him, to understand Batman as Bruce and the masked version. The Riddler has learned how Batman hides at night, now able to spot him lurking in the shadows, and watches him with his eyes forming into hearts. Sometimes, the Riddler will stay up at night after streaming to his fans, when he can't stop thinking about Batman. It is not, in any way, shape, or form, a type of holy thought. It almost always leads to the Riddler sprawled out in bed, panting heavily, after thinking about Batman in a sinful way, and performing a sinful act. But Batman did not need to know that just yet. Maybe after a certain amount of special movies, he will specify everything, and even perform a show. The thought of it thrilled the Riddler. He could think of all the ways Batman would feel, what he would do while watching those videos, how he would react. These thoughts the Riddler was having, thinking of the Batman in this way, lead to another one of those nights with him spread out on his bed; vulnerable, panting, and brain filled with the Batman.

After Bruce took out the DVD, he grabbed an empty box and put it in. He wasn't sure what to do with it yet, but he wanted to keep it. He even wanted to actually watch it again. He wanted to hear the Riddler talk to him and chuckle in a way that made him feel warm and shift in his seat. He didn't know why he was feeling this, but he did know that apparently the Riddler knew, and he wanted to find it out. He headed up out of the Bat Cave and into the dining hall, where Alfred was sitting at the dining table, working on some papers. Alfred glanced up for a moment, then went back to studying the papers sprawled out in front of him. Bruce walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He was still hot from watching the tape from the Riddler, and it was still fresh on his mind. If he wanted any sleep, he would need to calm down. Bruce chugged his glass of water then filled the cup again. Once more, he gulped it down. He took care of the dish, and headed up to his large room. There, he took a shower to clean off from the night. All throughout the shower, he thought about the Riddler. Bruce rushed to get out to lay in his bed in order to try to forget about it. However, he did not forget. Bruce laid in his bed, sleepless all night, replaying the chuckle of the Riddler in his mind over and over again, thinking of him non stop. Seems like he will have a very long night tomorrow.