A riddlebat fanfic riddled with angst, lactose intolerance, and love confessions. Bruce Wayne, the Batman, goes undercover on a social media website to hunt down the Riddler, a streamer who has been terrorizing Gotham by exposing its corruption thro...
I stumbled home after not only surviving a close- range explosion but also an epic parkour fail after testing out my bat wings. I clutched onto the Riddler's letter addressed to me, for evidence purposes of course. Why would he spend that time writing handwritten cards to me? I quickly dismissed the idea, opening up my laptop. I grinned, noticing the screen time was unlocked. Checking SpaceHey, I pulled up my instant messages.
I had totally forgotten all about the Riddler asking me to send a picture of myself in return. He must be so suspicious of me now. What was I to do?! I thought of an ingenious excuse.
"so uhh i my camera broke after i dropped my laptop and i don't have any pictures of myself on here"
"Not a single one?"
"the only picture i have of myself is my arm lol," I responded. It was somewhat true. Alfredo would force me to send pictures of my injuries so he could mend them.
"I suppose that's alright for now; I'll take it."
I held my breath as I hit send.
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There was a painfully long hesitation from the other side of the screen before the typing resumed. What was he going to say? The suspense was killing me.
"You have an impressive physique."
The comment made me freeze. It wasn't what I was expecting... at all. I couldn't remember the last time someone complimented me. It made me feel... something. I didn't know what it was. My heart was beating out of my chest, and my face felt flushed. I almost wanted him to realize how much I appreciated it, how seen I felt, until I remembered that I was talking to a serial killer.
"thanks anyway that bombing was crazy i can't believe you set that off when batman was right there"
"It was a thrilling moment. That vigilante... Well, his part in my plan will come soon. But the way he made me feel... It's hard to explain. Do you ever feel like you're overheating for no reason at all? And your chest feels light?"
I reread the message over and over to confirm that I was reading it right. He got that feeling too?
"i know exactly what you're talking about actually i've been getting that feeling recently"
"It's almost a burning excitement. You feel so alive but nervous at the same time."
"and your mind goes blank"
There was a pause. "Forget it. Those feelings are trivial anyways, and I don't really feel it anyways. That question was hypothetical."
Why did he dismiss this so suddenly? Was it something I said? I thought that we were almost... understanding each other.
"right me too"
"Would you like to review some plans with me?"
Before I could respond, I got a text from Gordon. He got a tip that the Penguin was on his way to make a drops deal. My heart sank. I had to leave AGAIN. The Riddler would never trust me now, and my cover would be blown. What would happen then? How would he react? Regrettably, I put on my suit and headed to the location Gordon sent me.
I watched in the pouring rain as the Penguin exchanged money and product with a couple of dealers. The Penguin was an interesting guy; I met him at the Iceberg Lounge. He sounded like Mario, but in a more fatherly way. I didn't have a father, since I was an orphan. Someone must have noticed Gordon as gunshots rang out. I ran for cover to what I cleverly named the Batmobile. The Penguin, noticing me, fled to his car and sped out of the warehouse lot, tires screeching. The chase began.
After some very illegal driving (Alfredo would be so disappointed) and a lengthy chase, Penguin's extremely less cool car flipped over, and I drove through an epic explosion. I approached his car, notifying Gordon so we could shake some answers out of him.
It turned out that the Penguin didn't know anything. At all. The only half helpful thing was "LA rata alada". I opened my gaming laptop I got for my birthday last year and typed in the url. I was met with a message from the Riddler:
"Did you find him? El Rata Alada?"
"Jesus, is this guy in love with you or something?", the Penguin remarked, earning a chuckle from Gordon.
I froze, not believing what I had heard. "W- What did you say?", I choked out.
"Calm down, Vengeance, it was just a joke! I'm just saying, you know... not many enemies write handwritten cards or make elaborate games just to prove a point, that's all".
That sentence hit me like a ton of bricks. It all made sense now. I gripped the laptop tighter, fighting to compose myself in front of the two men. That warm feeling the Riddler had mentioned... was love. It had to be. Alfredo had told me enough stories for me to know. After losing the only two people I loved (my parents, who were dead), I must have... forgotten that feeling.
But I had felt it too, when he complimented my extremely buff arm. No... I didn't love the Riddler. I was just nervous and surprised, that's all. I had to be. I NEEDED to be. He was a madman, and even then, I wasn't gay. I wasn't. I still couldn't shake the feeling that the Riddler was genuinely in love with me. He was OBSESSED with finding the Batman— finding me.
"Sorry kid, did I strike a nerve or something? I believe love is love and all that".
"Let's say, hypothetically, the Riddler likes me...", I started, "A- And sometimes I feel a certain way when I talk to him, but I'm not gay-"
Gordon huffed. "Come on, is this really priority number one right now? We have a clue sitting right in front of us!", he exclaimed, gesturing to the message on the laptop screen.
"Hey, hey, let the kid talk! Look, Vengeance, I think you have some feelings you need to work out. I'm not one to assume, but it sounds like you are attracted to men".
"B- But I can't love him. I don't love him. He's a serial killer".
"Vengeance, we don't choose who we love. We just do. So, what are you going to do about it?"
Those words echoed through my head. I kept repeating them, so I wouldn't forget them. The Riddler loved me. And I... loved him? It still didn't feel quite right; I just needed time. I haven't had a crush before, but I just assumed that I just haven't met the right girl yet. Maybe I still haven't. But I had this feeling, and according to that fatherly Italian man, I had to act on it. What was I going to do?!
