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Hello this is my first story that isn't just oneshots, so I'm excited to bring a story that popped into my head to anyone willing to read it. (Also I do not recommend reading my oneshots if you've come here for anything on the list above). Thank you and Happy reading!
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Bell Bottoms 8:25 pm, Friday 25, August 20XX Northern Gotham Bank 'I need a better steering wheel cover, this one is terrible. Scratch that, I need a better car, this is worse than it's wheel cover. I mean seriously! Who uses a Honda Odyssey as a get away car? No one!'I thought to myself as I waited in the car, they'd be out soon. My music was soon drown out by the sound of alarms blurring through the street while I waited for my "teammates". All the windows were rolled up as I flexed my hands through the gloves I wore. Maybe I'd get some new gloves...Sitting and waiting was always the best and worst part of the job. Best because I got time to myself and could listen to my music without interruption. Worst because I could either sit here for five minutes or two hours. It's a waiting game, and I've never been the patient type. Leaning into my seat, I flicked my sunglasses onto the bridge of my nose and turned my music as loud as my scrappy ear buds could manage. Hopefully they took a bit longer so that I could jam out a bit before shit hits the fan. The music quieted for a moment before I instinctually mouthed along. "Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, Right now I got to tell you about, The fabulous, most groovy..." The alarm in the bank screeched out, the lights flashing inside the building. I adjusted myself and set the gear as I took a deep breath and continued. "Bell Bottoms!" I saw the group scrambling out the doors and sprinting towards the car. "Bell Bottoms!" I unlocked the car and let them slip in, making sure they buckled their seatbelts before flooring it, alarms still ringing in the background. The one that sat upfront with me buckled up and pointed forwards, only for me to back up.Whipping the car around and riding down the nearest alley, I made sure to focus my attention to where I was and where I'm heading. One slip up and we'd all be screwed. The group behind me chattered about their success and the ones mistake as they were tossed around the backseat. Cars honked as I rode by, but I ignored them all in favor of keeping my eyes on the road. One car tried to brake check me but I sped past them once they tried. One of the group kept whopping and hollering at every little thing I did, so I grabbed the metal water bottle in the cup holder and threw it at him in an attempt to shut him up. He did. It had only been about five minutes of driving when I noticed a slick black vehicle following behind me. Finally, Batman's here for round five. Maybe he'll win this time, luck seems to be one of his strong suits and fifth times a charm.The group started yelling in panicking, clearly they had never ran into The Bat before. The one I had didn't like shouted at me to go faster, but I ignored him and focused on forcing my way onto the main road. There were quite a few cars on the road, given that Gotham had more people working night shifts than not. Luckily, I had hit the night shift rush.The Batmobile stayed on my tail, weaving between cars in an attempt to get closer. I ignored the angry shouts directed at me and slipped to the farthest left lane, pushing my way past the cars as I did so. This time, the Batmobile struggled to get closer, clearly trying not to run anyone off the road. I have to say, he was truly an admirable guy, a true sense of justice if I'd ever seen one. Maybe if things had been different, I'd be cheering him on in catching the person who'd be in my place. Life isn't that way, though, so all I have to do is focus on getting away from him. Using his caution to my advantage, I moved forwards to the side of a semi truck, just out of Batman's view. He quickly got behind to the same side, but got stuck between two semi's and was a few cars behind me. Luckily for him, he managed to get around and fall back into the lane behind me, closing in quickly. We settled into a fast pace race as he crept closer and closer until he was practically a foot behind me. I checked to make sure there weren't any cars behind him before slamming my brakes and speeding back up. Doing what I had hoped he would, Batman also slammed on his brakes, but wasn't as fast as I was when it came to speeding back up, given that it was unexpected for him. Unfortunately for him, once he got close enough again, I hit the brakes and drifted into the other road. As I passed him, I glanced at the tinted windows, letting a small grimace paint my lips as I drove the opposite direction he was heading. Slamming my foot on the gas, I passed more and more cars until the Batmobile was completely out of sight. Taking a popular but not trafficked exit, I carefully weaved around any cars to avoid the open streets. The group cheered as they glaced back to double check that Batman was really gone. Once they were sure, they hollered with joy and slapped the back of my seat in excitment. Thankfully, a few back alleys covered me until I reached the parking garage that we needed to be at before they could start crying in joy. ~Bell Bottoms, Bell Bottoms, Bell Bottoms~ Pulling into the fifth floor lot, we all jumped out of the car and grabbed the cash bags, cramming ourselves into the elevator and clicking the button for the twentieth floor. The ride was silent as the elevator music quietly played in the background. The leader of the group, Andre I believe, started laughing out of nowhere and slapped me on the back in a friendly smack. "Now where in the hell did you learn to drive like that, Baby?!" The other joined him in laughter, each patting my back or ruffling my hair. "You just out-drove Batman, BATMAN! Not just anyone can do that." I nodded, happy that they were satisfied with my work. Maybe they'd give me a larger cut since I did so well. The elevator dinged, signaling it had reached it destination and we all stepped out. This building was owned by one of the groups' cousin, so we were able to meet in a room without any cameras. Each bag was set on the table and the money was distributed as seen fit. Each of the group got their promised cut, but Andre slipped my a few extra hundred bills, stating that it was "our secret" and that I was "better than a NASCAR driver". I smiled in appreciation and hid the money in my satchel, grabbing my roller skates from the trunk of the car and heading out to the Hospital for my daily visit. ..... When Bruce returned to the Batcave, he didn't realize that he would leave one shitty situation, only to stumble into another. Two of his sons, Dick and Jason, were being patched up by Alfred. Now the fact that they were there wasn't the problem, it was the fact that they both looked like total shit. Before Bruce could even ask, they both quickly said, "Killer Croc" "Poison Ivy". Bruce sighed heavily and took off his cowl, setting it in its rightful place before walking to the computer and inserting a flashdrive he pulled from a pocket. He pulled up its contents, carefully examining the twenty or so photos that he managed to get from this "Speed Demon". For months he's had run-ins with this driver, always for the same things; robbing a bank or stealing from a large corporation. These crimes were not committed by the person, but they had been the get-away driver for each one. Almost half a dozen meetings to count and he hadn't managed to get ahold of them, not once. That's why he was hoping that he'd managed to get an, at least partially, clear photo of them during this encounter. He'd specifically installed high definition cameras to his suit and car, hoping that if he'd run into them, he'd be able to get a picture and identify them. Unfortunately, each photo he took had a bright shine centered right at their face. It was infuriating, to put it lightly. It was a simple trick used by bikers to hide their license plate numbers. But as simple as it was, it never crossed his mind that it would be an issue here. And now, after they even looked directly at him, he didn't have a single idea of who they were to show for it. A cough pulled him from his thoughts as the three others in the room stared at him, each with varying looks of confusion. "Master Bruce, may I inquire as to why you have taken a photo of... a bright light?" Bruce sighed and rubbed his eyes, tired from one thing piling onto another. "It's not a bright light... well it is a bright light, but it's not supposed to be. There should be a face there, but clearly there isn't." He heard Jason chuckle a bit and turned to see him with a slight grin. "Duped by the old biker trick, eh? You're getting rusty." Dick gave him a look before turning to Bruce while rubbing his bandaged shoulder. "Who was the photo supposed to catch?" "Just someone I've been profiling for a while." Bruce said and sighed again, waving his hand dismissively. "It's nothing I can't handle, they just managed to slip by this time, that's all." The three others glaced between eachother before Alfred gathered the medical supplies on the table and announced he was going to return them to their rightful spot. Dick stood from the chair and walked to the computer, carefully eyeing the picture and looking at Bruce a bit closer. "A person that slipped past you is 'Just someone your profiling'? Really?" Bruce only shook his head. "They just happen to be a really good driver." Dick nodded back before taking a second to realize what Bruce had just said. Jason, on the other hand, had it click immediately. "They out-drove you, in the Batmobile? ...seriously?" If Bruce was upset from the comment, he didn't show it. He only rubbed his eyes again and prepared to take a shower before continuing to search for this mystery person. Once he was out of the room, Dick looked and Jason and gave a look. "Do you think they're some kind of meta, Little Wing?" Jason rolled his eyes at the name but shook his head. "Nah, I can't think of a single criminal that could out-drive B, let alone in the Batmobile. Maybe the car was modded." They both turned to their thoughts for a moment, intruiged by the new appearance of a mere get-away driver. "Ahem." Both broke from their trains of thought and turned to Alfred. "I believe it's is time for you all to come eat dinner. This can be delt with after you have filled your stomachs." Both men went to argue, but one look from Alfred was enough to stop anything they were going to say. . .. .. "Knock knock, how you doing Ma?" I leaned against the door of my mother's hospital room. She'd been here so long that I almost forgot this wasn't her actual room. We've added decorations to make it a bit more homey, but you couldn't help but feeling the looming sadness the place brought. My mom, hearing my knock turned away from her show and smiled. "About time you got here," she patted the corner of the bed repeatedly. "I've got some tea about that bitch Rachel down the hall!" I laughed and walked over to sit on the bed. Even though she was sick, Ma would never show it. She was strong, really strong, and it made me sad to see her more worn out than last time I saw her. But I stayed smiling, laughing at Rachael's incident and told her about my day. Now, my mom didn't know anything about my driving. She didn't need to know, nor would she ever find out. She thinks that I have a job as an accountant, and that's how I pay for my necessities. That's how I want it, I don't want her to feel guilty or remorse for how my life has turned out since she got sick. I'm still finishing college, but my job is strictly driving. I dont have time for anything else. College gave me a chance at a future and driving kept the present running. Again, all things my mother did not need to know. "Baby, are you listening?" Ma gave me a side eye, probably thinking that I was eyeing her 'hot guy' posters on the wall. I blinked at few time and nodded. "Yeah, sorry Ma. Just thinking about something." She wiggled her eyebrows and gave me a look, "Thinking about something... or someone?" I rolled my eyes and sighed, not answering her teasing and reached into my bag. "Thank you for reminding me!" I pulled a few books from my bag. "I got you the rest of that series you were reading, it was a sale at the bookstore so I grabbed the last three." Ma gasped and squealed, checking out the books for a moment. "Oh I've been waiting for the next ones! I didn't even realize they were out. Thank you, Baby!" She set them aside and gave me a tight hug, nearly squeezing the life out of me. I laughed - with what little breath I had left - and hugged her back. After a few moments, I heard Nurse Maddison come in with a tray full of needles. Nurse Maddison was, in my mother's words, a 'Sexy Cinnamon Stick' of a man that was her main nurse. Ma noticed him and casually fixed herself before giving me a kiss on the cheeks and ushering me out. "I know you don't like needles, so you best be on your way." She gave me a slap on the back before turning to flirt with Nurse Maddison. Deciding that she was right, I bid them both goodbye and made my way out of the hospital. My apartment wasn't very far, so I just slipped on ny skates again and rolled home. Given that is was late night Gotham, I was sure to be quick so no one would try and grab or bother me. Slipping throught the buildings doors, I made my way up the stairs to my floor. It was late, so there weren't many lights still on, but I was thankful that the elevators had been working today. I lived on the fifth floor and had a two bedroom apartment on the west side of the building. Room 525 was all mine, and there was eight other people that lived on my floor. Maybe it's because it's Gotham, but rent here was really cheap for a decent apartment. I kicked off my skates the second I walked throught the door, shutting behind me quietly so I didn't wake any neighbors. Plopping down onto the couch, I pulled out the bag with my money and pulled it out to start sorting it. I had to clean it, so it'd take a while to get to my bank account, but I new that it'd be there before I needed it. Just as I began to separate the wads of cash, I noticed something sitting on the corner of the table. It was a letter. On the front, there sat a singular 'J'. I assumed it was just something I got in the mail but forgot about, so I opened it. That was my mistake.
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Shut Up and Drive 8:15 pm, Sunday 27, August 20XX ???? "Hey... yes it's me. I need a favor." A sigh was heard over the phone. "Well it's the kind of favor that involves intentionally pissing off Batman." A few murmurs rang over the phone before a sigh of releaf was heard. "Thank you. Here's what I need...".....Tonight was what his kids deemed "family crime night", which sounded the complete opposite of what they were doing. It was a nightmare where everyone just happened to be out at the same time, some everyone was on the coms chatting while a few beat up a mugger and whatnot. Bruce however, had a gut feeling that something was going to happen. Not anything dangerous, no that felt much different, but this feeling was almost like his brain was trying to tell him to be ready for the unexpected that was destined to come. He wouldn't admit it, but he was thankful his children were here to help in case something happened.Just as he was about to call over the coms to keep an eye out, Barbara's voice sounded theought his ear. "Bruce, you're gonna want to see this." From her tone, he could tell nothing was wrong, but he had that dad-feeling that something did happen. A chuckled slipped past her lips as she snickered and sent a live camera feed to him. "Do you remember that 'Speed Demon' you were chasing the other day?" Bruce didn't even question why she knew, he knew his kids well enough to know that one of the two had spilt everything to everyone. He just sighed and agreed, asking her to continue. "Well guess who's out on the town tonight?" Bruce's eyes widened as he watched the feed of a group that just robbed a bank pile into car and speed off in a style he recognized all too well. He thanked Barbara and immediately hopped off the roof he was on, groaning when he heard almost all of his kids voices ring throught his ears. "Oh they're out tonight?!" "Do you need something backup B?" "Is this the driver Grayson told me about, father?" "Oh! It's the one RR told me about!" Their words jumbled over eachother and in the time it took Bruce to get back to the Batmobile, most of his children were already there. Mentally preparing himself, he very sternly told them that this was not something they could watch for fun since this was a serious case. His kids, of course, ignored him and stumbled into the Batmobile, fighting over who got shotgun. With a facepalm and a prayer for patience, he hopped into the front seat and sped off towards the location that was pinged. It was almost a twenty minute drive, so he'd have to act fast if he wanted to catch them this time. 'This time,' he told himself, 'I'll catch them'. ....."Okay, so you remember the plan?" I couldn't drop my leg from tapping, stress piled onto my body like a building was dropped on me. I couldn't mess this up, I couldn't. Andre seethed and the rest groaned. "For the love of God! YES WE KNOW THE DAMN PLAN, YOU'VE TOLD US NINE TIMES! WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO DO ANYTHING!" He buried his face in his hands as the rest begged, "Please just go so we can do this!" And "This is a free paycheck, just go for fucks sakes!" As well as "If you don't go now, I'm just going to walk there." I took a deep breath and slammed my foot on the gas to force myself to go. They hadn't actually set off the alarm this time, so Andre rigged it to set off when I was ready. Finally setting off, I heard the alarm go off behind us as I drove to a popular park where I know there weren't cameras, but at least a few people. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, hoping that this was enough to catch the Bat's attention. "Everyone out!" The group piled out of the car, noticing my tone and not wanting to get in the middle of whatever the hell I had going on. Andre hopped out but stopped for a moment before turning to face me. "I hope you know what you're doing, Baby." I clenched my teeth and nodded. "This time, I have to. Now you guys get going. I've got to catch a Bat's eye." He nodded and shut the door, running after his crew with their bags full of cash. I was scared, but Ma needed me. And everyone in Gotham knew of Batman's 'no killing' rule, so that brought me a bit of comfort. Pounding my fist on the dashboard, I let out a shout and turned on my music, slamming my foot down. Burning rubber and starting the chase, all I needed to do was get his attention. I hauled through the streets of Gotham like it was my last time, running as many red lights as I could and even driving past the police station to make sure everyone knew I was out. I drove and drove for what felt like thirty minutes, thinking for a moment that there was no hope, but then I saw a reflection in my side mirror. ~I've been looking for a driver who is qualified...~ Glancing back, I saw that familiar black car speeding behind me and cried out in relief. I took a deep breath and steeled my nerves. "Come on Batman." My hands shook a bit as I took the exit I need to. "Please keep up, I need you to..." The Batmobile was closing in, and I need I needed to out some distance between us two if I wanted to get him where I need him. I slid into an alley, scraping my sides on the garbage cans and probably fucking up this cars balancing. Brushing aside the mechanical worries I barreled through the streets of Gotham like a madman. I kept glancing back to make sure the Bat was following me, praying that he'd be there everytime I checked. I got onto the freeway heading the southern outskirts of Gotham, making sure that each car I passed didn't get run off the road. Bats seemed to be keeping up just fine, so I made sure to throw in some of my tricks. We had reached a part of the freeway without any cars, so I made sure he was right behind me before slamming on my breaks and turning while putting the car in reverse so that I was now driving backwards. Before he could react, I put the car back into drive and sped past him going the opposite way. I checked my mirrors after a few seconds to see that he had managed to turn around and was now a few hundred meters behind me. I got into the farthest right lane before crossing the police slit in the freeway barriers and slipping onto the first exit, making sure to not go too fast so he could keep up. Once I was off the freeway, I turned onto the downtown roads and drove towards the final road I needed to take. I sped down the final road, realizing that the Bat's car wasn't behind me anymore. I felt my stomach drop, realizing that I had probably just ruined my only chance before I saw it come straight for me from my right, retaking it's spot behind me as I pulled into an abandoned warehouse lot. Driving over the parking slots, I swerved around a few lightpoles and drifted into the empty warehouse and spinning around to face the Bat head on. In only a few seconds, he too came barreling into the warehouse. Slamming on his breaks, he stopped a good ten meters away from me. No one moved, calling for a standoff as I mentally prepared myself to do this. Taking a deep breath, I reached over and grabbed my things before turning off the car and unlocking the door. I stepped out with my hands up and dropped my things on the ground, kicking them around three meters in front of me and gulped in anticipation. The door of the Batmobile swung open as the Bat himself stepped out and started walking towards me. He stopped where my things had landed glancing at them before looking back at me. Before he could get a word out, I started, "T-that's my ID. It has all of my information on it..." He carefully leaned down to grab it and looked it over before stepping closer to me. Before he could get to close, I started again. "I'm turning myself in and whatever. But I- I need something." He gave a look, practically telling me to continue. I tried to stop my shaking as I looked him in the eyes and croaked out. "... I need your help." .....
Dear Baby,
A little birdy told me that you have a knack for escaping situations with your driving. I heard that you've even outdriven little old Batsy. Quite the spectacular display, but I'm not just here to congratulate your skills. You see, I'm in need of a driver since my last one is... out of comission. It'd make me oh so happy if you'd say yes. Not only me, but your dear mother would be perfectly happy with the arrangement too I'm sure. I'll be waiting to hear back from you Baby Driver~! When you're ready, meet me at the Opera House during it's next show on Balcony J. I can't wait to see you there!
Mr. J
.....I sat on the hood of my car, legs swinging as I made awkward small-talk with Nightwing. He was in Gotham for a few nights and just happened to tag along with this chase, he said. Ironically, there was also every other Gotham hero here, for some reason. They kind of just stared at me while Batman read over the contents of the letter the Joker sent me. It was silent for a while, but before someone could speak up again, my phone rung.I glanced at Batman, silently asking for permission to answer before he nodded at me. It wasn't a number I had saved, so I was praying that it wasn't who I thought it was. Answering and putting the phone on speaker, I heard my mother's voice over the phone. "Hi Baby! Sorry if you didn't recognize the number, I stole this phone from one of the part timers since mine died." I snorted out a laugh before covering my mouth."Hey Ma! What's up? Is something wrong?" My mom only shushed me and asked if I was alone. I looked around, making eye contact with the youngest Robin before answering, "Yep", She cheered. "You'll never guess what Nurse Hottie brought me today!" I felt a strange sense of embarrassment climb up my spine as my mom spoke with so many heroes listening in to our conversation. But I knew that if I didn't act like usual, she'd know something was wrong immediately. Breaking the eye contact I had with Robin, I chuckled a bit to break my silence before continuing. "Ma, I love you to death, but why didn't you just wait to tell me this tomorrow when I visit?" Ma only scoffed, "Because this a now conversation! Now, guess what he got me!" I sighed and shook my head, "Hmmm... flowers?" "Nope" "Chocolates?" "That would've been nice too" "Books?" "Not even close" "Ahhh... I give up, what?" "Tickets to an Opera!" I stopped for a second before glancing at Batman. Trying to keep the creeping fear out of my voice, I spoke happily, "That's wonderful Ma! But I thought you couldn't get out of bed until you get that surgery on Friday and heal?" She made a 'psh' sound and was no doubt waving her hand, "No no that's right, but the opera is at the end of next month." I figeted with my hands as I got closer to the phone. "Ma don't take this the wrong way... but did he give you the tickets directly?" She paused for a moment before speaking, "No actually, he left a note. How come?" I ignored her question. "Ma can you send me a photo of the note?" "Huh? Baby is something wro-" "Ma please just send me the photo." She muttered okay, a few moments passing before my phone buzzed. Checking the photo she sent felt a sense of dread wash over me looking at the note. Red Robin and Nightwing both glanced over my shoulders to see before nodding at eachother then Batman. "Baby is everything okay?" I cursed under my breath, forgetting I was on the phone with her. "Yeah, yeah everything's okay Ma. But something just came up at work that I gotta deal with. I'll talk to you later okay?" It was silent for a bit before she answered. "Okay... but you know that you can come to me about anything, right?" I sighed, feeling guilt bury into my stomach. "I know Ma... love you." "I love you too Baby, good luck with whatever you're doing." I stopped the call before covering my face and heaving out a long sigh. "... It's the same writing isn't it?" Batman only nodded once. "Fuck." I felt tears welling in the corner of my eyes, a slight burning sensation followed as I tried to stop the from turning into full on tears. "I know he said that she was at risk, but I didn't realize he was already so close to getting her." I buried my face in my hands as the young heroes made their way back into the Batmobile. Batman slowly made his way towards me and carefully sat next to me, putting a gloved hand on my shoulder. His gruff voice came out more gentle than I thought it could. "Don't worry... we'll make sure nothing happens to her." That was all it took for me to burst into sobs, clinging to his armored side. "I don't know what to do... I really don't know what to do!" All he did was rub his hand up and down my back, letting me get it out of my system. Once it was all out, I wiped my tears and cleared my throat, embarrassed that I just trauma dumped on Batman. "I'm sorry, thank you for your help. I... I don't know what I'd do if something happens to my mom." Batman stiffened a bit before he nodded. "I... understand." And for some reason, I knew he did. He gave me a pat on the head before handing me back my things, instructing me to follow him. Apparently, it was too dangerous for me to go back to my apartment, so he had a small safe house I could stay at for a bit. I collected my things before hopping back in my car and carefully following the Batmobile to my temporary home. When we got there, it was an apartment building owned by Wayne Enterprises, to no ones surprise, and I got a room on the fifth floor. It had basic commodities and some basic food in the fridge and pantry. Before he left, the Bat said that he'd send some people to watch over my mother and someone to come watch me. I thanked him and he left... this apartment was much lonelier than mine.