Barry's eyes shifted from left to right as he steadily handed the boy the gym membership. It was pricey, but well worth it. In return he was handed a salmon covered envelope. It wasn't relatively heavy, and no larger than a half sheet of paper.
"There you go" the boy said with a smile. He had short black hair and stood as high as Barry's chest. He wore dark skinny jeans, a black shirt and jacket, topped with a pair of sunglasses. This would have appeared to be odd, especially at night, but this was Gotham, the hearth of weird.
"This is greatly appreciated, thanks." Barry said with nervous glances. The boy nodded and stepped back into the shadows, leaving behind only an echo of a child's cackle. Shoving the envelope into his coat he made his way back towards his car. Glancing at his reflection in the tinted window, Barry noticed he looked quite abnormal himself. Blue jeans, a long, tan trench coat, and matching hat to hid his face. All he was missing was a black pipe. Taking his seat Barry turned the key and the car roared to life.
Speeding down the highway Barry raced back home. The only thing on his mind happened to be the contents of the exchange. He would have looked them over once he was in the car, but this had to remain secret. He wouldn't want this getting out. Pulling into the driveway Barry ran into the house and straight to the room he shared with the love of his life. Locking the door and closing the windows Barry launched himself onto the king sized bed and sprawled out. His hands shaking, a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, he opened the sealed encasing. Carefully he poured the contents onto the bed spread. Three pictures rolled off the crinkly paper. Squealing Barry snatched them up and held them to the light. He couldn't believe his eyes, they were amazing.
Pulling out his cellphone he took separate pictures of the individual photographs, saving it to his memory card. He would need a lot more copies if he was going to successfully blackmail somebody. No, he would need a lot more than normal. For the person he was going to blackmail was somebody able to dig up every little thing that you held against him and in find something to use against you, all in the same day. That person he was playing a dangerous game with, was The Batman. Placing the photographs back into the salmon envelope, Barry carefully shoved it underneath the fake bottom to his bed stand's drawer. He couldn't risk having them found just yet. Yes, Batman did have his ways, but what he didn't know, was that Barry could fight fire with fire.
Jumping off the bed Barry joined his wife in the kitchen and helped her prepare for dinner. Tonight was casserole, sure, it sounded disgusting, but when they worked together they could make anything amazing. They helped with each other's faults. Filling in where things where needed and backing out when the other had it in control. It was their daily routine, and Barry was joyful enough to be the one to spend it with his loving Iris. Turning to her, mid-carrot cut, with an expression of concern he opened his mouth to speak.
"Iris… tomorrow… Batman might come by. If he does I want you to let him in, he'll probably do this little gotta' go to the bathroom thing, lead him towards the extra one opposite out room. Okay honey?" he asked. She furrowed her eyebrows, worry filling the depths of her eyes.
"Of 'course darling, but why are you telling me to do this? You're worrying me…" she trailed off as Barry kissed the top of her head. A knowing smile remain stretched across his face.
"It's nothing honey." He replied and carried on with the daily routine. Iris bit her lip, but continued, the conversation remained within her mind throughout the night.
His feet propped up on top the long table Barry, or, in this situation, The Flash examined the heroes within the room. Nothing important was taking place, the normal chess games, some people were fiddling with their phones and iPod's, others sleeping. Letting out a sigh Barry took out his cellphone and emailed the pictures to his multiple emails. Standing up his chair squealed as he pushed it away. Taking in a deep breathe he prepared for the confrontation.
Bravely he resituated his chair and walked towards Batman who was sitting the seat ranked #2. Crouching next to the large black figure Barry raised his right hand and cupped it around Batman's ear. Or at least where he thought it was, and whispered in what he thought needed to be said.
"Can I see you in private?" long silence was returned. After a few minutes of remaining in the same position Batman gave a grunt and stood up abruptly which resulted in Barry smacking himself in the face. Sulking he glared at the back of the bat's head as he followed the armored figure into the hall. Jerking his head towards the end of the hallway Barry led him down the long row of doors. Superman's hearing couldn't butt in, although, in reality, he could probably hear was what going on down on Earth. Even from this satellite that was positioned in space!
Barry turned around and stared Batman in the eyes, he was wearing his usual get-up, however, Barry just noticed the excessive amount of black eye-liner he had around his eyes. Batman must really not want his identity to be figured out, if he goes to such risks to cover up the facial features around his eyes… or maybe it just made him look cooler? Let out a deep breathe Barry pulled out his phone and hovered it in front of the bat's face. On the screen was the first picture, it was Batman. Well, it was his secret identity. However his face had been blurred out, except for his eyes, where the excessive amount of eye-liner remained. He was wear a footie pajama, but not any normal one, on it was Superman's symbol. He was slouched over and cupping a cup of coffee close to his chest, obviously yelling at somebody for taking the picture.
Batman's eyes narrowed as Barry flipped through the rest of the pictures. He had been wearing the same get-up in all of them, except he was doing something different each time. The final picture flashed on screen and Batman's fuse was blown. He had thrust his hand out, wrapping it around Barry's neck and held him high. Barry gazed down at him nonchalantly, he had seen this coming, but if he remained calm he could psych him out. Batman slammed him against the wall, a loud BANG ringing through the silent hall.
Batman gave the speedster a menacing glare. He seemed to have been trying to be condescending. However, he was looking up, Barry cracked a smile.
"Never thought The Bat would ever look up to me" he joked and in return was slammed into the wall behind him.
"Are you trying to blackmail me?" He threatened. Barry coughed and sputtered which resulted in Batman loosening his grip unconsciously.
"Why, on the contrary, I am blackmailing you." Barry's mischievous grin returned. The Bat snatched Barry's phone out of his palm and threw it onto the ground. Bringing his foot up, he thrust it down onto the plastic, crushing it into bits and pieces. Barry's smile diminished as he looked down at his now ex-phone.
"I'm not stupid. I have it back up on every device, email, and hard copies in every safety deposit box that I own." Barry paused as he stared at the shattered plastic, "One more thing, you're going to get me a new phone." Batman's eyes were narrowed to slits. Staring at Barry, pissed off, he dropped the man to the floor and stormed off. His cape flapping silently behind him, making his tantrum seem a lot less menacing. Letting out a sigh, Barry began to scoop remnants of his phone into the palm of his hand. Examining the SD card he slipped it into his boot, not wanting it to get any more damage. It could still work, and he was sure Batman hadn't known about it. Tossing the red plastic into the office like trash can Barry headed back into the meeting room. Taking his seat once more he smiled and took in the confused and frivolous expressions of his colleges'.
The remnants of the meeting were filled with quiet chatter and the delicious smell of McDonalds' apple pies. Soon the dreary meeting came to an end and Barry beamed back down to Earth. Opening to door to his house he took in a deep breath as he welcomed the smell of burning incense. Slipping off his shoes he first made his way towards his room. Barry needed to be sure that Batman hadn't taken the hard copies, but knowing him, they were already gone. Opening the drawer to the night stand he edged his nails in between the fake bottom and the sides. Struggling to lift the slender piece of wood Barry smiled. The pictures were gone, and to his surprise, the drawer wasn't shattered into millions of pieces like his phone.
Opening his closet door Barry flicked on the lights and began to sift through the clothed hangers. Pausing for a few Barry turned his head and gazed into the mirror on his left. Smiling he let his arms drop to his sides.
"I've been expecting you" he said as he stared at a dense shadow within the interior of his closet. A deep grunt was his reply. To anybody else the dark figure would have been mistaken as overlapping layers of darkness. But, Barry knew better than that, he knew that within that eerie pit was a figure, and that figure was one of his best friends. People might know him as Bruce Wayne, but, in this form he was widely known as The Batman. The greatest detective known to mankind, he was up there with the famous mystery solvers! Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, the works. But, with every detective, there came one unsolved mystery.
For Batman, this was the one. Barry knew how Batman worked, how he solved things, what he looked for, and how. This was all too Barry's advantage, knowing all of this easily made him Batman's worst enemy. But, he didn't want to be his enemy, friends was what Barry desired. Friends that told each other everything, called when they were sad, and shared everything. That was what Barry wanted out of Batman, but he knew that the cold, heartless man would never do that. Not willingly that is, all he needed was a push. This blackmail was the push that Batman needed for their friendship to actually be real.
"Where are the rest" Batman ordered his voice deep and vicious. Barry shrugged as he turned his gaze opposite the mirror and at the very man who was threatening him.
"Who knows, I had them sent all over the world!" Barry exclaimed. He was trying his hardest to hold back a snicker. It was true, and also false. He sent many pictures to many places around the world, but only three of those pictures were the ones that Batman wanted. The rest were of Barry's memories, and they were the hardest to find. Batman would never waste his time on easily solved mysteries, so the easiest pictures to find, were indeed, overlooked. That was how Batman worked, and that in itself, was his true fault.
"Damn it, WHERE ARE THEY!" The Bat ordered his voice rising with his anger. Barry shook his head disappointed.
"Shh, I wouldn't want you to alarm Iris."
"Shut up," pausing he relaxed his shoulders, "what… what do you want?" his defeat was signified with his altered gaze. Batman was ashamed, he would never give up, nor could he. But, this moment right here was in fact, the very proof that his hardened man could be brought down.
Barry's face lit up at that very statement. Turning around he raced towards his dresser and opened the bottom drawer. Sifting through his neatly folded shirts he pulled out a red spandex suit. Batman's heart fell once he saw the cloth unfold. Shaking his head he stepped back into the closet, only to bump into the back wall.
"Alfred made this specially for you!" Barry said his tone chipper. In his hands was a larger version of The Flash's suit. The dimensions were different than Barry's which indicated that Batman had a much bigger chest than he. The legs were also thinner than Barry's, which lead Barry to believe that someday Batman's legs were going to collapse from the weight of his upper body. Same goes for Robin, the poor boy had sticks for legs.
Reluctantly Batman stepped forward. He could easily escape this situation. He had already mapped out multiple escape routes, the window behind Barry, the hidden attic door just above shelf in the closet, the cellar door hidden behind the mirror, or even the front door. But, all would result in a failure, and Batman couldn't stand failures. Holding out his hand, he avoided the overly cheerful speedsters gaze. The soft fabric morphed in between Batman's fingers. Ashamed he retreated to the safety of the small closet. He would change, reluctantly, show Barry, reluctantly, then disappear and dig up dirt on Barry, willingly. This would all only take place within two minutes, or rather the first half would.
Barry smiled delightfully as he waited for Batman's exit. His excitement was a result of two things. One, he would finally see Batman in a color much brighter than the usual Bruise design, and two, he had Wally perched outside the window ready to snap a picture when the Bat came out. This, he would indeed never show a soul, but, to even have the picture in his custody could force Batman to do whatever he wanted.
The closet door opened, revealing an ashamed Batman. The red spandex fit perfectly to Batman's body, the mask revealed more of his face, and gave away an unknown secret. Covering his eyes Barry turned away.
"Bruce.." Barry paused, "are you wearing any underwear?" he asked his voice quivering. Batman's very appearance was truly hilarious, his black eyeliner came half way down his face, much farther than the mask would allow. But, the very thing that made it even more laughable was indeed the fact that Batman had no under wear on.
"w-" Batman stuttered trying to think of an excuse, "I CAN'T FIT ANY EXTRA CLOTH UNDERNEATH TIGHTS AND FREAKING BODY ARMOR!" The man shouted his face going red. It was an excuse, but it was surely true. Barry erupted into a fit of laughter as Batman stormed back into the closet and grabbed his previous clothing. Shaking his head he stared at the hysterical body.
"You don't tell a soul!" His voice quivered with menace and humiliation. With his face still red from embarrassment, the bat left the room and retreated to his helicopter that had been previously placed within the boundaries of the back yard.
Climbing in through the window a young boy with fiery red hair waved a digital camera around for Barry.
"I got it Uncle! I got it!" the boy exclaimed. Barry lifted his head, tears threatening to escape his eyes, and smiled.