"Are you serious? Wayne?" Martin asked in disbelief.
The officer nodded, "We couldn't believe it either."
Martin put his hand to his chin in thought, "Wayne's too big of a name to bring down to the station. He'd just lawyer up. Did Gordon mention anything about an arrest warrant?" The officer shook his head.
"We don't have enough evidence for one. We can talk to Wayne but that's about it." Oh thank god. The last thing I needed to see was my boyfriend getting arrested.
"Looks like I'm heading out to his place to talk then. Voltess, you mind coming with? Maybe by seeing you Wayne might cooperate a little." I let out a short nod.
"Where does this guy live?" I lied.
"A lakefront penthouse on the outskirts of town. That land has been owned by the Wayne family for generations. I'll meet you there." Martin turned around and headed for the door.
I got on my board and quickly shot out to the sky. "Athena, call Bruce!" I exclaimed.
The sound of the phone dialing hit my ears. The ringing continued until…
"You have reached the voicemail of the person you have tried to call. Please leave a message after the tone."
"Damnit," I cursed under my breath as the tone hit my ears, "Bruce, you need to get rid of that statue now! Martin got a warrant to look at who won the auction. He knows you won the bid and now you're the main suspect. Martin is on his way to the penthouse now to question you." I hung up the call.
The bottom of my board pulsed with more electricity as I flew faster to the penthouse. I don't know how we're going to get out of this one.
As I approached the lakefront penthouse I could see Martin below me driving his car. I hovered lower to the ground as Martin's car came to a stop.
My feet landed on the gravel driveway as Martin got out of his car. I silently prayed that Bruce had gotten my voicemail and stashed the statue somewhere.
"Alright, I'll do the talking." Martin said as he walked past me. His shoes crunching on the gravel as he walked.
I walked just behind him to the front door. Martin knocked on the door before stepping back. The door opened seconds later to show Alfred. I saw Alfred's eyes glance at me before going back to Martin.
"Can I help you?" Alfred asked.
"I'm Detective Martin from Gotham PD. This over here is my friend, Voltess. We're to speak with Bruce Wayne. Is he in?" Martin introduced and flashed Alfred his badge.
"That would be me." Bruce walked up next to Alfred. He did the same thing as Alfred. His eyes glanced at me before towards Martin.
"Mr. Wayne, sorry to disturb your afternoon but I have some questions I'd like to ask you. May my friend and I come in?" Bruce gave a fake smile and gestured his hand towards the penthouse.
"Of course, Detective." Martin nodded his head in thanks and walked in. I followed him into the penthouse.
I looked slightly to the left where the ruby statue use to be by the china cabinet. It wasn't there anymore. I glanced at Bruce and he winked at me with a small smile on his face. He got my message.
"Beautiful home you have here, Mr. Wayne." Martin complimented. He walked around and looked over everything with a careful eye.
"Thanks. Can I ask what this is about, Detective?" Bruce asked. He was currently keeping a close eye on Martin.
"You attended a private auction last night, Mr. Wayne. My men were staking out that auction to see who was in attendance. I obtained a warrant earlier today to reveal the auction records. You see, Mr. Wayne, I've been tracking a certain item that was at that auction. A ruby penguin statue. I understand you were the winning bid on this item?" Martin explained.
Bruce nodded, "Yes, I was. I didn't know going to an auction was suddenly a crime, Detective." Bruce said defensively.
"It's not, Mr. Wayne. Gotham PD has reason to believe that a mob boss is after that particular statue. The same statue that you so happen to have won at said auction." Bruce's eyes narrowed at Martin.
"Are you insinuating I'm that mob boss, Detective?" Martin shrugged.
"I won't lie, Mr. Wayne. You're our prime suspect right now. Where's the statue?" Martin asked.
"I wouldn't know, Detective. It never came in today when it was supposed to." I smirked behind my mask. That's a good cover up.
"What?" Martin asked in slight shock.
"The winners were supposed to have received their shipments today but that statue never arrived. I called the organizer of the auction just before you arrived. The truck was broken into this morning and the statue I won is missing." Martin's mouth gaped open.
"Martin, it can't be him then." I finally spoke up. Martin looked at me before sighing.
"Listen to your friend, Detective. The next time you decide to accuse an innocent man of being a mob boss you might want to dig a little deeper." Bruce scolded Martin.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Wayne. Let's go, Voltess." Martin ushered me to follow him.
"Sorry again." I apologized and followed after Martin.
Alfred opened the door for us. The two of us walked out to the gravel driveway. I heard the door click as Alfred closed the door behind us. Martin ran his hand through his hair. I could see the anger and frustration on his face.
"Damnit!" He yelled and smacked his fist on the roof of his car.
"Martin, it'll be okay. We'll get him." I assured him.
Martin turned to me with anger in his eyes, "How? Penguin got the last statue from right under our noses! Who knows if we'll ever have the means to find this guy again?"
"It's not completely hopeless. Batman and I are following a lead we got last night. There's still a shot, Martin." Martin seemed to calm down hearing my words. He finally let out a long drawn out sigh.
"That's better than nothing. There isn't anything more that Gotham PD can do now, legally that is. Voltess, you and Batman are the only ones that can bring him in now. I'm counting on you." Martin opened the car door.
I nodded, "We'll get him, Martin."
"I hope so. Good luck." Martin got into his car and closed the door. He started up the engine and I waved at him as he pulled out from the driveway.
I watched as his car drove past the tree line. I let out a sigh and dropped the vibranium suit.
"That was way too close." I muttered.
"Thanks for the heads up." I turned my head to see Bruce coming out from the front door.
"I nearly had a heart attack on top of that building. I had no idea Martin was surveilling the auction last night. I suited up outside when I saw Penguin's men." Bruce looked alarmed hearing this.
"They didn't see anything, did they?" I shook my head.
"No, they only took pictures of when people were arriving. They were getting a head count. I saw a picture of us from last night in the file." Bruce sighed in relief, "Nice cover up by the way but what if Martin decided to fact check you?"
Bruce smiled, "I have that covered. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Although, now we have to rethink our plan. We can't use the statue anymore to lure Oswald anymore. Gotham PD would know that I lied."
He's right, this just made this more difficult. "What do we now then?" I asked.
Bruce smirked and put his hands in his pockets, "I was thinking Batman and Voltess pay a visit to Penguin at his home." I raised an eyebrow. Okay, I'm intrigued.
"You were able to get his home address with the tracking device?" Bruce nodded.
"It's a penthouse in Gotham he stays at. I need to watch where he goes during the night. If I can get enough information from the tracker on his whereabouts tonight. We can get him tomorrow and let Gotham PD handle the rest." Finally having the upper hand on Penguin was a huge relief. We can get him.
"In other words, you're doing your own stake out." I crossed my arms with a smirk.
"I was hoping it would be a 'we' are doing our own stake out." Bruce hinted at.
"So you want me to join in watching a computer screen with a blinking red light all night?" Bruce chuckled with a wide smile.
"Don't make it sound so boring." He mused.
"That's because it is." That's when an idea popped up in my head, "You can use your laptop right?" Bruce gave me a puzzled look but nodded.
I grinned, "I think I have an idea on how to make this not boring." Bruce's puzzled look was now replaced with an amused one.
"Really? How's that?" Bruce had a glint in his eye as he sauntered up to me.
He took one hand out of his pocket and moved my hair behind my left. His hand then cupped my cheek. I chuckled and grabbed his hand off my cheek.
"I wasn't thinking exactly that though that would work too. I was thinking about something I haven't done since I got here." Bruce interlaced our fingers and his thumb drew circles on the back of my hand.
"What would that be?" He asked.
"It's something Tony and I use to do. We'd order pizza and watch these really bad movies. We'd point out everything that didn't make sense, bad characters, cheesy lines, and just make fun of it all. We called those days "Bad Movies and Pizza Night". It's something we started doing when Tony got busier managing Stark Industries and the Avengers. It was his way of making up on missing important events in my life, like my birthday. That's how it got started." I softly smiled thinking of the fond memories.
Bruce gave a brief smile before bringing our interlaced hands up. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of my hand.
"It sounds like fun, Mel. We can do that. I'll keep my laptop with the tracking up close by. I'll let Alfred know he has the night off from cooking dinner. He won't be happy knowing we're ordering pizza. He'd rather make it." Bruce started back to the front door. I followed him as our hands were still locked together.
"Well, it's a tradition to order pizza for Bad Movies and Pizza Night. He'll have to get over it." Bruce chuckled.
"Then you get to tell him that. I get enough flack from the man as is." I rolled my eyes but I had a smile on my face.
"Scaredy bat." Bruce gave me a look of bewilderment before he tilted his head back in laughter.
"I haven't heard that one before and I'm not scared. I've mastered fear, I'll have you know." He stated matter-of-factly.
"Well then Mr. Master-of-Fear, you can tell Alfred to get over it." Bruce's face paled. Of course if anything could instill fear in Batman still it was Alfred of all people. The man did raise him after all.
"Come on, I'll hold your hand through it." I teased him. Bruce stopped us at the door and looked down at me.
"You can be very devious when you want to be. You know that?" He said in an amused tone.
I smiled, "And I remember you can be very insufferable." Bruce smiled and chuckled at the words I used in the past.
He leaned down and captured me in a brief kiss, "It seems we make quite a pair then." He whispered after separating his lips from mine.
"I guess so." I whispered back.
Bruce had a loving smile on before turning the door handle. He let go of my hand and gestured for me to walk in first.
"They really made five more of these films after the first one?" Bruce asked in disbelief.
"Sharknado was intended to be bad. So bad that people loved it. This was the first one that Tony and I watched. We made it a point to watch all of them." Bruce turned to me with a lopsided smile.
"You've watched them all?" I nodded my head with a tight lip smile.
"Every single one. I have no regrets." Bruce chuckled and shook his head.
An empty pizza box sat on the coffee table and two dirty plates were placed on top of it. I was currently in my pajamas which consisted of black shorts and a light blue tank top. Bruce had changed into gray sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. We were relaxing on the couch while the movie Sharknado played on the large flat screen tv. Bruce had his feet propped up on the coffee table while I had curled myself up by the armrest.
Bruce's laptop sat on the coffee table. The red blinking dot was still at the same place. Indicating that Penguin had not left in the car yet. His location was still at the Iceberg Lounge.
"You know, I feel honored that you wanted to share this with me." I turned my attention over to Bruce.
"Really? Why?" I asked interested.
Bruce gave a small smile, "Tony was obviously an important figure in your life. You've told me you consider this man to be your brother. That's how close the two of you were. This," He gestured to the pizza and movie, "is something that you only shared with him. Now, you're sharing it with me."
I smiled and shifted on the couch. Bruce lifted his left arm up as I snuggled up to his side. He placed his arm around me and I felt him plant a kiss on top of my head.
"Well I had to keep the tradition alive somehow." I said and leaned my head against his chest. I could feel the vibrations from his chest as he chuckled.
We stayed like that for a while. Curled up against each other on the couch. Occasionally sharing a laugh happened on the screen or one of us making a joke. The hours went by as we got through Sharknado 2 and started Sharknado 3.
Half way through Sharknado 3 my eyes started to feel heavy. I looked at the time and saw it was almost midnight. Bruce was having no trouble staying awake thanks to being typically up around this time as Batman. I on the other hand am normally already in bed asleep at this point.
I felt Bruce gently rub his hand up and down my arm, "Go ahead and sleep. I'll wake you if anything happens." He whispered gently.
He must have seen me struggle to keep my eyes open. Not wanting to fight sleep anymore, I gave in. I turned myself so I had one arm pinned between my and Bruce's body and put my free arm lazily around his abdomen. I tucked my chin in slightly as my head laid flat against Bruce's chest.
I felt Bruce drape his arm over my waist and lovingly kiss my head, "Goodnight Mel."
"Night." I answered back tiredly. I closed my eyes and waited to fall asleep. It didn't take long with the movie playing in the background and the sound of Bruce's heartbeat in my ear.
No One's P.O.V
Bruce watched the credits roll of the third movie of the series that Melody wanted to watch. He had to admit, this was a fun idea. He wondered just how many of these "Bad Movie and Pizza Night" she had with Tony. She mentioned they only did it when he started to miss events in her life. Including her birthday which would be coming up soon. He only knew because it was listed on her employee file at Wayne Enterprises.
April 26, 1988 the day Melody was born. Bruce looked down at the woman currently using him as a pillow. Her birthday is just a week after his own: April 17, 1986. He would have to start planning something special for her.
The credits of the movie had stopped and the screen of the streaming service popped back up. Bruce carefully leaned over to grab the remote that sat on the arm of the couch. He changed the tv back to cable and froze as he felt Melody move. He looked down, fearing he woke her up but to his relief she had just readjusted to his movement.
Bruce put the tv on the news station and lowered down the volume. He needed something to keep him stimulated otherwise he'd fall asleep as well. Even though he was use to being up at this time as Batman, he was sitting still rather than moving around. He didn't dare get up and move around. No, he was enjoying this moment too much to ruin it.
Bruce watched the news station silently while occasionally glancing at his laptop's screen. The red dot hadn't moved and it was just past 1am. When did Penguin leave his nightclub and return home. This plan would only work if he actually went home.
His eyes turned back to the screen. He couldn't quite hear the news anchor but he assumed it was either political or crime related. That's all Gotham news stations really were.
Bruce casually glanced at the laptops screen for a moment. He frowned and did a double take. His brows raised as he saw the red dot beginning to move. He looked at the clock and saw it was now closer to 1:30am.
He put a hand on Melody's shoulder and started to gently shake her, "Mel, time to wake up."
Melody's P.O.V
"Mel, time to wake up." I faintly heard Bruce's voice. I let out a groan and buried my face further into his chest.
"Five more minutes." I mumbled tiredly.
I heard and felt him laugh softly, "Oswald's on the move." I let out a breath through my nose.
I lifted my head and squinted my eyes open. The tv screen was too bright after just waking up. I sat up slightly and rubbed my eyes. I blinked a couple of times until my vision cleared up. I watched as the red dot moved through the streets of Gotham City.
"By the time he gets home, it'll be close to 2am." Bruce stated. He took his feet off the coffee table and leaned forward to grab the laptop.
"Then we have a pretty decent size window of time. We can get there in the starting hours of night. Take out any security if any, take out phone lines, and whatever else we need to set up." I stated.
"By this time tomorrow, we'll have finally gotten Penguin." I stood up from the couch. I raised my arms above my head in a stretch.
"Now that's done, I'm going to bed. You staying up?" I asked him.
Bruce smiled, "I'll join you in a minute." I let out a yawn and nodded.
"Okay." I gave a one word response. I shuffled my bare feet across the hardwood floor to Bruce's bedroom.
Part of me was going to miss this after Penguin was caught. Bruce and I worked well together as a team. After Penguin, we'd probably go back to our solo work as Batman and Voltess. I would probably want to do an occasional outing with him as Voltess. Otherwise, it meant not really seeing him at all either during the day or at night. I'm starting to think Bruce's idea of moving in with him here wasn't such a bad idea after all. Even if it's moving extremely fast, it just felt…right.
I made it to Bruce's bed and moved the tucked in comforter to climb in. I laid on my side and let my head sink into the soft pillow. I could vaguely hear Bruce doing something on his laptop.
I was about to drift back off to sleep when I felt the bed move slightly. I was too tired to notice that Bruce had finished and was now getting into bed himself.
I said nothing as Bruce put an arm around my waist and gently pulled me against him. I turned my head to look in his direction. All I could make out in the dark room was the outline of his head and gleam in his eyes.
"Night." I said softly.
"Good night." He said back.
I laid my head back on the pillow and leaned more into Bruce. He placed a kiss on my shoulder before he laid on his own pillow.
A smile formed on my face as I began to fall back asleep. I hated being in this new world at first, but now… I don't want to leave it. If I did, I'd be missing out on the greatest thing that's happened in my life in a long time. It hurt knowing I would never see Tony or any of the others again but as long as I had Bruce…I'd be okay.
AN: So I'm changing some of the characters ages and years of events. This version of Batman is based off the Dark Knight Trilogy. Batman Begins takes place around the same time as Avengers in 2012. Making Bruce 26 and Melody 24 in their respective worlds at that time. This is five years later during 2018. Bruce is currently 31 going on 32 and Melody 29 going on 30. I'm aging down Tony by about 10 years. I did not know that he was born in 1970. That put an 18 year age gap between Tony and Melody. So in this I'm making it 1980 for Tony's birth year. 8 years being a bit better for Tony to fit that older brother light that Melody holds him in.