The Joker was a particular guy who wanted people humiliated and dead before Christmas Eve so he only had the Batman left to get rid of. Of course, that meant overtime for Bane's mercenaries when he was asked to hunt down these people, a majority of whom were very difficult. Even the corrupt police of Gotham who Joker made a pact with under his Black Mask guise couldn't find a lot of them. That left them on a wild goose chase until someone out of the blue fed them information.
Bird was in charge of making communications run smoothly including computer work so naturally, he and a few others were often overlooking anything of importance. Well, Bird called him over once and they had found a strange frequency that told them the locations of the wanted victims of Joker's hit list, as well as known associates, secrets, and other useful data. This unknown informant had cut down their hunt from one person every two to three days to five victims in under two days gone. The Joker was pleased.
Bane was wondering how this unknown person had all the data or, oddly enough, knew about the names they needed. He asked Bird if his computer was hacked and his commander was unsure...until this mystery savior contacted them. He spoke quickly and his face concealed but he told Bane everything he did for them and warned he had indeed hacked them, knowing what they were planning on Christmas Eve as well. Surprisingly, the person didn't report them or give away their location in the process. Either they were an ally or a neutral party just wanting to hurt other people. Bane was unsure if he found the mystery person trustworthy because of that.
Bane found himself responding almost every hour to this "Enigma" as the person called himself. Using his personal set up, he had interesting chats with Enigma over Gotham and their plans. The man was an extortionist with dirt on almost all the big figures of Gotham hidden in chips put in secure data packs he planned to release them on Christmas morning via communication terminals and the GCN radio wave towers hooked up throughout the city. Whether he coordinated with Bane's plans after learning of the Bat's bounty or not was up for debate but he had become a useful ally in under a week.
Now, he wanted to meet the man behind Enigma and using a specialized signal tracker, he managed to pinpoint a communication spike in the Burnley District that matched Enigma's signal. He too had his knowledge in technology, maybe not as extensive as Enigma though.
He came alone and tracked it to a remote section walled off with a Gotham Rail billboard above. Either the billboard was a front, the wall had a secret entrance to it, or both but Enigma would probably prefer only one entrance.
"I see you decided to be a detective and find me," the voice in his radio suddenly spoke. Enigma must have hacked it. "Well, since you're not the Batman and far more decent, I suppose a formal meeting is necessary. Go near the dumpster and press a button hidden behind it to activate the door. I'm inside and can see you on camera from here."
Doing as directed, Bane went to the dumpster to the left and searched behind it to find a green button. He pressed it and the wall to the left shifted, opening a hidden door. When he walked through, it was noted Enigma had fondness for the color green. He passed through an elevator shaft with said elevator above him a couple levels. There were computer screens everywhere, most contained static indicating lack of operation.
"Come in, please. I appreciate your dedication to finding me. Excuse the mess but I have been quite busy preparing to ruin people's lives and all that," a man said.
Bane walked toward a more open area to the main computers where Enigma was facing them and writing something down. His chair was discarded to the side and several green-glowing boxes were scattered about. Those must have been the data packs.
"I am Enigma, your informant. I don't think you need an introduction, Bane, and I have to say I'm a huge fan. My, you are a larger than I thought. Quite...handsome too."
Bane kind of raised his brows at the compliment but not after examining Enigma's real form as well. The man in question was decent build, nice reddish-brown hair, mid to late 20's with glasses, a fleece navy blue vest and a GCPD forensics pass draped down from his neck. Edward Nygma. Well, he certainly wasn't being subtle with his alias. Enigma noticed his gaze and quickly addressed it to prevent him from lashing out.
"Yes, I work for GCPD, forensics and record keeper, but you need not worry. Let's just say what I'm doing would send me to federal prison in a heartbeat assuming they ever figure out I took their most top-secret recordings of Gotham's elite doing criminal activities or worse, and I plan on blackmailing each and every one of those idiots. Even if they meet my demands, I'm still going to oust them. They deserve it. Come Christmas morning, retirements and firings are going to be inbound. Merry Christmas to me."
Bane crossed his arms. "Impressive, but if I may ask, why are you doing it?"
Enigma smirked, "Simple, Gotham is the darkest, most corrupt city in the United States. Hate to say it but you may have made a bad choice moving here. You have no idea how long Gotham's elite have drug everyone down to the ground including rich boy billionaire Bruce Wayne. A coward and a fraud, in my opinion. It's time for the worst of Gotham to be driven out and have a new brighter future for this city at the hands of capable people...even if it takes destroying their lives to do it."
Bane gazed at the screens as they relayed data and videos of recognizable people like Commissioner Loeb, the warden of Blackgate, the mayor, and numerous others. "I can imagine what these people have done with their power, not unlike the government back home."
Edward nodded, "Every government does have a few rotten eggs, but like I said, Gotham is one of the worst. Even the GCPD is corrupt and they are the ones in charge of protecting the city. I hate my job at the GCPD, the Commissioner, and every cop there because they prey on the defenseless and they bully everyone else into submission including their lesser employees. Everything from simple belittling to rape threats, sometimes made good, are found in that workplace. You name it, those pigs have done it."
That made Bane slowly peer down from the videos to look at Edward with some shock. It was indeed one thing to say your superior or kill a person, rape was...a whole different type of crime. Realizing how much emphasis the man put on a few of those words, he felt rage burn within at the thought that it did happen and perhaps it happened to Edward himself.
"But enough about that, what would you like to talk about? I assume it wasn't to see my work of art. I take it instead you are curious about why I was giving you the location of those men Black Mask wanted eliminated...or is it a man named Joker I've been hearing through some chatter in the Royal Hotel," he said.
Bane frowned, "You know of the payaso loco?"
"I don't go hacking comm lines and radio towers just to find the shitty broadcasts they play on the tube. I know enough that the real Black Mask is out of the picture assumably," he joked.
The larger man sat on a vacant crate and put his hands on his thighs with a neutral expression. "You are a very talented extortionist, very sharp minded. If you wanted, you could join my team. We need people like you."
"Thanks for the compliment but to be honest, I think I'm getting ready to strike out on my own. After Christmas, if the Bat's still around regarding the rumor of his bounty are true, I'll most likely be ousted and if I'm not, I'm smart enough to know it would only be a matter of time by the goody two-shoes Captain Gordon. The only nice cop on the force deserving of the badge but blind to his own co-workers' ethics."
"I will not let the Batman hurt you," Bane muttered. "Buen trabajo, camino de ser suave. Ahora sueno como un imbécil."
Even to Bane himself, that sounded odd. He didn't know where the sudden urge to keep Edward safe came from but since he said it, it must be a true feeling he felt. Whether it was pity of the harm the police allegedly did to him or because he found himself liking Edward truly, he couldn't decide between the two and just went with the gut option that he did have a heart in his Venom-pumped body after all.
Edward seemed to pick up fast on his awkward first comment and smiled, "Why thank you. Very gentlemanly of you."
He didn't know how long he stayed there talking to this enigma of a man, pun intended, but Bane found he didn't want to leave. They got to talking about everything from government to more personal things like their fears and their likes. He wouldn't technically call it a date but that's what it felt like. He actually began opening up to the man and smiling a bit more over the course of the couple of hours he was present at least. The man understood what few could and that was the ability to have fully defined conversations with facts, opinions, and the relevance of ideals between them. He came up with pretty intelligent counter-arguments when Bane gave an opinion on something Edward didn't agree on.
It was undeniable; Bane was infatuated with Edward and he only knew him less than a day. Eddie...Edward even had clever word games, riddles were the proper term, and he found he enjoyed them even when they were specifically designed to mock the aristocrats and government. This was a genuine connection.
He never felt this way around most people. Of course, it was a bit strange he was experiencing a lot of this lately with other criminal and misguided people in Gotham, mainly his fellow assassins. He was beginning to think he was losing his mind the longer he stayed in Gotham...but maybe that wasn't a bad thing if he found people like Edward enjoyable than the many others he had met in his lifetime. Maybe he was crazy after all.
Then they got talking about Bane's plan for Christmas Eve and the Joker's takeover which had Edward sitting in his chair, drinking in every detail Bane provided.
"I can buy you some time."
"How so?" Bane asked.
Edward gave a hardy laugh, "Easy, I'll give Batman something to hunt. These data packs and the network relays that are more or less mine now hold all the information on political and citizen elite and Batman wouldn't want people getting hurt over it. I'll hack into his communications and give him an ultimatum. He'll either have to choose between following you and the other assassins, or he'll have to hunt down each one of these to prevent ruined lives. If he's a hero as he claims, he can prove it by doing both. If he dies, I get what I want and hopefully you do too."
"And how will you keep his attention? Hacking communications won't make him stray from going after us."
"I can also hack the GCN towers because I believe he's using them to coordinate his dreaded flying bat-jet-thing. If I jam the signal, he can't fly from place to place and would have to tread on foot. That will definitely upset him. With me on that?"
"Hmm, forcing him to tread through the elements and get him isolated from his technology would give us an advantage. If you pulled this off, I would kiss you. Well...metaphorically speaking...maldita sea," Bane coughed, peering off to the side embarrassed of his outburst.
Edward walked up to him and sighed, "Has anyone ever told you you're terrible when you try to flirt? I find it cute, or am I one of the few who have ever witnessed it?"
Bane felt his face turning red and he just pressed his hand against his sides tightly while cross-armed. Edward seemed satisfied with that confirmation as Bane muttered in Spanish about his weakness and giving into it. As he was distracted ridiculing himself, Nygma gained an idea and placed a quick peck on Bane's lips which made the larger man freeze up. It was like watching someone's brain go out like a computer crash which made it ten times more hilarious to Edward.
"Acabas de...?"
"Quizás," Edward smirked. He knew Spanish as well...so he knew everything Bane had said to himself. "If it makes you feel better, you've been smoother at talking to me than most others who end up coming off as jackasses. You were genuine."
Bane grabbed the smaller man's arm and gently guided him back to stand between his legs before using a hand to outline Edward's jaw. "You are very daring to do something like that. You have no idea what you would be getting yourself into if you continued."
"Would you blame me for being curious? Technically, you started this," Edward countered.
Bane gave him a faux expression of shock, "As I recall, you started it with saying I was handsome. You flirted with me first."
"I..." Edward realized he was indeed wrong. "Yeah, you got me there."
"Who's cute when they're flustered now," Bane teased before giving a proper kiss.
Edward almost melted into his arms but returned the kiss feverishly. Bane chuckled at his passion. Just then, a device on the table nearby rang and Edward groaned. Bane was confused and slightly dreading the lack of stimulation when he pulled away.
"Work, got to answer these idiots or else they get really mean spirited," Edward said.
Bane fiddled was his jacket as he heard Edward talking to what almost sounded like Captain Branden. He heard him sigh and comply with whatever the police officer was requesting of him. Then he got the bad news.
"So, I've just been told the team I work with can't figure out a simple blood analysis at a crime scene so they're calling me in. I...have to go or I get fired and now is too early to call it quits," he snarled low.
"Will I see you again?"
This made the smaller man look downtrodden. "I quite honestly can't say for sure. With the holidays coming up and knowing what you and this Joker have planned, there's going to be a lot of deaths up to Christmas and from Gotham in general because many people are just plain assholes. I don't think there's ever been a quiet Christmas at the GCPD. Higher murder rates, higher demand for forensic specialists at the scene."
This time Bane was the one who made a face of disappointment.
Edward perked up and scrambled to his desk, "But you know what? I'll give you my private phone number. If you need anything or just want to talk, you can give me a call any time. I'll let you know if it isn't a good time but will get back to you as soon as possible."
He handed the piece of paper to Bane who smiled. "I appreciate this moment we had together."
"I...I really...how do I say this? I've never met someone as articulate or as knowledgeable as you, and I think I...well I mean that...I think I can confirm I have a crush on you. Maybe something more. I loved the kiss too," he said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
Bane found the gesture endearing and walked up to him, giving him a quick kiss back this time to Edward's surprise, "I promise I will be in touch."
The redness in the man's face made Bane smile to Edward's embarrassment. He walked toward the exit, putting the paper with his number in his pocket.
He hardly expected anything like that when he first came to see the informant. In fact, he had his doubts about coming over at all but now, he was glad he did. He found someone who could be on the same level as him which was a rarity. He was glad the crush he developed for the man was mutual, otherwise it would have been one hell of an awful explanation required for how he felt without creeping out Edward.
Gotham was full of surprises thus far with its growing gallery of colorful criminals. Edward Nygma was a bit minor to the bigger threats like Killer Croc and the Joker, but he was kind and adorable in his own way. Bane hoped that dorky personality never changed.
In the end when he finally made the phone call, he was all but overjoyed when he heard Edward on the other side.
AN: I really wanted Edward to meet the other assassins so bad when I played the game. It would have also given a rivalry to him and the Joker more context. Bane's a pretty fun character to make the others interact with.