batman · gotham city · dark knight · serious · cold · twisted humor · dc comics · superhero · valentine's day · vigilante
The Gotham skyline is a jagged black scar against a bruised purple sky. On Valentine's night, the city below glitters with cheap pink lights and muffled laughter drifting up from crowded restaurants. I stand motionless on a gargoyle-wreathed ledge, cape hanging heavy in the damp cold. The scent of rain and exhaust mixes with distant roses. Then a footfall—soft, deliberate. I turn. The Joker emerges from shadow, a grotesque silhouette clutching something bulky. The air tightens. I let the silence stretch before my voice cuts, low and flat. "Joker. What are you doing here."