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On the low
Only love myself, no more
Take you to the grave, I'll ghost
I know I can be so cold
In the dark
Where I like to keep my heart
Know I'm all bite, no bark
Like to catch you way off guard
A shiver ran down the crime boss’ spine.
His eyes darted around the room, searching through the darkness.
Shadows flickered. He swore he could see movement in them.
The night was crime’s time to rule; people feared the darkness it brought.
Now, he was the scared one.
I'll stay so deep inside your brain
And take you somewhere far away
“Who’s there?”
A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, revealing his false bravado.
Shaking hands gripped the gun around his waist, knuckles turning white with pressure.
Creeeakk.
The man whipped around, heart hammering in his chest.
Who—or what —was lurking in the shadows?
A snap echoed through the air as he fired a round.
Silence.
The only sound came from distant echoes of Gotham’s nightlife and the frantic beating in his throat.
He swore he had seen something sweep out in the corner of his vision, if only for a moment.
Perhaps it was the paranoia.
He slowly lowered his gun, shoulders relaxing—
Only to whip around when he felt a phantom hand brush his shoulder.
A pair of eyes flashed in the darkness, gone the next second, but he knew what he had seen, what he had felt.
Icy fear seized his body, taking hold of his limbs.
Something was watching him.
Time to roll the dice, you know I'm the type
Type to risk my life, not afraid to die
Type to make you cry, type to put a price
All up on your head, do just what I said
I'm a straight up villain, straight up villain
Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling
Straight up villain, straight up villain
Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling
“Stop toying around.”
The gravelly voice was met with a cackle, almost cat-like in nature.
That was his only warning before it stepped from the shadows: a creature out of his nightmares, shrouded in darkness like part of the night itself.
Sharpened black claws glinted under the streetlights, and dark black orbs pinned him in place as it slunk forward. He couldn’t move, frozen like a deer in headlights.
The thing was so human-like in shape, but it was too monstrous to be one.
A wicked smile spread across its face, and his face blanched as he caught sight of the fangs protruding from the top.
The creature stalked forward like a predator chasing its prey.
Then, it pounced.
I'm alive, but I'm dead
Hear my voice up in your head
Watch it fill you full of drеad
'Til you go pow
It was common knowledge within Gotham’s criminal underworld that the Arkham Knight worked alone. He played by his own rules, merciless in his distribution of justice.
But lately, it was rumored that the Knight had an ally.
There was no proof of this, no sightings to go by, but there was a subtle shift that could be felt—an underlying sensation of imminent danger.
Gunfights and confrontations lessened, and the Knight’s enemies started disappearing without a trace. No blood, body, or evidence of struggle could be found; it was as if they had simply ceased to exist.
Whoever this new player was, they were dangerous.
Is it really a surprise if I'm playing with your mind
And I treat you likе a prize, then I throw you to the side?
And am I really that bad if l love to make you mad?
And get happy when you're sad, only care about a bag
Jason shook out his hair, metal helmet in his hands, and leveled a glance at his companion.
“Did you really have to take so long to kill him?”
The two were in one of their few safe houses, recuperating after their long night of fighting.
“It’s the thrill of the chase.”
Marinette, no longer transformed, stated this as if it were obvious—which it was. Jason had been with her long enough to understand her concept of fun. She leaned forward and stretched, looking much like the animal after which her magic ring was themed.
“We can’t waste time playing around . There are more important things to be done,” he growled.
Marinette simply giggled, bounding over to bat her eyes at him with mock innocence.
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “You know what you’re doing.”
Her smile grew wicked, arms darting out to wrap around his waist.
“You look so good when you’re mad,” she purred.
Jason leaned down, and their lips met in a kiss.
In control
That's how I like it and I'm never letting go, nah
Never had a soul (soul)
So you ain't taking nothing from me when you go, nah
Crack.
Marinette smirked as her staff made contact with the target’s skull.
Normally she would use Cataclysm for a more swift kill, but the remains were needed in order to send a message to Arkham Knight’s enemies.
They were growing more volatile, more desperate to expose whatever they thought she was.
Phantom Killer, they called her. The name sounded like something out of a badly-written horror movie. Marinette much preferred the one she had already: Reine de L'ombre.
Of course, she didn’t need a title, but Jason had come up with it. She was pleasantly surprised by his naming skills—it meant Shadow Queen, for she was a queen, and Jason her knight, as he put it.
She didn’t feel any remorse as the pile of bodies below her grew. Perhaps this made her soulless, but she didn’t need one anyway.
Marinette had all she wanted right beside her.
I'll stay so deep inside your brain
And take you somewhere far away
“...you do what you gotta do, am I right?”
Marinette nodded at the man standing across from her, a smile on her red-painted lips.
He had been leering at her from across the bar the whole night, and although that was the goal, she was still disgusted. He had to be at least twenty years older than her. Heck, he was old enough to be her dad.
The intel she and Jason had acquired said the businessman had a thing for younger women, which was apparent. According to the same source, the company he ran was also a front for trafficking and drug rings.
Marinette wanted to see him bleed.
“How about we take this to my room?”
The comment was abrupt, and Jason would probably kill her for her indiscretion later, but she was getting tired of the man’s blabbering.
Her hand moved up his arm, the expensive material of his suit cool against her fingers. She bit her lips seductively, which seemed to convince him.
Bingo.
Time to roll the dice, you know I'm the type
Type to risk my life, not afraid to die
Type to make you cry, type to put a price
All up on your head, do just what I said
I'm a straight up villain, straight up villain
Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling (yeah, yeah)
Straight up villain, straight up villain
Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling
Marinette gritted her teeth as the man tried to reach for her butt again.
She attempted to stop him by saying she wanted to wait until they entered her room, but he was persistent. She couldn’t wait to get rid of him.
As soon as she opened the door to her hotel room, she shoved him inside and up against the wall. He seemed to be expecting a kiss, but she punched him hard. For a crime lord he certainly wasn’t a good fighter. Maybe it was the drugs she slipped into his drink earlier that contributed to his quick defeat.
Marinette cuffed his arms behind his back with a pair she had stashed earlier. She could have waited for the man to undress so she could ensure he didn’t have any weapons, but she had gone through enough torture already. Her eyes didn’t need to see that.
She turned him around, giving him a smile that promised warmth and kindness, before pulling out a dagger and pressing it to his throat.
“Now talk.”
I'm alive, but I'm dead
Hear my voice up in your head
Watch it fill you full of dread
'Til you go pow
“Claws in.”
Marinette’s black suit faded away, revealing her now blood-spattered red dress.
She flopped onto the couch, not bothering to remove her shoes or dirty clothing.
After hours of trying to get information out of the businessman, she only managed to wring a few coded phrases from him. He seemed to only be a figurehead of his shady organization rather than its actual leader.
A Cataclysm later and here she was, back to the drawing board.
“Jay?” Marinette called.
It was unusually quiet in the safe house; usually after solo missions they’d greet one another with a kiss. Now, he was nowhere to be seen.
“Jason?”
Silence.
Marinette huffed. She knew exactly what this was about.
Bang, bang
You can do anything
No fear, no pain
Listen to your brain go
Go stupid, go dumb, go stupid and
Then we go insane, woah
Just do what I say
Follow me, I'll lead the way
“Are you jealous?”
Jason whipped his head around, caught off-guard by the appearance of his girlfriend in his doorway. It seemed as if she wasn’t wasting any time.
“I’m not jealous. That guy couldn’t get you if he tried.”
“Then why are you mad?”
His jaw clenched.
He wished he hadn’t agreed to let Marinette extract the information alone; Jason almost wished he was there to see the man in pain.
“He was putting his hands all over you.”
“It was for a mission. Besides, I thought you said he couldn’t get me even if he tried?”
Her last words were said with a lilt, and Jason knew she was riling him up. He couldn’t stay mad, anyway—she had a point.
He deflated and leaned forward to brush his lips against her. Marinette smiled into the kiss, then pulled away. She looked him up and down, a glint in her eyes.
“I guess I’ll have to make it up to you, hmm?”
She paused, then wrinkled her nose.
“After I take a shower. I don’t want this guy’s blood on me any longer.”
Maybe they acted stupid sometimes, but the two always followed one another in the end.
Time to roll the dice, you know I'm the type
Type to risk my life, not afraid to die
Type to make you cry, type to put a price (Woo-ah)
All up on your head, do just what I said
I'm a straight up villain, straight up villain
Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling
Straight up villain, straight up villain (Yeah)
Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling (Woo-ah!)
Marinette panted deeply, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
A mass of bodies surrounded her, but she wasn’t paying attention. This wasn’t just a battle. It was war.
It was a fight for her life, and she wasn’t going down now.
Reine de L'ombre tore through her enemies like a terrifying force of darkness, one after the other. The Arkham Knight fought by her side, fueled by pure destruction.
Maybe they wouldn’t make it out, but they wouldn’t go down without a fight.
I'm alive, but I'm dead
Hear my voice up in your head
Watch it fill you full of dread
'Til you go pow
A week later, a couple rose hand-in-hand from the ranks as new rulers of the Gotham Underworld.
Reine de L'ombre and the Arkham Knight—a queen and her king.