There's a tired tug at his face whenever he roams the halls of the workplace he once aspired to be at. Just like the job had done to others, his once eager and hopeful energy chipped away into a more dull sense of duty. Walk the halls, do the rounds, and get the check. That was his routine, dull as ever.

And stare at that empty cell. Whenever he passed, he couldn't help but stare. A victim to the memories of that particular cell. Helpless by the loss that clung to his very soul. The days are more desolate than before, and he was starting to get an ache in his back from constantly hunching. Staring at the ground to pass the time, to wait out the boredom and loneliness that stuck.

That was what Eddie was doing that particular day. He heard of the news, sure, but frankly, it was underwhelming. Joker was being held there, being transported as he stood in the lacking hallway. Batman was there, too. A man Eddie respected the hell out of, but couldn't be bothered to go meet. Frankly, his spark was gone after she left. He kept himself going through sheer need, yet he never could find himself to be the same after her absence was established.

It was at that particular moment that he could sense it. Feel it. Much like dark clouds hovering in the distance, foreboding of danger. Then the alarms came. Loud, blaring, shaking him to his core and making him tremble for a moment before he steeled himself and got into action.

Joker had planned something. And even with Batman there, they couldn't stop her.

Batman was a rugged type of person, with a set jaw and intense eyes. Frankly, it had been a shock to stumble upon him. The man sent to protect the facility as if the highly secure prison wasn't enough to quell the lingering plots of villains. And it wasn't, not anymore. Eddie would have been shocked months ago, but after Bane left it was... not too surprising.

Eddie didn't waste time when he found Batman. There were lives - heck, likely the entirety of the city based on the Joker's past work - at stake. He walked right up with a curt nod, an understanding tug at Batman's lips putting him slightly to ease. Good. He knew Eddie wanted to help and was willing to work with him.

"You know the layout?" Batman had asked, voice firm and dark all at once.

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

A confident sweep of a cape, and they were off.

The two traveled throughout the prison, followed by the Joker's sharp laughter and the stench of blood. There was a close call with Harley Quinn, who gave Eddie a slight wink as he just barely managed to dodge a well-placed attack. Slowly, though, they managed to unravel the Joker's plans and discover secret after secret as they traversed through the twisted new prison.

Until he heard it.

"What?" Eddie asked. His voice was dry and small, almost trembling past his lips.

The messenger of the news, who knew of Eddie's history with the woman, gave an apologetic smile. "They kidnapped Bane from her cell and hid her in the basement to make the titan, Eddie." Their smile was too tight to be real, yet too genuine to be fake. "She's in the basement right now."

And just like that, the world that was once stopped started rotating again.

"We have to go save her," Eddie said, voice strained.

Batman was a man of 'no'. No this. No that. He didn't particularly like to waste time or energy unless needed. So when he turned his head, Eddie didn't have to hear him over the ringing of his ears to know he said that annoying word.

"Please. If she's - she can help. She'll be an ally." Eddie felt like he was going to cry, and his hands trembled at the thought of leaving Bane alone. She was here the whole time, and he couldn't help her. "Either way, I'm going. I can't leave her, Batman. She needs help."

It took some more convincing, but once Batman was on his side, he knew he could save her. Help her escape. He was on the verge of crying the entire time they made their way to the basement, practically ecstatic as he thought about seeing her.

And there she was. Bathed in darkness, holding her just as tightly as those chains she hung from. Eyelids fluttering open at the sound of Eddie and Batman walking in. She seemed even frailer than before, with bags under her eyes and chapped lips. But, despite all of that, her eyes settled upon Eddie as he walked in. And her gaze turned soft.

"Mi Amor," She hummed, quietly. And Eddie was smitten with her all over again.

"You... this whole time, you've been right here?" He asked, softly.

It was a tragic room to be held hostage. Bane dangled from chains, feet above the floor as several needles jabbed into her skin. She looked tired, starved, ever so helpless, and his heart stung at the sight.

A sharp nod. "I, ah, heard about your attempts to try and find me. Thank you, for not giving up on me." Bane offered a little smile. "It was the only thing keeping me going down here."

He loved that woman. Too much to handle.

"Help me cut her down, please," Eddie asked Batman.

Batman eyed him in the corner of his vision, before eyeing Bane. An enemy of his. They've fought before. He was the reason she was sent to prison, after all. They shared a staring exchange for a moment before Bane gave a raspy chuckle.

"I won't do anything," She said. "If anything, I'm on your side. They kidnapped me and I want payback. And they tried to kill Mi Amor."

Eddie's face blushed at those words.

Batman turned, and his voice was sharp as he raised an eyebrow. "So I didn't hear her incorrectly?"

His face brightened to a new hue of red.

"If you give me my venom, I can help," Bane said. One of her hands twitched as if imagining it already. "I had been doing better before I was kidnapped, and I won't go rogue since I'm with Eddie now. You need the help, Batman. Let me offer it to you. Venom is my territory. I know what I'm doing."

Eddie wasn't sure what did it for Batman. Maybe it was the barely placed trust Eddie managed to build with him. Or perhaps it was Bane's gaze, so full of warmth and love despite Eddie being far too late for his liking in his quest to find her. Either way, the man in black let out a soft grunt and moved forward to help Eddie get Bane out of her chains.

She slumped against him once freed, calling him that sweet nickname that always made him blush at a moment's notice. He held her close, running a hand across her shoulder blades as he sucked in a breath. She was warm, much like the breath that tickled his ear.

She was here. Everything was okay again.

Batman didn't stick around long. There was a cure to be made for titan, people to be saved. So he gave over venom, a glare of warning shot at Bane before he was gone. In the silence left behind stood ambivalence. Bane was free. But the fight wasn't over.

"We have so much to catch up on," Bane hummed. Her hands were rough and firm against his as they held one another.

"We do," Eddie said. His eyes strained through the thin, bitter blue light to look at his one and only. "So much."

"So much," She said, squeezing his hands briefly before letting go. She reached over, grasping that vile of venom left behind. "Not yet, though. I have a bastard to kill because she separated me from Mi Amor."

Eddie smiled at her words as they walked forward. The venom ready to be injected, but not quite yet. She knew the Joker had titan and would likely use it on herself.

It wasn't hard to find the Joker. She was sitting on a throne of sorts, hair brushed to the side as she spoke in an odd tone to a doll stationed upon her lap. Her eyes flickered to a sense of annoyance, almost disgust, at seeing the two arrive. Eddie tightened his grip around his gun.

"No, no, this is all wrong - where's Batman!" The Joker had hissed, tossing aside that doll on her lap as she straightened. "What are you doing out?"

"Revenge," Bane said blatantly, thumbing the edge of the venom injection. "I think you and I have some unfinished business to take care of. You against me. Right here, right now. Winner fights Batman."

Eddie glanced over at that statement. He knew it was more so a play on Joker's not-so-subtle obsession with Batman, but it was still jarring to hear from Bane. Her face spoke of fury itself, the kidnapping unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon.

The Joker let out a heavy, raspy laugh. She leaned over, grabbing a titan gun with an injection needle shoved inside. Her eyes sharpened with focus as she grinned that signature grin only the Joker could have, pressing it against the bottom of her chin. Eddie could see the cold metal pressing her skin paler than it already was.

"I'll see you on the other side, Bane!" She giggled, and her finger pulled on the trigger just as Bane injected herself.

It was one thing to know about her transformation. To see pictures of the results, of what she looked like on venom. But to watch it in person? It was a different experience entirely. Her muscles grew and expanded every second. Watching her grow into a towering stance, wide with power and pure strength none other could hope to achieve. For a moment, he feared the venom would change her, that being off of it for so long would have done shocks to her body. His fears were quickly quelled when she turned and shot him a smile that did things to his heart.

"Titan is nothing against venom," She spat out the words as if they were acid on her tongue, taking a threatening stance. "And I'll prove it."

Eddie could only stand back and watch as the fight commenced. Blows were exchanged, brutal and fast and purely devastating. One punch would make air flutter around them, and another would have the ground shaking. They snarled and attacked like wild animals ready to tear one another apart before feasting on their remains. The dark sky hung above them as they fought.

Eddie stood by, ready to help but unsure how. He wasn't on anything they were, and he'd likely become mangled if he tried to step in. Eventually, though, his opportunity came in the glint of an explosive little toy he saw in Joker's hands. Because, of course, she would play dirty.

So he aimed, steadily, and took a shot. Towards the thumb itching towards the covering of the trigger, to catch Bane off guard and kill her. He wouldn't allow the Joker to try. Not under his watch.

The reaction was immediate. Eddie wasn't much, but he was a darn good shot. The bullet tore through her thumb, causing the clown woman to roar from pain and stagger back from the sudden new attack. Bane paused briefly, eyeing Eddie before a devilish smile crossed her lips. An opportunity was given by Eddie with that single bullet, and it was an opportunity she wouldn't miss.

She snapped an arm up and managed to catch Joker's jaw. Then her shoulder, and then the back of her knees with a twist of her posture. The Joker bent towards the ground under these attacks and was taken out with one final, horrifying punch to the face that broke her nose at the very least.

And that was it. The fight drew to a close, and it wasn't long before Batman showed up with reinforcements. Bane raised her hands to show her cooperation, and Batman gave a side glance before giving her more loose handcuffs than he gave Joker.

"Thank you, both of you," He said. "You guys... this would have been much more difficult - this would have killed more people if you two hadn't done this. Especially you, Bane. I hadn't expected this turnaround, but it's welcome."

Bane shot him a sly smile. "If it weren't for Mi Amor, I likely wouldn't have changed. I'd like to keep him by my side if it's possible."

"And I'd like to stay by her side, as well," Eddie butted in, stepping forward. He wrapped a hand around Bane's to the best of his ability, despite the handcuffs and larger size under venoms influence. "I lost her once, I don't plan on doing so again."

Her smile brightened. She squeezed her fingers gently around his.

Batman hummed thoughtfully. "I'm sure we can put in a word for you two, considering the help that's been given. It'll be fine."

It would be fine. They'd see to it, together.