Wrote this for jokerfic (jokerfic prompt community) on LJ.
Title: Burn It Down
Rating: PG-13 or R.
Prompt: Regret
Disclaimers: Chars aren't mine (shakes fist at DC et al), writing is.
A/N: i'm not certain if i'captured the Joker's 'voice' at all - i do internal better than dialogue & such (which is why there's little dialogue in this) but still. meh. Mm.. oh, right. This were inspired quite a bit by Linkin Park's By Myself. Concrit welcome; flames.. you can if you must, just be gentle. or really vicious. either way.
He loved the view from the top of the world. Staring down below, watching the flames consume the city. He loved the sight of it, the heat of it. The taste of it - gunpowder & ashes, chaos & flames. One beautiful explosion after another, and the city was falling to its knees.
Mm. Was it telling when that particular analogy brought the Bat to the front of his mind? Not that the dark 'hero' had been far from it; quite the contrary. The Bat had lingered in his thoughts, an infuriating & enchanting image, since their first little meet.up. The explosions that rocked the city had merely been a very, very brief distraction.
A quiet giggle escaped him as he watched the lights below. He threw his head back to the wind, reveled in the way it tore his hair away from his face, beat against him, at this height. His fingers twitched were they rested lightly against his thighs, his body one tense, manic entity. (A ticking time.bomb, some would say.)
How he thrilled to watch the world burn.
He knew the city's saviour was behind him before he heard the voice - he could feel the Bat's presence behind him. He could feel the rage and the need to detroy, break, rip apart, pouring off the dark figure. It was all directed at him, all those furious emotions, and it brought another sudden giggle from his lips. He half-turned, hands twitching, tongue sliding across his lips in anticipation.
He hadn't even completed the motion before the Bat was upon him, grabbing him with rough hands, shoving him down, pinning him against the hard concrete. One blow, another, yet another. The laughter tore from his throat as the pain tore through his head from the angry blows. The Bat caught hold of himself, regained momentary control. He writhed beneath the heavier man, pulling to break loose from the iron hold on his wrists, attempting to gain some leverage. The bigger man rammed a knee into his ribs, stealing his breath for a moment. He laughed again, unable to stop himself; another knee to the ribs -and the accompanying pain- and his eyes were sliding closed, fluttering shut from the pleasure that was mixed so thoroughly with that pain. He studied the Bat through half-closed eyes as the city's salvation leaned in close.
"Why'd you do it?" that voice was little more than a vicious growl at his ear, The hold on his wrists changed, both of them caught in one of the Bat's hands. The body pinning him down ground into him, its sole intent to inflict pain. A repeat of the question, low-spoken and laced with a rage that ran too deep to fathom, "Why'd you do it?"
He only laughed, it was all he could do. He opened his mouth to speak and the laughter came, unbidden. He laughed and the Bat cracked a little and the blows fell - on his face, his chest, his sides. His eyes slid closed at the second blow; by the fourth a low moan sounded from his throat and he was involuntarily arching into them, encouraging them, craving them. The Bat stopped finally, realizing his efforts weren't receiving the expected reactions. He could feel the Kevlar-clad being's struggle for self-control, could feel his body heaving, breathing rapid and heavy. It matched his own rapid breathing, only it was lust that traced through his veins, while the Bat's was fury. He half-opened his eyes, stared up at the dark knight. Yet another laugh, this one low and deep, traced with lust, pain and his own rage, escaped him.
"Why?" The question was little more than a whisper in the night air as the Bat raised his head to glance out over his burning city.
"You," his tongue slid across his bleeding lips, "I did it for a taste of you."
His laughter began anew as the Bat's rage rekindled and the blows fell again.
No regrets.
"If i turn my back i'm defenseless
and to go blindly seems senseless
if i hide my pride and let it all go on
then they'll take from me til everything is gone
if i let them go i'll be outdone
but if i try to catch them i'll be outrun
if i'm killed by the question like a cancer
then i'll be buried in the silence of the answer
by myself."
--Linkin Park: By Myself