Chapter Seven

The Joker's hysterical high pitched laughter bounced around the room and hit Bruce's ear drums hard. "Ohhhh Batsy did you come to rescue little old me?" the Joker burst out between giggles." Well aren't you just a sweetheart" he purred. Strangely the desperate need for freedom that had only a few minutes before had turned him into a wild animal was gone and replaced by a slightly more serene exterior. Settling himself comfortably on Bruce's bed he stared smugly back at his arch nemesis, his green eyes darting all around Bruce's covered face. Bruce glared at him, annoyance and disgust running through him when suddenly an idea hit him. Leaving the room he quickly made his way to the half completed kitchen and searched around for the items he needed. The Joker was still crouched in the corner, a look of smugness spreading over his features. Suddenly his eyes were drawn to the cloth in Bruce's hand and the bucket of water in the other. Launching himself backwards the Joker tried to wrench himself out of Batman's reach but it was too late. Bruce set the water down next to the bed, seized one of his legs and pulled him back towards him. The Joker squealed and kicked but Bruce was ready for any attack and held the Joker firmly. As the water hit his face the Joker thrashed his head wildly and Bruce was strongly reminded of the last time someone had removed the Joker's makeup. "Keep still or your going to hurt yourself" Bruce growled out as held the tighter. "Shan't, can't, won't" the Joker snarled like a wounded animal as he tossed his head from side to side. Bruce held him firmly and waited until the Joker finally exhausted himself. Panting heavily he resigned himself to his fate and shut his eyes tight as the water flowed down his face. Bruce moved the cloth over the Joker's face and scrubbed hard trying to get at every last bit of make up. The grease paint began to slowly fade away finally surrendering the skin beneath it to the fresh air. As Bruce removed the last bit of white from the Joker's ear he sat back and looked at the man before him.

A sizzling look of hate was burning out of the Joker's vivid green eyes but for once Bruce was not drawn too look at them, he was instead staring at man the mans face as if for the very first time. Without the ghoulish make up and dyed green hair Bruce still couldn't figure out if the Joker looked more or less like a real person now his face was bare. His complexion beneath the grease paint was fair but it still had a slightly sickly look too it. Pale eyebrows formed around large almond shaped eyes which still had dark circles underneath them. Bruce presumed that this was going from years without sleeping or eating properly. His lips were full and still held a slight red tint to them but it was the scars that intrigued Bruce the most. If it was possible they looked even more grotesque and macabre without red lipstick smeared all over them. It was useless to even ask how he had gotten such distinctive facial markings as Bruce knew he would be rewarded with about a dozen fictitious stories. Without even realizing he was doing it Bruce reached out with his fingers to touch one of those thick pink lines. The Joker flinched as Bruce's fingers moved towards his face and as quick as lightning his free hand shot out and latched itself around Bruce's wrist. "Tut tut tut, naughty naughty" the Joker hissed his tongue darting out between his teeth like a snake's. "Didn't mummy ever tell you it's rude to touch other people's private areas?" Bruce wrenched his hand free and strode away from the Joker who was starting to twitch and shift restlessly.

All in all beneath the grubby and slightly tatty exterior there was a very good looking young man who could not have been older then his late twenties. His features held a delicate almost feminine look to them but still held the strength and madness that coursed through out the Joker like a livewire. Bruce was decided that it would probably be useful to take a photo of the Joker and run it through all of Gotham's computer systems to see if any information could be gathered on as yet unknown man before him.

The Joker however seemed to be coming more and more distressed at the loss of his "face". He wouldn't look at Bruce when he spoke to him and had let his wet blonde hair fall like rags across his face. As the Joker's free hand snaked into his hair and began to tug desperately at it Bruce marched over and pulled his hand free. "Stop it" he ordered quietly, holding the Joker's wrist until he seemed to have calmed down a bit. As soon as Bruce let his hand free the Joker pulled his knees up to his chest and tucked himself back into the corner, averting his face from Bruce's. Deciding it was probably best to let the Joker calm himself down before asking him any further questions, Bruce left the room to inform Alfred he wouldn't be making it home tonight.

Sensing he was alone the Joker absentmindedly dug his fingernails into his arm; the small snap of pain was as comforting to him as a mother voice was to a child's. Pushing the fact that the Batman had forcibly removed his face to the back of his mind the Joker mind began to flicker back to what had happened to him after he left Arkham. The memory was foggy and broken but the Joker was suddenly overcome with a very strong desire to remove his clothing. He wasn't exactly sure why but they were making him feel dirty which was something he didn't normally care about but most of all they made him feel used.

Batman strode back into the room only to find the Joker trying to pull himself out of the Arkham issue pyjamas that he had been wearing. "Wait- what are you doing?" Bruce asked bewilderedly. "I don't want them on" the Joker said bluntly and Bruce could hear a slight note of distress coming from him. "Fine. I'll get you something else, just hold on a second" Bruce said quickly as the Joker was still trying to struggle out of his pyjama top. Returning five minutes later with the only spare item of clothing he could find he tossed it at the Joker. "There, now hurry up and get changed". The Joker peered back at him from under his blonde mop, a grin beginning to form across his mouth. Slowly he began to slide his hand down the front of his pale stomach. "Whats the matter Batsy? Don't you wanna play?" he purred seductively. "That's enough" Bruce growled as the Joker's hand began to venture further south. "Wanna touch?" he whispered, his hand moving back up over his chest. "No" Said Bruce flatly "You are the last person on earth I would want to touch" he hissed. "I saw you looking" the Joker purred out again, his eyes glinting in the darkness. "Just get yourself changed" Bruce barked as he turned on his heel to go and wait outside, slamming the door behind him.

Pressing his back against the wall he breathed heavily, he didn't quite know why the Joker's comments had thrown him off so much. In retrospect he was beginning to wish he hadn't removed that god awful make up. What lay beneath had surprised and shocked him, he didn't know what he had expected to find under there but it wasn't what was currently sat on his bed. The Joker's handsome face and delicate features had humanised him far too much for Bruce's liking and had reminded him that the Joker was after all, just a man. Mentally shaking himself he walked back into the room only to find the Joker still in his old dirty Arkham clothing staring back at him. "I thought you didn't want to wear them anymore?" Bruce growled out. He was not in the mood for any of the Joker's games tonight. The Joker didn't say anything but merely held up his shackled wrist and shook it, the sharp sound of clunking metal filling the silence in the room. Bruce paused embarrassedly before moving across to where the Joker was seated. "Take your trousers off" he said bluntly. "Now now Batsy, your gonna have to buy me a drink first before you can get into my pants" the Joker said, his voice ringing with amusement.

"Just do it" Batman growled, he hadn't yet figured how he was going to get the Joker out of his top without releasing him from the handcuffs. The Joker made a great show of wriggling out of his pyjama bottoms and Bruce was very thankful to find that he was wearing underwear. "Keep still" he ordered and the Joker sat obediently as he waited for Bruce to pull on the new clothing he had found. The top half was harder to negotiate and Bruce eventually had to admit defeat as he tried to pull the Joker free from his clothing. "If you move one inch…" Bruce threatened as he moved to undo the handcuff round the Joker's wrist. "Scouts honour" the Joker replied solemnly making the Klingon sign with his fingers. Bruce stared at him and sighed. In all honesty he couldn't be bothered to tell him he'd used the wrong hand signal, it was probably more trouble then it was worth.

A couple of minutes later the Joker was quite happily dressed in a pair of old pyjamas Alfred had given him as a joke for Christmas a few years back. They were a lurid shade of red with pictures of reindeer, snowmen and penguins on them. Bruce made a mental note to get some new ones as soon as possible. Thankfully he was also momentarily distracted from the fact that his face was now devoid of makeup. Sitting back against the headboard he crossed his legs and began humming a tune that Bruce didn't recognise. If it wasn't for the fact that he was handcuffed to a bed frame and had large scars on his face, the Joker could have looked like a small child waiting excitedly on Christmas morning.

Bruce suddenly became aware of how tired and exhausted his body felt; even just talking to the Joker seemed to drain him of all his energy. Glancing at the clock he realised that it had been hours since the Joker had come too and night was already beginning to fall again. Patrolling probably wasn't the best option given the current circumstances he had found himself in and he doubted if his body could cope with another sleepless night. Glancing back towards the bed he found the Joker staring at him intently. "Stop staring at me" he barked, only too aware of how much he sounded like a five year old. "Touchy touchy" the Joker replied moodily but turned his attentions to staring out of the window instead and humming loudly to himself. Sighing heavily Bruce resigned himself to having to spend another night in the same room as a mad person, only this time it was with a very awake and very annoying mad person. Patting the covers next to him "Are you coming to bed then lover?" the Joker purred out seductively, batting his eye lashes. Bruce glared at him and reached over quickly to unshackle the Joker from the bed frame an as he was caught of guard, the Joker didn't even have time to register himself being released

Grabbing the Joker round the waist he hauled him up of the bed and deposited him on across the room on the floor. The Joker kicked with all his might and tried desperately to free himself from Bruce's clutches. However in his weakened state he was no match for Bruce's strength and he was easily carried over the radiator where Bruce shackled him to the water pipe. "You can stay there until I figure out what to do with" He growled. The Joker however did not take kindly to being dumped on a cold hard floor. As soon as Bruce moved away he immediately pulled himself up to see how far he could stretch away from the water pipe. Bruce watched him for a few minutes, silently hoping that the Joker wouldn't try and chew his own hand off to escape, before he moved back and crashed out on his bed. Having to sleep in his mask really did not appeal to him but revealing his true identity didn't either so he resigned himself to an uncomfortable sleep.

The Joker found out quickly that his restraint yielded him little movement even as he tugged forcefully at it. Letting out a snarl of frustration he slumped back down onto the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest. Normally he would never be bothered about were he slept but Batsy's bed had felt so warm and snug. His body still had a dull ache to it and he began to shiver slightly against the cold.

Bruce could hear the Joker's teeth chattering from across the room and he reluctantly tossed him one of the spare blankets. Lunging forward the Joker wrapped himself up tightly in the thick, warm blanket. Tilting his head down he pulled it up around his face and rubbed his cheek against it. A strange sweet smell hit his nostrils and he breathed in deeply, savouring the sent that hit his nose. It was some form of posh cologne, the kind that was associated with someone who was wealthy but understated. The Joker inhaled again and found that it was mingled with what could only be Batsy's sweat. Deciding that he quite liked the smell the Joker rested his head on his knees, letting his hair drift over his eyes. He knew sleep would never find him, the two of them hadn't met in a long time but suddenly he found himself wishing his eyes would fall shut. His brain however was kicking into overdrive at the moment, trying to answer the many questions that were tumbling chaotically through his mind. Moving his fingers up he rubbed his temples slowly to try and still some of the traffic that was crashing through his mind. How he had gotten out of Arkham and why the Mad Hatter had escaped with him could wait for now but what he was really interested in was the fact that Batsy had saved him. When he had come round in Batman's bed he had almost died of excitement, the poor dear had even tried to help him get better. Losing himself in his musing for a while, the Joker began to formulate various plots and schemes to see how he could use the interesting situation he had found himself in to his advantage.

Bruce jolted awake groggily as something hit him in the face. Rolling over he tried to return back to sleep but his mask cut uncomfortably into his face. Again something small and hard hit him forcefully in his chest. Now fully awake he sat bolt up right only for a small piece of rolled up paper to hit him squarely between the eyes. Growling he wrenched the light on and glared down at the Joker just as he launched another bit of paper at him.

"Every time you move you make a noise, it's irritating" the Joker said flatly. Bruce narrowed his eyes as he shifted around to so the Joker could get a good look at his face. "Don't even think your climbing into bed with me" he said levelly. The Joker rolled his eyes and pouted but his retort was cut off suddenly by a violent hacking cough. "My tummy hurts" the Joker groaned out rather pathetically it seemed to Bruce. Clenching his teeth Bruce mulled over his options quickly, it was either leave the Joker on the floor where he deserved to be but be pelted with bits of paper or share a bed with someone who had blown up most of Gotham city. Heaving himself out of bed Bruce made his way over to where the Joker was sat hunched up on the floor. Reaching down he unlocked the restraint that held the clown prince to the water pipe.

The Joker was probably the nosiest, clumsiest person Bruce had ever come into contact with as he clattered across the floor, loud and as annoying as ever. Before he even made it to the bed his foot slid on a disguarded Time Out magazine and he went tumbling to the floor. Bruce made no move to help him as he walked past him back to the bed. Clambering upwards again and completely unembarrassed the Joker bounced onto the bed beside him. How he had ever evaded both Batman and the Gotham police force for months on end Bruce would never know. Before the Joker could even get comfy Bruce seized his wrist and cuffed him back to the part of the bed frame that was furthest away from him.

"Ohhh doesn't Batsy like to snuggle?" The Joker chided as he settled himself against the headboard. "You're lucky I didn't leave you on the floor where you belong, now shut up" Bruce grumbled as he turned away from the Joker. The Joker huffed and tried to get himself comfortable against his restraint. Pulling at the small bit of the duvet that Batman allowed him, he drew it up to his nose and breathed inwards. It was still there, the soft sweet smell that made the Joker's stomach quiver and flutter. "Keep still" Bruce snapped. He was already becoming irritated with the Joker's incessant fidgeting. Feeling the mattress still Bruce finally succumbed to his much needed sleep.