Chapter Twelve
Darkness had well and truly settled on Gotham by the time Bruce returned to Wayne Manor. He had patrolled for a few hours but the news of the Joker's escape had spread through the city like wild fire and not even the criminal underbelly wanted to get caught up in whatever he had planned. For once Bruce was thankful that the Joker's fearsome reputation was keeping the thieves and murders of the street and even more grateful for the fact that for once he already knew where the madman was.
With the Batsuit still in place to conceal his identity Bruce made his way up through the Batcave and into the main house. The locks and traps he had put in place in the unlikely event the Joker did manage to free himself where all still firmly in place. Pausing for a moment before re-entered the lions den Bruce adjusted the box he had brought up from the Batcave and took a few deep breaths. The Joker may be on his turf and restrained but this didn't mean that Bruce could let his guard down in any way. In fact being shut up in closed quarters seemed to make the Joker even more on edge and dangerous then usual.
Taking a set of keys concealed in his utility belt Bruce unlocked the door and stepped inside only to be hit forcefully on the side of the head by something hard. Dropping the box in his arms Bruce dodged out of the way as another random object went sailing past his ear.
"You've been gone ages" the Joker snarled as he threw a pot of moisturiser directly at Bruce's head.
Still shackled to the bed frame the Joker was surrounded by a mass of shredded sheets and bits of paper. In the few hours that Bruce had been gone the Joker had managed to do a surprising amount of damage for someone whose movement was severely restricted. On the wall near the bed there were a series of doodles, pieces of writing and drawings all done in biro ink. The bedside cabinet had been upended and its contents strewn across the floor, or been thrown in Bruce's general direction. There wasn't much in there, certainty nothing of value or that the Joker could have used to escape with, just some hair products, first aid kit and a few other odds and ends.
"Stop that" Bruce growled as he picked the box he had dropped back up and locked the door behind him "I see you've been keeping yourself busy" he said indicating the pictures.
The Joker ignored this remark but was looking at Bruce with a look in his eye that Bruce had never seen before, a mixture between excitement, longing and a slight touch of nervousness. Eyeing him for a few seconds Bruce pulled his chair up in front of the Joker and sat down.
"Right I may yet have a use for you yet, unless you'd rather I take you back to Arkham?" he said.
Shifting himself so he was sat directly in front of Batman the Joker smiled his mutilated smile and laughed low in his throat.
"So Batsy, heard any good jokes lately?" he questioned without waiting for an answer, "Cus I heard a real corker of one today. What do you get if you cross an over indulged, pampered playboy prince of Gotham with a masked crusader who goes around picking on harmless criminals to give himself a sense of purpose in the world?"
Bruce stared at him, swallowing nervously; the Joker couldn't possibly have any evidence that couldn't possible have any evidence to connect Batman to Bruce Wayne. The clown had been unconscious for the entire trip to Wayne manor and had seen nothing of the surrounding area whilst he had been locked up. A few expensive sheets were not enough to connect the masked vigilante with the playboy billionaire.
To Bruce it seemed the Joker had taken a wild shot in the dark and unfortunately struck right on the money. Bruce however wasn't about to let the lunatic know this.
"And you're basing this brilliant theory on what exactly? He said coolly as he regained his composure. "My fleet of Bentley's parked outback or all the Super models that are wandering round here?"
The Joker pouted and scowled at Bruce; the conversation was clearly not going the direction he had wanted.
"Don't throw a dumbass at me Brucey, it doesn't suit you" snapped the Joker, his patience was beginning to wear thin.
"Well what were you expecting? I knew you were crazy but I didn't think that even you would make such a ridiculous guess as that" Bruce said hoping he was throwing the Joker of the scent.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk Brucey", the Joker chided as he pulled out a neat square of paper from his pyjama pocket, unfolded it neatly and held up for Bruce to see.
An odd sense of relief moved over Bruce as he saw the Joker holding up a picture of himself that he recognised from a photo spread he did for Time Out magazine. An escaped criminal genius with questionable sanity was probably the last person that Bruce should be revealing his secret identity too but on a strange level he was happy.
"Where did you find that?" he asked softly as the Joker folded the picture away carefully and returned it to his pocket.
"In that trashy rag you left me with. You know what Bats, if I didn't know you better id say you wanted me to figure out who you were" the Joker said unable to keep the laughter out of his voice.
"And why would you think that?" Bruce asked testily.
The Joker rolled his eyes in an over dramatic fashion, "I told you before Bat Brain. You. Complete. Me." he said, making sure Bruce heard those last three words loud and clear. "Now take it of" he said quietly.
Bruce didn't know why his hand automatically started to reach up and begin to remove the cowl but there was something in the Joker's voice that just made him obey. He couldn't even put his finger on the reason why he was so willing to reveal himself to his arch nemesis but there he was, taking his suit apart piece by piece. The cape went first, then the utility belt, gloves, boots and then the armour plated suit that had protected him for so long. The black cotton trousers and t shirt he wore underneath his suit suddenly felt exceedingly light and refreshing.
All the while the Joker had been drinking in the sight of Batman shedding his suit, locking away the intricate details of how the suit formed into various parts of his brain. The anticipation was almost too much to bear and he was now practically hovering off the bed in anticipation as Batman slowly began to pull of the mask that up until now had shielded his identity from the world.
The Joker's head was cocked to the side his eyes boring into what seemed like every orifice of Bruce's face but there was also a strange look of disappointment in his eyes.
"What's wrong, do I not look as good as my picture?" he half joked as he placed his cowl carefully to one side.
The Joker continued to stare rather intently at the man before him for what seemed like an age before he responded.
"I dunno. Its weird looking at you like that" he said thoughtfully as his eyes drifting over Bruce's facial structure, "I never really thought of you being a real person underneath there. You were always just Batsy to me".
"Well I need to protect my identity with something" Bruce said coolly as he stretched out some of his muscles, "I don't think my life would be much fun if everyone knew I was Batman".
The Joker looked at him with a puzzled expression;" If you think that Bruce Wayne is the true representation of your personality, then I think it's you they should be locking up in Arkham" he scoffed.
"What are you talking about?" Bruce asked as the Joker's eyes locked with his, a fire burning deep within those curiously almond shaped eyes and bored right down into Bruce's very soul. For all the insanity that had spread like a virus through his brain, the Joker could at times speak with alarming clarity.
"That mask is moulded into your bones whether you can admit that to yourself or not. People see what they want to see. You really think they see a person underneath that mask you wear? You're a faceless shadow to those creatures down there. Nobody cares about you, no ones gonna worry about you just as long as you don't invade there safe little lives" the Joker said as his eyes fixated on Bruce's.
"I mean who really cares about Bruce Wayne?" he continued, his head tilted slightly to the side, "All these insects that he has fawning all over him wondering which whore he's been shagging or what fancy pants suit he's wearing, would they really care if turned up dead one day? Sure they'd come to the funeral and cry there crocodile tears, eat the over priced buffet food and then be on there way schmoozing with the next rich schmuck that comes there way".
Bruce stared at him unable to move, unable to even think, all he could do was sit and listen to the last person on earth who he thought would ever say out loud what he really felt deep down in the pit of his gut.
"But Batman" the Joker continued, "Now's there's someone who could cause a whole heap of trouble for Gotham if he had the misfortune to catch a bullet right between the eyes. See if there is no Batman then what would your precious citizens do then hmmm? Without Batman there is nothing out there for them; just an all consuming sense of fear and darkness. Now a guy like me could have a lot of fun in a world like that but even I have to admit it would get real dull real fast without my knight in shining Bat armour to keep me on my toes. You may be many thing Batsy but at least with you flapping at my heals I'll never succumb to boredom" he finished, cackling like a lunatic.
Bruce continued to stare at the Joker trying to regain some sense back into his body. Having the Joker voice out loud what he was thinking was one thing but for the clown to think that they were actually similar, that they needed each other was something else entirely.
"Joker if you died I doubt anyone, let alone me is going to be morning the loss" Bruce said.
"Well why don't you kill me and find out? There's nobody here, no ones gonna know you broke your little rule just for me. You could stick a knife in my gut, dump me in a river someplace and when they find my beautiful corpse all the police are gonna think is that I came of bad in one my little experiments. No one would ever suspect a thing and I promise I won't tell a soul" he giggled as Bruce stared at him.
"Look I won't even struggle, not that I can with this thing on" he said rattling his chained wrist, " And just for you Batsy I'll even close my eyes so you don't feel under pressure with an audience watching" and with that the Joker shut his eyes and waited.
After two minutes of waiting for his demise the Joker creaked his eyes open only to find Bruce glaring at him.
"See you can't do it can you? Because you know that you need me as much as I need you. You just didn't want to make me blush by admitting it out loud" he taunted.
"Oh yeah? Well why the hell would I need a freak like you?" Bruce snarled evilly as he glared at the Joker.
"Sticks and stones Brucey." The Joker sing songed but then a quieter tone took too his voice as he shifted uncomfortably on the bed, "Do you want to know what frightens you the most about me? The fact that I snapped and you didn't. I've already been pushed as far as I can go. But you, lets just see how long it takes before the big bad bat is pushed just a bit too far".
Bruce turned away as the Joker's words hit him like a sledge hammer, he didn't want to believe the Joker's words let alone look at the man and a great silence descended over the pair.
"So Batsy are you going to untie me so we can continue this conversation in a more civilized manor?" the Joker asked finally breaking the silence.
Bruce ignored him as he continued to mull over the words that had just been shared between the two of them.
"Bats?" the Joker said, a little louder this time; he wasn't used to being ignored.
"No" said Bruce quietly, is eyes still averted from the clown.
The Joker's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in what Bruce had just said.
"What?" he hissed as he began to shift about to starve off some of his agitation.
"I said no" Bruce repeated quietly, still deep in thought.
Letting out a howl like a depraved animal the Joker lunged forward and brought his free hand up to claw at Bruce's face. Wincing in pain as the Joker's talon like fingers cut into his face, Bruce seized the madman's arm and shoved him backwards as the Joker kicked his legs out wildly. Being held down by all of Bruce's weight still didn't deter the Joker from throwing himself about as he struggled to get free.
"LET ME GO!!!!" the Joker screeched as Bruce pushed his leg in between the Jokers knee to restrict as much damage to himself as well as the madman beneath him.
Holding the Joker down firmly Bruce waited until his guest decided he was going to behave. The restriction on his arm made it hard for the clown to free himself from being pinned to the bed so he resorted to banging his head forcefully against the mattress.
"Joker, stop it NOW!" Bruce demanded as he moved his other hand to the Joker's forehead and held his head down firmly.
They struggled like this for a few minutes until through lack of food and sleep the Joker simply didn't have the energy to fight back. Closing his eyes, the Joker breathed heavily and stilled as Bruce still held him in a tight hold.
Feeling the man beneath him stop squirming, Bruce lessened his grip slightly, " I'll take the handcuffs of" he said slowly as he waited for the Joker to look up at him, "If you behave yourself and help me figure out what the Mad Hatter was breaking out of Arkham for."
The Joker rolled his eyes and grinned up at him.
"Well it doesn't seem like I have a choice now does it sugarplum? Seeing as you've got me in such a compromising position" he purred as he rubbed his hips up against Bruce's thigh.
Glaring down at that ghastly smile Bruce found himself unable to pull himself off the Joker. Slightly surprised that he wasn't being punched in the face for his flirtatiousness, the Joker ground his hips a little harder against Bruce's groin.
"Like that do you Brucey?" he murmured sensually as he began to rub his foot up against Bruce's calf.
Growling loudly Bruce threw himself off the Joker and busied himself by unshackling the Joker as the madman cackled loudly on the bed. Many people would question why Bruce would even consider freeing the Joker from his restraints but deep down Bruce knew it was the right thing to do. He had only been back in the lunatics company for just under an hour but he already felt exhausted both mentally and physically. Plus the restriction on his movement didn't seem to be helping the Joker's rapidly evaporating sanity. Hopefully by giving him a little bit of movement he would calm down enough to be of some help to Bruce.
Removing the restraint from the Joker's wrist Bruce grabbed his arm before he had a chance to move.
"Remember what I said Joker, because if you try anything I'll tie you straight back up again, only next time ill leave you on the floor instead of the bed" he growled.
"Promises, promises Brucey" the Joker smirked but he looked up at Bruce and nodded.
Finally Bruce let him go and backed off as the Joker sat still for a few moments and rubbed his wrist. Then without warning he scrambled up off the bed and heaved himself up to sit on the wide stone window ledge. Darkness had already enveloped the grounds around the mansion so there wasn't exactly much of a view but the Joker seemed happy enough. Pulling his knees up to his chest the Joker began to hum softly to himself. Bruce watched him uneasily for a while as the blond haired man leaned forward and blew his warm breath against the window and traced a smiley face in the condensation.
Having not yet figured out how long he was going to keep the Joker chained to his bedpost; Bruce decided it was best to be prepared for the long haul and set about unpacking the items he had collected from the Batcave. There was no heating installed in the burnt out manor yet so he had brought up the electric heater, a few extra thick blankets and a huge box of food. Not having any idea of the Joker's dietary preferences or even what sort of food he liked Bruce had brought a bit of everything; cereal, fruit, milk, chocolate, tinned goods and a few microwavable meals.
"Come on, get down form there. I've brought some food for you to eat" Bruce said as he set about fixing a bowl of fruit for himself.
The Joker ignored him and continued to stare out of the window. Bruce looked up and glared at the back of the Joker's head
"Joker, come on I don't have time for this" he growled hoping this would stir the madman out of his brooding.
"No" the Joker said flatly without even turning around to face Bruce as he traced a series of patterns in the condensation that had collected on the window.
Bruce felt his temper begin to rise at the insolent remark and he was just about ready to go and pull the Joker down by his hair when he earlier conversation with Dr. Kinsley sprang into his mind. Pausing he took a few deep breaths and attempted to calm himself down. He was going to do his best to help this man, whatever it took.
"If you don't come down I'll handcuff you to the radiator this time and you can spend the rest of your time here sitting on a cold hard floor or you can come down of your own accord, have some food and help me like you promised you would" Bruce said firmly.
The Joker turned round and shot him a sulky look but he clambered down, wobbling slightly as his feet touched the floor and moved towards the food Bruce had laid out on the bed.
"See that wasn't so hard now was it? Here you go, I didn't know what you liked to eat to I gave you a bit of everything" Bruce said as he held out a plate full of food for him.
The Joker hesitated slightly as Bruce pushed the plate further towards him, "I didn't think cutlery would be a good idea so you'll have to use your fingers" he continued.
The smell of the food began to take its toll on the Joker as he chewed the inside of his cheek and fidgeted closer.
"Well if you don't want it" Bruce said as he made a move to take the plate back when quick as lightning, the Joker snatched the plate up and sat cross legged on the bed. There's nothing like a bit reverse psychology Bruce thought, smiling to himself. The Joker meanwhile was picking through his plate of food with a rather disgruntled look on his face.
"What's this?" he asked pointing to some slices of fresh salmon.
"Its fresh water salmon" Bruce answered who was now beginning to regret giving the Joker such a wide variety of expensive food to choose from.
"Eww" the Joker said flatly as he turned his nose up at it and poked at it with his finger.
"Its very nice actually. Why don't –"Bruce started to say but was cut off when the Joker started picking bits of fish of his plate and throwing them on the floor.
"Hey that cost over $300!!" he yelled as he tried to take the plate from the Joker's grip.
"You eat it then Batsy. I'm not into the whole raw fish thing. Ohhh strawberries'" he said happily as he began devouring a handful of the sweet red berries'.
Bruce didn't think he had ever seen someone eat so fast in his entire life as the Joker hovered down a few pieces of cheese along with more fruit. They sat in silence for a moment or two, the only sound being the Joker's noisy eating habits
"Let me see your wrist" Bruce asked as he retrieved the first aid kit from the floor.
"Why?" the Joker said thickly through a mouth full of apple.
"It looks swollen, I just need to check it's not sprained" Bruce answered as he unravelled a bandage and a few strips of surgical tape.
The Joker shrugged nonchalantly but he held out his arm to Bruce as he continued to munch on his apple. Taking the Joker's hand in his Bruce began to asses the damage that had been done by the handcuffs. The skin had already began to swell and turn a dark shade of purple and Bruce gently manipulated the muscles to see if there had been any tear to the ligaments. There were also a few friction burns caused from the Joker's skin chaffing against the metal handcuff as he tried to pull himself free.
"Does this hurt" he asked as he gently pressed various points on the Joker's wrist.
The Joker shrugged unhelpfully as he began to rummage in the food box for more strawberries. Sighing to himself Bruce decided he was better of attending to the injury himself; the Joker's abnormal lust for pain would be more of a hindrance to the situation anyway. Grabbing a tube of anti inflammatory gel he tenderly massaged a few dollops onto the Joker's wrist. All the tension that was previously coiled up inside the Joker seemed to ease out as he quite happily allowed his hand to rest in Bruce's grip. Moving his thumbs in a circular motion to break up any tension that may have built up in any other muscles, Bruce worked his way down the Joker's palm; right to his finger tips.
Whilst he did this the Joker had been babbling away aimlessly about schemers, various Arkham inmates and Doctors; the logistics of chaos and a hundred and one other things. Some pieces Bruce locked in on and reminded himself to look into later but most of it he allowed to wash over him; the Joker seemed to say an awful lot without revealing anything.
Wiping the grease from the gel of his hands Bruce held the Joker's hand in his as he began to wrap the bandage around the injured area. Whilst Bruce's hands were large and firm the Joker's were smaller but his fingers were longer, slenderer and seemed to be constantly moving and on edge, much like the man they were attached too. Bruce was also quite surprised to find that the skin on the Joker's hands was mostly soft and smooth apart from a few nicks, calluses and the bits of grubby makeup that seemed imprinted onto the Joker's fingertips and nails. Securing the bandage with half a dozen pieces of surgical tape Bruce looked up to see that the Joker was still completely engrossed in his food and hadn't even noticed that Bruce had finished. Taking the opportunity that the Joker was distracted; Bruce slowly pushed the sleeve of the Joker's pyjamas to check if any of the cuts he had found when the Joker had first arrived needed any attention.
"What's your name?" Bruce asked softly as he rubbed some more anti inflammatory gel into the needle marks on the Joker's forearms.
"Excuse me, Nosey Nelly. Why should I let you inside my head when you won't let me into yours?" the Joker grumped but he still let his arm remain in Bruce's grasp.
"Everyone has a name. Even I have a real name underneath this mask." Bruce continued carefully, "You know my name I think it's only fair that you tell me yours".
The Joker's eyes locked dead with Bruce's as he threw down the piece of chocolate he was about to start eating.
"You should have told me it was show and tell time Batsy. Well let's see now, Mummy was a school teacher with one leg and a glass eye and Daddy was a scientist who ran away with the bearded lady from the travelling circus and-" the Joker stopped his ramblings as Bruce held his hand up.
"What's the matter Batsy, don't like that story? Well I got a whole bunch back here just waiting too be told" he said manically.
"No I just want the truth, no lies, no stories just the truth. What really happened to your face?" asked Bruce frustrated. Instantly he knew he had done the wrong thing as the Joker wrenched his arm out of Bruce's grip.
"You think you can figure me out Batsy?" he said menacingly, "Try. I dare you."
Bruce decided to change tact quickly before the Joker got too wound up.
"Look I can help you, I could pay for you to get a better doctor or therapy or something." He said trying to keep his voice calm. The Joker looked livid as he threw the plate of food in his hand against the floor where it shattered into a dozen pieces. "Oh I expect that's the answer to everything in Bruce Wayne's perfect little world" he screeched, "Throw money at the problem and hope it goes away. I'm not going to sit and be pocked at like some lab rat just so some stupid rich kid can get his kicks. I'm fine the way I am. It's you and everyone out there that's got the problem."
Bruce reached out and grabbed both of the Joker's arms and yanked them out straight in front of him "Well if your so perfect then why the hell do you do this to yourself?" he asked, indicating the web of scars that lined the Joker's arms, "If there was nothing wrong with you then why do you claim to enjoy being hurt so much?"
The Joker looked down at his arms as if he was seeing them for the first time
"I- I," The Joker stuttered, for once in his life, or what he could remember of it, he was lost for words. Bruce held his arms gently for a moment as he suddenly felt a great swell of sadness for the man before him. The Joker had done many terrible things but seeing him sitting there looking so lost and confused was almost too much for Bruce to deal with.
"I wanted to see what would happen" the Joker whispered softly as he looked up at Bruce, his blond locks half covering his face.
Bruce's light blue eyes met the Joker's large green ones. He lifted his hand and slowly traced them down the scar tissue the lined the Joker's cheek. The Joker's eyes followed his fingers as they moved further down his cheek only this time he didn't flinch away. The scars had an unusual texture to them, not quite soft but then again not hard like Bruce would have imagined. There rosebud pinkness stuck out sharply against the Joker's pale skin. The Joker's eyes never left his fingers as he watched them slowly travel over his face. Bruce noticed a small nick on the Joker's bottom lip; whether it was inflicted at the same time as the other scars he doubted he would ever know. Bruce could feel the Joker's heart hammering in his chest as he moved in kissed him gently on the lips, his hands still cupping the smaller mans face. Pulling back Bruce ran his fingers through those soft wavy curls. The Joker was staring back him; a look of utter confusion was playing out across his features. Those piercing green eyes were currently desperately searching Bruce's eyes for some form of malice or trickery.
Bruce knew that every part of this situation was wrong and that what he was doing would most probably not play out well in the end but he just couldn't help himself. Even though the Joker would never admit to being the damaged, hurt and vulnerable creature he was Bruce could feel it when he looked at him. Those green eyes didn't hide the hurt and cruelty he had suffered quite so well anymore and Bruce could see the small shell of a human being he once was. And on Bruce's part the Joker was the only person who could ever really understand him, know him inside out and how he could never separate himself from being the Batman.
Authors Note
wow sorry this took so long to update, I've been in hospital for a while but im back on track now and i really hope everyone stays with the story, ill be updating far more regularly from now on!
secondly the conclusion to this chapter is a bit too rude for this site but ill send it too the peeps who would like to read it and if you guys think its ok to put up then ill post it on the end of this chapter.
