"Wake up sleepy head, Alfred and I are waiting for you to wake up all morning" Joker said gently as he touched Bruce's hair
"What for? It's Saturday and I've been out all night… thanks to some green haired anarchist" he said joking, although it was true
"Alfred and I talked about it and, for a change, we agreed on something. We wanna take you to a place for a little surprise"
Joker said that referring to the fact he and Alfred disagreed on each other for sport, even on the smallest things just to see how annoying they could be. It was even fun to watch.
"Wow, wait! You and Alfred agreed on something, I want to know what this place looks like! Does it has exploding hospitals and the best tea in town?" Bruce said mocking them, getting out of bed
Joker and Alfred had their differences, but they joined forces determined to make Bruce recover more from all the mental storm he had faced months ago. He was doing better, but some things still felt out of tune with his personality and since he would never agree to seek a therapist, claiming that hiding so much in every session would make him feel worse, they came up with an alternative.
At first, Alfred and Joker wouldn't talk too much, when they had something to say it was always about Bruce. Living on the same house, however, made them develop mutual respect for each other as time passed and eventually, Bruce caught them talking about random subjects as Joker smoked outside. In another afternoon, he heard Joker asking him about his life when he was a teenager, what did he liked to do and about his friends from that time. Bruce wasn't the type to sneak on people's conversations but he stopped to listen. Alfred was a father to him and for that reason, it was difficult to picture him as a teenager. For Bruce, Alfred had always been this polite, sophisticated man with impeccable skills on both cooking and helping him with everything that involved being Batman. Picturing him as a teenage Alfred, studying in a school, sometimes copying his homework from his friends and maybe having one of his first crushes on a girl was an interesting thought.
"Oh finally you too are up! Tea? Coffee?" Alfred offered as they came to a cozy living room
"Coffee" they said at the same time
"Let me guess, no sugar for the punk here and four teaspoons for the grown man that does not admit he likes sweets?" Alfred said teasing them as he folded his newspapers to go make the coffee
"Good to see you too getting along" Bruce said brightening up
Alfred turned to look at Joker as he left the living room.
"What, this guy? He's insufferable!" Alfred said in a slightly dramatic way
"He's just upset because I almost beat him last time we played cards" Joker said in a low tone but loud enough for the other man to listen
"Almost beat me? You wish, Mr. Joker, you wish" Alfred said leaving
They sat on the couch and Bruce got the newspaper to take a look, maybe there was something about Batman there. Joker said he would change into a light long sleeve shirt with a hood and get his mask so they could leave soon. As Bruce waited alone in the living room, he couldn't avoid thinking about a particular conversation the three of them had in that same place some weeks after Joker came back. His lover sat on his left side and his father on his right.
They had waited a good moment to address their biggest concern about him. Bruce didn't deny it, being more explicit on how dark his mindset was back then. He was honest, said he had the thoughts all the time on those two weeks. As they imagined, he didn't have anything planned, but he said it didn't make it any less painful. They both told Bruce how much he was loved by them and how precious his life was. They asked if he was still having bad thoughts and he said the same lack of interest in life would still haunt him sometimes, but that they shouldn't worry. As expected, Joker and Alfred said this subject was too serious to be left like that and made Bruce agree to seek professional help for it and also for his anxiety attacks. He thought it was the most ironical thing in the world to have Joker make him do this and also for starting treatment while his partner didn't. That made him also remember of something Joker said to him one night while he took his medication.
"I know you think I'm bat shit crazy, my love. And maybe I am. But treatment it's a personal choice, it could have helped me before I guess, but I don't want it now and you know it is when I don't want something. The thing is, I know you're strong and I know you can endure all that inside your head, but you don't have to live like this. Your life will be much better when you get rid of that burden. You're so disciplined, use that to help yourself. Soon you won't need that anymore"
"Hey, Bruce! Stop tripping off like some weird ass anime character and take your coffee" Joker said from the corridor as he walked
Alfred drove them to a neighborhood away from the center and Bruce started wondering what could be the place they wanted him to see so much. Also, Bruce sat on the front seat and Joker on the back set. According to Alfred, he didn't have to watch them act like hormonal teenagers all the time.
"Ok, here we are" Alfred announced after parking the car
When Bruce stepped out, clueless on where he was, Joker pointed to a place on the other side of the street. It was an animal shelter.
"No way!" Bruce said thrilled
"Let's go inside, a lot of animals arrived last week, but if you don't feel that special link with any of them there is another place we can go" Joker said
Inside the shelter, there was a separate section for dogs and cats. Bruce went for the dogs, making Joker and Alfred look at each other with a We knew it kind of look. Some of the dogs were older and some were really young.
"Hey, why is this one alone in here? Doesn't it has brothers?" Bruce asked out loud
A guy that worked there came to talk to them and opened the cage to let Bruce take a look.
"She was found in an alley by a girl a couple of days ago. No sigh of the mother or other dogs around. That's difficult, the puppy still needs milk but there are no donations from dog owners. I've been giving her the proper treatment for those cases but it's expensive" The guy said
"How big do you think she will get?" Bruce asked, growing more interested in her every second
"Can't be sure, but looking at her paws, she will probably grow a lot. I don't like to make assumptions and promises about the dogs we have because we know so little about where they come from, but I've seen enough German Shepherds puppies to say maybe that's the case"
Even if the man hadn't said anything about it possibly being a German Shepherd, Bruce couldn't take his eyes from the little puppy. The fur was black as night and when it woke up with their conversation it started to wave its tail to play with Bruce. That was love at first sight.
"I think she likes you" Alfred pointed out as Bruce took the little black puppy on his hands to pet her
"Well, what can I say, she's coming home with us" Bruce announced happily, making Joker smiled behind him
Meanwhile, someone entered the store.
"Hello, ! I'll get the usual things, ok?"
The man gathered on the back stopped for a moment to listen to the girl that had arrived, out of curiosity. Her voice was distinct, somehow well tuned and pleasant. The kind of voice that had enough depth to make her sound like an grown woman but still with a young spirit.
"I'm here on the back, I'll help you soon! These gentlemen here will give that black puppy you found a new home!" Mr. Chang said from where they were
They heard her steps coming in their direction.
"I'm so glad to hear that! Almost considered taking her home with me, she is beautiful isn't she?" She said with a sweet tone
Bruce, Alfred, and Joker had a surprise when they looked at the lady. She looked way younger than she sounded, definitely on her twenties but could be easily be mistaken for a seventeen-year-old. Black short hair with some waves and petite height.
"Why didn't you take her home? Too late to change your mind by the way, but you seem to like her a lot" Bruce asked in a friendly way
The girl giggled in a discrete way, crooking her lips to the left side in a smile.
"Don't worry, you all look so well together, could never separate you. Maybe a little feminine touch will give your home a new vibe. I have a cat named Jack and he is an absolute diva, has to be the center of attention at all times. By the way, does she have a name already?" The girl asked while Mr. Chang got her the cat food she wanted
Bruce looked at his puppy noticing her eyes were a bright orange tone, much like the colors in the sky during nightfall.
"How about Dusk? Do you like, girl?" he asked the puppy in his hands
The puppy reacted to her new owner talking to her and seemed excited.
"I think Dusk deserves her first family picture, if you don't mind taking it for us" Alfred said getting a digital camera from his pocket
"Of course! Gather up all of you" she said while getting the camera. "Oh, and don't you wanna take off your mask, sir?" She asked politely
They looked at Joker, who was hesitant on doing it. But there was something on her pitch that made him amused, to say the least. He revealed his face and she took their picture. They got all a little tense, maybe the green hair and scars gave them away.
"Don't worry, Dusk and I are very good on keeping secrets" She said with her dark brown eyes filled with meaning while glaring at each of them for some seconds. "Nice to meet you all!" She added, giving the camera back and picking the bag Mr. Chang left for her, soon leaving the store.
They went silent for a moment and Mr. Chang came to give them instructions about food, vaccinations and the especial care Dusk needed until she grew more. Bruce signed all the paperwork and they bought things there like a leash, bowls for food and water and also a comfortable bed for her.
Joker was carrying her on his lap during their ride back home. The puppy was indeed a pretty thing to see, an innocent prelude of the grown dog she would become one day. Bruce was excited to have Dusk as a new family member and when he turned his neck slightly to take a peek on them on the back seat, the future in the Manor never seemed brighter.