"I'm not here to start a fight."
Joker's eyes widened and then he chuckled. "Nice joke. You're always here to start a fight."
"No. I need you to see something."
"Your fist I take it."
"No." He couldn't blame the man for thinking it. That was the case after all in most, if not all of their encounters.
"Then what, Batsy? What could be so important?" He crossed his arms and quirked a brow.
Something about his stance had his knees feeling a little weak, but he ignored it and stiffened his posture.
"Well? Out with it!"
He pulled out a set of papers that was rolled up in his utility belt. "Read this. Then you'll understand."
Joker held out his hand and he gave him the papers.
He watched as the rolled-up information was uncurled. Saw the corner of the clown's mouth turn downward as much as was possible for him.
Saw a spark light his green eyes as his pupils dilated, his hands curling into fists, fingers digging into the paper that held top-secret information in regards to Alphas and Omegas, even some information on Betas.
"Fucking Beta's!" He lifted his gaze from the paper to glare at him. "Where did you get this?" He lifted up the copy he'd made and waved it overhead. "How long have you known about this!?"
"On government sites. I only discovered this information earlier today."
"That means you went looking for it. Why?" He took a step toward him.
Typically, unless the man was about to threaten violence he didn't take a step back. But he did then, half a step away.
He searched for an answer. He couldn't outright tell him what he'd been dreaming about. That would have been too... too weird. Because he was The Batman and this man was The Joker.
"Something I overheard."
"What was it you heard, Batsy?" He kept walking toward him until his back was up against the side of his car. "You're hiding something."
"There were two names mentioned. That was all," it was the truth, and in saying it he hoped Joker didn't push anymore. Not like he'd believe him. He could hardly believe it as if those were memories of a past life.
"What names?" Joker growled.
His body shuddered at the sound of his growl, his cock growing hard. He took hold of part of his cape to drape over himself. He didn't need Joker noticing his predicament.
"Isfet Khaba Joktar and Prince Ma'at Yarğanat Batlar."
Joker's hands came down on either side of him, fists slamming into the top of his car.
"Never. Say. His. Name! Beta's are not allowed to say his name!"
"Whose?"
"Ma'at's."
"Isfet's slave?"
Joker's eyes widened and he glared down at him. "Ma'at was not a slave. You Beta's really twist everything to suit your own morals. Thinking you're better than any Alpha or Omega. Even trying to wipe out the existence thereof. You all deserve to die."
He brought his gloved hands to Joker's shoulders. "You don't know who is a Beta anymore. And not all Beta's are like you're thinking." This had to be the reason the man hurt so many, committed so many terrible, terrible atrocities.
Joker pulled back, "Don't. Touch. Me!" He stilled and stared down at the crumpled papers still in one hand. "There are others. What do I do..."
Kneeling before the shaken Alpha, Batman took his hand. "Help them."
The laughter that left his lips was darker than he'd ever heard before. "How? I failed them before. Failed him."
"What do you mean?" Did that mean Joker was remembering a past life too, or, he shook his head, no that wasn't possible. But with meta-humans and other strange anomalies – look at Wonder Woman or Superman – maybe Isfet Khaba Joktar had never died.
"I don't want to talk about it," he frowned at him and pulled his hand away.
He stood up from where he knelt, dusted off his knees, "I'll help you, help them."
"The Dark Knight of Gotham helping The Crown Prince of Crime?" He blinked. Tossed back his head and laughed for minutes on end.
Batman waited, staring at him until he finished.
"Now I need a good drink. That was a good one."
"I'm serious, Joker. This shouldn't be hidden from the public. I've already sent copies to all the newspapers, radio shows and news channels the world over."
"And you think the government can't just shut them up? Hell, even here the freedom of speech is stomped on when it interferes with the countries interests."
"What would he want you to do?"
Joker's brows furrowed. "Great, now The Batman has found a weakness. Except he's dead, what does it matter what he'd want me to do?"
"It would honor him, wouldn't it?"
Silence ticked on as cars drove by in the dark of night. "I guess I'm doing this." He stuffed the papers into his jacket pocket. "If this information is true, that means you Batsy, must be an Alpha."
He had a feeling that was not going to turn out to be the case. "Only one way to find out."
"Is there? Don't the vaccines stop you from ever presenting?"
"They have to reapply the agent every so many years. So I'll have someone I trust to make my vaccines. Wait, does this mean you haven't had your vaccinations?"
"I'm as fit as a fiddle. Why would I need them?"
"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"
He shrugged, "You have your secrets Batsy, and I have mine." His gaze lowered as the wind blew Batman's cape aside. "Didn't think you were hiding that," he pointed down at his groin.
Batman's cheeks tinged pink and he wrapped his cape around himself. "Get in the car. If we're going to work on this together, we need a base of operations."
Joker got in and buckled himself in. "I do so love the interior. We going to your Bat-cave?"
"Only if you promise to stay put in the cave itself."
"If that's the only way, then sure," he didn't see the man crossing the fingers of one of his hands behind his back.
Buckling in, he turned the ignition and set off for the home platform of the Batmobile.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think of the story thus far, or this chapter. Feel free to leave suggestions of what you'd like to see in future chapters regarding what Batman and Joker might get up to and I'll see if I can work it into the storyline.
