Chapter Text
"Playtime is over Joker, tell me where you're keeping the Commissioner hostage, NOW!" Batman bellowed, fists clenched.
His patience were being tried much harder as these games lingered on, The Bat becoming more and more disturbed.
Of course, this delighted the homicidal clown that stood before him with his signature malicious grin. The Joker's only purpose in life had become to turn his nemesis into himself. A maniac with no self control, hellbent on pure and poetic chaos.
"JOKER!" Batman barked, grabbing ahold of the other man's purple coat. "Answer me!" He raised his fist as the Joker cackled and stammered to find his voice.
"E-easy Bats, h-have mercy old friend!" The madman giggled, earning him a blunt punch to the cheek.
"Ooh, owie, I swear by this point I should tattoo your knuckles onto my face that says fist here, Batman!"
The Bat lifted up the shorter, thinner male and slammed him down onto the pavement, causing the wind to be completely knocked out of the Clown Prince of Crime. Joker did his best to laugh at Batman's antics but gasped and sputtered for air instead. The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes and waited for Joker to speak, his eyes saturated with hate. He hovered over his twitching body, aching to break his fragile-looking neck.
"O-okay, I'll tell youuuu- hehehe!" Joker held his sides once he gained enough oxygen to laugh again, his toothy smile deepening Batman's glare.
The green-haired lunatic stretched his arms up toward the black figure, humming merrily. "No more jokes, Bats. I'll take you to your precious Jimmy. Be a dear and help me to my feet?"
The Vigilante hesitated before silently but forcibly grabbing ahold of Joker's wrist and standing him upright, shoving him forward in front of himself.
"Lead me to him," Batman ordered, his fists immediately curling back up as if their only job in The Joker's presence was to beat him.
"Sure thing, Bat-freak, Hahahahaha!" Joker cackled before getting shoved again, making his way toward an old abandoned warehouse.
Once they got inside the dusty building, Batman looked around, getting a very eerie feeling in his gut that told him something was not right. But what was right in any situation involving the Joker? Batman's detective instincts were on high alert, scanning the place for any tricks or traps. Joker was just too unpredictable for him to want to deal with.
Suddenly, a voice deep within the dismal warehouse cried, "help, Somebody, help me!" Sending Batman's feet running toward it. It didn't sound like Gordon's voice at all but it was definitely the voice of a man in trouble.
Joker's laugh filled the warehouse as the hero looked for the distressed citizen. Oh GOD how he loved to play with old Bats! Watching Batman get so worked up and angry because of him. Watching Batman put his life on the line at every turn because of him.
Because of him.
Him.
"The Joker," Joker whispered to himself, clenching his fists happily. Something inside of his crazy mind lit up like the Fourth of July.
He stared at them as they shook with excitement, his huge smile somehow stretching until the corners of his mouth met the corners of his eyes. It was because of Joker Batman wasted his time and lost sleep. It was because of Joker Batman could not live a normal life. Joker's heart pounded at the thought of Batman only being who he was because of his own existence.
"H-he needs me," He whispered to himself once again, clutching his head.
He bent himself backwards before bursting into a maniacal fit of laughter at this sudden realization, tears streaming down his cheeks. He now had information that Batman did not know about regarding their "relationship."
That put a hefty burden on the Clown's shoulders. Then again, having Gotham's most beloved little hero wrapped around his pinky finger made his face STING with joy!
"Oohhhh BATSY," Joker crowed, biting the knuckle of his index finger until he drew blood.
"Hahahahahaha, come out to plaaaaayyyyy!"
The maniac spun around in a circle like a drunken fool, feeling high and on top of the world. He knew he was fanboying and there was nothing that could stop him. But he did not care, all he wanted to do now was to prove to Bat-face that he was his number one!
Batman ignored that insane, failed comedian's taunts, hoofing it to rescue that poor guy suffering from one of Joker's elaborate traps-
"What. In. The hell," Batman's eye twitched as he scooped up a tape recorder in his massive hand.
That same voice repeated itself from it, Batman opening the recorder to take out a little green tape that read 'Gotcha!' In red lettering.
The world's "greatest detective" could not believe it. He had fallen for such an old trick and it made his insides squirm with self-doubt. He crushed the device as if it were made of aluminum and slammed the pieces down, seeing red. It dawned on him that the Commissioner was not trouble. He was not there. This really was just a game to the Joker this time. A game that did not allow him to take over Gotham. Just a game to fuck with his mind.
How could he have let Joker GET him?
How could he have fallen prey to such a simple prank? The secret billionaire advanced dangerously toward his chortling nemesis with a glower that would have made the entire Justice League put themselves in handcuffs. He was through talking to this piece of shit fool. Batman's mind swarmed with dark, horrible thoughts regarding this Clown's fate and blinding him to the fact that this is what Joker has been wanting all along.
He wanted Batman for once to stoop to his level and prove that he was just like him.
The Bat was done talking. Done wasting his time when real crime could be going on elsewhere and it was this asshole's fault that he was not there! It would be Joker's fault if innocents die over his absence!
Interrogation was no longer necessary.
Batman's next move was carried out with such aloofness that the Joker almost stopped laughing to ask him if he was mad at him. But he wouldn't have time. The next thing Batman knew was the sound of glass breaking along with Joker's laugh dying out completely.
Silence. Peace. Tranquility.
Everything the Bat had ever wanted from Joker...had now come.
The Detective's mind began to release a colorless fog that had been clouding it, causing him to blink and shake his head slowly. Once his vision cleared, his eyes fell upon Joker's crippled looking body surrounded by glass and a pool of blood that was slowly getting larger. His eyes were closed and his face was blank.
Out cold. It was a horrifying sight to say the least. Batman had literally wiped that infuriating smirk off of that buffoon's face. He just had no memory of even doing it. The Vigilante jogged over to his enemy and knelt down. He had pieces of glass stuck through him while parts of his body was sliced up and oozing crimson plasma. If The Bat had to guess, he'd say he went a little berserk and hurdled Joker's body into a giant pane of glass that had been left carelessly against a wall.
Did he mean to send Joker into a thick wall-sized piece of window? He couldn't remember. He did however make himself feel better by thinking that it was an old glass and or window warehouse, making it a total accident.
Joker was bleeding out fast so Batman got to work by enveloping his nemesis into his arms, using his cape to slow the process as much as possible. He was not a killer. Even though this was the Joker, he was not going to let him die. Holding Joker against him tight in one arm, Batman used his other to signal for the Batmobile, racing to catch it.
'Alfred's not going to like this,' Batman thought as he piled the two of them into his Dark Knight ride, skidding away on the cracked pavement.
The pale man in the other seat kept his head against the window, uttering a small moan that indicated he was still very much alive. It relieved The Hero only because it meant he got to keep a clean record on his only rule. He glanced over at him time and time again, expecting the psycho to jump up and try to kill him.
He didn't.
Not even as they reached the Bat Cave did Joker do much else.
"Shit, he's really hurt this time," Bat said just above a whisper to himself. He really wanted to be glad but he wasn't. Because whoever threw him back there was not him.
Something inside of him snapped.
Whatever it was had to wait because now Bruce Wayne had a self-inflicted Joker responsibility to tend to.
~To Be Continued.