Author: Co-written by Jay Narra & Liana Kerzner
Rating: G
Pairing: Batman/Joker
Fandom: Think "The Killing Joke," & "Arkham Asylum." Mildly BTAS. Some point after the comic "Death In The Family."
Feedback: Definitely! Appreciated! raytheoncentaur3@yahoo.com
Archive: Yes, certainly! Just let me know it's there!
Disclaimer: Batman, Joker & Harley are (c) DC! Not mine!
Summary: An interesting conversation happens along the way to the hospital...
The Game We Play, Chapter 6 - It's All So Funny
Co-written by Jay Narra & Liana Kerzner
Minutes later, both Batman and Harley were in the back of the building, the former of the two carrying an unusually quiet madman. Harley was eager to leave, jingling the keys in her fingers while glancing around. She wished fervently that everything would be okay for her clown lover.
Joker closed his eyes, relaxing into the crook of Batman's arms as he was carried. It felt like last night... so warm and strangely comforting... like how it felt to slip into a heated tub of water.
He slowly drifted off, too weak to remain awake for long at this point.
"Joker?" Batman urged, feeling the fragile body starting to sag.
Harley snapped out of her thoughts when Bats talked again. "What's th'matta?" she asked nervously, turning around to look.
Joker grumbled faintly and sighed afterward, vanishing off into a dreamland of his own creation.
"Damn!" Batman hissed, feeling Joker go limp. He set him into the passenger seat of the Batmobile and shook his self-professed 'friend's' bony shoulders. "Joker! Stay awake! You can't
fall asleep!"
Pale green eyes looked up at Batman, wondering at the concern in his voice. "Why.. not?" He shifted slightly in the seat, finding the groove of the cushion and sinking into it. Robin had probably been right here countless times. Something about that made him minutely jealous. That boy didn't even have to kill to get attention.
"Because I need you conscious." Batman told him urgently.
Harley paced nearby, unable to stand this. "Can we get going? Please..? I'll follow.." She jingled the keys and looked like she was going to walk to the car, but paused. "Can we go?"
"Yes. Go." Batman answered, closing the passenger side door and crossing in front of the car to get in the driver's seat. "Gotham General. Meet you there."
"K!" Harley darted off to the stolen car, having to go a little distance to find it in the alley. She started it up, her fingers shaking just enough to make the task difficult. Immediately, she turned down the radio, tapping her left foot anxiously...
Batman slid into the driver's seat and closed the door, then started the car. "Are you still with me, Joker?"
"Heh..heh.." A tired chuckle let Batman know the answer as he lifted his face to look at his captor and playmate. "Present." He groaned softly and crossed his arms over his stomach, turning away to lean on his right shoulder.
Batman nodded, put the car in gear, and roared out of the alley, trying to get to the hospital as fast as he could, and hating the silence.
"Talk to me," He said to the Joker, reaching over to shake him a little again.
Joker blinked a few times, searching for something to say. Anything that didn't have to do with last night. "A little boy gets up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night..." He coughed and whined softly. "As he passes his parent's bedroom.." Another few coughs and he pauses, wincing in pain.. "..he peeks in through the keyhole. He watches for a moment, then continues.." After another painful attempt at speech, he growls out, "Dammit, Bats.. I hope you're happy about what you did to me.."
"We've been through this." Batman grumbled, keeping his eyes on the road.
Angrily, Joker turned to glare at Batman. He tried his best to use whatever was left of his strength as he forced out the last of his joke. "He watches for a moment, then continues on down the hallway, saying to himself, 'Boy, and she gets mad at me for sucking my thumb.'" After finishing, he turned away, coldly pretending not to notice Batman there any longer.
Batman sat in silence for a while, wondering how to respond. Eventually, he thought of something. Something sufficiently vile.
"Superman's flying over the streets of Metropolis, and sees Wonder Woman naked, spread eagle on top of a building. Thinking his friend is in trouble, he flies down to investigate and his more carnal urges get the better of him. Afterward, Superman asks Wonder Woman if it was good for her. Wonder Woman looks over at Superman and says, 'That was great for me, but the Invisible Man will never walk again!'"
He waited for Joker's response.
"Hmph," Joker answered. What? Was that joke supposed to get a rise out of him? "I'm surprised you didn't include yourself in that story, Bats.. You sure it was Supey?" He reached to touch the car door in a curious manner, inspecting the inside of the Batmobile from his position. His fingers slid along the padded area on the arm rest.
"Guess you had to be there." Batman said dryly as he turned a corner, trying not to smirk.
"You say that like you're sad I wasn't," he spat back quickly, grabbing a hold of the seat when they turned.
*
end