batman x joker

Love Letters

"A hero would sacrifice you to save the world,

but a villain would sacrifice the world to save you."

Tonight our love may yet be unfurled,

but its everlasting contents will be made true."

"Reminiscing again, Master Bruce?" A voice spoke out from the shadows of the Batcave. 

I chose not to acknowledge Alfred's presence with anything more than a shake of my head, instead focusing on the study laid out in front of me. 

"No," I closed my eyes. "I'm just trying to figure something out."

I couldn't afford a distraction. It had been a couple of days since I had a consistent train of thought, and it had also been a couple of days since I had gotten some proper shut-eye. I wasn't tired though, in fact I felt more energised with each passing hour. I needed a revelation, or a big hint or something. I had reached a dead end and I was losing hope.

"Ah, to be a young detective!" Alfred replied and chuckled lightly. "Who's got your cape in a knot this time?"

"The Joker," I scowl. "But he's left me the most impossible clues."

"What's this?"

"A pollen sample from the flower brooch he wore at our last meeting and a piece of paper that was found in one of the pockets of his clothing at Arkham," I passed them both to Alfred as he came around to look over my shoulder. "I thought the flower was a daisy, but they're not in season yet. The formation of the petals remind me of one from a signet marigold. See, they've got this sort of rounded 'M' shapes at the end with smaller 'M' shapes in the middle, but it's really unusual to find them in such vibrant shades of pink, if at all."

"Hmm. It doesn't look like any flower I recognise. Have you tried running it through the Bat-Computer?" 

"Extensively."

"And?" 

"Nothing."

Alfred thought for a while. I could tell he was thinking hard about it because his right hand was cupped around the bottom of his jaw and his index finger was stroking his bottom lip. It was a rather comical exaggeration but I couldn't bring myself to laugh about it this time. I found myself irritated tonight. It had been a week since Joker's little surprise date, but it was all I could keep thinking about. Just the peculiarity of it all was enough to drive me mad. I watched as a remodelled Joker stepped out of the shadows and emptied the vial of lipstick on his wide smile. He was a new figure, but not a new brand. Why had he dressed up? There were no important dates, I had checked. That meant apart from its total absurdity, it was just random chance he grabbed me that night. Nothing I could trace back scientifically. What was Joker playing at?

"Are you certain these could be clues at all?"

"What do you mean?" I looked at Alfred quizzically. 

"Well, judging from the obviously genetically modified flower and the curious little poem your friend has left you, I'd regard this as more of a— Ah, what is it they call it nowadays? Oh yes!— A booty call!" Alfred finished triumphantly.