Who You Really Are - Batjokes

II

Morning almost dawned as Bruce returned to the batcave, a few hours after his encounter with Joker. It remained a quiet night after that but even the smallest criminals are not worth the risk to be left running on the loose.
Still, none of them really managed to harm the vigilante in any way so when he wrapped off his mask that night, there merely was a scratch gracing his cheek.
"I am relieved to welcome you back in one piece, Master Bruce", Alfred greeted him with a tray of tea in his hands.
"Thank you Alfred but you may have the tea, I might just go to bed early tonight", he thanked his butler, clearly in the need to get his hands off tonight's earliest events.
"I see. Well, Sir, I have noticed a certain change in behaviour of you tonight-".
Bruce looked at him rather surprised, pearls of sweat forming on his forehead as he felt internalised terror building its way up inside his head. Has he heard what was going on? What if he did? Bruce hadn't thought about it all even for a second when encountering Joker that night. 'Well, it was just a kiss, right?', he may have thought but the reply would be simple: 'It was a kiss with the most wanted loony criminal of Gotham! And you even offered to help him! And what's worse- You let him go!'.
He shook his head a little, getting rid of all negative thoughts as he just listened to his butler before manifesting any possible panic.
"All I meant to suggest, with all due respect, is that some sleep may really do you all good".
Bruce would've dropped his jaw at this point. But as he didn't want to be all too obvious about his reaction, he just raised his eyebrows surprised and gave his butler a tired smile.
"Glad you agree, Alfred. I knew I could count on your advice".
That now even made the old, worried face of Alfred lighten up and for the glimpse of a second, it seemed like he'd just smiled all his wrinkles away.
Bruce decided to let the warmth of that memory sink in carefully as he made his way upstairs, his legs feeling like they'd weight a ton each, making him realise how much he actually did need that sleep. But his thoughts, heart and stomach remained bubbling, circling around Joker, his smile, his voice.. his warmth-
"Oh Master Bruce, if I may, I'd have one last question!", Alfred called for him as he'd almost forgotten he wasn't quite alone yet.
He tried pushing away his thoughts once again but just like the Joker himself, his thoughts about him wouldn't let him.
"What is it?", he asked nevertheless.
"I have been wondering ever since you have encountered our clown fiend.
I have overheard the beginning of your conversation and it's not in my hands to judge neither your offer to help him nor to mute your comms but.. as we've never spoken about it ever since, what exactly happened? After all, he still got away after you've clearly defeated him. What stopped you from arresting him?"

Bruce had feared that question would come, that's why he never tried bringing it up, in the hope it would just get smothered between all other things having happened that night. And surely, he'd trust no one else more with what truly happened when communication was cut than Alfred. But as every moment flashed by like in time lapse, he came to realise the effects of it.
So it came that he decided to keep all truth to himself for good.
"You know that slickly clown, he's always got an ace up his sleeve", he chuckled rather nervously, still with as much shame in his voice as the actual truth would allow it.
Alfred looked him deep in the eyes and must've seen that even though the story was not completely true, Bruce had his reasons for giving him the answer he did.
"Well then I wish us better succeeding next time and you a good rest for now, Sir. If you'll be looking for me, I'll be in the library and tend to the poor books you never spare any of your valued time to."
Bruce could hear the warning in his voice that some good lecture and education would do him good and he couldn't but smile at that a little.
"Good night, Al", he answered calmly.
"Let the books know I said hi", he then added, trying to hold back breaking out into laughter as he stormed up the stairs before he could see the flabbergasted look on his butler's face.

It was when he finally had reached his room that he noticed the childishness in his behaviour and he felt like an 8 year old again, running from Alfred after having sneakily purloined a biscuit behind his back.
"Wow, I kiss one clown and bam, I go bonkers!", Bruce mumbled to himself while dragging himself into the shower.
As the cold water hit him, he first thought of cursing the world but as he'd slowly gotten used to the unearthly temperature, he felt the fog of his mind passing by to leave it cleared again.
He then finally laid down to rest, however no matter how hard his mind tried forgetting Joker, his body still couldn't. He still felt his long, cold fingers resting on his chest as on the other hand, these red lips touching his own were full of warmth, heat even. Oh he remembered how it took him nasty 20 minutes to get off every inch of the lipstick stains around his mouth and every second of it hurt, feeling like he'd wipe him off too. If Bruce could, he'd wrap his arms around the clown and never let go. The thought of it eventually let the Playboy masked Vigilante drift off to sleep, letting the first half of the coming day pass while he slept twice as long as he'd gotten to the past two weeks.