Batjokes You Complete Me

Chapter Fourteen

Normal POV

Later that night Lucy had been all taken care of and had gone to sleep for school the next day. Meanwhile, Joker and Bruce were having a heated conversation downstairs in the living room.

"Bats, you cannot leave again tonight do you realize what just happened today?!? You've been here when she took her first steps, said her first word, and rode her first bike, you gotta be here for this too. I'm also sick of you not being here for me either, you think this is what I wanted my life to be?!?!..." Joker crossed his arms angrily as he spoke.

"I leave to protect Gotham every night. You knew this about me from the beginning. I can easily come back early in the morning if I'm needed." Bruce snapped back.

"Who's to say you'll ever come back again when you leave! Could be a night, a week, hell why not leave twenty years, it wouldn't make any difference to you because all you can think about is your image!" Joker walked out into the kitchen slamming the door after yelling, too angry to even look at his boyfriend.

Alfred walked downstairs at that moment, "What is all this arguing about? If you get too loud you could wake your daughter up."

"It's fine Al, Joker and I were just discussing some issues." Bruce replied.

"Well it doesn't sound fine. Must I put my foot down and have you both speak rationally to each other to solve the problem?"

"Al, we can..."

"No master Bruce!" Alfred had cut him off, "You two think differently but you are in a relationship and raising a child so something has to give. Neither one of you can continue to shrug things off or bottle up what you feel! Now you go to your lover and fix it like mature adults or I'll whip you both into shape myself!"

"Fine Al, you don't have to be so parental."

"Well, at times like this I do."

Bruce walked into the kitchen finding Joker digging through cabinets looking for alcohol to drink away his feelings.

"Joker, just stop okay..." Bruce took his hands and looked him in the eyes, "Joker, we need to tak calmly about this."

Joker pushed him away, "Everything was already said out there. So just fucking leave like you always do."

"I can't just walk away, Joker, for one thing Alfred is starting to get upset about everything and for another thing I don't feel right about causing you to feel this way. We either have to find a middle ground for us or we have to..." Bruce paused.

"...Have to what?..." Joker had concern in his eyes.

"...We would have to... breakup..."

"We are not fucking breaking up!! Don't you dare make this anymore hell for me!!" Joker was furious.

"I'm not saying we are, but clearly if we don't do something right here right now then breaking up would be the only other solution. I mean, what do you want from me?..."

"I just want my boyfriend back..." Joker paused for a second to think of what he wanted to say, "I want you, my boyfriend, here with me for longer than just a few hours. I want you to be the better than me father for Lucy like when she was a baby. Sometimes, I want my old life back. The life before we were us but still us. Sometimes I miss being the clown prince of crime and I miss how everything I did that was so bad, and I know I have done some pretty fucked up things, but I miss doing all the fucked up things because they were all for you. To get your attention. You were all I ever cared about and I gave myself up, everything that made me, me, just for the chance we would have the great relationship together I imagined... but while I drop my whole life you can't even take one night off for me or anyone."

When Joker was finished with his speech he had tears in his eyes but wouldn't let himself cry. Bruce walked over to hug him but Joker just shoved him aside.

"What's one thing I could do right now to make you feel better? Anything at all just tell me and I'll do it." Bruce truly wanted to make him feel better.

"Take a week off from being Batman. Only be here with me, Lucy, and the butler."

Bruce sighed and thought for a minute, "Fine... I'll stop being Batman for a week, but only a week..."

"And you have to get someone to cover for you at wayne enterprises! I mean it, no work at all for you the whole week."

"Fine. I'll have Lucious cover for me with my company."

Joker hugged him tightly not wanting to let go, "...Thank you..."

Bruce hugged him back holding him close, knowing his decision was hard to make but it was the right one.