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hysterialevi · 6 years

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Lotus pt. 12 (Batjokes)

Author’s note: *winks*

From Bruce’s POV

A FEW HOURS LATER

“I know you’re trying to create a myth,” Alfred warned, his tone sharp yet soft with care, “but be careful you don’t turn into a monster. Don’t let tombstones be your family legacy, Bruce.”

What? I thought to myself, trying to make sense of what was going on.

Why could I hear Alfred? Why did all this seem so familiar? ...Was I...was I dreaming? I couldn’t even remember the last thing that happened before I passed out, and right now, the entire world around me was black.

All I could see was Alfred himself standing in the middle of the darkness, tending to an ornate fireplace with his back facing me. I began to approach the butler, but before I could even take two steps, a vicious fire instantly consumed him and incinerated his body, replacing him with a new figure:

Harvey Dent.

The District Attorney glared nefariously at me, his dead eyes narrowed with hatred as a coin shimmered in between his fingers. He looked exactly as I remembered him, and the closer I got, the more I could see fresh embers dancing around him.

“...H-Harvey?” I called out, admittedly missing my old friend. But the feeling wasn’t mutual.

“Up until now,” he growled, “Harvey’s been weak. He’s been afraid.” The man peeled off his prosthetic, unveiling the charred, grotesque flesh underneath as he pointed at me.

“This...this is the monster they all know that you are. EMBRACE IT!”

Harvey’s expression immediately changed to remorse as he grabbed his hair in frustration, averting my gaze out of guilt.

“No...no! Oh god, this is what you wanted to see, isn’t it? The FREAK!”

Once again, violent flames burst around him and engulfed his body, unveiling yet another familiar face in his position. Though this time, it was someone I had hoped to never see again: Lady Arkham.

The woman let out a low, wicked chuckle, her disturbing mask barely visible through the shadows.

“Bruce Wayne,” Lady Arkham mocked, her voice echoing in the emptiness. “He’d never be the man Batman is. He only looks out for himself. Ah, but of course...now I understand. As Batman, you can prey upon the weak. The defenseless. Just like your father did. A true Wayne!”

The fire reappeared more and more frequently now, practically flying through every person I’d ever encountered in my whole life as they all said their own piece to me, their voices mashing up into one giant mess now.

“Take a gander at us now. Night and day. You’d hardly recognize us, would you--?”

“--The paths may diverge, but they end in the same place. Face down in an alley. Shot in the dark by criminals, in some godforsaken corner of Gotham--”

“--Maybe Batman’s made Gotham more dangerous. Kinda upped the bar for these freaks--”

“--Such a pretty way of sayin’ killin’ a person. I hadn’t taken you for such a ruthless fella--”

“--Wake up, Bruce. You need to wake up--!”

“--Bruce! ...BRUCE!”

Snapping my eyes open with a jolt, I was greeted by a pale face looming over me as its eccentric green eyes stared at me curiously, leading me to immediately recognize them. John.

“Buddy!” He exclaimed out of relief. “You looked like you were having a nightmare there...thought I should wake you up. Though, I suppose I’ve only brought you into another one, huh. How do you feel?”

Glancing at my surroundings, I sat up and found myself in a bed, all bandaged up and taken care of. The room around me was vibrantly colored with green and purple, and on one of the walls, I spotted a collection of framed photos arranged in the shape of a smiley face. Some of them included people like Dr. Leland, Harley, and even Batman...but the majority of them were pictures of...me.

How long had he been gathering these photos? A few of them looked like they dated back to a number of years ago, and I was pretty sure I hadn’t even met John yet. Had he been following me all this time? Just...watching my life? Frankly, I didn’t know if I was flattered or freaked out. But that wasn’t the only thing John had of me.

Sitting on a desk underneath the mounted album, there was a handmade doll next to a music box, its button eyes staring blankly at me as a haunting melody chimed in the background. Red paint had been smeared all over the doll’s face, and a piece of black cloth covered its nose and mouth...just like me.

“Where...where are we?” I croaked, still in pain from the shock Waller gave me.

“Don’t you recognize it?” John asked. “We’re at the Funhouse. This is where you found me after those Agency pigs tried to kill me and Harley. This was the last time you and I were ever friends. But then you had to go and...blow it all up!”

I glared at John, coaxing an apology out of him.

“Sorry, sorry. Dr. Leland says I have a hard time letting things go. I know you were only doing what you thought was right. No one can blame you for that...even if it did almost get me shot.”

Ignoring his previous statement, I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and braced myself, only to have a concerned John block my path.

“Hey, hey -- be careful” he comforted. “Even though I’ve tended to most of your wounds, I still don’t know if you’ve completely recovered. Do you feel okay, buddy?”

I couldn’t deny that John’s compassion threw me off-guard a bit, and the more he fretted over me, the more I started to suspect what his true motives really were. I paid no mind to his question, and instead, got straight to the point.

“Why are you being so kind to me?” I asked, remaining on the bed.

John seemed baffled by that. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be? I told you before, Brucie. I love you.” He gave me a warm smile. “...You’re my better half.”

I let out a breath, trying to understand the clown’s logic.

“It wasn’t too long ago that you wanted to kill me. Why do you suddenly care so much? Why haven’t you given up on me like the rest of this goddamn city?”

John frowned. “I never actually wanted you to die! If I did, I wouldn’t have given you that gas mask. I was just so...angry and so annoyed with everything you had done -- I wanted to get some revenge. But murdering you was never on my to-do list. You...you mean too much to me. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to sleep again if I killed you. Though...I guess you’ve already died once, haven’t you. Thanks to Harley.”

I scoffed, shaking my head. “...No. I wasn’t that lucky.”

Searching around the room for a second, I came to a pause when I noticed that a certain someone was missing.

“Where is Harley, anyway?”

The other man fell silent.

“...In a cell, probably.”

That took me by surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“Waller tried to arrest you back at City Hall,” John explained, “so Harley and I jumped in -- quite literally, actually. At first, things were going swell, but somewhere in the chaos, Harley got overwhelmed by Waller’s people, and you were still unconscious after being zapped. I tried to save both of you, but there wasn’t enough time, so I...I...”

“...You gave her up to rescue me.” I concluded.

“Do you believe me when I say I love you now? I’d do anything for you, Bruce. Anything. Especially if it means burning Gotham to the ground.”

John leaned forward, laying his hand on top of mine. “I promise...I’ll never abandon you again. Ever. You...you do believe me, don’t you? You still have faith in me -- your old buddy, John? U-Unless...the stitch is truly broken. In that case, just say the word...and we’ll just go our separate ways. You’ll never hear from me again. It’ll be as if I don’t even exist. Just like old times.”

Without even thinking about it, I mindlessly tightened my grip on John’s hand and pulled him closer, afraid he’d slip away if I let go.

The action caused the lovestruck clown to gaze at me in a hopeful manner, his eyes widened with surprise as he wondered if there was a chance I’d finally forgive him. I didn’t even realize I was holding the man so close until he took a seat on the bed beside me, patiently waiting for a response as I tried to hide the tears that threatened to spill.

“...Bruce?” John softly asked, still as a statue. I glanced upwards, unable to restrain myself from breaking down.

“You know,” I whispered, “when I woke up in that morgue a week ago...no one was there. Not Waller, not Tiffany, not Avesta...not even Alfred. I was all alone. Just some botched science experiment who had been left for dead, and couldn’t even be given a proper burial. This...this is the first time I’ve woken up with someone at my side. And it’s the man I had the least amount of faith in.”

John caressed my cheek, stroking affectionately. “Well, it’s not like you had no reason to doubt me. I know I hurt you a lot at Wayne Enterprises, but I won’t leave you alone again, Bruce. I’m here till the end. You know that.”

“I’m not afraid of being alone,” I corrected. “...I’m afraid of being forgotten.”

The other man brought me into an embrace, resting his head on my chest.

“Then there’s no need to be scared. Because no matter how this ends, I guarantee that ‘Joker’ and ‘Lazarus’ are gonna be two names Gotham will never forget. It’s possible we could die, I know, but at least we’ll go out with a bang! And I’ll have you right next to me, whether we’re in the Funhouse or in the grave.”

I smiled at him. “...Thank you, John. I just...I don’t want to fight alone anymore.”

He returned the smile, scooting closer. “You never were.”

Before I could say anything further, John suddenly guided me into an amorous kiss and tied his arms around me, gradually pushing me down to the mattress underneath.

At first, I was frozen with surprise and simply lay still, unsure of how to react. I certainly wasn’t expecting our conversation to lead to this, but as time passed on, I eventually warmed up to it and kissed John back, combing a hand through his hair while the other tugged at his collar.

For a while, the two of us stayed like that and continued to shower each other with kisses, not worrying about the outside world. I had no idea where Waller was, or if Bane had even succeeded in blowing Gotham Bridge to hell -- and at the moment -- I didn’t care. Right now, all that mattered to me was John. Nothing more, nothing less.

Breaking the kiss for just a second, I rolled over and flipped our positions so that I was above the other man. Almost instantly, I felt John’s curious hands roaming up my back as they brushed over every ridge and savored the warmth, steadily making their way up to my shoulders.

By now, John had slid off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the porcelain skin beneath as he tossed the obstacle aside. It was pretty clear he had been wanting this for a while, and with every passing minute, more and more of our clothes found their way onto the floor, leaving nothing between us.

Hooking an arm around John’s bare waist, I smothered my lips on his own and practically flattened myself on top of him, locking our bodies together. His face and ears were flushed pink now, and the lower I worked my way down his frail chest, the more he seemed to drift into another world.

“I love you, Bruce,” John suddenly breathed out. “More than the world.”

I paused mid-action and climbed over him again, pecking a tender kiss on his forehead.

“...I love you, too, John. You’ll always be my light outside of Arkham.”

#telltale games #telltale batman #the enemy within #bruce wayne #john doe #joker #batjokes #fanfic #story #lotus

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