Nightminds - Chapter 3
Title: Nightminds
Chapter: Chapter 3 of ?
Author:spygirl690
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.
Rating: R to NC17
Paring: Batman/Joker
Warnings: drug use, graphic violence (in later chapters)
Summary: “Sometimes it is the darkness that two people share that can bring them together.” This story examines the months Bruce spent in Princeton before returning home to start his journey in Batman Begins. The title was inspired by the Missy Higgin's song with the same name.
BIG thanks goes to my beta toriolees . You really saved me. I look forward to working with you.
Also - I will be posting a new chapter every Wednesday until the story is finished
Find all the previous chapters of Nightminds here.
Chapter Three
Bruce walked out of the Finance building and walked towards his residence hall. He turned down one of the semi-enclosed brick hallways that led past the courtyard. The sunset created orange squares on the wall ahead of him as the light coming from the courtyard filtered into the dark hallway. Bruce glanced into the courtyard and as he walked past it. It was one of the most peaceful places on campus at this time of day. Many classes had been let out and students were more concerned about getting back to their dorms to prepare for the inevitable Friday night frat party than lounging in the courtyard.
Bruce's eyes rested on the lone figure standing by the monument for some former student or dean who had done something to better the school. It had been a little over a week since he had seen him last but Bruce recognized the boy from the scuffle in Professor Patterson's class instantly. Napier, they had called him.
He was dressed in the same vest and slack attire as before only this outfit was gray, topped by a black sport coat. His eyes were flickering from one area of the courtyard to another as he made his way leisurely around the statue. Several students passed through the courtyard as he stood there but he didn't pay attention to any of them, nor did they pay any to him.
A large group of school boys made their way through the courtyard towards Napier who was crouching to look at something Bruce couldn't see. Sensing another fight, Bruce stood partially hidden by one of the stone posts near the group.
Napier looked up at the leader of the gang and smiled, extending his hand. They shook hands and upon completing of the gesture Bruce noticed that a roll of bills had been passed to Napier. Napier pulled a small green envelope from his pocket and gave it to the boy. Napier’s customers nodded and left, the whole transaction done in silence.
“Do all billionaires enjoy moonlighting as campus detectives, or just the exceptionally handsome ones?” Napier’s eyes remained fixed on his departing customers.
Bruce moved out from behind the post and into the courtyard, the last part of Napier's statement sticking in his head.
“I thought you had gotten yourself into trouble again,” said Bruce.
Napier turned to face him, the same glint of amusement in his eyes that had been there in the classroom, “Coming to my rescue again? Well I'm flattered really but as you saw, it was just a normal business transaction.”
Bruce glanced at Napier’s pocket.
“Business transaction of what, you want to ask?” Napier stuck his hands in his pocket and pulled out several green packets filled with different narcotics, “Anything that can be sniffed, smoked, shot or swallowed.”
Bruce looked around them, “You seem to be pretty sure of yourself, showing that stuff in the open.”
Napier put them back in his pocket, “No, I simply don't care.”
Bruce's eyebrows rose as he looked at Napier, “You don't care?”
Napier shrugged and sat down on the low stone wall, “What is meant to happen will happen, the people who are really stupid are the ones who think they can somehow change that fact.”
Bruce's mind turned, why am I even talking to him? A drug dealer who clearly is a little off center. But something about his reasoning in the classroom had caught Bruce's attention. His words had played over in his mind for the past week as he drifted off to sleep. Everyone else he met seemed to be stuck in the same age-old rat race: school to work to family to death. But Napier seemed to bite his thumb at the whole system, while somehow tipping his hat to the inevitability of it all.
“Although you seem to be one of the few above-the-crust children here who don't adhere to the same mindless mantra as your peers,” Napier folded one of his legs up onto the wall, perched his chin on his knee and looked up at Bruce.
Bruce didn't quite know how to reply, “Is that suppose to be a compliment?”
Napier stood again and grinned, “Hn, it is meant to be exactly what you want it to be.”
“I don't think you know enough about me to come to that sort of conclusion,” said Bruce.
Napier began circling the statue again as he spoke, “Well for one thing, you haven't been to any of the high-brow soirées on campus yet, or the scummy frat parties for that matter.”
Bruce folded his arms across his chest and he couldn't stop a smirk from playing at the corner of his lips, “Following me, Napier?”
Napier laughed, “No, parties are my biggest source of revenue. I wouldn’t be a savvy entrepreneur if I didn't attend them. Not like I particularly enjoy being around the sweaty, drug-charged, beer-chugging future of America, but this type of education doesn't exactly pay for itself.”
A loud cough interrupted their conversation. Bruce turned to see a girl dressed all in black with heavy makeup standing on the outskirts of the courtyard.
“Pardon me Wayne,” Napier nodded his head towards the girl, “Business calls.”
Again, Bruce wasn't quite sure what to say.
Napier turned back to Bruce halfway across the small courtyard, “You are right about one thing Wayne, I don't know you well enough. Let's try to remedy that.”
Against his better instincts, Bruce gave a curt nod. Napier grinned, and Bruce could see amusement in his eyes again.
Bruce started to walk away when Napier shouting his name caught his attention.
“The name’s Jack. Jack Napier,” he called after him.
Bruce turned from Jack and walked briskly down the hallway leading out of the courtyard. At that moment, he felt a mixture of emotions as questions began to surface in his mind. Why was he so interested in Jack? What is the nature of Jack’s interest in him? Did he really want to get to know him better? He was the definition of trouble. Not as if Bruce hadn't been there at one time in his life. But he was trying to do something different now, make progress on that stupid path that had been laid out for him.
Their conversation played continuously in his head as he approached his apartment building. Jack's beguiling smile and his confidence had completely disarmed Bruce without lifting a finger. It felt like he had just engaged in a battle of words and somehow, Jack had come out
on top.
Bruce arrived back at his apartment trying to get the thoughts out of his head, but they lingered at the fringe of his mind. The longer the thoughts percolated in Bruce's conscious, he found something even more startling emerging out of his brief conversation with Jack.
Readying himself for bed, Bruce got into the shower, hoping to wash the thoughts of Jack from his mind. The words they had exchanged in the courtyard today were louder than the hum of the shower against the tile. Bruce closed his eyes, resting his head against the shower wall and let the water soak his body in warmth.
Jacks' smile appeared before his eyes.
“Do all billionaires enjoy moonlighting as campus detectives or just the exceptionally handsome ones?”
Bruce's smirk returned.
“Following me, Napier?”
As Bruce thought about their conversation, it seemed less like banter with a classmate and more like an exchange he'd had numerous times before with a woman.
A question kept Bruce's eyes open that night, even though his head had hit the pillow hours ago.
Were we flirting?
Chapter: Chapter 3 of ?
Author:spygirl690
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.
Rating: R to NC17
Paring: Batman/Joker
Warnings: drug use, graphic violence (in later chapters)
Summary: “Sometimes it is the darkness that two people share that can bring them together.” This story examines the months Bruce spent in Princeton before returning home to start his journey in Batman Begins. The title was inspired by the Missy Higgin's song with the same name.
BIG thanks goes to my beta toriolees . You really saved me. I look forward to working with you.
Also - I will be posting a new chapter every Wednesday until the story is finished
Find all the previous chapters of Nightminds here.
Chapter Three
Bruce walked out of the Finance building and walked towards his residence hall. He turned down one of the semi-enclosed brick hallways that led past the courtyard. The sunset created orange squares on the wall ahead of him as the light coming from the courtyard filtered into the dark hallway. Bruce glanced into the courtyard and as he walked past it. It was one of the most peaceful places on campus at this time of day. Many classes had been let out and students were more concerned about getting back to their dorms to prepare for the inevitable Friday night frat party than lounging in the courtyard.
Bruce's eyes rested on the lone figure standing by the monument for some former student or dean who had done something to better the school. It had been a little over a week since he had seen him last but Bruce recognized the boy from the scuffle in Professor Patterson's class instantly. Napier, they had called him.
He was dressed in the same vest and slack attire as before only this outfit was gray, topped by a black sport coat. His eyes were flickering from one area of the courtyard to another as he made his way leisurely around the statue. Several students passed through the courtyard as he stood there but he didn't pay attention to any of them, nor did they pay any to him.
A large group of school boys made their way through the courtyard towards Napier who was crouching to look at something Bruce couldn't see. Sensing another fight, Bruce stood partially hidden by one of the stone posts near the group.
Napier looked up at the leader of the gang and smiled, extending his hand. They shook hands and upon completing of the gesture Bruce noticed that a roll of bills had been passed to Napier. Napier pulled a small green envelope from his pocket and gave it to the boy. Napier’s customers nodded and left, the whole transaction done in silence.
“Do all billionaires enjoy moonlighting as campus detectives, or just the exceptionally handsome ones?” Napier’s eyes remained fixed on his departing customers.
Bruce moved out from behind the post and into the courtyard, the last part of Napier's statement sticking in his head.
“I thought you had gotten yourself into trouble again,” said Bruce.
Napier turned to face him, the same glint of amusement in his eyes that had been there in the classroom, “Coming to my rescue again? Well I'm flattered really but as you saw, it was just a normal business transaction.”
Bruce glanced at Napier’s pocket.
“Business transaction of what, you want to ask?” Napier stuck his hands in his pocket and pulled out several green packets filled with different narcotics, “Anything that can be sniffed, smoked, shot or swallowed.”
Bruce looked around them, “You seem to be pretty sure of yourself, showing that stuff in the open.”
Napier put them back in his pocket, “No, I simply don't care.”
Bruce's eyebrows rose as he looked at Napier, “You don't care?”
Napier shrugged and sat down on the low stone wall, “What is meant to happen will happen, the people who are really stupid are the ones who think they can somehow change that fact.”
Bruce's mind turned, why am I even talking to him? A drug dealer who clearly is a little off center. But something about his reasoning in the classroom had caught Bruce's attention. His words had played over in his mind for the past week as he drifted off to sleep. Everyone else he met seemed to be stuck in the same age-old rat race: school to work to family to death. But Napier seemed to bite his thumb at the whole system, while somehow tipping his hat to the inevitability of it all.
“Although you seem to be one of the few above-the-crust children here who don't adhere to the same mindless mantra as your peers,” Napier folded one of his legs up onto the wall, perched his chin on his knee and looked up at Bruce.
Bruce didn't quite know how to reply, “Is that suppose to be a compliment?”
Napier stood again and grinned, “Hn, it is meant to be exactly what you want it to be.”
“I don't think you know enough about me to come to that sort of conclusion,” said Bruce.
Napier began circling the statue again as he spoke, “Well for one thing, you haven't been to any of the high-brow soirées on campus yet, or the scummy frat parties for that matter.”
Bruce folded his arms across his chest and he couldn't stop a smirk from playing at the corner of his lips, “Following me, Napier?”
Napier laughed, “No, parties are my biggest source of revenue. I wouldn’t be a savvy entrepreneur if I didn't attend them. Not like I particularly enjoy being around the sweaty, drug-charged, beer-chugging future of America, but this type of education doesn't exactly pay for itself.”
A loud cough interrupted their conversation. Bruce turned to see a girl dressed all in black with heavy makeup standing on the outskirts of the courtyard.
“Pardon me Wayne,” Napier nodded his head towards the girl, “Business calls.”
Again, Bruce wasn't quite sure what to say.
Napier turned back to Bruce halfway across the small courtyard, “You are right about one thing Wayne, I don't know you well enough. Let's try to remedy that.”
Against his better instincts, Bruce gave a curt nod. Napier grinned, and Bruce could see amusement in his eyes again.
Bruce started to walk away when Napier shouting his name caught his attention.
“The name’s Jack. Jack Napier,” he called after him.
Bruce turned from Jack and walked briskly down the hallway leading out of the courtyard. At that moment, he felt a mixture of emotions as questions began to surface in his mind. Why was he so interested in Jack? What is the nature of Jack’s interest in him? Did he really want to get to know him better? He was the definition of trouble. Not as if Bruce hadn't been there at one time in his life. But he was trying to do something different now, make progress on that stupid path that had been laid out for him.
Their conversation played continuously in his head as he approached his apartment building. Jack's beguiling smile and his confidence had completely disarmed Bruce without lifting a finger. It felt like he had just engaged in a battle of words and somehow, Jack had come out
on top.
Bruce arrived back at his apartment trying to get the thoughts out of his head, but they lingered at the fringe of his mind. The longer the thoughts percolated in Bruce's conscious, he found something even more startling emerging out of his brief conversation with Jack.
Readying himself for bed, Bruce got into the shower, hoping to wash the thoughts of Jack from his mind. The words they had exchanged in the courtyard today were louder than the hum of the shower against the tile. Bruce closed his eyes, resting his head against the shower wall and let the water soak his body in warmth.
Jacks' smile appeared before his eyes.
“Do all billionaires enjoy moonlighting as campus detectives or just the exceptionally handsome ones?”
Bruce's smirk returned.
“Following me, Napier?”
As Bruce thought about their conversation, it seemed less like banter with a classmate and more like an exchange he'd had numerous times before with a woman.
A question kept Bruce's eyes open that night, even though his head had hit the pillow hours ago.
Were we flirting?