Nightminds - Chapter 5
Title: Nightminds
Chapter: Chapter 5 of ?
Author: spygirl690
Disclaimer: If these characters were mine I would broadcast their sex acts daily. No daily video so hence - they are not mine. *pouts*
Rating: R to NC17
Pairing: Batman/Joker
Warning: drug use, graphic violence in later chapters
Summary: This story examines the months Bruce spent at Princeton before returning to start his journey in Batman Begins. The title was inspired by the Missy Higgins song Nightminds.
Thanks to beta toriolees and my moose.
Find all previous chapters of Nightminds here.
Chapter Five
As soon as they had entered the party, Jack was immediately recognized and pulled away from Bruce to do business. Bruce sat on one of the faded sofas against the wall and watched Jack work. Jack would make small talk to some, but only after they had provided payment.
Bruce talked to a few people as they cycled on and off the sofa, most didn't know who he was. The anonymity was refreshing, a change from the constant barrage of questions and empty pleasantries by Adrian Belzer and his circle of friends. An hour or so had past when a brunette sat down next to him, handing him one of her beers. She introduced herself and said she thought he looked thirsty. The side of Bruce's mouth quirked, a little direct but still - she seemed harmless enough.
After a few minutes of tedious small talk, the brunette was telling him how much quieter it was at her place when he felt Jack’s hand on his arm.
“It’s too crowded to do business in the open here,” Jack said with a thinly veiled sneer at the girl next to Bruce.
He tugged Bruce up from the couch and guided him to an empty bedroom on the second floor.
They sat playing a game of two-man poker, which seemed more like an excuse to occupy their hands than anything else while they talked.
Bruce glanced up from his losing hand at Jack, who was worrying the corner of his lip with his teeth while rearranging the cards in his hand. He looked different than he had the first two times they had run into each other.
On a detour to Jack's dorm room before the party, Jack had changed into a faded charcoal jean blazer over a blue t shirt with jeans and a faded black pair of Converse All-stars. The tip of Jack’s sneaker was tapping against the twin bed at his back. Bruce was sitting in a similar fashion, in between the two twin beds on the floor. Bruce thought about the scars he spotted on Jack's torso before he turned away, earlier when Jack was changing in his room. With a ‘profession’ like his, he must have not had an easy life.
“So... have you?”
He looked up at Jack and recalled their previous conversation about Jack's profession; leading obviously up to the question of whether Bruce had ever dabbled in illicit substances.
“Nothing more than a joint with some friends while I was in Europe.”
Bruce hated the way it had stripped away much of his control. Leaving him vulnerable to the seething emotions he tried to push away for so long. He laid down two cards and retrieved two more from the stack between them, trying to shake off thoughts of that night.
“You're not going to ask me the same?”
Jack was looking at him with amusement.
“I don't really have to, do I?”
Jack made a hurt face, “Really?”
It felt odd to Bruce that Jack took such a thing so lightly, “Am I wrong?”
“Well no, not really.”
Jack paused, putting his cards down so he could look directly at Bruce.
“My parents always taught me that if you want to be a good dealer you shouldn't be afraid of the stuff you're dealing. So have I tried pretty much everything, yes. Do I use everything? No. Pot sometimes, speed for those all-nighters and that's about it. Anything else and you're risking serious addiction, which would be just fatal to my career.”
“Your parents?” Bruce put his cards down, they weren't really playing anyways.
“Yes. I'm afraid the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree,” Jack shuffled the cards on the ground with his index finger.
“Your parents...”
The door slammed open and two girls dressed in glittery tops came stumbling in, laughing, most likely, about some stale joke.
“J.J., can Marley and I have some candy?” One of the girls stumbled towards Jack, handing him a wad of bills.
Jack got to his feet and studied the girl in front of him. He flicked through the bills in his hand, withdrew a green packet out of his pocket and gave it to her, along with some money from the wad.
“Hey! Hey! This isn’t what I wanted!” the girl shouted at Jack as her friend looked like she was hearing nails against a chalkboard.
“Listen. Neither of you look like you could handle that right now and dead customers are bad for business,” said Jack, shooing the girls to the door.
“You fucker! I know what I'm doing.” The girl tried to swing at Jack as he corralled her and her friend towards the door.
“Amy let's just go. Stop shouting, Jesus.” Her friend grabbed her by the arm and dragged her the rest of the way out of the room. The door slammed behind them and Jack settled back onto the floor across from Bruce. He laughed, shaking his head at the girls as if they had been kids begging for actual candy; not druggies looking for their next fix.
“Before you ask anything else, there is something you should know. I believe in equivalent exchange. Since I hate talking about my parents I'd ask for a topic that would be equally as painful for you to discuss. So I'll tell you about my parents if you tell me about yours.”
Bruce tapped the bottom of his empty beer bottle on the floor. Sounds from the night of his parent’s death echoed through his mind.
Most of the night they had been discussing things that didn't go this deep. But the second things went there Jack challenged Bruce. But Bruce understood Jack's intentions. You couldn't give something like that without expecting to get something in return. Better than most empty conversations he was a part of where neither party was expected to do anything to further the conversation. Even still, his parents were not something he talked about to anyone, not even Alfred.
Bruce gave Jack a defeated smile, “Point taken.”
“But you did get high in Amsterdam, so it is safe for me to assume you're not a mamma's boy,” Jack laughed and moved the conversation away from their parents.
“And almost got arrested for illegal street racing in Japan,” Bruce said.
Jack leaned forward eagerly when the bedroom door flew open. A boy from downstairs burst in, “Get out Jack, cops are headed our way.”
Jack and Bruce leaped to their feet. Jack threw Bruce a look of disappointment, “Just when we were about to get into your run in with the law.”
“Down the hall to the left, there’s a fire escape,” the other boy pointed the way for Jack.
Jack ran out into the hallway, amidst a commotion of people fleeing the party, Bruce close behind.
“Ha ha ha! Now this is what I call a party!” Jack laughed as he turned to Bruce, “Come on.”
Bruce dodged people as he followed Jack down the hallway and out a window onto the fire escape. As they climbed down the ladder he could hear the noise of sirens in the distance. He followed Jack through a gap in the hedge that spilled them out onto a private lawn. They passed through two more hedges before spilling out onto the street that lead back to Bruce's apartment.
They finally stopped in front of Bruce's apartment, both out of breath. Bruce had run the entire time, thinking there was some sort of need but as soon as he saw his apartment in sight he knew it was just one of Jack's games.
Standing in the yellow glow of the building's lights Bruce glanced over at Jack who was also breathing heavily, hands on his knees. Those five minutes they'd spent running from “the cops” was the most excitement he'd allowed himself to feel in a long time. He started to laugh out loud.
“Jack, you're fucking crazy.”
Jack's laughter joined his, “Well at least you're enjoying the ride.”
Bruce stood and pulled his key card out to open the door, “I think I've had enough for one night.”
Jack found himself in the same place he had been that morning, leaning against one of the cement ash trays.
“I'll see you around, Wayne.”
Bruce laughed again as he opened the door.
“I'm sure, Napier.”
Bruce let the door swing shut behind him and walked to the elevator, unable to stop the grin taking over his face. He turned to the doors once more as he entered the elevators, only to see Jack offer him a small wave before running off into the night.
Chapter: Chapter 5 of ?
Author: spygirl690
Disclaimer: If these characters were mine I would broadcast their sex acts daily. No daily video so hence - they are not mine. *pouts*
Rating: R to NC17
Pairing: Batman/Joker
Warning: drug use, graphic violence in later chapters
Summary: This story examines the months Bruce spent at Princeton before returning to start his journey in Batman Begins. The title was inspired by the Missy Higgins song Nightminds.
Thanks to beta toriolees and my moose.
Find all previous chapters of Nightminds here.
Chapter Five
As soon as they had entered the party, Jack was immediately recognized and pulled away from Bruce to do business. Bruce sat on one of the faded sofas against the wall and watched Jack work. Jack would make small talk to some, but only after they had provided payment.
Bruce talked to a few people as they cycled on and off the sofa, most didn't know who he was. The anonymity was refreshing, a change from the constant barrage of questions and empty pleasantries by Adrian Belzer and his circle of friends. An hour or so had past when a brunette sat down next to him, handing him one of her beers. She introduced herself and said she thought he looked thirsty. The side of Bruce's mouth quirked, a little direct but still - she seemed harmless enough.
After a few minutes of tedious small talk, the brunette was telling him how much quieter it was at her place when he felt Jack’s hand on his arm.
“It’s too crowded to do business in the open here,” Jack said with a thinly veiled sneer at the girl next to Bruce.
He tugged Bruce up from the couch and guided him to an empty bedroom on the second floor.
They sat playing a game of two-man poker, which seemed more like an excuse to occupy their hands than anything else while they talked.
Bruce glanced up from his losing hand at Jack, who was worrying the corner of his lip with his teeth while rearranging the cards in his hand. He looked different than he had the first two times they had run into each other.
On a detour to Jack's dorm room before the party, Jack had changed into a faded charcoal jean blazer over a blue t shirt with jeans and a faded black pair of Converse All-stars. The tip of Jack’s sneaker was tapping against the twin bed at his back. Bruce was sitting in a similar fashion, in between the two twin beds on the floor. Bruce thought about the scars he spotted on Jack's torso before he turned away, earlier when Jack was changing in his room. With a ‘profession’ like his, he must have not had an easy life.
“So... have you?”
He looked up at Jack and recalled their previous conversation about Jack's profession; leading obviously up to the question of whether Bruce had ever dabbled in illicit substances.
“Nothing more than a joint with some friends while I was in Europe.”
Bruce hated the way it had stripped away much of his control. Leaving him vulnerable to the seething emotions he tried to push away for so long. He laid down two cards and retrieved two more from the stack between them, trying to shake off thoughts of that night.
“You're not going to ask me the same?”
Jack was looking at him with amusement.
“I don't really have to, do I?”
Jack made a hurt face, “Really?”
It felt odd to Bruce that Jack took such a thing so lightly, “Am I wrong?”
“Well no, not really.”
Jack paused, putting his cards down so he could look directly at Bruce.
“My parents always taught me that if you want to be a good dealer you shouldn't be afraid of the stuff you're dealing. So have I tried pretty much everything, yes. Do I use everything? No. Pot sometimes, speed for those all-nighters and that's about it. Anything else and you're risking serious addiction, which would be just fatal to my career.”
“Your parents?” Bruce put his cards down, they weren't really playing anyways.
“Yes. I'm afraid the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree,” Jack shuffled the cards on the ground with his index finger.
“Your parents...”
The door slammed open and two girls dressed in glittery tops came stumbling in, laughing, most likely, about some stale joke.
“J.J., can Marley and I have some candy?” One of the girls stumbled towards Jack, handing him a wad of bills.
Jack got to his feet and studied the girl in front of him. He flicked through the bills in his hand, withdrew a green packet out of his pocket and gave it to her, along with some money from the wad.
“Hey! Hey! This isn’t what I wanted!” the girl shouted at Jack as her friend looked like she was hearing nails against a chalkboard.
“Listen. Neither of you look like you could handle that right now and dead customers are bad for business,” said Jack, shooing the girls to the door.
“You fucker! I know what I'm doing.” The girl tried to swing at Jack as he corralled her and her friend towards the door.
“Amy let's just go. Stop shouting, Jesus.” Her friend grabbed her by the arm and dragged her the rest of the way out of the room. The door slammed behind them and Jack settled back onto the floor across from Bruce. He laughed, shaking his head at the girls as if they had been kids begging for actual candy; not druggies looking for their next fix.
“Before you ask anything else, there is something you should know. I believe in equivalent exchange. Since I hate talking about my parents I'd ask for a topic that would be equally as painful for you to discuss. So I'll tell you about my parents if you tell me about yours.”
Bruce tapped the bottom of his empty beer bottle on the floor. Sounds from the night of his parent’s death echoed through his mind.
Most of the night they had been discussing things that didn't go this deep. But the second things went there Jack challenged Bruce. But Bruce understood Jack's intentions. You couldn't give something like that without expecting to get something in return. Better than most empty conversations he was a part of where neither party was expected to do anything to further the conversation. Even still, his parents were not something he talked about to anyone, not even Alfred.
Bruce gave Jack a defeated smile, “Point taken.”
“But you did get high in Amsterdam, so it is safe for me to assume you're not a mamma's boy,” Jack laughed and moved the conversation away from their parents.
“And almost got arrested for illegal street racing in Japan,” Bruce said.
Jack leaned forward eagerly when the bedroom door flew open. A boy from downstairs burst in, “Get out Jack, cops are headed our way.”
Jack and Bruce leaped to their feet. Jack threw Bruce a look of disappointment, “Just when we were about to get into your run in with the law.”
“Down the hall to the left, there’s a fire escape,” the other boy pointed the way for Jack.
Jack ran out into the hallway, amidst a commotion of people fleeing the party, Bruce close behind.
“Ha ha ha! Now this is what I call a party!” Jack laughed as he turned to Bruce, “Come on.”
Bruce dodged people as he followed Jack down the hallway and out a window onto the fire escape. As they climbed down the ladder he could hear the noise of sirens in the distance. He followed Jack through a gap in the hedge that spilled them out onto a private lawn. They passed through two more hedges before spilling out onto the street that lead back to Bruce's apartment.
They finally stopped in front of Bruce's apartment, both out of breath. Bruce had run the entire time, thinking there was some sort of need but as soon as he saw his apartment in sight he knew it was just one of Jack's games.
Standing in the yellow glow of the building's lights Bruce glanced over at Jack who was also breathing heavily, hands on his knees. Those five minutes they'd spent running from “the cops” was the most excitement he'd allowed himself to feel in a long time. He started to laugh out loud.
“Jack, you're fucking crazy.”
Jack's laughter joined his, “Well at least you're enjoying the ride.”
Bruce stood and pulled his key card out to open the door, “I think I've had enough for one night.”
Jack found himself in the same place he had been that morning, leaning against one of the cement ash trays.
“I'll see you around, Wayne.”
Bruce laughed again as he opened the door.
“I'm sure, Napier.”
Bruce let the door swing shut behind him and walked to the elevator, unable to stop the grin taking over his face. He turned to the doors once more as he entered the elevators, only to see Jack offer him a small wave before running off into the night.