Nightminds ~ Chapter 12
Title: Nightminds
Chapter: 12 of ?
Author: spygirl690
Disclaimer: Wow I wish they were mine, but they aren't. So don't sue me.
Rating: R to NC17
Paring: Batman/Joker
Warning: drug use, language, sex, 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
.
Beta: my beta is currently MIA I have my best friend and his wife (ironically, also my best friend) for looking this over for me.
Find all previous chapters of Nightminds here
Chapter 12
Bruce was breathing heavy when he reached the driveway leading up to Jack's dorm building. There was already quite a crowd outside. Bruce picked up pieces of conversation as he wove through the crowd.
“I heard this is the third guy they picked up.”
“Well the girl who died was rich so what do you expect. Mommy and daddy want answers,” Bruce noted the disdain in the speaker's voice. Anger chewed at his insides as he broke through the front of the crowd, he had to find Jack before the police did. He had to tell him that Belzer was setting him up.
People were filtering in from all sides of the campus, lining both sides of the driveway. Bruce scanned over nameless faces for several minutes. He sighed, Jack wouldn't be outside. One thing he knew about Jack - he wasn't scared of anything.
Bruce walked towards the uniformed police officer at the door. The officer gave him a look and glanced at the notepad in his hand before letting him pass. Bruce walked towards Jack's room on the other side of the building, quick enough to look late for class, but not too fast to draw attention.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Bruce's arm tightly and his world was spinning. He was quickly pulled out of the hallway, through a door and into the stairway.
Bruce was pushed up against the wall nearest to the stairs and his eyes finally had a chance to focus on the person in front of him.
“Jack!”
Jack's face looked different than it had last time they had spoken. Dark circles highlighted his green eyes and his hair was even more disheveled than usual. He didn't say anything; he just stared at Bruce like he was studying an animal at the zoo.
Bruce grabbed Jack's shoulders, “Jack, you've got to get out of here. There are police everywhere...”
“I know. I came for the free doughnuts,” Jack's lips curled up into that half smile Bruce had practically memorized.
“Jack, they're here for you. Don't you care?”
“No.”
Both boys stood in silence as the stale air around them pushed Jack's response deeper into Bruce's mind. Bruce let his head droop slightly as he looked at the scuffed wooden floor beneath his feet. He could feel the heat from Jack's skin radiating through his t shirt, making his fingertips tingle. None of this made any sense. Why didn't he care? Jack must know it wasn't his stuff. Why didn't he want to fight?
“Why do you care?”
Jack's words pulled Bruce out of his thoughts.
“Because I know you didn't do this. Belzer, I overheard him saying something today. I think he may be setting this whole thing up.”
Jack let out a sharp laugh and shrugged out of Bruce's touch. Jack did a dramatic spin in the stairwell and sighed. He put his hands in his pockets and sat down on the step.
“I guess the little prick has a different way of getting his rocks off now-a-days,” Jack pushed his hair out of his eyes and smiled up at Bruce.
“What?” Bruce couldn't tell if Jack had just given him a clue as to why Belzer was going after him or if he was joking around.
“Belzer and I, we engaged in the horizontal mambo a few times back when we were younger. I think he's afraid I'll tell someone. But pissing me off really doesn't seem to be the right way to go about keeping me quiet...” Jack drifted off, scratching under his chin.
Bruce squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead, he should have guessed. Fragments of conversation coming from the hallway beyond the door reminded him why he was there.
“Listen, that doesn't matter now. Adrian is framing you for manslaughter. Come with me. I'll get some lawyers from my dad's company to help you out,” After saying those words Bruce realized that he wasn't quite sure if Wayne Enterprises legal department would be willing to touch something as unsavory as this, but it was worth trying.
“Bruce, Bruce, Bruce,” Jack stood from the step, “I don't want you to help me. I thought you got the point yesterday.”
Bruce clenched his fist in frustration, “listen, if you go out there...if they take you away... you may never come back.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I have everything under control?”
Jack moved towards the door, Bruce grabbed his arm in a panic.
“Don't do this.”
Jack turned back towards him with a look in his eyes Bruce had never seen before. Bruce let go of Jack's arm and stepped back. Jack's eyes, his face, his movements as he slowly advanced towards him; it was a mix of madness and heat Bruce couldn't help but be a little apprehensive of.
“I'll ask you again, Bruce. Why do you care?”
Bruce continued to retreat for two more steps before he was stopped by the cold, finished boards of the wall pressing against his back. Jack followed him, step for step until they were toe-to-toe.
“I'm not going to let you go to jail for a crime you didn't commit.” Bruce's words shook as they came out and he realized he was breathing heavy.
Why was he reacting like this?
“It doesn't add up. You get involved and someone finds out. There isn't enough money in the world to keep you from bad press. But yet you're willing to risk your good reputation on someone you only suspect is innocent,” Jack's breath had a hint of mint in it. Bruce remembered the pack of gum Jack had swiped from him a few nights ago. The two boys were goofing off in Bruce's room when wrestling ensued and Jack had pinned him down. Bruce felt then just like he did now, like he had just been dropped into the middle of a war zone; his senses over alert and his heart beating fast.
“We're friends, Jack...” Bruce's response sounded weak even to his ears.
“Right,” Jack pushed away from the wall and turned towards the door, “I can't run from them. I'm not scared of them. And for what it's worth, I didn't do it. But I don't expect a corrupt system to listen to me. I have my own way of putting pressure on the right places. Don't you worry. I'll be back doping up the halls of this place in no time.”
Jack started to push the door open slightly and paused, “But just in case...”
Bruce didn't know how Jack had moved from the door back to the spot he was standing so quickly. But in a breath Jack's lips were on his. Bruce was too stunned to react, creating a kiss that was two clenched mouths crushing against one another. Jack's lips started to soften, the now more malleable skin forming a delicate seal around Bruce's mouth.
Bruce could hear the minuscule click of the second hand on his Rolex echo in the empty stairway. His mind felt like a car caught in a slide during the wintertime -- careening out of control and not knowing which way to turn. Before he could make up his mind, Jack's lips were gone and the door was closing behind him.
Thoughts were trying to form in Bruce's mind but they couldn't articulate themselves over the static filling his brain. He was still in disbelief of what just happened. He would be lying if he said he didn't suspect it at least once during their time together. But he just never thought it would happen or that he...
A loud scuffle in the hall brought Bruce back to attention. He pushed open the door to see a police officer holding each of Jack's arms as he laughed at Belzer's body writhing around on the floor.
“Ha! Ha! Adrian you can't take my fist as well as you took my cock but we can fix that as soon as I get out,” Jack shouted as the cops dragged him down the hallway. He wasn't making it easy on the officers, jumping and pulling from every angle. Putting on a show, as always.
Bruce followed them down the hallway, his pace speeding up the closer they got to the doors. He was almost to them when he felt a hand on his chest. He stopped short to see a cop standing in front of him,
“There's nothing to see here, son.”
Bruce looked up to watch the officers pull Jack out of the doors, the innocent man still wiggling in their arms. Bruce watched until the sunlight bleached the figures out of existence. The last of Jack Bruce saw was a sly smile and a wink in his direction.
Chapter: 12 of ?
Author: spygirl690
Disclaimer: Wow I wish they were mine, but they aren't. So don't sue me.
Rating: R to NC17
Paring: Batman/Joker
Warning: drug use, language, sex, 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
.
Beta: my beta is currently MIA I have my best friend and his wife (ironically, also my best friend) for looking this over for me.
Find all previous chapters of Nightminds here
Chapter 12
Bruce was breathing heavy when he reached the driveway leading up to Jack's dorm building. There was already quite a crowd outside. Bruce picked up pieces of conversation as he wove through the crowd.
“I heard this is the third guy they picked up.”
“Well the girl who died was rich so what do you expect. Mommy and daddy want answers,” Bruce noted the disdain in the speaker's voice. Anger chewed at his insides as he broke through the front of the crowd, he had to find Jack before the police did. He had to tell him that Belzer was setting him up.
People were filtering in from all sides of the campus, lining both sides of the driveway. Bruce scanned over nameless faces for several minutes. He sighed, Jack wouldn't be outside. One thing he knew about Jack - he wasn't scared of anything.
Bruce walked towards the uniformed police officer at the door. The officer gave him a look and glanced at the notepad in his hand before letting him pass. Bruce walked towards Jack's room on the other side of the building, quick enough to look late for class, but not too fast to draw attention.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Bruce's arm tightly and his world was spinning. He was quickly pulled out of the hallway, through a door and into the stairway.
Bruce was pushed up against the wall nearest to the stairs and his eyes finally had a chance to focus on the person in front of him.
“Jack!”
Jack's face looked different than it had last time they had spoken. Dark circles highlighted his green eyes and his hair was even more disheveled than usual. He didn't say anything; he just stared at Bruce like he was studying an animal at the zoo.
Bruce grabbed Jack's shoulders, “Jack, you've got to get out of here. There are police everywhere...”
“I know. I came for the free doughnuts,” Jack's lips curled up into that half smile Bruce had practically memorized.
“Jack, they're here for you. Don't you care?”
“No.”
Both boys stood in silence as the stale air around them pushed Jack's response deeper into Bruce's mind. Bruce let his head droop slightly as he looked at the scuffed wooden floor beneath his feet. He could feel the heat from Jack's skin radiating through his t shirt, making his fingertips tingle. None of this made any sense. Why didn't he care? Jack must know it wasn't his stuff. Why didn't he want to fight?
“Why do you care?”
Jack's words pulled Bruce out of his thoughts.
“Because I know you didn't do this. Belzer, I overheard him saying something today. I think he may be setting this whole thing up.”
Jack let out a sharp laugh and shrugged out of Bruce's touch. Jack did a dramatic spin in the stairwell and sighed. He put his hands in his pockets and sat down on the step.
“I guess the little prick has a different way of getting his rocks off now-a-days,” Jack pushed his hair out of his eyes and smiled up at Bruce.
“What?” Bruce couldn't tell if Jack had just given him a clue as to why Belzer was going after him or if he was joking around.
“Belzer and I, we engaged in the horizontal mambo a few times back when we were younger. I think he's afraid I'll tell someone. But pissing me off really doesn't seem to be the right way to go about keeping me quiet...” Jack drifted off, scratching under his chin.
Bruce squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead, he should have guessed. Fragments of conversation coming from the hallway beyond the door reminded him why he was there.
“Listen, that doesn't matter now. Adrian is framing you for manslaughter. Come with me. I'll get some lawyers from my dad's company to help you out,” After saying those words Bruce realized that he wasn't quite sure if Wayne Enterprises legal department would be willing to touch something as unsavory as this, but it was worth trying.
“Bruce, Bruce, Bruce,” Jack stood from the step, “I don't want you to help me. I thought you got the point yesterday.”
Bruce clenched his fist in frustration, “listen, if you go out there...if they take you away... you may never come back.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I have everything under control?”
Jack moved towards the door, Bruce grabbed his arm in a panic.
“Don't do this.”
Jack turned back towards him with a look in his eyes Bruce had never seen before. Bruce let go of Jack's arm and stepped back. Jack's eyes, his face, his movements as he slowly advanced towards him; it was a mix of madness and heat Bruce couldn't help but be a little apprehensive of.
“I'll ask you again, Bruce. Why do you care?”
Bruce continued to retreat for two more steps before he was stopped by the cold, finished boards of the wall pressing against his back. Jack followed him, step for step until they were toe-to-toe.
“I'm not going to let you go to jail for a crime you didn't commit.” Bruce's words shook as they came out and he realized he was breathing heavy.
Why was he reacting like this?
“It doesn't add up. You get involved and someone finds out. There isn't enough money in the world to keep you from bad press. But yet you're willing to risk your good reputation on someone you only suspect is innocent,” Jack's breath had a hint of mint in it. Bruce remembered the pack of gum Jack had swiped from him a few nights ago. The two boys were goofing off in Bruce's room when wrestling ensued and Jack had pinned him down. Bruce felt then just like he did now, like he had just been dropped into the middle of a war zone; his senses over alert and his heart beating fast.
“We're friends, Jack...” Bruce's response sounded weak even to his ears.
“Right,” Jack pushed away from the wall and turned towards the door, “I can't run from them. I'm not scared of them. And for what it's worth, I didn't do it. But I don't expect a corrupt system to listen to me. I have my own way of putting pressure on the right places. Don't you worry. I'll be back doping up the halls of this place in no time.”
Jack started to push the door open slightly and paused, “But just in case...”
Bruce didn't know how Jack had moved from the door back to the spot he was standing so quickly. But in a breath Jack's lips were on his. Bruce was too stunned to react, creating a kiss that was two clenched mouths crushing against one another. Jack's lips started to soften, the now more malleable skin forming a delicate seal around Bruce's mouth.
Bruce could hear the minuscule click of the second hand on his Rolex echo in the empty stairway. His mind felt like a car caught in a slide during the wintertime -- careening out of control and not knowing which way to turn. Before he could make up his mind, Jack's lips were gone and the door was closing behind him.
Thoughts were trying to form in Bruce's mind but they couldn't articulate themselves over the static filling his brain. He was still in disbelief of what just happened. He would be lying if he said he didn't suspect it at least once during their time together. But he just never thought it would happen or that he...
A loud scuffle in the hall brought Bruce back to attention. He pushed open the door to see a police officer holding each of Jack's arms as he laughed at Belzer's body writhing around on the floor.
“Ha! Ha! Adrian you can't take my fist as well as you took my cock but we can fix that as soon as I get out,” Jack shouted as the cops dragged him down the hallway. He wasn't making it easy on the officers, jumping and pulling from every angle. Putting on a show, as always.
Bruce followed them down the hallway, his pace speeding up the closer they got to the doors. He was almost to them when he felt a hand on his chest. He stopped short to see a cop standing in front of him,
“There's nothing to see here, son.”
Bruce looked up to watch the officers pull Jack out of the doors, the innocent man still wiggling in their arms. Bruce watched until the sunlight bleached the figures out of existence. The last of Jack Bruce saw was a sly smile and a wink in his direction.