Summary: Batman has always made a point to keep his regular life separate from his life as a crime fighter. Yet the Joker seems to worm his way into everything, especially places he doesn't belong. BWxJ Possible spoilers

Disclaimer: Bruce Wayne/Batman, Joker, and anyone else I throw in here do not belong to me.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Swearing, violence, cross-dressing, and slash

Pairings: Bruce Wayne/Joker, Batman/Joker

Note: I'm a massive fan of slash/yaoi/man on man, or whatever you want to call it, but I don't see much Batman slash on here, which depresses me. So I have taken the liberty of writing my own to fill the void! :D Forgive me if any of the characters are OOC (especially Joker, who is based off of Heath Ledger's version), I've only seen The Dark Knight once and I'm going off of what I observed during the movie.

If you have any suggestions, leave a review and tell me! Flames shall be laughed at and severely mocked.

'Italics'- Thoughts of characters

"Italics" - Whispering

Chapter One- Escape

The streets of Gotham were unusually quiet for once, save for the constant murmur of traffic coming from the always busy roads below. The people, as always, were blissfully unaware of the pair of watchful eyes that looked out over them, studying the dark alleyways for trouble or anywhere else for that matter. It had been two hours since the Batman had left his penthouse, leaving behind his true identity and slipping into his alias with ease.

When he wasn't busy with company meetings, or parties that he tended to throw for no real reason (admittedly he liked to show off his wealth, but he'd never say it aloud) the billionaire would slip out, becoming the caped crusader that protected Gotham City. Of course, all that had changed since the incident with James Gordon and Harvey Dent (or Twoface), which had turned the citizens of Gotham against him. Honestly Batman wasn't concerned that he was hated, just like he didn't care if he was loved.

His only purpose was to protect the people, and he would do it with or without their adoration.

After deeming the city safe for now at least, Batman decided it would be best to head back home, and resume his usual life as Bruce Wayne, who was supposed to be sleeping at the moment. Gracefully the masked man leapt from atop the building he had been standing on, clutching his cape and using it as a glider, flying silently through the night towards his motorcycle, the last part of the Batmobile he had left. Till Lucius Fox prepared him a new one, of course.

Batman slipped onto his bike, revving the engine briefly for amusement before he peeled out of the lone alleyway he had parked in, swerving through the dark streets. He purposely took the least populated route, to avoid being scene, and soon found himself back at his hideout, where Alfred was no doubt waiting for him. The elevator platform brought he and his motorcycle down into the depths, before it halted in an enormous white room, filled with computer screens and other gadgets that came along with being Batman.

Slowly the crime fighter rolled his bike into it's usual spot, before he pulled off his mask, revealing Bruce Wayne in all his glory. Well, most of his glory, considering his usually slicked back hair was now unkempt and askew. Damn mask did that to him all the time.. The billionaire began to remove his Batman uniform, finally noticing that Alfred didn't seem to be around, which was very strange. Perhaps he had given the old man the wrong time during his call? Bruce shrugged, making sure his uniform was tucked securely away before he padded (barefoot) over to a large metal cabinet, which contained a few spare suits for occasions such as these.

Normally Alfred would bring him a change of clothes, but in this case it seemed he was on his own. Once he was completely dressed in the crisp black suit, white dress shirt, patterned tie, and well polished shoes, Wayne briskly walked back to the elevator platform and rode back up to join the rest of the world once more. He was pleasantly surprised to see his butler in the yard, standing outside his parked Lamborghini, which must have been his method of transportation.

"I apologize for the delay Master Wayne, but it would seem you used more gas in your car than you thought. Naturally I took it upon myself to refill the tank before coming to pick you up. I assume your 'nightly watching' went well?" Alfred stood aside as he held the door open for the younger man, letting him slide into the driver's before proceeding to get into the passenger seat himself. Normally the older man would drive, but that was with the limo, and it was no secret that Bruce loved to drive his Lamborghini.

"Yes, but it was strangely quiet tonight.. Then again, it always seems quiet when the Joker's not around, making trouble. As long as he's in Arkham I doubt we'll be seeing too much crime." Bruce Wayne felt a bit smug, knowing that he (Batman) frightened the criminals so much that they toned down on their crime wave. However he knew The Joker had brought the courage back out in them, which could be problematic later on..

"Doubt can be a very bad thing, Master Wayne, as you and I both know. I suggest that you keep your eyes open, whether Gotham is Jokerless or not. You never know when another one of those 'types' could pop up." Bruce nodded absently in reply to Alfred's words, though he knew deep inside that there'd never been anyone as warped and twisted as the Joker, no one. Yet as crazed as the man was, he just couldn't bring himself to kill him.

Sure, Joker had taken more lives than Bruce cared to count, which gave him every right to loathe the man so much that he'd want to kill him, yet he couldn't do it. Why? Such a thought puzzled the powerful man to no end and he considered voicing his concerns to Alfred, who always gave him good advice whether it be pertaining to clothes, women, or his crime fighting. However something made him want to keep this information to himself, so he remained silent the rest of the ride back to his penthouse, thoughts tumbling around in his head.

Arkham was not a fun place, not at all.

The Joker found himself wondering how someone could design such a hideous place, and then make supposedly insane people live in it. If anything it would make them crazier! He knew that he wasn't out of his mind, that he didn't belong in this loony bin, but he sat within his padded cell, wearing a smile as though he hadn't a care in the world. The first week he was there they'd forced him to wear a straight jacket, but when he made no attempts to remove it (he actually found it to be quite fun to wear) they decided it was safe to let him out of it.

So now he was simply stuck in a white room all day and night, save for when he was allowed to go to the restroom. It was a good thing he wasn't bothered by people watching him, otherwise he might have something to say to the two guards who came into the bathroom with him and watched him like a hawk. But now, after three weeks of being in the asylum, Joker was starting to get bored of the place. And, he missed Batman.

The other was just so much fun to toy with! Seeing the rage cross his face every time they had an encounter was priceless. And the confusion.. Yes, he saw that too within the Dark Knight's eyes, whenever he compared them, showed their similarities. He let out a soft giggle as their 'good times' played through his head, hardly noticing the pairs of arms grabbing him roughly and pulling him out of the white room he now called home.

"C'mon you sick fuck, time for you to take your piss." One of the men (the one Joker liked to call Lemon, since he was always so sour) growled as he tugged the notorious villain into the one roomed bathroom used specifically for Arkham inhabitants. The Joker complied as he always did, whistling cheerfully as he undid his fly and prepared to take care of business. As he did so, a whispered conversation began behind him, one that he took great interest in.

"It's a good fucking thing Wayne Enterprises donated this shit heap some money. Now we're getting better pay and the security's gonna get even better. So freaks like you won't have any chances of escaping." The last sentence the second man said was spoken loudly and directed at Joker, whom he shoved to show he was speaking to him.

"Yeah, guess Bruce Wayne's finally got his head out of his ass long enough to see what's going on outside his precious company. Can you imagine.. We're fucking stuck here watching these crazy bitches while he gets to have parties every night! What I wouldn't do for that kind of money.." The two guards continued to talk, but the Joker blocked them out, focusing instead on the information he had just received. Bruce Wayne.. The billionaire?

How intriguing.. He recalled that he had been to one of Wayne's parties before, but for Harvey Dent, and not once had he seen the host. Well, he'd have to amend that little problem, wouldn't he? Slowly Joker turned around to face his guards, the same ones he'd had since the time he arrived, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips as it did constantly. He missed the taste of paint that usually came from this action.. The damn asylum had forcefully washed his 'make-up' off, as a form of punishment, letting the rest of the world see his scars.

It wasn't that he was scared to show his face, but rather that he enjoyed getting 'dolled up.' It was a game for him, it all was.. He had to fit his part, just like Batman had to fit his own, with that interestingly skin tight costume and all those worthless gadgets.. All the Joker himself needed was a knife to keep him happy, which unfortunately he didn't possess at the moment. Ah well, he could improvise.

"Hey? You done? Let's get the fuck out of here then.." Hands reached out to grab him, but the Joker snatched one of the arms (it happened to be 'Lemon's') and sidled up close to the guard, grinning up at him with a peculiar look on his face, "What the fuck you doing clown?" The burly guard appeared to be more nervous than anything, not sure whether to start beating the other down or to just keep trying to get him out of the bathroom.

"Ah ah ah, you can't call me a clown when I'm not wearing my 'costume' now can you?" Indeed, he'd also been striped off his suit and forced to wear a gown of sorts, one that had his cell number imprinted on his right breast. 13. Unlucky number 13.. Somehow it fit perfectly. Like he and Batman.. "I've just got one thing to ask you before we go.." The Joker stood on his tip toes in order to get his mouth to the other man's ear, seeing as 'Lemon' was a giant compared to him, "Why so serious?"

Without warning, the Joker violently shoved the much larger male into the wall, his head smashing into the paper towel dispenser. Before he could recover, and his partner could react, the villain seized his hair and began to brutally slam the man's head into the corner of the metal box housing the towels. He cackled with joy as blood began to cover his hands, spurting from a deep crack within the guard's head due to the trauma of being continuously slammed into a sharp, hard corner.

Finally the other guard reacted and lunged at the Joker with an animalistic growl, causing the lithe man to jump away from the slumping, bleeding body and out of the way. The guard now thundered back towards him, only to be viciously hit with one of the batons they used on the prisoners. Apparently Joker had gotten his hands on his partner's.. The guard tried to ignore the stars he was seeing, and the throbbing in his jaw, stumbling back towards the villain who only laughed in response and swung the baton again, catching him in the temple.

The force of the hit cause the larger man to go down, collapsing on the tiled floor with a wheeze, fading in and out of consciousness. He watched as a pair of bare feet appeared in front of his eyes, and then the baton was prodding him in the chest, making him feel like a little bug being tormented by a child with a stick. A hoarse laugh escaped him before the baton came down on his head again, causing his world to become dark.

It was surprising that the workers of Arkham could still be normal people, considering where they worked and who they worked with. But outside the hallways filled with cells, in brightly lit rooms with plenty of furniture and entertainment, Arkham employees laughed and talked and joked around, as any people would. None of them noticed as a shorter than usual guard slipped past, his head down and his eyes on the floor. Nor did they notice his uniform was stained with some dark substance, or that he was wearing an eerie smile.

No one noticed as the Joker made his escape, which was of course, all part of the plan.

Author's Note: The title is based off one of the Joker's quotes from The Dark Knight: "Y'see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little...push."