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the nights in gotham were never quiet. sirens blended with thunder, and the air always smelled faintly of rain and smoke. yet somehow, he your boyfriend, your hero made you feel safe in a city that never slept. bruce wayne. batman. the man who could take on the world, but who sometimes forgot he wasnât supposed to bear it all alone.
you loved him, even when it hurt. you loved the way he held you after long patrols, hands still trembling from adrenaline, the faint metallic scent of blood clinging to his suit. you loved how his voice softened when he spoke your name, even though you knew the city always came first. you never said it aloud, but a quiet ache had settled in your chest because every time he left, you wondered if heâd come back for you, or for gotham.
he meant well. he always meant well. but love has a strange way of withering in the shadow of duty.
you had told him you could handle yourself. youâd grown used to walking home under flickering streetlights, clutching your jacket close. gotham was dangerous, but youâd learned its rhythm, where to walk, what to avoid, how to keep your head down.
you didnât know someone had been watching.
he had seen you long before that night in the reflection of alley windows, in the crowd outside wayne tower, standing near bruceâs side with that soft smile that shouldnât have existed in a place like gotham. you were light in a city that had none, and he hated it. or maybe he loved it. with him, there was never much difference.
the joker didnât believe in love at least, not until you.
he watched the way batman looked at you, how you were his tether to something human. It fascinated him. the idea that the great dark knight could care about something, someone. so he waited. patiently. until the night bruce was too late, when heâd been busy saving a building, or fighting some faceless goon, thinking you were safely home.
you didnât even notice the van pull up behind you. the smell of chloroform hit before you could scream.
by the time bruce realized you were missing, the sun was already breaking over the skyline.
and by the time he found where youâd been taken, the joker had already set his stage.
when you woke up, your head throbbed. cold wind slapped your face. you were bound to a chair on a rooftop overlooking the city. It was just past dawn, but the clouds were heavy and purple, promising another storm.
joker was humming softly nearby, flipping a knife between his fingers. âyou know,â he said conversationally, âI never really got what he saw in you. youâre not the cape-and-cowl type. but then againâŠâ his eyes dragged over you with lazy interest. âmaybe thatâs the point.â
you pulled against the ropes, voice hoarse. âwhat do you want from me?â
âoh, sweetheart,â he crooned, crouching in front of you, âI already have what I want. him.â he gestured toward the edge of the roof. âthis cityâs little savior, oh, heâs going to come flying in any minute now. and when he does, wellâŠâ his grin widened. âyouâll see.â
far below, chaos brewed. smoke was curling from the streets, bombs wired through the subway tunnels, explosives timed to detonate during morning rush hour. jokerâs masterpiece, a symphony of panic.
all that was left was the final act.
the batmobileâs engine roared somewhere in the distance before it cut suddenly. silence fell, thick and heavy. then a shadow moved across the rooftop.
batman emerged through the mist, cape whipping behind him, eyes locked on you. for a second, his expression cracked, the mask didnât matter anymore. ây/n,â he breathed. âare you hurt?â
you shook your head weakly. relief flickered across his face. but then joker clapped his hands together.
âoh, bravo!â he cheered. âour dark knight arrives, just in time. though you might want to hurry, clockâs ticking!â he pointed down toward the city, where faint orange glows were already beginning to pulse beneath the streets.
batmanâs voice was low, steady. âwhat have you done?â
âoh, nothing too fancy. just a few little party favors scattered through the subway system. enough to turn half of gotham into a crater.â he tilted his head. âbut donât worry, I made it interesting. youâve got a choice to make.â
he sauntered behind your chair, hands gripping your shoulders. his voice dropped to a mocking whisper beside your ear. âsave your precious girlâŠâ he held up a small detonator, the timer counting down. ââŠor save your precious city.â
the words hung in the air, thick and cruel.
batmanâs fists clenched. He looked at you, then at the skyline glowing faintly with danger. His mind was racing, calculating, weighing every possible outcome. you knew that look. youâd seen it before, when he was in mission mode, when he stopped being bruce and became batman.
you whispered, âbruce⊠please.â
his jaw tightened. his eyes softened, but only for a moment. âI canât let the city fall,â he said, almost to himself.
joker laughed, high and shrill. âohhh, I love it when he does this part. all that guilt, that noble little frown, priceless!â
the timer ticked louder. you saw bruce take one slow breath before turning his back.
âdonât do this,â you begged. âplease.â
he hesitated. just a second. then he said quietly, âIâm sorry.â
and he was gone, cape vanishing into the smoke, racing toward the city below.
for a long moment, there was only the sound of your breathing and the faint beeping of the detonator still in jokerâs hand.
you sat there, numb, the weight of realization crashing down. he had left. the man who swore to protect you had chosen gotham instead.
a tear slid down your cheek, then another.
joker watched you in silence. the manic grin faded into something quieter, sharper. he stepped closer, crouched in front of you again. his thumb brushed your tear away, smearing the wetness across your skin.
âI told you,â he whispered, almost tenderly. âheâs not the hero you think he is.â his gaze locked on yours, dark and burning. âbecause I would burn the world for you.â
he pressed a kiss to your temple â light, mocking and smiled.
behind him, the first explosion echoed in the distance.