Work Text:
“Im just gonna come right out and say it,” Batman said, a smirk on his covered face as they balanced on top of the others heads, “I hate you, Joker”
Joker gasped, his face lighting up with childlike glee at the bats words.
“I hate you too” He sniffled out, his eyes watering and smile softening.
“I hate you more”
“I hate you the most”
“I hate you forever” Batman leaned slightly in as they gazed at each other, Gotham's cheers drowning out as they smiled. The others underneath them started coming apart as they spoke and suddenly they were at the ground again. But instead of moving apart like they probably should, they closed in on each other like this is what they were meant to do all along.
Joker grabbed Batman's hands in his and looked, really looked, at him. They stood there for a moment, lost in each other's presence before they leaned even closer, Batman wrapping his arms around Joker in a surprising hug. Said Joker was frozen for a moment but soon returned it tighter than Batman has ever been hugged, their chests pressed together tightly as they embraced.
When they finally broke apart, they had attracted quite a crowd, but they couldn't care less. After all, they were used to people looking at them, one in fear and the other in admiration. Joker took the other's face in his hands, stroking his cheeks softly with all the love of a lover. Batman's breath caught in his throat as they stared, his tongue coming out unconsciously to lick lightly at his lips. They had but seconds to think this through before they practically lunged at each other with their mouths.
The kiss was everything they wanted it to be and more. Their pulses reached insane levels as they made out, kissing passionately with the love and eagerness of people who have wanted this for so long but have not gotten it before now.
They didn't kiss like it was the first time, they kissed like they've both been waiting lifetimes for this moment. They moved impossibly close to each other and Batman’s hands found their way into Joker’s green hair, tangling it with his desperate grabbing. This was a completely new feeling for both. Both had certainly kissed others before but this was so much more, so much more intimate and soft, like they were dancing on soft cotton candy clouds together.
This was meant to be. This was what was supposed to happen from the start, they were both certain of it.
The kiss lasted long, but still too short. As they pulled apart from each other, still close but not kissing, they seemed to still be in this weird trance. A trance that was quickly broken by a childish squeal.
“Eeeeek!” Robin squeaked, “I have three dads now!”
It was quiet for a moment, every person in Gotham city seemingly holding their breath while Batman and Joker stared wide-eyed at each other, and then a wave of aweee’s and ooo’s broke through. They laughed at the sweet kid as he ran over and caught the two of the dads in a tight group hug.
Batman and Joker laughed as Robin squealed again with excitement, both already having massive fatherly instincts over the sweet boy. As the laughter died down, Batman looked up at the sky, a sentimental smile already in place on his cowl-covered face.
He backed away slowly from the group, walking slowly towards the end of a platform. He took out the phantom zone projector, looking at it sadly and back at where Joker was spinning Robin around in circles. He sighed deeply as they both started walking towards him with concerned expressions on their beautiful faces.
“Padre..?” Robin asked carefully, holding a tight grip on his new dads hand.
“Batsy, what are you doing?” Joker asked with a stern but very, very scared voice.
“I… I made a promise” The dark knight sighed sadly in response, “To go back to the phantom zone, where i apparently belong”
“No.” The green haired man stated, his eyes watering again but for a whole different reason.
“What?” The bat answered incredulously, his voice shaking slightly.
“You can't leave now!” The other shouted, tears finally rolling down his white face, “Not now when I finally got to have you, not now that we're finally together for real!”
“Joker, what do you-”
“It means I love you, idiot!” He shouted, eyes clenching closed as the wet tears spilled over again, smudging his red lipstick as he attempted to wipe them away. “I don't hate you, I don't despise you, I love you!”
“I- Joker I-”
“You can't just kiss me like that, give in to what I've wanted since the start, and leave me forever…” His voice was weaker than ever, tears spilling as he crumpled to the ground. Robin sat down beside him, crying quietly himself, and held his new dad’s hand tightly.
Batman shuffled over, falling down beside them both and sniffling slightly. He hugged them both tightly again, his throat closing up as he tried to explain.
“I had to do it, to save my family, to save you” He finally got out, voice shaking as he looked into his family’s eyes, all of them. And then he sighed, stepped a step back and slowly took off his cowl.
Everyone around him gasped, well mostly, as Bruce Wayne stared back at them. Robin's eyes lit up momentarily as he gaped.
“Two of my dads are the same dad!” He exclaimed gleefully before his smile dropped completely again “but… they're both leaving…” He sniffled, tears rolling down his chubby face as he sobbed.
Batma- Bruce walked up to him again, putting a fatherly hand on his shoulder. “You’ll have Joker, he’ll take care of you.” He looked at the young boy he’d taken such a liking too, guilt swimming in his stomach at making this boy lose his parents again. “And you’ll have Barbara and Alfred, none of them will hurt you and they will care for you like i wish i could”
Robin’s eyes glistened as he looked at his dad, his hands fidgeting as he leaned closer. Bruce hugged him, arms locking around him. Robin squeezed tightly, because this was the last time he’d ever get to hug his awesome dad.
When they separated and Bruce walked back to the edge, head hung low, he turned one last time.
“I apologize deeply to everyone” he took a breath, steeling himself for his own words, “I apologize to you, Joker, for giving you this and then leaving” He said, hoping to see the hung head of Joker lift to no avail. He sighed sadly, looking at the pile of green and purple and wished dearly that he was not the cause of that.
“I apologize to you, Robin, my son, my apprentice and my joy” He continued, “I wish I was a better dad to you when I had the chance but I wasn’t and I deeply regret it. I hope you will still laugh and sing the rest of your life away like you deserve.”
“And i apologize to everyone else that ive wronged and been unfair too” He ended off with before turning and shooting himself in the chest with the phantom zone projector.
He heard cries from Robin and Joker as he left the ground, levitating up to the sky with the grace of a swan. It all felt fake, nothing felt real. But it was and now he had to deal with the consequences of his own stupidity. It was his fault for pushing away his family in the first place and now he was crushing them again by leaving, even if he didn't want to.
He felt a tear slip from his left eye as the sky neared itself, his eyes clenching shut as he prepared himself for the pain that will come with his sacrifice.
Only to crash into something glass like and fall down again. His face got smushed into the ground and he heard footsteps running over to him as he lifted his head, groaning slightly.
Halfway through lifting himself up again, a pair of white arms wrapped around him and hefted him up from the dirty ground. Said pair of arms continued to hold him, Joker’s face smooshed into the bat's chest as they hugged. They stood there for some time, and when Phyllis finally came to explain none of them were truly listening, just glad they could stay in each other's arms.
—
Batman landed smoothly on the rooftop of Gotham’s police building, face set in his usual scowl. He walked over to where the Joker sat beside the bat symbol.
“What are you planning, Joker?” He asked sternly, the only thing unusual was the obvious lack of any dislike whatsoever in his deep voice. When he was close enough to Joker that he could bend down and kiss him, he stopped.
Joker was surprisingly quiet tonight. There had been no laughter, no colourful explosions and no talking. To be quite frank, Batman was worried.
“...Joker?” He asked carefully, bending down to try to get a hold on what expression the joker was wearing. Said man took his chance the moment Batman was close enough to lunge at him and catch him in a kiss.
This kiss was less desperate than the first, most likely because the situation was very different, instead it was more delicate. Batman put a hand on the lower part of Joker's head, the other hand finding placement on his hip as they kissed. Joker’s lips were surprisingly smooth, only a few scars here and there, and the iconic red lipstick got smudged all over both their faces.
A small giggle escaped Joker's mouth as he pulled just a bit back, his face lit up in glee as he looked at the bat. His smile was wide, but it wasn't the usual manic one that had become so iconic, no. This smile was soft and kind.
“Oh Batsy~” He sighed dreamily, “You really do know how to make a man like me feel all soft and squishy inside…” His arms wound up around Batman’s neck as they gazed softly at one another.
“Joker, I think I love you” Batman stated, his eyes wide with disbelief at his own true words.
“Oh don't worry, Batman, you already know that I love you back” Joker giggled back, body moving impossibly closer to the bat’s.
They stood there for a while that night, just holding each other and speaking soft words. This was destiny. This was fate. They were meant for each other all along and they couldn't be happier that it finally happened.
As the sunrise started, they broke apart with a final kiss. As Joker walked to the edge of the roof, he turned one last time.
“Ya know, I wont stop committing crime because of this, Batsy!” He shouted, his voice filled with happiness mixed together with something like manic excitement.
“And I won't stop catching you, darling!” Batman shouted back, his own cowl-covered face set in a soft smile.