Divination (Joker x Batman x OC)

Chapter 35

"You seem a bit distracted," Bruce said to Adriana as they trained. She punched at the thick cushions attached to his hands.

"Oh," Adriana said, out of breath, and continued punching.

Bruce watched her punching away.

"I'm sorry that you saw ," he said. "Claire and I in my office."

Adriana slowed her punches before stopping.

"Oh...no Bruce it's totally okay it was my fault I shouldn't have just walked in," she said. "It's fine."

"Then is there something else going on?" he asked after deciding that he believed her.

"Well...there's something I have been thinking about," she said.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Bruce asked.

Adriana looked into his eyes for a few seconds before swinging again. His eyes were so trustworthy and kind. Maybe she could tell him about her intentions to be a vigilante? How would he react? She wanted to tell him about her plans so visit Club Core the following night. Perhaps as a team they would find out what was going on there.

"Well," she said before taking another break from punching. "I guess training makes me think about...helping you."

"Helping me?" he asked. 

She nodded. 

"Oh," Bruce sighed with a bit of disappointment. "In the field."

"Yeah," she said, and surprised him by throwing an incredibly swift and unanticipated kick at the pad on his right arm.

"Good kick," he said.

"Thanks," she replied. "So...have you thought about it anymore? I mean, I really do think I can help you. I'm not afraid to fight."

"I can see that," he replied.

"So? Is that a yes? I can join you?" she asked.

"Adriana, listen," Bruce said. "It's about more than that. Not being afraid to fight. What I do...it's about making mistakes and learning from them. Horrible mistakes that you might regret for the rest of your life. And despite all of that, not stopping. Fighting for good."

"I know," she said. "I can do it."

"Could you kill someone?" Bruce asked plainly before pulling the pads off of his arms and turning away from her to place them on a shelf. She looked at his shining dark hair and the muscles in his back that she could clearly see through his black tee shirt, distracting herself intentionally from the question.

"I mean...If I had to..." she said. "If it came down to it. I think so."

"Well, that," he said and turned back to her. "Is not the correct answer."

"What is the answer then?" she asked.

"The answer is yes. With no explanation. Yes with confidence. Could you kill?" he asked again.

"Bruce.." she said, unsure of why she couldn't just force herself to say yes.

"I thought I would never do it," Bruce said. "And then the situation with Dent happened. I had never intentionally killed anyone before then even though...in the midst of fighting there have been a casualty or two in self-defense. Very rarely. But killing Harvey Dent was something I had to do. I had to do it Adriana. Could you do the same?"

"I could learn to. You have to teach me-" she said.

"I can't teach that," he said.

"But Bruce, maybe I could help in other ways-," she said.