Unsuspecting Hero (Batjokes)

Chapter 47

(I have a new book up, that I plan to be updating regularly after this one is finished. Called 'Little Mishaps'. Its Batjokes and follows Joker de-aging to 10 years old, if anyone is interested!)

Doctor Bailey sat opposite him, notebook in hand as she scribbled her notes down. "I heard you had your first true mission yesterday, how did it go?"

"Not bad. Locked up Kirk Langstrom, and then followed some petty lead about missing fertilizers and such. Gordon reckoned it might have been Pammy, but it didn't seem like the kind of trail she would leave behind. Turns out it just led to this old woman."

"How did it feel, to be back out there? Especially on the opposing side, this time"

Jack pondered the question, before smiling softly. "It felt...weird. But good. A good weird. I felt like for a moment, I could get what everyone meant. Harls, Alfie, Brucie. Maybe this is a good way to repent"

"I think so, Jack. Gotham seems to have needed this change. After the arrest of Langstrom, the media is already talking about your first stunt. Have you checked that all out?" Doctor Bailey asked, watching as Jack shrugged to himself. "Yeah, a little. Some hate, some confusion. Vicki Vale had a heck of a lot to say about me"

"Vicki Vale seems to be on your side. I think that hostage situation at the mall those few months ago had convinced her you truly have changed."

"Yeah, maybe. Or maybe she just wants a different perspective than the rest of Gotham" Jack mumbled, and Damella took that as her cue to change the subject. "It's been almost half a year, Jack, as I recall. Half a year of all of this change. Talk me through how you feel about that all"

Jack nibbled on his bottom lip, worrying the skin between his teeth as he thought. "I don't know, really. All went so quick. I feel like I'll never escape Harvey and Axel in my dreams, and yet the memories feel so far away. I can't escape Eddy or Harvey's dead expression, how Axel and Jason met their demise. I had never...I never wanted Axel to kill Jason. Never wanted Jason to kill Eddy, never wanted Jest to kill Axel, to almost kill Bruce. The memories are fuzzy, yet I see them so clearly."

"Bruce...mentioned something to me, something we haven't had the opportunity to discuss. I wondered if I could bring that up with you?" He didn't like the tone of her words, but shrugged nonetheless. "Okay, shoot"

"Hypersexuality. Have you heard that term?" She asked, and watched the confusion upon Jack's expression, taking it as her answer. "It is a coping mechanism sexual assault victims might have after trauma. It causes them to seek out sexual situations, to repress the memories of assault."

"...okay? Why are you telling me this?" She could see Jack getting angsty, yet chose to continue. "When you passed out after making food for Jest and Axel, Bruce had mentioned you were having a heated conversation. You chose to change it entirely, and attempt to seduce him."

"I-I don't want to talk about this" Jack spoke as he turned his head, crossing his arms in uncomfortable defiance. "He referred to it himself, like it was some sort of coping mechanism you had. I'm not saying this as in it is a bad thing, Jack. Hypersexuality is not the unhealthiest of coping mechanisms, but we must talk about it, if you choose to peruse it"

"Well, I haven't! Bruce and I haven't done anything together, the last action I ever got was from Axel."

Doctor Bailey stopped her note-writing for a moment, looking up at Jack. "Is...that what you see that as? That what Axel did to you was you just 'getting some action'?"

"...I don't know, maybe? It technically was. Whether you wanna call it 'assault' or 'rape' or whatever, It still was action. I still let him do it" Jack mumbled the last part, but Damella heard it perfectly. "You didn't allow that to happen, Jack. You and those you love had been threatened once again. You had to take it, you were given no other choice."