Batjokes soulmate au's

You never know what you have until it's gone

(Prompt; During your life, you can hear your soulmates heartbeat. But then once they die, the beat stops)

You never really realize how important what you've lost is, until its gone. Batman had hardly any time to react. The moment he had made his way inside of Ace Chemicals, that man was falling. Screaming for help, not wanting to die. And Batman was so close. So close to reaching him. But it was too late. 

He watched those brunette curls melt inside those chemicals, his heart heavy with failing once again. Another life lost. And then everything fell deadly silent. It filled Bruce with dread. It should never be this quiet. And then he realized. There was no longer the subtle thrum of a drum beat inside his skull. It had stopped, just as suddenly as those oxygen bubbles along the chemicals surface did. 

"Oh, no..." and he took a second to himself. To mourn the loss of a soulmate he never got to know. Never even really got to see what he looked like. Their meeting had been so brief. If only he had been quicker. He ignored the tears that blurred his vision. He just lost his soulmate.

Not even a few hours later, after Batman had retired for the night and Bruce was about to get ready for bed, that beat in his head began to thrum once again. It made his movements stop, confusion and the smallest bit of relief washing over him. It sounded....different this time. Faster, more sporadic. Irregular, skipping the occasional beat. 

His soulmate must have died, for a small period of time. It made no sense for it to be that man who had fallen into the acid, that was far too lethal. He wondered, with an ache to his heart, just what had happened to that soulmate of his.

~~

Joker's laugh was usually so piercing. Always on the brink of theatrical, putting on a performance. Bruce listened with horror as that laughter now bubbled with nervousness, Joker's body falling to the ground with a small thump.

Bruce was over in a heartbeat, scooping the clown up into his arms as tears welled up in his eyes. Fuck, this wasn't supposed to happen.

"Seems we...we took it too far this time, didn't we Bats?" That chuckle was dry, Joker's skin looking impossibly whiter at the blood loss. One of Batman's batterangs had hit Joker at just the wrong moment, digging into him at a life-threatening angle. Bruce didn't dare respond. That heartbeat within his head was getting lighter, and he pressed down around the wound in a panic. He wasn't going to let Joker die. Not like this. 

Joker only laughed at his pitiful attempts to prevent the inevitable, a shaky hand resting upon Bruce's cheek. "It's okay, Batsy...Don't you worry about lil' old...me" his words were separated by his wheezing, a sickeningly wet cough leaving his lips, blood dribbling down his chin. 

"S-Stop...talking like that! You aren't going to die!"

"Darling, there's no point denying it...You can hear it, right? The way my heart is s-slowing down" Bruce looked at Joker, shocked for a moment before his eyes filled with recognition. "How long have you known?"

"That we're soulmates?" Joker couldn't hold back another giggle, and it only filled Bruce with more panic. "Stop moving!" Joker only ignored the comment. "I've known since I was born, darling. You're the only one who..." Joker took in a staggered breath, sucking in the air through his teeth. "...who could handle me"

"Joker-" "Plus...you're heart is going crazy right now. It's endearing how much you care, my love"

"I'm going to take you to a hospital. I'm not...you can't die!"

Joker's eyes grew softer, thumb gently stroking against his cheek. "We'll never make it, Bats."

"I don't care, I can't just sit here and let it happen!"

"Darling, listen..." Another cough, this time the blood splattering out all over himself. "I'd rather spend my last moments here. With you"

The tears fell freely out of his eyes, pooling inside of the cowl and Joker decided that simply wouldn't do. His hand slowly travelled behind Bruce's head, pressing the small release. Bruce froze, unsure but unwilling to stop him. Joker gently took the cowl off, hands shaking as he chucked it to the side. The clown smiled, soft and affectionate and melting Bruce in all of the wrong ways. "Bruce Wayne, huh?...Now that makes sense"

Joker giggled, this time his whole frame shaking with each cough that left him. He grunted with the pain, and Bruce heard his heart stutter to an even slower pace. It was terrifying, to hear just how close he was to death.

"My Batsy...My Brucey..."

Joker's eyes looked more unfocused, eyes barely holding themselves open as he glanced along every little feature along Bruce's face. "Joker..."

"I'll miss you, darling..."

"Joker-" Bruce couldn't stop the small sob that left his own lips, an overwhelming sense of doom washing over him. 

Joker reached up further, gently wiping away the tears gathering along Bruce's eyes. "I'll...miss you too" 

Joker's eyes began to slip shut, and Bruce rushed forward to press their lips together. He felt, with a heavy heart, as Joker used the last of his strength to reciprocate. And then his form fell lax in Bruce's hold, and he burst out into sobs.

His soulmate, gone once again.

He never learned his lesson. You never know what you have until it's gone.

And now his soulmate was well and truly...gone.