So yeah, I'm pretty sure this is complete crap, but it stuck with me until I wrote it. ...I just found the look on the Jokers face for a second after he saw that noone was going to blow the other up so extremely...'Kicked-Puppy'-like... XD It cracked me up really.

When the clock struck twelve, somewhere in the land of fairytales, Cinderella had lost a shoe. Somewhere completely different, two groups of people had refused to blow each other up in order to save themselves.

It was the first time humanity proved his theory wrong, the first time humanity proved that not everybody is willing to betray their morals, their rules-their everything- in order to survive.

It was the first time they'd done the unexpected.

"What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you? You're alone."

He made a joke, grumbling, and then just laughed, face as mocking as always, voice as cheery as always- his mouth pulled in an eternal grin.

He hadn't risked the battle over Gotham's soul in some kind of fist-fight, after all.

Of course he didn't care about what those silly people did, they were unimportant. Only there to tease, to torment- to create chaos.

But there was a certain truth in Batman's words. Slightly, momentarily.

And just for a split second, the Joker felt a pang of something, just a bit, just the tiniest hint, before he went back to normal.

Regret.