Please Don't Go

Chapter 3

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"Harley, just put the shirt on and go to sleep."

After cleaning Harley up, the two women retreated back to Ivy's bedroom. The blonde was sitting cross legged on top of the bed, drunkly ranting about why Santa Clause didn't bring her a real life reindeer for Christmas last year. Ivy just nodded along as the other spoke, trying so hard to pull the shirt down onto Harley's naked, clean body. Really, seeing the blonde naked was no longer a surprise to Ivy as the two had been in an intimate relationship once, but obviously that quickly ended once the Joker broke out of Arkham and Harley came running back to him. Ivy could never compete against him.

Harley's bruises and wounds were well taken care of after the shower. Ivy tried to get Harley to eat and drink something before she went to sleep, but the other refused and she gave up trying. It was pointless arguing with a woman who was as stubborn as a donkey.

After a few more attempts, Harley gave up on wriggling around and lifted her arms up like a child, pouting. Ivy forced herself to look away from her adorable face and focus on slipping the shirt on over her body. Once that was done, the redhead laid on her side and watched as Harley flopped backwards onto the bed and snuggled up comfortably underneath the covers, her wet hair slapping Ivy in the face. The blonde giggled, moving her hair away and scooching over closely to Ivy, practically shoving her face into the redheads.

Ivy wanted to slap that grin right off her face. "What's so funny?" She asked rather sleepily, her light pink nightrobe slipping off her shoulders. The poor woman just wanted to get some sleep, that's all.

"That's mine, pamalamb!" Harley giggled, gesturing towards the nightrobe Ivy was wearing.

"So?" She tried her best to not blush at the nickname. Harley was so weird.

"Nothin', jus' thought it looks good on ya'' Giggles again.

Cracking a small smile, the redhead finally shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep. During the night she could feel the other twisting and turning, clearly struggling to find a comfortable postion to sleep in. Ivy could no longer handle Harley's dramatic huffs and threw her arm over the blondes waist, pulling her in close to her body and spooning her.

Harley wiggled in. "You're ta best, red..." She murmured sleepily.

"I know."
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Harley woke up tangled in the sheets. The blonde sat up, her messy hair flying as her blue eyes darted around the sunny room. Sunlight broke through the curtains, lighting up the whole room with a soft glow. The space besides her was empty, telling her that Ivy was already awake. Her head ached from the hangover and as she threw her legs over the bed and looked to her side, the blonde noticed two painkillers and a glass of water waiting for her at the nightstand. Ivy was always so caring and kind, which is why Harley loved her so much. Downing the pills and the water, she flung the sheets away and ran out of bed.

After brushing her teeth with Ivy's toothbrush and styling her hair into her usual hairstyle, Harley skipped into living room, still wearing the oversided shirt and shorts underneath, saying hello to all the plants she passed as she knew it made Ivy happy.

"Hiya red!" She waved her arms before running over to the redhead, who was cooking vegetarian sausages on the pan. Wrapping her arms around her waist, Harley pressed her cheek up against her back. "Ooo! This smells good!" She stood on her toes to look over her shoulder and at the pan.

"Morning, Daffodil." Ivy replied smoothly, a small smile on her lips. The poor woman looked like she had little sleep - Harley didn't blame her.

"Ya got any orange juice?" Harley shoved her face into the fridge.

Ivy took out the sizzling sausages and laid them out neatly onto a plate. "No, hun. But I've made some ice tea if that's alright?" She turned around and settled the plate onto the table, pouring the ice tea into a clear glass.

Harley bounced onto the chair and sat down with a giddy grin plastered across her face. "Tea's fine, red!"

The other woman poured herself some tea and sat across the table, twirling her spoon inside her cup. Her green eyes would sometimes flicker to Harley's face and watch her eat before going back down to focus on swirling her tea out of boredom. Harley noticed that something was up and dropped her fork.

"What's wrong, red?"

"Nothing, Harls." Ivy murmured, looking up slowly. "I just think we should talk about the elephant in the room."

"What elephant?" Harley looked around.

Ivy slightly chuckled at that. "No, sweetheart. I meant i wanted to talk about what happened to you." She gestured towards the nasty bruises on her body.

Harley instantly lost her appetite. "Oh - This?" She lifted her arm, noticing the vicious claw marks after Mister J manhandled her out of the house. "Tis nothin' but a scratch! I'm fine, really, red."

"You're not, Harley."

"I am!"

"It's obvious that he beat you again, sweetheart. Just tell me what happened this time?" She tried to reach across the table to take Harley's hand but the blonde pulled back.

"Nothin' happened, red. Mistah J just has a funny sense of humour is all." Harley mumbled.

"Hitting you is not funny." Ivy stated, sounding on edge.

"Whatuver. It was an accident this time. It was my fault." Harley dropped her fork.

Ivy laughed, but it was devoid of humor, "An accident? This time? Do you know what you sound like?"

Harley was about to respond with an insult in response, but Ivy carried on, "Why? Why? Why do you go back to him?!" She got up from her chair and paced back and forth, "He's just going to end up killing you one day!" Her voice raised and suddenly the woman began to yell at the top of her lungs. "Is that what you really want, Harley? Do you want him to kill you!?"

Harley tuned her out. Red just didn't understand because she had never been in love before. She'd never be able to grasp what she felt for Mistah J. "Nah! Nah! Nah! I'm not listening!"

"I know you can hear me!"

The blond made faces at Ivy, "Whatwassat? I can't hear you! I'm not listening!" Harley covered her ears and shook her head in denial. It just made Ivy raise her voice even louder.

"You are such a child!"

Harley continued to ignore her, "Lalalala! Can't hear you!" Maybe if she ignored her for long enough, red would give up and leave her alone. She was wrong.

The redhead continued on ranting until Harley couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of Ivy's judgmental bipolar ranting. It was getting to a point where Ivy did this every time she visited. "Damn it! What's your problem, Red? Are you jealous or somethin'? Sheesh!"

"My problem is that he wants to kill you and won't stop until he does! He's using you, Harley! He doesn't even want you and yet you keep crawling back to him!" Ivy screamed, the plants in the kitchen shrinking away at the shrill of her angered tone. "What's wrong with you Harley? Everytime you come here you're all bruised and battered and you're still blind enough to not realize that he doesn't love you! This isn't how love looks like!"

It was her turn to fight back. "What do ya know about love!? All ya do is lock yerself up with yer stupid plants and complain about how everyone is damaging the environment! When's the last time ya went on a date?? The time ya tried to kill Harvey Dent? Ya know NOTHING about love!"

"I don't-" Ivy stopped to laugh in disbelief. "No, Harley you know nothing about love!" The woman snapped at her with such ferocity that Harley shut her mouth and listened to what she had to say. "He doesn't love you! Beating you isn't love! Trying to kill you isn't love, Harley! He fucking laughs at your pain — he finds it funny! That's love to you!?" The redhead continued with her rapid pacing as she named all the things on her fingers, "Love is when I take you in and take care of you! Love is when I cook for you! Love is when I hold you as you cry in my arms because of the shit he has done to you! I love you, Harley yet you're so in 'love' with that freak that you just can't see that!"

Harley was taken aback and sat still, watching as Ivy stormed off to her greenhouse. Red was in love with her?