P o s s e s s i v e m u c h ? Batmanxjoker

7- TEENAGE ANGST

After what seemed like hours of staring in the mirror, Joker finally found the strength to look away. However, he was still shocked by what he saw and could definitely not believe it.

I'm a teenager? He touched his face, feeling smooth and soft skin which he was unfamiliar with, the only familiar feeling being the jagged scars that ran across his mouth. But even they were smaller than usual and didn't feel as rough.

What the hell? Joker questioned. His face was severely different. His jaw wasn't as strong however it still had had a sharpness to it, his face was more round and soft now, The bags under his eyes had disappeared, the small freckles that dotted along his face had expanded across his entire face. Nothing about this moment felt real. How could I look like this? Why do I look like this? He stumbled out of the kitchen and into the main living area, where a distressed Harley Quinn and worried Ivy sat on the couch. Harley had called Ivy after minutes of blanking out, the villainess's girlfriend rushed home disregarding everything.

Joker stood in front of the two women, hands running through his hair. He was currently in the middle of a mental breakdown, just trying to understand or even comprehend how this could have happened. Ivy looked the Joker, unable to process this as well. Yes, she had seen him without makeup before but this was completely different! His usual adult intense face was replaced with a handsome new face with a youthful glow and soft brown eyes.

"Joker, why do you look like this?" Harley spluttered finally breaking the silence.

The clown looked up at her bewildered and a little annoyed. How the hell am I supposed to know?

"I should be asking you!" He exclaimed, he began to pace around in the small space, muttering words of distress to himself. "Why the hell do I look like this?" He threw his hands in the air and scoffed. It was fair to say that the Joker was not coping well with the recent changes to his body.

"I dunno." Harley honestly had no idea, it wasn't every day her boss turned into a teenager.

"You don't know? Harley, I look like a kid!" Joker groaned.

"Well, you're bordering on the line of a teenager." Harley replied. Joker shot her a dangerous glance. Wow as if I didn't know! He screamed internally. Ivy on the other hand was deep in thought, questions racing around her mind.

He couldn't remember anything last night, I also did switch the scopolamine with an anti-aging- Ivy shook her head, the idea was too outlandish, it was impossible. There is no way that Scarecrow's toxin mixed with my plant could do this. But it did fester in her mind, the possibility might have been true, Ivy couldn't deny it. If it's multiplied by a high dosage and passed through the bloodstream may be the age could revert back.

"Perhaps, no, it couldn't be." Ivy rejected the idea, "Unless." She pondered. Joker and Harley looked at their third party. Joker's ears tingled at the word unless. He was hoping, begging that Ivy had figured it out.

"Talk to me Ivy, please tell me you have an answer for this mess!" He pleaded.

Ivy chewed the side of her lip. The answer isn't definite. She didn't want to spruce Joker into thinking she knew exactly what had happened. Joker looked at her with a pleading face, he would do anything.

Ivy sighed and gave in. "Look I'm not certain but it may have to do with last night."

That would be great if I could remember! Joker thought. Last night huh? He still couldn't remember but he had some sense that some major business had gone down that night.

"Last night?" Joker questioned, "what happened last night?" Ivy and Harley looked at each other, realization soon sank in.

"That's right you don't remember." Harley reminded. After the trio's little soiree with a mad psychologist they had decided to hit the hay, unfortunately, Joker had passed out. When they had gotten home he awoke 30 minutes later, unable to recall anything. Ivy ruled it may be minor symptoms or a reaction to Scarecrow's toxin, but things quickly took a turn. The whole night Joker was in and out of sleep, waking up to vomit, going back to sleep only to wake up not remembering anything. The girls had to stay with him for most of the night.

"Last night you saved me." Ivy told the Joker, hoping to remind him. Joker just looked at her dumbfoundedly, not really catching on.

"Puddin, we were bamboozled, tricked, made fools of?" Harley chimed in, but it only added to the confusion.

He racked his brain to who could have "bamboozled." him last night. But to no alas he couldn't remember anything. After a full minute of mind charades, Harley blurted out desperately something that surprisingly did the trick.

"Your creepy ex-boyfriend tried to make a pass at you!" Harley huffed.

Boyfriend? The Joker scratched his head. But Scarecrow and I haven't seen...

"Ohh." The memories hit Joker like a tidal wave, a monstrous tsunami of flashback played in his mind. He could remember it all know, Ivy's kidnap, Scarecrow little rendezvous, his failed plan at mind control. Joker shuddered upon realizing the truth.

"Know I remember, ewwwww yuck." Joker cringed. Scarecrow wanted him back, and he was going to use force. But this doesn't make sense. Scarecrow was using mind control. Joker frowned.

"I thought it would make me all lovey-dovey, not a bubbling adolescent." He grumbled. Ivy had thought the same thing until she had thought back to her time in the lab.

"Yeah but remember how I said I switched something out, it was an anti-aging plant which I thought was just a minor ingredient." Well, what she thought was a minor ingredient.

"I didn't think it would reverse your body clock and make you a kid!" It was obvious Ivy had not expected the toxin to turn out this way. Joker facepalmed and groaned, feeling rather annoyed.

"What the hell did he put in that toxin thing!" Joker sobbed.

"Oh god, what are we gonna do?" Harley said she was equally as worried. Joker shot his head up from his hands and scowled at her.

"What are you gonna do?" He spat- "what am I gonna do? I can't go out like this, the mob won't take me seriously." He whined.

Joker had built his empire as head of the mob by being spontaneous, ruthless, and psychotic. The city of Gotham never really knew what he was going to do and that's what really drove fear into their hearts, but with him now, practically as a child he could bet his favorite tie no one would respect him anymore, no one would fear his name, especially not the mob. The mob would diminish without his leadership.

"You're a man wearing clown makeup since when did you care what people thought about you?" Ivy tried to reassure. Joker sank into the floor, sitting with his legs crossed.

What the hell is going on with me? Why do I care? I'm the Joker for god sake! His current emotional state was in shambles, he found himself feeling all type of emotions at once, every little thing made him mad, every little comment made him upset, he believed he was being unreasonably mood. But one feeling that stood out from the rest and had been tugging at his heart was fear. He was very scared. It had only been 24 hours since his world had been turned upside down, and he didn't have a solution.

"I don't even know what I'm feeling!" Joker sighed.

"That's a common trait amongst teenagers or so I've heard." Harley said, in what was another attempt to help.

Joker didn't even bother to look up as he told her to "Shut up." He really could not be bothered.

Harley hid the urge to laugh. She had only just realized how fluctuated her best friends' mood was. Someone really's a big baby. You think a mob boss would handle himself better.

"Moodiness is another thing." Ivy tried to say with a serious face, she didn't want to worry the clown or trigger his emotions but one glance at Harley and it was too late. Both women cracked up, rolling with laughter, this situation was bizarrely fun.

"Wow, you guy really think this is funny?" Joker yelled, glowering at them. He did not find it funny at all. His looks of anger did nothing, however, for what they saw was a rather disgruntled but cute boy, not their mysterious boss who shook fear into the minds of many. There was no way the could take him seriously now.

"I'm sorry J," Ivy said between giggles. " I just -ahahahahaha." Her laughter overcame her, she rolled around on her couch laughing like a madman.

"Who would have thought the clown prince of crime would be such a moody teenager?" Harley joked, adding onto Ivy's laughter.

These little brats! Joker cursed internally. He was at the lowest point of his life and all his best friend could do was laugh? I hate them!

"This is serious I can't be stuck like this!" He stood up hands on his hips, Ivy and Harley hooted with laughter at his stance.

He's looking more like an angry preschooler than a psychotic clown! Harley giggled. Fed up with the disrespect his two lackeys were giving him, the clown rolled his eyes and turned his heel ready to stalk off into his room. I'll talk to them when they want to take me seriously.

Ivy stopped laughing, sensing Joker's distress. "Wait!" She called out, "We'll stop laughing." Joker looked back at her eyebrows raise, not really convinced since Harley was still laughing her lungs out. Ivy who was more sympathetic to him elbowed her quickly. Harley let out a howl of pain but it was enough to stop the continuous giggles.

"Mmhh yeah sorry." Harley cleared her throat, "as funny as teen Joker is, how much do you think the Gotham police department will respect the mob when the leader is going through reverse puberty?"

Oh's they'll be having a real hoot alright. Joker thought about what a real kick the police department would have after finding out. He seethed with anger.

"We need to find that creep Scarecrow and force him to reverse it." Joker growled. Just the thought of the man made his blood boil, this was absolutely all his fault! First, he tries to force himself onto me, and then he lures me to a creepy warehouse now I'm stuck as a kid!

"What happened to no violence, you were pretty adamant about that last night." Harley said with a raised eyebrow. She remembered how much of a saint Joker was acting like.

"Oh fuck that!" The clown yelled, "the moment he did this to me, that policy was thrown out the window."

Harley and Ivy looked at each other with shock. They could not believe their ears, Joker the clown prince of crime, who carried himself in a twisted yet somewhat sophisticated manner in speech has just dropped the F-Bomb!

"Wow J, you just swore." Ivy couldn't believe, in her years of knowing the mob boss she had never heard him swear, as he would say: "Swearing is for those who cannot find the right words." But now he had carelessly said it.

Yep, something's definitely wrong. Ivy noted. Joker was rather surprised himself, just another thing to add to the list!

"I'm losing my mind." He cried, he slumped onto the couch right in the middle of Harley and Ivy, eyes closed and breathing heavily. Ivy played with his hair soothingly.

"Don't worry we'll find him and get him to reverse this." Harley promised. Joker nodded, though his internal pessimism was telling him otherwise.

What if I stay like this forever? What if I lose everything? He tried to push the thoughts away but they crowded like a pack of wolves.

"Not saying that this is a good thing, but if could be young again I would totally stay young," Ivy said abruptly. "Didn't you like your teen years?" Ivy asked.

Teen years? Joker snorted at the notion, he thought about them in a brief but graphic blur. Alcoholism, abuse, and assault, not exactly everybody staple teen years. Now that he thought about, Joker had been avoiding thinking about his teen years since he been miraculously turned into a teen. His face was a constant reminder of the traumas he hid and he hated it, but now that he was staring the exact trauma in a mirror he couldn't run from it.

What the hell am I thinking? Joker shook his head. Answering Ivy's question he smiled whilst replying. "They weren't exactly the best." A smile was etched on his face, but the tone of his words sounded dead and forced. Ivy and Harley quickly looked at him worriedly.

"What do you mean?" Ivy pressed on. Harley took a quick glance at, his face was just pure uncomfortableness.

Oh no, he might go through a relapse. There was a deep-lying secret Joker hid, only a select few knew about it, a secret about his teenage years that haunted him every day. Harley was lucky to be his physiologist a few years ago, even luckier that Joker felt safe enough to trust her with his trauma. The joker may have been shit ton crazy alright but behind that deranged smile lay something that no normal man could handle. Harley cleared her throat quickly.

"How about I kidnap a doctor and he can tell us what age you are and if there are other things going on in your body we don't know about." Harley said changing the subject quickly.

Joker shot her a thankful look while Ivy wasn't looking. It's not that he didn't trust Ivy it's just he wasn't ready to open up to that trauma again.

"That would be a good idea." Ivy agreed. He does need medical help, and there are certain things I can't help with. Ivy thought about it, it wasn't really an outlandish idea that could blow up in their faces. And besides a doctor could determine any other side effects that could be dangerous.

"And we when get the all-clear, we'll go find Scarecrow tomorrow alright. I'll try to find where he is ." Harley said.

"Good, that bastard can't get away with this." Joker breathed with relief. He yawned stretching out, feeling very tired. All these events had made him tired.

"I'm going to sleep, wake me up when the Doctor gets here." Joker said getting up from the couch lazily. Ivy nodded in agreement.

"Hopefully this is a dream, and when I wake up I'm asleep in my apartment."

"Yeah hopefully," Harley chimed, "as cute as twink Joker is I don't think he wants to be trapped as a teenage for too long." Harley giggled maniacally.

Twink? The words burned into his mind, he knew Harley was only saying it to push his buttons, she knew his reactions were all over the place, but comparing such an ingenious, psychotic man to twink was an absolute insult. It was an insult he couldn't let fly.

In the most unintentional teenage fashion, he turned and pointed the finger at Harley before storming off.

"I'M NOT A TWINK!" Joker yelled frustrated before slamming the door to Ivy's guest bedroom. His sudden burst in anger caused the two women to smile.

"Someone's an angry twink." Ivy giggled quietly, Harley stiffed a laugh fearing that J might have heard them and would come back.

Well, that's a lot of teenage angst. She grinned.