Behind His Mask

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I sat alone in a suite at the top floor of  The Kingdom, Joker's high end dance club. What it was a front for exactly I had yet to find out. All in good time.

I reached up and brushed my fingers along my lips. Jack had kissed me. The sounds around us had drowned out. The stomping of boots as his goons ran about securing our escape. Gordon's moans of protest from the back of the police transport vehicle. The distant sound of sirens signaling back up was on it's way. It was quiet. All that existed was us in that fleeting moment.

It was so sudden and short lived I didn't even have time to react. The second his lips connected with mine it seemed as if he pulled away. A surge of electricity cascaded down me. That overwhelming feeling of being alive that he often gave me was heightened even more. It was almost like a high.

As he leaned away from me he took me in. What had my face looked like in that moment? Shock? Awe? His expression was unreadable. That same crazed look in his eye but nothing more.

"Shall we?" He asked, that playful tone still present in his voice. He extended his arm to me. I took it in a daze. I was whisked away into a getaway vehicle. The ride had been silent. I was still too stunned to speak. What the hell was that about? It had almost seemed light hearted. I willed myself to toss it aside. I was reading too much into something that would never make sense. There was never any reasoning when it came to the Joker. A man of mystery.

I sighed now. The sound was the only one present in the suite. With the open floor plan and wide opens spaces I felt even more alone. Joker had dropped me in here awhile ago and asked me to wait. How long exactly had he meant?

I took in my surroundings. Instead of a suite, this place more resembled some type of extravagant apartment. The furniture was sparse, keeping with the modern vibe of the space. A few art pieces decorated the otherwise barren walls. There was no personality to the place. Nothing that could hint at the owner's personality, nothing for me to read into.

I huffed in annoyance. Finally, I made it up here and nothing. Perhaps Jack would reveal another side of himself when he returned. This playfully affectionate side was definitely new. Would he explain the kiss? Or would he even acknowledge it? I wanted answers... as always.

The click of the lock on the apartment's front door pulled me from my thoughts. I turned in my seat and watched the door.

Joker side stepped in raising his hands with flourish. "Honey I'm home!" He all but sang his arrival. He still dawned his suit and face paint. I had half hoped he would return without it. The curiosity of what he looked like underneath continued to grow.

"Welcome home." I called out, playing along with his greeting. He giggled at my response and poorly tap danced further into the apartment towards me.

"Oh I could uh- get use to that." He nasally responded, licking his lips. I had a fleeting thought that the face paint made his lips dry. Although his lips had been anything but when he kissed me. I fought the urge to physically shake my head to remove the thought. Enough with the kiss already!

"What's it like out there?" I asked curiously. No doubt Gordon had half the city out looking for me.

"Oh it's a party. Well a search party that is. But I'm afraid they're setting themselves up for failure. Don't worry baby. No one finds the things I hide." He boasted as he straightened his tie and slicked back a few stray pieces of his green hair.

"I found you." I pointed out matter of factly. Not to challenge him, but just stating facts. He plopped down next to me on the sofa, draping an arm on the back of the seat behind me. He was close enough for our thighs to brush against each other. Focus.

"That you did." He whispered with a smirk. He leaned in closer to me and my heart rate seemed to quicken with every inch of space lost between us. I swallowed hard and met his dark eyes.

"Now uh- what do you suggest we do next?" He asked me, his eyes never leaving my face. God what the hell did he mean by that?

"Um, well this is your plan so I've always just followed your lead. What do you suggest?" I vaguely responded placing the ball back in his court. Joker always had the upper hand. Although he and I had these mutual trust building exercises, I had always followed whatever scheme he had going.. With the power suddenly in my own hands I was at a loss. Especially when I still had yet to get a grasp on what exactly this plan for Gotham was to begin with.

He rubbed his chin, feigning deep thought. I speculated he already had everything mapped out. There was a method to his madness. And I was just along for the ride as I tried to unravel it all. "Well with your reporting career on hold I can't really ask you to get back on camera. Hmmm. What to do? What to do?" He raised his resting arm up to absentmindedly play with my hair as he stared off in thought. The casual intimate act set off a fluttering feeling in my stomach. It felt nice. I leaned my head back into his touch. He immediately pulled away. He recovered so quickly I barely got a moment to catch the look of surprise on his face.

I sat up straighter. Awkward. I couldn't resist the pull he had on me. I knew he felt it too. He'd be blind not to see the sparks between us. But maybe I was just getting ahead of myself.

He had given me a new definition of freedom. He gave new meaning to the feeling of being alive. His mystery and charm kept me on and swept me off my feet. The things he'd taught me and shown me were endless. But what had I done for him? Had I awakened anything in him? I had only looked at it from my own perspective. That wasn't like me. I always saw all sides. I made sense of it all.

But when it came to him there was none. No sense to be made, no puzzle to be solved unless he decides to gift you the pieces. It was just him in the moment. And that's what I had come to love about him. There was never any thinking when it came to him, just living.

"How about something with just me and you?" I boldly suggested. In this moment I just wanted more of him. Forget the story. Forget the job. Forget reason. If just for tonight...

Author's Notes:
Apologies for the short chapter. I'll make it up in the next chapter ;) Thank you as always for reading!