i thought you were dead | joker x harley

and nothing was the same

The next morning, Harley woke up to find herself alone in the regal bed she shared with Joker. She yawned and stretched out her arms, before forcing herself off the bed and downstairs. Her nose was filled with the pleasant smell of pancakes, her favorite. As she reached the kitchen, she found Joker sitting at the dining table eating.

"You need to eat Harley." He said coldly as he emerged from his seat and walked towards the kitchen. He grabbed a plate and served Harley with her once favorite breakfast, pancakes. As he was doing so, Harley shook her head in protest and said quietly, "I'm not hungry J."

The loud shatter of a plate hitting the floor echoed through the room and she instantly regretted her words. Joker rushed over to her and struck her across her face; Harley's weak body hit the floor with a loud thud. The pain was too much and she began to cry, not bothering to pick herself off the floor. Joker was across the room, walking away before he heard Harley's whimpers and sniffles. He threw his head back in frustration and growled as he walked back over to Harley. He stood tall before her and looked down at her; Through blonde streaks of hair, Harley could see Joker standing and expected to be beaten. To her surprise, Joker knelt down and removed the strands of hair from Harley's face. He stared at her cheek and cupped it, the same place he had struck her only moments earlier. His eyes met with hers and she could see the confusion he tried to conceal in his eyes. He so desperately wanted to hug Harley, apologize for all the pain he'd ever caused her, but it wasn't in his nature. With a tilt of his head and a slight part of his mouth, she knew. She knew that he was sorry but couldn't manage the words.

"It's okay.." she simply whispered.

Joker wrapped his arms around Harley and picked her up, carrying her to the room they shared. He let her go and she stood before him. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together and spoke enthusiastically, "I've got an idea Harls, get dressed. We're going out tonight!" He turned on his heels and promptly exited the room. Harley stood there, not thrilled at the idea of dolling herself up and going out that night. She sighed and decided not to put up a fight. Harley walked into the bathroom and as she did so, memories of what happened there rushed back to her and she felt paralyzed. Unable to move, she simply stood there. After a few minutes, she regained her composure and undressed, stepping into the shower. The hot water hit her body and the steam filled the room; she automatically reached for her floral scented shampoo and the smell brought Harley comfort. When she was all clean, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked to her closet. She walked around, looking for something to wear; it had been a while since she dressed up, so she decided to wear something extra special. She reached towards the back of her closet and found the dress she had been looking for. There it was. It was a red sequin dress, with gold chains and a bare back. She curled her hair and applied her usual makeup. She slipped on her gold open toe heels and she was ready. She took one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs and she couldn't help but feel like her old self.

Joker was waiting downstairs and he wore black slacks, a black button down shirt, and his gold chains. He turned to see Harley and as he saw her, flashes of them and their crazy nights of adventures flashed through his mind. He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked her towards the black SUV that was waiting for them.

"You look good Harls....You look good." Joker said as his eyes washed over Harley.

He helped Harley into the SUV and slid in beside her. Frost was in the driver's seat and realized that Harley and Joker couldn't be without each other. They were dysfunctional but they were all they had, so he decided to simply accept it.

"Where to Boss?"

Joker smiled at Harley and said, "Let's head over to Harley's favorite club."

Frost drove off into the bright lights of Gotham and after a short ride they arrived at Joker's club. To no surprise, the place was swarmed with people and the music was blaring. They walked in and were instantly met with looks of respect and fear. No one dared to stare for too long though; knowing of Joker's distaste for it. Harley's eyes immediately darted over to her cage and instinctively walked over to it and stepped inside. Joker made his way upstairs with his men and watched Harley as she danced and felt comforted that she had seemed to return to her normal self. After a few minutes had passed, a woman walked in wearing a black dress and heels and asked if he needed a drink. He ordered a scotch neat repeatedly and by his 6th drink, he was really enjoying himself. Harley had made her way around the club and had returned to her cage. As she looked up, hoping to see Joker gawking at her, she looked up to see Joker kissing a woman in a black dress.

Everything stood still, her vision blurred, and she felt disgusted at the sight. She asked to be let out and quickly exited the club. Tears streaked down Harley's cheeks and she began walking around. Soon, she realized she was lost and felt like she was being followed. She heard footsteps behind her and someone's breathing.

"Hey lady, you seem lost....I can help you out." A tall man said as he made his way in front of Harley. He was to close for her comfort and she tried to back away.

"Don't be scared honey, I don't bite." He said as he tried to get closer to her.

Suddenly, a loud gun shot was heard and the man fell backwards, his brain splattered all throughout the sidewalk. She turned to see who had done this only to feel disgusted again. It was Joker.

"Dammit Harley! I turn my eyes for a second and you run off!" He yelled in her face.

"I saw you J, I saw you kissing that woman." Her face fell as she spoke.

Joker felt a wave of guilt and it seemed foreign to him. He had never cared of hurting Harley's feelings but things had changed.

"Harley, I....I'm-"

"You're sorry....yeah......you always are J."

She walked past him and waited for him to follow. She didn't hear his footsteps so she turned and saw him standing on the street with a blank look on his face. With a sigh she said, "C'mon, let's go home."

He followed her and they didn't speak all the way home. He was right. Things were different.

Things were very different.