Daddy's Lil Monster || Jarley

Dinner Date: written 28/12/17

Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of the characters I have used, this story is a making from my mind only.

J, we need you in the back. One of his henchmen whispered to him.

Harley sighed, couldn't they just have one day where they could act like a normal couple without being disturbed by their brainless thugs or Batman. She didn't mind when Batman interrupted them, it made her Puddin' happy, and when he was happy, she should be happy, right? At least that's what she told herself, she felt bad that she wasn't happy for him, he was her Puddin' "Mistah J's happy, everyone's happy" she said over and over in her head, trying not to get mad. But he promised her just one day a year where they could act normal and he couldn't even do that for her, not one lousy day.

"What was that about?" She finally spoke up, watching him intently as she studied his body language. Sometimes he forgot that she used to be a psychiatrist, she could read Joker like a book, no one could read him better, PhD or not. She used it to her favour though, playing dumb when she knew exactly what was going on, she acted dumb for him, made herself seem like an idiot just to make him happy, everything she did was to make him happy, she knew he liked her best, acting brainless, it gave him a sense of power, of superiority.

"You're doing it again." Joker gritted his teeth, annoyed.

"Doing what?" Harley played dumb, twirling one of her pigtails around her finger.

"Trying to read me." He said, angered by her mistrust of him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harley started, being cut off abruptly.

"Harleen," Harley was taken back, she hadn't heard that name in years, was he trying to make her mad "I know when you're trying to work things out in that tiny little head of yours so spit it out!" He started off quiet but raised his voice, standing over her. Harley involuntary flinched, expecting a slap.

Joker stared at Harley, his bright blue eyes pouring into her soul as he studied her. Had he known all this time and not told her, was he playing dumb too? No, the Joker wasn't THAT tactical, not about her anyway, just B-man, how she wished that bat would just die, she would do it herself but she wasn't allowed, it had to be Joker, always about him, she was just the girlfriend. It seemed ironic to her that everyone labelled her as Joker's girlfriend when she barely got a look in.

"It's just that," Harley gulped nervously "it's my birthday, Puddin', you said it would just be me and you tonight, you promised to make it special as I was stuck in Arkham last year." She sighed mournfully "You left me for ages earlier, I was really bored," she frowned "Where was you anyways?"

"I told you, we'd run out of hyena food, I had to go get some more." Joker sat back down.

It takes FOUR hours to get hyena food?" Harley questioned, not believing a single word. Joker didn't even believe his own cover story but he hoped Harley was dumb enough to.

"They don't sell it in pet stores." He shrugged.

"We feed them dog food, they sell that at pet stores." Harley challenged him. On any other day he would drag her outside and beat her to a pulp just for even thinking he might be wrong, but it was her birthday, one day a year that he had to control his temper, and it was the longest day ever.

Joker looked past Harley to the kitchens, seeing his henchmen calling for him again, he stood up.

"Where you goin now?" Harley asked, grabbing his arm, tears in her eyes "You promised this year would be special." She repeated, pleading with him to stay.

"And it will be, I just," he frowned, shaking her off of him. He saw the disappointment on her face as she went back to her food, turning her head away from him to avoid his gaze "I'll be right back." He sighed, walking away.

Deep maniacal chuckles flooded the room, echoing across the polished white tiles and making Joker seem even louder. He stormed into the back room behind the kitchen, the doors flung open on their hinges, sounds of creaking and laughter penetrating his henchmen's ears.

"Oh, boss," one of the guys jumped, surprised, "we thought you were having dinner with Harley." He said, standing quickly in front of Joker.

"I was." He growled, picking up the man by a piece of his shirt "So one of you idiots better tell me what was so important, you had to interrupt my date!" He screamed. Joker didn't care about having a date with Harley, he'd prefer be organising schemes, pranks, gags. Dates were too normal for someone like him and he thought maybe Harley would feel the same, apparently not. He got away with it last year because Batman received an anonymous tip from someone. But this year he had to suck it up, he had to keep Harley happy as he knew she would go on about it for the next 12 months, and he couldn't handle that earache complaining about her birthday not being special for another year.

"Well, we um, well it wasn't me, it was..." Joker threw the man aside, revealing the empty chair they were trying to hide from him.

"YOU LET HIM ESCAPE?!" Joker bellowed.

"Kinda." A thug said quietly.

"I don't why I keep you guys around, you can't even do a simple kidnapping job right." He shook his head in disappointment, despairing with his incompetent henchmen "Go out there and find him, I want him back here, strapped into THAT chair like he should have been in the first place!" He demanded, throwing a knife at one of his henchmen, impaling him in the shoulder. Joker had paid Penguin quite a bit just to use the back room for the night, and his stupid guys went and messed it up.

Harley could hear bangs and screaming coming from the kitchen, she face palmed, mortified. Everyone stared at her, knowing who she was, or rather, who her boyfriend was "What are you looking at?!" Harley screamed as everyone returned to their own conversations.

After 20 minutes or so, Joker returned.

"You've got blood on your shirt." Harley pointed out, frowning "Ya havin fun without me?"

"On the contrary, my dear," Joker told her honestly, sitting down as he wiped his blood stained hands with his napkin "my men are a bunch of idiots." He growled.

"Our," Harley said under her breath.

"What?" Joker asked, challenging her to say it again.

"OUR men." Harley repeated, accepting his challenge, she knew when he was trying to intimidate her and it wasn't going to work this time. She had been feeling left out, like ever since she told him she was pregnant, he'd just been doing business by himself, she no longer felt included and she'd had enough "We run them together, partners in crime, side by side. Or did you forget that?"

"Have I done something wrong?" Joker questioned, noticing the rage in her eyes and the sadness on what should be a smile, Harley Quinn always smiles, most of the time anyway.

"No, of course not," Harley stood up, raising her voice and stabbing the table with her steak knife "WHY would I be annoyed that my boyfriend left to go and have fun without me, on MY birthday!" She was now shouting, everyone watched the unravelling scene, Harley not aware everyone was listening, her eyes only set on Joker "EVER SINCE I told you I was pregnant you..." Harley heard everyone gasping and looked around to see everyone staring at her, utterly speechless. She could feel their burning eyes staring at her, their judgemental comments churning in their heads, waiting to escape, couldn't they just mind their own business.

"I hate you." Her voice broke, Joker never expected that. She looked right through him, tears lining her eyes, and ran away.

Everyone looked shocked by her behaviour, even in a villians only restaurant. None of them had ever seen her like this, they knew she had a temper but never had they seen it directed at the Joker.

She left Joker completely stunned, baffled, he stood up but saw someone else go to the restrooms so he guessed she'd just talk to them instead, that lets him off the hook. What on earth just happened though, what was all that about?

To be continued.....

Author Note: Hey guys, sorry to end it there, I promise there is more, and it will be coming sooner rather than later. In the meantime though, who do you think has gone to comfort Harley, let me know :)