Toxic (Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow x OC)

Chapter One

These straightjackets hurt like hell. But I've learned to ignore the pain. I've been here for a little over a month now, but I've yet to meet any of the other patients. I only knew one to begin with. Harley Quinn is my cousin, and we were always close when we were younger. I would visit often before I myself was locked away. The Arkham Asylum for the criminally insane. I didn't do it on purpose really. I can't help the fact that I'm a pyromaniac, and bio-engineer. Top of my class. I helped develop the antitoxin to Jonathan Crane's fear toxin, and to tell you the truth, I think I'm in love. I only saw him once, but that was enough. Ice blue eyes, thick, wavy locks of raven hair. It had been haphazardly cut for his trial, as he had been locked away long enough for it to grow past his shoulders.

*CLANK* "Alright Nightshade, no funny business now, ya hear?"

"Loud and clear." I mumble to my self. The guard picks me up off the padded floor, and pulls me out into the hallway.

"Now Jinx, is that any way to greet your favorite cousin?" I look up to see Harley in her own jacket. Her eyes light up as we shuffle closer to each other. She's slightly taller than me so her head ends up resting on mine, which is on her shoulder.

"Quinn! Nightshade! Separate!" we are yanked apart by two burly guards. "Today's your lucky day Nightshade."

"Oh?" I asked replied, "and why is that?" I looked over at Harley smiling maniacally. She obviously knew what they were talking about.

"You're out." the guard stated.

"Of what?" now I was really confused. My stay at the Asylum had been deemed for life. What the hell could they be talking about?

"No more solitary confinement. Interaction between you and the rest of our 'patients' has been deemed safe," I squealed with joy, as Harley collapsed into fits of laughter. "Now just hold on girls, that means one other thing." the old guard chuckled and continued. "No more straightjackets for you two either." he smiled at me as I turned wide eyed, toward Harley.

"Can you please take it off me now then." I asked turning back to face the guard.

"Ditto!"

"Sure thing darlin'. We'll get them off in a jiffy."

As soon as mine and Harley's arms were loose, we glomped each other.

"Eh-hem." we faced them once again. "You will also be sharing a room with Harley until yours has been finished. You will stay with Miss Quinn, especially considering you haven't been to the common rooms before. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" I replied, whipping my hand to my forehead. "Fuck! Stupid buckles!" I managed to forget that I still had the straightjacket on, and the buckles on my arm had gone around and hit the back of my head.

"C'mon cuz, let's go." Harley laughed and rolled her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Two days later and already I had no friends, other than Harley and her boyfriend the Joker. Most glared at me from a distance, and I realized that they had all been my test subjects for some experiments I had done. I remember watching in horror as we tested my first batch of anti-toxin on one man, only to find that Crane's toxin had been amplified. The man collapsed on the floor, writhing in pain, as he gouged his flesh as though ridding himself of some unseen pest.

"Jiiinx! Jinxy-poo! Dude she's not responding, what do I do?" my mind joins reality once again as Harley waves her hand in my face. I blink a few times and realize I had been staring at the very man I had unintentionally tortured.

"Haha it's alive! Heheh so watcha thinkin bout Nightshade?" I look over at Joker.

"Him." I jerk my thumb towards the man in question

 "Why would ya think about him, he's not even cute!" Harley interjected. I rolled my eyes.

"Because," I sigh, " he was the first test subject for my anti-toxin."

"Didn't you epicly fail that first time though?" Joker asked, a puzzled look came across his cheery face.

"Yes I did." It felt as though I was being watched. I turned around in time to see a man around my age drop his head and continue writing in his notebook.

"My first anti-toxin only enhanced the effects of Crane's toxin. It was disturbing watching that poor man writhing on the floor knowing it was never intended to make him a victim."

"You really felt that way? But..." I looked back at Harley.

"After I went home that day, do you know what I did?" a smile crept onto my face.

"I collapsed into a fit of laughter, all the while thinking; 'If Crane could see me now!'" I couldn't help but think he would have loved it.

"Oh but I can, and I indeed would have loved it." He was so quiet, and when I looked back the man looked down at his notebook and smirked. It occurred to me that I must have said it out loud, because Harley was nodding her head in agreement. Although it didn't seem like she had heard the man speak.

"Quinn! Joker! Your presence has been requested by the warden, get over here now!"

"Aww man," Harley whined, "He found out." I looked back and forth between the two.

"What were you gonna do this time?"

"If we have the time, I'll explain later. Okay Jinx?" Joker looked back at me. I gave him a thumbs up as he walked away. I stood there for a moment as I gathered enough courage to confront the other guy. Finally I walked towards him. He hadn't looked up yet.

"Hi, I'm Jinx Nightshade. Who are you?" It felt weird being this cheery. Finally he looked up. I suppressed a gasp as I realized who he was. The ice blue eyes, and haphazardly cut locks of wavy raven hair. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and stood up. He was a few inches taller than me.

"Jonathan Crane, pleasure to meet you Dr. Nightshade." Holy shit I was right, it was him. His rich tenor rang through my body, as I fought the shudder threatening to cover my body. I watched as he took me in. It seemed as though he was counting all nine peircings on my face alone. His eyes sparkled when he glanced at my ears, noticing the gauges and the seven other peircings on each ear, making them an almost symmetrical sixteen in total. He then proceeded down my body. I was wearing a tank top today, so he could see both sleeves I had mine and Harley's friend Jeremy do for me. One arm had Jack and Sally in the graveyard. The other was of ravens taking flight as a pair of eyes shone from behind them. I had raven wings on my back, and elvish scrawled across the tops of my shoulders. My sweatpants and tank top covered my bellybutton ring as well as the rest of my tattoos. Awkwardly standing there, I started playing with the tips of my blond and purple hair. He reached up and brushed a lock behind my ear. I froze. Where was this coming from? His lips quirked.

"Why let madness keep you prisoner as you fight it? Why fight something you could never ignore? It's in us all, some can keep it buried, but people like you and I? Heh, we've stopped wrestling our demons. Now. They are our friends." I smiled as I was escorted away to my room, looking back at him I watched as he smiled back and raised his hand in farewell.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~