Joker and his Ace

The Aftermath

Joker woke up, and stretched out, straining his muscles till they spasmed. He turned and looked at Ace, she was still sleeping soundly. Last night had been amazing for both of them. Joker had let himself feel for the first time in what felt like ages. He reached over to her, and traced her scars gently, waking her up. She glanced up and smiled, and began to stretch too. All of the sudden Joker's thoughts turned dark.

She's nothing like Oriana, she can never replace her. I'm not trying to replace her! Sure you aren't hehe, she will never be her, no matter how much you scar her face. I didn't want her face to be like that, I would undo it if I could- NO YOU WOULDN'T! You're happy someone finally shares the same pain as you, is as disfigured and ugly as you! You don't deserve this! You monster! I-

"Joker?" Ace whispered, looking concerned. He glanced up at her, not realizing he had begun to mumble to himself. He smiled at her, fighting off the pestering voices in his head. He kissed her gently on the lips and disentangled himself from the sheets. Ace watched him cross the room and thought to herself Dammm he's fine. she unabashedly watched him put clothes on, and blushed when he caught her staring. He merely raised his eyebrows at her and continued to get ready for the day. Ace swung her legs over the side of the bed, and winced in pain. Is this normal? she thought to herself. She awkwardly waddled across the room and found some clothes to put on, feeling his eyes on her the whole time. She was a deep shade of red when she looked at him again, as was he. 

"Are you ok?" he asked, he had noticed the ginger way she had been walking. She turned a darker shade of red and mumbled a yes. Joker realized what must be paining her and laughed. "Was that your first Essie?" he asked her. She nodded, turning redder still. He merely laughed again, and sat on the bed, putting on his socks. She sat across from him and watched him.

"What's your real name?" she asked cautiously, she had bruises on her body from the last time she had asked the wrong question. He looked in her eyes and seemed to be deciding something.

See!? She's trying to take her place! She'll never take Oriana's place!!! Shut up! She asked a simple question, no need to freak out on her. Ha, a simple question?! That's personal. I WILL DECIDE HOW TO DEAL WITH IT, NOT YOU! Hmm, should I tell her? Joker made up his mind.

"It was Jack," he said carefully. She repeated the name and looked at him again.

"C-can I call you Jack?" she asked, scared.

WHAT DID I TELL YOU??? SHE'S TRYING TO- "SHUT UP!" screamed Joker, causing Ace to fall off the bed. She got up shakily and saw Joker clutching his head like he wanted to break it open. She slowly pulled his hands off of his head and placed them in her own. He looked up at her, with a crazed look in his eyes. She swallowed her fear down and leaned over to kiss him gently on the lips, snapping him out of the fit he was having in his head. She pulled away and hesitated before speaking.

"It's alright if you don't want me-" Joker put a finger up to her lips, shushing her. He shook his head once, before speaking.

"No, it's fine. I would rather have that. Joker seems too formal now." he said, smiling. She smiled back, glad he didn't freak out again.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Sometimes, I hear these voices in my head, trying to tell me what to do." he didn't meet her eyes, "Sometimes I can't get them to stop." he glanced down at their hands. She took one of hers and used it to raise his chin, forcing him to look her in the eye. 

"Who's Oriana?" she asked him. Instantly she knew this was a mistake. Joker ripped his hands away from hers, and jumped up, backing away from her like she was something dangerous.

"Where did you hear that name?" he asked loudly. She looked at him, confused at what the name was doing to him, she was jealous of this Oriana.

"I heard you mumble it last night, you said, "She's not Oriana, she'll never be." Ace glanced up at him. He was whiter than usual. But then he sighed, sounding defeated. Throwing himself on the bed, he told her his story. Ace cried when he was finished, finally understanding his walls, and his pain. She held onto him and he sobbed for his lost love onto her shoulder. They lay there for hours, holding onto each other. Ace decided it was time to share her story too. She sat up on her elbow and braced herself.

"I grew up in an awful home, my dad was an abusive drunk, and my mom was a cheating slut. Sometimes, my dad would come home and use her as a punching bag. When she wasn't home, he'd use me." Ace paused and looked at Joker. He was staring at her with rapt attention. She continued. "One day, he came home, and mom was with another man, he was angrier than I had ever seen him in my life, and that's saying something. She screamed at him to leave them be, but he didn't listen. He got out a kitchen knife, and stabbed the man in the neck, killing him. He turned to my mom, but he didn't want her to have such a swift ending. He tied her down to the bed, and raped her, repeatedly. When he had his fill, he carved her open, he actually forced her to eat her own kidney. Once she had died, he downed another bottle of vodka and killed himself. I'm the one who found them. I got home after a sleepover at a friends house and walked into blood splattered all over the walls, and my parents and a stranger dead in the bedroom. I was then placed in foster care, and I moved from one shitty house to another. I got abused so much, that I constantly had to wear long sleeves and pants to hide the damage. I ran away from each house, and finally, when I was 16, I took myself out. I got a job, finished my education, and put myself through college. It was hard, but I made it, and here I am, with Gotham's most notorious villain, telling him my life story." she laughed, and looked at him.

He reached over to her and wiped off the tears before speaking. "I'm gonna make em all pay doll, you can count on that." She smiled at him and pulled him on top of her, and they began where they had left off, no part of them separate, intertwined all day, making love to each other until they couldn't anymore.