RELAPSE - Arthur Fleck | Joker FANFIC/LOVE STORY

Chapter 21: Relapse

Arthur's POV:

*THUMP*

My eyes shot open to the sound of something falling onto the ground, but all I could see was darkness.

Did Anon fall out of the bed?

I turned my body over to the nightstand that was to the left of me and turned on the old lamp. The soft light invaded just enough of the darkness to make it possible for me to see my surroundings. I turned back to look at the right side of the bed; it was empty. So, I crawled over the bed and peaked over the edge, looking down at the floor, to see if my initial though was correct. Nothing.

I quickly threw the covers off of my body and got out of the bed. The cold air hit me, causing me to shiver as goosebumps formed on every inch of my skin. I was only wearing boxers, so I located my pajama pants and a plain white shirt and slipped them on, not that they really saved me from the chilly air.

I left the bedroom and walked into the darkness of the living room, feeling around the wall for the light switch, which I eventually found. The light flicked on and my eyes automatically closed at the harsh light. I rubbed at my eyes and slowly forced them back open so I could scan the apartment. She wasn't in the living room, she wasn't in the kitchen, and I didn't hear any noises coming from the bathroom. My eyes found the clock and I saw that it was a little after 3 o'clock in the morning.

Where is she?

*THUMP*

I jerked my attention to the door. The sound came from the hallway. I made my way to the door and slowly undid the locks, waiting to see if anything else transpired before I opened the door to the unknown. I thought I could hear small, pained groans from a soft voice. The voice of a woman. This caused my body to take on a sense of urgency and I quickly flung the door open.

There was a woman on the ground, on her hands and knees, trying to get up off the hallway floor. However, she didn't seem very in control of her body. She was wearing clothes that looked very familiar to me and her long, blonde hair was disheveled and hanging down, hiding her face from me.

I kneeled down next to her, but hesitated to touch her, "Ma'am, are you okay? Can I help you up?"

She ignored me and, giving up on trying to stand, moved into a sitting position, her bottom resting on her legs. She ran one of her hands through her hair messily and brushed back most of the hair that was covering her face.

I gaped with surprise when I realized this woman was Anon.  "W-what are you doing out here, love?"

She started at me blankly. Her blue and green eyes were bloodshot and the pupils were highly constricted, which made it look like she didn't have pupils at all.  I also noticed that she had a bloody nose.

I stared back at her, completely and utterly confused by the state she was in. We came home from Pogo's, danced, made love, talked, and eventually went to sleep in each other's arms. So why was she out here in the hallway? Why was she in this horrible state?  My brain felt like it was overheating, trying to put this confusing puzzle together. I tried to ask her another question, but I only let out a few stuttered words.

I almost didn't notice when she finally started to speak, "I don't...feel..." before she could finish, she leaned her head down and threw up a little bit, the contents spilling onto her chest and lap.

"Shit," I pulled off my shirt and wiped her face, chest and lap with it. Once I cleaned her up the best I could, I positioned myself onto my feet and moved next to her so I could pull one of her arms over my shoulders and wrap my free arm around her body. I warned her that I was about to stand her up, but she didn't really respond.  I went ahead and slowly stood up, bringing her up with me. She did have her feet on the ground, but I was supporting most of her weight; she would definitely fall back down if I let go of her. I decided to let go of her arm that was over my shoulders and I reached down to the back of her knees and pulled her legs up so that I was carrying her bridal-style. She instinctively wrapped her arms around my neck.