; ╳ 𝔻𝕆 𝕀𝕋 !! ╳ ;

He’d almost feel bad for the kid if weren’t so damn PREDICTABLE. It really took all the fun out of it. He was a bad cliche with a gun. An angry little boy with a chip on his shoulder, forever in the shadow of his big bad DADDY. He should sell the rights. Make a killing. It’d make for spectacular tv. Of course when the show ended with father and son both being devoured by rabid dogs, it might lose its appeal. Oh well. Another laugh, louder and CRUELER than before racked through his body as the boy jerked him forward. Death wasn’t nearly as SCARY as he thought it was. In fact, it was pretty funny. To have gone through all this only to be taken out by a angst ridden little WORM. HA HA HA.  ❝ Nothing to do with him?! ❞ he mocked, his hands moving to curl around Jason’s, pressing the barrel tight against his forehead, tight enough to feel the pain. His gaze with filled with nothing but excitement. Maybe a touch of mirth. This was far from over. Because he wasn’t as resolved as he claimed. No. No no no no! Far from it. He was a goddamn wrecking ball. Ready to destroy but USELESS without a crane. He was lost. Scrambling around like a chicken with its head cut off waiting to find answers. But he’d find none. He never would. Not until he learned one simple itsy bitty truth about the world. IT’S NOT FUCKING F A I R. ❝ It has EVERYTHIN’ ta do with him! He’s the reason for all this. For everythin’ ya do. He’s the reason yer life’s in tha crapper. He’s the reason ya were ever on my radar. And he’s the reason yer standing here now! HA! So angry at Dada, ❞ He adopted a falsetto whine, a feint pout crossing his lips,  ❝ and yet, here ya are. Still doing what ya think he would. STILL trying to get ‘is approval. Maybe if ya ask real nice, he’ll let ya lick his balls some day! ❞ The clown cackled madly, careless that his taunting could end in his own death. What was life without a little risk? Besides, the kid wouldn’t kill him. He couldn’t. He still wanted answers. Poor kid. In a flash he drove his knee forward straight into his groin, taking advantage of their oh-so-close proximity. He seized the gun, but instead of using it, he tossed it to the side. It clattered with a metallic thud several yards away from them. He turned back to him, his expression growing darker, the grill on his teeth GLINTING in the low light.  ❝ Ya just don’t GET it, do ya kid? Yer not angry about what I did. Yer pissed I made ya see the truth! Tha’ your hero, the guy ya changed ya whole life for, doesn’t give a rat’s ass about ya. Ya thought he was the KNIGHT of Gotham, ya thought ya meant something to ‘im. But no. He threw ya right on ta my path. He KNEW what would happen boy! An’ he did it anyway! Then when it all blew up, guess wha’? HE LEFT YA. Left ya with a man he knew ain’t got an ounce of mercy. Ya ain’t mad at me. But cha don’t got the spine to go after HIM. ❞ Oh how he’d MISSED this. Toying with the kid. Slamming the obvious truths right under his nose and waiting for that glorious moment when he finally saw it. How many times would they dance this dance? How many times would Jason Todd protect the thing that let him down the MOST?

so he was RIGHT. a reporter NOSING around for the big scoop. he could see the headlines now. extra extra! read ALL about it! JOKER finally CAUGHT. gotham’s dark KNIGHT VICTORIOUS. a CACKLE, vicious and dangerous all at once cracked the silence around them. he watched her with INTEREST, wondering just how brave she really was. BRAVER than most, he’d give her that. but how far would she go for her STORY?  ❝ so tell me, RED. why are ya here, hhhmm? looking for the big SCOOP? well come on then! take a seat. i don’t BITE. ❞ the crimson stains on his metallic teeth told a different tale. but. CURIOSITY was getting the better of him. she was far more ENTERTAINING than the WALLS. 

some people called their WORK their masterpieces. whether it be a painting, a multi-million dollar deal, or some BRAT finally learning to read, the pride in what they created became their TRADEMARK. everyone was a PICASSO. but the joker? his masterpiece would never be the THINGS he accomplished.  no matter how much death and destruction he left in his wake, it would NEVER compare to his REAL masterpiece. PEOPLE. the ones around him. the ones he’d fought. the ones he’d never MET. anyone who had somehow stumbled across his path and helped prove his point. all it took was one BAD day. and suddenly the world wasn’t the HALLMARK commercial it liked to believe it was. people weren’t as GOOD as they pretended to be. that HEROES were just loaded GUNS ready to fire. case in point ; jason todd. oooohh. he thought he was GOOD. a blind little soldier marching in the BAT’S footsteps. he might have PITIED him if it weren’t so DELICIOUS. he loved a challenge. and CORRUPTING gotham’s youngest white LIGHT was the cream of the crop. so he DID. not nearly as DIFFICULT as he might have imagined, either. a little blood shed. a little TORTURE inflicted. the right WORDS at the right TIME and TADA! the halo was TARNISHED. and his masterpiece was BORN. and he didn’t DISAPPOINT. joker watched him. listened to all the RUMORS. got the FULL story. gone was the WANNABE hero. HERE was the VENGEFUL boy too ANGRY at the world to see straight. or to NOTICE he wasn’t nearly as CLEVER as he thought he was. he THOUGHT he was earning his way towards fulfilling something. getting his REVENGE. maybe he even called it JUSTICE. but all todd was doing was playing right into his HANDS. really. was he FOOLISH enough to believe it would be that EASY to take down the JOKER? the man his BETTER had BESTED a hundred times? he camped out at the warehouse for HOURS. a recently acquired one. it held NOTHING valuable. just a hoard of goons he hired to make jason’s way a little more ... - BUMPY. he waited. and waited. and waited some more, poised in an armchair with his hands in his lap, LAUGHING as he listened to the boy fight his way to him. how FLATTERING. a wide, WICKED grin spread over his crimson coated lips when he felt the BARREL of a gun pressed against the side of his head. FINALLY. took him long enough. a chuckled, a MOCKING, elated sound as he slowly raised his hands in surrender  ❝ jason todd. it’s been TOO long. welcome to th’ PARTY! ❞. slowly he rose to his feet, IGNORING his demand. if he wanted him DEAD, he already would have pulled the TRIGGER. scratch that. if he’d come to get it over with that QUICK, he already would have been BLEEDING out on the floor. he gestured towards the fallen guards behind them, laughing at the sight,  ❝ i see ya enjoyed my GIFT. i hate a party without FAVORS! but tell me, wha’ brings ya here? TIRED of tryin’ to get ole BATSY’S attention? ❞

she was a FIGHTER. had to give her that much. MOST people would have been curled up in a ball BEGGING for mercy by now. ESPECIALLY those that had crossed him. but not HER. no. she was fighting for UNDERSTANDING. trying to fight off the effects of four hundred VOLTS of electricity ripping through her BRAIN. ooh ! what would she do NEXT? an APPROVING laugh met her confused thanks. he hadn’t actually expected her to say it. then again ... - she always had been such a GOOD girl. he feinted a moment of THOUGHT, chin resting INNOCENTLY on his hand as if puzzling over his own actions. at least until he SLAPPED the side of the couch a few inches from her head,  ❝ ah ah ah, doc! REWIND. oooohhh ya HELPED alrigh’. after ya FRIED away what LITTLE i had left. ❞ he snapped, his tone BITING, eyes narrowed as he reached down and twisted a lock of her hair around his finger,  ❝ BUT. ya did righ’ by me in the end. set me FREE. so i returned the FAVOR, harl! yer jus’ as free as i am now. no more PRETENDING yer like everyone else. ❞

as per usual, he was caught between AMUSEMENT at her vindictiveness, and FURY at her shortsightedness. sometimes curbing a TEMPER came in handy. NOW would have been one of those times. oh sure, the judge was going to pay for his MOUTH, but preferably AFTER they had what they needed. why go to all the trouble of abducting a public official just to BASH his brains in without a REWARD first? a CHILLING ( and HOLLOW ) laugh accompanied her shrug, but it was short lived. in the blink of an eye, his hand shot out, gripping her THROAT, all traces of amusement wiped from his expression. his eyes narrowed DANGEROUSLY, a low GROWL emitting from his lips as he drew closer, their faces only inches apart,  ❝ FUNNY thing ‘bout respect, harls. ya ain’t the only one who DEMANDS it. ❞ abruptly he released her, stepping around her to examine the slumped over and oddly MISSHAPEN judge. and the BLOOD staining his hand. he figured it must have rubbed off her neck. a SMILE. then a LAUGH.        ❝ oooh! i don’t know whether ta PITY or CONGRATULATE th’ poor son o’ a bitch. yer quick but DAMN what a SWING!  ❞

❝ all fer YOU, baby, ❞ he confirmed with a GRIN, more effected by her JOY than he would have thought. what could he say? harley was the closest thing to a FRIEND he’d ever had ... - since he WOKE up anyway. his arms wrapped briefly around her, settling around her waist. a CHEERFUL moment despite the demonic sounding SNARLS behind them. ooh they’d come in HANDY. he watched her trot off towards them, not a TRACE of hesitation in her movements. no FEAR. one of her many BETTER qualities. fear wasn’t in her NATURE. not anymore. he gave a mock GASP ! when one of them snapped at her. SOME assembly may be required. he chuckled, moving closer, eyes BRIGHT as he watched the animals pace in anticipation,  ❝ they take after their MOMMA. no’ so sure abou’ names. the guy i bought ‘em from said somethin’ ‘bout ‘GET EM OFF ME’ though. ❞ he adopted a falsetto scream, dissolving into LAUGHTER only seconds later. he wondered if the man had ever stopped the BLEEDING. 

sympathy was a FOREIGN enough emotion to begin with. but when it came to her? it was NONEXISTENT. all he’d done was return the favor. give her a taste of her own JUICE. ha ha HA. she should count herself LUCKY she was still breathing. ole FROSTY had been all for getting rid of ALL the witnesses ... - but harleen quinzel was just too much FUN to give up so easily.  ❝ what are ya doin’ here?? ❞ he repeated, his tone a MOCKING whimper before a CHILLING laugh took its place,  ❝ see doc! i TOLD ya a good ZAP! to the brain didn’t get ya any memories. as fer yer current ... - PREDICAMENT, this is me sparin’ yer life. least ya could do is say THANK YOU. ❞ he tilted his head to the side as he watched her, almost as if WAITING for the sentiment. if all went according to PLAN, she would be thanking him someday SOON.

he lifted his head from the armrest, watching her with INTEREST as she rummaged around for a key. a long DRAWLING laugh accompanied her search,  ❝ ooh !! thinkin’ a step ahead even back then ! SMART girl. ❞. granted they could pull it off without the keys, but it would save them the HASSLE of stringing up a bunch of needle HAPPY doctors until someone handed them over. gave them the element of SURPRISE too.  he considered her question for a moment before he answered. working ALONE had its benefits, but only a fool wouldn’t acknowledge what an ASSET she was. swinging his legs off the chair he rose to his feet and trailed behind her, stopping and leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed,  ❝ we got some ... - FRIENDS in arkham who could do with a field trip. i think we oughtta help em’ out. ❞ right out the door and on to the streets, where they’d make the PERFECT distraction for the gcpd and BATMAN alike.