Title: To Live a Dream
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Crossover: Batman: Arkham Asylum/City/Origins & Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice
Characters: Batman: AA/AC/AO: Lonnie Machin (Anarky) ; J/C/H no Kuni no Alice: Edith Liddell
Pairing: Wistfulshipping (Lonnie Machin/Edith Liddell)
Summary: If anything, she was just letting herself play this dream out until it was time for her to wake back up to reality.
Word Count: 902
Author's Note: This is in no way related to Coming Undone, just so you know. Never thought I'd ship Edith with someone from this universe, specifically with a villain. And it's all because I'm replaying Batman: Arkham Origins.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: Batman: Arkham Asylum/City/Origins and Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice do not belong to me in any shape or form (including characters). Thank you.
Mother and Lorina would never do something like this.
If anyone in their family were to do something like this, it would be Alice.
But her?
She was more like Mother and Lorina than Alice could ever hope to be. Many had told her such, or something along those lines, and it made her swell with pride and satisfaction. Because it meant she was blooming into being a fine, young lady. She knew her part, knew what lines were and were not meant to be crossed. She knows where her place in the world is.
And it is not with him.
Edith knows this.
She's heard his messages.
She's seen what he and his followers have done.
She knows what they stand for.
She knows he stands against everything she stands for.
So why was she doing this?
Why was she dressed in these clothes which she hoped appeared to be less expensive compared to the rest of her wardrobe? Why had she sneaked out of their suite in the dead of night? Why was she on her way to see someone that hated her kind? Why had he saved her that day when the riot broke out? Hadn't he seen who she was with? Didn't he notice how fancy her clothes were compared to his?
Why did her heart stutter and stomach flutter when he'd grace her with that boyish smile of his?
She had an inkling of the answer to the last question, but refused to acknowledge it.
Acknowledging it meant it was real.
And she couldn't let it become real.
She would not let it become real.
But aren't I letting it become real by going?
She swallows, the icy air piercing her throat, as she miserably attempts to keep warm.
No. No, she is not letting this become real by simply going there and seeing him. If anything, she was just letting herself play this dream out until it was time for her to wake back up to reality.
The Solomon Wayne Courthouse stood, tall and proud, across the street from her. It came as a surprise when he told her where she could find him, even more so that it was a courthouse they were using as their base. But then again should it have shocked her that they were hiding out here? They're all about making a difference, after all.
Checking both ways, just to be safe, she hurried across the street and headed towards the back of the building.
There were a few of his followers standing around, but they didn't give her any trouble. The most they did was take a quick glance at her before going back to what they were doing. As she approached the back door, a man stopped her to ask what she was doing here, letting her through only after a fellow collaborator told him to. It was troublesome to see how many more were joining this cause – his cause.
"Edith!" Was that relief in his voice? "I'm glad you made it. For a second there, I thought you weren't going to come."
She smiles shyly at him, and he signals for the others to leave the room. It is not until the door closes that he removes that expressionless, white mask from his face and reveals that boyish grin on his face that knocks the air out of her lungs. When he first revealed his face to her, it had the same effect on her as it did now. And it amazed her that he was the leader, considering his age. It still did amaze her. He might've been the same age as her, or a year or two older perhaps?
Her hands soon find themselves clasped within his, and heat kisses her cheeks when he brings them to his face and are met with the warmth of his breath. She firmly reminds herself that, no matter what, she cannot let this become real. She cannot give her heart to this boy for a number of reasons.
And who knows? Maybe this is all a trap of some kind, a trick.
What if he does know who she is?
What if he does know that she's a daughter of a wealthy family?
What if he plans on using her as leverage in order to gain what he needs?
"Edith?" concern fills his voice and his expression matches it. Anarky – Lonnie – gently caresses the back of her hands with his thumbs. The act, whether intentionally or not, warms her to the core. She graces him with a small smile, chasing those "what ifs" away from her mind.
"I'm all right."
He carefully studies her, trying to see if she is all right or not, but she's been trained for moments like these. Her mask is flawless at this point, not giving anything away to indicate something was wrong. That everything was all right. And, after another minute passes, the smile is back on his face.
She knows this dream will have to come to an end soon.
That she'll have to make it come to an end soon.
But as she sits on the sofa near the heater and listens to him talk about how he wants to make Gotham a better place to live and how he plans to do it, Edith dreams of what their happily ever after would have been like if this were a story.