Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise and no money is being made from this.
AoS
The two Arkham escapees had soon returned home, Harry still on a high from blowing up the fire station. Joker had allowed him to destroy the car they had been using as well, and despite his earlier reservations about the weapon, he now was definitely a bazooka fan.
The next morning found him once again being kicked awake by Harley, a curious smile lighting her face. Harry stood up and stretched before plonking himself in a chair.
"So how'd ya date go?" the blonde asked, grinning.
They both looked around startled as a banging sound reached their ears. Joker was sat at a table, a furious expression on his face for just a second before it returned to its usual emotionless look. The banging noise was the result of a chair being kicked over. Joker was acting as if nothing had happened and Harry and Harley shrugged it off.
"Well I got his number" he grinned back, Harley's smile widening. "He seems sweet on a girl called Rachel Dawes. She's a bitch and I'm gonna kill her but he doesn't need to know that."
"I think I've heard of her. Something to do with the law right?" Harley enquired, seating herself on the arm of the chair he was sat in. He nodded and Harley threw him an understanding look. "Why do you especially wanna kill her?"
"She's the reason for something bad" Harry explained vaguely, but Harley seemed satisfied with his answer.
"Right, well me and Ivy are off to some biology lab or something. We'll see you guys later. Try not to kill each other while we're gone; I wanna watch if you do" Harley grinned before exiting the room, leaving Harry and the Joker alone.
"I want to practice fighting some more" Harry told Joker, who looked at him lazily.
"Asking to be hurt? Batboy is going to love you, you know?" Joker muttered, shaking his head. He licked his lips, darting the muscle across his scars. The man got up, heading towards Harry with a dangerous glint in his eyes. He crouched down in front of Harry, who didn't break eye contact with him.
"Na-ah" Harry denied, shaking his head but not tearing his eyes away from Joker's. "There are some people I want to get hands on with before I turn them into ash."
"Hands on huh?" Joker asked, grabbing hold of both of Harry's wrists, his nails digging into the skin. "I do find it a lot more satisfying using the direct approach to murder and mayhem. It's why I use a knife. It's so much more personal; you can really get inside the very soul of the person, look through their eyes and see their fears. Death can be beautiful; it is art."
"I make art too. Nobody really appreciates fire anymore, but it's so strong and powerful; pretty as well" Harry mused, not flinching as the grip on his wrists tightened. He followed the path of the Joker's scars with his eyes; they brought him comfort, yet as he really thought about it, they were beautiful to look at as well. "You're a work of art too" he told Joker, who raised an eyebrow at him mockingly.
"I'm not art; I make it" Joker answered, throwing him a warning look.
"You concentrate on your own work so much that you can't see what is in front of you" Harry whispered. "You are like a blank canvas with nothing painted other than a twisted smile, but it makes the whole piece. I'm scarred in many places, inside and out, but you, you stand out." He broke one of his hands free, moving it to run along one of Joker's scars.
Joker's hand instantly flew up to catch it, but he didn't pull it away; instead he simply held it there, all the while both of them staring into the other's eyes.
"I've said it before, but you really do pull off the craziest looks in your eyes" Joker said.
Harry inched forward, sliding off the chair and kneeling on the ground, raising himself up a bit so that he was directly eye to eye with Joker. They were so close to each other that Harry could hear Joker breathing, and could see the faint marks on his skin. He unconsciously moved himself nearer, both of them unwilling to move for a moment.
The moment ended quickly for Joker, and Harry was suddenly grabbed, span around and held against Joker's chest, a knife against his throat.
"Kids today get so easily distracted. I blame video games personally" Joker mused, gesturing for Harry to stand with him. He obeyed not out of respect or fear, but because he was curious. He knew that Joker was, at the very least, intrigued with him enough to not slit his throat and kill him now; like he would even be able to get that far.
Joker walked them to a room Harry had not been in before. It was bare aside from a table which had a variety of knives gleaming on it.
"Here is just some of my collection" Joker explained, throwing Harry to the floor. Joker scooped some knives up in his arms and knelt on the ground beside Harry. "Arm please."
Harry offered the limb to Joker, who rolled his sleeve up, tilting his head to get a better look at the skin. Joker immediately set to work, switching between the knives as he did so. "Can you feel the differences in the blades? Some go deeper, some are sharper and some just really...hurt" Joker drawled, one of the strokes making Harry flinch instinctively, much to Joker's pleasure.
Joker sat back after a while, happily admiring his work. Harry glanced down at his pained arm. The word 'Joker' was now carved into his skin, the letters wonky from the different blades. He grinned as he wiped the blood away, making the letters clearer.
Harry enjoyed the thought of being marked and cut; it reflected his inner flaws as well as giving him something on himself that he liked the look of.
He was drawn out of his thoughts by a hard slap around the face.
"You're distracted again" Joker reprimanded.
Harry jumped up, smiling at Joker and using his arm to block his face from another attack. It caused extra sting in the fresh cuts and Joker must have known that for he laughed.
"You don't think anyone is gonna go easy on you, do you Ace?" Joker questioned casually as he attempted to hit Harry again.
Harry ducked under Joker's arm, attempting to attack him from behind, when he was stopped by a blow to the chest which knocked him back slightly. He leapt forward, trying to tackle Joker to the ground. The criminal easily pushed him off, throwing Harry back to the floor. He hadn't expected it to work given the size difference between them, but it was fun to try, although from what he remembered, the Batsuit looked heavy in itself, never mind the man underneath, so it would be just plain stupid for him to try the move on Batman, no matter how crazy he was.
He had a sudden image of the mystery man wearing no clothes underneath his vigilante outfit and he broke into a fit of giggles which threw Joker off balance long enough for Harry to punch him between his laughter.
"You're learning" Joker said winking, reaching a hand up to touch his face. "You really need to work on your swing though; I barely felt that. Come on, I'll give you a free go." Joker gestured at his face, his arms at either side of him.
Harry put all his effort into it as he flung his fist forward, being caught by Joker as expected. He swung his other fist underneath, only to be gripped again by the other man.
"Maybe you should play with Harley; she makes a good punching bag. I would recommend Ivy but I don't know where she's been so if you do decide to fight with her, please wash your hands afterwards. Water, soap, lather and rinse."
"Be nice; I like Ivy" Harry whined, making Joker grab hold of his arm where the cuts were. He squeezed tightly until Harry sent a flame to the hand holding him.
"Would you like to help me with something?" Joker asked, sounding so normal that Harry was taken aback; he didn't like it. The look in Joker's eyes however was enough to reassure him that something wicked was about.
Harry nodded. "Sure, but only if..." to make his point he threw a fire ball at a wall, burning it through and leaving a charred hole behind.
Joker grinned, licking his lips hungrily. "Of course." Joker took Harry's hand in his, humming as he rubbed it, making a 'hmm' noise every so often. He let go, grin even wider. "I am going to rob a bank, you don't need to know who owns it, but trust me, it is going to shake the right people, shake them like a snow globe." Joker mimicked shaking the trinket.
"I like snow globes" Harry murmured casually. Joker's mouth twitched upwards slightly.
"As for you," Joker continued, waving a pointing finger at Harry, "you get to have some fun with hostages. You can't kill them mind you, unless of course they want to play, but I believe that traumatisation is good for the soul."
Joker didn't expand on his comment, rather he used his widened eyes to explain to Harry what he meant; scare, maybe torture, but not murder. Harry nodded again to show that he was definitely in. Joker leered at him, although there was a gleeful look in his eyes.
"Hey, do you want to know how I got my scars?" Joker asked, tone suddenly deep and serious. Harry gestured for him to explain. "My parents, well they were loving, caring people to begin with, showering the world with love. Then, then I was born and they tried to love me but they just couldn't. I was too much of a freak to them. My father left and I was raised by my mother who had started to go just a little. Bit. Crazy. One night she came into my room and asked me why I didn't smile and why I couldn't be the happy, perfect son she always wanted. She wanted me to be that boy so she took it upon herself to make me look the part." He ran his fingers along his scars, darting his tongue out like a snake.
"Interesting" Harry muttered, shutting one eye. "Do you wanna know how I got struck by lightning?" he grinned, pointing to his forehead. Joker nodded, looking almost admirable. Almost.
"This one man in my world tried to make it better; the way he thought it should be, but some other people thought that he was wrong so they took it upon themselves to try and stop him. Now this man was unstoppable, and if he tried to kill you then you were dead. It turned out I was the only one who could stop him so when I was a baby he killed my parents and tried to kill me, but he ended up losing his body and I got this pretty little scar on my head. In the end he got his body back but I killed him for good and saved my world. Do you want to know the irony though? The world I saved don't care and the man I killed, well now I realise he was right. All the ones who betrayed me, he hated them. He knew what they were but I couldn't see it. He was cleansing our world of filth, much like I am doing here. I had the chance there and I wasted it."
"No, no Ace. Your little world you had was his canvas. Gotham is yours. I mean, sure, it's fun to mess up other people's artwork, but making your own is so much more satisfying. Talking of which, how are you with accents?"
The question threw Harry off slightly, but now that he thought about it, he had never really tried talking with another accent.
"It's not that I don't like yours, because I do" Joker carried on, as if he hadn't noticed Harry's mind ticking away, "but we don't have many British criminals around here, and seeing as you like blending in with the public, I bet you your hat that you didn't think about disguising your voice when you were out before."
Harry shrugged and Joker smirked. "Hand it over then" he grinned smugly.
"No, it's mine" he hissed back, realising what Joker meant.
"You have to honour a bet" the madman sniggered, ignoring Harry's scowl.
"How about we make a new bet on top of the old one?" he enquired, smiling as Joker accepted. "If I can pull off an accent then I get to keep it."
"Oh you do have a beautiful mind." Joker sighed contentedly. "Go on then" he urged.
Harry paused for a moment, thinking of how to change his voice. He thought back to the American accents he had heard, all of which seemed very different. Joker's voice was rather evil sounding, even when it was gleeful, and Harry didn't think Joker would like people copying his voice. Jimmy still had a kid's voice, and his dad sounded wrong to him; his voice was supposed to be raspy and British with a barking laugh. All of the doctors were obviously a no no. Ivy spoke in a sexy tone he had no hope of pulling off, while Bruce Wayne's sickened him slightly. That left one person...
"I'll show ya sweetie, I can do an accent just fine" he said, mimicking Harley perfectly. Joker mock applauded. Harry grinned as sensed Joker's bitterness.
"What's the matter Mr. J? You don't look very happy" he jested, still in Harley's accent, silenced by Joker's fingers on his lips.
"Save it for the outside Acey" Joker warned, his face a mixture of anger and happiness. "I'm taking your hat; I'll get you a new one" Joker grinned, running out of the room ahead of Harry. Harry could still feel the tingling on his lips from the touch.
Harry didn't bother to go after him, although if Joker didn't bring him a nicer hat then he'd pay.
AoS
Later that day, Harry was approached by Harley and Ivy as he was lying on the ground outside.
"Hello Ace, it's been a while since we've spoken" Ivy greeted, standing above the boy.
"Hi Ivy...Harley" he smiled, jumping to his feet. He noticed a large bag being held in Harley's arms.
"I've got you some things" Harley said, seeing where Harry was looking. She gestured for him to follow them inside.
They led him back to a bedroom decorated in red and black wallpaper, which was barely visible through a number of flowers growing up the walls and pictures of Ivy hanging everywhere.
"I got you a blanket because you're ruining the carpet" Harley grinned, throwing a red blanket at him. It was soft and he nuzzled his head into it. "And, most importantly, I've made you some new clothes!"
She threw the bag at him and he looked inside, seeing an assortment of clothes.
"The black jeans and black top are you when you go undercover, the red jeans and other tops are for casual wear here" Harley explained as Harry rooted through the items. "I've hung up your going out outfits up. They're all the same because I like consistency unlike some people, I mean, you want people to recognise ya don't ya?" She seemed to be rambling now, and Ivy just smiled at Harry to let him know to ignore her.
Harry complied, instead going to check out the outfit hanging in Harley's wardrobe. It included leather trousers, both legs red, with a small looking black t-shirt. What impressed Harry the most was the long black leather trench coat. Underneath the clothes stood a pair of thick heeled boots, straps going all around the upside of the legs.
"You are going to look so hot in that" Harley giggled. "We'll let ya get changed now."
The two women left the room and Harry happily pulled off the female clothes that he was wearing, pulling on a pair of the red jeans that Harley and Ivy had given him. They were tight and Harry mused that Harley just enjoyed the look of him in close fitting clothing. He put on a black hooded top, wearing the hood up to replace the feeling of the hat; it wasn't the same. He kept Harley's old boots on.
He opened the door to leave, bashing it into Harley who had been crouched by the door handle. Harry tutted and pushed past her, peeking through the hole. The view wasn't clear but you could just make out the room and what was in it.
Harley blushed and sprinted from the hall, leaving Harry alone with Ivy.
"So Ace, did you find what you were looking for the other day?" the redhead asked, smiling knowingly at him.
"Yeah I did. I found a bit more actually; it was fun. I killed some perverts on the way home too" he answered and Ivy yanked the hood down from his head.
"Good" she murmured, "I'm glad to see the death of scum."
With that she wandered off, never one for saying goodbye, so Harry took it upon himself to find Joker.
Harry found him eventually after the man jumped in front of him and knocked him to the ground.
"You need to stay on alert Ace" Joker scolded playfully.
Harry shook it off. "Look, I'm not a cross dresser anymore" he grinned, jumping up and twirling. As he spun back to face Joker he noticed the man's eyes darting quickly upwards. Harry smirked as he gave Joker a questioning look but it wasn't answered. Instead Joker pulled something from his back pocket and plunked it down over Harry's head.
Harry felt the familiar warmth of a hat and he skipped to the nearest mirror. It was a woollen red hat, a black spade symbol stitched onto the front of it.
He ran back to Joker, grabbing the man in a hug. He was promptly pushed away. As he fell he grabbed hold of Joker's wrist, dragging the man to the floor with him. They landed in a heap; legs twisted together, their faces only inches apart.
Joker attempted to untangle himself but Harry raised his hand and caught him, preventing him from moving. He wasn't sure why; he just liked the feeling of it and as long as kept his eye on the scarred smile then he could be happy with the position.
Joker looked down at him curiously, wriggling out of Harry's grip but holding the younger boy's hand in his.
"Go on" Joker whispered, "show me who you truly are."
Harry concentrated hard, forcing the flame in his hand to turn into the shape of a lightning bolt. Not breaking his focus, he exploded the bolt, the shards of flame falling. He formed them into an Ace of Spades card. Joker smiled, waving his hand just above the fire.
"Perfect" the other man hissed, so quietly that Harry barely heard him.
Harry opened his mouth to say something when a cough alerted them both of another presence.
"You two really need to get a room" Harley giggled, not fazed by the glares she was being given.
"You'd just watch through the door handle again" Harry replied. Joker jumped to his feet, pulling Harry with him. He grasped Harry's arm, twisting it so Harley could see the words freshly carved into the skin.
"Keep that in mind Harley" Joker hissed, and for once Harley looked fearful. Joker quickly changed his expression back to looking emotionless. "Is Ivy not doing anything for you anymore?" he jested as if he hadn't been trying to kill her with his eyes just seconds before.
"Me and Ivy have a lot of fun together I will have you know" Harley huffed, placing a hand on her hip.
"So what's your problem then? Do the plants make you itch?" Joker retorted, and Harley flipped him the finger before storming out of the room. "She always was a drama queen" Joker explained to Harry.
Harry scoffed at the irony of Joker calling Harley a drama queen but he didn't say anything about it.
"I'm not your property" Harry muttered. "I'm my own person."
"I never said you were my property" Joker replied, shaking his head. "But look at us both, you and me, we're both freaks. We don't fit into this world so we want to make our own. We share the same ideals". He slowly reached into Harry's back pocket, pulling out the two cards that Harry had carried with him ever since Joker had given them to him. Joker's hand lingered for a second more than it should have before it came back to the front, flashing the cards in front of him. "You kept them both; both me and you. Just admit it; you need me as much as you don't. Together we can destroy this city, destroy the world, destroy your world. Together."
Harry took the Joker card and the Ace of Spades card off Joker, placing them down on the floor. He waved his hand around them, lighting up the floor beside them. The flames shot up, forming a small tornado. Joker's face was full of joy as he watched. Harry crouched down, reaching his hand through the flames and pulling the cards out.
Both were entirely unharmed the fire. He spun them in his hands until they were laying criss-crossed over each other. The twister dropped until it died out, leaving a large charred circle behind.
Harry placed his lips to where the edges of the card crossed over to show his agreement.
"Together."
AoS
We're heading into TDK territory now, although the wizarding world is going to be blended in too. Plus even more progress with Joker and Harry :D Also, if anyone is wondering about Harry's going out/villain outfit, think Spike from Buffy, only with different coloured trousers.
Begin self-advertisement: I have a new story out called 'Acta Memoriae.' It's a Drarry story with a whole lot of Sirius thrown in. You should check it out. End self-advertisement. Anywho, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.