"Y-You can't do this to me. You have to let me go." Jonathan said in a shaky voice as he paced back and forth. Arthur chuckled some and shook his head, taking a long drag from his cigarette. Then he started to circle Crane and gaze at him intently.
"Actually, Jonathan, I don't have to do anything. I don't have to follow any rules, I don't have to take your feelings into account. You didn't do that either, remember? When you came to threaten me and my lady? That was a big mistake." He mused, slowly circling the man in the middle of the tent, who eyed him with more and more fear.
"I-I didn't mean to do that, I was just…kidding!" Jonathan stated, his eyes frantically searching for an escape.
Again Arthur chuckled quietly to himself. "You were kidding. So it's like a joke? I like jokes."
"Come on, mister Fleck, I don't mean to make an enemy out of you. We can still work together!" Doctor Crane tried to persuade the other.
Arthur tilted his head. "An enemy? I'm not the enemy that you're supposed to be worried about, Jonathan." He replied, completely overlooking the fact that Jonathan used a more formal way to address him. What did civility matter in the face of death, after all?
"What does that even mean? Aren't you the one doing this? With your whores?" Jonathan spat back, glaring at the other now. He was making him far too anxious and he wanted Arthur to strike at him already, so at least the tension would be over. Anything was better than this.
"Whores?" Arthur repeated, eyeing him darkly now. "You do not call them that. You will address these lovely ladies with the respect they deserve."
The doctor scoffed. "Respect. One of them fucked my henchman for information. What would you call her, other than a whore?"
Arthur stepped closer, his lips and nose very close to that of Jonathan Crane now, who swallowed hard at the invasion of his privacy. "I call her 'Vicky', since that is her name." He said pointedly.
"What do you want from me, Arthur?" The doctor muttered, narrowing his eyes at the other. "What's this all for? You got something to prove? Did she look at you differently, after? After what she saw? You were pathetic, crawling around on the floor like that. Don't make me use that against you."
Arthur listened to the other, his grin and eyes changing as he did. He was a little threatening first, now he was appearing downright menacing.
"You should have seen yourself in any of those rooms, Jonathan." He finally purred, enjoying the fact that he was obviously pushing the right buttons. He took a drag from his cigarette again, finishing it. He threw the bud on the floor and stepped on it with his foot, to put it out. "It's time to face your one true enemy and I can assure you that it's not me. It's not Ivy, Harley, or Vicky either."
Quickly he moved behind the man and grabbed a fistful of his hair from behind, keeping his head in place. Then his free hand reached around to grab his throat. "Keep your arms at your side and don't fucking move. This place is crawling with my men, if you run out before I say you're allowed to, they'll make sure to wound you. Not kill you. That will be something you'll soon beg for.
Now you're going to face what you need to. Is this in any way unclear?" He whispered in his ear, pressing his body against that of the other man from behind.
When doctor Crane felt that Arthur was hard, he swallowed and panted softly. "I understand." He said in a hoarse voice. When he suddenly felt Arthur bite his neck, he gasped softly. "Good boy." The other man purred in his ear once he removed his mouth from his neck. What was this? And why did it feel good, doctor Crane thought.
"Close your eyes." Arthur demanded. The doctor did as he was instructed and swallowed hard once again. There was some shifting in the room. "Alright, open up. Face your worst enemy and the thing that you should fear most."
Jonathan Crane opened his eyes and stared wide-eyed at what he saw. His lips parted as his jaw dropped, some drool trickling out of his mouth without him even noticing or caring. He let out a soft giggle. Then his lips curled upwards, into an eerie, manic smile. Another giggle fell from his lips and he shook his head, never taking his eyes off of what was in front of him. "N-No..." He said, in a high voice, giggling like a madman now. Then he keeled over, almost pulling Arthur with him, but he let him go in time. He laughed so hard now that it sounded raw in his throat, it was practically painful to listen to.
"Are you quite alright, doctor Crane?" Arthur asked, feigning worry. In reality, he was grinning eerily and enjoying what he saw to the fullest. It was almost as satisfying as torturing Harley with pleasure and pain.
"It's me! It's me!" Jonathan shouted, turning towards the exit and running straight out, still laughing hysterically as he did.
From the sides of the tent, Ivy, Harley and Vicky appeared, giggling softly at what transpired. "Thanks, Harley, you were right. A mirror did do the trick." Arthur praised her, then tilted her head with a smile. Harley grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "It was fun to see him lose his mind!"
"Will you marry me? Right now? I've asked Vicky and Ivy to bring some things, in case you said yes." Arthur suddenly asked her, grabbing her hands and holding them. "It's alright if that's not what you want now. Or at all." He assured her, with a serious frown.
Harley stammered a bit for a moment, but then smiled wide. "I'd love that." It was the perfect moment, actually. Ivy and Vicky were here, which were pretty much the only friends she had, besides Arthur. "But do we have a priest? And what about the licenses and stuff?" She then asked, suddenly overwhelmed by everything that was needed for wedding.
"There's a priest in a cage behind the tent. I told him he'd do the ceremony if you said yes and that he would get killed if he didn't." Ivy said with a chuckle.
"That's real nice of you, Ives." Harley said fondly. "And I brought the paperwork. You're really all set. Want me to get that in order?" Vicky then said. "Please do, thank you." Arthur answered, dipping his head in gratitude. Vicky nodded and went on her way, after kissing Ivy fiercely. She was obviously intent on being alone with her lover, but still devoted on making this all work first, which touched Harley's heart.
"Come on, I'll help you get ready." Ivy said a little shy and led her to the part of the tent that was set up as the nursery, since that one had the large mirror. First she helped Harley into her dress, which was a huge red ballgown, with black card-symbols on it. Harley squealed in delight when she saw it. "It's beautiful, Ives! Did you pick this out?" She exclaimed as she squeezed into it. The size was exactly right, she noticed.
"I did, yes." Ivy answered and put a nearby chair in front of the mirror, gesturing for Harley to sit down. Then she pulled out make up and a brush, from the dresser behind the mirror.
Harley sat down but looked up at her friend wide-eyed. "What's up, Red?" She asked her, with a worried frown. She noticed how hoarse Ivy's voice had sounded just now, almost as if she was ready to cry.
"Never mind, Harley. You're getting married." The other answered shortly, now working on brushing her hair and fixing it into two pigtails, with a red and black bow around them.
"Come on. Don't lie to me." Harley urged with a pout. Ivy sighed and started to do her make up. "Stop pouting, I'll get lipstick all over you." She said absentmindedly. "I wont until you tell me." Harley said with a shrug and exaggerated her pout even more.
"God, you are impossible!" Ivy grunted, starting on her eyes instead. "I-I...I am not sure I can let you do this." She finally explained. "I am still nuts about you and its hard to watch you be with someone else. Let alone marry him. Even though I now see that he loves you, in his own twisted way."
Harley stared up at her intently, not knowing what to say. "We wont work, Ives. We saw that." She quietly objected. Ivy nodded. "I know. Although I do think that I changed."
"But what about Vicky?" Harley pointed out. "She's crazy about you. Aren't you crazy about her?"
Ivy swallowed hard and shook her head. "No, I'm not. And she's not crazy about me either. We're using each other to get over someone else. She might realize this already, she might not. But she's the closest copy of you that I have right now. Alright, hold your lips still, I'm doing your lipstick now."
Harley thought this over and felt her heart get heavy. She really did want to give it a shot with Ivy, back then. But everything that happened made her so unsure of what was right and wrong. She loved Arthur, that was a sure thing. She was very fond of Ivy, but wasn't sure if her feelings were strong enough to be called love. It was sure that it was more than friendship. Was she going to throw away a sure thing, for one that wasn't sure? For a relationship that could turn stale too soon? One that lacked passion? On the other hand, her relationship with Arthur was so intense that sometimes it overwhelmed her completely. On top of that, she had been forced to erase an important part of her identity to get here.
"Alright, you're done." Ivy then stated, pulling her back from her thoughts and into reality again. "Ives..." Harley softly said, tears welling up in her eyes. "No, none of that." Ivy said firmly, as she now changed into a black cocktail dress, that she pulled from the dresser as well. "You'll ruin your make up and I'll have to start all over again. I'm giving you one shot. Do you want to run away with me? Leave all this behind and give it a real shot? Then I'll take you out of here and protect you from both of them. Cause Vicky is just as crazy as he is, I can tell you that."
"I-I..I'm getting married..." Harley protested weakly and Ivy's face fell for a moment. "Fine. I understand. But know this..." She stated as she knelt down, crouching so that she and Harley were on the same eye-level. She stared at the other, looking into the mirror. "I am never going stop pursuing you. If he makes a mistake, I'll be there to point it out. If he looks at another woman, I'll be there to point it out. I know what you want now. I've tasted it." She warned Harley and sucked a spot on her neck, causing the girl to cry out softly at the sudden forced pleasure. With a whimper, Harley felt that her insides throbbed, partially since arthur denied her a peak earlier.
"You want it right, You want me to put my mouth on you?" Ivy panted, pulling back from Harley's neck for just a moment. Her hand travelled between Harley's legs and pressed on her slit through her panties. The tension of the entire evening and her denied peak, caused Harley to fall right into an orgasm, underneath Ivy's fingers. She panted heavily, coming down from her high, staring at her friend with heavy-lid eyes. "What did you do, Red?"
"I took what was mine. He only denies you this. I will drown you in it. But fine, if that's not what you want, then lets get you married." Ivy said with a shrug and pulled out a few hairpins, making something decent of her hair real quick, as if nothing transpired at all.
Harley felt bad, that Ivy had done this to her. What was she going to tell Arthur now? Why was Ivy so possessive all of a sudden? And why was she not ending things with Vicky, if she felt this strongly? Without another word, Harley made her way back to the middle of the tent with Ivy close behind her.
While she and Ivy had been gone, Arthur's men had put chairs out, hung more lights and freed the priest. He was standing in the middle of the tent, shaking in fear as he held his bible. Vicky stood next to Arthur, a small desk behind her with the needed paperwork. Arthur had changed into his red suit, but he had no make up on his face, just a loving smile. Harley felt sick to her stomach with guilt. She didn't notice the small nod that Vicky gave Ivy, indicating that part of their plan had succeeded. Ivy quickly stood by her side. "Did it work?" She asked her, as quietly as possible. "Not all the way, but definitely part of it." Vicky answered just as quiet. Something transpired between her and Arthur.
Harley was oblivious to all of this and could now only focus on how perfect this moment was. A henchman gave her a bouquet and she smiled widely as she noticed that it was a bouquet of roses, the same flower Arthur used to ask her on a date and proposing to her.
She walked towards Arthur and felt a tear running down her cheek. Arthur smiled at her, also close to crying. "You look so beautiful." He said in a soft voice. " You look smart yourself." Harley said with a chuckle, looking him over. This was probably the first time that she had a good feeling while seeing him in this suit.
The priest cleared his throat. "Alright, ehm...we are gathered here today to eh...in this circus tent...to unite these clowns in marriage." He said in a shaky voice, reading from a piece of paper. Harley let out a small giggle. Two clowns getting married in a circus tent. That was pretty funny. Ivy's stunt disappeared into the background more and more.
The priest continued. "Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and
to speak the truth in love? Do you promise to honor and tenderly care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your lives? Arthur Fleck?"
"I do." Arthur answered, then turned to Harley, to see what she would say.
"Harleen Quinzell?" The priest asked her and even if Harley did have doubts, they all flew out the window once the priest used her real name. Arthur must have told him to do so, how else would he know?
"I do." She answered with a smile.
"If anyone objects, speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest continued and both Arthur and Harley looked at Ivy and Vicky. And saw each other do it. With frowns, they now eyed each other, but neither Vicky or Ivy spoke up. Instead, they gave the couple their rings, which they exchanged after the priest asking them to do so.
"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride, Arthur!" The priest finished his ceremony and Arthur pulled Harley into a hungry and demanding kiss, which she eagerly returned. "You're mine." He growled between kisses and Harley whimpered in agreement. Luckily they didn't notice how Ivy was rolling her eyes.
The henchmen cheered and came to the front to come and congratulate the happy couple. This was the perfect moment for the priest to flee the premise, so that he would be able to leave this place alive.
"I have a surprise for Harley! But only for her!" Arthur called out, after the Champagne was pulled out and the men started to hand out glasses. The both of them were handed a glass, so they could toast, but then the men allowed them to leave the tent and give them their moment of privacy.
"There we are. I think it will start soon. I got a big party planned!" Arthur said proudly, looking at the city from the overlook the tent was situated on.
"I can't wait!" Harley said happily. Arthur chuckled and held up his glass. Harley clinked it with her own and they both sipped from the gold liquid, eyeing the other.
"Did you think Ivy was going to stop us?" Arthur then asked. Harley shrugged. "You seemed to think that Vicky was going to stop it." She pointed out, wondering what that was about.
"I think they both finally see how happy we are. That you are mine." He merely answered, raising a brow as if he was quietly provoking her to go against him. Harley swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes ,that must be it." She said softly, averting her gaze.
Then suddenly there was an explosion in the city. And another, and another. Harley's jaw dropped as she stared in the direction of the sound and noticed the huge clouds of color, appearing in the sky. Arthur smirked and stood behind her.
"I've arranged for this. Bombs with colored dust and glitter. I figured mrs.. Fleck would love the sight." He murmured in her ear, softly biting the shell and snaking an arm around her waist.
Harley could hear the panicked screams from the citizens of Gotham and the first police cars started to pull up, filling the already noisy night with sirens as well. She clapped her hands and tears of endearment started to roll down her cheeks.
"It's amazing, I love it!" She exclaimed happily. "Good." Arthur whispered. "Cause I love you, Harleen. And I'm never going to let you go." He added, causing Harley to bite her lip. Then he let out the high-pitched giggle near her ear, that he had been using to train her with.
With a moan of pleasure and a gasp of surprise, Harley felt an orgasm overtake her completely, realizing that his training had worked. Every time he'd laugh like this, he'd be able to give her a ruined orgasm. Cause even though she peaked, it felt empty and unfulfilling.
She shook under the impact and Arthur laughed louder and louder, knowing she realized that she truly belonged to him now.