Harley sat cross legged on a rooftop as she watched Nightwing pace below her. She'd tried to follow Ivy's advice but had only been able to stand a few hours of boredom waiting around the tower before she'd snuck out here. Joker was planning something in his office, but for now that just meant she was staring at a closed door. But she still knew she shouldn't be out here; she shouldn't risk repeating her mistake. Dick hadn't seen her, and she'd spent the better part of the day watching him and trying to decide if she should talk to him or not.
The spot she was sitting in now had a clear view of the opening in the wall and Dick pacing below, but she could easily duck out of sight if he looked up. Dick had come back here a few times throughout the day, and every time he'd stuck by it for a while. She was frustrated with how flattered she was by that. She flicked her red pigtail over her shoulder.
He kicked a can across the street and walked along the curb, his hands in his pockets. It was hot and humid today, and he'd completely abandoned his usual GCPD coat and Nightwing top, wearing instead a streamlined charcoal and white-gray top, fitted to his athletic frame. Sharp blue streaks stretched from his collar and over his chest, angled down to his belt buckle. His dark hair was in a loose bun on the back of his head. Lazily flipping forward onto his gloved hands, he walked a few feet that way and then tumbled back onto his feet. He was so casually agile. It was an oddly admirable quality; that he was so good he barely had to think about it. He sighed and stopped in the middle of the road, looking around.
Harley's head snapped back as she looked behind her. Her eyes roamed the area, but she couldn't see anything. She fidgeted with the hem of her shorts and reluctantly turned around, unable to shake the feeling she was being watched. Dick was walking away down the street, and Harley jumped up. She ran over to the edge of the building but hesitated just as she went to leap over to the next one. In her hurry, she'd gone too soon; Dick wasn't far enough away and might see her if she jumped. Her feet had already left the roof by the time she'd realized it, and the hesitation only served to make her come up short.
She let out a loud squeal as her fingertips scraped the next building's roof edge. She almost managed to grab a fire escape rail on the way down, but she lost her grip when her arm was nearly yanked out of its socket. Pinching her eyes closed, she braced her shoulders for impact. Instead, she let out a whoosh of air as someone caught her. She peeked her eyes open to see Dick's face. He stared at her in shock before breaking into a grin.
"Well hi. Didn't think you were going to drop in today," he laughed, still beaming.
"Oh my God, I thought I was gonna die," she gasped, clutching her chest.
"Nah, I can't let that happen. Part of the 'hero' thing," he watched her. The sunlight glinted off of his mask. He still didn't put her down. She took a few steadying breaths now that her heart wasn't pounding as hard. She suddenly became very aware of how she was cradled into his chest as he held her bridal style.
"Well then I'll make sure ta fall only when you're there ta catch me."
"Y'know, we heroes aren't equipped to save the civilians and the villains. Way to make my job difficult," he laughed, a warm breeze blowing down the street and sending an old torn newspaper skittering into the gutter.
"Umm," Harley stared up at him for a second. "Okay, no. No, no, no." She climbed out of his arms and moved away from him. "We can't do the whole 'cute banter while ya hold me in your arms' thing. No." She took a deep breath. "We can't repeat what happened last time."
Dick stared at her for a moment before he shrugged, and then he jumped up onto the hood of a car, walking onto the roof. He paused thoughtfully and spun on his heel to face her. "All right, no more funny business. I agree to that," he smiled, biting his lip a bit as he looked up. Clouds were racing to block out the sun and he sighed, closing his eyes. "It's never just sunny here, is it?" he breathed, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Well it's sunny when you're around," she grinned before wincing. "No, sorry. Damn it. No more flirtin'. I'm sorry."
"Isn't that literally your thing? Your villain thing?" Dick stepped off of the car. "Joker's got the grin and laugh thing, Scarecrow's got the mask, Nygma had the riddles- you've got the 'bash your face in with a hammer and then kiss your cheek and still look cute' thing," he smiled, walking towards her.
"No." She put a finger up. "No calling me cute or complimenting me. And no flirtin'. We need ta set up ground rules."
"Well now you're just taking away half of my personality," he muttered, crossing his arms.
"Well suck it up. In case ya forgot, I'm kinda already in a relationship. So if we wanna be friends, we need rules because I feel bad enough as it is cheatin' an' bein' out here again." What she really felt bad about was the lying. She didn't regret the sex; she regretted having to lie to Joker about it.
"A relationship I still don't understand." He stared at her for a moment and then sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. "All right, what ground rules?" She ticked off the number one on her fingers.
"Rule number one, no sex… obviously." Dick raised an eyebrow behind his mask, his lips parting in a small smile. "Two, no flirting." His smile grew wider. "Three, no unnecessary touching," she continued to tick off on her fingers.
"Wait what the hell does that even mean?" he asked, still grinning.
"It means no touching. Is that a problem? Did ya need me ta hold your hand if we go somewhere scary?"
"Well if it's really scary, maybe you could just hold me," he shrugged, biting his lip.
"And no biting your lip." She reached over and pulled his bottom lip away from his teeth. "Stop that. That is not allowed."
"You touched me you said we couldn't touch each other!" he cried, pointing at her. "No unnecessary touching; you touched me."
"That was completely necessary!" she defended.
"No it wasn't, you could've just said 'no biting your lip,' and I would have stopped. You wanted to touch me, didn't you?" he grinned, grabbing the light pole beside him and swinging around it lazily. She rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Do you have any ground rules ya want established?"
"Yeah, no trapping me by dressing the way you did the other day," he mumbled, stopping to lean against the pole.
"Is this okay?" Harley held her arms out. She was wearing a pair of shorts that were black on the left and red with black diamonds on the right and thigh high boots. Her gun holster was attached to a silver belt with a red and black buckle. She was wearing her red and black jacket again over a sleeveless top with a sweetheart neckline that ended just above her navel thats inner right side was red while the other half of the right side was black, and the other side was reversed. "Or do I need ta go change?"
"That's too cute, you've gotta change," he said matter-of-factly. "Which reminds me. You can't talk, either."
"I can't talk?!" she cried incredulously.
"Nope. That accent is too much, if you talk you're too cute. You're not allowed." He grinned.
Harley groaned. "What do ya want me ta do? Mime stuff?"
"Well I don't know how you'd do that. Try using a different accent," he laughed. She was serious, and he was just playing with her, she could tell.
"How about I try punchin' ya in the jaw?" she offered. "Then we'll see how you talk."
"Don't worry, beautiful, I'd still look this good and sing like a bird," he laughed lightly, lacing his hands behind his head and stretching.
"What did I say about complimentin' me?"
"Yeah yeah, don't get your harlequin panties in a bunch, I know. That's my job," he grinned. She glared at him.
"I could go back home," she warned. "At least I'm tryin' here." She wasn't sure why she was trying, but she was.
"Ok, fine. I'm sorry." She was the only friend he'd made in a year and he didn't want to lose her over this. He dropped his arms away from his head. He pressed on one of his escrima sticks and it shot out of the spring loaded holster and into his hand, where he spun it lazily and then dragged it along the side of the car as he paced away from her. "Hmmm, ground rules. I agree with the no touching. I wasn't serious about the other two, I mean you can wear what you want; it's up to me to control myself, I guess..." He sighed thoughtfully. "No asking me about my own relationship status anymore, or I'll have to quiz you about yours," he turned, strolling back towards her.
"Okay fine," she pouted, "but it's not like my relationship's a big secret. Anything else?"
"Not that I know of," he shrugged, twirling the escrima stick in his hand.
"Okay." Harley held her hand out. "Friends."
"Friends," Dick agreed, shaking her hand as he laughed merrily, sheathing his escrima stick. "So what now?"
"I guess you continue patrol?" she asked. "Or do ya need ta keep pacin' in front 'a the entrance?" She grinned.
"Well I've seen you now. That's all I wanted," he shrugged. The hot breeze blew again and Dick exhaled with it, smiling at her.
"Jinkies, what's with ya makin' all the moves?" She crossed her arms. "Before when I was hitting on ya, you were perfectly distant. Now that I say no, you're smooth as freakin' butter. Why?"
"Maybe I just don't like being outmatched," he laughed.
"I wasn't tryin' to outmatch ya." She rolled her eyes. "And we agreed no flirting," she pointed out.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I'm just... Lonely I guess," he sighed, biting his lip. "It's been a while since someone actually flirted back. But I'm used to being told that people aren't interested. Just gimme a bit to turn it off," he smiled a little, looking up at the clouds covering the sun.
"Well that's just heartbreakingly adorable." She stood on tiptoe and hugged him around the neck. "Tell me who these girls are, an' I'll beat some common sense into 'em. I have a hammer with 'common sense' painted on the head."
"You just broke two rules, you know," he smirked, hugging her back before releasing her to look in her eyes. How had he not noticed they were so blue?
"That hug was completely necessary," she corrected, "and I was askin' for a hit list not about your relationship status. Big difference."
"You always were a rule bender as well as breaker." Dick chuckled, starting to walk his patrol route. He glanced over his shoulder in hopes that she'd follow. She skipped up beside him.
"So how's your Red Hood friend?" Technically speaking, her priority for being out here was still intel over friendship, but she was asking for more personal reasons than professional.
"Red Hood? Still as sarcastic and cynical as always. You two would get along," he laughed.
"Good ta know." The mugginess and heat were starting to get to her, and she contemplated taking her jacket off. "Ivy says he's a royal pain in the butt, so I can only assume he's my kind 'a guy." She grinned. Dick rolled his eyes, looking down at his boots as they walked over the cracked pavement.
"If you like that sort of stuff, I guess," he mumbled, and then the corner of his lips pulled up in a smile. "I always had a crush on Poison Ivy," Dick mused. "And there's just something about redheads..." He smirked, glancing at Harley out of the corner of his eye.
"Sorry ta break it to ya, but I don't think you're her type," she smirked. Then again, she hadn't thought Red Hood would be either. "But wasn't Batgirl a redhead? Why don't ya go give her another try?" she pried. Dick made a buzzer noise.
"Sorry, that line of questioning is against the rules. Unless you want to answer a terribly revealing question about the Joker and you, leave me and Batgirl alone," he smiled. He looked up at the surveillance camera on the building beside them. It was still functioning and hadn't been tampered with, and he smiled. Harley pursed her lips.
"It depends on the terribly revealing question," she hedged.
Dick thought for a moment. "You know what he's done, you know what he's like. What is it that you see in him that no one else does?" he asked, watching her. Harley considered it.
"He's funny. I dunno, he was alone and hurtin' and just needed somebody, an' I fell for him." She shrugged. She couldn't explain how it made her feel to know that she was the one Joker would open up to, let in, come home to. How it felt to know that she alone was in on the joke. "Why is everyone so hung up on that question? Is it cuz he's crazy? Cuz a little crazy isn't a bad thing." She crossed her arms.
"I'm not saying that it is. So you love him because he's funny? The pity doesn't count. You can't count him 'needing somebody' as a reason to love him. So why do you love him?"
"I dunno," she sighed. "Do I need reasons ta be in love with somebody?" She walked ahead of him. "Why can't the reason he makes me happy be good enough? Sure he's not perfect, but at least he's been there for me."
"You don't need reasons. The only reasons you should need should be that he makes you happy, and he loves you back. That being said, I don't think you know what love is." Dick watched her calmly. They'd reached the docks at the northernmost point of the island.
"And what about you? Do you know what love is?" She glared at him. "You're askin' me a lotta questions considerin' ya never answered mine."
"I don't claim to know everything, but I know what love feels like and I know that what you have, that's not love. And as for Batgirl and I, we have a long complicated history. We dated for a long time after the man you claim to love shot and paralyzed her. I proposed, a lot of stuff got between us, and we broke it off. It's not that easy to just pick up again, because love isn't easy. It's complicated." Dick stared at her, and then sighed quietly. He wasn't mad, or bitter, or upset. Just... Clear.
"New rule," Harley muttered. "No insultin' Mistah J."
"I didn't say a word against him," Dick pointed out. "I said that you don't know what love is, and I mentioned that he severely hurt someone I care about. Does that make you uncomfortable? It's all fun and games when you don't know who you're hurting, isn't it?" he asked. Again, he wasn't trying to attack her. He was talking as calmly as could be. His impassive, relaxed tone only seemed to make his words more frustrating.
"Well how many people have I hurt?" Harley demanded, jabbing him in the chest. "I've hurt you, nearly killed Batman, done a number on Robin. Does that make ya uncomfortable? Does it in any way change this conversation? Huh? Wanna stop bein' friends now?" She glared at him, resisting the urge to shove him away. His cool logic was infuriating. He smiled a little.
"I didn't say you made me uncomfortable; you don't. I asked if his actions make you uncomfortable. I asked if you turn a blind eye to the things he does because you love him. And do you want to know why?" Dick stepped closer to her, looking down at her from his height. "I see something in you that isn't in him. You have a conscience. You have the capability to love. Which is what is so sad about all of this. He doesn't." Harley's chin jutted out.
"Stop it," she whispered. "Ya keep sayin' you know what love is like you're some kind of expert, but why can't I recognize it too? Are you just so much smarter than me?" She shook her head. "Leave me alone." She brushed past him and walked away.
Dick still spoke quietly. He didn't follow her, but he made sure she heard his words. "Has he ever made you breakfast in bed? Has he ever told you you look amazing, just out of the shower, or sick as a dog; has he woken you up in the middle of the night just to tell you you look cute when you're asleep? Has he given you flowers, or brought you things that reminded him of you- have you ever woken up with him and found him there, holding you? Hell- has he even said that he loves you?"
"Stop it!" she cried, spinning toward him. "Why won't you stop?" She marched back over to him. "What made you and Batgirl fail? If you're such an expert, why are you alone?" She pounded meekly on his chest. "Just please stop." Dick caught her hand by his chest, suddenly angrier.
"I don't claim to be an expert; I said I knew what love felt like. There's still a lot for me to learn and Batgirl has nothing to do with it anymore. She doesn't want that, so she's not right for me. The end. Even when I was with her, I knew she'd never love me the way I loved her. And now I'm alone because I chose to pursue that relationship to it's bitter end. If you haven't noticed, there aren't a lot of options here. But I would rather be alone than in the cold loneliness of the Joker's bed," he snapped, letting her go. Harley stared at him with her mouth hanging open for a second. He let her punch him across the jaw, not even trying to block it.
"You're such an ass," her voice cracked. She turned her face aside and began walking away again. He quickly followed, and she felt his hand in hers. When she tried to struggle, he caught her arms and made her look at him, bending down so that they were face to face.
"I'm sorry, Harley. You're right, I shouldn't have said that. It's only because I do consider you a friend, that I did. Why would anyone want to see their friend go through that?" he said quietly, and she knew she'd heard the words before. Ivy- her friend- had said them a thousand times.
"Why can't you all just let me be happy?" Harley tried to sound harsh past the lump in her throat. "I'm happy, just leave me alone." She bit the inside of her cheek and tilted her face down. Dick cupped a gloved hand under her chin gently and brought her eyes to his again, smiling a little.
"We just want you to be sure that you're happy," he said quietly, his lips meeting hers as he kissed her. She wanted to pull away, wanted to keep being mad at him, but that part of her brain shut down. It had been weeks since the Joker had really looked at her, let alone kissed her, and her willpower crumbled. She knew Ivy had been right as she clutched onto him, she wasn't able to handle being out here with Dick.
He kissed her back in surprise, still holding her face. He let the fervor taper off before pulling away a bit. "Whoa, now, I know I instigated that but it's against the rules-" he was cut off when she kissed him again, and his eyes closed behind his mask. She didn't want him to talk. She didn't want to realize this was a mistake. She didn't want to feel. And she was going to make sure he gave her that.
"Dick," she sighed against his lips as she pulled her body against his. He moaned in shock, and his breath caught in his throat. He hadn't meant for this to happen. As a matter of fact, he didn't think that anyone had ever reacted that way when he'd been so rude. Maybe she's crazy, he thought, trying to breathe through her kiss making his head spin. The thought made him smile against her lips. Harley bit his lip, using it to pull him down to her level. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her chest into his.
"Harley you didn't want to do this," he reminded her, gasping. He already knew his resolve was crumbling, thinking about last time. About how much he wanted this. His hands slid up her waist under her jacket, holding her close.
"Maybe the problem was I did want this," she snapped. Her hands pulled his face back down to hers. "What's the matter? Ya said I don't know what love is. Don't ya wanna show me how you make love?" she challenged before kissing him hard. Dick moaned, his eyes pinched closed as he pulled away from her kiss.
"No. That wasn't what I meant," he panted, holding her face away from his.
"So?" She licked her lips, and his eyes followed the movement. "Isn't this what you wanted all along?" One of her hands trailed along the back of his neck.
"Yes- no, I-" he sighed anxiously, his lips brushing hers. He groaned. "I didn't- don't- want to take advantage of you- that's not what I intended-" he breathed, stroking her cheek.
"Aren't I the one offerin'?" she asked, deliberately pulling their hips together. "So ya can either stop talkin', or I'll go find someone else who'll satisfy me," she warned. She knew she was being deliberately unfair, but she couldn't have him saying no.
"Not like I can," he whispered in her ear, biting her neck gently as he finally gave in. Harley grinned triumphantly, grabbing his face to pull it up and kiss him. She moved her hips against his as her hands slid into his hair. Dick reluctantly kissed her back. He wanted to pull away. This wasn't right, it was worse than last time- but he wanted her too much. He kissed her slowly, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. Biting her lip, he guided her tongue into his mouth with his and kissed her again. She happily kissed him back. She kept one hand tangled in his hair while the other moved to pull at his utility belt.
"Are we just gonna do this right here?" she gasped.
"Unless we're going back to your place," he whispered against her lips, grinning. He took her hand and suddenly started running down an alley. He knew there had been an apartment complex around the corner, and grinned when it was still there. They went into the lobby, and he turned to her again, kissing her once more. Harley hesitated to kiss him back. Now that she'd had a moment to breathe, she remembered why she shouldn't be doing this, why she'd made up those stupid rules in the first place that they were breaking every one of.
"I..." her eyes looked wide and guilty, "maybe we shouldn't..." She'd deliberately tried to seduce him, and the guilt made her blush, her white cheeks turning crimson.
"Hey it was your idea in the first place," he whispered, cradling her face in his hand. "But I won't make you do anything you don't want to." His lips brushed hers longingly, his expression kind and attentive. She still couldn't see the color behind the white lenses.
"It's not that I don't want to," she breathed. Her hand was still held in his, the other holding onto him by his shoulder.
"It's that we shouldn't," he whispered, nodding. He took a deep breath, flopping down on one of the couches still set up around the lobby, as if waiting for someone to come to the front desk. A cloud of dust arose when he hit the cushions. He pulled her down on top of him, smiling. Dick kissed her nose and wrapped his arms around her. "So what's your favorite color? Lemme guess. Is it red?" Dick grinned. "Bad question. Is your favorite food... Ice cream? No, I'll get a good question, I'll get it..." He sighed and dropped his head back against the arm of the couch. His arms were loosely around her waist. "Oh! Before all of this, where was your favorite place in the whole world?" Dick asked, smiling up at her.
"Um," she was a little taken aback, "whatever Ivy's place was at the time. It was alway filled with a ridiculous amount of plants, an' no matter what I'd done, I know she'd forgive me, patch me up, and lemme stay. And it meant neither of us were in Arkham." She was thoughtful for a moment. "I always missed it when I wasn't there, but whenever I was leaving, I was happy ta go." She was still for a moment, her hands absentmindedly playing with her jacket. She'd only leave to go back to Joker. "Anyway, what about you? What's the famous Nightwing's favorite place?"
"It's not so much one place as a lot, like you said," he closed his eyes behind his mask. "I grew up in a place called Haly's Circus until I was eleven. Traveled all over the country, by train, like the old days. I can still remember every detail; the smell of popcorn and the animals, the yellow lights in the tent, the sound of the crowd and the noise in the camps every night..." He sighed contentedly, and she could tell that he'd been transported there in his mind.
"Aww, that's so cute," she giggled. "Please tell me there were elephants."
"Three, actually," he smiled. "And lions, a tiger, monkeys…" he smiled at her. "It was home. Haly's Circus," he repeated.
"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my," she giggled.
"Ok, new question. What's something you don't miss about the world?"
"Um, that's a tough one." Harley propped herself up. "I don't miss… voting." She grinned. "Political campaigns were so annoyin'."
Dick laughed out loud, shaking his head. "Of course. Can I tell you a secret? I never voted," he chuckled, smiling.
"Scandal!" She giggled. This is what she had wanted. She felt like she was talking to a friend, and the only rule they were breaking was because they were touching. Even though friendship wasn't what she was supposed to come out here to get, she didn't see why she couldn't do both. "So what don't you miss?"
"I don't miss having a day job. When I was younger, I liked being Nightwing. It's who I was. Batman always says that the face he wore in public was his true mask. The masks we wear now- well it's who we really are. I hated having to wake up in the morning and take it off, put on my identity and walk around pretending to be a part of society. There's just something so much more freeing about being extraordinary," he smiled. "Your turn to ask a question."
"Okay, what's your favorite part about bein' Nightwing. Besides the extraordinariness," she taunted. He thought for a moment, biting his lip.
"The ladies," he decided, laughing. "The ladies love a man in a mask."
"Ha ha," she said drily, smacking his chest.
"The justice," he amended, still smiling. "It feels good to give back to the people and the city with everything that I have. I'd give my life for these people. And I'm more than happy to; being content with that is hugely freeing. What about you? What's your favorite part of being a moustache twirling, TV cartoon, true to the definition villain?" Dick grinned.
"The mustache," she laughed. "No, the fact that there are no rules. You can break them all. You can do whatever ya want, an' only the Bats'll tell you any different." She grinned.
"That's right. And I'm gonna let you in on another little secret- I don't think you're as bad as you think you are," he smirked, biting his lip. "You like to play pretend. Deep down I think you're actually a decent person; maybe deep deep down." Dick laughed, his arms tightening around her waist a bit. He shifted her where she lay on top of him so that she was closer to the back of the couch, snuggled between his strong chest and the musty cushions.
"You're going to need a microscope to keep looking," she mocked. "So what's your favorite part of the world how it is? Excluding the mask and the justice." She grinned.
"Now? It's quiet. Sometimes I hate the silence, but most of the time…" he trailed off, turning his head to the side. "It's peaceful. People are quietly living their lives in contentment in Gotham, undisturbed." Looking back at Harley, Dick brushed some of her hair out of her face. "You?"
"The stars." She smiled. "I may miss having constant power an' electricity, but I love the stars."
"So do I, but I have to say that the stars pale in comparison to the light in your eyes," he grinned. "I've never seen a color so blue. Blue is my favorite color, you know," Dick laughed, still smiling down at her. She rolled her eyes.
"I'm pretty sure that's flirting. I could be wrong! But I think that's off limits. Besides," she grinned, "for all I know, your eyes are gross."
"Too bad you don't get to find out," he said quietly, and then glanced at the front doors to the lobby as rain started to fall. "And you told me the perks of being a villain were rule breaking. Shouldn't you be the one breaking them instead of making them?" She put her lips near his ear.
"Aren't ya supposed to stop me from breakin' 'em?" she breathed. Dick closed his eyes, nosing his way closer to her ear as he smiled.
"Some rules are made to be broken."
"Some? I think you're breakin' just about all of 'em right now."
"You started it," Dick said again, holding her close. The air in the building was heavy with a humidity that the rain couldn't break, or maybe it was just the air between them.
"Please. I didn't start anything," she scoffed, resting her chin on his shoulder. "And if ya had proof, you'da already charged me."
"Come now, we're both above the law. As far as that's concerned, we're both criminals. A vigilante and a dangerous psychopath… sounds fun," he smiled, turning his head towards her. His lips brushed her forehead.
"If I recall, it was fun. And it was only supposed ta be a one time thing." She pushed his face away. "So stop being all smooth and junk."
"I can't just turn it off and on!" Dick laughed, yawning.
"And clearly you're turned on." She raised an eyebrow as she pursed her lips to keep from laughing. Dick hesitated.
"Do you want me to lie and say no?"
"Well we both know it'd be a lie. But you can try." She grinned.
"Then no. Your cute, two-toned hair and pretty blue eyes are not a turn on," he nodded matter-of-factly, biting his lip. Dick grinned.
"Eh, the lie was passing, but a C at best." She laughed, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He cleared his throat.
"Then let me try again. Also not a turn on, exactly what you're doing right now," he laughed, but she could feel his heart beat faster in his chest under her hand.
"Ya know what's not a turn on?" Harley asked seriously, lifting her head up. "You bein' noticeably attracted to me and complimentin' me." She managed to keep a straight face until the very end before she started giggling.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," he laughed, pulling her close with his arm around her back. Dick shook his head. "I should be getting back out on patrol…"
"No," she whined, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at him and pouted. Dick smiled a little, looking down at her.
"I don't want to, if it makes you feel any better," he said quietly.
"It doesn't," Harley assured him. She didn't want to go back to Arkham, back to being alone. Back to staring at a closed office door. She didn't move so that he could leave. "Ya know, I bet I could make ya stay," she mused. Dick smiled, glancing over the back of the couch again to look at the rain pouring down on the glass doors across the lobby.
"I don't doubt that. Doesn't change the fact that I should go."
"I know." She rolled over and straddled his waist, leaning over his chest. "But now it sounds like a challenge, and I'm very competitive." She grinned.
"Oh come on," he laughed. "Now. I throw myself at you, and now you act like this? Now it's a challenge to get out of here unscathed," Dick smiled up at her, making no effort to get up.
"Well now you're not throwin' yourself at me," she countered. "And it's not like I've changed my mind. We still shouldn't be doin' this." She couldn't believe she was doing this. She should just let him walk out the door, and they could remain friends like they'd agreed to. She could keep her word to Joker that she was just out here to gather intel. But she didn't want to. Maybe it was all the reasons she shouldn't be doing it that made her want it. He was right, she did enjoy breaking the rules, and there was nothing more off limits than this. "But," she trailed her lips along his jaw, "I've never been very good at staying outta trouble."
"You and me both, beautiful," he groaned, smiling as he closed his eyes. She felt his hand tighten on her waist ever so slightly, his hips pressing up as his back arched a bit.
"And you're right," she gently bit his ear, her hands sliding along his chest, "ladies do love a man in a mask."
"And believe me, guys have a weakness for the bad girls," Dick laughed, trailing his other hand up her leg slowly, taking a deep breath.
"Didn't ya have something ya wanted ta do?" She put her face right above his, her lips hovering less than an inch away from his. Grinning, Dick held her close. His hand trailed up her back, resting between her bare shoulder blades. He shook his head. "Well in that case." She kissed him, her hands coming up to cup his face. Dick smiled into her kiss, pulling her against his chest. The rain blew against the doors in torrents, casting the lobby in a gray shadow of darkness, even in the daylight. Trailing his hand up her leg, he pulled her weapon out of its holster and dropped it on the ground beside them. He unclipped her belt, and it slid away from her waist and off of the couch as well.
"It's cute how ya always disarm me first," Harley told him. "It makes me feel like a threat." She lifted the top of his skin tight t-shirt up and kissed along his waist.
"You are a threat, that's why I shouldn't be doing this," he groaned, his back arching a bit. Dick hadn't tried hard enough to stop her, but he knew he didn't want to. It was back- the familiar exhilaration that doing something so wrong brought. He licked his lips and grabbed her by the collar of her jacket, dragging her up his torso to kiss her again. Her. Harley Quinn, he finally acknowledged, and then pushed all thoughts of right or wrong out of his mind, pinching his eyes closed as he pulled her jacket off of her bare shoulders. Her kiss made the adrenaline surge through his system, the pure high that he got when they did this. Nothing could compete. His breathing spiked; his heart pounded in his chest.
Harley froze for a second when she remembered what he'd said to her earlier when she'd hit him. "The only reasons you should need should be that he makes you happy, and he loves you back. That being said, I don't think you know what love is."
Don't think about that now, she told herself. She didn't care about how long she'd sat around today trying to think of reasons it was okay to talk to him. Because this very thing wouldn't happen. All these rules, but you've never been good at not breaking rules. She reached down and undid his utility belt, her breath shallow against his lips. All the reasons she knew she shouldn't be doing this were why she was doing it now: she was upset, she wanted to hurt the Joker, he was a hero, and she wanted this. She kissed him hungrily again, suddenly anxious and impatient. Dick responded in kind, one hand moving to the back of her head to hold her there in the kiss. He pushed her back so she straddled his lap as he sat up, and she lifted her arms for him to pull her top over her head, letting them fall around his neck as his hands trailed down her shoulders and continued down her sides. The heavy gloves he wore were coarse against her skin. A chill ran down her spine as one of his hands traced back up to her shoulder blades, suddenly pulling her body against his; while his other hand fell to her hip where his thumb hooked in her shorts. Dick's grip was tight on her skin as he kissed her fiercely. Harley could tell that he'd given up fighting her and anything else, and his desperation- his need to have her- shocked her. His lips were so warm and forgiving against hers. She groaned, growing impatient, and yanked his suit top up. He helped her pull it off, and she threw it aside. Her hands explored his chest, feeling when he tensed. She kissed softly along the fading scratches on his shoulder from last time. Dick's head dropped back as he moaned and bit his lip to stifle the sound, his hips bucking against hers. He pulled her up to kiss him again, lifting her up with one hand to yank her shorts down with the other. Harley smiled against his lips, pushing him down against the cushions.
"Are ya sure ya wanna do this again, hero?" she murmured against his lips.
Dick nodded, his lips parting as they brushed hers. He didn't try to kiss her, but she could feel his anticipation in his breath against her lips, his hand trailing up the soft skin of her waist. His touch was light and longing, and he opened his eyes behind his mask. "Are you?" he whispered quietly, his other hand brushing her flyaway hair behind her ear.
"Absolutely not." She leaned down to kiss him quickly, her hands undoing his belt. "But that's what makes it fun," she breathed. Dick kissed her slowly, holding her face. His cheeks were flushed under his mask. Harley savored the feeling of him against her. She knew she was using him, that she was taking advantage of his desire, but she didn't care. She wanted to enjoy this, no matter how wrong it was. She smirked into the kiss as she slowly undid the button of his pants and pulled the zipper down. Dick took his lips away from hers and there was a desperate beat pause before he was kissing her neck, her shoulder- he tore her bra off and his hands explored her newly exposed skin, feeling her heartbeat in her chest. He bit her ear, gasping, his breath warm against her skin. Harley rested her forehead on his shoulder as she gasped for air, closing her eyes at the touch of his hands. She worked his pants out of the way, her hands moving up into his hair as she made herself comfortable on his lap again. Dick panted, holding her there against him, and the first seeds of doubt planted themselves in his head. He knew what was happening, and he didn't want to acknowledge it.
I won't let it get to that, he bit his lip. He turned his head and caught her lips in a kiss, one hand moving to her cheek. His lips lingered longer this time, savoring every moment of the kiss. Harley pulled away.
"Are ya sure I'm what you want?" She leaned her forehead against his, wishing she could see his eyes.
Damn, she's making this difficult, he thought in a panic, and then took a deep breath. "Yes." Dick's voice was decisive. He was sure he wanted her; he wasn't sure he needed her, or that he should want her. But he knew that in that moment, there was nothing he wanted more. She leaned down and kissed him hard. Her hands tightened in his hair as she pressed herself against him. The Joker hadn't seemed like he wanted her recently, and she just wanted to remember what it felt like. Even if it was a lie, and even if it felt like it wasn't. His hands- one on her cheek and the other pressed against her back, his fingers spread and clinging to her- were gentle and careful with her as he held her. His lips were tender on hers; his kiss soft and inviting. It felt like the truth. Dick's thumb traced along her cheek as he suddenly kissed her passionately, inhaling sharply as he did, his hand tightening on her back. Harley closed her eyes and sighed. The Joker was never this gentle, and her body was responding involuntarily. His sheer patience was driving her crazy; she just wanted more of him. Hooking her leg under him, she flipped them over. She grinned as he held himself above her.
"Well if ya want it, ya better come get it," she taunted, hooking her thumbs in her underwear and pulling them down.
Dick laughed, biting his lip. He leaned closer to her and kissed her ear gently, and his hands pulled her hips into his. "Now let me ask you something. Do you want it?" he breathed, biting her ear.
"Oh I want it," she smirked. "Dick." She ran her hands along his body and up to his face. "So are you gonna give it to me?"
"Say please," he grinned, his lips brushing hers. She laughed.
"I don't think so." She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled his face down to hers. Dick moaned against her lips and surrendered, giving in to the thoughts he'd been fighting. They didn't make any difference anymore.