"Talk to me."
Dick sat up in bed. Despite his rest, his eyes were tired, and he blinked them a few times to dispel the sleep. His communicator was already in his ear, his mask on the floor beside his bed.
"Batwoman, heading to Arkham from supply. I'll wait for you by the bridge, boss." Kate answered immediately. The sun hadn't risen yet, but they'd gotten into the habit of preparing for shift change early.
"I'm coming off of city patrol now, with Catwoman," Jason responded.
"Good. Catwoman, come in for rest. Red Hood, you're on Supply." Dick stood and tugged his now clean uniform off of the shower curtain rod where it had dried overnight. As he listened, he began to get dressed. "Robin?"
"Finishing Arkham with Blackbat. On my way out of Uptown." He responded solemnly.
"You two are now on city." Dick pulled his belt on. His hand brushed the bandaging on his side as he winced.
"And I'll head to the labs," Stephanie answered over the comms.
"Steph what? No- Spoiler-" Dick sighed slowly in the dark. "You don't have to do this."
"I do," she answered. Her voice was thick, but she was holding it together. Dick weighed his options.
"Alright. I trust your judgement."
The comms went silent.
"Well that's shift change done," Barbara responded behind him from the bed. Dick turned.
"You watch her," he warned. "It's been three days since Tim turned and Steph... She's still not one-hundred percent. Who could expect her to be?"
"Relax, mom, I love her as much as you do," she smiled, watching him. Her red hair was in a messy ponytail over her shoulder, her cheeks still flushed with sleep under light freckles. "You look exhausted, especially for a guy who did nothing but sleep last night," Barbara commented. Dick smiled a little, walking towards the bed. He bent down to pick up his mask, a hand on the mattress.
"Make sure the observation cage is completely sanitized and clean, and make sure he's... Make sure Tim is comfortable. Let's try to decelerate his decomposition." He cleared his throat. "Keep him... alive."
"You say that like we haven't been struggling to do that for over a year now," Barbara sighed.
"You know he's a special case," Dick looked at her pointedly.
"Of course I know." She sat up and stretched. "I'm doing everything I can."
"Keep up the good work, Batgirl," he smiled gently. Dick holstered his gun and started for the door.
"You don't have to try so hard to be Bruce," she told him.
"Actually I do," he said, for the first time sounding stretched to a breaking point. "If I don't, everything we've gained will fall apart."
"No it won't." She stood up and walked over to him. "You've taken up the role of Batman before and done just fine." She put a hand on his cheek. "Just be you."
"I'm trying," Dick sighed, putting his hand over hers on his cheek. "Thanks, Babs," he smiled.
"Everything's going to be fine." She pulled him close and hugged him. Dick sighed quietly, even though he knew it wasn't entirely true, what she'd said. He held her tight for a while and then smiled when he pulled back.
"I've got to get going. See you when I get back." He kissed her cheek and walked to the door.
"I'm heading out to Arkham." He said into the comm with a glance at Barbara before he left. "I'm going to check on Bruce, first," he added, and then made his way down to the medical floor.
Bruce had been moved to a new cubicle, the medical staff taking care of him as best they could. When Dick arrived, Selina was already there by his head. He stopped.
"How's he doing?" Dick asked with a small smile. Selina glanced up at him and returned the gesture before looking down.
"He's better."
Dick watched her. "Good," he cleared his throat, and then put a hand on Selina's shoulder. "Get some rest."
Selina glanced over her shoulder as Dick left the small cubicle. "He's doing good in your shoes," Selina said quietly. "You'd be proud. They're all so incredibly skilled, your babies," she laughed a little. "I miss you already, you know. It's only been three days, and I... I have to hold it together, because you're not here. You said you'd be here," she whispered. "I'm doing ok, but you... You said you'd never leave me." She stared at his solemn face, his eyes closed, his lips pale. The blankets were smooth and white over his body, as if waiting to be pulled over his face. Selina reached forward and tugged them uneven resentfully. He continued to breathe steadily, his face practically blank as he slept. Every now and then his eyes would twitch beneath the lid, but he hadn't shown any sign of waking up in days. Selina sighed quietly. "Do you mind if I sleep here? I don't feel safe when I'm alone in our penthouse. Not anymore," she chuckled, and then crawled onto the cot beside him. There wasn't much room, but Selina was thin as a rail, tucked between his arm and his side. As she was closing her eyes, he shifted a bit. Selina froze.
Bruce groaned, lifting a hand out from under the sheets to rub his eyes.
"Bruce?" Selina cried, falling off of the cot. She landed on her back, sitting up and looking at him. "Bruce are you...?!"
"What?" He blinked his eyes open. He'd been just about to fall back asleep. Selina scrambled to her feet and grabbed his face, shaking him.
"No no no, don't you dare go back to sleep-" she gripped his face, looking him in the eyes. "Bruce stay awake- please-"
"What?" His eyes widened. "What."
"You've been unconscious for three days," she breathed, and then grabbed his face tighter as she kissed him desperately. "Asleep for... Three days... You asshole," she cried, hitting his chest. She covered her mouth when he groaned in pain. "I'm sorry- sorry-" Selina sat back on her heels, covering her face.
"Three days?" he demanded and sat up a little before the pain made him lie back again. "Damn it."
"Yeah, you bastard," she snapped, looking up at him. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
"More than you should have been," he guessed and coughed. "What's happened? How are you? Is everyone okay?"
"Everyone's... No. Tim, he... he's Infected," she breathed, staring up at him. "What the hell happened out there, Batman?"
"He what?" Bruce sat up. "Tim is what?"
"A third party attacked the labs, and Tim got scratched," she looked down. "He's quarantined in the Lab observation area. Fully turned." Bruce stared at her.
"I need to go see him." He stood up and grabbed the cot to keep from falling over.
"Sit. Down." Selina stood angrily. "Are you trying to kill yourself again?!" She shouted. Selina pushed him down to the cot. "Lay down, damn it."
"I need to see him." He grit his teeth against the pain, surprised he was too weak to fend Selina off. "He's my son."
"I know. And he was one of the closest I'll ever come to a son, just like the rest of them, who are working their asses off trying to keep together what you've made- Bruce what the hell happened to you?!" She snapped. "How could you- what happened out there?"
"I... I don't remember. The Joker he- got the jump on me, and I... I don't know." Bruce looked down at the knife wounds over his torso.
"Please. You- you just-" Selina glared down at him. "You didn't call for help, you didn't call it in when you were hurt- you pigheaded son of a bitch! You told me you'd always be here, and you weren't! You weren't here for me, and you weren't here for Tim, all because of your stupid, selfish, stubbornness," Selina fumed. "You didn't call for help, and you won't talk to me, and you won't let me help you. Damn it, Bruce." She looked down. "You are incredible. And so stupid. That was stupid, Bruce Wayne. You're supposed to be brilliant; did you even think?!"
"I thought I needed to protect my family. The Joker was attacking, and I was going to do everything to stop him from hurting someone I love." He leaned his head back against his pillow. He closed his eyes as he tried not to grimace in pain; he had failed to protect the people he loved.
"Yeah, well, you failed to remember that you're someone that we love," Selina snapped. "Hey." She grabbed his face. "Look at me, damn it. We love you, don't you get that? You don't get to kill yourself if I don't." There was so much anger and passion and worry and love in her eyes, and Bruce couldn't remember when he'd last seen her this impassioned. This far from sadness. She was furious.
"I wasn't trying to-" he cut off as he sat up, his breath hissing between his teeth. "I wasn't trying to kill myself." He brushed her hair out of her face. "I promised I'd always be here, and I meant that. And I know I screwed up and left you alone, but I'm still here. And I will always be here."
"You lie through your teeth, like always," she stared down at him. She knew that he was in pain, and she hated herself for enjoying it. She wanted to break down crying because she'd missed him so much, but he forced her for half a week to act tough, and she wasn't about to stop just because he was back. In all truth, she hadn't felt this strong in months. "I'm going to get you a wheelchair, and you can go see Tim. But I warn you, you probably don't want to." She left the cubicle and returned with a nurse and an old wheelchair, stopping it by his bed. When the nurse tried to help him, she stopped her. "No no, let him do it himself. He always has to do things by himself," Selina crossed her arms, glaring at Bruce.
"But... he was in a coma," the nurse objected. "He should be resting; he just woke…" She trailed off and cleared her throat at the look on Selina's face. Bruce clenched his jaw and stood up, nearly falling right back over. He grabbed the arm of the wheelchair and sank into it gratefully. "We should really be giving him medical attention," the nurse added feebly.
"Ask him if he wants it. Go on, ask him," Selina's lip quivered. She was barely holding it together, she'd missed him so much, but if he wanted to see Tim, that's what they were going to do. They both looked at Bruce.
"I need to see him."
"What did I tell you?" Selina's voice cracked, and she yanked his chair out of the cubicle. She pushed him down the hall and onto the elevator and pressed the button, leaning against the wall as she covered her mouth.
"I'm sorry Selina," he sighed, looking up at her. Selina waved her hand dismissively and then covered her mouth again.
"I don't care," she whimpered. "I don't..."
"Yes you do." He tried to maneuver the wheelchair over to her but gave up. "I'm sorry."
"I missed you," she whimpered, kneeling in front of the wheelchair. Selina dropped her head in his lap, sniffing sadly. She sat up again and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I was just so worried about you."
"I know." Bruce lifted her up and set her on his lap. "I am so, so sorry Selina. I shouldn't have done that to you." He stroked her hair. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about me, Bruce," she stroked his cheek. Selina kissed him gently, cupping his face. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God, you- your mask! Your mask, Bruce," she stroked his face. "We can't..." The elevator doors opened. He groaned.
"You took my mask off." He could see the labs down the hall. "Come on," he sighed. "The entire medical staff has probably seen me already anyway."
"Bruce-" she shyly walked forward with her hand in his, helping him push his wheelchair as he pushed with one hand. Selina keyed them into the labs, blushing as she bit her nail.
"Hey," he grabbed her hand and pulled her down to his level, "it's okay. We've pretty well established everything is my fault," he whispered.
"No. I mean," she giggled a little. "I'm used to people knowing Batman is married to Catwoman, I'm not used to people knowing that Bruce Wayne is... married to me. Boring, messy, worthless nightwalker Selina Kyle. And you've gotta remember that people think you're dead," she hissed back. She tucked a hair behind her ear.
"Excuse me. Bruce Wayne is happily married to interesting, beautiful hero Selina Kyle. And I think people would be a bit more upset if they thought Batman was dead instead of Bruce."
"You weren't on the streets when word got around that you died." Selina walked behind him. People were staring. Bruce wore only a pair of cotton sweatpants, his torso bandaged. Selina pushed him forward and Barbara came towards him as they approached the observation cage.
"Hi- um, Batman," she smoothed her hair over her shoulder. "We're trying to keep him comfortable." She said quietly.
Tim was shuffling back and forth along the glass in a white v-neck and pants. His mouth hung open, and his glossy eyes were vacant. Steph was standing in front of the glass and turned when Selina pushed the wheelchair up beside her. She jumped at the sight of Bruce.
"Whoa. Since when were you... I guess it doesn't matter." She looked back at Tim.
"Spoiler," Bruce said quietly. TJ walked by and froze as he stared at Bruce.
"Oh my God," he said. "Is that-"
"-Not the time," Barbara muttered, pushing TJ along.
"He's doing ok," Selina knelt beside Bruce's chair, wrapping her hands around his arm.
"How did this happen?" He stared at Tim, his jaw set. Barbara walked back to them.
"A third party attacked the lab and stole some of the medical supplies. The Infected got out of the cage, and he got scratched," Barbara said quietly. "I'm sorry, I just..." She sighed, wiping her eyes. "We keep him fed, and keep him, um... We're trying to keep him held together."
"I should have been here." Bruce clenched his fist. He was so tense he was in danger of popping his stitches.
"Bruce it's ok," Selina grabbed his fist clenching on the arm of the wheelchair. She smoothed his hand out and laced her fingers with his. "It'll be ok, they're working on it."
"I thought you said you were sick of lies."
Selina glanced at him and then looked down. "Just breathe, darling," she whispered, wiping her eyes.
"I'm sorry," he sighed. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose but winced and set his arm back on the wheelchair armrest.
"Don't worry," Steph told him. Her Spoiler mask was pulled down around her neck and there were dark circles under her eyes. "If you were his girlfriend, they'd let you be a bitch. They've been putting up with me for days."
"Steph," Barbara said quietly, rubbing her arm and hugging her gently. Selina looked up at Bruce, watching him solemnly.
"We'll be ok," she whispered.
Tim slammed against the glass, hissing, his fingers clawing at the air holes, his eyes fixed on Bruce.
"I can't." Steph stepped back and shrugged Barbara's arm off. "I can't do this." She couldn't stare into Tim's blank eyes desperate to see some emotion. She backed away. "I'm really happy you're awake Bruce, her voice cracked, "but I can't be here." She fled from the room. Barbara glanced down at Bruce and then pursed her lips.
"We found this in his pocket," she said quietly. She handed him a small gold band engagement ring with a purple gemstone and diamond setting. "I haven't told Stephanie yet... I don't... I don't know if we should." Bruce clutched the ring in his hand, staring at Tim.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that getting him better is top priority."
"Of course," she said in resignation.
"This should never have happened." Tim snarled at them. Bruce watched him a while longer before turning back to Barbara and Selina. "I'm assuming Nightwing took over patrol rotations while I was... asleep. Update him and let him know I'll rejoin the rotation as soon as I can." Some of his wounds had started to bleed through the bandages. "Catwoman, you probably shouldn't be on patrol today." He looked at Selina who looked like she hadn't slept since he'd been injured. "And I've probably distracted the lab enough for one day." Scientists were still staring at him and whispering behind their hands. "Keep me updated on any changes with him."
"We can do that. And we need to... Figure out how to… properly feed him." Barbara cleared her throat. "Go get some rest," she added as TJ pulled her away. Selina wheeled Bruce's chair back out of the labs, and she was silent until they got onto the elevator.
"Dick is doing really well, by the way. He's doing good."
"I don't doubt it." He leaned back in the wheelchair, exhausted. "How have you been doing?"
"Fine," she sniffed, crossing her arms. The elevator doors closed, but she didn't press a button. "I've been doing... Well I had to do better. If I killed myself you never would forgive yourself, and as much as you'd love to have another excuse to hate yourself, I just couldn't give you that."
"Good." The knife wounds burned, and he was starting to feel feverish. "I'd rather have you here and mad at me. I'd take that any day over you being gone."
Selina pressed the button for the medical floor and the elevator rose steadily. She sighed quietly. "What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, looking at him evenly. Her jaw was tight so her lips wouldn't quiver. Bruce sighed.
"I'm sorry. I know how much that hurt you."
"Do you? Always preaching the 'no kamikaze warfare' speech. You should take your own advice sometime." Selina touched his shoulder, rubbing it gently. Her fingers brushed his neck, and she looked down at him. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Bruce Wayne." He caught her hand.
"I promise." He kissed the back of her hand. Selina ran her hand through his hair as the elevator doors opened.
"Come on," she sighed. "Let's get you back to bed before you keel over."
"That might be a little hard in a wheelchair," he defended. He knew he should rest, but he didn't feel like he could bear sitting still. Tim was hurt, and he should be doing everything he could to help him. The Joker had attacked three whole days ago, and he hadn't been around to oversee any of the damage. But he knew Selina was right, he would keel over and he couldn't do that to her. Her lips turned up in a small, sad smile as she watched him, one hand absently playing with the hair at the back of his neck. She pushed him down the hallways and back to his cubicle, where she helped Bruce sit down and then lay back in the makeshift hospital bed. Tugging the covers up around his shoulders, Selina smiled.
"Feel better lying down?" she asked softly, her voice like velvet as she sat on the edge of the cot. Her fingers traced over the three-day stubble beard on his jaw, her lips parting ever so slightly. He reached up and caught her hand.
"You can stop worrying," he told her gently. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Yeah, well, that's what I thought yesterday, until you flatlined for no reason," she squeezed his hand almost painfully tight, her eyes misting a bit. Selina took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Bruce was about to answer, but she turned her head away as she listened to her comm.
"Nightwing, checking in," Dick said. "Just making sure everyone is out and moving."
"Yeah, East half of Uptown seems to be ok," Batwoman commed in. "I'm halfway done with my routes."
"Cassandra and I are handling a few domestic issues in Downtown, but it's a good day so far," Damian answered.
"And Supply is running smoothly. We're pushing the thirty mile bubble, though," Jason reported.
"Labs are good, too," Barbara checked in.
"And Bruce is awake," Selina said quietly, and there were exclamations of relief and happiness from the other lines. Dick smiled to himself.
"Alright. Good work, everyone, let's get through today smoothly." He muted his comm again, sighing as he looked up at the clear sky. The summer air was hot and humid, and he'd abandoned his jacket at the tower. Harley still had the top from his Nightwing suit, so he'd downgraded to a fitted gray and blue athletic t-shirt; the breathable fabric made the heat a little more bearable, but he still paused to tug his gloves off and tie his hair up in a messy bun before pulling them on again.
He couldn't help thinking about Harley. It'd been four days since he saw her last, and he'd known that he wouldn't see her on this patrol shift, but he hadn't known just how much that'd hurt. Dick took a deep breath and leapt off of the edge of the building, enjoying the free fall for a moment before firing a grappling hook to break it. His boots landed on the pavement and he stumbled a bit, catching himself on a lamppost. He sighed again and pressed his comm.
"Batgirl, feed two," he instructed. It was a code they used to use; a 'get off of the main line so we can chat' sort of thing. When they were younger it was more dirty talk than chat, but now it was never more than relaxed conversation. Dick would be kidding himself if he said he didn't miss the former. "You on?" he asked, switching the line.
"Yeah, what's up?" She was back at her desk and surrounded by paperwork.
"Not much," he hesitated, smiling to himself as he started walking back down the street. "I miss you." Barbara laughed.
"Well you know where to find me when you get the chance."
"I know," Dick smiled again. Talking to Barbara was easy, and he'd missed it. It took his mind off of Harley. "Listen. About… before. I never actually apologized to you for acting the way I did," Dick rubbed the back of his neck and kicked an empty beer can down the street. "You guys were right. I should have listened."
"Oh so are you ready to talk about it now?" She leaned her elbows on her desk and chewed on the end of a pen as she smiled.
"What is there to talk about?" Dick chuckled a little, and he winced, the action causing a pain in the stab wound in his side.
"Well... you told me you fell in love with her. And she left you. For the Joker." She shrugged. "That sounds like something to talk about to me."
"Yeah but it didn't work out. I never thought it would, deep down," he sighed. "I think. I don't know." Dick glanced over his shoulder, feeling watched.
"That doesn't mean you don't want it to work out." Barbara stood up and walked across the lab to check on the most recent sample she was running.
"I don't know if I do," he admitted. "Is it more trouble than it's worth? Am I terrible for saying that?"
"No." She checked to see how far along the tests were. They were some of the initial tests of Tim's blood. "She's Harley Quinn. It'd be more trouble trying to continue a relationship with her. And..." she paused, "she's the one who's... crazy and- and the one using you to cheat and... She's the terrible one, not you."
"You're an angel, Babs, you know that, right? Talking to me about this? I know it probably hurts, but I'm so... Grateful for it." Dick stopped walking, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. "You're the only one I can trust."
He again felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and spun around. He couldn't help but wonder if it was Harley, but it was probably something worse. Dick quickened his pace.
"It's okay. I-I just didn't want her to hurt you." Barbara carried the test results back to her desk.
"I know," he responded, and then stopped. Dick flipped out of the way as an Infected nearly tackled him from behind, snarling. "Shit," he swore. "These silent ones really sneak up on you."
"Dick," she froze, "be careful."
"I'll be fine," he assured her. Turning to face the zombie, he drew his tranq gun. It was a gruesome one, falling apart at several joints. A thick paste dripped from its decaying teeth. "Hey Babs, did you ever see The Mummy?" Dick flipped away again as the thing lunged, but he was too slow; it caught his leg and dragged him back. "Ow! Shit-"
"Do not get yourself killed," she warned him.
"Come on, Babs, like I'd do that to you?" He laughed, but it sounded forced as he kicked the zombie away. Dick scrambled to his feet and started running away, clumsily loading live rounds into his gun.
"I've talked to you on enough patrols, Nightwing, to know when you're bluffing." She looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to her as she walked the rest of the way to her desk. Dick laughed and then cried out when another one rushed him from around the corner.
"Oh for fucks sake-" Dick skidded to a stop and slid on the rocky pavement, falling as he fired a shot at its face. Blood splattered across his torso, and he cried out in disgust. The zombie that had been chasing him before tackled him.
"If you turn into a zombie, I'm going to have an emotional breakdown."
"Barbara it'll be ok. And I'd rather turn into a zombie getting bitten by you than a random stranger, if you catch my drift," he joked, struggling to push the zombie off. It was heavy, and practically laying on him.
"If you turn into a zombie, you won't get to enjoy it for long." She glanced around her desk to make sure no one was in earshot. "If you catch my drift."
"Well then we'll make sure you finish first." Dick turned his head away as he pressed the gun to the zombie's head. Barbara could practically hear the splatter over the comms. Dick dropped his head back against the pavement, panting, unable to see through the thick, clotted blood covering his mask. "I'm going to throw up," he choked, shoving the overweight zombie off of him.
"Ew," Barbara whined, "that's so gross. I feel bad from here."
"Ugh it's everywhere," Dick groaned. "God, it's in my mouth..." He hastily wiped the sticky black paste away from his lips, gagging.
"Spit it out," she ordered. "You know that could contaminate you." She tapped her pen nervously on her desk as she listened to her comm.
"Yeah, I know, I'm working on it," he spat out as much as he could, but he could still taste it. "I need to get this off of me, I'm going to shower," he shuddered, looking down at the splatters over his chest. Dick switched comm feeds. "Batwoman, cover me for a bit. I need to do some decontamination here, that last kill was a messy one."
"Roger that, boss," she responded, and Dick switched the comm feed back to Barbara.
"Let me know if you start experiencing any symptoms of you changing. So I can come kick your ass for getting Infected," Barbara told him.
"I would go with 'so we can get you a transfusion and save your ass', that one would be a little better." Dick winced, making his way to he and Harley's makeshift apartment. He didn't know if it was such a great idea that he go there, after last time, but he grappled up anyway.
"That part was implied," Barbara laughed. Dick walked into the dark apartment, pulling his shirt off.
"I should let you get back to work," he sighed, stripping down and getting in the shower.
"Yeah," she sat up straight, "I should go talk to TJ anyway. He's helping me run Tim's blood samples."
"Good, good." Dick paused thoughtfully. "So you and this TJ guy, eh? Is it... Are you guys...?" Dick and Barbara weren't officially together. In fact, they weren't anything. It was complicated. They talked all the time, and slept in the same bed, but that was more for comfort and security than anything. It's complicated, he thought again.
"Coworkers? Colleagues? Friends?" She laughed. "Where are you going with that question?"
"Is there anything going on there?" He cleared his throat. "Never mind..."
"No there's nothing going on there." She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see it. "I wasn't the one seeing other people."
"Yeah yeah. Talk to you in a bit, Batgirl." He pressed his comm to switch the feed back to the main, and then muted it. Dick leaned back against the wall sighing slowly, letting the hot water run over his chest. He couldn't help thinking about Harley standing here with him, and he closed his eyes; her presence was all over this place in memories. Pleasant and heated ones, he'd begrudgingly admit. She's the one who broke it off, Dick scolded himself, but he couldn't help picturing her handprints smudged on the steamy glass of the shower; her laughter and her ragged breath mixing with the sound of the water hitting their bare bodies. "Stop it," Dick snapped under his breath, turning the tap cold.
Harley grappled up onto the balcony. She frowned to herself as she retracted the cording into the grappling gun. This place reminded her too much of Dick and what they'd shared, and she felt bad enough about having to sneak away from Joker to come here, but she wanted to return the Nightwing shirt. She didn't want any reminders of Dick. Stepping reluctantly into the bedroom, she looked around at the mess they'd left the last time they'd been here. Liquor bottles were everywhere. Dick clearly hadn't returned, she was relieved to see.
But then she heard the shower running. She froze in panic. He was here, he was actually here. He hummed quietly for a moment, trying to scrub the blood away from his face. Harley could see the reflection of him in the shower through the open bathroom door.
She glanced back out the door. She could leave and he'd never even know she'd been here, or... she looked back at Dick. She could talk to him, explain why she couldn't see him. Harley physically shook her head and stepped away from the bathroom. She shouldn't, couldn't see him. And he'd still lied to her. She looked back around at the bedroom. She wanted to be rid of every part of their relationship. To pretend it never happened.
Dick reached out of the shower, his hand groping for a towel on the counter. He dried his face and glanced up, catching sight of Harley in the mirror. He froze, watching her, the towel still over his mouth. She'd heard the shower turn off, so she quickly set his shirt down on the bed but then she hesitated. She bit the inside of her cheek before stepping back. She glanced one last time over her shoulder and saw Dick watching her. She froze and blushed. Her eyes stared at his through the mirror. Quickly turning away, she hurried toward the balcony, nearly running into the desk.
"Harley, wait!" Dick cried, hurrying after her as he wrapped the towel around his waist. He reached the bed as she made it to the balcony doors. She kept her head down as she pushed them open and stepped out. She fumbled with the grappling hook and dropped it, making a frustrated noise.
"Sweet sassafras," she muttered. "What?" She turned toward him.
"I... Um." Dick cleared his throat. "W-what are you doing here?" he asked lamely.
"I was returning your shirt," she said stiffly. "Goodbye." She picked up the grappling gun and aimed it.
"Harley wait- I just- can't we talk?" he begged, rushing to stop her. Dick caught her arm. "Please?"
"About what?" she demanded, yanking her arm out of his grasp. "What do you want?"
"Nothing," Dick swallowed hard, stepping back. "Sorry. I just- sorry," he breathed, dropping his hand by his waist.
"Yeah, me too." The water beading on his exposed chest was distracting, so she stepped back and turned away. "Can I leave now?"
"Sure," he breathed, waving a hand. He ran a hand through his wet hair, shaking his head, and walking back towards the bathroom. Harley hesitated. She wished she hadn't come. This goodbye was so much worse; it would've been easier if they hadn't seen each other again. She was going to look back at him but stopped herself. She didn't have time. She needed to get back to Arkham, back to the Joker. She aimed the grappling hook again and fired.
"Goodbye," Dick said quietly, looking over his shoulder to watch her go. She stumbled when she landed but retracted the cording and kept walking. She shouldn't have come.
Harley picked up her pace to a jog, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible. It was easier to pretend it had never happened, that there was only the Joker. Dick had already gotten what he wanted from her anyway: he didn't need her anymore. She slowed her pace once she made it to the Arkham wall.
"I love you." Harley ground her teeth together, ignoring everyone she passed. That lie had hurt the most. She had no one but the Joker left, and it would have been nice if he'd actually cared about her.
She was lost in thought the whole way to the tower and barely noticed the elevator ride to the top. When it jerked to a stop at the top floor, she refocused and looked around. "Puddin?" she called.
"Office, working," he called, before his office door slammed shut. Harley bit her lip before walking over. She knocked on his door.
"Is it anything I can help with?" she asked hopefully.
"No!" Came his reply.
"Should I go see if Crane needs anything then?"
"Actually-" Joker came out of his office, watching her. "If you'd like to help, you could?"
"Um, okay." Harley was taken aback. "What are we working on?" She skipped into his office. "Getting food for the people? A raid on Gotham?"
"Food. Food is good. Oh! I know, you can run food distribution tonight for me? It will take a weight off of my shoulders," he contemplated.
"Yeah sure." She hopped on the desk. "How much do we have left?" She swung her legs as she smiled up at him.
"Probably about a week's worth," he replied, looking down.
"Oh." The smile slid off her face. "But we can get more right? Gotham's open for the takin' right?"
"Open for the taking," he agreed with a grin. "We'll organize another raid soon."
Harley giggled. "So are ya gonna take over then? Ya know, since Batman's dead."
"Hmm. I hadn't thought about how that'd change plans," he said thoughtfully, kicking his feet up on his desk.
"Does Crane get ta stop his little project?" She leaned forward with her elbow on her knees as she smiled at him.
"I'm... Not sure," he sounded hesitant again as he watched Harley with narrowed eyes.
"It'd be nice ta see him more often is all." She shrugged.
"Of course," Joker shrugged, lacing his fingers together as he stared at the wall. Harley watched him for a bit.
"So what do ya wanna do?"
"Work," he stared at her in confusion.
"What kinda work?" She looked around the office. "What we're ya workin' on?"
"I'm... I was... working." Joker stared at her confusedly. What the hell does she want? Does she need food? What do I do with her? Is she doing this on purpose? He opened his mouth and closed it again. "Let's... Did you need something?" he asked.
"Nope. I just wanna help." She beamed at him.
"Go feed Nygma and Dent," he finally decided, looking at her. Harley frowned.
"Okay." Her lower lip stuck out as she pouted, and she slid of the desk and headed dejectedly to the door.
"Harley," he stopped her. "Um... Thank you," he choked with a smile.
"No problem Puddin." She grinned and kissed him on the cheek before skipping out of the room. Joker rolled his eyes and sighed, dropping his head back over the chair.
"Finally," he mumbled.
Harley got back into the elevator. She wanted to help Joker, but what she really wanted after seeing Dick was to not be alone. Normally in a situation like this, she'd go see Ivy, and she knew Joker would be happy to see her go. But there was no one left to go see. Even Nygma and Dent weren't really there anymore, and it was only a matter of time before they were past the point of no return. Then they'd have to be put down like any other Infected. What really worried her though, was Batman.
Despite what he said, Harley wasn't convinced Joker was actually glad Batman was on the cusp of death. He was more interested in any news that came to him of the caped crusader's condition then whether Harley was there or not. Even though it had been him that had almost killed Batman, she doubted Joker would know what to do or plan if he was really gone. She just wanted the next informant that came to the tower to say he'd died or woke up, so things could get back to normal. He'd finally know what to work on, and he even seemed more inclined to let her help.
She smiled to herself as the elevators closed before it slid off her face at the sight of the two snarling zombies.
"The stench down here is unbearable," she muttered.
It was times like these when she even missed Deadshot. He may have been an asshole, but at least he was lively conversation. She couldn't even watch the Arkham patrols anymore. There really was no one left but Joker. She found herself wondering if Ivy got to see Oscar Meyer now that she lived in Gotham. She missed the dog. She stopped herself before her mind could wander inevitably to Dick.
There was no missing him; she wouldn't allow herself to do that. Her resolve wouldn't last long if she missed him. Besides, Puddin needs me. She slipped past Nygma as he strained toward her at the end of his leash.
"Hey!" she whined when he almost nipped her. "Looks like Dent's gettin' all the good parts." She stuck her tongue out at him and tried not to gag as she went over to where flies were buzzing around their meal. As long as she had the Joker, she'd be alright. Arkham was where she belonged, and Arkham was where she would stay; she wouldn't repeat her mistake again. And she convinced herself her relationship with Dick had never meant anything anyway.