"Nightwing, heading out to Arkham shift," Dick pressed his comm. There was a collective groan over the line, and Catwoman cleared her throat.
"Permission to join Batwoman to help her with her shift?" she asked.
"Selina…" Bruce sighed.
"It's fine. You're in the labs, I'm on break," she smiled. "I got some sleep, I'll cover for Dick."
"Guys wait-"
"-oh have you just now noticed how selfish you're being?" Stephanie muttered.
"Spoiler," Batman warned. He hesitated. "Last time, Nightwing," he said calmly. "From now on, you can not skip your Arkham Patrol for this woman. Do you understand me."
Dick hesitated, closing his eyes. He bit his lip. "Yeah. Yeah, I hear you loud and clear."
"You're going too easy on him," Batwoman muttered. "But go ahead. Go see your girl."
"Say hi to her for me!" Selina added.
Dick hesitated and then closed his eyes. This almost made him feel more guilty than sneaking around, which honestly, was probably their point.
"Last time," he agreed. Nearly half an hour later he stood at the foot of his house with Harley. It was cloudy and a chill hung in the air, refreshing after the sweltering days before. It also seemed unnatural, and Dick pulled his GCPD jacket closer around his arms. He grappled up and landed on the balcony.
"Harley?" he called with a smile, looking around the room.
"Stop right there!" Her arm popped up over the couch as she pointed at him. "Am I allowed to get my hopes up about a tiny hot dog puppy?"
Dick took Oscar Meyer out of his jacket with a smile, dropping his mask on the dining table. "Go get her," he whispered, sending the dog trotting away towards Harley. She sat up with a squeal. Oscar scampered up to her and put his paws on her leg. She picked him up and squeezed him, giggling.
"Hi buddy."
Dick watched her, smiling. "How've you been? I hope not causing too much trouble?" He took his comm out.
"You know it." She laid down and set the dog on her chest, playing with his ears. "What about you? Get a scolding?" She giggled.
"Quite a bit, actually," he laughed, walking towards her as he pulled out a lighter and began lighting candles. "You, hot stuff, have caused me a lot of trouble."
"Happy to help," she teased. She scooped Oscar up in her arms as she stood up. "Candles?" She wandered over to him. "Isn't it just getting light out?"
"Yes, but it's also cold. I was going to shut the windows…" he straightened, again, smiling at her. "Well hello, beautiful."
"Shhh." She put a hand over Oscar's ears. "If you compliment him like that, it'll go to his head." She laughed when he wiggled his head free. Dick rolled his eyes and stole a kiss on her cheek.
"We wouldn't want that," he chuckled, walking across the room. It was dark in their little makeshift apartment, and he hadn't noticed the bruises that she'd tried to conceal.
"So what have you been up to?" Harley kissed Oscar's head and set him down so he could sniff around.
"Hightailing it all over Gotham," he admitted. "Ever since the mess in the sewers, it's drawn people's curiosity." Silhouetted in the light still coming through the open balcony doors, Dick took off his gloves and began taking off his weapons, placing them on the table.
"And people aren't allowed ta muck around… in the muck?" She flopped back onto the couch.
"Not when there are Infected crawling all over down there," Dick countered, leaning over the back of the couch to look at her. "We don't know where the hell they came from. Somewhere there must be a connecting line to Arkham," he muttered, and then his eyes went wide. "Do not repeat that." She giggled and poked his cheek.
"Hey! Anyone I know?" She spun around and sat up in front of him. Dick thought for a moment.
"Penguin almost took Robin out. He was gross, too, I don't know how long he's been down there but it's been a while. Seriously, don't repeat that." he had that gut wrenching anxiety in his stomach, the kind that comes with knowing you've royally fucked up. Harley didn't even seem to notice, though.
"Penguin!? Really!?" She grinned. "How is he-" she cut off when she realized what he said, and her face fell. "How was he?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry Harles," Dick smiled a little and put a hand on her knee before he kissed her head and stood up. "I brought food. Are you hungry?" he asked, walking back to the table.
"Sure." She stood up, picking up the dog from where he was sniffing the couch and trailed after him. Dick pulled out some small, poorly made sandwiches and bags of chips, handing Harley two of the sandwiches and leaving her to choose what else she wanted. Dropping into a chair, Dick unwrapped his sandwich. "So how have you been?" he asked, an arm over the back of the chair as he bit off part of his sandwich.
"Um," she sat cross legged in the chair across from him with Oscar in her lap, "good. Better than Penguin I guess." She shrugged, picking up one of the sandwiches.
"Yeah…" He trailed off, leaning forward suddenly and pushing her pigtail gently over her shoulder so that he could look at the bite marks on her neck. His expression didn't change, and he leaned back to take a bite of his sandwich again. "Rough night?"
"Oh, um… not really." She hesitated before continuing. Joker knew about her relationship here; she wasn't being fair to Dick. "He kinda gave me the cold shoulder over the past month and had a bit of a breakdown when you an' I saw each other again. But we made up." She shrugged. "He says he's fine with us, and we… ya know." She looked down as she picked at her sandwich. Dick didn't like Joker and she knew that. And she was a little worried he was as opposed to sharing as him. She didn't know if Dick really thought about her relationship with him.
"Weird. Not the craziest thing I've ever heard, but weird," Dick commented, pursing his lips. Finishing his sandwich, he grabbed another one. "So he knows what we do?" he asked. She reached up and played with her pigtail.
"For the most part. I haven't really told him anything; he just always seems to know."
"Thats… Disturbing…" He frowned, watching her. Harley shrugged. She pet Oscar as he fell asleep in her lap.
"Thought you'd like to know," she said mildly.
"I guess. You look nice today, by the way," he smiled at her. She giggled.
"Am I supposed ta take that as a compliment?" she teased. "I mean you have been playing in the sewers. Anything looks nice compared to that."
"God, it's a nightmare," Dick confessed. "I could live with never seeing another zombie." Harley let out a snort of laughter and Oscar jolted.
"Let me know how that works out."
"Oh I know. It's all changed, now, though. Ever since…" He glanced up at her, biting his lip.
"Ever since you got a really bad infestation in your sewers?" she guessed. "I hope you all take regular showers or you'll smell worse than them." She giggled, biting into her sandwich.
"No, um, ever since my brother got Infected," he said quietly with a small smile. They'd barely had time to breathe let alone really stop and mourn Tim. Dick couldn't let himself think about it.
"Oh," Harley set her sandwich back down, "I'm sorry." She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and Oscar nosed at her leg in annoyance.
"No don't worry about it, we're working on a cure," he leaned forward, turning her chin up with a smile. "He'll be alright."
"You heroes are always so optimistic." She rolled her eyes. "There's just as much chance everyone dies." She leaned back spinning her sandwich in her hands. "It's just very unhero-y to say."
"It is," he agreed. "If we didn't have hope, we'd have nothing left."
"Well there are some things left." She kissed his cheek before setting Oscar on the floor and standing up. "Admittedly less people. And food," she added with a grin. "I still really want some cake."
"I have no idea where you would get that. Even if I could manage to get you the ingredients, how would you cook it?" He laughed, looking up at her as he put his boot up on the chair she'd vacated.
"Well I'm also seriously craving ice cream, so if you think that's any easier," she teased. Dick smiled up at her.
"Maybe easier than cake, actually," he laughed, running a hand down her arm and taking her hand in his.
"Don't get my hopes up, hero, because apparently that's all I have left," she taunted, giving him a quick kiss and laughing. She slid her hand out of his as she went to search for a bowl to fill with water for Oscar. Dick smiled to himself, enjoying how domestic their time together was beginning to seem. They held conversation so casually, with a brief kiss every now and again, it made Dick feel like he'd known her for so much longer than he had. He tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought. Harley found a bowl in the mini kitchen, glad they'd chosen a suite style place, and filled it. She sat on the floor, and the dog ignored the bowl as it sniffed at her arms. She giggled as she watched him walk around her. Dick glanced up as thunder rumbled outside, and he smiled a little, getting up and walking into the small kitchen.
"How's Oscar?" He smiled down at Harley and the dog, leaning against the doorframe.
"Cute." She scooped the dog up. "I mean look at that wittle face." She held him toward Dick as she laughed. He grinned and ran a hand over the dog's smooth fur, laughing a little.
"Good. You take him, he's been causing enough trouble at my place," Dick smirked, scratching Oscar's ear.
"He has?!" Harley gasped and giggled. "That's my boy." She kissed the dog's head. Dick laughed.
"Poison Ivy misses you, too. Of course she didn't say that," he added with a smile.
"She never does." She laid down next to Dick, her face beside his leg, and she smiled up at him as she set Oscar on her stomach. He put his hands on his hips and looked down at her, chuckling a bit.
"You two are too cute," he muttered, nudging her shoulder with his boot.
"Care to be cute with me?" She teased and raised her eyebrows.
Dick pretended to think for a moment. "If I can get down there I think I might," he smiled, kneeling and falling onto his back beside her with a groan. He turned his head to look at her.
"Out of the entire place we end up laying on the kitchen floor." She made a face at him. "We are cute." She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Mm, I don't think I could beat you in cuteness," he grinned, sighing slowly.
"Well it is kinda my specialty. But your rousing speeches about hope are a pretty good quality," she giggled.
"Yeah," he laughed and looked up at the ceiling. "At least I've got that going for me…" She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Among other things," she whispered. Dick smiled and closed his eyes.
"And here I thought you liked me because of my riveting speeches and because I fed you," he breathed, the smile still lingering on his lips.
"Both good reasons," she agreed. "But no one else lays on the floor with me." She nudged him with her elbow before glancing at Oscar.
"Oh don't take him for granted," Dick scratched the dog's ear, smiling at her. He watched her face, biting his lip. His eyes were so blue they seemed to reflect the skies, light and utterly endless. Anything could be behind them, and though they could be stormy, cloudy, or gray, there would always be blue there. He smiled a little. "Can I say it?" he asked quietly, his lip catching in his teeth again. She looked back over at him; her eyes caught in his stare for a moment before she looked away, blushing.
"You really shouldn't."
"Then I won't," he mused, a smile in his voice. She felt his lips on her neck, his breathing calm and steady against her skin. She smacked his cheek. Dick cried out and laughed in surprise.
"Well now I know you were gonna say it." She turned her head so they were almost nose to nose. "So stop thinkin' it." She reached one hand up and cover his eyes. "And stop lookin' at me like that."
"You… You hit me in the face," he laughed, a hand reaching up to pull at her slender fingers covering his eyes as he grinned. He moved his hand away and touched her face tentatively, trying to feel her soft skin, the gentle curve of her cheeks; his hand was suddenly on the back of her head, pulling her lips to his. Dick smirked as he kissed her, but it was playful; his kiss wasn't sadistic or controlling or harsh, and in that moment, she could truly tell the difference between the two of them.
"You're a big boy," Harley whispered and grinned, her lips brushing his. "You can handle it."
"I'll live," he agreed. "But I don't know if you're the type that can be 'handled,'" Dick sighed, grinning.
"Nope." She giggled, and Oscar pawed at her in annoyance. She kissed Dick's nose. "So who's covering for ya? Batwoman? She's a bit less scary than Robin."
"Batwoman, yeah. And Catwoman. She says hi, by the way," he smiled down at the dog.
"Catwoman?" Harley sat up so suddenly Oscar tumbled to the floor. "Selina's in Uptown?! Really?!"
"Yeah? Usually Batman doesn't let her up here but she volunteered today-"
"-How is she? She's fine, right? I mean I thought she was dead. I haven't seen her in so long?" Harley talked faster as she got excited. "Does she still carry her whip around? Did she steal all the diamonds in Gotham? How is she?!"
Dick laughed a little, sitting up. "Um… She's fine? She and Batman are married, and she's been going through some stuff lately. She's been depressed for a while now and getting bitten didn't help that. And yes, she did go through almost every jewelry store in the city, and she makes sure to stop when we go out to get supplies, too," Dick chuckled.
"She got married!" Harley gasped. "And she didn't invite me!?" She looked genuinely offended. "No wait, hold on. Scratch that. She was bitten?!"
"Yeah. We caught it in time, but there are lasting effects." Dick hesitated. "Do you want to see her?"
"Well…" She hesitated and looked at him sheepishly. "Can I?"
"Of course, Harley," he laughed, standing. "I couldn't bear to deny you anything, my princess," he laughed and helped her up, "besides. She misses you too." Harley giggled and practically bounced around in excitement.
"I haven't seen her in forever! We haven't seen each other since we hated each other," she added.
"I thought you three were friends…" Dick muttered as he put his comm in his ear.
"Catwoman, secure line," he said calmly. It wasn't uncommon for a couple of people to break off to a separate feed to chat, but it was hardly acceptable on an open-comm policy.
"Checking in," she switched her feed.
"Acknowledged. I have someone here who wants to see you," he smiled at Harley. She squealed and put her ear next to his like she hoped she'd be able hear his comm.
"Selina!?"
She laughed. "Yeah, I can drop in. I won't stay too long, though, don't want to get in the way," she giggled.
"Good. On my coordinates, the balcony doors that are open. Use your grapple gun," he took his comm out, smiling at Harley. "Happy now?" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight as she laughed.
"Thank you thank you thank you!"
"Whoa," he smiled, hugging her back. "So much praise might go to my head you know," he laughed. Harley broke away from him as she practically danced around.
"Then you should see the praise you woulda gotten if you coulda somehow managed to get Selina and Ivy here," she teased, still beaming. Dick watched her happily, crossing his arms.
"I think I can get Ivy here, if I tried, maybe not together. I could get you to the bridge, and you two could meet." Dick stretched, yawning a bit. She moved back over to him.
"Thank you," she said seriously, giving him a kiss.
"That's more like it," he laughed against her lips, kissing her again as his arms fell around her waist. Harley swatted his arm but giggled before grabbing his face and kissing him harder. Dick moaned in surprise and kissed her back, his eyebrows raised.
"Hope I'm not interrupting you two cuties," Selina grinned as she sauntered towards then from the windows, taking her cowl off and shaking out her choppy black hair. Harley shrieked with glee as she abandoned Dick and ran over to Selina, nearly tackling her in excitement.
"You're not dead!"
"Wish I was, sometimes, with how the world's turned out," she laughed, hugging her tight. "I see you're not dead too," Selina smiled and held her at arm's length to look at her.
"Not yet," Harley agreed with a smirk. She grabbed Selina's wrist. "I was told…" She gasped at her ring finger, holding it up. "You didn't!"
"Yeah I did," she laughed, smiling more than Dick had seen her smile in a long time. "Batsy caught me in the end. Talked to me the way I liked," she wiggled her finger with the ring on it, with a smile at Dick. He smirked and picked Oscar up.
"Ugh, Batman. Gross." Harley wrinkled her nose but was too happy to keep from smiling altogether. Selina laughed and glanced over Harley's shoulder again.
"Well what about you, huh?" She grinned slyly. "You coming over to join me and Ivy yet?" Selina played with Harley's pigtail, raising her eyebrows.
"Stop it." Harley rolled her eyes. "And how the hell did you get bitten?" she demanded. "You know I'm the only one allowed to do crazy stuff. Or else you'll have to come join me."
"It was nothing," she breathed, unconsciously rubbing her shoulder, but then she smiled again. "And you already are doing something crazy," she giggled, walking to Dick and putting an arm over his shoulders. "Everyone thinks he's batty for falling for you," she giggled at her own pun, "and when I married the Bat, the birds became my sons. So you treat him good." Her heels clicked as she walked back towards Harley with a smile. "Well. Provided he treats you good."
"Well that doesn't sound like you," Harley laughed. "Never thought good was what you wanted from a man," she teased.
"Hey, I didn't say nice, I said good, Selina beamed, looking at her ring. "And believe me. Batsy is good." Harley giggled before hugging her again.
"I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, Sweetie," Selina closed her eyes, her voice cracking a bit. She smiled. "Just let me look at you." Her smile was sad when she moved back, scrutinizing Harley again. "Oh, honey…" Her thumb ran over the bandage under Harley's collarbone. Selina watched her with sad eyes and then smiled again.
"Oh stop being so mopey." Harley swatted at her hand. "Everything's fine and being sad really puts a downer on things. Besides, just ask Dick how effective a smile can be at getting what you want," she teased, smirking at Dick. He shook his head and walked away into the bedroom, carrying Oscar with him.
"I'm always mopey, ask any of them," Selina rolled her eyes and smirked. "So?"
"So what… chicken butt?" Harley shrugged her shoulders.
"Come on, when are you giving this up and coming with me and Ivy? Seriously," she added when Harley scoffed. Selina crossed her arms.
"No seriously. I love Mistah J and he," she waved vaguely at the bedroom, "-and I… well I don't really know, but stop prying. You really are a mom now," she muttered.
"Thats right and I want all my little babies safe. That includes the rebellious ones who don't think they need my help," she smiled a little, poking Harley's arm. "Just think about it. You may not know this, but he loves you more than the Joker ever will. And if you love the Joker more than you love that good hearted, sweet, stupid guy in there… Well." Selina pursed her lips, looking down. "Just think about it. Ivy and I miss you."
"I miss you too." Harley rolled her eyes. "Mom." She grinned. "Mopiness and all."
"Jeez tell me I wasn't always like this," she laughed and then her hand went to her ear as she paused. "Yes, Darling, I'm fine. Stop watching my tracer on screen." Glancing at Harley, Selina shook her head. "I need to be on patrol. I'm covering for him today," she jerked a head towards the bedroom. "You two have fun. And come see me again," Selina urged.
"Or you could just come see me again," Harley suggested. "We could send him off ta do his actual patrol while we catch up." She pulled Selina in for another hug.
"Oh I know," she squeezed her shoulders. "We'll see each other again."
Not if Joker had his way, Harley realized. "We better." She gave Selina one final squeeze before letting her go. "Now get outta here before you get all mopey about having to say goodbye."
"Bye Sweetie," she laughed, walking to the windows and jumping over the ledge.
"Bye!" Harley called after her, smiling a little to herself. She looked around the empty living room. "Where did you take my puppy off to?" she asked in a loud voice.
"We're in here!" Dick called from the bedroom's bathroom. When she walked in, Dick was knelt outside of the bathtub, playing with Oscar in the water. Harley giggled and sat down beside him.
"What, no rubber duckies? I am so very disappointed." She grinned as she watched the dog splash through the water.
"Surprisingly enough, five star hotels don't have them lying around," Dick pondered, smiling. He dumped a cup of water over Oscar's head and the dog stopped to look at him in what looked like annoyance, water dripping over his ears.
"Well that's just ridiculous and is added to the list of things I don't miss." She looked around the bathroom. "This one didn't even come with plushy robes. Or slippers." She grinned at him. "I say we riot."
"Riot? Just the two of us?" Dick laughed. "How about we go looking for some? There has to be some somewhere in this building."
"I refuse!" she cried dramatically. "And I insist we move immediately. Well, after he's finished his bath." She grinned at the dog. Dick gasped and covered Oscar's ears.
"We can't just uproot when he's growing up here!" he whispered dramatically, smiling.
"I'm sure he would rather live in a loving home than this!" she argued. "I mean, no rubber ducks or robes?! He doesn't wanna grow up here." She giggled. Dick laughed a little harder.
"Are robes and rubber duckies all you care about?" he cried, grabbing a towel and picking Oscar up out of the tub.
"They're important for a well rounded life," Harley scolded. "Next you'll tell him he can't play fetch." She shook her head in disapproval, her eyes sparkling.
"He can play whatever he wants, so long as we stay put," Dick walked into the bedroom and set Oscar down, rubbing him with the towel as he wagged his tail. Harley hopped onto the bed, laying on her stomach.
"Fine. If it means that much to you." She stuck her tongue out as she giggled. Dick smiled and dropped Oscar on her back, and he walked up to her shoulders, trying to lick her face. Dick smiled at them and yawned again, shaking his head.
"What am I gonna do with you two."
"Feed us." She shrugged before smirking. Reaching up, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down toward her. "Give us baths when we get dirty," she added, her lips brushing his. Dick inhaled sharply and he smiled, his light eyes looking between hers.
"I think I can keep you satisfied," he breathed, a smile creeping over his lips.
"Who says I'm ever satisfied?" she teased. "And with no cake or ice cream…" She trailed off with a smirk. "Or pizza!" she suddenly added and her face lit up. "God I miss pizza."
"Don't remind me," he flopped down on the bed and Oscar curled up in his side. Dick sighed, staring at the ceiling, his dark hair falling over the blankets in tangled waves. Harley dropped her face into the blankets. It popped back up after a few seconds.
"I'm bored," she complained. "Bring any party games?"
"No," he laughed. "I have nothing to offer you," he sighed in resignation, his eyes shining.
"Boo." she laughed. "But at least you brought me a sandwich." Dick nodded and smiled, putting a hand under his head as he wordlessly watched her. His gaze was so deep he seemed to see right through her. Harley looked down, away from his gaze, at Oscar and scratched his ear. "So what do we talk about now? I think it's your turn to decide."
"I am absolutely… Obsessed with you," he grinned, still watching her. "Completely smitten."
"That," Harley couldn't stop the blush from flooding her cheeks, "is not a topic of conversation." She stared determinedly down at the dog as he slowly blinked his eyes closed.
"And why not?" he asked, still smiling as he sat up and leaned his head down to look at her face. "It's true. You drive me crazy," he smiled broader, kissing her blushing cheek. She winced.
"Don't say that." She had sudden image of Dick crazy, Dick like the Joker, Dick even like her made her flinch away from the idea, and she couldn't explain to herself why.
"Fine," he shook his head, standing. A smile flashed across his lips and he suddenly leaned down by her ear. "Love you," he breathed, and then straightened, walking across the room to the doors. Harley's heart raced, but she had a feeling everyone's heart did that when someone said those words. No matter what.
"Where are you going?" She watched him curiously, hesitant. There was always a part of their relationship she wasn't sure how to handle.
"To find you a plushy robe," he grinned, leaning against the door. When Harley crossed the room to him, he kissed her quickly. "Tag, you're it," he breathed against her lips. Dick glanced out the windows and then sprinted towards them, grabbing an escrima stick before he leapt over the railing. She heard him crash through the window one floor below, and Oscar looked up from the blankets with mild interest, and then snuggled down again.
"Stay," she told the dog before heading over to the couch to grab her grappling gun. "You asked for it," she said to herself before grinning. She ran toward the balcony, firing her grappling hook as she dove over the railing. Releasing the cording when she swung toward the shattered window, she tumbled into the room. Shattered glass was scattered across the floor, and Harley paused to make sure she hadn't cut herself before looking around for Dick. She could hear him laughing down the hall, the door open into the dark.
"Come and get me!" he called, his voice echoing in the eerie empty hotel. Harley dashed out into the hall and turned in the direction she thought he'd gone. Halfway down the hall she paused and looked around.
"Marco?" she called hopefully.
"Polo," Dick called behind her, and she spun to see him at the end of the hall by the stairway door, smiling at her. "You're slow," he commented, and even from here, in the dark, she could tell there was a gleam in his eyes.
"Well you cheated to start out," she defended, inching closer to him with a small smirk.
"Oh and I'm not going to make it easy on you," he laughed, suddenly darting through the stairway door. "Come on, Harley Quinn!" he cried, laughing before the door closed and muffled the sound. She chased after him. When she shouldered her way through the door, she pulled her grappling gun back out and fired it at the center of the ceiling. She jumped over the rail and used the cord to drop down between the floors, cackling with laughter. Dick cried out and jumped back from her.
"What the hell-" he laughed, falling back against the wall and then bolting through the second floor door. "Almost had me, hot stuff!" he cried over his shoulder, still grinning. He ducked around a corner and listened for her before slipping down a hall, ducking through a couple of doors, and slipping behind a vending machine. He watched Harley go past before he stepped silently out behind her. "You know, I'm not used to being the hunted," he breathed by her ear, grinning still. Harley spun around, breathing heavy but still smiling.
"Ya know I think I saw this in a horror movie once. It doesn't end well." She grabbed the tip of his jacket and pulled him toward her before he could dance away. "You got cocky." She gave him a kiss. "You're it." She beamed at him before dashing away. "And I still don't see a robe!" she called over her shoulder.
"We've got to find one. Maybe downstairs in the lobby where they'd sell you more?" he shouted back, running after her.
"Cheater cheater pumpkin eater!" she laughed. "I'm not telling you where I'm going!" She disappeared down the hallway. Dick followed her, hesitating and listening for her footsteps. She was quiet, he believed that. She always had been. But he was well trained. Well versed in the art of listening for her light footsteps. He looked to the side and did a double take, grinning at the robes hanging in a storage closet. He snatched one and started down the hall again.
"Marco," he called, laughing.
"Polo!" Her voice was teasing, and he could tell from her laughter she was moving between rooms as it muffled. Dick smiled, pausing to listen again.
"Marco," he cried again, following the sounds.
"Polo." She quickly ducked into a room and slowly eased the door shut. Halfway closed, a clatter made her snap her head toward the end of the hall. She inched the door further shut as she frowned. She hadn't heard Dick pass her to head down the hall. The laundry room was creepy in the dark, and Harley crept among the industrial dryers. There were abandoned carts of linens everywhere and she carefully skirted around them. There was the sound of popping metal like she'd leaned against one of the machines, and she looked around from where she stood in the center aisle. A quiet scuffing told her that Dick had found her hiding place, so she crept toward the side as a door creaked across the room. She froze. The noise came from two different sides.
She straightened up, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as she scanned the hulking shadows of the washers.
"Boo!" Dick cried behind her, suddenly engulfing her in the robe he'd found. Harley let out a surprised scream and spun around to face him.
"You scared me!" she accused. Her heart was still hammering in her chest. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Does this mean I'm it?" She grinned.
"Hell yes," he grinned, kissing her slowly, pulling her close by the robe around her shoulders. Harley giggled and bunched her hands in his shirt.
"I see you found them," she teased before kissing him again. Dick smiled into her kiss and his thumb hooked in her shorts at her hip.
"I did, that way you have all the fixings you need for a loving home for our Oscar Mayer," he laughed, kissing her slowly and deliberately. The robe was soft around her shoulders, drawing her in.
"Well, almost." She gave him a quick kiss between her words. "But I guess it'll hafta do," she giggled before biting his lip. Her fingers trailed along his chest. Dick smiled against her lips, and the metal popped behind her again. He went tense suddenly, looking over her shoulder, smile vanishing.
"Did you…" He trailed off, speaking quietly, a hand tight on her arm.
"What?" She looked around. "No." She couldn't see anything in the shadows; she squinted at the nearest washer. Dick hesitated a moment longer, taking a deep breath.
"It must've been something else. Come on, let's go," his hand slipped into hers, and he pulled her out of the laundry room and up the staircase. He halted as an Infected fell down the stairs in front of them, stopping on the landing and pulling itself up on the railing. Dick turned Harley around and pushed her back towards the laundry room, grabbing a mop and barring the door handle behind them. "That's weird. I thought I heard one in here-" He was cut off as Harley was yanked backwards with a scream into the dark room. He called her name as he tried to grab her hand but he missed, and the zombie in the stairwell burst through the door that had been barred, clawing at his shoulders and dragging him back.
Harley choked off her surprise and lashed out. She was dropped to the floor and quickly scurried to the side. She made a run for it to where she'd last seen Dick; she could hear him struggling but she'd couldn't see him in the dark. "Dick!"
"It's ok! I'm ok-" his voice choked off and he struggled to throw the zombie off of him, trying to reach the escrima stick he'd tucked into his boot. "Harley- be careful!" he shouted. "I'm over here-"
"I'm on my way!" She angled toward him. Suddenly her foot slid out from under her as the Infected grabbed her ankle, and she crashed to the floor. She rolled onto her back and kicked it in the face. It hissed and crawled back toward her. She couldn't even tell if it had been a man or a woman, it's hair slick with blood and its face clawed beyond recognition. She didn't have her gun, she'd taken it off when she's arrived at the tower, so she pulled her grappling gun out it and aimed it at the face. The zombie continued to spit at her, its eyes fixed on the weapon as if there was some sort of intelligence there.
"Harley!" Dick cried, and then stifled a scream as the Infected's claws sank into his chest. The zombie was heavy, he used to be a large man, its entire body weight pressed on his chest. The decaying fat around its belly seemed to move of it's own accord like it may pop out of his skin at any moment. Dick couldn't move, his leg twisted awkwardly as he desperately tried to reach the escrima stick in his boot. The Infected was yanked off of him. Harley stood above the zombie where he'd tumbled to the floor carefully aiming her grappling gun. Her face was set and there was black blood splattered across her front from the first Infected she'd faced. Dick gasped at the relieved weight, coughing. "W-wait-" he stumbled to his feet. "Just run-" he grabbed her hand and yanked her along, out of the doors in search of an exit.
"Stop." Dick kept going. "Stop!" She pulled her arm free from his, and it pulled at the joint. She rubbed her shoulder. "We're the only humans for miles. It doesn't matter if we get away, that Infected is going to find us. Even if he can't get in the room, he's going to try. She stared at him, still breathing hard. Dick looked pale, a hand over the bleeding scratches on his chest.
"We can't just- we have to kill it?" he asked, and then winced, gripping the staircase railing. She watched him for a second.
"Well…" Harley glanced back behind them. "He's- he's so far gone anyway." She could still picture the decaying skin. "He probably won't make it to the top floor." Joker tended to want to keep as many alive as he could too, so she was used to it. But even if there was a cure, she couldn't imagine some of them would want to live in their conditions, or could live. Dick bit his lip, torn two ways.
"Ok. Just… Yeah. You're right," he nodded, pulling his escrima stick out as he walked back to the doors.
"No." Harley ran in front of him and put a hand on his chest. "You don't have to… I can… Or we can just leave him."
"Let's… Let's just leave him," Dick decided, and Harley's hand came away with blood on the fingertips. Dick took her hand, more gently this time, and started back up the stairs, looking for the ground floor exit. "Are you ok?" he asked over his shoulder, squeezing her hand a bit.
"I'm-I'm fine. What happened?" She looked at the blood in her hands. "Where are you hurt?"
"It just scratched my chest. I'll be fine, I just need to clean them-" he pushed out of a ground floor exit door and looked around, trying to find their window.
"Come on." Harley pulled him around the tower. "The longer you stand there looking confused, the more likely it is that you'll get Infected," she muttered. If he wasn't already. Dick nodded, pointing at the window. He aimed his escrima stick and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling them up to the balcony. He lifted Harley over the railing, nearly slipping himself, before she caught him.
"My belt- go get my utility belt." She helped him into the living room and to the couch. Giving him a worried look, she dashed over to the table to grab his belt as he situated himself on the couch.
"What am I looking for?" She popped back over by him.
"The two vials in the pocket to the left of the buckle." Dick sighed, pulling his shirt off. The cuts weren't deep, thank God. Still. That didn't mean they didn't hurt like hell.
"Are they for cleaning the wound?" She dug around for them while she eyed his chest, looking for any sign of Infected blood near the cuts.
"No. Inoculation," he sighed, dropping his head back against the couch.
"What?" She held the two syringes in her hand as she stared at him. "Did you just say…"
"Not a cure or a vaccine-" he took one and pulled the cover off of the needle with his teeth, injecting himself with it. "A phase one experimental decay inhibitor." Dick spit the cover out of his mouth and reached into another pocket for medical supplies. "We're still testing it, but if I was to turn, it'll prevent me from… rotting, for lack of a better word."
"And you don't think maybe this is a topic we shoulda talked about before you were injecting yourself with it?" She looked down at the remaining needle. "How do you know this stuff isn't gonna kill you?"
"I don't. Seems safe, right?" He laughed and then winced at the strain that put on his chest, carefully cleaning out the wounds. Oscar wandered into the living room to investigate all of the noise.
"And this is why I'm the funny one and not you." She glared at him before setting the inhibitor aside and helping him clean the cuts. She knelt on the floor in front of him and tried to be as gentle as she could. The implications of him thinking he needed to take a decay inhabitant made her grit her teeth, but she focused on trying to slow the bleeding.
"Hey," Dick took a deep breath, ignoring the pain. One hand stroked Harley's cheek as he looked down at her. "I'm gonna be ok. Unless of course that facial expression was about losing your plushy robe." She ignored him, carefully watching her hands as they trailed around each wound, trying to keep them clean.
"Do you think they're deep enough for stitches or do ya want me ta just tape 'em up?" She glanced up at him before back down at his chest.
"They'll be fine without stitches. They aren't deep," he sighed, watching her. She nodded and carefully bandaged each cut. He'd probably bleed through and need the bandages changed, but that wasn't her main worry. She tilted her head to the side as she fidgeted a piece of gauze into place before taping it. Dick watched her, smiling a little.
"Are you ok?" he asked quietly, a hand rubbing her shoulder gently. "Did I hurt you?"
"I'm fine." She checked over him one last time before setting the supplies aside. "There, I think you're good."
"I should be fine. What's wrong?" he pressed, leaning forward.
"Nothing." She smiled at him before standing up to to throw the bloody, used supplies away. Dick stood and followed her, catching her face in his hands. He kissed her gently and smiled.
"Thank you." He stroked her cheek.
"I have a feeling that with you this is a pretty common occurrence." She rolled her eyes.
"You know, it kind of is. I don't think I'll turn this time though," he smiled, watching her. Oscar walked to her feet and scratched her leg a bit, standing on his hind legs and pawing at her knee. Harley bent down and scooped him up. She absentmindedly scratched his head while she looked at Dick.
"The women you love probably end up bandaging you up a lot," she mused. Oscar stretched out to try and sniff Dick. "And probably need bandaged just as many times."
"I'm not that dangerous," he smirked, his thumb trailing over her cheekbone.
"No you just manage to find yourself in harm's way more than most," she agreed and laughed. Oscar squirmed in her arms, so she set him down so he could sniff around their ankles. Dick chuckled at the dog.
"I won't disagree with that," he smiled. "And you're one to talk."
"I did just say you attract trouble. Why else would I be here?" She cocked her head and giggled. Dick laughed, pulling her closer.
"And how, do tell, do I attract trouble?" He grinned.
"I think it probably has something to do with that stupid smile of yours," she teased, kissing the corner of his mouth. Dick smiled again, and his heart leapt.
"Well you are far less troublesome than you used to be," he laughed.
"Maybe to you," she taunted before slipping out of his arms. "I really wanna wash the zombie off 'a me," she sighed, heading toward the bathroom. Dick watched her go, biting his lip.
"Damn," he called after her, grinning. She came back to the bedroom door.
"You can help," she added before going back toward the bathroom. Dick laughed and followed her, catching her hips and pulling her back against him.
"I was hoping you would ask," he laughed softly, kissing her ear.
"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes before turning around to walk in front of him. "Don't forget I just put those bandages on." She draped her arms over his shoulders.
Dick smiled, his lips brushing hers. "And…?" He breathed, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"And nothing," she laughed. "I'm only saying I just put them on; it's not like I'm going to go easy on you." She rolled up on her toes and bit his lip. Dick inhaled sharply in shock, and he smiled against her lips as he kissed her hungrily, pulling her close. Harley giggled and broke free from his arms. She pulled her jacket off and tossed it on the floor, turning the water on in the shower. Dick bit his lip again, smiling until he saw the bruises on her wrists. Dick took her hands, pulling her to him so he could kiss her earnestly.
"I wanted a shower," she muttered, pressing herself closer to him. "And you keep distracting me."
"Then let me be a little more conducive to that end," he grinned. Dick pulled her shirt over her head and then unbuttoned her shorts, his tongue slipping into her mouth as he kissed her slowly. Harley giggled as she backed him toward the shower, her hips pressed against his as she slowly undid his belt buckle. Dick pulled her closer, dropping her shorts and her underwear, kissing her with more intensity. She stepped out of her shorts and pulled his pants down. She kissed around the bandages on his chest before grinning, grabbing onto his shoulders as she jumped up, and wrapping her legs around his waist. Dick moaned and stepped into the shower, shoving her against the wall, one hand supporting her as the other tangled in her hair.
"There," Harley gasped, "mission accomplished." She grabbed his face to pull it up to kiss her, the steam billowing up around them. Dick pulled one of her damp pigtails out, kissing along her jaw and down her neck, the water pouring down his back. Her legs tightened around his waist and she leaned her head back against the wall as she gasped for air. Dick hesitated over another mark left by the Joker, his jaw tightening. He kissed under her chin, his hand sliding down her side. Harley nosed her lips by his ear. "Too bad I won't have a robe to wear when I get out of here," she teased, biting his ear. Her hands trailed up his slick back, neck, and tangled in his hair.
"You want me to go get that for you?" he asked, pulling her hips closer as he pressed her to the wall under the hot water, pulling her other pigtail out.
"The zombie's still down there, so we'd just have to start this whole process over again." Her hips bucked against his as she grinned, her hands tightening in his hair. "And I don't think you want that." Dick moaned, his hand tightening on her waist as he bit her ear.
"Tell me what you want," he breathed, running his fingers through her hair.
"I'm really starting to hate that question," she muttered. She pulled his face up to kiss him hard. Dick kissed her back, a knot in his stomach. He'd never asked that. Which could only mean that the Joker had asked it of her, before causing the marks all over her body. Dick kissed her harder, his arm wrapping around her waist, almost protectively. Harley smiled into the kiss. Her hands still buried in his hair, she rested her elbows on his shoulders and lifted herself up. The water made his body slick against hers, the steam making her breath come out in gasps. She bit his lip just as she pressed her hips down onto his, still grinning. Dick moaned into her mouth, a hand slamming against the wall behind her for support as he leaned his head back, eyes closed for a moment before they met hers, the warmest blue in the broken world. He watched her for a moment, those eyes burning with longing, with love. Dick leaned in and kissed her deliberately.
Harley closed her eyes and held herself as close to him as she could. "I want you to want me." That's what she'd told Joker. She didn't have to say it with Dick, she could see it in his eyes. Kissing down along his neck, she could see the bruises on her wrists. She stared at them for a moment before she brushed her lips along by his ear.
"What I want is for you to have what you want," she murmured. Dick kissed her cheek, and he began moving down her, his lips planting light kisses down her neck, over her shoulder, down her collarbone. He left gentle bites and kisses down her chest, holding her tenderly, one hand on her leg around his waist. Harley gasped and couldn't help giggling. She pulled him closer, her back pressed against the shower wall. She wiped away a trail of water about to run into his eyes before brushing the damp strands of hair out of his face. Dick kissed her ear.
"Don't laugh at me," he whispered, chuckling softly as he bit her earlobe.
"I can't help it." She grinned. "Besides, I thought you wanted to be the funny one." Her wet hair was a tangle around her face as she stuck her tongue out at him, laughing. Dick caught her tongue in his mouth, kissing her hard, pressing her against the wall.
"We both know you're the funny one," he grinned, biting her lip.
"Yeah but now I gotcha ta admit it," she teased. Her hands pulled at his hair as she kissed him, her legs tightening around his waist. Dick pressed her against the wall with his hips, his hands tightening on her slick legs as he held her up, his breathing spiking as he drowned in her kiss.
"And here I thought I came in here ta get clean, not dirty," she laughed breathlessly. She leaned her head back against the wall for a second before she grinned at him. "Maybe I need ta get some body wash and rub ya down," she murmured, trailing her lips along his throat. "You'd be amazed what I can do with a loofah."
Dick moaned again, grinding his hips against her. He smirked a bit and glared at her before biting her ear. "You talk a lot of smack," he muttered, his breath hot against her neck as he tried to control his gasping, his heart pounding in his chest against hers. He wanted her so damn bad. He needed her. And he found himself hating himself for it. For his desperation.
"Well you aren't. Come on big boy," she taunted, but her voice was raspy, her eyes clouded with longing, her fingers tangled in his hair. She was desperate for him to make a move, her body tense and heart racing. Dick smiled a little, nosing his way to her ear.
"Why talk at all?" he asked softly, working his hips against her. His fingers dug into her leg and she could feel him hot against her, could feel how ready he was, but he still didn't take her. The water hissed against his bare back, his lips trailing down her neck.
"Dick," she moaned, her head dropping onto his shoulder, her breath gasping against his neck, her legs clenching around him, and desperately pushing her hips down against his. He caught her lips in a kiss, shaking his head. She made him dizzy, the hot water and suffocating heat of the steam only serving to make him more aroused. His hand on her hip tried to steady her advances, to little avail, and his lips fell from hers to move down her neck again as his fingers slipped between her legs. She cried out in surprise, her hands clutching at him. Her nails bit into his back as she tried to steady herself, trembling slightly.
"Is there some point you're trying to prove?" she asked weakly. Dick grinned against her neck, stroking her slowly. He pulled his lips from her so that he could breathe away from the water pouring over her skin.
"Only that what I want is you. I want you to know I want you; I want you to taste it." Dick kissed her slowly, pulling her to him with the fingers between her legs. "I want you to feel it," he whispered against her lips, watching her with those sultry blue eyes. Harley moaned softly into his mouth, and her eyes closed. Her limbs went weak and she was barely able to hold onto him, but her legs tightened to thrust her hips against him.
"Oh fuck me," she swore, licking her lips. Dick grinned against her neck, sighing slowly. He could hardly stand waiting anymore, trembling with anticipation, but he stood firm. He leaned back a bit to watch the water run in her scarlet and black hair, drawing veins down her pale chest, gasping for air. His lips returned to her neck.
"Careful, I may have to wash your mouth out with that language," he murmured against her skin, letting her take his fingers in as he quickened his pace. She groaned, biting her lip.
"And are we thinking of the same mouthwash here?" she taunted, opening her eyes as she grinned at him, still breathing heavy. Her back was arched, her hips still pushing down on his hand asking for more. She closed her eyes again and sucked her lip under her teeth. She desperately wanted more. Dick laughed, kissing down her chest.
"I don't know," he breathed, dipping into her with his fingers, kissing below her chest. He suddenly dropped to his knees, but he held her where she was against the wall, moving her legs over his shoulders as he supported her weight. "Are we?" Dick kissed below her belly button with a smile. Harley took in deep breaths of air, trying to steady her breathing in the short reprieve, but his hand still between her legs teased her until she was gasping for breath again.
"I'm gonna get you back for this," she warned as he grinned. She grit her teeth, but he wasn't looking at her as he slid his hands along her hips, his hands and breath raising goosebumps on her skin. She didn't think he realized she still had all day to torture him as much as he was her. Dick buried his face between her legs, her hands grasping at his hair, her head falling back against the shower wall, his name a sigh on her lips. She suddenly grinned.
They still had all day together.