{the livid kitten}
-Destiny sometimes proffers us a glass of madness to drink-
"You know," Kid Flash said, chewing on a candy bar as they sat on a rooftop and waited. "This Gotham gig? It ain't so hard. We're totally handling things, and when Batman comes back he's gonna be choking, he'll be so relieved!"
"Choking, maybe," Tim said, leaning on his hand as he observed the sight below him. Security cameras had picked up Harley Quinn coming this way, which… well, Tim knew her the best. He got saddled with cleaning up her mess. "But not out of relief."
"What are they doing anyway?" Kid Flash asked, finishing off the candy bar. He spoke with a mouthful of chocolate. "I mean, the other Flash didn't say much, which sucks, because usually he's a total blabber mouth about this kinda stuff, y'know? I'm totally just waiting for him to call and tell us the entire thing. Wally doesn't even know what's up!"
"Maybe the world is ending," Tim said, smirking as he sat down on the roof's ledge.
Kid Flash frowned, deep in thought for a moment. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if it was," he said, pulling out another candy bar from who knew where. He tossed one at Tim, and he caught it, watching the boy curiously. Bart licked his lips free of chocolate, and then he grinned up at Tim. He held up his chocolate bar and winked. "Cheers to the end of the world!"
"Cheers," Tim said, grinning back. They sat and ate for a few minutes, waiting and wondering if they were at the right place. The longer Tim sat, the more he itched to do something else. He could easily go across the street and rob a jewelry store, but there was no point, and he didn't want to get into a fight with Kid Flash. He really liked the guy, he was exciting and talkative, and Tim had a severe lack of people as happy as him in his life.
The Titans plus Tim were all out patrolling except Cyborg, who was working tirelessly on a leg for Jason. Stephanie was left behind as well, and Tim suspected she was being brutally interrogated. He didn't know what to think of the girl, in all honesty. She was sweet, but sort of awful in her own twisted way. Maybe we're more alike in that regard, he thought. And Tim liked her a lot. He wondered how Selina would react to an assassin catching his interest, but all in all, he doubted his love life could get as messed up as hers… right?
"Hey," Kid Flash gasped, jumping to his feet. "Oh, oh, I see her, I see her!" He zipped away, a streak of yellow in the night, and Tim sighed. He stood up, flexing his fingers, and his silver claws glinted in the castoff lights of Gotham. He slid his goggles over his eyes and smirked. "Well," he said. "Time to start the party."
He jumped, his feet bouncing off fire escapes and skidding on bars. Bart had already stopped Harley in her tracks, causing her to shriek with laughter at the sight of him. Tim dropped down behind her, just as she yawned about how boring it was without the good ol' Bat around. Typical Harley, smiling and laughing, careless and pretending she was more stupid than she truly was.
"Aw, come on, Auntie Harley," Tim said, his voice taking on the soft purr he learned from watching Selina work. "I think we're pretty fun. What about you, Kid Flash?"
"Totally the funnest," Bart chirped, leaning back on the heels of his feet. "Way funner than grumpy old Batman!"
Harley turned to look at Tim, and she stared at him for a moment with wide eyes. Then she grinned. "Aww, Kitty! Whatcha doin' out here with the Flash brat? Oh, noo, you're still playing the hero card, aren'tcha, puddin'?"
"Only when I'm needed," Tim said, cocking his head. "Which, obviously I am. How do you like the sound of jail, Harls?"
Harley scowled then, and she studied him with a bemused expression. "You ain't still mad about my J doing in your birdy boyfriend are you, Kitty?" Harley asked, looking genuinely shocked. Tim frowned, and he found himself reaching for his whip.
"You know," he said. "As a matter of fact, I'm still pretty bitter, yeah."
"You know I had nothin' to do with it, Kitty," sighed Harley. "Why we gotta play this game?"
"Because you don't get it." Tim cracked the whip, and he shook his head, smiling indignantly. It felt tight and fake on his lips. "So, how about it, Harley? Prison, or prison?"
She stared at him, and she burst into a fit of laughter. Tim didn't quite understand why until he felt someone behind him, and he dove out of the way, rolling into a crouch and staring as the Joker flipped a large knife in hand, and cocked his head from side to side, looking between Kid Flash and Catlad.
"Oh this is a surprise!" shrieked the Joker. "Now, I mean, I thought it'd be just so boring without Batsy around to torment but— well golly!" He grinned at Tim, his snaggled yellow teeth bared. "This just seems like so much fun! It's a shame Batsy isn't around to see it though… Oh well! Joke's on him!"
"God, what did I do to deserve this," Tim muttered, wincing as he heard something blow up not too far away.
"Get anyone good?" Harley asked, looking up at the sky in awe as the night turned a deep orange.
"A couple of bums, the usual," the Joker said, giving a dramatic yawn. "These are the real deal. Kiddies! I haven't fought kiddies in oooooooh…" The Joker spun around wildly, the snow beneath his feet swirling in a circle. "Four years? Gosh, has it been that long since I killed that bird?"
"Shut up," Tim hissed flicking his wrist. His whip smacked against the Joker's neck, and tangled up, tying itself into a noose. Tim watched the Joker struggle, and choke on his laughter, and he yanked on the whip. The Joker's face went flying into the snow, and Harley shrieked, stumbling forward to reach him. Kid Flash got in her way, ramming her into the wall.
She struggled to her feet, wincing a little as she looked between Tim and Bart. And she grinned. "Buh-bye now," she giggled, waggling her finger. Tim blinked and then he saw something blinking on the ground where she had fallen. She'd stumbled a good deal away from the spot by then, but Bart was still close.
"Kid Flash, move!"
It was too late though. The ground blew, and snow was kicked up everywhere. Tim kicked the Joker in the face to keep him from wiggling away, and when the snow cleared, Bart was laying on the ground coughing profusely. There was a tear in his uniform, and a great puddle of blood, red gleaming in the snow.
"Shit, are you okay?" Tim gasped, nearly dropping his whip. Bart looked at him, and he gave a short laugh, and a thumbs up.
"Accelerated healing!" he laughed, flexing his bicep. There was a thin cut there. "It's like… it's crash."
"Crash?" Tim repeated.
"Crash." Kid Flash winked, and looked around. "I should go after her."
"I'm good here," Tim said, pressing his boot further into the Joker's face. "I've got a bone to pick with this guy."
"You sure?" Kid Flash asked, his eyes widening.
"Go on," Tim said. He jerked his head. "Go get Harley."
"Meet you back here in ten!" Kid Flash cried, his voice carrying as he had already zoomed away.
"Right," Tim mumbled. He gave a yank on his whip, listening to the Joker give a strangled laugh. "Kay, Joker, let's have a chat."
The Joker made a noise that sounded like he was trying to talk, but he was laughing too hard, and there was also whip cutting off his breathing, so that probably didn't help. When Tim had been younger he'd been afraid to use the whip, because… well... Please, please, stop, please. In the back of his mind, he could hear a man commanding him to take off his shirt. He shuddered, the scars on his back tingling. Tim didn't like to use the whip, but it didn't mean he wasn't good at it.
"So," Tim said, pulling his foot from the Joker's face. He walked around, waving his hand in the air, his claws glinting. "God, I hate your guts. Like, I would gladly tear them out right now, but I like to think I'm above that." Sometimes Tim wondered if he was. Sometimes he wished he could let himself stoop to the level of some of the scum in Gotham, but he knew it wasn't him. He couldn't be a killer… could he? After all, Stephanie had started out as a thief. And then she'd been forced into killing. Tim didn't believe she wanted to do it, but he did believe that she believed that there was no way out.
Tim's words really got a reaction out of the Joker. He thought if maybe the man could speak, he'd be spitting some vile joke at him. That made Tim wrap the whip around his hand twice, and half lift up the man, his strangle laughter hitting the frigid winter air. He hit the ground again with a smack and a gurgle, snow flying as his face was half buried in it. And still, he tried to laugh.
"You're disgusting," Tim spat. "What you did to Blue Jay is disgusting. See, the world is rotten enough without people like you—" Tim gripped his whip with both hands and tugged hard, yanking the Joker up and whirling him around, watching him sail through the air like a kite, and smack against the wall of a brick building. "You take something so good, and then you have to maim it! No one can ever just be a good person, because when they do, people like you punish them for it!" Barbara and Jason, you crippled them both, you son of a bitch. At least Jason would walk again. Barbara… Tim was thankful she was at peace with her disability. Or else he might have really gone for the kill, and used his claws for a bit of disembowelment.
He watched the Joker go limp, his laughter dying. For a moment, Tim's heart felt like it stopped. His stomach turned icy as the ground below, and he tilted his head. He gave the whip a little flick, and it unwound from the man's neck. Tim stared through the dimness, his eyes landing on the very obvious line that had formed around the Joker's neck. For a second, Tim felt sick. He didn't want to get near enough to check a pulse.
The Joker's eyes snapped open, and Tim jumped back, drawing back his whip. But something exploded between them, and the whipping winter wind made the wisp of vapor smack him right in the face. Tim gasped, and he dropped his whip, clamping his hands over his nose and mouth. It was too late though. He squeezed his eyes shut, feel his eyes begin to water as a laugh built up in his chest. Shit, shit, no, please no, not now, I can't—
Tim toppled over sideways, his body convulsing as a squirming laugh ripped out of his chest, acidic on his tongue. He winced at the feeling, and he felt the grin on his mouth, and it felt horrible. He rolled, and snow filled his mouth, wet and cold and stinging as he coughed and laughed and laughed and laughed, squirming and tearing at his own throat with silver claws. He stared with teary eyes as the Joker stood above him, leaning over Tim's writhing body.
"Tut tut!" The Joker cackled, waggling a finger in Tim's face. "Don't you worry, big boy, it'll wear off. If you're lucky, you'll be dead by then! I mean, ten minutes…" Tim's laughed was choking him, and he felt his goggles being pushed up. Tears ran freely down his cheeks, and he glared at the Joker, but he just couldn't stop laughing. His eyes widened as the Joker slipped a finger around the zipper at Tim's throat, which was a little bloody from the scratching. And he pulled the zipper down, his crazed eyes glittering as he twirled the knife between his fingers. "Well, there's a lot I can do in ten minutes."
Tim squeezed his eyes shut, his laughter the only thing he could hear. What he felt, though, was agonizing.
Note: Let's be real, did you expect anything less than this from me? I have a thing with the Joker and Tim.
That Victor Hugo guy is sure somethin'. Or, was, I guess? Assuming he's dead and not like still walking the earth, viciously criticizing the government and shit. I bet he's a social justice blogger.
