hey little sister, what have you done?

[manofmyword]

In the week following the Joker's escape, things are quiet. No sightings or exploits make the news. As far as anyone can tell, he vanished out of his cell overnight and then left town.

He didn't leave town, of course.

At exactly the time they would have had their next session, down to the minute, he breaks into Harleen Quinzel's apartment—politely locking the door again behind him—and settles onto the couch in her living room to wait until she gets home.

It takes a while. Pretty soon, he curls up and goes to sleep.

Comments

[attending_physician]

Naturally, Harleen was one of the first people Warden Sharp and the GCPD wanted to talk to. She told them that she had no idea that he was even thinking about escape. He had been reticent in their last session, but not unusually so; yes, it had been enough for her to call their session short. She didn't believe in forcing patients to communicate, as the Warden well knows.

In the days that followed, the feeling at Arkham settled into relief that Joker's escape had been both silent and bloodless. The fact that they had kept him as long as they did is treated as something of a miracle.

Everyone gradually slides back into the normal routine, even Harleen, so when she comes home tonight and notices a figure sprawled on her couch, she does not immediately realize who it is. (Who it must be.)

She sets her briefcase down, rummaging into the outside pocket before she takes a few cautious steps toward the living room, pepper spray in one hand and cell phone in the other.

She counts to three silently and hits the light switch.



"Oh. There you are."

[manofmyword]

He stirs, yawns, and blinks sleepily up at her.

"Hi, hon," he mumbles. His face is smudged with a few lingering traces of makeup, and his hair is happily green and stringy again, and he is wearing tight black jeans and a loose black t-shirt and blue wool socks with cheerful yellow ducks on them.

[attending_physician]

"Hi, sweetie," she replies brightly.

She manages to sound more cheerful than nervous, but this is her first experience with an escaped fugitive (one that she not only allowed, but enabled to escape) turning up on her couch. She figures she should be cut a little slack.

"How've you been?"

[manofmyword]

"Peachy," he says with an easy grin. "You? They didn't give you too much trouble about me, did they?"

[attending_physician]

"Hardly any.

I had a chat with the warden and some very earnest young men from the GCPD, but they didn't really expect I'd have any insight into your escape plans. So I didn't put too much effort into changing their minds."

[manofmyword]

"Good, good. I wouldn't wanna get you in trouble."

[attending_physician]

Harleen laughs.

"Honey, I crossed the line over into trouble a long time ago. They just don't know it yet."

[manofmyword]

The Joker beams.

"C'mere," he says, beckoning. "Let's chat. Ask me nosy personal questions, that's always fun."

[attending_physician]

"Sure."

Her phone and pepper spray disappear into her pockets.

"You gonna let me have some of my couch to sit on?"

[manofmyword]

"Sure," he says, and wriggles into a sitting position with his feet tucked up under him.

There's something about the way he's sitting. Something different.

Feminine, that's the word.

[attending_physician]

She notices the posture (and the label on those jeans; she's got a pair herself), but she doesn't see any reason to start there.

"So," she says, taking a seat, "when you left, where'd you go?"

[manofmyword]

"Home," he says cheerfully. "Where else?"

[attending_physician]

"Do I get to know where that is, or is it a secret?"

[manofmyword]

"Sure," he says amicably. "I'll take you there sometime if you want. It's not even that far."

[attending_physician]

Harleen tilts her head, considering.

"Mmmm, some other time. Not right after work."

[manofmyword]

"Mmmmmkay." He smiles. "Tired?"

[attending_physician]

"A little," she allows.

"It's been a long week.

Other than giving me the grand tour of your place, what are your plans?"

[manofmyword]

"Nothin' big," he assures her with a grin. "Not soon, anyway. Give 'em a little time to forget me." He cocks his head and grins again. "Besides, I've got o-therrr things on my mind."

[attending_physician]

"Gotham may not have the strongest attention span, but I imagine it's going to take more than a little while for them to forget you."

She leans back against the couch.

"Oh dear. I can't decide if that's a threat or a promise."

[manofmyword]

"It can't be both?" he asks, and then laughs.

"Nah, neither."

[attending_physician]

"Neither," she allows.

"...would you call it a plan?"

[manofmyword]

"Nnnnope," he says brightly.

[attending_physician]

"Well, then."

Harleen smiles.

"I guess I have nothing to worry about."

[manofmyword]

The Joker giggles and claps his hands.

[attending_physician]

There's a question that occurs to her, comfortable as this is (surreal as this is).







"You planning on staying here tonight?"

[manofmyword]

"Hadn't thought about it," he says, quite truthfully. "Why?"

[attending_physician]

She shrugs one shoulder.

"Just asking.



Trying to find out if I need to get you a pillow and a blanket to go with your couch cushions."

[manofmyword]

"Awwwwwwwww," he says, his voice going up and down like a seesaw in a bouncy castle. "That's cute."

[attending_physician]

"Look, you turn up on my couch in the middle of the night, I assume you're here for a sleepover. Appearing and disappearing is the Bat's gig."

[manofmyword]

"I slept before you got here," he says. "I'm wide awake now. I might stick around anyway, though." He grins at her. It's very affectionate, in a mildly terrifying sort of way. "I missed you."

[attending_physician]

"Well, I hope you don't expect me to entertain you all night. Some of us have work in the morning.





And I guess I missed you, too."

[manofmyword]

"Aww!" he says again, hugging himself and grinning.

[attending_physician]

Harleen slouches comfortably against the couch cushions.

"Just for the record, those aren't my jeans, are they?"

[manofmyword]

"Your jeans wouldn't fffit me," he says. "These're mine. You like 'em?"

[attending_physician]

"Well, I considered that, but who am I to pass judgement on another person's thighs?

They suit you," she adds.

"What happened with...?" She drags a finger across her own cheek, indicating the remains of his make-up.

[manofmyword]

The remark about his thighs gets a flicker of a smirk, but it's not what he answers.

"I don't like to sleep in it," he says with a shrug.

[attending_physician]

"Oh! Well...yeah. Stupid question."

[manofmyword]

He giggles, more affectionately than anything.

"You never know. I might not have cared."

[attending_physician]

"I guess. In which case, you'd better have infinite pillowcases."



Now she's trying to picture him doing laundry. It's an interesting mental image.

[manofmyword]

He giggles again and makes a face.

"Ick. It gets all over the sheets, too."