❝ Biscuit, Mr. Joker? ❞
❝ Nah, I'd rather take a bite outta you ❞
in which an aspiring journalist catches the attention of two of the most powerful men in gotham - the joker and the batman.
[ the dark night | joker x oc x bruce wayne ]
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"WE LIVE IN A WEIRD CITY."
Stephanie opened her eyes groggily, groaning as she stretched her back on the hospital bed. Sal was dressed in a grey suit, his signature fedora perched on his head.After Sal revealed to his sister the events of 1998 and explained the murder of Fallon Gordon, Stephanie crumbled like sand. How could she have lost her temper? How could she have been so mad as to grab the knife on the dining table and swing at Fallon's mom, before swinging at Fallon?
Sal suggested they talk about it in the morning when both of them had time to sleep off the revelation. She had spent the night curled up against her brother, which she hadn't done since she was 12 years old. Needless to say, Sal hadn't been overtly elated about her taking up half of his bed space, but he had been gracious enough to let her stay. When they were younger, he would resort to pushing her off the bed without remorse.
He popped a cigarette in his mouth, gesturing for her to light it.
"You can't smoke in a hospital," said Stephanie.
"You also can't kill an innocent man."
"...touche."
She flipped the switch with her thumb, and he pointed his cigar into the fire.
"What I don't understand is 1) how deeply I suppressed my memories to the point that I believed the police reports and 2) if I attacked Carla Gordon, why was her body never recovered?"
Sal looked at his sister, his eyes storming with a foreign emotion.
"You don't remember because I convinced you it never happened...and Carla Gordon died. I took care of the body. It made more sense for you to be found with Fallon. The charge for manslaughter in the context of self-defense is less severe than homicide."
"You thought it through."
"I had to. They were going to put you away. I couldn't let that happen."
Stephanie's heart felt like it was being shaken and wrung out like an old cloth to dry. Even when they weren't on the best of terms, Sal had shown up and been the person she needed. Stephanie felt sick at all the times she had brushed him off without a second thought, determined to stay clean from his dirty business.
But in the end, her hands were stained with blood, not his.
"Sal, why didn't you tell me?"
"I wasn't there when you needed me," He said in a low tone. His deep voice came in staccato waves, as if it was difficult for him to say the words. The Italian swiped at his nose, trying to hide his face from Stephanie. "I wasn't there when she gave you that."
