Predator. Prey.

One Shot: Questioned.

One Shot #10

Time since chemical wedding: 25 days

The rain was relentless outside J's bedroom window; pouring, seeping into the flooded grass, and staining the concrete. The sky was bright grey, with streaks of charcoal clouds passing in swift gusts. The black comforter of his bed and the dark graffitied walls created an ominous, shadowy atmosphere that soothed the raging inside my soul.

The moments tangled in his sheets during our moments of ecstasy feel like tiny infinities that I never imagine an end to. I am trapped, body and mind, when he holds me in his arms. Even if he doesn't look at me when his body is grinding into mine, or even if he lives to see me in pain. I cannot imagine a world without him. Seeing him smile ignites a flame inside me.

And yet there he is, moments after being so close to him I could feel the heat from his skin, already prying himself from my grasp so that he can put on his clothes and leave me.

I love him. I love him so fucking much.

But there she is- that voice. The voice that I bury, yet forget to burn. She is always here: muffled and quiet, but persistent.

But this time, she's loud. Too loud.

"Did you ever mean it?"

My face burns in shock as I sit up from my laying position, pressing my hands against the mattress for support. I raise my eyebrows, curiosity consuming my senses.

"What?"

"Did you mean it...when you said you loved me?"

The air in the room freezes as his gaze, once fixated on the wall in front of him, is shifted towards my eyes. I bite my lip in anticipation, engrossed at his beautiful figure. Even in the dark, his skin is illuminated. His bare stomach contrasts so beautifully to the faded tattoos adorning his every inch of creamy white, and his piercing blue eyes are haunting as they narrow inward.

I immediately regret saying anything at all. A part of me knows he will only try to push me away.

He fears what he can't control and what he doesn't know.

He fears everything I am in his life.

It's only natural for him to gravitate towards the familiar: pain, hate, denial.

And then there's a part of me that exists; a part of me that fears what could be the truth.

Does he try to hurt me because he doesn't care?

The mere thought of this causes all the blood in my body to ignite and my breathing increases. It is my ultimate fear: rejection. I have passed all his tests and done everything he said. He knows how I feel. Can I say the same about him? All this time, I've made assumptions and inferences, and he's said things to me that cause my fear to settle. But words are words. They are nothing more. There is a chance...a chance that he simply...uses me.

The nausea in my stomach develops when I realize that even if that were the case, I would still love Joker.

I will love him until his hands are around my neck and the light leaves my eyes.

The only sounds in the bedroom are the sounds of his breathing as he stands up to face me in just his gold and black pants. I straighten my back, silently begging for an answer. His face is unreadable as his deep voice penetrates the silence,

"Do YOU love me?"

"Yes."

The words are out too quickly, but I don't care. My mind is racing, and my heart is pounding outside of my chest. I need him, I want him to need me. I want us to need each other.

"Oh, baby. Baby, baby, baby. You got it all wrong."

He turns around, and red flashes inside my head as I jolt out of bed, reaching for his touch as my voice begs for him,

"Please, please answer me."

I grab his arm, grabbing his attention as he turns to face me. Tears are forming in my eyes as fireworks of red and white ignite in the corners of my irises.

"I've done everything you asked, I passed all the tests- I killed for you."

"You killed to make me happy."

"I killed because I love you!"

His smile forms slowly on his face as he inches closer to me, cupping my head in his hands as he cracks his neck,

"I am not someone who is...loved."

My breathing is erratic as I search his face for answers, and the tears release one by one onto the cold floor while his dominating figure looms over me. He releases his hands to gesture outward,

"I'm an idea...a state of mind."

Joker's smile stretches from ear to ear as my eyelids flutter in confusion. His voice grows in strength as he circles me, ensnaring me,

"I've executed my plans, and I've been in control. You were never supposed to be a part of this."

I tilt my head downwards in despair. I should never had asked. The pain hurts too much. And it attacks my body in waves.

His voice halts my conscious thoughts,

"But you're mine now. You belong to me."

His thumb connects with my chin, tilting my head up so I can gaze into his eyes and be trapped inside them. Baby pink and sky blue fog infiltrate my senses as I stare at the man who I would destroy myself for. The sound of him calling me "mine" soothed my senses as I brought my hands up to his jaw, clutching his white skin as his low voice continues,

"I want you. Always."

"I love you, J."

With a sudden intensity, his lips crashed into mine, and butterflies and raging fires bursted through my stomach and surrounded my senses. His hands caressed my naked body as I moved to run my hands through his hair, when all of a sudden his hand was clutching one of my messy pigtails. He forcefully pulled me up so my ear was grazing his ruby red lips. Growling, he murmured,

"And don't ever question me again."

I smiled into his neck,

"Yes, sir. I'll never ask for sex again."

With a laugh that echoed off the dark walls, he spoke with a humorous tone,

"Oh, honey- you're a little pain in the ass."