• i want you to stay • (joker x harley x ivy)

|| "im still angry with you." ||

J's voice broke the silence, but it made the room feel more uncomfortable.

"Harls."

Harley slowly turned towards him, but didn't make eye contact. J sighed, putting a hand around her waist to pull her closer.

Harley did nothing, simply looking at her nails. J growled, losing his patience. He not so gently turned her head towards him, daring her to look into his eyes. She almost did, but looked at the bridge of his nose. Cute.

"Snap out of it, will ya? What are you so worried about?"

Harley stuttered, trying to say something, but shut her mouth and looked down, her ponytails swinging near her face.

"Look at me."

Harley slightly hesitated before looking up at him, finally making eye contact.

"Y-yes puddin?"

Her voice sounded so small and innocent, more than usual. He knew now she was keeping something from him. It was so unlike her. It had to be something important. But she knows better than to keep anything from him.Why would she now?

"What are you keeping from me?"

Harley's face went blank, almost more pale if possible. He knew. Oh god, he knew. She could feel the words ready to leave her mouth now. She can't tell him.

A smile spread across her face, obviously forced.

"N-nothing baby! Why would you think that?"

J growled in reply. Harley's forced smile disappeared. She kept eye contact, tears starting to fill her eyes.

"Did you think you could keep something from me Harls?"

"N-no! I'm not lying to you! I'm just - uh - not feeling too good right now. Yeah, i'm feeling kinda sick today puddin, yknow?"

J smirked. It was cute how she spoke so quickly and stuttered when she was nervous.

"Mm, is that so?"

Harley nodded eagerly in reply without thinking, before looking at her nails again. J sighed once more, knowing he wouldn't be able to get her to say anything. For today, at least.
He stood up, glancing at Harley one last time before walking out of the room. His footsteps sounded heavier.

~ ~

How dare she. How dare she keep something from me.

Angry thoughts ran through the Joker's mind as he paced back in forth in his messy office, papers spread across the floor and multiple bottles laying around.
It was a mess. That's how he liked it.
He talked to himself, mumbling ideas of what Harley could possibly be keeping from him. But then again, maybe she wasn't hiding anything. He almost believed that. But he won't. It was obvious she was hiding something too important to tell him. And that pissed him off. That's what makes him angry. She disobeyed him. She made a bad decision, that could make things for the worse.
Or even the better. But to him there was no such thing as that.

He hated her.
That's all he could think of right now.
He hated her. He wanted to hit her, to watch the light leave her eyes as she takes her last breath. He wanted to beat her until her limp, lifeless body laid across the cold concrete, no expression on her face.
But at the same time he really didn't. He couldn't let himself if he tried. He's gone softer. It makes him sick.
He finds himself wishing he didn't go after her when her body was limp at the bottom of that vat. He regretted so much, yet found himself needing her and showing sides of himself nobody else has ever seen. Harley brought out his vulnerable side.
She's broken so many walls he's kept up. He needs some kind of manipulation to trick both her, and himself, that he doesn't care. That he isn't vulnerable, nor caring for anybody. But no matter how much he tries there's always going to be times where those vulnerable sides show. Thanks to Harley.