Obsessed with Harley

Chapter 07: Getting Closer

Scott opened the tube of burn gel, squeezing out some of the clear contents onto his index finger. Sitting beside Harley on the sofa, he cupped her neck with his free hand, gently applying pressure to the edge of her jaw with his thumb to tilt her head to the side in order to see her injured ear better.

Harley's pale skin was warm and soft under his fingertips, and it made him briefly wonder about the softness of her lips. Scott caught himself, clenching his jaw as he dragged his mental processes back to where they should be. He was here to tend to her injury, nothing more, and he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by her.

There was no denying her beauty. Harley's jester outfit hugged her athletic form snuggly, showing off her lean muscles and graceful curves. Her smile, the few times he'd seen it, was infectious. No matter what her appearance, Harley was with the Joker, and even if the Joker wasn't around, her devotion might not waver. Scott suddenly realized he was doing it again. His attempts to avoid thinking about Harley by reminding himself about why she was unavailable, had led him right back to thinking about her again.

Scott concentrated on the task at hand, applying the burn gel to the angry red welt left behind from when Joker had pressed the barrel of his gun against her skin. When he finished, Scott placed a bandage pad over the spot and secured it with medical tape.

"All done," Scott announced.

"Can't hear you," Harley giggled.

"I'm sorry I got you into trouble," he apologized.

"You didn't," she denied. "I volunteered the fireworks."

"But, you wouldn't have suggested it if you hadn't been trying to help me," Scott pointed out. "You didn't have to help me, but you did anyway. Thank you."

"Gotta keep good people around," Harley told him. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be anyone left but the crazies like me."

Scott smiled, returning the cap to the tube of burn gel.

"I wonder where we'll be going from here," Scott thought out loud. "Penguin's demise shifts the balance of power in Gotham's underworld."

"Since Penguin ran most of the black market smuggling in the city," Harley explained, "Joker will know what everyone else is doing, and he can assist or hamper their efforts by choosing who gets supplied and who doesn't. Furthermore, Joker will have more territory and people."

"Minus those killed on both sides during the attack," Scott added. "I suppose there will be a few more who will defect to other crime bosses rather than serve the one responsible for killing their previous employer."

"Joker won't give them much time," Harley said. "Once he's distributed to his people the weapons collected in the raid, he'll hit the other bosses. Soon, there will only be the Joker."

"How far do you think he'll get before the cops interfere?" Scott questioned.

"Far enough they won't be able to stop him," Harley replied. "Mr. J now has more guns, rocket launchers, and grenades. If the cops interfere, he'll start blowing things up until they decide to back off."

"I'm not sure that strategy would work," Scott countered. "It might simply bring greater attention from larger government agencies with superior resources."

"We've had this conversation before," Harley reminded.

"Right," Scott said as he remembered. "So much has happened recently, I forgot."

"I'm reminded of Joker's upcoming victory every single day," Harley said in a whisper. "Each time he advances and the governments hesitates, he comes closer to winning. It reminds me how hopeless this world is becoming. No one's gonna stop him, and this world is gonna burn."