Little Things

The Bathtub, pt.2

TW: Mention of unsafe surgical procedure, domestic and sexual abuse, unsafe abortion, miscarriage

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Jonathan Crane sat at his kitchen counter, a mug of black coffee going cold in his hands. He had showered and put on his clothes while Harley Quinn absolutely destroyed his organization system.

When he emerged from the bathroom, his entire closet had been emptied in favor of his clothes covering the floor and bed. He could hardly be angry, though, not when she was running around the house naked save for Scarecrow's face.

"How do you see in this thing?" she  exclaimed. Even within 10 hours of a miscarriage, she was as ecstatic as ever.

After Jonathan managed to coax her out of the mask, he tried his very best to put clothes on her; you never know when someone might pop by for a visit, even in Gotham. She refused to put on pants, so he was forced to settle with a shirt.

"Get over here, you," he called after her, watching her scamper down the hallway. He was hyper-aware of why Joker opted to inhabit warehouses over apartments.

With a sigh, Jonathan shuffled into the kitchen to make coffee. It seemed that all three of them needed a dose or two.

"Harley!" he yelled. "What do you want in your coffee?" He was answered with a bang, which was either her dropping something or tripping and falling flat on her face.

"Chocolate milk!" she screamed back.

"Are you asking for chocolate milk or do you want chocolate milk in your coffee?"

"In the coffee!"

And with that, he added a large squeeze of that nasty chocolate syrup he hated (he only had any because Harley wasn't a rare visitor) and two 'glumps' of milk to an empty mug. He'd never heard of someone putting chocolate milk in their coffee, but she sounded sure of herself.

Jonathan patiently waited for the pot to fill, listening carefully to the thumping of feet for sounds of injury. When none came, only the shriek of laughter when she found something, probably a bug, he filled their mugs.

"Harley! Come get your coffee!"

~

"How can I be sure you aren't lying to me?" Jonathan whispered. Harley was fast asleep, taking a nap on the living room floor. The caffeine effectively knocked her out.

"I wouldn't lie about this, Jonny." The Scarecrow was practically growling with anger. At least the two of them had their enemies in common.

"I can't believe you did that," Jonathan replied. "You came very close to killing her. We don't have the supplies to safely abort a pregnancy!"

"You are correct, but she lived and she's mostly fine anyway."

"You should have threatened the local clinic or something."

"Harley wanted it to stay secret. I couldn't keep her situation under the radar and do it safely all at once. You would have done the same," Scarecrow stated. Suddenly, his tone was solemn in place of that seething anger. "You didn't see her last night."

Both of them went silent, listening to Harley's faint snoring. She was face up on the carpet, the Scarecrow's face still held hostage in her fist. He couldn't help but feel endearment towards her, even when she stole his face and his clothes. The Scarecrow wasn't someone known for those soft emotions that are so characteristic of human beings. But, nevertheless, there were a few people who were lucky enough to receive his sentiment.

"She's special to both of us, Jonny," he said. "I would never do something to hurt her."

"I know. I know, I just want to be angry at someone I can actively tell off. He's not the sort that you can have a casual argument with, especially if it has something to do with his playthings.