"Get your hands off'a me!" Harley shouted shortly before being thrown to the ground. She tumbled onto the sidewalk next to an empty street. As she slowly got to her feet, the two men who had thrown her closed and locked up a gate, leaving her stuck outside.
"Puddin', are ya just gonna let them do this to me?!" She shouted to her boyfriend, the Joker, for help. He tugged at the sleeves of his collared shirt, readjusting them within his coat as he approached the fence.
"I should let them do way worse. You're lucky I still have a soft spot for ya," He shook his head with an ironic chuckle. "You've contributed nothing to this gang since you started. You're a joke, Harley, and not the funny kind!"
"I've done everything I could for you!" Harley defended, pointing at him. She then softened up and tried to appeal to him, "C'mon, puddin'. We've had a lot of laughs together these past 3 years, haven't we? Taking on the Batman and tearing up Gotham? Please let me back in?" She begged.
Rather than say anything else, Joker simply turned his back to her and walked away, leaving her standing there. Harley pouted sadly, dropping her hand.
"Fine! You'll see! I'm gonna pull something big without ya! Then we'll see who's laughing! Then the joke'll be on you, Mr. J!" She yelled at him stubbornly...
Meanwhile, in a nightclub a few blocks away, a friend group of three walked in and sat down at the bar: their names are Mac, June, and Casey. Mac had invited the other two there. Even though Mac was there as the DJ, the group was there to celebrate.
"Finally finally finally! It's about time you moved to Gotham, Casey!" Mac laughed, patting Casey on the back. He chuckled a bit and sipped his drink.
"It is nice to have the old gang back together again, eh, June?" Casey asked, looking to June to agree with him. She smiled at him and nodded her head.
"Just like back in the graduation days. I think you'll like it here in Gotham. It gets a little chaotic, but you'll have way more business here than down south." She said to him.
"I hope so. I gotta pay off the little run-down house I'm moving into now." Casey said with an ironic chuckle.
"Don't worry, buddy. We got your back!" Mac reassured him, "Oh hey, my set's about to start, but I'll catch you throughout the night." He said to the others, patting them on their backs before rushing off.
"Haha, some things never change." June laughed, referring to Mac's way of carrying himself. Casey chuckled in agreement.
"Yeah, some things. But you've changed a little bit. You seem a little more put-together now." He observed.
"Ouch." June smiled teasingly.
"Oh come on, it's a compliment!" Casey laughed it off.
"I know. And thank you. Working at the bank was the anchor I needed to get everything else lined up. Speaking of which, a job position just opened up," She informed him. "Want me to put in word for you?"
"I'll consider it," Casey said. "I'mma spend a little time getting unpacked first. I gotta figure out my setups, get some gigs going, then I can figure out how many hours to put down on the application." He explained.
"Sounds good. Just keep me posted, okay? You got my number." She said, patting her hand on his arm as she stood up. He glanced back at her.
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah. I have an appointment tomorrow so I need to get some rest. But I wasn't gonna miss out on seeing you two. I'm glad that you're here." She said sincerely with a warm smile, ruffling his hair on her way out the door. He chuckled and watched her go.
Casey turned around in his chair, looking over at the dance floor. He watched as Mac went up to the DJ booth and started leading the party with music. Casey smiled a bit; it wouldn't be long before he too would be regularly at these scenes doing the same thing.
His eyes drifted back over to the door that June had left from. His eyes immediately caught on to a girl sitting a few barstools down from him. She was dressed in a black and red jumpsuit with playing card symbols on it. She was sobbing heavily, causing white and black makeup to run down her face.
Casey's eyes widened in surprise. It was such a shockingly random sight to see. He was completely caught off-guard. Nevertheless, she was clearly distressed. So against his better judgment, he decided to move over next to her and check on her.
"Hey... You alright?" He asked, resting his arm on the counter and leaning closer so she could hear him. She sniffled and quieted a little at the sound of someone talking to her.
"What does it look like?!" She snapped at him, glaring at him. Her eyes were filled with tears, and the makeup was running all down her cheeks. It was not a pretty image. Casey bit his lip so she wouldn't see his urge to laugh.
"Sorry. Obvious question. My follow-up was going to be, 'What happened to you?'." He continued. Harley sighed, leaning on the countertop and resting her chin on her folded arms.
"I just got dumped. And now I feel like a dump."
"Ahh," Casey nodded. This was his initial guess when he saw her crying the way she was. "I'm sorry to hear that. Breakups suck. I know the feeling." He said with empathy. She looked at him again.
"Do ya?"
"Yep. You're looking at a guy a year-and-a-half removed from the biggest relationship he ever had." He said in a melancholy tone, taking another sip of his drink.
"Oh..." Harley said. She felt for him, but that tone didn't bode well for her own breakup with the Joker. "Well, you're looking at a gal an hour-and-a-half removed from her biggest relationship."
"That recent, huh? Jeez. Need a drink?" He offered.
"Please?"
"Of course." He nodded and managed a smile.
As he called the bartender over and ordered a drink for her, she started to stare and learn this guy's face. He had dark, curly hair that was cut short on the sides and taller on top. His face was a little rounded out. He had brown eyes. He looked fairly young, maybe a little younger than her.
"Here ya go." The bartender slid a drink over to her. She gulped it down quickly and grunted, placing the empty glass down a bit forcefully.
"Thank you, kid... What's your name?" She asked.
"Casey. And you?"
"I'm..."
Harley hesitated for a moment. She was going to introduce herself as Harley Quinn, as she often did. But everyone knew that Harley Quinn was the Joker's girl. The fact that this guy hadn't figured that out already was a miracle.
"I'm Harley." She introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you, Harley. I'm guessing your last name is Davidson?" He joked subtly.
"No, why...? Oh," Harley shook her head and chuckled a bit once she got the joke. "You got me there. That was kinda cute."
"Haha, thanks." He said with a smile. She smiled too, but then it faded.
"Well, I appreciate ya tryna help me feel better. And for the drink. I think I'm just gonna crash at a friend's place tonight. Get all my cryin' out." She said.
"Sounds like a plan, I guess. Oh, before you go, your makeup's kinda...everywhere." He pointed out to her. She gave him an odd look before quickly realizing what he meant.
"Oh gosh. Scratch that, I'm gonna wash up first!" She decided, getting up and going over to the restroom. Once she got there, she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Oh, Harley, don't you look like a washed-up mess," She sighed and shook her head. It was a wonder that guy had been talking to her for as long as he did. "I know you're supposed to be a clown, but you just look stupid. No wonder Mr. J says you're a joke." She sighed. She decided to just completely wash all the makeup off.
Once she had finished cleaning her face off and let her hair free, she stepped back out. She looked towards the door and was ready to make her way out. But then she looked back at Casey. He was looking out towards the dance floor again, not even seeming to be waiting for her to come back.
He was a nice enough guy... There aren't a lot of those in Gotham.
"Hey." She walked back to him and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Hey, heading out? Whoa..." He turned back towards her and saw her face for the first time. He was thrown off-guard by how pretty she actually was underneath all of that clown makeup. She had a cute face with her blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Actually, I have a better idea. Why don't we go dance instead?" She offered. Casey stood up.
"Sure. Lead the way."
So the two of them went out onto the dance floor. In the midst of strobe lights and thumping music, the two of them danced together, spinning around and jumping all while staying in arms' length of each other. It was a better time than what she was expecting.
"Oh, I needed this!" Harley said, actually laughing genuinely.
"You're a good dancer!" Casey complimented her, raising his voice so she could hear him over the music.
"What'd you say?" She asked, not hearing him.
Casey gestured for her to come closer and began to lean in, ready to repeat himself. However, Harley misunderstood what he'd meant. In a split-second, she decided to accept his advance and kissed him. He pulled away in surprise.
Both of them stared at each other with widened eyes for a few seconds. So many thoughts were rushing in their heads that it felt like the room was spinning. They were frozen in place, just staring at each other. And then they weren't, coming together at the same time and kissing again.
From his vantage point above the dance floor, Mac actually caught notice of this. He couldn't see who she was, he just knew that Casey was down there making out with some girl in the middle of the floor. He was surely going to tease him about it later.
Soon Casey and Harley had made their way out the door of the nightclub. Both of them were giddy from the rush of the good time they were having. She put a hand on his cheek, stopping him in his tracks. She blushed and smiled.
"So, uh, what're you doing later?" She asked.
"Nothing. What about you?"
"Nothing..."
She blushed harder, kissing him again. He returned the kiss, resting his hands on her sides. But then he hesitated, suddenly pulling away from her.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't." He said, stopping the momentum of the night dead in its tracks.
"Wait, what?" She asked, her expression changing into disappointment. Casey swallowed and rubbed his eyes.
"I need to go. I'm sorry, Harley." He said quickly before turning his back to her and walking away, leaving her standing there with a shocked expression.
A pit formed in Harley's stomach. Had she really been rejected twice in one night? She wasn't sure what to do. She was about to turn away and move on, but she was not in the mood to let an already crappy night be spoiled again just when things were getting better.
"Taxi!" Harley called out...
Casey drove back to his home in silence, still stunned by the shock of the conflicting emotions he'd been hit with after kissing Harley. He kept gently touching his lips with his fingertips, playing the sensation back in his mind.
He realized that he'd forgotten what kissing felt like.
He parked in front of his new home and got out of the car, shaking his head to himself. He shoved his hands in his pockets, digging around for his keys. Unbeknownst to him, a taxi cab had parked behind his car, and an angry young woman was storming towards him.
"Hey!" She shouted, holding her hammer in her hands. Casey turned around and flinched in shock, backing up against the door.
"Whoa, Harley?!"
"What's the big idea, huh? You come on me all sweet then leave me standing there?! What kind of a sick joke is that?!" She yelled at him. Casey swallowed nervously.
"I'm sorry! I just didn't want to... You've got a lot going on. I didn't want to take advantage." He explained, raising his hands up defensively.
"Oh, right! You're just afraid of ol' Harley, ain't ya?" She snapped at him, not believing his explanation.
"Well, I am a little now."
"What then, kid? I'm not good enough for ya? You don't want me? Well fine! You're missin' out! I can find somebody else!" She shouted and pointed out. Casey's eyebrows furrowed. There was a mixture of hurt and confusion in his eyes.
"Then go." He said quietly.
Harley's nerve was shaken by this. She pouted and teared up, throwing her hammer down. At first, it looked like she was throwing a fit. But then she started to cry again.
"But I don't wanna!" She sobbed, sitting down on the front steps of his house. She buried her face in her hands, "I don't know what I'm doing!"
Casey wasn't sure what he was doing either. He couldn't just leave her again now. He wouldn't in this state. So he came down the steps and sat next to her. He brought her into his arms and held her as she cried. She leaned against his chest and let it out for a little while...
"I'm sorry, kid." Harley said.
"It's okay. I'm sorry too... I got a little overwhelmed with emotion back there too. It was uncool of me to end things that way." He apologized too.
"It was, but I get it... I'm just...tired of being told what to do, everyone telling me what to do, and what's best for me." She expressed. She said 'everyone', but she was really just referring to Joker.
"I understand."
"...so are you gonna let me inside now?" Harley tried. Casey scoffed quietly.
"Promise not to go crazy on me?" He asked with a small chuckle. Harley paused for a moment.
"I promise!"
"Okay then," He said, getting up. "Just ignore the boxes everywhere. I just moved in." He said before unlocking the door and letting her in...