It was three in the morning and Harley came downstairs to find someone opening the refrigerator door. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and squinted, saying, "Puddin, you're back already?"
"Hey, Mom," said Jack as he raised his head from behind the door.
Harley lightly gasped and chuckled. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I don't have my contacts in."
Jack grinned. "S'alright."
"I swear," she continued. "You're looking more like your dad everyday."
He chuckled. He didn't think he looked like The Joker, but he still couldn't help but take those kinds of remarks as compliments on his part.
At fourteen-years-old, Jack's chin and nose resembled his father's and they shared the same trim build as well as lanky posture. Their hair was the same slightly curled texture, but Jack's was longer now and he took to pulling it back into a ponytail.
(A/N: Imagine Harry Style's hair.)
"Why are you up, honey?" Harley asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"I couldn't sleep," he told her as he poured a small glass of orange juice. "I came down here to watch TV."
Harley followed her son to the sofa. "You stay up too late reading those scary stories..." she told him.
He smiled, looking at her. "You forget that I inherited those Clive Barker books from you, Mom."
She crinkled her nose and shook her head. "Those are your dad's, mister. I can't stomach Barker. I prefer King."
"King sucks," Jack muttered, lazily flipping through channels.
She sat on the sofa and hugged her shoulders, glancing at the front door. "Do you know if your father was going anywhere after the heist tonight?"
Jack took a sip of his drink and shook his head. "I don't think he was going anywhere else," he answered. "Don't worry, Mom. You know Dad. He'll be back in no time."
Harley smirked at him. "Well...I know, but...I can't help but be a little concerned." She tried to keep her interest in the television program, but sighed. "I guess I'll go back to bed. You gonna be okay, Jacky?"
He nodded. "Mm-hmm..."
A few moments later, the front door opened and Jack saw his father come in with Angus, Townshend and two of his newer men, whom Harley had dubbed Clapton and Harrison.
The Joker approached his son and patted his shoulder. "Hey, kiddo. What're you doin' up?"
"Couldn't sleep," Jack told him.
Townshend playfully punched Jack on the arm. "Those girlies keepin' ya up, stud?"
Jack laughed out loud. "Whatever, Towser. Like any girl would be interested in me."
Angus plopped down in the seat next to Jack and said, "Ah, kid. Don't be so sure. You just need the right girl is all." Angus took a sip of the beer Clapton had given him.
The Joker stopped at the bottom step and asked, "Your mother's awake, isn't she?"
"She always is at three in the morning, Dad..." Jack answered.
The Joker sighed. "I thought so. I forgot to call her on the way home."
Towshend chuckled. "You're gonna get it now, huh Boss?"
The Joker laughed. "Oh. I'll 'get' it, all right," he joked and waggled his tongue.
His men laughed as Jack said, "Dad! Eew!"
The Joker laughed again and went upstairs to Harley. He found her in bed asleep on her side and he quietly took off his jacket, shoes, and shirt and climbed in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her hungrily on her neck and he heard her moan as his hand reached up her shirt. She opened her eyes and faced him. "You're home," she said with a smile. "I was getting worried."
The Joker chuckled. "You know I can take care of myself. I'm a big boy."
Harley smiled coquettishly and grabbed his crotch. "You sure are."
"Ooh. You saucy little minx," he playfully scolded as he raised himself up and took off his undershirt.
Harley bit her lip and took off her tank top and he pressed himself against, inhaling the sweet smell of her clean skin. He nibbled her shoulder and slowly moved downward until he was under the covers. She felt him take off her shorts and move her panties aside and she gasped as she felt his tongue glide along the slit of her pussy.
She whimpered as she felt him begin to massage her clitoris with his thumb as he tongued her deeper. Harley soon felt herself climaxing and started to move her hips along with his tongue, and he gripped her thighs as he growled. She moaned quietly as her hips bucked against him. She took a deep breath as she relaxed into her pillow.
The Joker sighed as he got up and went into the bathroom. "That was quick..." he muttered. "Ya miss me?"
Harley giggled but, as she listened to the sink tap turn on, her smile soon disappeared. "Am I still pretty?"
The Joker came out of the bathroom with a confused look. "Way to kill the mood, Harley" He realized the brunt of his words when he saw tears welling up in her eyes. "Hey," he said, walking to the bed. "What's with the waterworks?"
Harley sniffed as she answered, "I'm old..."
"Oh, shut up, Harley..." he mumbled.
"Gee, thanks..." she said, coldly, wrapping herself tightly in the sheets and turning away from him.
"Aww," he cooed. "Here comes the pout...the famous, widdle Hawley pout..."
"Shut up," she mumbled through light tears.
His grin vanished and he rolled his eyes as he sat on his side of the bed. "Did you...enjoy that?"
There was a small pause and she mumbled, "Yeah..."
"Then you need to be nice to Daddy," The Joker told her. "Since he gives you such...nice surprises..."
Harley quickly turned to him. "Tell me I'm not old."
He groaned. "Harley...you're...older...I'm older...we have a teenager." Her whimper assured him that his statement didn't make her feel any better, so he leaned in, his lips to her ear. "You're still a cutie..."
She raised her eyes to him. "Really, Puddin'?"
The Joker chuckled. "Come on...you need to sleep," he said, sliding under the sheet.
Later that afternoon, Jack was walking the streets of Gotham City, heading the bookstore he frequented that was on the south end of downtown. He loved to read on all kinds of subjects, and the bookstore also housed used vinyl records that he would flip through when he couldn't decide on a book.
Jack stopped at a small coffee shop just two doors down and, as he stood in line, he heard giggling and turned his head and saw three girls that were around his age. They were huddled at a small table and coyly averting their eyes from Jack as they sniggered. One of them finally smiled and waved at him and Jack did likewise which made them snicker even more.
Jack was confused. He was only trying to be polite.
After he placed his order, he sat down at the free table near the girls as he waited for his drink. One of them, a girl with red hair and freckles, asked him, "Why is you hair like that?"
Jack was bewildered at this kind of question, but he answered, "Uh, I like it this way."
The girl smiled as her two friends giggled loudly and they suddenly stood up and walked out.
"What the hell was that?" Jack wondered aloud to himself as he took his drink and headed to the bookstore.
The cowbell on the door clanged loudly as he entered. "Hey, Ernie," Jack greeted the middle-aged-man behind the counter.
"Hey, Jacky boy," he replied as he continued to read his paper.
Jack smiled. If only Ernie knew who he actually was and not just think he was some kid that appeared to be a truant student from the school down the street.
He headed straight for the Classics section to try to find Robinson Crusoe, a novel suggested to him by his mother who had read it in college. It had piqued his interest and he finally found some older editions and picked one up to get closer look at the cover.
As he flipped through the pages, he heard familiar laughter and peeked around a bookshelf to see the girls from the coffee shop.
He gulped and put the book under his arm as he walked down the aisle, pretending to be interested in something on the other end of it. The girls went to the spot he was just in and continued to stare and giggle at him while they sipped their iced coffees. Jack didn't know how to escape these lunatics as they stepped closer, but a melodious voice suddenly rescued him.
"Here's that book you said you wanted."
He turned and saw a girl with long brown hair and deep brown eyes, holding a George Orwell book.
She was absolutely gorgeous. Their eyes locked for a moment and she smiled. Jack gave her a goofy grin and turned to see the other girls sneering at them and walking away.
"Thanks," he told this beautiful stranger. "You're a life-saver."
"No," she said. "I'm Lucy."
She held out her hand and he shook it and said, "Jack."
"Nice to meet you, Jack," she said, smiling. "I see you love the classics."
Jack grinned. "Yeah. I see you do, too."
She held up the book in her hand. "Oh, this? Nah. It's for school. We have to read it, but it looks kinda weird. I mean, animals talking?"
"Oh, no. It's a great book," Jack assured her as he timidly scratched the nape of his neck. "The talking animals are just a metaphor for...well, I don't wanna ruin it for you." She smiled again and their eyes locked once more.
There was an awkward silence between them, save for the music playing throughout the store. Lucy finally said, "I've never seen you at school."
"Oh, uh, I'm home-schooled," Jack quickly answered.
Lucy chuckled. "Lucky you."
"Yeah, I guess," Jack smiled as Lucy moved a strand of hair from her face. "Um," she started. "You have nice eyes. They're very pretty."
Jack started to blush and he chuckled. "Uh, thanks."
Lucy shifted and said, "Well, I gotta go. My mom's waiting outside."
"Ok," Jack said. "Nice to meet you, Lucy."
She turned and walked away but stopped at the end of the aisle to face him again. "Uh, I'm usually here on Wednesdays, after school. Will I see you then?"
Jack blinked. "Yeah!" he said rather loudly.
Lucy smiled. "Ok. Bye, Jack." She waved as she walked to the cash register.
Jack had a bounce in his step as he walked home with his book under his arm. His mind was reeling with the thought of seeing Lucy again.
He turned the corner at Brown's Shoe Repair and stopped when he heard laughter. He looked down the sidewalk and saw three boys leaning against the building smoking cigarettes. One of them saw Jack and said, "Well, well, well. Hey, Louie. Look who it is."
The taller of the boys turned and Jack was glaring into the face of Louie Maroni, Sal Maroni's grandson. He was slightly taller than Jack, but Jack wasn't scared of him. He didn't like to cross him, however, because of the tense partnership The Joker and Maroni once had. Louie knew this and always took advantage of Jack's presence by degrading him as much as possible.
Louie puffed on his cigarette and walked over to Jack. "Hey there, loser," he said in a nasally tone. "You on your way home to your mommy?"
One of the other boys guffawed and added, "Yeah. Give her a kiss for me, huh?"
They all laughed as Jack tried to push past them, but Louie shoved him. "Where you think you're goin', freak?"
"I'm going home, remember?" Jack retorted.
"Hang on," Louie demanded as he pushed him again. "I got a question for ya." He puffed his cigarette again and blew the smoke in Jack's face. "How did a sexy bitch like your mom end up with a creepy clown like your old man?"
"Shut up, Louie," Jack shouted, his ears starting to burn with anger.
The others pretended to shake with fear, but Louie put his face to Jack's. "What'd you say to me, faggot?"
Jack shoved Louie out of his way, but Louie pushed him and Jack fell on his back onto the sidewalk. The other boys laughed as Jack got up, his bottom lip bleeding and his chin scraped. Jack picked up his heavy novel and swung it into Louie's face. He stumbled backwards and then was suddenly on Jack.
The two scuffled in the middle of the alley as the other boys cheered Louie on, who was giving Jack multiple blows to the face. He finally stopped and held Jack's throat. He leaned in and whispered, "Ya know how your old man really got his scars? From suckin' too much dick while he was in the pen."
Jack's rage suddenly erupted and he threw Louie off of him. When Louie stood up, Jack reciprocated the blows, punching his cheeks bones and watching as blood sputtered past his lips. He finally kicked him in the stomach and kneed him in the face, making Louie collapse on the ground.
Louie's friends fell silent and helped him up as he yelled, through small tears, "This ain't over!"
Jack watched them carry Louie out of the alley and picked up his book to limp his way home. He was still thinking of Lucy and of how lucky they both were that she didn't see that. He then thought of another woman and knew exactly how she would act when she saw him.
"Holy shit!" Harley exclaimed as Jack came in and sat at the kitchen table. Harley brought him a tall glass of water. "What the hell happened to you, son?"
Jack took a big gulp of water and answered his mother in a tired voice, "I got in a fight."
"Jesus, Jack!" Harley cursed. "Are you kidding me? Stay there. We gotta get you fixed up." She put a bag of frozen vegetables onto his swollen left eye and ran upstairs to get her makeshift first aid kit.
Jack could feel his lip oozing blood and there was a sharp pain in his right arm. He feared for a moment that it was broken due to the fact that it was throbbing and was almost numb.
He sighed as he heard the bedroom door open and close and soon his father was beside him. The Joker lifted the frozen bag off of Jack's eye. "That's quite a shiner, kiddo," he told him and gently placed it back on his eye. "You didn't call your mom a 'bitch,' did ya?"
"Well, Dad. I..."
"You got into a fight, didn't you?" The Joker interrupted him. "It was that Maroni kid, wasn't it?" Jack slowly nodded. His father sighed and sat down beside him. "Son, what did I tell you about that kid? You should have avoided him like I told you to, because I knew this would happen one day..."
"Yeah, Dad," Jack said, sarcastically. "I meant to run into him and fight him. You think I wanted to? I tried to avoid him, Dad, really I did, but..." Jack stopped. His head was starting to hurt from the pain in his arm.
"But?" The Joker waited. Jack didn't answer. His father sighed and continued, "Like I was saying, that kid should be avoided like the Plague. You have no idea how powerful his granddad is."
"You're such a hypocrite," Jack whispered to himself.
The Joker leaned in, squinting. "I'm sorry, what?"
Jack turned his head to his father. "I said, you're a hypocrite. You always tell me to stand up for myself and I have to learn to fight to survive."
"You also you need to learn how to pick your battles, kiddo, and you picked the wrong one." The Joker leaned back in his seat. "So, what did this little grease ball call you?"
Jack sighed. "It isn't just what he calls me. He talks about you and makes crude remarks about Mom."
The Joker snickered. "Oh, yeah. Like what?" Jack didn't want to say it, but his father egged him on. "Come on, Jack. What did he say? Something about my scars? You know, I've heard them all."
"I don't want to repeat it," Jack whispered.
"It's okay, Jacky. It won't hurt my feelings."
Jack swallowed an angry lump in his throat and quickly said, "He said that your scars came from sucking dick in prison."
The Joker chuckled. "Now, that's impossible...I never went to prison."
"Dad, come on!" Jack groaned, angrily.
"You didn't kick his ass because of that remark, did you?"
"It wasn't just that, Dad. It was everything he ever called you and every sexist thing he ever said about Mom." Jack tried to stop being angry because his pain was getting worse.
Finally, Harley came down with the first aid kit and set it on the table. She put some hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball and said, "Ok, Jack. This is gonna sting a bit." She gently placed it on his scraped chin and Jack gritted his teeth as the peroxide bubbled and tingled.
The Joker walked over to the refrigerator to get some juice when he noticed blood on Jack's right sleeve. "Son, I need you to take off your shirt."
"Why, Dad?" Jack's lips were tender as Harley administered more peroxide.
"Now, Jack," was all his father told him.
Harley stepped back and held the frozen bag as Jack slowly took off his shirt. The Joker walked over to Jack's chair and knelt down to get a closer look at his arm. "Christ," he whispered and then said to Harley. "Harl, call Dr. Stein and tell him to bring a tetanus shot."
Harley's mouth dropped. "What? Why? What is it?"
"Our son has a huge nail in his arm," he calmly said. Harley quickly trotted to the sofa where her purse lay and fished out her cell phone.
The Joker asked his son, "Did you fall down while you were fighting?"
"Uh, yeah," Jack answered.
"Well, you're damn lucky this isn't in your spine because this bastard is deep." The Joker bit his lip and thought for a moment. "I'm gonna have to get it out..."
Harley shut her phone. "No way, hun. Wait until the Doc gets here. He'll take care of it."
The Joker chuckled. "Harley, you've seen me take chunks of glass out of my own feet and they healed just fine. We gotta get this nail out of him before it really gets infected. Doc will understand. He's 'old-school."
Harley sighed and finally agreed. "Okay, but...only get the nail out. Don't try to patch him up or anything."
"Aye, aye, chief," he saluted to Harley as he dug through the first aid kit. Harley quickly tied Jack's shirt to where it had a huge knot in the middle of it.
"Uh...Mom?" Jack asked, slightly nervous. "What's Dad gonna do?"
"He's gonna get the nail out of your arm, sweetie."
"What?"
"Here," Harley interrupted him. "If you feel any pain while your father works, just bite down on this." She put the knotted part of the shirt in his mouth while The Joker sat on the floor by Jack and sterilized his knife and a big pair of tweezers with a lighter.
His father cleared his throat. "Ok, Harl. I need a flashlight." Harley ran over the cabinet under the sink and came back with their green flashlight. "Thanks, babe," he whispered as she shined it on Jack's wound. It glistened a bright red in the light and she could see the head of the nail.
"It doesn't look rusted, kiddo," The Joker said with his knife between his teeth. "But it still needs to come out. You ready?" Jack was still and then finally nodded.
He felt his father open up his wound slowly with his fingers. The stinging sensation made him bite down a bit on his shirt, but it wasn't until he felt his father's knife slide between the nail and his muscle that he screamed through the knot. Harley patted his shoulder to soothe him. "Don't move, baby," she told him. "It'll be over soon." Jack stayed as still as he could as he felt the tweezers grip the nail and his father slowly pull it out.
The process seemed like it took an eternity. He moaned through the cloth of his shirt and tears started to fall from his eyes.
"Ok, Jack, almost," his father reassured him. "Just stay still..." Jack obeyed him and suddenly felt relief in his arm. "There it is!" he heard his father say. "Damn! That's a big one."
He placed it on the table and Jack wanted to vomit when he saw it. The Joker tied a clean dish towel around Jack's wound and helped him out of his chair. "Come on. Let's put you in bed so you can rest. It'll be easier for the Doc if you lie still."
Hours had passed and Jack was asleep in his room as The Joker sat in the chair at his desk. He watched his son sleep soundly and wondered how badly Maroni's grandson looked. The thought made him grin and Jack shifted onto his back and moaned as he opened his eyes.
The Joker smiled at him. "Hey there, Rocky." Jack slowly sat up and rubbed his head. He winced as he moved his wounded arm, but sat up enough to lean against the headboard. The Joker walked over and sat on the edge of the bed and patted Jack's leg.
Jack smirked lazily at him and said, "Dad?"
"Yeah, son?"
"What's the deal with girls?"
The Joker gave him a strange look and chuckled. "That's the question of the century, Jacky Boy."
Jack grinned. "No, really, Dad." He told The Joker about what had happened in the coffee shop and what one of the girls had told him.
His father gave him a sly grin. "They were flirting with you, son."
Jack looked confused. "Flirting? Why?"
The Joker laughed. "Well, Jack, that means they thought you were attractive."
Jack smiled to himself. "Really?"
"Well, you did get your good looks from me, ya know," his father said.
Jack couldn't believe what he heard. He had always felt like an outcast from everyone else. It never bothered him that much, but when it came to girls, he usually tried to steer clear of them for fear of acting awkward just talking to them.
He turned back to his father. "I met another girl in the bookstore," he told him. "And I think that she liked me, too."
The Joker raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"
Jack looked down at his hands and grinned. "She said I had nice eyes."
Joker laughed and patted Jack's leg again. "Ahh, you sly one," he said proudly. "So, tell me more about this other girl? Is she cute?"
"Dad, she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Jack said frankly.
"Wow. Say no more," his father replied, smiling.
Jack sat up straighter. "Her name is Lucy," he continued. "She wants to meet at the bookstore again on Wednesday afternoon. That's okay, right?"
The Joker shrugged. "What kind of dad would I be if I didn't allow my only son to go on his first date?"
Jack chuckled and blushed a bit. "Aw, come on, Dad. It isn't a date."
"Hmm. Let's see," The Joker said. "You met a pretty girl who wants to see you again and you two have arranged a time and a place to get together and talk. Sounds like a date to me..."
Wednesday afternoon arrived quickly and, before meeting Lucy, he stopped by Dr. Stein's office so that the good doctor could look at his healing arm.
"Vell, vell, Jacky Boy. Looks good. Nothing feels numb, huh?"
Jack shook his head. "No, sir. It actually feels like I never had a nail in there."
The doctor laughed. "Vell, you have a nice scar to show off now. You're good. Go on. You don't want to keep your little girlfriend waiting."
Jack's eyes widened. "How did you know, Doc?"
Dr. Stein shrugged. "Eh, you should never tell your mother that you met a girl. She won't keep it to herself for long." He smiled and waved as Jack left his office.
She was waiting in front of the bookstore with her backpack over her shoulder. She smiled and waved as he walked up. "Hey, Jack," she said. "I was thinking you had forgotten."
"Nah," he answered. "I had to stop and see the doctor. I cut my arm up real bad last week." He rolled up his sleeve and showed her the red scar on his arm.
"Whoa, cool," she said. "How'd that happen?"
He didn't want to worry her and tell her that he had gotten into a fight, so he told her, "I fell and landed on a nail. My dad had to pull it out for me so Dr. Stein could clean it."
"Wow, your dad sounds pretty cool," she said with a smile.
Jack smiled back at her. It felt good to hear someone call his father something positive for once.
She pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail and said, "I figured...that is if you want to...we could go to the coffee shop instead."
She told him about her day at school as they walked down the sidewalk. Jack didn't really know how public school was so he was listening with keen interest. He asked her about the different classes she was taking and which ones she liked.
They were soon sitting at a table outside of the coffee shop where they quietly sipped their beverages. Lucy finally broke their awkward quiet when she asked Jack, "What kind of music do you like?"
Jack licked his lips, saying, "I don't know...I guess Led Zeppelin...13th Floor Elevators. It's my mom's music."
Lucy looked confused and asked, "What's Led Zeppelin?"
Jack nearly choked on his drink. "What? You've never...? 'When the Levee Breaks?' 'Cashmere?' 'Stairway to Heaven?'"
Lucy shrugged and grinned. "Sorry, Jack. I don't listen to a lot of music. I never really did."
Jack sighed. "Wow...I've never met anyone who had never heard Led Zeppelin." He noticed that she was smiling at him.
She chuckled, "I know, I live under a rock. My mom makes me study more than anything. She wants me to do everything at school, like track, debate, the French Club. I was lucky enough to meet you after school today." She was quiet for a second and leaned in and whispered to him, "My mom doesn't even know that I'm here."
Jack grinned. "Really? What about your dad?"
Lucy shrugged and stopped smiling. "Dad works too much anyways," she said to him. "He doesn't care what I do." She sipped her cappuccino. "What about your parents, Jack? What do they do?"
Jack paused, bewildered. However, he tried to improvise quickly, so she wouldn't get suspicious. "Well...uh, my mom doesn't work anymore. She used to work with my dad, who does odd jobs around town. I guess you could say he's a...entrepreneur."
Lucy nodded. "Sounds cool. So, they had kind of a 'Mom and Pop' business going?"
Jack nodded and answered, "Yeah...you could call it that."
After a couple of hours, Lucy said that she had to get home. "Sorry, but, as my mom says 'That test won't pass by itself.'" She rolled her eyes and Jack grinned as he walked her to the corner of the street. She turned to him. "Um, thanks for meeting me today. I had a nice time."
Jack gave her a big smile and Lucy suddenly got on her tip-toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Jack's eyes widened and a broad grin swept across his face. Lucy started to blush. "Uh...bye, Jack!" she said as she ran home.
Later that night, The Joker came in to see his son lying on the sofa, a book on his chest and his eyes staring up at the ceiling with a grin on his face. His father chuckled. "She kissed you, didn't she?"
Jack shot up and asked, "How did you...?"
"Because your mom had that same stupid grin when I first kissed her," he said, smiling proudly.
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Longest...Chapter...EVER!
My thumbs hurt from typing lol. Only one chapter today. Sorry arianahotel 🙁😢