"What's he doing?"
"Struggling, Willow. He's struggling."
"Are you sure? It looks more like drunken stumbling."
"Well, I upped the dose."
"...So he's like...proper out of it?"
"Well, not totally out of it or he wouldn't still be moving."
"Oh was that agitation I heard in your voice, Doctor?"
Jonathan shot Willow a look as the Batman continued to struggle down the long corridor towards them. He did have a moment of running towards them, but the more energy he used the more oxygen he needed to regulate throughout his body. This meant breathing in more toxins. He wasn't wholly surprised to see Jonathan, or Willow again.
"You know by now you're usually a hysterical crying heap in the corner of a room." Jonathan quipped back. He didn't exactly like Willow's jibbing of being only a slightly annoyed over the Batman's capability to still be functioning.
Willow's eyes narrowed up at him. "Well usually by now I've kicked you few good times."
Jonathan smirked and readjusted his mask, he'd briefly given Willow a mask to protect her from the toxins, for when they encountered them. "Touché."
"Game, set, match." Willow held her hand out.
"Although before kicking me a good few times you've happened to crawl away like an injured puppy. Then you start kicking."
"Oh, you're not letting this childish argument go are you?"
"No."
"Fine!" Willow exclaimed and flung her hands in the air. She was silent, trying to think up a comeback, "I think we should move. He's sort of gotten closer since our...conversation."
"I agree with you. This way, Willow." Jonathan pushed away from the wall. Willow stood up from the desk she was sitting at and walked quickly behind him.
"By the way," Willow skipped around and walked in front of Jonathan backwards. Pointing a finger up at him she smiled while pulling the mask off. "That argument, it was a draw."
"If that makes you feel any better."
Pouting, Willow crossed her arms. "Excuse me. Any half brained man knows that women win nearly every argument. Do you know why?"
"Because men humour women. They let them win, mainly because they cannot be bothered to listen to their insistent nagging and whining." Jonathan stated simply while he had great satisfaction in watching Willow's smug expression disappear slowly off of her face with each word he spoke. She ended up walking backwards looking rather defeated.
"Do I nag and whine?"
"No, you're rather well behaved." Jonathan said simply while reaching up and pulling his mask off and folding it up and putting it into his jacket pocket.
"You make me sound like a pet." Willow's face looked up at him bluntly. "I'm not a pet."
"I never suggested you was."
"That sounds so wrong. Oh, he's stumbling behind you. Well...when I say behind you, I mean he's collapsed almost through the door." Willow smiled and walked backwards around the corner.
Jonathan looked over his shoulder and frowned. "He just doesn't stop does he?"
"He's hunting us down, dear. He's not going to stop. He'll stop when we're in our cells."
"You in Blackgate, and me in here."
"You sound almost sad." Willow paused. "Almost." She clapped her hands together. "I'd be distraught! I don't want to leave you again." Jonathan nodded slowly and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around they walked down the stairs. As much as he didn't doubt her apparent skill of walking backwards, he doubted it still worked as well with stairs. Standing at the end of the stairs the two of them watched as the taller man appeared at the top. His shadow cast down on them, suddenly eclipsing them from the little light which was already in the space.
"Stop right there, both of you."
"We have places to be." Jonathan said and looked at his watch. "You seem to be coping a little better this time than earlier on. That's not really fair, is it?"
"Who says I'm coping?"
"Well you seem quite well."
"You walk like you're drunk." Willow chimed in. "But apart from that you seem peachy perfect."
Jonathan looked at Willow, she in turn smiled. Looking back up at Batman, Jonathan frowned. "You do seem quite intoxicated there, Batman. Is this a feeling you are used to, that is why you seem so...what's the word..." Jonathan twiddled his thumbs in thought. "For the better word; normal?" The man at the top of the stairs walked down the first step and narrowed his eyes down at them.
"I think that's a no." Willow whispered behind one of her hands.
"I think that's a no too," Jonathan sighed and backed off. He had easily taken advantage and attacked the costumed man descending the stairs earlier on. He knew that repeating that action would be near impossible. For two reasons mainly, reason one: because Willow was here. Reason two: Batman seemed to have some keen focus going on in his mind. "That's it!" Jonathan clicked his fingers and pointed in the Batman's direction. "You're so focussed like you think that you can just focus on something else and the fear will go away. Fear doesn't work like that, I should know, I'm an expert on fear."
"Gloating?" Willow whispered behind her hands, she thought only she had heard her words but she was wrong when Jonathan glared down at her. "Sorry." She grinned sheepishly.
"Yes I suppose you are an expert of sorts." Batman said while not relenting on his approach to them, they were still edging backwards away from him. "But as brilliant as you are at understanding the human mind, you don't seem to fully appreciate the power which it can wield."
Jonathan narrowed his eyes and grabbed a hold of Willow's arm and turned and ran off. He had had enough of being belittled and decided they should just leave him to whatever mission he was currently on. "Woah," Willow frowned at the library like room. Letting out a yelp when the man holding her hand was suddenly pushed to the side she ran off down the sides of the filing cabinets. Peering around, she frowned at the futile fight which Jonathan put up. It wasn't totally futile, he did manage to inject the Dark Knight whenever he got close. The last time he did it he got thrown against a wall.
Willow frowned. That was the last straw really. Edging around the filing cabinets she watched Batman walk slowly over to where Jonathan was trying to pick himself up from the floor. He coughed and wiped blood away from his lips and looked up at the man approaching him. Letting out a sigh, Willow darted forwards. Jumping up onto the table she ran along it, kicking up papers as she went. Reaching down and pulling a chair up she continued to run. Slamming the chair down she used her momentum to push herself against it. Flipping over it, and grabbing the back rest she landed in a crouch and her arms momentum continued on, the chair went crashing into the Batman. It broke upon impact but it did not make the man fall over. He faltered to the side and disappeared down the side of some filing cabinets.
Willow crouched on the table frowning and looking in the direction he went in. Letting out a scream when something wrapped itself around her ankle and yanked her backwards, she crashed against the table. Wincing when she tasted blood she didn't have much time to think about her split lip when she suddenly found herself hanging upside down. Crossing her arms over her stomach to stop her top from falling thanks to gravity, she looked up onto the gargoyle ornament in the room. "Oh haha. Isn't this grand? The blood will rush to my head and my head will pop off. Thanks, Batman. No really, thank you."
"You'll lose consciousness before that."
"Great. My head will pop off and I won't even know because I'll be unconscious. How considerate of you." Willow muttered and shut her eyes, hearing movement she looked up and watched from her upside down position as the caped man glided down and snuck up on Jonathan. "Five o'clock!" Willow shouted and whooped and waved her arms when Jonathan jumped away from Batman. Letting out a eeping sound she quickly placed her arms around her stomach again. Although neither men were paying attention to her anyway. "My head really, really hurts."
"Sit up slowly, Willow."
"Why did you hang me upside down? That was so mean of you!" Willow opened her eyes and got assisted to sit up, the help came in the form of Batman, which didn't wholly please her. While the fight was going on the blood had in fact started to travel and she had blacked out. The next thing she knew Jonathan was missing in action and Batman was trying to wake her up.
"Ow, seriously. Ow." Willow rubbed her head slowly and narrowed her eyes to the man crouching in front of her. "You look knackered, having a busy night? I suppose you are considering everyone wants you dead."
"Yet you're not trying to kill me, you must be one of few people actually who isn't trying to."
"Meh," Willow shrugged. "It's not on my list of things to do. I don't harbour any hatred towards you. Why should I? I can wholly admit that I am where I am because of me. You may have been the one to turn me in, but you're not the one to blame."
"Why are you here?"
"Transferred from Blackgate. There was some sort of fire...or something." Willow gave a shrug. "I already got told I shouldn't be here because I'm not 'insane'."
"Just a little confused perhaps?" Batman quipped while helping her to stand. "I can't let you run off, Willow. You know that right?"
"Yup." She shrugged, he looked at her trying to figure out if she truly understood that her free rein had now been taken away.
Putting a hand on her shoulder he edged her towards the doors, Willow jumped when smoke enshrouded them, the two of them coughed. Willow yelped when she was pulled away and was suddenly forced to run. After running for what seemed like ages, she finally stopped. Opening her eyes and trying to focus and not let the toxins effect her, she looked around. The room she had found herself in was dark. It looked like an old office of some sort, or a private study room which was attached to the library. She knew they were still in the library because the same file cabinets and bookcases which were out in the main space, were also in here.
The walls were full from ceiling to floor with bookcases. Not a space on any of them. Willow half thought she'd need a crowbar to get a book free from one of the shelves. Rubbing her eyes she looked up at Jonathan, who nonetheless looked worse for wear thanks to his earlier fight. "Come here," Willow pulled him to her level and wiped the blood away with her sleeve. "Much better."
"You're bleeding too." Jonathan stated.
"Yeah, I bit my lip, unlike you who got thrown into a wall and the impact from that bounced around your body." Willow crossed her arms. "You've not fractured or broke a rib have you?" She asked suddenly remembering that he had been thrown with a great force to the wall.
Jonathan straightened up with difficulty and tentatively poked his ribs. "No."
"Then why are you pulling that face?"
"What face?"
"The face where you've just ate something really sour." Willow paused. "Like a lemon."
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Because," he hunched back down on the table he just sat on. "I think I've bruised something."
"Something being anything because your body is made up with so many different things."
"Ribs, Willow. We were just on about ribs remember?" Jonathan frowned. "Did something happen to your brain when you were upside down?"
"The blood rushed to my head. Why?"
"You seem a little more...ditzy."
"I'm a little light headed."
"Then sit down." Jonathan instructed, Willow shuffled and sat next to him on the table. He winced from the impact of her head leaning against his shoulder but he tried not to show the pain. Only he failed because he tensed up. Willow looked up at him sadly.
"Sorry, I didn't help sooner."
"It was tactical of you to get him when his back was turned. After all that seems to be a weak point."
"But if I helped sooner you wouldn't be in such a state!"
"Willow," Jonathan smiled and ruffled her hair. "Bruises and cuts heal." He frowned lightly, "I should know that by now." Willow's expression saddened again. "Don't look at me like that." She smiled lightly. "Much better."
"What do we do now, Jonathan?"
"We recollect ourselves."
"You mean, we sit here and recover from the battering we just received?"
"What battering? You're fine apart from a split lip." Jonathan said sarcastically, Willow pouted up at him. "But yes. I can't move for a moment, as much as I hate to admit it."
"Are you in loads of pain?"
"No, not loads."
"You need pain killers." Willow leaped off of the table.
"No," Jonathan clutched onto her wrist and pulled her towards him. "I am not letting you out there. For one, Batman's still out there, he'll be looking for us two even more so because we escaped him. Also, for seconds, there's madmen running around. They could attack you."
Willow put her hand over his which was on her wrist. "But I can't sit here knowing you're in agony."
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I'm not in agony."
"In substantial pain then."
"It's not substantial."
"Really?" Willow didn't believe him and reached out to put her hand on his shoulder. He winced and fidgeted. "You were saying?"
"Shut up."
"I'm right, you're in pain and you need pain killers. Let me help you please, Jonathan. I've been in the mansion once before and I remember where they kept the drugs to subdue the more rowdy patients for when they were being admitted in." Jonathan just looked at her squarely letting her words sink in. "I'll stick to the shadows, I'll be fine that way. No one will see me, and no one will attack me. You forget, I'm excellent at running away. My agility has its uses, especially for running away."
"You coward."
"And proud." Willow actually did sound quite proud for being labelled a coward which worried Jonathan slightly. "So, can I go?"
"Yes."
"Good. Stay here please, I mean it! Don't move, I don't want to have to run around trying to find you."
"Willow, does it honestly look like I'm in any fit state right now to move?"
"No."
"Exactly, now hurry up and go."
"Said like that, it makes it sound like you're trying to get rid of me."
"Willow, this was your idea, and you're standing here wasting time."
"Right, yes. Sorry." Willow reached over her shoulder and tied her hair up. "I'll be back as quickly as I can." She smiled and ran towards to door. Stopping suddenly she backtracked and held gently onto Jonathan and tentatively kissed him.
"You're still wasting time." Jonathan said quietly while gritting his teeth against the aching pain in his ribs. Willow kissed him gently one last time before running off, she looked back at him to make sure he wasn't going to suddenly disappear before she disappeared through the door.
----
(Edited: 14/Oct/2019)