Divination (Joker x Batman x OC)

Chapter 129

"The cream is enzyme based," Adriana told the Joker after the laser treatment. To the doctor's amazement, he had been able to withstand the entire treatment without adequate pain management. "Which means it contains enzymes that are going to accelerate the breakdown of scar tissue. And it will support circulation and has compounds for new skin cells to generate."

"It looks like everything went well," the doctor said as he applied the cream to the Joker's scars. "I'm surprised you didn't move at all in the machine...I know the procedure was painful."

Adriana stood beside them and watched. The cream was icy cold because it needed to be kept refrigerated at low temperatures. The scarred area of the Joker's face was so red from the treatment that it looked like his face was smeared with red paint again. Once the doctor was done the Joker went back to his room. Adriana helped the doctor clean the machines and disinfect both rooms before going to the Joker.

He was sitting on a chair beside his bed, looking through a magazine that she had left there earlier.

"Didn't know you were into the summer fashions for this year," she said and leaned against the door frame.

"Yellow is in," he said and tried not to smile. His face felt like it was on fire, but he decided he didn't need pain pills.

"Yeah," she said and walked over to him and leaned on the bed. "Have you..looked yet?"

"At what?" he asked.

"Your scars," she said. 

They looked exactly the same as before the treatment except fire engine red. She knew that he had not yet looked into a mirror.

The thought of doing so had not occurred to him.

"No," he said and flipped a page in the magazine before looking down at an article about how to make statement necklaces work.

Adriana reached forward and slowly pulled the magazine away from him and closed it.

"Do you want to do this?" she asked. "We can stop the treatment if you don't want this done to your face. You don't have to go through with more of these treatments."

"Doesn't matter to me," he said.

"Then why are you doing this? Going through this pain? I know your face hurts," she said.

"Like you and the good doctor said. Good for my mental health and future," he said and reached for the magazine, but she pulled it away again.

"No!" she said. "It's not good for your mental health if you don't want it! You can't just say you don't care or that it doesn't matter. That makes no sense. This is your face we are talking about."

"It sounds like you would prefer if I stopped this treatment," he said. "Is that the case?"

"No...no.." she lied and she could see in his thoughts that he could tell she was lying. "I just..want you to do what's best for you."

"And you don't think the laser is best," he said.

"I just think...I mean you seem so apathetic about it all, but this is your face...it's not like you have a scar on your arm or foot. Both the doctor and I seem to think that the scarring is not good for your mental health or rehabilitation or...integration back into society at some point but.." she said.

"But?" he asked.

"I don't know how good it will be for your mental health to look in the mirror when this is all over and not recognize yourself," she said.

"I don't look in the mirror very often," he said. And it was true. He had always painted his face without a mirror. He had even mastered shaving his face, even around the complex shape of his scars, without a mirror.