If You Just Listened // Arthur Fleck x Reader // SLOWBURN

Chapter 3 - I Have A Condition.

    'Alright. Maybe being nice to the guy was a bad idea.'
    Over time, you had come to learn the man's name was Arthur. And Arthur was not very slick. At all.
   During your shifts, you would catch him looking at you nearly every time you checked. He would quickly turn back to the on-stage comedian or his notebook, being painfully obvious about it on every occasion.
    You certainly weren't the only one who noticed. Your co-workers took the opportunity to tease you about it nearly every chance they got.

    "Looks like lover boy's especially smitten tonight," chimed the bartender, Lucy.
    You rolled your eyes at her, resting your head on the counter.
    "Sure," you said flatly, not in the mood to entertain her.
    "So when are you giving this one your number?"
    "Hilarious," you grumbled. "It gets funnier every time you make that joke."
    "Oh come on, don't get stiff about it. I'm just joking," she chuckled, drying off some glasses.

    "But really," she added, moving closer to you. "I would be careful with that guy if I was you. What if he's a little... you know. Crazy."
    You scoffed. "Arthur? No, he's a little weird but he's harmless."
    Lucy sighed, picking up another glass.
    "I don't know. Just be careful."
    You sat up, fixing your shirt. "I appreciate it Lucy, but it's fine."

The rest of the shift went by like normal. In fact, it was relatively tame compared to other nights. Regardless, you were just happy to be done.

You headed to the back office to clock out, saying your goodbyes to everyone as you walked towards the exit. You picked your coat off the entrance rack, and dusted it off. As you began putting it on, you noticed Arthur begin to gather his belongings.

'Huh. That's weird....'

You shrugged it off, heading into the cold Gotham night.

After walking for a few blocks, you were beginning to think you weren't traveling alone. Yes, the streets of Gotham were never truly empty, even at this time of night. But you still had the feeling you were being trailed. Your heart began to pound, and you picked up your pace.

'What if everyone was right? What if Arthur was dangerous?'

'What if he's following me right now?'

You furrowed your eyebrows, just trying to keep your pace up. The streets weren't empty, if something happened surely someone would help you, right?

Right?

You quickly turned a corner, trying to get a glimpse of who was behind you.

'No...'
'Why would he do this...?'

Sure enough, it was Arthur. His hood was up, obstructing most of his face, but you recognized that tan jacket by now. You groaned in fiery frustration.

'Why does everything work out terribly here? Is it a Gotham thing? Nothing works out. I try and help out someone for once and now I'm being fucking stalked.'

You could see your apartment building now. You sighed in relief, knowing that at least he wouldn't be able to follow you inside. Soon, you would be in your sanctuary. The one place you felt safe and comfortable, no matter how cramped and small it was.

You thought about that for a minute.
You got angry.
Everything about this city was terrible. You wouldn't let your apartment become a place of discomfort too. No, this was it. This is how you finally stand up for yourself. No more games, no more coyness. No more being the nice girl.
You took a deep breath, walking up to your building's entrance. You were going to finally do this.

You spun around, and there was Arthur. Just as you expected. You stuck your chin up, making yourself look as intimidating as possible.

"Arthur."

He took a few steps closer, slowing down once you spoke his name. He looked up at you, with a somewhat surprised look on his face.
You felt a pang of guilt seeing his gentle, wide eyes. You knew you shouldn't feel guilty at all, but you would not let yourself become a victim. You were going to tell him right here and now that you wouldn't stand for this, that you would alert the police. That you were not someone to be messed with. That you were -

"Yeah?" He responded, in his usual shaky voice.

You lost your train of thought. Hmph. You stood up as straight as you could, clearing your throat.

"What are you doing here?" you growled.

He blinked a few times, seeming a bit taken aback.

"Uh..." he stammered, "I... I live here."

'Wait, what?'

"Oh yeah?" You quipped. "Then why did you leave Pogo's at the same time as me?"

Arthur looked down, shuffling his feet. His cheeks began to turn to a soft shade of pink. He mumbled something, but you couldn't make out what it was.

"What was that?" you asked, trying your best to maintain your fire.

"I said I've seen you around the building!" He blurted. He sighed and looked down again. "I saw you heading back and I wanted to make sure you got home safe..."

Your eyes shot wide open. You could feel your face turning hot with embarrassment. You nearly cursed off Arthur for walking to his own home. And even then, you still came off very hostile in the first place, all because he wanted to make sure you were SAFE? You stood there, frozen in shame.

You wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear from existence.

Suddenly, Arthur giggled. He covered his mouth quickly, but he was already set in motion. His whole body shook with uncontrollable laughter. He bent over, trying his best to conceal it. It almost seemed painful. Every time he tried to explain himself, he laughed even more.

You had never seen him laugh like this, or in a situation like this. Was your mistake that funny? Was he laughing because of his nerves? Or was he laughing at... you? Were you that much of an embarrassing person, that even Arthur of all people would laugh at you?

His laughter finally began to end in a slow, grating croak. It sounded sickly, and wrong. You watched him, wondering if he was alright. Maybe he just found the whole situation silly. Maybe he was actually crazy, and was about to stab you. Either way, you were about to find out. You stared at him silently, waiting.

He slowly straightened himself back up, seeming very ashamed of himself. He looked up at you, a few more chuckles leaving him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I have a condition. I can't control it."