It Was Only a Text

Barefaced and Bloody

A/N: things get a little steamy and slightly...uh, bloody...you have been warned.

~It's haunting

This hold that you have over me

I grow so weak

I see you

And everything around you fades

And I can't speak

But you can never know what it is you do to me~

~In This Moment~

Hot water massaged the tense muscles on my shoulders and back. I let it pour over me and wash away the confusion of the last few days. I pushed the wet hair back from my face and looked up at Joker. He smiled and started to duck his face into the water. He scrubbed the blood splattered paint from his face. I watched in awe as more of his slightly tanned skin was exposed.

I closed my eyes. I couldn't look at him like this, didn't want to see him as human. Logically I knew he was flesh and blood like me, but while he had the paint on he seemed more untouchable, some non-human, godlike creature. To see the truth that he was human, just like the rest of us made something in my chest ache. Good? Bad? I had no clue, but it hurt either way.

Then I was crying. The tears had started and just didn't want to stop, I felt him move us, and then his hands were in my hair. As I cried, he washed my hair, his rough caress on my scalp felt amazing. He gently rinsed the shampoo out. I felt him move the curtain open a bit, the colder air hitting me. Then he was back, a wet rag was moving over my face and neck.

I opened my eyes and saw the pink on the rag. I felt myself pale, was that blood? He didn't talk, he just continued to wash me, the soft touches were all wrong. This felt wrong, too normal. He rinsed my body clean of soap.

"Clean towel on the sink, dry off, I'll be out in a minute."

I nodded avoiding eye contact and got out, drying myself then wrapping the towel around me. I moved out of the bathroom and sat on the bed. I looked around the room, my clothes were piled at the door, the only real mess in the room.

The door of the bathroom opened and he stepped out. I closed my eyes, I still couldn't look at him. It confused me to hear his voice but see this stranger's clean face.

"Are you trying to sleep sitting up?"

"No."

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know." I said, that statement pulled a watery laugh from me. It was the truth. I have no fucking clue what was going on. What had I gotten myself into?

I heard movement, he was walking around the room. I still refused to open my eyes, even though it seemed so childish now. I sighed and opened my eyes. He was standing at the mirror, it looked like he was about to put his face paint back on. I was confused now was he leaving me here?

He saw me looking at him. "What are you doing? Are you leaving?" I asked, the panic was growing inside my stomach.

"No."

"Then why are you doing that?" I pointed at the paint.

"So you will keep your fucking eyes open." He basically growled at me.

I laughed, I really laughed, full on belly laughs. Cramped side and more fucking tears. When I had calmed down, I looked back at him. He didn't seem nearly as amused.