Arthur Fleck and Joker Imagines

Lost Girl - Part 3

It had been weeks since Arthur had seen (Y/n), he had been everywhere that he knew he had seen her normally hang out, and he had even asked a couple of the other homeless people if they had seen her; but no matter what he did he hadn't been able to find her. For some reason his apartment felt even colder and more dreary than it was before, and even though (Y/n) had only been there for one night, she had seemed to brighten up the old place, bringing a feeling of warmth and joy with her.

Arthur shambled down the sidewalk kicking at stones as he went, not taking much notice of where he was going or what he was doing, his thin tan jacket doing little to protect him from the usual inclement Gotham weather; not as though he cared, he never really noticed the cold as it seeped through to the very marrow of his bones, or the rain that would soak him through, he didn't really care much for himself, so the idea of a bad case of pneumonia never worried him.

"Hey!" A voice called out, stopping Arthur dead in his tracks, and forcing his gaze up from the sidewalk.

"You tha one that's been lookin for (Y/n)?" An old lady with a shopping cart full of old cans and a tiny dog asked, as she peered hesitantly from around the corner of a building.

"Er..... yeah. You.....you must be Mary, right?" Arthur asked tentatively, remembering how (Y/n) had described the old lady that she woke up to every morning, as the old woman nodded her head, and beckoned him further into the back alley.

"(Y/n) told us all about ya, said ya were good to her, that you were a good man, and I heard that ya were asking about her. (Y/n)'s a good girl, she always gives me and Scamper food if she finds some good stuff, never keeps it for herself, she shouldn't be down here with us." The old woman told Arthur sadly, stroking the scruffy little dog behind the ears.

"(Y/n) was taken to Arkham emergency, apparently she got beaten up pretty badly by some cook from that crappy diner on 8th, we haven't heard anything else, but I know that she's still there." Mary explained, as Arthur stood frozen to the spot; the diner on 8th, the one where he had taken her, the one where she had defended him against the cook, the one where she had told the customers that there were roaches as big as buses. This was his fault, (Y/n) had been hurt because of him, if he hadn't taken her into that place, she would be fine.

"T-t-thank you." Arthur said, as he bolted from the alley, leaving the old woman behind, and running as quickly as his legs could carry him to Arkham.

>>------------------------------<<

(Y/n) stood in the hospital room that had been her home for he last few days, she hated the clinical white of the walls and bedding, she hated the smell of industrial grade antiseptic, and she hated being forced to stay in Arkham, a hospital that had a strange reputation as being one of those places that when you went in the only way you came out was with a tag on your toe, and she was determined that she would never go out in a place like this.

Carefully she pulled one of her large coats around her shoulders, trying her best not to hurt the bruised ribs that she hid under the many layers of clothes that cocooned her form. The cook had made sure that he had worked her over well; apparently the diner had been shut down by the health authorities after another one of the customers reported what she had said the day she had been in the café with Arthur, and the cook wanted revenge, and he had got what he wanted; (Y/n) had been rushed into Arkham with bruised ribs and kidneys, concussion, a busted lip and a broken wrist; but she had had the last laugh, two cops in a patrol car had been driving passed the alley, and had taken the man in custody meaning that he was currently a guest in Blackgate Penitentiary, a hell hole that was even too good for a piece of shit like him.

"(Y/N)!" A gasping cry called out, causing her to move from the room to the stark corridor, her eyes falling on the breathless, sweaty form of Arthur, as he frantically looked into the rooms, ignoring the complaints of the nurses.

"Arthur." (Y/n) called back, taking a deep painful breath as Arthur barrelled towards her, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms.

"I'm so sorry (Y/n), this..... this is all my fault; if I hadn't taken you into that place none of this would have happened to you." Arthur said apologetically, holding her as close as humanly possible.

"Arthur, sweetie, you need to let go a little." (Y/n) begged with a chuckle, as Arthur reluctantly loosened his grip.

Taking his face into her hands, (Y/n) looked into Arthur's teary eyes. "Hey, none of this is your fault, getting beaten up is an occupational hazard for me, I never did know when to keep my mouth shut; and he hit it like a five year old girl anyway." (Y/n) joked, trying to hide the pain that radiated from her plastered arm and ribs.

Suddenly (Y/n) leaned in, kissing Arthur on the lips. "That's for caring." (Y/n) said, before kissing him again.

"That's for being a good man....... and this....." (Y/n) said, as she leaned in and kissed a wide eyed Arthur once again. "Is because I missed you Arthur." She told him, carefully placing her arms around his neck as she savoured his warm embrace.

"Come back with me please (Y/n), I don't want you to go back to the street, there is enough room for two of us in the apartment, and even if there wasn't, I'd make room." Arthur begged, sighing happily as he felt her nuzzle into his neck.

"I don't want you to think that I am using you Arthur, that I'm taking advantage of your good nature, you're too good a man to be used like that." (Y/n) told him, trying to distance herself, yet never wanting to leave the man in her arms again.

Arthur took a deep breath; despite the feeling of dread that she would say no, despite the fact that they had not known one another long, he knew that there was something between them, something tangible, something that he never wanted to lose, and he knew without a doubt that (Y/n) felt it too, and he knew that this time he had to tell her how he felt, and make her stay.

"I....... I know that this is crazy, but, well, I don't want to lose you again (Y/n), I want you to come back with me, to make a new life with me. If..... if you want, I'll talk to Hoyt, and you can come and work with me at Ha-Has, or something. I'll never regret helping you, I'll never think that you are taking advantage of me; I just can't lose you again." Arthur said, his fingers combing through the long white hair that tumbled down her back.

"It sounds like you've given this a lot of thought." (Y/n) giggled softly, her eyes fluttering closed, the feel of his fingers seeming to soothe her every aching bone and muscle.

(Y/n) had to admit that there was something about the man that held her close, something that made him special, something that made him one of a kind, and even though it was insane, she couldn't fight the feelings she had for him. She was never one to believe in the idea of love at first sight, consigning the notion to fairy tales or those dumb romantic movies; but as Arthur held her close, she knew that she loved him.

"I tell you what, why don't we get outta this place and you can take me home." (Y/n) said, smiling as Arthur looked at her, not quite sure that he could believe what he had just heard.

"Home?" He asked hesitantly, as (Y/n) pecked him on the lips, her thumb gently caressing his cheek.

"Well, if I am going to live with you, I better get used to calling it home, hadn't I?" (Y/n) asked, as Arthur pulled her back into his arms.

"Home, yes. Our home." Arthur beamed, as the two made their way down the corridors of the old hospital.

As they walked out onto the damp Gotham streets, Arthur's eyes fell on the white haired beauty by his side that had her hand intertwined with his, and he couldn't help but think that it wasn't him that had saved his lost girl, but it was the lost girl that had saved him.

>>--------------------------------<< The End >>----------------------------------<<