Arthur Fleck and Joker Imagines

My Girl - Part 3

"I don't! I haven't! They mean nothing, I only want you!" Joker called out in vain, as he slumped onto the sofa, looking at the photo of a day he could now remember vividly. The picture was of one of those very rare nice days in Gotham, (Y/n) had managed to talk Arthur into going to the park to enjoy the beautiful afternoon, taking a picnic with them so that they could sit on the grass and be alone; and despite all the others around them that seemed to have had the same idea, it had felt to Arthur like they had been alone, (Y/n) snuggled into his side as they lay on the blanket looking up at the exquisite azure blue sky. Arthur couldn't remember a time that he had been so happy, a time when he had felt so free, away from Ha-Ha's, away from his mother and the weight of the world that constantly seemed to be on his shoulders. He had felt a sense of pride as he walked through the streets with a smiling (Y/n) on his arm, other men turning to look at the woman by his side, a woman that he knew, despite his reserved nature and seeming inability to take their relationship to the next level, was his and only his.

Joker could remember that as Arthur and (Y/n) ate and watched the world go by, Arthur had had to apologise for what seemed like the millionth time for Penny's attitude towards her, Penny never making her dislike for (Y/n) a secret; so many times the vindictive old woman had told Arthur that she was sick, told him that she needed him so that he wouldn't leave her to spend time with (Y/n), and Arthur being the good and loving son had always chosen his mother first. But that day even Arthur had had enough, slipping Penny's medication into a cup of tea to ensure that the old harridan slept while he was able to spend time with the woman he loved.

Joker abruptly stood up, storming around the old apartment smashing anything and everything that came to hand, his blood boiling when he remembered how Arthur had been a prisoner in the dingy hell hole, the evil old woman that had dared call herself his mother, was the warden of a place that was worse than Arkham could ever dream of being.

Panting for breath as his initial anger began to subside, Joker looked around at the devastation he had caused, beginning to laugh as he took in what he had done, a feeling of satisfaction filling his senses as he took in the mass of broken objects. He hated Penny Fleck with every fibre of his being, of all those that had died by his hands, Penny's death was strangely the most satisfying, the most liberating; with her demise Joker had been set free, Arthur pushed into the shadows, pushed deep down as the killer clown took his rightful place as King of the city that had dragged him down, a city that he now owned and a city that he would continue to make pay until he saw fit to bring it back into the light.

Smashing the photo frame, Joker took the picture of Arthur and (Y/n) from the under the shattered glass, brushing off any small shards that may damage the image of the day Arthur had plucked up enough courage to tell (Y/n) that he loved her, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, remembering how Arthur had furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as (Y/n) had kissed him before jumping up and grabbing a complete stranger to take a picture to commemorate a day that she swore she would never forget.

"I promised that I would never forget, that I would always love you, that I would never leave you; I remember all that now, and no matter what it takes, I'll make it up to you." Joker said, as he looked at the picture one last time, his fingers ghosting over the image of (Y/n) before he pushed the picture into the tan jacket pocket and made for the door.

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(Y/n) stood outside the small apartment. She knew that she should leave, she knew that she should have just gone and got into the elevator and disappeared once again from Joker's life, but as she heard him call out, confessing that he hadn't been with a woman, that they meant nothing, and he wanted only her despite all the females that seemed to make it more than obvious what they wanted from the new King of Gotham, (Y/n) knew she couldn't, she knew she had to stay and listen to what Joker was going to do next, what he could say.

Seeing Joker dressed in Arthur's clothes, looking every inch like the man she loved apart from the clowns well known green hair, had affected her more than she had let on in front of him, his mere closeness, his familiar smell had made her mind race, made her question her own reality.

Like Arthur, (Y/n) had lost her therapist, as well as her access to the medication that she needed to keep her own sanity, the last of her pills taken the day that she had originally confronted Joker. Now she was fighting to keep her world from falling apart, fighting the demons and ghosts that were making their voices heard again, fighting to not fall down the rabbit hole and end up in a world that she knew would be far from anything like Wonderland, a late white rabbit being the last of her concerns.

She and Arthur had discussed their own conditions at length the first time that they had met, finding that not only was it easier to talk to someone that suffered too, but also finding that they both shared very similar problems despite their different backgrounds.

Unlike Arthur, (Y/n) had had a much easier childhood, she had supportive parents that helped do whatever they could to keep their daughter safe when she had had an episode, episodes that had landed her in Arkham on more than one occasion while she was stabilised; but when her parents had passed away she had been left alone without a lifeline, without the support that she was used to, and that was when she had met Arthur, the shy awkward man seeming to appear as if he was a gift from a mother and father that were still watching over her from beyond the grave. From that first encounter (Y/n) knew there was something special about Arthur, knew that their meeting was not mere chance, and she knew that she didn't want their first encounter to be their one and only.

Suddenly the sound of crashing and smashing from the dimly lit apartment drew back her attention, making her jump as she heard a growl and then an eerie cackle that seemed to come from some kind of evil entity rather than a human being. As much as she wanted to rush into the room, as much as she wanted to make sure that the man inside was alright, to throw herself into his arms and kiss him, she stopped herself; Arthur had always been tougher than he gave himself credit for, a man can't take as many beatings as he did, brush off all the bruises and scrapes that he had without being strong, and as Joker had gone to reach for her hand she had noticed his bloody knuckles (Y/n) sensing now that this current destruction was not the first of the night, and realising that despite his transformation, Joker was just as tough as Arthur ever was, and he didn't need her to take care of him.

As she turned to leave, fearing that Joker would make his way from the apartment at any moment, (Y/n) not wanting him to know that she had stayed, that she had over heard what he had said, she was stopped in her tracks as his voice which seemed to have gotten deeper emanated from the room behind the half closed doors, his words making her shudder with a wicked delight, making her mind race, making her heart beat faster.

"I promised that I would never forget, that I would always love you, that I would never leave you; I remember all that now, and no matter what it takes, I'll make it up to you." Joker said, as (Y/n) bolted to find some impossible hiding place as the door flew open, Joker luckily turning the other way and not noticing the woman that tried to make herself as invisible as possible, while her mind slowly began to tumble down into its own distorted form of Wonderland, the rabbit hole getting darker as she fell.