Arthur Fleck and Joker Imagines

A little inspiration - Part 1 - Arthur x Reader

(Y/n) sat in front of the blank computer screen. It felt as though she had been looking at it for hours, the empty piece of electronic paper seeming to taunt her as she waited for the gift of inspiration.

It wasn't the first time that this had happened, and it definitely wouldn't be the last, but each time was more infuriating than the last, and each time she would have to go out and rediscover that elusive spark.

With a sigh (Y/n) closed the laptop, her hands brushing through her hair in frustration as she wondered how long it would be before she found her new stimulus. In the past it had come from the strangest places, from songs, flowers, and trips to the museum, to a simple word or picture; but this time, this time it felt as though she were like Sisyphus, the great king of Ephyra, punished by Zeus to endlessly roll a huge boulder up a steep hill, only to have it roll down again every time it neared the top.

(Y/n) jumped from her chair as she noticed the time on the clock that sat high on the wall in front of her, if she didn't leave now then she knew she would be late, and being late for this particular meeting just wasn't something she could do.

Grabbing her coat and bag, she rushed from the house and made her onto the bustling dirty streets of Gotham, avoiding the masses as best she could as she dodged the traffic that seemed like the life blood of the city.

Running the last few blocks, she finally saw the familiar old visage of Arkham General come into view. (Y/n) hated the old hospital, it wasn't one of those places that she ever wanted to find herself, but she had made a promise to a little girl that she would be there, and it wasn't something that she wanted to back out of despite how much she disliked the hospital.

"Lily!" (Y/n) called out as she saw the little girl she had come to see sit up in her hospital bed, her once beautiful long brown hair gone, taken by the therapy that was being used to try and help her beat her condition.

"Aunty (Y/n)." The little girl squealed out happily in reply, squeezing (Y/n) as hard as she could as (Y/n) came to sit by her side on the bed.

"Guess what Aunty (Y/n), guess what. Daddy said that the clown is coming again today." Lily gushed enthusiastically as she jumped into (Y/n)'s lap and snuggled her head into the crook of her neck.

(Y/n) couldn't help but chuckle at her niece's excitement. Lily had always loved clowns even from a young age, (Y/n) always putting it down to the bright colours which were always a big draw for children; but it was an attraction that (Y/n) could never see, in fact she found clowns slightly creepy, (Y/n) seeing the makeup they wore as a mask to cover up the real features and true intentions of the man beneath.

"Aunty (Y/n) you'll like him I promise. Carnival is really funny, and he dances and everything." Lily assured, knowing of her aunt's dislike for the gaudily clad entertainers.

"Ok kiddo, ya got me. I'll give old Carnival a chance." (Y/n) told Lily, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible about the whole situation.

Suddenly, as the two continued to chat about Lily's day in the ward, a man appeared dressed in a bright green wig, a yellow waistcoat, pants with patches at the knees and a doctor's coat, entering the small room his bright face paint seeming to give the quite dull room a brilliant shot of colour.

Normally (Y/n) would have felt uncomfortable at the presence of the clown, but there was something about this man that she couldn't help but be interested by; and despite the makeup that covered his features, and the bright red plastic nose, his shimmering green eyes shone through, glistening like two freshly cut emeralds, their mere appearance preventing (Y/n) from doing anything but stare.

As she joined in with the children and the nursing staff, all of them clapping and laughing as the clown danced and sang, (Y/n) couldn't help but smile as a hundred new ideas for stories flooded her mind, the notion that the clown in front of her was her new inspiration causing her to laugh as she shook her head at her own strange mind.

Suddenly the song finished, and (Y/n) was brought back from her thoughts as the clown came over to the side of Lily's bed.

"Well hello Lily. How are you today?" The clown asked, chuckling as the little girl took his hand and pulled him down to sit on her bed.

"I'm ok Mister Carnival. This is my Aunty (Y/n), the one I told you about, remember? Normally she doesn't like clowns, but I told her that she would like you because you are funny and nice, and look, she does like you." Lily declared happy, not noticing how her aunt was now blushing the brightest red colour possible, the clown smiling broadly as the woman on the bed averted her gaze to the floor.

"I do remember, Lily; and I am glad that you talked her into staying, now she can see that clowns aren't scary." Carnival said softly, holding out his hand for (Y/n) to shake.

"Its......its not that I find you scary, its just I......." (Y/n) began, forgetting what she was going to say as the clown shook her hand and her eyes met his.

"Didn't I tell you that Aunty (Y/n) was pretty, Carnival? And she's clever too." Lily cooed, smiling as she watched her aunt and her favourite clown continued to look at one another.

"Er.......yes Lily, you did tell me that she was pretty." Carnival replied, a pink hue on his cheeks now visible even from under his thick white face makeup.

(Y/n) couldn't help but continue to look at the clown as Lily sat telling him about her day, fighting for his attention as the other children flocked around him. She could tell that he seemed to enjoy his time trying to cheer up the sick kids, a real smile evident as he was bombarded by the cacophonous chatter of the children, he eyes darting between them and (Y/n) as he continued to sit next to her and Lily on the bed.

After a while the clown stood, apologising to the children as they protested, not wanting him to leave.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go." Carnival apologised with a sad smile.

"Hopefully, I will be able to come back again soon." He assured, turning back to look at Lily and (Y/n).

"Well, it was nice to meet you (Y/n). Maybe from now on you won't be as scared of me if we meet again." Carnival said, as he shook (Y/n)'s hand again, seeming reluctant to let go.

(Y/n) watched as the clown left the ward, her eyes focused intently on the doorway.

"Aunty (Y/n), are you ok?" Lily asked, slightly concerned that her aunt seemed lost in her thoughts.

"Er yeah kiddo, I'm ok. I'll be back soon; I just have to do something." (Y/n) said, wriggling out from under the little girl and making for the door, chasing after the disappearing coloured blur of the clown.

"Hey!" (Y/n) called out, as she tried to catch up with the man.

"Hey, Mister Carnival, I need to speak with you." (Y/n) shouted, smiling as the clown stopped and turned to look at her.

"What......... what can I do for you?" The man asked, looking slightly confused as (Y/n) nearly barrelled into him.

"Well I know that this may sound really strange but......... well, I have a proposition for you, and I need to talk to you about it. I was hoping that maybe you would allow me to explain to you what I had in mind over a cup of coffee." (Y/n) asked hopefully, smiling broadly as the clown tentatively nodded his head.

Arthur wasn't sure what the woman in front of him could possibly have in mind, but as she smiled at him, he couldn't help, despite his usual reserved and cautious nature, to find himself intrigued by her declaration.

"Er, ok. I need to get changed first if that's ok, I'll meet you in the cafeteria when I'm done." Arthur told her, finding himself smiling as she gripped his hand tightly, before vanishing off down the corridor in the direction of the self-service canteen.

As he made his way to the restrooms, Arthur couldn't help but wonder why a beautiful, and if little Lily was right, intelligent woman would be doing making strange propositions to a clown that she had just met; but as he looked in the mirror, cleaning the makeup from his face, for once he didn't care, for once he was going to see where this could all possibly lead.