Arthur Fleck and Joker Imagines

Mermaid - Part 5

Arthur waited anxiously for the sound of a familiar splash. It was getting close to midnight, and he had already been sat on the bench by the river for what felt like hours. Not as though he really cared, for a chance to see (Y/n) again he would wait a lifetime.

Nervously, he gripped at the plastic bag in his arms. It contained everything that was needed, although he wished he could have provided better for (Y/n)'s first trip back onto dry land in centuries.

Gary had reminded Arthur, that along with clothes, that his new lady may require shoes; but given that fact that Arthur had no idea what her legs even looked like, never mind the size of her feet, Arthur had chosen to take a few pairs of thick socks, and just hope everything that he and Gary had found would fit the mermaid.

Suddenly a large splash alerted Arthur to a presence in the water, his heart pounding violently as he rushed from the bench and over to the wall that surrounded the banks of the Gotham river, his face lighting up as he saw the flash of shimmering green scales.

"Hello Arthur." (Y/n) said with a soft smile, as he rushed down the stairs to get to the small piece of dry land where they usually met.

"You......you came." Arthur replied, still in disbelief, shocked that not only she was real, but also that she was there for him.

"Of course I came. Why wouldn't I? I want to join you, be able to spend time with you, Arthur. To see what life is like on dry land. To see your world." (Y/n) told him, reaching out her hand for Arthur to take.

"I brought you everything that you might need." Arthur said, kneeling down next to (Y/n) and handing her the slightly torn plastic bag. (Y/n) smiling broadly as she looked at the contents.

"They look wonderful Arthur, thank you. But, I.........well I was hoping that you could help me. I need to get away from the water, I need to be able to get my tail dry, and as I can't walk yet, I need you.........well, could you carry me to somewhere away from the river?" (Y/n) asked sheepishly, the mermaid hating the idea of being so vulnerable.

Beneath the waves she was in her element, she could do as she wished, go wherever her heart desired. With a few flicks of her mighty tail she could be playing with the octopi of the Caribbean reefs, or swimming with the narwhal in Arctic waters, her body perfectly adapting to the extremes of the seas. Yet out of the water she was weak, especially in her true form. And was, quite literally, a fish out of water.

Arthur looked around, hoping to find a place that was not only dry, but was also concealed from the surroundings. He knew that once (Y/n) was dry, that she would be completely naked, and even thought he was slightly embarrassed to admit that that was something he would very much like to see, he was too much of a gentleman to do such a thing.

"I think.......I think I've found somewhere." Arthur finally said, his eyes lighting up as he found the perfect spot. His arms reaching under the water so that he could place one under her tail, and the other around her waist, slowly lifting the graceful creature out of the murky Gotham River water.

He didn't mind being wet, he didn't mind being cold as the water dripped from (Y/n)'s body and soaked him to the bone. She was in his arms, her breath fanning against his skin, her head nuzzled into the side of his neck as he carried her carefully to the spot that he had seen.

To Arthur this seemed like some kind of fairy tale, that could only have been dreamt of by Hans Christian Andersen or the Brothers Grimm. But in their stories, he would be the poor sidekick to Prince Charming, the one that would secretly be in love with the heroine, but in the end would lose to the handsome prince. Yet here he was, he was the handsome prince. The one with the heroine in his arms, the one that she wanted to be with. And all he could do was hope that he wouldn't wake up from this glorious tale.

"I......I'll leave you here. If you need me, just call." Arthur said, reluctantly placing (Y/n) on the floor. The sudden freezing cold as her warm body left his, making him shiver in the night air.

"I'll try not to be long, Arthur." (Y/n) replied, kissing him on the cheek before turning her attentions to the contents of the plastic bag.

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

Arthur sat nervously on the bench, watching anxiously as the occasional person would pass him by. Most of them were the most unfortunate of the city, the homeless, the addicted, the drunks, and Arthur knew that it wasn't a safe place to be; but they seemed to what to ignore him more than he was trying to ignore them, creating a strange, uneasy line between Arthur and this sub world.

It had seemed like time was passing slower as he waited for (Y/n). It was like waiting for Christmas when you were a child, the days of December seeming to drag more than any other month, the excitement building inside you, as you dreamt of what Santa would place under the tree. So, it was for Arthur, the last twenty four hours dragging as he thought of all the possibilities that (Y/n) could bring if she stepped into his life.

"ARTHUR!" (Y/n) called out, Arthur jumping from the bench and running down to where he left her.

Had something happened? Had it gone wrong, and (Y/n) had found that she couldn't actually change? Had she been seen by someone, taken by someone? Arthur couldn't help but feel a chill as a sudden fear gripped him.

"Arthur. It worked." (Y/n) called out happily as she stumbled forward. The legs that she hadn't used in so long, wobbling dramatically, reminiscent of a newly born giraffe that was just learning how to use its new limbs.

Arthur couldn't help but stare as he came to a sudden halt, the woman in front of him taking his breath away as she held herself up against the wall. He had to admit that the clothes weren't the best, but somehow on (Y/n) they looked as though they had been created by one of the great designers just for her.

As beautiful as she was as a mermaid, Arthur couldn't help but think that there was something that made her even more stunning as a human. Her long hair, which usually discreetly covered her naked breasts, was now pulled back and plaited as neatly as she could, with just a few lose strands falling down around her ears and face. The clothes clung perfectly to her form like a second skin, and Arthur couldn't help but wish that he had been able to see her before she had put them on.

"I don't think I'm very good at this." (Y/n) said with a chuckle, as she pushed herself off the wall, and began to try and walk. Arthur rushing over and catching her as her knees gave way.

"I will get better, I promise. Well I hope I will. I think that I did last time." (Y/n) told him, as Arthur held onto her tightly, doing his best to keep her upright.

"I'm sorry Arthur. You humans make this look so easy, yet here I am, unable to use them." (Y/n) continued, looking down at her new, still shaky legs.

"Its alright (Y/n). Sometimes we even struggle to stay upright. So, for a first try, in a long time, I think you're doing well." Arthur chuckled, as he helped her step forward. Arthur wondering if this was what I parent felt like when they helped their child make their first real steps.

All of a sudden it hit him. His apartment was quite someway away, and given the environment in which they found themselves, and the time of night, Arthur knew that it would be best to get back to his place as quickly as possible. But given (Y/n)'s inability to walk further than a few steps before nearly falling over, he knew that there was only one thing that he could do.

Rummaging around in his pockets, he pulled out a few crumpled dollars. Mentally trying to work out whether or not it would be enough.

"(Y/n). Just wait here, I'll be back in a minute." Arthur said, helping (Y/n) sit down, before he rushed off into the night.