Drinking Roses
Aug. 4th, 2022 01:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apachefirecatTitle: Drinking Roses
Fandom: Batman
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Harley/Ivy, Joker/Harley
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Ivy knows too well the heart wants what it wants.
Word Count: 1,426
Written For: FFFC July Amnesty: r22.11: Decorative and r22.12: Makeup and 100 Fandom Hell Fandom #9: Batman
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to DC Comics, not the author, and are used without permission.
She keeps thinking she can hide the pain. If she laughs enough, there'll just think she's as crazy as he is. If she smiles all the time, they won't know that her heart is hurting. They can guess. They can hypothesize all they want, but they cannot know. None of them can ever know for they'll see her pain as a weakness.
She shouldn't have let him in. She knows that now, after all these years. She had been so head over heels for him back when they'd been at Arkham, herself working on the right side of the law while he'd been serving multiple life sentences. She should have known. She should have listened. The Joker was capable of love, but he only one loved being.
No, that wasn't even true, Harley told herself firmly. He didn't even love himself. He loved chaos and pain, but he did not love himself. If he did, he would see that she was good for him, or at the very least, he wouldn't put himself through all the terrible things he does. He'd want a chance at a life, at actually being happy. She could make him happy, Harley thought, but there was just so little use in trying any more. It kept her alive. It kept others from daring to mess with her. But whatever it was he was looking for, it had become painfully clear that she could not supply it.
Maybe she should do them both a favor and just leave, but it had become almost as equally painfully clear that no matter where she went, or with whom she went, he would always find her. He'd find her, and if she was weeping and carrying on a good grieving act, he'd be perfectly happy to scoop her up and fly away. But if she dared to make a friend? She'd long ago learned that the quickest way to get a guy killed was to look at them instead of Mister J. Even her friends lived a dangerous life to befriend her; Ivy had barely escaped with her life the last time.
"We can get away with this," Ivy hissed in a low whisper. Their vines trailed all around them, and she knew that Ivy would have Mister J and his goons snapped up in an instant if she gave the word. But what would happen afterward? Eventually he'd get free. Eventually he always got free.
She knew better than to ask, however, just as she knew better than to allow any weakness to show. She had to decorate somehow. She had to make her dearest, oldest, and perhaps even only (outside of her hyenas) friend believe she was happy, so Harley plastered a big smile over her pretty face. "What are you talking about?" she hissed back, and she saw the telltale rigidness pass through Ivy's face for just a scant second. Even Ivy was afraid of Harley's boyfriend, and she should be. The whole world, except for that crazy Bat with a suicidal wish, feared her man. She'd thought that was a good thing once.
"You know what I'm talking about," Ivy finally whispered back, squaring her shoulders and lifting her head. She would never fear a man again, she reminded herself sternly. She was woman, and women knew how to be stronger than any man. They had to be to to survive in the society in which they were forced to live. Besides, Ivy was more than that. She was more than any weak, little woman, or human in general. She was Mother Nature reincarnated. She could take the Joker. She would take him, if only Harley would give the okay. "We can take him," she added.
Harley gave her a long, sideways look. For just a moment, Ivy thought she was going to agree. She thought she was finally going to make a go for her freedom, but then Harley broke out into an even bigger smile. "Nah," she said and skipped ahead of her. "I love my Pudding!" she sang out, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and dancing across him.
Ivy scowled as Harley shimmied against the Joker's back. Her gigantic Venus fly trap, moving slowly beside her, snapped at the air. "Flies," she muttered when one of the Joker's goons looked questionably her way. It was disgusting to see a woman throw her life away after a man, or after anything so trivial, but it broke a piece of Ivy's heart hidden deeply within her chlorophyll to watch Harley surrender her life and happiness so easily, especially to a brute like the Joker. You can lead a... rose to water, she thought, amending the old adage, but you can't make them drink.
She hadn't believed it when Harley had first told her how she had met the Joker, but she had done her homework. She had also seen that intelligence shine on rare occasion when she had mended Harls back to health -- many times after the Joker had left her for dead. She knew that he would be the first to throw her to the cops, to the Bat, or anything else that he himself feared where she would be the first, always it seemed, and perhaps even the only, to love her enough to save her and nurse her back to health again and again...
In truth, it was getting tiresome to do all that work only to watch Harley throw her life away again and again. How many times would it take, she wondered, before she finally learned to give up on the man? How many times could she allow herself to be hurt? Could she allow not only her heart to be broken but her very body shattered before she learned that there had to be a limit to how many times a girl could forgive a guy for doing everything within his power to utterly and completely destroy her?
But then too, Ivy found herself questioning herself, did she have to allow and endure the breaking of her own heart, the very thing she claimed to no longer have just as she claimed to no longer be human, to no longer be vulnerable? She wanted to blame Harley for being so soft, but she herself was soft and weak, pathetic really against Harley's charms, even when the girl didn't realize she was using them.
And oh, how she wielded them against Ivy's hapless wit! Her strength was nothing when it came to Harley Quinn. Her resolve shattered with one look at that sorrowful, little girl, and she always saw that poor child no matter how much makeup she wore or what else she decided to wield against her in decorating her outside shell. But Ivy wasn't fooled by Harley's outside shell. She knew the girl inside was hurting. She knew the woman was inside crumpling, crying already before the Joker slung her off of his back.
"Not now, Harley! I don't have time for your kind of fun and games! Not when Gotham's about to be quaking in fear with my fun and games!" He cackled as he and his goons walked on. Every single one of the men in their group just marched by Harley as though the woman didn't even lay, sniffling and doing all she could to keep from actually crying, on the cold, harm, and slimy concrete floor.
It was only Ivy who stopped for her, only Ivy who offered her her hand to stand, only Ivy who wrapped her arms around her and gave a quick squeeze, reminding her with a hug and a gentle, chaste kiss hidden in her blonde pigtails to remind her that she was there, that she was loved, that she was genuinely cared for just the way she was. Ivy hardened her own, green eyes against the betraying tears that threatened to well within them. It was only Ivy who cared for her, who loved her, and she knew, no matter what, including and especially how greatly it pained her herself, she would always be there for Harley, at least as long as she breathed.
Ivy's thorny roses, the little buds along her vines that were just waiting for the opportunity to poke their thorns into the Joker or any other man who dared to hurt either of their mistresses, sighed for her. You could lead a rose to water, they all knew, but sometimes, no matter how hard you tried or even they tried, you just couldn't make them drink.
The End
Fandom: Batman
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Harley/Ivy, Joker/Harley
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Ivy knows too well the heart wants what it wants.
Word Count: 1,426
Written For: FFFC July Amnesty: r22.11: Decorative and r22.12: Makeup and 100 Fandom Hell Fandom #9: Batman
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to DC Comics, not the author, and are used without permission.
She keeps thinking she can hide the pain. If she laughs enough, there'll just think she's as crazy as he is. If she smiles all the time, they won't know that her heart is hurting. They can guess. They can hypothesize all they want, but they cannot know. None of them can ever know for they'll see her pain as a weakness.
She shouldn't have let him in. She knows that now, after all these years. She had been so head over heels for him back when they'd been at Arkham, herself working on the right side of the law while he'd been serving multiple life sentences. She should have known. She should have listened. The Joker was capable of love, but he only one loved being.
No, that wasn't even true, Harley told herself firmly. He didn't even love himself. He loved chaos and pain, but he did not love himself. If he did, he would see that she was good for him, or at the very least, he wouldn't put himself through all the terrible things he does. He'd want a chance at a life, at actually being happy. She could make him happy, Harley thought, but there was just so little use in trying any more. It kept her alive. It kept others from daring to mess with her. But whatever it was he was looking for, it had become painfully clear that she could not supply it.
Maybe she should do them both a favor and just leave, but it had become almost as equally painfully clear that no matter where she went, or with whom she went, he would always find her. He'd find her, and if she was weeping and carrying on a good grieving act, he'd be perfectly happy to scoop her up and fly away. But if she dared to make a friend? She'd long ago learned that the quickest way to get a guy killed was to look at them instead of Mister J. Even her friends lived a dangerous life to befriend her; Ivy had barely escaped with her life the last time.
"We can get away with this," Ivy hissed in a low whisper. Their vines trailed all around them, and she knew that Ivy would have Mister J and his goons snapped up in an instant if she gave the word. But what would happen afterward? Eventually he'd get free. Eventually he always got free.
She knew better than to ask, however, just as she knew better than to allow any weakness to show. She had to decorate somehow. She had to make her dearest, oldest, and perhaps even only (outside of her hyenas) friend believe she was happy, so Harley plastered a big smile over her pretty face. "What are you talking about?" she hissed back, and she saw the telltale rigidness pass through Ivy's face for just a scant second. Even Ivy was afraid of Harley's boyfriend, and she should be. The whole world, except for that crazy Bat with a suicidal wish, feared her man. She'd thought that was a good thing once.
"You know what I'm talking about," Ivy finally whispered back, squaring her shoulders and lifting her head. She would never fear a man again, she reminded herself sternly. She was woman, and women knew how to be stronger than any man. They had to be to to survive in the society in which they were forced to live. Besides, Ivy was more than that. She was more than any weak, little woman, or human in general. She was Mother Nature reincarnated. She could take the Joker. She would take him, if only Harley would give the okay. "We can take him," she added.
Harley gave her a long, sideways look. For just a moment, Ivy thought she was going to agree. She thought she was finally going to make a go for her freedom, but then Harley broke out into an even bigger smile. "Nah," she said and skipped ahead of her. "I love my Pudding!" she sang out, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and dancing across him.
Ivy scowled as Harley shimmied against the Joker's back. Her gigantic Venus fly trap, moving slowly beside her, snapped at the air. "Flies," she muttered when one of the Joker's goons looked questionably her way. It was disgusting to see a woman throw her life away after a man, or after anything so trivial, but it broke a piece of Ivy's heart hidden deeply within her chlorophyll to watch Harley surrender her life and happiness so easily, especially to a brute like the Joker. You can lead a... rose to water, she thought, amending the old adage, but you can't make them drink.
She hadn't believed it when Harley had first told her how she had met the Joker, but she had done her homework. She had also seen that intelligence shine on rare occasion when she had mended Harls back to health -- many times after the Joker had left her for dead. She knew that he would be the first to throw her to the cops, to the Bat, or anything else that he himself feared where she would be the first, always it seemed, and perhaps even the only, to love her enough to save her and nurse her back to health again and again...
In truth, it was getting tiresome to do all that work only to watch Harley throw her life away again and again. How many times would it take, she wondered, before she finally learned to give up on the man? How many times could she allow herself to be hurt? Could she allow not only her heart to be broken but her very body shattered before she learned that there had to be a limit to how many times a girl could forgive a guy for doing everything within his power to utterly and completely destroy her?
But then too, Ivy found herself questioning herself, did she have to allow and endure the breaking of her own heart, the very thing she claimed to no longer have just as she claimed to no longer be human, to no longer be vulnerable? She wanted to blame Harley for being so soft, but she herself was soft and weak, pathetic really against Harley's charms, even when the girl didn't realize she was using them.
And oh, how she wielded them against Ivy's hapless wit! Her strength was nothing when it came to Harley Quinn. Her resolve shattered with one look at that sorrowful, little girl, and she always saw that poor child no matter how much makeup she wore or what else she decided to wield against her in decorating her outside shell. But Ivy wasn't fooled by Harley's outside shell. She knew the girl inside was hurting. She knew the woman was inside crumpling, crying already before the Joker slung her off of his back.
"Not now, Harley! I don't have time for your kind of fun and games! Not when Gotham's about to be quaking in fear with my fun and games!" He cackled as he and his goons walked on. Every single one of the men in their group just marched by Harley as though the woman didn't even lay, sniffling and doing all she could to keep from actually crying, on the cold, harm, and slimy concrete floor.
It was only Ivy who stopped for her, only Ivy who offered her her hand to stand, only Ivy who wrapped her arms around her and gave a quick squeeze, reminding her with a hug and a gentle, chaste kiss hidden in her blonde pigtails to remind her that she was there, that she was loved, that she was genuinely cared for just the way she was. Ivy hardened her own, green eyes against the betraying tears that threatened to well within them. It was only Ivy who cared for her, who loved her, and she knew, no matter what, including and especially how greatly it pained her herself, she would always be there for Harley, at least as long as she breathed.
Ivy's thorny roses, the little buds along her vines that were just waiting for the opportunity to poke their thorns into the Joker or any other man who dared to hurt either of their mistresses, sighed for her. You could lead a rose to water, they all knew, but sometimes, no matter how hard you tried or even they tried, you just couldn't make them drink.
The End
