Protect Me From What I Want

Why did I have to tell her? At the time, I was in Arkham thinking I wouldn’t ever see him again so I confessed to Ivy. I wish I never did. I didn’t think she’d just blurt it out like that; it was completely inappropriate. Now I had to face the consequences for her. I’d been roughed up a lot by The Joker of several occasions before, but for no valid reason. This time, however, even I myself knew I deserved it. I shouldn’t go blabbing The Joker’s personal life to others.

I lay in bed waiting for The Joker, knowing that he’d come storming up the stairs any second soon. Even though I was expecting it, my stomach still did a sickly twist as soon as the sound of footsteps became apparent. I faced away from the door not wanting to face his angry, intimidating eyes. When the door opened, even if I wanted to turn around I couldn’t. I was completely and utterly paralysed with fear. I heard the footsteps make their way around to my side of the bed, until eventually he was standing in front of me. Before I had a chance to look up at him, he grabbed a fist full of my hair and heaved me up to my feet. I let out a quiet whimper as he tightened his grip and brought my face close to his face, yet our faces did not meet.

“How much did you tell her?” He growled huskily.

“I swear, I only told her your na-”

“Don’t lie to me!” He bellowed as he slapped his other hand to my throat, getting ready to throttle me. Simultaneously, both my hands bolted up to his one on my neck, just so that I could attempt to pull it away if his clasp got too tight. “What did you tell her?!”

“Please, I’m telling the truth!” I cried, tears indubitably rolling down my cheeks. “It was only your name.” It was the truth, but The Joker didn’t seem to buy it. I think he was just looking for a reason to hurt me, because he was bored.

“Only my name? Only my name!?” His grasp around my throat tightened with every passing second. “Harley, I don’t think you realise how discriminating this one piece of information is to me. If Poison was to go to the police station and hand in this one little detail, it may just ruin everything for me! Why can’t you see that?!” He roared as he let go of my throat and hair before shaking me by the shoulders. “You don’t want me being turned in do you?” He asked softly.

“Ivy couldn’t turn you in. She’d be turning herself in if she turned you in,” I justified.

“Don’t try and reason with me, Harley!” He emitted another loud roar before delivering a powerful slap across my cheek. “Harley, Harley, Harley. This is why you can’t talk to people. I can’t trust you with anything, can I? Hmm? Telling your new, little friend all of my little secrets. You’re planning on running away with her aren’t you, huh? You think that now she’s entered your life, you don’t need me. You’ve been tricked into thinking that you actually hate me...You’re never ever gonna leave me, understand? You’re not leaving me, to be with someone else! You’re mine and you’ll belong in this house until I say when. Got it?!”

Scared and a little pressurised, I nodded my head in reply; anything just to please him, so that I didn’t have to face any punishments. “I won’t do it again.”

“There’s a good girl,” he said in a husky voice and licked his dry lips. He let go of my shoulders and began to take off his coat and jacket. I was happy I had managed to escape any severe injuries, so I feebly let out a sigh of relief. As The Joker laid his coat on the couch, something slipped out of his pocket. My eyes widened in fright as I saw the taser gun drop to the floor. I knew he was going to see it and he’d start to get sick ideas; some of which were pleasurable for him. Hoping that he hadn’t noticed it, I looked up to see him glaring equally as thoughtful as I. “I forgot all about that,” he stated almost in song. He leaned over and picked up the gun with his leather clad hands. “Lie down, he ordered as he tauntingly meandered towards me, with a weird twitch in his step. I lay against the headboard, hugging my knees together. “Lie on your tummy.”

“Please, don’t do this,” I pleaded, tears once again in my eyes. I cowered against the headboard desperately trying to move away from him as he came closer.

“Don’t make me ask again,” he growled through clenched teeth as he reached for my ankle. As a reflex I brought my other foot up and aimed it at his neck. He choked at the kick but recovered soon after. “Very big mistake, young lady.” Now positively fuming, he grasped both of my ankles and moved me further down the bed, twisting me painfully so that I lay on my front.

“I’m begging you, please don’t.” I’d already felt that traumatising pain of the dreaded taser gun so many times before and I did not plan on going through it again. I hated it. I really did. I didn’t have to be tasered for it to make me completely paralysed; the mere sight of it was enough to cause the same affect. Ignoring me, he lifted the back of my t-shirt up so that the small of my back was showing and pinned my head down to the bed with his other hand. I still struggled regardless of his attempts to stop me.

“Struggling is just going to make it worse, toots,” he warned me angrily. That was a damn lie! No matter how much I struggled, it still hurt exactly the same amount each time I was tasered. I know trying to prove him wrong would only lead to a more hurtful punishment, so I decided against it.

Without another moment longer of hesitation, he placed the gun to the bottom of my back. I convulsed uncontrollably as I let out a pained scream. This one more so than others; instead of pulling the gun back as soon as it had reached my skin, he left it on my back, lengthening the pain and burning my skin off. “Please, please,” I whimpered in pain as I choked on tears. He showed no intentions of removing the gun from my back and I didn’t think I could stand another moment of the torture. No matter how much I tried to attempt to claw his hand away from the gun, he wouldn’t budge, but instead pressed harder down on the gun. Small drops of perspiration had begun to form around my face, blending in with the wetness of the tears.

I gasped loudly when he finally removed the gun away from me. I still cried and whimpered quietly as I breathed heavily. I felt The Joker blow cool air onto the patch of skin that was now burning hot and then place his lips onto the same spot. “There we go. All done,” he sang as he rubbed the scarring burn a little too hard, deliberately obviously. “Now, you’ll always be reminded of me...and what I can do to you, if you ever try to leave me.” He began wiping the warm tears away from my face with his thumb. I didn’t say word, nor did I move a muscle. I simply stared at him, somehow completely exhausted from what just happened. The body convulsions had managed to wear me out totally. “Goodnight, toots,” he whispered next to my ear, before pinching my face between his thumb and index finger and moving my face to the side so he could kiss me sloppily on the lips. “Oh and if you’re wondering, I’m perfectly fine. There’s no need to worry about me when I’m feeling a little down. Thanks for asking though,” The Joker stated cynically as he walked towards the door. If I had asked him he would have shouted at me and if I didn’t ask him he would have shouted at me; either way I’d be shouted at. “Maybe I should tell you what the problem is...actually, then again maybe not. If I tell you, you’d just go blurting it out to your little pal, Poison.”

I wanted to reason with him and try and persuade him to tell me, but frankly I just could not be bothered. I stayed motionless with my back towards him, not caring if he cared that I didn’t care. At least now he was back to his usual self. I heard him let out a little growl in irritation as I had made no effort in consoling him and then slammed the door shut in anger. I fell asleep shortly after.