retrace my lips, erase your touch, it's all too much for me

author's note: i literally got surgery yesterday so y'all had better enjoy this a LITTLE (/hj)

—-

It would be a couple of days before Joker could pull together the guys you'd need to break Harley out of Waller's Task Force, so you and Jonny decided to have a drink.

Neither of you had talked about Jonny's half-confession in the hospital since it happened. You didn't have a problem with it, you just didn't know if there was anything to actually talk about. By this point, though, you realized you had some questions you wanted to ask him. And not just about his feelings, either.

"So, uh-" you started, snagging a bottle of some sort of brown alcohol and two glasses from the bar. The Grin and Bare It wasn't quiet, but for two upper-level thugs working for Joker, you'd get some privacy. "Mind if I ask you something?"

Jonny took one of the glasses from you. "Go ahead," he called over his shoulder, leading you back to one of the more quiet rooms on the outskirts of the dance floor.

"How the hell have you stayed alive this long, working for J?"

He turned to you and smiled. "Same way you have. Following orders, playing it safe. Why? Thinking of screwing up?"

"Okay, you definitely haven't been doing things the same way I have," you said, arching an eyebrow. "You'd better not be, anyway." 

Jonny laughed. "Oh, God, no. Not like that. I just mean- some people know how to keep their heads down, right? That's you and me. And some don't, and those are the ones that get killed." 

"So I've noticed," you muttered. You hadn't forgotten the horror stories going around Gotham about Joker's not at all limitless patience. 

"But hey, look," Jonny said, taking a seat in the booth. "Stability isn't something he understands. It's the one advantage we have over him." 

"Us? Stable?" 

"Well, I mean, think about it." He took a drink from his glass. "If you came from a family where everyone was always fighting,  wouldn't you be somewhat intrigued by the idea of a stable family?" You nodded slowly, staring into your own glass.

"And," he continued, "Wouldn't it confuse you, at first? Wouldn't it make you wonder why yours isn't that way? And if you liked it-"

"You'd want more," you finished. Jonny nodded, tipping his glass to you. "So it's you and I to match Joker and Harley, huh?"

He shrugged. "Personally, I'm better off now that you're here, and it's not just me dealing with J anymore. Harley gives me fewer heart attacks."

"Really?" you asked, throwing back the last of your drink. "I'll be honest, I don't like being Harley's keeper. Even J isn't that hard to keep track of." 

"It's like taking care of a kid," Jonny grinned. "Get her distracted, and you're in the clear. Mostly." 

"And you're good at that?" 

"Sure." 

You paused, thinking hard about what Jonny had said about Joker. "Look, I know you just explained it, but why're we better for him? You'd think Harley would be Joker's match, 'cause she's just as crazy. That's why everyone calls them the king and queen."

"Sure, they're a matched set," Jonny acknowledged. "But two wrongs don't make a right, y'know? The only consistency with them is that Harley stays. But how about us? Not only do we stick around, but we get them out of situations they land themselves in. And we know them, and let them know us. For Joker, the ultimate control freak, that's got to be good." 

"Well, here's hoping we stick around a little longer," you said lazily. 

"Don't say that, you'll jinx it." Jonny didn't even refill your glass, just handed you the mostly empty bottle. You laughed and took a long pull from it, grinning back at him. 

"So. You too?" When he arched an eyebrow, wanting elaboration, you said, "Joker. You... you too?" You couldn't seem to get the words out, mostly because you didn't really know what they should be. 

Jonny laughed, low and amused. "For a while, yeah. He's one hell of a guy, isn't he?" 

"Sure," you smiled. 

"I don't really envy you, though," he shook his head. "J's hard enough to deal with just as somebody who works for him. If I'm reading my cards right, when we wrap up this shit with Harley, you're gonna be takin' her place." He snorted. "As if you didn't already have it. With the amount of respect he shows you, she's been playing second fiddle to your ass this whole time." 

You sat very still and thought about that for a long time. 

---

okay this is. it's not great. but i wrote this conversation (or most of it, anyway) MONTHS ago and knew i had to fit it in somewhere, so here we are! next chapter we finally get to the breakout and see what happens with harley. we're so close to the end, y'all, thanks for sticking around this long!