[rl] Harvey and the Joker

[thedawniscoming]

It had been a while since he had wandered back into the apartment, long enough that some of the features drew his eye in a half forgotten sort of recognition. One detail was certainly new, the mess spilling over the surfaces and some of the floor. As he walked in, jacket thrown behind haphazardly and the door swinging it's self shut, he grasped one of the bottles.

A few pills fell as he turned the label over- caffeine of some sort. He nearly snorted as Crane's face immediately came to mind. He didn't care to dwell long on why the doctor may be deciding not to indulge in sleep. He knew once he really started understanding the reasoning of the mad man he'd be beyond even where he was willing to go.

He dropped the bottle without a second glance, heading to the hall. The relative quiet was unsettling- as much as the peace was better than the alternative.

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[tntandgasoline]

The Joker was sitting in his room - well, "sitting" wasn't the right term, since he had been pushing himself along the floor on his wheeled chair every five minutes to get some other energy-laden concoction from his bed.

Either way, the Joker was currently at his computer, but the sound of someone walking in the hallway made him jump, spinning his chair to glare out the open door. "Walk quieter or get the hell out, I swear to God it's like living with, with a bunch of children running around all day!"

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

Harvey's brow raised as the yell caught his attention- a little on edge it seemed, and certainly not the doctor's. He nearly rolled his eyes as he made his way down the hall despite his better, muted, judgment.

He opened the door with no little force, ignoring the complaints of noise and glancing to the seated man and his concoction of pills and drinks. He walked over to the bed without acknowledging the Joker, picking up the same, though fuller, bottle from before then glancing back over with an incredulous look.

"Good to see you again too." he said, voice as dry as a snap. "What the hell is this little experiment about?"

[tntandgasoline]

"Oh, it's just you." The Joker spun his chair back to his computer, looking to ignore Harvey, even though that was simply impossible when the man was in his room, touching his things -

"It's funny, that fucking community - it can do anything and I really enjoy my privacy, you know, my mystique and this whole dream thing really fucks with both of those things so I took it upon myself to, uh, to go and, you know, to test things. Like Adderall, since the internet said all the cool college kids were doing it." He laughed, "Even though I never went to college, that's beside the point."

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

Harvey turned the bottle over again, something very like amusement crawling up his throat.

"Haven't checked the community in a while- there's a new virus though, isn't there?" His eyes slid over. "Something about dreams." He stepped over, tossing the bottle in the air and catching it again. "must be interesting if you're so damned nervous about it."

[tntandgasoline]

The Joker glared at him in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "I just said, didn't I, dreams are kind of like magical seeing eye things and if you know what you're looking for in them you can find anything, anything at all and the last thing I need is for you or Batman or fucking Crane - oh, so help me, Crane seeing it - and then you'd have all sorts of - you know what, it's pointless talking to you."

Not that he was talking so much as babbling, but that was beside the point. "I already said I didn't want to ruin the mystique. What do you want, or is this just you bothering me in revenge for everything I've put you through?"

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

It took a great deal of effort not to roll his eyes as he glanced around the room. He was shocked the man was alive given what seemed to be a lethal amount of caffeine rolling through his system.

"We'd have all sorts of ammo?" Harvey asked, regarding the other man with something a little too close to amusement. "Really are nervous- guess I picked a good time to come back." Or at least an interesting one.

He rested his back against the wall, brow quirking at the last question. "Why, is it working?"

[tntandgasoline]

"No, it's not working, I'm just irritable because of all the caffene. No, that's a lie, it is working, you are bothering me and yeah, it would, if I thought you people were smart enough to understand dreams."

He gave Harvey a once over before turning back to his computer, then turned around again and stared flatly.

"You're enjoying this!"

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

"I don't have to understand dreams- I just need to find someone who does." Harvey pointed out, turning the bottle mindlessly in his hand. "Who wouldn't want a crack at what makes the madman tick?" he offered, glancing over in time to catch the... offended? the look, returning it casually.

Enjoying it? It was a little disturbing to think that he was.

"I don't know." He answered in a sardonic drawl, tossing the bottle back to him. "Let me flip a coin and find out."

[tntandgasoline]

The Joker continued to stare incredulously at Harvey, though his foot began to tap impatiently after a moment. "Jokes and enjoying something?" His tone indicated that he thought neither of them could happen to Harvey - at least, not all at once like this. The idea that maybe Harvey liked seeing that the Joker wasn't invulnerable never crossed his mind; however, another theory did.

"Harvey," he said, rolling his chair right up to bump knees with Harvey's legs, staring up at him, "Have you met a new woman?"

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

Harvey did let his eyes roll upwards at that tone- it was like talking to a particularly dense child - and glanced as the gears of the man's head seemed to turn.

"If that's what you want to call it." He answered, arms crossed against his chest. "It's a-" he stopped as the other man rolled over, staring uncomprehendingly for a moment at the question.

"What?" he asked, unable to follow the thought process that must have led to the words.

[tntandgasoline]

"You, Harvey Dent, are never amused by me and you're always moping about Rachel so I just assumed that since you were in a good mood it had to do with some new broad in your life, and if that's really the case, good job, Harv!" He reached up to give Harvey a heavy pat on the shoulder, "I knew you'd get over it!"

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

"Be-" Harvey's voice was low but not yet dramatically so, a more warning tone as he lifted his leg and harshly kicked the chair away from him. "-quiet." he finished, stepping away.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked as he approached the computer, the low tone now irate.

[tntandgasoline]

The Joker threw out his arms and tried in vain to grab Harvey as he was pushed away, rolling across the floor and (with maybe an extra boost from his own pushing) slamming into the wall back first with an exaggerated yell.

"No! I like it when you're amused! Harvey, you really need to learn to relax, it's not that hard and I'm getting tired of your bipolar thing - maybe you should talk to Crane about that."

The Joker made more melodramatic movements before realizing that a question had been asked. He blinked and rolled his eyes upward in thought. "Well, it's been, four days, or three, I can't really remember, you know how my memory is nowadays."

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

Harvey watched the little show without expression, head tilting as he snorted at the other man's words. "Yeah, Crane will make things all better. Maybe offer some of his own brand of 'medication.'" He said, taking a moment to regard the Joker's movements more closely. Four days he said.

"At least we don't have to worry about you going certifiably insane." He said sharply, staring the man down. "Well I'll be damned, you're nervous."

[tntandgasoline]

"Nervous?" The Joker blinked wide and then let loose a short barking laugh. "Me? I'm never nervous, Harvey, I just like my mystery and my intrigue and admit it, I wouldn't be nearly as fun if you could see inside my head!"

He scooted forward on his chair, though he did keep a bit of a distance between them. "Wouldn't you hate for Crane or Brucey to see your dreams, Harv? I bet you think about Rachel even when you're passed out."

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

"You assume whatever's inside your head is even decipherable." Harvey answered, eyes boring into the other man as he moved and spoke, good eye narrowing just a little bit more. "And you assume I even dream." He did, occasionally, and like always it was in black and white. Surprisingly he never had nightmares or anything so dramatic. Maybe his subconscious found it as pointless as he did.

At the mention of her name he twitched visibly but remained calm, a forced action as he continued to glare at the other man. It was like trying to pass some test he had forced upon himself.

[tntandgasoline]

"Everyone dreams, Harvey," the Joker said, rolling his eyes. "You aren't special and you have just as much of an imagination as anyone else, so acting like your subconscious doesn't put you in the kitchen with Rachel making bad omelets or whatever she made for breakfast is pointless. I know you too well, after all."

He could tell that poor Harvey was trying so hard to keep his temper and that just made the desire to piss him off even more impossible to resist.

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

This time Harvey didn't bother smothering the snap of anger, shooting his leg out to try and kick the chair over onto the floor.

"I guess you'll just have to watch the community and find out." he said in a low growl. He wasn't quite sure why he was mad.

[tntandgasoline]

The Joker leaped out of the chair with an annoyed and harried shriek, looking aghast at Harvey. "You could have killed me!" he exclaimed, even though that was pretty unlikely. "You know only Batman is allowed to do that, Harvey, don't be so damned greedy!"

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

"Considering the multitude of disasters you survey I doubt it." Harvey answered in a way that made it sound like that face was indeed regretful. He kicked at a bottle near his feet. "Take a few more of these and you'll do the job for him."

[tntandgasoline]

"Oh, I don't take enough to kill me, just enough to keep me up. I keep feeling drowsy, you know? Like a little nodding off here and there but I try not to pay attention. You should try some - it'd probably fall out of your face but then again, it'd be neat to see you hyper." He grinned and picked up the bottle, rattling it in Harvey's face. "Wouldn't even see Rachel when you slept, since when I pass out after all this, it'll just be fantastic."

[thedawniscoming.livejournal.com]

Harvey grabbed his wrist in casual brutality, and without set purpose. "I don't see her." he said, taking the bottle before dropping his wrist. "Who do you see then? The man with knife?" he asked, gesturing to the glasglow grin.

[tntandgasoline]

"What man, Harvey?" He batted his eyes at the other and made no effort to pull away, giggling like a cracked out schoolgirl. "I only see you. Or don't you remember that you're the last person who got to take a knife to my face? The first to live, too, you're just all sorts of circles, huh?"