#btdk joker
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Really?” Jack squinted his eyes at him in disbelief. “You’re asking how I’mdoing?”
“Yeah, I mean…,” Arthur hesitated and glanced at the small red mark on Jack’s cheek. A bruise had started to form around it and it looked a bit swollen. Looks painful, he thought as he swallowed hard, forcing down that familiar tingling in his throat. “They did hit you pretty bad. I’m really sorry, you didn’t have to-”
“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Jack cut him off and shook his head, leaving two little locks to fall down over his eyes. He ignores them. “What about you? How is your nose?”
“B… Better, yeah.” Arthur touched it a little as if to check if that’s even true. It was still a bit sore but not too bad. No worse than he has had it before. “I uh…I want to thank you again. Well-… more properly…for stopping them.”
“You really don’t need to.” Jack stiffly shoved his hands into his pockets but something changed in his eyes. “I’m just sick of people like them. Rich assholes, thinking they can just get away with anything-” He stopped himself. His frown relaxed a little and he ran his tounge over his lips. “Forget it. I’m sure anyone would have done the same.”
Now that was just a bad lie. Arthur wasn’t very good at reading people but that one was obvious even for him. “They wouldn’t.” He mumbled and also shoved his hands into his pockets where his fingers found his lighter and cigarettes. He started to fiddle with them as he tried to collect his thoughts. “Anyways…are-…are you free on Friday evening?”
Jack raised an eyebrow at him but nodded.
“I will be doing one of my first shows then.” Arthur smiled shyly but Jack just stared at him in confusion. “…I mean, I do stand-up comedy!” He then quickly added and Jack’s expression softened again and he gave a small smile.
“Yeah? That sounds cool.” The big scar on the left side of his cheek curved slightly as he smiled. It didn’t really look bad, it suited him somehow. In a way, it was even beautiful, Arthur realised and his ears suddenly felt hot.
“Yes… you’re welcome to see it! I’d treat you a beer! Or we could…eat something after? If you’d like of course, I understand if you don’t-“
"All that sounds great!” Jack interrupted him again and chuckled. "You just let me know when and where?”
“Yeah!” Arthur cracked a big, excited smile. “I’ll see you around.”
”Howdid you get those scars?”
“Hey…”
Jack slowly crouched down in front of Arthur. For having gotten into a fist fight with three guys he looked almost decent, his clothes just a little dusty and having just one single cut on his right cheek. “Are you alright?”
Arthur stared into Jack’s brown eyes in disbelief. He had his right hand gripped tightly around the gun in his pocket still. Had Jack stepped in just by seconds later… He swallowed hard and cringed at the metallic taste of blood.
“Yes.” He managed to get out, his voice hoarse and a bit shaky.
Jack tilted his head a little and Arthur could see his eyes focusing on his bloody nose. He finally let go of the gun, his fingers feeling stiff from holding it so tightly and he clumsily wiped some blood off with the edge of his sleeve.
“I ah-” Jack hesitated and shifted his weight a little awkwardly. “I’m sorry. For what they did to you.”
Arthur glanced at him under his locks, still in doubt. Why?Why did he decide to step in? It would have been so easy to just walk by like everybody else would have done. Like everybody else always does… Why did Jack get himself hurt to help him?
“Thank you…”
Jack Napier
A genuine laugh…
He hasn’t had one this good in a while.
“You know what they say… you should never leave a job half done.”
Jack is having illusions of a man with a painted face, dressed in green and purple…
