Chapter Text
“Boss,” Frost makes his presence known in the VIP room. “Ghost is here.”
“Don’t make her wait,” The Clown growls and Jonny nods in acceptance, aware the woman’s infamous temper might create some unwanted trouble if she gets delayed from her schedule.
The Joker passes his fingers through the neon green hair, not that it needs fixing; he also unbuttons another button from his purple shirt, only two of them holding the garment together now. A quick glance to the other man present here: still on the couch facing the windows depicting the busy night at the club; earbuds in while listening to an important cell phone message received a few minutes ago.
Might as well take advantage of the situation.
You part the sparkly beads and enter the premises, immediately positioning yourself on the loveseat across from The Joker’s without any invitation.
“Hi Mister J,” you flatly greet without any trace of emotion.
“Hello Ghost,” The King of Gotham checks out the guest since he finds the creature totally fascinating.
I mean, why wouldn’t he be captivated? You have white hair shaved on the left side that’s meant to expose the skull tattoo you got after you’ve met your husband; smoky, dark red eyeshadow and glossy lips. You always wear black, tight skin leather suits and boots; not high heeled because it’s not your style: more like the heavy military kind, custom ordered to match your spouse’s.
“I have a business proposal; name your price,” The Joker grins and you give him a cold stare.
“I’m listening.”
“I want you to kill Bane for me.”
“Why?” you tilt your head in annoyance.
“I can’t stand him,” the honest response prompts retaliation from the guy that finally realized you’re there and just took his earbuds off:
“Stop hitting on my wife!” Bane huffs, displeased with J’s nonsense.
You’re not a big fan of The Joker either, yet you attempt to avoid useless conflict.
“I’m going to get me a drink. HB, want one?” you address your husband and he signals for his favorite.
“Triple shot of whiskey, no ice.”
“Be right back,” you announce and prepare to leave but tonight’s host is not happy with the outcome:
“I want a drink too.”
“Ask your girlfriend,” you cut J off and he underlines:
“She’s not here yet.”
“Too bad and so sad,” Y/N grumbles while vanishing from the VIP room.
Bane can’t hold in a very amused chuckle and choses to start something for the heck of it:
“Imagine being with a strong minded woman that does what she wants.”
J is far from receptive about Bane’s insinuation, definitely mad you brushed him off:
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”
“Did you ever hear the expression: jerk to the world but not to your girl?” Bane’s distorted tone amplifies today’s advice. “You might want to apply that to your fragile relationships.”
“Spare me your wisdom, HB!” The Clown Prince of Crime emphasizes the initials, deciding to counterattack. “B is from Bane, obviously,” he thinks he found something to make fun of. “H Comes from… Herbert? Hugh? Hedwig?”
Your spouse would love to wipe out J’s almighty smirk with a punch; savoring the aftermath of telling him the truth is infinitely better:
“HB comes from Handsome Brute; my wife calls me that.”
The Joker doesn’t have time to comment though: Y/N returns with the drinks and positions herself on Bane’s knees, helping him taking off his mask so he can enjoy his whiskey.
“Hey Ghost, how come you don’t smile or laugh?” The King of Gotham continues to be obnoxious, still upset you didn’t indulge his request for a beverage.
“I do,” you reply and guzzle down half of your drink at once. “HB makes me laugh all the time; he’s hilarious.”
J glares at the couple with his mouth slightly open; it’s fair to say you are probably the most serious people he does business with. I mean, sometimes you have this expression on your face that could pass as a grin in disguise and your husband…well, the way he looks makes it impossible to imagine him cracking up about anything.
“Duly noted,” The Joker scoffs and Frost suddenly yells loud enough to be heard from outside the VIP room:
“Sir, the truck is here!”
J gets pumped up and rushes out, urging his companions to follow. “Come on, let’s see if it was worth the wait!”
But Y/N and her spouse don’t oblige: Bane finishes his drink in one sip and you place your glass on the small coffee table nearby, casually mentioning:
“I’m late.”
“No you’re not,” he’s fast to disagree while pointing at his wrist watch. “You’re always on time.”
You place his hand on your tummy and it clicks.
“Oooh,” Bane gulps and his wife has to add the necessary info:
“Just a little bit over a week, might be nothing. I’ll have to check it out.”
“Oh my God…” he zones out since the possibility of becoming a father sounds exciting and terrifying all at once. “We might have created a tiny Ghost.”
“Maybe, but I have to let you know I have no idea how to be a mom.”
“Me neither,” his witty answer makes you snort before bursting out laughing like crazy.
The Joker is on the hallway and stops, confused: he’s returning to the VIP section to see why you didn’t follow him, yet the contagious snickering coming from inside baffles his mind: are you two laughing?!
“Bane!! Ghost!! Are you coming or not?!” he shouts and the chuckle slowly dies out as you help your other half put on the mask.
“Yeah, coming!” the pair joins The Clown towards the exit leading to the private parking lot behind the club.
“What were you talking about?” J curiously inquires.
“Personal stuff,” Bane gives an elusive explanation and opens the emergency door, firmly halting The Joker’s movement. “Ladies first!”
“For God’s sake,” J puffs and waits for you to pass by.
“Where are your manners, hm?” your husband scolds since he doesn’t approve of the host’s behavior.
“Would you give it a rest?!” The King of Gotham impatiently speeds up, fed up with Bane’s bickering.
As you walk towards the truck, you notice something you don’t like: the new muscle hired just a week ago is smoking without a care in the universe. You stomp towards him, yank the cigarette out of his fingers and step on it, aggravated:
“No smoking around my husband; you know the rule!!!”
The crew knows this is law simply because Bane has breathing problems but Lenox decides to mumble a thing or two to himself regarding the feisty woman. That’s too bad: your spouse doesn’t like it one bit. You don’t even have a chance to react to the observations since the goon is slammed against the nearest SUV by a very enraged husband.
“My wife’s a Goddess, you fucking asshole! You’re lucky if she blinks your way!”
The man is trying to escape the tight grip, the elbow forcefully pushing into his Adam’s apple not budging.
“I’m s-sorry boss,” Lenox struggles to speak and the noise of broken bone brings the quarrel to an end.
“You’re fired!” are the last words the henchman distinguishes as his limp body falls to the ground.
The Joker’s girlfriend sneaks up and grabs his hand, uneasy about what she just witnessed.
“Elected to show up?!” J growls, instantaneously criticizing her lack of coordination. “I told you to be here at 7pm sharp!”
“Sorry baby, there was a lot of traffic on the freeway. What happened?”
”Ugggh,” The Clown scoffs, unwilling to describe the events. “Clean up the mess!” he orders and pushes her arm away since he’s not in the mood for cheap affection.
Kara sighs, upset she can’t squeeze any type of intimacy from him except for the instances when they sleep together. The Joker abandons her, more interested in Ghost because she’s already digging in some crates lowered from the truck, not even phased by Bane’s performance.
“Did you find items that strike your fancy?” he hovers over your boxes.
“Yeah, this gun, “ you show him the pistol decorated with skulls. “ Matches my motorcycle.”
“Very nice,” he praises your option and leans to whisper: “One of these days I would love to sink my teeth in you. I bet you taste good.”
Such an inappropriate remark would usually prompt a punch or a bullet from your part, yet you are dealing with the dreadful Joker: he’s not worth the trouble. Instead you lift your tight sleeve higher, exposing skin that you take directly to his lips.
“Go ahead then: take a bite, this way we can all go on with our lives.”
In the meantime, Bane is talking to his mercenaries, instructing them to load the merchandise he’ll pick in the trunks of the bigger cars.
“Ghost!” he calls out. “I need you to lead the convoy afterwards!”
Apparently you have your hand up to The Joker’s mouth: did he blur out some crap again?! Definitely.
Yet you abandon your problem-project, waving at your husband.
Kara approaches also, not understanding what she saw from a distance.
“Hi Ghost,” the woman sadly acknowledges, jealous The Clown’s unwanted flirting might interfere with their already frail arrangement.
“Hey,” you elegantly reject more dialogue, pretending to be immersed in your task.
“I’ll go see what else we received,” J groans and shamelessly discloses his thoughts with his girlfriend standing right there. “When you get bored with Bane, maybe you’ll allow me to make you my Queen.”
Kara’s heart sinks at his indifference regarding her hurt feelings; Ghost certainly has no patience for his shenanigans.
“I’m already someone’s Goddess and I’d rather die than settle for less!”
The Joker smirks, groping his girlfriend in the process. He hops in the truck, starting to search the containers, entirely ignoring Kara and your reply to his proposal.
She sniffles after the humiliation on having her man utter such aberrations straight under her nose.
“You have to keep him in a leash; he sure loves to bark a lot,” you feel the urge to add, irritated she’s such a pushover. “I’m not interested in his rubbish,” you take pity on her pathetic demeanor. “He’s totally howling at the wrong tree mostly to exasperate you and my husband.”
Kara nods a yes, unconvinced her boyfriend’s reasons are the same with the ones you’re illustrating; she tried to unsuccessfully befriend you for a while now, her desire linked to J’s twisted interest in another guy’s wife. Her logic is not the greatest: if you believe getting close to the woman your partner has a special attraction for will help your case, then you should recheck your priorities.
Ghost never gave a damn about becoming Kara’s buddy since she doesn’t tolerate people to begin with. Except Bane. He’s special.
“Mmm…” The Joker’s girl fusses with her minuscule purse,”do you happen to have a pad? I thought I had an extra one in here.”
“Nope, but my husband does,” you serenely admit.
“Huh?” she hums, completely baffled.
“HB!!!” you get his attention. “I need you for a sec!”
He comes to meet you at the end of the truck, lowering himself so you can reach his heavy vest. One of the many pockets contains the required product and you can’t help but soothe his disappointment:
“No worries, it’s not for me,” you wink and he exhales, relieved.
As soon as Bane returns by his side, The Joker has to say it:
“You often carry feminine hygiene articles inside your gear?”
“Ghost might need it,” your spouse marvels at J’s question. “You don’t do that for your girl?!”
J doesn’t like to be put on the spot, yet your spouse grills him on regular basis as a payback for The Clown’s numerous offenses.
“I have no space,” he wiggles his way out of it.
“You got pockets attached to your fancy suits, correct? I’m sure you have enough anatomy knowledge to understand such matters and how simple it is to improve your woman’s life with such a small thing.”
“Would you give me a break?!” J interrupts Bane. “Nobody cares to hear about how perfect you are.”
HB doesn’t appreciate the irony in The King’s tone:
“You’re so hopeless,” he justly deduces, raising a massive crate with ammo he finds useful for his team. “I’ll take half of everything,” Bane changes subject, actually bored with teasing The Joker.
**************
The convoy is exiting the parking lot following your lead: you usually ride your motorcycle in front of the vehicles, scouting ahead when necessary. You never know when there’s a road blockage or accident where cops will be patrolling the area; it’s wiser to steer clear of redundant trouble.
Your husband is driving the first truck behind you, followed by four more vans and six SUV’s. He wouldn’t have it any other way: Bane’s addicted to the nice view of seeing Ghost mounted on her customized Harley Davidson: skulls painted against a shiny, clear background to match her tattoo, a gift from him for your four year wedding anniversary.
“Your butt looks very nice on that bike,” he compliments and you giggle through the mike in your helmet. “I can’t wait to…”
“Boss,” Eric cuts in. “You forgot to switch the frequency to the other line; we can all hear you.”
“Goddamned jerks!” Bane groans and pushes the red button on his walkie-talkie, vexed he forgot to switch the channels.
Again.
You laugh at his frustration, finding it priceless this keeps on happening.
“Yes, I know you can’t wait to get home,” you snort and accelerate. “Me too; it’s been a long day and sex is bound to do the trick and wind us down.”
Watching Ghost’s long, white hair flying in the wind makes Bane even more impatient.
“We might need to pull over, not sure I can make it.”
“You have to,” his wife advices. “Otherwise we’ll be late and we might bump into traffic coming from 205 Southbound.”
“Shit…” he reckons you’re not wrong. “I’ll try my best but I can’t make any promises.”
************
After two hours
You ignore the first knock. The second and third also.
“Jesus!” you moan, disappointed with the interference.
Bane continues to kiss your neck, making his way down your cleavage: he sure adores the red, skimpy little bra you’re wearing.
More knocking.
“You must be kidding me!” you grind your teeth and get off him, leaving a disappointed husband hanging by a thread.
“If it’s one of the boys I’ll bash their brains in!” he threatens and you tug on the door handle, prepared to lash out when the sight of Kara catches you by surprise.
“Yes?…” you roll of eyes at the unwelcomed visitor while wrapping the bathrobe around your frame.
“Hi Ghost,” she swallows her tears and you can see she is fighting to stay calm. “Is J here?”
“No.”
“He’s not answering his phone,” she gulps and nervously bundles in the thin coat she’s wearing, unconsciously attempting to cover her ripped skirt.
“Well, he’s not here,” you make it short but something about her strange behavior causes a small investigation. “What’s wrong?”
She chokes and suddenly bursts out crying, struggling to articulate the sentences.
“J l-eft me at the c-club to wait for him and o-one…one of the bouncers tried to rape m-me.”
You’re silent for a few moments before inviting her in your home. No wonder security let her pass: they recognized The Joker’s girlfriend and assumed she was expected.
“This way,” you guide her towards the living room, gesturing for one of the chairs. “Sit!”
She can’t stop sobbing and you pour some bourbon in a glass, encouraging her to drink.
“Finish this!”
Kara sips the alcohol and her shaky hands almost drop the container.
You take a blanket from the sofa and cover her with it, immediately snatching your cell from the table.
You touch the screen and it rings just once.
“Hello there.”
He sure picked up right away.
“Why aren’t you answering your phone?!”
“I just did.”
“Your girlfriend is trying to reach you!” Ghost mutters, literally pissed at his conduct.
“I’m busy,” he takes the easy way out and you are instantly fired up:
“If you would pay attention to Kara instead of wasting your charms on a married woman maybe the idiots working for you wouldn’t assume they can take liberties without any type of consequences!!!!”
J is stunned you’re screaming like that, yet he wants to find out what’s going on.
“What do you mean?!”
“One of your bouncers at the club tried to rape her and you won’t even answer her calls!”
The King of Gotham is dumbfounded and speechless for once since someone would dare such an affront.
“Lemme talk to her,” he requires and you hand over the phone to the horrified girlfriend; she has a difficult time telling him the details of her scary experience and how she barely escaped the attack.
You keep on gazing at her, Kara’s misfortune striking a chord within your soul: her situation reminds you of your past, although the circumstances were quite different.
Five years ago, Y/N survived her faith; the man responsible for creating the Goddess she is today saved her and didn’t ask for anything in return, not even for a name.
Although she told him once.
And he decided there’s nothing better than a mysterious Ghost, except being loved by one.