"My hero." She bats her eyelashes at him, mocking him.
Her ankle twists and she feels a slight crack. Â She's down on the ground, gravel digging hard into the palms of her hands and knees, with the latest meathead, who thought he could take over the world, hot on her heels. The team, as far as she's aware, isn't anywhere nearby because, once again, she decided it was best to split up from them. The only thing keeping her head from being blown clean off her shoulders was the fact that Rick knew she wasn't stupid enough to run off.
And speaking of the toy solider, there he was. Looming over her with his face set into a frown, chest heaving and a thin layer of sweat over his brow.
"Could you try to stay out of trouble for one minute?"
"Where'd the fun be in that?" She smirks up at him from her position on the ground and catches him rolling his eyes. "As much as I enjoy being down on my knees in front of you, we've gotta go." It's easy winding him up. Fun watching the embarrassment crawl up his neck and settle high on his cheeks, rubbing the back of his neck trying to erase the redness. The evidence of the effect her words have on him.
He licks his lips, clears his throat. Scans the area as an excuse to break eye contact with her.
She takes this as her cue to ease herself onto her feet, brushing the gravel off her hands and knees, wincing as she leans too heavily on her right foot. The sound snaps Rick's attention back to her, worry now etching itself into the lines of his face.
Harley limps forward, her pain evident in the stiff way she's holding herself. The easy smile she shoots Rick doesn't fool him and reaches forward just in time to save her from eating dirt the second time that night.
"My hero." She bats her eyelashes at him, mocking him. He rolls his eyes again, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Without warning he lifts her into his arms, suspended in the air, carried like a blushing bride, she squeals in surprise.
"A little early, ain't it? We haven't even had our first date yet!" He huffs out a laugh, his arms tightening around her, bringing her closer to his chest.
"Yet? Awfully eager there, Quinn." Rick smiles down at her. She smiles back.
Rick Flag/Harley Quinn; I’ve Got A Right To Hurt Inside
In a universe where June and Joker don’t survive.
Also on AO3
"Come on, soldier." Harley gently took him by the arm and led him away from June's still body. "Let's get out of here."
Being no stranger to the loss of a loved one (as of a couple of hours ago) she understood that Rick was currently in a state of shock and that his apparent emotionless response was completely natural. That soon the reality of the situation would sink in and it wasn't healthy for him to be around the body when that happened.
That's when Waller made herself known and threatened to make fireworks out of their heads if they didn't return to Belle Reve. After everything that they'd been through and done this was the thanks they got in return. Ten years off their multiple life sentences.
She heard a hiss to her left and that's when Harley realised she accidentally tightened her grip on Flag's arm in anger. "Sorry, sweet cheeks."
"No, I'm sorry. This shouldn't be happening." His eyes glassy with unshed tears locked onto her too blue eyes. Harley cocked a grin at him and turned back to Waller.
"Hey, Devil Lady. If my pal Floyd over here can make demands I want a couple of favours, too. Firstly, if I have to go back to that cage I want an espresso machine. Second, I want soldier boy here to make weekly visits."
Her terms were met pretty easily. They even threw some Harlequin novels into the deal. Ha.
***
The first time he visited was a week after the incident. He was suited and booted like a good little toy soldier. Posture straight, awkward, not knowing what to do. Not knowing why he was there. He stood a few feet away from the bars.
"I don't bite, y'know." She was disappointed at his cautiousness. Harley unfolded herself from the bench she was seated on and approached the electrified bars of her cage.
"Not much, anyway. Even though I reckon you'd taste good." She grinned up at him cheekily. Harley was good at this. Good at eliciting a reaction from someone. At vexing people. It might even create some sort of normalcy to the situation.
However, the reaction she got wasn't the one she expected. What she wanted was a sneer, some anger. Just a flicker of emotion to let her know that he wasn't left cold by June's death.
Rick turned and walked away.
"If I wanted the cold shoulder I would have asked for Mr. Freeze!"
***
"Hey." Rick's voice was hoarse. Tight and thick with tears already shed and the promise of ones still to fall. Harley's head snapped up from the book she was reading. Attention now solely on the man in front of her. She noticed he still stood a good distance away from the bars but at least he was talking to her this time.
"Oh. Hi. You okay, sweet cheeks?" Taking in his appearance she noticed this week he was in all black. Eyes rimmed red, hair sticking up all over the place like he'd repeatedly run his hand through it. He was hunched over, bent inward, trying to protect something that was already broken.
"Not really. No." She knew it was a stupid question but thought it was important to ask.
"Same."
An awkward silence followed.
"I, uh, went to June's funeral today." Harley figured as much but it was good that he was willingly giving her this information. She wondered if Puddin' got a funeral. No body told her anything in here.
"And how was that for you?"
"Shit."
"It was good that you got to say goodbye."
"Yeah. I suppose." His voice cracked on the last word, bottom lip wobbling.
"Go home and rest, soldier boy."
***
Harley didn't see Rick for a few weeks after that. She understood that she and her team mates served as a reminder of what happened to his girlfriend and didn't begrudge him from backing out of their deal. Didn't mean it didn't hurt any less though.
Since Mister J was gone and all her other friends were back in their cells she was looking forward to the promised weekly visits. She supposed her books would do as company for the time being.
***
Waller visited her about three weeks later. It was a boring business visit but there was a silver lining. The whole gang would be getting back together!
"Hello, Dr. Quinzel."
"Aw shucks, you trying to sweet talk me, Devil Lady? Y'know I ain't a doctor no more." Turns out the board didn't approve of their doctor's running off with dangerous criminals and when they found out Dr. Harleen Quinzel had done just that she was stripped of her medical license. Not that Harley Quinn needed one.
"I'll cut to the chase then, will I?" Waller continued. "There's a new threat. One back in your home city. We're assembling Task Force X to deal with it as Batman is out on Justice League business."
Ha! What a hoot! Good ol' Batsy couldn't help his own precious city for once, and it looked like Harley would have to swoop in and be the hero that Gotham needed. She couldn't help the manic laugh that escaped her lips.
"I don't quite find what's so funny about the situation. Gotham City is being threatened to be wiped off the map. Including Arkham Asylum, which I hear houses a woman with an affinity for plants."
Well she certainly knew how to wipe the smile off a face.
***
"You know the rules. Don't break them or you'll be joining Slipknot."
"He'll be mist!" Harley giggles at her own joke joined by Killer Croc's dark chuckle. The rest of them just roll their eyes at her.
Her laughter dies down when a jeep pulls up with a sour looking Rick Flag.
"You're late, Flag."
"Sorry, Ma'am."
His eyes scan Task Force X noting that everyone was there. Including Harley Quinn. Who's leaning into whisper something to Deadshot while keeping her eyes on him, a sly smile spreading over her red painted lips. His frown deepens.
"By now you're all aware we're headed to Gotham City. We have reports of four separate terrorist attacks, all seemingly random. However we've gained intel that lead us to believe the next attack is Ace Chemicals."
Harley freezes at this and turns to look at Rick straight on. "Hate to interrupt, sweet cheeks. I just have a tiny, quick question. What were the other four places?"
He lists The Stacked Deck, the jewelers they performed their first heist together at, the shop they bought her first costumer at and finally their main apartment. Ace Chemicals was just another puzzle piece that created a picture of their time together.
"He's alive. He has to be. This is Mister J's way of letting me know he's alive!"
Rick's eyes locked with hers. "Want to clue us all in?"
"Well, y'see, they're all places that mean something to Puddin' and I. The last one, the apartment complex in Burnley, that's where Mister J and I stayed. Y'wouldn't be able to make the connection without that knowledge." She was vibrating with excitement.
Rick's expression darkened at this new bit of information and at Harley's reaction.
***
"You're not my Puddin'!" She punctuated each word with the bash of her baseball bat through the brains of some lunatic that had already being lying vulnerably at her feet. Some loser that couldn't come up with his own schtick and even tried to charm her into becoming his Queen with fancy explosions and garters made of guts. To forget about Joker. To forget about the man she would live for.
By the time Rick reached her the copycat's head was no longer recognisable as such and Harley was crying as she continued to bring her bat down onto it. As she brought her arms back up to deliver another blow Rick grabbed her wrist to spin her around and stop her doing any further damage.
"Harley. Stop."
"That my friend asking or the soldier commanding?" She sneers through the tears. "You gonna push that trigger if I don't? Make my head look like his?" Her head twists around to indicate at the mess behind her.
"Your friend." Rick drawls. All of Harley's fight leaves her after that and she slumps forward, dropping her bat, resting her head on his shoulder. Rick's still holding onto her wrist and can feel her rapid pulse beating against his fingers.
"He's really gone." She sobs. Rick gently rubs a circular motion with his thumb on her wrist, unsure of what to do. How to comfort her when he was barely even dealing with his own personal loss. He feels her free arm circle around his waist, her hand tightening on the back of his jacket. When another gut-wrenching sob releases itself from her lips, he brings his other arm around her drawing Harley in closer.
"Let's get out of here."
A/N - I really like the idea of an alternate universe where June and Joker aren’t comic dead but dead dead. A universe where Rick and Harley start a tentative understanding that one day turns into actual friendship and then something more as they help each other heal (something which I didn’t really go too far into in this). There may be inspiration to add onto this one day. Anyway, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read this, so, thanks!
Title is from Good To Love by FKA Twigs.
A/N - Thank you all for your likes and follows so far. It's rather nice and boosts my confidence a little. Again, if you believe I can improve on something, or there's something wrong with it, please let me know.
I'm thinking I might do a side-B from Raleigh's POV (with some Mako, as I did with Herc in this)? Would anyone be interested in that?
It starts with his traitorous father inviting him to sit with them. Like he doesn't fucking know they had met years ago, like he doesn't remember that he gushed about how cool Raleigh was and how he wanted to be just like him after he graduated. His dad is fucking asshole.
So he pretends he doesn't know who the hell Raleigh Becket is. He snarks and snarls at him, and he can't fucking believe that Becket wasted his years away by building whatever shit he was contracted to. Chuck can't take it anymore, so he stands up and compares Raleigh to Kaiju shit as parting words.
--
To be honest, he doesn't even think Raleigh remembers him.
--
Yancy's death has left its mark on Becket. The pyschological and physical scars that came with losing his brother mapped out on his body, in the way he holds himself back from getting too close to anyone. Raleigh has his own walls to match Chuck's. Chuck who immediately built his back up after Raleigh disappeared and now not even Mako can get through.
Which is why he lashes out at the two after they drift.
--
Stupid fucking disgraces to the Corps. They could have gotten them all killed. Who would have stopped the Kaijus then? Fucking Starfleet?
It's when he calls Mako a bitch that he gets a fist to the face. And no he fucking didn't. Chuck is so not in the wrong in this situation; he didn't nearly blow the Shutterdome apart because someone couldn't stay in the moment. They shouldn't have let a washed-up has-been and a rookie anywhere near a Jaeger together.
So he hits back. Gives as good as he's got, only apparently it's not good enough.
"Apologize."
Oh, fuck no. He's not the one that should be apologizing. He's not the reason they're in this fucked up situation, he's not the one that abandoned the Corps.
That's when his dad and Stacker interrupt. When his dad holds him back and gives him a knowing look. Tells him to start acting like a Ranger.
--
"Go, Gipsy Danger!"
He's watching Raleigh and Mako beat the hell out of one of the Kaijus that took down the Wei Triplets and Kaidanovskys. His friends.
So he latches onto the child-like glee of seeing his hero in action, holds onto it for all it's worth, because he almost lost his dad tonight, too. Watched him being flung across the cockpit like a ragdoll and heard the crunch of bone breaking.
--
He hates the fact that he's just standing here and doing nothing, wishes he could help out. Being a Ranger is all he's ever been good at. It's been the only time, since his mum's death, that his father has looked at him with something akin to pride.
--
They win. The War Clock is reset.
--
His dad's out of the game for this round, and finds out that Stacker is going to be the one drifting with him. He doesn't even think they'll be drift compatible, but they're going to have to be because they don't have any other choice.
--
The plan has changed. It's going to be a one way trip.
--
They say that life's too short to wake up with regrets, and Chuck doubts he'll ever wake up again to have regrets, and he doesn't want to go to a watery, inter-dimensional grave with them.
He seeks out Raleigh.
He doesn't fucking care anymore. Doesn't care if Raleigh hates him, doesn't care if he doesn't remember him, he can't die without doing this. So as soon as Raleigh opens the door he grabs him by the his shirt and brings his mouth down to his.
It's not the best where first kisses are concerned. His lips are too dry, he nearly missed the fucking mouth in his eagerness to do this, and at first Raleigh doesn't even react and Chuck thinks, "shit, maybe I will regret this."
Then Raleigh makes this weird strangled noise in his throat, and grabs the material around Chuck's waist, pulling him into his room, closer to him, and opening his mouth for more access.
Inbetween kisses, and clothes being tugged off, Chuck grumbles about all of Raleigh's flaws, recycling old insults he's used against him before. Raleigh just laughs, and God, has Chuck missed that sound.
A/N - I haven't written a fanfic (or anything remotely fictional) in a very, very long time. Please tell me if there's something I can improve on or if I've done something wrong.
Raleigh and Chuck have met before. Raleigh was twenty, his brother was still alive, and they were winning. Chuck was fifteen, his mother is dead, and he's recently joined the Academy. He idiolozes Raleigh more than he idolizes his dad.
His dad has taken him on a Jaeger Pilot tour. It's something the Pan Pacific Defence Corps has organized as a way of celebrating their heroes and boosting the morale of civilians. That's where he meets Raleigh.
He's awkward and shy, but Raleigh talks to him. He treats him like an equal, like a friend. He coaxes him out of his shell, slowly brings the walls down that he set up after his mum's death (something that only Mako has been able to do).
They chat about Jaegers and Kaijus, about how they're winning. They talk about anything and everything. He makes Raleigh laugh, and it's probably sad that it's a high point in his life, that he wants to be able to do it again, that he could probably listen to that sound for the rest of his life.
Raleigh claps him on the shoulder when he says goodbye, and smiles affectionately at him, telling him that he should contact him but if he doesn't hear from him any time soon to keep following his dreams. Raleigh says that he believes he'll make a great Jaeger Pilot when he graduates.
He misses the warmth of Raleigh's hand as soon as it leaves his shoulder.
--
He doesn't contact him, he doesn't have the time once the tour and his leave's over. Chuck goes back to training at the Academy, but he follows all of Raleigh's missions.
He swells with pride every time he wins.
--
Then Yancy Becket dies, and Raleigh just fucking quits the Corps. Disappears off the face of the planet like a bloody coward, and it pisses him off.
--
For four years he doesn't think about Raleigh, he doesn't wonder what he's doing with his wasted life. He just wins.
Jaeger's and their pilots start falling, start dying. He doesn't think about them either. About how he served with some of them, how he was friends with them. He can't.
That's when they start pushing for this wall to be built, for it to be their first line of defence, and dissolve the Jaeger Pilot Corps. Those fucking idiots at the top don't know what they're talking about, don't realise that a wall isn't going to stop these monsters, that it'll only make them more determined. If he and his dad weren't still in Sydney, with the newly decommissioned Striker Eureka, he knows his entire country would be rubble by now.
His dad gets a call from Stacker soon after. He's close enough to hear the words resistance and Raleigh. Herc gives him a knowing look.
--
Herc Hansen admires Raleigh Becket, probably more so than his son had at fifteen. He’s only one of two people that can fly solo in a Jaeger. For years he’s not been able to mention Becket’s name in front of his kid without him snapping about what a coward he is. So when he gets a call from Stacker about the resistance, and that he’s on a helicopter to find Raleigh Becket, he knows he's going to have to put up with his son's constant moaning about it.
--
He's right. For days he has to listen to Chuck grumble in his ear about what a god-damn liability he is, and how he shouldn't even be a part of this mission. He even catches him complaining to Max.
--
Chuck wishes Raleigh would crawl back into whatever hole he came out of.
