Chapter 19: All The Best People Are Crazy
Word Count: 810
TWs: Child death mentions, discussions of murder, wound/blood mentions, animal abuse reference, suggesitve themes
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It started with showing him his notes. William and Norman sat in Norman’s living room, coffee table buried in notebooks, blueprints, and photographs, tapes playing back on his TV. All of William’s proof that some part of life existed beyond death, that souls could be conscious, so long as they had a vessel.
“What’s this?” Norman picked up a purposefully placed photo of Lisa’s vessel. William’s hand tapped absently against the outside of his leg.
“A new experiment. A friend for Evan.”
Norman’s eyes widened as he slowly looked to his partner. “Another kid died and nobody said anything about it?”
William took Norman’s hand, making him set the photo aside. “You trust me, don’t you?”
Norman nodded, not breaking eye contact.
“And you don’t think my ideas… this science I’ve been working on… is insane?”
“Of course not, you brought me proof. And look at how much work you’ve put in… William, they say there’s a fine line between genius and madness.” He squeezed his hand. “I don’t think you can have one without the other.”
William retrieved his knife from his pocket. He felt Norman’s pulse hasten against his skin. “Then you’d understand, better than anyone, that you can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs.”
Norman saw his reflection in the blade and swallowed. “You’re implying that Evan’s friend… wasn’t an accident.”
“Mmm, good. Keep following that thread.” He placed his hand, holding the knife, on Norman’s arm.
“I’m going to guess by that knife in your hand that the child didn’t die the way Evan had, either.”
“Yes.” He moved the knife up to his shoulder, watching as Norman’s eyes left his face and followed the blade.
“I saw in your notes that you’ve killed everything from rats to large dogs…”
William said nothing, staring Norman down. He was enjoying this sort of “chase,” even though he hadn’t moved more than his arms.
“With mixed results… nothing satisfying, nothing like Evan.”
William briefly dropped his gaze back to the photo. “Her name is Lisa.”
“You killed her--” Norman gasped as the knife was suddenly nestled under his jaw, William’s other hand cradling and controlling on the back of his head. He shuddered.
“Yes. And I got what I wanted. But there is more work to be done, work that I cannot conduct alone, lest I risk everything. My reputation, these experiments, my freedom…” He inched closer. “My relationship with you.”
“Killing kids is a bit fucked up, don’t you think?” Norman responded, his half-lidded eyes still darting toward the blade against his pale flesh.
“And yet you don’t flinch away from the knife.” He dropped his hand from the back of his head and placed it on his chest. “Your heartbeat is relatively calm. A bit excited, but not tense. You’re not afraid of me, a man who has killed an innocent child.”
“But you’re also a man of science. You wouldn’t kill without reason.”
William grinned. “And as a man of science, we do it to monkeys all the time. Intelligent, and yet, not intelligent enough to justify not killing them for the greater good.”
“Who are you, William Afton?” Norman whispered, tears glistening on his thick lashes.
“I am a very dangerous man, only held back by society’s suit and tie.” He pressed the blade harder against Norman’s jaw, but not so hard as to break his skin. “But when I put on the mask, I know what I must do. It seems to me you’re not who I thought you were, either. Don’t think I didn’t miss you twitching about when I was talking about experimenting on Evan. Almost like you got pleasure out of such an idea.”
“Call it morbid curiosity, Will. You’ve shown me that ghosts exist. Of course I want to know more. There’s just one thing… why children?”
William drew blood and Norman let out a pathetic, whimpering, almost erotic gasp as he took the knife away and examined the glistening crimson splashed against the silver. “Would you rather try kidnapping adults, Norman? Besides, who else would appreciate being immortal like a child, who has no qualms with the world?”
Norman practically threw himself into William’s lap. “You’re something else,” he half-moaned as he smashed his open mouth against his partner’s. William set aside the knife and let Norman’s sadism wash over him. Part of him knew Norman was getting into it for the wrong reasons, but where else would he find someone so willing?
“So… what do you need me for, anyway?” Norman finally panted when he finished his frenzied kissing and grinding.
“I need you for cover. I will handle the murder and the animatronics. I may need your extra hands, but otherwise, you need to keep me out of trouble, yes?” William caressed his cheek.
“Of course, sir.”
“Good boy.”
Norman melted against his chest.
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Las Vegas
Joker x Kaj
Word Count: 1325
Tag List: @fangedwife @heavenshipped @the-schizotypal-cryptid @ghostlyvenus
Summary: Kaj and Joker head to Las Vegas on business matters.
Warnings: Suggestive but of course not NSFW, mentions of a casino so = gambling, smoking, drinking, dude gets shot (implied he doesn’t survive).
The Nevada sun relentlessly beat down on The Joker’s convertible, but neither criminal in the car seemed to care about that. At the very least, there was a bit of a breeze to keep them cool. The two were visiting the Las Vegas strip, technically for business reasons, though both knew it’d be too easy to not resist the temptations of the city. Kaj sighed, leaning his seat back and shading his eyes from the sun, though he already wore circular sunglasses.
“We really should’ve looked for an alternative route,” he muttered, mostly bored rather than truly upset. Joker huffed, hunched over the steering wheel.
“I know, darling, I know,” he responded, quick to irritate in situations like these. They had been surrounded by a traffic jam that stretched far as the eye could see, supposedly caused by construction up ahead. Kaj rested his arms behind his head.
“Well, we could bail and walk to the hotel.”
Joker turned to look over his shoulder at the luggage in the backseat. Kaj propped himself up on his elbows, his sunglasses sliding down his nose just enough to look his fiancé in the eyes; “C’mon, don’t tell me you’re gonna sit here for another half hour.”
Joker smiled and Kaj corrected his seat.
“Ah, you’re always right, pumpkin. Let’s blow this pop stand.”
The two criminals exited their car, removed their luggage, and took a leisurely stroll past the jam, Joker even having the audacity to wave in a taunting manner.
“Have fun being stuck!” He chuckled before wrapping his free arm around Kaj’s waist, keeping him close.
By the time they reached the hotel, the jam had moved slightly, and they couldn’t care less about whatever happened to their car.
“A room for two, if you’d please,~” The Joker purred, casually leaning against the main desk. The clerk looked up, jumping slightly at the sight of a clown in front of him, though it was obvious he wasn’t familiar enough to realize he was looking at two very dangerous criminals.
“Name and address…?” He started, returning his attention to the computer in front of him.
“That won’t be necessary,” Kaj spoke up, subtly aiming a pistol at the clerk.
“Right.”
“Keys.”
“Manners, Kaj,” Joker added with a smirk.
“Please,” the mercenary rolled his eyes. The clerk nodded nervously and fetched a key before setting it on the desk.
“Room 953. Enjoy your stay,” he swallowed nervously as Joker snatched up the key.
“Oh, we will,” the criminal mastermind chuckled before leading the way to the elevators.
~~~
After a long day of wandering the strip and making plans, the two returned to their comfortably air-conditioned hotel room.
“Ahh,” Joker sighed contently as he stretched out on the bed, “y’know, sometimes I forget how gloomy Gotham is!”
Kaj nodded, working on unpacking their suits for the next day’s meeting. Joker grinned, eyes closed as he relished the coolness of the room. When Kaj did not come to his side quick enough, he opened one of his crystalline eyes.
“Darling,” he hummed impatiently, “what could possibly be keeping you busy?? We’re on vacation, my dear, do try to relax!”
“If I relax too much, we’ll never get anything done,” Kaj responded, finally kicking off his wicked heels and sliding into the spot beside his lover. Joker’s spindly arm immediately found its place around Kaj’s waist, and the open eye slipped shut again, a wide smile still plastered on his pale face.
“What do you want for dinner?” The mercenary asked, thumbing through a phonebook on the bedside table. Joker’s eyes fully opened and he sat up a bit more, resting his chin on Kaj’s shoulder.
“Dinner?? That’s scarcely been on my mind… all I could think about all day was dessert.~”
His cherry lips ghosted over Kaj’s jaw and neck, and the mercenary responded with a pleasant shiver.
“Good things come to those who wait,” Kaj teased, “how about seafood?”
Joker stuck out his tongue childishly, “eugh, no. I still have fish smell in one of my jackets from falling in Cobblepot’s pool.”
“Alright… Italian?”
Joker mulled it over, still occasionally pressing feather-light kisses to Kaj’s neck.
“Sure.”
Kaj ordered the food, then snuggled comfortably into his lover’s side.
“So… dessert. You’ve been keeping that sweet tooth in check for a few hours, then.”
Joker sucked in a breath, squeezing Kaj.
“Oh, don’t tease, you naughty boy. Making me wait for dinner first,” Joker harumphed, looking exasperated, “it’s preposterous!”
Kaj hid an amused smile behind his hand before kissing his fiancé.
“I love you,” he hummed.
“I love you, too, precious.~”
Joker’s gloved hand lazily ran through Kaj’s short, jet-black locks as he studied Kaj’s face, constantly mesmerized by the fact this was his partner… handsome, loyal, unapologetic…
Kaj tapped the end of his fiancé’s prominent nose with an acutely manicured finger, a small smile on his petite lips.
“You’re staring,~” he purred and Joker smirked, kissing him again, deeper this time.
A knock on the door shook the couple from their tangled limbs.
“Bet it’s dinner,” Joker mused before giving Kaj a firm pat on the rear. Kaj rolled his eyes and brushed his nose against Joker’s before climbing off the bed to answer the door.
~~~
“Well, this is thematically appropriate,” Kaj mentioned as he stepped arm-in-arm with Joker into the Circus Circus casino.
“Mm-hm… stay close, now. We can look at all the shinies later.~”
Joker led Kaj to a conference room where other criminals sat waiting around a long table. As soon as he stepped into that room, Joker became all business, taking his seat at the table and waving Kaj off.
“Go get us some drinks, wouldja please?” He asked coldly, having to set aside his adoration in favor of professionalism. Kaj nodded, for this was the way. Stay quiet in the presence of strangers, show no mercy if things get hairy. He left the others to their meeting, then.
Now, it wasn’t all doom and gloom when it came to business… sometimes Kaj liked to have a little fun with his lover if things weren’t too tense. And oh, how Joker loved to make others jealous. Kaj returned when he fetched the drinks, then sat prettily on Joker’s restless thigh as he lit a cigarette, cool as a cucumber while the men spoke in dark tones about fake money and robbery. Kaj was always fascinated by those who wanted to deal with The Joker… some, he supposed, thought they could bend him to their will, or perhaps figure out his motive. Kaj mentally scoffed at the thought. Joker was an agent of chaos. Much like the weather, he was a devastating, unstoppable force.
Kaj was his only weakness, and hell knew how many people had tried to use that against him. Joker’s hand suddenly came up to cover Kaj’s ear, forcing the other ear against his chest, while the other hand fired a gun at one of the meeting attendants. He finally released Kaj when the barrel stopped smoking, and the mercenary stood, unperturbed.
“Come on, Kaj. I’m tired of dealing with these maze-minded canaries,” Joker huffed, standing and practically dragging Kaj out of the room.
“J,” Kaj finally spoke up once they had tromped away from the conference room. Joker took a breath, threw on a light smile, and looked at Kaj, his gaze instantly softening.
“Yes, dear?”
“Why do you attend these meetings? We all know lesser criminals just want to find a way to extract the genius from the madness,” Kaj caressed Joker’s cheek.
“Sometimes I get to kill people. It’s funny seeing the look of shock, the realization, on everyone’s faces in the end…” Joker chuckled cruelly, “Let’s play.~”
Joker excitedly led Kaj in between slot machines and poker tables. Kaj slipped a screwdriver from his pocket and handed it to Joker.
“You take the machines, I’ll go find a blackjack dealer to cheat.”
“Oh, you know me so well.~”
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