The Moment (Harley Quinn FanFic)

Kah-hissss…

The sharp crackle of static blared through the air, followed by a violent, almost deafening shatter.

"Wh-what the hell?" Harley stuttered, her voice shaky, as she fumbled the plate in her hands. The porcelain dish slipped from her grasp and shattered against the sink, sending shards flying across the countertop. Her eyes, wide with disbelief, were glued to the flickering TV screen. For a moment, she thought she was losing her mind. Static swirled, buzzing like a hornet's nest, before the image finally cleared, revealing the last thing she ever expected to see.

"People!" The voice was garbled and unnerving. "It feels so good to be back! La-l-ladies and gent-g-gentleman-gentleman-an... Introducing the new-new and improved—proved—you know who-who!"

Harley's heart dropped into her stomach as her pulse hammered in her ears. Before her eyes, the familiar image of the grotesque, green-haired clown flickered into view. A sharp, bleached white face stretched into a menacing grin, adorned with a giant red smile. His purple suit, tattered and fraying at the edges, did nothing to hide the mad, gleaming eyes of the most dangerous villain she had ever faced.

"Huff, huff... huhuhuhuhuh... Huff..." The maniacal laugh filled the room, sending a cold shiver down Harley's spine.

Her hands instinctively shot up to cover her head as she scrambled backward, eyes frantically darting to the corners of the room, looking for an escape that wasn't there. Her breath hitched in her chest, becoming shallow and erratic. Her heart raced, and before she knew it, she was hyperventilating, the room spinning around her as panic clawed at her insides.

"...ey…" "...rley…" "…arl…"

The voices seemed distant, almost muffled, as if she were underwater. The static continued to scream in the background, growing louder, louder…

"Tch." A voice cut through the haze, snapping Harley back to reality.

SLAP!

The sting of Jinx's hand across her cheek hit harder than expected, jolting her into clarity. She blinked rapidly, hand instinctively touching her flushed cheek as she stared at Jinx, who was now glaring at her with concern.

"Harley… are you okay?"

Harley's mind raced, still caught in the strange disorientation. "Yeah... kinda," she murmured, her voice cracking as she glanced back at the TV, her gaze locking onto the screen with renewed confusion. The familiar animated characters of The Unwanted Undead Adventurer were now on full display, a light-hearted scene playing out between two protagonists.

"The broadcast…!" Harley stammered, pointing at the screen in disbelief.

Jinx raised an eyebrow, her confusion evident. "Hm? That's just the anime you told me about," she said, her tone flat. "What's going on with you?"

"But there was a broadcast before," Harley insisted, her finger still trembling as it pointed toward the TV. "A real broadcast… with him on it!" Her eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty.

Jinx shook her head, her frustration growing. "Ain't no way. I've been watching this for like thirty minutes. Well, was watching it. You freaked out and dropped the plate, so I got startled. Maybe you're just tired, huh? You've been working your ass off taking care of Robin, and now that he's gone... I think it's finally catching up with you."

Harley blinked, slowly processing Jinx's words. She could feel the weight of exhaustion in her bones, the pressure of everything she'd been carrying finally catching up with her. Maybe she was just… imagining things? Maybe it was just fatigue. But the lingering fear at the back of her mind told her there was more to it.

"You should rest. I'll clean up the mess," Jinx offered, her voice softening in an attempt to comfort her. "Take a nap or something, yeah? You've been running on empty for so long."

Harley sighed, her thoughts still racing. "Yeah... maybe you're right. Thanks, Jinx," she muttered, her voice distant as she turned away, dragging her feet up the stairs toward her room. The weight of her own body felt like it was dragging her down with every step.

Jinx watched her go, her face softening for a brief moment before she plugged in her earbuds, pulling out her phone to dial a number.

Doot, doot, doot... Riing, riing, riing...

The phone rang a few times before a cheerful voice picked up on the other end.

"Yello?" Misty's voice crackled through the receiver.

"Hey, girl. You doing anything later today?" Jinx asked, her voice quiet as she resumed sweeping up the broken plate.

"Nah, not much. Got a match in about five minutes, but after that, I'm free 'til Friday," Misty replied, sounding nonchalant.

"Oh, bet. Well, listen, I need a favor." Jinx bit her lip as she paced the room. "Think you can take Harley out tonight? She's been under a lot of stress with Robin. I think it's starting to get to her."

Mist was silent for a beat before replying, her voice softer. "I got you. It's been, what, almost two years now? I can only imagine what she's been dealing with."

Jinx nodded, even though Misty couldn't see her. "Yeah. I'm planning something for tomorrow, but I was hoping to have something for her tonight too. She needs to unwind."

"Gotcha. Leave it to me. We'll show her a good time."

"Thanks, Mist," Jinx said with relief. She sighed heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes momentarily closing. "If it ain't one thing, it's another."

She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease crawling up her spine.