[Two days later] [Harley's Birthday] [Homeless Shelter near the Church]
The shelter's courtyard smelled like melted cheese and frosting. Laughter echoed off the brick walls as kids ran between the folding tables, their hands full of pizza slices and balloons. Harley stood in the middle of it all, wearing a bright red jacket and a ridiculous birthday hat shaped like a crown.
"Behold!" she shouted, spreading her arms dramatically. "The Queen of Chaos commands that everyone gets extra pepperoni!"
The crowd cheered. A few of the volunteers clapped and laughed. John stood nearby, loading more boxes of pizza onto the tables.
Maureen carried a tray of cupcakes, frosting carefully swirled in pastel colors. "You sure you want this many sweets out here?" she asked. "Last time you gave the kids sugar, one of them tried to skateboard off a dumpster."
Harley grinned. "That was awesome. He stuck the landing!"
John gave her a look. "He broke his arm."
"Details," Harley said, waving it off. She leaned closer and whispered, "Besides, you were the one who bought the skateboard."
He sighed but couldn't hide a small smile. "Yeah. That was my mistake."
Harley tapped his chest with her finger. "Aw, don't act all grumpy, birthday assistant. You're supposed to be having fun!"
He raised an eyebrow. "I thought this was your birthday."
"Exactly. And my wish is for everyone to have a good time."
Maureen set down the tray and folded her arms. "You're actually good at this, you know. The kids love you."
"Of course they do," Harley said proudly. "I'm like Santa, but funnier."
"More dangerous too," John added.
"Hey, that's what keeps things interesting," she said, winking.
A little girl tugged on Harley's sleeve. "Miss Harley, can I have another cupcake?"
Harley crouched down. "You can have two, sugarbug. It's my birthday, so calories don't count."
The girl giggled and ran off. Harley watched her go, her grin softening into something more genuine. For a second, the noise around her faded. The joy in that courtyard wasn't chaos. It was peace.
John noticed her quiet moment. "You're really something, you know that?"
She looked up, blinking. "What, because I can hand out pizza without setting anything on fire?"
"Because you're making people happy," he said simply.
Harley opened her mouth, then closed it. Her expression softened. "Guess I learned from the best."
Maureen looked up from helping a group of teens with the drink coolers. "Oh no. You two getting sentimental again? I'm allergic to that."
Harley smirked. "You'll live, Frosty."
A cheer rose from the kids as John carried over another stack of pizza boxes. Harley grabbed a megaphone from one of the tables and yelled, "Alright, party people! Next event — balloon animals!"
Within minutes...
Harley was surrounded by kids, twisting balloons into wild shapes with a level of focus that would've made a surgeon jealous. "Alright, this one's a giraffe," she said, handing a long yellow balloon to a boy who squinted at it. "Okay, maybe it's a banana that had a growth spurt. Use your imagination!"
The boy laughed and ran off. Harley wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, then started another one, humming off-key as the line of children grew longer.
Across the courtyard, John was stacking paper plates while Maureen handed out slices of pizza to the adults sitting near the tables. Some of them were bundled in old coats, their faces worn but smiling. Every now and then, someone thanked them quietly. John always nodded and said, "Eat as much as you want," like he meant it.
Maureen handed a man a cupcake and glanced toward Harley. "You know," she said, "I really thought she was going to ask you to marry her today."
John looked up, surprised. "What?"
Maureen shrugged, grabbing another plate. "It's her birthday. And you two have that… thing. The tension. I figured she'd pull something dramatic. A public proposal. Fireworks, maybe a marching band."
John chuckled under his breath. "Sounds like her."
"Yeah, but instead she did this," Maureen said, nodding toward the courtyard. "Feeding people. Making balloon animals. I didn't expect that from her."
John watched Harley for a moment. She was kneeling beside a group of kids, blowing up a balloon with so much air that her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's. When it popped, she yelped, and the kids burst into laughter. She laughed with them, no embarrassment, no mask. Just joy.
"She's full of surprises," John said.
Maureen smiled faintly. "You love her."
He didn't answer right away. He just kept watching Harley, the way the light hit her hair, the way she made the world brighter even when it didn't deserve it.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I do."
Harley looked up at that moment, spotted them watching her, and grinned wide before waving a balloon sword in their direction. "Hey, you two! Stop flirtin' and come help me with these balloons!"
...
[8:00 PM] [Above JHM Pizza]
The lights were warm and low, filling the apartment with a cozy golden glow. A giant cake sat in the middle of the dining table, layered in chocolate and covered in bright pink frosting that read in bold letters: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARLEY!" Glitter sprinkles everywhere, because of course there were.
John adjusted a few plates and checked the drinks again, making sure everything was ready. He'd even hung a string of lights across the windows. For a man who claimed not to care about birthdays, he'd gone all in.
Harley twirled around in her red-and-black dress, looking at the setup with wide eyes. "Okay, big guy, spill it. Who are these mystery guests you keep teasin' me about?"
John smirked while straightening a stack of napkins. "It's a surprise."
She squinted. "A surprise? For me? You know I hate waiting."
He raised an eyebrow. "You said that about Christmas and still opened your gifts early."
"Exactly," she said, pointing at him. "Which means I'm consistent."
John just shook his head. "You'll see soon enough."
Harley crossed her arms with a mock pout. "Fine. But since you're playin' it all secretive, I might've invited a couple of my own guests too."
That got his attention. 'I got a bad feeling about this,' He stopped adjusting the cups. "Who exactly did you invite?"
She grinned. "Old friends. People I used to run with back in the day."
"Harley." His tone flattened. "Who?"
She winked. "Surprise."
John sighed. "That's what I was afraid of."
"As long as none of them are armed, I think we'll be fine," Maureen said while checking on the popsicles and slushies in the freezer.
Harley waved her hand. "Please. They're all reformed! Kinda."
"Kinda?" John's left eye twitched.
Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. Harley's face lit up. "Showtime!"
She practically bounced to the door and swung it open. "Hey, oldie pals! You made it!"
The first to step in was Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy. The green lady. Her long red hair shimmered like copper under the light, and the faint scent of wildflowers followed her. She smiled at Harley, calm and composed. "Wouldn't miss it. Besides, I needed an excuse to get out of my greenhouse."
Right behind her came Selina Kyle in a black coat, looking effortlessly elegant as usual. "You know, Harley, this might be the first party you've ever thrown where nothing's on fire."
"Yet," Harley said with a grin.
Selina smirked. "I'll keep the extinguisher handy."
The next guest was Killer Frost, wearing a light blue jacket and jeans. Her hair glowed faintly in the light; her pale skin looked similar to that of Maureen's. This version of Frost has Caitlin's mind and is a stable version of Killer Frost. Well, most of the time, unless someone's trying to kill her. "So, this is where you've been all this time." She looked at John and Maureen before focusing on Harley. "You look happy.
Harley wrapped her in a hug. "Frosty! You made it! And hell yeah, I'm happy."
Frost chuckled, giving her a little hug.
The last one through the door was Miracle Molly, her cybernetic goggles pushed up onto her pink hair. She once created Miracle Machine, capable of erasing others' memories. During the Fear State incident, Molly restored the "Fear Bomb" back to its original setting, but was tempted to wipe the minds of everyone in Gotham to become more like the Collective. But she was talked down by Batman, instilling within her a belief for the people of Gotham. So, she stopped her plan.
She carried a small box under her arm. "Relax, it's not a memory eraser. Just a gift."
Harley gasped dramatically. "You brought me a present? I love you!"
Molly smirked. "Don't say that too loud. I've got a reputation."
John watched from the side of the room, trying to process the sight of four known criminals chatting in his living space like old college friends. He crossed his arms, giving Harley a pointed look. "So… this is your version of a couple of old friends?"
Harley beamed. "Yup! Pretty cool, huh? We're like the reformed rogues' club."
"Reformed is debatable," John said quietly.
Ivy gave him a polite smile. "Relax, big guy. We're not here to cause trouble. Harley's been talking about this party for weeks. We're on our best behavior."
Maureen joined in, setting a tray of slushies on the counter. "If everyone stays civil, we'll be fine. The cake's big enough to keep anyone from fighting."
Selina leaned closer to Harley. "He's cute when he's worried."
Harley grinned. "Right?" But her happy expression changed instantly to a serious expression. "He's my man. Don't you dare go stealin' him, Cat."
Soon...
Music started playing from the small speaker on the shelf—something upbeat and retro.
Ivy complimented Maureen's ability to control ice, Frost adjusted the room's temperature so the drinks stayed cold, and Selina sneakily pocketed a fork before John gave her a sad look that said: 'Really, now? A fork? That's just sad. Is your financial situation that bad?'
Molly placed her gift in front of Harley. "Go ahead. Open it."
Harley tore into the wrapping paper with childlike excitement. Inside was a small mechanical flower that opened and closed on its own, tiny sparks of light glowing inside each petal.
"It's beautiful," Harley said softly.
Molly smiled. "Made it from recycled tech. It reacts to your laughter."
As Harley laughed, the flower lit brighter, glowing like a tiny star.
Next, Selina placed a red box on the table before Harley.
"You too? Ohhh~" Harley opened it, and inside was an expensive diamond ring. "This is so perfect. Thank you, Cat."
Ivy placed a pouch of seeds of different fruit and flower plants. "Plant them anywhere and you'll get fruits and beautiful flowers. Thanks to their mutation state, they grow up pretty fast."
Harley took the pouch and looked inside, "You got red grapes?"
"Yes, and oranges too," Ivy replied with a nod.
"Hehehe~ Gonna make a vineyard for myself and make my own wine behind our house. It'd be cool," Harley said with a large grin.
Next, Killer Frost gave Harley a flying hoverboard.
"You gotta be kiddin' me!" Harley said, clutching the board to her chest.
Then came a knock at the door...
"I guess they are here," John said as he walked over to the door. He looked back for a moment. "Try not to be surprised or scream."
He opened the door.
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