Gagging for Air.

Eddie. POV.

"Hey baby, I'll show you a good time if you got the paper for it." A prostitute flashed me her boobs while I walked past her on the sidewalk. "Well fuck you too!" She yelled and threw up the middle finger at me.

Gotham.

What a fucking shit hole.

I spent the past week in recovery from the whole burning building dropped on back incident. Dinah tried to make me wait longer but I couldn't, I needed to confirm Gaggy's location and decide whether to attack.

"Mariah Lane." I whispered as I got on the street. I looked to my left and saw a bunch of beat-up cars with people in clown make up around it, I looked to my right and saw a building then looked moderately stable. There was a couple of goons standing in front, smoking some cigarettes. "Right it is." I whispered and headed to the building.

The smell of this place. It's like you made a sauna but you were soaking in hot garbage water, and decided to take a mud bath in horse shit right after. Fucking disgusting.

"What do we have here?" One of the goons (Goon 1) asked as he flicked his cigarette on the floor. The other guy (Goon 2) just looked at him confused.

"What are you asking me for?" Goon 1 just looked at Goon 2 with a disappointed look.

"It's a form of expression. I thought Gaggy was making you hit them books." He pointed his finger at the chest of Goon 2.

"I am." Goon 2 said. I didn't believe him.

"Gaggy in?" They both remembered I was here and turned to me, puffing up their chests.

"What's it to you?" Goon 1 asked, while Goon 2 nodded.

"Yeah." Goon 2 said and I just coughed into my hand.

"I got a message for him. From Harley." They looked at each other before speaking lowly so I could hear them. I just crossed my arms and Looked around. I probably should have brought a jacket. It was getting a bit cold now.

"We ain't hear about no message." Goon 2 mumbled.

"Why would you? It's between Harley and Gaggy. If she could have just called him, I wouldn't be here, now would I?" Goon 2 looked thoughtful for a second.

"No. I guess not." Goon 1 just kept staring at me, trying to detect some sort of lie.

"You don't look like one of Harley's guys." I shook my head and smiled.

"I got a day job. I'm not tryna get put in the can because I got paint on my face." Goon 1's face broke into a smile.

"You're a conformer! That's it!." He snapped his finger and patted on Goon 2's back before bringing him in. "This guy still has a job; he probably still pays his taxes. Can you believe this?" All said before breaking out into a fit of laughter. That Goon 2 also joined in.

I just stood there.

"Listen, I don't' much time. So, he in or not?" I robbed my hands together to try to warm them up. It didn't have any affect. They noticed this.

"You should have bought some gloves with that paycheck of yours" Goon 2 said before another fit of laughter.

My god this people are complete idiots.

"He doesn't look so happy. Maybe he'll call the police on us." Goon 1 said in between breaths.

I'm really starting to lose my patience.

"Or maybe…"

"Or maybe I won't make you swallow your teeth." I said loud enough to break them out of their high. They both slowly caught their breaths.

"The fuck you say?" Goon 1 walked closer to me.

"You heard me. Now answer my question. He here or not?" Goon 2 also got closer.

"You may be one of Harley's boys but that don't give you the right to disrespect us like that. You know the rules." Goon 1 said pointing a finger at me.

"Joker's Handbook of Being a Good Gang Member in the Gotham City Area. Chapter 1 Paragraph 5 Subparagraph 2. Respect Respect Respect." Goon 2 said like he had practiced it overnight.

"So you have been reading." Goon 1 looked back at Goon 2 with a smile on his face.

"Fuck this." I said and both Goons looked at me. I grabbed the first Goon's head and smashed my forehead into his nose, He landed hard on the ground clutching his nose. Blood was already dripping through his fingers.

"My nose!" Goon 2 formed a big Ö look on his face and I just punched him quick in his throat. He Looked at me wide eyed as he fell to his knees as he tried to breath. I grabbed Goon 1 by the collar of his shirt and looked him in the eyes.

"Is. He. Here." With every word I said his eyes got wider and wider. Goon 2 was still hacking his lungs out.

"Top floor. Room 404. The stares are the fastest option" He whimpered out still holding his nose. I dropped him on the concrete and walked up the stairs leading into the building.

"I don't think he's one of Harley's guys." I heard Goon 2 creak out in between coughs.

"You think?" Goon 1 mumbled back.

I sighed and looked for the stairs going up. This building was a gross green and smelt of piss. Not the place I would think a lieutenant of a gang would reside but to his their own, am I right?

The door to the stairs was also rotted. The wood felt soft to touch and left dust on my fingertips. I wish I brought my suit. The stairs themselves were moderately clean, the design of them were black and white polka dots on a blue materiel. Something you'd see at an elementary school or something. At least the smell was getting betters.

"Floor four." I said softly as I stepped on the floor and looked down the hallway. It was clean all things considered and looked like a classy hotel. Plush Red Carpet, Gold Lamp lights. The wallpaper was a beautiful dance of flowers. On the ceiling there were handprints shaped in a way to make a dog's face. "Cool." I whispered as I got to the door. I knocked sharply three times.

"Who is it?" A gruff voice said form the other side.

"Message from Harley." I heard a cough and shuffling of papers.

"Tell her I already paid up to the Joker!"

"That's not why she sent me." I leaned against the wall, fiddling my thumbs. "She sent me to make a deal with you."

"Tell her if she needs to talk to me. Call me!" another cough and then a spit.

"Look. I'm under orders from the Joker himself. I got to do whatever she asks me, and she asked me to deliver a message to you. Face to face. So, help a guy out." I yelled to the other side, and I could hear steps approaching the door. I backed up and waited. I could hear clicks of locks and banging from the other side before the door opened a little but was stopped by a chain lock. I had to look way down just to see his face peeking through the crake.

"You see Mr. J recently?" His voice was lifted slightly. I smiled a little.

"Saw him last week." He looked thoughtful for a second before closing the door and the opening it again fully.

"How was he? You know with Harley moving up to being his second I hardly get to…" I cut him off by grabbing him by his neck and dragging him to the window.

"Tell me where the Joker is?" I clawed at my wrist and arm. I sighed and opened the window.

"Ackh Gaag Aah Pat" He said and his eyes were starting to bulge a bit.

"Oh." I lessened the grip on his neck causing him to suck in some air.

"I don't know. He hangs out with Harley mostly. You yourself said you saw him last week." I lifted him and pushed him against the wall.

"You are really the sharpest tool in the shed." His eyes widened more and he struggled harder. Realization hit hard

"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!" He was kicking now, and my grip was wavering.

"Shut up!" I banged him against the wall again. He stopped yelling and looked at me wide eyed. "I'm going to be honest with you. Can I do that?" He nodded sharply. "I am here for one reason only. To find the Joker, and then kill him. So you can either tell me now. Or I will find someone far more willing to do that." His heart was practically jumping out of his chest. "It won't take me long to find him. You're just saving me some time. Now, I'm going to let you go and you are going to tell me." His eyes wondered to the cabinet behind me. "Or I will throw you out of this window." I let him go and he folded against the wall, gulping for air, and clutching at his throat.

"I don't know where he is. But I know where Harley is. That bitch stealing my spotlight. I was his second. Now I don't even get a hello anymore. What am I? Chopped liver?" I just placed my hand on my hips and shrugged.

"I don't give a shit." He put his head in his hands and started to cry.

"It was supposed to be me and him against the Bat. He gets sent to Arkham and comes out with that broad. Oh, what happened to me." More tears and more sobbing.

"Listen, I don't give a shit. Just tell me where Harley is, so I can fucking leave you to your depression and whatever you do in this shit hole." I looked around the room. It was a very valid statement. The room looked far worse than the hallway.

"She's at the Mall. She has a place that leads underneath it. You have to go through the Arcade." He said while sniffling tears.

"You need to clean yourself up man." I leaned down. "Work out or something. You got like a pet or whatever?" He nodded and pointed at a goldfish that was swimming happily in a bowl by the Tv. "Good. Think about getting a dog, go to the park. Do something. You can't just stay here all the time."

"But I got paperwork." He said as a weakly point at his table that had a shit ton of papers. "Joker says he can't trust anyone else." I heard another sniff through a snot filled nose.

"Work isn't everything and thank you for telling me where I can find Harley." He nodded weakly and robbed his eyes. "I'm also sorry about this." He looked confused.

"Sorry about wh…" I cut him off with a sharp jab to the chin causing him to slump over. I stood up fully and looked around the room. There was a picture of Gaggy and the Joker. They looked Happy in a weird and Psychopathic way. I also saw some fish food and decided to feed the fish for him. There was also a huge blunderbuss on the wall. It was bigger than Gaggy. I whistled in wonder and took a picture of it.

"Cool." I looked at the picture and just scrolled through my phone to see if I got any messages. One from Dinah.

"Hope your back is ok. Make sure to not overdo it. Off tomorrow with Oliver. You should come over. Maybe we could go out to eat. I'll see if Artemis wants to come. Bye." She also sent a picture of the Hang in There Kitty. I put my phone back in my pocket and smiled. Today was a good day.