Phonecall - Oneshot

                It was cold tonight, and with each gust of wind outside, a bit of a draft would come through the house. It wasn't too horrible, really, but it still made Lee's skin crawl, and he shivered violently as he turned to his side and curled into a tight ball. He needed to get into the habit of sleeping in something other than just his boxers. However, ­over the years, Lee had grown accustom to being warm in the absence of most clothing. Then again, on any normal day before this, Lee wouldn't be sleeping alone:

                "Hey…" a muffled voice called, followed by a cackle.

                 Lee smiled a little at the lightness in his tone, "Yeah, I bet!"  

                 It sounded so comforting to hear him speak like that again.

                 "If you just responded to that, I'm sorry. I can't get to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you, aye?"

                Lee immediately pressed the end call button and redialed. Across room he heard a faint buzzing sound, and again, after several rings, the message replayed. His smile grew faintly at the chuckling when he heard it the second time. Lee was almost tempted to record something, as if Harley might actually return the call later, but he knew better than to open his mouth and try to speak to air.

                 "…and I'll get back to you, aye?"

                 If only that were true.

                 He clicked the end call button for the second time and whimpered, curling into himself more. He played the message a third time… a fourth time… even a fifth, and that was when tears started to well up. Lee ignored it though, letting them spill over onto his cheeks and onto the pillows and bedspread. Sniffling lightly and biting his lip, he continued to call just to hear Harley's voice again. He sounded so happy here… so… well…

                 Alive.

                 Lee then choked, bringing his covers up to cover his entire body, even his head, submerging himself in darkness as if that might help lessen the pain. A faint light still shone from his phone as he kept it close to him as if it was the dearest thing in his possession while he cried in near-silence, nothing but the echo of the wind outside to answer his pleas. He'd been paying Harley's phone bill for months now. Lee would pay for it forever if he had to… anything to hear Har's voice again. He didn't want to forget the way things were before he was murdered. Leonardo had already forgotten what it was like to be warm in bed at night, how it felt while Harley's arms were around him while he slept soundly. But to lose the memory of his voice too? He wasn't sure how else to cope. He was the only one left.

                 But it was painful too. It tore his heart in half every time he heard that message end, "…leave a message and I'll get back to you, aye?"

                 "Come back, then…" he whispered, grip loosening from around his phone as he fell into a fitful slumber of days now long gone.