Henchman (JOKER X READER) ✅

chapter 1: robbery

i think i'm ready to leap, i'm ready to live...

DISCLAIMER: this is a joker x reader fanfic. but to keep things as accessible for everyone as possible, this will be gender-neutral, and the reader will be referred to with they/them pronouns.

this story will also contain: violence (a lot of it), unhealthy relationships, death, mentions of smut, threats/mentions of suicide, and occasionally some gore. you will be warned beforehand, so don't worry about getting jumpscared by anything.

last thing: this also contains elements from the comics (specifically brian azzarello's's 2008 Joker comic. you should read that if you like darker stuff) and the suicide squad novelization. you'll know it when you see it, for the most part. none of the influences from the comics really impact the story, though, so don't worry. they're just there to provide character development.

okay now that we're done with all the disclaimer shit, enjoy the book!

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You slammed out of the store, ripping off your uniform vest and dropping it in a puddle. It was raining hard, and within a minute or so, you were soaked through.

You had had it with this town. Your (now ex) boss was a dick, always getting on your case over stupid shit, your car had broken down last week and repairs cost more than you could afford- it just kept piling up, and you were only staying sane by sheer force of will. That, and the relief that came from quitting your job.

At the thought of it, you stopped dead in your tracks. You'd quit- that meant you were officially out of ways to pay the rent. That was going to be a problem.

You lifted your face to the grey sky and closed your eyes, sighing quietly. You might have been well and thoroughly fucked (and not in the fun way), but that wouldn't last forever. You'd figure a way out of this.

And that was when you heard the gunshots.

A lifetime of living in Gotham told you to move, so you did. You ran down the nearest alley, almost collapsing behind a dumpster. Peering around the edge of it, you saw a group of men in dark suits and absurd masks running out of the bank just a few feet away. All of them were holding machine guns. Around the perimeter of the bank were two police cars, sirens on and cops aiming their guns at the group.

A security officer from the bank came out just after the men in suits, holding his gun out at them. One shot him dead before he even got down the first step. But there were more behind him, more cops mixed in with them. It was pretty easy to see they were outnumbered.

You wanted to move, to run, but you felt frozen to the ground. If you moved, the cops would probably assume you were with the guys robbing the bank, and they'd shoot you. If you didn't, you might have to witness the deaths of six people. You did not like either of those options.

And then you saw a cop that looked like he was running the show. Jim Gordon. You'd know his mustache anywhere, after seeing it on TV so many damn times. "Most honorable cop on the force" your ass. He wasn't taking cash from anybody yet, but he would. The honorable ones always did, eventually worn down by constantly fighting a losing battle against crime. They'd give up, leaving the people to fight their own fights. It made you sick. Man, fuck cops.

But none of that meant you wanted to have his death on your conscience. You didn't think you could watch him die like this. Maybe it was because there was still some naïveté left in you after years in this city, a part of you that believed that it could eventually be saved.

Maybe it could be. But if Jim Gordon died, you'd never know.

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ahh okay so this was pretty short but don't worry, the chapters do get longer! leave a vote or a comment or something if you liked this, btw! also if y'all couldn't tell we're using the jim gordon from the dark knight (gary oldman my beloved)

UPDATE 1/17/23: if you're looking for other joker x reader fics, the first chapter of my new story is up now. it's called "by reason of insanity"- go check it out <3