Henchman (JOKER X READER) ✅

chapter 26: breaking point

never gonna keep me down, still the one that's standing now

—-

The car was silent for a good few minutes as you drove through the winding streets and back alleyways of Gotham City. Joker's eyes were closed, but you knew he was awake, and all too aware of what was happening around him.

"D'you... wanna talk about it, boss?" You asked. He'd been quiet for too long, and it was beginning to unnerve you.

"No," he said in a rasping almost-snarl, rolling his head on his neck. More silence. But then, after a moment-

"Y/N," he said, "Are you happy?"

You glanced over at him, brows furrowed in confusion. "Sir?"

"Answer the question."

Your grip on the steering wheel tightened, because you hadn't really lied to Joker before, and you didn't want to start now. But your honest answer felt too dangerous to even think about. You stayed silent.

At this, Joker started laughing. It wasn't his usual maniacal cackle, it was lower, and sounded almost humorless.

"How did I know," he drawled.

"I didn't want to lie," you said quietly.

"Y/N, baby, I don't care how unhappy you are," Joker said, "You'd better stay with me."

You glanced over at him, surprised. "I'm not going anywhere," you promised, and you meant it.

But nothing changed after that. It was almost as if, every time you thought you had a breakthrough with the Joker, he'd push you back to where you were before. Like your obvious feelings weren't there at all. So you did your best to keep going the way you did before. You were miserable, but it was all you could do. You weren't selfish enough to ruin whatever Joker and Harley had. If it made him happy, you'd stay out of it.

A week later, all came to a head when one of Harley's plans to rob a bank went horribly sideways. She hadn't planned for the Bat to show up, and Frost, in trying to tell her this and save her life, got shot by a cop taking advantage of his distraction.

You knelt on the marble floor beside him, pressing your hand to his wound. He'd been hit in the shoulder and was bleeding badly.

"Frost, hang on," you said, voice panicky, "We'll get you out of here. It'll be okay, I promise."

"Jonny," Frost whispered.

"What?"

"I'm bleeding out. The least you can do is call me by my first name," he smiled up at you.

"Sure, Jonny, alright," you said. "Stay still, man." You could hear Harley's laughter from across the bank, and the sound practically boiled your blood. She didn't know how to run an operation like this, and it showed. And it had gotten one of Joker's best men shot.

"Y/N," Jonny coughed. "You-"

"Shut up," you snapped. "Shut up and stay awake, you hear me?"

"Don't know if I'm gonna be able to swing that," he said weakly. Seeing you glare angrily in Harley's direction, he grabbed your sleeve. "Don't. He'll be... he'll be upset. Just get out of here."

"Don't say that," you pleaded. You saw Fox out of the corner of your eye and called to him. "Foxy! C'mere!"

"Oh shit," he blurted when he saw Jonny, bleeding on the ground, and your hands coated with his blood. He pulled out his phone, calling for an ambulance.

Time seemed to pass both very slowly and very quickly all at once. Fox must have called Joker, too, because at some point, he dropped down across from you, peering at your face.

"Y/N," he said, but you steadily ignored him. Harley's laughter was still ringing in your ears and it made you feel like screaming. "They're here."

When you didn't move, he grabbed your arm and pulled you up from the tile. The quick motion burst your bubble and suddenly everything seemed too real, the blood on your hands too bright.

"No!" You shouted, lunging forward, back to Jonny.

"They're paramedics, Y/N," Joker hissed.

"Jonny," you whispered, your struggles slowing as the doctors lifted him onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. "Oh, Jonny, no. Don't."

You watched them leave, frozen to the place where you stood. Jonny had always been there for you, had helped you a million times with so much. If he didn't make it, you didn't even know what you'd do.

"Hiya, Puddin'!" You heard Harley's sickly sweet giggle from behind you, and it snapped you out of it. "What do ya think of your Harley's first heist?" At this, your cold fear gave way to fiery anger, and you wrenched out of Joker's grip.

"It went pretty fucking terribly, I'd say," you said angrily. "You might have just killed Jonny!"

"Frosty?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in visible confusion. "Oh, is that who that was?"

"Oh, fuck you," you spat at her. "You don't give a damn if any of us live or die, which is whatever, I guess, but it's when you put us in fucking unnecessary danger that pisses me off! You sent us right into an ambush!"

"You're questioning me?" She said, voice gone sharp. "You do what I tell you! If I want to send you off to die, that's what you'll do!"

"Are you fucking kidding me-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Joker said, pushing you a gentle step back. "This isn't the time or the place. We've got more cops coming. Come on."