deal with the devil! | JOKER X READER ✅

CHAPTER 16: pillow talk.

TW: Slightly steamy?? Not smut by any means, but I wanna let y'all know in advance just in case this stuff makes you uncomfortable!

   Your first day of shadowing the Joker was strange. Being constantly glued to his side as he talked with Frost, drew up plans for future missions, and watched TV... It felt like you were no longer on his team. Instead, it felt like you were his pet whose only purpose in life was to keep him company. Granted, you had waived the right of being considered a true member of his team when you fucked up a mission. So, you knew this was a fair punishment, but it still displeased you that you would be viewed as less than. It was such a hit to your ego. The cherry on top of it all was that whenever you or Joker used the bathroom, you two would have to constantly communicate through the door so that he knew you weren't running away or being unruly. You felt so hopeless that you didn't know how you'd continue living a life like this.

And, just when you thought you couldn't take it anymore, Joker told you it was time for bed.

You sighed gratefully. Finally, a reprieve from his constant presence and chatter. Well, he would still be present, but not really. It's not like he would be spooning you or anything. You could simply shut your eyes and pretend this wasn't happening to you, and that the Clown Prince of Crime wasn't sleeping next to you.

Joker had accompanied you to your room earlier that day so you could transport some of your clothes to his. So, his drawers and closet were already stocked with your belongings. It was a little strange to have your possessions so close to each other; after all, that seemed like quite an intimate thing. But, you knew it wasn't intended to be an intimate thing. It was intended to keep you right under his thumb, where you belonged.

You opened Joker's closet, rooting around for your pajamas. If you had thought that your closet was big, then his was fucking massive. Yours was walk-in, but it still felt like a closet. His almost felt like a whole other room. It stretched on and on, clothes taking up every square inch of empty space.

Eventually, you found the pair of pajamas that you had grown most fond of: a blue tank top with soft, blue pants to go with it. It allowed for the perfect balance of temperature, with your arms exposed but your legs fully covered. It kept your body at a blissful equilibrium, and you needed to be as blissful as possible tonight.

You emerged from the closet to find Joker opening one of the various drawers that his bureau contained, fishing for his own pajamas.

"I'm gonna go change," you announced.

He turned to look at you and nodded, smirking. "Just be sure to keep talking as you do, doll."

You fought the urge to roll your eyes. You wished that he would believe you when you said you wouldn't do anything. Besides, what could you do in the fucking bathroom? Call for help? Absolutely not; he'd hear you and put a stop to that real fast. And even if he hadn't, you knew that whatever law enforcement came would be no match for him. And even if they somehow managed to beat him, you'd just get arrested, too. Talk about counterproductive! Escaping from prison just to go to prison.

You had to count your blessings. And one of those was that this was at least a comfortable prison. Real prison would not be like this. Instead of sleeping in a comfortable king-sized bed, you'd be sleeping on a hard, run-down mattress, or even the floor. Instead of getting exquisite, home-cooked meals, you'd get slop that was somehow marketed to be edible. For all the shit that Joker talked, he was surprisingly giving in some areas. He could easily just toss you in a room, lock the door, and never have you see the light of day again. That, or brutally kill you in cold blood. But, he decided to have you retain most of the benefits of being involved with him. All except your immunity from death.