deal with the devil! | JOKER X READER ✅

CHAPTER 18: secrets.

TW: STEAMY CONTENT (still not smut tho)

After spending some more time at the club, you, Joker, and Frost decided to head home. It felt funny to you, considering that grandiose mansion "home." It looked like some impersonal residence you'd see in a magazine, briefly envy, then move on. But, you had grown attached to it, and whenever you saw it creep into view, you could relax. This was your refuge. A getaway from all the stresses of your criminal lifestyle.

When you walked inside, you were stunned to see William sprint toward the three of you immediately, looking quite frazzled. He skidded to a stop in front of you, eyeing you like your presence was somehow unexpected. "Boss, can I talk to you a minute?"

You frowned. He looked nervous. It was times like these where you wished the whole situation with Matt hadn't happened. If it hadn't, he would've been able to say whatever he needed to say, and you would be able to understand the full extent of things. Whatever that may have been.

Joker, looking just as concerned as you felt, nodded, and the two of them retreated a few steps. Close enough so that you could still hear the hissing syllables of their whispers, but not close enough to understand what they were saying.

Whatever William had told Joker was clearly bad. His expression hardened, his eyes narrowed. He beckoned Frost over, who dutifully obeyed.

Joker whispered the news, whatever the fuck it was, to Frost, whose expression soon mirrored his boss'. Clearly, something was wrong, and there you were, standing there with no knowledge whatsoever. You knew that you didn't deserve to know everything, given your fuckup, but you figured that you were entitled to at least some information. After all, how could you perform as well as everyone else when you weren't as prepared?

   This three-way conversation, with you on the outs, made you feel incredibly lonely. Maybe even infantile. You felt like William, Joker, and Frost were all your parents, hiding things from you that they knew you couldn't handle. But, you could handle it, and you were sick of having to just be quiet and let shit get hidden behind this curtain of secrecy. How could you show you had improved if they just kept you away from everything?

   "What?" you bravely piped in, causing the three men to turn and look at you.

   Suddenly, Joker walked up to you and seized your wrist. "It's a training day, isn't it?" he asked, his voice an unsettling growl as he began to lead you up the closest staircase.

   It was, according to the new deal you two had made. But, why the sudden want to train? Why did it conveniently present itself when seemingly bad news was given? Obviously Joker was training you for a specific purpose, and you could feel your blood run cold as you knew that you had to prepare yourself for a fight. A fight he didn't believe you were currently qualified for.

   You wanted to believe that you were, but you hadn't really done a good job of showing that. So, his lack of confidence in you leeched onto you, and you began to feel dread start to creep into your mind. You knew you needed to reroute your dread into confidence, for your own sake, but that task felt pretty daunting when this news had rattled even the Joker.

Once you two got to the training room, he practically shoved you in there, causing you to stumble and nearly lose your footing. You looked behind you in indignation, trying to hold your tongue. After all, talking back could be the thing that killed you.

He shut the door behind him. He refused to turn back around to face you, though; instead, he stood facing the door, frustratedly running a hand through his hair. You could see how ragged his breaths were in the way his body rose and fell, and you instinctively took a step back. Whatever mood he was in would not bode well for you, especially if he was going to be training with you. You would be knocked into outer space!