It was finally the big day. The day where you would officially be put in the public eye as a member of Joker's team. Where you could finally accurately showcase your criminality and skill.

   You were feeling quite zen on the car ride to the bank, which was extremely out of character for you. Of course, you weren't totally at ease, but you weren't bouncing off the walls with nerves like you thought you would've been. You mostly attributed this odd calmness to Joker's tutelage over the last few days. You needed to be confident in yourself, and confident in him. You had been trying to get yourself to achieve the former goal for years, but something in the way that he had demanded it had rewired your brain in two days. Maybe it was because his advice meant so much to you, while your own advice meant jack shit.

   "How ya feeling, (Y/N)?" Frost asked from the driver's seat.

   "I feel pretty good," you replied with a smile. After all, there was little to no physical danger involved in this mission. Joker had provided everyone with bulletproof vests, shirts, and pants. In addition, everyone was given a metal helmet that secured every inch of everyone's heads, as well as bulky gloves. Each of you had uniforms of a different color, that way the team could identify one another. Yours was white, Frost's was black, Lennon's was yellow, Ronnie's was red, William's was blue, Shaun's was purple, and of course, Joker's was green.

   Everybody had their helmets off, since they were rather heavy, but you kept appreciatively studying yours. Its hard, white exterior was only broken by its dark, yet translucent viewport, and you couldn't help but feel like a badass wearing it. Because you would be totally safe from gunfire, you felt as if some of the pressure was taken off. You had known that your chest area would be protected, since William had asked about bulletproof vests. But, you didn't know if the rest of your body would be.

   So, because of this, all you had to worry about was making this mission as easy as possible for Joker, mastering combat, and fleeing from law enforcement if they came. Maybe even Batman.

   So, still a bit to worry about. But, you didn't let it get to you. As Joker had succinctly put it yesterday, you had to trust him. You had to trust that his plan would work, as long as you didn't royally fuck up.

   "Good," Frost replied. "How about everyone else?"

   Everyone murmured their positive feelings for the day ahead.

   Well, that is, everyone except Joker.

   Come to think of it, he had been quiet all morning. The only time you had heard him speak was when he complained that due to how many team members there were, he couldn't take his purple Lamborghini to arrive in style; you had to take Frost's van instead, which had two seats in the front, three in the middle, and three more in the back. You were in the middle next to Lennon and Ronnie. William and Shaun were in the back, and you could feel their excited vibe from where you sat in front of them.

But, why wasn't Joker excited? Didn't he eat, sleep, and breathe crime? His mind was evidently a scary place, and that was enough to discourage you from asking him what was wrong.

Instead, you leaned over and whispered to Lennon, "Why is J so quiet?" He had a naturally quiet voice, so you figured that he would be able to tell you the most without upsetting Joker.

Lennon nervously looked at the back of Joker's seat, assessing any possible movement that he could make. When he didn't see imminent danger, he muttered, "He gets like this sometimes before missions. I think he kinda...gets in the zone, I guess. Like, he has to tap into his crazy and can only do that when he's silent. Watch, when we get there, he's gonna have more energy than ever."

You nodded slowly. That made sense, especially since no one seemed confused or to be questioning it. You began to grow curious at what Joker at his full energy looked like, and you knew that you would soon find out when Frost stopped the car right in front of Gotham Bank.

The building was huge, probably to accommodate the funds of Gotham's leaders. The poor were very poor in this city, but the rich were equally rich. It was just much harder to be rich than poor. You had to be related to somebody or go through the most prestigious schooling in the world to snag a spot as a leader of Gotham, which was the only profitable occupation here. You detested that about this place; social mobility should be a right granted to all, but with the way Gotham's leaders desperately suppressed the lower classes in order to keep themselves in power... Let's just say few managed to climb the social ladder.

The building was made of marble and had tall, white pillars standing at its front. The two front doors were made of what looked like the same wood as Joker's doors, and an elegant golden handle was bolted onto each one. You felt yourself grow excited at the idea of bursting through that door, stupid ass water gun raised and ready to fight.

Joker immediately whirled to face the backseat, almost making you jump. You saw that Lennon had been right; the mania in his eyes was something you had never seen before. You knew that he was definitely in his zone, and in a mocking way, you began to worry about what damage he'd cause to the civilians and staff in the bank. You didn't know exactly what damage would be caused yet, since there wasn't really a plan in place. You had wanted to ask, but you were worried Joker would take that as you being untrusting or trying to lead. But, you figured you wouldn't be left to wonder for long. Why else would Joker address the backseat so excitedly?

"Our plan is this," Joker said, smiling in a crazed way. "We're gonna go in there and poison every single guard we come across. After that, we're gonna get any civilian stupid enough to stay. But, the guards are our first priority. Then, all of us are going to hold up our weapons to the tellers and force them to unlock the vaults. Then, we leave with our winnings!"

You nodded with resolve. You felt the last of your anxieties wash away; you had this in the bag.

You watched as everyone nodded in reply as well, then started to climb out of the car while putting on their helmets. You followed, and you couldn't believe this was real. Your first mission with the Clown Prince of Crime was about to start, and you felt so alive you could just burst into laughter. You figured the luster of this all would wear off, but right now, you'd make the most of it.

Joker put a hand on your back and gently ushered you to the door, and you couldn't help but smile. Ever since yesterday, his presence and his touch made you feel so good, so safe, and so crazy. You couldn't tell if that trip to Ace Chemicals would be the best or worst thing that's ever happened to you, since an attachment to your boss could prove to be complicated. The effects of the chemicals had definitely worn off a little since yesterday, since you no longer felt the need to cling to him. But, there was definitely something lingering. It had definitely withered your inhibitions a bit, especially relating to Joker.

   You took a big breath before opening the door and dashing inside the bank. As everyone followed you, people began to scream and guards began to shout. They knew who you all were; after all, the word "JOKER" was proudly displayed on each person's vest in capital letters. But, everyone started to look confused once they saw the water guns that everyone held. Still scared, but confused.

   And that confusion made the guards hesitate briefly.

   "Move!" roared Joker, and you instinctively followed orders without a second thought.

   There were four guards in the room, and you ran to the one that was closet to the bank's entrance. He was wearing a padded uniform, but you knew that no matter how padded his clothes were, he wouldn't stand a chance against you.

   You raised your water gun and squirted a bit of the poison into his face. You made sure to not use too much; after all, this was your ammo for the day.

   The poison made a grotesque hissing sound as it ran down the guard's face, causing him to scream loudly. His skin began melting off, and a ghastly sight of muscle and flesh greeted you.

   You weren't afraid, though. In fact, you were elated.

   Since the guard was successfully disarmed, you slammed the butt of the water gun into his head with all your strength, hoping to knock him out so that he couldn't call for help.

   He screamed again, falling to the floor. But, he remained conscious. So, you hit him again. And again. And again.

   You kept going until his screams of terror had quieted, and there was a bloody crater in his head.

   You giggled, feeling elated at causing such destruction. A quick look around the room told you that the other three guards were being handled. Shaun and William were seeming to be double teaming one, shooting their poison with no regard to when they may need it in the future. The guard was too injured to grab his gun from his holster and shoot, but he was violently swinging at the two of them, even as his clothes and flesh were being eaten through by the poison. Lennon had just knocked out his guard, huffing and puffing as he held his water gun triumphantly. Ronnie was in the midst of squirting his guard in the eye, and once he clapped his hands to his face and screamed, he was kicked in the groin.

   Somehow, Ronnie's guard had managed to grab his gun out of its holster and take a shot at Ronnie's chest from an alarmingly short distance. A loud bang resounded, and Ronnie laughed as the bullet bounced right off of him. Had it not been for the bulletproof vest, he would have been done for.

   You figured that the guards were nearly finished, so you looked to make sure Joker and Frost were okay as civilians ran past you in order to leave the scene.

   They were. They were both holding out their water guns at the four tellers in the room, moving the weapons from person to person. Likely to make sure they wouldn't call the police or otherwise slow the progress of the robbery. You knew that the civilians were probably already calling anyways, though, so you had to be quick.

   So, you ran to Ronnie, punching his guard in the jaw so that he would fall. He did, very obviously not expecting the sudden impact.

   Ronnie looked at you, and through his helmet's viewport, you could see the annoyance in his eyes. He almost looked offended at you offering your help. "What are you doing?"

   "You're taking too long," you hissed. "This needs to be quick! People have cell phones, you know!"

   With a dramatic sigh, he nodded, stamping on his guard's head until there was an audible crack. Blood soaked the floor, and you believed he was dead. There was no way anyone could come back from an injury like that. You didn't know if your guard could survive without the skin on his face, especially since he had been struck over and over with your water gun. You hoped not; killing was an addicting feeling.

   You looked at William and Shaun, and they had gotten their guard down. The flesh from his face to his shins had been almost entirely eaten through by the poison, and even you cringed a little at the sight of all of the exposed nerves and tendons. You knew how to use your resources sparingly, and those two did not. Meaning that the injuries their guard had sustained were two times more gruesome than yours or anyone else's.

   Everyone ran over to Joker, water guns pointed at the tellers. Your chest was rising and falling rapidly, and your heart was racing. You were doing okay so far; all you had to do now was collect the money.

   "Unlock the vaults," Joker ordered, trailing his water gun across one of the teller's jaws. "You've seen what's in these little guns, haven't ya? You don't wanna end up like them, DO YA?!"

   He sharply gestured to the mangled bodies on the floor, and the teller began bawling her eyes out. "Which vaults?" she asked desperately, wrenching her eyes shut as the plastic of the gun continued to graze against her jaw.

   "Surprise me," he purred. "But unlock the good ones. I think you can guess what will happen to you if I'm unsatisfied."

   He looked at the rest of the tellers, and you could see his eyes gleaming through his helmet. "And you all will follow us and unlock any more vaults we ask you to. But, you are not to leave my side. If you do..."

   Joker squirted the teller's desk with the poison, and the wood was immediately eaten through with surprisingly ferocity. There was now a hole in the desk, and it was even steaming slightly.

   "This will happen to each and every one of you who tries to escape," he finished with an evil cackle.

The tellers looked terrified. You couldn't blame them; it wasn't every day the Prince of Crime was standing before you, gun loaded with poison. With hurried nods, they got up from their seats. They did it slowly, since it was virtually impossible to ascertain how Joker would react to a sudden movement, even one of compliance.

"The more...stocked vaults are this way," the same teller from before said shakily, walking to the front of the pack and leading everyone up the room's marble staircase.

The staircase kept going, but the teller got off on the second floor. Everyone followed, and you could see that the room contained around thirty large vaults, stretching across the entire length of it. You figured that these belonged to the more prestigious leaders of Gotham, since most citizens had a simple safe to store all of their wealth. But these vaults looked more like metal doors, each with a keypad to unlock them.

The teller who had led everyone here stopped in front of the first vault, typing in a six-digit code on the keypad. "The code is the same for all the vaults on this floor," she said quietly. "It's 870214. So, feel free to open them all. Take whatever you need. Just please, don't hurt us."

"Smart girl," Joker cooed, motioning for everyone to start unlocking each vault.

Everyone, including the other tellers, sprung into action, rushing to unlock each and every vault. You kept mouthing the code to yourself, refusing to forget such an important combination. You didn't even stop to look at the contents of each as they popped open; you just moved onto the next, figuring that you all could assess which goods you wanted later.

Once the last metallic clank of a vault opening was heard, everyone stood back and observed what each vault contained.

And you could barely keep the smile off your face.

Each was filled with cash. There wasn't any of those shiny relics or family heirlooms that are in rich people's possessions in the movies, just a whole lot of green. And you knew green would do just fine.

Without saying anything, everyone began to scoop as much money into their hands as they could. Even the tellers helped, thinking that this would put them in Joker's good graces. Money was being stuffed into pockets, shirts, and you had even stored some up your gloves before scooping up a generous amount to hold in your hands.

Once everyone couldn't carry any more, Joker was content. "Good. Okay, let's move! We don't have much time!"

And, with that, everyone ran down the stairs with their winnings, Joker taking the lead as he exited the building and sprinted to Frost's van. "Pop the trunk!" he demanded quickly, laughing wildly at the exhilarating nature of having to hurry.

Frost had had his keys in his hand for the last few minutes in preparation for this moment. He pressed a button on them, and the trunk to his van was open.

Everyone began stuffing the money inside the trunk, and before long, everyone's hands were empty, and the trunk was full.

You grinned at the wads upon wads of money. Hopefully, some of this would be for your personal spending, too, not just Joker's.

The tellers were now awkwardly staring at you and your team, unsure of what to do now. They had done everything they needed to... So, now what?

You figured that you would have some fun with them. After all, the mission was pretty much over. You could speed off right after this. And besides, you needed to get your name out there. You refused to be a nameless, faceless grunt of Joker's. You wanted something better for yourself, and this was how to get that.

"Thank you guys," you said. "You made this go by a lot smoother than it could've. So, really. Thank you."

You twirled your water gun around in your hands before removing your helmet. You wanted those tellers to see your face, and remember it. You could feel sweat rolling down your forehead, and you giggled at the surprise on each of their faces at Joker having a girl on his team.

"And to really show that I'm thankful," you said, looking down at the gun and letting your helmet fall to the ground, "I won't kill any of you. Instead, I'll just give you all a little something to remember me by."

And with that, you expertly shot the poison at each one of their legs. It was done so quickly that none of them had time to react, and by the time they could, their legs were already being dissolved like nothing. All of them screamed, falling to the ground and wailing like babies.

You grabbed the hair of one of the tellers, a male with pale skin that looked especially hurt. "(Y/N) (L/N)," you growled. "Remember the name. Spread the word. Tell them all that I'm here, and that I'm not going anywhere."

You slammed his face into the pavement, effectively breaking his nose. His wailing only got louder, and you laughed a little in reply.

You looked up, and everyone had their helmets off and was staring at you in surprise. You couldn't pinpoint if the surprise was positive or negative with Joker's goons, but for the man himself, it was definitely positive. He was grinning ear-to-ear, clearly impressed with your intimidation and affinity for unnecessary injury.

"Oh, doll," he said in a raspy voice, slinging his arm over your shoulder. "With an attitude like that, everybody's gonna know your fuckin' name."

He gestured vaguely around you. "They're probably watching you already. There's people filming all the time, all over the place."

He dropped his tone as he muttered, "Give them something to look at. Make them remember you."

You nodded, but were really at a loss for what you should do to draw attention to yourself. You didn't want to scream out a threatening one-liner; that sounded too campy and lame. You didn't want to start loudly cackling; that was just stealing from Joker.

So, what could you do..?

Then, it hit you.

If there was one person people were more scared of than the Joker, it was Harley Quinn.

What if you made the public believe that you were the new Harley? That would certainly grab people's attention, and the world would be abuzz with your name.

In your adrenaline-clouded mind, it sounded like a good idea. So, forgetting any nerves at the brazen action, you grabbed Joker, pulled him in, and kissed him.

You had wanted the kiss to last a few seconds. Just long enough to be convincing, but not long enough for it to be awkward.

But, Joker surprised you by dropping his helmet, harshly grabbing your hips, and kissing back with matching ferocity.

You had expected him to freeze and just let it happen, not actively engage. But, with the way he was reciprocating, gently nipping at your bottom lip and pushing your bodies together... You almost didn't want to stop. What had started as a publicity stunt continued for your enjoyment, enjoyment far more sinful than any murder you had committed that day.

Eventually, you pulled apart, smiling at him shyly. Just like that, all your bravery was gone. You were once again the timid (Y/N), all because of his unexpected reciprocation. You wanted to kiss him again, but you pushed the thoughts aside. This was for business, not for pleasure. This could not be repeated.

Joker was staring back at you with lustful eyes, red lips parted and panting slightly. He looked surprised, but definitely a good surprised.

"How's that for giving them something to look at?" you whispered. "Gotta intrigue 'em somehow, right?"

Your motive seemed to click for him. "Oh, sneaky girl. For a second I thought ya actually meant that."

He playfully pouted at you, then burst into laughter, grabbing your chin and grinning proudly. "But, good play, dollface. Everyone will be raving about you now."

He looked over at his men, who were all jaw-dropped at the scene they had just witnessed. He grinned wider, loving to catch people off guard and unsettle them. "Well, don't just stand there with your thumbs up your asses! Move it!"

That comment seemed to allow his men to remember where they were, and what their end goal was. They all clambered into their seats, and you and Joker grabbed your helmets from the ground. But, before you could climb into the car, he whispered in your ear, "Ya can't tell me that kind of passion was staged."

And with that, he climbed into the passenger seat, leaving you flustered and struggling not to trip over your own feet as you climbed into the car.

As you buckled up, Lennon stared at you and mouthed, "what the fuck?" That was the first time you had ever heard (or technically seen, in this case) him swear. Or show any strong emotion, really.

You shrugged, whispering, "He said to get the public's attention. And I did."

With a bewildered shake of his head, Lennon turned and stared out the window while you stared down at the floor. You had just completed your first mission with the Joker, and it was a smashing success.

But, you found yourself thinking more about the kiss you two had shared, and how he had detected a sort of passion in it. Was there passion? Or was he just trying to make you flustered for his own amusement? Or even, was he trying to paint a false narrative in order to gaslight you into relying on him and doing whatever he wanted?

Given how attached to him you'd felt over the past day, you surmised that it was the first option.

And that scared you.

You rested your face in your hands the entire drive home, wondering how the hell you'd gotten into this mess, and how the hell you'd get out of it.