TW: RECAP OF SEX, SEXUAL TALK. 18+!!

   Waking up next to the Joker was something you had grown used to. Feeling his presence had started out unsettling, but had recently grown comforting.

This morning, though, you didn't only feel his presence. You also felt him. His flesh, his warmth, his movements. You could feel everything as you were curled up against his bare chest, finally free of your handcuffs.

The events of the day prior still felt unreal to you. The Joker, the man supposedly incapable of feeling anything, had admitted to his feelings, and had made love to you like nobody ever had. Your whole body had been on fire, and you were still feeling the aftermath of that this morning. You felt a dull ache between your legs, and, of course, the post-sex euphoria that hadn't diminished at all since last night.

You tried to sit up, but Joker pulled you down. You yelped as your head made contact with his chest once more, not even realizing that he had been awake. You looked at his face. His eyes were still shut, but a smile was on his lips. "Good morning, doll," he said, his voice thick from drowsiness.

"Good morning."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I have in a while."

He chuckled. "I bet. You were pretty tired from our fun, weren't ya?"

"Tired of your bullshit, more like," you teased, playfully hitting his chest as you sat up again. You ran a hand through your knotted hair, heaving a sigh as you looked at your lover. You didn't know much, but in that moment, you knew that your predictions had been right: you had allowed yourself to succumb to Joker's touch, and now, there was no going back. You were completely and utterly infatuated with him.

   "Please. That's not what you were saying last night, was it, Trouble?" He smiled slyly, letting his hand creep up your thigh. "If I remember right, you were actually saying—"

   "I don't need the reminder," you cut him off, feeling your cheeks start to burn. There was something so humiliating in having your pleasured exclamations recounted to you. It was like your most vulnerable moment was being used against you.

   "Didn't think so."

   You huffed, standing from the bed and beginning to rummage through the closet. Sure, yesterday had been fulfilling in many ways, and you had greatly needed a day spent alone with Joker. But, you were starting to grow stir-crazy, and wanted to get up and do something. Given the situation with Two-Face, it had to be in the house, but still. You wanted more out of today than a wasted day, albeit a sensual wasted day. You wanted your first real day of being Joker's girlfriend, a day outside of the blissful seclusion of your room.

   You pulled out a silver dress, and you could hear him tsk from the bed. You looked at him with an arched brow. "What's wrong with this?" you asked, extending the dress toward him for emphasis.

   "I was just hoping you'd wear something of mine today."

   You squinted your eyes at him. "Something of yours? Why?"

   "So everyone would know what I did to ya last night."

   "Stop being gross!" you laughed, but a relatively big part of you enjoyed this teasing. The idea that he was proud to show you off, proud to broadcast his attraction to you... That made you feel valued, even if it was an unrealistic request that would unnerve everyone in the house if completed.

   "As you wish, doll." He rose from the bed, too, walking up to the closet to pick out his own outfit. He settled on a matching silver jacket and silver pants, acknowledging the outfit coordination with a softer-than-usual smile.

   You smiled back, loving this side of him. The side that wanted to match. The side that smiled genuinely. The unseen side of him, the kind side of him. "Are we twinning today?"

   "Yes, pumpkin. Think of it as...a symbol of our amazing, beautiful union."

   As you two changed into your respective outfits, eyes not leaving the other's, it was made clear to you that your union was amazing, and it was beautiful.

   You wondered how it would appear to your other team members, though. Would it be amazing to them? Beautiful? Or would it be morally depraved? Disgusting? You could feel dread creep into your mind, since you had a burning desire to be liked by those around you. And your involvement with the worst of the worst would definitely influence the team's opinion of you. After all, even they had some level of disdain for their boss. Otherwise, why would Frost discourage this union? There was some aspect of Joker that was so vile, so disgusting, that Frost had to issue a warning to you.

   You felt this dread melt away as his hands, calloused from battle, ghosted across your back as he assisted with your dress' zipper. His touch was enough to send shivers down your spine, pleased shivers. Noticing this, he chuckled, clearly reveling in the hold he had on you.

After the two of you were dressed, you both tended to your hair and brushed your teeth. As you completed these menial tasks, you could barely keep the smile off your face. Finally, you had what you wanted. And it was entirely worth the risk of heartbreak.

Following those tasks, you and Joker exited your bedroom, then his little living room. It had been so long since you had seen the outside of the bedroom that you had almost forgotten that he had his living room up here, as well as his office. As you passed the latter, you didn't miss the stressed glance Joker sent to the closed door. Even among the exciting newness of your relationship, it didn't mask every negative to his life, nor yours. You knew that eventually, you needed to come down from your high and remember that, ultimately, you were still on high alert. Two-Face still intended to kill you.

As you descended from floor to floor, you saw several other lower-level staff on their way downstairs, too. They were looking at you strangely, almost in a manner of fascination. You didn't really appreciate being stared at, and Joker's presence made you feel extremely confident in standing up for yourself (maybe too confident). "The fuck you looking at?" you spat.

Unsurprisingly, the men just averted their eyes and hurried down the stairs.

Joker smiled, resting a hand on the small of your back. "They're just jealous they didn't get to you first, that's all."

"How would they know you even got to me?"

"Ya didn't exactly make too much of an effort to keep quiet last night, did ya? That kinda noise tends to permeate through floors."

After a pause, you conceded. "Fair. Still, I don't wanna be stared at like some circus animal. It's dehumanizing."

"I know. If I see it happen again, they're gone. Sound good?"

Normally, you would've said no. You would've reassured him that it wasn't that big of a deal. You would've known that their lives were worth more than your comfort.

But, there was something that shifted inside you when you became Joker's girlfriend. You were less empathetic, and seemed to almost be feeding off of his crazy energy. Back when your admiration for him wasn't acted on, you had built this wall between you two. A wall incapable of letting his insanity seep through and get to you. You had your own insanity to deal with, so his on top of that... That would be deadly.

But, now that your admiration for him was being acted upon, that subconscious wall you had built was torn down. You wanted to look to him for everything, mirror all of his movements and mannerisms. So, you were less inclined to stop yourself from mimicking him. And, you had to say, letting yourself feed in to your anger felt pretty good. You never wanted to be as crazy as Harley was, but, it wouldn't hurt to loosen up a little, right?

"Sounds good," you replied.

As you got to the first floor, you could smell breakfast cooking. It smelled like (favorite breakfast food), which made you smile. It would definitely be a taste of home this morning, since you made this particular food for yourself every day when you had lived in your shitty apartment. Now, though, you assumed that it would taste ten times better, since you weren't a cook.

You two walked to the dining room and took your seats at the table. Your team was already seated, waiting for breakfast. You noticed that they were carefully avoiding your eyes, even Frost. This almost angered you more than being stared at. You looked at Joker for help, but he just rested a hand on your thigh and remained silent. You just wanted to be normal. Not stared at, not ignored. Just normal.

   You tried to reassure yourself that this was temporary, and that everyone was feeling awkward because your involvement with Joker was new.

   When your team still didn't acknowledge you, even after being served their food, Joker intervened, obviously sensing your frustration. "Go ahead," he said, folding his hands.

   Confused, everyone looked at him, even the lower-level workers. You didn't care about them, though. You cared about your team: Lennon, William, Shaun, Frost, and, you supposed, Ronnie. They were all that mattered right now.

   "Acknowledge her." Joker wrapped an arm around your waist.

   While awkward, it felt good that he was trying to stand up for you. You smiled slightly.

   At the same time, everyone met your eyes. That was a little unsettling, but at least they were looking at you, and not in a dehumanizing way. The lower-level workers mumbled their acknowledgment, but again, you couldn't care less if they saw you or not.

   "Good morning," you heard the timid voice of Lennon volunteer.

   "Morning," said William and Shaun in unison.

   "Sorry, (Y/N)," Frost said with a sympathetic smile. You could tell there was something bothering him, though. "Good morning."

   "'Sup," greeted Ronnie.

   "Good boys." Joker began to eat the (y/f/b/f), and you did the same after awkwardly responding with a greeting of your own. While the acknowledgment was stiff, it felt good to be acknowledged in any way at all.

   After a tense breakfast, everyone stood up and was prepared to go about their daily business. You didn't really know what your daily business was, but you lingered by Joker so that you could find out.

   Frost approached the both of you then. He looked at Joker fearfully. "Can I talk to her a second?"

   Normally, you would've loathed the fact that that even had to be requested. If you wanted to talk to Frost, you would talk to him. You didn't need Joker's blessing. You should be the one that was asked, not him.

   Despite knowing all of this, you couldn't find it within yourself to get angry. You wanted Joker to be close to you at all times, so you didn't care that he wanted the same.

   He furrowed his brow skeptically at Frost's request. "Go on."

   When Joker didn't leave, and when Frost didn't start talking, you nudged your lover. "I think he means in private."

   Joker frowned. "And why should I allow that?"

   "You still think I'm gonna run off?" you asked, desperately trying to mollify the obvious tension between the two men. Frost didn't seem aggressive or demanding, but Joker's disdain for the request was obvious. It made Frost visibly shrink in on himself, but he didn't take back the request.

   "No, I'm not worried about that at all. I'm just failing to comprehend what the fuck he could possibly have to say that can't be said in front of me."

   The more he talked, the angrier he became. The notion that his right hand man was hiding something from him was clearly grinding his gears. While he would never admit it, you knew that he considered Frost his best friend. And now, his best friend was trying to get his woman alone. To normal people, that may not have been that big of a deal. To a psycho, that was the biggest slight of all.

   "Don't you trust me?" asked Frost. "After all these years of giving you the utmost loyalty, you don't trust me?"

   "Now that you're being secretive, I don't think I do." Joker stepped closer to him.

   You rested a hand on his chest in order to prevent further advancements. "J, don't be stupid. Do you think he wants me or something?"

   "You're beautiful, doll. I wouldn't be surprised."

"Stop." You patted his chest. "Just let us talk. We'll only be a few minutes. And I promise nothing will happen."

"That's your woman, sir," replied Frost bitterly. "I'm not interested, and I'm offended you'd even think that."

Joker angled his head to the side, clearly ready to clap back. You took his temporary silence as an opportunity to shove Frost out of the room. "Be back soon!" you called over your shoulder.

Once the two of you were in the foyer, you stopped in between the two staircases and crossed your arms. "So, what's up?"

Frost crossed his arms in return. "So, I'm assuming the rumors are true?"

You smiled knowingly. "What rumors?"

He rolled his eyes, heaving a big sigh. "You know damn well what rumors. Did you and J have sex?"

You had known that your activities of the night prior had been common knowledge throughout the house, but hearing someone say it aloud made your cheeks burn. "Yes, we did. How did you guys even know?"

"Apparently, you guys were making a lot of noise. So, everyone on the fourth floor could hear. And they told everyone. News travels fast here."

"Well, they should stop listening. They should've just gone to sleep or something."

"According to them, that was impossible."

"Okay, knock it off. I had sex. So what? I'm an adult, he's an adult. I know you're not a virgin, Frost, so what gives?"

"Just answer me this. Does this mean you guys are together? Or was it just a...meaningless hookup?"

"We're together," you answered simply. You didn't owe anyone an explanation. Love was love, and God damn it, you loved Joker. So what if he was a psycho? So were you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have even been lured into his world of madness. The very fact that you had been meant that there was some part of you, whether realized or unrealized, that needed him. Needed his craziness. You needed to just let go and take that exhilarating plunge.

Frost let out another sigh. "I tried to warn you, (Y/N)."

You could feel yourself getting irritated, and doing so very quickly. "I don't care, Frost! I don't care what you think of him, or what you think he's gonna do to me. I know him. I know he cares about me."

"You may know him, but I know him better. I know how this is gonna end for you. You're gonna be heartbroken. Whether he feels things for you or not is irrelevant. Even if he did, he doesn't know how to love someone properly. You're just gonna get hurt."

"Stop trying to protect me. I feel what I feel, and I'm sick of not acting on my feelings. It was fucking torturous to just ignore everything I was feeling. Now, I can finally be myself. I can just be with the person I want to be with. He has this certain...charm. He makes me feel so alive. And I just can't wrap my head around why you're so involved in my love life."

"Because you're one of my best friends, (Y/N). If I can see that you're going to get hurt, I have a responsibility to at least warn you. I thought you understood the last time we talked about this."

"I did, and I do. But I just want to be selfish and feel things for him. I don't care what I have to feel after everything's said and done. I wanna love just to love, not because I know it's gonna work out. Love is for the experience, not for how it ends up. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

His expression fell, and you immediately regretted saying that. That was a low blow, especially when you didn't know his story. Frost was never the type of man to sit down and talk about his past, or his feelings in general. For all you knew, he could've had a really shitty experience with love, and there you were, rubbing it in his face.

"I'm sorry," you apologized quickly. "That was too far. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I get why you said it. I know this feels so real to you right now, and it might continue to for a really long time. Maybe even forever. I just don't want you to view it as more real than he does." He smiled sadly, an unspoken gesture of pity.

"He views it as real. And he'll prove that to you with time, I know it."

"I really hope you're right, but I don't think you are. Just please don't say I didn't warn you. Be careful. He's gonna fuck you up, both mentally and emotionally, and I want you to be prepared for that."

"He won't. I have faith in him." Even though Joker was probably the least reliable person on the planet, you did have faith in him. You trusted that he was being honest with you about his feelings, and he'd continue to treat you with the respect that you deserved.

"You poor girl. He's really got his claws hooked in you."

You frowned. "Frost, please. Just let me be happy. And if something goes wrong, help me pick up the pieces. That's what friends are for. They support each other through questionable decisions, then help them through the aftermath. That's how it goes."

With a sigh, Frost nodded. "I'm gonna keep worrying about you, but I'll try to be supportive. I don't want you to think I'm your enemy."

"I don't think that. I know you're coming from a good place." After a pause, you added, "Are any of the other guys worried, too? They're acting pretty weird as well."

With an awkward giggle, he responded, "No, they're just freaked by the visual of you two going at it. That'll wear off with time, I think. I'm still waiting for that to happen with me."

"Oh, shut up." You grinned, happy that you at least had some shaky form of support from Frost. His opinion mattered a lot to you, since he was your best friend in the mansion.

And with that, Joker strode into the room. "Okay, it's been long enough," he said indignantly. He stood beside you, arms crossed. "Now, what was all that about, hmm?"

You glanced at Frost, unsure if you should be honest about what was discussed. After all, Joker wouldn't take too kindly to his right hand man discouraging his girlfriend from being with him. That surely broke whatever twisted version of bro code those two had.

But, Frost took it upon himself to answer honestly. He looked confident as he did, making direct eye contact with the man that could send chills down anyone's spine with just a glance. "I was just a little hesitant about you guys being in a relationship, so when I heard about last night, I got a little freaked out. I asked her if you guys were dating, and she said yes. And I expressed to her that I was afraid she would get hurt, but she managed to convince me to just let you guys be. I want her to be with who she wants to be with, even if that's you."

Joker looked offended. His pupils dilated, and his hands began to tremble. "Well, if ya hate me so much, then you can get the fuck out. The fact you would even think about trying to take her away from me is unforgivable. Get the fuck out before I put a bullet in your fucking brain. The only reason I haven't is because of our...history."

   You rushed to jump in front of Frost, as if that would do anything. He began to leave, so you seized his shirt. "Don't go," you pleaded. You looked at Joker, (e/c) eyes full of desperation. "Please, J. He meant no harm. He just wanted to keep me safe. Isn't that what you want?"

   "Yes, but I know that the way to do that is by keeping you with me. He's jealous of what we have, (Y/N), and that's why he wants to take you from me."

   He began to reach into his pocket, and you knew him well enough to know that there was a gun there. "Stop!" you yelled. "He's not jealous of anything. He just cares about me, and wants to protect me."

   "And this is why!" Frost piped in. "Look at you right now, J! You're willing to kill her best friend just to keep her close. Do you not realize how fucking crazy this is? You're gonna lose her if you put her through this kind of torment!"

   Joker pulled out the gun. "Move, (Y/N)."

   "No." Your voice was firm. "Listen to him, Joker. Just listen to him."

   He bared his teeth, clicking off the safety. "I said move."

   "And I said no."

   "(Y/N), let me go. This isn't worth it. I can just leave." Frost grabbed your hand and attempted to pry it from his sleeve, but you held on tightly.

   "You, Frosty, are not fucking leaving. Not after what you just tried to pull." Joker attempted to sidestep you, but you followed, continuing to block Frost with your body.

   You had always known that Joker was crazy, but you were really seeing it now. It scared you in a way, since you worried about Frost's safety. But, you didn't worry about yours at all. You felt extremely safe, and like Joker wanted to protect you. Even though his methods were more than questionable, you could see that he just genuinely wanted to keep you close and take care of you. You knew that this was likely more than a red flag—maybe more like a red banner, or a red ocean—but you felt more safe with him than you had with any other man. You just had to work out the kinks a little bit.

   "J, he wants the same thing you want. He just has a different idea of how to get it." You stepped closer to him, lowering his gun with your pointer finger. "You need to stop freaking out and just listen to me. I don't want this. I don't want you to kill him. I know his heart, just like I know yours. He didn't mean any harm. He just wanted to help in the only way he knew how. And I will say it again: I do not want you to kill him over this. And I know you wouldn't do anything I don't want, right? You trust me, right?"

   Joker's eyes burned into yours. He looked hesitant, since he clearly was not used to being told what to do, much less accepting orders. "I trust ya."

   "Good. So, just put the gun down, and you guys can take space or whatever else you need. Then, we can revisit this later. You both are here for the right reasons, so don't kill each other."

   "That was never a problem with me," mumbled Frost from behind you.

   You whipped around and glared at him. "Not the time," you mouthed.

   Joker didn't even seem to hear Frost's remark. He defeatedly clicked the safety of the gun back on, putting it back in his jacket pocket. He looked dazed, like he wasn't sure what had just happened. You weren't really sure, either, since you half-expected your speech to get you nowhere.

   "Good. Now," you turned to Frost, "just go wait outside. We'll talk to you after."

   Not needing to be told twice, Frost left the room, heading back to the kitchen to wait for you.

   "He just wants me safe," you said to Joker after a brief period of silence.

   "I know. But, I need you with me. I can't tolerate someone trying to tear us apart. I've waited too long for ya, (Y/N)."

   You gently kissed his red lips, a kiss he gratefully returned. When you pulled apart, you whispered, "No matter what he says, you'll never lose me. I promise. I can know his advice is coming from a good place, while also knowing that it's fucking terrible advice. He wasn't crossing you; he is still extremely loyal in a business sense, and you know that. Just please, let him be."

   He sighed, gently grabbing your face and tracing its contours with his thumb. "Ya really want that?"

   "Yes. I really want that."

   With another sigh, he angled your head back and placed slow, teasing kisses on your neck. He kissed all the way up to your jaw, then whispered in your ear, "Then I'll leave him be. Going against your wishes is the ultimate form of disrespect. And I'll always respect ya, sweetheart."

   After that, when you and Joker walked into the kitchen, him and Frost treated each other as they normally would. They discussed Two-Face, future robberies, and all those commonplace criminal things. It was odd to you that one of them could pull a gun on the other, and then they could both act like nothing happened five minutes later. Though, they were both very masculine, so perhaps they didn't exactly want to have a touchy-feely conversation full of apologies.

   Still, even though the boys moved on pretty quickly, there was a lot on your mind. You had Joker had been an item for maybe twenty-four hours, and tensions were already starting to build in the mansion. You feared what would happen next as a result of your involvement, and wondered if it was more trouble than it was worth.

   But, as Joker gently touched your back as him and Frost talked, all of those doubtful thoughts vanished. You were meant to be with him, regardless of what tensions rose in response.