You were sat on your new bed, ass-deep in your own puzzlement. This was not at all what you had signed up for, yet it was everything you had signed up for, too. After all, you were now living a very privileged life, more privileged than anyone else in Gotham. That was to be expected. What was not expected was your weird, twisted attraction to Joker. He was meant to be your boss, and nothing more. But, he was instead someone that could make your heart race, and not in the way that he was used to making people's hearts race.

As you were sitting there, you began to question if anyone else had felt this way about him. If he had had any other female help, ones that had felt a certain way about his looks. Were you just really odd, or was this common?

Then, you remembered. Joker had been involved with former psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel. He had absolutely ruined that woman; after all, he took a well-respected doctor and molded her into a lunatic. She quit her job and was pretty much at his beck and call, doing whatever he asked with a smile on her face.

   Come to think of it...

   Where is she now? you thought to yourself. You assumed that Joker had probably left her by now; otherwise, she probably would've been one of the first to greet you here. After all, she went wherever he did, fraternizing with whoever he did. You didn't have to be too prevalent in the crime scene to know that.

   But, the long-forgotten Harley Quinn now served as a model of what you shouldn't do. The only woman that genuinely found attraction to Joker was molded into this crazy, lovestruck bitch, and was tossed out on her ass at the end of the day. So, you knew that you shouldn't get any ideas about Joker, no matter how attractive he was. You knew you weren't at the point of obsession that Harley was (how could you have been, with less than three hours of knowing each other?), but inviting in those thoughts about Joker would only lead to that. You did not want to be another Harley.

   You rose from your bed, figuring that it had been close enough to ten minutes. Besides, you needed to account for the time it took to find the dining room, wherever that was. And Joker had said it himself: he didn't like to be kept waiting.

   With that in mind, you had some pep in your step as you left the room and descended the first staircase. You were praying that you'd catch someone meandering around on the floor below, that way you wouldn't have to find the dining room yourself.

   No such luck. With a nervous exhale, you picked the right staircase out of the two that led to the first floor, descending that one as quickly as the last.

   You figured it was a safe bet to go where the kitchen staff had previously been rushing around. Where there was a kitchen, a dining room was typically within reach.

   So, you did, taking note of how fancy the kitchen looked. The sink was golden, for Christ's sake! For a man that was always dressed in purple and green, Joker sure did love his gold.

   You looked to your right, and an equally fancy dining room branched off the kitchen. It was bigger than any dining room you had ever seen before, which made sense; it did have to accommodate Joker's entire crew, cooking and cleaning staff included. The table, complete with a golden tablecloth, was long, and it practically took up the entire room, with wooden chairs accommodating each person.

   You seemed to be the last one to arrive, since there was only one open seat:

   Directly next to Joker. You couldn't tell if he had planned for the new meat to sit next to him, or if everyone avoided him out of fear. Regardless, you had to make do, so you put on a confident mask and sat down with him.

   "Right on time," he commented, grinning at you.

   You really had been right on time. Right as you sat down, a few people from the table got up, rushing to the kitchen to grab the food and serve it to everyone. As your plate was placed in front of you, you made a quiet, surprised noise.

And that's because what was placed in front of you was spaghetti. You figured that with all of the glamor of Joker's mansion, you would be served a prestigious dish of filet mignon or something. But, the simplicity of the dish wasn't a bad thing at all. Because you had come from humble origins, a humble meal was honestly what you preferred.

Joker, having heard your noise, looked at you, scowling. "Is something wrong?"

The whole table fell silent, with everyone watching anxiously. Even the cooks had stopped serving everyone, instead staring at you with wide eyes.

"Oh," you breathed fearfully. "I just wasn't expecting spaghetti, is all." You really hoped you didn't sound like a spoiled brat, since this made you feel more at home than any of Joker's lavish decoration had.

Then, everyone at the table seemed to shrink in on themselves at once. Probably preparing for a deadly punishment that would be sent your way.

"I like spaghetti more than most foods," you clarified, everyone else's fear starting to get to you. "I'm just thankful I get something like this here."

Everyone seemed to relax a little, but was still eyeing Joker nervously.

The man himself broke into a smile. "Excellent. I'm glad it's to your liking, doll."

He picked up his fork, twirling it around the noodles on his plate. "Because if it wasn't, I may have had to resolve that issue. I will not have inadequate kitchen staff on my team." He looked knowingly at his staff, who were quivering slightly. "Harry knows that very well, now, doesn't he?"

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Harry was the one who had been killed earlier. You swallowed hard. At least his anger wasn't directed at you. But, still, your appetite was starting to diminish.

"Well, why does my opinion matter, anyway?" you blurted out, shrugging as you began awkwardly moving your spaghetti around. "I'm the low man on the totem pole here. So, take what I say with a grain of salt."

Joker chuckled. "Oh, (Y/N). My chosen few will always trump the help. I need you. They're disposable. Say the word, and any of them are gone."

He raised his fork and slowly moved it from person to person. Everyone looked utterly terrified, and you felt bad that you had caused all of this upheaval with a simple comment. Yet, you felt alive at the same time. You were in a way better position than you had thought.

Once Joker was done gesturing, he lightly touched your arm. "Anything for the princess of the crew."

You could feel the arm he had touched erupt in goosebumps. By the grin that made its way onto his face, it seemed like he knew the effect he had on you. And that made you worry: was all of this a game? Was he trying to get you to trust him, just so you would be just as moldable as Harley? You had things that the men of his team didn't, and those things were feminine energy and the attraction to men. With his other grunts, Joker couldn't play the flirtatious card. He had to use intimidation or even threats. But you... He knew how to make a woman swoon. And he could have very well been using that to his advantage.

You ate in flustered silence, all while feeling Joker's eyes on you.

—

Once everyone had finished, you noticed that they weren't leaving the table. So, even after you ate two helpings of the immaculately-cooked spaghetti, you stayed in your seat. Although you felt a little more confident about your immunity from death, you still weren't fully sure. And following the crowd was the best way to calm your nerves.

As you sat and waited, you discovered that Joker was the slowest eater on the planet. He placed each forkful of spaghetti into his mouth at a snail's pace, savoring every flavor once he finally got to chewing. Considering the fact that there was no friendly conversation happening at the table, your anxiety quickly faded to boredom. You allowed your thoughts to wander, filling the time with speculations about future missions and thoughts of the life you had left behind.

You were snapped out of your thoughts by Joker abruptly saying, "Dismissed."

Then, everyone got up and went their separate ways. Some started grabbing dishes to wash them, others simply exited the room. They clearly had this routine every day, but you were not yet informed about that routine. So, you stood up, too, but looked at Joker for a cue on where to go.

He rose to his feet as well, smiling. "You know you don't have to wait for my orders on everything, right?"

"Yeah, well, it's better to be safe than sorry," you replied truthfully.

"Smart girl." He looked at his watch, seeing that it was almost midnight. He thought for a second before continuing. "You've had a long day, haven't you, doll? Go upstairs and get your beauty sleep." He tapped your cheek with an open palm, something you noticed he loved to do. "We have a meeting at 11:00 tomorrow morning. Be on time."

Those last three words were said so harshly that you made a mental note to set three alarms, just in case you overslept. You nodded obediently. "I can do that."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow morning, then." He brushed a strand of hair out of your face before gently ushering you away.

And off you went. As you were walking to your room, you could feel the stress dissipating. Joker wasn't that hard to figure out; just listen, and be nice. That was it. And because you filled an important role in his team, you were practically immune from unnecessary punishment. Besides, he was quite...gentle with you. He hadn't even hurt your feelings since you had gotten here, and you knew that that must have been a great sign.

As you reached your room, you yawned, realizing how tired you really were. After entering, you closed the door behind you, on the hunt for some pajamas to slip into. After a brief search of the closet, you found some pink, satin pjs. The top was shaped like a tank top, and the bottoms were short shorts. They looked very comfy, so with a grateful sigh, you peeled off your clothes and replaced them with the pjs. You tossed your old clothes into the closet's hamper, the comforting fabric of the pjs only making you more sleepy.

You brushed your teeth in the bathroom, taking a little less time than usual due to how tired you were. You figured that showering would be a problem for the following morning, since you planned to be up well before the meeting was supposed to start. So, you left the bathroom and enveloped yourself in the covers of your new bed. You let out a contented hum, switching the light off afterward.

You fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow. You were so stress-free that it was odd. But, it was an addicting feeling, and that combined with your comfortable lifestyle made you never want to leave.

Maybe that was Joker's strategy. But, you didn't care.