Arthur Fleck and Joker Imagines

The School Reunion - Arthur x Reader

Warnings: Mention of bullying. Language

(y/n/n): Your nickname

(Y/n) had no intention of going to the school reunion when she first received the letter. Listening to people you hated all those years ago tell everyone how well they were doing, how many wonderful kids they had, how they could still fit into their cheerleader uniform after all these years; it was all bullshit. She knew that these people would be telling others what they hoped their lives were really like, lying through their teeth to try and impress everyone.

The real truth would be, that most of them would be losers, like she had been in high school. Too clever for her own good, not pretty enough, certainly not thin enough; not a cheerleader or a star athlete, not the prom queen or popular in anyway. She hated high school, they were the worst years of her life, bullied and belittled, teased and beaten.

"You fat bitch, you think you're better than us cos you're a straight A student. Your nothing, no one likes you (Y/n), no one will ever like you. Your worthless!"

(Y/n) shuddered at the memory, remembering that that was pretty much what she had heard, day in and day out. But the bullies were wrong, there was one person that did like her, one person that was as much of an outsider as she was, and that was Arthur Fleck.

He was the sweetest boy she had ever met, he was shy and kind; he never teased her for the way she looked or the fact that she never had her nose out of a book; in fact he had always encouraged her to follow her dreams telling her that she was clever enough to do whatever she wanted. He would tell her she was beautiful exactly the way she was, and that she didn't have to be a size zero to be perfect.

And as she stood looking into the long mirror in her hotel room at her reflection, making sure for one last time that her hair was perfect, and her dress wasn't creased, she knew she was going to this terrible reunion in hopes of seeing Arthur just one more time, and everyone else could disappear.

For a long time, he had been everything to her, her only friend, the only one she could trust; and much to her shock at the time, he had been her first kiss, and that was something she would never forget. She owed Arthur a lot, he gave her the confidence to follow her dreams, and that was what she had done.

Her heart had broken when she had had to leave Gotham because her father had got a Professors position at a prestigious university on the other side of the country. She had cried and screamed, telling her parents that she couldn't leave Arthur to the bullies all by himself, but all protests had fallen on deaf ears.

As he had hugged her that last day, she was sure that she could feel something in herself die.

"I wish I didn't have to leave you Artie, I want to stay so much. What am I going to do without you?" She had said as he held a large umbrella over their heads, as they stood in the pouring rain.

"You'll be fine (Y/n), and I know you will make me proud. You're the smartest, kindest, cleverest girl I have ever met, and I'll never forget you." Arthur had said as his lips met hers in a final loving kiss, before pulling her into a warm embrace.

(Y/n) could swear that she could still taste his lips as she reluctantly hailed a cab to take her to some god awful place across town where the reunion was being held.

Within what felt like a few moments she was there, watching out of the cab window as people milled around, talking to and hugging people that they hadn't seen in decades. She took a deep breath, as a feeling of nausea spread through her body; she didn't want to do this, on so many levels she didn't want to do this, but this maybe her only way to see him again, and she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.

Walking into the venue she was greeted by large blown up picture of the football team, and the cheerleader squad, the prom king and queen, the basketball team and the band. She couldn't help but feel angry, even after all these years just the look of these people made her feel inferior. Brushing away the feelings, she made her way into the ballroom watching as middle aged people tried to pretend, they were still kids.

She couldn't help but chuckle to herself when she saw that the star quarterback now had a pot belly and a bald head, and the head cheerleader was more silicone and Botox than should be healthy for one human being, trying desperately to cling onto her youth.

A few people had tried to talk to her, but she had dismissed them, only interested in scanning the crowd for the man she wanted to see.

After a few moments of fruitless searching she decided that a drink would maybe calm her nerves and help her relax a little.

As she sat at the bar, nursing a large drink that she had no idea why she ordered, she only just noticed the slender figure that sat nearby.

"You look like you hate these things as much as I do." A smooth warm voice said as he took as sip of the drink that he had ordered.

"Oh, you have no idea." (Y/n) said, as she pushed away the still full glass.

"Oh, I think I do (y/n/n)." The voice said.

Her eyes shot up, there was only one person that ever called her that, and that....... well that was Arthur.

As she met his all too familiar green eyes, she knew beyond a shadow of doubt.

Jumping from the bar stool she threw herself into his arms. "Oh Artie. Its so good to see you, I thought I'd never get the chance to thank you." She said as she squeezed him tight.

"Hi (y/n/n), its nice to see you too. I'm glad you're here, I was hoping you would be. You look stunning by the way." Arthur said, squeezing her back.

"What do you say we get outta here, cos I've found the only person that I wanted to see again." Arthur said with a chuckle.

"Artie, you took the words right out of my mouth."

The late night diner around the corner from the reunion, was small, and warm, and the perfect place to just talk; the pair spending the rest of the night laughing and catching up on what they had missed over the years. Arthur was the same sweet, kind and shy boy she remembered, and she couldn't help but smile at him as he combed his tussled brown locks over the back of his head.

As the night threatened to turn into day, Arthur had escorted her back to her hotel room; and as the two stood at her doorway, Arthur summoned up the courage to say what he had wanted to say for some time.

"(Y/n), you don't have to leave Gotham just, yet do you? I mean we have so much catching up to do still, and I don't want to lose you again, now that I have you back." He said, as a slight blush came to his cheeks.

(Y/n) took both of his hands in hers and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm in no rush to go back Artie, and you're never gonna lose me again, in fact, I think you might just be stuck with me now." She said with a smile.

Arthur leant forward and rested his forehead on hers. "I wouldn't mind being stuck with you for the rest of my life (Y/n) if truth be told."

As the two made plans to meet later that day, (Y/n) watched as Arthur waltzed down the hallway back to the elevator, blowing her a kiss before he stepped inside. (Y/n) couldn't help but laugh as she leant against the doorway. 'The world works in mysterious ways, its wonders to behold' she couldn't help thinking, and Arthur was definitely a wonder to behold.