❊Multifandom Imagines❊

Jerome Valeska x Reader {part 2}

Jerome had seen your face. He now knew what his quiet neighbour looked like, so finding you in the rec room the next day was easy.
He had great ideas turning in his head like clockwork, a plan for his upcoming escape from Arkham, and so desperately wanted you to be a part of it. He'd seen potential in you - brilliance just waiting to be unlocked - but of course Jerome also sought partnership. When he saw you sitting on your own in the corner, reading as you always did, such feelings were confirmed.
You were gorgeous, that much had been obvious when he finally saw you last night, but now the dim Arkham lights enhanced your features in more depth; your beautiful yet focused eyes captivating the redhead as he strolled confidently towards you, whistling as he approached.
Hearing the tune, you glanced up from the pages of your book, actually unsurprised to see Jerome standing above you, grinning widely. Despite sharing a wall in your cell with him, you'd never actually been this close to Jerome Valeska before and it intimidated you slightly. Whether it was the scars that adorned his face, the excited grin he wore or just the general crazy energy he so effortlessly exuded...you were unnerved to say the least.
Even more so because Jerome had somehow been able to see inside your head the night before.
"Can I help you?" You asked with a sharp tone, hoping the redhead would just leave you alone.
"The real question is, can I help you?" Jerome jumped into the seat beside you. "Watcha reading?"
You slammed the book shut and turned to face him, irritated expression in place. "What do you want, Jerome?"
"I have a proposal for you." Jerome said, leaning closer.
Your instinct made you shift back in your seat, the closeness between you and the redheaded maniac making you feel uneasy. "Not interested."
Jerome chuckled, "I don't believe you."
"Well it's the truth." You told him firmly, not wanting to instigate any kind of relationship with Jerome, not for business nor pleasure. "Now can you go away, you're blocking my reading light."
"You sure do read a lot." Jerome took the book out of your hands and quickly flicked through the pages quickly. "I like a smart girl, smart's the new sexy right?" He licked his lips and quickly glanced over your body, finally able to get a full view of you, every inch and curve as perfect as he'd imagined during those lonely nights on the other side of the wall.
You rolled your eyes, "you think you're god's gift to women, don't you..."
Jerome smirked, your fiestiness only making him want you more. "I could be a gift to you if you'll let me, Y/N." When you frown didn't alter, Jerome sighed and stood up. "Fine. I guess you won't see me again then."
That made you pause. "Why's that? You moving cells?"
"You rejected my proposal, Y/N. How do I know you won't just blab to the guards?" He was testing you, you knew that. And Jerome knew this approach was working.
You were going to leave Arkham with him, Jerome was certain of that. Then, and only then, could he unleash your potential.
"I'm busting outta this hole tonight." Jerome leaned closer to hiss in your ear. "I wouldn't mind helping you out, if you promise to be nicer to me." He inhaled deeply through his nose, taking in your scent. "For someone who's been locked up for a while you smell good..."
You wanted to turn around right there and slap him. Before Arkham you never would've let a man flirt with you as much as Jerome did. He was obnoxious and conceited and clearly delusional...but he was also your only way out of Arkham. And somehow, despite how much he irritated you, that wide smile of his found a way to get to you. So regardless of how much he grated on your nerves, you knew you'd have to bit your tongue and butter the redhead up - at least until you deemed it safe to venture out into the spotlight with your protest once again.
"Well when you get us out of here you can get me some of that fancy shampoo that smells like strawberries. I'll smell even nicer then."
Jerome leaned back, staring you dead in the eye with a look of bewilderment. "You're coming with me, doll?" He chuckled smugly, "I thought you wanted to serve out your time in peace. What's changed...have you fallen madly in love with me?"
You rolled your eyes when he threw you a wink. "I realised I can't change the system locked up in here. With all the drugs they pump in my veins I'll be actually crazy before I get out." You paused, "no offence, of course."
"None taken. But just...don't use the word crazy around my friends. They won't like it."
"Friends?" You raised your brow, surprised to hear that Jerome wasn't working on his great escape alone. "So which of these...totally sane people will be joining us tonight?"
"Oh you'll love 'em. They're smart, like you." Jerome grinned, "I can't wait to show you what we have planned for this city. I'm sure you'll fit right in to our little gang."
Of course you hated the thought of leaving Arkham along with Jerome and a couple more of Arkham's most psychotic, but what choice did you have? Even if it meant that you owed Jerome a favour, a life debt as he'd called it, it was worth it if it meant that you could escape. If you could continue what you'd started.
You'd spent every waking moment since your sentence thinking of your sister. Thinking of what they'd done - what they'd gotten away with - and how a system that was created to protect the innocent had let her down. It always let people down. The city deserved better than a police force that was primarily owned by Penguin, you wanted to shed a light on all of the injustice.
Yet you knew you wouldn't be able to do that with Jerome by your side.
He craved chaos with no concrete plan, just madness for madness sake, whereas you just wanted justice.
So as you followed Jerome down the Arkham corridor, you couldn't help but regret your decision. Even if you found yourself smiling the whole time you were breaking out.
Courtesy of Jervis Tetch and his hypnosis skills, the four of you chose to hide out in a nice mansion in the middle of nowhere. Of course the thought of sharing a roof with three insane criminals unnerved you but it was better than living on the streets, hiding from anyone who'd be able to single you out as one of the escapees. Even if you had kept your bedroom door locked the entire time.
You kept yourself to yourself for the first few days, only emerging for food before retreating back into your room to research on the computer Jerome had acquired for you. He'd been strangely kind to you, offering to get you anything you needed in order to make your stay more comfortable. It was almost as though you mattered to him.
Then Jerome knocked on your door late on the fifth night since your unapproved release. "Y/N? Psst, you in there?"
You glanced up from your research and rubbed your eyes. You'd been working for hours and had completely lost track of time. "Yeah, what's wrong?"
"I got something for you." Jerome tried the handle. "Still locking the door, eh? What's wrong, don't ya trust me?"
Sighing, you got up and unlocked the door, opening it to see Jerome standing before you, hands behind his back.
"I remember your story about how you and your sister used to go to that bakery in midtown. You liked the chocolate donuts, with the cream filling." With a proud smile he presented the box he'd been hiding behind his back. "Ta-dah!"
You were taken aback by his kind gesture. He'd actually paid attention to happy memory you'd told him. You smiled when you opened the pink box, the sweet smell reminding you of happier times, of all those times your sister had surprised you at work with your favourite treats. She was your best friend, you'd never needed anyone else.
"You bought these for me?"
"Well, I wouldn't say bought..." Jerome chuckled mischievously, "but yeah, I thought you'd like 'em so we made a stop on the way home."
"Thank you." You blinked in surprise, unsure as to whether or not Jerome had switched minds with some kinder, less crazy entity. But then he laughed and you scrapped that theory completely.
That manic laugh was characteristic of the redhead.
"So can I come in?" Jerome took a small step into the room, frowning when he noticed you flinch slightly. "Don't be like that, Y/N. If I had any intention of harming you, believe me, you'd know."
He was right, you knew that. If he had some kind of sinister plan he wouldn't have bothered bringing you lunch every day, shouting goodnight to you every evening...bringing you small gestures to help brighten your day.
"Sorry...come in." You feigned a smile and allowed him to follow you into the room, watching as he sat on the bed and patted the space beside him.
"Still reading up on Gotham law?" Jerome asked, glancing over the books and documents that were scattered all over your bed. "You really need some fun. Come out with me and the gang tomorrow, I'll show you a good time."
"Hmm...I'll pass." You replied, picking up the papers on your bed. "Killing innocent people isn't really my idea of fun."
"Sorry, I forget ya only like to kill people who deserve it." Jerome smirked, "well who'd ya wanna kill then?"
He was testing you, trying to get you to reveal the dark side you'd shown him that night, but you refused to bite. That was a one-off. Or at least you were trying to convince yourself. Well, that and the night you attacked your sister's murderers.
"They did deserve it." You told him firmly. "They broke into my sister's home and killed her for no reason. She'd never done anything wrong; even as kids she always stayed out of trouble. She was a good person and they murdered her."
Jerome didn't know what to say to comfort you. He'd never been good at that sort of thing. "You're lucky, you know."
"What?" You sniffed, wiping away the tears from your eyes.
"You have good memories of your sister. My brother hated me, turned my whole family against me." Jerome frowned as the bitter memories of his childhood flooded back. "He was taken away from the circus so he'd be safe from the monster. That's what they all thought I was, a monster. Then I became a punching bag to my whore mom, just some post-sex entertainment for her endless series of lovers."
You could tell by the look on Jerome's face that his story wasn't a fabrication, it was the truth. Jerome was actually opening up to you. Perhaps it explained a lot of his behaviour. He was driven by pain, just like you.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." You whispered sympathetically.
"Don't feel sorry for me, doll. I got a plan, I'll make Jeremiah pay soon enough."
While Jerome's declaration unnerved you, you decided not to question him on the wicked plot he was brewing. You were enjoying talking to the more human side of him; it surprised you to see that the redhead had a heart beneath all the scars and the over-confident front he always wore.
"Hey, fancy a donut?" You held the box he'd brought for you out to him, offering him one of your sweet treats.
Jerome grinned and helped himself, licking the icing from his lips as he chuckled pleasantly. "Wow, those are seriously good. I can see why you like 'em so much."
Smiling, you also took a big bite. It tasted just as you'd remembered, the familiar blend of dough and cream reminding you of every memory you had of your sister bringing you your favourite pastries to cheer you up after a nasty break up, giving you a box on your birthdays ever since you were six years old. It hurt to remember, but it also made you smile. Jerome was right, you were lucky as hell to have such memories to look back on.
You finished your donut and looked up, meeting Jerome's intense stare with a grateful smile. "Thank you."
Your words made Jerome smile too. He was proud that he'd been able to lift your spirits. Happy, even.
But of course, Jerome couldn't resist stepping back into his typical behaviour before long. "Hey, Y/N. You got a little bit of chocolate there..." He nodded towards your lip, but before you could wipe it away, Jerome quickly crashed his lips against yours, something he'd been dying to do since your outburst towards him. Jerome found you to be absolutely gorgeous, but not only that, you also fascinated him like nobody else ever had done. He just had to have you.
You, on the other hand, couldn't believe what was happening - what you were allowing Jerome to do. He disgusted you, right? He was a psychotic criminal with absolutely no regard for anyone else. A maniac...so why didn't you pull away? And why, when Jerome eventually broke the kiss, did you almost miss the feeling of his lips on yours.
"That tasted even better than the donut." Jerome grinned as he licked his lips, savouring the taste of your sweet kiss. Now that he'd gotten a sample, he wanted more. He craved you as though you yourself were some kind of sweet dessert. Unable to resist, Jerome leaned closer to you, preparing to kiss you again, but you backed away. You couldn't bring yourself to do it, remembering what Jerome had said that night about you having potential. You couldn't help but feel as though this was part of some other plan, like you were just a pawn.
"Somethin' wrong, Y/N?" Jerome asked, your sudden shift in behaviour confusing him.
"You're playing me, aren't you?" You studied his face closely for any sign that you were right in your assumption. "You want to bring out the worst parts of me...to get inside my head and turn me into one of your...your monsters."
Jerome shook his head, his expression deadly serious. "That is not true. And hey,don't use the word monsters, would ya?"
"Well what are you, Jerome? You murder people, just for fun. Even your own parents...I can't believe I almost bought your sob story. You're insane."
Jerome saw red at that and he grabbed your arm tightly, forcing you to look directly into his angered eyes. "I'm not insane. I want to help you, Y/N. You know as well as I do that what you've got planned won't be easy. It ain't over."
"Help me how? I'm nothing like you, I'm not a psychopath!" You shouted, staring him dead in the eye with no fear whatsoever. You didn't even struggle.
"Oh but we are the same." Jerome took out a knife from his pocket and held it against your throat. "Even as I'm holding this blade against your pretty throat, your life literally in my hands, you're not scared." Jerome chuckled, "you have no fear, just like me!"
"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with." You hissed through gritted teeth as you felt the cool blade against your skin. Jerome was right, he had your life in his hands. And you weren't even scared. Why?
Because you loved the danger. You loved playing with fire, getting so close to being burned, but escaping without a scratch.
Your decision to go after the men that murdered your sister was incredibly risky; they were armed and dangerous, ready to kill anyone if necessary. But so were you. You didn't even hesitate as you took their lives one by one, the only thought that stayed with you was that of your sister when you found her the night she was killed, lying lifeless in a pool of her own blood. They deserved it, that was the one thing you were deadly certain on. And no, you wouldn't have changed what you did. You weren't even sorry.
Jerome was right, it wasn't over.
"I promised you I'd help you, Y/N. I can make everyone that was responsible for your sister's murder pay. Together we can tear apart the system that failed to protect your sister, all the cops that took justice away from you. I can set you free." Jerome's grip on you tightened. "Just let me..."
"Put the knife down and kiss me." You said without thinking, unable to fight against the role he was trying to thrust upon you any longer. It wasn't just about justice and revenge any more, the fight ahead was so much more than that.
Jerome wasted no time as he kissed you passionately, hungry for you, desperate to see what you could become with his guidance. You jolted him from such exhilarating thoughts by biting down on his lip, hard. Jerome pulled away, chuckling as he felt the blood trickle from his mouth.
To you, the whole moment was euphoric, almost like you'd stepped out of your body and into that of another, just watching yourself make what had to have been the worst decision of your life. Or maybe it was the best. After all, Jerome was setting you free of all restraints, the part of you that had always kept you grounded was gone, simply on the outside looking in as you kissed one of Gotham's most notorious criminals.

Credit: luciebell-writes.tumblr.com