alive || jerome valeska

he awakes

When Jerome woke up the first thing he felt was the burning pain on his face- or where his face was supposed to be. He felt like his head was about to explode, so many yet hardly any thoughts in it. He remembered who he was, his name, his age, his favourite color, but the other memories seemed to come back slowly. He could see flashes, pictures of his past, but he couldn't really place them.

"Well that is quiet a story." he clapped after doctor Thompkins told him most things that he missed "You know, I know I've been dead, but that doesn't seem kinda crazy to you?"

"Maybe you're dreaming. Try shooting yourself." she spoke, Jerome pretended to consider putting a bullet in his head, than dropping the idea.

"Nah, hey, tell me about this cult, they think I'm pretty great."

"They're bunch of lunatics and idiots."

"Lunatics and idiots?" Jerome jumped on his feet "Ooh, my kind of people." he felt sudden pain in his back, the headache getting worse, he gagged, letting out a few coughs before pulling himself together "Sorry, still a little fuzzy. You know I was just reborn and all." the woman only stared at him with a judgemental look "Wait a second, I know you." he leaned closer.

"Not really."

"You were there at the ball, you're Jim Gordon's friend, aren't ya?" the woman just kept looking at him with narrowed eyes, Jerome assumed the answer was yes "How's Jimbo? Still as sharp as ever?" she only raised her eyebrows "Ahh, doesn't matter." he waved it off "So, when I was last, you know, uh alive, I was about to kill Bruce Wayne. I suppose I didn't manage to... no, right. Theo Galavan killed me, that jug-eared Judas. Well, I suppose I should start by killing him."

"Theo Galavan's dead." she blunted out.

"Ohh." he sighed disappointedly "Who beat me to it?"

"On paper? Penguin. But there are rumours..."

"Well, fill me in! I'm dying for some drama, death's been quiet... boring."

"Some say it was Lili Grimes, others say it was Jim-"

"Say that name again." Jerome ordered, he got a strange feeling, a warm feeling from the name, excitement, joy, passion, he felt his memories trying to unlock themselves inside his head.

"What? Lili Grimes?"

"Lili Grimes..." he repeated, closing his eyes, trying hard to remember. He could feel a warm, gentle touch on his cheek- or where it used to be, so rare, so special, but he couldn't remember... "Tell me about her."

"Ugh, she's Jim Gordon's and Harvey Bullock's partner-"

"I said tell me about her, not her partners." he rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Well, she's a detective, she was the one who arrested your uncle." she paused for a second "and you." she added.

He remembered being at uncle Zac's after he killed his mother, he was about to punish him, he could still feel the heat of the water, he remembered a gunshots, his uncle's scream, and ohh...

There she was.

He remembered how her eyes shined as she fired the gun, he remembered seeing her for the first time, he remembered walking her around the circus, he remembered it all.

"How could I forget." his voice softened "My detective, I died in her arms, didn't I?" Lee only nodded "Ohh, bugger, tell me, did she cry?"

"I don't think anyone wasted a tear over you." she said coldly, getting bored of the situation.

Jerome let out an ugly laugh "You'd think so, wouldn't ya?" he didn't say it, but he remembered how it felt to have her tear drop on his face, one of the last things next to her touch he ever felt on his cheeks. "Your description was extremely boring, by the way, too dull for a girl so bright." Lee let out and ugly laugh as she raised her eyebrows "What's so funny, doctor?"

"You make it sound like you know her."

"Ohh, I know my girl, but, that's none of your concerns. I just have one more question to you." he leaned closer, the gun against her head again "Where's my face?"

The woman explained to him how Dwight cut off his face, pretending to be him, and lead the cult and make an announcement in the news tonight. Jerome turned on the television just in time to catch the beginning of the show.

"Brothers and sisters, my name is Dwi-" he started coughing, trying to hide his mistake "My name is Jerome." he corrected dramatically "History will call tonight the night of..."

"Ahh, look at that. No charisma, no stage presence." Jerome sighed in disappointment "Though he is a handsome fellow, huh?" he laughed at his own joke. The boy walked away from the television, thinking the rest of the 'show' was going to be just as boring, not worth wasting his time. He put on the same officer's hat he had stole the uniform from, ready to leave the room, when one more thing caught his attention.

"Tonight's special guest is the one and only Detective Lili Grimes!" Dwight announced as the camera zoomed on the unconscious girl, tied up to a chair, blood on the top of her head that could only mean she's been hit pretty hard. Jerome tightened his grip around his gun, he wished he could shoot the man trough the screen, he didn't only stole his face, but also hurt his girl "That's right, just like last time, I kidnapped her." he bursted out laughing. Jerome didn't find it funny.

Maybe the fact that he can't put a bullet in his head at that moment was a sign to kill him in a much more painful way, a much more cruel way, torturing him so bad he's going to beg for that bullet.

"Keep watching, Doc. You don't wanna miss what happens next." he said before leaving the building and driving straight to the location of this pathetic attempt of a show.

A.n: Hi lovely people, I'm in a bit of a writer's block (plus I'm lowkey failing school so I need to study💀)  so I'll only be able to update every two weeks. Hope you're liking this so far!