Haly's Circus ~ Jerome x reader

20: Forever My Star

It still haunts me: the thought that I haven't heard from Jerome in far too long. I'm sure he's still busy and he's thinking about you, I tell myself. I don't trust Theo. I've said it many times and can't say it enough. I could tell my father, but then I would hurt Jerome so much that he would never want to see me again. Tonight is the last assignment that he has to carry out according to Theo: The big event. Poor boy, just wanted to be loved and get famous.

The big event... I've heard that before! The letter. The scary messages. Is this what Charles means by "The Great Event?" Seems pretty clear to me. I stare at the ceiling. Wiggle my toes. My bed feels cold, colder than usual. Not a grumble from Jerome struggling to get out of bed early, nor a chatter from my mother and Tabitha, shuffling past in the hallway. Nothing at all. It is quiet. "Y/n?" I reluctantly roll out of bed. "Luna's here!" Yells Barbara. Fuck. How could I forget this? Today is the last show of the year! The Flying Graysons and... Me. Luna was not allowed to participate. This is partly because she had not practiced long enough for this edition, and because Mary Grayson is ill. Someone had to take her place.

"I'm coming!" From reluctantly rolling out of bed to running down the stairs, she came anyway. "Ew." She turns my body around until I stare at my reflection. I see an exhausted girl with bags under her eyes. Hair tousled and pajamas on. "When was the last time you slept well? Three months ago for sure." And she's right, because every night I sleep without Jerome, I sleep so little I could better pull an all-nighter. "Pfft, let me think." I joke. Her face doesn't get involved and pushes me forward, back up the stairs. "I may not have an ultra exciting circus show today, but of course I couldn't go without my make-up bag." At least four times she grabs tubes from her handbag and there are countless of make-up tools on my desk.

Luna pushes me onto the chair. "Everyone would have a heart attack if you show up like that. But luckily you still have me." Luna can always exaggerate so nicely. "What are you going to do?" I ask a little anxiously. "I was thinking of a '60 look, with a lot of eyeliner and stuff. It has to be glam and catwalk-like. That goes well with your eye color." "
Yes, of course it has to stand out." I mumble, less anxious now. "Eyes closed." She commands. Knowing that there's no point in refusing anyway, I do as she says. "Sit still." Luna smears something on my eyelids. It tickles. "Look up." With eyeliner she draws a line above and below my eyes. "Smile." A large brush brushed across my cheeks. "What shall we do with your hair?" she asks excitedly.

"Just, uh... a tail or something, with braids?"
"Haha, very funny." Luna pretends to smile. Then she swishes the chair around and begins to braid my hair from above. I open my eyes and immediately see a completely different girl in the mirror.

Would Jerome like this? I start to giggle. Jerome doesn't care what I put on my face, he prefers nothing I think. As long as it's me, then all is well. "What are you laughing about?" Luna is almost ready. I don't reply. "I don't know, but I feel like you're holding something back." Her voice sounds more serious now. "Do you have a boyfriend or something that no one can know anything from?" I turn red, maybe even as red as a tomato. Then I get up and look deep into her eyes. "Okay, Luna... you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Otherwise it will get me killed"

"I swear." She grins and raises her eyebrows. "Pinky swear?" I hold out my pinky. "Pinky swear." It's quiet for a moment. I wanted to change my mind. But then I got shocked by Luna's comment. "It's Jerome for sure." My breathing quickens. "Listen, you don't have to tell me anything; it will come naturally when you are ready." I throw my head back and flop back on the chair. "Thank you. And you're right, what would I do without you?"

~

Jerome pov:

My father is dead. I killed my father without mercy and I stood there laughing. As soft as possible but it all worked out too. With a little help from Tabitha. Y/n's father, Jim Gordon, came back unnecessarily at the same time we were there to pay a visit to the blind man. My father, who I only knew for a year and a half was my own blood and flesh. If not less. You should have seen the look on his face. He didn't look at me, but he could probably smell that I was holding a knife in front of his face. And it got exciting at the end, when he let out a scream as I stuck the huge meat cleaver through his eye.