Haly's Circus ~ Jerome x reader

24: Stitches

"Turn to the left, no, to the right- Luna!?"
"Stop making these sharp turns when I'm doing my makeup!"
"You've spent two full hours in the bathroom, and have had enough time to do your makeup by now, and you know best which way we have to go." Jerome shouts, with his head turned to the backseat, not looking at the road. A man in a black suit carrying a suitcase crosses the road and before I could warn Jerome, we crash into him and he flies over our car.  My scream turns into a laugh because Jerome keeps riding and says nothing but: "Sorry! Didn't see ya!"

"Fine, now my mascara is fucked." Luna shouts back and I turn on the radio which is playing 'Enjoy the Silence.' We all swing with the song until we reach our destination. The place where Jerome's face should still be.

"Did you find anything?"
"No, you?"
"Obviously not, why else would I ask you?"
"Hey, pals. Don't think we have much of a chance that it'll be here." Jerome says. We split up to search the whole cult house of my and Jerome's followers. With nothing as result. Luna mutters something under her breath as I notice Jerome standing with his back to us. He's touching the bandage around his head. I make my way toward him. "You okay, J?"
"Well I'm faceless so I've had better days."
I can't help but smile a bit trying to look serious. "Y'know what I mean." He sighs.

"Yeah, right. Just tired."
"After having slept for about a year?"
He smiles and pushes my face into his chest. I snuggle into his scent. "Yes. But it might be Luna that's the problem. That girl just can't zip her mouth shut, huh." I listen to his heartbeat and count them. Oh how I've missed this sound. My favorite sound.

"Yo, guys? Think I've found something."

Jerome and I make our way back into the main room and there it is, lying on the podium. How did the G.C.P.D forget about this piece of evidence? It was so obvious. What happened in the next few minutes is even hard for me to describe. We heard a loud clang, the door opened and closed. I gestured to Luna and Jerome to shut the fuck up because we don't know who it is. We crouch under the podium, which is dark and creepy and claustrophobic but our only place to hide in time. Jerome grabs hold of my hand as we manage to see who it is. It's my dad.

Jim walks around, looking lost or trying to find something. The missing piece of evidence. Jerome's face. Luna is holding it and Jerome tries to pick it from her but she likes to make fake gag sounds as if it's so funny that she's holding someone's face like some kind of toy. "Give it to me." Jerome whisper-shouts. He sounds genuinely annoyed.

Jim climbs the stair onto the podium. He's upstairs and didn't see us. Oh God, that was too close. So close to getting caught. Obnoxious shivers run down my spine. "Is he gone?" Luna asks, and she hits her head trying to search for my face which makes Jerome giggle and all these sounds together make Jim say: "Who's there?"
I close my hand over Jerome's mouth.
"G.C.P.D, reveal yourself." I catch Luna's eye. Wish I never did that because her eyes tell me she has a plan.

She makes the same movement with her head I did this morning, when she made the comment
"Does your neck hurt?" I say, far too loudly. "Y/n, is that you? It's fine I- I won't take you to the police station if you just want to talk to me." Luna grabs Jerome's face out of his hands and crawls out of the podium. "Almost, it's Luna. We're you looking for this?" She swings the bag around and Jim makes his way to her, when she starts running into the other rooms. Jerome growls. "She'll take it with and won't let him steal it, I trust her, we have to go now Jerome. This is our only way," I say as I take his hand and give him a quick peck on the lips.

Together, we made it through two rooms until I locked eyes with my dad, who's pointing a gun at us. He stood a few meters to my right. I could go through the door right now. "Jimboo! How are ya buddy? Haven't spoken to you in a long time." But my dad ignores Jerome.