Gotham Imagines

I Dare You

Jerome x Reader

Ever since you were little, you and your friends always enjoyed daring each other. Dare each other to eat things, do things, break rules, you name it. At first, it was a secret act of rebellion, but as you grew, it became more of a game, a way to tease each other, a way watch your friends squirm.
And you love it.
You have always been the best at it, the one to perform the riskiest stunts and think of the wildest dares. And your friends practically worshipped you for it. Daring isn't just a habit for you; it's a way of life.
So, it comes as no surprise that, while you and your friends are wandering the streets on Halloween night, you in a ball gown and mask, the others dressed as ghouls of various sorts, one of them dares you to go kiss a random stranger.
"And not just a peck! On the lips. Go find someone and make out with them. NO exceptions," your zombie friend presses.
You roll your eyes, not wanting to, but obviously not going to turn it down. "Fine," you challenge her, glaring. So you dash into a crowd packed together in the street, not really taking the time to look for a particular person. Gender, age, you honestly don't care; you just want to get it over with...to see the look on that person's face.
So you take the first chance you get, not even glancing at them before mushing your face up against theirs.
And, surprisingly, they don't pull away or get mad. With the same chaos and hurriedness that you portrayed, they kiss you. Roughly smashing their lips against your own. It shortly became weird, and you pull away, only to find a man slightly older than you, wearing a suit, a cape, and a mask that sat firmly beneath his fiery red hair.
After a moment of examining him, he cackles, a laugh like none you've ever heard, bone chilling. Bowing, he takes off his mask to give you a proper smile, only to slide it back on a moment after. The quick glimpse you retrieved revealed his boyish face...and a grin you wouldn't forget. It's a face you're sure you've seen before...but where?
It comes to you as you begin to walk away from him, back towards your group of friends.
He was on the news.
He was on the news...for murder.
He's the psychopath who killed sixteen people recently...
And suddenly the world is slow, everyone around you is sluggishly walking around and weaving through the crowd and the street is so packed, you begin to feel claustrophobic as you whip around, fearfully focusing on the spot you were just at.
The spot where you kissed a killer.
In a moment, everything appears to go back to normal. He is nowhere to be seen.
But it's not over, for you know any shadow in the crowd could belong to him; you can practically feel his warm mouth against yours. Suddenly, the dampness of your lips seems even more horrifying. The fact that you were in such close proximity to a, well, a criminal psychopath?! It makes your heart beat at a million times per second.
He could have MURDERED you right then and there. Perhaps it was a stretch...BUT he wasn't even the slightest bit angry...he even kissed you back. You wipe your lips with your bare arm, disgusted and practically shaking from your recent experience.
When your friend taps you on the shoulder, bringing you back down to earth, you jump.
"Y/N, calm down!" she snickers.
"Yeah, what's your deal?"
"That dare was wicked by the way!"
You're mouth is hanging open, and you're already ruling out the idea of telling them.
"Hey, that guy, when he took his mask off, you know who he kind of looked like?" your companion blares, still in an excited mood, yet uncomfortably rubbing her other arm. "Jerome Valeska."