𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 || 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

Jerome Valeska x reader [2]

Theo walked around and around our table, coaching us on what we'd be doing next as our new gang, the Maniax.

"Personally," I began to say between bites of a bright-pink frosted donut, "I say we just burn the city to the ground and then start fresh,"

Theo glared daggers at my suggestion. Just then Greenwood tried to pry the donut from my hand. I picked up my fork off the table and stabbed the tines of it into his chubby hand. He let out a shriek of pain and I grinned, removing it with a satisfying squelching sound. Drops of his blood dripped from the silverware and I lied it down next to my plate.

"Try that again, Greenwood, and it will be your eyeball that I skewer next." I told him, a fake brief smile plastered on my face as he sulked.

Theo shot me a disapproving glare to which I just shrugged, munching on the rest of my donut. He tried to get each of us then to say "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen" to which Dobkins sounded like a mouse and Greenwood sounded like a monster truck announcer. I shook my head at the pair of them - both idiots. My eyes flitted to Jerome then and his expression held the same ounce of annoyance and boredom mine did. Strands of his ginger hair had fallen over the porcelain skin of his forehead and I had to fight the urge to push it back into place. I'd had a crush on him since ending up here.

He was too...flawless. He was merciless, deranged, cruel, arrogant, and psychotic - everything I liked in a guy. Exactly the type I always fell for. And this time was not different. Except...except this time, I hadn't told the boy in question my feelings for him. Everything about him was just too perfect that for the first time in my life, I felt tongue tied.

Like I didn't know how to say the words... Theo turned to Jerome then and he cleared his throat before standing up in his chair. He spread out his arms like the true entertainer he was and smiled creepily.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he spoke loudly, "Good evening."

I grinned, totally enthralled by him as he sat back in his seat. He shot me a wink before grabbing a donut off the center plate. I felt the tell-tale signs of a blush start to creep up my skin and immediately excused myself. There was no way he'd catch me acting like a stupid girl. Once I reached the room Theo had given me, I quickly dressed. After I was done, I headed back to the dining room to find both boys with weapons in hand - Jerome with a saw and Greenwood with a sword.

I laughed, filching an apple from a bowl of fruit on the table before plopping down into an armchair across from them. Taking a small bite of it, I chuckled.

"Well, this should be interesting." I muttered, smiling slightly.

Just when things began to take a turn for the worst, Theo came back into the room, breaking them up.

"Boys! We're a team," he told them calmly.

"Yeah...and I'm the captain," Greenwood smirked at Jerome.

The saw fell from Jerome's hand with a thud as he glared darkly at Greenwood, "Captain of my foot,"

"I've murdered a dozen women, terrorized the city, what have you done?" he taunted him, "Chop up your mommy?"

"Everybody has to start somewhere," he countered, "See, I have vision, an ambition, and brains. You're just a nutty old cannibal. How many people can you eat before that gets old?"

"I could eat one more," he snarled back.

Theo pulled out a gun then, emptying all the bullets from the chamber but one before asking if both boys knew the game. Russian Roulette. I set the apple down on the table, my hands visibly shaking. No, no, please, no! I had always hated this game. You never knew who would die.

And...and I just couldn't stand it if it ended up being Jerome. Theo handed it to them then and Greenwood took it first. Pressing it to his head, he grinned over at Jerome. He pressed the trigger and it didn't go off. He let out a chuckle but the tightness in my chest didn't dissipate. I didn't care if Greenwood lived or died.

I only cared about Jerome. He took the gun then and I sucked in a breath as he cocked it.

"Hey, Greenwood, what's the secret to good comedy?" he taunted him, putting the gun to his temple.

I let out an involuntary shriek as he pulled the trigger, briefly squeezing my eyes shut. But when I opened them, Jerome was still standing there. Blue eyes darted to mine for a moment before he cocked it again, placing it against his cheek.

"Timing. And what's courage?" he pressed on.

Pressing the trigger again, I dug my nails into the arms of the couch in a death grip. But still, it didn't go off.

"Grace under pressure. And...who's the boss?" he asked finally, placing the chamber underneath his chin.

He cocked it one last time and pulled the trigger. I whimpered but again, it didn't go off. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding then.

"I'm the boss." he smirked down the gun at Greenwood.

Everyone filtered out of the room as Jerome preened about winning. But he stopped when he noticed my panic-stricken face. Walking over to me, he knelt down in front of the chair, an uncharacteristic look of concern on his face.

"What's wrong, princess?" he asked softly and my eyes met his pure-blue ones, so much like the ocean it hurt.

Wordlessly, I jumped into his arms, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

"I-I thought y-you we-were gonna get k-killed," I sobbed and he held me tighter, chuckling in my ear.

"That's never gonna happen, doll-face. Not to me," he smirked, pulling back so I could see his face.

He wiped a stray tear from my face with his thumb.

"Soon, I'll be the King of Gotham and you, my sweet, will be my Queen. No one kills the Royals, doll." he winked before laughing manically.