Jerome Valeska Imagines

Pushed Away

"You knew Jerome Valeska!?" The bartender asked you. You nodded, downing another shot. "Yeah. I guess you could say he had a," you paused, thinking for a moment. "Crush on me." You finished. "Really?" He asked in disbelief. You looked up at the man with a big nose and bushy eyebrows. "Why would I lie about that?" You asked, taking another shot.

The man shrugged. "Thought psychos didn't have those kinds of emotions." He said, cleaning up the bit of alcohol that was spilled. You shook your head. "Some do. Trust me, I would know." You looked at him and tilted your head. "But he wasn't a psycho. He was just... mad." You said. The bartender looked at you and scoffed. "Wow kid, if ya keep tellin' people that, they might lock you up in Arkham!" He joked. You narrowed your eyes at him. "Yeah, maybe."

After the awkward silence, the man cleared his throat. "So how did ya feel about him?" You turned to him and tilted your head. "What do you mean?" He stopped what he was doing and looked at you. "If he liked you, how did you feel about him?" He asked. You shook your head before taking another shot. "To be honest, I don't know."

He looked at you confused, urging you to continue. You groaned and rolled your eyes. "I always pushed him away," You confessed. "But in a way, I sorta did like him. He was funny, cute, smart, and knew how to treat a lady." You shrugged. "Too bad he died." The man shrugged. You froze when he uttered the words. Jerome was dead, and you were not coping well.

"Kid? Hey, you okay?" He asked. You turned to him and nodded. "Yeah. Just miss him is all. He was a good friend." You said, taking another shot.

After Jerome died, this was what your life turned into; drinking and drugs. Most nights, you would drink until you could barely walk, and drugs were a plus.

     You were snapped out of your thoughts when the door to the bar opened. In walked a man that looked to be a few years older than you. The bartender turned his attention from you to the man.

     After about 3 more shots, you turned to the t.v. It was talking about the normal stuff in Gotham; robbery after robbery, murder after murder. You continued watching, until a ringing noise came from the t.v.

     "Breaking New! Breaking News! It's been a week since the escape of Arkham inmate, Y/N Y/L/N, and she has yet to be found." You looked behind you and saw that the whole bar was watching the t.v. Great.

     "She is guilty for the murder of Kelly Adams, Jason West, Liza Vorden, and many more. The escapee is said to be armed and dangerous. If you have any information, please call the GCPD immediately!" Suddenly, your mugshot popped up on the screen and you heard a couple gasps. You turned behind you and saw that everyone was staring at you in fear, and the bartender was reaching under the bar.

     You pulled the gun out of your waistband, jumped up, and pointed it at him. "Not such a good idea." You said. "Now, I'm gonna walk out of here, and you guys aren't going to do anything to stop me. Understood?" You asked. You saw many people nod, making you smile. "Awwww, thanks!" You said, reaching for the door. "See ya!" You said, running out of the bar. You ran for a couple minutes before stopping and warming up.

     It was the middle of winter, and the fact that Gotham was always cold, didn't help. You were walking in a dark alley, when your thoughts went back to Jerome. You didn't know why you were so mean to Jerome, you just were. You remembered every time he made a move.

"Hey, doll face! Wanna do something?"

"I'm busy, Jerome."

"Princess! The guards aren't lookin'. Wanna go sneak into the kitchen?"

"Not today, J."

"Hey that rhymed!"

"I'm so bored, doll! Let's get food."

"I just ate."

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"I've seen them all."

"Impossible."

"Don't doubt me, ginger."

     The memories brought a sad smile to your face. It was pretty obvious that you liked him, but you were scared. Scared of how fast you were falling for the red-headed boy.

     You remembered when him and the five others were broken out. You were left behind, but Jerome still found time to talk to you. When he wrote to you, he promised to get you out.

     "I'm tellin' ya, princess, once I get my boss to trust me, you'll be outta here. Ya just gotta give me time."

     You were so mean that day. Mean to him for leaving you. You thought he would forget about you, but he obviously didn't. You pushed away the only person you actually wanted to stay, and now, he was gone.