FREAKS || Jerome Valeska¹

29 || Don't Look Back

Reese felt the weight of the funeral linger on her shoulders even when she arrived home. The image of Oswald's tear-stained face haunted her - It was only the carcass of a once-feared gangster. Arkham Asylum had changed him, and she wondered if he would be able to defend himself in this moment of deep pain. It was clear his 'step-family' lacked empathy and didn't have the best of intentions. Reese didn't need to speak with them to know she detested them, and she wished she could've snapped their necks. They would've been dead right away.

The cold touch of the loft door brought her back to reality. And it was a good thing because the scene that awaited made her lose her breath - There was a gun pointed at her. Her brown eyes widened.

Jim Gordon and Edward Nygma were sitting at their dining table. The sound of the door opening called their attention. The minute she walked in, Gordon felt threatened and pointed the gun, unbeknownst to her. Edward felt himself tense, scared that if she did something wrong, he would shoot. The siblings shared alarmed gazes, mentally urging each other to remain calm. Reese raised her hands, letting the detective know she wasn't armed or anything like that.

The blonde man faced Edward, his jaw clenched, his grip on the gun not loosening. "I know it was you, Ed."

Reese squeezed her eyes, Well, fuck.

Ed smirked cockily and placed a hand over his chest, feigning offense. "Me?"

"You," Jim affirmed before the cuckoo clock chimed with life and solidified his claim.

Edward's grin widened, and he began laughing. "Guess what?" The detective didn't speak, silenced by betrayal. "I knew that you knew that I knew." The smug expression faded into a glare as Edward proceeded to press a button on a small remote.

Electric shocks rushed through the detective's body, driving him to convulse uncontrollably. Reese pressed her back to the loft door, wincing at the sound of electricity crackling. She watched with a fallen jaw as sparks flew, and Jim collapsed sideways, bringing the sizzling chair with him. It happened so fast that her brain could barely process the situation and that Jim was lying unconscious.

Edward... just... fried... him. Reese gasped, covering her mouth. She stared at the motionless figure, trying to stop the smile from coming up. It was fucked up. Oh my God.

Edward glanced at his little sister, casually scratching his ear, before stepping toward the detective. Crouching, he picked up Jim's gun. "That's why your chair's wired to the mains," he commented before laughing maniacally and showing Reese the remote.

He is too fucking good.

She grinned devilishly before erupting into laughter, captivated by the chaos. This was the calculated intelligence that she had anticipated when he told her about his first kill, but witnessing that was amazing.

-- * --

"Ugh, now I know why
They made me work out in school
He's killing my beautiful back." Edward sang/rambled while dragging Gordon's body through an alley.

Reese smirked, "Yeah, 'cause exercise was only meant to drag soon-to-be-dead people."

The latter scoffed, responding in his previous tone, "Obviously, what else?"

"I dunno, maybe being fucking healthy."

"You had an A in P.E.," Edward commented, raising an eyebrow sarcastically, asking her to reevaluate her answer. "Yet, some would say you're in deplorable conditions."

She gaped, halting in her tugging. "Excuse me?"

The brother hummed, continuing to sing. "Am I lying?"