Requested by anonymous
Jerome x reader
"C'mon, Jack! Let's go for a walk!" I tell my brindle- colored boxer/pitbull mix. He just sits there, looking at me as if I am crazy. "C'mon! It's just a few snow flurries!" I clip on his leash and pull him until he gives up and walks on his own.
When I open the door, the winter breeze slaps me in the face. I shiver and zip up my jacket. We walk until we are away from the city a little and I feel the snow fall heavier.
"I think we can make it a little farther, Jack." I say, using my better judgment. The farther we go, the heavier the snow falls and I think about turning around. As soon as I do, though, I realize that I can't see anything behind me.
I turn back around in the direction I was heading, seeing some mobile homes and I make my way towards them. After some pushing through the storm, I find myself at a door, knocking on it as hard as possible.
A young man that looks to be maybe a little younger than me, opens the door. He takes one glance outside, to me, and to jack, then pulls into his mobile home.
"Woah, that's a heck of a storm out there. Are you all okay?" The boy asks and I notice his ginger hair and pale skin for the first time.
"Uh, yeah. I think so. I hope you don't mind our being here. I couldn't find the way back to my apartment and I saw this place and... yeah." I chuckle and he stares into my eyes for a minute until I turn my head, pretending to look around.
He clears his throat, "Uh, no. I don't mind. My mom is out of town and she left the place to me for a few days. You can stay as long as you would like, or at least until the storm lets up. It would be my pleasure."
I smile, "Okay."
He then tells me to take a seat on his couch while he makes us some tea. "Here you go." He hands me a cup and sits down next to me. "You know, I really thought that Jack would be agressive with you. Just because he doesn't know you and all, but he really has surprised me. I think he likes you."
I see his lip curve into a smile as he says, "Well, I like him too." He pets Jack whilst the dog licks him back.
I giggle, "So, what's your name?"
"Jerome. What's yours?"
"Y/N."
"It's gonna sound cheesy, I know. But, that's a very beautiful name for a very beautiful girl." He takes a sip of his tea and I blush, adjusting my eyes to the floor.
I see a newspaper on his table and grab it, trying to change the topic. "You know, everytime I read a newspaper, someone has committed a crime."
"Everytime?" I nod, "Mmmm...hmmm." I take a sip of my tea and I feel the smooth hot liquid flush down my throat.
"Did you hear about Bruce Wayne? His parents?" He says and I nod, "That's awful. But, it doesn't really surprise me any. They basically ruled Gotham with their wealth."
Jerome glances at the clock, "It's getting late, maybe I should show you to your room." I smile and get up to follow him down the hallway. "You can sleep in my bed and I'll just sleep on the floor."
"I couldn't do that. I'll sleep on the floor." He grabs some blankets from the closet and shoves them in my arms. "You're my guest, I have to treat you as such. Besides, I'd be up all night worrying about you, so I wouldn't get any sleep anyways."
I take the blankets and lay down, patting on the bed so that Jack will jump up there. Jerome turns off the lights. "Goodnight." I say when I hear him get settled in. "Goodnight." He replies and I turn over on my side.
~~~~~
I wake up to find that I am the only person in Jerome's room. I panic a little, but then I hear Jack playing with Jerome and I calm down.
I make my way into the living room of the mobile home and sit down beside Jerome. Jack notices me and gets all excited. I giggle when he licks my face. "Whatcha doin big boy? Huh?" I pet him and he jumps down to go grab a dog toy.
I find it odd that Jerome has a dog toy if he doesn't have a dog. "Why do you have that dog toy?"
"Oh, that? One of my mom's lovers had a dog and I guess he left it here." I nod. We sit in silence as I look through a magazine I found on his table.
"So I made some pancakes, if you want any."
"Oh, okay. Thanks." I get up and grab a plate, grabbing a couple of pancakes. I put some syrup on them and go sit back down.
"Are they good?" I nod and laugh because I had just gotten syrup in my hair. We both laugh hysterically and his kind of creeps me out a little, but I don't show it.
"I'll go grab a towel." He wipes his tears from his face from laughing so hard and gets up.
He comes back with a wet wash cloth and insists on cleaning the syrup himself. He notices a little drop on my cheek and I bite my lip when he wipes it off. His eyes go from my cheek to my eyes and I can see the lust pouring from them, just as I'm sure mine are doing the same.
He leans in and I almost let him kiss me, if it weren't for a whining Jack. "What is it, Jack? You wanna come up here with us?" I giggle as he jumps into my lap.
Jerome gives us a soft smile and walks to the bathroom.
Jerome's P.O.V
I turn on the cold water from the sink and splash it on my face.
Just kill her, it doesn't matter, no one loves her. The voice inside my head is getting louder every day.
"Her dog does."
Of course he does, all dogs dogs do.
I take a shaky breath, "I think I like her. What if she's my true love?"
True love? You really believe in that bullcrap? Ha. You just want to get in her pants.
I feel my blood boiling, "Stop saying that! She deserves respect."
This love act is getting old. Stop telling yourself these lies. You know the truth.
"I am telling the truth!"
No, you only love yourself and you always will. No more people to get in our way. We will leave a mark on this awful city. And you will not let her get in the way!
"You don't know her! She... she... she's so soft. A-and small. So pure. I... I've never seen anything like her."
Keep telling yourself that, buddy.
The adrenaline courses through my veins and I pick up the closet thing to me, which is a vase, and I through it into the wall.
It crushes into a million tiny pieces. "I will tell myself that because it's the truth!"
I walk back into the kitchen.
Y/N's P.O.V.
I hear a crash and I jump out of my seat. It sounds like something glass shattered.
However, as soon as I stand up, Jerome makes his way out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. "Are you okay? I heard something break." I stroke my arm nervously.
I see his hands shaking and he swallows hard before saying, "Yeah, I'm ok. I just dropped my mom's vase." All of the easy going guy I saw earlier slips away and a new, vulnerable boy comes out into the open.
"Okay. Would you like me to help clean it up?" His eyes light up as he looks up at me. "Uh... sure. I mean, no. You might get hurt." I nod and sit back down.
~~~
Later that night, we get into bed and I lay there, looking up at the ceiling. "Y/N?"
"Yeah?" I feel him move around a little before he says, "Can I tell you something? Like, personal?"
"Mmm...hmmm. Sure." He let's out a shaky breath. "My mom... she's a bad person. She hurts people. And so does my uncle." I furrow my eyebrows, "What do you mean? Do they hurt you?"
"Yeah." It's quiet and I think hear him crying. "You shouldn't let them do that. Whenever the storm lets up, you can come live with me. You don't deserve being treated that way."
He sniffs, "Okay."
~~~
In the morning, I get up to find Jerome doing the dishes. I realize that I haven't seen him doing them the whole time I've been here.
"Need help?" He glances up and I see a look of terror in his eyes. "No, you have to go back into my room. She can't see you." He pushes me towards his room, but I place my hands on his chest to stop him.
"Hey! Who's here? Who can't see me, Jerome?" He looks at the door behind him. "My mom."
I hear the moans coming from her room and I scrunch up my face in disgust. I don't know what to say, so I do what he says.
Not even five minutes pass and I hear skin against skin in a hard slap. I run to open the door. I see Jerome holding his face as his mom laughs.
A big, buff guy grabs Jerome by the shirt and slams him into the wall. He punches him and my heart falls to my toes when I see the look of pain on Jerome's face. At this point, I could care less what Jerome says and I make my way to the kitchen.
"Hey! Let go of him! He never did anything to you!" Jack barks at them and the big guy lets go of Jerome's shirt. Jerome walks over to me. I hold his hand, grab Jack and we run to the door, running away.
When we get back to my apartment, I lead Jerome to my bathroom and tell him to sit on the counter. I grab a wet wash cloth and start to clean his cuts.
"Y/N?" I hum in response and he sighs. "I love it when you do that." I lose my focus on his face, but only for a second.
"I don't want to tell you this, but I guess I'd better let it out." He takes a deep breath. "I like you. A lot. You're nothing like anyone I've ever met. And it's okay if you don't feel the same way, I didn't think you would anyway."
My breath catches in my throat and I can barely keep from my legs giving out. "I like you too." I bite my lip and I see his eyes fill with lust again.
He grips my arm to stop me from cleaning his face and pulls me by it so that he can kiss me.
It's just a small peck, but that's enough to make me go wild. I run a hand through his ginger locks and smile.