Nova was awoken from her slumber
due to ungodly amount of missed calls and text messages. She groaned, propping herself up on her arms, rubbing her groggy eyes. Her eyes drifted to her phone, which was flashing once more on her bedside table.
She hurriedly grasped it seeing as the call was coming from Arkham. Her stomach churned and not in a good way.
She answered the phone, horrified with what she could hear on the other end of the line. There were people screaming, crying, cackling and she was pretty sure — no, definitely sure, she could hear the alarm going off.
"What's going o—" She began to question, not being able to finish her sentence, as she was interrupted by someone shouting down the phone. "They escaped! They've all escaped!"
Nova winced at the familiar the voice, it belonged to her friend Harper. "Harper? What's going on?" She asked in a panic.
"Check the news!" She screeched, swiftly hanging up.
The girl complied, leaping out of bed and sprinting to the living room, at once switching on the news and that's when she saw it.
「 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 - SIX DANGEROUS CRIMINALS ON THE LOOSE, FREED FROM ARKHAM. IF SPOTTED, DO NOT APPROACH. 」
Nova's eyes rapidly scanned the names listed, she came across; Barbara Kean, Richard Sionis, Robert Greenwood, Arnold Dobkins, Aaron helzinger and then, Jerome Valeska.
Her eyes widened in response, her mouth gaping as she quivered at the sight of the news. How could she have not realised what he was planning sooner? Was all his foolish flirting to throw her off guard? Because it certainly did.
She at once snapped her head around to the window, hearing a thud come from that exact direction.
Nova shakily exhaled, treading lightly to the window and peering down to see what that sound could of possibly been. Before her very eyes was a shadow. It took her eyes a moment to adjust as the sunrise was just saying it's final goodbye.
But when they finally adjusted, she could see as clear as day who it was.
She lifted up the window, peeking her head out. "Jerome?!" She whispered-yelled. "What the hell are you doing here— how the fuck did you get my address?"
"Nice to see you too, doll-face. Sorry for the lack of. . . heads up." He grinned.
Nova stared at him stupidly, in due course squeezing her eyes, praying this was all one fucked up dream.
"So, ya gonna let me up or what?" Jerome asked dumbly, referring to her not so high up window.
"I—" Nova began, not being able to find the words to form, her mouth insanely dry, heartbeat skyrocketing by the second, all while her eyes searched her surroundings apprehensively
Jerome studied her, narrowing his crazed eyes. "Don't leave a guy hanging now."
Nova bit her lip forcefully, soon tasting the familiar metallic taste that coated her tongue. She internally debated with herself, not long after letting a soft sigh slip past her lips. "Just don't get caught. I am not going down for you."
Jerome could only scoff in response as he approached her window, climbing the tree which was right beside her window. He rose further up, leaping onto the wall ledge attached to her window — ever so slightly, brushing his back against the wall.
In that moment the girl took in all his features, watching the way his face scrunched up as he was concentrating and how his green eyes shined ever so brightly.
"Guessing you like the view, eh." Jerome chuckled, leaning closer, making their faces inches away.
Nova flinched back, startled by how close he now was, it seemed she was too stuck in her thoughts, too busy admiring — to have realised he already reached her window, resting along the ledge.
"Uh— This is the part where ya kindly invite me in." Jerome remarked.
Nova smiled mockingly, gesturing with her hands for Jerome to advance into her home, much to her concern.
He gazed at her with a huge grin and she could tell he was biting back his usual manic laughter. As he passed her, he pinched her cheeks jokingly.
Nova groaned and swatted his hand away. "Enough."
Jerome snickered, snooping around her living room, taking everything in. "No family?" He observed, seeing as she had no family pictures up.
"No." She replied, watching as something lit up in his eyes.
"Dead, huh?" He asked, waiting for her answer.
"Something like that." Nova replied, not wanting to speak of the topic as she promised to keep all that buried in the past where it belonged.
"No boyfriend or husband either?" Jerome interrogated.
"Not that it's your business, but no." She sighed, coming to the reality that she's sheltering a criminal, making her an accomplice.
"Ah." He hummed, a mischievous look on his face. "So, Nova. Need a roomie?" Jerome chirped, watching as the girls face scrunched up in confusion as she had never gave him her real name.
"How do you kno-"
"I read your file, that's how I know your address.
Lovely name, by the way." He grinned, exposing his front teeth.
"Creepy, but also the last thing on my mind right now, so let's skip the small talk." She resorted.
"Ah, you're so predictable, you know?" He sang out, making his way towards her couch, plopping down on it as he spread his legs.
"So i've been told."
There was a few minutes of silence before she spoke back up, suddenly flooding him with numerous, but valid questions, which Jerome only responded with. "All in good time, Novey."
Nova sighed, moving over to the window, looking out at the bright lights which reflected from building to building. The faint sound of tires screeching in the distance. Gotham was never this quiet, especially when dangerous criminals were on the loose.
[ THE NEXT MORNING ]
Nova woke up with the feeling of someone's hot breath hitting her face. She slowly peaked her eyes open, only to see Jerome staring back at her with his big green eyes. "Morning." He grinned.
"What the hell." She mumbled, sitting up in a rush, not knowing if this was a dream or reality.
"What?" He huffed. "You look cute when you sleep." Jerome defended.
Definitely real.
"It's creepy, also I told you to take the couch." She grunted, pushing his head away from her.
"You're cute when your mad too." He teased, shifting his gaze to look up at the celling.
Nova shook her head, using all her strength to shove Jerome off the bed. She sighed in delight, hearing a heavy thud and a delayed groan.
"Not cool." He muttered, pausing. "Now, my turn."