So, this is of course my first Jerome imagine. For some reason I have found it a little harder to come up with something for him. Found it harder to connect. But I thought I would try a soulmate thing. Hoping that I can bring something else into his personality. Make him more than just a crazy psycho. Now, there is a tiny mention of self-harm, but nothing hopefully that will disturb. I hope that you enjoy.

Jerome sat in his all too familiar cell in Arkham, blankly staring at the dirty white walls. He had only been there a matter of hours, but it already felt like years. After a bungled heist, he'd been caught and dragged back to Arkham kicking and screaming. Well, in Jerome's case, it had been laughing maniacally all the way. But now all he could do was hope that his followers would realise where he was, and break him out. Or he could manipulate someone into helping him get out.

While he had sat in his confines, he had found himself once again scratching at the mark on his left wrist. His soul mark had been burning and irritating him ever since he had stepped foot into this hell hole, and now the damn thing was red and inflamed. Slowly, he got up from his bed and soaked the mark in cold water, hoping to relieve some of the pain. But his efforts only seemed to make things worse. The heat generating from the mark, making it seem if it were burning his flesh from the inside out.

He had tried everything over the years to destroy the mark, not believing he could have a soulmate. The utterly remorseless killer remembering how he would cut at the flesh. But no matter what he did the mark would reappear.

The black and red rose that had been there from the day of his birth. He could remember as a child looking at the mark for reassurance. For some kind of happiness and love, as his mother would drink, and have sex in the room next to him. As she would abuse him and let others do the same. The young Jerome wondering who his soulmate was and what she was like. Whether he would know her as soon as he saw her? Whether it would be love at first sight? Whether she would accept him.

But as the years rolled on, and there was still no sign of her, he had grown to hate the mark, just like he hated everyone and everything else. He had taken to believing that the mark had been placed there to torment him, just like so many other things in his life. That his soulmate, just like the rest of the world, didn't care about his. Just as Cicero had said that day, as he had stood outside the trailer and cried.

"LIGHTS OUT!" Came the call, as his room was suddenly plunged into darkness with only a small shaft of light coming from a tiny, barred window high up in the wall enabling him to see. Jerome making his way back to his bed and throwing himself onto the uncomfortably thin mattress. Turning over to lay on his back, so that he could stare at the ceiling.

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He didn't know how long he had lain there staring at the same spot; it could have been minutes, but it was most probably hours. The silence was deafening, only interrupted sporadically by the cough from another inmate. The pain in his wrist had kept him awake, it burned like hell. Why did it have to do this now? Of all the places, of all the times, why here and why now?

Jerome got out of bed. His warm bare feet instantly cooled by the floor beneath them. He started to pace, trying to calm his mind and the ache in his wrist. His foot falls only stopping, as his ears picked up an unfamiliar sound. A sound that started off as a soft hum. Slowly building up until a beautiful voice that drifted through the empty corridors of the dreary asylum. And even though he didn't know the song, the words and the voice were so exquisite that he couldn't help but love it. Jerome finding himself falling against the wall, sliding down it until he hit the floor. The tear that was slowly rolling down his cheek, shocking him as the woman bore her soul through the words of the song.

As the melody continued, the words 'The one I've been waiting for my whole life' struck something deep down in Jerome's empty soul. The anguish and pain in her melodious voice spoke to him like nothing before. Whoever this woman was, she had suffered like him. Had seen and done awful things, just like him. He could tell that she too was waiting, waiting for someone that had never arrived. Someone that would possibly never arrive. But mixed in with the anguish and pain, with all the horrors, there was hope and maybe even........even love.

He could feel his hands shake as he reached for the mark on his arm. The pain was now gone, replaced by a warmth that radiated throughout his whole body. But what did that mean? Was his soulmate nearby? Was his soulmate the woman that seemed to be singing just to him?

Jerome could hear the sob in her tone, as the song finished, and her voice faded away. He could feel strange emotions build up inside of him, as the silence once again became all consuming. And he knew that he had to speak.

"HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Jerome called through his door.

"HEY! WHOEVER WAS SINGING, TALK TO ME." The killer continued with nothing in reply but the voice of a male guard shouting down the hall.

"SHUT THE HELL UP VALESKA, DON'T MAKE US COME DOWN THERE!"

"FUCK YOU! COME DOWN HERE AND MAKE ME SHUT UP!"

With that two sets of heavy footsteps could be heard making their way down the corridor. A small window opening in his door and the faces of two guards meeting Jerome's.

"I told you to shut the fuck up freak. Don't make me get the medication." Spat one of the guards.

"I only wanted to talk to the woman that was singing." Jerome retorted. As he imagined all the awful ways that he could dispatch the two men. His brows furrowing as the guards gave one another an uncomfortable look.

"She wouldn't want to talk to you." Said the other guard, sheepishly looking at the door opposite.

"How do you know the lady wouldn't want to talk to me? I'm irresistible." The showman laughed, mocking the two guards. His brows furrowing again, as one of the guards drew closer to the window, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Look Valeska. As dangerous as you are, you don't want to get involved with her, believe me." The guard explained. The little window in the cell door being firmly close before Jerome could enquire who or what could possibly be worse than him. His world once again plunged into silence and darkness.

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Jerome woke from his slumber as he heard the guard's keys jangle in the lock.

"Ok freak, breakfast." Huffed the guard, as the inmate dragged himself out of bed. A large smile instantly spreading across his lips, as he remembered the night before. Hoping that maybe the woman he wanted to speak to would be at breakfast. That he would be able to find out how she was worse than him. Jerone hurriedly changing and racing to the dining room. Grinning menacingly at any of the other inmates that dare look at him. Jerome collecting his food and sitting at a table. Pushing the slop, that Arkham jokingly called food around his tray. His mind lost in his own thoughts.

*BANG*

Jerome's eyes suddenly shot up, as someone banged their fist on the table. In front of him was a younger woman, her eyes, which were the most beautiful shade that he had ever seen, stared right through him. His heart beginning to pound violently in his chest, as the pair glared at one another.

"Get out of my seat!" The woman growled.

"I didn't see your name written on it, sweet cheeks." Jerome retorted, as he smirked at the woman.

"I'll carve my name in your ass if you don't move from my seat, sweet cheeks!" The woman retorted with a soft growl, as she spoke quietly into his ear. Jerome abruptly standing up from the chair. Certain that he wasn't going to let anyone speak to him like that.

"DO YOU KNOW WHO THE HELL YOU'RE TALKING TO BITCH?"

"Yeah! You're the asshole in my seat!" The angry woman hissed. Emptying the contents of her tray to the floor so that she could use it as a weapon. Two guards rushing over as the pair faced off.

"Come on (Y/n). You promised the doc you'd play nice. Give the freak a break yeah?" One of the guard said, as he moved in between the duo.

"Get him out of my seat and I'll play nice!"

"Ok Valeska, let's go!" Said the other guard, as they both dragged Jerome away from the chair. Shoving him into another seat at a different table. His blood beginning to boil, as he watched the woman smirk at him and take the seat.

"You don't want to mess with her!" A voice came. Jerome swinging his head around to find one of the other patients talking to him.

"No one messes with her, not the guards, not the doctor. Not anyone." The patient nervously whispered. As Jerome turned back to stare at the woman, who was now furiously scratching at a bandage on her left wrist.

"Why? Who is she?"

"That's the devil. They call her Diablo!" The patient explained, as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Jerome's eyes growing wide at the mention of the name.

"She's the one that made all those people kill one another?"

"Yeah, they say she can get into your head. Make you do things you don't wanna do. Make you hurt yourself or others, if you upset her" The patient agreed. Jerome's eyes never leaving the devil, as she continued to scratch at the bloody bandage on her wrist. Taking great delight from her discomfort. Or that was until his own wrist began to burn again. His eyes growing wide as he saw her remove the bloody bandage. His heart almost stopping, as he noticed the mark. A single black and red rose. The match to his mark.

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"Stop that, it won't go away you know. Damn thing always comes back; believe me I've tried." A smug voice informed her. (Y/n) rolling her eyes as she looked up at the man in front of her.

"What the hell does it have to do with you. What would you know about it?" Diablo enquired angrily.

"I know all about it, believe me." Jerome retorted, as he rolled up his sleeve revealing the mark. Shoving it right under the woman's nose. Diablo looking at the mark and then up at him. The killer abruptly standing up and slapped him across the face, before running off. Jerome rubbing at his cheek, before quickly following the woman back down the corridor where his room was to be found. Watching her slam the door to the room opposite his.

"Don't you think we should talk?" Jerome called out, as he leaned against the wall. Picking at his nails.

"Fuck off weirdo! What makes you think you can just walk into my life now after all these years?" An angry voice retorted from the other side of the door.

"Hey! I've been waiting for you too." Jerome spat back. The door slowly creeping open to reveal the bright beautiful eyes of Diablo.

"I suppose you better come in." She said, opening the door wide and motioning for him to enter.

"So................" Jerome began.

"Your name's (Y/n), huh?" He continued, as he sat down on the edge of her bed and patted the spot next to him urging her to sit.

"So, you're Jerome Valeska. Mother killer and psychopath, huh? And I prefer Diablo, only people I like call me (Y/n)."

"Well, I'm your soulmate, doesn't that count?"

"No! And its just my luck I get stuck with you."

"I'm beautiful. And don't think I'm happy about this either, you're not exactly what I was expecting." Jerome huffed in reply, as (Y/n) cautiously came to sit next to him.

"Beautiful? Have you looked in the mirror recently? And you're not exactly what I was expecting either." (Y/n) sniffed. The room becoming eerily quiet, as the two sat, cautiously inching closer to one another.

"So, you heard me sing last night....................?"

"That was you...................?"

"Yeah, I knew my soulmate was here when this damn thing started hurting. It was itching like crazy, kept me up all night. I sang hoping you would hear me." (Y/n) explained, as she looked at the mark on her wrist and then up at him.

"I've been waiting a long time for you; I'd given up hope." (Y/n) continued. Jerome watching as a single tear fell down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away. His arm moving around her shoulder. A large smile spreading across his lips, as she didn't shrug it off.

"Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers." Diablo added with a slight chuckle, as she inched a little closer.

"You keep saying things like that and I'm gonna start taking it personally, sweet cheeks." Jerome retorted, as he tightened his grip on her.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked, as two sets of eyes peered into one another's souls.

"I don't know, but maybe this would be a good start." Jerome told her, as he placed his fingers under her chin holding it gently before leaning in and placing a tender kiss on her lips. The pair moving apart, only for her to lace her fingers around the back of his neck and pull him back to her. Their lips danced together in perfect harmony. Years of loneliness disappearing, as the two soulmates connected.

"And now........now me and you, my little devil, break out of here and make Gotham shake. If they think that we are bad on our own, wait until they see what we can do together." Jerome laughed. The eerie sound filling the building, as he contemplated how much more he could destroy, with his soulmate by his side.