"Yes, the guest bathroom is right through there. I'll be waiting here, to make sure you don't get lost. I know this place can be a little intimidating." Edward let out a chuckle and watched her walk away, his demeanour changing to a much colder and more calculating one the moment she was around the corner. He turned when he heard Oswald approach, nodding in greeting.
"What snaps shut without teeth but still has a bite?"
"I'm sorry, are you really asking me a riddle right now? You just brought a strange woman back to my home!" Seriously? With the riddles now of all times. Oswald huffed and threw his arms out, albeit rather childishly but then again, he often was very childish, especially when it came to matters of the heart. "You better have a good reason for doing this and you better express it in a way that isn't a riddle or I may actually have to hurt you."
"I can't very well bring her back to my home, I only have one room and you'd assume all sort of things. Honestly, why do you have to be so irrational?" Edward leaned forward to make sure she wasn't returning yet, then turned on his heels to walk toward Oswald and look at him. Childish, of course. That's what he needed now. "Trap. The answer is, trap. The problem is that I don't as of yet know who is setting it and who or what they intend to catch. So, I'll play along until I find out."
"Oh good, I'm glad you brought her here for a fun night of me watching you seduce her. Hey, here's a thought, maybe next time take your dead girlfriends lookalike to a coffee place or something." Wait. No. Fuck. He didn't want that but he just didn't want her here. Oswald made a frustrated noise and kept his voice low as he hissed at Edward. "Or just kill her! Can't we just torture the answers from her and then get rid of her?" No. Probably not. That didn't mean he wasn't going to go sulk and be a brat about it. "No, of course not, we have to find out who planted her, don't we? That's just great."
"We don't even know if she knows anything, Oswald. If she's from Arkham, if she's from... Wherever she's from, she honestly might not know any more than what they told her!" It wasn't as if he really had a choice in the matter and he also didn't have a better option than doing this here, which they were both very aware of. However... "Why don't you go to another room? There's not really any need for you to be here for..." Him seducing her was probably not something that he would wish to hear repeated to him out loud, so he shifted gears. "My deception."
"For you making out with her so you can learn more about you? That's what you mean. Oh, gee, as much fun as it would be to watch my boyfriend alone with his ex, I genuinely have no idea if it's worse if I actually leave to alone." There was no good answer to this and after a long while of glaring at Edward, he huffed angrily and turned away from him. He didn't feel like entertaining right now anyway and if Edward did cheat on him, at least he was pretty sure he wouldn't do it in his mansion when he could accidentally stumble on it. "I'm going to my room. Try to control yourself."
"More or less," Edward mumbled, since currently Oswald seemed more likely to be the next person who'd slap him. He turned on his heels to face Isabella, a smile in place already. "Yes, that's my... My roommate. I'm afraid he's not feeling up to company this evening."
"I'm terribly sorry if I'm inconveniencing you in any way." Isabella's smile was gentle and she had also stepped forward and put a hand on Edward's upper arm. He turned to look at her and for a few moments, the smile he wore was actually real. She just looked so much like her.
"That's quite all right, I'm sure. Don't worry about it. I believe I promised you tea?"
Roommate? Oh yes, that one stung. He understood why, he really did, but it was hard enough hiding what they had day to day without Edward romancing his ex. And that was what this was, there was no way around it. "Oh yes, don't mind me. Make yourself at home." His tone was bitter and biting as he spun on his heels and storm off, barely concealing how he felt about all of this.
That women looked exactly like the pictures he'd seen of her. Kristen Kringle. Edward's love, the person who 'made' him and the one he never meant to kill. And there she was, back again. Could no one stay dead these days?
He retreated into his room and slammed his room the best he could, dropping onto his bed and just glaring at the door. Oh, he could do that for hours.
And it was a few hours before Edward opened the door, not actually surprised to find himself immediately glared at by Oswald. He knew him more than well enough to have expected that. So much focus on his pettiness, Edward couldn't entirely relate, but he most certainly knew that Oswald just happened to be this way.
He closed the door behind himself and leaned back against it, considering how to handle this. His head was clear, he was sure of it. His heart? That was another matter, a much more painful matter.
This was so frustrating, he had no idea what he even felt. He mulled over the emotions a lot since he started glaring and honestly, where did he even start? He felt a lot of anger that she was back, a lot of fear that this was it for them now and honestly, a lot of sadness for Edward. It couldn't be easy to see someone he thought was dead come back, it wasn't easy for them not to know someone so important either. He imagined being in Edward's place if his mother came back and didn't even know him. It'd hurt.
"She doesn't know you at all?" Great. Just great. He had to go and feel things for Edward. "Do you know who sent her?"
"No, she has no memory of me whatsoever. Which is probably for the best, given that I..." He made a throttling gesture in the air and shrugged before pushing away from the door and lifting a hand to tug his tie loose. "You know." Killed her and all of that.
"I have no idea. She certainly seems genuine in her innocence, but she might just be a good actress, for all I know." He put his tie to the side and continued with unbuttoning his shirt, looking down at his fingers as he did so. "I expected to see her again. In dreams and memories, a bad conscience haunting me. But that never happened. I'm not a very good person, to not feel guilt."
"True, true." Oswald's glare relented and slowly, it seemed to soften. "I have no idea how she's even here but you know Arkham, they were messing around with some weird stuff in that basement. It could be her, it could be a lookalike or a sister. It's most definitely a trap. Even if she's aware or not." They both knew that at least but he couldn't stand to think about her suckering Edward in some way or another. He didn't want him getting hurt. He loved him so much, sometimes felt like his heart was racing at the mere thought, seeing him unhappy was painful even if he didn't like the reason why.
He held out his hand to Edward and smiled ever so. "Edward, come here." He wanted to make it better. "You don't need to be a good person, you're a great person."
"Could be Arkham. Even then, so many candidates that could be sending her. So many possible motives. I might be playing into their hands and not realise it before it is too late." He pulled his shirt off and balled it up so he could pepper it into a corner. Granted, compared to Oswald's tantrums, that was very mild. For him it was quite something.
He straightened up and exhaled slowly, walking toward the bed and sitting down on the edge. He wasn't sure what he felt right now, but he knew that it was too much. "Her smile is still the same."
And she had been smiling at him. All evening. Never having known the clumsy, incomplete him.
He had no idea what to do if he was honest, he had no idea how he felt either. It hurt to hear him talk about her but it was clear how unhappy he was, how much this was affecting him. And Oswald loved him, even if he did love someone else, he'd always love him. It was impossible to just turn that off. He reached out and touched Edward's arm tentatively. Neither of them were the best at handling emotions, they were good at passion and loud displays of negative emotion but comforting each other?
Thus far it had proved a rocky road neither had mastered.
"It'll be okay, Edward. We'll work this out. Together." He was just sitting there, petting his arm, mostly just wanting to hug him but given Edward's body language, it didn't seem like a good move. He didn't feel like being brushed off right now. He felt rejected enough already. "She's a lie. That smile is just there to play you."
"You don't know that!" Edward pushed Oswald away and got up, quickly taking a few steps forward. He only then realised what he'd done and took a few quick breaths, lifting a hand so he could rub his eyes beneath his glasses, slowly exhaling in a concentrated effort to calm down. No, he wasn't the best at emotions and that there was a voice inside him taunting him about how he was messing with the one good thing in his life over something that had never been real really wasn't helping.
Yep, there it was. The beginning of the end. He could see it now, these things never got better, they just spiralled out of hand until they blew up in his face. And he'd end up the one hurt. Like every other meaningful relationship he'd ever had, this was how it started and ended. Every time. He swore after Jim Gordon that he'd never be such a grovelling, snivelling little idiot again over love and yet, he wanted to be strong and be the one in control to stomp down this relationship before Edward did it, to win for once, but he just couldn't. He loved him. "My apologises." What else could he say? He crossed his arms to make a point that he was definitely not touching again.
It was ridiculous, he knew that, but he honestly wasn't sure if he could actually get enough air, even though he was most definitely breathing. He was drowning in open air and he knew that Oswald was hurt in a way he couldn't protect him from, because he was the one doing it. He didn't want to see the pain on his face. Not when he couldn't be the one to fix it. "I believe it would be best if I stayed at my place."
"Oh. Yes, of course, if that's what you feel is best." Polite, even in the face of crushing rejection he didn't want. He looked down at his socks and tried not to get too upset, it wasn't the end just yet. He still had time. Time to be with him, to enjoy his company, to not entirely be alone. "You don't have to though, if you don't want to." Pathetic. He was pathetic. He was doing it already, he was rushing to make up for a mistake he didn't make, wanting so desperately to fix this when he knew it was going to break. He hated himself a lot. "I don't want to part on a bad note but I can't stop you from going."
Great. Just great. Edward felt the heat rise to his face as he had to bend to pick up his now crumpled shirt, just to put it back on. Where was his composure? Where was his calculation. He knew that this was a trap, that she was a trap, that none of it was real and that his behaviour was threatening the one real bond he had.
"What leads without reason, breaks out without warning, makes some men stumble and lets others fly?" Riddling. Sure, that would appease Oswald.
Great. A riddle. Just what he needed on top of all the heart ache and confusion, all the messy emotions neither of them wanted to feel and he had no idea. Usually he tried, he put in the effort and more often than not, he'd solve them. Maybe that was why Edward liked him around? He wasn't a complete idiot. Right now, he wished he could solve it but he didn't have the drive, he just felt so done. "I'm sorry, I don't ... I can't think. Tell me?"
"Emotions." Edward finally turned around again, running a hand through his hair and making it uncharacteristically messy. "I know, Oswald. I know and I'm handling it. I know that it's a trap and I'm not going to be played. My mind is focused."
He lowered his hand, closing it to a fist slowly. He remembered her so vividly now, all the details he had pushed away. Her scent, how she felt, what it was like to hold her, the slender neck within his grasp. "Emotions, they are harder to control."
"I know, friend. I know. They're not easy. And seeing someone come back from the dead isn't easy either. I'm sorry I pushed." He wished he could do something to help but he sensed that it was going to be harder than that, this was not only his first sentimental experience but the murder that defined him. The one he held onto, the one that made him. And she came back, she looked like her and smiled like her. Stole his heart once more. It hurt but what was he going to do?
This was still the best he could have ever hoped for. "Do you want to talk about it?" It was worth a shot anyway. "I know I can't help you but I can listen."
"She's so beautiful. Do you know what it's like when someone smiles and the whole world lights up?" This was already going badly and he knew it. Edward shook his head. "Look, Oswald, this isn't really me, this is... Just the part of me that thought this is what I want. Someone sweet, something wholesome, the way I'd never had."
He didn't know how to talk about this and he knew he probably shouldn't. "I've never known it. Love. I don't think I understand it, even now. But Miss Kringle... She made me want it for the first time ever. Now, you?" He looked at him finally, taking a step closer. "My wonderful, dear friend, my lover, you're giving it. I am entirely unworthy and undeserving and I still don't understand."
"It's okay, I know well enough by now that you loved her. It would be foolish if we pretended otherwise." He loved her, of course he did. Kristin was not something he could ignore, no matter how much he seriously wanted to. No matter how much he hated her and her stupid light up smile. He wished he could personally be the one to end her this time. Hell, he was on the verge of hiring someone to do it already. "That part of you is still there, it'll always be there. It's part of you. I can live with that, though I don't think I could give you anything wholesome or sweet."
He shrugged, it wasn't really his area. He liked what they had and it was not either of those two things. Not really. "Come, Edward, don't be like that. You deserve to be loved and I can offer it, it only makes sense that we have what we have." Whatever they had. He wasn't sure now, doubt was starting to creep in. Ugly, horrible doubt. "It works for us. It may not be perfect but I like it."
In the end, Edward sat down by the bed, pulling his legs up and slouching in a truly uncharacteristic way. He lowered his head and pushed his glasses up so he could rub at his eyes, confirming his suspicions that, yes, he was crying. He was crying and he had no idea why. He hated this. Weakness. Weakness all over again.
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"What snaps shut without teeth but still has a bite?"
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"More or less," Edward mumbled, since currently Oswald seemed more likely to be the next person who'd slap him. He turned on his heels to face Isabella, a smile in place already. "Yes, that's my... My roommate. I'm afraid he's not feeling up to company this evening."
"I'm terribly sorry if I'm inconveniencing you in any way." Isabella's smile was gentle and she had also stepped forward and put a hand on Edward's upper arm. He turned to look at her and for a few moments, the smile he wore was actually real. She just looked so much like her.
"That's quite all right, I'm sure. Don't worry about it. I believe I promised you tea?"
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That women looked exactly like the pictures he'd seen of her. Kristen Kringle. Edward's love, the person who 'made' him and the one he never meant to kill. And there she was, back again. Could no one stay dead these days?
He retreated into his room and slammed his room the best he could, dropping onto his bed and just glaring at the door. Oh, he could do that for hours.
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He closed the door behind himself and leaned back against it, considering how to handle this. His head was clear, he was sure of it. His heart? That was another matter, a much more painful matter.
"She left."
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This was so frustrating, he had no idea what he even felt. He mulled over the emotions a lot since he started glaring and honestly, where did he even start? He felt a lot of anger that she was back, a lot of fear that this was it for them now and honestly, a lot of sadness for Edward. It couldn't be easy to see someone he thought was dead come back, it wasn't easy for them not to know someone so important either. He imagined being in Edward's place if his mother came back and didn't even know him. It'd hurt.
"She doesn't know you at all?" Great. Just great. He had to go and feel things for Edward. "Do you know who sent her?"
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"I have no idea. She certainly seems genuine in her innocence, but she might just be a good actress, for all I know." He put his tie to the side and continued with unbuttoning his shirt, looking down at his fingers as he did so. "I expected to see her again. In dreams and memories, a bad conscience haunting me. But that never happened. I'm not a very good person, to not feel guilt."
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He held out his hand to Edward and smiled ever so. "Edward, come here." He wanted to make it better. "You don't need to be a good person, you're a great person."
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He straightened up and exhaled slowly, walking toward the bed and sitting down on the edge. He wasn't sure what he felt right now, but he knew that it was too much. "Her smile is still the same."
And she had been smiling at him. All evening. Never having known the clumsy, incomplete him.
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Thus far it had proved a rocky road neither had mastered.
"It'll be okay, Edward. We'll work this out. Together." He was just sitting there, petting his arm, mostly just wanting to hug him but given Edward's body language, it didn't seem like a good move. He didn't feel like being brushed off right now. He felt rejected enough already. "She's a lie. That smile is just there to play you."
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"What leads without reason, breaks out without warning, makes some men stumble and lets others fly?" Riddling. Sure, that would appease Oswald.
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He lowered his hand, closing it to a fist slowly. He remembered her so vividly now, all the details he had pushed away. Her scent, how she felt, what it was like to hold her, the slender neck within his grasp. "Emotions, they are harder to control."
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This was still the best he could have ever hoped for. "Do you want to talk about it?" It was worth a shot anyway. "I know I can't help you but I can listen."
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He didn't know how to talk about this and he knew he probably shouldn't. "I've never known it. Love. I don't think I understand it, even now. But Miss Kringle... She made me want it for the first time ever. Now, you?" He looked at him finally, taking a step closer. "My wonderful, dear friend, my lover, you're giving it. I am entirely unworthy and undeserving and I still don't understand."
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He shrugged, it wasn't really his area. He liked what they had and it was not either of those two things. Not really. "Come, Edward, don't be like that. You deserve to be loved and I can offer it, it only makes sense that we have what we have." Whatever they had. He wasn't sure now, doubt was starting to creep in. Ugly, horrible doubt. "It works for us. It may not be perfect but I like it."
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