eddie likes to (riddlethem) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2014-03-08 21:33:00 |
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Entry tags: | door: dc comics, riddler, stephanie brown |
Who: Eddie and Steph
When: the night after the big fundraiser
Where: at yet another party fundraiser
What: Eddie and Steph being socialites oh and then Eddie attacks a dude whoops
Warnings: violence, swearing, some references to disturbing things
Spinning on the dancefloor with a young lady was Eddie Nashton’s bread and butter. Even if she was particularly awkward or without the graces of someone raised in the limelight of wealth. He could make them feel like there wasn’t a floor beneath them, that they were just as graceful as he was. All smoke and mirrors, a phrase that a riddled man would have used. This Eddie without his question marks or instability, he called it charm. Something that he used to worm into the most cautious hearts. For fame, fortune and love. In Emily’s case days before, it was curiosity and boredom. He knew Selina had a little sister, but she was the type of girl that didn’t immediately catch his attention. Too modest, too sweet. Nothing like the brash, loud mouthed women he was naturally attracted to. And, ever since he danced with the girl, Stephanie had been tense. Now at a different party (one of the many, many that they attended on a weekly basis), he was dancing with another girl that didn’t even look like Emily and yet he could feel the anger radiating off Stephanie yards away.
He hadn’t been worried before because he was never worried. Truthfully, he couldn’t remember the last time his mouth wavered from that charming smile into a concerned line. Stephanie and Eddie were always smiling, always laughing and always having a good time as long as they weren’t terribly bored. But, he noticed his woman glaring at him from the edge of the ballroom and that was enough for him to graciously excuse himself from bimbo of the night and go see what was the matter.
Cluelessness bloomed in the well dressed man’s dark eyes as he trotted over to Stephanie and cocked his head to the side. “What’s wrong, baby?” Words that didn’t feel right, that tumbled out of his mouth without that usual smarmy tone. He didn’t look like a technology innovator in a tux for a second and instead seemed like a simple con man who managed to sneak his way into a party where he didn’t belong. In a second, it was gone. Replaced by a large, loopy smile. “Come on, let’s dance. Whatsherface is lovely, but I’m not going to let her have my whole night.” He lifted his elbow up for Stephanie, looking over her dress and the way it laced around her body.
Stephanie liked to orchestrate things, little projects that improved people’s lives because wasn’t that her obligation? The only Brown child had a famous, rich father, a plethora of charming friends, and Mr. Perfect, Eddie Nashton. The king of charm and smiles and loving her. She was #soblessed, and she needed to spread the happiness and wealth to those less fortunate than her. So, she loved galas and fundraisers, not just because of the open bars and pictures, but because she being able to make others as fulfilled as she was. Through money, through flashiness, through friendship, through matchmaking.
Truthfully, the night before she hadn’t thought twice about Eddie and Emily dancing at first. She liked Emily; Emily was a nice, smart girl. And, Stephanie trusted Eddie implicitly. I mean, look at her, right? They were both lucky to have the other -- Eddie was a genius who charmed the pants off anyone who breathe, and Stephanie garnered the attention of most of Gotham’s eligible bachelors. They were one of Gotham’s many power couples. They were the picture-perfect, blog splashed couple, and Emily wouldn’t steal him. No one could steal him away, not when they apparently loved each other so much. Right?
But, as Stephanie caught glances of Eddie and whoever the skank in his arms was swaying on the dancefloor while talking to the shortstop from the Gotham Knights, a handsome guy around her age who she couldn’t really even think about in any way but friendly, she couldn’t help a bubbling sort of anger that she couldn’t explain away as she recalled the night before. The demure, pale woman and her gleaming man talking and smiling. She thought maybe some champeezy was in order, so she took a flute off a passing tray, knocked it back, and tried to lose herself in the conversation about some band she had to check out one time with the guy. Nodding, she drifted off again, that tightness in her stomach and chest inexplicable and a sharpness in her blue eyes that she didn’t even realize was there.
When Eddie walked over, she had had another glass, and she had all but forgotten about that quick flash of anger in her body, even if the sharpness lingered in her blues. Steph’s eyebrows furrowed, and she smiled over at the baseball player who took that as his cue to drift off to someone whose pants he could actually get into. “What?” she asked in confusion, shaking her head as her stormy blues seemed to filter out. “I--yes let’s dance.” She slid her arm through the crook of his elbow and wrapped her other hand around his arm as she fell in step with him towards the dancefloor. She jerked her head at the direction of the guy retreating. “He was trying to sweep me off my feet with promises of indie bands and VIP treatment.”
Dancing with Stephanie was second nature. When they first started dating there were plenty of awkward trips, careful instruction and laughing at how they weren’t so easily suited for each other. But, now there was a seamlessness to it. He knew she had a hard time stepping back on her left heel, so his arm tightened when they spun that direction. He knew she got lost in conversation and jumbled the dance steps, so he found ways to improvise around it. A step back, one forward, a spin and then a slowed pace at the center of the dance floor. To the casual observer, it looked as though they were simply dancing to the beat of their own drum, but they knew all the little imperfections and relished it.
“Why don’t baseball players try to sweep me off my feet?” Eddie asked, winking at a couple they knew from high society before turning his attention back down at her. “I’ve got much more to say about their profession. And, I listen to more indie bands than you do. This is simply unfair.” Gone was the street level slant to his voice. The rough goddamns and gotta lottas that fit in with the goons he was raised with. There was no hint of a Gotham accent at all because the rich, even the self made ones, didn’t spend enough time in the filth to develop it. In its place was something clear and warm. Everything about him reminded people of charm, class and comfort.
He cocked his head back to look wildly around the dancefloor. “Do you smell a fire?” Eddie spun Stephanie (maybe a little too fast) to look towards the kitchen. No fire. Not even the trace of smoke. His mind wandered back to Emily, as if fire had something to do with her. And, didn’t he smell a fire when they were dancing, too? Eddie shook his head. He was thinking too much and none of it was about work. “Well, that’s odd. Anyway. Your friend is very nice. Emily? Quiet and difficult to get past her obviously strong work ethic, but nice. And, pretty. That’s important.” That’s when his dark eyes glazed and without him at the helm to make sure they were flawlessly gliding across the floor, he tripped over her feet. “Sorry, sorry. Machina’s been pinging at me all morning and night, Harley’s acting strange and I’m certain I’ve met Emily somewhere before. Maybe one of the lecture circuits. But, what would she need with-” Another trip and an embarrassed, yet still cheery, laugh.
Stephanie still had that innate clumsiness about her, but it was still charming in that sort of way that made perfect people seem real. See? She trips! Stephanie Brown is just like you! And Eddie’s exuding gracefulness seemed to rub off on her, even in the weird sort of way it did. Even if she was never really good at sticking to a dance with steps and had to appreciate her man’s ability to improvise even when she screwed up the dance royally. With those perfectly formed couples swaying about them, she could always appreciate how unique they were among their people.
“I haven’t seen you look like this in a dress before,” she teased, tips of her fingers slipping underneath his collar in a shameless sort of way that she had around Eddie no matter what the setting. Most people could expect all of that by now. The storied romance of Eddie Nashton and Stephanie Brown was one for the ages. On paper, of course. Because the fact was that most of the public believed that it was just a relationship sculpted from publicists’ dreams and a need for press for her father and his technology company. They equated all of it -- the big smiles, the flirtatiousness, the affection -- to a long, long game that would play out until both parties were satisfied. The truth, of course, couldn’t be further from that. Stephanie and Eddie loved each other in the way all those couples in charming romcoms did -- fully, implicitly, and perfectly.
“But, we could switch? Though I’m not sure you’d appreciate me going commando in your tux like I am underneath all of this.” A tiny little oof escaped when he tripped, and she stumbled when he spun her around quickly, fingers gripping his shoulder to stop herself from falling down. “I don’t smell anything. I hope they haven’t let Mom try to go near the kitchen again. That was a disaster the last time.” Her eyebrows furrowed again in confusion, and suddenly that sharpness was back. “She isn’t that pretty,” she replied with a bitterness that she didn’t know was there. But before she could continue, they stumbled again, and she laughed loudly, too, kissing him when they steadied themselves. “Maybe you’ve seen her around with Selina one time or whatever?” she offered, wondering where Eddie might have seen her before just as much as she had, and with that green monster whispering in the back of her head.
“What’s going on with Harley?” The anger dissipated quickly when they weren’t focusing Emily for some strange reason. Stephanie shook her head again to rattle those thoughts out.
The smell of burning was back and he could hear (imaginary) waves crashing hard through the bar and onto the dancefloor. He thought about a Scarecrow. He thought about lighting a cigar, flicking the match and setting the thing on fire. His mind twisted in a way he didn’t think it could bend and only the sharpness in Stephanie’s voice could pull him out of it. Then, she kissed him and everything was okay. When she pulled back, Stephanie could see the distance in his eyes. A man who was normally so present, so knee deep in life was suddenly millions of miles away.
“No, it’s something else.” The music slowed to something soft and jazzy. He pressed closer to her, arm lowering to as far down her waist as he could get away with and he dipped his head down to rest on her shoulder. No one danced like that. With the serious somberness of troubled waters. Even the slow songs in this town were met with joy. Maybe it was for comfort he didn’t know he needed. Having her so close he could barely breathe felt good. The smothering, unavoidable love that sometimes the cameras and champagne made him feel like it was out of his grasp.
Where did that come from?
“Harley asked me to tell her a riddle. Isn’t that odd? And, then when I did she got really sad. And, I don’t know why.” His fingers were clutching into her expensive dress, almost ripping the delicate web of fabric. Eddie didn’t notice. He was busy thinking about riddles. Where the ice one even came from and why he had picked that out of all the others. Then, he shook his head, let go of her dress and with a smile tilted his head back to look at the orchestra. Eddie had gotten used to the smell of fire by now. The crashing waves that pounded inside of his head. The green in the far left of his vision that vanished when he tried to see it. “Jeez, when are they going to pick up the pace again. How dreary.” Smile, smile, smile.
A quiet, surprised sound slipped out of her when he pressed close, and she pulled a face he couldn’t see before softening immediately. Stephanie didn’t know how to worry; she hadn’t worried a day in her twenty-something years. Still, here she was, wrapping her arms around him and clinging close like it was second nature to comfort him whenever he seemed stressed or concerned. But, what did he need to worry about? It didn’t make any sense. Her fingers tangled in his hair for a second and tugged without thinking, and she wondered what dragged Eddie away to such distances at that moment. She was enough. All of this was enough, right?
She was being stupid. Where did all that self-doubt bubble up from? Her eyes squinted over Eddie’s shoulder for a second to see her dad talking to some wealthy hedge fund manager, and there was a flash of tension in her body that Eddie could undoubtedly feel between the dips of fabric showing off her skin. Harley was a welcome distraction, and she settled back into her bones without even noticing. “That’s weird. Is everything okay with her and Pamela?” Harley always got sad when there were problems with the redhead. “Maybe we should get her to see Jonathan. He’ll be able to sort her out, I’m sure.” The good doctor could fix anyone’s issues. She was sure of that.
She returned his smile easily, fingers brushing against his cheek before falling down to rest around his shoulders again. “They’ve got to throw on a couple for the oldies, Eddie,” she teased, tongue sticking out. “I’m not sure if we should have a fast song. Emily was like, balking at that video on youtube of us dancing from the fundraiser a couple weeks ago.” The name was said with a strange sort of tartness, a bitterness on her tongue that tasted so strange. Stephanie was never bitter, and why did her heart ache when she thought of Emily and Eddie swaying on the dancefloor the night before? It didn’t make any sense. Eddie was Stephanie’s, and she was his.
“Harley and Pam have always marched to the beat of their own drum.” Eddie said simply and tried not to think too hard about that long pause on the phone with his friend. That dizzy feeling he got when he whispered riddle me this. “The good doctor begged Harl to drop by and she accused him of something before simply refusing. Strange girl. Perhaps Pam can talk some sense into her. She’s good at that.” And it felt good rationalizing everything. No one was ever distressed or confused. Everyone was on the same page. If they weren’t, they simply needed a little help from the doctor. Eddie knew plenty of people who were treated by that hard working man’s genius.
The fingers against his cheek made him smile a little more warmly and he leaned his head in her hand. The band started to play something more lively and the crowd cheered in approval. Eddie grinned and spun Stephanie before guiding them around the floor again at a dizzying pace. The velocity felt good. It drowned out everything else even if there was this insatiable hunger in his stomach that no music that played at galas could cure. “Emily is just jealous.” Eddie tilted his head, a little confused at the bubbling sharpness whenever the girl’s name was brought up. “She likely watched that video of us having a good time and fell in love. Girls like her want everything girls like you have and work their whole lives to prove otherwise.”
A twirl and then he brought her in close. “Still, you shouldn’t be so hard on her. I like her. Mysterious. Probably a good deal of fun once she gets broken out of her shell.” There was a fondness to his voice that sounded like how he spoke of Harley and Selina. Which would normally be fine, but Eddie had just met this Emily girl and for him to already be waving her banner was strange indeed.
“Maybe Harley is stressed about something?” Stephanie tried to make sense of the otherwise bubbly blonde’s apparently mild breakdown toward Eddie, but what did she have to stress about? Gotham was wonderful, and Harley didn’t live in those disgusting slums that this gala would be funding to clean up. Or was it the rainforest? Alzheimer’s? Whatever, it didn’t matter. She shrugged. “Jonathan can help her out. We can help her out, if necessary, but honestly, I don’t want to overbook myself. I have to fit my SoulCycle class in, and I am not trained for helping with serious problems, Eddie.”
A bright smile spread across her face when the song sped up, and she laughed when Eddie spun her out before picking up the pace of their dance. Steph moved easily in tune with his movements, even if she had to think about it for a couple of seconds beforehand. She would never be Selina Kyle with her slinkiness and easy grace, but Eddie didn’t like girls like that. She was sure. The head-tilt warranted a smile, a strange sort of reminder of their dog Matilda and puppy dog eyes that she never associated with him before. “That’s what I told her!” she exclaimed, excited that he understood why someone would be jealous of all of this.
But, Stephanie managed a flickering frown when he pulled her close. “You like that she’s mysterious?” An eyebrow quirked in curiosity, and an expression he’d likely never seen flickered over her face. Anger mingled with hurt and a bit of betrayal. But it seemed more like a trick of the light or something he might have imagined. “I’m not being hard, Eddie,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m just stating facts. You sound fond.” And Stephanie sounded suspicious, but she couldn’t explain why. She was so set on them meeting a few days beforehand. What the heck was wrong with her.
Eddie caught that look and it slowed their dancing to a stop. “Let’s get something to drink.” Was a good cover, because he wanted to see if she’d give him a look like that again in the low lights of the lounge area. He took her hand, tugging her to follow him and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked. Usually, Eddie was the type to make sure they looked picture perfect. Hands held a certain way. Backs straight and faces smiling. They were trained by their wealth to care about appearances as much as feelings, after all. But, suddenly all of that dropped in favor of pressing a messy kiss to her hair and leading her to a place they could have some privacy. A part of him that didn’t say a word between all the happy dancing and charming quips, suddenly didn’t give a shit what any single one of these over priced charity riding assholes thought. A part of him that was a faint blinking neon sign wanted to crash the whole thing in a messy symphony of gunfire, broken glass and thrown tables.
Machina pinged sympathetically.
The feeling passed, swallowed up in the waves like a firework thrown underwater and he pointed to a dark corner of the party. Not exactly the usual spot of attention loving socialites. He sat down, legs apart and then reached up to tug at her hips, eyes watching the shadows on her face. “Look. We’re having a nice night. I don’t know what’s gotten into you. Maybe they imported some bad champagne. Maybe you’re actually stressed about your grades even though there’s no reason to be.” Eddie couldn’t guess. He was so baaaaaad at this guessing game, wasn’t he? “So, why don’t you tell me what’s really going on and then we can get on with our night?” Eddie smiled, all teeth, while his eyes worried. “I’ve heard of people feeling bad about absolutely nothing and Doctor Crane always has a cure for it. We can get you something and get right back to the party.” He smoothed his hands over her dress, loving and needy in a way he wasn’t.
Before she could react, Stephanie was being pulled away from the dancefloor to the concern of no one around them, even with the sloppy display Eddie was giving the rest of them. The kiss to her head brought a charmed smile that she couldn’t suppress and made her look more like a twenty-year-old girl stupidly in love with her boyfriend instead of a carefully carved socialite girl on the arm of a thirty-something genius. She could feel the jealousy assuaged for a second, and when her father raised an eyebrow and moved to step forward as if to check in on her, she waved him off. Filled, suddenly, with a gratitude that he would even be concerned enough for his daughter. As if he wasn’t always, of course. Placated that Eddie could handle the situation (because Arthur trusted Eddie Nashton with his baby girl completely), Arthur smiled and turned back to press a kiss to his wife’s cheek.
Meanwhile, Stephanie cocked an eyebrow when he pointed out the dark corner usually reserved for when they wanted to slip away for more scandalous things. “You can’t rip off this dress, Eddie,” she teased as he sat down and tugged on her hips. “It wouldn’t be appropriate.”
But her lips dipped down into a frown for a moment when he pressed questions. She didn’t sit, just stood between his legs and let his hands linger on her hips, then wander around her dress. She didn’t swat them away like she should have, savoring the feel of his somewhat rare needling affection, and she rolled her eyes in a juvenile sort of way. Something he never, ever saw unless they were talking about something just as juvenile. “I don’t know,” she admitted, looking away from him and up to the high ceilings. “I can’t explain it. Last night, watching you with Emily--I don’t like it. I don’t know why, it just--.” It didn’t feel right. She shook her head to get the thoughts out, and to deny a trip to Jonathan Crane. “No, I’m fine. I promise. I don’t need to take a trip to the doctor,” she said.
Smiling, Stephanie smoothed his hair out in affection, and shook her head again. “I promise I’m fine. I just need another drink, right?”
Most of Stephanie and Eddie’s affection was deliberate and spent very little time focusing on each other. They both understood exactly how to play the media game and what looked good from the right angle. Oh, was there a camera that couldn’t get a good shot of them making out? Then Eddie would move Steph a littttlle to the left so they could get that picture perfect. Tonight, was something different. Tonight his fingers bunched up her dress as if it wasn’t one of the most expensive things anyone was wearing and stared straight up at her. Waiting for her to stop him or blink. It was a dare, especially with her father still wandering around so closely, that asked her to defy the public eye with him.
His fingers smoothed across bare skin under her dress and he bit his lip. “How many women have I danced with? Taken to dinner? When has it ever mattered? We both know the priorities here.” Eddie wasn’t even aware of what his hands were doing anymore. His almost scolding tone not matching up with his big, brown eyes. “Tomorrow we have a ribbon cutting ceremony. One you put together. One that I know is important to you. Do you really think I’d give all that up, all the positive attention my company has received just because I danced with some mousy smart girl? Are you nuts?”
His fingers were sneaking up her thigh, gaze curious for a reaction before he dropped his hand all together. That want, that messy curiosity, overpowered by the need to keep everything good. In its place was a bright charming smile and a look of affection. “Besides, once we set her up with Crane they’ll be making dorky little babies in no time. While we’re being invited to fashion shows and political campaign fundraisers. We’ll win. We always win. You’re my partner.”
Part of her knew that she should stop this overly inappropriate show, stop his hands wandering up her legs like they were at home and not in the middle of a party and not so close in proximity to her father. But, she couldn’t stop him. She didn’t want to stop him, and that was something new, something different. No one could deny the chemistry between them, not even them, but Stephanie was very skilled in playing good for the cameras (or dirty, if that was necessary). Chemistry was excellent for publicity, and orchestrated make out sessions or the perfect ‘candid’ shot of them being needlessly affectionate in the sea of suits and gowns. That never equated to something like this though. Something stolen and needy and affectionate in a way that Eddie never really was, especially with other people close.
She shivered as he sneaked up higher, and she still didn’t stop him, just sighed a little when his hands reached her thighs as if begging him to actually go through with it. Please, please just go through with it. “You’ve never sounded so fond of someone so quickly, Eddie,” she argued quietly, not angry but just matter-of-fact. “There’s dancing and dinner, and then there’s whatever was happening between the two of you.” There was a tightness in her voice that almost sounded like betrayal and she didn’t know why. Why was she threatened by Emily Kyle of all people? Her eyes closed briefly when fingers brushed against bare skin, giving him that reaction he wanted and indulging herself in a way she usually didn’t with him.
Suddenly, his wandering hands were gone, and she shook her head, clearly her throat. “I don’t know. I can’t explain--I’m being stupid.” Rubbing her eye, she smiled and tapped her forehead like she figured it all out. “I’m just being stupid. I don’t know.” She jingled a laugh and opened her eyes again, that jealousy still blooming in the corners like she couldn’t control it, but did it matter if she couldn’t understand why? “They’ll be married before we know it.” She sounded proud of that. “Selina’s apparently on the case, too. Emily accused me of plotting with her sister, so who knows what Selina’s been up to.” There was relief in her voice to not focus on something so serious. Serious? What was that?
Eddie let his mind fill up with flash photography, fine dining and television interviews to muddle the need to pull her on his lap. Too dirty, too messy and whatever intimate feelings that would be left over he didn’t want to sort out. There was the persistent possibility that always and forever wouldn’t stand up to all the things they wanted to accomplish and if those things needed to be done separately, they needed to be able to do so without hurting each other. Hurt, that was one thing he wasn’t used to. One thing that kept spinning in his gut all night. A good plan, a good girl and the right outfit always made things better. Right?
“If Selina is on the case, then it’s practically set in stone. She understands people better than anyone.” Eddie said confidently and then gently pushed her aside so he could stand up. “We’ll invite her over. Make sure she gets cozy with a glass of wine and Crane.” Eddie held his arm out for her to take, eyes scanning for who was watching and then smiled brightly. “Now, let’s get some drinks. I want an old fashioned. I bet you want something nice a fruity, huh?”
Stephanie licked her lips a little nervously when he zoned out, and she flicked a glance away and towards the party again. Everyone else was too involved in themselves to be able even consider what was going on between Gotham’s perfect lovebirds. Cameras were circling the dancefloor, and people were hanging around the bar like it was their job. (It kind of was.) Steph shook out all those bad feelings that seemed just straight foreign to her, and slipped to the side as he stood up, ever the dutiful partner to Eddie’s genius. They could both put on good shows, and everyone adored how rambunctious Stephanie was, but he was the leader in this relationship. That was how it should be. Eddie always lead the dance, he always orchestrated the picture perfect ops, he always impressed everyone. Stephanie shined, but Eddie beamed.
Still, they were good for each other, right? In the professional sense, at least. She took his arm and grinned at him, that calculated smile back in place where doubt was once before. “I’m expecting engagement announcements by the beginning of summer, or else I’ll say that Selina is losing her touch.” But, Selina would have success, and Stephanie and Eddie would help the matter along. She nodded to confirm the plans. Looking up at him with exaggerated love in her eyes as they stepped back into the buzzing part, a flash snapped to capture the lovely moment. “You know me so well, honey. What girl doesn’t like a good, fruity drink? Or a cosmo?” She waved her hand dismissively before wrapping her hand around his forearm again. “Something that would look good with my dress. Bright and yummy.”
The buzz from touching her finally started to fade. He shook his head, then smiled as if to tell her that everything was okay now. The waves calmed, the fires went out. All he could hear was the chatter of the party and the music playing in the background. He took a seat next to her at the bar, straightening his bowtie and then running his hand through his hair with a deep sigh. Get back in the game, Edward. “Something that matches your dress.” He repeated, all smarmy swagger in the way he wiggled his eyebrows and lifted his finger to get the bartender’s attention.
“Can I get a red velvet for my lovely lady here and I’ll have an old fashioned with Canadian.” Eddie turned, one arm on the bar as he looked back to Stephanie and then lifted his other hand to brush his fingers across her cheek. “You look beautiful.” He was almost assuring her, as if to get over the awkward bump in the road. When the drinks got there, he pushed hers towards her and lifted his glass up for a toast.
“To us, Stephanie. The best couple in Gotham City.” He winked at her and grinned.
The moments it took to sidle over to the bar diffused most of the tension in Stephanie’s brain until she practically couldn’t remember why she was so upset in the first place all of a sudden. Lost among the glitz and glamor was Emily and that inexplicable niggling in the back of her mind that didn’t like that girl around Eddie. He was right; countless dinners and dances hadn’t done that to her before. And, honestly, what did it matter? This wasn’t the sort of thing where they could get jealous. They were strategy at best, chemistry second, and feelings way, way, waaaay down the totem pole. So far down that it barely even factored in. Sure, some days she convinced herself that she loved him, but it wasn’t anything consequential. Nothing that would get in the way of accomplishing all they both needed to do.
But, she could put on a good show, and once the thoughts melted away, the worry and stress of before blotted out of her bright blues to leave that carefree lightness she was known for. She flashed Eddie a lush, red smile. “Thank you,” she said softly, as if actually charmed by it all. “You aren’t too bad yourself.” Something told her to reach out to touch him, fiddle with his tie or smooth her hands over the front of his tux, but that would look sloppy. She glanced fingers down his arm instead before raising her glass in the toast.
“To us,” she declared confidently, clinking her glass with his before taking a sip.
“Yes, to you,” a clear, familiar voice rang out. A voice that seemed like a man overseeing very, very important business spanning over an entire city. As if appearing out of thin air, an arm slung around the back of Eddie’s chair and leaned in. In any other city, the sight would seem grotesque or disturbing, but Stephanie hardly blinked as Commissioner Sionis leaned into their conversation with his tux slightly rumpled, his bowtie loose, and the skin burned off his face to reveal nothing but a blackened skull. Not an actual skull, of course, but a mask fused to his face. Rumors for how he got like that flittered throughout Gotham, some fantastical and some horrific, but no one could pin down the right story.
“Eddie.” He nodded at the man before turning to his partner. “Stephanie,” he said, taking her hand and pressing rough lips against it. An inconspicuous stiffness slipped through her before she offered the man a smile. “You’ve got a good one here, Nashton. Hope you realize how lucky you are. The things I would do to you if you were mine.” Sionis whistled, clapping Eddie on the back, and Stephanie giggled perfectly charmingly.
“If my father would ever approve of it, you mean,” she teased, raising her eyebrow and taking another sip of her drink before placing the glass back on the bar in anticipation.
“How about a dance, sweetheart?” Sionis asked, extending his hand. There it was. Sionis was kind of like the perverted uncle at the party, but everyone kept him around because he did his job well, and it was entertaining. “I promise to bring her back in one piece. Mostly. We’ll see what kind of trouble we can get into.” Here, if he had eyebrows to wiggle, they would. It wasn’t a secret that Sionis loved the young, pretty Gotham girls that frequented the benefits around the city.
In another life, maybe Eddie would have noticed all the things that were so off about Sionis. Maybe he’d have files and files showing every little thing this particular creepy scumbag had done to young ladies across the city. Maybe he’d roll his head back, give Sionis a look and wait for Stephanie to punch the creep’s lights out. But, this was nice Gotham and Sionis was a good, fair member of the upper crust society. “Dance with my girl just after we got comfortable?” Eddie said, his voice suddenly not at all sounding like the highest caliber of society, brim of his glass over his mouth as he wiggled his eyebrows. Heat, boiling hot blood rushed from his feet to his neck and his dark eyes bulged practically out of his eye sockets.
Anger and he didn’t know why. Suddenly, there was nothing but deep rooted contempt for the black skull in front of him. Eddie’s hand shook and he coughed, turning a little and hoping that Sionis was too busy sizing up Stephanie to see Eddie’s face turn red. It was a strange sensation, feeling true hate for someone without reason and with the deep feeling as if it had been there all along even if that wasn’t the case. Sleezy, no good politician pigs who thought they could oink their way up the food chain and take advantage of girls like Stephanie. Eddie’s mind was a bottomless pit of ways to lock up Sionis. To hurt and humiliate him.
But, that was crazy, wasn’t? Machina pinged softly like a distant bell that couldn’t be heard over the bar chatter and warmed Eddie’s wrist like a hand grabbing him and a voice whispering comforts. His blood cooled all at once, the entire process of hot and cold rage only taking a couple seconds and he turned to smile brightly at Sionis and Stephanie. Eyes so empty she could throw baseballs through them.
“Well, Steph? The choice is up to you.” He rolled his hand as if he were going to make a royal bow and took a long, long sip of his old fashioned.
Sionis was too wrapped up in Stephanie to notice anything going on with the other man. Eddie could have been choking, and he still wouldn’t have stopped surveying the blonde in that hungry sort of way. Red eyes lingering over every place the dress hugged, every hint of skin underneath the cut-outs of bright scarlet adorning her body, the way her lips curved up into an easy sort of smile. He looked ravenous, like he was ready to take her apart piece by piece until he could have every inch of her. But, the moment was gone almost immediately, and he leaned into the back of Eddie’s chair like the other man was impeding on his conversation.
“Miss Brown?” Sionis grinned, and Stephanie rolled her eyes with a goodnatured smile across her face, sliding off the chair in a gracefulness that surprised even her.
“If I must.” She sipped her drink one more time before turning to Eddie. “Make sure someone doesn’t steal that. Or roofie it for that matter.” Although she wanted to press a kiss to his cheek or brush her fingers across some part of him, she didn’t part with her man as affectionately as she could have, just a quick smile and a wink before looping her arm through Sionis’s. People loved to see the tease between the two of them as much as they loved the beaming pictures.
Without Eddie’s guidance on the dancefloor, Stephanie was delegated to mostly cautious swaying, lest she stumble over her own feet. Which, of course, was absolutely fine with Sionis. The song was slow, drawn out, and he took the opportunity to slide up close to the young blonde, arm slipping to her waist. “You look absolutely ravishing tonight, darling,” he murmured, managing to carry it over the buzz around the room. Steph’s cheeks pinkened a little, and there was a strange sort of lurch in her stomach at the attention.
“You’re too much, Commissioner. But, thank you,” she responded graciously, body suddenly stiffening in his grip. She felt a sharpness in her shoulder, almost like something shot through it, and her hand tightened on his shoulder.
Again, if Sionis had eyebrows, one would raise. “Problem, Stephanie?”
“No, I just--I got this weird pain. It’s fine.” Steph smiled, pushing through that strange, ruthless burning in her left shoulder. “If I have a stroke right now, promise to catch me?” A bright grin pushed through the discomfort, and it was almost convincing to her.
“Darling,” Sionis replied, “I’ll do anything you want.” He reached up a hand, and she just about jumped out of her skin in fear, a flash of blood and dreary, dank room running across her mind. Of chains and a crowbar and weakness. The sound of a powerdrill rang through her mind, and she couldn’t get why. The blonde looked horrified, like he had knocked her across the head, and her eyes started to tear up suddenly. Heart hammering against her chest and panic suddenly shaking through her body, she didn’t understand, just knew that she should get away from him. Needed to get away from him. She had never felt a fear like this before, and her hand gripped harder into his arms, trying to stop the pain, stop the visions of burning skies and the taste of copper on her tongue. For his part, he acted like nothing was wrong and simply smiled, hooking her chin with his index finger and sliding his other hand down inappropriately far.
“Oh, the things I could do to you. We would have such fun, darling. A storybook romance for the ages.”
If anyone asked Eddie what happened in the next couple minutes, he couldn’t tell you. Not until much later when he got all his ticks and tocks back together.
He watched Sionis lead Stephanie out on the dancefloor, a smile slowly slipping from his face as he downed the rest of his old fashioned. He gripped the glass, ignoring the warning ping, ping from Machina. The way that black skull son of a bitch slunk his body up against Stephanie brought that anger right back, making his fingers shake with pressure onto the glass. And, when Stephanie’s frame seemed to wilt in the arms of the Commissioner, Eddie could have sworn he heard Machina say GET HIM with all the fury of the goddamned holy spirit behind her.
Eddie slammed the glass down on the bar, making it shatter into a thousand geometric pieces as he tore off his coat off and pulled his bowtie off his neck. His hand stung and bled as he struggled to pull the bow tie off, the pain pushing him forward in a way that felt so familiar. That felt like an equation that started at the top of a set of stairs and ended with every broken bone in his little body. Now, for future reference, Eddie was not the kind of man to get in a physical fight in this lifetime or the one before. But, if someone touched something he loved, Eddie would go after them like a spider monkey. Oh, goodness yes.
On the dancefloor, Stephanie could feel a sudden warmth around her and a familiar pinging so soft in her ear it felt like the coo of a mother trying to wake her baby up. It tugged at her softly, removing her from the arms of the black skull in a haze of multi-color light that shined protectively and pulled, pulled her.
“Hey, jackass.” Eddie’s voice was raspy in a way she had never heard before, thick with a poor boy’s accent from a time she wasn’t from. He was down to an untucked dress shirt and pants, his otherwise combed back hair sprung forward in a messy curl. Sionis turned with a look like no one talked to him that way and Eddie barrelled towards him so fast people had to dive out of the way so they wouldn’t get knocked over. The little man jumped up, legs wrapping around the black skull’s waist as he wailed his fists into his head and neck. The two toppled over in the middle of the dancefloor and screams echoed around the two. Eddie didn’t hear anything. All he could feel was blood pumping through his ears and riddles exploding in his brain.
Now on top of Sionis, who was laying flat on his back, Eddie shoved his bloody fingers into the man’s throat. “How do you like that, you son of a bitch? You want to fuck with me? You touch her again and I’ll throw you into a goddamned SPIKE PIT!” The tips of his fingers pushed harder, his tongue pressed between his lips as his dark eyes went completely wild in a way that wasn’t very Gotham at all.
Before Stephanie could respond to the words that sent chills down her spine, that brought up memories of whispered threats and yanked hair and the cold metal of a gun pressed to her forehead, a sudden warmth spread through her body, and she moved back and out of Sionis’s arms. She still felt cold though, even with the pixels buzzing around her; she still felt cold and weak in a way she couldn’t ever recall feeling before in her entire privileged life. And, she watched aghast as Eddie lunged at the Commissioner, but she didn’t have any acute desire to break up the fight. Sionis’s made her feel dirty, but not in the normal sort of way. Like he had violated her, wrung her up and used her. She watched with unabashed wide eyes and a strange sense of satisfaction as Eddie’s bloody fingers closed around the other man’s throat.
Sionis gurgled, hands clawing at the scrawny man’s surprising grip for a minute before seemingly giving up, dead fishing on the floor for a second before swinging a heavy blow to the side of Eddie’s head. Then another to his chin, then another dug into Eddie’s stomach. All the while, he tried to wiggle out far enough to wrap fingers around the firearm in its holster around his hip. Always packing with a back up plan.
Stephanie squeaked, suddenly realizing that someone was about to get pummeled. “Eddie!” She pushed through the pixelated wall, picking up the bottom of her dress and starting to skid over to the two men fighting. “Eddie, stop it!” When she reached him, she tried to pull at his shoulder, but barely missed getting hit in a mess of limbs and bruising punches. The young blonde looked around at the amassing crowd in horror. “Would someone step in, please!” There was a panic in her eyes unfamiliar to anyone. Who panicked in Gotham? She tried again to pull them apart, but couldn’t even get close as Sionis swung at Eddie once again. Truthfully, a part of Stephanie didn’t want anyone to step in until Eddie strangled the black skulled man. She couldn’t shake those images, that weakness, that taste of blood, the feeling of burning in her shoulder, and she couldn’t figure out why. But, she look terrified. Of the fight, or of something else, she didn’t know as much as those surrounding them.
Eddie made an oof noise as Sionis hit him hard in the side of the head, making the smaller man teeter to the side and struggle to stay awake. The next two blows made Eddie forget how to breathe and he choked out more angry, rough cusses at the man under him before continuing to pound his fists wherever he could. All that concern about precision and perfection completely lost in a need to hurt. It was a wild frenzy, lips back to show a teeth grinding grimace that’d scare the daylights out of anyone used to him being a silly, charming man. “Riddle me thissssssss,” Eddie whispered, fingers digging into the mask of Sinois to slam the man’s head back on the dance floor like a ball. He reached into his slacks to pull out a switchblade that springed open (gee, how did that get there?) and slammed it into the Commissioner's hand as it reached for his police issued firearm.
“How are you going to use your gun with this in your hand!?” Eddie whispered proudly, riddling green practically shining out of his eyes in neon splendor.
It was then that a much stronger man pulled Eddie off and held him back as he weakly struggled to try and murder Commissioner Sinois. Eddie looked up, ready to fight this guy too until he realized it was Stephanie’s dad. “Hi, Artie.” Eddie smiled loopy, the blows to his head finally overpowering his adrenaline rush. Arthur was not amused, but somewhat glad that someone finally stopped Sinois before he made another rich girl his prey. “Eddie.” Arthur said gruffly and squeezed him harder to keep him from struggling free.
Eddie kept grinning, head lolling to look at Stephanie as he mouthed a real simple phrase: I love you, baby.
The crowd around the fight thickened with each passing moment, people stopping their dancing, others wandering from the bar, all gawking at the display before them. It was positively animalistic and uncouth. They had all seen their fair share of drunken fights, but it was mostly harmless. A man marking his territory if someone got too handsy with his woman. The wrong word said at the wrong time. This was the kind of thing they saw in the news between those kids in the slums and el barrio warring over pieces of territory for dealing. It was fascinating to them, and although some of them were disgusted by the display, no one could stop it.
Sionis continued to try to match Eddie blow for blow, but for what strength the Commissioner had, Eddie had speed and moxy. Every punch Sionis landed, Eddie landed two or three more. The frustration boiled up in the skull-faced man, and if skulls could turn purple in rage, oh would his. A roar echoed through the tall, tall room when his hand was stabbed, and a fist swung at the tiny many in reply, but instead he caught air. Another swing and air again.
Stephanie looked on in terror as well, hair askew from multiple attempts to break the fight apart and still holding onto the hem of her dress. Eventually skidding back a little, she kept shouting both their names until she saw a flash of familiar bulk and blond hair intervene. A weird, intermingling feeling of relief and disappointment filled her, and she sighed in relief, keeping her space for a moment as she looked at the enamored crowd. Well, they would certainly be on the cover tomorrow, wouldn’t they? As her father yanked Eddie away, Sionis slowly rose to his feet to assess the damages. The bleeding hand, the sore jaw, the raw throat, but no one was paying attention to him anymore. Eyes trained on Stephanie, Eddie, and Arthur like they were the stars of a gripping soap opera. And when Eddie mouthed that declaration, her blue eyes softened for a second between the alarm on her face and inexplicable the shake in her body. A strange sense of happiness that had her frown for a second.
“Daddy!” Steph scrambled forward towards the two most important men in her life. “Thank you, oh my god. I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened, I was just dancing with the Commissioner when--.” But she stopped and looked at Eddie with those bright, worried eyes. “What were you thinking?”
Eddie didn’t quite mind the squeezing embrace of Arthur, who had him stuck in a meaty headlock as the little man kicked his feet on the floor to try and get to Stephanie. Artie was never really a source of comfort, but there was something about having a person care enough to pull him out of a fight he was going to ultimately lose. Yes, now Eddie was seeing things really clearly. The hits to his head drew connections between everyone, labelled each individual at the party as smiling phonies. Stephanie, Artie, Sionis, even himself. All a bunch of liars in a gilded hall dressed like royalty. His dark eyes rolled up at Artie with affection before lowering back down to look at Stephanie. There was no holding back the bright love and the twisted insanity that turned his dark eyes black. If Stephanie looked closely enough, she could see things the right way, too.
“False kings sitting on their hills made of straw and bones. It’s all going to crumble one day and baby I’ll be holding your hand when it does I promise you that.” A bright laugh and Eddie kicked, kicked to be free of Artie to no avail. “We’re all in a house of mirrors and everyone believes what they see! I do, too! How could you not? It’s sooooooooooo beautiful up here. No one ever told me that!” Eddie’s voice hit an unnatural pitch, something high and nightmarish before his eyes rolled back into his head and he turned into a ragdoll in Arthur’s arms.
Arthur, who seemed to be confused and disappointed at the strange, little man in his arms sighed and looked over Stephanie’s shoulder at the seething Commissioner. “I’ll take care of him, Stephanie. Go home or finish up the party.” It was a fatherly command, one that didn’t want to be argued with.
Stephanie had never seen someone crack like that, like Eddie mumbling lines of gibberish that sounded more like something out of Shakespeare than anything she’d ever heard him say. Damn, she should have actually gone to that Psych class once last semester. She could see the look of pure love in his eyes, and she returned it with a bright sort of worry that she’d only had when the family pet was sick or rare moments alone. “Eddie, calm down,” she whispered harshly, hand reaching out but the kicking legs keeping her far away. She looked up at her father and caught the disappointment and confusion, causing a bit of a bubble in her stomach of fear and pain that only a daddy’s girl could feel.
For just a flicker of a moment, she thought she could understand what he was going for, that he was trying to tell her something. The reason why Sionis was such a bad, bad man, why she could taste blood and feel bullet wounds and go dizzy with the skulled man’s breath on her cheek. Why it seemed strange for a second to have her father hold Eddie back like someone who cared about him. Why she loathed the people gawking at them all of a sudden. A bitterness boiled up her throat that tasted different from the metallic sharpness of blood, one that told her that all of this seemed wrong.
“Eddie, c’mon,” she said desperately, quietly, and more like a girl seeing the man she loved in pain than someone in a relationship for the perks of fame and networking and fruition of their plans. Someone actually, truly in love with him. She brushed fingers down his cheek and choked out a strangled noise when he conked out. Looking up at her father with wide blue eyes, she looked closer to fourteen than nearly twenty-one. “Daddy,” she implored, tugging at the sleeve of his tux, other hand still cupping the catatonic Eddie’s cheek like he would poof away if she let go. “I wanna stay with him. Please?”
Arthur seemed baffled by Eddie’s show of eccentrics and crazy rambling, but the rest of the party seemed eager to play it off. To forget about it. To go back to their party. Arthur looked to Stephanie, still disappointed and something curious lingering in his expression. He was a good father, he liked being a good dad, even if those recent nightmares were telling him otherwise. “Wouldn’t you rather go have fun?” Arthur asked, motioning to the other guests. Stephanie and Eddie could be inseparable, but never when things were difficult. And, that little outburst? The bleeding hole in the Commissioner’s hand? That was trouble.
“He’s just going to sleep this off, peanut. You don’t need to play bedside nurse.” Arthur tried again and started moving for the door before Sinois could start bitching him out for saving Eddie. But, he wasn’t telling her no anymore. If she wanted to sit by Eddie while he muttered things in his sleep, that was up to her. This would all blow over with some money and Eddie minding his fucking manners next time. Everything in this city was so nice, one drunken brawl could be smoothed over without a problem.
Stephanie shook her head without thinking, something in the back of her brain going no, fuck that, I’ll stay right here with him, thank you very much. The crowd dissipated quickly, bored now that the fight was over and more than ready to go back to the fun. But, Stephanie lingered, hand cupping her man’s cheek in a rarely tender moment and blue eyes soft and worried for him. Her father’s question was ignored for a second in favor of whispering at Eddie. “Baby, what is going on with you?” she asked a little pathetically, whine at the edge of her words and confusion stiffening her body. Her gaze flickered up at her father, and she wasn’t able to hide away all the concern that she just didn’t know what to do with. “Daddy,” she said softly, her eyes reflecting in his blues. “What if something’s really wrong?” They were talking about her needing a trip to Crane; what if Eddie needed a trip to the good doctor?
Shaking her head, she cleared her throat and tried her best to smile away the worry. Her father calling her peanut would always catch her off guard and warm her up. “No, I think it’s time to end my night too, Daddy. There’s a marathon of the Kardashians that I can watch while I make sure he isn’t like, concussed again or something.” She dropped her voice down again and frowned, furrowing her eyebrows like she didn’t know why she was about to say this. “Plus, honestly? He kinda gives me the creeps.” Steph jerked her head towards the Commissioner, and her stomach lurched again when she looked at him. “I think he’d take it as a hint to go for round two of ass-grab if I stuck around.” She reached to push the swirl hanging over Eddie’s forehead and away from his face.
Eddie’s eyes moved under their lids and he slowly murmured, “I wasn’t concussed the first time.” He didn’t sound like the riddling mad man before and when he opened his dark eyes he looked as confused as they did. “Hey, Artie. Stephanie.” He waved weakly from Arthur’s arms and then immediately made a hissing sound of pain and a whine like he had just gotten into a car accident. Arthur let him go and Eddie stumbled before slinging his arm around Stephanie. “Wh-” He looked to her, dark eyes bright but without that intense love she had seen before. “Happened?”
That was as close as he could get to speaking and his eyes rolled back into his head as if he was having a hard time even staying awake. The last thing Eddie remembered was Sinois sliding up next to them at the bar and now suddenly he was completely sore all over, his head was spinning and his hand was full of broken glass. He gawked at the mere idea of getting in a black out drunk bar fight. Giggled at the idea even. “I’m sleepy, Stephanie.” He said with a tiny voice that was pathetic and babyish. “I wanna go hoooomee. Where’s my ja- my bow- nevermind.”
Arthur gave Stephanie a look to ask if she could handle the delirious Eddie and then left them to go calm down Sionis.
Stephanie oof’d slightly when Eddie slung his arm around her in shock and laughed a little more easily than she had in the past few minutes. Like now that he was up, everything was going to be okay. Sionis would forget about the hole in his hand, Eddie would forget about the anger, and Stephanie would forget about all that fear. She didn’t like that feeling, that panic and stress ripping through her body, and she couldn’t imagine feeling like that ever again. Her hand rested on his chest to give him some leverage.
“You got on the wrong side of a couple of fists, Eddie,” she said softly, with an amused grin crawling up her lips. “You decided that lunging at the Commissioner was the best idea. But at least you’ll be on the front page tomorrow, right?” She flashed her father a look, one that said she got this, and started to move towards the door. As if everything was honky dory and she didn’t almost just have a panic attack in the arms of Sionis or Eddie didn’t just get his lights knocked out. “We’re going home. I can play nurse, if you really want.” She flashed him a smirk and slid her arm around his waist, like his dripping blood wasn’t about to ruin her ludicrously expensive dress.
Eddie rolled his eyes at Stephanie. “That doesn’t sound like me at all.” He didn’t believe a word of it, sure that she was joking or trying to making him feel better for getting so drunk he tripped over his own feet on the dancefloor. But, he went along with it because lying was easier. Lying took that sting out. The truth dug in and twisted in a way he didn’t like thinking about. It felt like a part of him had been jostled free and rested deep in his belly. A part that looked at the gold, the chandeliers and expensive suits and hated all of it. It felt like a bottomless pit. A pain that couldn’t be remedied. All he could do was mask it and try to forget.
“I really do want.” Eddie said with a sly wiggle of his eyebrows and he kissed the side of her mouth, glancing around to see if there had been any cameras recording. If he had actually attacked the Commissioner in a drunk rage, he’d want that kind of thing on tape. “Let’s go home and wait for the gossip rags to light up.” Eddie smile and stumbled towards the door.