Who:Edward Nigma, Jonathan Crane Where: Edward's Lair When: May 11, 2012, night time What: Jonathan wants Kitty's address...then puts his foot into it. Rating: PG-13 - NSFW, near death and sexual language.
Jonathan finished strapping on the bullet proof vest, wincing in pain at the pressure before he crept to Edward’s downstairs lab where he was working on his latest Death Trap, peeking around the door before grinning. “Did you get her information yet, did you get her information yet, did you get her information yet?” he asked, in the manner of a five-year-old in the backseat of a hot car on a family vacation.
He then ducked back behind the door, praying Edward didn’t happen to carry armor piercing bullets in his guns.
And a small part of him wondered how his life had come to hiding behind doors from a homicidal super-villain he happened to share rent with...in a manner of speaking.
Eddie’s head shot up with a death-glare at being interrupted, while hunched over his project. As quickly as he appeared, Jonathan was gone, and Eddie tilted his head back down to finish securing the wire with a soldering gun (which was the only weapon he was armed with), and said, “You’re really bugging the hell out of me. Yes. The information came through about two hours ago.”
Jonathan poked his head around the door warily, before stepping into the lab, crossing his arms over his vest so he didn’t reach out, grab Edward and kiss the other man. “Well, where is it?” he asked, bouncing.
And payback for all the shit Eddie annoyed him with.
This time Eddie didn’t even bother to raise his head; he simply glanced up with his eyes, hidden behind a sparse veil of hair hanging over his face. “It’s over there. I texted it to your phone,” he said, gesturing off to the side with the soldering gun.
Upon one of the work tables, there lay the latest version of an iPhone, on top of an iPad, both of them personalized with the Scarecrow’s Jack-o-Lantern emblem, to make no mistake as to who they belonged to.
Jonathan stared at the items, blinking, glancing at the electronics, then Eddie, then the electronics again then Eddie. “You got me expensive electronics,” he said, slightly breathless.
Was it wrong he was turned on by Edward spoiling him? He had never received anything like this before in his life as a gift...except the Infirmary...which Edward also gave him.
“And you customized it with my Jack-o-lanterns...” Jonathan added as he picked up the items in question, a flutter in his chest from Edward’s action. Okay, so he probably just did it to make sure he didn’t grab it by mistake instead of his, but still.
Eddie went back to work on his tech, seemingly disinterested in Jonathan and how he gushed about the ‘electronics’, as Jonathan put it. However, behind his back, Eddie glanced up again and smirked, enjoying the subtle thrill of attention. “You needed a phone, anyway. And some sort of computer, since you’re not allowed to touch mine. Both are patched with my tech. Nobody will be able to trace your signals or url. In addition, after you change your passwords, if anybody else tampers with them, it will take it as a threat and self destruct, so none of your stuff will be compromised if it falls into the hands of the good guys.”
Jonathan blushed at the mention of Edward’s computers, not looking at the other man nor admitting he already had handled Edward’s equipment to...adjust the cameras. “Thank you, Edward...this means a lot to me, especially that you tricked them out so well,” he said, glancing at the other man. He sat on the workbench where the items had been, fiddling with them, glancing at the information for Kitty, a wicked grin crossing his lips as he plotted what he was going to do to the girl. “So what are you working on?”
Putting the circuit board aside to pick up another, Eddie resumed soldering wires. “An idea for a Death Trap,” which was his generic answer. “I prepare everything here and then take it to the site to install, though I usually don’t install until the winter, when the winter is cold and people are less apt to wander around and into places they shouldn’t be.”
“What sort of Death Trap,” Jonathan pushed, curious and fascinated as he watched Edward work. One day he was going to get over this obsession and fanboyism...but today was not that day.
Mechanical sciences were no where near Jonathan's specialty, preferring chemical, mental and theoretical science...mind work rather than busy work...and the fact was he just didn’t understand anything more complicated then repairing a washer and dryer belt. Then again, most people didn’t understand what went into creating medications and genetic life so it evened out.
“One that actually uses your fear toxin as a key component,” he said, straightening up and stretching his spine in the opposite direction to get the crinks out.
Jonathan blinked at that, wondering just when Edward was going to ask him for his toxin. “Fear Toxin?” he asked, as if he wasn’t highly, deeply interested, hopping off of the table and moving closer to Edward, trying to peek at the plans.
He was distracted by Edward’s movements, mouth opening to offer to rub out the kinks before snapping it shut, remembering just who he had been about to offer such to.
“Did I stutter?” Eddie said, picking up the circuits and stacking them neatly, before taking them to a box to set them aside., then lifting the blueprints of his project to give them a quick once-over before stepping toward Jonathan to hand them over. “I hope you approve.”
“I am not allowed to kill you no matter how much of an ass you are, I am not allowed to...” Jonathan was broken from his mantra as Edward handed over the plans, accepting them and taking a look, his mouth dropping open a bit as he took in what was written before he realized and snapped it shut, looking up at Edward over the blueprints. “This is...” amazing, genius, brilliant “an acceptable plan,” he said, rolling the blue print up and offering them to Edward.
God damn if Edward didn't have the most deliciously, wonderfully, devilish mind.
The reaction Jonathan gave upon seeing his plans made Eddie grin from ear to ear. Though the other man was pretending otherwise, it was clear that he was impressed. Eddie moistened his lips with his tongue and folded the plans, neatly. “Most of the components are done, I need to get more tubing, but otherwise, it’s ready to install.”
Jonathan was distracted by the tongue flick for a moment before clearing his throat. “How much toxin will you need?” he asked, cursing the almost breathless quality to his voice. Damn Eddie and his damn brilliance and his damn tongue.
Eddie thought for a moment. “Considering the amount of square feet? I would say only a couple gallons. Which should be just a drop in the bucket for you, eh?” He smirked. “But I already have another plan, in the works.”
“Another plan?” Jonathan asked, confused. He had thought Edward designed the trap around the toxin...how could he have another plan when he needed it.
“You really ought to get your hearing fixed,” Eddie smart-mouthed, wagging a finger up to his own ear. “Maybe your toxin’s affecting it? Another plan. As in, more than one. Because for a genius like myself, I’m always having ideas.”
“You know, you wouldn’t be able to mouth off so much with a cock in your mouth,” Jonathan snapped, before his eyes widened, mouth clamped shut and his hand shot up to cover it. “I didn’t mean that,” he said behind his hand.
Okay, the long term effects of overdosing on the toxin were starting to become known and apparently one (besides the occasional hallucination) was that the filter between his brain and his mouth short-circuited.
Eddie froze and stared at Jonathan, his jaw clenching., every muscle tensing up. He then looked away, nervously, collecting his cell phone and busying himself with papers in a very poor attempt to mask nerves. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” he muttered, and walked stiffly past Jonathan and through the door.
“Edward, I’m sorry,” Jonathan called, deflating. And they had been having such a good time too. He sighed, staring down at the cell phone clutched in his hand, wanting to cry in frustration. Every time he got even the slightest bit close to having a decent friendship with the man, he managed to screw it up.
Scarecrow’s words from his nightmare fluttered around his head and he kicked Edward’s lab table, frustration growing. The figment wasn’t right, emotions weren’t worthless and Edward did care...right?
At that moment, Eddie rushed back into the room in a highly agitated state, hair disheveled from having run his fingers through it, his eyes wild and red as he was on the verge of crying.
“Why do you do this to me? Huh?! Why do you do this?! “ As he shouted, he waved his arms around. “Is this your way of torturing me? You know I can’t! I can’t!” His body started shaking and he was barely keeping himself together.
“Edward?” Jonathan asked, confused and frightened by the other man’s sudden turn, worried as he took in Edward’s agitated behaviors.; “What’s wrong? What can’t you do?”
He set his phone on the table, reaching out and grabbing Edward’s flailing hands, holding them gently, but firmly. “Calm down, Edward, please.....you need to relax before you get so worked up you can’t control it,”
What the hell had happened when Edward left the room?
Caught by Jonathan, Eddie sealed his lips tight in a frown and looked the other man in the eye as if that alone could convey the answer. He did, however, calm down after a deep breath, during which he looked down, unable to maintain eye contact. “You’re the psychologist. You know my file, don’t you?”
“Of course I know your file, Edward,” Jonathan said, still looking confused. He wrote the blasted thing after all. “But that doesn’t explain why you had a panic attack upon leaving the room. What were you obsessing over in the hallway?”
It had only been a few minutes, it had to have been something that occurred either suddenly, or in their conversation, but beyond Jonathan’s slip up with his words, there wasn’t anything besides the Death Trap worth obsessing over...which meant it must have been the Death Trap, but that made no sense.
It couldn’t have been the conversation...a slip of the tongue shouldn’t have upset Edward that badly. ‘I can’t’ implied that there was something Edward did want to do, but couldn’t due to his personal and mental reasons, which had no relation to the conversation slip, as Edward had no romantic or sexual interest in him.
Hell, most of the time Edward had no general interest in him unless he was blowing something up downstairs.
Eddie looked at Jonathan again, in the same, forlorn way, too embarrassed to admit his shortcomings. “Let me go,” he said, firmly. How could somebody who was trained as a psychiatrist be so blind?
Jonathan looked down at their hands, not wanting to release the other man, enjoying the touch he shouldn’t have been. Only when Edward lost it, did he ever get to feel the man’s skin. With a sigh, he let go, looking back up at Edward. “I’m sorry I upset you,” he said softly. “I’m not sure what I did, but no, I’m not trying to torture you, Edward. I car...” he broke off, looking away. “It’s not my intention to upset you with my words or actions.
He knew, that Edward knew how he felt. It was so damn obvious by now in Edward’s taunts. But he couldn’t say it. He wouldn’t hurt Edward and leave his emotions hanging out between them as a wedge to drive them apart completely. He was too desperate for any chance, even if it meant simply being Edward’s friend.
“I will see about getting something to treat the residual effects of the toxin,” he added, finally making a choice to stop the problem...something he had refused before now.
Eddie rubbed his wrists where he’d been held, his mind and eyes distant. He didn’t know how to respond, his own emotions stunted and sublimated, and yet his obsessive nature was driving him like a slave master, whipping at his consciousness. “You haven’t checked your iPad yet. I uploaded some of the files from your old laptop. Including your music files. ” He shot Jonathan a poignant look and then left the room again.
Jonathan blinked at the sudden change in topic, watching Edward leave before he snatched the Ipad off of the desk, searching through the files for the one indicated, a smile crossing his lips as he checked the titles.
Noticing another update, one after he had been sprayed with the toxin, he opened the file on Edward, the smile widening as he realized Edward had taken the time to update and re-arrange the Riddles as well as his own, personal (and actual) case file on Edward.
Blinking again, realization dawned on Jonathan who actually hit himself in the face with the Ipad. “I’m a moron,” he muttered, looking over the edge of the thin tablet towards the door. Edward...did care. In his own awkward, broken way.
“Well damn,” Jonathan muttered, grabbing his cellphone and shoving it into his pocket as he chased after his lairmate. Granted, it wasn’t the hearts and roses and eternal love Jonathan wanted, but any sort of caring was worth it, just as he accepted what Harley gave him.
“Thank you,” he called, once he managed to catch up to Edward.
Eddie had made it all the way down to the other end of the hall and had just put up the security system and was turning toward the elevator; the space separating them was the stretch of ‘no-man’s-land’ that contained the series of Death Traps, which Jonathan would have to take down himself to pass security. When he heard Jonathan’s voice, Eddie turned around and realised he was taking a step too far.
“Stop!” Eddie suddenly said, holding out his hand, but it was too late. All the lights in the hall turned red, casting everything into a crimson hue. while thick, plexiglass walls fell from the ceiling on either side of Jonathan, trapping him in between. A keypad flipped from a hidden panel on one side of the wall, which included a small, digital readout display. Eddie stood helplessly, arms to his side.
Jonathan froze at Edward’s words, but it had been too late. He closed his eyes as the hallway, room bathed itself red, before looking up at Edward, giving him a small smile. “I always wondered what this would be like,” he said, calmly, as if certain death wasn’t about to happen with the slightest mistake.
“How long do I have?” he asked, before looking at the display to get his riddle.
“Sixty seconds,” Eddie replied, looking very concerned, his hand fiddling the flash drive key in his hand. All it would take was for him to insert it into the port and disarm the trap, setting Jonathan free, but again, his obsessive nature prevented him: once the Death Trap was activated, the victim had to answer the riddle to free himself. That was how it was done. It didn’t matter who the victim was. Eddie shifted from one foot to the other, restlessly.
Upon the display readout, a riddle was posed, the answer for which was expected to be typed on the keyboard. It was one of Eddie’s difficult ones, but because Jonathan was a self-proclaimed expert on Eddie’s riddles, having collected them as part of his file, Jonathan would’ve known the answer.
Jonathan started counting the seconds, watching Edward shift. “Relax, Eddie,” he called, using the nickname for the first time, smiling widely, looking completely relaxed and free...a way Edward had never seen him, either at Arkham or in the lair. He wasn’t even this joyous when around Harley.
He looked around, examining the trap, still counting down the seconds mentally. “You know, this was always one of my top two ways to die...well, not whatever very painful way I’m sure you have planned, but here, the result of your brilliance...” He chanced a glance at Edward, and then at the keyboard, circling back around to it.
Time was ticking away, draining through the hourglass, getting closer and closer to Jonathan laying on the floor, creating a mess. Fingers hovered over the keys, and time still moved on as he waited, something compelling him to make it last.
Finally, when it was really almost beyond too late, he typed. “If I am wrong...” He paused again, looking up at Edward. “I love you,” he said, before pressing the final key.
The moment the answer was given, the lights changed back from red to normal and one of the plexiglas barriers, the one that was closest to the elevators lifted, allowing him passage that would force him to step into another Death Trap, but the second remained down, preventing him from retreating. Eddie just about had a heart attack, though as he stood, he did not move a muscle, that is until the Death Trap was clear.
“Don’t move!” Eddie ordered, pointing at Jonathan with his flashdrive just before he inserted it into the port that would disarm the system. It took a few moments, and when it was finished, Eddie marched up to Jonathan, standing so close their faces almost met, and sternly told him, “Don’t you ever make the same mistake again!”
“I won’t,” Jonathan said, licking his lips. The fear, the panic, everything he had dwelt in, bathed in, swallowed down in the past minute came rushing back over him and Jonathan swayed, gripping Edward’s arms to steady himself, before suddenly surging up the few inches needed, before pressing his mouth against Edward’s, drinking in the other man.
He knew it wouldn’t go well after, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed this, after coming so close to dying by Edward’s hands. Pulling away, eyes lowering he rested flat on his feet, releasing the other man. “I meant what I said,” he said softly, stepping back to give Edward space, bending to retrieve the Ipad he had dropped.
Eddie remained as cold and immovable as a marble statue; he did not return the kiss, but he did not prevent Jonathan, either. He didn’t even close his eyes. Lines of defense mechanisms stronger than all his Death Traps put together shut Eddie down, preventing any sort of reciprocation. “I know you did,” was Eddie’s muttered reply. A pause. “I’m hungry. What are you cooking for dinner tonight?”
Jonathan grinned at the reply, the closest he ever got to anything nice from Edward. “Lamb kebabs with mint jelly, assorted vegetables...don’t make that face, and a rice pilaf,” he said, trying to remember if he had marinate the lamb or not yet. “Unless you were in the mood for something else, and no, it can’t be the pizza, I’m saving that for tomorrow night before I head to New York to catch up with Miss Pryde.”
“Damn. I was going to say pizza,” Eddie huffed, then looked at the iPad. “Don’t drop that again. You’ll break it.” He then put a hand upon Jonathan’s shoulder and budged him forward toward the elevators. “Funny. I was thinking of going to New York, too.” His hand remained upon the shoulder as they walked.
Jonathan almost stumbled when Eddie willingly touched him, smiling as they entered the elevator, giving the passcode before Edward could, giggling a bit maniacally after, still high on his own fear. “Maybe we can fly up together...have lunch before you go torture some poor slob whose computers you’ve been breaking into,”
No, Jonathan wasn’t stupid and didn’t spend hours watching Edward work just to stare the the other man’s face, but he was fine with Edward running off to go play with strange men without telling him first...so long as he didn’t get killed doing it.
“If you want, if not, I’m going to be in Westchester playing with my new experiment for the day at least.”
Eddie stood beside Jonathan, his arms now neatly folded across his chest. “I know where the location is. I’m the one who found it, remember?” What was left unsaid was since Eddie knew the location, he could also come to Jonathan’s aid, if need be. “I was going to drive,” Eddie told him. “And I... was thinking of going alone.” He glanced over at Jonathan, hoping that the other man wasn’t going to get all moody again for not being included in his plans.
“Oh, alright,” Jonathan said, swallowing his disappointment. After all, his plan didn't include Edward either. “Call me if anything goes wrong, I trust Reed, but just in case,” he gave a shrug, smiling.