Chapter Text
“You don’t happen to like riddles, do you?” Ed asked the dog with a sigh. The mutt tilted its head to the side, visibly confused. “Yeah, should have seen that one coming.”
Taking care of Oswald’s animal wasn’t the worst job he’s ever done for the man, but it still seemed to take a toll on Edward’s productivity. He usually liked to have an audience, but he preferred a more...human one. He struggled to see what Oswald saw in this tiny creature that followed him around the house and wouldn’t even give him the tiniest moment of privacy.
He had now successfully returned from the little quest he set himself onto to distract himself from how empty the apartment looked without Oswald and mostly to use his power to play a prank on the GCPD. It was time to change into a less dramatic attire. Paying no attention to the bowler hat carelessly tossed onto the couch, he went off with his duties.
Not late after, silent taps on the floor followed Ed’s footsteps as the dog picked up the bowler hat and proudly carried it back to its owner. ‘ See? You lost this. I bring it back. I can be useful, see.’ his expression said.
“What? No! Drop it.”
No answer and definitely no hats being dropped. Ed squatted down, planning on taking the hat back, but as soon as he reached his hand out the animal stepped a few steps back, wagging its non-existent tail. ' Playtime!'
"No, I'm not playing with-!" He was left speechless as the dog excitedly ran to the other side of the room. Once he arrived to his destination, he turned to face Ed, arched forward with his tiny tail wagging furiously.
Ed lunged after the dog, but as soon as he reached him, the mutt started off to run away from him.
After an extensive period of chasing the dog with no success, Ed gave up and plopped down on the couch. Soon, the small but heavy animal jumped on top of him and placed the hat in his lap, followed by a puppy-like yawn.
"Yikes, dog breath." Ed chuckled and warily reached down to pat the pup's head. He was met with a happy butt wiggle.
--
Training a dog wasn't as easy as Ed thought it would be. He, of course, did his research and found the best ways to entertain the hound but still teach him something new at the same time. Ed's goal was clear - to stop the dog from considering his hat as a toy. Of course, to do that Edward needed toys of his own. Soon, the place was filled with squeaky toys, chewable plushies and god, so many balls. And of course, treats.
"Sit."
The dog glanced up at Ed with a confused look on his face and let out a tiny yawn.
"Edward. Sit."
The pup lazily plopped onto its bottom rewarded by a wide smile from Ed. "Good boy!"
--
While Oswald has never been a fan of the chaos that Riddler creates when working, the dog seemed to love it. He snatched pieces of paper that Ed had thrown away and happily carried them around the house like a prize. And when Ed paced around the flat as he ran his plans through his head, the pup followed, striding behind him like a baby duck following its mom.
Ed had to admit, having the dog around was sometimes pleasant. When he worked too long, the pup nuzzles his leg and made him take an involuntary break. He had multiple tasks ahead of him. He had made a promise to himself, a promise to better his self to be worthy of Oswald's friendship. And what's a better way to start other than stealing a valuable painting for him?