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It was early evening in Gotham and Oswald, Ostara, and Ed had planned to spend the unusually mild fall day at home. However, an issue arose in the city as a group of escaped Arkham inmates caused havoc. Oswald and Edward had gone into the city for a debriefing and a meeting with Jim Gordon and the GCPD. Once a clear plan of action had been made and the people were assured they would both be home.
It was taking longer than they’d liked and Ostara had eaten lunch alone. They had dismissed Olga for the day to further enjoy themselves alone. As the time grew later Ostara had wanted to start dinner but was out of a few ingredients and had promptly called on Gabe to escort her into town for some shopping.
She’d thought about going by City Hall but decided against it when she saw the large crowd of people waiting outside. Instead she called Oswald’s personal number.
“Hello, dear,” Oswald greeted tiredly.
“I take it things aren't going well?” Ostara chuckled. She heard Oswald snort on the other end before replying.
“Hardly. I shall be lucky to escape this meeting with my blood pressure level in tact.”
Ostara laughed loudly and then stifled it as she received odd looks from others in the store.
“I’m sure Edward will keep you from upsetting your blood pressure.”
There was silence for a moment. “Darling, I sent Ed home early. The woman from Budgeting Ed caught smuggling funds made a few disparaging remarks to the press and some nasty rumors made their way around the office. Ed was bombarded with questions about his own fitness to handle the situation. Arkham record and whatnot. I was given the same but you know how Ed is.”
“That bitch!” Ostara hissed, slamming a poor tomato back down with more force than was necessary. “I’ve got more than enough to blackmail her. She’ll be left hanging by her breast implants when I’m through! At any rate I’m getting a few things to make dinner. I’ll call Ed in a bit and let him know. Tell me if you’re not going to be home for dinner.”
“Of course, now go deal with our distraught husband. I think interacting with Bullock immediately after rather exacerbated the situation.”
Ostara hung up on Oswald and proceeded to the check out with her necessary items. Once Gabe had helped her carry them back to the car she pulled her phone out again to call Ed. When Ed didn’t answer she began fidgeting as worry crept into her heart. Ed could be volatile when he was upset and neither she or Oswald were ever really sure what to expect.
However, she didn’t panic as it was likely he was just ignoring his phone or preoccupied. She attempted once more and began to truly worry when he didn’t answer a second time. If Ed wasn’t in a mood to talk then it would be difficult to calm him down. She continued to nervously check her phone in case he attempted to call back and squirmed around until they reached the manor.
“Gabe, be a dear and help me put these away. You may go home after that. I’ll make sure Oswald brings an extra lunch for you on Monday.”
“The Italian sandwich on that cheese and spice bread?” Ostara smiled and giggled sweetly, flattered that someone besides her husbands enjoyed her culinary skills.
“For you, sure.” Gabe smiled back and helped her put the groceries away before wishing her good night. By now Ostara was a ball of nerves as she hadn’t heard a sound throughout the time she had put things away.
“Ed?” She called wondering where he could be. He wasn’t in his office or the study so he had to be upstairs.
“Edward, are you alright?” She stopped outside the bedroom door noting the light was on but the door was firmly shut.
“Ed?” She knocked lightly before trying the handle. The door was locked. She heard Ed muttering to himself and a few quiet sniffles.
“Ed, are you ok? Open the door,” She asked frantically.
“I..I’m fine….I….I just..,” there was a sob and then she heard Ed cry out.
“Ed! Edward open the door!”
“No! You’ll be mad. I don’t want you to be mad.”
So that was it. Ed had come home and went into littlespace alone. Fuck.
Ed’s littlespace was a relatively new thing they were all still exploring. However, Ed had tried to over exert himself once and the increase of stress and lack of quality time with his spouses had led to him entering this subspace alone once. The result had not been pleasant for anyone involved.
“Eddie, sweetie, I won’t be mad. Mama just needs to know you’re ok. Please open the door,” she called softly.
“Promise?”
“Yes sweetie, now open the door.” She heard a few shuffling footsteps before the lock clicked.
Opening the door slowly the first thing she noticed was the overpowering smell of her French perfume Oswald bought her for her birthday. The second thing she noticed was Ed, dressed in one of her flowing floral skirts and purple blouse top.
“Ed?”
Ed didn’t look up but slowly pointed to the corner of the room. Ostara ignored where he was pointing in favor of the blood dripping down his arm.
“Sweetheart! What happened?” She asked, taking his arm gently and leading him to connected master bathroom.
“I didn’t mean to,” Ed whispered with a pathetic sniffle.
“I’m sure you didn’t, but you gotta tell Mama what happened.”
She sat Ed down on the edge of the tub and pulled out the medical kit and began looking for the injury. A large shallow gash in his palm was the source of the blood, but she couldn’t get a good look at it with all the blood in the way.
“What happened?” She coaxed again as she ran a soft cloth under some warm water.
“I was playing dress up in Mama’s things. Because you weren’t home and I wanted to hug you, so I thought if I dressed up like you then it would be ok. And then when you got home I could hug you for real. But Mama has a lot of clothes and I wasn’t sure what to wear, but I like this skirt. It’s all swooshy, so I put it on and was spinning and the skirt was swooshing.” Ed got progressively more excited as he spoke, and the word choice indicated he’d regressed to a small child. Not quite a toddler, but certainly not very old.
Ed got quite while Ostara washed the wound and the blood that dripped down his arm. He whimpered while she wiped it with a disinfectant swab and his bottom lip wobbled.
“Shh, I know it hurts. I’m gonna wrap it and then you’re done. Now tell Mama, how did you cut yourself.”
“I was spinning and I got dizzy. I bumped into Mama’s dresser and knocked some stuff off. I was really scared you’d be mad. I tried to clean it up! I’m so sorry!” Ed began crying mumbling how sorry he was between sobs. Ostara hastily finished wrapping his hand in gauze and pulled Ed into a hug.
“Shhh, Eddie. It’s ok, you’re ok. It was an accident. Mama’s not mad.” She sat and held him, combing her fingers through his hair and loosening the product he’d applied that afternoon.
Ed grasped on, clinging to her top with both hands curled into fists. He sniffled and hiccuped a little as his sobs slowed. “You don’t hate me?”
“Oh Eddie, I can buy new perfume bottles. There’s only one you. You are very special to me, and to Daddy. We love you Eddie, so much.” She kissed him on the forehead and the cheek before standing.
“What are you doing, Mama?”
“I’m running you a bath, with bubbles, and then I’m gonna clean up the glass in the bedroom and open a window to air it out. After you’ve washed up we’re gonna go downstairs and you can help Mama make dinner.”
“Ok,” Ed smiled. He let Ostara strip him out of her clothes and fill the bath with warm water and green colored bubbles that smelled like apples.
*-*
“Daddy!” Oswald turned around after hanging up his coat and was nearly knocked over by his excited husband.
“Daddy! I helped Mama make dinner!” Ed exclaimed, bouncing in place slightly.
“You did? I’m so proud, I’m sure it’s delicious.”
“Daddy? Did they….are the bad men…” Ed trailed off. Wanting to help Oswald with his job as mayor but still in his littlespace.
“It’s all taken care of. And Mama and I are going to take care of those bullies. No one hurts our baby, we won’t tolerate it. We love you, no matter what anyone says. Now, let’s go see what you made for dinner.”
*-*
Ed woke up the next day snuggled between his spouses and feeling the hole in his chest caused by his biological father’s words, words that had been tossed repeatedly in his face yesterday by a bitter women who’d been too stupid to hide her embezzling, grow a little smaller. Filled in by the tender warmth and love his spouses provided. The room still smelled of French perfume and apples.