Work Text:
"Edward?"
His... friend? boyfriend? colleague? lover? Whoever Edward Nygma truly is to him, startled when Jonathan interrupted his present activity.
"Hey Jon," Riddler turned around then addressed him a toothy smile and spoke in a fake collected voice that didn't dissimulate neither the fact he had been crying nor the shaking of his tone. "Suffering from insomnia too?"
"Just thirsty," the Scarecrow corrected, the ghost of a smile stretching his thin lips.
He sat on a stool at the semi-open kitchen's countertop of their shared hideout.
Standing behind the electric cooker, Edward made for himself a mug of hot chocolate, in the middle of the night, wearing his dark green silk pyjamas.
Jonathan and him live together, these days. These... weeks, even. The only persons Ed lived with for that long before were the Browns, he is housed at their home as he wishes whenever he asks Arthur or Crystal. After all, he became an in-between of a... parent and a caring uncle who watches over little Stephanie, she loves having him around and he is delighted by her company much more than he was willing to admit. Living with this energetic and clever little girl is a pure joy.
As for living with Jon... What started as an experiment soon evolved into proper habits. They hadn't planned to actually move in, like a couple, yet... turned out that’s exactly what they did.
They've been roommates before, when they were simple colleagues but enjoyed sharing over science and never hesitated to let the other spend the night on the couch of their foxhole when needed.
Now they are technically together, they engaged in a romantic relationship, or... as romantic as any kind of relationship between the Riddler and the Scarecrow might be, and they live under the same roof. Sleep in the same bedroom. Eat food, play games, read books, watch TV and chat in the same living room. And so on and so forth.
The most surprising in this is how... normal they behave.
How domestic.
They were not awkward, not angry at each other despite their respective habit to spread work stuff (either riddles, plans for traps or chemical formulas) everywhere. Quite the opposite: they felt... good, in each other's company.
What doesn't mean Edward would be comfortable enough to admit he was having an especially bad night and searched a way to comfort himself.
"May I get one too?"
Eddie quickly replicated his movements to fill a second mug of his favorite beverage, before handing it over to Jon and sitting across from him on the other side of the wooden countertop.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"... Not really."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
Edward's fingers trembled aroung his mug of warm liquid, but he didn't add anything.
Jonathan didn't insist. He may be a psychiatrist who helps his boyfriend through when he wants to talk about his nightmares or his PTSD-induced behaviors, he never forced him to open up over a vulnerable moment or a time he doesn't feel at ease enough to talk.
"I heard Harley met the new Robin this week," Jonathan mentioned in a casual manner. "Any echoes on that encounter?"
"Many echoes!" Edward chuckled, glad to be offered an occasion to talk about something fun to distract his mind from the aftermath of the nightmarish visions that woke him up, shaken to the core. "I had her and Lina on the phone yesterday afternoon, apparently they have divergent opinions on the newest bird. Now I wonder what he is like, too. Not that I am in a hurry to see him show up on one of my plans, but... it's kinda amusing to see Batman extending his little family."
"Kinda," Jonathan sipped his cocoat. "I still don't understand why he exposes those teenagers to danger even if... indeed, they bring a breath of fresh air to the otherwise gloomy ambiance in this grim city."
"Does Southern boy miss the bright Georgia sun and hot summer weather?"
"I never believed I will, but... yes. Somehow. Gotham's atmosphere feels too heavy, lately. I miss having more than two days straight of sun and nights under a beautiful starry sky without light pollution or clouds in the way."
"Maybe we could go back. Well... go back for you, and discover for me. Not long, not forever obviously, but... over a few weeks, why not. To... let time for this new Dynamic Duo to settle, to wait and see how things will evolve around us. And... it’d be nice to go on sort of holidays undercover with you. I know I would enjoy the experience."
They pondered over it.
"I would enjoy it too," Jonathan whispered, watching Edward with fondness after over a whole minute over which he weighted the pros and cons of paying a visit to his birth State after so many years far from home. "But... Edward?"
"Yes?"
"Do you realize your sudden need to put distance between you and Gotham and go on vacations elsewhere is no more than a traumatic response to your nightmares, and that you prefer running away from the place that inflicted you pain and misery rather than facing the fact healing from what happened to you over your last stay in Arkham will take time?"
"Absolutely."
"Good then. As long as you're aware, I'm in."
They shared a smile, drinking their hot chocolate.
What started as a random thought soon morphed into a reality.
They never went out of town together. Even less for a road trip. This is the most carefree line of conduct they engaged in since the beginning of their relationship: travelling to spend quality time away from their problems and responsibilities.
Of course, they will come back and resume their job, probably over next month.
Of course, this time out won't heal the trauma.
They may be well aware of that, Edward Nygma and Jonathan Crane were beaming when, three days later, they left Gotham with fake identity papers in a rented car they had no intention to return and headed to Georgia.