“Well, this is quite the predicament” Edward noted, smiling nervously at Nightwing, who had an iron grip on the collar of his shirt.
“That’s one word for it. What’re you doing in my city?”
“Oh, you sound just like Batman. I’m not here to do anything, I’m quite content to keep to myself here”
The grip on his shirt tightened, an escrima stick in the other hand keeping him from even attempting to free himself.
“And how am I supposed to believe that? You’re in Blüdhaven with no ulterior motives?”
“Now, I believe I said I wasn’t here to do anything, not that I didn’t have ulterior m-“
Edward was cut off by his back slamming into the wall of the alley, knocking the wind out of him.
“I don’t want to play games, I want an answer!”
“And I told you, I have no business here!” He reiterated, eyes darting for a moment before The Riddler visibly calmed.
“Then why are you here?”
“I had business here. He came along to make sure the deal stayed fair” another voice explained, but the source was nowhere in sight. Edward’s grin practically split his face.
“I haven’t done a thing wrong. Isn’t that right, dear?”
“Indeed it is. Such harsh treatment for someone who didn’t do anything. So, I’d suggest getting your hands off him”
The blue clad vigilante stilled, feeling cold, sharp metal against the dip of his throat.
“Scarecrow, how nice of you to join the party!” Nightwing smiled over exaggeratedly, trying not to let a single muscle in his throat move.
“What’s wrong, cat got your tongue? Or maybe you’re just a little afraid to be on the receiving end of… this?”
The metal on his throat, now identifiable as a syringe, poked a bit harder.
“It’s just a little liquid fear- makes the heart pump faster. Now we haven’t done a damn thing today, nothing you can hold us here for. Let. Us. Go.”
Dick frowned, looking down at Edward.
No, this was a Gotham problem, not his own.
“Across the bridge. You have a half hour to get out of Blüdhaven.”
Edward rolled his eyes, nodding as he was released.
“You wrinkled my shirt.” He huffed,smoothing it back down as best he could. “Do you know how much this is worth? I put a lot of effort into my appearance, you know.”
Nightwing sighed, clearly gathering all the patience he had in his body.
“please leave”
“… you know what? I think we’ll take our time” Scarecrow drawled, finally pushing the needle in. By the time he’d taken a step back, it was already taking effect- or Nightwing was reacting in anticipation. Either way, the way he stumbled back into the wall was satisfying.
Seeing someone so strong crumble by his hand was always a sight he reveled in, watching them shudder and stammer little words here and there, enough to give him slivers of a story or enough of a description for him to get an idea of what they were seeing. Piecing their nightmare together, knowing what he caused? It might be the best part.
“Jonathan, we can’t stay” Edward cut through his thoughts like a light through a fog, and he let himself be dragged away by the hand around his wrist. Hopefully he’d be able to hear the vigilante scream, that would echo for at least a few streets, give him something to hang onto. Alas, that wasn’t the case.
“Thank you for stepping in. I didn’t even do anything, he just accosted me!”
“I know you didn’t do anything, I was watching” Jonathan informed him.
“You- why?!”
“This isn’t Gotham, you don’t know your way around as well, but people are just as, if not more violent.”
“Well, I suppose I don’t mind the company.”
Jonathan shook his head, reaching the fire escape to their building and helping Edward up before pulling himself up.
“Wouldn’t matter if you did. Anyways, Nightwing’s probably right ‘bout us wanting to get out of here”
“You already got everything you came for?”
“Edward,” Jonathan slung a bag over his shoulder, securing it in place. “You underestimate how much of what I need is renewable and can be renewed not just in Gotham, but in my lab.”
Edward smiled, taking the overnight bag he’d brought with him and following Jonathan back out the way they came, down to where Jonathan had parked three blocks down, ever cautious of vehicles getting associated with him.
“I suppose I should only expect the best from you. After all, being considered a match for the Riddler is no easy feat- partner-wise, of course, not a match in the sense that we could go head to head mentally.”
Jonathan turned the car on, face deadpan.
“You know, it isn’t too late to drop you back in that alley and give Nightwing the antitoxin”
Edward took his seat, grumbling under his breath but not pushing the subject.
“… you fed the cat before we left yesterday, right? Filled the bowl all the way so she’d be good until we arrived home?”
“Yes, Edward. The cat is going to be just fine.”
“If she isn’t, if she’s hungry, you feed her right away or Selina hears about it” he huffed, looking out the window as they drove onto the bridge.
“…wouldn’t it be awful if Joker decided to bomb the br-“
“Edward, you want what Nightwing’s having?”
“Not particularly” he huffed like an annoyed child. “Though you do have to tell me at some point what exactly your ‘liquid fear’ does.”
There was a long moment of silence before Jonathan spoke.
“It causes visual, auditory, and olfactory hallucinations while affecting the amygdala to create the fear response. The hallucinations correspond with your subconscious by taking the form of your greatest fear or taking advantage of deep-seated trauma.
“So what’s Nightwing seeing, you think?”
Jonathan paused for a moment to think before replying.
“It changes. He’s got a few worst fears and traumas, I’d think. He calls out for Robin semifrequently, has since… some time before the blond girl Robin. Cries for his mother, same as most Robins do at some point. Just- lot of things”
“What do you think you’d see? If it still affected you?”
He thought back, all the regrets and terrors he’d faced. Maybe the crows again? His great grandmother? But he’d owned crows since, loved them. And she was just an old woman, a dead one at that.
“Something practical, most likely, since I can’t really be scared by anything irrational. Something like…”
He thought back, back to Black Mask pointing a gun at his head at a deal gone wrong. Ivy, constricting his throat after he’d clipped a plant he didn’t know was hers. Croc grabbing him by the face, nails digging in when he’d contaminated the water supply without thinking of what it’d do to the sewers. Moments he’d almost died. He glanced at Edward out of the corner of his eye.
Edward, who’d stepped in out of nowhere and mediated the exchange between Black Mask and him. Who’d hit Ivy over the head with his cane hard enough that her vines went limp and dropped him. Who’d set off a small explosive in the sewer, distracting Croc and getting Batman’s attention to keep him occupied further.
“You know what? I don’t like this game”
Edward’s eye glinted dangerously.
“That means you have one. You know something that would scare you and you don’t want to look vulnerable” Edward accused, and Jonathan’s silence in response seemed confirmation enough. “You don’t trust me?”
“I do trust you”
“So it’s about me.”
Jonathan tensed, stopping the car where he always parked and quickly but silently heading inside, Edward keeping pace beside him all the while.
“I wouldn’t betray you”
“I know you wouldn’t”
“I wouldn’t abandon you”
“I know”
“I wouldn’t die on you”
Jonathan hated how the words died in his throat, how he couldn’t lie about it. There was a long pause before a heartbroken sounding ‘oh’.
“Jonathan, Do you think I’m going to get myself killed?” Edward asked slowly. He didn’t get a response.
“I wouldn’t-“
“But you could. And I can’t be there every time.” He pointed out. “The time Harvey held you on the edge of that building, what if the coin landed on the other side? I wasn’t there. Or the time with the Joker, what if Batman didn’t get there?”
“Holy shit, you are scared”
“I can barely remember what fear feels like. But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t this”
“You remember what it was like to feel afraid for yourself. Did you ever have anyone you got close enough to to be scared for?” Edward knew the answer; no, he was the first.
What did he feel? Was it as visceral and all encompassing as his own toxin, just muted, on a smaller scale? Was it barely anything, just feeling like more since it’d been so long since he’d felt it?
Edward sighed, pulling Jonathan to the couch, guiding him to sit before curling up next to him. A little bell was his only warning before a third body joined them, the cat laying down on their legs and greeting them softly.
“I thought I missed the feeling. I guess I forgot what it felt like first” Jonathan finally said, running his hand over Maze’s ears.
“That was different. Fear for yourself has this adrenaline to it, that’s what you want. Fear for someone else though, it’s soft, underlying. Not as much adrenaline.”
“Does it go away?”
“Not as long as you care for the person, no”
Jonathan sighed, paying his head on Edward’s.
“Then I guess I’m stuck with it. Just don’t give me a reason to worry.”
I felt like it was worth being late one day to create a finished digital drawing I like. This is actually something that my scarecrow would most likely do on a special occasion 👀 he’d only regret it after batman found his head in a bush and carried him back to Arkham.
I’d also like to quickly thank @jonathan-cranes-mistress-of-fear for hosting this amazing event! I’ve admired your blog and it’s honestly heartwarming to see my own content on there ^^ keep up the good work!
