Work Text:
It wasn’t exactly rare for Edward to be able to slip away when his plans were complete without getting caught, but it wasn’t exactly common either. Even less hands-on plans often involved lingering nearby for one reason or another, even if he was out of sight- meaning he was close enough to be caught. But on a good day- well, what he would consider a good day, maybe his opponents would disagree- the night would end with him still a free man. It certainly helped that this particular trap involved a dose of fear toxin as punishment for incorrect judgment, meaning Batman’s attention was less on catching him and more on safely restraining a feral, thrashing Robin. In either case, it felt good to leave the scene of his crimes and be able to go home.
Edward had something of a routine for coming home from a crime; write a report on how the trap had functioned, have a celebratory drink, then force some kind of praise or recognition out of Jonathan for his success. In that order. As such, the moment he was home, he shut himself in his workroom, immediately beginning to mark down everything he could recall while it was still fresh in his head.
He was still writing when the door to the workroom clicked open, not that he bothered to acknowledge Jonathan as he came into the room. At least, not until the silence made him pause. Jonathan had opened the door, but hadn’t bothered to greet him. Historically, that was a very bad sign. Edward stood up, turning toward his partner. He noted with no small amount of dread that Jonathan had donned his Scarecrow costume. On a day where he hadn’t had any plans himself.
Another very bad sign.
“Can I help you, dear?” Edward asked, masking his nerves behind a charming grin.
“Can you?” Jonathan took a step into the room, Edward fighting the urge to step back. While Jonathan was always tall compared to Edward, the added height of the Scarecrow boots made him appear much larger.
“What do you need?”
“What I need is for you to tell me why I’m missing a full test tube, and why I’m hearing Robin left your little trap in hysterics . Now the obvious answer would be that you stole from me, but I know you know better than that, don’t you, boy?”
Edward winced at the cold composure in his voice. Honestly, Edward had known better. Having lived with his partner for the better part of 3 years, he was fully aware that if he asked for a dose of fear toxin to use in his own endeavors unrelated to the Scarecrow’s business, the answer would be a clear and resounding no.
So he hasn’t asked.
He’d simply implemented it in his trap anyways.
He didn’t know what he thought would happen- Edward surely hasn’t thought he’d just get away with it, of course the Bat wouldn’t simply take the trap at face value, surely he’d look for the nonexistent way that this all linked back to Scarecrow. Surely his partner would be put under scrutiny despite having no hand in any of this. By all logic, it seemed obvious Jonathan would find out, and he wouldn’t be happy about it.
Edward’s whole body tensed as Jonathan took another step forward.
Edward loved his partner, but that didn’t mean that he was under any impression that he was a good person. He was well aware of what Jonathan was capable of, and what little patience he had for anything he viewed as a betrayal of trust. He was aware whatever Jonathan would do would hurt. Panic flooded through Edward’s body.
So he ran.
Running hadn’t been a conscious decision, but when he darted past Jonathan and out of the workroom, he knew it was probably too late to take that decision back. He could hear Jonathan behind him as he ran out of the safe house, turning down the street into an alley.
Despite pursuit not being unfamiliar to either of them, Edward was well aware he was not athletic, and only had so much energy. He also was well aware his clothing was much more suited for this than Jonathan’s heavy boots and layers of fabrics. With that in mind, Edward pulled himself up onto a fire escape and headed up. Sure enough, he heard a slight momentary fumble before he could hear Jonathan behind him again.
Edward wasn’t sure exactly how many stories he’d gone up to get to the roof, but the answer was far too many. For a moment it was enough of a relief that it distracted him from why he’d done it- until Jonathan was pulling himself up too, weary and very clearly done with the chase. He approached Edward menacingly, and Edward found himself matching each step backwards, until he hit the edge of the roof and had nowhere left to go.
A hand grabbed hold of Edward’s vest tightly before a push sent him over the edge of the roof.
Edward felt his stomach drop as he realized his heels were on the side of the building. He was hanging over the edge, only held up by the hand wound in his vest.
“Give me a good reason not to let go.” Jonathan hissed, watching Edward futilely try to get his footing back- an impossible task at the angle Jonathan held him at. Edward’s heart raced under his hand.
“Please don’t, please don’t, we can talk about this, Jon!” Edward’s voice was damn near hysterical, his hands latching onto Jon’s wrist.
“Can we? You stole from me, almost guaranteed scrutiny towards me, and for what? To add a little surprise to your riddles? You think I deserve that?”
“No, I’m sorry, Jon, please let me up, I’ll make it up to you.”
Jonathan paused for a very long moment, watching Edward tremble. Finally, he tugged him up onto solid ground with a sigh.
Edward stumbled forward into Jonathan’s chest, wrapping his arms around him for security. Jonathan sighed, pulling Edward close.
“I don’t want to have to kill you.” He muttered. “I don’t want to, but if I have to I will.”
Edward just held him tighter.
“I know.”