paulie

Chapter I

Word count: 3,377

MLM Oc x Canon fic, featuring my oc Patrick Parker and Edward Nashton from Matt Reeves The Batman (2022). Proofread the first few chapters, things may change in the future due to the upcoming films. I’m trying to write Edward and the story as canon as possible, taking his character/personality from Riddler Year One by Paul Dano. I recommend reading it first since this fic takes place a whole year before Year One. No tw’s yet. Just a very slow slow-burn.

Enjoy. <?>

-Paul

. . . .

‘Shh. Just breathe.’

Edward thought to himself.

‘Just focus on the numbers.’

...

‘You’re okay.’ Edward told himself yet again. Every day, of telling himself he’ll be okay. He’ll get through it. ‘Keep going Edward’, ‘Don’t forget to eat Edward’, ‘Focus Edward’. Day after day. Edward sat silently at his desk, it was another week of the same thing over and over again. Living the same aggravating minutes of his life was torture.

Edward couldn’t focus, he couldn’t direct his focus in a place like Gotham. It scared him, it disgusted him. Edward envied those who kept going, those who no matter what they were told or what obstacles they faced- kept going, kept smiling. It was easy for them, but so hard for Edward.

Edward walked into the subway train along with a crowd. He sat himself down on one of the seats, silent and thinking about how today was just like the ones he’s lived for years. A constant routine with no change. Edward stared down at his feet blankly, as the dim light on the ceiling of the train shined through his clear glasses. He heard the train door open for a new crowd of people to get on the train, not caring who enters. The subway filled with citizens of Gotham, the usual faces Edward had recognized, he didn't care for them. He didn’t care for anyone. The seat next to Edward wasn’t the only one available for the person who sat next to him. A young man approached the seat, and sat next to Edward in silence. The young man took out a book, and began to read. Edward didn't turn his head as the man sat down next to him, his eyes still staring blankly at his feet as the subway continued moving. He turned his head a little so he could faintly see the book the man was reading, wondering what book it was. It was ‘The Grieving Brain’ by Mary-Frances O’Connor. The man didn't notice Edward’s faint glances at all. It seemed like the book was that enjoyable. So enjoyable that the entire ride to the next stop- the young man didn't stop reading. Once his stop arrived. He got up and made his way to the exit, leaving Edward sitting alone.

It was a regular cloudy day. Edward worked at KTMJ as a forensics accountant. He sat down to do his usual tasks... when a familiar face caught his eye. A young man, shorter than Edward, more lean, had messy black hair, a shag for a haircut, and tan skin. Edward's eyes watched the man walk by, his eyes glued on him. Edward's face showed no expression as he stared at the man, wondering who he was, where he had seen him before, and why he looked so familiar. His mouth was shut as he watched the man. Edward felt like he should recognize who he was but he couldn't put his finger on it, his mind felt like it was on a blank. He shouldn’t care though, he was just a stranger.

"Alright. Here’s your desk... you said Parker- correct?"

"Yes sir.”

The young man replied to the higher up. Parker sat down across from Edward as instructed, he began to do the tasks he was asked, so that solved the question. The young man was new to KTMJ. It was obvious, since he looked so out of place. Edward continued staring at who he could now tell was probably a new employee. He watched him sit across from him. He didn't turn his head away from Parker, he continued staring. It felt like his eyes couldn't leave his new coworker. Edward observed him for a few seconds before turning his attention back to his work, he had to get it done after all. Edward kept his eyes back to staring at his documents, writing on separate paper to make calculations.

The entire morning was normal for Edward, but new to Parker, the young man didn't seem to be struggling in anything he was doing. Even though he knew he’d be quicker with a computer. How did Gotham's largest accounting firm make their employees do calculations by hand? Parker thought it could be because he was new with no experience.. forensic accounting isn't so easy, but both Edward and Parker were working at a quick pace.

The wait for lunch hour felt quick for Parker, which was a good thing, but it meant he had to stop working. So he did. Parker put down his pen and glanced around, his eyes landing on Edward for a split second before turning to the coffee table. Edward's eyes peered from his writing. He had noticed Parker looking around, his eyes landing on him, but it only for a split second before he looked to the coffee table. This made Edward question why Parker looked at him, it was a small glance but he caught it. Edward's eyes were fixed on Parker's bangs, his hands paused. He had to admit it was an odd haircut, but just who he was and why he looked so familiar kept bothering him. After a few seconds of contemplating, Parker got up from his seat and walked towards the room's lounge towards the coffee table. The young man's attire was the same as Edward’s, a normal white long sleeve button up, and black pants, they looked big on him. Parker served himself a single cup of plain black coffee, no creamer, no sugar, and walked back to his desk. Not before catching Edward glancing at him, they both looked away. Edward felt a little embarrassed he was caught. He couldn't believe he was caught, he thought his staring was going unnoticed. Edward shook the embarrassment and continued working. His eyes glued to the pages. He couldn't stop wondering about his new coworker. He seemed like a very normal employee but why did he look so familiar was the question. He had an urge in him to talk to the guy, but he knew it would go wrong, he would go unnoticed, the young man would probably think Edward was a weirdo... Parker didn't seem to care that Edward had caught a glance at him. He was new. Parker was expecting to see eyes on a new face, he definitely got looks from more of his coworkers throughout the day. The young man continued to do his tasks as lunch hour ended.

The thick clouds didn’t go away, they never do in Gotham. Parker and Edward walked in the same direction as soon as they got off work. Of course, the subway. That’s why he looked so familiar... Edward sat down in one of the seats- Parker sat down as well, next to Edward once again, he couldn't help but notice there was another book in Parker's hands. It was a different book compared to when he last rode the train with him. His curiosity peaked and he wondered what book he was reading now. He debated with himself either to ask him or just stay quiet and look away, he went with the option to silently look away. The entire train ride was silent, there were some muffled conversations Parker and Edward could hear, Edward just listened to his self improvement podcasts, and Parker's world was shut down the second he flipped another page on his book. The subway came to a stop, and it was time for Parker to get off, the young man got up from his seat and bookmarked the page he was reading. Before Parker got off the subway cart, he stole a small glance at Edward. So he rode the same route as his new coworker. Okay. Edward remained seated after Parker got up. He tried to act like he didn't notice the glance he stole, even though he did notice. He tried to ignore the fact that they both took the same route to get home... Maybe Parker lived nearby? He shook his head before he could let too much into his mind, he shouldn't be getting too much into this guy. They were just coworkers; that's it.

The rain hit the ground hard. It had been raining since last night. Edward couldn't help but notice Parker walking in late, and one of their bosses couldn't help but notice either. The young man's hair was soaking wet, and his uniform as well. He didn't look presentable at all. “The weather's always like this in Gotham." said the higher up with a serious tone. "I won't forget my umbrella next time." said Parker in an unbothered tone. The young man sat down at his chair, making a "squish" sound. It bothered Parker to be soaking wet, but it didn't stop him from getting his work done. Edward looked up to see Parker walk in completely soaked. He couldn't help but stare at him. His hair and uniform were dripping with water, and their boss tried to be serious about it, but Parker dismissed with a casual tone. It amused him that Parker was called out.

Parker knew he had to hurry with whatever he was assigned to do, though it was quite difficult when your shirt is soaking wet, the young man grunted in frustration. It took hours for him to dry up, so much so he was finally dry when the day came to an end. Parker exited the building and walked towards the train station, where Edward was following behind. They took the same route after all. Edward was walking behind Parker the entire time until both of them reached the train station. He sat down next to Parker, still unable to get over the fact that they both took the same route home. He sat in silence and tried to avoid looking at him. But just Parker's presence by himself in itself was weirdly captivating. Edward tried to fight back the temptation to look at him. Parker noticed Edward sitting next to him, though he didn't glance at the other man or anything, the two sat there in silence, not particularly listening to the conversations around them. Parker took out a different book, this one being called ‘The Upward Spiral’ by Alex Korb. It’s like he goes through them like a newspaper.

The soft rain hit the windows, Parker glanced up to see the city of Gotham being consumed by the thick fog. It was a nice sight- that small action turned his gaze to Edward for a split second, before returning to his book. Edward caught the glance Parker made towards him, he felt nerves rise, was he going to catch another glimpse of him looking at him? Edward tried to avoid his gaze, but he found himself starting to stare at Parker's side profile. His nose was big. The man just quietly stared at him, debating if he should say something to Parker. The train came to a stop, Parker casually put his book away and stood up to leave, the young man didn't take another glance at Edward. He knew he was going to see him across his desk tomorrow anyway.

It was another rainy morning, and Parker came in dry. The young man sat down. Zach, Edward and Parker's case leader came up to both men, he had been working at KTMJ for far less than Edward, but more than Parker. "Morning, new guy! you brought an umbrella today!" Zach said, Parker's eyebrow twitched, he remained silent before speaking in a low tone. “I finished the Walker divorce, if that was what you wanted." Parker spoke, Zach nodded, he spoke again. “Anything from you rain man?" Zach asked, glancing at Edward’s quiet figure and waiting for him to speak, he stuttered. Edward stared in shock as he was referred to as "rain man". He hated it, he thought Zach was a prick. Edward quickly shook off the shock, trying to compose himself. “Uhh..." He quickly spoke as he thought of what to say. "I worked on the Miller case..." He spoke in a small tone, he hated how he stuttered the first time he spoke. He hoped Parker wouldn't pay attention to his awkwardness. "Great!" Zach said, Edward couldn't help but notice Parker rolling his eyes at Zach.

Zach took both Parker and Edward’s case binders and didn't even bother to thank either of them as he walked away. Parker's eyes narrowed slowly as he watched Zach walk away.”How long has he been working here?" Parker asked Edward, staring at his green eyes. Edward couldn't help but get captured in Parker's black eyes for a short moment. He shook his head and realized Parker was asking him a question. “Uh...f-for about two months now." Edward responded, trying not to stutter. He found himself feeling more nervous than usual. He tried to avoid directly meeting Parker's gaze, but he couldn't help but feel drawn to looking into Parker's eyes. Especially since it felt like a sudden and direct question was asked to him.

"Two months..." Parker repeated, he clicked and clicked his black pen, unaware of the impact he had on Edward, he wasn't even aware of his nervousness just now. Parker's eyes were huge, the black color looked like you could sink in them, they were surrounded by dark markings, as if he was sick. “What about you? How long?" Parker asked again. Edward felt his face heat as Parker's eyes fixed on him, his mind working overtime to process Parker's gaze.

"Uh..." Edward stuttered, his anxiety taking hold of his voice. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He swallowed before responding. “I've been here for 4 years." Edward responded, feeling like the whole world around him was fading as his focus was solely on Parker. His eyes were glued on him, unable to look away from his gaze. Parker's demeanor switched, his expression softened upon hearing Edward had been working a long 4 years at this company- and Zach only 2 months, yet Edward takes orders from him.. Parker clicked and clicked the pen. Parker turned his gaze back to his work, time to work on a new case... he wasn't so motivated now, Parker questioned what it took for Zach to get a position so high so quickly. He was bound to find out. The young man began to work, leaving Edward staring at him.

Edward sat there in silence, feeling a mix of emotions. He couldn't help but feel a bit flustered by Parker's sudden change in attitude. He was relieved that his attention was no longer on him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Edward tried to work, but he found himself stealing glances at Parker as he worked. The way he carried himself, his diligence, the way he would click his pen repeatedly... Edward's mind felt like it was getting clouded as he watched Parker work. Parker didn't take notice of Edward's glances, he was too focused on his work despite the lack of motivation. As Parker questioned deeper and deeper how Zach has a higher position than someone who's been in the company for years,but he knew it would give him motivation soon. He wanted to be better than him. Better than anyone working in this company.

Parker got up from his desk as lunch hour hit, the young man made himself a plain black coffee, again, and sat back down, glancing at Edwards fingers move through the pages. "You're fast with numbers." Parker suddenly spoke, there was chats between coworkers here and there in the background, but Parker's stoic and low tone was loud enough to break Edwards focus. Edward felt his heart stop as he heard Parker's voice. He didn't expect him to break the silence, especially with a compliment. “Uh, y-yeah. I've always been good with numbers..." Edward responded, he tried to act nonchalant about it, but inside he felt flustered. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't prepared for Parker to say anything to him. He wasn’t ever expecting a compliment from anyone. Parker nodded, he observed how quickly Edward solved the equations with such ease. Parker leaned forward and tried to copy Edward's pace, the young man started as soon as Edward started a new equation, but he couldn't keep up with him. Parker's brows furrowed, he wanted to learn. "You make it look easy." Parker spoke up once more, reading off his work, it was all correct, just not fast enough.

Edward couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in hearing Parker say that he made it look easy. No one had ever complimented him on his work before, so hearing it from Parker caught him off guard. "Uh, th-thanks.” Edward responded sheepishly, a smile creeping onto his face. He felt a warm feeling of satisfaction growing inside of him, but it was quickly replaced by a feeling of nervousness once again as he heard the sound of Parker's pen clicking repeatedly. The young man continued his normal pace, but he still couldn't ignore how Edward could solve the math so quickly. It was frustrating! Parker had to remind himself he's an entry level fresh college graduate. Parker sighed softly and sipped his black coffee.

Parker and Edward finished their cases that same day, Edward finished first. The men turned in the cases to Zach, as he walked away- Parker rolled his eyes at him once more, it was only Parker's third day, and he didn’t like Zach. It didn't go unnoticed by Edward. Edward couldn't help but smile as he noticed Parker rolling his eyes at Zach again. He was glad that he wasn't the only one who felt annoyed by Zach's arrogance. Edward finished his work early, as always, and watched as Parker worked through his tasks. Again, he couldn't help but feel fixated on him. His hands moved quickly and fluently as he wrote, his eyes focused and his expression concentrated. Edward wanted to say something, but he didn't want to disturb him.

The clock hit 5. Edward didn't build up the courage to say something to his coworker. Parker finished whatever he was doing and organized his area. Parker grabbed his belongings and walked away. Eventually, Edward followed behind, as they took the same route home… Edward sat a seat away from Parker, not wanting to interrupt his reading, which was another new book. Edward was beginning to grow curious as to why he saw Parker with different books, it was rare to see, no one ever read, they just stuck to their screens…

The constant rain the next morning was starting to ease Parker, he sat across from Edward and began to work on his assignment. Edward shot a glance at Parker, they were both always quiet. The young man noticed his coworker glance at him, he ignored it, Edward mentally cursed himself for letting himself be caught staring.. Parker probably thought he was a creep. The clock finally hit 5 after another day of the same routine. There was no change, nothing to look forward to-

"We take the same train route."

Edward felt his heart sink as he heard Parker speak. He didn't expect him to say anything, especially about them sharing the same route home. "Uh, y-yeah." Edward replied in a small voice, he tried to compose himself but he couldn't hide the nervousness in his tone. Parker began to pack, once he was done, he simply stared at Edward blankly, and that's when Parker began to notice Edwards shy and awkward demeanor. The young man raised a brow. "So you live at work or-?" Parker asked sarcastically, wondering why Edward wasn't packing, and he doubted Edward received any overtime. Maybe Parker's implication to walk to the station together wasn't clear enough.

Edward felt his heart skip a beat again at Parker's sarcastic remark. He tried to laugh, but it came out strangled and nervous. "Uh, no...l just-" He froze as realization hit him, catching on to Parker's implied suggestion. He quickly began to pack his things.

"I'm ready. L-let's, uh, head to the station...”

Parker watched as Edward quickly gathered and packed his things, once he was ready- Parker took the lead and walked out of the building, Edward following behind.

Chapter X

Word Count: 3,490

MLM Oc x Canon fic, featuring my oc Patrick Parker and Edward Nashton from Matt Reeves The Batman (2022). Finally getting out of writers block, I need to feed myself of more Dano Riddler content. Anyways, this one a bit short, but I like how it turned out. Edward and Parker are dating in my Tomodachi Life island by the way.

Enjoy

- Paul <?>

. . . . .

“Well… there was this one time as a teenager I was skipping school, they were my first few months in high school, so nothing really mattered to me.” Parker began to explain, drinking a cold glass of water to soothe his throat from the multiple glasses of bourbon he had. “I would always skip my sociology class, it was so boring… I wouldn’t talk to anyone either so- I’d ditch school most of the time.” Parker shrugged, staring down at the ice cubes floating in his glass of water. This intrigued Edward, did Parker not have any friends during his school years? And how could he ditch school most of the time all while being so smart-? “Did you have any… friends?” Edward asked curiously. Parker shook his head, he didn’t look bothered as Edward asked that question. “Just acquaintances… I didn’t really get close to anyone until college.” Edward nodded softly, and continued to listen to Parker's story.

“Anyways… while I was skipping my sociology class, I obviously didn’t know the teacher was absent that day too… I was hungry and went to a grocery store near my neighborhood- and guess who I saw…” - “Let me guess, your teacher?” Edward asked with a blank face. “Yeah- He was behind me at the checkout line, but he didn’t even recognize me. I guess I was absent so many times he forgot what I even looked like.” Parker chuckled softly, he grabbed his phone next to him and dug through his camera roll. Parker turned the screen around to show Edward what fourteen year old Parker looked like. It was a photo of the young man secretly taking a selfie with his teacher behind him… Edward covered his mouth to hide his laugh- Parker grinned and started laughing too. Parker's head was shaved, and he appeared to be skinnier.

“And then I never went to that class again…”

Parker laughed alongside Edward. Their laughter went on for more than a minute. The two men conversated for another hour. Parker was still very much tipsy, but he was slowly sobering up as he drank more cold water. Parker's words were almost hypnotic, everything that came out of him was entertaining one way or another, it made Edward ask questions, make questions, and it made him more curious about the young man's eventful life.

“Okay okay… now you tell me something funny… I’m sure you hardly ever got in trouble in school.” Parker asked impatiently, crossing his arms on the table and staring directly into Edward's green eyes. The older man stayed silent, the terrible, awkward silence had come back. Edward didn’t have any fun school experiences… they were all so… miserable. They were memories Edward didn’t want to remember. ‘Shh. Breathe. You’re okay…’ Instead, he cleared his throat and glanced at his cellphone facing up on the table. He turned it on and glanced back at the young man across from him.

“It's… getting late.” Edward spoke in a soft voice. “Huh-? But it’s barely one.” Parker raised a brow, it was hard to remind himself Edward wasn’t used to all this. Staying out late at a busy bar… The young man snapped out of it, he nodded softly. Even if Parker was still full of energy, he did need to get home safely. It wasn’t Edwards' job to take care of him in his drunken state, and Parker didn’t want him to carry out that responsibility.

“Alright alright… let’s head out.”

The two men walked out of the busy bar, the chilly air hit their faces. Parker glanced around, Gotham's night life was still very much active. Every single building on the street had a long line full of people. The two stood outside for a while, away from the crowds. Parker spotted a taxi, the young man called out for it, he glanced at Edward.

“That was fun wasn’t it? I know these things aren’t your personal favorite.”

The young man said in a calmer tone. Edward nodded softly, giving Parker a small tight lipped smile.

“Uh... yeah, it actually wasn't so… bad.”

Edward wasn't lying, it didn't go as he expected… he expected the night to go terrible for him, but Parker made it feel… normal? It felt good to be around him. It was… fun. The young man chuckled, the taxi stopped and the two stepped in. The ride to their district was a little long, it was quiet, and kind of awkward for Edward… since the driver and Parker didn’t say a word. Parker felt at ease, he wasn't too intoxicated by alcohol… he just needed to relax from the amount of energy he still had. The building's lights shined through the vehicles windows as they rode in silence. Parker looked out the window to admire them all, and Edward stared at Parker admiring.

………

Parker spoke up, with a smirk on his face.

“Don’t get mugged… I’ll see you on Monday- later-“

Parker chuckled, entering his apartment while he waved Edward goodbye. The older man gave Parker a small smile, he slowly waved goodbye as he watched Parker go inside. He sighed. Edward walked through the not so empty streets. He was always cautious. He knew to mind his own business and to just keep walking. No one bothered him. It was a good thing. But it also meant nobody noticed him. He was invisible to all. To everyone. To everyone except the guy who worked across from him. He wasn’t invisible to Parker. Edward stopped in his tracks, he glanced back, but he was already too far to even see the young man’s apartment building. Edward looked down at his hands, he rubbed them together and continued walking. The older man thought Parker was a weird guy… Why did he voluntarily hang out with him socially? Edward had nothing to bring… It was so hard for Edward to comprehend Parker actually enjoyed his presence, doubt consumed his mind. It was hard not to think about.

Edward closed the door behind him, he looked around his messy silent apartment and took off his shoes. The man collapsed on his couch, he was tired, and he didn’t even do anything… his coworker was the one who indulged in the actions of drinking, and singing…

‘goodnight.’

Edward felt his phone buzz in his pocket. It was Parker. Obviously. The simple text message surprised Edward, he wasn't expecting Parker to message him after saying their farewells. Edward began to type, he didn’t know what to say. Even if Parker sent a simple ‘goodnight’… Edward was struggling to come up with anything to say. ‘I should just type ‘goodnight’ back…’ The man thought to himself. He was overthinking this too much… Edward eventually decided to just turn off his phone, and close his eyes.

………

“Hey, hey, hey…”

Parker walked in the office with a smile. He sat down across Edward who was of course here early. Edward looked up, Parker's smile infected him. He smiled back. “Morning.” - “Good morning.” Parker interrupted. The young man seemed to be in a better mood than most days… but then again, his expressions were sometimes unreadable. Edward decided to question it. “What makes this morning so good?” He asked curiously. Parker hummed, he shook his head. “I don't know. It's probably that shot I took this morning.” The young man chuckled. Edward raised a brow, ‘Parker day drinks?’ - “I’m kidding.” The young man spoke, chuckling, it sort of relieved Edward. But he wondered about Parker's change in attitude, since he didn’t answer his question after all.

“How was the rest of your weekend?”

Parker spoke up, taking out a pen and immediately starting to work on the documents in front of him. Edward hummed lowly, he looked off to the side of his paper and shrugged… thinking of the rest of his uneventful lonely weekend. “Well… I only hung out with you Friday night. Nothing else.” The older man said lowly, of course Edward didn’t do anything besides hang out with Parker at that coworkers party… but then Edward couldn’t help but feel his lips turn into a small smile, he suddenly remembered all the funny conversations he had with Parker that night, how he acted, how he sang. It was all so amusing. It was finally a positive experience and memory he could think back to. The young man nodded. “Valid… I didn't do anything else either, I was so hungover the next morning-" Parker mentioned, rubbing the back of his head and rolling his eyes.

It suddenly hit Edward. He never once expected to say something like that, hanging out with a coworker? On a Friday night? Socially? Around people? It amazed the older man, he hardly recognized his own actions… Parker chuckled. “Don't remind me what I did by the way… I only remember there being a stage, and singing…”

Parker mentioned, so he didn’t have much memory of his eccentric behavior… that amused Edward, he chuckled, covering his grinning mouth. Parker noticed, he grunted, rubbing his eyes.

“Don't worry… I won't mention it.” the older man spoke, remembering Parker singing the song from The Velvet Underground in his drunken state.

The two men walked out of the office. The chilly air slapped Parker in the face, his expression scrunched up as he attempted to cover his face from the wind. “Jesus… why is it so cold all of a sudden?” The young man spoke up, Edward noticed Parker struggling with the chilly air, his expression remained blank. “It’s starting to get cold again.” The older man said he liked the cold, it was much better than the heat…

“I can’t imagine how it’s going to get next month.”

Parker said, furrowing his brows. This was probably the most cool weather Parker could handle… he didn’t know he was going to survive the northern east coast winters…

“Nice vocals Parker…”

A voice suddenly spoke, it was a woman from another division, she waved the young man goodbye as she walked away, Parker didn’t even want to comment on that… he ignored it. But then- another voice spoke, this time a much familiar one. Zach put a hand on Parker's shoulder as he snickered behind him. “Yeah Park, didn’t know you could sing so well!” The man laughed as he walked away. That interaction annoyed Parker, he didn’t care for being made fun of… but it was Zach, so he took it as an insult. Parker and Edward watched their higher up walk away, Edward glanced at Parker, feeling embarrassed for him… he couldn’t imagine himself up on a stage singing like Parker did Friday night- even if Parker was intoxicated… he had so much confidence…

“Cunt.”

Parker rolled his eyes at Zach, the two began to walk once more. Parker's simple comment made Edward chuckle. He didn't know why he found that so funny… the older man's laugh made Parker wheeze. The two were laughing for a good seventeen seconds while they walked through the busy streets of Gotham. They didn’t say a word to each other, laughing besides Parker made Edward forget the constant feeling of disgust he felt every time he walked through the streets he was repulsed by. It was like Edward couldn’t see the littering, the homeless, the drop heads. It was strange. Edward actually enjoyed Parker's company. It scared him a bit.

“Oh… uh… I almost forgot…” Edward spoke up, his voice was quiet and soft. He ruffled through his belongings. Parker glanced at Edward, he was too busy spacing out watching the soft rain pour down on the windows. Edward took out his wallet. “You… paid for the cab on Friday…” The older man spoke quietly, Parker couldn’t remember paying for anything that night… including the tab, which was probably important… the young man pushed Edward’s hand away, he was holding a twenty dollar bill.

“Don't worry about it.”

Parker said in a calm tone, shrugging as he looked back at the thick clouds. Edward was starting to feel bad, it was a different type of bad… he didn’t know there were more ways of feeling bad than how he always felt. “No no… I insist… you’re always treating us when we eat at that diner too…" Edward went on, Parker shook his head. “It's no big deal man, honest.” Parker said casually, turning his head to face Edward and pushing his hand away once more. The young man gave Edward a smile.

“We’re friends.”

………

“So don't worry about it, alright?”

Parker yawned, his huge black eyes left Edwards green ones.

Edward simply stared at Parker in silence. He stared at his side profile and couldn’t help but observe the young man. Those words hit Edward like a train. He felt his stomach drop. They were so simple, they sounded honest, real. But he didn’t know how Parker could say that. A part of Edward didn’t want to believe him… but it sounded so genuine. Edward swallowed, the train came to a stop.

“See you dude.” Parker waved goodbye, Edward watched as the young man exited the train alongside the others… leaving him speechless.

“………”

‘Friends.’

That word replayed and repeated in Edward's mind like some kind of broken record. The man sat down on his couch, he stared at his phone screen for a long moment… as if he was waiting for Parker to explain himself, explain why he called him his friends, or to just tell him it was just a cruel joke… Edward rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. It was going to be a long week.

“...........”

Edward looked down at his work, he held his pen tight. He was anxious, he felt anxious every time he glanced at Parker across from him. The older man still couldn’t get the word ‘friend’ out of his head… the way Parker said that word, he wanted to ask about it. Ask Parker what he meant by it. Would that be weird? What would Parker think? That Edward didn’t want to be his friend? Edward wanted to be Parker's friend… for the first time in his life, someone called him a friend… someone enjoyed Edward's presence… someone saw him.

“...........”

“You alright?”

Edward snapped out of his thoughts, and glanced at Parker walking next to him towards the subway station. “Huh-?” - “You’ve been kinda distracted. All week.” - “Oh...” Edward had just realized how distracted he’d been, he was functioning on auto pilot. All he was thinking about was Parker's simple words. All week. “Yeah- Yeah… I’m… fine.” Edward stuttered, Parker gave him a small smile. The two sat next to each other on the train, and per usual, Parker spaced out. Edward gripped his bag harshly. Why was it so hard for him to speak? He still doubted Parker, even if he didn’t want to. Edward was beating himself about it more than he’d like.

“See you Monday.”

Edward was debating asking Parker about the subject all week- He didn’t know how to put it into words, especially speak it out loud. But Parker was already gone. Edward’s eyes followed as the young man walked away.

“.........”

Edward got up from his seat, he was able to push through to get to the closing doors on the subway train. “Watch it!” A passenger said. Edward ignored it and looked around for the young man. Once his eyes locked on the back of Parker's head, he began to follow him. ‘You’re thinking too hard Edward.’, ‘It doesn’t mean anything Edward.’, ‘But I won’t stop thinking about it.’ Edward continued to follow Parker through the busy streets of Gotham, the young man stopped at a small corner store. The older man stopped himself, he was debating whether he should walk in or not. Edward couldn’t help but feel stupid and a bit pathetic. He stood there, rubbing his tired eyes and sighing. He should just go home.

“Hey.”

Edward froze. “Came to shop too?” Parker said with a small smile, he wasn’t suspicious of Edward at all. The older man cleared his throat, he didn’t want to lie to Parker… but what was he going to tell him? That he followed him on the way out from the station? “Oh uh… yeah. I- came to get a quick… instant lunch here…” He was a terrible liar.

“Oh cool. I was going to get something quick tonight too… just not instant lunch.” Parker briefly explained. “We should get something together, I’m not really feeling what I made earlier in the week anymore…” Edward perked his head up, he couldn’t believe Parker believed his obvious lie… he was grateful however, and this was a perfect excuse to ask Parker what he was holding onto all week. Edward nodded, his lips turned into a tight lip smile. “Oh uh… sure, what were you craving?” Edward asked, the two began to walk, a little slow. “There’s this cool shop with a Greek restaurant inside, how’s that sound?” Parker asked with a softer tone, Edward nodded.

It somehow relieved Edward to be walking alongside Parker like this, he always did it after work on their way to the station… but this change of pace made him feel different. Parker's dull eyes stared forward, Edward would often glance at Parker's blank expression. It was so difficult to read him…

The young man pointed at the building in front of them, it was a small local owned Greek business. The two men stepped inside. Edward eyed all the items for sale, it was mostly clothes and jewelry, but his attention drew to the restaurant in the very end of the shop. Parker stood in line and Edward followed behind, they read the menu on a small chalk board.

“I always get a spinach pie with a smoothie. I should try new things but… not today.” Parker chuckled. Edward nodded, if Parker thought something was good, then it must be good. “I’ll get the same thing then…” The older man spoke up. When it was their turn to order, it was Parker doing the talking. Edward was somewhat grateful for that, he always stuck around the same places in the city, whether it was at work or a local spot. He never ventured out of his comfort zone. The two men received their meal and sat down across from each other, Edward watched Parker sip the straw and take a mouthful of the pie… then looked down at his own food.

“Thought you were hungry.” Parker said, not looking at Edward as he spoke up. Edward was hungry, but that pit in his stomach and Parker's lingering words didn’t let him focus on anything. Edward was struggling to say something, he swallowed hard. This was his chance.

“Um… I- was just wondering…” The older man struggled, Parke made a silent ‘Hm?’ and continued eating. He didn’t know why, but it bothered Edward that Parker wasn’t paying much attention. He frowned and shook his head. He knew deep down that Parker didn’t care enough for his so-called ‘friend’. Edward knew Parker was just being nice to him for some odd resson… Why would Parker care? Edward looked down again at his food. He lost his appetite.

“Sorry… you were saying?”

Parker wiped his mouth, a few crumbs of the pastry fell on the wooden table. His huge black eyes stared deeply into Edwards green ones. Edward wasn’t expecting Parker to speak, so he was put on the spot immediately. He remembered what he wanted to ask Parker… and couldn’t help but get flustered by the question. The older man scratched his cheek, it was always hard to keep eye contact with the man in front of him.

“Um… I just wanted to ask you something…” - “Yeah? What's up?” - “Uh…”

Edward immediately regret this… he couldn’t let the words out for the life of him.

“On monday… on our way home from work…” - “Yeah?” - “You didn’t want to take the twenty…” - “Uh huh…” Parker raised a brow, he himself thought it was hard to talk to Edward… but that's what made him interesting to talk to. At least in Parker's opinion…

“What… what did you say we were?” -

“Oh.” -

“……” -

“Friends?” -

“Yeah…” -

“What about it?”

Edward swallowed hard once more.

“Um… are… are we?”

Parker put down his already empty smoothie, he gave Edward a small smirk and chuckled.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t we be?”

It didn’t surprise Parker much that Edward had asked that question, he wanted to ask the man if he had any other friends… but decided to stay curious for now.

“I- I don’t know… um… thank you.”

Edward felt his lips turn into a tight lipped smile. It was a weird feeling to be happy. It was nice, he liked it. His smile contaminated Parker, the young man's smile grew wider.

“…Let me pay the tab this time.”

Edward spoke up, determined to do so. Parker chuckled, he nodded.

Chapter IX

. . . .

Word Count: 3,356

MLM Oc x Canon fic featuring my oc Patrick Parker and Edward Nashton from Matt Reeves The Batman (2022).

Finally a new chapter, apologies for the small hiatus. This one is a little more lighthearted and fun.

Enjoy <?>

- Paul

. . . .

Parker arrived at his apartment, the party wasn’t until three hours, but he decided to get ready earlier. The young man freshened himself up, it took longer than usual. He got dressed, and got a cab to the bar, which was in downtown Gotham. Parker looked out the window, resting his cheek on his palm as he observed the Gotham night life, it was busy, loud, and eerie. Parker got out of the cab, he was greeted by the same group of people that came up to him that morning, he was curious as to why they even talked to him. Parker hadn’t seen a single one of them in the office. The young man took out his phone, and texted Edward.

‘hey. you here?’

Edward was walking to the location, trying to convince himself that going to this party was a good idea… The man was shaking. He never thought of himself doing something like this, and the thought of being in a crowded bar surrounded by people… Edward tried to calm himself, and then his phone buzzed. He saw the message from Parker, a wave of nervousness and nausea filled Edward… he texted him back, trying to act as the nerves weren't eating him alive. 'Yeah. About to step in.’

Parker read Edward's message, as Edward entered the bar he immediately spotted Parker... ‘Thank god.’ Parker had a more casual outfit… oversized jeans, a polo shirt, and a jacket over, he was shaking hands, introducing himself, making small talk, knowing the young man had never talked to them in his life. Parker made it look so easy. It bothered Edward. The young man soon spotted Edward, he gave him a small smile and walked towards him. The bar was filled with familiar faces from the office.

“Hey.”

Edward stood at the entrance, scanning the crowded room, feeling extremely anxious and out of place… Edward tried not to freeze up, just standing there like a deer in headlights… he saw Parker walking over to him, Edward tried not to show how relieved he was.. “Finally…” Edward muttered under his breath with a stoic tone, trying to pretend that he was completely normal, and not panicking on the inside. Edward spoke, in his usual calm tone.

“Hey…”

“I convinced myself you wouldn’t show up.” Parker joked, he walked Edward towards a small booth, as they walked, Parker was stopped by a couple of coworkers he had just met. The young man smiled, and put Edward on the spot. “Hey, this is Edward, he’s in our division, we’re both in Zach’s team.” Parker briefly explained to them, curious to know if they even knew the guy. Edward tried not to visibly cringe as he was introduced to his own coworkers.. ‘Jesus Christ…’ He knew exactly what the people in the office thought of him, he was the quiet, weird guy that worked in the “corner” ... Edward tried to act nonchalant, saying an awkward greeting to his coworkers. Edward nodded as he spoke. "Uh.. hi.."

Parker's suspicions were correct, the group of coworkers didn’t even know Edward, even if he worked at KTMJ for years. They smiled awkwardly and waved at Edward, Parker couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration because of it, Oh well. Parker gave them a grin before grabbing Edward's forearm in a tight grip and walking towards the small booth away from everybody. Parker rolled his eyes at the crowd. “Assholes.” Edward felt himself get pulled away by Parker, he was grateful for that, he was extremely relieved to get away from the group of people who he never even shared a word with… Edward let out a sigh of relief and nodded, agreeing with Parker. Edward replied, his expression still stoic and tired, although the tension leaving his shoulders was noticeable. "Yeah… assholes…"

The two men sat down, Parker chuckled at Edward's insult towards their coworkers, he found it amusing. Parker suddenly remembered, cursing under his breath. “I completely forgot, what do you drink?” Parker asked, he sat up and leaned against the table, his huge black eyes were on Edward as he waited for a response. Edward couldn’t help but give a tired smirk at Parker, he was surprised that Parker had asked him that. Edward sighed. He responded with an awkward tone, still sounding unbothered but also slightly annoyed. "Well… I don’t drink. So, just water for me…"

“Oh shit, for real?”

Parker asked in surprise, though.. he wasn’t completely surprised someone like Edward didn’t drink.. since he didn’t get out much anyway. Not to mention, Edward just looked like a walking good example-

“Water then, got it.” Parker replied, he walked towards the bar, and ordered both their drinks. Meanwhile he ordered the drinks, he was greeted by more people from the office, Parker barely even spoke to them… he was still surprised everyone was friendly towards him, but he knew it was probably just for show. Edward could see Parker being greeted by their coworkers… he could only assume it was just small talk, but it bothered him… the more Edward looked around at everyone in the room, the more he thought this was a bad idea…. but, he was still slightly grateful for Parker inviting him… Edward sighed as Parker came back with their drinks.

“Here.”

Parker spoke up, placing Edward's glass of iced water in front of him, meanwhile he sat himself down and placed his glass of bourbon in front of him. Edward nodded at Parker, still feeling his anxiety build up as he took his water gratefully and took a sip, feeling relieved.. Edward replied, his voice still tired and stoic. "Thanks…" - “No problem.” Parker replied, he took a small sip of his cold drink, the alcohol burned down his throat. Parker was already used to drinking, even if he was a year older than the legal drinking age, he seemed to already have experience. “………” The two men shared a long silence, Parker wasn’t sure what to talk about. The bar was starting to get louder as more and more of their coworkers showed up to the bar. Parker shot a glance at Edward, who was calmly drinking his water.

“Pretty boring huh?”

Edward nodded in agreement, taking another sip of his water, the loud noise of everyone in the room becoming more and more overwhelming… he tried to stay calm and collected, even though his mind was starting to panic… Edward replied, his voice calm and stoic as usual, it was such an overstimulating place. "Boring would be an understatement…" Parker chuckled, he tried to make light of the situation- It was when something hit Parker. He was starting to think inviting Edward was a bad idea. In Parker's mind, Edward needed to do something different to break the usual routine that was eating him alive every day… The young man glanced around the bar. Parker's eyes widened as soon as he saw someone hop on what seemed to be a small stage, so it was a karaoke bar.. Parker reached out to Edward's shoulder, and pointed towards the stage.

“Look-“

Edward took another sip of his water, looking around, his mood getting worse as the amount of people increased… Edward followed Parker's gaze to the stage, his eyes widening as soon as he realized the situation… Edward sighed, feeling dread fill him as he saw the stage with the microphone.. Edward shook his head, replying to Parker."Please don't tell me they're going to be making people sing…" - “Nah, pretty sure it’s voluntary.” Parker spoke, the ones who first got up on stage were women, who began to sing the pop song on the charts this week. Parker rolled his eyes, he sipped his drink and looked down at his now empty glass.

“I’m not drunk enough to go up there yet.”

Parker said, he gave Edward a small smile, the young man called over the bartender, and asked for a refill on his bourbon. As Parker waited, he turned to Edward, he noticed the other man’s dreaded expression. “I assume you’re not touching the stage huh?” Edward sighed, trying to ignore the loud singing on the stage, he couldn't imagine anything more dreadful at the moment… Edward shook his head, he could feel his anxiety worsen from the constant noise of the people around them, Edward replied, his tone slightly annoyed. "Hell no… I'd rather die than go on that stage… I'm not a singing type…" Parker couldn’t help but chuckle, he knew that answer was going to come out of Edward. The young man wiped his lips with his sleeve before speaking.

“Fair enough.”

The silence between the two was growing larger and larger, Edwards thoughts were consuming him, Parker being right across from him helped ease his nerves… The young man on the other hand was growing bored… he was barely on his third drink and nothing was hitting yet. Parker decided to speak up. “Been doing anything lately?” he asked casually. Edward shook his head, not giving the young man a single word. Parker cleared his throat and glanced around the bar filled with loud conversations… Would he rather be talking with them? Or be in the quiet corner struggling to get a word out of Edward?

“What about you?” Edward suddenly spoke, the young man's attention shifted to that of his other coworkers to Edward. Parker thought for a quick moment before replying. “Just playing bass more… I took my cat out for a walk at ‘Robinson’ park… she liked it.” Parker explained. Edward was intrigued to hear little of Parker's outings, though he was curious about another thing. “What about your lunch? O-of when I… saw you the other day.” Edward stuttered, instantly regretting asking Parker that question. The young man was surprised to know Edward remembered that detail of when the two ran into each other. Parker rested his chin on his palm before responding. “Oh, um… it went okay I guess.” he shrugged, which only made Edward more curious. “It was just a meeting type thing… with a lawyer.” Edward raised a brow. ‘A lawyer?’ - “What for? I-if you… don't mind me asking.” Edward stuttered as he sipped his cold glass, Parker chuckled softly.

“Custody battle thing.”

Edward almost choked- ‘Custody battle?!’ The older man exclaimed in his head, more than curious as to what Parker was referring to. “Custody battle…? Y-you… have children-?” Parker was eventually the one who choked on his drink, he shook his head and cringed at Edwards words- coughing in the process. “Jesus- Fuck no man-” Parker claimed, he cleared his throat. Hearing those words eased Edward's mind for some reason. “I’m trying to get custody of my younger sister, she's sixteen and lives here in Gotham.” Edward's expression softened, he didn't know Parker had a sister, but then again the young man hadn't shared a word about his personal life. “I’ve been trying to look for a good lawyer, but it's hard since she lives with my mom, plus I… don't have the money yet.” Parker explained, Edward nodded, so that's what he went to do… the older man didn't say a word, but he felt sympathy for Parker… Edward didn't want to bug him with any more questions. It was probably hard for Parker. Wait- was that the main reason he moved to Gotham? Did he not want to tell Edward? Was what Parker told him originally a lie?

“Oh… I see…”

“What about you huh? You get to visit any family? I'm sure you get along with them better.” Parker chuckled, he didn't hear a laugh from Edward however. The older man looked away, not saying a word. How the fuck was he suppose to answer that question? Edward's chest began to tighten. ‘Calm down Edward’, ‘You're okay Edward’, ‘Just breathe Edward’... he shook his head and spoke coldly...

“I’m an orphan.”

“.........”

“Oh.”

Parker let out, suddenly feeling terrible for what he just said… the young man looked away in regret and fidgeted his hands awkwardly. Edward once again didn’t say a word, he felt a wave of anger. Why was he feeling bad for Parker? Surely his problems weren’t as serious… At least Parker had a family. Edward had nothing. Nobody. He hated it. He hated everyone. He hated Parker.

“Sorry for asking, that probably wasn’t a good way to start a conversation.”

……

“Whoever raised you did a good job.”

……

“I think you’re cool.”

Parker spoke in a soft, calm voice. His expression softened and gave Edward a smile. He wasn't pitying Edward, he wasn’t overly apologetic, he was just being honest. It surprised Edward. Parker thought he was cool. The older man’s anger was replaced with ease and… surprise.

“Y-you think i’m cool..?”

…

“Why?”

Edward asked curiously… raising a brow, it was hard to believe Parker thought he was cool… What was so interesting about Edward? He didn't like anything about himself.

“You're smart. You help check my mistakes. And you’re not performative like everyone here. You’re unfiltered, it’s cool.”

Parker briefly explained, pointing at their coworkers in the background. The young man swallowed his fourth glass of bourbon, it was starting to hit him. Edward watched Parker gulp down the drink with ease… it frightened him how easily the young man could swallow something that looked so harsh- but his surprise remained… Edward looked down at his hand holding the cold glass of water. Despite his freezing hands… he felt warm inside. The hate Edward had for Parker went away so suddenly, hearing his coworker compliment his personality gave him comfort. A kind of comfort he’d never felt before.

As each minute passed, Edward learned more and more about Parker, he was wrong about the young man once more. Getting to know someone wasn’t so bad… Parker's tongue began to slip- he lost track of the amount of drinks he’s had so far... but he was having a good time, Parker was a calm, happy drunk, and Edward appreciated that, he appreciated the stupid stories Parker was telling about his life. It made everything less boring. Fun. Edward was quite surprised at Parker's carefree nature… he was used to seeing Parker being so serious most times. With his expressions never changing. He spoke up, a slight smirk on his face. "You're getting hammered.."

Parker giggled, his cheeks soon began to redden each passing second that he laughed more and more. The young man nodded, he realized he was in fact getting hammered… The young man’s attention shifted towards more people getting up on stage to sing, the familiar faces around the office sang terribly.. and Parker and Edward were there to laugh at them, it was fun when you both disliked other people. Parker, without realizing, had drunk eight glasses of bourbon. He put a hand on Edward's shoulder, Parker seemed to be way too care free… and a bit touchy.

“Ok, ok… What should I sing up there-?”

Edward found himself smiling as he watched the poor singing, his anxiety fading away as he laughed along with Parker… Edward was also a bit more lively as Parker placed a hand on his shoulder… Edward looked over at the young man as he asked him what he should sing… Edward thought about this for a bit, he decided to mess with him a bit… a slight smirk appeared on Edward's face before replying with a slightly sarcastic tone. "Hmm… how about something by Carly Rae Jepsen?.."

Parker's eyes widened, he rolled his eyes and let out a big ‘What?!’ the young man crossed his arms.

“No way man.. that’s music for stupid chicks..”

Parker claimed. His drunken self didn’t realize Edward was messing with him. The young man got an idea, he took Edward's hand in a tight grip and dragged him across the bar- Edward’s hands were warm, and Parker’s were cold. The two were now in the crowd behind a wooden bar with stools all around. Parker tapped the bartender, asking for him to be next. Edward couldn't help but smirk even more as Parker got upset at his suggestion… he was surprised when Parker took his hand and dragged him into the crowd, Parker was very bold. He followed Parker as he spoke with the bartender, the young man was obviously very drunk… Edward decided to mess with Parker even more, he turned to him with a smirk, leaning in a bit closer than necessary. "Are you sure you should be singing…? You’re really drunk.”

Parker shook his head at Edward's words, he rolled his eyes and gave him a small ‘Don’t worry’, it was hard to hear because of the people around them talking. Parker waited until the last person finished singing, they sang a basic Weeknd song.. Parker didn’t like it very much, but it was his turn now. Parker tapped Edward on the shoulder, the young man’s grin was huge, his cheeks were red, and he looked strangely happy. Parker walked over to the bartender and told him the song before getting on the stage, and taking the microphone. Edward watched as Parker bounced up onto the stage, he couldn't help but find Parker admirable in this drunken state… he found himself chuckling to himself as he watched Parker take the mic, Edward was curious as to what song Parker would sing… The older man leaned back on the bar, waiting in anticipation and nervousness.

The two men’s coworkers watched as Parker got on stage, their attention went to the young new hire. Parker could barely feel everyone’s eyes on him, his eyes only focused on Edward, leaning on the bar counter. The tune from ‘I’m waiting for the man’ by The Velvet Underground began to play, Parker moved with the rhythm, he stumbled and chuckled, not taking it very seriously.

“I'm waiting for my man Twenty-six dollars in my hand Up to Lexington, 125-”

Parker repeated the words, and surprisingly sang very well… he had a talent when it came to music after all..

“I’m waiting for my man-”

Edward couldn't help but laugh as he watched Parker stumble and giggle across the stage, he found the young man's drunkenness and awkward dancing extremely amusing… Edward couldn't even pay attention to Parker's singing, his eyes were too busy admiring Parker's charming and carefree attitude… Edward shook his head as Parker sang out the lyrics, he found Parker's singing to actually be quite good… Edward was impressed, the young man was just as good as the time he sang in his apartment.

Parker finished the song. The two men’s coworkers clapped and cheered him on, it surprised Edward. Parker stumbled and stumbled across the stage until he finally met eyes with Edward. The young man smiled at him and walked towards him.

"So, what’d you think-?” Parker chuckled. Edward couldn't help but smile as Parker's eyes met his, he couldn't even pretend to be annoyed at Parker's drunken behavior… Edward chuckled and rolled his eyes playfully, replying to Parker's question with his usual stoic tone but with a hint of playfulness. "It was... surprisingly good. For someone so hammered, you could actually sing." Parker's smile widened, he felt his cheeks heat up as he was flustered by Edward's words.. even if they were just subtle. Parker put an arm around Edward and leaned against him. He chuckled as he dragged Edward back to the booth they were in.

“Thanks-”

Edward was caught slightly off guard when Parker put an arm around him, but he didn't fight it… the older man let Parker lean on him as Parker dragged him back to the booth… Edward found himself smiling as Parker thanked him, he replied with another teasing tone. "You really must be super drunk if you're resorting to using me as a crutch.. " The two men sat across from each other in the booth. Parker rubbed his tired eyes- he was hammered and tired from his performance, but he still strangely had lots of energy left. He spoke up.

“I guess I'll take a break from drinking right now.”

Edwards age is something I always get stuck on. I think it’s up to the readers/ watchers to decide how old Edward is in The Batman. In the movie, his ID says he was born in 1984. The movie takes place in 2022, which would make him 38. However Bruce Wayne is 30 in the movie, and in the comics, when Edward meets Bruce they look around the same age.

In Riddler : Year one, Volume 1, Edward explains how he’s been working at KTMJ for 5 years. Though later in Volume 4 we see he got the job because of a recommendation of a professor. Assuming he only went to community college and graduated at 22 (the “norm” for uni) It would make him 27 in Year One, but Year One takes place a whole year before The Batman, which is 2022. Not to mention again, his ID in the movie says he’s 38.

Chapter VIII

Word Count: 3,245

. . . . .

MLM Oc x Canon fic featuring my oc Patrick Parker and Edward Nashton from Matt Reeves The Batman (2022).

Woah I haven’t posted a chapter in almost a month. I think I’m somewhat satisfied with this one.

Enjoy <?>

- Paul.

. . . . .

Slam.

“Rain man!”

Said Zach, with yet again the most hypocritical smile you’d ever seen. “How’s that case going?” Zach asked Edward, Parker smiled, he and Edward had finished the case Wednesday night- all Edward had to do was turn it in on his own name… Edward tensed instinctively as he heard the sound of Zach's palm slam on his desk. Edward tried not to show too much irritation at the sound, Edward's tired brain was having a hard time formulating words. He was trying to keep his voice even. Edward replied tiredly, his stoic expression more exhausted than normal. “It's done, I have it here for you to take it.” Parker smirked behind Zach's back, the young man was always annoyed with Zach's demanding attitude.

“………”

Edward got out the completed case- Zach's face dropped. He wasn’t expecting Edward to finish the case in just “two afternoons” he cleared his throat, picked it up, and walked away without saying a word. As Zach walked away, Parker chuckled. “He seems really grateful…” Parker spoke, Edward couldn't help but feel a small smile crawl to his face, he chuckled softly at Parker's attitude towards Zach despite his sudden exhaustion. Even having someone share your dislikes was… cool, it was new, it was relatable. The two men worked in silence for the next few hours, it was already a norm for them. Of course it was normal, they were coworkers. Parker yawned, it was a long week, even longer for Edward. The two began to pack, Parker was more than happy with the amount of work he had done, with the very short time he’s been at KTMJ, he's made a good impression.

The two men walked to the train station in silence, the busy crowded streets of Gotham always bothered Edward. It wasn't hard for Parker to walk with no distractions, that is until the two men were surprised by a cop tackling two men at once. “......!” Parker's eyes widened slightly as him, Edward, and the rest of the crowd froze. Edward scoffed while he and the others ignored the scene and continued walking, not Parker. Edward turned his head to see Parker engrossed in the scene, Edward lifted a brow and approached the young man. “Are you… okay?” Edward spoke, Parker snapped out of it, and by that time the two middle aged men were already in cuffs. “Huh? Oh, my bad.” - "Don't worry about it… they’re just dropheads, it happens all the time.”

Edward spoke up as the two continued their way to the train station. Parker raised a brow, “Drop heads?” he questioned, Edward nodded, his expression unsurprised and blank, he didn't really like talking about the subject, but it was hard to ignore when more than half the population in Gotham was a sick drop head. “They’re these liquid drugs… notorious to the city I guess, the guys the cop tackled probably caused a scene that made him arrest them.” - “How do they work?” Parker asked curiously, Edward didn't want to explain. He didn't like talking about Gotham's flaws, what would Parker think? What would he think about the city he was born and raised in? Why did he care anyway? Edward hated Gotham. It disgusted him. ‘Calm down’, 'You're okay’, ‘Just breathe’.

“It's.. a liquid drug people drop on their eyes… drops.” Edward explained briefly, Parker was even more curious now. The name made sense, but why the eyes? Why is it so popular specifically in Gotham? It was intriguing. The young man stayed silent, he sat next to Edward who was clutching his backpack. Parker didn't say a word. They rode the train in silence after.

The young man couldn’t sleep. He had somewhere to be tomorrow- yet he couldn’t stop scrolling on his phone. It was a bad habit, just for the sake of staying up. Parker grumbled and yawned, he was about to turn off his phone until he scrolled past a specific post. Since moving to Gotham, Parker’s social media algorithm changed, he was happy it did, it kept him up to date with things happening in the city. Though, he missed seeing posts he was used to from his home state, and- almost none of the algorithm was positive. Parker rubbed his eyes, a long eyelash fell off on top of his pillow. He stared at the post stating Gotham's crime rate, it made Parker think back to the incident on the way to the train station. Since moving to the huge city, he played dumb about it… If the young man didn’t witness anything, it wouldn’t be on his mind. It changed when he saw something first hand, which made Parker mad at himself… this was his home now, and it was stupid of him to pretend like things like earlier weren’t happening all around. It could be him next time, robbed, stabbed- Parker rubbed his temple, he shouldn’t think of that right before he slept.

Edward also couldn't sleep. There wasn't a night where he couldn’t get a good night's rest. Every night was an over-thinking nightmare, the man kept telling himself it was normal to just take naps… suddenly Edward realized the sun was rising, he had been awake for hours repeating the same thoughts in his head. It made him sick, it made him want to vomit. “Crap…” Edward mumbled, he got up and checked his cabinet for any type of medicine or pain killer. None, Edward cursed under his breath and put on a coat. The man walked out of his apartment to a nearby drug store, he didn't struggle to find something that would settle his stomach. He bought over three bottles and made his way to the exit.

As Edward made his way back to his apartment, he held the plastic bag tight, he didn't know why… but he was on edge, more than often… his intuitions were right as soon as he felt a hand on his shoulder so suddenly- the man turned around in shock.

“Boo-”

It was Parker. Edward sighed in relief, he was shivering- his was heart shaking. “You scared the hell out of me-” The older man breathed heavily. Parker couldn't help but chuckle, he apologized and locked eyes with Edward. “It’s a surprise to see you out here too.” Parker spoke, observing Edward's attire. Edward couldn't help but be a bit flustered by the young man. He looked… kind of different today. Parker was wearing a suit… it was missing a tie, and he still had that yarn sweater under him, and his hair… it looked less messy and well brushed. Edward suddenly felt embarrassed… he was wearing his pajamas, some old shoes… and a coat over. Parker's well kept appearance was vastly different from his.

“Where are you going…? You know, since you're dressed so… fancy.” Edward asked curiously, it was a Saturday… The two didn't have work- plus, Parker never dressed this good for work. “Oh, I was actually on my way back from city hall.” - ‘City hall?’ Edward questioned himself. “Why city hall? I thought they didn't open on the weekends…” - “They open and close early today apparently.” Parker spoke up, Edward was even more curious, why was Parker at city hall? The older man observed the suitcase Parker was carrying with him. Before Edward could speak up- Parker interrupted him. “I went to make some copies of some stuff I've been looking at, the only place you can get them from is city hall so… plus, I wanted to look nice for it.” That explained a few things… but it just made Edward even more curious, and once again- he was interrupted by Parker.

“What about you? Had a slumber party?”

The young man teased, Edward gripped the plastic bag in his hand, feeling his ears turn hot. “N-no… just came to get some… medicine.” It was then in that moment when Edward realized he didn't feel like throwing up… those thoughts that invaded his mind went away. Though there was another feeling that was bothering him. “Oh. You're sick?” - “I- N-no… just felt a bit under the weather… t-thats all.” Edward explained, Parker's eyes didn't leave Edwards. “Oh. Well, sorry for stopping you. I'll let you rest.”

“O-oh.. no you’re okay… I don't feel so sick anymore." That wasn't a lie. “Oh, cool. See you in the office then.” Parker suddenly spoke. It seemed like he was eager to get somewhere… It bothered Edward. He didn't know why- as Parker was about to say goodbye, this time, he was interrupted by Edward.

“H-hey parker..?”

“Yeah?”

“Where are you going next?”

The young man paused… he didn't want to waste his Saturday by just running errands… “Hm. Now that you mention it… I should probably tour around the city more, don't you think?” The young man said casually, he put a hand inside his pocket, the soft breeze lifted his slick back a bit. Edward froze, he simply nodded… “City hall district was pretty cool.. I took some pictures of the buildings in ‘old Gotham’ too… pretty great.” Hearing that from Parker didn't sit well with Edward. How could he think old Gotham was cool? Edward hated it. It was the area he hated more than Crown Point… the older man had to remind himself Parker just moved here. “Yeah… great.” - “I'm going to get something to eat first though.. I’m meeting someone there too.”

“Meeting someone there..?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

Parker cleared his throat, he didn't give Edward any details as to where he was going. Did the young man not want Edward to know? Was he just trying to get rid of him? Edwards shook the thoughts away. He shouldn't care, he shouldn't be curious as to what his coworker does in his free time… ‘Relax Edward.’, ‘you shouldn’t care.’

“See you dude.”

Parker spoke up, waving goodbye to Edward… Edward watched as Parker walked through the nearly empty streets, leaving him standing there with the plastic bag of medicine gripped in his palm.

“.........”

Edward unlocked the door to his apartment, he stepped in and placed the bag of medicine on his kitchen counter. The man wasn't going to take it, he didn't feel sick anymore at the moment… Edward thought back to Parker, and who he could be meeting with. It was annoying… frustrating to think about, to not know things. Edward shook the thoughts away, and instead focused on making himself something to eat. He opened his pantry, nevermind.

“Everyones birthday is this month.”

Parker sat down across from Edward, the young man caught Edward's attention, he glanced around the office to see people decorating the floor for yet another birthday this week, and it was only the first week of the month. September was the month with the most birthdays afterall. “Now we know how many of these people's parents boned on new years…” Parker joked, it made Edward let out a weak chuckle. Parker was funny sometimes. Time seemed to slow down when Parker spoke, but it also sped up. The young man spoke more to Edward as the days passed by, each interaction they had was… dry, and sometimes boring. There were rare times where the two would conversate… was it because Parker decided he didn't like Edward? That thought bothered the older man, but then again, Parker asked himself the same thing. Zach stopped assigning them group projects, so the two didn't have much of an opportunity to speak more. It bothered Parker the most, though he knew Edward was right across for when he needed his work checked. On rare occasions… but not this morning.

“Hey, could you check this for me real quick?”

“Oh… uh.. yeah.” Edward spoke in a soft weak voice, Parker handed the copies to Edward. Edward couldn't help but feel annoyed with Parker, was it because he asked him to check his work? No it couldn't be that… Edward was never bothered by Parker's requests… Was it because of the headache he couldn't stand right now? Edward checked Parker's work with heavy eyes, it took him a minute. Parker noticed.

“You look like hell.”

Parker said, he bit his tongue. That came out naturally.. Parker always had a habit of speaking the truth even if it wasn’t under the right circumstances. “You get any sleep last night?” Parker spoke up, resting his elbow on Edward's desk. Edward tried not to wince at Parker's comment, he knew he looked terrible, but hearing it out loud definitely didn’t make him feel any better. Especially hearing it from Parker… Edward forced a slight scoff, shrugging nonchalantly. He replied with a tired but still stoic expression, it was a bit harder than usual.

"Yeah.. a little…"

Edward clearly knew he was a terrible liar, he was the living definition of sleep-deprived at this point. “…Okay.” Parker didn’t believe Edward's obvious lie.. the young man thought of what could possibly be bugging Edward in his sleep, little did he know there were a number of problems he couldn’t imagine.. Every day was a struggle for Edward, though making small talk with Parker distracted him of his own thoughts.

“What’s bothering you?” Parker asked curiously, the question bugged Edward, he didn't want to tell his coworker his issues… they were all in his head, but it affected everything around him… it affected every detail in his life. ‘Shh… you’re okay.’ Edward stayed silent, clutching the pen in his hand. Parker noticed Edward's uneasiness, he couldn't help but… relate to his coworker.

“Maybe you just need a couple distractions.”

Edward knew his tiredness was obvious, his exhausted mind didn’t feel like arguing with Parker about why he wasn’t getting enough sleep. Edward sighed again and nodded, maybe that would make Parker shut up. "Yeah? what kind…?" The young man smiled softly at him before speaking. “So.. I don't know if you knew but it’s one of the analysts manager's birthdays tomorrow…. and everyone in the office is going out drinking to celebrate.”

Edward listened intently, not expecting the conversation to turn towards the topic of celebrating a coworker’s birthday… he couldn’t help but feel a bit skeptical and worried at Parker's words. Of course he didn’t know it was the analyst managers birthday, no one cared enough to tell him, and Edward didn’t care enough to know. Edward raised an eyebrow, his expression remaining stoic while his exhaustion still showed through, he responded with a tired and slightly monotone voice. "Oh… I didn’t know it was her birthday tomorrow…. but, why are you telling me this…?" Edward knew exactly where this was going, and it scared him, he didn’t want to participate in celebrating anyone's birthday… especially someone from work. “Because that equals distraction right?” Parker replied, he knew Edward probably wasn’t the party type, or the drinking type, or definitely not the social type… at all, but maybe he just needed to do something different for his grueling schedule. Plus, it wasn’t like Edward was going to go alone, he had Parker. “So what? You down?” Edward didn’t even consider Parker's question… the idea of going in a gathering of people- especially the same people he was forced to tolerate in the office, or even going to somewhere as nasty as a bar would be a no-go. Though, Edward would be lying if he said he didn’t want to do something different to distract him from the thoughts that consumed his brain. In just seconds… he was changing his mind, there was something about Parker making the suggestion that intrigued him… yet, it made his stomach turn.

Edward nodded reluctantly, knowing this was a bad idea but still decided to go along with it… Edward replied with a tired but still stoic expression. His exhaustion was obvious in his voice. "Yeah… sure… I guess I’m up for it." Parker's smile couldn’t help but increase upon hearing Edward's response. The young man also wasn’t the most social.. but he desperately needed a change from his new routine, it was a good opportunity to explore more of Gotham as well. “Cool.” Parker simply replied, patting Edward on the back before speaking. “You should probably sleep more tonight, don’t want to be falling asleep there.” He said, retreating back to his desk as Edward returned his work.

Edward nodded lightly again, knowing that Parker was right… Edward was desperately in need of more rest, but he knew that sleep wouldn’t be easy to come by… Edward sighed lightly as Parker retreated back to his desk. Edward turned back to his own work, trying to focus on his tasks while the tired thoughts flooded his brain again, his exhaustion getting worse, his brain feeling fuzzy… Edward rubbed his face and tried to ignore the thoughts that were making it harder to focus..

The day came to an end, Parker and Edward went their separate ways home from the train. Parker didn’t work on anything from home, since he had finished everything at work, and not surprisingly, Edward didn’t get much sleep. The thought of Parker being at the party with him wasn't so bad… he didn’t know Parker on a personal level, but the two were more than strangers… that fact eased and made his brain anxious. The pit in Edward's stomach grew larger- his thoughts swirled with the possibilities of tomorrow night.

The next day, Parker wasn’t surprised to see Edward sitting at his desk, he got there early like usual. “You're always here early huh.” Parker spoke up, sitting at his desk and setting up, his expression calm, with a small smile.

Fridays were almost always light work. When Parker got up to get a cup of coffee for him and Edward, the analysts manager’s team came up to the young man. Two women, and a fruity looking guy. "Headliner." The woman spoke, Parker turned, looking down on her. “The bar! Don’t forget, new kid.” The other woman spoke to Parker, the three walked away, they looked happy. Parker simply returned to his desk, unbothered by the fact that the woman had called him a “kid”. He handed Edward his coffee. “..I don’t mind the whole office going, as long as Zach stays home.” Parker joked, chuckling. Edward's eyes followed the group as they left, his gaze turning back to Parker, he took the coffee gratefully… Edward couldn’t resist a small smirk at Parker's joke about Zach. Edward responded, in his usual stoic and tired voice. Although there was a slight hint of amusement in his tone. "Agreed…"

The rest of the day went by lightly, Parker and Edward walked to the train station, and sat together as always. Edward remained quiet, and Parker looked out to the gloomy city view. “Excited?” Parker asked, referring to the party at the bar, he looked over at Edward's resting expression, Parker knew Edward wasn’t all that excited for it. Edward couldn’t help but let out a small sigh as Parker asked if he was excited…. he was definitely not excited, he was more nervous than excited… but he tried to act unbothered… Edward replied tiredly trying not to show how anxious he was… "Uh… yeah. I guess so…"

“Hm.” Parker hummed, observing Edward closer, the young man quickly retreated, crossing his arms. “You better be, if you don’t show up I'll be left alone with those lames.” Parker joked, rolling his eyes playfully.

Edward rolled his eyes slightly at Parker's comment, trying to hide the slight smirk that was showing on his face.. Edward responded back with a tired and slightly mocking voice.

Chapter VII

Word Count: 3,769

MLM Oc x Canon fic featuring my oc Patrick Parker and Edward Nashton from Matt Reeves The Batman (2022).

Happy Valentine’s Day! ♥︎

I was hesitant to post this chapter because of the fast pacing, but I think it’s okay now. Hope everyone has a great Valentine’s! It’s my favorite holiday!

I ♥︎ love so much.

Enjoy <?>

- Paul

. . . . .

The movie started.

The first half of the movie was slow paced. The original Texas Chainsaw was one of Parker's favorites, everything from the cinematography, to the horror, it was perfect. During the whole film, neither of the two men spoke a word to each other. As the climax began, Parker's expression didn’t change one bit, not even with all the slashing and blood going on screen. Parker felt natural, comfortable. Having Edward sitting next to him felt oddly normal. It was no big deal until Parker realized- he glanced at Edward. Edward was quiet, his eyes fixed on the screen. The movie was gory but Edward was used to this violence on screen. He was used to watching horrors and thrillers. The fact that Parker was sitting right next to him… he didn’t expect for it to feel so comfortable… Edward felt a little relaxed… he caught Parker's glance, Edward met Parker's gaze… ‘Why is he staring at me-?’

Parker quickly looked away as he was caught by Edward. He pretended like nothing happened, now Parker felt a bit awkward, but didn’t let it affect the tranquility they were having while watching the final act of the film. Parker sipped on his third can of soda. Edward was slightly confused by Parker's sudden change in expression. He wondered why Parker suddenly looked away. Edward returned his gaze to the screen, his face turning stoic once more as the movie played the final scene where leatherface panics with his chainsaw. ‘Calm down.’ The movie slowly came to a close, Edward's thoughts were racing. “It's a classic isn't it?”

It was already getting late. The two men hadn’t realized it yet. Parker's home was warm, and inviting. Edward was quiet, and calming- a kind of person Parker wasn’t used to. It was almost like Edward fit perfectly here. The older man definitely wasn’t used to this at all, Parker was kind, and he genuinely had interest in what Edward had to say. Is this what connection is like? Edward shook the thought away. “The cinematography is my favorite part of it.” Parker spoke up, placing the soda can on the wooden floor as he got up from the sofa. Parker took the cd out. Edward nodded in agreement. The entire film was phenomenal, Parker's attention to detail of the cinematography was really impressive. Edward stood up, stretching a bit. Edward replied with a hint of agreement in his voice. "Yeah… definitely a classic…” Without thinking, Parker pulled out another two options- “The Evil Dead.. or My Bloody Valentine?”

Edward was a little surprised when Parker offered another suggestion at which film to watch… Edward actually felt strangely comfortable in Parker's presence… the warm apartment, the cozy atmosphere… Edward didn’t know how to put it in words. Edward couldn’t help but let out a small yawn. He replied in a quiet tone. "Evil dead…” - “Sweet.” Parker said, taking the cd out and inserting it into the dvd player- The young man hopped to the kitchen again, making popcorn and grabbing more drinks for the two. As he finished, he sat down and handed Edward his fourth cup of water. The movie started, Parker's apartment was dark, the only light source was the tv screen. Just like the previous film, the setting was nice to watch, and that same comforting feeling the two men felt came back. Edward took a sip of his water, his eyes fixed on the screen once again. The atmosphere of the movie was captivating, and Edward found himself getting completely immersed in it. He was getting comfortable, leaning back on the couch, trying not to focus too much on Parker sitting right next to him… it was hard, the comfortable atmosphere was almost… surreal… Edward's expression was focused on the screen, his eyes slightly tired. He tried to keep himself awake, but he was getting a little drowsy…

Parker was captivated by the movie as well, almost forgetting Edward was next to him, the moment Parker realized however, made him a bit.. nervous. He shook the feeling away and kept watching. Again, the scenes didn’t affect the two, they were already used to these types of gore-ish films. The film came to a close. They watched the final girl survive once more and the credits rolled. Parker's eyes were a bit heavy, the young man turned to Edward and saw the tired expression on him. Parker realized-

“Fuck, what time is it-?”

Parker checked his cellphone, it was already past 11, on a weekday..

“Fuck, sorry.”

Edward was taken out of his trance as Parker checked his phone… Edward had somehow lost track of time… he had work the next morning, his eyes widened. Edward's expression quickly changed to one of worry. He stood up quickly. Edward spoke, his voice growing more panicked. "Crap.. it's already 11…”

Parker turned on the lantern next to him, he quickly turned the tv off and got up alongside Edward. Parker walked Edward to the entrance and opened the door for him. “Uh, hope your place isn’t too far. My bad for keeping you here so long.”

Parker said, his tone changing to a shy, awkward one, it was rare to hear. Edward stepped out, turning to Parker and shaking his head. He sighed. Edward replied, the slight panic in his voice calming down. "No, it’s okay… my apartment isn’t far from here…" - "Cool.” Parker said, shaking off the nerves. He cleared his throat.

“Uh, see.. you at work tomorrow.” Parker said, the two men said their goodbyes and good nights. Parker closed the door, he sighed, suddenly feeling an unknown guilt. Edward said his goodbyes and walked out the door, he stopped by the elevator… Edward stood there for a moment, trying to process the entire evening. Edward was tired, but he felt strangely comfortable. An unfamiliar feeling was forming in his chest. It was all so… new.

Parker tiredly crawled onto bed, he had quickly showered and was ready to fall asleep. Before he did, Parker opened his messages. “hope you made it home okay. i know gotham can be creepy, sure you’re used to it though.” Parker sent the message, facing his cellphone down and resting his head on the pillow. Edward had arrived in his apartment, he was still thinking about the whole evening in Parker's apartment, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of comfort… Edward kicked off his shoes, sitting down on the couch. He reached out for his phone, reading Parker's text. Edward's stoic expression softened. Edward responded with a simple “I’m home, thanks.” - ”cool, thanks for coming. night.”

Parker replied, setting his alarms. Parker thought he’d be able to quickly fall asleep.. but he was thinking of the evening he had with Edward, there was no denying Edward was probably the strangest… but most unique individual Parker had ever hung out with. Even if Edward was quiet, Parker enjoyed his company. The young man drowsily closed his eyes, and was finally able to get decent rest.

Edward set his phone down, he couldn’t stop thinking back on Parker's apartment, he felt like he was experiencing a completely new world. Edward had felt strangely comfortable in Parker's presence… Edward's stoic expression softened more, he realized he actually liked hanging out with Parker… He sighed, he didn’t understand it… Edward went off to his bedroom and collapsed into his bed… he fell asleep rather quickly, his mind drifting off to Parker's welcoming home…

The next morning was a foggy, rainy, chilly morning.. at least for the young man. Parker walked in the office, a bit cold, he sat down across from Edward. The young man was wearing a blue sweater over his button up. It was a small but good change of appearance. Parker yawned, he glanced at Edward. “Morning.” Edward was already there, he was early as usual… he noticed Parker sitting down, Edward shook his head in greeting. He responded with a simple- "Morning…” Edward’s stoic expression was as usual, he was drinking a cup of coffee. His eyes were tired. Parker wasn’t as tired as Edward, he noticed it. He felt a little guilty for keeping Edward in his apartment for so long, maybe he should’ve waited for the weekend..

“Tired?”

Edward sighed, he took another sip of his coffee. He nodded faintly, Edward really did feel tired… He was one to stay up late due to his lack of sleep, but this time was different- Edward replied slowly. "Yeah… I’m a little tired…” Parker chuckled softly, he wasn’t making fun of Edward, it was a playful chuckle. Parker was already used to staying up late and binging movies for hours and hours when he had no one else around or anything to do. “Well don’t let that stop you from finishing a case first than me. You're always ahead.”

Edward rolled his eyes faintly, he was used to finishing things faster than everyone else… Edward had a competitive side, but he didn’t show it outwardly. Edward replied with a subtle sarcasm, his tone low and stoic. "I will… as usual…” - “Wow.. you sound determined.” Parker replied sarcastically, the young man began on the case he was assigned to, Edward did as well. Hours passed, the two were visibly tired, but it didn’t stop them from focusing on their tasks.

Drop.

A huge stack of papers was dropped on Edwrd’s desk. It was Zach, Parker glanced at Zach, he eyed him closely.

“Hey rain man, I need you to finish these by the end of the week.”

Zach said, with no question, he sounded.. annoyed, he usually wore that fake smile on his face with that stupid tone. Parker's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Edward was focused on working, he was surprised when the stack of papers dropped onto his desk, he looked up and saw that it was Zach. Edward’s expression remained stoic, he had a hint of annoyance in his voice. Edward replied with a dry tone. "Yeah… got it…”

As Zach was about to walk away- Parker called him out.

“Hey Zach.”

Zach turned to face Parker.

“Hm?”

Parker glanced at Edward, he knew what Zach was doing.

“Why don’t you let me and Edward handle it? We finished that huge case in days. I don’t see the point in-“ - "I'm the one who assigns and gives orders. Park." Zach said in a serious tone, his fake smile returned. “I’m sure rain man can handle it-“ he chuckled, before walking away. “..........”

Edward was starting to feel more irritated, he hated the second Zach gave him the title of “rain man”… he knew it was just a stupid nickname that caught on because of his intelligence… Edward couldn’t help but notice the irritated expression on Parker's face. Edward listened to the interaction between Parker and Zach… Edward tried to focus back on the case on his desk.

Parker's eyes narrowed even more. The young man rolled his chair towards Edwards desk. “Come on man, there’s no way you can finish this by Friday- Tell him something..” Parker said in a low voice, making sure he wasn’t too loud. From the interaction with Zach and Mr. Stone yesterday, Parker was suspicious of Zach was trying to slow him and Edward down so Mr. Stone wouldn’t take notice of either of the two. “You can’t let yourself be pushed around like this.”

Edward sighed in frustration, he nodded, but he knew arguing with his case leader was pointless… Edward spoke quietly, glancing at the papers in front of him. "I know… but arguing with him is pointless… it’s just more work for us…” Parker sighed, Edward was right.. but also wrong- it was unfair. So unfair, especially for Edward. “Come on dude, look at you- you’re exhausted. At least let me help you. It's the least I can do.” Parker shrugged, he knew he himself wasn’t going to get credit for helping Edward, that would give both the men trouble. Parker was willing to help Edward despite that, he.. cared. Edward was feeling extremely frustrated but also strangely… touched by Parker's offer. Once again, Edward wasn’t used to having someone that was actually concerned about him… then again- Edward was stubborn. He nodded hesitantly, his expression softening a bit. Edward replied quietly. "Yeah… a little help would be nice…”

Parker's frustrated expression disappeared as he heard those words come out of Edward. He smiled softly and nodded. The young man sat back down to his own desk before telling Edward to let him know when he finished his original case, so the two could work on the big one.

Parker and Edward didn’t have time to start on the big stack of papers, they packed their belongings as it was time to go. “How do you wanna work on your case?” Parker whispered, slowly making his way closer towards Edward. Edward thought for a moment, his eyes flicking down to Parker as the young man approached. Edward kept up with his stoic expression, not letting his tiredness show. He replied with a faint sense of exhaustion and irritation in his voice. "Hm… I have no idea. Do you really wanna help me with this…?”

“I already offered.”

Parker spoke, the young man’s eyes were also very tired. He spoke up in his usual nonchalant tone. “We can do my place if you want. I won't entertain you with anything this time.” Parker teased, he meant it however, Edward had over two days to finish this huge case, and Parker was willing to help any way he could. Edward sighed, rolling his eyes faintly at the young man. He was very tired, he didn’t actually mind the idea of hanging out at Parker's place again.. Edward replied with his usual stoic tone, but this time it slightly softened. "Hmph.. fine. we can do your place…”

“Cool.”

Parker simply replied. The two men walked out of the office, it was raining. The train ride to Parker's apartment was… nerve wrecking for Edward, was it because he was going to hang out with Parker again? It was just work… They were just coworkers. It wasn't going to be anything like yesterday. ‘Calm down Edward.’, ‘Breathe Edward.’

Parker unlocked the door to his apartment, he was greeted by his cat, who didn’t seem to warm up to Edward any time soon. “We can work on the couch, I only have- one chair on the table.” Parker lived alone, so it made sense for him to have just one chair. The two sat down on the couch, and immediately began to work. “Do you want to split it like last time? or go page by page?” Edwards fatigue was visible. He sat down on the couch, sighing in exhaustion… Edward noticed the cat, it was still looking at him with its familiar suspicious glare… He replied with a tired tone. The thought of doing all those pages made Edward feel even more tired. "Uh… we can split it like last time…”

“Alright.”

The two men began to work, Parker offered to make Edward a cup of coffee, he agreed, meanwhile Parker sipped on an energy drink. The rain poured heavily, it was darker outside due to the thick clouds again, it was always fascinating for Parker to watch the rain fall. He focused on his side of the stack, nothing he couldn’t solve.. Edward began working on his stack of papers, he took a moment to rest his eyes and listen to the rain falling outside.

Edward sipped on the coffee Parker gave him, he was starting to feel a little bit more awake… Edward noticed how Parker was focusing on his side of the stack of papers… he quickly turned away. Edward muttered, his tone a bit more tired than usual. "You’re focusing pretty hard…”

Parker nodded, writing down calculations and flipping from page to page.

“Focusing keeps me awake.” The young man said, it was true. The two had barely exchanged a word since Edward walked in the apartment. Parker's apartment was just like last night. Warm, even the lighting was warm, it was hard to not be tired and sleepy in such a welcoming and comfortable setting..

“Plus, I want to be faster.”

Edward nodded, he needed to stay awake as well. The entire apartment was making him feel tired, the warm and comfortable atmosphere and the sound of the rain outside... he took another sip of coffee, focusing back at his stack of papers. Edward replied, his weary tone showing through a bit. "Yeah. I want to be faster too…” Parker smiled softly at Edward, they were on the same page. The two always seemed to be on the same page. The two started around 5:30, it was now 8pm. They had made incredible progress with the huge case. Parker had three sheets left, and Edward only one. Parker glanced at Edward's work. “You're really fast, I can't ever seem to beat you.”

Edward looked at Parker for a moment, he was surprised that Parker kept complimenting him… Edward actually found it slightly endearing. Edward replied with a slight bit of his stoicness fading a little, his face and tone softening just a little bit. "You’re fast too… I was expecting us to still be on the first 10 pages.” Parker chuckled, he shook his head and finished up his pages quickly, Edward was already done by this point. Parker finished up his last page and organized the stack. 9pm. It was finally done. What would’ve taken Edward 8 hours alone, they did it in less than four. Parker yawned. “That's that.” The young man said, setting the stack to the side of the coffee table and putting down his pen. Edward sighed in satisfaction, the huge stack was finally finished. Edward was extremely tired, but also a little satisfied with their quick teamwork. Edward replied, the exhaustion in his voice showing through even more. He let his stoic face and tone fade a bit more.

"Yeah… thank god that’s over…”

Parker stood up and stretched, he yawned. The young man looked around the apartment, then glanced outside. it was pouring hard.. he glanced back at Edward.

“You walk home right? stay for dinner.”

“Until the uh, rain stops.”

Edward stood up, his vision hazy from the tiredness. He considered refusing to stay for dinner for a moment, although he didn’t feel like going out in the rain… and he forgot to eat this morning. Edward hesitated, his usually stoic expression replaced with one of slight… awkwardness. Edward replied with a bit of uncertainty in his voice. "Uh… sure..”

“Cool.”

Parker replied, the young man didn’t notice Edward's awkward and uncertain voice. Parker had once again forgotten how new this is for Edward, though it was never his intention to make Edward uncomfortable with his request.

“I have some leftover pasta. I meal prep it.” Parker spoke up, walking towards the kitchen and taking out the containers from the fridge. He glanced at Edward.

Edward nodded, slightly surprised that Parker could cook. He watched Parker bring out the container from the fridge. He followed him into the kitchen. Edward replied, his tone a bit less awkward. "You meal prep..?” - “Hm?” - “Yeah I cook on Sundays and lay out the meals for the week. I don't have much time to cook in between because of work.” Parker shrugged, scooping the pasta onto plates for the microwave. It was a bit surprising for Parker to meal prep, Edward thought he always ran off with coffee or a cigarette. Edward was impressed that Parker took the time to meal prep, it was the opposite of expected for him.. He replied with a slight bit of surprise in his voice, his tone turning stoic once more. "Oh… I just order take-out or microwaveable stuff… I rarely cook…”

Parker wasn’t surprised that Edward just microwaved and took take out, he didn’t know why… but Edward seemed like the type. “I used to do that a lot in college, I got really lazy during that period.” Parker shrugged. It was rigatoni with a red vodka sauce, topped off with ricotta. Parker took the plates and walked to the couch, with Edward following behind.

“Here.”

Edward sat back down on the couch, his eyes landing on the plate Parker handed him. Edward nodded and replied, he was feeling even more tired now… his stomach growled. He still tried to remain stoic. "Uh… thank you..”

“No problem.”

Parker replied, blowing on the noodle before taking a bite out of it. You could see the living space a bit more now with the lights being turned up, still a bit dim however. Parker shook off his exhaustion, he was focused on the food and his growling stomach. Parker continued to eat, often glancing at Edward as he ate, he didn’t understand why, it was hard to remain still. Edward couldn’t stop eating the pasta, he was surprised by how good it was. He tried to avoid Parker's gaze, although it was difficult to do so. Edward did notice Parker stealing glances at him, but decided not to bring it up. Edward sighed tiredly, he ate another bite.

"This is definitely a lot better than microwaveable food…”

Parker chuckled, the young man was actually a great cook when he wanted to be, Parker just had to put in the effort, and he was glad he did. He was happy Edward liked his cooking.

“Definitely.”

Edward suddenly felt an unexpected pang of envy towards Parker. It made the older man feel somewhat pathetic, sorry for himself. He knew it was stupid to feel this way… but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help but feel jealous of Parker’s living conditions, his hobbies, even his cooking… Parker wasn’t rich, he made that obvious, he wasn’t obnoxious or stuck up. Parker seemed to be just a normal guy so far.

So why did Edward feel so… angry?

Edward stared at his almost finished bowl of pasta. He didn’t feel like eating anymore. Parker noticed it, he raised a brow at Edward’s hardened expression, he decided not to comment on it. The young man cleared his throat and got up from the couch.

“Finished?”

Parker spoke up. Edward shook his thoughts away as soon as Parker made a sound. He nodded hesitantly. “Aw, what? Did you decide it was garbage after all?” Parker said feigning hurt. Edward’s eyes widened, he shook his head rapidly. “N-no- it’s- it’s not that- I just…” Parker let out a snorted laugh and rolled his eyes.

“I’m kidding-”

happy valentine’s day eve! im working on a soundtrack playlist for my disorder fic. here’s what plays in my brain when im writing scenes/ imagining them.

Enjoy!

Chapter VI

Word Count: 4,133

MLM Oc x Canon fic featuring my oc Patrick Parker and Edward Nashton from Matt Reeves The Batman (2022).

Was going to post this over the weekend but I was celebrating a friend’s birthday + my priorities should be getting my homework done.

Enjoy <?>

- Paul

. . . .

The days were passing by slowly for Edward. Every day was exactly the same, at least before he met Parker. The two didn’t make much conversation after their shared assignment, just subtle eye contact, ‘heys’, ‘hellos’, ‘good mornings’... they were small gestures, including sitting on the subway together, Parker even gave Edward a book to read in his spare time. It made Edward feel… alive somehow.

Parker walked in the office, no matter how early he was, he always found Edward already working before he even sat down. Except for that one time on his first week in the company… “Morning.” Parker spoke. Edward looked up from the papers he was reading, taking in Parker's appearance. “Morning-” Edward was interrupted by Zach, their case leader. “Heyyy~ it’s my rain men!” Parker sat down, looking at Zach with his resting blank face. “The money laundering and fraud case was so well done! The big man even commented on how fast it was turned in!” Zach snapped his fingers, and walked away with the biggest grin on his face. Parker's eyes narrowed, he clenched his teeth. “So he gets all the recognition I'm assuming? We did all the work…” Parker claimed, he turned to Edward.

“You’re not gonna say anything-?”

Edward sighed, his expression turning a bit annoyed upon hearing what Zach had said, he turned to Parker, shaking his head lightly. “What would I even say? No one's going to listen anyway…” - “I mean the ‘big man’... Mr. Stone? The boss.” Parker clarified, with all the years working for KTMJ, Edward had never spoken to Mr. Stone.. neither did Parker, he was still considered new. “Does Zach even tell him who finishes the cases? Do any case leaders credit their employees?” Parker asked, visibly irritated. Edward sighed again, Parker does have a point… Edward shook his head once more, his expression hardening a little.

"No… they don’t credit us….." Edward couldn’t count how many times he let his case leaders take credit for his work… it was a little pathetic of him to be honest… Parker wasn’t so shocked at the fact that Edward hadn’t done anything about Zach taking credit for his work, but it was a little frustrating. Why was Parker frustrated? Was it because Parker also worked on the case with Edward? Did this mean he was going to be stuck like Edward? He shook the thought away, he wasn’t going to let that happen. Parker focused on the assignment in front of him, leaving Edward staring at the young man, Parker noticed, but he didn’t look towards his coworkers direction.

After a few hours, the two men packed their things to leave the office. Parker waited for Edward and they walked alongside each other as usual. Parker's eyes squinted as the breeze hit his face, though his attention diverted to something else. He spotted Zach and somebody else talking outside the building.

“Is that, Mr. Stone?"

Parker asked Edward, turning to him. Edward nodded, taking a look at the man Parker was referencing. "Yeah.. that's him..." Edward said, his eyes focusing on Mr. Stone and his old appearance. Edward had never been so close to Mr. Stone… Parker's eyes narrowed as he watched Zach be all buddy buddy with Mr. Stone, the relationship looked fake, pleasing… like the one where an employee kisses the manager's ass to get on their good side. Without thinking, Parker grabbed Edward's wrist. “Come on.” Parker said, dragging Edward towards Zach and their boss, Parker's stoic and blank expression turned soft, joyful, as soon as he approached the other two men.

“Mr. Stone.” Parker spoke up, Mr. Stone and Zach turned to Parker and Edward.

“Oh hello.” Mr. Stone said, his eyes landed on Parker's warm smile and clean appearance. Edward was caught off guard by Parker grabbing his wrist, but he let him drag him along anyway. Edward was surprised and confused about Parker's sudden new expression… but he decided to go along with it. Edward nodded at Mr. Stone, standing there in silence. Parker chuckled, even his voice changed…

“My name’s Patrick Parker, I only have a few weeks working here at KTMJ with you all.” Parker's smile never disappeared. Mr. Stone smiled back, the older man spoke up. “Ah yes, no wonder, you look so young.” Parker chuckled at his superior's words, he reached out a hand to Mr. Stone, and glanced at Zach. The two shook hands. “What did you think of the fraud and money laundering project? Me and Edward here worked on it!" Parker said in an amused tone, he lifted his hand to pat Edward on the shoulder.

Edward’s eyes widened a bit, surprised by Parker's cheerful attitude… this was a different person compared to the stoic Parker that he knew… he decided to play along. Edward put an awkward smile on his face. Though, he wasn’t as good as Parker. "Y-yeah… w-we finished the case in just under a week..." Parker glanced at Zach, he didn’t look so happy. Mr. Stone's face lit up.

“I saw it, I didn't know you two worked so fast. Great job.” The older man said. Parker chuckled. “Of course sir, Edward here made sure everything was on point, I couldn't have done it without him..” Parker added, patting Edward's shoulder once more. Mr Stone nodded. “I'll keep that in mind. Have a nice evening.” Mr. Stone said, turning and waving to the three men, Zach glared at Parker and Edward, leaving without saying a word. Parker's smile faded, he knew Edward would’ve never tried something like Parker just now. This was the only way Mr. Stone was going to acknowledge their work, especially Edwards.

Edward was in disbelief… he was so used to not getting any proper treatment by other people… but Parker… Edward couldn’t help but stare at Parker's stoic expression return to his face. Edward still couldn’t get over that fake smile from earlier… he spoke in a quiet tone, in disbelief. "You… you did that…" - “Hm?”

Parker and Edward began to walk. The young man put his hands in his pockets. “Was that your first time speaking to Mr. Stone? In your years of working here?” Parker asked, knowing the answer was no. Edward nodded, his face growing a bit more stoic, more serious. Edward clenched his jaw, the wind feeling a lot colder than it was a few minutes ago… Edward muttered bitterly… “...Yeah... that was the first time...”

Parker shook his head, he knew it. The young man didn’t want to lecture Edward- he was older, and Parker respected Edward- but sometimes- “In the months that Zach's been working here, he’s never credited you for your work. It’s not fair, but I’m not letting it get to that point… I don’t have to have a fancy degree to get where the supervisors are….” Parker exclaimed, his expression more serious than usual. Parker just couldn’t comprehend Edward's struggles, he just couldn’t.. talk to people. Edward let out a small scoff, that was the understatement of the century… he was irritated, but Parker was right. Edward was far too used to letting everyone else take credit for his work… he was tired of being taken advantage of for his silent demeanor… Edward nodded at Parker's words. He replied, his voice hardening. "Yeah… but nobody cares.” Edward’s sharp eyes remained stoic.

Parker's expression softened upon hearing Edward's words. He sighed. “You're right, nobody cares. But you have to care for yourself, be selfish sometimes, that’s how assholes like the superiors get where they are.” Parker said, he did sound selfish, but in a way, Parker was right. Nobody cared for anybody but themselves. But here Parker was, speaking up for Edward, letting their boss know of Edward's capabilities, Parker cared.. somewhat. Edward was surprised to hear such words come out of Parker's mouth… Edward didn’t know why the young man cared whether he was seen or not. Parker's words made Edward think for a moment.

Edward nodded in agreement, his expression stoic. "You have a point…” He was still in disbelief about Parker's actions… the young man went out of his way to let the boss notice Edward's effort… he didn’t know how to thank Parker for this. Parker shrugged. He wasn't going to force Edward to listen to him, just to maybe take the advice. “My favorite part was seeing Zach's face. Now Mr. Stone knows who’s actually responsible for all the good work that’s turned in.” Parker mentioned, his mouth turning into a small smile, he chuckled. The two men got on the subway, and sat next to each other. “That was a first step to getting recognized. We just gotta keep working smarter, you know?” Parker shrugged.

Edward noticed the small smirk on Parker's face. He couldn’t deny, seeing Zach's reaction to the situation was a satisfying feeling for Edward. He nodded, replying in a quiet; "Yeah... I guess you’re right…” Edward was still confused about Parker's actions… the man didn’t have any reason to help Edward… Why was Parker being kind? Edward didn’t understand it. Parker stared at the subway window, watching the tall buildings pass by, he wondered of the people on top of those buildings… how their life must be like, how much money they had to spare. “Doin anything tonight?” Edward shrugged, he hadn’t planned on doing anything when he got home Edward shook his head, replying with a slight yawn. "Not really... nothing special I guess, Why?"

“Sounds like you’re tired.” Parker said, chuckling softly, the young man checked something on his phone- and quickly glanced back at Edward. “My instruments got to my apartment a few days ago. Was gonna ask if you wanted to hear me play.” Parker shrugged, his expression nonchalant and blank. He didn’t consider Edward a friend. Were they even friends? Was it weird to invite a coworker over? Parker hardly knew Edward. Maybe Parker was gullible, or maybe he was just lonely. Edward was a little surprised by Parker's words… Was Parker really inviting him to his apartment? He felt a little caught off guard by this. Edward replied with a slight hint of hesitation in his voice. "You- want me to hear you play…?”

“Why not?”

Parker asked casually, “My stop’s almost here. You coming?” Parker asked again, Parker didn’t seem to further question why he invited Edward.. was it because he was the only person he’s talked to since moving to Gotham? He wasn’t sure. Edward felt nervous. He didn’t expect Parker to invite him to his apartment… ‘What do I say?’ ‘Say something Edward.’ ‘Dont trust him Edward..’ ‘This isn’t a good idea…’ ‘But he’s not so bad..’ ‘Say something!’ Edward nodded, replying in a subtle tone.

"Yeah, I’ll come…"

“Cool.”

The subway cart came to a stop, people got up from their seats and so did the two men. Edward followed Parker out and the two walked beside each other once more. Edward realized this was still the bowery district, just not crime alley or crown point, two of Gotham's worst off areas… Parker walked casually, the walk to the young man’s apartment building wasn’t so bad. Edward was a little curious to see where Parker lived… the man had told Edward about his personal life, but he wasn’t expecting to know this much. The two didn’t exchange a single word, they walked into the apartment building. It was actually one of the better ones considering the area. They took the elevator, and walked down the hall. Edward followed Parker inside his apartment, looking around. Parker's apartment was sort of like a studio, he had fairly sized windows where you could see Gotham's skyscrapers, even a balcony. The place was clean, very clean… his decor wasn’t something you’d usually see. There were lots of punk culture references, and even a few skateboards on the wall- including a shelf filled with books and other physical media. “You can sit down while I get the instruments plugged in.”

Edward watched as Parker walked towards his small living room and grabbed both his acoustic guitar and his bass. “Sweet.” Parker said. Edward looked around the place, he was surprised by the themed apartment… Parker seemed to be full of surprises. Edward's stoic expression was replaced with a hint of slight curiosity. He sat down awkwardly on the couch, setting his bag on the floor while observing Parker's actions. Edward didn’t expect the young man to be into those types of things Edward spoke up, his voice soft. “That it is...”

“I know right? let me plug them in." Parker said in an enthusiastic voice, the young man took off his shoes and reached for the speaker next to the couch- upon reaching for the speaker, something crawled out of the corner, or someone. It was a cat, a black cat, it stared deeply at Edward with its green eyes. “Oh yeah. Don’t know if you’re allergic or not, she doesn’t bite.” Edward wasn’t afraid of cats, but seeing the cat just suddenly appear startled him. Edward quickly composed himself, trying to hide the fact that he was a bit scared. He nodded. "No, I-I’m not… allergic.” Edward said, watching as the cat approached him. The cat sniffed Edward. “Cool.” Parker said, finishing up plugging in his guitar first. The cat kept sniffing Edward and walked away, ignoring the man completely.

“There.” Parker said, picking up his guitar pick and playing a single note. “Any recommendations?”

Edward was surprised that the cat was uninterested in him, so he shrugged off the situation. He thought hard about Parker's question. Edward's knowledge about music was very limited, he wasn’t sure what to request… Edward shook his head. He replied, his voice growing a little more quiet and stoic “None… I’m not really… knowledgeable on music… You can play anything...” - “Really? So you like don’t listen to anything or something?” Parker asked, he sounded a bit sarcastic as he was focused on tuning his guitar. though it was a serious question. “I assume you like old stuff.” Parker said, assuming Edward liked classical due to his age- it was gullible and quite stupid of him. Edward didn’t appreciate Parker's assumption, he rolled his eyes faintly. The truth was Edward didn’t know how Parker was going to react when he heard of Edward’s music taste… Edward nodded and muttered back with a hint of slight sarcasm… "You are correct…” The older man thought just agreeing with Parker would make him stop asking him questions.. He was wrong.

“Like what? Beatles? Fleetwood Mac? Frank Sinatra?" Parker asked, the tuning on his guitar was starting to sound better. The young man had named popular musicians and bands- he assumed everyone liked at least one song from these popular folks. Not Edward. He didn’t see the appeal in them. Edward was growing a little more irritated… Parker was assuming Edward's music taste was the same as everyone else’s… of course Edward knew all those, he had heard those artists many times in restaurants, coffee shops, and the radio, but Edward just didn’t find them interesting. Edward shook his head. He replied simply honestly…

"No…”

“Whaaaat?”

Parker said in his usual blank tone, he understood not liking Frank or The Beatles- but Fleetwood Mac? “Hm.” Parker shrugged, even though it was hard to comprehend, he respected Edward's opinion.. did he though? ‘This dude doesn’t like anything..’ Parker thought to himself. The young man cleared his throat. “Alright then, since you insisted on me choosing a song-“ Parker strummed his guitar, he hummed as he started to play a song unknown to Edward. Edward listened with curiosity. Parker's playing was amazing, Edward felt a faint hint of surprise, he had never heard such a song before.. Edward decided to focus on the melody and the music, he listened closely, his face showing slight interest.

Parker noticed Edward's expression change, music changes everyone’s perception of things. That's why Parker loved it so much. “So if you want to please me, baby, don’t act like a child. But I can understand, it won’t be easy. You've got to prove, prove your love to me.” Parker strummed his guitar, the song was a soft blues rock melody. The song continued, and Edward didn’t take his eyes off Parker, and Parker didn’t let anything interrupt his playing. Edward’s face softened even more as Parker continued to sing the song. His voice was strangely soothing.. Edward's stoic gaze stayed fixated on Parker. He didn’t understand why, but he found the young man's performance quite captivating… Edward was almost entranced by Parker's playing.

As the song came to an end, Parker played the final note. His expression didn’t change much after, though he did chuckle at Edward's reaction. “That was Fleetwood Mac." Parker said, it was “Prove Your Love.” by one of the bands edward claimed he didn’t listen to. “Pretty cool right?” Parker smirked. Edward quickly came back into reality after hearing Parker's words. Edward nodded, trying to play it cool. He replied in a neutral tone. "Yeah.. it’s surprisingly… Nice…" - "Told you.”

Parker chuckled once more, he loved proving people wrong. It was a good yet toxic trait. The young man tuned his guitar again- “Here, I'll play you a Beatles one.”

Parker began to play again, the way he focused on every single string was impressive. The young man began to play and sing “Something.” by the popular band. Edward listened, this time Edward was actually familiar with the song. Edward's eye had a hint of interest as Parker sang and played. Edward couldn’t deny that Parker had amazing skills… Edward's expression was neutral, Parker couldn’t tell what Edward was thinking. Edward spoke in a stoic tone, once Parker finished. "I know that one…" Parker chuckled, he wasn’t surprised Edward had heard this song before. As Parker finished, he ended the song with a few radon strums. “Those songs are what I call “beginners” music. Everyone knows and likes them I guess.” Parker said, adjusting his tune a final time. “I can also play some heavy ones, I don’t think I can though, too loud for my cat.. and neighbors.”

Edward shrugged, the songs Parker called “beginners” were actually pretty good. Edward was curious to see what the young man was capable of. Edward's expression showed a small hint of interest as he spoke. "Metal…? You’re into that stuff too?” - “You kidding?”

Parker reached and picked his bass up. The bass was black, covered in random writing, the instrument also looked like it withheld some damage to it. The young man got up to reach something off the kitchen counter- it was jewelry! Earrings, and a horseshoe… a big horseshoe. “If it wasn’t for that office job, I wouldn't take these off.” the young man said, turning the volume up on his speaker- he began strumming his bass violently- playing “Lies” by Korn.

Edward’s eyes widened as he saw Parker's large amount of jewelry. He wondered how the young man would look with all those piercings in his ears and nose… Edward watched Parker's performance. He didn’t expect this calm and stoic person to be into metal. Edward watched as Parker's skills were on full display… Parker was fast and extremely talented... He replied in a surprised tone. "Wow…… I would have never expected you to like that type of music… You’re really… good at this…” - “You’re telling me you’re into this stuff too?” Parker asked, his playing stopped. He didn't want to be too loud in his apartment. Parker wasn’t expecting Edward's shy, awkward self to be into the genre. “I mostly listen to thrash or sludge.. depends on the day to be honest.” Parker realized Edward had complimented him.

“Oh thanks.”

Edward nodded, he had never actually mentioned his music taste to anyone, Edward didn’t know how Parker would react. Edward replied with a neutral tone."Yeah… I’m into metal and all that…” Edward’s cheeks turned slightly red. He was a little embarrassed to be discussing this with Parker, he was the only person to know Edward like this… Parker wheezed, he chuckled slowly. The way Edward spoke made Parker laugh, it was so unexpected to hear him agree to liking the genre. Parker noticed Edward's face changing hue, even though the apartment was very dim.

“Here I was thinking you hated everything. Guess you like some things huh?” Parker chuckled once more, playing another metal guitar strum. Edward was a little embarrassed at Parker's laughter, Edward's cheeks turned even redder… he tried to compose himself again. A hint of stoic coldness in his voice. Edward replied in a quiet tone. "I do like some things… I just never… told anyone.” Edward was quiet for a moment. He wasn't used to discussing these things with others…

The young man chuckled even more at Edward's reactions. He didn't know why he found them so amusing and- sort of adorable. Parker lifted the small bangs on his forehead, his hair was jet black. “I have to take my facial piercings out for work too.” Parker explained, you could see the two holes on his thick eyebrow.. “I have a septum too, I just wear a retainer for it. You saw it, it was the horseshoe.” The young man took out the septum retainer, showing Edward the kind of gross piece of plastic. Edward was surprised at Parker's appearance, he would have never guessed Parker had body modifications. He was impressed. Edward chuckled slightly. His stoic expression was replaced with an expression of curiosity. "You have…. piercings… and a septum? You.. didn’t strike me as the type..”

Parker shrugged, he had to make the sacrifice of not looking cool to get the job at KTMJ, it was whatever now. “See how much you can learn about others?”

Parker said, hinting at the fact that Edward didn’t talk to anyone, that Edward never shared anything about himself to anyone. “So what else do you like huh?” Edward felt a little called out by Parker's words, it was true… Edward had given up on trying to even interact with people. Edward was surprised by Parker's curiosity, the young man seemed to be interested in him. Edward didn’t respond at first. He thought for a moment. Edward wasn’t really sure what to say. He just shrugged, thinking about the few hobbies he did… Edward replied, his voice growing a little quiet. "I don’t know… I just.. read I guess… I'm only halfway on the book you let me borrow.”

“Cool. Take your time with it.”

Parker simply said, unplugging the bass and carefully storing it to the side of the couch. Parker sat down next to Edward on the couch, as he did, his cat ran towards them and jumped on Parker's lap. “Fan of cats?” Edward nodded in response, he was indeed a fan of cats. Parker's cat was cute… Edward was actually amazed that Parker could get an animal to warm up to him. Edward replied in a soft tone, his stoic expression turning into a small smile. "Yeah… cats are cool…” Parker chuckled, his stoic expression remaining. The young man grabbed the tv remote and turned it on, a smile slowly crawled to Parker's face as he glanced at Edward.

“I was watching the Saw franchise a few days back.”

Parker stood up and removed a disc from the dvd player. “You big into slasher films? Horror?” Edward was a little surprised by Parker's question, horror was Edward's favorite genre… but Edward was a little self conscious about that particular interest… Edward's stoic expression remained, he nodded. Edward replied in a quiet tone. "Yeah… I like slasher films…. I’ve seen the Saw franchise..” - “Sick.”

Parker simply replied, the young man was never self conscious of his interest in horror. Parker crouched down to store the cd in its container, dragged his finger on the unnatural amount of DVDs he had stored on the bottom of the tv stand..

“Heard they were coming out with a new one, it’s a cash grab but I'll watch it.”

Parker shrugged, picking out two films. “Texas chainsaw massacre.. orrr.. American Psycho?”

Edward listened to Parker, his interest peaking at the two films mentioned. Edward loved both films. Edward had seen them countless times. Edward's expression grew a hint of excitement. Edward replied in a little more enthusiasm. "Hmm… hard choice… but uh… I guess Texas chainsaw massacre..” - “Cool.”

Parker replied, taking the cd out and inserting it. Before sitting down, the young man walked to the kitchen. “Soda? Water?” Edward was starting to loosen up a little, Parker's questions started to feel more natural. Edward nodded. "Uh… just water please..” - “Gotchu.” Parker replied, taking a glass of water and a can of diet soda to the living room, he handed it to Edward as he sat back down on the couch.