Cold.

The lack of warmth beside you woke you up, a frown displayed on your face. Obviously, your one night stand wasn’t going to stay forever, but it still hurt that he didn’t at least say goodbye. A relief quickly washed over you.

Since he was gone, it meant you didn’t have to make breakfast for two, explain why you looked like utter shit when you approached him, and maybe fend for your life. It wouldn’t be the first time a hook up tried harming you. Shocker, really.

You rubbed your eyes (they felt like they were on fire, for whatever reason) catching a glimpse of a note on your nightstand. A note? You’re face flushed a little. Picking it up, you unfolded it, noting it’s wrinkled state (possibly due to him crumbling it up, then reverting it back to its original state.)

It was really messy. There were little tears on it, assumable because of how forceful he had been when writing with the pencil.

‘A place where two can drink and chat, near the symbol of the bat. I’d love to treat you to some pie, I sincerely hope you won’t deny! 2:00 pm at this spot, please come by (or not..)

— Edward

Was this guy serious..? You sighed.

You couldn’t tell if you found it cute or insulting, but either way, you weren’t going. You had things to do, unlike other people. Besides, wanting to meet up with you after a hookup could only mean one thing. He was interested in you. And that was scary. Relationships are scary.

Crumbling it up, you threw the note away.

A part of you felt terribly bad, though. Probably since you usually only gave two shits about men who gave you what daddy never could as a child (attention and validation.) Grumbling to yourself, you picked it back up, scanning the words again. Bat symbol? The fucking batman? There’s a diner near there. Were you really going to meet up with him? (yes, yes you were)

You turned over to look at your clock. It read 1:37.

After quickly dressing yourself, you bolted out that beaten door. (Shitty apartment complex.)

Edward sat there patiently, chatting with the diner waitress. Waiting..patiently. He raised his sleeve to get a glance at his wrist watch, 2:21. He sighed. Of course. What was going on through that little head of his? What ever made him think someone like you would be interested in someone like him? He should have expected it. He was just another one of your distractions. Stupid, stupid Ed.

The bell chimed. The poor man had never turned around so quickly, nearly (metaphorically) breaking his neck.

There you stood, in all your glory. You were steadying your breath as best you could, and your hair was a complete bird nest. You seemed like you had just stepped out of a war zone. Yeah..in all your glory.

His face immediately flushed, Ed quickly turning back around to look at his cup of coffee. Anything but your lovely yet deathly gaze.

You inhaled sharply, approaching him, taking the stool beside him. “Hey..sorry for being late.” you started, giving him a soft smile. He noted your unfamiliar attitude. You had been so hungry for power last night, for control, like a starving animal. But now, you were just..you. You were just a girl getting some pie, on a date, with him.

He returned the smile. Edward cleared his throat, voice low but audible, “Sorry for not uhm..saying goodbye this morning…I had work early today..” His eyes trailed from your eyes to your lips, acknowledging every detail of your face, as if you’d walk up and out, and go out of your way to never see him again. “It’s fine! I didn’t really have any breakfast to offer you, so that would’ve been a little embarrassing..”

Eddie was a smart man. Although, it always confused him as to why you went out of your way to offer your one night stands breakfast, and hospitality. He nodded, picking at his (presumably) pumpkin pie.

“So, you like poetry?” You didn’t intend for this conversation to go anywhere. You just hate sitting in silence, especially with strangers. “It’s not poetry, per say..” he stammered over his words, swirling his coffee with a spoon. You chuckled. He was very shy, like a puppy.

You tilted your head, (in a way) telling him to continue. “Riddles, it was more like a riddle.” he smiled warmly.

You somewhat regret having stopped by, already.. (You were glad he had sat and waited so long for you though. You had thanked him internally.)

After your date with Edward (which turned out to be more pleasant than you’d like to admit) you went to work. Another miserable night at the lounge.

So what if you had a breakdown at work yesterday? It’s not like your boss cares. When has he ever, actually. He only seems to genuinely care for Selena. Someone who you envied far too much. She seemed to have her shit together, she didn’t give a fuck about what others thought of her..and that’s the type of confidence you needed.

Upon walking in, you forced a smile. It was painful. Poorly lying to their faces, “help me” clearly written on your face. You were depressed, at rock bottom. Nothing nor no one could possibly help you at this point.

Edward begged to differ.

The iceberg lounge. It was a sanctuary to you, so why did you almost always find yourself sobbing when leaving the place? Maybe you just liked lying to yourself. Telling yourself it was a healthy distraction instead of telling yourself the truth. That its hell on earth. Tonight appeared to be the last straw for you though. You ran past the crowd of people and exited through the front door, pushing anyone who got in your way. Stomping out as fast as you could in your flashy heels, you sobbed once you felt the not so fresh, cold air of Gotham city hit your face. You felt like cursing your lungs out, yanking your hair out, and just full on fall apart. And on normal nights out, you wouldn’t, because you knew better than that. But tonight wasn’t a normal night. So you screamed your lungs out, which likely wouldn’t have been of concern to the neighboring citizens, because, come on..it’s Gotham.

Someone was concerned though. Edward Nashton. The creep, the loser, the stalker that you never acknowledged. You were reckless, to say the least. Never taking in your surroundings. Edward could have abducted you by now if he really felt like it, but he figured he’d rather you meet him in a more..formal setting and manner. He peaked his head past the curtains to his apartment window, his soft green eyes pitying you. He had been watching you for a while now. Judging, analyzing, craving..maybe now was his chance. “Poor y/n..” he said to himself. “Of course those bastards wouldn’t know how to treat you right..” he came to a hault. “But then again, you basically ask to be mistreated.” he shook his head, exiting his apartment and walking out into the poorly lit street, getting a closer look at you. You messily wiped your tears away, sniffling as you looked up, eyeing edward as he walked down the street.

God, after that terrible break down and pathetic night, you needed a hook up. With a man who seemed miserable, just like you. Maybe even a little submissive so you have control over something in your life. You wiped your dress clean, straightening it of any wrinkles it had. Your makeup couldn’t be saved, but you could comb through your hair lazily with your fingers. It’s not like you had to impress him or anything, this was just your attempt at catching a one night stand. Although, you did fear he would reject you, which would highly hurt your ego. You quickly crossed the street, not bothering to look both ways before doing so. He looked up from his notebook, adjusting his glasses and squinting as he saw you were approaching him. You smiled warmly, almost sadly..mercy engraved in your puppy eyes. “Hi, I haven’t seen you around here before..do you go to the iceberg?” you faintly asked, having to clear your throat a few times. He averted his gaze from you, a faint red hue tinting his cheeks. “No, I don’t..I uhm was just going for a walk.” he tried his best to smile back at you, but it seemed as if it was almost physically impossible for him, due to anxiety. He closed his notebook, his ears perking up as you continued talking.

“Well..you shouldn’t walk around here so late by yourself. Although you seem like you can handle yourself well in case of danger, you can never be so sure, right babe?” you chuckled, offering him another smile. He could read your intentions through that smile this time around. He quickly nodded, adjusting his glasses. “I would go home but..it’s a long walk from here.” he mumbled out. “i’ll probably stay the night at a hotel.” You smirked at that. “I live close by! How about you spend the night at my place? Of course you can say no if you’re not comfortable, I totally understand.” His heart skipped a beat at that..no one was ever really considerate as to what he wanted. He nodded yet again, slowly gulping the knot he didn’t know was in place. “I live a few blocks down, we can just walk there if you don’t mind..” you offered him your hand, which he shyly yet gladly accepted to hold on to as you two walked to your apartment.

Upon arriving, Edward was euphoric. He had been stalking you and your place for a while now, but now he was finally able to actually stand in the messy one bedroom apartment you called home. “It’s not much but it’s comforting..to me, at least.” you giggled to yourself, shortly after telling him to make himself at home. He felt bad (to an extent.) He lied to you that he didn’t live near by so he could have an excuse to enter your house, and possibly, hopefully, get laid. You returned to him with a cup of warm tea, placing it on the table. “So, tell me about yourself! It’s not everyday you pick someone up from the street for a sleepover!” Edward chuckled lightly, knowing damn well you didn’t intend for this to be a sleep over. Knowing you, you probably just needed a distraction. And he was more than willing to be that. “My name is Edward..I’m a forensics accountant, so I work with numbers and things like t-that.” he started, noting your naïveté as you nodded your head, eating up the newly found information like a starving animal. He could be a serial killer for gods sake, (which he is soon to be) and you would simply bat your pretty little eyes, too attention starved to even comprehend what was going on. “I also like..p-puzzles..” he stated, fidgeting with his hands.

“Oh really?” you asked innocently, scooting closer to him on the couch as you placed your hand on his. “Then, i’m sure you’re really smart, eddie.” his breath hitched at the praise and nickname, blood rushing to his face. “You probably understand why I invited you then, right?” he just flushed more, as you pulled a strand of his hair back. “or is that a puzzle you still need to solve?” you teased, so close to his face now he felt as if he’d burst into flames any given second. He felt like an idiot, sitting there in silence, so he exhaled slowly, breathing out a , “M’ so..fuck, you’re so pretty.” You chuckled at the praise. You liked edward, he was like putty in your hands, and it made you feel powerful. Of course though, what you didn’t know, was that you were both equally manipulating each other. “Can I fuck you, eddie? Let me make you feel good, baby..” you breathed out into his ear, sending shivers up his spine and blood down to his cock. “Y-yes..” Edward whined, grinding into your clothed cunt that was now above him, as you straddled him.