GOTHAM X READERS

[ED NYGMA DRABBLE]

Prompts: "What if I'm in too many pieces now to fix myself again?" and "Can I hug you?"

Warnings: Angst, dark thoughts but cute ending

Word count: 364

"Ed?" you called out to him as you saw your work partner sitting beside an old building, he shook, his hand was shaking as he brought it to lean his head on it and he was muttering something to himself. You had been walking home when you had come across to him, only recognizing him by his clothes. Not many people loved green like him.

He raised his gaze to you, looking like he didn't want you to come any closer for a moment, but he scooted over nonetheless, silently allowing you to sit beside him.

You sat down next to Ed, and slowly brought your hand to rub his back. You had never seen him like this. Broken and confused. Nothing like the cheery forensic scientist you had used to see at the precinct.

"What if I'm in too many pieces now to fix myself again?" he suddenly said and shook his head. "I- I think I'm losing it. I see him, I hear him. He wants me to give myself up to the real me, who's a killer."

None of his things made sense to you. It sounded like he had a hallucination, but you didn't understand how it could come so suddenly. Why Ed thought he'd be a killer?

"Can I hug you?" you muttered as you continued to rub Ed's back and he looked at you like he thought you were kidding.

"What?"

"You just... sound like you need a hug." you smiled briefly at him, and he furrowed his eyebrows, but after a while of you two staring at each other, he approved it, leaning slightly towards you. You wrapped your arms around him, trying your best to make him feel better, and for a moment it did just that.

But The Riddler was raising inside him, slowly turning off the person he was before he killed Dougherty and Kristen. He was turning him a killer and a criminal - but even killers could have soft spots for people, and you had always been kind to him. You were one of the only people Ed truly cared about. And he could just hope that The Riddler would leave you alone.