Gotham One-Shots

(Not) Worth It

   "Guess what?" you call as you burst through the doors to the filing room. Your demeanor deflates when you see Officer Dougherty with his fist raised and an unconscious Ed in his other. You were sick of it, this was the last straw. Your face contorts into a frown, turning to your right, you slam the files that were in your hand atop the nearest filing cabinet. The mere sound of it sends the other two officers running. You chuckle slowly at their cowardice as you watch them run away, "I see you've seemed to have forgotten last week's lesson." your voice was low, dripping with malice, your eyes having gone wide. You slam the door shut as you turn around laughing, "I guess I'll just have to reteach it." Tom had let go of Ed, tossing him to the floor. Your gaze returns to Tom, your knuckles growing whiter. You smirk at him, knowing he wasn't going to recover soon, "Shall we begin?"

   "Knock knock." you say softly as you lean against the door frame.
   "Come in." Ed responds, not bothering to look up from his deskwork. You smile sympathetically at him as you walk over to him,
   "How ya holdin' up?" you ask , bringing your clipboard closer to your chest. He looks at you, the darkening bruise developing on his left temple answering your question, "You look like a punching bag." you joke trying to get him to smile. Instead he looks down hastily,
   "Better me than her." he mutters, his voice barely above a whisper. But you hear it, your heart stopping at the words. You look down, understanding what he'd meant,
   "Kringle." you mutter softly, in an almost disbelief. Your breath hitches as you realize he'd done  all that just for her. He threw himself intentionally into harm's way, for her. Your grip tightens on the clipboard. All of this for her, no, all of this because of her.
   "Y/n?" Ed calls softly upon seeing your distressed look,
   "Is it worth it?" you ask quietly as you loosen your grip.
   "What do you-" he starts but you interrupt him,
   "Is she worth it?" your voice barely reaches above a whisper, but he could hear you clearly, "I mean I know you love her, but is she worth getting yourself beaten to a pulp?" You go to meet his gaze, but he breaks it in favor of the floor,
   "I love Ms. Kringle." he says, as if for reassurance, "And Officer Dougherty doesn't deserve a woman like her. She's sweet and smart and if I can just prove to her that I'm a better man for her than him, she'll be with me." You shake your head, as your eyes begin glazing over,
   "But what about Tom?" you ask, your voice wavering slightly, "Everything he does to you, all the beatings, all the trash he talks. The way him, and his troupe look down on you. Is she worth all that?" He nods softly,
  "I love her." he says again, your heart cracking, "And I know that even though I can't beat him physically. I am still intellectually better. It may not be much right now, but it'll count for something. If I show him that he doesn't scare me and that I can take any beating he throws my way then he'll stop throwing them, just like last time." your eyebrows crease,
   "Last time?" you ask, unsure of what he meant.
   "I don't know much, but I know he was beating me, but I passed out." he says, his eyes darting, trying to remember, "But I assume he stopped because he got bored. The only punch that was bruised, was this one." He points to the previous one on his left temple, "So if I continue to do that, he'll stop wanting to fight me entirely." You groan, frustrated that he'd been thinking that's why Tom had stopped beating him.
   "Ed, that's not-" You pause, unsure if you should tell him. You look at him, able to see that he was interested. You sigh, you didn't want to tell him. He didn't need to know you protected him, after all he was only doing so to 'protect' Kringle, "That won't work. Men like Tom Dougherty don't just tire from the same..." your voice beginning to grow bitter, "They get off on beating up people they deem weaker than themselves. They won't let off until being forced to do so." You stop, thinking about it. You'd protect him this entire time, yet, he doesn't know, and probably wouldn't. He'd been protecting Kringle, she knows this, and yet she still doesn't care. You and him were basically the same, "I'm not like you Ed." Your voice settles, softer than before, "I can't keep getting myself hurt because of a person I love." You turn, your breath uneven, "Bye Ed." Ed watched as you left, speechless; unknowingly letting you slip through his fingers.