"We really need to get you some other friends, Eddie," Selina teased as she watched him place the welding mask, which had just left his face, to the side, "the amount of time you spend on these things is beginning to worry me."
Leaning in to inspect the area which he had just finished welding, Edward made no attempt to answer her.
"You just say the word and i'll hook you up with some other interesting men I know. I have a whole list who i'm sure you could find some common ground with."
A slight irritated furrow of his brow was the only change to his expression and it made her smile. His face was hard to read but over the years she had become adept at it and there was nothing which gave her more pleasure than seeing those little hints of jealously that she could still extract from him.
"We should go for dinner," she offered suddenly, "I will even let you pay if it means you will leave this dingy basement and those damn trophies for an hour."
No response.
Sighing loudly, she placed a hand underneath her chin. Her ass was firmly planted on his favourite workbench and she had no intentions of leaving any time soon.
Two days.
Two days he had been holed up here. Creating those stupid trophies with the fervour of a man possessed and while she had no idea what had kicked off this latest episode, she was not happy with the result.
Speaking softly as he worked, Edward finally responded, "You had no problems with these trophies when I was making them for you."
Tilting her head, her annoyance was clear. She had kept several of the pink trophies which he had hidden across Gotham for her to find since they were a token of affection and the level of skill put into them was impressive. Her favourite was a single custom one which she kept in one of her many safety deposit boxes. It was almost identical to the rest but it has several small cats crafted from different shades of sheet metal which decorated the base and the front had her name etched into it in an attractive looping script. It was beautiful and she had been genuinely touched to receive it on her last birthday.
"I never asked you to make any of them," she replied a little coldly, irritated that he would cast such a thing up, "if you want you can have them all back."
Rubbing his tired eyes, Edward looked up at her, and meeting her gaze, had the decency to look a little chastised.
"Ignore what I said, I am merely a touch tired."
Sighing again, she placed a hand on the nape of his neck, "Then stop working, relax, and come back upstairs. You do not need to do this now."
Rubbing the nape gently, she continued, "You need to rest, Eddie. Come to bed."
"When I am finished." He argued, shaking his head to dispel her comforting hand. "Riddle me this, if you name me, you break me. What am I?"
Silence.
Instantly pissed off with the dismissal, she swung her leg forward and allowed it to fall back and hit the workbench, causing it to shudder at the impact.
"Please stop that," Edward muttered as he tried to hold his hand perfectly still, "if I screw this up then I will need to repair it later or start from scratch."
She kicked it again.
He growled under his breath.
Bringing both feet forward, she smacked them off the leg of the bench with renewed force and the impact was so strong that it caused the small screwdriver to fall from Edwards' tight grasp.
"Selina," he hissed between his teeth, "get out."
"Make me."
Teasing him, her voice held a definite challenge.
If he would not listen to her, then she would force him to pay attention.
Without looking up, he moved his left hand away from the fallen tool and reached over into her space. Stiffening as it approached, she coiled her own hand in preparation of having to fend off an attack but she lowered it again when he simply patted her forearm with a condescending tap.
Smirking, she tutted her tongue at him, "You almost had me thinking that you were actually going to attempt something there, Edd-"
Her words were cut off as his hand jumped from her forearm and pushed her side with much more forced that she thought he could muster as he forced her off the side of the workbench.
A gasp of surprise escaped her at the unexpected action and she did not have time to speak as she slid off the end of the bench and fell towards the floor. Instinctively, she attempted to lean backwards and keep her balance as much as possible but she grunted in pain as this move resulted in her landing hard on her lower back rather than cushioning the fall with her ass.
As she lay on the ground, lower back oddly throbbing, a soft snort issued from the man to her side and she immediately bared her teeth. Whatever small surprise she felt that he would actually be brave enough to embarrass her like that was now being overshadowed by a desire for sweet vengeance.
"Now that wasn't very nice," she hissed as she started to rise, "I would have expected more fro-" a sharp intake of air stopped her speech. The pain in her back had spiked as she stood and she reached behind her to rub softly at the area. Her fingers came away wet and she brought them to her face for inspection.
Blood.
Glancing at the floor where she had fallen, she kicked away a small sheet of jagged, sharp metal away with a breathy curse and as it collided with the nearby wall, the loud ding of contact was a little satisfying. Her gaze moved towards Edward, who was still hunched over his contraption without even sparing her a short look.
She did not know if he was aware that he had hurt her or not and, if she were honest, she did not care.
Screw him.
She had been trying to get him to leave their basement for over a hour at this point and if he wanted to rot down here for another day or two then he was free to. So without a parting shot, she turned and marched towards the stairs. There was a first aid kit in the kitchen which she could use to clean the small cut before covering it and then she would phone Ivy and see if she was free for dinner and, possibly, some drinks.
Barely three steps had been covered when she felt his hand encircle her wrist. She hid her surprise as she had not heard him move and he was not noted for being particularly stealthy.
Snapping around to face him, she stared at him passively.
"Why did you not retaliate?" His green eyes were tinged with confusion as he seemed to struggle with the idea that she had not immediately attempted to kick his ass for pushing her. He had been waiting for it apparently and if she was any less pissed off she would have laughed at his assumption.
Tonelessly, she answered, "Because I need to go find a first aid kit."
She saw the confusion in his features increase and in response she tilted the hand that he held towards his line of vision, watching as he gazed down at it and was met with the sight of her blood-tinged fingers.
Shame and regret flashed across his face as he realised that his momentary immaturity had actually caused her harm.
"How?" He enquired.
"Landed on one of your cast-off pieces of metal," her voice held no accusation but he still averted his eyes, "and it pierced my lower back."
Wordlessly, he tightened his grip on her wrist and started to ascend the stairs himself and she passively let him lead her up. Glancing back quickly at the workbench, she could see the unfinished trophy lying on its side in its abandoned state.
Following the path which he pulled her along, he directed her to the bedroom and she snatched her wrist from his grasp and made her own way into the en-suite bathroom, closing the door behind her. There was another first aid kit within the medicine cabinet and she could use the mirror to make sure that she did not miss any of the mess.
She heard him open the door behind her and his freshly un-gloved hands took the kit from her own before she had a chance to open it.
"Let me fix it."
While it wasn't a question, she could hear the hesitation in the demand.
Turning to allow him access to her back, she felt him lift the hem of her shirt gently as he inspected the small wound. His utter silence spoke volumes about his guilt and her anger was dissipating fast as she considered how genuinely repentant he must feel. Edward was only silent when he felt guilt and it was a rare occurrence in itself.
A small flinch jerked her body as he applied the iodine to clean the wound before placing a small plaster across it to prevent dirt or irritation. His actions were swift and precise and she did appreciate the gentleness as he grazed the broken skin.
Watching as he threw the small bits of paper from the plaster into the nearby waste bin, the warmth of his hand made itself known on her back again as he cupped his palm across the freshly cleaned area as they stood in silence.
Not wanting to be the one to break it, she moved out of the bathroom and tucked herself into the nearby bed, snatching up her phone from the sideboard. She understood that she was being somewhat immature in her refusal to speak or thank him since he had not meant to actually hurt her and he had been sincere in his apology, but she could not fight her natural stubbornness.
Plus, she was curious as to what he would do now.
As if coming to the same realisation, Edward glanced between her and the bedroom door and she kept her eyes on her phone, not wanting him to realise that she was watching him peripherally.
He could come to bed with her and rest like she had made clear was her desire or he could continue back to his work and leave her alone. She was aware that her current behaviour was a little manipulative and that she was playing on his guilt but it was for his own good. The dark circles under his eyes and the general unkempt nature of his appearance told her that he was exhausted. However, he was as obsessive as she was stubborn and she knew that it would take something a little extra to get him to listen to her.
And if that meant being a little manipulative then that is what she would do.
After an obvious internal debate, Selina felt victory as his rigid posture seemed to slump imperceptibly as he reached a conclusion. Placing one foot in front of the other, he kicked his shoe off before repeating the process with the other. As he walked to the side of the bed, his outer shirt soon followed and was carelessly discarded on the floor.
Left only in a white vest and dark trousers, he pulled back the thick duvet and dropped into the bed at her side.
Still on her phone, she could feel his eyes on her as he waited for her to say something.
She allowed it for a few moments before he sighed dramatically to grab her attention and she could avoid him no longer.
Placing her phone back on the sideboard, she turned to face him, "Yes, Eddie?" She asked, trying to keep her tone neutral but unable to hide the hints of amusement.
Obviously picking up on it, Edward smiled, "I am sorry for harming you. I did not mean for you to become injured."
"I know."
"I still have work to do you know."
"I know."
He paused long enough to slide subtly towards her and seek out her hand with his own. His natural warmth drew her to him more than she let on and she squeezed his hand softly with her own.
"I suppose I could complete it tomorrow." He conceded, voice deepening as he relaxed and the first tendrils of sleep started to take him.
Unable to hold her attitude any longer and pleased that she had been able to drag him away from that disgusting basement, she pulled him towards her and placed his head on her collarbone as she stroked his arm gently with a finger, coaxing him to further calm.
"Or the day after." She suggested, voice light as a bell.
Fighting against the sleep that was trying to take him in his exhausted state, Edward just had time to respond as he issued a low chuckle, "Don't push your luck, Lina."