"Hey, sexy," Deidre said when Edward walked back in the door. "Why were you gone so long? Did the boss put you back to work upon arrival?" She lowered her voice in a stage whisper. "Kristen's trying to cook again. I tried to stop her."
"I heard that," Kristen said indignantly from the kitchen area. "And I'll have you know I have never yet managed to mess up pasta."
"That's no achievement." Edward said as he sat down on the couch. "And no … He fired me actually."
"What?" Kristen looked up from the stove, shocked. "He can't do that! It's not like you could call in, you were kidnapped!"
Deidre shook her head. "Professional ethics don't mean shit in Gotham. What your boss needs is a good scare. I know a guy who knows a guy …"
"It's already taken care of." He said picking up the Rubik's cube from the table and twisting it in different directions. "And he's getting more than a scare."
"... Edward?" Kristen said uncertainly. "What exactly did you do?" The way he had said it was so ominously cryptic.
"I may have rigged his car to explode when he starts it." He said smugly, solving the puzzle before laying down on the couch, his legs crossed on the arm as he messed up the cube again.
Kristen traded glances with Deidre, before staring over at Edward. "You … did what now?" Something about his manner seemed … off, somehow. Other than what he had just said. But she couldn't exactly explain it.
"Overkill, much?" Deidre said, seeming calm on the surface, but Kristen recognized a certain heightening of pitch that happened when Deidre was nervous. "And right after he fired you? Cops look for motive, you know. Were there any security cameras in the parking lot? Did you check?"
"No, there's no cameras. He's too cheap to invest in trivial expenses, and he fires at least five to ten people every day if not more, the place is a revolving door … He called in three others after me … We all know what going in his office means." He said with a shrug before standing up, tossing the cube onto the couch, and moving behind Deidre where she was standing. He put his arms around her. "Relax, it'll be fine." He said kissing her neck.
"You're … weirdly calm about this," Deidre said, stunned at the casual display of affection. Yeah, they were all supposedly together, but … he wasn't ordinarily this demonstrative with her, at least not without a little moment of bashful hesitation at least.
Kristen crossed her arms as she observed them. No, this was not how Edward would react to something like this. There was no way he would be so calm immediately after killing someone. Beyond calm. Nonchalant. Confident to the point of boredom. This was a side of Edward that she'd only ever caught glimpses and hints of. It had never been center stage like this before.
"You're in a … different mood today," Kristen remarked, her tone decidedly neutral.
"Yeah, what's up with you?" Deidre asked, pulling away from him and moved over to Kristen. His eyes travelled over her.
"I'm supposed to be in the same mood all the time? That sounds …. Boring." He said practically stalking towards them.
"Maybe mood isn't exactly the right word," Kristen said, watching him closely. "You just seem different."
"Yeah, I'm with Kristen on this one," Deidre said. "You don't even seem overly concerned about finding a new job … which I'm told is something most people care about." Never mind that he seemed completely unperturbed after killing a man.
"I'll find one." He said looking to Kristen. "Weren't you saying to Lee that you wanted me to stop holding back? That I'm 'too gentle' that a man needs to have a bit of 'fire' a little 'danger'." He asked approaching her and pinning her against the counter. "I thought you'd enjoy this." He said with a smirk as he ran his hand through her hair and tugged a bit, not hard enough to hurt but enough to pull her head back making it easier for him to plunge his mouth onto hers in a fierce kiss.
Kristen let out a muffled sound that could have either been a yelp of protest or a moan. She wasn't even sure herself. But now was hardly the time for the latter; Edward was starting to seriously scare her. She tried to push him back.
"Dude, you just killed a guy," Deidre reminded him, a hint of alarm in her eyes. "Don't you think the timing's a little weird?"
"Well … He's not dead yet. He still doesn't get off work for another four hours." He said after breaking the kiss. His hand ran down to Kristen's wrist as he pressed himself against her.
"Technicality noted," Deidre said dryly. "Because making out with your girlfriend while waiting for some guy to explode isn't creepy at all."
Kristen gasped for breath when Ed broke the kiss, shaking slightly as she looked up at him. "You were eavesdropping on me talking to Lee? At the GCPD." she demanded. She didn't know how else he would have heard. There was no way Lee would repeat a conversation like that.
"No," He said gripping her wrist a little harder as he kissed her neck, ignoring Deidre's accusation. "I heard you talking before I walked in. I may have … Lingered." He said. "Briefly … You were after all, talking about me behind my back. I believe that's fair." He said
Kristen blushed profusely with embarrassment. "I … That's …" she stammered, not sure how to respond to that. She tried to pull her wrist away from him. "This is still…"
"Edward," Deidre said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Kristen doesn't look like she's comfortable with this right now. Why don't you back off and give her a minute to process the whole murder thing? The timing's just wrong right now."
Edward shrugged her hand off of his shoulder and looked to Deidre. "Kristen can talk for herself." Edward said letting go of her wrist and moving towards Deidre.
Deidre slapped Edward hard in the face. "You're being an asshole," she said flatly. "Take a step back and look at yourself."
"Seriously, Edward," Kristen said quietly. "You're scaring me."
Edward took a step towards Deidre a look of anger on his face, backing her into the wall behind her, his hands slamming against the wall on either side of her head making her flinch, her eyes wide with shock before he paused. He blinked a few times, looking between both of them a moment, the anger turning into confusion as his hands lowered. "I …" He paused. "I'm sorry." He said shaking his head and walking into the bathroom slamming the door closed behind him.
Deidre looked over at Kristen. "You alright?" she asked.
"Fine," Kristen nodded, a little shakily. "I should be asking you that as well."
"Yeah, I'm fine. What the hell," Deidre said. "Was that about?"
"I don't know," Kristen said quietly, glancing over at the bathroom door. "But whatever it is, it seems like it's over now."