Monster.
Edward stared at her, she was just lounging across his sofa, book of riddles in her hand, did she know what sort of stress she was putting him under?
Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "What are you doing here?"
"Now that came across harshly, Eddums," she hummed before looking over the sofa at him. "You aren't intending to sound like that are you?"
"I'm tired."
"Ah, so blunt. Are you feeling okay?"
"No."
"Oh? Why not?"
Edward sighed and looked at her like she was crazy. "Isn't it obvious?"
Sphinx was paused for a bit before she looked over at him. "Oh? Is my presence distracting?"
Edward gave her a blank look before he shook his head and walked towards his kitchen, noting how she followed him silently behind him.
"Ohh I like this one," she muttered as she flicked the page of the book.
"Sphinx…. you killed a man."
"I've killed many men."
"You killed a man and I was on the phone to him."
She hummed in response before looking over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you expecting a prize? Edward, you've dealt with the dead before."
"I know, but I've never had to listen to someone die," he blurted out staring at her.
"Let me get this straight, you're not angry at me because I killed him you're angry because you had to listen to me killing him?"
"What? No! You.. you're taking this all wrong."
She smirked at him before laughing. "Am I? Or are you taking this all wrong?" she chuckled before she walked over to him. "Oh what's wrong lover boy, having trouble in the fact you didn't care?"
"I did care."
"That's not the message I'm getting."
Edward narrowed his eyes at her before he sighed and slumped against the wall. "Please leave."
"Aww… you said please."
Edward was so tired of her that he glared and stood to his full height, which made him tower over her. "Leave. Right, now," he growled, his usual tenor voice dropping to a threatening growl.
Sphinx actually looked surprised and she took a few uncertain steps backwards. It was like there was a completely different person in the room with her now, this wasn't the friendly nerd she liked to play with… this was… this was something else.
She frowned before tilting her head. Or maybe this was the real him, the real Edward Nygma and he just hid it under all the pleasantness and smiles, maybe he wasn't such a goody, goody after all.
"Ya know," she whispered as she leaned on his kitchen side. "I have often wondered how you, of all people, have survived in this place, considering the fact that… it is you and you well, you're not the most threatening person in the world, Eddie. But now I'm starting to wonder… I'm starting to wonder if there's something hidden underneath that smile of yours," she grinned and walked over to him. "I wonder if there's a monster inside of you, just waiting to claw itself out of the darkness and into the light."
He glared at her and pointed at the door. "Leave."
"No."
"Sphinx-."
"You are trying to tell an assassin to do something, but you forget we don't do what people tell us unless you pay us and that is only for killing," she jabbed her finger in his chest. "I do what I want, when I want and you will never, ever use that tone with me."
"And what makes you so sure of that?"
"Well, I believe you are fond of your head being attached to your shoulders correct?" she narrowed her eyes and pulled her bandana down to show black stained lips. "And I was very much hoping not to get this suit stained tonight if you don't mind, blood takes forever to wash out."
"You… you wouldn't," he panicked slightly staring at her.
Sphinx chuckled. "Don't be so sure sweetheart, I'm a woman of my own word I do what I want when I want to," she leaned in closer to him. "Killing you, I wouldn't even break a sweat. You'd go bye, bye just like that," she snapped her fingers to emphasise her point and slowly pulled away from his personal space. "But… you know something, I like to play with my food," she chuckled and rounded on him. "And my, oh, my would I love to play with you."
Edward blushed heavily and stared at her before he inched closer to the wall. "Just… get out."
"Were you not just listening to me?!" she screamed and swung one of her sickles, it stuck in the wall right next to his head. "If you push me just a fraction too far I might just slip," she hissed.
"Please… Sphinx, I… I've just had a stressful day, I'm tired… please I just want to sleep."
"I don't have a problem with that," she purred before smirking.
"What?"
"I never said you couldn't go to sleep, Edward. You are free to depart to your sleeping arrangements anytime, I'm not going to stop you."
Edward blinked a few times out of uncertainty before he slowly slid around the wall away from her and wondered back into the living room, picking up his book of riddles on the way.
"I'm shocked you're actually going to try and go to sleep."
"I don't care if you're here or not, I just… want to rest," Edward mumbled before he walked into his room and closed the door, before getting ready for bed and eventually going to bed.
He was getting used to Sphinx visiting him now, he wasn't as scared as he had been at the beginning, now he knew she wasn't really interested in killing him, she was enjoying teasing him far too much to kill him.
He felt himself drifting off and it was the only time his mind ever stopped moving ten paces ahead of anyone else, but… tonight he was plagued with nightmares.
His father would always be the centre of them and tonight was no different, except no Mist was there too, she was screaming to him to save her and he was frozen with fear, watching as his father brutally murdered her, then he was simply left in the darkness with her corpse before he heard another cry and then he turned and saw Enigma being beaten by who he could only guess was his father.
He ran quickly to save her, turning the man around to face his father, except what he saw was far worse.
It was him.
"Ahhhh!" Edward shot up from his sleep and panted staring into space before he placed his head in his hands and calmed himself down.
"Just a dream, just a dream…" he whispered to himself.
The door opened and the next thing he knew he was being cradled by Sphinx. She was there sitting on his bed holding him and rocking him gently as she cooed soft comforting words, as she ran her fingers through his hair.
Edward blinked. "What are you doing?"
"Shh… genius," she whispered as she lay him back down and brushed his hair out of his face. "Don't you know comfort when you see it? Now, you just go back to sleep," she leaned down and Edward held his breath but instead she gave him a soft and gentle kiss on the lips before she pulled away and smiled. "Go pack to sleep, sweet heart."
"Why are you still here?" he questioned her, tilting his head to the side making Sphinx giggle.
"I was worried about you."
"You.. were worried about me?" he let hi mouth twitch slightly. "Me? An assassin was worried about me?"
"Edward," she sighed and shook her head. "The amount I care and worry about you can not be measured, I wish you could know and understand but… you can't, I'm sorry."
Edward frowned and he tilted his head to the side. "Why-?"
"Hush…" she whispered before she smiled and brushed a few stray hairs out of his face. "Hush…"
"But-."
"You really are acting like you did when you were younger." She mused with a small smile. "Now.. what was it what was it…? Ah that was it!"
She looked down at him and it was, probably for the first time he'd seen her look at him with a look of care and affection.
Sphinx hummed a note gently to herself before she began to sing to him, still stroking his hair. "Forlorn faces running from the cold regret, empty spaces something that I can't forget…"
Edward felt his eyelids droop and he let them flutter closed as she continued to sing.
"All I wanted was to wish the past away…" Sphinx phased slightly letting a small tear slip from her eyes before she quickly flicked it away.
"But time's the cruelest ruler that we all obey."
Edward lay with his eyes closed his body relaxed, simply because it would whenever he heard this song, it was his comfort the only comfort he had from his father.
Something his mother would do after he'd been beaten by his father, she would hold him in her arms and gently rock him, before she would sing that song to him. After she left, Mist took her place, doing the exact same thing.
"And I dream of goodbye… sinking seas, falling skies…. and I dream of goodbye, no more tears, wells run dry," she whispered before lay a gentle kiss on his forehead.
Sphinx smiled and pulled her hood down and took her goggles off letting her raven hair fall in her face slightly.
Mist smiled down at Edward before she looked away as tears ran down her face. She missed this. She missed being his comfort, his friend, she missed being his.
But after what happened in the kitchen… she did have to wonder.
Mist looked around his room and frowned at all of the question marks drawn on the green wall in white chalk.
It seemed her Edward had an obsession.
Mist leaned next to his ear and smiled as she whispered. "There is beauty in the madness, Edward. You just need to let yourself go and fall into it, trust me. It's easier… madness is the emergency exit. I can't wait to see you run through it."
She pulled away and smiled as he stirred a little before settling again and then she left out of his bedroom window.
T.B.C:
Note: Short and sweet I know... well you at least get to see a much more caring and gentler side to Sphinx :P A rarity :P Anyway I hope you liked this one! :D
