Nygmobblepot One Shots [English]

Ed's Childhood

Author note : This fiction is totally inspired by the media of this chapter. There are mention of child abuse (both mental and physical) and of anxiety. I thought I should warn y'all. Enjoy!
Much love, Ethan.
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Ed was laying on his bed, breathing heavily. A letter was laying on the floor, a little scrunched. It was a letter. From his parents. Ed ran away when he was barely ten, and had took a bus to Gotham. But now... Now that he was in the GCPD and by the future mayor's side... Oh hell, now they were interested in him. Ed sighed, feeling awfully trapped inside his own memories. He rememebered his shitty childhood. The way his parents treated him. Basically, they ignored him most of the time and insulted him otherwise.
It lasted for ten long years. He remembered clearly the day his school psychatrist asked to see his parents.
Ed's social inabilities and obvious malnutrition had worried the school staff, especially the fact that Edward never had money for lunch, and that he didn't let anybody approach him. 

After a lot of tests and exams, they discovered that Ed was suffering from severe malnutrition, anxiety, and had autism.
When they got home, that night, Ed took the worst beating of his life. His mother beat him for being autistic. His father because he thought he had cheated on a test he did perfectly. 
After three hours, he was locked in his room with no food.
They had blamed him for everything.
Ed might not be the most brillant of students, but he knew he might get killed. That night, after packing the few things he had -a few books, his only clothes, his school uniform and a bunch of textbooks- in an old sports bag the school gave him, he opened his window and jumped out.It was around 8PM, and it was already dark.
He knew there was one of those bus who went to another town and that those were costing only a few bucks for people under 12. And he also knew that people didn't care if a child was alone, as long as they get some money.He ran to the bus station, and indeed, there was one. It said "Gotham City."Ed gave a few bucks to the driver, who gave it back to him.
"Go sit somewhere, little one. You're too young to pay."
Ed smiled shyly and sat in the back, alone. His back was hurting like hell, as it was bleeding and scratched. He put his bag in the seat next to him and laid his head against the window. Soon, the bus was full and he looked at his hometown for a last time, which was disappearing.It was the start of his new life.

When he arrived in Gotham, he was pleased to see that the "street school" as it was called, was free and even had a boarding school.
He didn't found friends, and went unnoticed, but it pleased him. He worked harder than he ever did, so he could get into college. He starteed to hear voices, but he ignored them. He wanted to be doctor. Or work in Forensics. He went into college and graduated.

But, despite the fact that he was one of the most clever men in Gotham, the worst had already happened.

Ed wasn't able to talk to people, locking himself away in loneliness, video games, work and riddles. And that was when the voices came back.
He soon understood that not only did he was autistic and anxious, but he was also schizophrenic.

As he was slowly losing his mind, somebody came in his life, and changed it. That somebody was Oswald Cobblepot.

As he took care of Oswald, he felt that he was slowly coming back to reality. Taking care of the man grounded him, made him feel like he was useful to someone. Oswald and him grew closer and closer and finally started dating.

But Oswald never learnt about his childhood. Ed never wanted to talk about it. But right now, he needed Oswald.

He grabbed his phone and called Oswald.

Oswald answered and only heard Ed's ragged breath and hiccups.
"I'm on my way Ed. I'll be here soon." Oswald hung up, stopped writing his document and grabbed his coat. He left hurriedly and Butch drove him back to Ed's place.
Oswald was worried sick. Ed has never been the one to fall apart. Between the two of them, Oswald was clearly the most sensible one. But Ed sometimes hit rough patches, especially when the voice in his head started to act up. And right now, Oswald had to be the strong one, because Ed crying proved he was completly breaking.He came in Ed's appartment.
"Ed, honey..?" he sat next to him on the bed. Ed turned around, his face covered his tears and snot. "Oh, love..." Oswald got out his handkerchief and wiped his face softly.

"Oswald... Why.. Why am I useless..?" he whimpered. Oswald was taken aback. How could Ed, extraordinaire brain, medical examiner at the GCPD and absolute sweetheart... could think that he was useless?
"You aren't useless, Ed, dear..."
"I am... I've never been someone useful Oswald... You probably hate me..."
"Ed. Look at me." Ed looked at him with teary eyes, and it broke Oswald's heart in millions of pieces. "I would never hate you, love."
"Oswald. Even my parents hated me... Really..."
"No they didn't... I'm sure they didn't."

"They did. I wasn't wanted. But I tried to make them love me nonetheless... But what chance did I have? A mediocre student, a faceless kid, as forgettable as the capital of Idaho."
"Ed, my love... What kind of awful things have you been hiding from me..? Tell me this secret, if you feel ready... It's perfectly if you aren't ready, though..." Oswald stroked his hair tenderly, knowing it usually helped to calm Ed when needed.

"Tell you a secret... I am an only child. Lots of times, I'd hear my parents fighting. One night I crawled out of bed and listened. They were blaming each other for something. Really going at it. Dishes and pans flying." said Ed, sniffling.
"Ed it's a very common thing, parents fights... It didn't mean they hated you..." started Oswald, before being cut off by Ed.
"Know what? They were blaming each other for me. They were fighting about which one's life was more ruined by my existence. I was never excepted. When they learnt my mother was pregnant, she couldn't abort anymore. So they made me pay for my own birth."

Ed has slowly curled into a ball, crying again. He covered his face with his hands, feeling pathetic to be crying like this.
"Turns out my mother already knew I was autistic and waited for a confirmation... She said that I wasn't normal. She beated me up for that, she thought . She told me I was their biggest disappointment. The reason why their lives was ruined."
Oswald was baffled. He knew Ed didn't have a good childhood, but he never thought it was this bad.
"Ed..." Ed sobbed a bit louder. "Ed, can I touch you? One tap for yes, two taps for no." Ed tapped once his own knee. Oswald sat closer and pulled slightly at Edward's wrists. Ed looked through his fingers, his eyes full of tears.
"Ed, whatever your parents think of you, I want you to know, I love you. You're worth everything and more... You aren't useless, you are an amazing person, and you are one of the most clever men I've ever met. It's not because you are autistic that you are a disappointment. You are a riddle yourself, the most complex and beautiful one of all humanity. And whatever they say, they are wrong. Nothing is wrong with you. Nothing at all."

Ed slowly wrapped his arms around Oswald and tucked his head into the crook of his neck.

"They sent me a letter. They... They want to see me."
"It's your choice to make, love."
"I don't want to see them. Not when they ruined a part of my life. They are probably in need for money. I will write back. Saying that no, I don't want to see them. I'll write them everything I thought of them for all those years."
"You go, Edward. I'm proud of you, no matter what choice you make."
It was much later that night, when Ed was asleep in Oswald's arms, that Oswald thought of all the sweet tortures these people will endure if they dared come to see Ed despite his formal interdiction to his parents to come in Gotham.
He held Ed closer and promised himself that he would never, ever let somebody hurt him again.