Professor Fear (the sequel) - Jonathan Crane

Chapter 35

Daria had stayed over at Almasi's again to give Jonathan space. She knew he wasn't going to leave the house, so she'd taken his house keys.

The next day, she let herself in quietly, took her shoes off and threw her coat over the wooden chair in the kitchen. A long green figure stretched across the mustard sofa, occupying its full length and clashing with the mustard yellow.

Jonathan could be heard moving around upstairs. Daria, continuing with her quiet theme, slowly crept up to the bedroom. When Jonathan was turned away, Daria used her fingertips to imitate spiders crawling up his back. Then moved to massage the part of his neck just under his ears. He sighed and moved into her touch.
She planted a kiss on the back of his neck. "Have you slept yet,"
"A few hours," he answered, grabbing her hands, turning around and pulling her into him for a kiss. "how about you?" He asked, staring into her bright green eyes. Her pupils dilated when she looked at him. He watched the involuntary rolling motion of her irises, opening up her pupils; taking in the light in the room, taking in him.

She couldn't get enough of the dimensions, the worlds within his piercing blue eyes.

"Daria, I-"
She kissed him again before he could say more. He didn't object but was the first to break away once again so he could speak.
"I want you to be part of my project; to make the toxin like you did when we first knew each other,"
What I lifetime ago that was. All sarcasm and snarky comments with no emotion. Now, she felt like a chaotic flood of pure adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin whenever she looked at him. Jonathan hadn't brought up her childhood or family over the past few days. He was respecting her wish for healing.
Last time, she was being used for Jonathan's purposes. Now, she was a partner to his crimes. She was his assistant.
And she loved him.
"Okay, I'll be your little biochemist," she grinned. "On one condition,"
"Anything," he whispered.
"You're making that cornbread that I had when I first moved in here," She kissed his cheek and broke away from their embrace. Jonathan chuckled at her not-so extravagant request. The shower was heard turning on followed by the unzipping and pulling off articles of clothing. Daria popped her head around the corner of the bathroom door frame.
"hey, less being cute in the bedroom, more being cute in the kitchen,"

It was lovely to see her confidence and self-worth returning after the most recent incident.

Jonathan headed to the kitchen to stick true to his word. Not only would him making her cornbread get his toxin done sooner, but it would make her happy too. That was an ultimate win-win.

A groan came from the mustard sofa.
"Eddy you're still sleeping? How unlike you,"
"It's only been three hours and seventeen minutes by my calculations Dr Crane," He spoke his name in a mocking tone.
"It's actually been four,"
"How was I wrong?" He shot up immediately, "Jonny, I must be ill,"
"Don't be melodramatic, you just slept deeper than usual, you're still weaning off that tea too, aren't you?"
"Don't mother me," Edward grumbled, wincing at the white light of the kitchen. Jonathan was gathering up different small paper bags on the counter.
"This is a completely different form of chemistry to last night... are you... baking?"
"Daria said she'd make the toxin with me if I baked her cornbread,"
Edward laughed through his nose. He liked Daria's minor increasing control over Jonathan. She was due to become a fantastic Gotham Rogue.

Daria came downstairs as the savoury comforting aroma beginning to fill the house. Edward was still in the living room, now conscious and lively. He flicked through the TV, trying to find disasters on the news. Nothing in Gotham.
That's weird, really, Thought Daria. Gotham is known for strange constant happenings.

"It won't be that silent for long," Jonathan almost sang under his breath. Daria didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Perhaps him getting her to make a toxin had something to do with it.
Was helping him wrong? Would she really wish the horrors she'd experienced on other people?

The ding! of the oven jolted her out of the moral sandpit.
Jonathan used the red kitchen towel to pull out the rectangular dish and place it on the stove top.
Daria impatiently grabbed a knife and pulled a thick slice onto a plate, watching the steam rise in curling translucent tendrils.

The basement felt pleasantly warm. It had been completely cleaned up, making it look more spacious and larger than it was. Jonathan, like before, had already put out key equipment. All that was needed were the ingredients, a watchful eye and patience.

The two spent three hours working together as partners in the creation of what Scarecrow and Jonathan hoped was the best and most potent creation of their lives so far. Once the toxin was ready, everyone else would have to get their parts ready too. Scarecrow was due to become a very public figure.

/AN/ maybe some of you can see where this is going...