#*Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown from Jerome’s POV plays in the background*

[mysecretwindowuniverse]

Piggybacking off my last ask (tysm for the reply btw, feel free to message me about the Jerome/Oswald/Edward triangle at any time, I’d love to rant/hear you rant about hcs!!!)

Oswald doesn’t usually laugh at Jerome’s jokes- he does find him funny, though he’d be loathe to admit it, and he doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction- there’s something about the tense atmosphere when Ed’s there that makes it really hard to keep his composure- like how when you’re in a church or some serious environment and you giggle at stupid stuff you wouldn’t normally react to bc the tension is so unbearable.

So when Ed’s around, Oswald can’t help but chuckle at Jerome’s nonsense. And Jerome notices this- he also notices how riled up Ed gets at this- and since he lives to get reactions out of people, he really lays it on thick when the two of them are around. It’s just a mess. Oswald tries to keep it in and apologizes to Edward profusely, but he always ends up doubled over in laughter while Ed seethes and Jerome prances around, basking in the chaos he knows he’s causing.

@lllillithh This is *chefs kiss* perfect!

(Note: I think my response went way off the rails and careened out of control, but once I started I couldn’t stop! Hope it’s not too far off course, and is still enjoyable)

Life in Arkham is a fishbowl, the world of Gotham shrinks down to daily life in the asylum. As a result, what was in total a six month relationship, feels like it lasted a year. Nearly every minute of every day, for more than three months Jerome and Oswald were together, experiencing all sorts of chaos within the decrepit walls. This extreme closeness resulted in both knowing the other very well, far better than others would ever surmise. All this to say that Jerome knows the exact jokes/shenanigans that will unravel Oswald’s composure in a nanosecond, and he exploits this liberally.

Now, because I love villain messiness in fiction, I can’t help but ponder: are all of Jerome’s efforts to make Oswald laugh - at Ed’s expense - truly from a platonic place? Is it solely because he loves to bask in the chaos, or does he have an ulterior motive, constantly reminding Oswald of the fun they had when they were together?

Obviously, Ed has a wholly warped and biased view of the situation, which makes it nearly impossible to impartially observe the interactions between the exes with cold, unflinching logic. Still, there are a few things about the interactions between Oswald and Jerome that give him . . . pause.

Like how the texting between the two has increased in frequency, ever since Jerome and Ed officially met, and how Oswald always seems to smile whenever he’s reading a message. Oswald will roll his eyes, lips quirked with amusement as he taps out a response and sends the message off before returning to whatever task he was attending to before the interruption. Then there’s the absurd abundance of inside jokes the two share, and any attempt at inclusion in on the joke is met with a blank stare from Ed, and a dismissive ‘You had to be there!’ in between peels of laughter. It’s the way Oswald and Jerome get started on a story from Arkham, and then spiral down a rabbit hole of reminiscence at the drop of a hat. And the way these reminiscing detours can go on for more than twenty minutes if uninterrupted - Ed has timed it. There’s the seemingly instinctive way Oswald leans in to listen whenever Jerome is speaking, and Jerome taking the opportunity to - platonicaly, of course - direct Oswald with a ‘friendly’ hand near the small of his back that makes Edward want to break every bone in the clowns body.

Then there’s the looks between the two that last just a hint too long for Edward’s comfort.

Anytime he voices a complaint (ok, fine, gets red faced and starts yelling), his concerns are brushed aside by Oswald, who chastises him for his ‘paranoia’. Ed can tell that each time it happens, Oswald grows more exasperated with his outbursts, to the point he’s begun apologizing to Jerome on his behalf, which makes him see red. And then, out of Oswald’s line of sight, a cheeky wink is thrown Edward’s way and the cycle starts all over again until Oswald is ushering them out the door with more profuse apologies. Jerome plays it dumb and gracious, calling after Oswald that he’ll text him, and then typically gives Edward a taunting little wave before the door closes. The rides back to either the Iceberg Lounge or Van Dahl Mansion are often spent bickering, and each one gets a little more vicious than the last.

Of course, Edward doesn’t think Oswald would stray, but he doesn’t trust Jerome as far as he can throw him - and then further. And for good reason. 

Jerome, the bastard, is far more clever than he lets on, and that’s what has Edward so utterly frustrated. He wields the knowledge he has about Oswald less like a chainsaw, and more like a damn scalpel, a maneuver Ed would have thought wholly out of his capabilities, given everything he knew about the lunatic. Oswald might repeatedly affirm the platonic nature of their relationship, but there’s a devious spark in Jerome’s eye that Ed catches and the slight pique of a brow that promises to obliterate everything he holds dear.

One of Jerome’s favorite ways to show Edward up is by showering Oswald with gifts, both in person and via cavalcade of messengers, sent to both Van Dahl and the Lounge, each one bearing a new trinket that makes Oswald delight. In some way, without fail, every gift manages to make it appear that Jerome knows Oswald better than Ed - it was almost impressive, if not so rage inducing.

The gifts range from things like an obscenely expensive tie pin or brooch acquired during a recent heist with ‘Saw this and thought of you ;)  - J’ crudely scrawled on a sticky note, all the way to the literal head of a rival gang leader. A gang leader that had been causing numerous issues and evaded Oswald and Edward’s grasp for weeks, a lament Jerome heard first hand via Oswald’s numerous tirades about the touchy subject. Jerome, of course, decided to personally deliver the violently acquired trophy with the transparently flimsy explanation ‘Was in the neighborhood, thought I’d drop in an’ see the happy couple! Oh! Almost forgot - brought something for ya!’. When Oswald lifted the lid of the gift box, he practically squealed with glee and immediately launched at Jerome with a very enthusiastic hug to show his appreciation, which Jerome graciously accepted with a smug cackle. The rest of the fucking afternoon was then spent listening to Jerome regale how he ~ by sheer coincidence ~ happened across the in-hiding leader while skulking around the Narrows, and the way he managed to separate the body from it’s head in a most *creative* manner. Oswald hung on every fucking word, positively basking in a rival’s gruesome demise, and prodded for extra detail. Just when Edward thought he’d kept his visible seething at bay, Jerome had to go and pull out a fabled black book that was the lifeblood of the gang leader’s operation. Oswald’s face greedily lit up and promptly snatched the book from Jerome’s hand, and he hardly paid Edward any mind when the stem of his wine glass snapped in two.

As Edward made his way to the kitchen to retrieve a new wine glass, the exuberant laughter of the exes followed him down the hall.

Oswald wouldn’t stray. 

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Part 1