Chapter Text
For Edward, getting out of Arkham was the easy part. Well, it wasn't 'easy', but he knew what he was doing. Because, the thing is, he wasn't insane - well, okay, maybe a little bit, but not stupid. Not incompetent. He wasn't losing it. So, the most difficult part of his plan was to not let his ego get the better of him. He had almost failed, but this time he had someone to do this for. It wasn't like last time - now he had something to look forward to on the outside. So, no, failure was not an option.
He spent the first week lashing out, acting as everyone expected him to - "I'm the Riddler! Do you even know who you're dealing with?? I'll have you all killed once I get out!" and all that jazz. Tho he made sure to be all bark and no bite, there's no way they'd let him go if he was labelled as violent. If he wasn't yelling at the guards and inmates, he was sulking in a corner, alone, making sure not to interact with anyone. After a short time, he was assigned a psychiatrist that was to keep an eye on him and intervene in case of emergency. Good for Arkham for having the funds to do that, by the way - the actual crazies of Gotham could actually benefit from this. Too bad those resources got wasted on him.
His psychiatrist noticed his unwillingness to participate quickly and asked him about it later in therapy. Edward could barely contain his happiness - his plan was working perfectly!
"Well, doctor, all this group activity nonsense is eerily similar to how kids are forced to 'get along' with each other throughout their education, have you noticed? I refused to conform back then, and I refuse now" he'd said.
The psychiatrist, of course, asked him to elaborate. So, he told her all about how in childhood he never played with any other kids - because he was 'leagues better', of course - and how he'd get beaten up or sworn at whenever he'd give it a chance. How he was mostly the same when he worked at the GCPD. Funnily enough, none of what he said at that stage was false, so convincing her wasn't at all difficult.
Thinking that she cracked the mystery that is Edward Nygma, she came to one conclusion - his superiority complex, his huge ego, it was all a disguise for his extremely low self esteem and a defense from getting hurt again.
"You act like you're better than everyone, because in actuality you believe that you're not half as good as them, am I correct?" She'd asked.
He, of course, denied everything, but spent the next few days acting different. He was more silent, less "I'm better than you!" and more "Just leave me alone", and after a number of days he broke down. Edward told his psychiatrist that yes, she was right, he hates everyone but most of all, he hates himself. He cursed the world for never giving him the benefit of the doubt or even the tiniest bit of sympathy. She said she understood, that she was going to help him. Yeah, right.
Over time, he started getting more and more depressed, or so everyone thought. His psychiatrist was trying to do something, but with each visit he seemed to be getting worse. Auto aggression was the next step. He'd gotten sedated more times than he'd intended, but he never broke his act. Because with everyone convinced he was a danger only to himself and not others, getting out was just a matter of time.
He made sure not to talk about Oswald to his psychiatrist up until that point. After she told him that she had no idea how to help him, he started to get worried. Has he overdone it? Edward's always been an overachiever...
So he told her that Oswald was the only one that had ever made him feel like a person. Like he was worth something. He even cried a little, talking about the things they've been through together (he neglected to mention some details, of course) - she managed to get him letter and phone call privileges. That was huge! Him and Oswald could write to each other AND it was considered part of his therapy. Things were looking up.
He wasn't sure if the psychiatrist read his correspondence or not, so he played along even in his letters to Oswald. He would sometimes share them with her out of his own volition, his tirades about Oswald getting longer and longer - he would sometimes forget that he was playing a character, but it's not like he would admit it. After some time he even started participating in group activities. His psychiatrist was so proud of herself she was almost glowing. His self-destructive behavior disappeared completely, and after a few months he was no longer dangerous. Officially, he regretted his past and was ready to start a new future.
Many people were rightfully suspicious of him, said that keeping in contact with a notorious criminal should not be tolerated, but his amazing, amazing psychiatrist insisted Edward was harmless. So, they let him go. Just like that. No grand escape, no theatrics - he got his sanity certificate and walked right out the main gate.
But this was only the beginning. His goal still seemed out of his reach, and he had barely an idea of how to achieve it.
Now came the hard part - getting Oswald out of Blackgate, preferably in the least suspicious way possible.