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“Just because I’m working with you doesn’t mean I like you,” Ed clarifies as he sits with Oswald in the Narrows.
That’s a lie, however. It was his idea to bring and save Oswald, not anyone else’s like he claims. Lee is being blackmailed and threatened by the bitch Sofia Falcone. It won’t do.
And, he’s missed his dear friend no matter how much pain was caused by his feathered friend. Lee has spread some light on what occurred. Nothing will forgive Oswald for what he did, but Ed promised to be there for him. He could always count on him, yet when he promised to be there for Oswald he wasn’t. He abandoned, no not abandoned, forgot his only friend that night. When Oswald needed a plus one, Ed turned him down. Oswald could have been killed that night… alone. Ed would never have had the chance to say goodbye.
So, he understands why Oswald felt betrayed and forgotten. Ed’s taken responsibility for that. Regrettably, he’s looked back even further. He killed Ms. Kringle for love. He saved her from her abusive boyfriend. Maybe Oswald thought Isabella was hurting him? She did slap him. She did do something upsetting without his consent. She didn’t let him go when he wanted to leave.
“Then why am I here?” Oswald demands, glaring at him. Not like he’s intimidating in the thick purple coat and Arkham uniform.
“Lee is being threatened. I’m trying to help her defeat Sofia Falcone.”
“Two questions.” Oswald holds up two fingers, leaning back in his cheaply made chair. “I hate her more than you do, but why do you think I’m going to help you? Also, why do you care so much about Lee Thompkins? She’s the enemy and she’ll never be like you.”
Ed smirks. “Because no matter what I do, or what you say to yourself, you’ll always love me, Oswald. That’s why I know you’ll be helping me.” He gets pleasure out of Oswald’s scowl. Someone has his feathers flustered. “And, I love Lee Thompkins. That’s why I’m protecting her! I’ll sacrifice my happiness to save her!”
Oswald stands up, slamming his hands to his sides. “I’m leaving! I’m not going to deal with this anymore. I have Jerome Valeska at my side. I’m perfectly capable of taking her down myself.” He limps towards the exit of the club. “It was nice seeing you, old friend. Thank you for saving me as well. I guess we’re even now with getting each other out of Arkham.”
Rage fums within Ed. How dare he brush him off like this? How dare he act like a child, again, and walk away from a problem instead of dealing with it? How dare he treat him like garbage? He might not be at his peak like he was, but he is The Riddler. But, he’ll let him go. He’s seen Jerome Valeska. The boy is a snake. He’s bound to betray Oswald sooner or later. Oswald will come running back in no time.
Not even two days pass before Oswald sees Ed again. Lee saved him from Victor Zsasz and now he’s walking the streets with Ed. He can’t. He doesn’t want to be around Ed and his incompetence of love. He’s not in love with Lee Thompkins. He’s in love with the affection and acceptance she gives, no gave him. He wasn’t in love with Isabella, a woman he knew for a week. He was in love with the idea of a second chance. Kristen Kringle? Maybe, but the rest of them are a no.
They talk about what they’re going to do next. He doesn’t know how they got in this position, Oswald holding his hat and having a civil conversation with him. He hates this, the peacefulness of this. Like they’re Oswald and Ed again. It’s hurtful, to feel those heart flutters and the feelings he buried deep. Or at least tried to.
It doesn’t matter that he’s not really in love with Lee Thompkins. What matters is that he thinks he is. Should he decide to accept Ed’s feelings and then move on? Which means, should he do what he learned all those months ago and let Ed feel this way? Sacrifice his patience(and happiness?) for Ed to prove to himself once more that he loves Ed endlessly, and selflessly?
It all ends quite calmly after everything. After Scarecrow releasing the gas on everyone, including Ed. After Jerome creating havoc. After Ed doing his ridiculous game show and wearing spandex. The spandex is an image Oswald is unsure to love or to hate. It ends with Sofia cornered and the majority of her allies dead or in hiding. Jim Gordon has seen his wrong and like the corrupt cop he is, let’s the villains have their way.
Sofia had nothing to use against him. Her allies are gone. Lee has Martin in her custody. Ed is right by his side, not by Sofia’s or in her remaining lackies’ grip. They decided a long time ago that Sofia wouldn’t be allowed to live. She’d find a way out of prison. To stop her, they’d have to stop her life.
It takes hours and several men to achieve her death, but they manage. Oswald needs a break, he’s decided. He’ll take back his lounge and forget about The Riddler.
Oswald throws his jacket onto the back of the dining room chair, ignoring the ache in his leg as he walks over to the liquor cabinet. He stupidly thinks that he can act like Ed isn’t staring in the doorway, looking at him open a bottle of wine.
“That’s going to kill you one of these days,” Ed tells him, pointing to the bottle.
“Why do you care?” He growls, taking a swing from his glass, “Because to be perfectly honest, I don’t.”
Ed steps forward, placing his horrendous green bowler hat on the table. “I’m sorry that I missed that dinner all those months ago, Oswald.”
Oswald pauses mid-sip. “Why do you care so much about the damn past, Ed? I’m over it. I think you should too.”
“I told you, you could count on me and instead I abandoned you. I forgot about my best friend. My only friend.”
Oswald refuses to look at him. Instead, he looks out the window and keeps the glass in hand. He wants to move on with his life, but he can’t if Ed keeps bringing up the past. The past that hurt and weakened him for months. Including the months after he was frozen. Finally. Finally, he managed to build up his walls just enough to keep Ed away. Yet, it seems that Ed can’t leave.
He feels the grip on his glass tighten and his hand shakes. “Leave.”
“Oswald I-”
“Leave! Can’t you see that you’re not wanted here, Ed?” He hears his voice get louder which he hates. It’s showing that Ed still has an effect on him, “Don’t you have Lee Thompkins to run home to? Since she loves you so much.”
“She doesn’t love me, you know that.”
Oswald looks at him this time. Ed looks calmly relaxed, a bit disappointed, but that’s all. “It’s not my right to meddle in your love life, Edward. I learned that a long time ago. This is why I haven’t said anything.”
“You stood around me knowing, yet didn’t say a word! You let me believe it and get hurt so you could get back at me! You’re still the selfish man you were then!” He takes a deep breath, recollecting himself, “However, you did the same thing with Isabella. You knew she was… strange and hurtful in her own way. When you did something about it though, all you did was get hurt.”
He turns completely and steps a sliding step forward. “The reason I knew Lee wasn’t going to ‘love’ you back was because she might’ve been the Queen of the Narrows, but she had her morals. She only liked the Ed who wasn’t a full sociopathic killer. She didn’t like you for who you really are. That’s why I knew. I knew The Riddler would return and she’d kick you to the curb.” He’s in front of Ed now, staring up at him with that Penguin glare. “I didn’t put myself into your business because I was going to prove again that I love you. I was going to sacrifice my patience and happiness to let you be ‘in love’ again. I thought I was doing a good thing.”
Ed takes a shaky breath. Oswald didn’t seem to want to play nice today. “I hate you so much. I hate that no matter what happens, it always seems to be you that is the most important. You’re the only who accepts me. You’re the only one who levels up to my intelligence. You’re the only one to be a genuine friend.” He receives Oswald’s gaze and holds it. “I miss it. Having a friend who accepts and cares about me.”
“It can never be the way it was before.”
Ed nods. “I know. You’ve got a city to rebuild and that boy to protect. You would never have time to fix what we used to have.”
Oswald takes a moment to think. He so wants to fix what they had. He wants to have someone to share everything with. Just… not now. He has to get back on his feet and falling madly in love with Ed all over again would only slow it down. He’s always been in love with him, but not madly. Madly was before the five months of ice.
“When I get my Iceberg Lounge back, come and see me.”
“Why then?”
“Gives me enough time to get my main profit back and to rebuild at least some parts of my empire. Try not to destroy my attempts during… Riddler.”
Ed gives a small smile and reaches to get his bowler hat. He puts it on and runs his fingers along the rim with his fingers, his smile soon becoming a smirk.
“I’ll see what I can do, Oswald.”
Oswald smiles.
Oswald isn’t in the new, renovated Iceberg Lounge downstairs. He was down there for a few hours, waiting for Ed to appear. However, the occupants and music were beginning to give him a headache. He enjoys his loneliness in his second floor office that separates him and the Lounge enough to be tolerable. The windows in his giant office and headquarters display Gotham city. A city that’s flooded with villains, yet still seems to manage.
He doesn’t know rather to throw a fit of rage or smile fondly when he sees a neon green light flicker on across the city on a higher building. A green question mark. Yes, Ed is running late, but fashionably.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” His wicked voice says, leaning up against the doorframe.
“With someone as clumsy as you, you certainly know how to be quiet when needed,” Oswald replies, turning to see Ed in that bright emerald green suit. At least Ed did the polite thing of taking off that hat.
Ed smiles and pushes himself smoothly off the door frame, coming to sit upon Oswald’s massive desk. “A few months ago you told me to visit when this reopened. Here I am.”
Oswald sighs and sits down in his throne of a chair. He leans back, inspecting the tall, thin, beautiful creature sitting on his desk. “I don’t think we’ll be the same as before, like I said those months ago, Edward, but I do believe we can be allies. Allies who trust and actually like each other.”
Ed’s confidence drains from his face. He looks...dissatisfied. “Th-that’s it? Allies? Over what we went through with Sofia, and the way we still came back together after everything! All you can think of is allies?” He shakes his head, tsking. “You- we can do better than that.”
“People with our status don’t have friends, Ed.”
“Traditions are meant to be broken.”
Oswald chuckles. “I’m sure that’s untrue, but you know what? I don’t think you like to follow the expected so I’ll let it slide.”
He lets out a breath of air. “We can simply do better than that.”
He leans into his hand. Why is Ed so hard and confusing? “Then what do you want, Ed?” He looks back at his disappointed…ally? Friend?, “I can’t go through with becoming someone important again, and then getting hurt for it. I refuse to.”
“I refuse too. That’s why you’re not going to get hurt again!”
“How are you so sure about that?”
“I’ll give you an easy one.” Oswald groans, knowing what about to come. “What is mine but only you can have?”
Oswald gives off a noise of annoyance and shrugs his shoulders. “That could be anything, Ed.”
Ed slides off his desk and struts, literally struts to the space between Oswald and the desk. He smirks down at him. Oswald doesn’t know what to make of this. Is Ed going to trick him again? His fear diminishes as the smirk disappears and a smile takes its place.
“My heart.” He grabs Oswald’s tie and pulls his lips onto his. Oswald can feel the smile on Ed’s lips as he returns the sentiment. He can get used to this.