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Oswald has always been a bit different, maybe too little withdrawn from the outside world and things that surrounded him. At first, he wasn’t even surprised when his wrist displayed only one name instead of two different ones. The first one portrayed one’s true love, and the other one one’s arch enemy. Oswald glanced down at his arm. He had spent his entire life wondering how he was supposed to find the most important person in this world, a person that would complete the puzzle in his lonely soul and yet be the end of him. Now, he made sure to avoid anyone named Edward. He had too much to protect, an empire that he couldn’t see in ruins no matter what. And not even a promise of love could change that.
Ever since his first encounter with Edward Nygma at the GCPD, where the man bothered him with useless facts about male penguins and their eggs, Oswald found himself wondering whether this exact Edward was the one. Without giving it a more detailed thought, it seemed like a nonsense. Ed, the scrawny forensics nerd, always ready to annoy someone with his pointless riddles, simply couldn’t be an enemy nor a soulmate worth the great Penguin. He always imagined his special someone to be a man, or a woman, with power equal to Oswald’s. Someone who would change his world to the core, and yet would destroy him if given the chance. Edward Nygma was none of those things.
Months have passed and Oswald couldn’t bring himself to forget the man. It wasn’t that Ed himself was an interesting person, quite the opposite actually. Still anything Oswald was thinking about turned into questioning the man’s importance in his life. Could it be the simple scientist that would turn his life upside down?
A new culprit had started to raid the city, tricking the police with their mysterious riddles and well thought out strategies. Oswald, who always appeared to be right in the stream of top secret information, easily decoded the man’s identity. Maybe he had been wrong all along, maybe Edward really could reach his level.
All things considered, Oswald had decided to set up a meeting, not with Edward Nygma, but the famous Riddler, who still didn’t have any idea about the fact that is secret identity wasn’t that much of a secret anymore. At least not to Oswald. He sent him a simple invitation, offering the man a brief discussion at the Iceberg Lounge and also a chance for the newly risen outlaw to team up with the Penguin. It was obvious that Edward couldn’t refuse, his crimes might have appealed to be uncrackable, but he was well aware of the fact that someone would unveil his identity one day. And when that day comes, alliance with Penguin might be much more than just helpful.
The bar was, as usually in such a late hour, filled with people whose desires depended fully on how many drinks the bartender could produce in the shortest time. Edward had never found pleasure in company of large groups of people, and being surrounded by those drunk fools made his urge to isolate himself even stronger. He had no idea he was being watched from a corner of the room, where a man sat hiding in the shadows. Oswald had his eyes on the tall, lean man for a while now. He could have had Edward brought to him by now, but watching the man confusedly look around and anxiously pace around the bar was much more entertaining, and it also offered Oswald a chance to observe him from distance and gather useful information. Once Ed seemed so desperate that he would give up and head home, Oswald sent his men to bring him to meet him.
"So, Riddler, we finally meet." Oswald smirked, looking up the man up and down. He couldn't help, but snort when his eyes met with the mask Edward was wearing. The fool had put on a purple domino mask in order hide his face from Oswald, which was quite useless given the fact that Os had already learned everything about him.
"Finally indeed," Ed replied, causing Oswald to roll his eyes. He even tried to change the way his voice sounded not to give anything away.
After initial, and extremely awkward, small talk, Oswald had invited Ed to his office, saying that they needed to discuss more private matters. Having sensed that this could lead to a greater opportunity, Edward joined him upstairs, trying not to seem as anxious as he actually was.
“So, Edward Nygma, forensic scientist at the GCPD, who had suddenly decided to become a criminal, calling himself the Riddler, and who with high probability suffers from some kind of personality disorder. Have I forgotten to mention something?” Oswald arched a brow at the man, and tried to hide his amusement when Ed nearly jumped at his words.
“What?! How did you--?” He gasped.
“I have my connections,” Oswald smirked, and gestured his hand towards a chair for Ed to sit on.
“Let’s say I have a job for you, alliance maybe. That, however, requires complete trust. I need to be sure you won’t betray me nor stab me in the back when the opportunity appears.”
“Given that you know my identity, you can be certain that I won’t betray you. Even if I wanted to.”
“There’s one more thing I need to know first. In this kind of business, there is no place for a weakness such as love or hatred. Either make you weak, cause you to act upon your emotions like an animal. And in this kind of business, you need to become much more than that. You need to rely on your brain, not your heart. You understand?” After he got a nod in reply, Oswald continued. “I am not going to ask you for the names on your arm. Don’t get me wrong, our relationship is strictly business related, and I for one don’t care about that kind of nonsense. What I need to know, though, is that you won’t let any of those people get to you. Emotions cloud the mind, and Ed, I could really use mind like yours.”
°°°
Months since their first meeting, and Oswald had found a great companion in Edward. The two of them got along well, and plotted plans for Oswald's empire, whether that meant a simple change of the lighting in the Ice Berg Lounge, or killing someone – they always found a way to work around the issue together and solve it perfectly. Ed's intellect compltemented Oswald's strategical thinking, and soon enough, the whole city knew that Penguin had a parnter in crime.
"To establish complete dominance over the flow of alcohol in the city, I'd recommend you'd make other parties highten their prices significantly. That would make our club the cheapest one, therefore more people would visit it and you'd hoard more cash than ever before." Edward scratched the bridge of his nose with his finger, causing his glasses to fall down a bit.
Our club. Oswald couldn't help, but smile at that. Ed was by his side only for couple of months and he already talked as if they were some kind of inseparable duo. Oswald had put months, even years of hard work into his club, and if anyone else was about to take even the tiniest piece of credit, he'd have disposed of them immediately. However, despite his attempts not to find any liking in Ed, him calling it their club made him happier than it should have.
“I’ve already said I don’t care about the money, though. All we need is to maintain the name, being known as the best night club in Gotham.” Oswald shook his head, but offered the man a kind smile.
“Being the only available one would make it only more likeable in the eyes of our citizens. Give it a thought, we can discuss it again later.”
And Oswald did give it a thought, and of course, Ed was right again. What would he do without him? Of course, he knew how to maintain certain position, but Ed made it easier for him to climb even higher. Maybe with Ed by his side, nobody would be able to take them down. They'd rule the city, two friends having each other's back at all times.
Oswald slowly grew to appreciate Ed's presence, and tried to spend at least a little time with him every day. Once he didn't, he became snappy and moody, and all of his employee’s knew better to avoid him. He never wished for anyone to have this big impact on him, and yet it happened. Oswald always pried himself in being self-sufficient and not needing anyone by his side. This was even strengthened after the death of his mother when he realized there was no one in the world who he could depend on other than himself. This would have to come to an end soon. But why not enjoy things while they lasted? Oswald let out a tiny sigh and ran a hand down his face. This was what he had become. A weakling.
“Ed,” he greeted the other when he picked up his phone and finally answered the call that was going on in his pocket for a couple of minutes already. Oswald soon found out that Edward had called him to inform him that their plan for the Lounge to become the most visited club in the city has started to pay off.
“Then maybe, this offers an opportunity to celebrate, doesn’t it? Things like this do not happen every day.” Oswald felt his cheeks burn, but he couldn’t stop smiling. “Dinner it is,” he chuckled before cancelling the call.
It's not a date, he repeated to himself mentally. It can't be one. No, it mustn't be one. Still, he felt happier than ever thinking of the evening that was about to come.
°°°
Oswald nervously fidgeted with his tie, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. He always put a lot of effort into styling his hair, but now he looked even more extra. He had the tips of his hair dyed dark blue and purple, which went perfectly together with his normally black coloured hair. It brought out his eyes, at least the hairdresser said so.
It's not a date. Something still gave off the vibe of the exact opposite. It might not be a date, but it was the closest to one Oswald would ever experience.
After giving himself another quick look in the mirror to make sure he looked as presentable as possible, he grasped his newly made cane and limped out of the room. His palms were sweating and his hand nearly slipped from the cane. Does one come five minutes later or five minutes sooner to a dinner with someone that's special to them? Oswald had no idea, but as much as he tried to stall, he still ended up getting to the restaurant much sooner than he intended to. Was he supposed to wait outside or in the restaurant? Maybe he could wait for Ed at their table. After all, he decided to wait outside the restaurant to spare himself some embarrassment in case Edward decided not to come. The last thing he needed was to be seen desperately waiting for someone that didn't show up. And he truly was desperate.
Just as the clock showed 8 pm 'o clock, a cab stopped by the restaurant, and Ed hurried out of it. In a dark green suit, shiny black shoes and his hair combed back, he looked handsome and Oswald couldn’t take his eyes off him.
“Had by few but treasured by all, I'm on the inside and outside and I make men fall. What am I?” Ed offered him a wide smile, revealing his set of white teeth.
Oswald stared at him, dumbstruck. Instead of giving him a reply, he raised a brow at him, awaiting an explanation.
“Beauty. You look beautiful,” Ed's smile even widened and now he looked like a really happy shark. A cute one as well.
Oswald looked away and bit his lip. He felt his cheeks burn, and he was pretty sure that his face was already as red as a beet. “Let’s come inside, shall we?” He quickly mumbled, smiling shyly as he tottered inside the restaurant.
Once they were both seated by their table and a candle was lit in the middle of it, Oswald stared into his menu, trying to avoid Edward's gaze.
“I offer that we both choose meals for each other,” Ed proposed.
“Okay, I suppose we could.” Oswald shrugged and went through the menu once again, trying to find something that would suit Ed's tastes. There were much more fancy meals to choose from, but once he had spotted Hungarian goulash, his search was officially over.
They both had whispered their orders to the waiter so the other one wouldn’t hear it to avoid ruining the surprise. Ed ordered an old bottle of wine for them to go along with their meals.
“I'm not sure whether you'll find liking in this meal, but it is much dear to me. It reminds me of my mother, and I thought it would be nice for you to have tasted it.” Oswald said quietly after a plate was set in front of Ed, unsure whether he'd chosen well.
On his own plate that was sitting in front of him was some kind of meat, a steak maybe, showered in sauce that carried the same colour as the wine in their glasses. At the top of this all sat a ball made out of mashed potatoes, decorated with herbs.
“That tastes just wonderful!” Ed exclaimed. “C’mon, you need to try it.” He leaned over and pressed a spoonful to Oswald's lips, basically feeding him like a little child.
“Yes, it's very good indeed,” Oswald chuckled, blushing in embarrassment when Ed's finger brushed against his skin, wiping off some of the goulash that stayed on his chin.
The two of them ate their meals and drank the wine, conversation smoothly flowing back and forth as they changed subjects every once in a while. Soon enough, Ed had to order another bottle of wine as they easily drained their first one. It was pretty obvious that Oswald wasn't really good when it came to drinking alcohol. After first couple of glasses, he became giggly and cheerful. He even tried to come up with his own riddles to amuse Ed, and when Ed laughed in response, Oswald beamed.
“I am green and very blind without glasses. What am I?” He chuckled, causing Ed to look at him confusedly.
“I’m you, Ed!” Oswald laughed, a little snort escaping his mouth as he snickered too much to keep his breath even.
A couple more terrible jokes later, Ed and Oswald moved to Os' mansion, Oswald leaning against Ed the whole way there as he had some trouble walking straight. And his bad leg wasn’t helping him either. Feeling unstable from all the wine he'd drunk, his limp has even worsened.
Oswald plopped down onto the sofa, curling up into a ball. He glanced up at Ed, who sat down beside him. He was too tired to think logically, and his vision was still a bit blurred from drinking. He couldn't bring himself to stop staring at the man, his eyes basically devoured every detail of Ed's face. When their eyes met, Oswald let out a lazy chuckle, adverting his gaze after a little while.
"We should play a game," Ed suggested out of sudden.
Oswald looked up at him, a confused look in his eyes. "What kind of a game? I'm not really into games, Ed." He grinned.
"Don't worry, you'll like this one."
Ed took some time to explain the game to him. After it was explained to him for the fourth time, Oswald finally got the point of it. The game consisted of each one telling the other a riddle, and if they didn't guess it correctly, they had to say one of their deepest secrets. Ed was wrong, Oswald didn't enjoy the game and he pretty much sucked at it. Ed had answered all of his riddles correctly, and on the contrary Oswald couldn't get a single one right.
"I think I ran out of secrets to tell you." Oswald frowned at the man. His mind was still pretty blank, and there was only one secret lingering in his thoughts. A secret that could never be heard, especially not by Ed.
"You know the rules. You lose, you share a secret. Don't worry, anything you say will be kept secret." Ed encouraged him, shooting the man a wide smile. "I promise."
Oswald sighed and glanced at Ed, noticing the little wrinkle under his eyes. Even the skin around his eyes was a little pit paler that the rest of his body, probably caused by how often he wore his glasses. For a man, Ed surely had really long dark lashes.
"The thing I wanted to say is that-uh," he bit his lip before finishing the sentence, "is that I sort of like you. Maybe more than I allow myself to." For some unknown reason Oswald laughed at his own words, perhaps because of how absurd they sounded.
"Interesting," Ed nodded, his smile transforming into a smirk. Now he looked like a more raw version of Ed himself. Perhaps, this was The Riddler. "And what are we going to do with this knowledge?"
"I do not know, Ed." Oswald frowned in confusion.
"Then I suppose it's up to me to decide," his smirk even widened, and he acquired sort of a hungry look in his eyes.
Minutes later, Oswald was pressed against a wall with Ed's hands running all across his body. Clothes were soon scattered on the floor and the men found themselves in a tight embrace, pressing kisses to each other's lips. Oswald had never felt anything like this in his entire life. Ed completed him, connected with him both physically and emotionally. Maybe it was the alcohol that made him let all of his walls down, but for the first time he didn't feel vulnerable after doing so. He felt safe, and most importantly loved.
°°°
Sun shone through the blinds right into Oswald's face, making him wake up and cover his eyes. A strange sensation was lingering in his body. He felt exhausted and his head was starting to ache, probably a result of drowning down more than one bottle of wine. But there was some other feeling, one that he wasn’t yet able to pinpoint. The strangest of this all was that he felt happy. Unconditionally happy.
He didn’t have to wait long for a explanation. All he had to do was to look at the arms embracing him and turn his head to the side. There he was, Edward Nygma, naked and pressed against Oswald as he slept. His chin was resting on Oswald’s shoulder, and Oswald could feel his breath tickle his skin.
Ed's body looked differently from Oswald’s. The only thing they had in common was that none of them were exceptionally muscular, they both carried quite a normal body shape. While Oswald was short and had a few rolls on his stomach, Edward was like a tree, tall and lanky.
Black ink appeared in front of Oswald’s eyes. The tattoo on Ed's arm was uncovered, perfectly visible for Oswald to read.
Kristen. Isabella.
He read the names over and over, hoping they would change into his one if he prayed for it to happen. However, nothing changed. Edward wasn't who he thought him to be, and last night was a terrible, terrible mistake.
Oswald wiped the tears from his cheeks and quickly rushed out of the bed. He needed a shower. As if water and soap could cleanse him of the errors he’d made, and wash away feelings of betrayal.
Edward Nygma might not have been his soulmate, nor his nemesis, but he still managed to destroy the Penguin like noone has ever done before.