Chapter Text
It was dark out when Oswald woke.
Blinking groggily, he turned over to glance at the clock that resided on Edward’s nightstand. Squinting slightly at the glare from the too-bright green LEDs, he read the time: one thirty-six AM.
Edward himself happened to be absent from the bed, what he was up for at such ungodly hours of the morning, Oswald didn’t know. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position so he could scan the apartment for the sight of his boyfriend. If he studied the dark enough, he could vaguely make out the shadow of his partner. He had moved one of the chairs from the dining table to face the windows that spanned the height of the slanted wall opposite the entrance to the apartment. Edward was sitting far enough back that the almost neon lights that came from outside didn’t quite reach him, but rather illuminated the floor in front of him. He appeared to simply be gazing off into the night sky.
“Ed,” Oswald's voice was slightly croaky with sleep. He quietly cleared his throat before continuing. “what’re you doing up?”
Edward startled slightly at the unexpected sound of Oswald’s voice, having thought the other man was still resting. “I couldn’t sleep.” He answered after a second, still looking into the abyss outside.
Oswald nodded slightly in acknowledgement before realising there was no way for Ed to have noticed the motion in the unlit apartment. Shuffling to the edge of the bed, Oswald stood up, feet making contact with the uncomfortably cold floor. Christ, Edward needed to put a rug down, perhaps if he pestered the man enough, he would. He made his way over to where Ed was seated, leaning on the table for support as he grabbed the other chair so he could sit next to him.
They sat in silence for what felt to Oswald like aeons until Ed finally spoke.
“I used to like looking at the stars when I was younger.”
Oswald gave a noncommittal hum, just managing to stifle a yawn. He didn’t want to interrupt Edward’s train of thought.The man had always seemed hesitant to talk about his past. Honestly, Ed seemed to be a bit reticent in general. Oswald himself tended to be much the same, when possible.
“The town I grew up in was small, you could see every constellation, every asterism in the sky. I would spend hours staring out my bedroom window whenever I couldn’t sleep.”
“You can barely make out the stars in this city.” Oswald responded, trying to encourage Edward to continue verbalising his train of thought.
“Light pollution. It drowns them out. Makes the sky look empty.” Edward turned his head towards Oswald.
“It’s a shame, really. I’m sure you could tell me about all the constellations and all the asterisms, if we could make any of them out.”
Ed chuckled softly in response. “The void of a sky is probably the only dull thing about this city.”
“You’re right about that, I'm sure.” Oswald paused before asking his next question. “Do you want to tell me why you're really up?” He took Ed’s hand in his own in an offer of comfort. He could tell that Gotham’s lack of astronomy was more of a distraction for Edward to think about rather than the reason behind his restlessness.
Ed ran his thumb over the back of Oswald’s hand, something he had started to do as the pair had gotten more comfortable with expressing physical affection towards each other. “I’m just worried, I suppose.” He said after quite a while.
“About?” Oswald questioned.
“You. Your empire. Galavan practically stripped you of your power, and you’ve been in hiding for so long. Rebuilding is going to be a momentous task.” Ed took a deep breath. “A task I'm not entirely sure I’m qualified for.”
It took a hell of a lot for Edward to admit to a perceived inadequacy, even to his boyfriend.
“Edward, you’re the smartest man I've ever met. I’d go as far as to say that you’re over qualified.”
That got a small smile out of Ed.
“If anyone is suited to stand by my side as I reclaim this city, it’s you, my love.” Oswald finished.
Edward shuffled his chair closer to Oswald’s in order to rest his head on the man’s shoulder. “I love you.” he mumbled tiredly.
“And I you.” Oswald kissed the top of his boyfriend’s head. “Ready to get back into bed?”
Ed nodded, getting up and offering his hand to Oswald. Together, they made their way back over to the bed, settling down in each other's arms.
—----------
The precinct was as busy and as crowded as always when Edward arrived at work the next day. If anyone noticed the fact he was later than usual, they didn’t mention it. They probably hadn’t even noticed that he was late at all, he thought disdainfully. Ed made his way down to the lab as quickly as humanly possible, not wanting to be in the company of any of the officers for any longer than was absolutely necessary.
He unlocked the lab and opened the door, stepping inside. He just had to finish off his paperwork for the Fries case and then he was free to work on whatever else was thrown his way. At least he could work down here instead of at his desk. It was always quieter in the lab.
Sitting on a stool that stood at the side of the metal table, he started to flick through the sheets of paper in front of him, pausing briefly to sign here and there to state that he hadn’t falsified evidence and whatnot. Honestly, he couldn't care less if he had falsified evidence. It’s not like any of the clowns he worked with would notice anyways, they all seemed to be a few cards short of a full deck, to put it lightly. Jim Gordon, unfortunately, would be an exception (most of the time). As much as Edward hated to admit it, the detective was sharp. Sharp enough, at least, to recognise that Ed’s connection to Oswald could be somewhat of a threat.
Ed scribbled down one last signature before pushing his paperwork to the side, done with it until he needed to hand it in, shaking his head to attempt to clear his thoughts of the Detective. Thinking of the man would only serve to put him in a bad mood.
Ah. Speak of the devil.
Jim slowly pushed open the door to the lab, peeking his head in to see if Ed was there. Once he had confirmed the man's presence, he entered the room fully.
“Ed, hi.”
“Good morning, detective.” Edward was suddenly very invested in his previously discarded paperwork.
“You too. Ed, we need to talk.” Jim approached the place where Ed was sitting and leaned against the table, arms crossed over his chest.
“Can it wait? I really need to get the paperwork done.” Ed still didn’t look up.
“It’s about Penguin.”
“Ah.” Ed finally looked up, pushing his paperwork to the side, yet again. “You wish to know the nature of my relationship with him?”
Jim nodded.
I love him. He loves me. We’re closer than I ever thought I could be to another person. He sees me for who I am and doesn't turn me away. I see him and only devote myself to him more. We are both ingrained in the very being of the other. To separate him and I would be as if you had ripped my heart from my body and duped me in the river. We understand each other. Edward thought. When Oswald held that knife to his throat it was the first time he felt seen by someone. He couldn't tell all that to Jim, though. So what he actually said was:
“I found him bleeding out in the woods and felt uncomfortable with leaving him to die.” It wasn’t technically a lie, he had found Oswald when he was grievously injured, after all. “I felt as if I was morally obligated to help so I brought him back to my apartment and nursed him back to health. He told me he’d changed his ways and I believed him.”
Jim raised an eyebrow. “What were you doing out in the woods?”
Well, they were getting straight to the interrogation, then.
“I was out on a walk.” Ed responded, flexing his left hand. He was aware that he seemed suspicious but most of his habits and mannerisms were deemed suspicious by others for some reason anyway so he figured that Jim would dismiss it.
“On a walk that far out from the city? Bit of a journey, isn’t it?”
“I enjoy the quiet.” Ed said simply.
Jim nodded, though he seemed unsure. After a second he asked: “ Are you still in contact with Oswald now?”
“No, I haven’t seen Mr. Penguin since he left my apartment with you.” Ed stared pointedly, ignoring the jealousy he felt at the thought of Jim and Oswald galavanting around the city after their mutual enemy.
“Good. He’s a bad influence.” Jim met Ed’s eyes, seemingly trying to use the man’s discomfort with eye contact to his advantage.
“Noted. Thank you for your concern, detective.” It was a clear dismissal and for a second, it looked as if Jim was about to keep talking.
“Be careful, Ed.” Jim said, it felt more like a threat than the gentle warning that appeared to have been intended. Ed didn’t bother to dignify him with a response, just watched as Jim walked out.
Crud.
He needed to be careful. The last thing he wanted to do was bring suspicion upon himself. Having Jim Gordon keeping an eye on him would make his and Oswald’s plans more difficult than originally thought. Edward didn’t know just what Jim suspected him of. Was it just of harbouring Oswald? Or had he become suspicious of Kristen Kringle’s sudden departure from the GCPD? Oh dear. Oh dear. Sure, he had figured that Jim would at least be a little suspicious of him, but he had hoped that it would blow over in a few days. Ed took a breath to steady himself. It would be fine. He was genius enough to work against the hindrance that Jim was and Oswald still had a few connections in the underworld that gave him an edge when it came to reclaiming his criminal empire. It would be fine. He just needed a way to distract Jim.
—--------
Jim closed the lab door behind him as he walked out. Nygma was undoubtedly hiding something, and Jim was sure that thing was Penguin. The two of them had seemed too close for comfort when he had seen them together in Ed’s apartment. The only question was, why? Why would Edward want to associate with such a prolific criminal? Sure, maybe he really did find Penguin injured and dying but that didn’t explain why Ed had seemed to actually care about Oswald beyond his so-called moral obligation. Maybe he’d felt lonely after Kristen left and had got attached, Jim didn’t know. Unfortunately, Jim couldn't just go barging into Ed’s apartment to find Oswald without a warrant and, for a warrant, he’d need reasonable cause. He couldn’t prove reasonable cause without incriminating himself.
Damn it.
----------
Oswald hung up and slammed his phone down onto the table, slumping back down into the chair he hadn’t even realised he’d vacated. God, being a mob boss could be so incredibly frustrating sometimes. A small heist, that’s all it had been, and the guys on his payroll had still managed to fuck it up. If he wasn’t running dangerously low on men, he’d have them all killed. Might even dispatch some of them himself, work the rage out of his system, but alas. At least the fools had managed to grab some cash before tripping the alarm.
Taking a breath, he picked his phone back up and flipped it back open. He had a text from Ed.
Ed: Jim asked me if I knew where you were.
Shit. Oswald quickly typed out his response.
Oswald: What did you say?
Edward’s reply came surprisingly fast.
Ed: Told him I had no idea, obviously.
Ed: Not convinced he bought it, though.
Damn Jim and his infuriating inability to leave things alone, Oswald thought.
Oswald: Is there any way for you to throw him off, perhaps?
Ed: I could play up the niceness, try to lure him into a false sense of security?
Oswald wasn’t entirely swayed by Ed’s plan, considering how he’d been treated when he'd been genuinely nice, but it was the only idea they currently had. Besides, they could definitely come up with something later.
Oswald: Yes, that’s good for now. We’ll devise something better tonight.
Ed: Righto.
Oswald snapped his phone shut, figuring it wouldn’t look good for Edward to get caught texting during work hours, let alone get caught texting him. He stood up and fixed his suit. Gabe would soon be here to drop off what little money his goons had managed to grab. He hoped Jim hadn’t had the sense (or the time) to stake out Ed’s apartment.
------------
It was almost time for Edward to pack up and leave. Technically, he could’ve left about forty-five minutes ago but he usually stayed late and he didn’t need Jim to be any more suspicious of him. Though, to be fair, Jim himself had already left so it was probably safe for him to head out. He grabbed his bag and made his way out of the lab and headed towards the exit. The precinct was mostly empty, save for a few stray officers who definitely weren't working overtime voluntarily. Cops. He sneered to himself as he hastily passed by them.
He walked out onto the pavement, making his way to his car. Unlocking it, he dumped his bag on the passenger seat. He double checked he had his phone - he had - before starting the car.
He spent most of the drive home zoned out, brainstorming ways to divert Jim’s attention. Some sort of distraction would be ideal, but if it went wrong he’d be under even more scrutiny than before. He could try and lead clues that lead to a dead end? Yes, that could work…
Before he knew it, he was at his apartment building. He parked up and got out. A quick glance around told him that he hadn’t been followed. Good. He made his way inside and up to his apartment.
---------
The sound of the metal door sliding open made Oswald jump, though he immediately relaxed upon realising who had opened it.
“Hey, Oswald.” Edward greeted as he placed his bag down by the door.
“Hey yourself.” Oswald smiled back, making his way over to his boyfriend for a kiss.
Ed met him halfway, hands coming to rest on Oswald’s hips. They both pulled away after a second.
“Shall I make a start on dinner?”
----------
Dinner, as per usual, was delicious. Baked salmon had always been one of Oswald’s favourites but Edward managed to make it just that bit more enjoyable.
“So, Ed, darling.” Oswald placed his wine glass down. “Had any more ideas of how to throw our dear friend Jim off of our trail?”
Edward took a swallow of his own drink before responding. “Mhm.” He put his glass down before continuing. “I think we need to distract him, take his attention and place it on something big enough that he’ll forget all about us.”
“Oh?” Oswald had been thinking along similar lines, but he was interested to hear exactly what Ed had been thinking.
Edward nodded. “I could perhaps steal something, maybe a painting, and leave a clue. Then another. Then another. We could lead him on a wild goose chase.” He grinned.
Oswald sat there for a second. In theory, It was a good plan, But in practice… He wasn’t particularly a fan of his boyfriend putting himself at risk like that.
Ed seemed to know what he was thinking. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that he doesn't suspect a thing. I’ll make sure my actions are untraceable. I’ll act when I know he’s at work. He can’t watch me all the time.”
Oswald nodded hesitantly. He didn’t have anything to counter Ed’s idea with and it would be easier to operate if he knew Ed had him covered.
“Okay, do it.”