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“You’ve had a nice run, Oswald,” Jim was saying, face twisted into a strange haughty smile, “But it’s over.” I watched Oswald reach out and grab the detective’s shirt, pulling him closer. He drew himself up to his full height; still a few inches shorter than Jim, but the pure power he exuded made it seem the opposite. My fingers tapped idly against the table I was perched on. Oswald was saying something low and threatening to Jim, something I couldn’t quite make out.
The cameras continued flashing even when Oswald let Jim go, raising his voice just the slightest bit. “I’m going to find this gang, and I’m going to crush them.”
I frowned. Hard. This was supposedly about the licenseless gang who had attacked the First National Bank earlier. Maybe I wasn’t a detective, but I knew they weren’t the type to directly go after Oswald without needing to, more of the ‘sending a message’ type. There was no reason for Jim to warn Oswald about them, unless…
“Always good to see you, old friend!!” Oswald shouted at Jim’s retreating form as I hopped off the table. He turned back to the press, clearly ready to rip the gang a new one, but I placed a hand on his arm and started pulling him away before he could say anything. “Excuse us for a second,” I tossed over my shoulder.
“Damn cowards,” Oswald muttered under his breath. “Best to get rid of them now, though, I suppose.” He sighed, smoothing the lapels of his jacket.
“He’s baiting you,” I said. Oswald’s hand froze, and he cocked his head at me. “Oh?”
“You’re right that they’re cowards,” I said. “If they really wanted to attack you, wouldn’t they just do it? Think about it - pond scum like them? They’re too afraid of the consequences to do anything drastic. They’re trying to prove a point by attacking a bank without a license, but no matter what they do now it’ll seem desperate. If you react - because clearly Jim wants you to - they may feel justified in directly attacking you.”
My mouth snapped shut when I looked up to see the way Oswald was looking at me. The blue lights of the club made his eyes almost glow, and their usual bright sharpness was softened by the crooked smile on his face. “Wh… what?” I said, suddenly embarrassed. What I said wasn’t anything special, I knew Oswald had probably realized all that way before I had.
“You,” he started, “are the loveliest person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
Huh.
I think I may have let out a flustered squeak, but if I did, Oswald didn’t react. “You’re right, though,” he continued, tapping a thoughtful finger to his chin. “Which is why I’m going to bait them back.” The dangerous glint was back in his eye. “Okay,” I said faintly, still focused on the one-two punch of the adoring expression directed at me and the following words that made heat bloom in my cheeks.
Oswald hardly seemed to notice my pleased embarrassment, though my own distraction cleared up as he leaned in to me. “Dude. Cameras,” I hissed, pointedly not looking at the reporters I knew were watching us. Oswald rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. At this point, who doesn’t know we’re together? It’s just never been publicly announced.”
“You’re insufferable, you know that, right?”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Perhaps. And I would also really like to kiss you right now.”
It was easier than I thought to tune out the almost frantic chatter and flashing of the camera shutters as he did just that, familiar warm lips sliding against my own.
Oswald was right, I realized. Even after almost a year and many many speculations from the media, I don’t think any stupid articles confirming our relationship had ever snuck into the newspaper. Well, I suppose that’ll change soon.
He pulled back with a delighted laugh after what I’m sure was an uncomfortable amount of time for the reporters. “Pond scum,” he said, repeating my previous insult. “I like that.”