Chapter Text
Oswald sat slumped in a plush armchair nursing a bottle of whiskey, staring unseeingly into the lit fireplace. Just when he thought he had finally gotten everything he had ever wanted; Gotham in the palm of his hand and someone to share it with, it was all ripped away.
Well, he still had Gotham but what good was an empire if the one person he wanted to rule by his side was off mooning after some librarian doppelgänger. He scowled as he took another swig from the almost empty whiskey bottle.
Rejection, he could have dealt with. It would have stung and possibly created a strain on their friendship but he could have moved past it. But with each passing day that Ed spent with Isabella he could feel his friend slipping further and further away. He feared that it wouldn’t be long until Ed handed in his resignation and Oswald lost him completely. He took another swig.
Victor sighed inaudibly from where he stood unnoticed in the doorway as he watched his boss drink himself into a stupor.
It was more painful than he’d like to admit to see his boss in such a state, especially considering what had him so depressed in the first place. Victor felt annoyance and anger flare up in equal measure. It was clear to anyone with functioning eyes how Oswald looked and his chief of staff. Yet for all of Nygmas claimed intelligence, he was stupid enough to throw Oswalds affection away for some creepy ex-girlfriend look-alike he had known for less than a week.
What was worse was that Oswald clearly did truly love Nygma. Victor had known Oswald, even if only peripherally, for most of his criminal career, from Mooneys umbrella boy to King of Gothams underworld and now mayor. In all that time he had never seen him so distraught over someone, with the exceptions of his parents deaths of course. He had never even shown such a reaction any of the multiple times Gordon had screwed him over.
Nygma clearly didn't deserve Oswald and Victor wished he could just see that. Ever since they had first met, Victor could see who Oswald had the potential to become. He was clever, ambitious and often the smartest person in the room without anyone else being aware of how wildly outmatched they were. Not to mention how delightfully blood thirsty Oswald could be. It was one of Victors favourite qualities of his.
Some of Oswalds greatest strengths came from the intensity of his emotions. The absolute furry he could display was unmatched and no one got revenge like the Penguin. However it also had the potential to be one of his greatest weaknesses but it wasn't the fact that he loved so deeply that was the issue, it was who he placed that love upon that was the problem.
A pretentious cop and narcissistic sociopath. Oswald sure knew how to pick em’.
Victor took a deep breath before finally stepping quietly over to the couch. He would not stand for this any longer.
“Boss?” Victor spoke softly as he entered Oswalds line of sight.
Oswald startled slightly, completely unaware that anyone else was in the room, before glancing at Victor.
“What?” He asked tersely, really not in the mood to be interacting with anybody.
“As respectfully as possible, you need to get your shit together,” Victor said bluntly. Standing firm even as Oswald whipped his head around to glare at him with the heat of a thousand suns.
“What,” he hissed, not so much a question as a warning. Victor didn't flinch, however, Oswald was in no state to pose any real threat.
“Boss, i respect you too much to watch you do this to yourself. I get being heartbroken or whatever but you haven’t left the manor in three days, spending all your time getting drunk and pouting. As hard as I’m sure this is, you have a reputation to maintain. You are the mayor of Gotham and, more importantly, the Penguin. You’re better than this,” Victor said firmly.
It was extremely unlike Victor to speak to his boss, or anyone really, in such a manner. Victor always had a blasé ‘devil may care’ air about him. He was never one to speak on matters that didn't really concern him directly, he did as he was paid to do and nothing more.
But against everything, he really cared about Oswald. Not just as the one signing his paychecks but as a person, probably more than he should. Definitely more than he would ever reveal to Oswald. So he would be damned if he let that arrogant string bean destroy his boss. Over his cold, sexy, dead body.
Oswalds face went through a multitude of emotions; rage, indignation, confusion, more rage and just the tiniest bit of shame.
“And what exactly, Victor, would you know about my current situation?” Oswald spat with barely contained furry. If he wasn't so drunk he probably already would have tried to throw a knife at Victors face.
“I know that you deserve better than Edward Nygma,” Victor said firmly as he stalked forward. He knelt down on one knee in front of his boss, taking the liquor bottle from his grasp and gently cradling Oswalds slight hands in his. His boss seemed too startled by the gesture to speak so Victor continued.
“You need to show the people of Gotham that their mayor is strong. You have worked too hard to throw it all away now just because of the likes of Edward Nygma,” Victor said seriously, intense eyes never straying from Oswalds that were starting to shine with unshed tears.
“Pull yourself together and show that loser what he’s missing out on,” Victor finished, rubbing his thumb absentmindedly over his bosses knuckles.
Oswald sat in stunned silence. Never would he have expected such a speech from Victor Zsasz. Never would have expected the sadistic assassin to look at him with such care and sincerity. As painful as some of his words were Oswald couldn't deny their truth, Victor was right, he needed to gather his composure. He had a job to do, a dedication to the people of his beloved city.
Oswald took a deep breath and blinked away the tears gathering in his eyes, giving Victors calloused hands a slight squeeze. Victor stood and silently stepped back as Oswald made to get up.
“You are absolutely right Victor, I have a job to do and I cant let my troublesome feelings keep me from it,” Oswald declared with as much dignity and conviction as he could muster.
Victors usual easy smile slid back onto his face.
“Cool,” he said casually. “I took the liberty of compiling your schedule for the day and you are unfortunately needed in city hall.”
Oswald gave a sharp nod. He hadn’t done any work, mayoral or kingpin, in days so there was bound to be a lot to catch up on.
“Call a car for me while I go make myself presentable.” Victor gave a nod, turning to walk out of the sitting room.
“And Victor,” Oswald called, Victor paused in the doorway, turning his head and raising a brow bone. “Thank you.”
Victor smiled wildly.
“Anytime boss.”
—
“How did you know?”
Victor glanced at his boss who was starring resolutely out the window of the limo. He didn’t have to ask what he meant.
“Pretty hard not to notice the hearts in your eyes,” Victor answered. It was vague but honestly the truth, Oswald always wore his emotions on his sleeve. He was honestly pretty surprised that Nygma seemed to have not noticed at all.
“Am i truly that obvious?” Oswald muttered, mostly to himself.
“Don’t worry, boss, I don’t think he’s noticed,” Victor answered anyway.
Oswald was silent for a moment, pensively starring out the window at the passing city, lost in thought. While his boss starred at the city, Victor stared at him. It never ceased to amaze him how beautiful Oswald was. What was even more dumbfounding was that his boss seemed to be completely oblivious to it.
Victor remembered the very first time he ever laid eyes on Oswald. It was back when he was still Fish Mooneys umbrella boy. Victor had accompanied Don Falcone to a meeting with Fish at her club and there he was, standing diligently behind her, the most beautiful man Victor had ever seen. Silky jet black hair that he instantly wanted to run his fingers through just to see if it was as soft as it looked. Gorgeous porcelain skin dotted with the most adorable freckles across his nose and cheeks. But everything else paled in comparison to his eyes. They were green but not like a forest, no. Green like a storm at sea, perfectly, beautifully destructive.
He stood with his back straight, hands clasped in front of him, his head ever so slightly bowed. The deceptively perfect picture of docile obedience. Victor could immediately see it for the ruse it was, he could see it in the sharp attentiveness in his eyes. Carefully cataloguing everything that was being said for later use. It was abundantly clear to Victor that this umbrella boy was going places and he would cut any throat to get there. When Oswald finally lifted his sea green eyes to meat his, Victor knew that he was whole and irrevocably fucked.
“You didn’t need to accompany me, you know.” Oswalds voice brought Victor back to the present to see his boss looking at him.
“Sorry, boss. ‘Afraid i don’t have anything better to do than annoy you,” Victor smiled his usual creepy grin. They both knew that wasn’t the reason Victor had decided to accompany Oswald to city hall despite having never done so in the past.
His boss huffed and rolled his eyes but the smile on his face was fond and that was enough for Victor.
Even if thats all he would ever get, it was enough.