Chapter 15
"Alright, step away from the ramp. We're ready to take off," Steve said as he moved to raise the ramp to the Quinjet.
"Not yet, you're one passenger short!" a fifth voice yelled from outside.
"What the hell are you doing here?" you asked as you watched Edward quickly run up the ramp.
"Is this the button to close it?" he asked, pointing at a button on the wall.
"You didn't answer me."
"That's because it should be obvious. I'm going with you," he replied, pushing the button even though he hadn't received an answer. "Now, we're ready to take off, Cap."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"Ed, I appreciate the gesture, believe me. But, you don't have any idea what you're getting yourself into. This is a real war....against intergalactic beings. You're not a soldier. This is going to be hell."
"Hell is the idea that you might not come back alive. Unless you physically throw me off this jet right now and take off before I can get back on, I'm going. And since we're in a hurry, I wouldn't recommend wasting valuable on time on that."
Apparently Steve had already agreed, because you felt the Quinjet leave the ground before you could argue with him more.
"Did you really think I'd stay behind after what you told me?" he asked quietly.
Sitting down on the bench, you sighed loudly and rubbed your hands across your face in frustration.
"You're going to get yourself killed," you said, looking up at him.
"I don't think so. I'm too smart for that," he joked.
Sitting down beside you, he added, "Let's get one thing clear. Don't start thinking I'm a hero or a good man for doing this. I'm only concerned about your life and mine. I'm not jumping on grenades to save anybody."
"I can't make the same promise, Ed."
"I know you can't. Why do you think I'm here?"
"You came along to keep ME safe?" you asked with a laugh. "I was just thinking about how much extra work you were causing me. Now, I'm going to have to split my attention between fighting and babysitting you."
You were teasing him now to lighten the mood, and he knew it.
Tentatively, he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you to him. He suddenly realized that, in spite of all the years he'd known you, he'd rarely had you this close. The thought made his breath quicken, but he relaxed when you rested your head against him.
"I bet you still can't shoot worth a shit, can you?" you asked him.
"I've gotten a lot practice in working with Oswald. I'm much better," he lied reassuringly.
Tilting your head back, you looked up into his chocolate brown eyes. His being here felt so surreal. It was hard to believe that the sweet man who'd gotten his ass kicked in the interrogation room of the GCPD so long ago was now following you to war. Simply knowing Edward Nygma had made your life even stranger than it was before, you couldn't imagine what loving him would bring.
"What is it?" he asked when you hadn't stopped staring at him.
"Do you ever get tired of being right?"
He looked at you in confusion until you placed your hand on his cheek and reached your lips up to his. He was soft and slow at first, bordering on hesitant. It made you wonder if this could have been his first kiss. Then, in an instant, he grabbed ahold of you firmly and pushed his tongue into your mouth. You knew that the suddenness with which he flipped from Ed to the Riddler should have been concerning, but it wasn't anymore. You had experienced every version of him, and had accepted them all. Moving your hand to his chest, you pushed gently, a wordless reminder that the two of you were not alone. He restrained himself, and for those few moments before it ended, it was Edward Nygma that was holding you tight....the man who possessed the best qualities of each....the man you loved most.
When you parted he said, "I can be shared by many, or spread to few. I am as fragile as silk, yet as strong as steel. Wars have been fought in my name. Generations defined by me. What am I?"
"Love."
"I want to hear you say it."
"I love you, Edward Nygma."
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At the sound of Thor's cry, you rolled over as quickly as you could and proceeded to attempt standing. Your head was still swimming from the hit you'd sustained which made keeping your balance extremely difficult. In spite of that, you made your way out into the clearing in time to see Bucky turn into dust in front of your very eyes.
"What the hell's happening?" you muttered, looking to Thor and then Steve for an answer. Somewhere behind you, you heard Rhodey calling out for Sam.
"Edward," you whispered, remembering that you'd left him back on the battlefield when you and the other Avengers faced Thanos. Rushing past your friends and ignoring the throbbing in your skull, you went to search for him.
Back out at the dome, you watched in horror as half of the Wakandan soldiers began to disappear into nothingness. Frantic by this point, you ran around yelling his name, hoping each time that it'd be the time he'd hear you and call out.
But, he never did, and you never found him.
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Even locked up within the walls of Arkham, Oswald knew that something major had happened. Patients and employees who had been there earlier in the day were now nowhere to be found. It was like they had simply vanished into thin air, which was, of course, a ridiculous idea. But, the guards would not divulge any information to him or anyone else, and he had no contact with the outside world.
As the days and then weeks went by, he was internally cursing Edward for taking so long. He had assured him that it would take no time at all for him to secure Martin and then free him from this hellhole. Oswald began to wonder if Edward was using this opportunity to double cross him. Nygma was free on the outside with you, while he was caged up with all of Gotham's crazies. His already present paranoia steadily increased, and he became plagued with thoughts of the two of you together, blissfully enjoying each other's company while he was left in Arkham to rot. The only thing that brought him any comfort was that, deep down below his rampant suspicions and jealousy, he knew that you would not completely forsake him. You would come to his aid, with or without Edward.
Oswald's faith in you was not misplaced. Late one night, he was startled by one of the guards outside of his cell.
"Open it," he heard a soft, familiar voice whisper.
"Y/n!" Oswald called out enthusiastically, but quietly.
"I know who you are. I don't think you'll do it," the guard said, apparently questioning the authenticity of your threat.
Raising your gun to his head and pressing it against his flesh, you replied, "A lot has changed in the last few weeks, including me. I wouldn't take that bet."
Deciding that it wasn't worth the risk, he opened the cell.
"Now, get inside, lock yourself in, and give me the keys. Come on, Oswald. We have to hurry."
Taking him by the arm, you rushed him through the building as quickly as you could. You didn't imagine that the guard would sit quietly for long. Once outside, Oswald began spewing out questions nonstop.
"Is Martin safe? What's happened? Why did it take so long? Where's Edward?"
You bit down on your lip in an attempt to reign in your emotions. Now was not the time for this.
"I'll tell you later. Get in the car."
Oswald noticed the change in Gotham as you drove down the streets. It wasn't one big thing in particular, but a combination of small things that gave the entire city a different feel. It was eerie, even by Gotham's standards.
"What happened?" he asked again, more solemnly this time.
You stopped the car by the curb and took a deep breath.
"Martin is safe," you began, answering his first question from earlier. "He's at the Avengers' facility. I've got a still very pissed off god of thunder keeping an eye on him. Sofia wouldn't dare try to take him."
Oswald let out a small sigh of relief. That was good news at least.
"It took so long because we had to go fight Thanos," you said as you tried to fight back the tears that started to form. "What happened is that we lost. Half of everyone and everything is gone because we lost. We tried to fix it. We tried to bring everybody back. But, we were too late. They're just....they're all gone."
By this point, the tears were streaming down your face against your will. Oswald watched you silently, not knowing what to say. He placed his hand on your shoulder in an effort to comfort you. Overwhelmed by emotions, you leaned over and buried your face in his neck. At least this way he couldn't see you cry.
"Who did you lose?" he asked at last.
"Laura... the kids... Sam... Wanda... Vision... Edward," you choked out against the rough fabric of his Arkham issued uniform.
He didn't know how to feel about the loss of Edward. They'd experienced their fair share of rough patches over the years, but in spite of it all, he was still the best friend Oswald had ever had, apart from you. And although he had never liked competing with Edward for your attention and affections, he had never really wanted him dead. Yet, for some reason, he felt guilty now, as if he had wished this fate upon his friend.
After several minutes, you dried it up and sat up straight, wiping the tears from your face.
"I'm sorry," you said. "I don't like to cry, especially in front of people. It makes me feel weak."
"I would never think that of you," he said honestly.
"He claimed it was supposed to be fair.... completely random.... dispassionate.... but nothing about this is fair," you muttered quietly.
Raising your voice slightly, you continued, "That bitch Sofia survived. I watched good people turn into dust, but she got to live. I want her dead, Oswald."
"She will be soon enough. I promise you."
"Things have gone to hell in Gotham since the snap. You weren't around to hold onto to your people or your territory. It's all been divided up and taken over by anyone with strength enough to hold it. I haven't been able to find Butch. We're on our own, Oswald."
"What about my house?"
"Ransacked, but there wasn't anyone there, at least not when I checked."
"Take us there then. It's a start."
After you arrived at Oswald's home, you watched as he walked around studying the state it was in. Anything of value had been stolen, and everything that remained had been destroyed just for the hell of it.
"I'm sorry, Os."
"This was my father's house. I inherited it after he died. I wish you could have met him. He would've liked you," he said quietly.
"I didn't realize you knew your dad."
"We met by chance, or perhaps by fate, at my mother's grave. His wife killed him a few weeks after that. But, those weeks with him were nice."
"I'm sure he was a good man."
"He was. Even in spite of what I am, he still told me that he was proud of me."
After several silent minutes, you said, "We don't have any manpower, Oswald. Even if we don't move against Sofia, she's going to come after us. She's not going to let you walk around free. I hope you have a plan."
Straightening himself up and returning to the moment, he said, "You let me worry about that, my dear. This is what I do best. I will reclaim this city, and no one will stand in my way."
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Penguin was true to his word. It was amazing what he had been able to accomplish in only a few weeks' time. His home had been almost completely restored, he had a small, but steadily growing number of employees, and the Sofia Falcone problem had been "permanently resolved." You had to admit that it was impressive.
But, it left you with a problem. When you'd left the Avengers' facility for Gotham, you hadn't made any plans or decisions beyond breaking Oswald out of Arkham. He was your friend, and his plight had given you a short term purpose in life. Now, it was over, and you didn't know where to go from here.
Everything was different since the Snap. The remaining Avengers, yourself included, didn't know what place they would have in this new world.... this new world that existed solely due to their failure. That failure that you knew ate at them as much as it ate at you. They would always be your team, and more importantly your family, but being with them reminded you of everything that had happened.
Gotham wasn't much easier. You saw Edward everywhere you went. Sometimes it felt as if he was right there with you. At first, you found it very upsetting. But, after awhile, there was a strange sense of comfort that came along with it, like he wasn't really gone. Nowhere on Earth would you feel that sensation more than in Gotham. That's why you had decided to ask Oswald if you could stay.
Talking to him about Edward was going to be difficult, though. You hadn't given him any hint about what happened between the two of you that last day. Although you were dreading it, you felt he had the right to know.
As you nervously paced back and forth outside of his living room, you tried to put it all into words ahead of time. You thought being prepared would make it easier, but really you just felt more on edge. You had just decided to wait until another time when Oswald popped out of the room, startling you in the process.
"I thought I heard someone out here. What are you doing?"
"I-I need to speak to you about something."
"I've been wanting to talk to you, as well. Come in."
You took a seat on the couch next to the lighted fireplace. Its warmth was somewhat soothing, but you were still nervous. Oswald sat down in his favorite chair across from you.
"Ladies first," he said, motioning to you cheerfully.
"Um, well, this is difficult for me. I don't know where to start," you said, watching your hands as you fidgeted with them anxiously. You didn't like feeling this way, but you'd spoken very little of Edward since his death and it was harder than you'd imagined it would be.
After several silent moments, Oswald asked, "Would it be alright if I went first then?"
"Of course."
Looking up at him, you realized that he appeared to be as nervous as you felt.
"When you broke me out of Arkham and told me what had happened, the full impact of it took awhile to sink in. I especially didn't know how to feel about Edward's death at first, considering the unusual course of our friendship. Now, I know that I miss him very much. He was one of the only friends I ever had, and I wish he was here. But, what matters most is that you still are, because my life will go on without Edward, but I don't know that it could without you."
He wasn't looking at you anymore by the time he'd finished speaking. You knew that it was difficult for Oswald to open up and leave himself so vulnerable, and it spoke volumes about the importance and the sincerity of what he'd said. This man had lost everyone else who had ever mattered to him. How could you take away what he had left?
"I guess it's your turn now, if you're ready," he said.
You decided in that moment that you could never tell him about your love for Edward. What was the point? Edward was gone, and there was nothing you could do to bring him back. Telling Oswald would only hurt him. As the only person left in his life, you couldn't bring yourself to do it.
"May I stay here?" you asked.
"What?" he asked in surprise. Apparently it was the last thing he was expecting.
"I'm not ready to go back home to the compound. It reminds me of everything that happened. May I stay here with you? At least for awhile?"
"Of course you can!" he said enthusiastically. He seemed so much happier than he had a few moments earlier, as if he'd been afraid what he'd said might scare you off. "You're always welcome here. You never have to ask."
"Thank you, Oswald. That's very kind of you."
Not knowing what else to say right now, you stood up and told him that it was late and you were going to bed. Before leaving him though, you walked over and wrapped your arms around his neck. You felt his hands land on your upper back, returning your embrace as best as he could in his seated position. After the events of the last several weeks, this simple display of affection was very comforting to you. You ended up holding him longer than you normally would've, just enjoying the feelings that it gave you. Before you pulled back, you planted a soft kiss on his cheek.
"I'm glad you're still here, too," you whispered. "Goodnight, Oswald."