Oswald’s Ending
Whether it was due to your threat about never coming back or the emergence of the Batman as a new adversary, you couldn’t be sure, but Oswald and Edward decided to put aside their silly little war and finally join forces. Frankly, you were relieved. You had a tendency to worry about them, and knowing they had each other if something went wrong was a reassuring thought. Especially since you had more than enough on your plate already.
Before she died, Natasha had given herself the job of keeping in touch with, not only the other members of the team, but their allies as well. At the time, there really hadn’t been much going on to monitor. But, since you’d taken over the role, it seemed to keep you busy nonstop. By the time you checked in with Scott, Wanda, Stephen, Peter, T’Challa, Thor, the Guardians...it was time to start all over again. Add to that the fact that you were still working directly with Sam and Bucky on everything they did AND mentoring Bruce, it was a miracle that you even managed to get a shower everyday.
Still, in spite of your self inflicted duties, you always slipped both Edward and Oswald into your very full schedule. In actuality, your trips to Gotham had a dual purpose. You’d spend about half the time with Bruce in his Bat-cave devising strategies, and the other half hanging out with a couple of the very villains he was trying to bring down. If either party suspected you of playing both sides, they hadn’t mentioned it. The way you saw it, Gotham had plenty of other bad guys for Batman to beat up without receiving any interference from you. If you happened to have a soft spot in your heart for only two out of an almost infinite number of them, you weren’t going to let yourself feel guilty about it.
On the other hand, you also couldn’t help but feel very proud of the impact Bruce was having as Batman, especially since you saw some of the results of it firsthand.
“THAT IMBECILE HAS INTERFERED WITH MY PLANS FOR THE LAST TIME!” Oswald screamed as he slammed his fists down on his desk.
Alright, so it’s not that you were happy that Oswald was having problems, but Bruce was your protege of sorts. You liked knowing that he was making a difference. It often made you wonder if this was the same way Tony had felt about Spider-Man.
“You almost look...amused,” Edward said, studying you with a thoughtful expression.
You’d been sitting in the office with them listening to Oswald rant, your fingers resting against your mouth so they couldn’t spot the small grin on your face. Apparently, it hadn’t been enough to fool the ever-perceptive Edward Nygma.
“I am a bit. I can’t help but find the whole thing...slightly humorous.”
“Humorous? HUMOROUS? I don’t see anything funny about it at all!” Penguin screeched.
“You know, you’re adorable when you’re angry. It kind of reminds me of a chihuahua.”
Oswald’s lips went into such a fine line that they almost disappeared from his face completely. Anyone else would be dead by now, but he was as dangerous to you as a newborn kitten.
He directed his rage towards Edward instead when he heard the man let out a small laugh in response to your comment.
“Don’t you have something you could be doing now?!”
“Actually, I do,” Edward said, checking his watch. “I won’t be long.”
He’d been disappearing a lot lately, but he’d been dodgy about giving you a direct answer when you’d asked him why. Of course, you already knew what he was up to. The Riddler had been engaging in a dangerous game with Batman. You wanted to find a way to make Ed put a stop to it, but you didn’t know how to without revealing what you knew.
Grabbing ahold of his hand when he walked past, you simply said, “Be careful.”
“Always.”
Oswald stared at your hand still holding Edward’s, his anger at Batman long forgotten. He’d been patient in regards to you sorting out your feelings, but it hadn’t been easy. He had never possessed much patience.
Nevertheless, he was willing to put on a false front for your sake. He couldn’t risk driving you away...to Edward or anyone else. You held some of the strongest men in the world in the palm of your hand. It would be easy for you to walk away and never come back.
So for now, simply having you here was enough. But, he worried that the longer you took to make a decision, the slimmer his chances became.
“Hey, are you okay?” you asked once Edward had left. Oswald’s angry expression from earlier had been replaced by an attitude that only be described as defeated. It made you sad. Angry Penguin had a fire inside of him that you loved. This version looked like that flame had been doused by a big bucket of water.
“Oh, just thinking about something,” he admitted quietly, his eyes not meeting yours.
“You’ve got to stop fixating on Batman,” you said, oblivious to the true cause of his mood swing. “You’ve got bigger things to worry about.”
It was true. Batman was a genuine threat, of course, but the worst thing he would do is put them in jail. It was no secret that a competitor had been gunning for Oswald lately. The revolving door of bodyguards was proof of that.
Standing up and walking over to him, you placed your hands comfortingly on his shoulders.
“You’re tense. You’ve got to relax,” you said as you started gently massaging them.
It had been far too long since you’d touched him, and even the nonsexual nature of your current contact was more than he could stand. He was definitely feeling something, but it wasn’t relaxation.
Grabbing ahold of your wrist gently to stop you, he said, “I’m fine...really.”
Now wasn’t the time for the accidental distractions of a temptress.
“Okay,” you said, sensing his resistance. “How about we go get that nice dinner you promised me?”
He knew that he should say no. If he was being truthful, he’d put on a few pounds lately...something that Edward wouldn’t stop ribbing him about. But, as he looked up at your hopeful face, he found himself caving.
“Alright.”
He escorted you out of the club with his bodyguards on either side. When you reached the street, however, you got a strange feeling when you saw that his car was parked there, but the driver was gone and the doors were locked. Hanging around on a dark sidewalk wasn’t safe for a man with as many enemies as Penguin had.
“This is weird,” you muttered.
Your attention was drawn to a vehicle that was driving much too slowly for the other cars around it. Trusting your years of training, experience, and natural instincts, you yelled “Get down!” before grabbing him and pulling him down to the concrete. Seconds later, bullets were whizzing by over your head.
Reaching for the gun hidden in the shoulder holster under your jacket, you pushed Oswald against the side of the car. As soon as there was a momentary break in the gunfire that indicated that they were reloading, you leaned over the hood of the car and started shooting. You only popped off a few rounds before he was pulling you back down.
“What the hell are you doing?! I have bodyguards for that!”
“Yeah, and one of them has a bullet in his forehead. Unless you want a matching look, don’t interfere.”
With your attention focused on taking out the shooters, you didn’t even see the man toss the grenade. The next thing you knew someone bumped into you, pushing you roughly onto the ground. Then, there was an explosion and pained screaming.
Scrambling up, you saw Oswald holding one hand to his face as he screamed. Knowing that there wasn’t time right now to check on him, you continued returning fire until the driver decided to get the hell out of there.
“Oswald!” you cried, moving his hand to assess the damage. His face was bleeding, and there was some definite damage to his eye area, but it was superficial. Thankfully, he’d survive.
————
“I came as soon as I heard. Are you okay?” Edward asked, rushing over to you.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He appeared noticeably relieved.
“And Oswald?”
“His doctor is in there with him now,” you said, motioning to his closed office door.
“He didn’t go to the hospital?”
“It’s superficial...and you know Oswald.”
Edward nodded slightly. He certainly did.
With Edward now by your side, you entered the office to see the progress that was being made.
“How bad does it look?” Oswald asked.
“Not too bad-“ Edward tried to lie before making a gagging sound.
“You’re not helping,” you hissed at him.
After placing the bandage on the wound, the doctor said, “It ought to heal up without too many complications. That eye might give you some vision problems in the future, though. I can’t tell for sure yet.”
Already sick of the man’s presence, Oswald waved him away without another word.
“Where were you anyway?” Oswald asked Edward with a growl.
“You didn’t want me here, now you’re mad I was gone?”
“Ed...” you began, “it’s late. Why don’t you go home?”
His being there wasn’t helping matters at all right now.
When he didn’t move, you added softly, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, just let me know later that you got in alright.”
“I will.”
Once you and Oswald were alone, you went to sit on his desk across from him.
“You shouldn’t have done that you know....pushed me out of the way.”
“It was the least I could do.”
“It was a lot more than that.”
In all the years you’d known him, you’d never seen him do anything so completely selfless. Without giving it a second thought, he had risked his safety and well-being to protect someone else...and that someone was you.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” he asked, starting to feel uncomfortable under your continued gaze.
“Hmm?” You hadn’t even realized you’d been watching him for several minutes. “It’s nothing.”
“How bad is it really?” he asked in an effort to fill what seemed to him like an awkward silence. “Do you think it will leave a scar?”
“Most likely.”
He leaned his head back and let out an unhappy groan.
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. I’ve got one or two myself. Bucky has a bunch. It’ll just make you look tougher...and sexier.”
You laughed lightly when you saw him roll his one visible eye in response to your comment.
It suddenly dawned on him that he couldn’t recall noticing any visible scars on the man Edward liked to describe as “nauseatingly handsome.” Just as he was about to ask how you happened to know so much about it, you took him completely by surprise by crawling into his lap and kissing him firmly.
He froze, still startled by the action, as you began running your fingers through his jet black hair. Your kiss was rough, a combination of lips, tongue, and teeth. When you nipped at his bottom lip, he pulled back in shock.
“I-I‘ve never seen you like this,” he said. It wasn’t a criticism, just a truthful observation.
“I know,” you responded. Your love for Edward had always been the cloud hanging over your relationship with Oswald. You had given yourself to him, but never fully. Never the way he deserved. “And I’m sorry. You deserved better.”
“I’ve never done anything to deserve anyone, least of all you.”
He hated to ask in a moment like this, but he had to know.
“What about Edward?”
Resting your head against him, you said quietly, “I love him. I suppose I always will.”
When he tried to turn his face away from you, you grabbed it firmly in your hands.
“But, I need you,” you continued. “I need the man who was willing to stand by me, even though he can’t understand the reasons behind anything I do. The man who was there for me when I needed someone the most. I need you, Oswald. I love you.”
This time when you kissed him, he returned it with equal fervor. It felt possessive, like he was finally going to be able to claim you as his own and had every intention of doing so. His hands grabbed ahold of your hips, and you responded by rubbing yourself against his hardening arousal. You wasted no time in reaching to undo his pants, but he stopped you.
“Here?” he asked, feeling equal parts embarrassed and excited by the idea. After all, it was a Saturday night and there was a club full of people on the other side of the door.
“Here...please. I can’t wait.”
He laughed slightly, overwhelmed by the change in you.
You...you could’ve had anyone you wanted, and here you were begging him for it.
“I won’t be able to let you go again,” he admitted.
“Who says I’ll want you to?”
“How did I get so lucky?” he asked, reaching up to caress your cheek. “You...you belong in heaven, and I belong in hell.”
“Don’t call me an angel yet, Oswald,” you said, grinning at him wickedly. “You might have to take it back once you see what I’m planning to do to you tonight.”