#but by the end that man is NOT hiding how much he loves oswald | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thepaintedlady00 · 11 months

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Nightshade

Chapter 15 | Chapter 17

Chapter 16: Little Fish

TW: as always mentions of drinking, smoking and some minor mentions of drug use (current and past), language, mentions of sexual content, some classic catfight material (Tess vs. Simone) a bit of jealous Jake, some kind of heavy topics, I haven't been to New York so please suspend your disbelief while I poorly describe shit, I also do not speak Japanese so the translations all came from Google Translate. I apologize in advance if they're wrong. And this long ass chapter was edited quickly so if there are any mistakes either ignore them or please politely point them out so I can try to go in and fix them. Enjoy y'all! This bitch is 28 pages so stay hydrated and well fed! 😂

Oswald rarely had a quiet moment to himself. One certainly foregoes all notions of such when caring for a family of three misfit orphans. But, in the slightly too dark and slightly too musty storage area behind the bar, Ozzy had a moment to himself. He used the time wisely, slowly looking through the old photo album and giving each picture the remembrance it deserved.

It was all there, every birthday and Christmas and vacation. His whole life. The bits that mattered, anyway.

His worn fingers ran over the picture of him and Jack after his first win in some small-time boxing match. It'd taken a better part of thirty years for the brute to convince him to try boxing. Ozzy trained for only a month before agreeing to the match, one he was positively certain Jack had rigged, just to get it over with. All the punches, all the early mornings, and the wisecracks from the kids were made worth it that night when he won. When the love of his life, a love he thought long lost, kissed him in the middle of the ring and gave him that stupid boxing title.

Oz "The Wizard" Moore. So original.

That joyful feeling that filled his chest at the thought of Jack Harrow was always accompanied by the bitter pain of losing him. The young man he'd met in the alley when they were nothing more than two nineteen-year-olds hiding who they were from the world was extraordinary in every way. Strong, not just in the physical sense but in the mental one too. Jack was every bit the man his father wasn't.

Ozzy remembered all the times he stumbled on Jack taking a beating from his father. Beatings, he supposed, the older, conventional type of man thought would "cure" his son of habits he disapproved of. Habits like making out with the clueless nineteen-year-old trying to run a business in the building next door. And yet, even after a brutal show of force, Ozzy would find Jack in that alley, waiting for him with a smile.

It was funny how a disgusting alley in New York City could be so… Romantic. It was a space between their two worlds, one tiny sliver of an idea, a hope that the two of them could go against the odds and make it. A dream, one that ended when Jack's parents found him a wife.

Everything between him and Jennifer changed him, yet Oz remained close to Jack. Friends. A simple thing that they'd both convinced themselves they could live with, yet a term they knew wasn't going to change how they really felt. Ozzy had worried at first that the manipulative shrew had taken too much when she left. He worried that Jack, his best friend and the man he still very much loved, would crumble under the loss of his little girl and the threats Jennifer spewed. That wasn't his style, though. It never had been.

Ozzy held back tears as he continued through the pages. He'd spent the last four years trying to carry the grief with a calm mask. He'd lost the love of his life, a love he'd only just regained, and it hurt more than anything he'd ever known. But those kids, his kids, didn't need to lose another parent, so he moved forward, but that bittersweet ache remained.

Pictures were now all that remained of that young man, that stubborn man, that tragic epic of a love with too little time.

After restacking the boxes remaining in the bar's storage, Ozzy held the photo album to his chest and turned off the light, shutting the door behind him and locking it tightly. Dom rounded the corner, shoulders straight and face tense. A sense of uneasy fear washed over him, causing his fingers to curl tighter around the book. "We've got a problem."

The sounds of large men stuffing their faces full of the modest breakfast I'd prepared for them gave me a victorious feeling. They groaned and slurped and laughed together as I washed the dishes left from my cooking. It wasn't much of a thank you for the long sleepless nights they dedicated to patrolling my street, but it was all they'd let me get away with.

Ryker shook his head, pointing to the half-devoured pancakes on his plate. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten."

Wit and Ollie nodded in agreement. "I'm gonna miss this."

"Come on," I insisted. "You don't have to pretend you'll miss standing outside my door all night."

"It wasn't so bad," John reassured me, setting his plate in the sink beside me.

"I hate to doubt you guys, but… Is Dom sure everything's over with?" I tucked my hair behind my ear and laughed. "I really don't want any more rocks through my window."

Ryker finished his pancakes and stood, giving me a tight squeeze as he set his things down. "Don't worry. Dom's got it all under control. You know him."

"I do." The relieved sigh that left me alleviated the heavy weight of all that I'd been dealing with. If Dom said it was safe, I believed him. "Thank you, guys. Seriously."

"Like I said, don't worry about it, kid."

Wit was the last to put his dishes in the sink, ruffling my hair as he followed the others out of my apartment and returned to Dom's warehouse. The lack of gruff bikers walking around my apartment was odd, but I was glad it was over. More so, I was glad that nothing truly bad happened. No one was hurt or threatened. No one even saw him. Maybe that meant he'd finally given up… Finally, let me go.

It was an impossible thought. I knew that, knew that it was far too hopeful to ever be a reality. But I clung to it anyway. Like ivy clinging to an old, weighed-down chain link fence, I clung to the hope.

My phone pinged, and a text message from Mr. Hiragana's associates lit up my screen. My employer looks forward to your meeting and wishes to know how many guests we should prepare for.

Scott and I had discussed the meeting a few times since the night Mr. Hiragana had his associate give me the business card. He was ready. More than that, he seemed excited, a rare thing for Scott. Jake, however, bristled at any mention of it. I knew it wasn't intentional but rather a symptom of his trauma, so I never pushed him for a straight answer. The vague "maybe's" and "I'll think about it's" were enough. But now I needed an answer. Two. I replied. I plan on bringing two colleagues from 22West with me.

Excellent, we will make all the necessary preparations. Thank you.

Closing my phone and gathering my things together, I started walking to work, going over possible ways to broach this subject with Jake when the time came. Either way, it was gonna be a hell of a night. I walked past a few cooks smoking in the alley, greeting everyone with smiles and a bit of casual banter before heading inside, where the relaxed feeling of the alley shifted into that of a blood bath.

"You can't keep pulling this shit!" Scott yelled.

Howard stood in front of the pissed-off chef with an emotionless expression. "I understand your frustration, but this situation is hardly my doing."

"Bullshit!"

Howard quieted Scott with a raised hand as he turned to me, straightening his jacket. "Lena." Having only the stiffness of his voice to gauge his mood, I assumed he was stressed. "Our lovely hostess is… Out for the night. I need you to fill in for her."

"Alright," I replied warily. "Is there something else?"

"No." Scott rolled his eyes, aggressively chopping fine slices of meat. Howard sighed, barely glancing at the chef. "There's appropriate attire waiting for you upstairs. I had Will put it in your locker."

The tension didn't ease as I headed toward the stairs with a quiet thanks. Ari and Sasha just finished changing, offering me smiles and kisses as they hurried to the family meal. Inside my locker, a dry cleaning bag hung with an emerald green dress inside.

The soft fine velvet, an expensive feeling material, made me pause. Surely there was some sort of mix-up. I'd seen what the hostesses normally wore, and while they did dress up on important occasions, their attire was never like this. When Will emerged from the door leading to the upper level, I stopped him. "Will! Uh, Howard told me there'd be some clothes for me in my locker, but…" Holding up the dress, I smiled tensely. "This seems like a mistake."

Will shrugged. "That's the bag Howard gave me. I double-checked, and he said that was the outfit he picked."

"Okay," I replied with a chuckle. "Looks like I'm gonna be a bit overdressed then."

It was a beautiful dress, hugging my figure in a flattered way, the long sleeves ending perfectly at my wrists, and the dress stopped just above my knees. The sweetheart neckline was more revealing than I'd expected of a hostess' dress, but it made my breasts look good. Inside a smaller bag was a pair of matching emerald earrings and a long golden necklace with smaller emeralds placed throughout.

Putting in the earrings, I slid off my old shoes and put on the heels provided for me when a light knock echoed from the doorway. Howard smiled, eyes trailing down my body as he nodded approvingly. "You look radiant."

"Thank you," I said, awkwardly holding the necklace. "Is it some kind of special occasion or something?"

"No," he answered. "No special occasion. If you have to, you can consider it an extended apology for my part in your mother's schemes."

"That's hardly necessary, Howard."

Gesturing to the necklace, he smiled softly and sweetly. "May I?"

I handed him the necklace with a slightly awkward shrug. "Sure."

Howard carefully pulled my hair over my shoulder and clasped the necklace around my neck. He stood back and nodded approvingly at the green sight of me nearly reflecting in his glasses. "Perfect. I trust you're feeling confident about hostessing tonight?"

"You know me, Howard," I said with a tight smile. "I'm always feeling confident."

"Of course," he chuckled, squeezing my shoulder. For a minute, he looked like he wanted to say more, opening his mouth only to be interrupted by Simone appearing in the doorway. She drank in the sight of us with a pleased smile. Howard withdrew his hand and nodded to us both. "Have a good service tonight, ladies."

"You too," I replied, turning to reorganize my things in my locker.

"Howard," Simone practically purred as the manager slid past her.

The locker room fell silent. It'd been a while since Simone and I had spoken more than two words to one another, and I wasn't looking to change that. Silence was safe. It meant there would be less of a chance that I'd dig up more than I already had. I knew what I knew. I knew what a monster Simone was, but Jake didn't. Jake still loved the woman who had raised him, lied to him, and abandoned him. The woman that had used him. It wasn't my place to force him to confront everything she'd done, and I knew better than most what could happen.

Forcing someone to face the worst parts of their life, things so traumatic and life-altering, was like playing with fire. One mistake could burn a house down. Jake had his house, his world, built on Simone. She was the mother he lost, the sister he never had, the one he thought of as his first love. Losing all that, the foundation of his whole life would destroy him.

Tearing an entire house down was hard, even more so when you have to do it board by board. But I wasn't afraid of a bit of hard work. I'd tug every loose board Jake showed me, and I'd help him rebuild, just like my family had done for me. Starting life over was a pain most people didn't have to live with, and for those that had done it, well, we needed to stick together.

I closed my locker and turned to face her, having decided with a sigh. "Mind if we talk for a second?"

She looked over her shoulder, arching a perfect brow. "I think it's overdue."

"I'm not going to apologize for anything I said,'' I began. "I think you deserved to hear every word. But I realize the strain our animosity is causing Jake, and I care too much about him to make his life harder."

"You have strong opinions of me," Simone replied after a minute of thought and a scoff at the mere uttering that I cared for Jake. Her voice was flat, speaking matter of factly, void of emotion. "And despite how misguided and unfounded they may be, I respect your right to have them. You don't want to be friends, which is fine with me. However, since it seems you have no intention of going anywhere, I agree it'd be best if we weren't enemies."

I could read between the lines. This was a truce but also a warning. She lifted her head, setting her lips in a thin line showing me exactly how unhappy she was having this conversation. Yet, she still did it because it mattered to him. In some very deep and manipulative way, Simone cared about Jake. It wasn't right, this relationship they had. I knew that, but at that moment, for whatever reason, Simone agreed with me. "I have no issue being civil, Simone. As long as we share a mutual interest, I have no intention or interest in trying to undermine you."

"Smart," she admitted, though I could see in her eyes she was seething over my openly admitting I was interested in Jake. "I do hope your opinions of me change, but for now, I suppose all that matters is Jake."

"Seems like we agree then."

"It seems so." She smiled, turning to finish primping. "Thank you for the conversation, little one."

I ground my teeth together at the nickname I now could safely assume she used to try and twist the dull blade left by my mother, but instead of pushing things, I turned and hurried down the stairs to grab some food while I still could. The enthusiastic whistles were instantaneous as Sasah and Ari practically tripped over themselves, trying to get a good feel for the soft fabric now shrouding me in green. Heather complimented the color and the fit, admitting she was slightly jealous that I got such a nice outfit instead of those hideous stripes.

The only person missing was Jake. After the family meal was cleared away and the preparations for the night of service started in full, I assumed Jake was back to keeping a much more loose schedule. Though he wasn’t Howard's favorite by a long shot, he’d likely grown more comfortable falling back into his late arrival as Howard's focus seemed to shift elsewhere. After double-checking the tables and the flower arrangements, I headed toward the hostess stand, determined to get acquainted with the reservation book before service started.

The tables that had occupied the small square of space to the side of the front door had been rearranged, and the hostess stand had been moved over, now in full view of the large window. I turned to Nicky. “Did this get moved?”

He shrugged. “No clue. Maybe Howard’s trying to use your pretty face to get people interested in coming in for dinner sometime.”

“You’re hilarious, Nick.”

Chuckling to himself, he carried on with his tasks, and I carried on with mine until I felt comfortable with the names of the guests. Hopping behind the bar, I started helping him polish glasses, just looking for something to keep my hands busy while my mind still struggled to come up with a good way to talk to Jake about the meeting. The bartender walked through the doors as if on cue, straightening his tie.

His eyes widened slightly as he took in my appearance. Drawing his bottom lip between his teeth, he leaned against the bar's side, admiring my ass in the dress. “Well, good evening to you too, princess.”

“You’re later than I expected you to be,” I replied casually. “You missed your chance to ogle at the dress properly.”

“It’s not the dress I’m ogling,” Jake smirked, standing beside me, just a hair too close. “You should play hostess more often.”

I tilted my head slightly, sending him a quick doe-eyed stare. “And why’s that?”

“I’ve got a good reputation with hostesses.” He said, eyes drawn to my lips.

My brow quirked as I narrowed my eyes at him. “Didn’t Roslyn say she hated your guts and wished you’d die in your own shit?”

Jake shrugged, reaching over to grab a glass and polish it, finally seeming to realize he was at work. “Roslyn was bitter a hell. Trust me, she didn’t have many complaints before I blew her off.”

“I wonder why?”

“So, the dress,” he said, changing the subject. “Is the Pope coming in for dinner, or are you just trying to impress everyone on your first night being a hostess?”

“Howard insisted I wear it.”

Jake rolled his eyes and scoffed. “What a gentleman.”

"What, you don't like my dress?" I teased, sliding past him back toward the hostess stand.

Jake stayed behind the bar but stood at the far end, watching me closely. "It's a great dress. I just can’t believe Howard’s trying to buy your attention with gifts.”

“It’s just for the night.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He looked at the dress one last time before the night really started. “I still prefer you in red, though."

Rolling my eyes, I arched a brow. "And here I thought you were gonna say something stupid like how you prefer me in nothing at all."

He hummed, grabbing another glass to polish with a grin, "Hmm, that doesn't sound like me."

Service was a lot less stressful when all I was responsible for was the guests at the door and a few coats. It was also much easier to get distracted being out in the front with Jake all night. Watching him cater to the guests with that gleaming grin and natural charm was like watching an artist at work. It was cheesy and obviously about the tips, but I still couldn’t look away, and neither could the guests. The true show was when he’d roll his sleeves up and give everyone close by a good peek at the growing muscles of his arms.

Jake caught me staring a few times, sending me a wink or a slow drag of his eyes down my body. It was invigorating, so much so that I shamelessly pictured what it would be like to have him pin me to the hostess stand and finally put those accursed and talented lips on mine. Or, better yet, back on my pussy like he had a few days ago. As always, Jake seemed to be able to tell when my thoughts drifted to less friendshiply things. His eyes darkened, and his smile grew far more smug. He enjoyed showing off and capturing my attention like this, but two could play that game.

I was thankful for the dress at that moment as it allowed me the perfect opportunity to lean forward and instantly draw his gaze to my breasts. They looked soft and supple, but judging by the hungry look in Jake’s eyes and the way he ran his tongue along his lips and teeth, he was disappointed it wasn’t covered in his hickeys. The dress also gave me many opportunities to show off the body Jake seemed to enjoy so much. Lifting my hands over my head, I stretched slightly, and his eyes couldn’t keep themselves from admiring the subtle arch in my back and the curve of my waist. It was too easy but no less fun.

Eventually, Howard requested I serve the guests at the door a small taster of wine to help sell whatever product it was that he wanted to focus on tonight. I slid behind the bar, Jake watching every step, and reached up to try and grab the bottle I needed, only to find myself too short. My eyes narrowed as I distinctly remembered watching Nicky and Jake grab the bottle from a much lower, more accessible shelf earlier. Then I felt the heat of Jake’s body at my back and realized his goal.

Large hands gripped my hips, holding me steady as I attempted to turn. I had to bite my lower lip as he gently kneaded his skilled fingertips into my flesh, massaging lightly before lifting a hand up. Jake didn’t need to lean into me to reach the bottle, we both knew he was tall enough, but that certainly didn’t stop his shamelessness. I could feel the pronounced half-hard outline of his dick glide against the soft fabric of the dress. The sensation made a shiver run up my spine as a soft, barely audible moan whispered across my skin.

The bottle was placed in my hands, and Jake settled his lips beside my ear, smirking as he whispered. “There you go, princess.”

“I wouldn’t have needed the help if you hadn’t of moved it.” My mouth was dry as I turned to look up at him, chest to chest, faces far too close for “just friends”.

He shrugged. “I blame the dress. Clouding my judgment and whatnot.”

I met his teasing with a smirk of my own. “Judgement? You?”

“I have my moments.” His hands squeezed my hips one last time, sliding along the dress before he winked. “Better get back to work before Howard pitches a fit.” The bottle. The guests. Right. I turned quickly to gather the small testing glasses, but not quickly enough to miss Jake’s praise. “Good girl.”

Fucking. I turned to glare at him as the urge to squeeze my thighs together nearly overtook me. He smirked into the drink he started making as I mumbled some vaguely empty threat about getting him back later. The guests came first, or whatever. As I turned, my eyes locking onto a pair of wide brown ones, I knew there wouldn’t be a chance to continue our game.

Tess moved to the bar, throwing her purse on top of it in front of Jake, almost causing him to spill the drink he was making. With an angry look, he regarded her. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“It’s been weeks,” she said coldly. “You said you were gonna talk to me, and then you just ghosted me.”

“I’ve been busy.”

Looking around, she shook her head. “Yeah, real busy. So busy you can’t even bother picking up the phone.”

Jake leaned forward. “Get the hell out of here, Tess. We’ll talk about it later.”

“No.”

“Just-”

I saw the blonde hair exit the kitchen before Jake and Tess did, and when Simone’s polite face crafted to get the most tips from her guests fell into a deep and very obvious scowl, I knew everyone in this restaurant was fucked. Her grip on the plates tightened as she slid past the bar in silence. Jake’s demeanor shifted in less than a second. There was no trace of the playfulness and cockiness he had just moments ago, nothing but tense anxiety. “Tess, leave. Now.”

“Why?” She demanded. Stubborn and oblivious. “So you can just blow me off again?”

“Tess-”

“No.” She turned and glared at me. “Is this because of her?”

Jake looked at me, the word he wanted to say almost visible in his eyes. “No.” Yes.

I was frozen, staring at the nonverbal confession that hung between us. A confession that, if ever admitted aloud, would change everything. Simone’s blonde hair broke us both out of the daze as she approached Jake at the bar, acting like she hadn’t seen Tess at all. Acting like even if she had, it didn’t matter.

“My love,” she started smiling as she leaned on the bar next to Tess. “I need a bottle of Opus for table seven.”

Jake couldn’t move, his eyes slightly wide as they flashed to Tess. “Okay.”

Simone nodded, moving to turn away when she “spotted” Tess. “Oh… Hello Tess.”

“Simone,” Tess replied, voice dripping with bitter anger.

“It’s good to see you,” Simone continued. “You look well.”

Tess shook her head. “Yeah, getting away from all the drama of this place must agree with me.”

Simone’s smile was thin as she nodded. “That’s good.”

“How are things here?” Tess asked. “I haven’t had much time to catch up with everyone.”

“They’re good,” She replied. “As always.”

“As always?” Tess spared Jake a look. “Guess that means you two are back in bed together right? That is if you ever stopped.”

That was when everything shifted. The simple pleasantries were gone, replaced by anger and hatred I could only assume was held in for too long. Jake moved, quickly rounding the bar to get to Simone’s side just in time for her to laugh in Tess’s face. “You always were so insecure.”

Tess moved to stand. “Insecure? I was right about you and your twisted bullshit!”

“How dare you come here and attack me when you were the one to destroy our friendship.” Simone bit back. “How dare you.”

“All I wanted-”

“All you wanted was something you cannot have!”

“That’s enough,” Jake said, gently nudging Simone.

Tess’s eyes filled with liquid as she desperately wanted to cry but held it in. “It was all your fault. Everything! You just couldn’t stand the thought of being the sad, washed-up waitress you are.”

“How’s Howard?” Was Simone’s reply. “Oh, you wouldn’t know, would you? He was never really interested in you, after all, was he? You were just easy, like always.”

"That's enough," Jake repeated, shoving between Tess and Simone, forcing the blonde to meet his eyes. "Come on, Simone. Just walk away."

She scoffed, an action that made her look more animal than a woman. Her teeth bared, she practically shoved Jake away from her. “Typical.”

He winced as she walked away, seething with anger, but he still moved to follow. Tess grabbed his shoulder, her wide eyes filled with desperation and disbelief. "Seriously, Jake?"

"Get the fuck out of here, Tess," he replied roughly as he pulled himself away from her to follow Simone.

"Fucking…" Tess groaned, grabbing her purse from the bar and turning to leave in a huff.

I followed her out, watching her wipe budding tears away from the corners of her eyes before speaking, "What were you hoping to accomplish with that?"

She glared at me. "Why the fuck do you care?"

"Because that little showdown, confrontation, whatever, just made Jake's night - hell, maybe even his life a lot harder," I replied. "Someone that cares about him wouldn't have done that."

"Stop acting like you know me!" She shouted. "Like you know him!"

"I don't know you, Tess. And based on all I've seen so far, I don't want to. But I do know Jake. I know he still cares about you, and I know how bad you hurt him." I looked inside the window at Howard, ordering the servers to control the damage. "You're young and naive. That's fine. It's understandable, but sooner or later, your sole focus on what you want is gonna drive away the people that care about you."

Tess turned her head too, looking inside the window at the tight smiles and quick, stressed movements of her former coworkers - her friends. "I… I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted-"

"You just wanted," I repeated. "I hate to be the one to teach you this lesson, but it's not always about you."

"So what? I'm just supposed to put everyone above myself?"

"It's about balance." I gestured to the bustling street. "That's what this city is, Tess. Balance."

Quickly looking around her, she asked, "How can you just stand there while she uses him?"

The insinuation that I didn't care as much about Jake as she did because I didn't get rid of Simone made me chuckle. "Rome wasn't built in a day. Getting out of unhealthy relationships doesn't happen overnight, either. Goodnight, Tess."

Inside service continued as though nothing happened. The guests ate up the gossip and drank expensive wine laughing about the show. It made my chest burn with old, cruel words I'd bit down on for as long as I could remember. Rich people sucked. They felt so above it all, so much better that they forgot the people they laughed and joked about were real fucking people. That show, as they called it, was someone's life. But, as always, they didn't care. They didn't even pretend to.

"When you have the kind of power money gives you, you don't have to pretend, baby girl."

Nicky handled the bar by himself, while Jake handled Simone. It wasn't easy, but the veteran refused any attempt at helping I offered. Things flowed smoothly from there until Jake returned to the bar. His body language and blank expression told me all I needed to know. The guests didn’t spare him, not bothering to stop talking about the outburst and not bothering to whisper it either.

Jake’s jaw was tense as he finished the night of service, handing Nicky the tips and moving past with a simple. “I’m getting changed.”

I knew the hostess usually stayed to see the guests off, but my feet moved to follow him regardless. The kitchen was buzzing with the gossip, but no one stopped me to ask about it as I hurried up the stairs just in time to catch Jake punch his locker as hard as possible. I jumped, the metal groaning beneath his fist threatening to swallow me in the past, but I forced myself past it and slowly joined him in the empty locker room. “Hey.”

He looked over his shoulder, moving his fist from the metal and shrugging off the sting of pain I knew he felt. “Hey. Aren’t you supposed to be kissing the guest's asses?”

“Howard can manage that,” I joked lightly. “We both know how adept at ass-kissing he is.”

Jake chuckled, a soft sound that at least gave me - gave us both - a moment of relief. “Yeah, yeah, he is.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” He started tugging at the buttons of his shirt. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

I nodded, averting my eyes to give him some sense of privacy. “Okay, that’s fine. Can I give you a hug, at least?”

He exhaled a shaky breath. “I don’t need one.”

“Who said you did?” I asked, slotting myself against his back. My arms wound around him, and my cheek settled against his bare back. “This is for me.”

With an appreciative chuckle, Jake placed one of his hands over mine. "Well, if it's for you, then I guess I can survive."

We stood like that for a while before I pulled away and let him change. "Tonight was kind of a shit show, wasn't it?"

He turned, eyes appreciating my dress one last time before I moved to change. "It had some highlights."

"So, you gonna call Tess back?"

"No." He fixed his shirt and put his earrings back in. "Told you I wasn't interested in getting back with her."

"I know," I replied. "But does she?"

Jake shook his head and shrugged. "I haven't told her anything besides telling her we'd talk later."

"I think you should." He looked at me with curious eyes. "Talk to her. Who knows, it might do you both some good. You know, closure or whatever."

"Did you get that with Francois?" He asked.

We hadn't spoken about that night. Jake didn't ask about it, and I hadn't brought it up, but clearly, we both remembered the hours he spent with me while I was in a low place. I shook my head. "That's different. I don't… I don't think he and I will ever get that."

Nodding, Jake sighed. "I… Sorry, I shouldn't try to compare. What happened with Tess and I is different from that."

"I get it," I said, shaking off the tinge of hurt that thoughts of Francois still brought me. "That a no to talking to Tess?"

"I'll think about it."

"How's Simone?" I forced myself to ask.

Jake shrugged again. "I got her calmed down, but she still seemed off.

"Are you skipping Ozzy's tonight?" I asked, turning away to change. "You know, to check up on her?"

"No," he said quietly. "She said she wanted some space."

"Yeah, what Tess said was a lot." Part of me lingered on her comment about Simone and Jake getting into bed together. Jealous and painful and not something I wanted to pull to the surface.

Jake, however, didn't need me to ask that question. One look, and he just knew in that way he always did. "It was just her trying to get a rise out of Simone. She and I… It's complicated and messy, but things haven't been like they were, not since before you started working here."

He wouldn't outright confirm they'd slept together - he couldn't - but his vague words brought me some comfort. "Sorry."

"Don't be," he insisted. "It's a good thing. At least, I like to think so."

The loud voices of our coworkers echoed through the stairwell as they clamored up to change and probe Jake for exclusive gossip on Simone and Tess' catfight. I changed while they talked, and Scott eventually joined the group. He still looked upset but wasn't actively cursing anymore.

As soon as he finished changing, he turned to me, cigarette already between his lips. "We still on for the meeting this week?"

"Yeah," I answered, carefully looking over at Jake. It wasn't an ideal time to talk about whether or not he planned on joining us, but now it looked like it'd have to do.

Scott nodded, glaring at Jake. "You coming?"

"Maybe," the dark-haired, broody bartender replied.

"Whatever, man."

I waited until everyone funneled out of the locker room before I smiled at Jake. "I told Mr. Hiragana's associate to plan for two extra guests. So, if you are planning on coming, there's a spot for you."

His jaw tensed again as he nodded, looking away from me. "Okay."

"Jake, if this isn't something you're interested in doing," I smiled, stepping in front of him and turning his face toward me. "That's okay."

"Simone-"

"This isn't about her," I said gently, pressing my hand against his chest. "This is about you. What you think. What you want. So, don't make the decision for Simone or Scott, or me. Make it for yourself."

"That's more confusing than you think it is."

"I know." I squeezed his hand and lightly tapped his chest. "I just want you to do what's best for you. To be happy, no matter what you choose."

His eyes softened, and when he nodded, I knew he'd try to think about it without inserting anyone else. "Thanks."

"No problem, sweetie. Now ditch the lemon face and come on, or we'll be late to Ozzy's. I've gotta help with the bar tonight."

Jake sat in the booth at Ozzy's, listening to Patrick and Peter plan some exercises for him to try now that he'd started showing some skill in the sport they both loved. Quinn and Ari sat at the bar, and Sasha searched for a man to ensnare for the night. Prue and Will grabbed their drinks from the bar and slid into the empty spot beside him.

His eyes were almost glued to Lena as she worked behind the bar. Jake had watched her do it so much over the past few months, but it never lost the deep, almost sexual appeal. The way she moved, was confident and experienced while maintaining her fun, lovable nature made him so drawn in. Seeing her tits a bit when she leaned over wasn't such a downside, either.

The only thing that seemed different about tonight was the lack of a certain drug dealer's presence. He noted how Lena searched the crowd of his usual crew and how her face fell slightly when she didn't find him there. That made him feel a tiny itch of jealousy, one there from the start but one that hadn't bothered him too much.

A flash of deep blue and sparkling silver caught his eye as a police officer made his way through the crowd with searching eyes. The man was tall and well built with a face women would find conventionally attractive. He reminded Jake of Will. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a look about him that just screamed goody two shoes. Prue turned her head and smiled widely, making an excited speaking noise as she shot up in the booth and waved to catch his attention. "SAMMY!"

The blonde turned his head, grinning ear to ear at her as he made his way to their table. "Prue bear!" He wasted no time bending across to hug her, signing a simple conversation with the artist before Quinn's familiar laugh caught his attention.

"Sam I Am. Sam I am, oh how I love that Sam I Am!" Quinn said with a wide grin as she engulfed the officer in a tight hug. "It's good to see you, blue eyes."

"You too, Quinny," the blonde man replied.

She pulled back, wiggling her eyebrows. "Can I taze somebody?"

Chuckling, he shook his head. "No. Is Lee around?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and nodded toward the bar. "Course, she's where she always is."

Jake watched the blonde man's eyes light up at the sight of Lena wiping down the bar. A bitter taste filled his mouth as his chest tightened with a similarly bitter feeling. The officer straightened his back and smiled at Prue, offering her another quick conversation in sign language. Seeing her friends regard him with fondness only made the feeling worse. Then the man's blue eyes landed on Jake. "Hi, I don't think we've met before."

"We haven't," Jake said almost angrily, earning an arched brow and a knowing smile from Quinn. "I'm Jake."

"Jake," he dumbly repeated, reaching over to offer his hand. "I'm Sam."

He looked at Sam's extended hand and friendly demeanor and quickly decided to offer him neither in return. Jake leaned back in his seat, putting distance between him and the hand offered. Sam only smiled as he shrugged his shoulders and let his hand drop. "It was nice to meet you."

Quinn slapped his shoulder. "Now let's talk about that taser."

As the two of them walked away, Prue shook his shoulder. Her hands moved quickly, his eyes taking in the motion but only catching a few words. When he simply stared at her after she'd finished talking, she nudged Will, who sat up and reluctantly translated. "She's asking what your problem with Sam is."

"I don't have one," he said simply.

Prue rolled her eyes and laughed, signing a word she knew he knew. "Bullshit!"

Will smirked, the sight of it lighting a fire in Jake that hadn't been lit for months. "Got something to say?"

He'd always been someone Jake disliked. His attitude, his hair, and the way he talked and moved through life so unencumbered. Truth be told, Jake knew Will wasn't acting like he was better than everyone. He just was. When Will first started at the restaurant, Simone asked, "Why can't you be more like Will?"

He was honest and hardworking, dependable not only to his employer but to his friends. Will was everything Jake wasn't. Simone knew it, and so did he. So when Will scoffed, it took every ounce of his self-control not to punch him. "You know what," the man laughed. "I do have something to say."

"Let's hear it then," Jake replied, wanting nothing more than for Will to finally dish back the slew of insults and grief he'd given him over the years.

Will didn't do that, though. His eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "What the hell are you doing?" What? Jake's whole body relaxed with shock at Will's genuine expression. "You and Lena have been doing this whole friendship with benefits bullshit for months now, and it's pretty damn obvious to everyone else you both want it to be more, so what the fuck are you waiting for?"

"Lena's made it pretty clear she doesn't want to be anything more," Jake replied.

"Bullshit," Will said and signed. "She's only saying that because she's worried you've just been playing the long game."

"What?"

"Let me put it this way," he leaned forward. "How many new girls have you fucked?"

"Pretty much all of 'em."

Will nodded. "And how many of those girls do you talk to now?"

Jake sighed. "None."

"If you're serious about her, then show her that." Will's expression never shifted as he offered Jake advice he didn't deserve. "I know you and I have never been friends. And I know better than most what an absolute dick you are, but even you deserve the chance to be happy. More importantly, so does she."

He turned his head, unable or unwilling to continue meeting Will's too-kind gaze. The bar was practically empty now, except for a few drunk patrons and now Sam and Lena.

A knock echoed on the bar, followed by a nervous clearing of one's throat. "I, uh… Got a call about a potential drug deal."

Turning away from the shelves of liquor, I smiled. "Well, well, if it isn't Officer Mayfield." Sam blushed, just as adorable and innocent as I remembered him. "You got a warrant?"

"No," he chuckled. "Just going door to door asking if anyone's seen anything suspicious."

"Mmm, so you're just asking to get lied to."

"Basically."

"Well, in that case," I leaned on the bar and smiled. "I haven't seen a thing, Officer."

Sam's eyes drifted slightly to the generous view down my top, his face turning beat red as he cleared his throat and nodded. "Dom isn't here then?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't know anything about that. I'm just a bartender."

"Just a bartender is definitely not how I'd describe you." That genuine tone I hadn't heard in months made me smile more.

"Is this the part where you say you need to strip-search me?" I teased.

Sam's eyes widened just a fraction as he stuttered over a response before, finally, he chuckled. "It's good to see you, Lee."

"You too, Sammy." I walked around the bar and hugged him tightly, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "You know I'm gonna have to kick you out now, right?"

"Wouldn't be Ozzy's if a cop didn't get kicked out."

Patting his shoulder, I grabbed an abandoned drink and splashed it in his face. Sam grinned, those blue eyes shining fondly as I pinched his now wet cheek and nodded toward the door. "Don't trip on your way out, pig."

Dom's boys laughed, raising their glasses to me and oinking loudly as Sam passed through the crowd. Still smiling, I moved back behind the bar as Quinn, Jake, and Sasha made their way over for refills. Ozzy stepped out of the office, looking around at the commotion. "What the bloody hell is going on out here?"

"Sam dropped by," I answered.

Oz smiled, nudging my shoulder. "And how is Officer Mayfield?"

I shrugged, opening a beer and passing it to Quinn. "Dunno, we didn't really get to chat much."

"Shame," Ozzy said, tucking hair behind my ear. "Always liked that boy of yours."

Jake's jaw clenched slightly as I passed him a drink. His blue eyes were guarded, hardened by the deep-set scowl on his face. Quinn noticed it, too, and decided to be her naturally bitchy self. "I liked him too, though if you're gonna fool around, I ask that you lock the door so I don't have to see you two get hot and heavy in the bathroom again. I don't think I've ever seen handcuffs used that way."

Rolling my eyes, I shooed Ozzy out of the way. "You're all so funny."

Sasha leaned on the bar, grinning like a cat. "Tiger Bitch! I never would have pegged you for a lover of the law!"

"I fucked a cop Sasha," I replied. "That's hardly 'lover of the law' territory."

"You fucked that cop a lot, though," Quinn added. "At one point, I think we all expected you to get together."

Jake's jaw ticked as he ground his teeth together, taking a stiff drink. "Yeah, well, you're all idiots."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Can we at least talk about what I caught you two doing on Halloween a few years ago?!"

"I'm going out for a smoke," Jake said, pushing off the bar and out the back door.

With an evil, satisfied smile Quinn shrugged. "Wonder what's up his ass tonight."

"You're a bitch." I served the last drinks and left the clean-up to Ian so I could follow Jake. The sound of chains rattling made my eyes narrow as I moved through the back room to find him in front of a punching bag. "I thought you were going for a smoke."

He nodded to the locker room. "Someone's waiting for you."

Shit. I hurried out to the back alley just in time to catch Whisky hissing at Sam before he jumped off the couch and scurried through the open door. Sam chuckled. "Guess the strays still know I'm a dog person."

"Yeah, that's not exactly something they forget."

"Hey," he said quietly, a nervous greeting.

"Hey," I answered with a smile. "Is this a meeting with Officer Mayfield or with Sam?"

"Just Sam," he answered. "I… I wanted to see you. Not for work reasons."

I nodded, joining him on the couch. "I'm glad. You're a good friend, you know, after you overlook the cop shit."

He laughed and looked at me with those pretty eyes. They were lighter than Jake's. A sky instead of an ocean. "I know we agreed not to… You know be together, but I… I've been thinking about you a lot recently."

"Sammy," I sighed. "You know that's not a good idea."

"I know." He looked out at the brick wall again. "Guess I just miss you."

"I miss you too, as my friend."

Sam's cheeks reddened slightly as he gestured to the door. "So, I, uh, met Jake. Is he your…"

"Friend." I replied with a sigh. "A complicated one."

He seemed happy, almost. "You like him."

Rolling my eyes, I sent him a look. "You're just as bad as Quinn."

"Come on, Lee. Obviously, the two of you are more than 'complicated friends'." With a nudge to my shoulder, he smiled. "I'm glad you found something like that."

"You'll find it too. Handsome guy like you is bound to land one hell of a girl."

"Hopefully!" He replied, standing up and opening his arms to one last hug. "See you around?"

"Course you will. I'm hard to miss." As he turned to leave out the alley, I hollered out to him, "Ditch the uniform next time, and I'll buy you a drink!"

He waved. "Got yourself a deal, Lee!"

Back inside the gym, Jake continued to punch the bag in front of him, eyes focused and expression tight. Beside him Whisky sat on top of his jacket, purring softly. Instead of trying to get his attention, I simply joined him on the punching bag next to him with a simple, "You can smoke now."

"Officer douche is gone then?"

"He's hardly a douche, but yeah, he's gone."

There was a pause in his hits as he said, "So, guess I'm not the only one that knows about the couch."

I looked over at him, seeing the unspoken hurt in his eyes. "I've only taken one other person there. And it took Sam years to get that privilege."

I could tell my words made him feel better, but there was still something bothering him. "He seems like a good guy."

"He is."

"Why aren't you with him then?"

I shrugged, throwing a few more punches. "We're just different people. Sex is uncomplicated, but anything more than that would've been a disaster." Jake didn't seem satisfied with my answer. "Sam's sweet. He wants what a lot of good guys want out of life. A meaningful career, a nice house out of the city with the white picket fence… kids."

"And that's not what you want?"

"I like my job, bartending and cooking. It's simple, and I'm good at it." I threw another punch at the bag. "And I love living in the city."

"What about kids?" He finally asked.

I stopped hitting the bag, numbness prickling my fingertips like needles as I dumbly let myself remember that hospital room. Beaten and broken, but finally free. I remembered how clean the air smelt. It was so clean I could practically taste it. My Dad's voice reassuring me that they'd all be back after a good hose down in the bar alley… Dom sitting beside me when the doctor came in.

"No." The word was cold and definite. "That's… I…" With a sigh, I forced my limbs back up, punching the bag once, twice more. "I've never really wanted that."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake nod. "Understandable. That domestic shits the worst."

A slightly tense but relieving laugh bubbled up out of my throat. "Sounds like you've had a lot of bad experiences with that domestic shit."

"Not really," he replied with a chuckle. "Just figured, given everything…" I understood the pain that he held in the unspoken words. "I doubt I'd be any good at it."

He punched his bag several times, taking that frustration and anger out on the sandbag, signaling this conversation's end. We worked out alongside each other for a few minutes longer before changing and sitting on the old alley sofa as we did most nights. Whisky curled up between us, using Jake's jacket as a blanket, with my head on his shoulder. "You know, just for the record," I began softly. "I think you'd be pretty good at that domestic shit."

Jake made a soft noise, letting his head fall over mine. "I think you would be too."

Like most other nights, Jake walked me back to my apartment, whistling at the sight of an empty doorway. I rolled my eyes at him. "That's right, no more babysitters for this girl!"

"Didn't think Dom was gonna let you outta his sight after the rock."

"Neither did I," I admitted. "But here we are. Safe and sound."

He smiled as we reached my door, wiggling his eyebrows. "Gonna invite me in?"

I playfully shoved him. "Goodnight, loser."

There was a chill in the air that made my bones feel heavy inside my body as I made my way through the crowd of people making their way toward the entrance to the Botanical Garden. From the gate, I could see the orange and red leaves of the trees and lines of pumpkins highlighting the coming festive season celebrations. Scott stood to the left of the gate, arms crossed as he waited. Jake wasn't with him.

My heart dropped slightly as I approached. "You heard from Jake?"

"Nope," Scott replied. "Looks like it's just us."

I turned, looking out at the sea of faces, hoping to find him among them. I meant what I told him, but still, I wanted him to want this. We slowly started moving, heading toward the Hill and Pond section of the gardens. With every step I took, I sent out a small, heartfelt wish that Jake would come. That his decision would somehow lead down the same path as me.

Jake's leg bounced nervously as he twisted the card between his fingertips. Not like he was new to doing dumb shit, but this… This was stupid. He kept repeating what Lena said, that it didn't matter to her if he decided not to join them, but somehow that just made him more confused.

Simone would be livid if she found out. When, he corrected. Keeping a secret from her was impossible, especially one like this. Guilt made his chest feel heavy, restricting every breath he tried to pull into his lungs. The last time he did this, Simone was scared… She was heartbroken, thinking he was abandoning her after all she had gone through with Etienne, Tess, and Howard. He couldn't make her feel like that again.

Jake knew he wasn't abandoning her, but the memory of her raw, vulnerable expression of support was enough. At the expense of the cook's respect for him, he hadn't been able to go through with it then with Scott. Why did he think now would be any different? A soft noise drew his eyes up at the man standing beside him, with long hair and slightly wrinkled skin. He bowed. "Is this seat taken?"

"Knock yourself out," Jake replied, still feeling breathless by the crushing weight of this choice.

The man sat, dark eyes looking at the card in his hands. "Are you a fan of the gardens?"

Jake's brows scrunched together. "What?"

He pointed to the card. "The Hill and Pond garden. A staple of Japanese culture in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Are you a fan of this place?"

"Oh," he looked at the card again, shaking his head. "I haven't been."

"Ah, this is your first visit, then?"

This guy was getting kind of annoying. "Yeah."

The man settled in his seat with a smile. "Who is the woman?"

"What?"

"You do not seem the type to enjoy a random trip to a garden," he replied. "I mean no disrespect, of course."

Jake stared at this stranger for a minute before he shook his head again, slightly frustrated that he was even entertaining his questions. Months ago, he would've already told this freak to fuck off. He blamed Lena. Blamed her infectious curiosity and annoying kind-hearted nature. Eventually, he answered, still displeased with the whole situation. "It's not like that. I'm supposed to meet with some people about a business opportunity."

The man nodded. "Ahh, a great blessing."

"Yeah, if I show up."

"Do you not want to?"

"That's not…" He sighed. "I don't know what I want."

The stranger shook his head and held his cane tighter as the bus shifted. "I do not think that is true."

Jake scoffed. "Whatever."

The old man shifted in his seat, looking at Jake with understanding. It caught him off guard for a second. "May I offer you some advice?"

He didn't know what this stranger's deal was. Maybe he was some fake psychic con artist or just crazy, but at this point, Jake figured, what the hell. "Sure."

"It can be dangerous, walking through this life uncertain of where you are heading. Unsteady feet make it easy for others to sway you down paths you do not belong on."

Jake pulled his lips together, nodding along with the nonsense the man spoke. He held in a laugh. "That's vague."

The man laughed. "Life is often vague. Especially so when you are following the path of another."

"You think I'm not on my own path?"

"I know it," he replied. "I was like you once. Confused. Angry. Uncertain."

"And how'd you figure it out?"

The man touched a small pin on his front coat pocket and smiled. "I had the guidance of a very wise friend."

Jake looked away from him and sighed. "Well, I don't have many of those."

"You have more than you think."

"Do I?" Jake mocked.

The man only smiled at him, rising from his seat as the bus stopped at the gardens. "May I offer another piece of advice before I leave you?"

Jake put his hands up in defeat and sighed. "Sure, why the fuck not?"

"Two kindred souls do not find one another by simple accident." He bowed, the rainbow koi fish pin catching the light. "Kono kaiwa o arigatō."

Jake watched him go, meeting up with a few people in fine black suits that bowed to him as he approached. What the fuck? He stared at the entrance to the gardens, heart hammering in his chest like waves crashing against each other. He felt heavy. Breathless. And it was then, in the midst of an internal storm, that his mind was made up. Seconds before the door closed, Jake got off, walking briefly toward the entrance, each step echoing the one thing his mind and heart could agree on. Lena.

Scott and I sat at a metal table, round with designs of swimming koi fish on the surface. It had to have been custom-built and brought to the location hours prior to the meeting. An array of finely dressed staff stood, perfectly poised around us, ready to fulfill our every request. Scott sniffled the tea they'd placed in front of us both. The fine Japanese porcelain was lined with gorgeous blue designs, cranes and flowers, and fish and trees. It was expensive. A show of good faith that we, as potential partners in business, valued such things of beauty.

It had been years since Mr. Hiragana and I were able to have an actual conversation. So much had happened… So much had changed for both of us. I was looking forward to seeing him outside of the restaurant, in a space where we could talk freely. One fish to another.

As the light October breeze rushed through the trees, I admired our surroundings' beauty. A gorgeous pond of swimming koi was to the right, each ripple glistening in the high sunlight. To the left was a singular path that Mr. Hiragana's associates blocked to ensure this meeting was private. The short cutleaf maples lined the higher ground along the path and shaded the table with their yellowish-reddish leaves and tall winding trunks.

I'd seen trees like them in my time in Japan. While I rarely had time to myself around my mother's scheduling and Tony's "tours", I somehow found time to find gardens to walk through. Aside from hotel bars the gardens were where Mr. Hiragana and I spent most of our short time together. It felt like he was trying to emulate those days walking among the garden flowers and the trees with twisted trunks.

When Mr. Hiragana walked down the path with a gentle smile and his rainbow koi pin, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. He bowed, speaking a calm Japanese greeting, and both Scott and I reciprocated. Gesturing to the table and the spread of finger foods, he joined us. "I hope these small treats have been to your liking while you were waiting."

"I'm not much of a tea fan," Scott began. "But this is decent."

"I am glad. I apologize for my lateness. My bus was delayed."

Scott's eyes narrowed. "You rode the bus here?"

Mr. Hiragana nodded, eyes drifting to the side as another figure turned onto the path. "I quite enjoy it. You never know who you will meet in such a place."

My head turned, and my heart leaped into my throat as Jake stopped next to the table, eyes on Mr. Hiragana. "Son of a bitch."

"Jake." My voice was soft; the incredibly too intimate way his name unconsciously slipped from my tongue made me want to cringe. But, he turned, soft ocean eyes looking at me as he smiled. "You came."

He shrugged, slowly taking the seat next to me. "Figured, what the hell? This could be fun."

I smiled, a warm and intense feeling filling my chest. "I'm glad you came."

"Whatever," Scott replied, looking at Mr. Hiragana. "I wanna get down to business. No more beating around the bush."

Bowing his head, Mr. Hiragana obliged Scott's crass request. "Your food is incredible. Truly art in edible form. I noticed how… Kibishī… Um, strict, the menu is at this 22West."

Scott scoffed. "Yeah, no shit."

“It is an outdated practice, not allowing such creativity to flow. I would see that you receive a more appropriate way to explore your talent.”

“Wait,” Scott leaned forward. “Are you offering me a job?”

Gesturing to one of the associates beside him, Mr. Hiragana placed a folder on the table before us. “Not exactly. I would be more of an investor. This way, you have full control over your menu and budget.”

Scott was the first to look at the paper, his eyes growing wide before he leaned toward Jake and me, showing us the written form indicating just how much Mr. Hiragana was willing to pay for us to start our own business. “Holy shit.”

“Is this for real?”

I looked up at him and bowed. “This is too generous.”

“Nonsense.”

"Why are you doing this?" Jake questioned, an uncertain look on his face.

"A little fish once asked me a question. Simple as it seems, she asked me if I was happy." Tears built in my eyes as Mr. Hiragana smiled at me. "Only then did I realize all that was missing from my life. Because of that little fish and her insatiable questions and bright spirit, I am the man I am today. All of this, my business, my family, it is all because of her." He bowed his head, speaking in Japanese, "A debt I will never be able to repay you, little fish."

"A debt you will never have to repay me," I answered.

Scott and Jake glanced between us, obviously confused, but Scott set the folder back down after a beat. “I’m in. Whatever you want me to do. I’ll do it.”

“I still feel like this is too much,” I replied. “But I would never deny your generosity.”

His eyes shifted to Jake, who looked silently at Mr. Hiragana. “And you? Have you decided what path you wish to be on?”

The response was odd, but Jake seemed to understand as he nodded. “Guess I’m in.”

“Excellent,” Mr. Hiragana said. “I believe you, Ms. Harrow, have a location in mind already.”

“I do,” I answered, slightly surprised he remembered the building I’d spoken of in one of our more recent passing conversations.

“Take your potential partners with you, let them see the place, and then we can discuss the details.” He stood, bowing and taking hold of his cane. “It has been an honor meeting with all of you. I look forward to our future proceedings. Please, take your time and enjoy the park. It is truly a lovely place.”

The three of us sat silently for a minute before Scott asked, “Did that just happen?”

“Yup,” I replied with a laugh. “Well, you guys want to go and check out the place I’ve got in mind now, or did you wanna stick around for a bit.”

“Let’s go.” Scott was on his feet in seconds, already heading down the path toward the exit before Jake and I even blinked.

Jake stood next, quiet and tense, with an expression that made him look like he’d just sucked on a lemon. I nudged him as the two of us followed after an excited Scott. “I am really glad you came.”

He looked over at me and shrugged his shoulder. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, it is,” I insisted. “And I want you to know that if you decide you’re really in I’ve got your back.”

“I know that,” he said. “That’s not why I’m… confused.”

“I understand.” My fingers brushed against his as we walked. “I just wanted you to know.”

We caught a cab to the older neighborhood where the tall, long, abandoned building sat in a big empty lot. Trash and graffiti littered the area as we approached the fence. Scott looked around, eyes filled with imagination as he truly looked past everything to see what could be. Jake, however, looked unimpressed as he asked, “Where the hell are we?”

As I slid under the busted chain link fence, I shrugged. “It used to be some hotel, but it’s been closed ever since I can remember. It’s not far from Ozzy’s, though, so there’s a perk.”

The doors were busted open, glass crunching beneath our feet as we walked through the large doorways and into the nearly completely gutted space. Patches of missing walls and peeled wallpaper made it hard to grasp the bigger picture, and the exposed wires hanging from the ceiling and ripping up from the remaining walls made it even more difficult to imagine this place ever being up to code. But I could see it. The dream of a beautiful restaurant with a top-of-the-line kitchen. I could see the dream my dad always encouraged me to go for.

"How much is it?" Jake asked, eyes wandering around the space.

"Free, technically."

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. "Bullshit."

"It's already owned," I clarified.

"Then how are we gonna build anything here?"

"My dad bought it," I said, fingers running over the smooth bar top. It was the only finished piece in the building, long and beautiful mahogany. "He was going to give it to me when I finished culinary school. But... Well, neither of those things happened."

Scott gave me a look. "You wanna use it for this? For my restaurant?"

"Our restaurant. I said I wanted in, and I meant it. You and I can run the kitchen, hash out a menu all that. Or I can take the bar if grumpy Jake decides he's not interested." I gave the quiet man a grin. "Either way, it'd be ours. I'd even put your names on all the papers and shit."

Scott scratched his head and looked at Jake. "What do you think?"

"It's a hell of a space," he said quietly as he moved to observe the bar. "Once you look past the… mess."

"It's in a decent part of town, too," Scott added. "Not too close to anything else to make it hidden but not so far away that we'd miss out on city clientele."

"Oh, there's also a huge parking lot around the side, so you could hire valet." Jake raised a brow at me, and I shrugged. "I told you, the place used to be a hotel." Turning, I gestured to the elevator at the room's far end. "Which also reminds me there's space up top for an apartment or two. Elevator still works, or it did last time I checked."

"Penthouse suite?" Scott laughed. "Your old man really thought of everything, didn't he?"

I smiled sadly, tracing over the initials carved into the bar. "Yeah. He was good at that."

"What's the catch?" Jake asked.

"Don't got one," I replied. "Everything's legally in my name."

Scott looked around a new expression of genuine excitement on his face. "I'm not much of an optimist, but this place is perfect."

I smiled. "No complaints?"

"Nah, not from me anyway." He nodded to Jake. "It's him you gotta worry about stepping out."

I looked at Jake. "Complaints, Mr. Grumpypants?"

He didn't reply immediately, eyes scanning the new space like he was trying to find something to make this whole thing not worth it. After a minute, he shook his head and sighed. "Nope."

"Don't sound too enthusiastic about it," I teased, hoping it would draw him out of the cold exterior he'd had all day.

It didn't.

Jake just rolled his eyes, searching his pockets for a pack of cigarettes, placing one between his lips. "So, what now?"

Scott answered before I could. "Now's the part where you're either in or out. I'm in."

"I'm in," I replied, looking at Jake with an expression as understanding as I could convey without words. I wanted him to say yes - I wanted him to join Scott and me in breaking away from 22West, but I wanted him to do what made him happy. "Jake?"

Scott pointed at him. "No pussying out this time."

Blowing a steady plume of smoke out of his mouth, Jake shrugged, clearly trying to appear as casual and bothered as possible. "Eh, what the hell. I'm in."

Holding out my hand, I grinned. "Partners then?"

Scott shook the outstretched hand first. I lifted my other toward Jake, who rolled his eyes but shook it anyway. "Partners."

"You two gotta shake hands."

"I'm not doing that."

"Fuck no."

This was gonna be fun.

Dom leaned against the side of the beat-up truck, hastily sucking in his cigarette smoke as he stared at his bike with a scrutinizing gaze. The damn thing was always having some kind of issue, more lately than ever. A part of him, one ruled by frustration, considered getting rid of it, but the other always reminded him why he kept it.

Still, it was a pain in the ass.

The warehouse door opened, and Fluffy led Lena inside, laughing at the joke she'd told him. Fluffy raised a hand to grab his attention. "Got a visitor, boss!"

"What are you doin' here?" He asked, blowing smoke off to the side to keep it out of her face as she drew closer.

Lena held up a lighter and smiled. "John left this at my apartment."

Dom nodded. "He's been missing that."

"I can imagine the old goat smokes more than you do." She set it down on one of the tool carts. "Haven't seen you at Ozzy's in a few days. Everything alright?"

He smiled a gesture meant to ease the obvious question she avoided like the plague. "Everything's fine. Drug dealer shir, nothin' for you to lose sleep over."

Lena nodded, trying to cover up the deep sigh of relief. "That's good, I guess."

"You off to work?"

"Yeah," she replied, turning to leave. "Have fun with your drug dealer shit, whatever that means."

"Give those rich fuckers hell, kid," he called out to her, the words tasting like ash of his tongue. Dom felt the cigarette butt beginning to burn his chilled fingertips as he remembered the last time he'd uttered a similar farewell.

"Those'll kill you, ya know," she chided, reaching up to pluck the cigarette out of his mouth and quickly snuff it out beneath her foot.

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Got class today?"

"Yup," she replied, patting her bag. "Shouldn't be gone long, though. That reminds me." She tossed her keys to him. "Take the bike in for me?"

"It givin you trouble again?" He asked, studying the keys.

With a shrug, she hopped down the first step. "You're the mechanic, you tell me."

Dom chuckled, pulling another cigarette from his pack as she headed down the sidewalk. "Hey," he hollered. "Give those nerds hell, Sarah!"

Her green eyes sparkled as she turned and waved at him over her shoulder, blowing her blonde hair out of her eyes. "You got it, big brother!"

Lena turned, her green eyes catching the light as she smiled at him, waving at him over her shoulder. "You got it, Dom!"

The cigarette fell from his slightly shaking hands. Dom stared at the empty doorway for a while after Lena was gone, head clouded with the past. Ryker bumped his shoulder. "You alright, boss?"

"Yeah," Dom replied, though the lie tasted even worse than the memory had. "Let's get back to work."

23 notes · View notes

howl-fantasies · 2 years

Note

Hey could u do one when y/n gets her period while Victor is on a job outside of Gotham and she had to stay for whatever reason and is getting mood swings and maybe she ends up at the good and asks jim for a water he says no and she starts crying and everyone is very concerned and texts Victor and then something happens idk thx u know I luv ur stories all the luv ~Princess

Hello dear! First of all, I am so sorry for the delay with this and basically all requests. But as I said a few days ago, I'll try to answer all of them!

The idea is a very good one to be honest, and imagining Jim making her cry and everyone starting to panic makes me laugh so hard!

Warning: English mistakes, I'm on my phone and it's not my first language, sorry for that, I'm working on it. A lot of bad words, violence, it's Gotham after all. Long post, got a bit carried away here.

How would you define a shitty day? Some would think about breaking anything they touch. Others about having a hard time at work, being screamed at by their obnoxious boss. For her? Answer was simple: having her period, and having to spend the week without the dickhead calling himself her husband.

Don't get her wrong she loves the idiot, but he knew her excruciating week was about to start and just run away like a coward, jumping on a mission far away from Gotham and abandoning her. What happened to the: "for better and worse" He vowed to honor when he coaxed her into marrying him, uh?! The little piece of shit.

"Don't you think the man has enough bullets inside of him to be confused with a pistol magazine, Y/N?" Groaned Carmine, standing behind her and folding his arms in front of him like a chastising father.

"Well, I would have been delighted to make him look like a box of tampons if I didn't need them so badly this week, Carmine." She sighed, while putting her guns back in their holsters and turning to look at him. Her eyes caught the livid face of Oswald, a few steps away from them. At least one funny thing today she thought.

The heavy sigh of the King of Gotham brought her focus back on him. He knew she would be insufferable. He knew it the minute he sent Victor away, telling him he would be able to deal with his woman. As a father of another female, he was pretty sure he would be able to handle the walking bomb currently in front of him.

Zsasz warned him about her non-existent patience, her extreme mood swings and the fact that he usually hide all weapons in their flat. Dear lord... Carmine found it a little bit extreme at this time and just decided to ignore the whole red alert. What a mistake. Now his favorite carpet was stained, ruined and one of his goons had so much iron in him they wouldn't even have to attach his feet to some weight to make him drow like a stone. He was too old for this...

"Y/N my dear. I appreciate you beyond measure. But right now, I think you need a walk and some fresh air to clear your mind. Go. Go in town, have some fun, just not to much and I'll call you if I need anything." The old man said.

Hearing the boss dismissing her like this truly infuriated her to be honest. But he had a point. Shooting someone to death because he had the fucking nerve to ask loudly if she was so moody because of her period wasn't maybe the best way to deal with things.

She simply nodded, indirectly answering Carmine and brushed past Oswald without seeing him. Yeah, she should have punch the goon's face to a pulp and answer him something like "since I started my day in a puddle of blood, I wanted to share the fabulous experience with someone. What do you think?"

Definitely better. Anyway, she was no necromancer. Dude was dead. Just another tally to add to her 'Murder week festival'. She would send a bouquet of pads to his widow or something, she would just have to tell the staff to sponge the guy's blood with it first.

As soon as the heavy oak door slammed, Cobblepot couldn't help but cough to try to gain Falcone's attention. "Are you sure sending her away tic-tacking like this isn't going to backfire, Don Falcone?"

His question earned a long silence from the king of Gotham, then a glance. One which froze Penguin on the spot. He should have shut his trap.

"You've got a point here", acknowledged Falcone in a low voice. "Go after her, be sure she doesn't cause too many mischief. Call me if anything goes south."

Penguin had to dig really deep inside of him to maintain a decent face and not scream bloody murder in the middle of the room. Monitoring Y/N was usually difficult. But now? In her state? And after hearing all the stories Carmine's goons fed each other with during their free time?! It will be suicidal.

The little man lowered his head in defeat and limped in direction of the door Y/N slammed a few minutes ago. Once outside, he swore seeing that the woman was still as swift as usual and already disappeared from the estate.

"Where did that tart went?!" He spat, rushing to climb inside of his car, yelling at the driver to go in the middle of the city and to open his eyes to help him find the assassin.

Did she use Victor's credit card to raid an entire clothing store? Absolutely. Was it petty? Sure. Did it help her to feel better? Not really. But the idea of her husband experiencing a mini seizure at the view of the bill definitely did.

She felt her phone buzz inside of her pocket for maybe the fifth time of the day, Footloose accompanying the buzz. She let out an irritated "ugh" while throwing her head back. Fucking Cobblepot. Didn't he get the hint when she refused to answer the previous 49 times?

She decided to cross the road in direction to the Narrows. Here, she was sure, he would let her be, too disgusted to even put his posh shoes on the dirty pavement. The idea made her move quicker, her eyes locked on the other side of the road, but something coming fast on her right brutally caught her full attention.

"HOLY FUCK!" She roared, her profanity hidden by the loud honking of the police car on her side, its wheels still fuming after the harsh stop it had to make.

Behind the windshield, Jim Gordon was looking at her with wide eyes. For a second, the two seemed frozen in spot. The next, the loud sound of Y/N's bags hitting the floor and the clicking of the security of her guns convinced Gordon to move. And fast.

He threw himself out of his vehicle, dodging a bullet, and using its door as a shield while grabbing his gun to also aim at the woman.

"Y/N?! What the hell are you doing here!" He yelled. "And why in hell didn't you look before crossing the freaking road?!" He added.

The snarl he saw on her painted lips indicated him that she wasn't in the best mood to take his scolding. He gulped.

"What are YOU doing here Gordon?! And why the fuck are you driving like you were a cop on a mission you fucking moron?!" She yelled too, her guns still pointing at him.

He scoffed. The nerve! "Well maybe because I am! I was planning to rush on a crime scene, but you being here and menacing me with your guns cleary changed my plans. Put the guns down, Y/N, and come with me. "

Now her left eye was twitching, a sign that she was losing patience with him. "Oh fucking fuck, Jim. Are we really doing this? Dude, just go to your freaking crime scene and let me be, today isn't a good day to mess with me, trust me."

She was about to say something else but another car screeched on the other side of the woman. A black one, from where emerged a furious Oswald, screeching like an angry bird. "You! You freaking tart! I called you at least a hundred times! Where were you?! Do you think I enjoy babysitting your dramatic self?! Because the answer is a bloody NOOOOOO!" He roared with an accusating finger pointing at her.

"Oswald?" Called Jim's surprised voice. "What are you doing here? Why are you with her?"

Cobblepot sighed deeply, letting his furious hands massaging his temples to try to ease the terrible headache this situation has been giving him. He brutally stopped, though, lifting himself and now facing the two with a bright crooked smile.

"Jim! Hello my friend!" He saluted like the previous seconds didn't exist. "I'm so happy the providence put you in our way!" He cheered.

Gordon made a face hearing him, looking at Y/N just to be sure he wasn't dreaming the turn of events. She just shrugged in response. "What do you want Oswald?" the young cop groaned.

"Remember your owe me a favor my dear friend?" Answered Penguin, still beaming like the sun in front of them. His statement made Jim groan again and roll his eyes. "I didn't forget, but today isn't the best for collecting debts, I need to go, but first, I need to make Y/N come with me."

Now it was the woman's turn to scoff loudly. Like the main idea of arresting her was just ridiculous. She didn't saw Oswald's smile getting wider in her back. But she heard the click of a gun and felt a jolt of pain in her neck. "Well, fortunately, your plan and mine are the same Jim. We need to keep Y/N locked for now, and for the best", sang Cobblepot.

She turned brutally in his direction, her eyes feral. "You fucking piece of shit! You called Victor and he told you for the tranquilizer gun!" Y/N yelled, turning the barrel of the gun in her left hand on him but loosing her focus as she pulled the trigger.

She fell on the ground as she heard Oswald howls and insults. "YA BLOODY HARLOT! YOU SHOT ME! SHE WAS READY TO KILL ME!"

"Calm down Oswald, she shot your leg, not your head" Jim distorted voice joined the yells.

"P-PARDON?! SHE WOULD HAVE SHOT MY HEAD IF IT WASN'T FOR THE TRANQUILIZER! JIM!"

After that last scream, all went black.

The sound of phones rings, the shouts of men and women and the dusty smell welcomed her. Y/N frowned and opened her eyes, only to grumble some muffled insults as she immediately close them. The crude lights weren't helping her terrible headache.

She lifted her hand to cover her eyes while slowly sitting on her bench. "Welcome back, sleeping beast. Sensible eyes uh? Poor thing " Mocked a voice she would have prefer to not hear so close to her.

"A shame, I missed. But fortunately, you're breathing so loud I still can kill you in the dark." She muttered, smiling when she recognized the sound of gritting teeth. When she finally felt well enough to open her eyes, she saw Oswald sitting on the other side of her cell with a murderous aura and a bandaged leg.

She couldn't help but giggle at the sigh. "Jimbo arrested you too I can see, that may be what people called karma". Now he was snarling like an angry dog, only holding back the middle finger because of his good education she was sure. How funny.

She lazily stretched, looking around until she saw Jim sat behind his desk, ending a visibly tensed call. "Hey Jim!" She called, winning his attention and a loud sigh.

While the man approached her cell, she also spotted Harvey following him. "Hi Harvey, not already drunk?" She taunted with a sadistic grin.

"Hi luv, 'm still working on it", answered the older man lazily, shaking a flask she suspected was filled with some whiskey.

The assassin snorted before looking back at Jim. "Well? What now Jimbo? Gonna do a stripsearch?" Her shit eating grin made him groan in annoyance. "If your husband and you would be so kind and stop telling the same jokes, I will be very grateful"

It was like she wasn't in a dusty cell at all, talking with them like their were neighbors and putting her arms on the bars like she would do on the frame of her window. "And you would be so kind to open the doors and let me out. You can keep the bird, though, this one will be better in a cage" She jested, grinning wider when Oswald indignant cry resonated.

Jim jawbone tensed, a sign he didn't find her last sentence funny. To be honest, the whole situation was making him quite mad. Because he knew she would find a way to get out. How, he wasn't too sure. At least not with the help of a rocket launcher this time.

"I'm not opening your cell, Y/N", he stated firmly. Her smile didn't even fade. She just tilted her head like a predator contemplating how it was going to jump on its pray. He hated it.

"Fine", she finally purred. "May I have one glass of water at least? I'm quite thirsty after that traitorous shot in my back".

Again his jaw clenched. He had enough. Enough of this day. Enough of the rogues. Enough of the stupid smile this irritating woman always wears when they cross paths.

"No." A simple, deafening no. Suddenly, the whole place seemed to grow silent. In front of him, he saw her freeze. "Excuse you?" She tried.

"I said no. Y/N. You're going to sit here and wait to be questioned, like any other damn criminal in this police station." He answered.

It happened so suddenly he didn't even have the time to see it coming. First it was a hiccup. Then another. Then her reddening eyes becoming glassy. And finally tears rolling on her cheeks. What was happening?

"Oh no", he heard Harvey gasp behind him.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Now he saw with a shocked face Penguin bolting out of the bench, limping to her and turning her crying face in front of him. "Oh my god! Oh no! Everything but this! Don Falcone is gonna shoot us all!" He started to panic. "Are you so poorly educated to refuse a glass of water to a prisoner Jim?! I mean seriously?!" He screeched while guiding the woman on the bench he was previously sitting on.

"What's wrong with her?" Asked Jim incredulously.

"What's wrong with you?! Being so insensitive with a woman fighting with her hormones, I can't believe I was considering you a good person!" Oswald shouted.

"How was I supposed to know uh?!" He shouted too. "And what with your behavior, didn't she shoot you an hour ago?!"

"Because of her hormones you imbecile! You took all her belongings, you've seen the box of tamp-... Of womanly stuff she carried with her! If it wasn't a clue, I don't know what it was then!" Yelled the little dark haired man.

Her cries were unstoppable. Nothing Penguin tried worked, none of Harvey gentle coos made her stop. In fact, it was getting worse.

"DO SOMETHING JIM!" Pressed Oswald. "Like what?!" Snapped the young cop.

Oswald scoffed like he was outraged. "I dUnNo CALL VICTOR MAYBE IMBECILE!" Demanded Penguin.

"Not like I have his number" Jim grumbled, he couldn't believe what was happening. "Gimme your freaking phone!" snarled Oswald, grabbing Harvey's who just shrugged when Jim sent him a glare and typing the number of their only hope.

Nothing. "He isn't answering." muttered Cobblepot, while awkwardly padding Y/N's back.

"Of course he isn't, what criminal in his right state of mind would answer a call from the GCPD Penguin?" Groaned Harvey, earning another glare to add to his collection of the day.

Oswald cursed under his breath and took a deep inspiration before he yelled so loud everybody in the room would be able to hear. "WHAT KIND OF LAME CRIMINALS ARE YOU?! CAN'T YOU SEE WE ARE FACING A CRISIS HERE?! CALL VICTOR ZSASZ NOW OR DON FALCON WILL PERSONALLY DEAL WITH ANY OF YOU SCUMS WHO LET HER BEST WOMAN CRY HELPLESSLY!"

Like a whip, his voice made all the criminals jolt in fear and Gordon had to open a wide mouth when he saw everyone in the cells taking out - from what seems like a magical pocket - a phone and starting to call or text the infamous hitman. Did confiscated phones meant nothing to rogues in town nowadays?!

He turned in Harvey's direction just in time to see him opening a plastic bag where he how so carefully put Y/N's items an hour ago. "What the hell are you doing?" He breathed.

His co-worker frowned and took the woman's phone, giving him to a very pale Oswald pleading her to unlock it. "Trying to make it stop. Trust my years of experience with her, nothing will stop her. The only soul in town able to deal with her in this state is an obsessive bald homicidal maniac." Bullock said.

"Christ it's just tears!" Tried to rationalize Jim while pointing at her like an idiot. "She'll stop, eventually!" The harsh glare he earned from the whole room made him question Gotham's general sense of sanity again. It was surrealistic. Truly.

---------- 1 New Message --------

Bullock

Red alert. Your wife is in tears at GCPD. Come asap!!

---------- End of message --------

----------- 1 New Message ---------

Unknown

Mister Zsasz, sorry to contact you but your wife is crying right now. Please help us.

...

Please don't kill me. I'm just a honest criminal who happened to be here.

------------ End of Message -------

---------- 1 New Message -------

Riddler

What is charming 3 weeks per month and a whole crying mess on the 4th?

...

Just the day I wanted to attack the GCPD, I only let it pass because of the exceptional circumstances.

...

Do something. The whole city is in alert right now!

---------- End of message ----------

-------- 1 New Message ---------

Kean

Heard you let your wife crying at the GCPD.

...

Told her she could have done so much better. You're the worst husband material.

--- Blocked and added to "killing list" ---

---------- 1 New Message --------

Mrs Sweetness Zsasz

It's Oswald. How dare you ignore my calls?!

...

Come fetch your wife, she cried so much I fear she'll not have any water left in her body!

...

And buy chocolate! A lot! Mother said it helps during those times.

---------- End of message --------

"Oh dear me. What happened here?" He asked to no one, scrolling on his phone and reading message after message. He knew it was the worst idea of the decade to let Carmine and the others deal with Y/N during this time of the month. He wasn't suspecting he would find the city near bursting in fire when he would come back.

He didn't even have to threaten the cops at the entry of the GCPD. For the first time of his life, the cops on the outside stairs looked relieved to see him. Alvarez, who was smoking among them even let out a "thanks god" which made him chuckle.

When he went inside, he didn't even have to search for her. All the cops where around her cell, the criminals behind bars where glued to them in her direction and tried to cheer her lamely. It was something to witness frankly.

He walked lazily, letting the cops who spotted him take a couple of steps back with the same disturbing relief painted on their tired faces.

When he reached the cell, he slowly blinked, taking the whole picture: his wife was crying like a river, her head between her hands, on her right was Cobblepot, padding her back and cooing, promising her husband was going to deal with everything. At her feet, he could see at least 30 full glasses of water, untouched. And outside the cell, a disheveled and very pale Jim Gordon was being scolded like a 5yo by an angry Bullock.

"Ah! Thanks Satan! You finally here!" Shouted the older cop once he saw him. Zsasz shrugged and made a face then pointed at the woman with his finger. "Why is she crying?"

Harvey sighed loudly. "Long story short, because of a glass of water..."

"THAT HE REFUSED HER!" Yelled Oswald angrily while pointing at Jim who groaned.

Zsasz blinked again then let out a tired sigh. "Open the cell." He demanded with a smooth but firm tone. Harvey immediately grabbed the keys from Jim's belt, ignoring his protests and opened it, sending a "Don't you dare do anything else mate" glance at his co-worker.

Victor went inside and crouched until his face was at the same height as hers. "Gonna take you home Sweetness", he muttered before he raised and helped her standing, hugging her shoulders and guiding her out of the cell.

"WAIT!" Shouted Jim when they started to walk in direction of the door.

"Just a minute" said Zsasz as he grabbed Oswald's arm to put it where his was. Now that Penguin was helping her to stand, the hitman turned around and walked on Jim slowly.

Nobody had the time to see him rising his left arm. But everyone heard the hard punch striking Gordon so hard on the face he fell on the floor, his nose now bleeding like a fountain.

"Don't make my wife cry ever again, Jim. It makes me angry." He muttered with a deadly calm face then turned around again to take back his previous place, scrounching just enough to put a hand behind Y/N's knees and lifting her princess style, taking his leave with a shocked Oswald.

Everyone was now looking at Jim, still on the floor and holding his broken nose. "Be happy he was worried about his wife or you'd be dead Jim. I told you many times: don't mess with Y/N, she's Zsasz trump card." Chastised Harvey as he pushed a box of tissues in his blood stained hands.

"Is she going to be her irritating self soon?" Asked Cobblepot uneasily from his back seat inside of Zsasz's black car.

The bald man threw his wife a glance and sighed. "I know I wasn't here Sweetness, but it was the boss' orders." Her lack of answer made him sigh louder. "Wasn't it a little bit extreme?" He asked in a dull tone.

Oswald opened his mouth to remind him he wasn't here and didn't see how she lost her composure but was cut by Y/N's also dull tone.

"Are you going to leave again? To finish the task?"

Zsasz let out a snort. "After the scene you made? Don't think I'll go anywhere. Plus I already finished my business outside of Gotham. And Carmine called on my way back, he heard about what happened and demanded me to stay glued to you until the week ends."

She also let out a snort, a very amused one a that, which made Oswald jolt in his seat, the surprise painting his whole face.

"Never thought it would work so well", she mused.

Ok now he was collecting his jaw from the floor. "It was an act?! You were pretending and let me made a fool of myself?!" Yelled Cobblepot, earning a tired glance from Y/N.

"Not at first. I really was crying." She said." But seeing how the events turned, I saw an opportunity to get out of our cell, make Victor come back faster AND stay with Carmine's benediction", she confessed with a shit eating grin.

Oswald scoffed, that tart was so good at acting he was really pitying her and tried to be as sensitive and gentle as he could be. "You're the worst!" He shouted angrily, only earning a laugh from her and a resigned sigh from Zsasz. But he saw how the man's lips were twitching. He was clearly enjoying his wife's new scheme.

"You both are the worst" He grumbled while crossing his arms in front of him and pouting like a little child.

A/N - I hope you loved it! 🥰

138 notes · View notes

xstarvibezx · 1 month

Text

Made some stuff of my second AU the other day!! Also lore about the second AU is below the cut!

BLUE | HE/HIM | BIXSEXUAL

-This man is a bit of a control freak who has a unhealthy way of simping for Green, bro got some anger issues like first AU Blue but,,,,kinda more...worse???? Like bro got mad that Green rejected him on his first confession and well blinded the poor thing. He is still dumb in this AU--but his strength makes up for it. He also ripped off Green's arms,,,,because of some,,,certain things, not things that involving his feelings for Green. Blue likes to constantly remind the others of things, mostly bad things. Bro is traumatized but like- he don't care????

GREEN | HE/THEY | BISEXUAL | TRANSGENDER

-Green isn't as shy or nervous as first AU Green, but he's extra more reserved than other him. He has a crush on Red but like,,,,he can't confess or do anything about it without Blue constantly butting into his personal space and flirt with him, he absolutely and rightfully despises Blue. He often tries to ignore Blue's attempts after he was blinded all because he tried to reject him. Green is extremely violent when he's pissed, which also has ended up of getting him into situations he can't get out of. Such as his arms getting ripped off. He is extra traumatized because Blue happened <3

ORANGE | HE/THEY | ???

-Orange is,,,,something. Bro's always hungry like his first AU self but sort of,,,worse??? He usually wears a muzzle whenever he's around the others, especially Red or Yellow. He's head over heels for Cyan, constantly wants attention and affection from her. If he gets told no or smth from her, he will be sad and enters a bit of depressed state for a little while and after that, he tries again. He doesn't get violent nor does whatever Blue does, he just gets sad. He doesn't really like Yellow because he thinks he's a coward.

PURPLE | IT/THEY/ANY | PANSEXUAL | GENDERFLUID

-Purple...oh dear- they mostly have their eyes closed due to Blue ruthlessly messing up their vision but their not entirely blind, they are insane as hell and is usually in the vents. Waiting for their next victim. They don't really care for everyone's feelings and is mostly lonely, they like to talk to rats or smth. They imagine things that aren't really there, and they always stalk the others and loves scaring them all.

RED | HE/THEY | GAY | TRANSGENDER

-Oh my god, this man is traumatized. Forcefully too. Blue usually targets him mostly so the poor guy,,,,is a fucking mess, he's not insane but he's paranoid as fuck. He is often seen in his lab, office or around Green. Considering how Green is the only somewhat sane/normal one around the play place. He isn't really a people pleaser like his other self but he's definitely a nervous wreck, he still tries to be brave and sometimes succeeds but Blue puts him back in his place.

CYAN | SHE/IT/THEY | ??? | NONBINARY

-Cyan has quite a temper, more than her first AU self. She constantly acts like she's the boss of Odd World, almost like Blue. She is extremely aggressive and hostile towards Yellow, and often rejects Orange's attempts. Not having any interest in him. She sometimes like to manipulate Yellow or poor Pink.

YELLOW | HE/SHE | BISEXUAL | TRANSGENDER

-Yellow, poor guy, is the only somewhat sane one in Odd World. He hates Cyan, he usually hangs around Pink because he feels more safer with her even if Pink is no longer...herself. He tries to be there for her, he doesn't really like Orange either. He wants things to be,,,,somewhat normal or less tense.

OSWALD | HE/IT | PANSEXUAL | TRANSGENDER

-Not much about Oswald other then he's dead. He is still Red's father in this AU but it's unclear of what happened to him or how he died.

TRENTON | HE/HIM | BISEXUAL

-Trenton is currently in hiding due to the rainbow friends being so aggressive or mentally unstable in someways, he is trying to figure out what happened to Oswald but doesn't know that his best friend boyfriend is dead. He will visit Yellow mostly since Yellow is the least threatening rainbow friend and is the more,,,,normal one than Green is.

PINK | SHE/THEY/IT | BISEXUAL | NONBINARY

-Pink and Blue are still siblings in this AU, her ex-boyfriend is still Red but those two relationship was more wholesome and more lovey dovey, the two broke up due to Blue's controlling ways. Traumatizing Red and hurting Pink. Pink doesn't have a leg and half of her face was torn due to Blue wanting his sister to be like him in someways, she's sort of-- his personal punching bag if you really think about this. She still has feelings for Red but can't do anything. Poor gal is traumatized and just wants to escape from Blue's wrath, she is thankful that Yellow keeps her company but is...a bit mentally out of it.

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house-of-slayterr · 1 year

Note

Hello Mx. Writer, it's been a while 🤗

I recently read howl-fantasies's work, the one where Ed and Victor were arguing and Os sitting in Y/N's lap. I was wondering If you could write how ur OCS would react to Y/N babying and acting all possessive of Oswald all day cause Oswald had a bad day? I personally think Basil would be so jealous cause he always believed he was Y/N's baby 😆

Hello my favourite Anon, long time no see love! How are you?

Now, down to business! 😊

Let’s say Oswald has had a particularly horrible or stressful couple of days. Everyone knows because that man can’t really hide his emotions. While Y/N does care for the man, her excuse for the doting the man for the sake of “business”. If he’s not throwing a tantrums he’s much more level headed to make decisions. A boss who can’t think is useless.

So far as Basil, you’re so right. Man is convinced he doesn’t feel things. But the truth is, he just can’t describe it explain what he’s feeling. He’s a very possessive boy, and the second he landed eyes on Y/N he knew he needed her in his life, one way or another. If he watched her all day, cooing and being affectionate to Oswald, he would hate it. He doesn’t respect that man whatsoever. Oswald is only there because he’s their boss and they live in his mansion. But Basil works for Y/N, not for Oswald.

If he gets jealous with V or Maggie around, they might be able to set him straight. Distract him long enough for things to go back to normal. He only accepts affection from those closest to him. This being Kara, or Alex, V or Maggie. To see his mentor giving affections to the man he hates makes him so angry. If Y/N realised what was happening, she would make it worse by doing it more to tease the boy. Boy is thinking many murderous thoughts the whole day.

Victor would be fine with it. He knows his wife, and he’s trusts her. He’s never gonna to complain about a more relaxed and chill Oswald. He too sees it as part of the job. Keeping things level so business can go on as usual. But he too is a jealous man. He’d definitely be making her scream that she was his and his alone at the end of the night. But during business hours, that’s not his problem.

V would be weirded out. She doesn’t really think much about Oswald at all. So she’s surprised to see the sort of relationship he has with Y/N. She’d also be concerned about Y/N playing with her fathers Jealously. She knows she hates it when Selena is all lovey on Bruce, even though she sees Bruce as a friend. The Zsasz’s are a territorial and possessive breed. She wouldn’t say anything about it though, just distance herself for the rest of the day.

Maggie understands it. She knows what Y/N is like, she knows what Oswald is like. The pair fit together in a strange way that nobody can understand. Who is she to judge the nature of their relationship. She sort of appreciates it, because it gives her time of from doing the doting and calming and soothing herself. If they’ve both happy and content like that, what’s the problem?

#maggie #magnolia blossom #Gotham au #gotham imagine #Gotham ocs #y/n zsasz #oswald cobblepot #basil zor el #victor zsasz #v Zsasz #favourite Anon #I love you

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fluffykiddosstuff · 1 year

Text

transformation (Monster!reader x oswald cobblepot part 1)

Warnings : insults, transformation themed, torture, killing mention, suicide mention

Context : you were oswald girlfriend before he got to arkham, being his girlfriend you got carried to this horror nightmare too, except you didn't make out of there like oswald could

(don't worry there is fluffy at the end, also in this story you can reverse the processus unlike in the series and also I'll do a part 2 with smut *wink wink*)

---------

Fish mooney was your hero, she helped you escape after all that Hugo strange made you go trough. He mixed an royal eagle DNA to yours, you weren't the ugliest "monster" like the population liked to called you and your friends but you were despised by your new apparence. You tried to end your life many times with different techniques but none of them worked. Either your wings would fly by their own so you don't hit the ground either fish stopped you from cutting your throat with your own claws that replaces your nails. You hopped that oswald still loved you but when you saw his speech on the little TV that mooney had, you burned into tears. The tears rolling down your feathers who were covering almost all of your face. Fish took you apart for a moment

- honey I know you love.. The penguin but you don't have to relay on him anymore

She rolled her eyes while mentioning his name, fish was like a second mother to you, you hugged her tightly hiding your face uglied by tears

- he said we are monsters fish.. That he wants to fucking kill us! All of us! That includes me too.. Am I this disgusting?

You looked back at her, she wiped the tears off of your feathers and smiled before kissing your forehead.

- absolutely not darling, and I promise to you when we will find Hugo you will be the first one that he is going to fix I promise

You smiled and hugged her one last time before you all leaved your place to get the man who made you all suffering.

But it didn't go as planed

The gcpd were in front of the manor, many of your people were dead but you managed to escape with fish, Hugo and an another friend. What you all didn't expect was that oswald was waiting for all of you. After a little talk, mooney and Hugo were spared by oswald but you didn't move. Fish smiled at you while nodding her head before running far away in the woods. Oswald looked at you with a confused stare.

- what are you doing here!? I told you could go do you really wanna get killed and burned or what!?

He took you by the collar of your shirt and looked deep into your eyes, their shape changed but the gaze you had was still the same as before. He let you go and looked at you with both happiness that you are still alive and a little bit of fear.

- y-y/n?

He said shaking a bit

You nodded your head and took him into your arms and he hugged you back, he touched a little bit your feathers who mad you shiver

- they are quite soft..

But reality took back both of you when the gotham population putted a fire on, he looked at you and took your hands

- wait for me in the woods, when all of this is over I'll come get you okay?

- I trust you ozzy

He smiled, it was so long until he heard you calling him like that, he kisse the top of your beak and got back on the front of the manor

And he came back like he said

You stayed in his manor in an hidden room, everyday you were brought food either by butch or someone close to oswald. Since all the mayor thing oswald didn't had much time to see you. So you were surprised when he came with a bright smile on his face. He came as usual sitting on the bed and caressing your arm.

- how are you feeling today dear?

- not bad, some feathers are falling I don't really know why but I'm kind of happy

He kissed your hand always with this grin on his face

- I have a surprise for you

After that a tall man entered the room, he had cloves and a blouse. In his hand a little needle with a green liquid in it. You trembled in fear since what Hugo did to you but oswald helped you stay calm

- no worries darling he is one of my friend, he took some of your DNA and could make a serum to help you get back your human apparence

You calmed when he told you that and you looked at the sayed friend, he took off his mask and put back his glasses on the top of his nose

-do not fear me miss y/n, i'm edward nygma, like my great friend said here we are friends, this antidote will work on your body to "take off" the royal eagle dna from yours, it might be painful tho

you looked at oswald who shaked his head in approval to what he was saying, you relaxed a bit, still oswald hand in yours. Edward attached you to the bed then injected the serum in your arm.

At first it didn't do anything but 5 minutes after the injection you started to shake and scream in pain. It was like being stabbed, burned and strangled at the same time. You screamed in pure pain you wide-eyed at the ceiling. After 10 minutes the pain become less and all of your feathers falled, your wings fallen in your back on the bed and your claw rettracted in normal human nails. When you opened your eyes everything was done, you were human again. Edward took all of your restrain off and you hugged oswald.

-i can't believe this worked ! i'm normal again

you smiled deeply, while the new canditate for mayor put a hand on your cheek and kissed you pationetly

-i missed you my queen, and i will show you how much you mean to me

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agent-cupcake · 3 years

Note

As a resident Claudefucker, I know am curious to know what our fave charming schemer is doing during this Mafia!AU. He'd look lovely in a suit.

~It was quite the headline when Godfrey Riegan died. The details are a little hazy, a little convenient, but people don't talk about that sort of thing. Car accidents are common. Tragic, but not unreasonable. There’s no reason to smear a man’s perfectly respectable political career for the sake of some sensational gossip.

~In the right circles, however, there was a huge uproar, questions about who was going to take over the Riegan family when the elderly boss Oswald died. The Riegan’s had been dominating Leicester for quite some time, but a lot of people began to predict that the Gloucester family was going to move in. They had powerful friends, it seemed. Friends with money, no less.

~Claude Riegan, grandson of Oswald, appeared out of nowhere just when he was needed. Stories of the lost daughter Tiana still circulated, sure, but there were still a lot of questions about Claude’s origins when nobody except Oswald were able to vouch for him. He obviously had military leadership experience—his skill with guns and ability to lead was just too excellent for any other explanation—but he dismissed the question out of hand. There’s no documentation of him, either, leading some to wonder if even his name was false. But Oswald said he was family, and that was that.

~Claude was quick to establish himself, in any case. Despite his cavalier attitude, his efficacy in overhauling the power dynamics of Leicester were profound.

~He decided, first and foremost, that the way to win the people over was to invigorate the local culture, which had seen a sharp decline as a result of new laws that were unfavorable to business, Adrestia’s growing market monopolies, and the bad reputation of the red light district Ailell. This included some perfectly legitimate campaigning and some under the table type schemes.

~The result was a flourishing Derdriu Street. While it lacks the prestige of Enbarr Square in Adrestia, it welcomes entertainment that would be considered too “low brow” like comedy, trendy new restaurants, and music venues. Even better, all of it is built on the recently cleaned up river. The Riegan family is involved in all of it, of course.

~Casino owner Claude. This exists solely to thirst but maybe it was preexisting and he took it over due to its poor management? If there’s going to be gambling anyway, it should be done right. The extra money’s not so bad, either. But, Claude lounging in a big leather chair in a dark blue blazer with gold brocade, his white shirt unbuttoned low enough to see enough his chest. Enough to make you drool. Enough that you’d definitely get caught staring and probably called out for it because he can’t help himself. Claude with his elbows on the arm rests and fingers folded in front of him as he considers you, gold rings winking because he’s just that ostentatious and appearances are important. Claude asking you how you feel about taking risks in a way that really feels like it has nothing to do with cards, staring at you with a friendly smile that doesn’t meet those calculating eyes—eyes that you know will pick up on every tell.

~Claude also struck a deal with the Kupala Distillery. They’d been fighting to keep hold of their historic business for years, and Claude offered to help them with that. You know, not for free, but he’s good at making deals that leave everybody happy.

~The second biggest thing he tackled was the drug trade. For the most part, no one family had ever had a complete handle on that market. The Goneril’s had a hold over the docks for years, but the Edmunds had been moving in and working with the Gloucester family to bolster their power. Distribution was scattered and hard to keep track of as it ultimately circulated wherever there was a profit to be made. Looking at it like this, Claude decided that the only way to fix things was to take control over all of it. In his line of work, shady things like the drug trade are impossible to avoid. At the very least, if he has control over it, he can ensure the product is clean and expel far more unsavory ventures.

~Through these escapades, Claude was able to make alliances with all of the major families. A lot of them had only remained loyal to the Gloucester family out of fear so as soon as they had an alternative, they bolted. This has an unfortunate side effect of revealing how his power is perceived. Every day is a balancing act for Claude. He allows each family to function as they please as long as they’re aware they do so at his mercy. It’s better to keep friends than to control enemies, but even that requires a delicate maneuvering of power.

~However, Claude likes the conflict. He enjoys the game and he especially enjoys winning the game. There’s a certain level of his excusing amorality for the sake of his family and Leicester, but there’s an equal part of him that understands his wrongdoings and deals with it separately. He wouldn’t hold to the naïve “ends justify the means” idea to excuse himself, but he would still argue that his actions have value and are even necessary. If it weren’t him, it would be somebody a lot worse than him. That’s probably something that would linger in the back of everybody’s minds whenever they shook his hand or paid their respects, whenever they began to think of how easy it would be to take him out. Fear, too. So far, Claude’s never done anything shockingly bad, only what was necessary. But with his power and intellect, it’s always a question of what he could do.

~If someone asked him that, Claude would smile that friendly smile and tell them that he would do anything to see his vision made real. Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen.

~Luckily, Claude’s not alone! Hilda is the stereotypical crime family princess. She joined Claude because he offered her freedom from the overbearing control of her father and brother. Her skill in manipulating everybody around her combined with her reputation as a ditzy rich girl makes her fantastic at gathering information, assuming Claude can get her to do so. But, as long as he’s not being too forceful, she’s surprisingly motivated to weave her way through social circles and charm everyone. Although she would never say it, the order he brought to Leicester, not to mention the entertainment, made everything a lot better for her and her family. Plus, she likes being useful after spending her entire life watching Holst give his heart and soul to family while she did nothing. Ultimately, the information she provides is essential and her relationship with Claude is one of the few either have that’s built on trust, respect, and loyalty. That said, sometimes even Claude gets a little shiver as he watches how easily Hilda can manipulate people.

~Lorenz was one of Claude’s most disdainful detractors, although a part of that was jealousy. Claude just swept in and did things that Lorenz had been waiting and planning to do once he became the head of the Gloucester family. Even after being on the receiving ends of such vicious attacks, once Claude undeniably had the upper hand in Leicester, he went behind the Gloucester boss’s back to Lorenz and told him that they were going to be friends or enemies, it was Lorenz’s choice. Not threatening him, just pointing out that the fall of the Gloucester family was inevitable under his father’s leadership and that Lorenz didn’t have to suffer for his father’s sins. Probably over mimosas and brunch. Lorenz is proud and has no appreciation for Claude, but he’s not stupid. After they worked out their disagreements and more or less accepted each other, Lorenz and Claude became pretty close. Claude knows that having someone to openly and aggressively disagree with him isn’t a bad thing. Not only that, but Lorenz’s a solid ally with a better grasp on some of the things Claude has difficulty with due to not being a native. Lorenz is willing to admit that Claude is a good leader.

~Marianne is well educated in the realm of the law and political action. The reason the Edmund family saw such success despite their lesser status was because of her adopted father’s genius. which he made sure to share with Marianne. She is invaluable in aiding Claude on the perfectly legitimate side of his business, and helping him hide his tracks for the shady stuff. Raphael is the muscle. Lysithea is a computer genius. Being a sickly shut in with issues that only recently saw treatment, she’s on the Mr. Robot level of hacker mode activated. Ignatz is an architect which is useful since so much of Claude’s power is in the property and infrastructure. He also designed a lot of places to have some neat-o hidey holes. Claude loves buildings that have secrets. Leonie is manages a lot of the physical and pettier side of the work. If someone’s stirring up trouble, she’s likely to pay them a visit as a warning before Claude has to get involved. She used to be a mercenary but being on Claude’s payroll is a lot better of a gig.

~As for the suits, one thing is very important. Claude would not, under any circumstances, wear something tight on his thighs. I actually kind of like the idea of him going for a 1980′s style modernized. In his post timeskip outfit, he’s already got a hint of that going on with how oversized his outfit looks. The 80′s (rightfully) gets a bad rep for fashion, but it’s also very iconic with those wide-collared suit jackets, matchy-matchy three piece suits, sportscoats with a fun patterned shirt underneath, open blazers, pleated pants with an oversized jacket, and—in particular—the trend of summer suits in shades of tan and cream with colored shirts underneath. Then, combine that with a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators and a topless convertible and you’ve got a distinctly recognizable mob boss who doubles as a devastating heartthrob. I’m not saying he’d do a 1:1 recreation, but you’d definitely see references to the fashion of the era in his outfits. He would wear oxfords or ankle boots. Whatever it was, they’d have to be comfortable. He also doesn’t shy away from jewelry. The earring, of course, and rings when he's feeling particularly decadent. When he’s wearing his shirts unbuttoned Claude could possibly wear a gold chain. I mean, what are you gonna say, no? That gold doesn’t look gorgeous against his skin? That it’s tacky? You’re talking to the man who wore quilted pants. Claude’s not afraid to stand out because he knows he will anyway, nor is he afraid to be seen as unfashionable because he doesn’t particularly care about trends. I also enjoy the idea of him emulating the 80′s as someone who didn’t grow up in a western culture and thus mainly saw things through the lens of movies. Whatever he wears, however, he would look very handsome.

#claude von riegan #fe claude #claude von riegan headcanons #fe claude headcanons #claude von riegan x reader #fe claude x reader #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #headcanons #did i put too much thought into this? yes #do i regret it? a little #but this has been festering in my mind

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awesomeanimelover39 · 3 years

Note

howdy hey

could I request headcanons with the red army ( maybe also black army if that's aight ? ) with an alice whose similar to black widow ( natasha romanoff ) ? like her being a master martial artists all those stuff ,,

I've always wanted to request but was always too scared to do so off anon :,] so this is my first time you could say (??)

that's all, have a nice day man 👀💦

Hi! YES this is such a great idea!! I love it! Sorry it took so long to get to, I've been going through some stuff with my family, so I didn't get the time. But now I am able to get back to writing and finally answer requests. I love this idea so much I HAVE to do both armies.

Requested by: @schleepyflocci

Red and Black Armies with an s/o who is the equivalent of Black Widow

Black Army

Ray Blackwell:

To say he was surprised would be an understatement

He always thought his s/o would need his help when it came to fighting

But after watching you training when you thought you were alone,

He realized he was wrong

He wants to spar with you now

And Ray is not the only one, all of the Black Army does once they find out

You beat all of them

Including Ray

Pouty baby

You assure him that even though he lost, it's only because you are the best at what you do

MC just got cocky

He wants to win one day so badly

But, in the end, you truly are the best

And he loves you for it

Sirius Oswald:

Okay here's the deal

He is impressed

But now he finds himself worrying about you more than ever

Why? You have no idea

He actually made a list of things you can't do

No practicing unless he is watching, no sparing with the others, no weapons of any kind inside, and there are many others and they are all stupid

He just doesn't want to see is s/o hurt

All of the movements you can do all of the strength that is within your body could damage you or others

Its cute how he thinks he can stop you from doing it anyway

You have to tell him over and over you know what you are doing

And after he gets past most of his fears, he can't stop watching you

He really is with the most talented fighter in the world

Luka Clemence:

Whoaaaaaahhhhhh

So there is someone out there who trains as hard as him

Pls train with him

He doesn't always want to be alone when he does it

And watching you do it motivates him to get even better

You can't tell if he likes your abilities or not, but he seems to be happy

Deep inside he is amazed

(He can't wait to shove this in Jonah's face the next time he starts bragging about something)

You went into battle with the Black Army once

Those Red Army soldiers didn't stand a chance against you

No one does

Seth Hyde:

Teehee

He always knew there was something you weren't telling him

As soon as he saw you training he knew your fighting skills were top-notch

To be honest he liked saving you but, he kinda likes feeling like the princess in the tower for once

No one has ever impressed him as much as you have

And he loves you even more

There is not a soul on earth the would screw with you two when you're both mad

A man tried to kidnap you once when you were on a date

Oh that ended well

For you guys 😇

Never before had you seen such fear in a mans eyes

Some part of Seth is even a little afraid of you

But he loves it

Fenrir Godspeed:

No freaking way

So his s/o is beautiful, smart, and an excellent fighter???

How many gifts have you been blessed with

Its become really hard for you to practice because every time he sees you, he runs up to you and begs to watch

Which wouldn't be so bad if he was only watching

But he is "woahhh" ing so loud and asking so many questions its hard to focus

But you love his enthusiasm 😃

He just HAD to show you off to Ray right now

You now spar with both Ray and Fenrir at the same time

You actually like training with them way more than being alone

Red Army

Lancelot Kingsley:

He's a little bit scared

I mean he's happy you can defend yourself but...

He hope you never get into a really heated argument with him

You have had to tell him multiple times that you would NEVER hit him

And that he has magic

You have no idea why he's nervous at first

You were way more nervous of him when you first met

After he gets used to it, he thinks it's impressive

He won't say anything about it, but watching you makes him happy

wether you are training or sparring he is impressed

Knowing that no matter what people can't hurt you even he is not around is comforting

Jonah Clemence:

Dear god

He didn't think you were capable of these sorts of things

You were not sure if you should show him at first

He doesn't take new things well

You didn't want it to turn into a whole dramatic thing

What you didn't predict is that he would be even more upset that you DIDN'T tell him

He had to find out from Edgar of all people

You hadn't meant for Edgar to find out, he just has silent steps and had snuck up behind you

After Jonah found out he went to find you immediately

You had been having a peaceful training session until you saw him storm up to you

Wow he had been jealous and upset about you not telling him first

You assured him you were going to tell him even though you really hadn't been planning on it

He forgave you

But now he demands to watch you every day

Its his favourite thing now

Edgar Bright:

Haha

He knew a loooong time ago

But he didn't know you were this good

Someone had stollen your wallet out in central

He had just happened to be patrolling around there

All he saw was you sprint after that man like a cheetah and tackle him to the ground

In one swift motion you had his hands behind his back with one hand and your wallet in the other

You let the man go and he was tripping over himself to get away

Then you heard Edgar clapping behind you, a smirk on his face

"That. Was. Awesome."

You are teaching him that

He has to know where you learnt that, how long you've been able to fight, and what kinds of other moves can you do

He feels the need to hide you when Claudius is anywhere near there

He loves you even more now

He is never letting you go

Kyle Ash:

Uhhhhhh

Please don't put more people in the infirmary

You haven't yet or anything he's just thinking ahead

You have never seen him so stressed

Or thirsty

After he calms down a bit, you ask him to watch you train

Just one time, and if he doesn't like it, he doesn't ever have to watch you again

He did like it

He could watch this all day

After that he started watching you spar with the others

Your movements are so quick and smooth

He is never going to tell you how attractive he thinks it is

Zero:

Yesss

Oh he thinks it's awesome

But you have no idea he feels that way

He wants to spar with you all the time

Ahh he wants to learn

After watching you for a while he learns a few things

You thought it was so cute that he was learning your style

It meant a lot to you

Before long you two together become very strong

Your connection with him has grown stronger too

You really are amazing

#ikemen revolution headcanons #ikemen rev #ikemen revolution #ikemen revolution ray #ikemen revolution sirius #ikemen revolution luka #ikemen revolution lancelot #ikemen revolution fenrir #ikemen revolution edgar #ikemen revolution seth #ikemen revolution jonah #ikemen revolution kyle #ikemen revolution zero #I love this request #black widow

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gothamsworst · 3 years

Note

Harvey, Penguin, & Killer Croc trying to win the affection of a mer!crush. (if you do music mester him too, cause I just feel like if he’s in this situation he’d call it something along the lines of “Sirening the Siren” )

Harvey Dent:

When he was a kid, he always liked reading pirate stories. Pretending to be a captain, sailing the seven seas, all that fun stuff. But he never believed in any of those old wives’ tales. Until he met you, that is.

He’s not sure what it was about you that he was attracted to. Was it the fact that you were a mermaid? That you were the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on? That you were sweet and kind, and actually liked spending time with him, and had eyes so deep that he felt like he could drown in them? Maybe...maybe.

Please imagine him trying to teach a mermaid how to play cards. Not only does it give him an “in” with you, but he also gets the chance to showcase how good he is at card games. (Killing two birds with one stone.)

Oswald Cobblepot:

Chances are, he bought you at an auction. You were one of many “exotic” imported goods from across the seas, and you caught his eye straight away. He was never one to believe in “love at first sight,” but there’s a first time for everything, eh?

He builds you your own little emporium to reside in, as a branch-off of his private aquarium. You’ve got everything you could ever desire in there, and he makes sure to visit you as often as he can, under the guise of “checking up” on you (when really, he just wants the excuse to talk with you more).

You know he’d never keep you there, if you really wanted to leave. He’s made that plenty clear. But you always assure him that you’re happy where you are. It’s certainly nicer than being constantly hunted by fishermen and poachers.

Waylon Jones:

He was stalking a fishermen’s boat when you managed to get caught in one of their nets. It didn’t take much to free you from said net, but before he could even get a word out, you bolted. For a while, he was sure that he’d just imagined his encounter with you.

It’s not till he keeps hearing about “sightings” of a mermaid around the bay area that he decides to go hunt you down for himself. And he finds you there, hopelessly lost, scared, and still injured from your previous encounter.

After a...very tense conversation, he manages to convince you that he means you no harm. He even shows you a good hiding spot to stay in, tucked away from prying eyes. Your relationship is a slow, gentle progression from friends to lovers.

Music Meister:

You know that scene in “The Little Mermaid” where Eric sees Ursula pretending to be Ariel walking down the beach and singing and he falls in love with her instantly? Yeah, that’s pretty much what your first encounter is like. Heart-eyes, motherfucker.

Except you’re lounging on a rock, minding your own business, when this random human man appears out of nowhere and starts trying to serenade you! You are confused, bewildered, and oddly flattered.

He takes so much joy in getting to introduce you to human culture--especially musicals (including the aforementioned “Little Mermaid”). Seeing the joy and excitement in your face at the end of every show just makes him fall that much more in love with you.

#ask #dc #batman #gotham rogues #harvey dent #two face #oswald cobblepot #penguin #waylon jones #killer croc #music meister #dennis prowell #headcanons #sfw #cute #fluff #mermaid reader #long post #anonymous

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manunelle · 3 years

Text

{Ikerev} How many kids would they have? {Headcanon}

I’m kind of creating this post to organize my thoughts, because I want to write more about this in another post where I’ll write about how they are with their children and how I imagine their personalities. Please be aware that I imagine a different MC for each suitor, so the kids exist in the same universe lol

🖤 Black Army 🖤

Ray Blackwell

One boy.

He was adopted by Ray and MC at age of 3. His father was one of Ray’s soldier who unfortunately passed away in duty. Since he had no mother or relatives that could take care of them, MC and Ray took him in.

He prefers MC over Ray, but admires his dad very much!

Sirius Oswald

oh boy

This man and MC had 5 children! :)

I kind of enjoy the thought of Sirius retiring because he wants to spend as much time as he can with his family.

They have three girls and two boys. The order goes like this: Girl ---> Twins (boy and girl) ---> Boy ---> Girl.

Would name his kids after flowers.

The kids get along very well! They are really protective of each other and of their parents.

Luka Clemence

One boy as well.

His kid is really sweet! He’s really friendly and everybody loves him at school.

Is kind of a younger brother to Jonah’s girls.

Talking about Jonah, he’s the best uncle ever. Always brings gifts and gives advices about anything that is troubling the boy.

He’s doesn’t have a favorite parent. He’s close to both!

Fenrir Gospeed

Had two kids, a son and a daughterl.

The firstborn is the boy, and the girl is six years younger.

To his and MC’s surprise, the boy is a magic user! They discovered it when MC was bathing her baby when suddenly he started floating and giggling around. Imagine Fenrir and MC screaming and jumping around, trying to reach their son, who is having the time of his life.

The girl is not a magic user, so she causes less trouble than her brother. She’s friends with Ray’s son.

Seth Hyde

One girl.

She has Seth’s hair and MC’s eyes, and likes to dress cute clothes and to play with her teddy bear.

She’s reeeeaaaally shy. :<

She probably prefers Seth over MC, but she doesn’t make it obvious. Of course, she likes her mother very much as well. But Seth’s hugs are something else. :>

❤️ Red Army ❤️

Lancelot Kingsley

The next King of Hearts is a girl!

She looks mostly like Lancelot, but her hair shape resembles MC’s.

She’s really carismatic and smart, which means that she can hold a conversation with an adult without difficulties.

She’s a friendly and curious little girl, always asking about how and why things work the way they do.

As a magic user, she’s really interested in Harr’s work and gets along well with his daughter.

Loves her dad! She looks up to him a lot and is not embarassed of asking him for advices and hugs.

Jonah Clemence

Our queen has two daughters.

They are only 2 years apart, so they get along very well with each other.

Honestly, they have Jonah completely wrapped around their little fingers. This man would go to the fucking moon if they wanted something from there.

Despite being spoiled rotten, the girls are really gentle and caring with those around them. thank u so much mc

Because the younger sister is shyer, Jonah teaches his firstborn from a young age that she should always be nice and take care of her younger sister.

They love baking! Imagine the MC and her two daughter baking cookies on the kitchen to present the man of their lives later. ;A; so cute

Edgar Bright

Edgar has one girl and one boy.

Due to her fragile health, his daughter, the firstborn, won’t be able to become the next Jack of Hearts. She always smiles and says that it doesn’t bother her, but she gets self concious when hearing adults commenting about it. She also feels bad for passing the burden of being the heir to her younger brother.

The boy is calm and serious, which is kind of weird bc his face looks way too much with MC’s. He’s really protective of his parents and his sister. Loves animals, just like his dad! He’s smart and strong, but is really aloof. MC and Edgar are always worried about him bc he doesn’t seem to want friends.

The girl is bffs with Lancelot’s daughter and Kyle’s son.

Zero

One daughter!

She has MC’s hair and his eyes. She’s really pretty!

She’s friendly and is always smiling. Since she’s younger than the other kids of the Red Army (Kyle’s second son is actually the youngest, but he is still a baby lol), they kind of treat her as a young sister, always hugging and patting her head.

She’s really curious around everything. Actually, her personality resembles Lancelot’s daughter’s a lot.

Loves watching her father training with the soldiers! At the end of every session, she goes running towards him demanding hugs.

Kyle Ash

Two boys. They have an age gap of 12 years.

His firstborn had a really fragile health as a child, to the point of having to take constant shots and Kyle having to perform different treatments on his child. Seeing their child suffer was really difficult for Kyle and MC, and at some point they even thought that he wouldn’t survive childhood. However, aroung age 8, the signs of this disease started decreasing and he got better.

Kyle is still worried about his son, so he always keeps a close watch on him to see if those symptons will come back someday.

Because they were always busy taking care of their older son, MC and Kyle decided to not have other children. So it was a big surprise when they discovered MC’s second pregnancy.

Surprisingly, their second son has no health problems. As a baby, he’s really serious and likes to nap a lot.

Both boys look a lot like Kyle. The older one looks the most, while the younger has MC’s eyes.

Mousse Atlas

Has one son.

The boy is a MC’s appearence copy with Mousse’s personalit copy.

Just like his dad, loves napping.

Naps everywhere.

Everywhere.

Once, when dusting some shelves, Luka found him sleeping in the Black Army’s library.

How in the hell did this kid get here?

He always goes missing. Like, at one moment he’s standing right next do MC and in the next second he disappears. Dude???

Actually, he’s a magic user, which explains him disappearing all the time and reaching things that are in a place way higher than him. However, he doesn’t tell it to his parent until he’s sixteen bc he’s afraid of disappointing them (bc he heard from some idiot that magic users are way too dangerous).

💚 Neutral 💚

Harr Silver

He has one daughter.

She has his hair and MC’s eyes.

Since she’s a magic user, she and Harr are always excitingly talking about magic books and researchs. He also teaches her about spells and skills unrelated to magic, such as cooking and fishing.

She’s really shy, and because kids used to bully her at school and adults ignored the situation, she has a really hard time socializing with people that are not her family.

Loves cats! As a toddler, Loki gave her a cat plushie and she is really attached to it.

Gets along with Sirius’s oldest daughter and Lancelot’s, but I’ll talk more about this in another post.

Likes to sleep with her parents. It’s hard to get up in the morning bc she is pratically glued to the one she is hugging.

Loki Genetta

One son. He’s the youngest among the 17 suitors (bc Loki is fucking 19 years old in canon universe, duh).

The boy is always stealing MC’s attention, always glaring at Loki. Loki glares back because he’s a man-child.

Actually, they get along very well when the issue is not MC, and the boy trusts Loki a lot, sharing secrets and asking for help when in need of assistance.

His looks and personality are a carbon copy of Loki’s.

Always follows Ray’s son and Fenrir’s daughter around.

Oliver Knight

One daughter, and Oliver loves her so much!

She looks a lot like MC, both in looks and personality.

Being a bit naive, she’s always getting in trouble. Thank god her friends are always ready to rescue her! Is bffs with Sirius’s second daughter.

Boys love her. Girls too. As a teenager, she’s always having to turn down confessions. She tries to be gentle, but some people are just too bold for her to deal with. That’s when Sirius’s daughter and son (the twins!) enter and deal with whoever is bothering her.

She kind of has a crush on Sirius’s oldest son, but is too embarassed to admit.

Oliver knows, but doesn’t want her to know that he knows. It’s kind of tough to hide, bc when the boy shows up at his house he’s always fumming with jealousy.

Blanc Lapin

Mister Blanc has one son.

He’s calm and smart.

Loves tea parties! Dad’s carrot cake is the best.

Loves his mom. Loves his dad. Loves his friends.

He’s a sunshine. Everybody loves him.

Dean Tweedle

Has only one daughter.

Her looks and personality are a perfect mix of her parents’.

Sleeps only if her dad reads to her. Otherwise, she stays the whole night staring at ceiling with a bored expression.

Is really smart and responsable. She’s the perfect “senpai” at school.

Is bffs with Sirius’ oldest daughter.

She and Dalim’s son look really alike, so people are always mistaking them as siblings. Dalim and Dean always get annoyed at this.

Dalim Tweedle/Dum

Has one son.

Just like Dean’s daughter, his looks are a mix of his parent’s, but his personality is a bit different. Despite being really curious, he’s really quiet and hesitant of asking questions aloud.

Is a magic user.

Sees Dean’s daughter as a big sister. Is always attached to her hand when they meet and follows her around like a shadow.

Probably prefers his mom over Dalim.

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moonlit-imagines · 4 years

Text

Headcanons for being Diego Hargreeves’ child

Diego Hargreeves x child!reader

warnings: knifes, blood, guns, death mentions, mental hospital

a/n:

prompt: anonymous: “Hi! Could you please write a “The Umbrella Academy” Diego Hargreeves x daughter reader headcanon? I always think Diego is such a overprotective softie dad ♥️♥️”

deigo really said “?????”

how dad

but also he’d just the most loving dad anyone could ever ask for

✨it’s because he was never loved by his dad✨

“hi cutie, i love you, i love you, i love youuuuu”

he locked away all his weapons so that you couldn’t hurt yourself on them

but he always missed a few and he’d turn around and see you holding throwing knives and just FREAK OUT

“no, no, no, you may not have those! knives are for big boys like me, not babies”

“give back”

“‘give back?’ are you nuts?”

diego has conversations with lil you as if you know what the fuck he means dhshshhshs

as you got older, you became more interested in his “career”

“no, i dont care if you have powers or not! you have a bedtime, that means no vigilantism, you hear me?”

“if i say ‘no’ can i be a vigilante?”

“you know what? how about you clean up the gym for al so he doesn’t evict us?”

you did not sign up for this

you really wanted to meet your aunts and uncles, but you weren’t exactly sure they knew about you

i mean, you knew you had a cousin but everyone knew about her because aunt allison was a goshdarn celebrity

“dad, i want to meet the family!”

“no you don’t”

end of discussion

despite having a bedtime, you still watched movies late at night with your dad

he really liked marvel movies

“come on, that would never happen!”

“you come from a family of superpowered kids, a robot mom, and a monkey, and you’re upset about...a guy that shoots arrows?”

“maybe i am, what’re you gonna do about it?”

you ask about umbrella academy stories a lot, you your dad usually makes it about him

“and then i punched that guy in the face! and then i stabbed him in the leg because he was a dick! bet you’re friend’s dads arent as cool as me”

*yawning bc you’ve heard this story a million times*

you go to public school

you do have your dad’s last name

which occasionally gets recognized

“woah! wasn’t your dad a superhero?”

“i have no idea what youre talking about” :)

practicing your knife throwing while diego is away, him coming home to find his knifes stuck through various targets

so proud but he had to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself

you actually had to learn how to patch him up because he did come home a bit battered and bruised several times

“im okay, y/n. no need to freak”

“dad, there is literally blood dripping on the floor will you just sit down and stay still for five goddamn minutes?”

“woah, who the fuck taught you to cuss?”

watching the news at home when your grandfather was reportedly dead

you were actually very upset because you wanted to meet him so bad

even if he was a dick

your dad came home silent and you knew he knew

“you okay?”

“oh, yeah, im better than okay!”

finally getting the chance to meet your family

“who are you?” -allison

“im, uh, y/n. diego is my dad”

*jaw dropping*

and you know what? that happened four more times (plus ben but you didn’t get to see that)

“and you are?” -luther

“who’s the...the little one?” -klaus

“well, what do you know? diego’s a dad” -five

“don’t tell me that’s...no way” -ben

“you’re diego’s? wow, i can’t believe he didn’t tell anyone” -vanya

“i...i know who all of you are” -you

diego bragging about how perfect you are while everyone simultaneously rolls their eyes

“well, y/n, maybe one day we’ll schedule a playdate for you and claire” -allison

“‘playdate?’ how old do you think i am?...but yes i wanna meet her”

“god, you’re so much like diego, it’s unsettling”

you had been secretly training at al’s gym during your dad’s late night activities

so when trouble came your way, you were able to handle yourself pretty well

“where the hell did you learn that?”

“al showed me a few moves!”

“that old man? you’re kidding”

you met your grandmother, grace, who was tasked with keeping you safe at all times

you actually loved her sm

but there was something a bit off about her

besided the fact she was a robot

klaus snuck you out so that you two could have BoNdInG tImE

it wasn’t all bad

ben was a lil choked up that he got to meet one of his niblings

“they’re perfect”

“they just stabbed someone, buddy”

“who are you talking to?”

FIVE EVEN SCHEMED WITH YOU

“okay, y/n, i need you to curve something when i throw it, got that? right at that security guard”

“what are you throwing?”

“you’ll know when you see it, make your uncle five proud”

“IS THAT A GUN”

<3 family

running into patch!!

“hey, kid, i just saw your dad. i thought i told you to handcuff him to the radiator when you were away?”

“yeah, well, he wouldve chewed his hand off so here we are”

that was the last time you saw her :/

well, your dad was now a wanted man

“what happened to your arm?”

“no”

you actually didn’t expect this family reunion to go south like this

wait—yes you did

vanya has powers????

“i thought vanya was the one without powers?”

“yeah. so did we.”

diego straight up did not want you anywhere near that

but you, again, were his child and also fuck authority you do what you want

the vibe is almost getting shot several times

by hazel, cha cha, and “commission” guys?

going 2 ur auntie’s concert 😌✨

“y/n, hide in the bathroom and stay there until i come get you”

“dad, i love you, but no”

“y/n, i love you too, but yes”

“no”

“yes”

“NO”

“YES”

you won

but in the end (or not so much) you time traveled to...1961?

without any of your family

“this is...this is not good”

understatement of the year(s)

what was a kid like you gonna do in dallas, texas in 1961

no seriously, what

it was rough, but you managed to survive on your own

and open a paper in 1963 to find a mugshot of your dad

“son of a—”

visiting dad! (two years later)

“y/n? oh my god, y/n! shit, i missed you so much! why do you look different? you’re bigger, oh god. how long have you been here?”

“2 years, dad. you?”

his hair was so LONG

“2 months”

“christ, that’s it?!”

“i have to stop jfk from being assassinated”

“what makes you think that’s a good idea???”

“its the right thing to do, wanna help?”

“shit, i guess. as long as i dont end up here”

“no promises, people in the 60’s are crazy”

diego: 👁👄👁

you: 👀

running into five on the street soon after

“uncle five?”

“no time to talk”

“okay, asshole? i’ve been here for 2 years and you dont care?”

“two years, huh? i spent 45 years in a post apocalyptic world as a 13 year old and beyond”

“i didn’t say it was a competition, dude. you kinda dropped us all at different times. at least, me and dad. he—”

“is trying to kill lee harvey oswald, i know. come with me”

finally running into your other aunts and uncles, who were so excited to see you

you ran into their arms and they picked you off the ground and you felt closer than ever after only knowing them for 10 days

dad broke out

lila too

“im your new mom!”

“you’re what?”

diego dragged you along with him almost everywhere

he had missed you so much, but he keeps forgetting you kinda grew up without him for a while longer

meeting grandpa :)

“a grandchild, huh? how unfortunate”

“bitch”

“what did you just call me?”

“a bitch.”

your dad and basically the entire table trying to hold back laughter

reggie was stunned

cold hearted just like him <3 he didn’t know if he was offended or proud

this is so confusing

diego just disappeared off the face of the earth

and assassins were on your case

“the goddamn swedes are back oh shittt im gonna die”

“y/n, just curve their bullets”

“it’s not as easy as it sounds, klaus!”

you were doomed

theres too much to go over

apparently you died on a farm????

and then you didn’t??????

and your dad was almost apart of the commission

“hey, you okay, y/n?”

“i would like to take a nap please”

“yeah, me too”

“me three!” -klaus

yeah it was never that simple 😌💕 the end

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @cullens-stuff // @lotsoffandomrecs // @takethebladeawayfromme // @that-nerd-tessa // @teenwaywardasgardian // @spidergirla5 // @sheridans-dynamos // @freya-xo // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @jay-is-groovy // @ravenmoore14 // @purpleskiesstorm // @abbiesthings // @thereagles // @ofthedewthesunlight //

#diego hargreeves x reader #diego hargreeves imagine #diego hargreeves #umbrella academy x reader #umbrella academy #umbrella academy imagine #tua #tua imagine #tua x reader #diego hargreeves x child!reader #hargreeves!reader

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buddyfromearth · 3 years

Text

Object of Affection

For @gothamsworst because your entire penguin tag has put into me a great fire to write a sheepish significant other for him. Mind you, I haven’t written fanfiction since high school so forgive me if I get something wrong (I’m still getting into DC and my parents think it’s embarrassing because I had a lobo phase out of high school.)

Notes: confessions of love; sfw (some slight implications at the end but it cuts off because that’s not going on this blog here); aw, gee, he brought a bouquet of flowers; hey who ordered flirting because here’s some; several headcanons in one go let’s go people; I can write pretty words I just mostly refuse to in favor of making it all comics instead; idea of flirting is just walking up with a bouquet and going “marry me”; I don’t know what I’m doing I’ve never written this guy before.

EDIT: fixed some things.

Stuck between yearning for love and the fear of rejection was a difficult place to be. It was at least easier to know rejection than it was to have yearning for love going totally unanswered. Oh, what pain it was.

Oswald Cobblepot, that troublesome Penguin known about Gotham as one hell of a man to cross, was madly in love. Yes, an unfortunate feeling to have. But he couldn’t help it. Not this time, at least.

It was someone he’d seen around the lounge, lurking nearby where he’d watch the penguins. When he saw them around and was able to not make it awkward, he couldn’t help but stare at those eyes all green and deep like some dark thicket. And those venomous eyes did plenty of staring back: he could feel their gaze fixated on him whenever he was working at the lounge.

Really, though, what did he know about this crush that had taken his entire heart by a single blow? Well, he knew enough. His eyes about Gotham told him that they weren’t much of anything besides a total hermit: mostly stayed home at a ground-floor apartment in a low-rent yet slightly decent part of town (as decent as the city could be, anyway), and had everything that was needed for living delivered to their door. No car: only ever ventured out on a trike with a headlight on the front and a trunk on the back. He wasn’t even sure what they did for a living.

At the very least Oswald knew he could find them lurking around the lounge. So, that’s exactly where he went.

Of course, such an event was not something to go into completely unprepared. He pulled out a nice suit, as usual, with all the fine accoutrements he was well-known for. An umbrella in one hand and a large bouquet of bloody red roses in the other. Even went out of the way to pick out cologne, albeit he preferred not to. He wanted to make the best impression he could.

It was just that odd hour before the post-work rush. Oswald hoped he’d not come in on a wrong night. Trying not to draw too much attention, he made a long sort of awkward path over to where they usually were.

There they were, right at that surprisingly bare table he got used to passing by. There was a pencil case pushed to one side, and it sat next to a tall glass of what he thought might be soda (of course, he wasn’t about to just try it: that would be a bit too much). They were hunched over something in front of them, and their hands moved quickly with a pencil and a brush.

“Excuse me, my dear,” started Oswald, with a soft tone so as to not scare this beloved mystery away, “but is this table taking guests?”

They jumped. Oswald feared he’d gone too fast. Oh, wonderful, now he’d scared them off!

They looked up and met his eyes. What was once a terrified look behind thick glasses quickly melted into something tender and rather curious. “Oh.” Their voice had an astoundingly flat affect, hinting at an origin out in midland farming country with the slight tint to it. They cleared their throat, and moved their bag to the other side. “S-sure thing, sir, sure. Wasn’t expecting anyone to be over here tonight. Normally people only ever come over to ask for free work from me.” Their voice was soft and quiet as they spoke: an absolutely adorable sound that hit just right in his ears. He could listen to it talk forever.

“Excellent.” Oswald sat down directly next to them, putting the umbrella to rest on the seat beside him.

Their face quickly changed colors. It went from a sickly pale in the lowlight to being absolutely taken over with blush. “R-right, s-sure. Please, forgive me for asking, but haven’t I seen you around here before?”

“Of course you would have seen me here before,” said Oswald, rolling his eyes slightly. “I own this lounge, after all.”

“Oh, I…” They stopped for a moment, and their mouth was slightly agape as they appeared to slowly mentally register the weight of the situation. Then their eyes shot wide open and they gave up a nervous smile with chattering teeth. “M-Mr. Cobblepot, sir. I-I-I didn’t think I was something you’d… well, y’know, actually come over to see?”

“Quite the contrary,” said Oswald, moving in closer and putting an arm around their shoulder. “You’ve captured my attention with how much you care about my darlings. I see you in here and I can’t help but wonder if you’re some kindred soul.” He gestured just slightly over at the centerpiece of the lounge, the namesake iceberg with a whole group of penguins he often spent hours watching on his days off.

They looked over to where he gestured, and then they nodded quickly. The nervousness quickly got itself out of that smile, and their entire posture melted into one of repose. “Your penguins, right. Right, the penguins! Of course! They’re so cute: little communal flipper birds that just waddle around and honk and preen all day.” They sighed and smiled, leaning forward and putting their head to rest in their hand. “What I wouldn’t give for a life so carefree.”

Oswald immediately had a few ideas come to mind. Oh, he could take care of that: he could just bring them into his life and get them out of that awful apartment, pamper them with anything and everything they could ever want. Ask them to move in with you. Ask them for a date. Ask them to share a drink. No, no, no, that’s all too fast! Play it slowly: perhaps they’ll melt into your arms if you go ahead just right.

“How often are you around here, hm?” Oswald looked over from behind his monocle at this mystery figure that had caught his attention and proceeded to hold it in a vice-like grip, taking a moment to look at what he was dealing with. Their figure was mostly obscured by big, bulky articles of clothing, but what could be made out was all thick and rolled together like some haphazard cake stacked up far too high for its own good. It was very easy to look at. “You seem to know enough about my precious little birds.” “Perhaps a bit too much” was a phrase he wanted to add, but he wasn’t about to murder this feeling.

“I don’t really drink alcohol. I only really come here to draw the iceberg and all the penguins,” said the mystery crush. “They’re so fun to smush together with their little shapes. Their little flippers are so cute. And their little feet are surprisingly complex once you get past all the flub and feathers.”

Oh, one of those artist types. Wait, artist type. Artist. Oh, this could be good: this could actually be really good for several different reasons! Not just the romantic pursuit reason, either: perhaps their passion for the arts would include, somewhere in there, a passion for him.

“I see.” Oswald reached for the pad of paper they were so vigilantly guarding and said, “I can’t help but have a look at someone’s work regarding my darlings.”

A sickly pale hand with chewed-down nails shot over and clamped in on Oswald’s wrist. “Just a second there, Mr. Cobblepot. You have to promise me something first.”

“Anything, my sweet, anything.”

“Don’t tell anyone what you see in this book. It’s a lot of… well, it’s… bad.”

“Oh, I will most certainly be the judge of that.” Oswald picked up the book, and then handed them the bouquet in return. “Here, something for you to hold in the meantime.”

Noting their shocked expression as they carefully took the bouquet in their arms, Oswald began to slowly browse through the contents of the book.

What they had said was indeed true: there were a lot of penguins in there. They were doing all sorts of things: preening their coats, honking, spread out on their stomachs staring at each other, ambling across the ice. They were all partway realistic, but there was some sort of fantastical flair to them. It was cute: just like them.

While flipping through the pages, though, he couldn’t help but notice other pieces. Things like the name of the lounge written out in poster type pieces with his penguins and their little iceberg on it. There was, undeniably, a unique work of a penguin in a suit like his. Curious, he turned the page.

And what he saw there surprised him greatly.

It was not only drawings of patrons with little notes about time scrawled around them that occupied the pages, but there were drawings of him as well. Little notes here and there about the things he’d wear, the way he’d talk, and the way he moved. Around one particular piece underlaid with purple markings was a portrait of him smiling: the note around this piece said “Handsome guy but who?” It was surrounded by little scribbled hearts.

Oswald, in his stroke of peacock vanity that got to him every now and again, turned his head slightly as he was gently urged by these things. “I see that you draw more than birds.”

The mystery crush looked over. They caught a look of what pages he’d come to and they grimaced before sighing and hiding their face in their hands. “Sorry about that. I-I draw people a lot, just to stay aware of how to do it.”

“It seems you’ve become quite taken with me in these intimate studies,” said Oswald, casting a rather tempered gaze and a matching grin over at the object of his affections as he handed back the book. “I must admit, I came here tonight thinking you wouldn’t reciprocate the feelings that brought me to you in the first place.”

“Oh, wow, feelings?” The mystery crush smiled and chuckled ever so softly, rubbing their hand along the back of their neck as they took the book and put it back on the table. “Goodness gracious, Mr. Cobblepot, I didn’t expect a gentlemanly type like yourself to be the romantic type.”

“Oh, but isn’t a gentleman always the romantic type?” Oswald, emboldened by such a soft response, couldn’t help but to pull them in closer. When they began to blush again, he grinned and pressed a gloved finger to their nose. “I can’t exactly help it. And please, just call me Oswald.” He then picked up one of their hands and pressed a single, fervent kiss to it.

“Ah, uh, I guess so,” said the mystery crush, “mister… oh, right, Oswald. Right, first name basis now.” Their face was getting hotter by the minute, and they began to stammer over all their words as they put the bouquet on the table. “I, uh… would, would you be offended if I asked you something kinda personal?”

Oswald could already picture several personal questions and perfect little answers to go along with them. He nodded and held their hands in his. “Oh, but of course, my dear: anything you ask for, you’ll get it from me.”

“Oh.” The mystery crush nodded, their glasses falling down their face in the meantime. When Oswald reached up and pushed them back to their previous position, they cleared their throat and quickly stammered out, “If you feel so strongly about me, would you mind if I moved in? I, uh… they hiked the rent on my place again and I have to find a new one before the end of the month. Don’t make enough.”

“Would I mind? Of course not, dearest bird, of course not. I have far too many places that need a colorful touch like yours. You can come with me tonight, if it pleases you, my dear.”

“You don’t have to be so heavy-handed with all the compliments.”

“Oh, but I believe you deserve every last one of them.”

“You’re far too kind.” The mystery crush sighed. “I hate to tell you this now, after all those compliments and affectionate talk, but I’m kind of a handful, I’m… look, I’m trans and if you’re not into a guy like me, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m- I’m sorry. We can just go away from this table and never speak about this again. It… it’ll be fine if we do that.”

“Oh, now you just listen to me.” Oswald put his hands to the mystery crush’s face and leaned it over so they were looking at him. “I don’t rightly care about whether you’re trans or not, and I’ll fund that for you so you can be happy. You’re just far too pretty of a kindred spirit to be left so alone in such a big city.”

“I…” The mystery crush looked baffled. They froze for a moment or two, and Oswald wondered if he had said too much. After a long silence, they sighed and smiled so big and soft that it couldn’t help but bring him to smile as well. “Wow. Thanks.”

“Oh, you’re ever so welcome, my dear.” Oswald pressed his face up to theirs and quickly asked, “May I?”

“May you… oh, right. Right! Yes, you may, Oswald. You most certainly may!”

With that, Oswald couldn’t help but press a kiss to their lips. Their lips were slightly chapped, and he couldn’t help but nuzzle his face just slightly against theirs in some affectionate attempt to bring intimacy to such a moment. This move, while unexpected at first, was quickly reciprocated as their hands took hold of his shoulders.

Oswald pulled away with a troublesome little grin spread across his lips, and the object of all those affections smiled like this sort of intimacy was brand new to them. “I can’t help but wonder what your name is.”

“Look, my name is…” They stopped for a moment, but then they smiled and just said, “Call me Lou for now. I can’t think of a name that belongs to me.”

“Then let’s find that out together.” Oswald took his umbrella up and moved to stand, offering his hand to Lou. “Come, I can have a crew bring your things to our home tomorrow. Tonight, we shall simply be enamored little lovebirds.”

Lou laughed. Their laugh sounded like the call of a bird, with its dragged-out syllables and its pitch. They snorted just slightly as they packed up their things. “You’re very honest, Oswald. I like that. I like that a lot.”

“What’s a little honesty between significant others?” Oswald smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

Lou put their bag back on their shoulders and put their hand in Oswald’s as they stood up. They weren’t much taller than him, and those assumptions he had made about their figure were correct. “It’s a lot. Let’s go.”

Oswald only put his arm around them as the two gently went hand-in-hand to where his driver waited.

“What are the plans for this evening, Oswald?”

“Oh, I do believe I have a few ideas beginning to come to be. Just you be patient, my sweet, I’ll tell you when we’re alone.”

#writing #gothamsworst #not going into the tags #too embarrassing and self-inserty for the tags #gave the guy a different name too #just so it's not too self-inserty #I don't like getting rude comments about self-inserting #my writing

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thesculptedflower · 4 years

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For who could ever learn to love a Penguin

Heyyy friends! I’m back, and I’m feeling truly better. I had a pretty bad episode of seasonal depression, which I should have seen coming, but like every year, it took me by a surprise. But as we get closer and closer to Halloween and Christmas, I get better and better. Thank you all for giving me the time I needed and a shoulder to cry on if I needed it. You guys are truly irreplaceable. I love you.

This one took way longer than it should have, but here it is. I hope you like it.

@kpopgirlbtssvt

For who could ever learn to love a Penguin

You adored your father. He was everything you aspired to be, kind and generous, compassionate and loving. You knew he was always there to protect you and to have your back if you needed help. After your mother passed away, after losing a hard battle with cancer, your relationship with your father grew more and more closer. You were always together, doing things the two of you loved. It was as perfect as it could be. The pain from the loss of your mother was still present, but it was almost okay, you still had each other. That’s why it probably hurt as much as it did when he told you that he would marry this new woman. He told you that Grace was a kind soul that had endured bad things in her past, that she was down-to-earth and deserved another chance in love. Like he did too. It felt bad that he was moving on already, but all you wanted was for him to be happy. So you smiled and promised to welcome her with open arms.

You should have known it was too good to be true. Everything your father told you about Grace turned out to be just one side of the truth. Whenever she was with him, she was loving and acting like a perfect step-mother. But it all turned sour when your father left the room. She was bitter and mean, always ridiculing you about how you dressed or how you acted around her. Of course your father would listen your worries and cries when you told him, but every time, Grace managed to turn his head.

Grace’s two children were the spitting image of her. Spoiled teens who in their minds deserved the world on a golden plate. Sasha and Charles were arrogant and spiteful, always bullying you with all kinds of horrible ways. They would steal all your clothes from your closets and replace them with old dirty rags, or pretend to do something nice and bring you a cup of cocoa, which would turn out to be something disgusting. They all treated you like you were a house maid, and not their step-sister.

Life was tolerable, you tried to focus on the good and spent as much alone time with your father as you could. You were ready to endure what ever treatment you got from your step-mother and step-siblings to keep your father happy. But life had other plans for you.

The funeral was small. Grace refused to invite your fathers old friends from distant towns, having only her family and you present. You were shattered. It felt like nothing mattered anymore, like the damage was too great to fix. The words spoken by the priest never reached your mind, unable to bring any comfort. Grace and her children on the other hand seemed to be fine. Too fine almost. You hated them from the bottom of your soul, but you knew you’d have to live with them for some time. You were in no condition on living on your own now, without anyone to rely on if something happened. You made a promise to yourself to treat Grace like she was air to you, giving her the bare minimum. They were perfectly okay with that. Even pleased that you were spending most of the time alone in your room. You’d just have to deal with this for few years and then you’d be gone. Wrong again.

Elijah Van Dahl, a wealthy socialite who had fallen for Grace. You swore you could see a pattern. You hoped Elijah would see through Grace’s lies and manipulation, but for nothing. He was way too good for her, just like your father had been. In the following few years you learned to know Elijah a lot more. He could never replace your father, but you were starting to think him as a father-figure. He treated you kindly, like you were his own. He stood up for you when Grace or her children spoke ill of you. He nurtured you when you were sick, and always put your wellbeing before his. The place you once called a home, was finally staring to feel like one again.

After you started spending more time out of your room, you noticed how distant Grace had grown from Elijah. He tried to be the best husband he could, getting nothing back from his wife. Sasha and Charles were as ignorant as ever, rolling their eyes behind his back when he tried to be nice towards them. On top of it all, they were spending huge amounts of his money. You could see that it took a toll on him, but he just kept on smiling, trying to keep them happy. He deserved to have people around him that truly loved and appreciated him and everything he does for them.

’’Everyone, I’d like to introduce you my son, Oswald.’’ Elijah said proudly, holding his hand firmly on a shoulder of a young man with raven hair. They were both smiling, though Oswald a little awkwardly. It must have been terrifying to suddenly meet so many new people at once. You weren’t expecting a warm welcome from Grace, so you took it upon yourself to make him feel like home.

’’Hi, I’m Y/N, it’s a pleasure to meet you Oswald.’’ You greeted cheerfully, pulling him to a welcoming hug.

’’Hello, Y/N, the pleasure is all mine.’’ Oswald replied as he wrapped his arms gently around you. You could feel his nerves easing already.

You turned around to introduce Grace, Sasha and Charles, who were clearly very unpleased. They were eyeing him from head to toes, not a hint of a smile on their faces. You rolled your eyes and sighed.

’’Come Oswald, I’ll show you your room.’’ You suggested, glancing towards Elijah for approval. He nodded in return before turning his eyes to his wife. He looked almost angry and you hoped he’d let it out and tell her how to treat his children.

’’I’m so sorry you had to come home to that.’’ You apologized, trying to make Oswald feel better about staying here. ’’If it helps at all, they’ve always been like that. To me too.’’

’’They shouldn’t treat you like that. You seem like a lovely person.’’

You felt your cheeks getting a little rosy, luckily you were a few steps ahead of Oswald.

’’Thank you Oswald, I’m looking forward to get to know you better.’’ You said kindly, glancing over your shoulder to look at him. His smile was genuine and radiated the same kind of warmth your father did when he smiled at you. It felt bittersweet.

You turned the handle to a spare room and opened the door. ’’Here, it’s all yours.’’

You moved aside to let Oswald in. His eyes widened as he admired the spacious room. He placed his bag on the end of the huge bed and sat down next to it.

’’It’s- it’s quite a lot to take in.’’ He sounded a little exhausted. It was easy to understand why. Being pulled to a totally new place with complete strangers around would be hard to anyone.

You smiled softly and took a seat next to him on the bed.

’’You’ll get used to it, I’m sure your father’ll do anything to make you feel like home.’’ You cheered him up.

’’That’s very kind of you to say.’’ Oswald replied, carefully placing his hand on top of yours. ’’Thank you, really, for helping me get adjusted.’’

You nodded with a smile as an answer before standing up.

’’Dinner will be ready in a few moments, I’ll see you downstairs then.’’ You said before leaving him to unpack his things. You didn’t want to be too pushy, even if you already longed to know him better. He was a breeze of fresh air in the house that sometimes felt so stuffy and hostile. He could be someone who you could trust with your heart and soul.

The following weeks went like flying. Oswald opened up more and more everyday, and it didn’t take long for you to grow some very affectionate feelings for him. And he seemed to return those feelings. He was there to comfort you when Sasha and Charles bullied you, and you were there for him. Things got extremely nasty when Grace presented a newspaper to Elijah, with a frontal page of Oswald’s criminal past. She had done everything in her power to get Oswald out of the house. Luckily Elijah was not giving up on Oswald. He had proven he had changed and was perfectly capable of living a proper life, away from crime. Of course Grace wouldn’t believe it. The marriage between the two grew more sour and sour on her end, Elijah still trying to get things to work. You admired how Elijah took Oswald in immediately, how he took you in. You only wished he would for once put his own wellbeing first.

’’May I have a moment with you, son?’’ Elijah asked, peaking his head in to your room. He knew very well what was going between the two of you, even if you tried to hide it from the rest of the family. You could see that he was glad Oswald had someone like you beside him. You had been reading books together on your bed, in a comfortable silence.

’’Of course, I’ll join you in a moment.’’ Oswald said happily. Elijah nodded and retreated to the downstairs parlour.

’’I hope it’s nothing serious.’’ You said quietly. Elijah had some health issues that you worried about. He always assured you that he’d be fine as long as he took his medicine and stayed away fro alcohol. But losing your own father made you even more worried.

’’It’s probably nothing, maybe he just wants to talk. Just for the pleasure of talking. I’ve been pretty cooped with you most of the time.’’ He said with a soft laugh and placed his book on the nightstand. You lowered yours to your lap and searched Oswalds eyes for comfort. You didn’t need to say anything, he was already moving next to you, to hold you close to his chest. You pressed yourself against him, inhaling his scent to calm down. He caressed your head while holding you tight.

’’I just feel really anxious for some reason.’’ You whispered.

’’I know, I can feel it too.’’

You lifted your eyes to look up at him. His features were soft as he gazed down at you. You reached your hand up to his cheek and pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

’’Will you sleep here tonight?’’ You asked, already knowing the answer.

’’As always.’’

Oswald pressed a kiss to your forehead before making his way to his father.

Elijah was lounging in front of a softly glowing fireplace. He looked happy. Oswald sat down next to him, the warm glow of the fireplace softening his features. For a moment they both just enjoyed the feeling of being together. Grace brought a beautiful bottle of whiskey to the side table and one glass for Oswald. He thanked her kindly.

’’Son, I want you to know, that you are loved, and you’re not alone.’’ Elijah spoke suddenly. His demeanor was filled with emotion, with unconditional love for his son. Oswald was taken aback, his eyes threatening to water. ’’And the sun will come up tomorrow.’’ He continued, bringing hope for their future together.

’’Thank you father.’’ Oswald almost sobbed, too emotional to hide it anymore.

’’Now I feel like a drink.’’ Elijah said, raising the glass Grace had brought. He filled it up with the amber liquid, savoring the strong scent.

’’But your health?’’ Oswald questioned, a clear worry in his voice.

’’To hell with that.’’

Elijah downed the drink in one go, the liquid pleasantly burning his throat. Oswalds eyes were on his father, looking for any sign of discomfort. But he seemed to be just fine.

’’I want you to have it all my son. This house and everything in it. Just the way it is, a piece of history. Our history. First thing tomorrow, I’ll have my lawyers draw it up.’’

Oswald was amazed. He felt like he belonged here, like he had finally found something to live for after losing his mother. This man he had grown to love so quickly, who took him in when he most needed it, wanted to have him continue his legacy. Oswald was just about to lean in to hug his father, when Elijah face distorted to a painful grimace. Oswald’s face dropped.

Elijah stood up abruptly, holding his stomach. He groaned in pain, his mouth starting to ooze white foam. Oswald stood up to catch him as he started fall, ending up on the floor with him.

’’Father! Father! No!’’ Oswald cried in agony.

Grace rushed to the parlour, Sasha hot on her heels.

’’Elijah!’’ She screamed, ’’Did he drink that?’’ She kept yelling.

Oswald nodded, tears streaming down his face as he held his dying father.

’’But his condition! Sasha, call an ambulance!’’ Grace commanded. Charles had papers behind the side table, worried look on his face.

Oswald was too shocked to notice how Grace motioned Charles to knock the bottle of the table. The liquid sizzled as it hit the carpet, but Oswald was too distraught to care.

’’Y/N!’’ Oswald cried. You were already on your way, running down the halls as fast as you could. You could already hear sirens somewhere on the way. You weren’t ready to face whatever waited you downstairs, but you would be there for Oswald. You’d always be there for him.

After the funeral, the house felt like a prison. Grace had turned you and Oswald to her personal slaves. She had assured you both that you couldn’t make it out there on your own, that you needed to stay at the manor for your own good. You both were too tired, too emotionally strained to fight back, so you did as she told you. You cleaned and cooked, Oswald drove her around the town and made her drinks. Which she almost always spilled, making you work extra.

’’Oswald! Make me an apple martini!’’ Grace screamed from the parlour. You and Oswald were both at the kitchen, preparing for tonights dinner. Grace had ordered a very very complicated meat dish, that required tons of pre-work. You could already see her and her children spitting it out and having you do it all over again.

Oswald sighed and began making the drink.

’’Yes, ma’am! Coming right up!’’ He replied with a fake happy voice. It pained you to see him like that, but at least you had each other. You swiped your forehead with the back of your hand, leaving a smudge of flour behind. Oswald let out a soft laughter, pulling you out of your thoughts.

’’What?’’ You asked confused, looking at him working on the drink. He paused for a moment to help you clean yourself.

’’You have a little something on your forehead.’’ He said with a smile, gripping a towel. He wiped the flour off your head and showed you the now floury cloth. You laughed a little sadly, suddenly realizing how hopeless and unfair your situation really was.

’’I want to leave.’’ You whispered, turning your head down to look at your hands. There was flour and dirt under your nails, little cuts from cleaning up broken glass. Oswald took your hands in his and gently lifted your face towards him.

’’We will leave, as soon as we can. I promise I will get you out of here.’’ He whispered, pressing his lips against yours. The kiss was filled with need, it was a promise that the days ahead would be better.

’’Oswald! Where’s the damn drink?’’ Grace’s screaming broke the moment between you, forcing Oswald back to work.

’’Just a moment, it seems I can’t find the olives.’’ Oswald reported back, looking for an excuse. You rolled your eyes, cursing Grace to the deepest hell in your mind. You weren’t usually one for violence, but you were sure Grace had a personal place reserved for her in hell.

’’On the second drawer on the left! You should know that!’’

’’Thank you ma’am, you’re right I should have known.’’ Oswald replied quietly as he opened the said drawer. Grace must have made a mistake, because there surely wasn’t olives. Oswald’s eyes grew wide as he recognized the bottle that laid on the bottom. It was the same bottle Elijah had drinker from on the night he died. Oswald remembered that the bottle fell and the liquid spilled out, but some had remained. It smelled like death. Oswald turned to look at you and lifted the bottle for you to see. It didn’t take long for you to put two and two together and figure out what had happened. You could see Oswald’s eyes turning dark, his whole body growing tense. Just to be sure, he poured some of the liquid on an apple that was left on the counter. As the liquid hit the apple, it turned rotten where ever the poison dripped. You lifted your hand to your mouth, covering your shocked expression.

’’What are we going to do Oswald?’’ You whispered, scared you would get caught. If Grace could poison her own husband, what horrible things could she do to you if she found out. Oswalds knuckles were turning white around the bottle. You hurried next to him and placed your hand over his, forcing his attention on you.

’’Oswald, talk to me.’’ You begged.

Oswalds grip around the bottle eased and his muscles relaxed.

’’I’ll handle this, you will stay out of this.’’ He said, a different tone in his voice. His eyes looked different as he looked at you. You could only nod, afraid for what he was about to do. Oswald finished making the drink and served it to Grace.

’’Dinner will be served in an hour.’’

Oswald had commanded you to stay the rest of the night in your room. You tried to fight back, wanting to help him anyway you could, but he was set. You wouldn’t come out of your room before he told you so. You were feeling more and more anxious by every passing minute. You could smell the roast in the oven, and sometimes hear Oswald moving the pots and pans as he prepared the dinner. Grace was most likely already at the table, waiting fro the moment she could judge the dinner to shreds.

’’Sasha! Charles! Get down here!’’

You heard Grace scream for her children, but you couldn’t hear a reply. In fact, you couldn’t hear anything. No footsteps, no bickering about having to eat something that Oswald had made. It made you awfully uneasy. Something was wrong.

’’Here’s the first piece. I hope it’s not too gamey.’’ Oswald pretended to be courteous, acting like the best butler. Grace took a small bite of the meat, her face revealing her opinion before she even opened her mouth. ’’Overcooked.’’ She said grimly.

’’Try the other, it’s much more tender.’’ Oswald suggested, cutting her a piece. Once again Grace took a bite. ’’It’s the same.’’

Oswald grinned wickedly, standing proudly next to his makings.

’’You look different. Where are the children, ring the bell again.’’ Grace continued, looking at Oswald suspiciously.

’’Oh you noticed! I do my hair differently now.’’ Oswald said cheerfully as Grace kept eating. ’’But I doubt Sasha and Charles will hear it.’’

Grace turned to look at him with a confused look.

’’I found the poisoned bottle, the bottle you used to kill my father.’’

’’What on earth are you talking about?’’ Grace asked, clearly turning anxious. Maybe even scared.

’’You should’ve thrown it away, guess you’re a little too mean to waste a good poison, huh.’’ Oswald said darkly, leaning down closer to Grace. She tried to stand up from her seat, but Oswald was quicker to grab a knife and force her to sit back down. Grace tried to call her children for help. You could hear that too. You were pacing around your room, trying to think about anything else than what was going on down there.

’’They won’t come.’’ Oswald’s grin was turning more and more wicked as he got closer to revealing what he had done to her children. ’’Where are they?’’ She pleaded.

’’You thought they tasted the same, but Sasha, definitely more tender in my opinion.’’ Oswald almost shouted, waving the knife between Grace and the two pieces of meat on the dinner table. Horrified expression on Graces face was bringing joy to Oswald, he was back to his normal wicked self, and he loved it. Grace screamed as Oswald brought the knife down to her chest, multiple times.

You covered your ears and sat down to a corner in your room, furthest from the door. Tears were falling down your cheeks, you didn’t know how to feel. You weren’t scared for yourself, but for Oswald. Could he be good ever again, could he stay on the right side of law for you? Soon the screaming stopped and you could remove your hands from your ears. The quick silence was replaced with footsteps coming closer to your room. You knew it was Oswald but you couldn’t help but feel anxious. The doorknob turned and Oswald stepped in. His face and clothes were covered in blood. You could see that he was exhausted. You stood up slowly and took a few steps closer to him.

’’This is me Y/N, the real me.’’ He said softly, not trying to hide anything. He seemed to be at peace, but a little shameful at the same time. You closed the distance between you and used your sleeve to wipe off some blood on his face.

’’I know.’’ You answered without any fear in your voice. He wasn’t the Oswald you knew anymore, but there were still undeniable feelings. Oswald lifted his hands to your waist and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of your hand on his face.

’’I love you.’’ He said quietly, keeping his eyes closed. ’’But can you love a Penguin?’’ He continued with sorrow in his voice.

’’You’re not a Penguin to me. I’ll always love you.’’

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