OTP Oneshots

Deserving Of This

It's quiet as they eat, the only sound being the scrapping of silverware against the plates and the occasional crackle of the fire. The silence between them is usually comfortable, easy, nothing to be afraid of. But Ed has been acting strangely lately and the silence tonight has Oswald worried, almost scared. There's an energy about Ed that seems hostile, knowing, like a quiet kept rage just boiling beneath the surface of his skin. Oswald doesn't know how to approach him, doesn't know what the problem is, and so he just sits and waits for Ed to say something. After a while, he does.

"Oswald." Ed starts, his voice even, low, almost too calm. His eyes cast downward.

Oswald stops eating, looks up at Ed with a bit of fear in his heart. "Yes?"

"Did she do anything?" He asks.

"Who?"

"Isabella." There's a bit of a warning in his voice, but he takes a deep breath to cover it.

"I- did she do anything to who?"

"To you." Ed looks up and into his eyes for the first time.

Oswald's heart stutters, "I- she-"

"Don't, Oswald, just don't." His eyes narrow. "Just tell me why you did it."

"Why I-" He's trapped, and he doesn't know how to get out of this mess he's in.

Ed slams his fist down on the table, making Oswald jump, "Stop! Just... stop, don't try to weasel your way out of this. I know you killed her. I know it was you who snipped her breaks and paid off the GCPD. All I want to know is why you did it."

"I didn't-" He doesn't know why he's still denying it, doesn't know why he's still trying to get out of this. Maybe it's because his heart is shivering in his chest and he doesn't know what to do.

"Oh of course you didn't, I know you, Oswald, you had one of your lackey's snip her breaks for you so you could claim innocence, so you could have an alibi." Ed stands, walking around to the side of the table, anger in his eyes now.

"Why did you do it?!" He yells.

Oswald's eyes widen and he stands shakily, "Ed..."

"Did you do it to hurt me? Did you want me gone? What? What could have made you kill her?" His voice is a steady stream of anger and Oswald doesn't know if he can handle any of it. He doesn't have any excuse, nothing smart to say, he can't charm his way out of this situation because it's Ed, and he's been caught red handed.

"How could you do it, Oswald? How could you do this to me!" And that's when he lays hands on Oswald, pushing him back hard, making him stumble into the wall behind him.

"Ed.. Just calm down." Oswald says, holding his hands out in front of him.

"No, Oswald. You broke my heart." And then his hand strikes the side Oswald's face.

Oswald looks at him in fear and disbelief as the tears form. And then he takes a breath, straightens his back, and decides on what to do. And as much as it breaks his heart he can't go on like this.

"Yes, I did kill your precious Isabella. I admit it." Oswald says, because maybe admitting it will calm him somehow, maybe he'll leave instead of hurting him further.

But then the punching starts. It comes in flurries, in quick succession, a beating that has Oswald on the floor in seconds and bleeding both from his now broken nose and his maybe dislocated jaw and he's crying, sobs wracking his body, but he deserves it. He knows he deserves it. He's completely responsible for ruining Ed's life and all because of what? He was jealous? He was selfish? Selfish. That seems completely accurate in his current state and he knows wholeheartedly that he deserves this, that this is his punishment for being so selfish as to not care for how Ed would feel about all this.

And all the while Ed is screaming something about how Oswald destroyed his life, how he took away the one thing Ed loved most after just getting her back, and Oswald can take that, he can handle that. But then he starts yelling about how he thought Oswald was his friend, wondering how he could ever do this to him. And then Oswald feels his heart shatter, feels himself crumble, and then he's mumbling "I'm sorrys" through the blood bubbling in his mouth and trying to mutter "I love you's" but the words won't come out.

"Why did you do it?" Ed yells, shaking him roughly, "Why aren't you fighting back?"

"I," Oswald tries, then just barely above a whisper, "Love.... You."

And Ed freezes. He stares down at the bloodied mess beneath him and he suddenly realizes everything. That simple utterance of a confession completely throws him off and he stumbles back. Oswald coughs and Ed's head is spinning because this isn't anything new to him. He killed Dougherty to be with Kristen and Oswald killed Isabella to be with him. And suddenly he's seeing everyone's point of view, suddenly he can understand Kristen's disgust and fear when he admitted to killing her boyfriend and suddenly he understands completely why Oswald would do any of this.

He hits the wall with his back, puts a hand to his head and looks back down at the wounded, broken man he's created and he feels something waking up inside of him but he doesn't want to think about it right now so he bolts, calls 911 and then runs.

Oswald lies on the ground in pain, wondering if any of this was worth it at all, wondering if he's lost Ed for good. He want to cry out for someone, anyone. But the one person he would have wanted to help him just beat him to a bloody pulp and then ran. So maybe he doesn't deserve anyone coming to save him, maybe he should just lie there and let himself die. Maybe he's caused too much hurt with Ed to ever make up for it. He should have just left them alone. He should have just confessed his feelings to Ed when he had the chance instead of messing everything up.

Ed circles the block. Trying to decide what to do. Trying to make sense of any of this because even though he understands where Oswald was coming from he still can't make sense of the situation. He waits long enough to see the ambulance pull up to the mansion, waits until he sees them carry him out of the house before he turns his back. He doesn't make sure Oswald's even still alive before he walks away.