Define Close [Nygmobblepot]

Ch1: Proceed With Caution

AN: Thanks to everyone who voted or commented, I'm still kinda unsure about how this is gonna go but at least I know I'm gonna continue now. Thanks for reading, I hope you'll enjoy!

Oswald's POV

I have come to the conclusion that being careful, or maybe a little paranoid, is not a bad thing and it might be useful to look over your shoulder every now and then. I'm speaking figuratively, of course, but at the moment literally too. I don't like the feeling of being watched, yet it usually follows me everywhere. Especially now that I'm busy with my campaign, meaning I need to convince everyone I'm a man who was let out of Arkham asylum with a newly clean record and that I really did get rid of the monsters even if some might consider me one.

Glancing over my shoulder literally instead of figuratively can only lead to one thing: running into people. And God help the people who run into me when I'm really not in the mood. I turn to see a tall man who starts to stutter an apology but I interrupt him since he's still standing there, blocking my way.

"Do you mind?" I demand, craning my neck up to look at him considering my eyes are at the level of his throat. His brown hair is pushed back, perfectly in place and his brown eyes are very noticeable even behind his glasses. Or maybe I'm just standing too close.

"Right- sorry." He steps aside quickly. "I apologize."

"I apologize." I repeat politely. "And I should be on my way." I note, mostly to myself as I walk past him, wondering why didn't I just force my way past him immediately, possibly knocking into his shoulder on purpose to show him to stay out of my way. Well, while running for office I should act nice and I was raised to believe in good manners anyway. Yet I'm rather disgusted by how his kind look made me want to be just as considerate in return. It's not that I don't like the idea of being polite, it's just that being polite for the sake of others is not how you get what you want here. Whether you're mean or kind, it's usually for your own profit, not to please others. I don't consider myself cynical, it's just how this place works.

"Right." I hear him repeat. "You must be very busy, Mr Mayor."

It has a weird ring to me and I turn to look at him, flashing a forced smile. "Well, I'm not mayor yet, am I?"

"Well, you soon will be, won't you?" He replies smiling. "I mean.. your only opponent is Aubrey James." He steps over to me, looking like he has given this subject quite a lot of thought. "And let's face it, he has no chance. Not after everything. He lost his power over this place long ago."

I narrow my eyes at him. "What do you want?"

He raises his eyebrows slightly, looking kind of startled. "I- what? I'm sorry. I was just.. thinking out loud. I apologize. Again." He chuckles nervously and I'm left wondering if I really am getting too paranoid or if this man is the best actor I've ever seen.

"It's quite alright." I tell him. "If those are your thoughts, you should feel free to think out loud."

He chuckles again, lightly and more quietly this time. "To be honest it has become a rather bad habit. I guess it's because I'm usually alone at work and when I think I talk to myself since there's no one to hear and studies show it's been proven to be quite useful so in fact I'm-" He stops abruptly. "I'm sorry, you don't care."

I feel the corners of my lips quirk up a bit but force them down. This man sure is talkative and might be considered a bit irritating but he does seem kind of harmless. "Where do you work?" I ask curiously and he looks surprised but replies quickly.

"I'm a forensic scientist at the GCPD." He tells me.

"I see." Well, if he really is harmless, he might even be proven to be useful. "Oh, excuse my manners," I say then as I switch my cane to my left hand before offering my right one to him. "I'm Oswald Cobblepot."

"Oh, don't worry. If it wasn't obvious, I know who you are." He smiles as he takes my hand. "I'm Edward Nygma."

Edward's POV

I feel a headache kicking in.

"What did he say?" Barbara demands.

"Not that much, he seemed more interested in what I had to say." I tell her.

"Could mean he's suspicious." She says, turning to Tabitha and Butch who seem rather bored.

I shrug lightly. "He didn't seem that suspicious."

"No offense, Eddie, but I don't trust you to be the best judge of people." Barbara tells me with a smile that's supposed to win everyone over but makes we want to tell her to do the job herself.

"Better than you anyway." I tell her and she narrows her eyes at me.

"Yeah, we get it, Nygma. You're smart." Tabitha says but her tone mocks me. "But I wouldn't trust you to read people either, which is why I still think it's a bad idea to send him."

"Alright." I say simply. "Do it yourselves, I'm sure I'll find something better to do, but the last time I checked, it was you who needed me. Not the other way around."

"And we still do, don't get too dramatic." Barbara says, rolling her eyes. "Relax, Tabby, we don't exactly have anyone else for it either. Nygma's a nobody, he's perfect."

I brush that aside and focus on the point which everyone seems to have abandoned. "And he thinks I'm even a bigger nobody, I told him I'm a forensic scientist at the GCPD."

"Why would you do that?" Butch asks frowning and I sigh.

"I used to be, what does it matter, he doesn't know it's not true anymore." I point out.

"Well, what if he decides to check up on that?" Tabitha asks me, apparently still expecting me to be the dumb child of the group. Please, like I want to be a part of your group. I need something to keep my brain busy and stimulated and gaining some power from this stupid game they have planned might be useful.

"Why would he do that? So far I'm nothing but a stranger to him." I reply. "And by the time I'm close enough to be dangerous to him.. he already trusts me too much to doubt a word I say. I don't need you to believe me when I say I can read people but you'd be fools to think I don't know how to manipulate them until their heads spin."