More than ever

Untitled Part 1

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

Despite Oswald's fury at the audacity of Gotham's latest costumed lunatic he was somewhat reluctant to go toe to toe with them again just yet. His plans for tonight had been derailed several times already and at the moment he was unwilling to risk being recaptured by the GCPD so soon. Once was more than enough for one night. Of course, had Edward wanted to go and seek retribution he would have come along to help. What where friends for? Nevertheless, he was secretly pleased to hear that he wasn't the only one content to let this caped menace be until the morning.

"What now?" Ed asked after a pause as they made their way down one of Gotham's many dark back alleys. They were keen to avoid drawing attention if at all possible.

Oswald took a moment to consider his response, suddenly finding himself feeling nervous. In the six months prior to their incarceration the pact they had made together, one of brothers in arms, had done so much more than simply confirm an alliance. It had helped to bridge what little gap had remained between them after the Isabella incident and had helped them get back to the point of total trust and acceptance which had been a staple of their earlier friendship. Things had changed, of course, but that was to be expected. After all, neither of them had remained the same men they had been when they had first met. It didn't matter; however. If anything it had only strengthened their bond in the long run.

The fact remained that after the battle with Bane they had become closer than ever before. It had been positively heartbreaking when Jim had burst in with his cronies, arrest warrants in hand and unwilling to listen to their arguments against his actions.

All that was ten years past now though and it was that which was troubling Oswald. So much had changed since then. The law had not been kind to him in that space of time and he had left Blackgate to find his position in life far from ideal. Gone was the empire he had been rebuilding; his wealth, real estate, minions and even reputation. All he had left was a modest amount of money, hardly a fortune, which he had secreted away in offshore accounts and a couple of safe houses which had been in a state of disuse for so long that he dreaded to think of how dilapidated they would likely be.

This being the case he didn't feel that he really had an awful lot to offer Edward. He hadn't even been able to secure his freedom, Jeremiah Valeska having already beaten to him to it on that score. Even their ride had been hijacked, ruined by a giant bat, and they were left to navigate the grimy nighttime streets on foot. All this only served to diminish Penguin's confidence still further. Despite the fact that his, formerly best, suit was struggling to contain his larger frame he doubted he had ever felt so small.

"It's up to you" he replied at length, smiling anxiously at the man at his side before averting his gaze "I'm not sure what you planned on doing once you got out of that nightmarish place but I am willing to offer you whatever assistance I can given my limited means. It's the least I can do."

Ed swallowed. That phrase brought back memories, bittersweet and painful. The last time Oswald had said that to him had been just after he'd lost his eye whilst saving Edward's life. Just another additional to the debts which Ed doubted he would ever be able to repay. All these years later he still had dreams about bloody mess of an eye socket which had almost caused him to vomit on the battlefield. He had tried over the past ten years to come to terms with the guilt he felt about his indirect role in Oswald's injury but so far hadn't had much success. He suspected it would remain with him for the rest of his life.

However, his time in Arkham Asylum had not been entirely wasted. With so little to do and no one of any interest to talk to he'd had a lot of time to think which it turned out had been exactly what he needed. What Oswald had realised back in their days at city hall had, Ed was ashamed to say, taken him much longer to come to terms with. Accepting and embracing his feelings was not something he excelled at unfortunately. However, now that he was free to act on his fully recognised affections Edward didn't intend to waste a moment. He certainly didn't intend on leaving Oswald's side for even a second now that they had finally been reunited.