Love Before Bats; Gotham Oneshots

If I'd Been Brave Enough

Prompt: If Oswald told Edward how he felt before She Who Must Not Be Named fucked everything up.

Oswald's POV

That's it. Today was the day. I was going to tell Ed how I felt.
I strode into his office and past the secretary who was leaving with the mail.
"Good morning, Mayor Cobblepot," Edward said cheerfully as I approached his desk.
"Good morning, my chief of staff."
He stood, a small stack of paper in each hand. "Here are you schedules for the day. This covers you duties as mayor and this as kingpin of the underworld."
I took the papers from him and took a moment to look at them.
I have to go to a school?
Like, with children?
Ew.
"You're really settling into your role here, aren't you, Ed?"
"And yet I still have so much to learn from you."
I blushed and looked away as, I think, did he.
He cleared his throat. "I came up empty tracking down Butch. Somehow, that one handed ape managed to disappear. I suspect he's hiding with his old crew," he turned back to his desk, head down. "I'm sorry for letting you down."
I gawked at him. "You have done nothing of the sort! I would be lost without you."
He smiled, still not looking up.
"In fact, um, there's something that I need to tell you. Something very important."
He turned to face me.
I took a deep breath. Tell him.
"What is it, Oswald?"
I can't do this.
Abort mission.
Fly away.
Shit, penguins are flightless.
"You know what? We have a lot to get done today and It'll be easier to focus with out my nonsense. Let's just get through everything and I'll tell you after."
"What? Like over dinner?"
Did I just accidentally ask him on a date before even telling him?
"Um, yeah, I guess that would work."
"Ok, cool. I'll pick up a nice bottle of wine."
"No, it's fine. My father had a wine collection."
"Aren't all of those super valuable bottles, though?"
"For my best friend, I think we'll be fine."
He nodded and gave a small smile at me calling him my best friend.
"So where are we off to first?"
"PS134. You're touring a school. Press will be there, so we better get a move on." He walked past me toward the door.
"Great," I said through gritted teeth. "I love children."
Let me just hit myself over the head with these papers. I'm such a fucking pussy. And now, I have to call Ulga and ask her to make us dinner.

The day went by slowly, but apparently not slowly enough, because I was still hyperventilating when I got back in my car to go home.
Edward was coming over at eight, and until then, I couldn't die. Problem is, it was only seven thirty and I really really wanted to.
I mean come on. Let's be honest. He dated Kristen Kringle. He's straight. Even if, for some strange reason, he accepted my love, he'd never reciprocate it.
I was setting myself up not only for disappointment, but to lose a friend. And it was too late to go back.
I sat down at the table and took deep breaths. The door bell rang. Kill me.
"Hey, Oswald!" Edward said cheerfully.
"Hey," I managed.
"So what are we eating?"
"Rigatoni with Vodka sauce."
"What are we drinking?"
Oh shit. I hadn't even picked out a wine from the cellar. "Um, your choice. I don't know much about wine."
"Okay, let's go pick one out."
We headed down to the cellar where row upon row of expensive wine sat unopened.
Ed looked around for a while before stopping at a shelf near the back. "A 1963 Anglianco. This is awesome."
We took it back upstairs.
"You're going to want to wait around half an hour for this to sit, ok?"
I nodded.
We went back to the table, poured it out, and began eating, having a simple conversation about work over our food.
"So what did you want to tell me?"
I took a deep breath. "Um, well, the thing is-"
He checked his watch. "It's been half an hour," he lifted his glass. "A toast?"
I furrowed my eyebrows. "To what?"
"I don't know. Whatever you've got to tell me? This is good wine. We have to toast it."
I shrugged. "To expensive old wine."
We raised our glasses and he took a sip.
"I love you," I rushed out simply, putting my glass down without trying it.
He took another sip before setting his glass down as well and leaning his head back to look at the ceiling. "Finally. Took you long enough."
I stared at him in confusion. "You knew?"
"It was obvious."
I started turning red. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I wanted to see what you'd do about it."
I gawked. "So you continued to act like my friend and waited for me to do something? Why?"
He stood up, grabbed his glass, and walked around the table, taking the seat next to me. "Answer me this, Oswald. I am nothing on my own. With no reflection, I have no home. I can be good or bad or in between. It just depends on what you see. What am I?"
Fuck riddles. I thought for a moment. My cheeks heated up. "Reciprocation?"
He leaned in and kissed me, one of his hands cupping my face, the other using my tie to pull me closer. I felt my stomach drop in relief.
I wasn't going to lose him.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, feeling him let go of my tie to grab the arm of my chair and stop himself from toppling over onto me. I could feel the cold metal of his glasses jutting into my cheek but I didn't care. I was kissing Edward Nygma. Nothing else mattered.
Too soon, he pulled back, hovering over me with one hand on the chair-back behind me and one still on the arm. I relaxed my wrists, letting them rest on his shoulders.
He smirked at me. "Correct."
I smiled, my face no doubt beet red after our exchange. "Mind doing that again?"
He snickered and stood straight, grabbing my hands and pulling me up with him. "I think we've had enough dinner. Let's go hang out somewhere less formal."
"Like the living room?"
"Yeah.......or the bedroom. Your pick."

You assholes already know what I chose.

I stumbled into my room backwards, him kissing me and pushing me towards my bed.
My back hit the mattress and I felt his arms pin me down, looking up to find his face a few mere inches from mine and adorned with a satisfied grin.
"Do you have any idea how long I've wanted you like this?"
I shook my head. This is not how I thought tonight would go.
Our lips connected again and I felt his hands working at my belt, tugging my pants down quickly. I replied by smirking into our kiss and loosening his tie, unbuttoning his shirt, and attacking his neck and chest with hickeys and kisses.
He gasped when I found his sweet spot, the skin where his neck met his shoulder. "You're not walking tomorrow, Oswald."
I chuckled, my hands at his zipper. "Then you better clear my schedule, chief of staff."