call it what you want || nygmobblepot x oc ✅

Call It What You Want

POV Five Jackson

It's Oswald, tied to a chair like me. He looks up at Barbara, Tabitha and Butch calmly.

"So. Here we are," Barbara says.

"I suppose I underestimated you, Barbara," Oswald concedes.

"It's the curse of great beauty." She tosses her hair.

"How did it go? You put together what happened to Ed's librarian- turned him against me."

"Honestly, wasn't too hard," Barbara says.

"And then together you hatched a plan to destroy everything I made and kill me?"

"Pretty much. And brother, did you ever take the bait," she gloats. I grit my teeth.

"Well, I hope you're happy at the head of the table." Oswald is more calm than I thought he'd be.

"You know, the table is more or less littered with dead old dudes, but hey, it's a place to grow," Barbara says airily.

"And now that you've got what you want, you don't need Ed anymore." He concludes.

"Mmm," she says. That's a yes.

"My, my. Didn't take you long to turn on each other."

"You know, I think of it as a limited partnership that needs dissolving," she waves a hand.

"So, I help you find Ed, things go better for me. I don't, you kill me. That about it?" Oswald asks.

"Yeah." She says, looking up at him and grinning. I tense.

I know Oswald's a selfish child, okay? Anyone with half a brain can see it. But this? He's going to prove it, right in front of us. Please don't give them what they want.

"One more question." he says suddenly. "Where's Five?"

"Your little redhead bodyguard? Don't worry. He's fine. For now," and Barbara pointedly doesn't look in our direction. Edward clamps his hand over my mouth. As if I'd talk now. "You're going to call Ed. Tell him you're alive. Tell him... oh, I don't care. But find out where he is," she orders.

"Why don't you call him?" Oswald says.

"Because he's not stupid. He knows that now you're no longer the head of the underworld, or anything else, we don't need him anymore. It is our time to rule."

"You understand if I feel compelled to refuse," he returns.

"Give me five minutes. He won't refuse," Butch says with a creepy smile.

"I'd do it in three," shrugs Tabitha.

"Why you gotta do that?" Butch turns to her.

"What?"

"Cut me down like that in front of people." I want to laugh. Oh my god. They're disorganized rabble. For all their great plans, they have some discourse they should work through first.

"I'm just saying-" Tabitha starts.

"Would the two of you shut up?" Barbara snaps. "Give up Nygma. And save your own ass. Live to love another day." She stops, looks at Oswald. "Hey. Wow."

"What's going on?"

"You have a weird look on your face. Like, weirder than normal."

"You're right." Oswald says. "I should want him dead.

"Should?" Barbara sputters. "Oswald, you loved him, and he betrayed you."

"Actually, I don't know that I did," he whispers. "Love him. Not really."

"What?" she demands.

"Ed was right. I thought I loved him because he saw me as no one had since my mother. And-" he stops. "But I killed Isabelle."

"I'm pretty sure her name was Isabella, but go on," Barbara rolls her eyes.

"Because I wouldn't share him." It's like he's finally coming to the revelation that I've been dealing with this whole time. "Ed said love is sacrifice. I should have been able to sacrifice my happiness for his. I couldn't." He stops and looks up at Barbara. "But I'm ready now. I won't call Ed. I won't let you hurt him."

She leans forward and exclaims, "So, you'd rather die than give up the man who tried to kill you?"

"I would. Isn't that crazy?" Oswald laughs.