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Chapter 2 of Revenge Can Hurt More Than the Person It's Aimed at - An Angsty Nygmobblepot x Reader Hurt/Comfort Fix-it Fic

Chapter 2: Comfort Before the Interview

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Word count: 2996

Chapter summary: The next day, you try to be there for Oswald on the day of his big interview.

Warnings: canon betrayal (including gaslighting & intimidation) & poor mental state, a lot of angst (Oswald feeling miserable, fear of abandonment)

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Wow, I actually made a second picture just for this story?!

The next morning there were no less than fourteen missed calls from Oswald on your phone but you couldn't reach his phone or landline.

You texted him, What is it,Oswald?Are you ok? and got dressed quickly.

When he finally called back, you immediately asked what was wrong.

He was incredibly anxious and hesitant, "It-it's nothing more than nerves. I've got that big interview today. You know the one. P-plus, I accidentally hit the button a few times when my hands were jittery. Silly me, haha. They still do that sometimes, out of Arkham or not." Oswald paused to catch his breath, "I-I would still greatly appreciate your presence, of course." He laughed with a shaky edge, and you instantly recognized the hidden desperation in it.

You mentally said your goodbye to the idea of finally seeing Ed again today.

_________________

I'm so sorry, something has come up. you wrote, then decided to add a little something to make Ed think about breaking off contact with Oswald:

Oswald really needs me. He hasn't been feeling well since you left. I hope we can talk about it.

Ed left his phone in the car. Right now he had a mayor's reputation to damage. And what better way than to let him damage it himself?

_________________

Since Oswald was almost running late, the car he sent drove you directly to City Hall.

On your way there, you kept checking your telephone but Ed hadn't responded yet.

Well, if he hasn't seen my message, maybe he doesn't have time after all.

Trying to distract yourself, you looked outside through the darkened windows and saw that you were arriving.

You quickly left the car, and marveled at the pleasant breeze of fresh air and the chirping of birds. The sun was even shining and bringing such a welcome warmth onto the streets of Gotham that you craned your neck to bask in it for a moment after looking for Oswald. He wasn't outside but he must have noticed today's wheather too, the completely unclouded blue sky. You smiled. Maybe it would cheer him up.

It was a beautiful day...counting only the weather.

You treaded to the entrance. As soon as you saw Oswald, your smile disappeared.

He looked terrible.

His head hung low as if he wanted to confront nothing but the floor, he was slouching and clinging to his cane, leaning to the side, dangerously close to tilting over.

Your footsteps made him jerk and look up with wide eyes. He called your name repeatedly, his voice hoarse and just as shaky as the rest of him.

"Oswald!" You approached him quickly so that he wouldn't have to walk over, and he welcomed you with open arms and hugged you firmly, indulging in your touch. His hands padded over your back, thankful for your presence.

"I'd say I missed you", you murmered close to his head, "but that might be a little over the top since we've only seen each other yesterday afternoon."

He didn't giggle as you'd hoped he would.

You pulled away, lightly tugged on his sleeve and whispered, "Do you want to talk before the interview?"

He nodded eagerly, already turning away from the woman who was trying to get his attention, "Remember, Mr. Cobblepot, in 20 minutes-" She tried to sound nice but it was clear how stressed she was, especially when he wavd her off.

"Don't worry", you told her with sympathy, "I'll make sure he's there on time."

You hurried after Oswald and followed him to a secluded corner.

"Why did you call me?" You looked him over again. His hair was spiked as usual, if possibly a little greasy, but it might just be styling gel.

He looked at you with tired eyes, "What? What did you say?"

"Why you called me so many times." You put a hand to his shoulder, knowing that it usually calmed him down. "You seemed a bit off on the phone."

"Oh." He gaped and looked at you with wide sad eyes. "I didn't mean to disturb you, it's just that..."

No, he'd sound crazy saying it. He didn't want you to leave him too.

"I-it..." He gestured helplessly and looked down.

It was a pitiful sight: his need for you not to see him as pathetic translated into a pleading expression that made you want to take his hands into yours and look down at them instead of into his watery eyes to make him feel less observed.

Oswald's balled fists almost disappeared in his blazer, relaxing when he became aware of you looking at them.

When you touched the tips of his fingers probingly, he responded by tucking up his sleeves to give you more access, so you stroked over his hands soothingly, spotting bits of polish still clinging to his nails, as if he had forgotten about redoing them or removing the coat. This really wasn't his day, his week, really.

"You can tell me anything."

Oswald was looking down at your joined hands. Tell you? No, he decided. He had already told Ed that he loved him, and it had cost him their friendship.

Maybe what he should have done is confess to you both before that damned blonde woman whose name he still refused to pronounce correctly had-

"Ozzie?"

He came back to reality and noticed that he was clutching your hand too tightly.

"Sorry! Uh, I didn't mean to! I, uh..." He took his hands away but you caught them and gently brought them into yours again, "It's okay. Do you want to talk about it later?"

He shook his head. "It was just a nightmare. A very bad one."He sniffed and you searched in your pocket for a tissue and handed it to him. "What did you dream about? Only if you want to tell me, of course."

Oswald shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It just felt very real."

Perhaps that was the best way to put it. He was almost completely sure that he had seen the ghost of his father. There had been ghosts in the mansion before, Charles had told him so himself, so it wasn't too unrealistic that his own father appeared to Oswald, right? But if he had, who was the Birthday Boy? He had too many questions!

"Oswald?"

"Hm-what?" He had been absent again, hadn't he?

"Is something else bothering you? You can tell me. Whatever it's about. If you don't want to tell me the details, just tell me the core of what's concerning you, okay? You can also tell me all the details if you want to."

Tell you everything? Oswald wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

Ed told me he wanted us to be more than friends, and for a moment I had the hope that he loved you too and that we could all be together forever, so I confessed but then he said it was all a misunderstanding, and now he's gone and I'm seeing ghosts. You ask me what's wrong but if I tell you about my father, you might see me as a madman and leave too, but if I tell you about Ed, I'll have to confess that I love you or else you'll think that I only love him. If I confess however, I will destroy the last shred of hope left in me!

"Oswald? It pains me to see you unhappy. I-I love you, you can trust me with anything."

'I love you' brought him out of the sea of unsaid words, "I-I love you too."

His words and expression full of honesty touched your heart.

He may never confess his love to you but at least you knew that he loved you as a friend.

In return he'd hear you say that you loved him too.

At this point you doubted whether you'd ever tell him. Thoughts raced through your head: you were well aware that he had no one else like you. Not since Ed left.

While Oswald wouldn't disdain you if your love wasn't reciprocated, in his current state he might think that you were only such a good friend because you wanted to make him fall for you.

You couldn't let that happen. You loved him and if supporting him meant not getting to find out whether your love was reciprocatdd, you'd keep it a secret. Maybe Ed would come back-no. If Ed came back and you confessed that you loved them both, he might distance himself from Oswald again.

Your attention was pulled to Oswald's hunched form, "I'm sorry, y-you shouldn't suffer because of me. It's...It's my father...a-and my mother, I miss them so much...", his eyes filled with more water, "and my duties as mayor, as well as the pending interview with such a famous figure, it's all just...I'm overwhelmed. I-" Tears fell down. "I don't know how to continue..." He looked down again, shaken in a bent position, and you gently padded his back and put your other hand on his arm.

"I'm here. I will support you", you said, soon feeling Oswald pressing into your body.

"Nhths mmnt", he muttered into your clothes.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing is permanent." He pulled back to look at you. "Everyone leaves me or dies a gruesome death eventually!"

This was Gotham. Betrayal and death were everyday occurrences.

"I won't leave you", you said, immediately regretting the stress on "I". You wouldn't ask him about Ed today, but eventually you'd have to ask.

"I'll stay by your side."

He stared at you with big eyes.

"And Oswald?"

"Yes?" He had stopped crying.

"Your parents would be proud of you. You're the mayor. Not just the way Aubrey James used to be, no, you've actually improved Gotham a lot! Not to mention how well you treat your friends."

There. You shouldn't have reminded him of Ed. His eyes were already watering again! Seeing them filled with tears of despair was heartbreaking.

"I love to be in your company," not a love confession but you wanted him to hear the word love again, "you care for those close to you and clearly do everything in your power to keep them happy", it was true: he had given Ed and you many a thoughtful gift, "and not to forget, your hugs are amazing!" You smiled. They really were.

"You have done so many things right and you're capable of continuing to do so. Maybe you don't know how to continue: so what? You're in a difficult position. Was mayor James the King of Gotham as well? No. Just being mayor is a huge responsibility on its own, don't forget that, Oswald. You're doing so much already."

You looked at him expectantly, searching his face for a sign of agreement.

His normally sharp hair streaks looked more greasy than styled today and dark make-up had gathered under his eyes, giving the normally fabulous-looking Penguin panda eyes.

"Ozzie?"

"What, d-yes?" He looked at you frightened. Did you know that he had just been about to call you "dear"? Perhaps you knew and didn't want to ask. Maybe you were like Ed. Uninterested.

"You...you asked for a next step. How about you go freshen up your make-up? Clear it up and wash the tears away? They smudged it a bit."

Honestly, you doubted whether all that had been smeared today, a part of it had already been smudged when you had welcomed him a few minutes ago.

"Looking better will give you more confidence for the interview. But in any case: don't worry, you've got this."

You looked him over to find something to compliment and your eyes landed on his purple tie with light blue flowers.

"Oh, and by the way: nice tie." You smoothed down his shirt collar a little, trying to make it look like mere gesturing. "Your fashion never disappoints." It was true. Not only was he a very handsome man but a well-dressed one.

When you saw that though he was no longer crying, he still looked sad, you squeezed his hand one last time and noted relieved that at least his hands were clean.

"Do you want me to wait here?"

Oswald lifted his head and attempted a smile, "No thank you, that's not necessary. You will be there for the interview though, won't you? It would be nice to have you there." This time his smile was more convincing.

"Of course I will be. Being with you is nice too."

Oswald's face lit up. He made sure to give you a smile, then went towards the staff's bathrooms.

_________________

Thinking about those last two letters brought back memories of a happier time. If Oswald wasn't so troubled today, you might've even smiled. Now you were frowning.

While Oswald was away you found a quiet corner on the floor the interview would take place in.

Figuring that you owed Ed more of an explanation, you opened your telephone and typed:

Hopefully you don't think I'm ditching you for Oswald. I just had to be there for him, this day is extremely important. He has an interview with Margaret Hearst, can you believe that?

I hope we can still meet :) When do you have time to spare? Just a quick heads-up: I don't know how the interview will go and if it doesn't Oswald, might need someone to be there for him, and well, we know how much trust he puts in other people, right xD?

"What does 'xD' stand for?" Ed had asked you one day.

"Oh, it's for laughing", you had explained, "The 'D' is the mouth."

"And the 'x' for...?"

"For when you laugh so hard you close your eyes."

"Who laughs like that?" Ed didn't have many experiences with making people laugh. At him, yes, but not because of his jokes. "I mean who would think closed eyes are more probably than open ones and make the eyes, say...a colon?"

"Probably people outside of Gotham. Trust is hard to find here."

Ed had laughed at that.

The memory dissolved your frown. It was a very happy one.

On that same evening, Ed had made a hilarious comment and you and Oswald guffawed, the latter's eyes flitting between Ed's and yours, saying that anymore laughing and he'd land on the floor all helpless.

Then someone important called and Oswald tried to calm down and closed his eyes to distract himself, giggling for a good minute.

Ed and you shared wide knowing smiles. Oswald trusted you both, trusted you enough to show his true emotions in front of you, to laugh so hard he almost fell to the floor, and to close his eyes, fully trusting you not to stab him.

In another city it might have sounded like little but in Gotham it more than a lot of people could say. It had been everything until something had happened. Only a very bad thing could have disunited the two. The thought made your muscles tense.

This made you think again: after meeting Oswald and you, Ed hadn't mentioned this opinion on love again. On the contrary: he had used Oswald's mother to motivate the kingpin frequently, and thrived in the time you three had spent together, at least until Isabella's death.

You checked the time: Oswald would have to hurry, he only had about eight minutes left. Margaret Hearst was already getting angry.

She was acting as if her time was more precious than his. A huff escaped you. As if the hard-working mayor of Gotham owed her his full attention, as if he didn't already have enough stress in his life. She knew nothing about him!

Oswald had fought hard for his place, lost and rebuilt it. He lost his mother and continued to believe in the power of love, ignoring what Ed had initially said: that love was a weekness for people like Oswald and him.

You looked at Ed's name on your phone, imagining how he felt now that his second chance at love had died. Maybe that was the reason he hadn't texted back yet.

Suddenly you became aware of a familiar walking pattern. Oswald was back, walking over quicker than he had before.

You figured you shouldn't distract him with the notion of Ed, so you quickly shut the phone and gave him your full attention.

He had wiped off most of the smudged mascara and wasn't as bent over anymore.

"Hey, you look good! How are you feeling?"

Oswald stepped closer, "Better, thank you. You look good too, by the way." Much better than him. He looked to the ground, then grew cold from shock. There were footsteps, muddy ones: like those of someone risen from their grave.

He tensed and tried not to make the change too obvious. He needed to investigate this on his own.

"What is it?" You tried to turn to look at the spot he was staring at but his frantic movements distracted you.

"I..uh, there-being here isn't, uh...I need to..." His voice wavered, "I still have a few minutes left, right?"

"Y-yeah, six. Should I accompany-"

"-no!" He gaped at you, shocked at the mere idea of it, then "No," now less panicky, but avoiding your eyes, "that won't be necessary. I need...There's something that needs to be done." He hurried off.

Until you he returned and you saw how feeble he looked. _____________________________________

You frowned letting him go, but stopping him would only compromise his timetable. Instead of going after him, you went around the room to check that everything was as comfortable as it could be for him: a chair at the right height, artificial lighting not too warm, you even put a new glass of water on the table next to his chair just in case it was poisoned.

It seemed like everything was ready for a good interview.

Author's note: Me, nearly crying: I want Ozzie to have comfort in this episode but for that there needs to be hurt 😢😭

Let me know if you want to be tagged in this series 😙

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