Chapter Text
Oswald's dreams ended quite early this morning, his eyes plinked open groggily and he sniffed once, twice. His vision clears and is met with fabric on Edwards chest, which is steadily rising, taking in air and expelling it slowly. Oswald realizes that he is face to chest with the other man and is even wrapped in his arms. The heat from Ed’s body completely warmed Oswald in a way he hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t like a blanket covering you from head to toe, or breathing under a hot blanket. It warmed him from the inside out, made his stomach flutter in a delicious way and made him bite his lip in a timid smile. He shouldn’t be so happy about sleeping in the same bed as Ed, but he was- he was finally experiencing something he’s never gotten to. His own arms were crushed against their bodies, one of his hands gently grabbing onto Ed’s shirt by his stomach. He let himself stay like this for a while, just looking at the sleeping man and enjoying the silence of the early morning. He didn’t know what time it was, nor what time Edward would be waking up. So he just stayed still. Let his breath stay even, as if he was still asleep. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Edward up and cause this once in a lifetime moment to pass him by.
The sight of Ed sleeping in front of him made him feel something. Nothing perverted, like one might think Oswald would feel. No, he felt like he was getting a glimpse of what it would be like to always wake up beside someone he cared for. Being held throughout the night, being talked to the way he was by Edward. It made him feel hopeful for having someone want him that way, one day. He had a sliver of hope that that person was Ed, himself. Why else would someone cook him authentic Hungarian food, care for his injuries, speak to him softly and reassure him, hold him, dance with him. Sing for him. Dream with him. Why else would Edward do that, if there wasn’t some type of feeling there? Ed was beautiful as he slept. He was always, but now he looked younger and like he was where he wanted to be. The rise of his chest, the swallow and bob of his adams apple, his eyes moving behind his eyelids. Oswald wondered what he was dreaming of, if he dreamt at all. Maybe he was one of those people who never dreamed, cursed to only wake up the next morning and not experience a different world during the night. He didn’t want to think about Ed being one of those people any longer, he’d instead like to imagine Edward dreaming of him, or anything else his heart would ever so desire. Oswald's eyes trained back on the sleeping man's face and breathed a quiet, almost unnoticeable sigh and let his gaze wander from his long eyelashes, dark eyebrows, his nose, his rosy cheeks, his pink lips. His eyes rising and dropping from his lashes to his closed mouth a few times over. The corner of Oswald's lips tilted up in a small smile. He thought for a moment of just going back to sleep, just to curl back up under Ed's chin and tuck himself back into the warmth- not that he left- and return to his dreams. Maybe he’d see Edward there. Instead he decided to detach himself from Ed’s warm arms and got up to start the day. He shivered from the instant chill of the morning air and sneezed. As he sat on the edge of the bed he listened in for the life of the city, it seemed that a few people were already awake as there were faint sounds of honking and people yelling at each other. Gotham's true beauty certainly wasn’t in any of the people that's for damn sure. The whole neighborhood would be waking up soon with all the commotion, it was an enigma of how people fell asleep at all. Even in the silence the city was always there to assure you that nothing could ever be completely silent. He rolled his eyes tiredly and stood up to stretch, mindful of his shoulder.
He moved to the kitchen to riffle through the cabinets and get the supplies to make breakfast for the two of them. He hoped Edward wouldn’t mind him using the last of the eggs in the carton, not that he really cared, but still. He turned on the gas stove and worked on his cooking skills as he attempted to make an omelet. Two omelets. Ed really didn’t have much in his kitchen to work with, he had cheese- thankfully, red bell peppers, some salt and pepper and butter. His mother taught him well enough to know how to make an omelet at least. He cracked the rest of the eggs into the pan and started to fold and shape them to be a “taco” shape. The pan sizzled and the eggs popped and crackled above the heat. He sprinkled on the cheese and bell peppers- adding more to Ed’s side just in case he really liked red bell peppers. The kitchen was smelling delicious already, and from how small the apartment was the smell was engulfing the place. It was still early and he could tell because the white sun was barely shining above the tall city buildings, and illuminating the flat. The sun peeked through the top of the building, only leaving a strip of light that hit above the bed near the frame. It should be around time for Edward to wake up so Oswald decided that it was time to start wrapping up the food preparation. The last thing he added to the breakfast was a bowl of fresh fruits. Edward had blueberries and some sliced watermelon that he added to the bowls and started to plate the omelets. To complete the breakfast he made himself a cup of tea with…no sugar because Edward had none which that would have to change- and a cup of coffee for Edward with a splash of milk and creamer. The whole breakfast only took 20 or so minutes to make but it was all the time Ed needed to wake up and smell the wafts of the breakfast coming from the kitchen. When Edward started to sit and look up towards the kitchen he was greeted with the sight of Oswald smiling brightly and with a hint of nervousness to his expression. He was still in Ed’s oversized pajama pants that pooled around his feet and his large white t-shirt. It was hanging off one of his shoulders, despite him trying to repetitively pull it back to the middle it just didn’t stay there and always rode down with every movement his arm made. Ed was smiling slightly too, still seeming extremely tired. Maybe Edward would want to eat in bed today? With this thought he quickly grabbed the plates and bowls of fruit and put them on a large tray that Ed conveniently had. Must have been for tools or something and it looked like there was a reddish brown stain. Oh well, what Oswald didn’t know didn’t hurt him. He walked over as carefully but quickly as he could with the tray in his hands and placed it down on Edwards covered lap. Ed was smiling and he took the tray from him to help him set it down and thanked him tiredly.
Since Ed had just woken up Oswald decided it was better to speak softly, not timidly, but politely and non abrasive for once. If he wanted Edward to like him this was probably the way, nobody liked a loud mouthed asshole first thing in the morning, especially as the first thing they hear when they wake up. His normally shrill and tight voice was lowered and tender even to his own voice and wondered in the back of his mind if Edward noticed the effort.
“It’s an omelet with red peppers and cheese. I added a lot to yours, if that's okay. If you don’t like them we can swap, I made mine with less. Oh and a bowl of…moderately fresh fruit and coffee. I tried to remember how you made yours the other day.” He knew he didn’t need to tell him what it was because he had eyes but it was just something he needed to do to soothe his nerves. Just needed to talk just to talk. Before Ed could even acknowledge what he said he was already making his way to the other side of the bed and crawling back in. His feet were cold, even covered in socks, so he was perfectly happy being back under the warm blankets and quilts. He was even happier to be next to Edward, eating breakfast in bed. He felt like he was a stay at home wife making a 5 star meal for his husband who would soon be off to his work. Oswald slid closely to Ed so they could share the tray and the taller man didn’t seem to mind, he only slid the tray onto one of each of their thighs so it sat in the middle of their bodies. He smirked to the side as he tilted his head to the side to address Oswald.
“Thanks Oz, it looks and smells delicious. When did you wake up?” He asked curiously.
“I don’t know, but it must have been only around twenty-thirty minutes ago by now. Speaking of, is there even a single clock in this entire apartment, Ed?” Oswald turned his attention to that momentarily, genuinely curious. He hadn’t known the time for the past…honestly the entire time he’s been here. Edward looked slightly confused for a second then it looked like something dawned on him and huffed out a few chuckles.
“Sorry, I have an internal clock for the day. I do things at the same time every day so I don’t really use a clock or even have one at the flat since there was no reason for me to. It’s around 7:20 right now though, so you woke up fairly early compared to your usual time.” He said looking from the giant wall window then back to Oswald.
“I should start to get ready for work soon, so let’s enjoy this while we have time.” He said now looking down at Oswald and slightly nudging him with his shoulder before turning his focus onto the omelet and digging in. Maybe Edward would buy a clock for Oswald if he asked, even if it was a cheap nightstand one.
The two of them ate in comfortable silence, occasionally looking at each other tenderly and smiling like they were lost in thought, or sometimes looking out of the giant window in front of them at the morning light that was starting to shine down on the bed. Perhaps they were deep in thought, Oswald knew he was at least. Thinking about Edward, of course. Soon enough the silence was broken by Edward’s rough, sleepy voice.
“Oswald, I just wanted to thank you for making breakfast this morning, it was delicious. I must have been very tired last night, I really appreciate you getting up and doing this for me. On that note, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and the apartment.” He smiles tiredly at Oswald but he can still feel that its meaningful and there's a feeling behind it. That he’s not just saying it to be kind, and that he’s really thankful. This fills Oswald's heart with joy. When is the last time he’s been told he was appreciated by anyone? Edward wasn’t done though, and he continued to flatter Oswald.
“In fact, ever since you’ve been at the apartment it’s felt much more like a home to me. I’m not a very…sentimental person but I really like that you’re here, Oswald.” Edward reached out to wrap his hand around Oswald's for a second to give it a few squeezes before releasing it and returning back to the tray to finish the breakfast. Oswald was close to finishing too, so he just turned his red face back down too and ate the rest of the fruit that was in his bowl.
“It’s not a big deal…” he said a bit later, quietly and shyly. For once in his entire life he wanted to be nonchalant about his feelings and his intentions. As he said this he felt Edward turn his body back up to refocus on Oswald.
“Oswald, I mean it, this isn’t just no big deal. You are recovering from numerous wounds- both physical and mental, but you still care to not only care for me when I should be taking care after you but also for this dingy, hopeless apartment.”
“Oh please, Ed, really. It’s honestly the least I could do- I mean you’re not only housing me, but also feeding, dressing and looking after me. Not even mentioning the fact that I’m wanted and you haven’t yet informed anyone where I was at. Even though you could and I wouldn’t know or be able to do anything about it. So it’s really no big deal. I just wanted to do something small for you, I thought you’d like it.” Oswald responded back, still getting redder in the face and neck.
“I do like it. Thank you still, for thinking about me.” Edward said gently, like he wasn’t going to push anymore on this. Only about one more minute was spent sitting in the bed, then it was finally time for Ed to get up and get ready for work. They hadn’t taken a long time to eat but it was probably around fifteen to twenty minutes later. Edward was very punctual so he needed to get ready now otherwise he’d be “late”. Or at least late in his mind. Ed sat up from the bed after the two of them were done and took the tray with him to place everything onto the counter, along with putting the dishes in the sink. Oswald just watched from the comfortable bed as Edward started to strip out of his pajamas and get into his work clothes. In the middle of getting redressed Ed stood at the end of the bed and held up two ties for Oswald to help him pick out. There were no words exchanged but it was understood and Oswald pointed to one that was two toned and striped. It was very dark green, or maybe even brown on top of another lighter color that looked like a light cream. Ed looked down to his option and nodded approvingly of his tastes. Edward retreated to the bathroom for a moment and when he returned to the living room aka his room and simultaneously his kitchen he was spruced up and ready to leave. He started to the front door, grabbing his keys and his coat but stopped jarringly before turning to Oswald quickly and quite honestly startling him.
“Oswald, I just wanted to thank you again for breakfast. I’ll be back in time for dinner tonight, and don’t worry about making it. It’s my turn to treat you for your kindness. I’ll pick something from the store that you’d like, anything at all.” It looked to Oswald like he was waiting for him to answer with something, so he quickly thought of a few things that he wished he could have at Ed’s place, or maybe something that could remind him of his mother.
“Uh, maybe chocolate and more tea? If possible, more chamomile? It’s my favorite, you see. Oh! And alcohol, please.” He added sweetly. He couldn’t think about the things he wanted now that he was on the spot, damnit. Still, Edward smiled and nodded once like he was storing the list in his mind for later, which he most likely was. It seemed like Edward had a very good memory.
“I speak without bragging, I move without sound and the moment you request me your task is done and your answer is found. What am I?” Edward couldn’t help himself but to ask a riddle, of course. Before Oswald could respond he finished the riddle for him, “Consider it done.” Oswald just smiled back at him and said a quiet “thank you, Ed.”
Edward was now finally off to work and the warm environment turned cold the moment he closed the front door to his flat. The silence wasn’t anything new to the space but without the loudness of another body moving around and just existing it was too quiet for Oswald. The only thing making noise was now the very awake city of Gotham outside, the ever spinning vent on the wall of Ed’s flat and Oswald's very loud and obnoxious internal dialogue. All he could think of was how warm Edward was, how sweet he was this morning when talking to him. How appreciative he was of Oswald’s good deed of making breakfast, how acceptive he was of Oswald's closeness as they both sat on the bed. As he thought of this he didn’t even realize he slid down on the bed to lay on his back. Didn’t notice that he’d turned to the side Ed was lying on and smelling the sheets where he’d been laying just a bit earlier. When he realized what he was doing and how creepy it was he quickly let go of the covers he was subconsciously gripping onto and widened his eyes. He sat back up but still pulled up the blankets to wrap them around his body and rested his chin on a raised knee. He sighed dreamily, thinking about Ed and all of the perfections he’s seen in him. How has he fallen this hard for the other man this quickly? It was honestly shameful and embarrassing how easy he was. Oswald wasn’t exactly an expert but Edward seemed to be flirting with him in some way, at least in some things he’s doing. Maybe not so much the riddles or simply thanking him for doing work around the flat, but what about their shared dance last night? Everything about last night, actually. From the moment Ed started to sing his mothers lullaby to when they played piano and sang together to the moment they slowly swayed to various love songs and spoke softly in each other's ears about relationships and their true selves. More than that, when they fell asleep and awoke again to then lay next to one another and fall asleep in each other's arms. If that wasn’t flirting, then Oswald didn’t know what was. If Edward wasn’t flirting, then did that mean he’d do all of these things with anyone else? Oswald hoped to whatever greater power that he wasn’t wrong about Ed’s intentions and that he wasn’t reading into something that wasn’t really there.
Oswald didn’t want to name his feelings for Ed, he knew he felt them in his chest and that they warmed every part of him, but he just couldn’t yet. He was still so unfamiliar with Ed, even though it felt like they’d been acquainted since forever. Oswald wanted to ignore, or even forget, if possible, the way Edwards' soft or patient voice made him feel inside. The good thing was that Oswald didn’t need to name his feelings, he didn’t have to admit that he was falling in love with Ed, the man who had saved his life and had been taking care of him only for such a short time already. Only that it wasn’t a short time for Edward, he was looking after Oswald far longer than Oswald's been awake for. Truthfully the only thing Oswald could think was that he wanted someone to want him like Edward was appearing to want him for the longest time. Now he was finally getting that attention he’s always desired and he felt that it was coming from Ed. So, all he could say was that he hoped that Ed really did want him the way he appeared to. Oh god, he was just so unsure. It was a feeling he didn’t feel very often, something that he didn’t think was very attractive, either. He just couldn’t help it; this was all so new for him. Edward was new for him. The way that Edward seemed to appreciate him, accept him and even like the way he was already. It didn’t seem that he wanted Oswald to change in any way, either- in fact it felt as if Ed was trying to become more like him. Oswald just wanted to be wanted. He wanted it so badly that he was willing to name whatever this was as falling in love. Maybe he wasn’t there yet, but each day he spent with Edward he fell harder and deeper in those messy feelings that seemed impossible to escape. All he could do once again was wait for Edward to return home. He yawned and decided to pass some time getting more rest was probably a good move, so he laid back down onto his side where Ed was, uncaring if it was creepy or weird and closed his eyes. Taking slower and deeper breaths as he drifted back off to sleep.
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Click. Click. Click. Click. On the fifth click Edward dropped his pen down onto his clipboard, exasperated, certainly not something he felt very often when he was at work. Or at least alone at work, because Harvey and Jim could be quite brain numbing. No, no this was different today. He just couldn’t get something out of his mind…or rather, someone. Well. It was Oswald, there was no point of trying to delay that fact. It wasn’t just Oswald being all…weird this morning, it was what happened during the night, in his sleep. Edward never really had dreams, he’s had maybe one or two total as an adult and maybe a few as a kid that he doesn’t remember. In fact, he remembers only bits of his childhood, and they were all so shitty that they must have nullified the things his mind conjured up during the night. The last dreams he could remember were from when he was in college and going countless nights without any sleep. Causing him to ultimately crash, resulting in the feverish, acid-like dreams that were overall not that memorable- other than the fact that dreams for him were extremely rare.
Well, last night was different. This was the first dream he’s had- or remembered having at least, in almost 6 years. The dream itself wasn’t bizarre or anything that he’d raise eyebrows at, but it was odd to say the least that it seemed to come out of left field. The strangest part was that the dream's main character wasn’t himself, but instead was Oswald. It was even stranger that the dream came to him the night he was sleeping next to Oswald, which he realized when he woke up was very inappropriate. Oswald most likely thought he woke up before Edward, which wasn’t the case. Edward was awake at the crack of dawn, like he normally was- all having an internal clock and all. He just didn’t want to move Oswald off of him, not that he was heavy or anything, just that it was extremely warm and comfortable.
Edward shakes his head and tries to recall the rest of the morning without any more unnecessary story add Ons.
The shorter man had his head smack dab on Edward's chest, and they were pressed up far too close together. He could recognize the moment Oswald woke up because the rise and fall of his shoulders and chest changed and it seemed like he was making an effort to be as still as possible. Not only that, but his breath also got quiet, like he was doing his best to be quiet so as to not wake Ed, or to make any disturbances at all. He stayed like that for a good few minutes until he then decided to sit up and rummage around in the kitchen to make breakfast for them both, which Edward did enjoy and appreciate.
Still though, Edward had some sense to take this as a sign, having a dream of the man he was housing
Was Oswald planning something?
The thought sprung into his head instantly. He was unsure of where it had come from, but he was desperate to grab at imaginary strings that he thought could connect their shared experiences to somehow paint Oswald negatively. Oswald was getting awfully close recently, trying to get under Edward's skin perhaps? Oswald was flushing red whenever he’d get close or even speak kindly to him. He’s also keen on keeping the apartment spotless- not that that isn’t appreciated, but was it a tactic? He could never be too careful around him, he was still the Penguin after all, the king of crime, ruthless and downright evil. On the other hand, maybe, Oswald was truly being kind to him, but he doubted it, he didn’t really think the other man was capable of being such a thing. The man was known for killing whoever stood in his way, even if it was someone loyal to him! But then again, he did save his life and nurtured him back to health, cooked for him, gave him shelter, all safe and hidden away from the rest of Gotham…
Ed just couldn’t find out what to make of it. Maybe… no.
Well, it’s worth a shot. Maybe Edward could try and play along…let the little bird think he’s got the upper hand just in case he really is trying something. Oswald seems to like being close to Edward, perhaps that could be something he could use to his advantage.
Edward picked up his pen once more and clicked it open and as he inspected the lifeless gray body on the gurney beside him, he let himself smile a little while looking at the deep lacerations in the neck and chest. His job was remarkably easy, sometimes it honestly amused him. About the thing with Oswald? Well, this wouldn’t be any different, and besides…even if this was nothing, he would know by the end of the week.