Edwald Nygmobblepot One-Shots

Without You

"Hey Nygma, you got a visitor."

Edward looked up at the guard in surprise, but he certainly wasn't going to protest when the door was opened and he was allowed to walk out. He was making the best of his imprisonment in Arkham, but that had come with accepting early on that no one would be waiting for him or trying to help him in any way. Accepting that fact had allowed him to focus more on his situation and begin puzzling out his own escape.

The guard that began leading him down the hall, however, had left him with a new and genuinely intriguing puzzle. Who would come to visit Ed in Arkham Asylum? Unfortunately, the only answer he could surmise with some confidence was that it was Detective Gordon. Of all people he might be most inclined to visit.

Of course Jim would want to visit, if only to take a second look at Ed and wonder at how he had been so easily tricked. How had the innocent, weird little riddle-obsessed man gone unnoticed for so many months, and so cleverly orchestrated a flawless trap in which to ensnare James Gordon? And, of course, why? If anything, Jim was coming to try to notice a difference in Ed, try figure out the exact moment in time that he had turned into a monster.

As they continued through the bland, desolate hallways, Edward was almost entirely certain that that was the case. At last they came to the room where his visitor awaited, and he watched with an indifferent expression as the guard put a hand on the door.

"You got ten minutes," The guard said somewhat brusquely before pushing the door open.

Ed was at an utter loss for words when he saw that it wasn't James Gordon standing there, waiting for him with a disappointed or even mocking smile. His feet were seemingly locked in place and wouldn't move when he tried to tell them to. Or perhaps he forgot to tell them to, because all of his focus went immediately to the man standing by one of the tables. His smile was somehow both warm and icy, his hair seemingly rough and unkempt, and his right foot splayed and awkward-looking.

"Penguin?" Ed finally gasped in surprise.

In response Oswald glanced to the guard and gave a brisk nod, at which the man encouraged Ed inside and left, shutting the door behind him. His expression seemed to soften somewhat once they were alone, but he gave the same cool and cautious business-like tone to the atmosphere that Ed seemed to remember from most of their other encounters. The kind of tone that left no question as to who was in charge, until you found the right words to disable him. But for the moment, Ed was too distracted by his surprise to bother trying to play that little game of dominance with him.

"Oswald," Edward breathed in surprise, snapping out of his bewilderment at the unexpected guest a second later. All he could think to say in that moment was, "How did you get the guard to leave? Patients are never allowed to be unattended, especially with visitors."

The Penguin shrugged and smiled as he answered, "It's easy enough to convince them to leave, if you find the right guards to bribe...or blackmail."

"Blackmail? Last I saw you were..." Ed let the thought drift off, unsure if finishing the sentence as he wanted to would trigger Oswald in some way.

"I was simple-minded and foolishly innocent and harmless, you could say," Oswald pointed out with a chuckle and a smirk. "I owe that to Dr. Strange's exceptional talents in...'rehabilitation'. But I'm broken of that, friend, I assure you. Do remind me to thank Hugo for his efforts, though."

"O-of course. So you're...the same as you were before coming to Arkham?" Ed asked with growing curiosity.

"More or less," Oswald answered smilingly. "Here, sit down."

Edward obeyed without hesitation and sat at a table opposite Oswald, who sat in a chair on the other side with a sly, expectant sort of look. Ed wasn't exactly sure how he would adapt to speaking with this new Penguin, if he had to at all.