Inevitability

Flutter.

Oswald's POV

"You... Dr. Thompkins? I thought you were out."

"Yeah," she replies with a tense grin, staring down at the body of the unconscious girl next to us. "This is one hell of an impression, eh?"

"Thanks for the help," I say quickly. "I should probably go, I have-"

"Gotta go talk to Ed?" Leslie smiles. I can't help but wonder what she has to do with this and how she knows- what exactly she knows. "It's really just an assumption," she chirps. "I was out, so what do I know, right?"

"Yes, what do you know?" I ask, face flat.

"Well, he's my friend, I care about him-" my lips purse "- and I know that he cares about you. Probably more than I thought before."

"What?"

"Listen, Mr. Cobblepot, I'm not gonna hold you up. But if you want my advice... don't miss the chance to tell him how you feel; whatever those feelings are."

My cheeks burn up- what is she playing at?
Is she saying this genuinely?
Is it an act?

"I'm serious," Leslie says, obviously reading my confused expression.

I can't find words coming up, so I bite my lip and nod. With a sharp inhale I turn back towards the stairs. Time to talk to Edward.

***

I walk into the room to find that Ed still hasn't returned from his outing. 

Please tell me he's coming back....

I head over to the chair in the corner and sit. I wince at the movement of my arm. 

Ouch. I nearly forgot about this; Ed really did a good job at patching me up.

I slowly tug at my shirt and being to trace my fingers along the bandages. A warm sensation comes over me as I think about the process in which my wound was tended to.

I suddenly hear Ed's heavy footsteps as he walks through the door. The ghost of anxiety highlights his face.

"Sorry I took so long," he utters. Ed looks down and sucks his breath in. When he looks back up at me, he has an expression that illustrates confidence. 

"Don't worry about it," I respond. Nerves start to settle in, my stomach flipped and mind promptly crazed. Ed closes and locks the door behind him.

"So," he says. 

"So."

Ed chuckles and strides over my way, placing his back against the wall.

"How's your shoulder?"

"Better, now that it's wrapped up," I say. Ed grins.

"Glad I could help." He looks at me, half-lidded.

I realize that my shirt is still a bit pulled down and swiftly bring it up again.

"Let's talk for real, Oswald. That's... what you want, right?"

"Um... yeah. Overall I'm just confused as to why you suddenly care about what I want, honestly."

"I'm- I just realized how much I... need you," Ed whispers.

"N- need me? You mean that?" Ed shrugs. I stand up and take a step towards him. "Ed...."

He whips his head towards me. "You complete me. I'm whole around you, and you accept me and all my giant flaws." His chestnut eyes glisten, and he takes a step towards me, almost cornering me into the wall. 

"Ed," I repeat. "It's been hard, thinking you hate me. I never wanted any of this to happen, I'm sorry for everyth-"

"No, I'm sorry. Pretty much everything you've done was for me, to either protect me or be with me. You were kind enough to let me go after I tried to kill you again.... I repaid you by mocking you."

"Let's just move past this, okay?" I say, tilting my chin up.

"Maybe move forward?" Ed comes closer to me to the point where I can feel his breath on me. My cheeks are practically on fire. I feel my lungs growing heavy and my eyes fluttering.

But I can't give in too easily.... This is Ed....

My thoughts melt away when Ed strokes my face with his right hand. He bends down and brings his face close to mine....

It's not yet a kiss, but rather a mutual touch like that of a feather. We're positioned like that for a solid moment, just breathing and taking in each other's presences. The air that leaves his mouth lays upon mine, and Ed's other hand makes it up to my face. I'm frozen in place, memorized by the subtle actions.
But soon enough I'm back in control of my own mind, and I back up before we actually kiss. 

I want to trust him completely- I want to be vulnerable to him. But I should stretch this out, enjoy this company while our emotions are still tense, and make sure he's not leading me on in a more dramatic way than he did before. Maybe we can pick this up over drinks.

Edward looks at me, puzzled and disappointed. In order to reassure him that this isn't denial, I sweep both of his hands into mine.

"Ed, how about we hit the streets for a while?"