My name is Oswald Cobblepot. Such a name has brought me nothing but grief throughout my entire life. I never knew my father, but my mother always told me that I looked exactly like him. I was a sickly child, one that spent more time at home in bed than outside playing like a normal child would. But I was far from normal. The children were extremely mean to me, for whenever I tried to play with them, they would only do so to torment me. After being pushed around or beaten by the boys in Gotham's neighborhood, I would run home crying to my mother. She would always take me into her loving arms and sing to me, much like any loving mother would do.

"Do not listen to the other children," she would tell me. "You are a handsome boy, and will someday be a great man."

But I didn't just want to be a great man, I wanted to be the man, the one that people feared, the one whose name caused everyone to shutter…I wanted to be the king of Gotham! If people weren't going to be my friend, I was going to see to it that they feared me. I was a loner, one who kept to myself all throughout school. While the boys were interested in the beautiful girls of Gotham High, I was off planning my career. I landed a few odd jobs here and there, but my big break came when Fish Mooney put out an ad for an umbrella boy. Fish Mooney was a name people feared. She owned her own night club, and used it as a cover for the many crimes she committed behind its closed doors. Oh, but how she tormented me! She loved to call me names, and many of them I ignored… But there was one name, one name that made my blood boil with rage.

"Come here, my little Penguin!"

Oh, how that name made me cringe! I know I wasn't the most handsome man in Gotham, but when Fish looked at my thin frame and greasy black hair, she compared my looks to one of a penguin. The name caught on and it stuck, especially with her other employees. They would laugh and snicker behind my back, even going as far as to call me the very name. Though, whenever I tried to stand up for myself, they would only take matters into their own hands and beat the living hell out of me.

I decided to stay quiet and let them call me those horrible names behind my back, for staying silent was the only way I could stay in one piece and return home each night unharmed. For years, I worked beside Fish Mooney, holding an umbrella above her head as she murdered a snitch or had her men beat a client who had failed to pay his debt. Keeping my mouth closed was what kept me my job and my body in one piece. I wasn't sure why I decided to take my knowledge elsewhere, but I did so, offering Mooney's secrets to a detective named Crispus Allen. I was tired of the woman constantly tormenting me, and tired of her treating me worse than garbage. She deserved to be defeated and destroyed for everything she put me through. With Mooney defeated, I would be able to take over her club and attempt to rule Gotham.

"Come here, my little Penguin."

I had been sitting on the other side of Mooney's club one rainy afternoon, when the woman called me to her table.

"Yes, Miss Mooney?" I asked, approaching her with caution.

The woman smiled widely and crossed her thin legs over one another.

"I have a job for you, Oswald," she sneered.

I raised a curious brow, for the woman never gave me any job other than to hold an umbrella over her head.

"A job? For me?"

My eyes went wide with excitement, for I thought Fish had finally realized my potential within her establishment. But as quickly as the promising statement came up, it ended, for she began to laugh out loud.

"Oh, Oswald, you should have seen your face! You're eyes went wide with excitement."

"I don't understand," I said. "You said it yourself that you had a job for me."

"Yes, I do," she sternly replied. "Take out the trash."

Fish pointed towards the bar where two heavy bags of garbage were leaning against the wall. My heart sank, for the woman was indeed extremely cruel.

"It's pouring outside, Miss Mooney." I continued.

The woman chuckled. "You have an umbrella; put it to good use."

Everyone that was standing around began to laugh uncontrollably as I headed towards the bags of trash and hauled them out the back door. Oh, she would pay for humiliating me in public like she had just done! As soon as I exited the building, the rain soaked my clean suit, angering me beyond belief. I was just tossing the heavy bags into the dumpster, when I was shoved against the metal bin. My body hit the dumpster before stumbling to the side and falling into a puddle that was on the ground.

"Little Penguin, all wet and in his natural habitat."

I looked up at the men who were standing behind me and recognized them as Fish's bouncers from the club. I curled my fists in anger and attempted to stand up, only to be thrown back into the puddle again.

"Stay down, Penguin!"

"Don't call me that!" I screamed. "That is not my name!"

I raised my fist and turned around, attempting to punch one of the men in the face, only to have my wrist caught by the tallest one in the bunch. His hand covered my own, slowly twisting it as I pleaded for him to let me go.

"I'm going to clip your wings, Penguin!"

The bones in my wrist cracked as the man continued to twist my limb in the opposite direction. My arm was forced behind my back, the horrible laughing echoing throughout the dark alley.

"I want you to chirp like a penguin, Penguin! Go ahead and chirp!"

I gasped for air and held in the screams that wanted to emerge from my lips.

"Chirp, Penguin!" the man growled. "Chirp!"

"All right, Diego, that's enough."

When I heard Fish Mooney's voice, I looked up to find her standing in the doorway of the club.

"St…Stop them…" I pleaded. "Please, Miss Mooney."

Fish laughed at me as the man continued to twist my arm. Oh, how my blood boiled to see her laughing at me! She would pay for this with her life!

"My little Penguin is in pain, Diego. Let the weak little bird go…"

Diego looked up at Fish with a look of disappointment displayed across his plump face. "But, Miss Mooney, I was only having a little fun. What does he matter to you anyway?"

"He doesn't!" she growled. "He doesn't mean a damn thing to me! He's a useless umbrella boy, one that can be easily replaced! But he's my umbrella boy, and you will unhand him this instant!"

Diego dropped me like a sack of potatoes into the puddle, causing me to become even muddier than I already was.

"Go on home, Penguin," Fish sarcastically replied. "Run on home to your sweet old mama. I'll deal with you tomorrow."

When the door of the club slammed shut, I wanted to barge back in and murder every one of them! To Fish and her goons, I was nothing more than her punching bag, a mere toy that she played with when she became bored. Fish had bigger things coming her way, and sooner or later, her realm was going to crumble to pieces.

The rain in Gotham continued to pour down, and by the time I made it home, the heavy rumble of thunder shook the very streets I had been walking on. It was late, much later than I usually returned home. Not wanting my mother to see me in such a humiliating state, I crept through the front door, slowly closing it behind me. The candlelit family room always gave me a warm feeling, one that came as a relief to me. The yellow glow always warmed my heart and made me feel safe. The grandfather clock began to strike in the late hour of nine just as I was tiptoeing up the staircase to reach the bathroom.

I sighed when I reached the small bathroom and closed the door behind me. I filled the claw footed tub up with hot soapy water, disrobing myself of my muddy suit. I couldn't move my wrist, and I knew that Diego had either fractured or broken it. I held it gently with my left hand as I stepped into the tub, sinking down until the water reached my chin. The hot water was like a dagger to my already burning wrist, causing me to wince in agony.

"Oswald, is that you?"

I hadn't meant to cry out in pain, but I couldn't help myself, for I had been holding it in since Diego released me from his monstrous grip.

"Go away, Mother," I groaned. "I don't wish to be disturbed."

"Oswald, it's late. You had your mama very worried."

"I…I was working, Mother."

Before I could say another word, my mother opened the bathroom door and came walking in with a blanket wrapped tightly around her boney shoulders.

"You were not working, Oswald, you were out gallivanting around the city with a girl."

"A girl?" I pressed my cheek against the tub. "Mother, don't be silly, I don't even date."

My mother sat herself at the end of the tub and looked at me, an expression of disappointment stretching across her face.

"You worried mama, Oswald. I thought something terrible happened to you. Gotham is not the safest city in the world."

"I can take care of myself, Mother!" I snapped. "I am going to become a respected man, one that people will one day fear!"

My mother reached out for my scabbed cheek, causing me to turn away from her.

"You try too hard, Oswald. You shouldn't listen to what the other people say to you. You are my handsome boy, and you are a great man."

With that being said, my mother stood to her feet and left me alone. After rising from the tub, I reached for my towel and headed into my bedroom. It wasn't much, but it brought me great comfort. Getting dressed was extremely hard, for with only one hand, pulling up my trousers and putting on a shirt was very difficult. I couldn't even bend my fingers due to how swollen my wrist was. I could have told my mother, but if she saw my wrist, I knew it would do nothing but worry her. Therefore, I entered my bathroom again and wrapped my swollen limb in gauze. All throughout the night, I tossed and turned in extreme discomfort, the slightest pressure to my wrist causing me to wake in extreme agony. At one point, I must have screamed out loud, for within seconds of waking, I heard my mother knocking upon my door.

"Oswald, are you all right?"

I pressed my face into my pillow and lightly groaned. "Yes, Mother."

"What is wrong with you? I heard you yelling from across the hall."

"A nightmare, Mother. Goodnight."

There was a moment of silence, and I believed the woman had gone back to her room…that was, until she spoke once more.

"Oswald, is there a woman in there with you?"

"A woman? Mother, are you mad?"

My door swung open, only to have my mother come walking in.

"Are you satisfied, Mother? Why can't you believe me when I tell you that there are no women here? Why can't you believe me when I tell you that I do not date?"

My lamp came on, illuminating the room in a dull yellow glow. My mother took a seat at the end of my bed and sighed.

"Mother, please leave me in peace. I had a rough night at work and wish to be left alone."

"And why no woman, Oswald? I am not going to be around forever. All I want is for my only child to be taken care of."

"No woman has ever given me a single glance or batted their eyes at me, Mother. I am the joke of Gotham."

I pulled my bandaged wrist out from beneath the blankets, wincing as I did so. My mother's eyes went wide in horror, her hand reaching out to touch it, when I pulled away.

"Don't," I cried. "Please don't touch it. I'm in enough agony as it is."

"Who did that to my sweet boy? Who hurt my darling Oswald?"

Tears came rushing to her eyes, tears that had been caused by me! There was nothing I wanted more in this world than to see my mother smile, and because of Fish's gang, I had brought my mother to tears!

"Don't worry, Mother, those who hurt me are going to pay. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but oh, will they pay dearly for this. Patience is important, and I have plenty of it."

"I want you to be happy, Oswald."

"And happiness does not come without a price, Mother. One day, I will be happy, but that day has yet to come. Don't shed tears of pain, save them; for one day, you will shed them because you are proud of me, proud that I have become the king of Gotham."

My mother faked a smile. "You are already a prince in my eyes, Oswald. Any woman in this world would be extremely lucky to have you as their lover."

I rolled my eyes. "Goodnight, Mother."

"You should put some ice on that wrist, Oswald."

I tried to argue with my mother, but I found that arguing got me nowhere. My mother returned a few seconds later with an icepack and placed it over my bandaged wrist. At first, it was extremely uncomfortable, but after a while, I drifted off to sleep, dreading the thought of morning and my return to Fish Mooney's club.

The night before had been extremely rough for me, and my appearance the following morning showed it. I had dark circles under my eyes due to a lack of sleep, and my hair was not as tamed as it usually was. I was able to hide my bandaged wrist beneath the long sleeve of my suit, but I could only hide so much of it, for my arm was only comfortable when bent a certain way. It was not a normal look, but it would have to do until my arm healed again.

"And there he is…"

As soon as I walked through the door, Fish Mooney's men were there to taunt me. Wanting to keep the rest of my body intact, I ignored them and continued to the other side of the club to await Fish Mooney's arrival. Usually, the woman came walking into the club wearing a smile, but today, however, she showed no emotion at all.

"Miss Mooney, what can I get you?" the bar tender asked, as the woman walked by.

Fish rose her hand up into the air as if meaning to shush the man. "Not today, Carl! I'm not in the mood for a drink…"

The tone of her voice made it obvious that she was extremely angry, but I wasn't sure why.

"I want to know who in the hell ratted me out to the GCPD!"

Fish picked up a heavy chair and tossed it across the bar, causing it to smash into a thousand pieces.

My body stiffened, for if there was one thing I didn't need, it was another broken bone.

"Was it you?!" Fish approached a few of her men, her eyes staring straight into their souls. "Was it you?! I want to know! I trust all of my children in this lounge, but betray your mother and you'll be in Gotham's bay, sinking to the bottom with a gunshot wound to the skull!"

The room fell silent, and I believed Fish's rage to be over…

"Penguin!"

Until I heard her call out my name.

"Yes, Miss Mooney?"

I quickly approached the woman, only to have her shove her closed umbrella into my left hand.

"Do your job, Penguin!"

"We're inside, Miss Mooney," I said, staring down at my feet.

"I didn't ask you to question me, Oswald! I told you to do your job!"

Without hesitating, I opened the umbrella and held it over her head with my left hand.

"Penguin, in all the years I have known you, never have you ever been left handed. You best put that umbrella in your right hand."

"I…I can't, Miss Mooney."

"DO IT! Do it, or I will break your other hand!"

My lip was quivering as I placed the umbrella into my right hand, struggling to hold it any higher than my waist.

"I didn't know my head was at your waist, Oswald! Hold it over my fucking head!"

Higher and higher I forced my arm up into the air, my wrist cracking as I did so. I cried out in agony as the umbrella finally made it over Miss Mooney's head, and I was pleading for her to let me put it down.

"Hold it! Drop that umbrella before I tell you to do so, and I won't think twice about killing you. Now, tell me, Oswald, you wouldn't betray me now, would you?"

I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I…I said no, Miss Mooney!"

Fish grabbed my wrist with her hand, causing me to grunt in pain.

"Good to know, Oswald! Because if a little Penguin was to indeed betray me, he would find himself cooked and served at my next dinner party! Are we clear?!"

"Please…"

Her grip became even tighter. "Are we clear?!"

"Yes, Miss Mooney!"

When the woman let go of me, I stumbled backwards and watched her exit the room. Fish could never know I was the one who ratted her out, for doing so would surely be the death of me. No, such a secret needed to follow me to the grave, for it was my only chance at staying alive.

Author Note: Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my newest story. Let me know what you think and I shall be back in a week with another juicy chapter! Thanks again!