The king is dead, long live the king
Oswald Cobblepot was on top of the world.
Gotham was his and his alone, in the aftermath of the war he'd long ago predicted, when he thought he was about to die. What he'd never predicted, was that the one to be the winner was himself.
The fragile broken man called The Penguin.
No Falcone, no Maroni, no Fish, just Oswald, in all his glory.
Not a glory he could see right now. His vision was blurred by rain and blood, but he stared at the city lights that ornate the gothic city buildings with childish awe. The rooftop he sat on was his throne; the first of many to come.
Down there, he could imagine the chaos amongst the crime sects , one eating the other with their former bosses gone. He'd would have to deal with those, of course. Business before kingdom come, he knew that.
He would go after everyone, for they would come for him, everyone with the slightest possession of ambition would wish his death for now on, as it had been before with the others.
This, after all, was the destiny of a King - to be loved by very few, to be envied, hated and feared by everybody else.
His breath calmed down as he closed his eyes, feeling the raindrops and the cold air around him, ignoring the pain from his leg and injuries, foreseeing the pride his mother would feel, imagining his great haughty entrance at Gotham Police Department with James looking at him and...
Suddenly, it got too cold. James Gordon had betrayed him, preferring to save Falcone instead of him, HIM, his best and most loyal friend! How could he? Oswald felt anger overtake his senses, and another feeling he couldn't clearly identify.
Dread, anguish, despair... James was not only his friend, he was his ONLY friend. The best man he'd ever met in life, someone he believed to be his hard rock in difficult times...
He loved him! Worse and more tragic, he still did. But he couldn't anymore, not after the past events. He wanted to face James, to yell angrily at him, to choke him until he couldn't breathe anymore, to...
Oswald laughed bitterly, falling into his knees, mad tears mixing with the rain. No, despite everything, he didn't wished James dead. He couldn't even dare to imagine that.
James, his enemies, everything would be dealt in due time. Gotham is his kingdom now, and he must honor his throne.
Today - today was coronation night.
The former kings were dead. Long live to Gotham's new king.
The Penguin.