Penguin goes to see Bruce post season 4, probably less than a day after the season finally.

Basically just wanted to see more of these characters interact and I wanted to see parental- ish Oswald again.


Just Checking

The air itself was stifling even though the weather had not changed. It was the same Gotham, only much, much worse, far darker, and far more repressed.

Things had seemed bad when the virus was released but with the city cut off from all other places, an island unto themselves, things were darker than ever before. It was that sense making the air feel thicker and harsher in the lungs.

They all knew to varying degrees, that they were totally alone and there was nothing but Gotham. No help would come, so saviors, no angels. There was little hope left.

Oswald had a place carved out for himself already. He won it, struggled for it as he did with most things, and as usual, he prevailed. There were few who could challenge him even now. With a highly strategic mind, no matter how far he fell or was thrown, he always came out on top. But for now, much of the city was still scrambling, terrified and disorganized. Most had not found their feet just yet save the very strongest forces of all, such as Penguin himself.

He was not overly worried about his power base as he had things in the works to bring him back to the top of the top. He was a surviver, after all. A spin doctor. Even disaster could not hold him long.

It was not fear that brought him to the outskirts of what was left of Gotham. It was, of all things, worry. Not even for himself, which would have been logical, even expected. No, it was the pesky softer side he always tried to kill off. His heart was as resilient as he was and refused to just die.

When he drove near and saw light glowing inside, he knew young Bruce was there, that his hunch had been on point.

The shuffling drag of his walk likely gave away exactly who he was long before the young Wayne would ever see him. Though it was clear enough that the boy wasn't even making an effort to hide his location. The only light in the whole house is focused only in what Oswald deduced is a study. The front door wasn't even locked, as if it was a dare, a challenge, an invitation. It's a foolish sort of play and Oswald can't fathom what might have not only possessed the boy to stay but to also leave himself so vulnerable.

He found the boy in the study, bent over some manner of device he could not even begin to deduce the purpose of.

He watched Bruce work, so focused, so tense, like a coiled snake eyeing a mongoose. Bruce never looked up but he was the first to speak.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Cobblepot?" The tone was dark, something of a growl, yet inexplicably still polite.

"Hard at work, I see." Oswald deigned not to respond with an answer so Bruce chose not to bother answering.

Oswald leaned on his cane, eyeing the youth, "Why exactly are you still here? With your money and connections... if anyone in the world could get out, it would be you."

"I have no intention of leaving." Bruce told him succinctly.

Oswald allowed his irritation to shine through in his voice, "And why not?"

"I have my reasons." Bruce offered, still not so much as glancing up.

"Would Miss Kyle be one of those reasons?"

If Oswald expected the boy to lie, he was instantly proven wrong when Bruce said, "Yes, among other things."

Selina was a nice enough kid, he liked her, kept her around once upon a time. She was like most street kids, a typical stray, a little alley cat, but there was something different about her too. He could not fault the kid for being taken with her, she got under a person's skin.

"Listen, Bruce... I think you might be in need of a reality check. I like you, so I'm going to give it to you."

"I'm fully aware what my choices mean, thank you." Bruce replied evenly.

"Do you really?" Oswald doubted it very much, "Because I'm not certain you grasp the severity of what has happened."

Bruce abandoned his work, snapping to his feet to finally look at his visitor with fire in his eyes, "Actually, Oswald, I think I've got the main points in order." He still sounded calm, logical, but there was steel running under the surface, "Jeremiah joined forces with Ras, cooking up an insane plan that put every single life in Gotham at risk, and they did it to get to me. Everything that has happened, to the city, to Selina, to anyone, is on me."

The coiled irritation in Oswald's shoulders released, letting them sag, "You think this is your fault?"

The sad edge, the lost little thing he'd glimpsed hiding under everything, showed itself as something in Bruce's eyes crumbled.

Oswald hated that look, it reminded him of loss, watching parents die, "As I said, reality check, my young friend!" He was not often one to give a pep talk but there were times he took it upon himself, "Let me explain something to you right now... The choices other people make independently from you, are not your fault. People make choices, that's not on you."

"They only did this because of me, to get me to-"

"No, wrong!" Penguin snapped, "They are delusional psychopaths! Anything could and would eventually have set them off. If not you, it would have been someone else. It being you that they fixated on does not mean it's your responsibility to fix what damage they caused. All you did was cross paths with them, which doesn't make it your fault."

"How is it not my fault? All this started because Ras believed I was his heir for some stupid legend! None of this would have happened if not for that!"

"How, pray tell, are you supposed to control what other people believe? Do you have mind manipulation powers the rest of us are not aware of?" Penguin offered his very best, most incredulous, patented expression of 'oh, please.'

"It's not just Ras, it's Jeremiah too! I pulled him into the situation with Jerome! If I hadn't, maybe he never would have ended up like this!" The frayed edges of Bruce Wayne were showing.

The pressure he was under, for such a young thing, was more than most adults were prepared to endure and stay sane, keep from being unhinged. He was a yarn ball of emotion; guilt, grief, loss, all of it; and the events of the past few days had gotten ahold of both ends of the string to pull.

Oswald could see it, he'd been there himself more than a few times. He'd unraveled and pulled the tattered remnants back together and things never fit the same the second time, or the third, or fourth.

He hated watching this kid, the same one that once stood up in front of a crowd and earnestly asked him to show mercy and allow justice to work. He'd seen the good, tender heart under the rich boy then and there. Bruce was too good for Gotham. He was what Jim and many others had once been; a believer in all the potential good. Gotham killed good things. It's what the city did. He did not actually want to see it kill this boy any more than he'd wanted it to strangle Martin.

Gotham may have been mother to them all, but she was cruel indeed.

"Oh please, that little brat was crazy before he met you! He lived in an underground maze! How sane do you really think he could have been? And besides, he was related the Jerome! From what I've heard, they were all crazy, circus freaks! Are you really trying to claim responsibility for that?"

"Jeremiah is my responsibility!" Bruce all but screamed, "I'm going to bring him in!"

Oswald nodded, tapping his cane on the wooden floor, "Is that why you're staying then? You find him, get revenge for what he did to Gotham... or your Selina?"

"Not revenge, justice. I'm going to bring him in and he's going to stand trial for everything he's done!"

Oswald nodded again, stretching his lips into a patronizing smile, "You're going to do that alone? Then what? Magically fix everything? Feed the hungry? Solve world problems? I guess the world is yours to fix now? Because you're Bruce Wayne?"

Bruce glared but did not take the bait, "I will find Jeremiah and bring him to the police, to jail, where he belongs. Where he can't cause more suffering."

Oswald spread his hands to the side, still smiling, "Then you get to be the big hero! You get to tell Selina that you brought down the man that hurt her. Is that going to fix everything then?"

"I know it won't fix everything, but it will prevent anything else he might be planning. Ras is gone so that only leaves Jeremiah to deal with." Bruce's jaw was clenched so tight it could not have been good for his teeth.

Yes, the madman had turned to dust right in front of young Bruce. That must really have stirred up a mass of mixed emotions for someone that really believed in traditional justice ideals.

"Oh, that's right, I suppose I should congratulate you on killing off the... what was it? Demon Head?" Bingo, that struck a nerve as Bruce straightened up like a robot, refusing to answer, "I'm sure that must have felt pretty good!"

Bruce cast his eyes to the ground and still said nothing.

"I suppose you'll feel the same kind of victory once you've got Jeremiah at your mercy. Vindication!" Oswald offered casually.

"I'm not going to kill anyone. Not even him."

"Not even him?" Oswald pressed, pretending only mild interest.

"I stabbed Ras once before, with the knife I bought from you. I... killed him once because I... but I learned from that. I learned that killing is not the answer. It's not... the right way. It just makes you like them, takes you down a dark path, makes you hurt other people. It's not worth the price."

For someone who's soul was still pure, no, it would not be worth the price taking a life extracted, "No, it's not worth it. It's good that you figured that out before you lost your humanity." He found he did not want to see Bruce turn out anything like he had, it would be a tragedy to see him tainted like that.

Bruce cocked his head, curious, pup like, "Have you lost your humanity?"

Oswald let go a short, sharp laugh, "Oh yes! Long ago, I'm afraid. There is no going back once it's gone, only surrender."

Once, he'd had the chance, been on his way to a clear future, but then his father was murdered in his place. Things had nearly been different once, his father had been leading his into the light. Now the light was out.

"Are you sure, Oswald?" Bruce asked quietly.

"Quite sure." Oswald sniffed.

"Then why did you come here? If you'd come to rob me you'd have brought your men."

No Oswald was not there to rob the estate. Actuary, he'd spread the word that he'd claimed it as his own, a side territory to carry great penalties if anyone tried to step in. It might not save t, and he had no plans to check on it frequently, but he'd made the effort.

"Idle curiosity, I suppose." Oswald shrugged.

"So you didn't come here to check on me?"

Oswald laughed loudly, "Oh, please! Don't be ridiculous! I simply wondered what you were up to out here. I've always been a curious person by nature. But overall, I am disappointed in what I've found." Penguin pointed his gloved finger at the boy, "You should take the chance while you have it and leave Gotham! You could still play hero from the other side! Lobby for us, work a crowd, the media, on our behalf. It's not like you could not be useful."

"I can do more from here, where I know what the issues are. I can run away, go to safety, when others can't. My name should not be a free pass to escape hardships others have to deal with."

Penguin offered a flat look, "You really are encouragable, you know that?"

Bruce smiled for the first time, "I've been called worse, actually."

"Of that I have no doubt!" Oswald smirked flapping his hand in the air, "But fine then, ignore my advice, do what you will!"

"I've been known to ignore advice regularly, don't feel too bad." Bruce was no longer smiling but there was a ghost of it remaining.

Oswald turned partially to leave, "If you change your mind, let me know, I could be convinced to house sit for you."

Something like a dark chuckle left Bruce, "I'll keep your application in mind."

"Try not to get yourself killed out there, it's a madhouse, you know!"

"I know, Oswald."

Penguin hobbled down the halls, making his way to the car. He felt no sense of ease, no relief. He had not managed to accomplish what he went to do, not really. Bruce was staying in Gotham, most likely destined to join force with Gordon. The situation was no less grim.

Bruce might be crushed in the melee but he'd done what he could. It saddened him more than he cared to admit but perhaps he had underestimated the courage and tenacity of the teen. Bruce had, after all, survived quite a lot. Bruce was also a survivor. They had that in common.

Under other circumstances they might even have been friends to some extent. As it was, he still liked Bruce. He might not go out of his way to save him next time but he would not do the opposite either.

He hoped Bruce survived, sane, and whole. Most people in Gotham did not.


I just wanted to have more interacting between the two since we don't get much. I think they are an interesting mix of personalities. They both have done common ground on loss but they responded in totally opposite ways to it.
I think Oswald honesty likes Bruce too, based off their interactions. Oswald would have seen how unstable Bruce was after Selina and the bridges and I really think he'd have been worried
Maybe enough to check. That's all there is to this story. Just a maybe. A maybe on how Bruce was reminded, after he'd beaten up a bunch of people asking about Jeremiah, that he doesn't believe in killing his enemies. He was a bit unhinged at the end of season 4, for good reason. And he was blaming himself.
Someone needed to talk to him. Sometimes you need a slight reminder to center yourself.
No real point to this, like at all! Just musing. Though I'm kind of thinning of doing another one like this only with Oswald checking on Jim after the explosion in the green zone.
You can't convince me, no matter what the writers try, that he's heartless. Cold, calculated, bitter, morbid, dark, cruel, yeah, but not totally heartless. Not for people he knows.
He could have killed Barbara, could have killed Jim instantly in that stand off, but he tried to talk them down because he didn't want them dead. He fully intended to take Mr Penn back after he left, tried to save the guy. So on. I could build a case but not right now