Oswald was in a wonderful mood after the interview. He was practically humming during the car ride home, looking out of the window and commenting on how nice the weather was.
"Mark seemed like a pleasant man. Very perceptive, friendly. A rarity for reporters in Gotham. I'm sure he'll go far."
Ed sat beside Oswald in the back of the limo, in a far less jovial mood. Mark had been the name of the journalist that had interviewed the Mayor for a profile piece in the Gotham Gazette. It was unlikely that he had any ulterior motive, but the way that he had so easily gotten on Oswald's good side irritated Ed.
Mark was tall and handsome. He looked like he probably went out for a jog every morning and then went to the gym in the evening after work. He didn't appear to be more than twenty-five, but he had a well read, eloquent way of speaking that made him seem older than his boyish good looks otherwise suggested.
He'd flirted with Oswald shamelessly.
"Honestly, Ed! He was just being polite."
He'd put his hand on Oswald's knee for god's sake! That was more than simply being 'polite'.
Oswald had blushed as he denied that there was anything flirtatious about Mark's behaviour. Ed knew why. Oswald couldn't believe that someone like Mark, good looking and with no hidden agenda, would genuinely be interested in him. A childhood and adolescence full of bullying had made such a possibility absurd to him. But Ed knew better. Oswald was successful and powerful, and while his appearance could easily be the subject of mockery, Ed could see why some people were attracted to the small, birdlike man who wore fine suits and too much hair gel. After all, he found Oswald attractive.
If Mark had just been a random good looking airhead then it would be different, but he had been genuinely charming and articulate and the Chief of Staff could detect no malice or sarcasm behind his playful flirtations.
"I didn't like him." Ed replied finally, glaring out of his own window. Despite Oswald's insistence that it was a nice day, the weather seemed much the same as it had been the day before. Overcast with a chance of rain.
Ed's response made Oswald roll his eyes and he sighed, a touch theatrically. "Honestly, Ed. If this is just because you claim he was 'flirting' with me-"
"He was. You'd have to be an idiot not to notice it." His words came out more harshly than he had intended, and a flash of regret passed briefly over his face when he saw the hurt expression that his words had earned.
"Don't call me an idiot." Oswald muttered, folding his arms across his chest and turning his head away from Ed.
Ed's jaw tightened. He knew that he should apologise and explain that he wasn't angry at him, that really he was angry that that nobody of a journalist had had the gall to try to flirt with the Mayor, the Kingpin of Gotham's underworld, and most importantly, his lover. But he didn't apologise or explain, instead they just sat in a heavy cast silence for the rest of the journey back to the mansion.
