Chapter 120
Checking in on Eel, I knock on the door to his motel room, a couple of grocery bags in each hand. A few seconds later, the door is opened by a gelatinous hand that oozes out its own skin. I peer into the room to find that Eel has engulfed the entire room in what was his body. With the consistency of wax, the colors of his skin and clothes are splattered on the floor, walls, and ceiling.
"Hey Trix...I uhm...I can control my body...a little bit...sort of…"
"How are you even still alive?!" I gasp, careful not to step on any of him.
"I don't know," he confesses, his voice seemingly coming from all of his form.
A path leading to an arm chair in the room clears, as liquid pools of Eel slither back. I place the grocery bags by the door before cautiously taking the path Eel's set up for me.
As I sit down, a piece of him drips down from the ceiling and falls directly onto my lap. I scream, but my immediate fear only grows as the splash of Eel morphs to form his animated, moving head, "Morning Trix!"
I practically throw his head off of my lap, and it lands in a pool of his own body. He floats in the waxy liquid, until two arms stretch out next to his head. The collective of liquid is absorbed up by his head to form his upper body.
"No worries, I've got this…" Eel assures me, more of his body forming into something resembling a human being.
Even as the last of the puddle of goo is absorbed, Eel continues to stretch and grow, his arms and torso bloating until he explodes, his body parts splattering across the room.
"...yeah, this has been my whole day, right here," Eel's voice sighs from the unmoving piles of liquid body.
"Gosh...Eel, I don't know what else to do for you. Maybe...maybe we could find you someone-"
"Trix, look at me! They'd lock me away in Arkham...or worse…" he sulks, pieces of him starting to move toward the center.
I lean against the wall to think, "Hmm...well, I actually think I know someone who could help. If we broke it to her slowly-"
"Uhm...Trix, you're leaning against a part of me," he grips, but is unable to gesture to what he's referring to.
I turn around and realize I've been leaning against a small slab of Eel's waxy flesh. It's warm to the touch, and feels just a little more rubbery than regular human skin. The piece slithers down the wall and heads toward the center of the room, where all of the piles form into a clay-like human figure. Without hair or clothes, Eel's skin continuously melts off of his body, only to be absorbed back into his body at his feet.
"Hey, whaddya know? Humpty Dumpty can put himself back together again," Eel jokes, his hand gesture sending small splashes of his body onto a nearby end table.
I walk over and grab what I assume are Eel's hands, "Look, I'm so sorry about what happened to you Eel, but you need to admit that you need help, and I can get it for you-"
"No!" he pulls away, "Trix...you've been so kind to me...honest, I mean it. Gosh I already feel like such a dope standing next to you. But I'm telling you if I'm going to face something on my own, it should be this!"
In his anger, his form starts to grow, rising high above any height he'd achieved before.
"I mean...god, what am I coming to? I can't even leave this dinky little motel room, I have to rely on you for all of my meals. I can't even...wear clothes anymore, I'll just slosh out of them like a pile of Jello."
His body hits the ceiling, and as he starts bending over it, a crack is made in the ceiling foundation. If he doesn't calm down, this whole place could come crashing down.
"Eel...you're right, you've been cooped up in here, you must feel terrible. That's why you should speak with someone, someone who might understand your condition," I suggest.
"I am fine!" now stretching the ceiling, Eel swings a large arm the size of the bedpost. In the small apartment, I'm unable to avoid him, and he knocks me with an unbelievable strength, sending me crashing through the nearby window. I reach out for the railing of the fire escape, but hit my head on it instead. Disoriented, my vision blurs as I plummet to the ground.
"Trix!"
A long, thin arm stretches out and grabs me just in time. I try to adjust my head as my vision clears. I realize that it was Eel who grabbed me, his doughy arm pulled out of his gelatinous whole. Setting me on the ground, Eel's arm is sucked back into his gooey mass.
"I-...I'm so sorry…" he murmurs.
I shake my head, "Don't...don't worry. It was an accident."
Getting up, I head for the door, "Look, I understand you wanting to handle this on your own, but...if you ever want help, you know who to call."
Eel twiddles with the large chunky fingers sticking out of his makeshift arm, "Gee...thanks Trix…"
"Don't mention it kid," I smile, before heading out the door.
In his room, Oswald organizes the small boxes he's kept hidden behind several stacks of books. This is the gift for the sixth day...and the fourth day...hmm...maybe he should give that one to her on the seventh day instead of the third…
"Oswald…" Mrs. Cobblepot cracks open his bedroom door, and he makes quick work of hiding the presents.
"G-good morning Mother. ...sleep well?" he asks, his grin wide.
She smiles, clasping her hands together, "Of course, my child. Were...were those my gifts you were just looking at?"
Oswald's eyes shift from side-to-side, "Wha-...what presents, Mother? I don't know what you're talking about."
Mrs. Cobblepot continues to smile, before walking over to lean down and kiss her son on the forehead, "Oh...you sweet little boy. Don't think you can hide these things from your mother. But it's okay, you'll make me happy no matter what you give me this year. So's long as your gifts are only for your mother."
He clasps her shoulders, "I know Mom, gifts are only for family after all."
She gets up and leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Oswald pulls back the stack of books to reveal two piles of present boxes. One for his mother, and one for Trixie.
Did she like the chocolates? Or especially the snow globe? He worked very hard to make sure that it was made...exactly as he'd envisioned it.
Oswald chuckles to himself, taking out a snow globe identical to the one he'd given Trixie. Of course he couldn't resist taking one for himself. And hopefully she doesn't tear it apart looking for a tracking device, he's already recorded her new address before she stole his tracker, no need for another one.
He recalls the moment encased in the snow globe. The two of them were still working for Fish Mooney, and she'd just forgiven him for his forward advances. It was a cool, late summer evening, the rain pouring down on the two of them. Under his umbrella, she complimented his nose, before kissing him. She always uses the same description, his "fine Roman nose". A much better alternative to adjectives he's use to like splotchy, bulbous, and crooked. In fact, he loves the way his nose rubs against her cheek whenever they kiss.
It's moments like these that he's come to crave. The happy times in their relationship are composed of little moments, separated by long drones of turmoil and yearning. Perhaps this is how it is meant to be, happy moments are more appreciated when they are infrequent. But what he wants is to become accustomed to love. To have the power to take her love for granted, possibly, even take other lovers. Possibly a man…
Oswald snaps out of his delusion. What would Mother think? She never liked the idea of him taking up with a woman, what would she think of him taking up with a man? What would Trixie think? Perchance she may take a liking to the male lover, but perhaps...too much of a liking.
He would have to keep him in chains, locked in a dark room, for such a scandal would quickly destroy his position of power. Perhaps he should keep Trixie in chains as well. Such a sweet flower should be preserved after all. Two lovers, kept hidden until the dark shadows of the night overcome the blue of day.
Oswald licks his lips as he imagines them both tending to him at once, Trixie on her knees in front, Jim coming at him from the back-
He snaps himself out of his dream. No...no such thing could ever happen. Why did he even think to consider it? Nevermind woman, what man in the right mind would ever lay with him? It's inconceivable. And of all men, the one to pop into his mind: James Gordon? The stoic, single-minded, easily manipulated...blue-eyed...handsome…
Oswald nearly slaps himself. Never could this ever happen! A thought like this should remain locked in the recesses of his darkest dreams. So then, why do these thoughts continue to permeate his head? Is it weakness? ...is it madness?
Trixie didn't seem to mind when he revealed his fantasies to her. Actually, she seemed...rather pleased. That's what's so wonderful about her, she's just so accepting and kind. That is...when she chooses to be.
Stowing away the presents, Oswald lies atop his bed. Perhaps his dreams aren't as impossible as they appear. After all, Oswald's no stranger to manipulation, if he could get sweet Trixie into his clutches, the dundering Detective Gordon should be just as easy to snatch.
Author's Note:
Guest (November 1): While Pixie is certainly the focus, whether or not it's endgame depends on where the show goes and what I can do within the material. It's fine if you don't like NataliexCrispus, it's just that both Oswald and Ed are both bound to become villains, and Crispus is a good foil to that. If you liked the threesome stuff, there's a chance I might bring it back, after all, everyone needs some mindless fluff every once in awhile ;)
Guest (November 3): Trust me, Crispus is not going anywhere. But yeah, this isn't an Ed-heavy arc, but he's coming soon! And telling what the gifts are for would spoil the arc, but keep in mind that they're in early December, and Christmas is still a couple of weeks away.
Thank you so much, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
Langley21: Well, since Oswald already has Natalie's hotel room recorded, he doesn't need to put in tracking devices into the presents. The gifts are for something else ;). I'm certainly not the first to have Oswald use bird-themed terms of endearment, my inspiration for that came from the episode of Batman: the Animated Series "Birds of a Feather" (the term "fine Roman nose" comes from that episode as well), as well as numerous comics. Creating an unsettling charm for Oswald is about two things: humanity and contrasting that humanity with extreme, inhumane actions. Yes, it can be difficult to write, but I'm glad you're enjoying my attempts :)
Narutoske: Thanks :)
Yeah, going into the second half of Season 1, it's going to be harder for Natalie and Oswald to interact, since Oswald becomes more involved in the plot of the actual show. Same goes for Ed, and especially once I hit the second season, I'll start doing some Ed POVs, but I'll do some earlier both to ease the readers into it, and to get myself use to writing what is arguably a much different POV from both Natalie and Oswald
Hope you enjoyed!
Thanks! :)