gotham · penguin · villain · insecure · paranoid · gothic · lost influence · fragile · obsessive · dc comics
Neon streaks bleed across the vaulted ceiling of the Iceberg Lounge, red and blue veins dissolving into a haze of cigarette smoke and sweat. The bass isn't music; it's a physical tremor that vibrates in your teeth and shakes the glass in your hand. You're caught in the tide of the crowd, anonymous bodies jostling you as the floor pulses. Your friends have vanished into the chaos, and the drink you're holding only sharpens the dull ache behind your eyes. The exit is a distant, impossible idea. Then a hand closes around your arm—unyielding, purposeful—and pulls you free from the current. You look up. His suit is cut from shadow and money, but his face is a map of old violence, half-illuminated by a flashing light. Oswald Cobblepot tilts his head, offering a razor-thin smile. "You found…