"You two are so negative." Rolling her eyes, Lee held out a candy bar for both of them, letting them have some before she started to eat her own, getting to her feet because as fun as these two were, she had places to be. "I'm going to go hit up Jim and see what he's doing afterschool. We might go to the arcade? You guys in?"
"God, no." Oswald shook his head as he ate his tuna sandwich, trying not to watch Victor and Lucius. "We're trying to avoid getting beaten up, not asking for him."
"...good point." Because Edward almost said yes. He wanted to go to an arcade with Lee, but he knew things had changed, a lot. It wasn't as it used to be. And whether he'd get beaten up at the arcade physically or not - likely yes - he'd definitely get an emotional beating just seeing Lee and Jim together.
"He's not even good at any of the games," he muttered, watching her walk away. With a shake of his head, he glanced at Lucius and Victor as they seemed to be headed back, Lucius carrying Victor's tray. "They are not being subtle. People will know."
Lucius sat down and then looked at Victor, not sure if he was going to sit with him or not. He knew sitting at their table was usually social suicide but apparently, Victor wasn't very concerned. "Do you wish to sit beside me? These are my friends, by the way. Edward Nygma and Oswald Cobblepot. They are a bit scared."
Lucius smiled at Victor, awkward and unsure but trying his best. "Do you have many friends, Victor?"
Victor gave a nod and sat down next to Lucius, definitely unconcerned, just as how he didn't seem to register any attention that was on him. "Hi. Hi." He greeted both of Lucius's friends with a little wave. "Don't be scared."
There, nice manners. Didn't do much to reassure Edward. Although at least, yes, Victor didn't appear to mean them any harm. Right now. People could be tricky sometimes and attack without warning.
"I have a lot of people calling themselves my friends. I guess I got some." Victor shrugged. "How do you know someone's real?"
"I'm not sure. You tend to be able to look at someone's eyes and make deductions. I'm not so good at it myself but my friend, Oswald, he is very good at it." Lucius gestured at Oswald, who looked like he was going to drop dead right then and there, he was pale and sweaty and ready to run. "If you're like me and you struggle, I think the best thing to do is to consider if that person would do the same things for you as you would do for them."
That was how Oswald had taught him when they were younger. Oswald didn't always practise what he preached but he told him that friendship was a give and take. And it had to be equal.
"I only have three friends." Lucius looked at Victor and frowned. "I think less is more."
"Huh." Victor thought it over for a while, considering some people he knew and in the end, he simply lifted his shoulders a little. "I don't have any friends." Simple maths there. "You're lucky, Lucius. Must be because you're so smart. You got things figured out."
Edward watched them both with a frown, while he tried to find the not gross parts of his sandwich. This was so weird. Seemed as if Victor really tried when he dated. Speaking of...
"I can drive you to the library after school. If you wanna. I can hang around. We can grab food after."
"I would very much like that. I won't be long in the library, I just want to get some books out." He always went after school to get himself some books to read. He had that luxury, he knew Edward struggled more with it - he had a hard time keeping books safe in his home. And Oswald... he didn't think that he could read. "I hope you won't be too bored."
He knew some people would be but Victor had a surprising amount of patience. Perhaps it was because he was basically acting, playing as the ideal boyfriend, so nothing really mattered.
"Nah. I don't really get bored." Victor shrugged and Edward tried to mouth a 'what the fuck' to Oswald, because this whole situation was bizarre. Also, strangely felt like a personal attack, because how did Lucius luck into the ideal partner, even if just for a week, when Edward was forever alone?
"What kinda books do you read? Maybe you can recommend something." Victor didn't read often, but it wasn't as if he was against it.
"I'm not sure. What sort of things do you like? Perhaps you could come into the library with me. We have to be quiet but the further back you go, the less it matters what volume you speak at." And hence, much easier to discuss what books were the best. "I like to read non-fiction but I've recently found myself interested in fiction, specifically crime and science fiction. I also read comics."
Oswald mouthed 'this is creepy' to Ed, his eyes wide with horrified fascination as Lucius just casually and normally spoke to Victor. It was too weird.
"I read some books on art. My mother used to collect them." Seemed right to read them, hadn't seemed right to just toss them out. "And... philosophy, I guess? And weird stuff. Spiritual." His parents had had eclectic tastes. "I guess I read anything. That's just the stuff in my library."
"In your-- Oh. Of course. Sorry." Of course Victor Zsasz had a library. He knew the Zsasz family was rich, Edward wasn't sure why he was surprised. Damn, they had to have a lot of money. Maybe Lucius could get money off of him.
"I bet you have a lovely library. I would love to have a library one day." He wasn't sure if he could achieve it but it was his main want in life. A personal at home library that Edward would be welcomed to use. "Edward and I have always gone to the library together, we read a lot. Oswald is less interested, he prefers more... loud hobbies."
"Oh my God, I listened to music once! Stop going to extremes." Oswald huffed. He listened to punk music once on the radio in his bedroom and suddenly, Lucius thought he was a party boy.
"Noted. I'll keep it down." Victor smiled at him and Edward wasn't sure what to say. He was good at the boyfriend thing, he'd give him that. "You should come see my library. Maybe you can tell me how to make it better." He barely even understood how it was arranged in the first place.
"...you are inviting him to your house?" Edward was just making sure. This was so weird.
"Duh." Victor didn't get the issue. "We're dating."
"How does Tuesday work for you? I am entirely free on Tuesdays and I have no rush to return home." His mom worked nights at the club and he didn't have anything he needed to go out for so he was open to having an adventure to the Zsasz estate. He had no idea how rich Victor Zsasz was but he was curious to find out. He assumed very.
"Do you just let people do whatever for a whole week? Seems like a dodgy deal." Oswald didn't get the appeal.
"He wouldn't let them take advantage, I assume. Victor seems intelligent enough." Lucius really did believe it.
"Tuesday works, sure. We can go after school, I'll tell the cook your food preferences." Seemed simple enough. And Edward just heard 'cook', so he upgraded Victor a couple steps on the scale of riches. Damn. He really had to have a lot of money.
Victor looked at Oswald and shrugged. "I'm dating Lucius now. Lucius is good. Why not give him all he wants?"
"I suppose out of everyone you could date at this school, Lucius is the least likely to offend." Lucius seemed to want very little from people so he got it, he understood why Lucius might be easy to handle and simple to date. Even if they were doomed to end by Sunday, he guessed it was nice that Lucius got to do this before he was beaten down like a rabid dog in the coming weeks.
"I am very much looking forward to seeing your house. I would invite you to mine but I don't think that's something you need to see." It was a chaotic mess and his bedroom was the living room so it wasn't private or pleasant.
"I'll go where you want. I'm sure your place would be interesting." Lucius was, so it stood to reason. Victor shrugged, then just looked at Lucius and smiled. "If I do what you want, maybe you'll smile again. That'd make it worth it. Lights up the room."
Edward rolled his eyes, but lowered his head to hide it. Cheesy line. Seemed sincere though, oddly enough, he didn't actually think Victor Zsasz was putting on much of an act. This experiment was more interesting than he could have anticipated.
"You are... sweet." Lucius felt his heart racing and his palms seemed sweaty so yes, he was definitely into this. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad, being gay wasn't easy but, well, his hope was that he didn't end up into Victor. That would be very unfortunate, he didn't want to risk heartbreak. For himself or others.
He just wished his heart would stop beating so fast.
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"God, no." Oswald shook his head as he ate his tuna sandwich, trying not to watch Victor and Lucius. "We're trying to avoid getting beaten up, not asking for him."
"Suit yourself."
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"He's not even good at any of the games," he muttered, watching her walk away. With a shake of his head, he glanced at Lucius and Victor as they seemed to be headed back, Lucius carrying Victor's tray. "They are not being subtle. People will know."
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Lucius sat down and then looked at Victor, not sure if he was going to sit with him or not. He knew sitting at their table was usually social suicide but apparently, Victor wasn't very concerned. "Do you wish to sit beside me? These are my friends, by the way. Edward Nygma and Oswald Cobblepot. They are a bit scared."
Lucius smiled at Victor, awkward and unsure but trying his best. "Do you have many friends, Victor?"
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There, nice manners. Didn't do much to reassure Edward. Although at least, yes, Victor didn't appear to mean them any harm. Right now. People could be tricky sometimes and attack without warning.
"I have a lot of people calling themselves my friends. I guess I got some." Victor shrugged. "How do you know someone's real?"
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That was how Oswald had taught him when they were younger. Oswald didn't always practise what he preached but he told him that friendship was a give and take. And it had to be equal.
"I only have three friends." Lucius looked at Victor and frowned. "I think less is more."
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Edward watched them both with a frown, while he tried to find the not gross parts of his sandwich. This was so weird. Seemed as if Victor really tried when he dated. Speaking of...
"I can drive you to the library after school. If you wanna. I can hang around. We can grab food after."
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He knew some people would be but Victor had a surprising amount of patience. Perhaps it was because he was basically acting, playing as the ideal boyfriend, so nothing really mattered.
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"What kinda books do you read? Maybe you can recommend something." Victor didn't read often, but it wasn't as if he was against it.
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Oswald mouthed 'this is creepy' to Ed, his eyes wide with horrified fascination as Lucius just casually and normally spoke to Victor. It was too weird.
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"In your-- Oh. Of course. Sorry." Of course Victor Zsasz had a library. He knew the Zsasz family was rich, Edward wasn't sure why he was surprised. Damn, they had to have a lot of money. Maybe Lucius could get money off of him.
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"Oh my God, I listened to music once! Stop going to extremes." Oswald huffed. He listened to punk music once on the radio in his bedroom and suddenly, Lucius thought he was a party boy.
"I don't like loud music."
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"...you are inviting him to your house?" Edward was just making sure. This was so weird.
"Duh." Victor didn't get the issue. "We're dating."
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"Do you just let people do whatever for a whole week? Seems like a dodgy deal." Oswald didn't get the appeal.
"He wouldn't let them take advantage, I assume. Victor seems intelligent enough." Lucius really did believe it.
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Victor looked at Oswald and shrugged. "I'm dating Lucius now. Lucius is good. Why not give him all he wants?"
Not as if he was dating Barbara Kean.
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"I am very much looking forward to seeing your house. I would invite you to mine but I don't think that's something you need to see." It was a chaotic mess and his bedroom was the living room so it wasn't private or pleasant.
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Edward rolled his eyes, but lowered his head to hide it. Cheesy line. Seemed sincere though, oddly enough, he didn't actually think Victor Zsasz was putting on much of an act. This experiment was more interesting than he could have anticipated.
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He just wished his heart would stop beating so fast.