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Batman sat on the rooftop of a skyscraper looking down at Gotham along with the yellow signal illuminating in the sky calling out towards him. He was exhausted and tired not only because he had just finished a long business meeting earlier in the day but also had to rework deals and send them to Lucius.
The dark knight descended from the roof with a glide before grappling towards another roof, the soft clank of the hook making contact with an edge as he climbed onto that specific roof where he usually met the commissioner.
Batman gave a soft sigh under his breath as he walked up. His footsteps were precise and quiet as he approached the older ginger man who stood there with the same tiredness he had. No words were necessary from the protector of Gotham, they had done this exact meeting countless times over the years.
“We caught a signal of Two-Face running around the harbor. According to our research it seems a money transfer or a heist is happening at the harbor in a few hours. We hoped you could–” Gordon began as he crossed his arms while letting out a grumble.
Batman gave a quiet nod and he slowly stepped back into the shadows with the quietness of a feather.
Gordon looked up and he gave a tired chuckle. “I wonder how you do that…” he mumbled quietly as he scratched under his chin with exhaustion and wonder. The other man always seemed to disappear out of the blue when he got enough information on a scandal or crime. It was surprising yet not at the same time but it did leave him with that acknowledgement that the bat had the city's back.
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖
Batman arrived at a cargo ship carrying crates of supplies for the city. He took off his cowl as he secured a location where he could scout the area near the harbor. Bruce let out a deep sigh as he took in the fresh air of Gotham. He held his cowl. Tightening within the palm of his right glove. The thought of seeing Two-Face at this harbor in a few minutes was giving him a slow pounding in his chest. He missed the attorney and ever since the incident it was heart breaking just hearing news of the coin flipping rogue roaming around Gotham doing crime.
He hadn't confessed his love for the man either, he was supposed to on that day. The day where they were sitting in a restaurant having casual banter and chatter. Bruce regrets not being able to stop Harvey from ever interacting with men who hold large amounts of power within the city. He believed in Harvey, with all his heart he did.
He cherishes the memories prior to the incident like the one where they were in a fitting room for suits the equivalent of teenage girls shopping together and gossiping.
The sight of the harbor dragged him backward through time.
Back to before the scars. Before the coin. Before everything fell apart.
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖
Bruce gave a charming smile that showed all his pearly whites as he showcased a fitted dark navy suit with the stitching being a golden color. “The color suits me doesn’t it?” He asked, turning his head to glance at the mirror with a soft tilt of his head before looking back at Harvey, who sat on a plush black leather seat where he had his arms crossed. Though he was more relaxed than anything.
“Yeah it suits ya. Most colors do anyway.” The attorney replied as he gave a smirk. He knew Bruce was fishing for compliments but he pretended to be none the wiser.
The blue eyed man gave a soft chuckle as he gave a nod. “I know. It's like the suits I wear for modeling shoots” He says as he strikes a pose while looking at the mirror. A simple hand on the hip with a smile on his face.
“Mmhm. Modeling.” Harvey mumbled under his breath as he gazed on the glass table in front of him which had magazines to browse through. He picked the first one and gave a half-hearted smirk. There on the cover was Bruce holding a glass of wine with a cheeky grin on his face. “This you ain't it?” He asked as he held the magazine with a profound smile plastered on his face. Harvey knew it was his best friend on the cover; he just liked messing with the other man.
“Oh pff..yeah that's me alright. Honestly you shouldn't look at that one. They got my bad side.” Bruce said with a huff as he snatched the magazine back. “Really? Bruce Wayne having a bad side? Don't joke around Brucie. That's a lie.” Harvey replied as he laughed.
“It's true! I was having a bad day when we took that shooting. Dick decided to be a trouble maker at school and told off a teacher because he wanted to goof off with his friends. Honestly with all the etiquette Alfred and I instilled into that boy you would think he would've gotten it by now.” Bruce huffed as he grumbled softly under his breath.
“Mm. Sounds like a hassle.” The other man mumbled faintly before speaking once more. “Didn't you adopt another one? What was his name..Jason?” He asked with curiosity.
“Oh yes! Jason. Jason Todd. He's a sweet boy though he is very cheeky.” Bruce nods with a profound nod. “The day I met him..he was stealing my tires! I was shocked at first but then after hearing the kid out it wasn't all bad.” He explained. Although he did alter the story a bit and didn't tell him that those tires that were being stolen belonged to the Batmobile.
“Really? Now that's a shock. Stealing tires…really wish he got away with it too.” Harvey chuckles before he lets out a soft huff as Bruce smacks him on the arm with a folded magazine.
Bruce gave a grumble before smiling with weariness. “So..have you been seeing that therapist lately? You know.. the one I recommended..?” He questioned. Harvey looked up before his eyes narrowed softly. On one hand he wanted to brush Bruce's entire question and the other half wanted to kiss the man senseless until his lips were bruised and slightly puffy. He let out a sigh of exhaustion before he looked away. One of his hands going to fiddle with a coin he seemed to carry in his pocket. “Oh yeah!..occasionally. But honestly I think I've gotten better you know? Talking about my feelings and what not.” he started before he shrugged. “How about we get drinks after this? On me.”
Bruce holds back saying anything stupid that would upset the other man. He knows Harvey was lying, he shouldn't be snooping around as Batman to spy on Harvey's private life but he was a detective. He saw the other man go deep into Crime Alley and talk to very sketchy men. Obviously that wasn't visiting a therapist. But he refrained from saying anything and gave a nod. “Sure! Just give me a deep red Haut-Brion.” He smirked before he held a hand towards Harvey.
Their hands clasped against each other for mere seconds but it was a warm sensation and untold confessions lingering in the air. (Also ofc Bruce paid for the suit he tried out duh)
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖
Bruce looked out at the harbor with lingering sadness twitching in his heart, aching almost. He did miss Harvey. Truly he did. But at last he was too late to save the man. With precise movement the cowl was on in a matter of seconds.
There wasn't any time to mourn the past, not when that exact man was going to appear in this exact harbor in…actually now apparently.
Two-Face appeared through the foggy mist area of the harbor. Standing there in a tailored suit down to the exact stitches where colors swapped to the other side. Yet he still rubbed his thumb against that coin.
His good eye looked around with a heavy gaze with his yellow one following along. Mutated grayish-blue skin on his left side. The explosion had done more than scar Harvey's face. It had taken pieces of him that Bruce still searched for every time they met.
Batman gritted his teeth as he hid on the cargo ship. The urge to reach out and scold the living shit out of the crime lord was there. He so badly wanted to hug him and punch him at the same time. But his body moved at will and in a few seconds he was behind Two-Face. His clawed gloved hands reached out to restrain the mob boss until he stopped. The other man turned around and his gaze hardened.
“Well if it isn't the bat.” Two-Face growled with a low warning behind his words. He wasn't too pleased with seeing the bat at this hour, especially because he knew it was because he found out about the heist he was about to commit.
“Just give it up, Har–...Two-Face.” Batman responded but he didn't move to grab the crime lord yet. His heart heaved too much for that. “Don't make this difficult for the both of us.” he added.
"Harvey's not here, Bat."
The words barely left his mouth before Two-Face swung.
Batman ducked beneath the punch. Two-Face was strong, but he fought with anger instead of discipline. Bruce caught his wrist and tried to twist it behind his back. Two-Face snarled and drove an elbow into Batman's ribs. The force knocked him backward a step. In an instant the crime lord broke free and reached for the pistol holstered beneath his suit.
The dark knight moved first.
His hand shot forward, knocking the weapon aside just as a shot rang out. The bullet disappeared into a nearby cargo container with a sharp metallic clang.
The harbor erupted into motion.
Two-Face lunged. Batman blocked one strike, then another. Their boots scraped against the damp concrete as they struggled for control. Neither man gained ground.
For a brief second Bruce caught sight of Harvey's face.
Not Two-Face.
Harvey.
Just long enough for his chest to ache.
That hesitation cost him.
The crime lord slammed a shoulder into him and sent both of them crashing into a stack of crates. Wood splintered. Batman grunted and shoved back.
The fight became a blur of movement.
A punch.
A block.
A shove.
Years of friendship colliding with years of regret. Finally the bat saw an opening. He caught Two-Face's wrist, twisted, and drove him backward. The impact echoed through the harbor. The man hit the steel wall of a shipping container hard enough to rattle it. Before he could recover, Batman planted a forearm across his chest and pinned him there.
The coin slipped from Harvey's fingers and clattered onto the concrete.
For a moment neither of them moved.
The bat's grip was firm, but not cruel.
"Enough."
The word came out quieter than he intended.
Harvey stared back at him. One brown eye. One yellow eye.
And for a second Bruce couldn't tell which one looked more hurt. “The GCPD is coming soon.” Batman gritted out and for a second he let out a quiet deep sigh of exhaustion. Letting Bruce slip a moment of vulnerability.
“Bruce?” Harvey mumbles as his expression softened. He could tell Bruce's movements even if they hid behind a cowl and he knew that the man's lip did a soft twitch, a small bite on the cheek before sighing.
“He isn't here, Harvey.” Batman growled before the sirens of police cars arrived near the dock. His heart pounded, not with the adrenaline but with heavy longing.
“But…you are him aren't you?” Harvey asked with caution. No longer was he a crime lord, he wasn't Two-Face at the moment, not in this moment.
“You won't tell?”
“Of course not.”
Bruce swallowed.
There had been a time when he dreamed of telling Harvey the truth himself.
Now he stood in a harbor with his forearm pressed against the man's chest while police sirens closed in around them.
Somehow, after all these years, he was still too late.