Fic: Between (TDK, Harvey/Bruce, PG, 3/3)
Title: Between (part 3/3)
Pairing: Harvey/Bruce
Rating: PG
prologue
chapter one
chapter two
The worst thing is, he's kind of getting used to this, to coming home to find Harvey there, to talk about his day (or lie about his day, as the case may be, but he's pretty sure that's exactly what all the other men coming home from work are doing anyway), to discuss the news that aren't sore subjects (and every day, there's a little more of that).
Alfred is starting to crack jokes about getting domestic, and Bruce just looks at him, but the truth is, this might be the closest he had ever came to a relationship. After all, Bruce Wayne has only had a string of glamorous one night stands, some of them even real, and Batman wouldn't know what a relationship was even if... well, he just wouldn't know.
"What if I..." Harvey starts one night as the conversation stales, and then falls silent. Bruce just looks at him expectantly, and doesn't say anything, doesn't turn away, and almost doesn't breathe. It might be a bit childish but it had always worked on Alfred. And it does seem to work on Harvey just as well, and the man sighs, and looks away through the tinted windows, at the dark city. "What if I wanted to stay?"
"Well, I ought to warn you, the moment you're actually healthy, Alfred will glare at you if you stay in bed past midday," he says, and waits for the impatient huff from Dent. "You do not want Alfred to glare."
"Bruce," Harvey says pointedly.
"Do you?" Bruce asks, turning to face him. "Do you want to stay?"
It's not a fair question, he knows, but to be honest, Harvey's wasn't either. The worst thing is, again, that Bruce wants him to stay, wants it so much it surprises him. And he hadn't thought this through, had no idea where it was going when he picked Harvey's unconscious body from the ground. His mind was a tad occupied, trying to distract Gordon enough for him not to notice Dent was still breathing, planning the escape route from cops and dogs, figuring out how to get Harvey back to his place before he wakes up, running through a list of doctors he might call upon at this time of the night... long term planning wasn't exactly what he was doing.
He still wants Harvey to say yes.
"I don't know."
Close enough. Bruce nods, and turns away, and they sit in silence through the commercials on GCN, then through sports and weather reports. Alfred comes by and asks if they'd be needing anything, and shakes his head sadly at two negatives. "You should eat something, at least," he says, and Bruce isn't sure which one of them is getting the concerned treatment. Possibly both of them.
"We're fine," Bruce says, and Alfred frowns, the way he does when he's too polite to roll his eyes, the way he does when it's clear to everyone Bruce is lying through his teeth. And at the moment, he's lying in so many different ways he's amazed he can actually say it and not be hit by a lightning bolt.
And what if Harvey stays, Bruce wonders. He can't really leave the apartment, not now, not soon. He can't get a job. Can't... There's a definite theme. Face surgery would be an option, but this takes time as well. And for that time, he'd be here, and that might certainly put a stop to at least some of Batman's activities, and be problematic to others...
"You could stay here," he says, and at the very same moment, Harvey offers quietly:
"I want to stay."
They don't look at each other, eyes glued to the screen and a news item on Gordon cleaning out all the departments of cops even slightly suspected of being in someone's pockets. It's been up on tv since yesterday, and there's nothing new, but they watch with rapt attention. You'd almost think none of them noticed as Bruce's hand moves next to Harvey's, and Harvey's fingers close on his wrist.
Pairing: Harvey/Bruce
Rating: PG
prologue
chapter one
chapter two
The worst thing is, he's kind of getting used to this, to coming home to find Harvey there, to talk about his day (or lie about his day, as the case may be, but he's pretty sure that's exactly what all the other men coming home from work are doing anyway), to discuss the news that aren't sore subjects (and every day, there's a little more of that).
Alfred is starting to crack jokes about getting domestic, and Bruce just looks at him, but the truth is, this might be the closest he had ever came to a relationship. After all, Bruce Wayne has only had a string of glamorous one night stands, some of them even real, and Batman wouldn't know what a relationship was even if... well, he just wouldn't know.
"What if I..." Harvey starts one night as the conversation stales, and then falls silent. Bruce just looks at him expectantly, and doesn't say anything, doesn't turn away, and almost doesn't breathe. It might be a bit childish but it had always worked on Alfred. And it does seem to work on Harvey just as well, and the man sighs, and looks away through the tinted windows, at the dark city. "What if I wanted to stay?"
"Well, I ought to warn you, the moment you're actually healthy, Alfred will glare at you if you stay in bed past midday," he says, and waits for the impatient huff from Dent. "You do not want Alfred to glare."
"Bruce," Harvey says pointedly.
"Do you?" Bruce asks, turning to face him. "Do you want to stay?"
It's not a fair question, he knows, but to be honest, Harvey's wasn't either. The worst thing is, again, that Bruce wants him to stay, wants it so much it surprises him. And he hadn't thought this through, had no idea where it was going when he picked Harvey's unconscious body from the ground. His mind was a tad occupied, trying to distract Gordon enough for him not to notice Dent was still breathing, planning the escape route from cops and dogs, figuring out how to get Harvey back to his place before he wakes up, running through a list of doctors he might call upon at this time of the night... long term planning wasn't exactly what he was doing.
He still wants Harvey to say yes.
"I don't know."
Close enough. Bruce nods, and turns away, and they sit in silence through the commercials on GCN, then through sports and weather reports. Alfred comes by and asks if they'd be needing anything, and shakes his head sadly at two negatives. "You should eat something, at least," he says, and Bruce isn't sure which one of them is getting the concerned treatment. Possibly both of them.
"We're fine," Bruce says, and Alfred frowns, the way he does when he's too polite to roll his eyes, the way he does when it's clear to everyone Bruce is lying through his teeth. And at the moment, he's lying in so many different ways he's amazed he can actually say it and not be hit by a lightning bolt.
And what if Harvey stays, Bruce wonders. He can't really leave the apartment, not now, not soon. He can't get a job. Can't... There's a definite theme. Face surgery would be an option, but this takes time as well. And for that time, he'd be here, and that might certainly put a stop to at least some of Batman's activities, and be problematic to others...
"You could stay here," he says, and at the very same moment, Harvey offers quietly:
"I want to stay."
They don't look at each other, eyes glued to the screen and a news item on Gordon cleaning out all the departments of cops even slightly suspected of being in someone's pockets. It's been up on tv since yesterday, and there's nothing new, but they watch with rapt attention. You'd almost think none of them noticed as Bruce's hand moves next to Harvey's, and Harvey's fingers close on his wrist.