#* loneheir .

dent shuts one of the luxury car's back doors and wonders if he could have done more for the boy millionaire inside . bruce sounded tipsy but harvey wasn't entirely sure that wasn't just a clever excuse to leave the party earlyㅤ ( too bad district attorneys couldn't engage in the occasional public intoxication without that affecting their work ) .

a few high-pitched voices playfully sang ㅤ" byeee bruceee "ㅤ off the new cultural centre's balcony . wayne had clearly caught the attention of a handful of female attendees ... wasn't he supposed to be a pompous , self-obsessed little shit living up in a big expensive penthouse like half of the folks attending that darn event ? why then was he not seduced by the opportunity of being at the centre of a circle made up entirely of interested women ? maybe the tabloids had been lying when publishing all those profiles on bruce wayneㅤ ( a very likely option ) ㅤ, or maybe , just maybe , BRUCE WAYNE HAD BEEN LYING ABOUT HIMSELF .

harvey bent down a bit to peek through the car's half-open window . the district attorney couldn't help but smile at wayne's parting commentary . dent doubted they'd meet each other again ; he was surprised to find that the thought left him feeling somewhat blue . harvey's hand slowly left the car's door to find his pocket ; cold silver met his palm there . the curve on his lips melted into something smaller but genuine .

doctor lecter nodded in agreement, looking rather pleased by the invitation. ㅤㅤ" of course. "ㅤㅤ he imagined it must be a great honor to any gothamite to be seen and recognised by one of the city's most famous children ㅤ--- ㅤthe tragedy of bruce wayne's past was known far and wide ; hannibal found it to be akin to a greek tale : a prince orphaned , a city in ruins , a slow climb back to power in an attempt to take back his father's throne and challenge the fates. alas , the greeks , like all poets , were in love with misery : happy endings were few and rare . and bruce wayne had been cursed by the blood which ran through his veins. choices regarding the trajectory of his life had been made without his consent.

ㅤ ㅤlecter tilted his head and wondered if bruce felt wronged. and if he did , WHERE DID HE PUT ALL THE ANGER ?

but the more the good doctor contemplated the man before him , the more wary he felt ; something behind the heir's stare indicated hidden depths ㅤ( if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you ) ㅤ. there was intent there ㅤ--- ㅤa sharpness uncommon for men of his age. and , for a short foolish moment , lecter reminded himself that there was a letter opener inside the left drawer of his desk.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ hannibal was the first to break eye contact.

ㅤ" i must make a phone call before i can join you , mr. wayne. it won't take long. in the meantime , i encourage you to explore the facilities. " ㅤ the doctor suggested while reaching for the phone. before marking down a number he glanced up at bruce one more time and curled his lips into a small polite smile.

harvey glanced down at his glass . the whiskey was almost gone . two ice cubes clinked against each other , floating half-heartedly on what was left of his drink . all of these conversations ㅤ( those riddled with earnestness and other dangerous traps ) ㅤcould not happen without the aid of alcohol it seemed . dent glanced at the young man before him but he couldn't bring himself to look him in the eye when he spoke next . ㅤㅤ" i used to wish for my father to disappear . nine birthdays in a row , i blew those candles out and didn't ask for toys or games , nothing . leaving him was the best choice we ever made , my mom and i . " ㅤthe district attorney said , focusing on the two lonely ice cubes .

his voice had become hoarse throughout the day ㅤ--- ㅤdent couldn't help but notice that he now sounded similar to the voice in his head ; the one which would pitch in whenever harvey was lost in deep thought . a husky and gravelly voice which echoed in the depths of his cranium . it would always mock and bully and threaten but never heal . harvey could imagine the precise words it would say right now : 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚁𝙾𝙳 , 𝚂𝙿𝙾𝙸𝙻 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙻𝙳 , 𝙱𝙰𝙱𝚈 ! 𝙳𝙾 𝚆𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙺 𝙱𝚁𝚄𝙲𝙴'𝚂 𝙱𝙴𝙴𝙽 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙴𝙳 ? 𝚂𝙼𝙴𝙻𝙻𝚂 𝚂𝙿𝙾𝙸𝙻𝙴𝙳 𝚃𝙾 𝙼𝙴 , 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝚅 . 𝙱𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙳𝙾𝚄𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙴𝙲𝙺 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙴𝚇𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 𝙳𝙰𝚃𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙻𝙸𝙻' 𝙿𝙰𝙻 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴 𝙱𝙴𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙴 𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙿𝚄𝚃𝚂 𝙰 𝚃𝚁𝙰𝚂𝙷 𝙱𝙰𝙶 𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁 𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳 .

ㅤㅤharvey cleared his throat and pulled his coin out of his pocket . looking at it made the world feel quieter . ㅤ" you deserved a choice , bruce . " ㅤdent finally said , now looking wayne straight in the eye . ㅤ" being robbed of that the way you were ... it's the ugliest thing in the world . "

the district attorney sounded like he meant it . he had never had much sympathy for his father ㅤ--- ㅤbut harvey remembered the anguish that the mere thought of losing his mother had caused him as a child . to have to actually experience that , to never know who to blame for your pain , to have your trauma be of public knowledge ... dent exhaled through his nose . HE COULDN'T IMAGINE what that must have done to bruce . harvey placed his drink on the table . with his silver dollar in hand , he no longer felt the need for liquid courage .