@dentssociative
– the left hand can’t believe that the right hand is moving!
the once-uproarious gala is silent, all but three people are crouched on the floor behind tables and in corners. two-face has a gun wedged beneath the chin of bruce’s current arm candy. bruce is standing in front of him.
it feels right– this hatred of an absolute stranger for reasons he can’t figure out. he wants to kill her, wants to watch bruce suffer and mourn, even though bruce has had plenty of it already. had more than his fill of mourning. but there’s too much anger, and betrayal, and everything is too loud, he just needs.. to hurt someone.
he lowers the gun. he doesn’t want to lower the gun but… it’s bruce. he can’t, won’t shoot him. (the unlucky bastard gets hurt enough on all those stupid skiing trips ones he never invited harvey to.)
bruce still sees them as friends. he’s being open and vunerable and two-face holsters the gun to press his palm to his eye.
– what are you doing? you’re hurting him!
– i have to!
– why?
– because.
– that’s not a reason.
– because im angry. because he abandoned me. because he deserves this. because i deserve this!
– but he didn’t. he’s here. he cares. he wants to be friends again.
fine! fine! he lifts his head and looks at bruce, lets the woman go. takes a step back. his eye stays locked on bruce, still itching for a fight. and yet, the idea of friendship, of figuring things out, brings an edge of hope to his wary anger.
julia’s slender frame shakes on bruce’s arm, her breath coming shallowly. bruce can feel it next to him. every tendon and nerve is wound tight but he knows that he won’t be able to get harvey away from her before he’d be able to pull the trigger. his eyes are cold, body bracing for impact.
harvey slowly lowers the gun and inside him there is a deep sigh of relief. jump him, batman wants. he wants harvey to stop hurting other people.
bruce can’t do that. instead, harvey is angry at him; if he can redirect his rage to bruce - bruce, only. there are too many people in this room if harvey breaks down and starts shooting. there has to be focus on him.
right now, though, harvey is only focusing on his alters. it’s not the first time by a long shot that bruce wishes he could hear whatever they’re saying inside harvey’s head. he needs to get in there.
he slowly nudges julia behind him with one broad, suited shoulder, stepping forward so that he’s the first person harvey sees. “harvey, listen to me.” harvey is the one of them he knows best, the one he’s pretty sure is talking to him - he doesn’t sound like anyone else. “you don’t have to do this. none of you have to do this.” he takes a breath. “i’m not trying to let you go. any of you, janice. i’m deciding to hold on.” a pause. he has to talk him down. “whatever problem you have, i’ll listen to it. you don’t have to hurt people for me to listen.”
