Author's Note: This chapter happens about 10 days after the last chapter. It's a bit sour, so step with light feet!
A Common Need
By J. "Mysterious Wind" Ruisu
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Get back, get away from them,
It's all wrong!
Keep calm for a moment,
Look into my eyes,
Get back, get away 'cause,
This could get ugly,
If you think that I'll let you go,
You're out of your mind..."
-'Close Up' by Frou Frou (Imogen Heap)
Harvey
"So, you promise you're going to behave while I am away? It'll only be a few days..." I lifted my hands up and placed them over Rachel's mouth, grinning.
"I know the shpeal, Rache. I'll be fine. You can call me whenever you like, and I know you'll be safe.. I'm just sorry I can't come with you."
"Nonsense; the city needs as many law-enforcers as it can get, and besides; it's just my great aunt. I barely knew her." Rachel made an embarrassed face and stood up on the tips of her heels to let her lips touch mine. My heart twitched for a second, but then stayed the same, and even when she wrapped her arms around me, thighs brushing my own, the only difference I felt was a bead of sweat in my brow.
"Get outta hear," I joked, kissing her forehead and then gently pushing her away. She was glowing.
"I love you."
"I love you, too." I responded, a robot. What else was I supposed to say?
I turned, walking back towards the kitchen and the long list that lay there. Did all women expect men to be incompetent? It was a just belief, but still. Hundreds of numbers of friends, plumbers, electronics stores.. it was as if she were leaving a 13 year old behind at home.
"You wouldn't expect her to be the psychology type, but she does understand the maturity level of certain people. Think she gives you too much credit, though." The voice was gentle and lilting, coming from the far corner of the room. I jumped, adrenaline soaring through me, and shot my glare towards Bruce.
The man was standing in a casual hoodie and jeans, arms crossed, looking anything but distressed or tired. In fact, he almost looked like a college student of sorts. "Smart; breaking and entering into the D.A.'s house." I crowed, surprised at how my voice broke.
He took a few loping steps forwards, taking in the scene around him as if he'd never been in our house before. "Just because I'm not in a fancy Batsuit doesn't mean that I am powerless." Bruce reminded casually, and I tensed.
"Was that a threat?"
"No!" he threw his arms up in the air, and for once, his face seemed genuine in it's disagreement.
"So why are you here?"
"I couldn't say goodbye to her the conventional way, so I made my own."
"What are you, now? Her stalker?"
"No. She always called me her guardian angel." he smiled.
"What are you guarding her from?"
"Myself," his smile disappeared.
I felt my nostrils flare.
Bruce
Let's be honest. Seeing Harvey standing there in clothes that less than suited his job, hair slightly frayed, face red, nostrils flared, shoulders twitching with fury... it was sexy.
I tossed my short hair back, away from my face, and contemplated the situation. "I could leave, if you wanted me to."
"Why would I want you here?"
"Because you're lonely... or you've wrecked something... or something's on fire..."
"I know how to take care of myself," the blonde whined, and his new pouty face was so adorable I laughed out loud.
"I've got my phone on me at all times. Give me a call, okay?"
Harvey rolled his eyes and made an angered sound. "Fuck you."
I frowned, and paused. "Are you angry at me or yourself?" 'Paging Doctor Man, Doctor Bat Man; we're in need of one of your critical character assessments.'
"Get out, dickhead."
As he ushured me from the house, his warm hands tightly grabbing my shoulders, I was sure that I had managed to break down at least some of the wall. As the violence in his tone lowered, I felt that Harvey was finally letting me in... and, in an out-of-body sort of way, I was enjoying it.
Harvey
"I am cursed. That's the only way to explain this. I am freakin' cursed." I watched with astonishment as the water flooding from the tub, sink, and toilet began to fill up the bathroom. I had created a large dam of plastic boxes and shelfs to hold the water in to a certain point, and an army of towels assigned just behind the dam for an ambush, should things get out of hand... but things did not look good.
There were no numbers on the list I trusted to see me like this. Confused, a wreck, and embarrassed beyond normality. There were experienced, up-state plumbers who had probably seen worse than this for all of their lives; but that didn't change it. The District Attorney had had a bowel movement large enough to screw up his entire water system in the east bathroom. Or at least, that was what he was attributing it to.
There was, quite literally, only one option left. Horrified and dehumanized, I reached for the phone with shaking fingers, eyes still trained to the slowly growing pond.
"Wayne."
"B...B...B...Bru...Bruce?" I stuttered slowly as one of the novels we'd had in the bathroom sunk to the bottom of the miniature lake.
"Well, well, well - "
"Don't have time for it, Bruce. You've plumbed before, right?"
"Yeah...?"
"Get the fuck over here. Bring everything."
"Jesus Harvey, I didn't realize you were so kinky."
"I'm being serious, dickhead!"
Laughing, Bruce hung up. I knew I could count on him, at least. Despite all of his issues, the fact that he was a complete dick, he was a loyal person, and when he said was going to do something, he did.
I sat down, hopelessly staring at my little Mediterranean as it rose, and I was sure there was a twitch in my right eye.
Bruce
I had packed everything, as he'd demanded, with the help of Alfred. The old man had thrown a few helpful hints my way and ushered me out of my own apartment as if I were an unwanted guest. Rolling my eyes, I walked down to the elevators and out of the building.
From there, it didn't take long to get to Harvey's. I could hear the water rushing from outside, and an insta-grin spread across my lips.
When I walked through the front door, Harvey was the first thing I saw. The D.A. sat in nothing more than his boxers and a baggie t-shirt, eyes wide, jaw slack, skin pale. The laughter erupted from my throat uncontrollably, and only then did Harvey look up.
"Oh, good, you've arrived." he responded in a dreamy voice, and then turned back to the amassing flood. It had now almost reached the top of the make-shift dam, and puddles were starting to form in the towel army; action had to be taken! Thankfully, Alfred had had the brains to pack the WetVac, and I would have to give him a big smack on the cheek for that one later. Pulling open the suitcase I'd brought along, I quickly whipped it out and stuck one end in the water.
Turning back to the machine, I flipped the switch. SSHHHWWWWWWMMMMMsuck. Harvey jumped as the water was pulled into the vacuum's storage unit. "We'll have to do this a few times – once the tank fills up I'll just dump it out in the lawn and then come back in and finish with this. After that, you'll have to buy a few industrial fans to dry everything out, and probably a professional cleaning for the flooring, but otherwise, it should be okay."
Harvey bit his lip beside me, watching as the water was sucked from the bathroom. "What about the damage costs?"
"I dunno. You may have to rip down your walls in here in a few months time to make sure there's no mould, but other than that, the cleaning, and the fans, you shouldn't have to pay anything."
"Honestly?"
"As far as I can tell."
The relieved smile on Harvey's face made me smile right back. We were fine for a moment; a teacher with his pupil. And then everything ran over me like a wave that came over your head unexpectedly when you'd just caught your breath.
"Don't run away again," Harvey pleaded as I started to step back.
I paused, but found myself unable to speak.
"Please, don't run away." Harvey reached out a tentative hand, and then grabbed my arm. Though I was much bigger than him, I was confused, and he managed to pull me against him, holding me in an embrace.
"Last time I checked you didn't have one, but you're acting like a fuckin' pussy." I murmured, wrapping my arms around him in return, and was glad there were no windows or doors anywhere near us.
Harvey laughed, but it was a sad, confused laugh. "I'm sorry." he responded, voice hoarse.
"I think we all are."
Harvey's grasp around me tightened, but neither of us said a word.
"Where did it go wrong? When did this all start happening?" Harvey started questioning after what seemed an eternity of silence, and I wished I had the answers.
"I have no idea... I guess..."
"When I drowned."
"And I saved you."
The grasp tightened more; I hadn't realized the D.A. was so buff.
"I haven't stopped wanting you," he growled, and I felt some sort of tingle go up my spine. Part of me was disgusted with myself, telling me to stop, that this was wrong, and horrible, and NOT what my life was about... and then I nibbled Harvey's ear in response.
"But Rach--" the mention of her name tried to wiggle a wall between us, but Harvey was holding on too tight.
"Isn't here. She's states away."
I felt his breath become laboured. "It isn't fair, you know. You always start something, and then you never finish it."
I could not respond. Instead, I felt my had slip under the back of his t-shirt, my warm hot against his chilly skin.
"I put myself at risk every single night. Doesn't that disturb you? That I am willing to do that, instead of have a normal family? Instead of focus on my business?" I whispered.
"I have entire mobs after my life, Wayne. I have entire lifestyles that hate me. What is the difference between the two of us?"
"You play by the rules."
"You don't need rules."
"People know who you are."
"People don't need to know who you are."
"You're a Hero and I'm... not."
"No. If I am the White Knight, you are the Dark one. With out one, the other can not exist."
I felt my own breath catch, now. "I hate you," I mumbled, nuzzeling my face into his hair.
"I l...lo..."
"Don't," I whispered, fingers digging into his back.
Neither of us said another word.
Author's Note: They screwed up my meds AGAIN, so I am very out of it today and got the morning off. Anyways, that would be the reason behind typos and grammatical mistakes, for which I apologize. Also, I hope you guys liked this. The tension in this story is very fun, but it's important to give them something to fight for. Look forwards to more of this gushy, sexy stuff in the next chapter. Haha!