Sorry for delay, as per usual. However, I have a special warning for this chapter. It's going to get a little NSFW so just a heads up to my more sensitive readers. Read at your own risk, blah, blah, I really don't find myself regretting anything here. However, it is my first published smut scene, so have mercy on me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
With the final days of her internship looming over her, Bree tried to keep anything but her tentative job out of her mind. It was strange how much the bustling and chaotic precinct had grown on her.
She sighed as she plopped a stack of forms on Detective Allan's desk.
"Miss Taylor."
She swiveled around to see Captain Essen approaching her. Immediately, she straightened her back and offered a polite smile.
"Morning, Captain."
"I've come to discuss your application for a more permanent position."
Her heart practically leapt into her throat, but she tried to mask her anxiety without wavering her smile.
"Have you…..reached a decision?" she offered a bit more timidly than intended.
Essen gave a curt nod and a small smile, a rare thing Bree had realized, being a police captain in Gotham city.
"I'll need to set up a short interview for formality's sake, but I believe we need a few fresh faces in the precinct. I can get you a desk job, and I saw you expressed interest in working with police sketch artists?"
She gave a small nod.
"Well then maybe you could shadow our current sketch artist, Todd. I'll get back to you on those interview times," Essen finished with a final nod as she turned and took her leave.
Bree bit her lip to try and halt the stupid grin that stretched across her face. She cast her gaze to her shoes and released a small giggle before clearing her throat and trying to regain her composure.
Be professional Bree, be professional.
She chastised herself silently and turned to waltz up the staircase to her rickety little corner of the world.
After the recent emotional back and forth of her friendship with Ed. (Or whatever it had become.) She decided it would be a good idea to spend time with people other than her only real friend at the precinct…or anyone at all for that matter. As much as she hated to admit it, she had become something of a hermit between schoolwork, work-work, and her extracurricular investigations. Perhaps some good, old-fashioned human interaction would get her back on track.
Not long after reaching that decision, an uncharacteristically sunny day for Gotham arose and she found herself sitting once more across from Jessica at their favorite coffee shop, papers and Jess's drawings sprawled out across the table. Bree raked her fingers through her short hair as she caught Jessica up to speed.
Jessica's brows furrowed into a concentrated look as Bree finished her account. Her hands steepled pensively before she smacked her palm down on the table.
"Dump his ass," she declared plainly.
"Jess….we're not dating."
"And I repeat, dump his ass," she said with a shrug.
Bree chuckled, shaking her head as her palms wrapped around the warm base of her coffee cup.
Jessica grabbed her pencil and began lightly shading one of her drawings.
"Hello world, my name is Bree and I like to shoot things and talk about boy problems while trying to fix the systematic flaws in the legal system."
"I do not sound like that," she half-snorted in laughter.
"Yes, you do," she retorted with an idle gesture of her pencil wielding hand.
Bree's phone buzzed loudly against the wooden table and she moved perhaps a little too swiftly to grab it and look at the message. Jessica's brows rose skeptically.
"You are the worst texter on the face of this planet. It usually takes you a good hour to even read any of my messages. Who on earth are you talking to?" she inquired, setting the pencil back down onto the table, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"None of your business," Bree muttered, staring out the window. Jessica took the moment to reach out and snatch Bree's phone from her hand.
"Hey! No, give that back!" she half-ordered, half-laughed as she lunged across the table.
"Nope."
"Jessica Gilda Gold, bring that back this instant."
Her face dropped. Jessica nearly fell out of her chair trying to slap her hand across Bree's mouth. Bree grinned into her palm, murmuring it again mutely into her skin.
"Don't you dare say that name again in public. I regret ever telling you."
Bree shrugged, rolling her eyes as she peeled Jessica's hand off her mouth.
"I stand by my previous request."
"Wait, Harvey? Isn't that Mr. hot lawyer guy you spilt coffee on?"
"He's not exactly a lawyer…."
"—So it is!"
"Yes but—"
"Go for it."
"You don't even know him."
"Doesn't matter, just go for it. Anything to get you out of this rut," she shrugged, tossing the phone back to Bree.
"I suppose. There are definitely a lot better things to be doing than focusing on this, like watching paint dry, or hacking all of your social media accounts to show your middle name….." Bree started before Jessica nearly choked on her coffee.
"Exactly…..but without that last part."
…
Despite her intentions to wait, later that night, she found herself getting ready for her first real date in what seemed like ages. Dating had always been fairly low on her priority scale. It wasn't that she thought there was anything wrong with it, she just found herself more occupied with other things.
What surprised her more than anything was that she actually felt…..nervous. Or perhaps just anxious? The cocktail of emotions bubbling underneath put her decidedly on edge, and she idly picked at the hem of the casual dress she had slipped on. She took a deep breath, eyeing herself in the mirror as she slowly shook her head.
"This was a stupid idea….stupid, stupid," she muttered and half jumped as her phone buzzed loudly on her kitchen countertop.
She spun around snatched it, holding it between her ear and shoulder as she reached for her boots.
"Hello?" she chimed, nearly tripping on her shoelaces as she slipped them on.
She had a feeling this may be a long night…
….
"I do have to admit….I wasn't really expecting you to call me."
Harvey offered a warm smile from the other side of the small booth they shared. The dim reflection of the neon Open sign cast a glow of red and blue onto his shoulder in the dimly lit restaurant.
"But at least I have the chance to introduce you to the best Thai food in Gotham."
Bree smiled and gave a small shrug.
"I'm sorry I was so flakey earlier….It's been a bit complicated as of late. I do have to say though, I want to see how this place stacks up against my personal favorite," she said with a small laugh.
He shook his head, his dark eyes crinkling playfully.
"Oh, not a chance!"
She gave a genuine smile. Harvey seemed to have that kind of effect on people, especially her. He had a special brand of charisma that made anyone want to relax and just smile.
Conversation flowed far more easily than she had expected, considering where they had previously left off. She blamed that on his easy going demeanor. The talk mainly remained casual until they breached the topics of current events in the city.
"You need to keep an eye out when it comes to going to banks nowadays, which seems ridiculous because everyone has to go by there at some time. You've heard about that group that calls themselves the Red Hood Gang, haven't you?"
Her heart nearly skipped a beat. She restrained herself from immediately offering an excited yes! That was not supposed to be the normal reaction to a rampaging bank robbing gang in her city.
Instead, she offered a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgement.
"I've heard a thing or two about them…"
Harvey sighed.
"They've been nothing but trouble for publicity. The public is split, calling these guys modern day Robin Hoods, but they don't realize how many people they put in danger during their escapades…"
"Not to mention the fact they just threw that money around to get away from the cops…" she murmured in slight annoyance, earning a quirked eyebrow from Harvey. A smirk crept onto her lips as she shrugged.
"I may know a bit more about this stuff than I let on."
A slow, lopsided grin slipped across his face as he eyed her in amusement.
"Well aren't you full of surprises."
That earned him a full laugh as she shook her head.
"Oh, you have no idea."
…..
The food came out and Bree bit back the noises that come from her mouth.
"Oh my god…." She said after taking the first bite of food. She just stared at her plate in disbelief. "I think I just died and went to Thai food heaven."
Harvey laughed and nodded.
"I told you so!"
They ate in amiable silence until Harvey spoke up. Her mind kept wandering to the Red Hood Gang, and unsolved case files, and possible leads.
"So, have you been doing anything fun other than working lately."
She nearly choked on her noodles as he seemed to read her mind, but she caught herself and gave a curt nod. God, she really wanted to tell him about her extra-curricular activities.
"Well, I've been fairly busy with school work."
"I wouldn't exactly call that fun, but you're getting your Master's at GCU, right?
"Yep! It is a lot of work, but at least it's about something I'm passionate about….." she shifted in her seat a moment, idly playing with her chopsticks, "and working at GCPD gives me access to more information than the average citizen…..so sometimes I like to poke around in the unsolved cases…."
Harvey's eyes suddenly snapped up and met her sheepish expression.
"Bree!" he whispered sharply. She bit her lip.
"Don't tell anyone!" she shot back, with a hint of regret."
He just blinked, staring at her in astonishment.
"Bree….believe me, I want to fight corruption and find justice in this city more than anyone….but you have to be careful."
"It's not like you're very careful," she replied without skipping a beat, feeling bold now that her secret was out there.
"That's not the same," he said, a dark expression briefly crossing his features, "There are people in this city that make sure some of those cases aren't solved for a reason. There are powerful people who don't want prying eyes looking into these things."
"Which is exactly why I need to."
"You need to leave the crime solving to the detectives."
"Really? Because it was those same detectives that gave me these supposedly cold cases to archive!" she snapped, then realized she needed to bring her voice down.
"I've helped people, Harvey. I can help, and someday I will be doing my own investigating. I just don't know how to just wait when I see people not doing the jobs they signed up for."
Harvey looked around before leaning over the table, his voice low.
"So, are you saying you're some Nancy Drew type vigilante now?"
She sighed in exasperation, running a hand through her hair.
"I'm saying I always have been some Nancy Drew type vigilante. Nothing has changed….I just wanted to come clean to you about it."
He closed his mouth, his jaw clenching as he fell silent for a moment. His eyes swept across her face and absorbed her look of fierce determination. She was not going to back down. He sighed.
"Look….I'm not saying that I don't agree with you. I just…..want you to be safe,"
He reached across the table and placed his hand atop hers. Her gaze falls down to his grip and she hesitated a moment before grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I understand that….but trust me," she smiled softly. Her mind drifted back to her adventures with Edward. She found it funny that she always seemed to be the risk-taker, the one to throw the first punch. Figuratively, and literally, as she thought back to the office-complex-of-death. No….she wasn't afraid of taking a few hits for the greater good. Her smile broadened.
"I'm a lot tougher than I look."
….
An odd tenseness filled the air between them as Harvey took her back to her apartment. Possibly, she realized, because she likely had shattered whatever idea Harvey had of her before knowing about her hobby. And yet…..that didn't stop her from turning towards him as they stood in front of her apartment complex. His eyes glimmered softly in the reflections of the streetlights as she met his gaze.
"Do you….want to come inside?"
His eyebrows rose a moment before he offered a small smile.
"I'd love to."
…..
As the door clicked shut behind them, Bree peeled off her coat and tossed it onto the back of the couch.
"It's not much, but it gets the job done," she said, plopping down on the couch.
Harvey raised his brows with a playful smirk.
"Gets the job done?"
Bree's mouth hung ajar as she squeezed her eyes shut with a groan.
"That's…not what I meant."
Harvey laughed, settling down next to her.
"Oh, I know," he smiled sheepishly.
Bree's eyes drifted down as she played with the hem of her dress.
"Look….I need to just get this off my chest….I'm really sorry I bailed after we kissed in your office…"
She pulled her knees up onto the couch, turning to face him.
"The truth is….I had feelings for someone…..a really good friend….and a coworker," she sighed, trying to work up her courage.
"And….I really like you, but I made a judgement call, thinking things were going to work out," she shook her head slowly, really not sure if telling him would help her case.
"Nygma…" he said quietly, barely audible. Her eyes snapped to his before she softly nodded.
"We….never really became involved. We mostly just became good friends…..and when I gave him the chance to do something…"
"He didn't take it."
"Yeah…but….it was more than that. He…he is infatuated with this girl who couldn't care less about him….she's never even been nice to him…it, it doesn't matter, I don't even know why I'm telling you this."
His hand landed on her arm and she glanced up and saw his jaw clench and lips press into a tight line.
"So am I your backup plan then?"
"No…..that's just it though…..you're not a backup plan. I liked you before….and I still do." She shook her head again, "I just know that if you found out anywhere other than from me then it would come off that way….And I know there's no real way I could make you believe me bu—"
Her rambling was silenced mid-thought by his lips gently pressing against hers. After placing a single, lingering kiss, he leaned back slightly.
"It's okay. I get it….I understand why you did what you did."
His hand rested delicately on her cheek and she couldn't bit the words back as they poured out of her. In something of a revelation, she realized why the entire Edward ordeal bothered her so much more than just dealing with rejection.
"I just….." she shook her head, fighting the lump that found its way into her throat, "I feel like I'm always the second choice… I know it's dumb. And it's not just about Edward…..I feel like I've gone through my entire life, never being someone's first pick."
She wasn't sure if she heard it, but she could have sworn he half-scoffed before muttering quietly,
"As if I don't know how that feels," as he scooted closer to her on the couch. But before she could respond he reached around her and pulled her against him, almost into his lap and whispered,
"You're my first pick," before placing a kiss on her neck below her ear. Her breath caught and she leaned into his touch as his hand rested on her waist.
Suddenly, an insistent buzzing of her phone on the countertop snapped her out of her reverie.
"I gotta check that…." She said quietly.
"Leave it," he bit out sharply between gritted teeth, his grip on her waist tightening uncomfortably.
"No, you don't understand, no one calls me this late. Something could be wrong…" she said, untangling herself from his grasp with an air of reluctance from Harvey.
"It's Edward…."she said quietly, picking the phone off the counter and eying it. She hadn't even realized Harvey had gotten off the couch until he snatched it from her grasp, hitting the red button.
She gaped at him, her eyes narrowing.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
Harvey took a few steps back, placing the phone out of reach.
"Stopping a waste of your time," he slowly neared her again, his expression dark. "He hasn't exactly earned the right to have you on his beck and call, has he?"
She subconsciously backed up, her back colliding with the counter. However, he eyes remained in a steeled glare as he closed the distance between them.
"I understand that, but it doesn't mean you get to make that call for me," she said between gritted teeth as she considered lunging for the phone just to spite him.
"Why should you even care, huh?" she shot back, a little annoyed by his audacity.
"Because he doesn't care about you!" Harvey's voice rose to a shout as he neared her, his brown eyes gleaming darker than she had ever seen them. A scowl of distaste contorted his features as he reached out and grabbed her shoulders, his fingertips digging painfully into her arms.
"He doesn't want you," he growled.
She tried to hold her straight-faced façade. Bree blinked away the tears that pooled in the corners of her eyes as she shook her head, not able to meet his gaze. A cocktail of anger and sadness pooling inside of her, the sadness overruling her desire to clock him in the face with her fist.
"Don't you see? He wants someone else, but I don't, I want you."
Her gaze snapped up as his grip loosened and a hand rested on the back of her neck.
He kissed her, more gently than she had expected in his upset state. No, she wasn't going to have any of that.
Bastard.
She thought, not pushing him back, but letting her fist clench in the fabric of his dress shirt. She kissed him back, hard, teeth scraping across his lips. She felt his breath hitch against her lips and he responded immediately, an arm dropping to her lower back and pulling her body flush against his. Bree barely registered as tears idly leaked from the corners of her eyes, but she took no notice, feeling the jolt of anger and confusion much more potent in her system.
Her fingers released his shirt and slowly migrated to rest on the back of his neck. Their lips melded together into a desperate, erratic tempo. She pushed him back slightly, their kiss breaking for the briefest moment.
"If you ever snatch anything away from me ever again I will snap you like a fucking twig."
He smiled, breathily laughing into her lips, clearly amused, but said nothing, pulling her back towards him and nipping sharply at her neck and stopping to leave a mark.
He slid one hand into her hair as his lips crashed back against hers. His other hand ghosted down her back and pressed her tightly against him. He turned her so she slowly backed into her bed in the corner of the room. Her knees buckled when they hit the edge, sending her tumbling down, Harvey nearly landing atop her if he hadn't caught himself. His large hands trailed up her bare thighs, pushing up the hem of her dress, and tugging her hips closer.
His kisses were devouring, an attack on the senses. Her dress bunched up at her hips, and she helped him slid it over her head. His lips dropped to the bare skin of her stomach, trailing downward. He glanced up as they rested at the hem of her underwear, his eyes imploring a silent question. Her chest heaved as she nodded swiftly, lifting her hips as he tugged the fabric down her legs. His eyes were dark as he ducked between her legs, nipping at her sensitive upper thighs and earning a broken gasp from her. He trailed his tongue over her slit and she bucked her hips against him at the sudden sensation.
Damn, it has been a while.
He reached around her thighs, pulling her hips closer to him as his thumb traced her clit. Suddenly, he moved forward, massaging her center with his tongue. One of her hands clawed at the comforter while the other raked through his hair as she bucked against him. A soft moan escaped her lips as he sucked on her clit, his tongue flicking across her most sensitive areas.
She tugged at his hair, pulling his head upward. He shot her a brief questioning glance before she yanked him towards her, him nearly landing atop her. He smiled against her lips as he settled between her legs. Her fingers set to work on unbuttoning his shirt. He shrugged it off and her hands splayed across his solidly muscled chest. He reached behind her and unclasped her bra. His lips fell back to her neck, leaving a trail of hot, open mouthed kisses down to her collarbone. She gave a soft gasp as he nipped, soothing the small red marks with his tongue. His palm gently cupped and kneaded one breast as his tongue flicked over her perked nipple. She could feel the hard ridge of his erection press against her stomach through his trousers. He groaned against her skin as she grasped him through the fabric. He leaned back ever so slightly so she could reach the zipper. The next moments fell into a blur of clothing frantically being discarded and the desperate unwrapping of the condom Bree fished out from the drawer beside her bed. His hands grasped at her wrists, pinning them beside her head as he slowly eased inside of her. Her eyes shut as she gasped quietly, Harvey's forehead rested against hers. When her eyes flickered open they met his. His usual boyish expression long gone, only to be replaced by something far darker and more intense…..and she likely should not have found it as arousing as she did. He slowly rocked his hips as she adjusted around him, his thrusts growing deeper as he moved.
"Oh…..Bree," he groaned against the skin of her neck, his hands releasing her wrists and migrating down her sides to her hips. One of her hands scratched down his back as he picked up his pace, his grip tight on her hips.
Her other hand wound into his messy dark hair, pulling his head to her lips. He pushed his tongue past her lips and explored her mouth. It felt as if he were devouring her as he pumped his hips in deep, sharp thrusts.
"Harvey…" she muttered as a tense, white hot pressure built up inside of her. Her fingers scrunched tightly around the fabric of her comforter as her head fell back onto the bed. She peaked, locking her legs around Harvey's hips as she came with a light, airy moan. As he thrust, he didn't seem to be far behind her as he clutched at her waist, speeding up erratically before suddenly stilling inside of her, his groan muffled between the juncture of her neck, and the fabric of the comforter.
She could have sworn she heard him whisper something into the fibers. Softly, but surely, she thought he'd said,
"mine."
She didn't want to think of any future implications this night would bring right now. Now…..she just wanted to enjoy the human warmth on top of her, the quiet sound of labored breathing growing steady, and the look in his eyes as his head slowly drifted upward, their eyes meeting. He gave a soft smile, boyish and almost a bit hilariously shy. She couldn't help but smile back, lazily running her fingers through his hair….
She let him stay the night. It only seemed right. She didn't want to feel like he was a casual fuck, or vice versa…but there was nothing casual about the way his arms wrapped so tightly around her middle, his nose buried in her hair and her back pressed so tightly against his bare chest, or the way the blankets wrapped around their drowsy forms.
No. She didn't want to think about anything other than that moment. Not about the pain that got her there, or the look on Edward's face when he eventually would find out….
Oh dear.
...
..
Well, shit. That escalated quickly. Weeeeeeell…..it is an M rated story, so to hell with it. I hope you enjoyed this slightly longer update. I'll be back off to school soon, and while it technically is more busy, I'm far more productive from a creativity standpoint, so expect fewer chapter delays!