#* verse 01 .

[coinofsilver]

see you on the other side .

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 .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ" you get home safe , bruce . "

[stdulac]

"I’m despicable, but I love you." @stlestat

he did not know why his hands felt the need to tighten the knot of his robe ( lestat's robe , to be more precise , louis still could not find the strength to stay away from his maker's shadow ). perhaps louis thought the thin layer of fabric could shield him from the vampire lestat's earnestness. but oh, he was despicable ; the manner in which lestat was so quick to laugh at his concerns regarding antoinette wounded louis so deeply he wondered if they were living in completely different plains of existence. but something worse than contempt brewed in depths of his being.

in some hidden part of his damned soul, louis enjoyed hearing such declarations. he marvelled at the thought of lestat, perfect in all angles, under bright and dim lights, handsome in joy and misery, passionate in both hatred and love, being bound to him as helplessly as louis was bound to the blond beauty. he was despicable ... but louis loved him back all the same.

through the good, the bad and the absolute worst.

a small sigh brushed past his lips before he turned away from the dresser to face lestat. his pale blue stare waited in the dark. it pierced right through louis' heart. he considered surrendering to his companion right there and then. "you do, huh?" was what he said instead. brown hands smugly sunk into the robe's pockets. " 'cause earlier it sounded like you were lovin' givin' your lil' flat assed friend a tour of the parlour." louis hadn't meant to sound as petty or jealous as he did.

[stdulac]

🌿 uno reverse bish / @stlestat

he quietly shut the backdoor of his family's home , immediately cutting off the sounds of laughter and people excitedly speaking over each other . louis did not look particularly happy . he had come with lestat , hoping to be received with open arms , as he had so many previous decembers , only to be met by judgement and gossip ... mama was always the worst offender , conjuring a meanness which louis and his siblings had dreaded growing up . this time the sharpness of her words was not directed at him ( not necessarily ) but at the company louis chose to keep .

the wealthy frenchman , with his manicured nails and flashy suits --- she had confided in her son that she did not like how close he lingered next to him . complained that she had heard they now lived under the same roof ( what's next , same room ? same bed ? ) . each accusation , hissed meters away from the rest of the family , felt like a dagger on louis' side ; the final nail in the coffin was her absolute refusal to let lestat enter their home . he's not family she had said . and louis , like the coward he was , did not dare correct her .

instead , he had left his presents under the tree , pecked his mother's cheek and wished her a merry christmas . lestat was right . he hated to admit it , but he was . each year that passed , it became harder and harder to come home . louis wondered how long it'd take until that place became just a house .

he looked down at the blond through his red tinted glasses and shrugged . " mama's feelin' tired . didn't wanna bother her . " louis lied while joining lestat out on the porch's steps . " think we can skip the party this year . i'm not really in the mood --- " the blond looked both delightful and delighted under the dim lights . so much so that his expression distracted louis of his bitterness . only when lestat pointed upwards with his eyes did he realise they were both standing under a mistletoe .

it was impossible for him to not let his lips curl into a small smirk . despite all the horror and secrecy brewing between the two , louis still couldn't help but find beauty in lestat's mischief . couldn't help but have his heart filled whenever he stood before him --- even there , when he's left out in the cold by his own mother , lestat manages to ignite a fire that'll keep louis warm for years to come . " oh , is that what you waitin' for ? " he chuckles and peeks over both his shoulders , scanning the area to make sure no one is watching . when he is sure that they are both alone , louis leans in and presses his smiling lips to lestat's . even in death , he feels extremely warm .

" c'mon . " louis mumbled , unable to resist leaning in for another peck . " let's go home . "

[coinofsilver]

got a copy of this at home , never got around to reading it .

he squinted at the kid standing before him before glancing down at the book in his hand . all harvey could do was make a small awkward sound of acknowledgement as he tried to chew down on the chunk of cinnamon roll still filling up his mouth . eventually he had swallowed down enough of the pastry to manage a " well you should " before surrendering and seeking the aid of his cup of coffee .

dent loved live music ; though these days he didn't indulge in cultural activities as much as he wished to , the district attorney recognised the energy which filled up a room in which a band was playing . and watching up and coming musicians slowly ignite before a crowd's eyes , well , it was something close to magic ( a sentiment harvey dent would never mention or admit to out loud ) .

he snapped the biography shut and regarded the cover for a second . " never been much of a drums guy myself but buddy rich is a pretty interesting guy . " dent glanced up at the drummer . he had seen him up on that stage and felt ashamed that he couldn't put a name to his face . mismatched eyes searched for anything on the other's plain black suit that could give him a hint ( anything ! ) on what to call him .

but all dent saw were thick bandaids with a distinct coagulated brown colour covering the skin which connected the thumb to the index . harvey half-smiled even though he didn't find anything amusing about that sight . " he'd have a thing or two to say about the state of your hands too . " he mentioned before having another sip of his coffee .

[coinofsilver]

i'll show you what i mean . come with me .

harvey stares at oswald , standing next to the dark-haired woman at the counter for a couple of seconds too long . there's a question in the manner with which his mismatched gaze lingers on the other man ㅤ--- ㅤreally ? you couldn't wait ? ㅤ---ㅤ but cobblepot sees right through the dimpled smiles and nonchalant demeanour ; dent isn't there to make friends , NOT WHEN THE PENGUIN IS INVOLVED .

gotham's district attorney always felt the urge to watch him , make sure oswald was behaving , that his hands were in plain sight and ungreased . harvey pressed a hand to his chest and excused himself , looking genuinely apologetic . but the ease with which he leaned away from the bar suggested that dent was ALL BUSINESS . something that would leave the woman feeling awkward and self-conscious ... a small sacrifice in the name of information .

ㅤㅤ ( ㅤwould harvey have the same fate as prometheus then ; doomed to have his liver devoured by a bird of prey for all eternityㅤ )

he followed the shorter man across the opera's packed lobby all the way down to the main staircase . it was quieter there , away from the event's guests and chatter . dent could see a couple smoking out by the front exit ... heard someone crying softly near the cloakroom ... he felt he wasn't in danger ; he rarely did whenever dealing with cobblepot , oddly enough . falling into a false sense of comfort around men like him WAS DANGEROUS ON ITS' OWN . dent placed both hands in his pockets , glancing around the room half-heartedly .

ㅤ"ㅤㅤ is this the part where you get your goons to shatter my kneecaps ? ㅤㅤ"

[coinofsilver]

one for you … one for me .

the coffee inside both paper cups looks suspiciously black . burnt ? most likely . just a vending machine laxative disguised as something more appetising for them to gulp down without complaints . dent has parted his lips more than once , attempting to speak to the stranger before him but could never find the right timing in the conversation to intervene . SHE WASN'T LOCAL ; gotham's police department had no records of past incarcerations , no address , no fingerprintsㅤ --- ㅤ maybe they ought to contact arkham ( though the staff there weren't usually eager about sharing their records ) .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤhe needs her to get serious . that's why he asked for the interrogation room that morning ; harvey wants no security staff to intimidate her , no protective glass to impede any projectile fluids , no chains weighing her down , all he wants is a nice civil talk between a woman under investigation and a lawyer representing the state . and boy , that woman ought to have a lot to say : a member of gotham's biggest crime family was dead , and this ( blue eyes quickly glance down at the beige folder ) CHARLOTTE OLESENㅤ --- ㅤㅤolesen ? that didn't seem right . ㅤㅤ---ㅤ had something to do with it . dent sits up straight , ready to lay down the facts of the case and get the answer he most ardently needs : had someone hired her to kill one of the falcones ? and , if yes , who ?

but just when harvey thinks he's ready to take control of the situation he feels something small being dropped onto the palm of his hand . the district attorney is quick to curl his fingers , lest the small object bounce out of his hold . his peripheral vision only catches charlotte's pale waggling digits for a second . but his dark eyebrows do arch in surprise when finding a small caramel drop waiting for him there .

ㅤㅤ"ㅤ ... thank you . ㅤ" ㅤㅤmr. dent said with a flutter of his lashes , sounding genuinely delighted by the surprise . the nonchalance of that gesture only made him worry about charlotte's state of mind even more . ㅤ" ㅤms. olesen , you are aware that you'll most likely be facing manslaughter charges , right ? ㅤ"

[coinofsilver]

just thought i'd give you the choice .

his hands are buried in his trench coat's pockets when he speaks to her . harvey dent looks like he ought to be in an old ad ; a comforting face to assure consumers that their choice was the right one . that they were going to get that big promotion , they were gonna marry the love of their life , that their parents were proud of them ㅤㅤ--- ㅤㅤㅤㅤtheir happily ever after was coming . ㅤㅤTRUST HIM . ㅤㅤbut as the district attorney turns to face the mysterious woman he shares the rooftop with , he finds that her mere presence has the exact opposite effect on him .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤthe more dent watched odile , the more he doubted whether he had done the right thing by trusting her ㅤ( never judge a book by its' cover , that's what he tries to tell himself )ㅤ . nevertheless , he offers up a half-smile , charming , of course . police sirens echo throughout the streets down below .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ" well , shucks , odile . that's real sweet of you . "

there's humour to that observation . women like her had little room for pleasantriesㅤㅤ --- ㅤㅤ rubbing shoulders with a criminal organisation for months only to then offer them up on a silver platter to the authorities required a level of detachment harvey wasn't sure was natural ㅤ( or healthy for that matter ) ㅤ. ㅤBUT SHE HAD DONE IT ; ㅤwhy , the da wasn't entirely sure . he wanted to believe it to be due to a strong sense of justice --- but something about odile's cold expression made it hard to read her . his thumb brushed over a silver surface , hidden in the depths of his coat .

" you did something good here . " ㅤharvey pointed out , sounding serious this time . ㅤ" which is why i'm asking you to pack your bags and leave gotham tonight . "

more sirens , tires screech , car horns ㅤㅤ---ㅤㅤ his home's cries are never ending . people like this odile person and the batman present themselves as medicine to alleviate the city from its' illness . but harvey dent seeks to CURE GOTHAM .ㅤ at what point do these vigilantes cease to be heroes and become symptoms ? if good citizens only see justice being applied by those working outside of the law , what hope do any of them have ?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ" i'm choosing to let you go . "