#Harvey Dent is alive and longs for his wife and best friend and a home and a domestic life. Harvey has a drive for justice

[martyrbat]

faces - batman: legends of the dark knight #29

[ID: Two Face in a round frame. He's shown from the shoulders up and is speaking to himself. He says, "I must not be over-confident. We're not home yet." END ID]

[hysterialevi]

In the Smoke pt. 3 (Cobblebats)

From Bruce’s POV

PRESENT DAY

I stood in the middle of Crime Alley, examining a bronze plaque on the ground that had my mother’s name engraved on it as rain poured down from the pale, early-morning sky, the sounds of the city slowly starting to wake up. 

Today was the anniversary of my mother’s death, and normally I would’ve waited to visit her with Dad, as I usually did, but something in me just couldn’t sit still any longer. Even though twenty years had already passed ever since her murder, every single detail from that night remained well and alive in my mind, as fresh as the moment it happened, and countless nightmares still plagued my dreams.

I slid a hand down my face, wiping some of the rain away from my eyes as I went to lean against a brick wall. The more time I spent in Crime Alley, the more I continued to replay my mother’s final words, “Tell Hill he’s making a mistake.” What did they mean? What did Hill have to do with any of this?

As a child, I truly thought I would’ve had the answers to everything by now, but in reality, I only had more questions. Hill was involved with my mother’s death somehow--I knew that much--and he was also involved with something that concerned the Cobblepots. I just didn’t know what.

And actually, I never learned exactly what happened to them. But not too long after my mother was killed, Esther was suddenly declared criminally insane and committed to Arkham Asylum before her eventual death, which led to her husband’s suicide, leaving Oz all alone and orphaned.

I sighed to myself in sorrow, solemnly gazing at the towering movie theater in the distance. Oz and I never got to see that movie like we planned, or do anything else for that matter. Instead, both of our families were torn apart within the span of a few weeks, and before I knew it, Oz had disappeared from the face of Gotham without any warning. It was like the entire city just...forgot...about him. No one at our school seemed to care about his absence, and my father never mentioned a word about him. You’d think he never existed.

I remembered hearing rumors and whispers that he had been shipped off to England after his parents’ deaths, but I had yet to find anything to confirm that. We lost touch ever since he left, and neither of us were able to contact the other while he was gone. I wondered if he still remembered me, after all these years. Hell, I didn’t even know if he was still alive anymore. By now, my brain was just a never-ending list of questions that continued to lengthen with every day, and I was determined to learn as much as I could.

“There you are.”

Snapping out of my trance-like state and back to reality, I realized that I wasn’t alone. Shielding himself from the rain with a black umbrella, Harvey Dent stood not too far away from me, beaming and optimistic as always. 

“Harv?” I greeted, pleasantly surprised. “How did you find me?”

“W-well, when I checked the manor and Alfred said you weren’t there, there was only one other place I could think of to look for you.” Harvey cleared his throat and glanced at my mother’s plaque, his head lowering in sympathy. “If you, erm, need to be alone right now, I completely understand.”

“No,” I quickly replied, “it’s all right. I could use some company, actually.”

“Oh,” Harvey smiled, “well, in that case...” He stepped over to my side and placed the umbrella above my head. 

“Such a gentleman.” I complimented.

He chuckled lightly. “I do my best.”

Sitting in the heavy rain, the two of us enjoyed the rare solitude, savoring this short moment of peace before we would have to return to our dull, everyday lives. Glancing over at the other, much taller man, I couldn’t help but notice the very faint, pink tint that had covered Harvey’s cheeks and how he hid his face from me, bashful as ever. 

It was so painfully obvious that Harvey secretly held romantic feelings for me, and everything about him always became so awkward whenever we were together. As sweet as it was though, I was powerless to return the affection. Harvey was the candidate running against Hill for the position of mayor this year, and considering that Hill was counting on my family for support, that already made it hard enough to spend time with Harvey. Not to mention starting something intimate between us. 

“You don’t need to stay out here with me, Harv,” I said. “I totally get it if you don’t wanna stand in the freezing, cold rain in some random alleyway. Hell, I don’t even know why I came out here.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he insisted. “I, um--I enjoy...spending time with you. A little rain isn’t going to scare me off.” A nervous laugh. “And besides, this isn’t just any ordinary alleyway. It’s...well...you know. I...just figured you might need a friend. If you don’t though, just say so, and I’ll be gone.”

I let out a stressful breath, adjusting my stance a bit. “No, it’s fine. I just...I can’t help thinking about why my mother really died.”

“What do you mean?”

I double-checked both entrances to the alleyway, lowering my voice as I leaned in to whisper something. “I trust you, Harvey, so I’ll tell you--but this stays between us. Okay?”

He gave me a firm nod. “I understand.”

“Thanks, Harv. Now, listen. Before my mother was killed, she told the murderer, ‘tell Hill he’s making a mistake,’ and she also seemed to recognize the culprit. I still don’t know what that means to this day, but it’s enough to tell me that Hill was involved in her murder somehow.”

A look of shock covered his face. “Bruce, that’s--that’s horrible. Have you told anyone else about this?”

“Besides the GCPD and my own father--both of which didn’t believe me, by the way--no. To be honest, I’m starting to get the feeling that they know the truth--they just aren’t willing to spill it. But that doesn’t matter. I know Hill’s hiding something, and I’m going to find out why my mother died, with or without their help. It’s the least I can do for her, after everything she did for me.”

“I’ll assist you as much as I can, Bruce, but for the moment, I’m afraid it won’t be a lot. With that big debate against Hill coming up soon, the press would be up both our asses if someone found out we were trying to get dirt on him.”

“Yeah, about that,” I frowned. “I’m sorry I can’t support you, Harv. I really wish I could fund you somehow, but my father’s got eyes and ears everywhere.”

“Well, even if I can’t earn your financial support, it’s still good to know whom your actual support really lies with. I’ll do my best not to let you down.”

“You’ll do great, Harv,” I encouraged him. “You were born for this.” He gave me a shy, but thankful smile.

Just then, my phone vibrated. Quickly slipping it out of my pocket, I glanced at the text message.

Alfred: Bruce, a rather peculiar letter just arrived in the mail for you. Normally, I would wait until you returned home to show it to you, but I thought you might want to hear about this one as soon as possible.

“Sorry,” I apologized to Harvey, “it’s Al. Mind if I take care of this?”

He shook his head. “Go right ahead.”

“Thanks.” I typed back a reply.

Bruce: What’s it say?

Alfred: Not much, actually. It’s quite simple, really. Just a small, blank card. It reads, “Meet me at the Park. 6 AM. Tomorrow! -Oz”

I froze. 

Oz?

Bruce: Wait, Oz as in Oswald Cobblepot?

Alfred: That’s what I was thinking as well. It seems as if your old friend has finally returned to Gotham. What do you think? Is it legitimate?

Bruce: Hard to say. It’s been so long since we last talked, and the “6 AM” makes it even more suspicious. Oz would never get up that early.

Alfred: A fair point. Though, it’s possible he might make an exception to see a familiar face.

Bruce: I guess so. Oh, well. We can talk about this later. I’ll be home in a minute.

Alfred: Very well, sir. I shall see you then.

I put the phone away, receiving a curious look from Harvey. “Everything all right?” He asked, noticing my concern.

“...I think so,” I replied uncertainly. “I don’t know. It seems like nothing, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Anyways, I gotta get going. Thanks for sticking around, Harv.”

He was blushing again. “Of course, Bruce. Anytime. Stay safe out there.”

I began walking away from the comfort of the umbrella, stepping back out into the thick rainfall as I waved a casual goodbye to the District Attorney. “You too. If only that were possible in Gotham.”

WAYNE MANOR

I returned back home after a short walk, instantly speeding for my bedroom for a change of comfier, dryer clothes, and possibly even a quick nap. Along the way, I spotted Alfred occupied in the kitchen, washing the dishes from a breakfast that I missed, and judging by the extra cars sitting outside, both Hill and Falcone were also here right now. I silently groaned. If I was lucky, I’d be able to avoid both of them.

Climbing up the grand staircase, I turned a corner as soon as I reached the top and passed right by my father’s office, stopping in my tracks when I overheard a portion of their suspicious conversation. Normally, I wouldn’t have considered eavesdropping, but something just reeled me in like a fish on a hook. I stealthily crept closer to the locked door, trying to hear more.

“--I’m not afraid of Penguin,” Hill said in a defending tone. “Common criminals like him are quite easy to outsmart. I’m just playing along with his plan, is all.” 

Penguin? What the hell was he talking about?

“Oh, is that why you fed him information on my family?” My father fired back, “We’re supposed to be working together, in case you forgot.” Falcone joined in.

“Relax, Tommy. We’ll be fine. Penguin’s weak. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t make what Ham here did any less stupid, but he’s still just a lone thug. Nothing big or extravagant like the other crime-bosses in Gotham. We can handle him.”

My father wasn’t convinced. “It only took a ‘lone thug’ to murder my wife. Who’s to say that this ‘Penguin’ fellow won’t come after my son too?”

“Why would he?” Hill added. “Bruce doesn’t know anything. He’s clueless about all...this. He’d be useless to Penguin.”

“That...is true, I suppose.”

Part of me regretted listening in on their conversation. What on Earth were they talking about? And who was the Penguin? What wasn’t my father telling me? Well, at least now I could be certain that Hill was hiding something from me, just as I suspected. But so was Falcone and even my own father. 

I heard their chairs shuffling as their footsteps approached the door. Springing into flight mode, I instantly bolted away from the office, trying to make myself scarce before they could even twist the doorknob.

Originally, I had planned to discuss the mysterious letter that Alfred mentioned earlier with my father, and ask him what his thoughts were on it, but now I wasn’t even sure if I could trust him. I was just going to have to find the pieces to this puzzle by myself, whether he liked it or not. After all, if this really was Oz asking me to meet him, then he would have all the answers about Hill that I needed...and I could finally learn the truth.