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Three bodies in two separate parts of the city had dropped and Jim found himself working both crime scenes and wishing Harvey was there by his side. While he wasn’t working the murders at the practical level, he was the Captain of the city police department and responsible for the close rate. He was sweating through his shirt into his suit jacket and at the second scene gave up and left the jacket in the car. He left his sleeves rolled down and tie on at least to seem professional, but some of his men were fairing worse. Gotham was in the high heat of the summer months and the merciless precipitation did nothing but make the temperature climb and impossible to find relief. Jim wiped his brow and looked at the flashing lights of the ambulance and police responder cruisers and shook his head.
It was shaping up to be one hell of a night.
Harvey could see the chaos down on the street from his apartment window. He saw Jim, standing hands on hips, surveying the battlefield and coordinating with all the moving parts from CSU to the coroner’s office, press to incidents reports. It was an ugly sight and one that Harvey was glad that he wasn’t involved in. He had witnessed the after math all the same, even called 911 to report the gunshots and fallen bodies. He hadn’t been interviewed; yet; as his was not the only call to investigate. He stood and watched, drink in hand and wished that he had more comfort from the heat of the night aside from open windows and a stagnate, nonexistent breeze. He was about to turn away from the police activity; from Jim; when Jim raised his gaze to the open window. Harvey toasted him with his drink and walked away, further into the interior of his apartment.
Jim frowned. He gave temporary authority to Alvarez as primary detective at the scene and crossed the street to Harvey’s building. The elevator wasn’t in service, so it was a four story climb in a heated stairwell to reach Harvey’s floor. The hallway was another sweltering journey and Jim rapped just a little too hard upon the door. He wasn’t angry at Harvey, he was merely hot, tired and frustrated. Gotham always responded to the changes in the weather, the worse the weather, the worse the behavior of her citizens. It was as if they waited for a blizzard, heatwave or monsoon to do deal out their most evil. Tonight, was no exception.
Harvey answered the door in Jeans and an undershirt, which Jim suspected the jeans had been near the door for such a summons and weren’t previously adorning him. “Jim.”
“Harvey.” Jim stated now feeling his discomfort low in his gut. What was he doing here? His official excuse was flimsy at best and both men knew it. “May I?” Harvey shrugged, but stepped back from the threshold. Jim crossed it and thanked him softly before adding, “You called it in, didn’t you?”
Harvey shrugged once more closing the door behind Jim. “What? I hear gunshots and was supposed to sit on it? Assume everyone and their brother would call for me?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know you didn’t.” Harvey assured moving over to the liquor bottles upon his kitchen table. “Want one?” Jim shook his head. “That’s right,” Harvey teased sarcastically topping off his own drink. “you’re on duty.” He toasted Jim and took a large sip of his whiskey and enjoyed it from lips to the warming pool in his stomach. “How’s the captaincy been treating you lately?” Jim’s right cheek twitched, and his jaw tensed in immediate response. “That good huh? Well, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
“I would never say that, Harvey.” Jim assured looking about the cluttered state of Harvey’s apartment. “What did you see?”
“Nothing. I heard three shots, peeked out the window, saw the bodies and called. Nothing more than that.” He motioned to Jim with the hand that held the liquor tumbler. “Going to write any of this down?”
Jim shifted in his stance and closed the distance between him and Harvey. He placed his hand upon Harvey’s glass and attempted to take the tumbler. Harvey held fast, and Jim arched an eyebrow. “How much have you had to drink tonight?” ‘Not enough to forget you, but just enough to numb the pain’; Harvey ached to say but kept silent.
“Not enough to could my judgement or eyewitness testimony.” Harvey assured and allowed Jim to finally take the glass away from him. Jim set the tumbler down upon the kitchen table and searched Harvey’s expression for several silent seconds. “What?”
“It’s good to see you.”
Harvey laughed at that, the sound clipped and ugly. “Is it?” Jim nodded. “And you haven’t called to tell me that because?” Harvey gestured for Jim to fill in the blank reason. “Because you’re a crap communicator, that’s right. Or is there some other reason? Like, you fucking hate me?”
Jim blanched at that and took a half step backward. “I don’t hate you Harvey.” Far from; he was in love with the man and that’s why their separation hurt so profoundly. He couldn’t say the words, as Harvey was telling the truth about that at least; Jim was horrible at personal communication of his feelings.
Harvey snorted at this information and shook his head. “Close enough though, right?”
Jim’s expression fell. “How can you even believe that? After all we’ve been through together?”
“Oh, don’t you fucking dare stand there and act the part of St. Jim!” Harvey spat poking a finger at Jim’s chest. “You know damned well why we’re standing here like this. Your sanctimonious bullshit ain’t gonna fly with me. Not here; not now.”
“I don’t want to fight Harvey. I didn’t come here to do that.” He reached out a hand to try and touch Harvey’s, but the older man jerked his hand away as if burned.
“More bullshit.”
“No.” Jim stated plaintively. “This is not what I want at all.”
“Then what do you want, huh?” Harvey demanded pushing Jim a few steps back from him by the shoulders. “Tell me, cause I’m not a fricken mind reader, and I don’t have the energy to go a few rounds with you!”
“I want my best friend back!” Jim snapped losing all patience with Harvey. The words rang in the weighted atmosphere between them. Jim stopped short, swallowing, expression horrified as if he had not meant to speak at all. “I miss you, Harvey.” Was all he could manage next.
Harvey blinked a couple of time and searched Jim’s expression as if he wasn’t certain he had heard the words that were spoken to him. “What did I tell you about the captain’s chair?”
“You didn’t tell me that you’d be the price. We both know that’s the threat from Sophia and the trust of the men. But not you Harvey; never you.”
Harvey looked away and pinched the bridge of his nose as if in great physical anguish and exhaled, before opening his eyes and lowering his hand from his face. He looked at Jim and said, “I’m sorry. But I don’t think that we can survive this, Jim. I just don’t see a way.”
Tears pricked at Jim’s large, blue, eyes and he shook his head in denial. “I do.”
“Well, explain it to me then because I don’t!” Harvey demanded sharply.
“Close your eyes.”
Harvey blinked at Jim, his expression incredulous. “What?”
“Close your eyes. I can’t,” Jim paused flailing for other words but failing to find them. “I can’t tell you while you’re looking at me.”
“Okay crazy.” Harvey uttered under his breath and sighed heavily as he closed his eyes and waited. For several seconds Jim was silent. Harvey prompted him. “Well?” He could hear Jim move, abruptly felt him close and Harvey tensed. “You’re not gonna hit me, are you?” He demanded impatiently.
Jim stared at Harvey’s expression, a few tears wetting his cheeks as he reached up with his right hand. He drew his fingers down the scruff of beard upon Harvey’s cheek, before cradling the same within his palm. He wet his lips in anticipation and slowly leaned forward. Harvey parted his lips to speak again, to make another verbal demand but Jim pressed his mouth over his instead, effectively silencing him. Immediately Harvey’s hands rose up to push Jim back at the shoulders, but they ended up pulling him closer instead. The kiss began to evolve, each of them relaxing into the moment and devouring one another with intense passion.
The only thing that severed the kiss was the vibrating of Jim’s phone at his hip and reluctantly Jim pulled back and whispered a, ‘sorry’ to Harvey. The older man merely nodded once and leaned his forehead against Jim’s left temple as the man answered the call, phone to his right ear.
“Gordon.” Jim felt Harvey’s arms warped around him, lips at his temple then making their way slowly down jaw to his throat. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate upon the conversation over the opposite end of the call. “I’ll be right there. Don’t say a word to the press.” Jim severed the call and lowered the phone from his ear. He kissed Harvey tenderly and whispered to him, “I have to go.”
“Told you there would be a price.” Harvey smiled against the column of Jim’s throat above his collar. He raised his head and consumed Jim’s mouth with his own. “Come back as soon as you can?” Harvey asked against Jim’s lips.
Jim shuddered a little at the sexual thrill of the words and surged up to kiss Harvey a final time before pushing his forehead against his. “The very instant.” He promised already mentally logging through the list of delegated duties he was going to need.
Harvey smacked Jim on the backside once; hard and chuckled sensually. “Then get going Captain Gordon. The sooner you finish downstairs you can come back up to me.”
Jim grinned in response.