The guy was called Mark. Well, no, he wasn't called Mark but apparently henchmen for Ed called themselves Mark. They were basically canon fodder, keeping Edward out of the line of fire and Harvey wasn't into playing that game. It was all a distraction tactic and Harvey wasn't feeling distracted, just irritated. Hence why he came into the canteen with a very bloody Mark, who had clearly been beaten to a pulp, and tossed him onto the table Edward was sitting at.
"Hi, Nygma. Why do I get the feeling that you're trying to avoid us?"
The Mark vomited blood on the table and fell onto the floor. Harvey kicked him aside and grabbed the chair opposite Edward - the newly vacated chair because everyone had promptly fucked off - and sat down. He looked at Edward, clearly not happy. And no, it wasn't Harvey. It really wasn't Harvey. It was Two-Face. "We should talk."
Edward glanced at the poor Mark on the floor, frowning until he saw him move. At least alive still, so there was that. He cared a lot more about his henchmen - and obviously his henchwomen - than most of the rogues, but right now there was not much more he could do for him. If he didn't handle this encounter well, he wouldn't get an opportunity to check in on this Mark's health, given his own likely issues.
"There's a question. And I have one for you, what is the worst way to start a conversation and inspire dread? Guess you've already answered that." A talk. Yeah, it never ended well when anyone said that to him. He looked at Harvey, guessing that this wasn't Harvey. Not the one he'd met before, anyway. Did not take a genius to figure that out and he was a genius. He knew. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, politely, "What do I call you?"
"I'm the true face." Oh yeah, there was a call-back that Edward probably didn't want. He did wonder, based on that, what Edward had known. How long it had been a plan, if all gangsters had conspired at one point, if they were all in on it. Probably. He knew how many conspired against Harvey and he was here for that exact reason. He had to protect Harvey, keep him safe, remove all threats. And right now, Nygma was a threat. A former gangster lackey, a rogue, an overall piece of shit. "Two face, if you want."
Two face pulled out his coin, the same one he had during his trial all those years ago. One side was brilliant silver and the other was scratched to shit.
"Do you feel lucky, Nygma?" Two face slipped the coin idly. "Cause you rogues, you're something fucking else. I think you're lucky. Bottom feeding scum like you, you rig the system and you never pay for anything. You got a lot of luck."
"I pay all the time, Two-Face." The true face. Edward wondered what that face was going to do to his face, but he had a decent idea that it wouldn't be pretty. His eyes were drawn to the coin and he remembered. Only a few glimpses, but he'd seen it before. Interesting. "Listen, just listen. I'm a fast talker, it won't take too much of your time."
He held his hands up, showing that he wanted no fight. Of course, that was likely irrelevant if Harvey, if Two-Face wanted a fight, but... Whatever, he was gesturing anyway. "We've a few things to clear up."
Ugh, his face was looking gruesome. That had to hurt. He should really be in the infirmary, in hospital, given his face was essentially an open wound. "For one, I've never felt lucky. Don't even believe in it, if I'm being honest with you." Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Whatever. Powering through it. "For another, I know, I know what it looks like to you, but I've never worked with Maroni. Never cared for him. He always came through with the sexism and homophobia, you know? Not my style. I just turned a phrase, I thought there had to be more to it. Retroactively struck a nerve, I get that, but that's just coincidence. bad luck, if you will."
"Shame you don't feel lucky cause here is how it's gonna work. I could believe you but, let's be honest, you're a manipulative piece of shit and I don't trust anything you say. So I'll flip. Heads, we call it a day and I let it go. Tails, I am gonna beat your face in until it cracks open like a melon." Two face clarified as he held up the coin and showed him both sides. "See, we believe in luck. You wanna game with us, we'll be fair. When the fact ain't clear, we play with luck."
And then Two face flipped his coin and caught it, turning it over and -- well, silver. Fuck.
Harvey sighed and felt a strange relief as he looked at it. He didn't really want to kill Nygma but right now, he had a poor moral compass and no direction so he did whatever felt right, not what he probably had to do. "Lucky boy." Harvey looked at the coin for a few and then slipped it away and like that, he was done. He stood up, unsure what else to do but to leave.
"...well, that's a tad anti-climatic, isn't it?" Not that he was complaining as such. There was a rush of relief, but then there was also a strange vacuum of nothingness, all that energy evaporated. Edward took a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair. And then he looked up at Harvey, breathing out and ending in a slight chuckle. That forlorn look on his face was almost comical.
He got to his feet, moving away from the table to face him properly. Harvey, Two-Face, whoever he was right now. He daringly put a hand on his arm, always one to go more touchy-feely than he probably should. "Come on, that can't be it. You'll just get angry again if we don't resolve this. It shouldn't be like that between us, should it? I say we should never go to bed angry, it will be better for us in the long run."
He gestured at himself, smiling brightly. "Come on. Hit me once, then we'll be even. Let it out."
"I'm a man of my word, Nygma. I will not hit you." It was weird. Edward was touching him and he didn't know how he felt about it. It strangely dawned on him that no one besides doctors had been close to him since this accident. No one really touched him. Not even his wife had. She screamed when she saw him, she feared him right away. No one wanted to get close and he didn't blame them. So why did Edward? "I don't like to go back on myself. Besides, I don't know if I believe you or not but I don't know if it matters."
A rogue was a rogue. They hurt each other, they hurt other people - it was the way it was. Black and white. Good and evil. And Gotham was a rotten evil shithole. If Nygma fucked him over then it was on Harvey cause he stayed here. He tried to fight it. He was an idiot.
"As much as your face is pretty punchable, I'll pass."
"That's very honourable of you." Quite the commitment to a theme, he had to give him that. "Also... Shush." Edward put a finger on Harvey's lips, then the same on his own, trying to address the issues one after the other. "We really have to-- Give me a moment."
He turned, making eye-contact with one of the guys watching from a bit away. They always had an audience, the big names. "You there! Bring my Mark to the infirmary, will you? Usual rate, some extra if you show manners."
For now the guy just nodded, dumbstruck, and Edward was already looking back at Harvey again. Well, he took care of his people. It paid off in the long run. "Where were we? Ah, right, right. Shush!"
He picked up where he'd left off, gently correcting Harvey. "My face is pretty and punchable. I always felt one feeds into the other, you know? Primal forces at work."
Edward was touching his lips. Edward was touching his face. Right in the middle, it was really weird. And also what the fuck? Harvey watched Edward, wide eyed and baffled, trying to work out how he felt. Why did he keep shushing him. He frowned at Edward, letting him ramble on and trying to process... well, all of this, frankly.
"Stop touching my face." He tilted his head to the side, looking at Edward and meeting his eyes. "It's prone to infection and I'm trying to avoid sepsis."
So he didn't need anyone's unwashed hands near it. Not that he was really doing much to protect it otherwise, he should be in a hospital, getting treatment and help but it was Gotham. Only in Gotham could a patient discharge themselves with half their face missing and no one followed it up. "You really want me to punch you, huh?"
"Please. My hands are the cleanest thing in this place. And if you were actually trying to avoid sepsis, you'd be going to the infirmary right behind those two, not play around with me." It was pretty clear that Harvey wasn't feeling much like taking care of himself, so Edward wasn't buying into his concern there. if that was the only reason he did not want to be touched, anyway. "It's not as if I want you to punch me. Or as if I ever want anyone to punch me. But you look as if you could use some catharsis and I'd rather you got it out of your system now than you jumping me in the showers."
There was a thought. "Which, by the way, I'd worry about a lot more, considering the risk of infection."
"I don't spend more time than I have to there. Also, I dunno, sounds kinda gay."
Harvey was jumping no man in the shower and he would like that to die here and never become a persistent rumour, thanks. He held up his coin and flipped it again. "Let's see if I can hit you." Fuck. Silver. "Kick you?" Ah. Okay. Better. That one was face down, not the best for Edward but they could reach some kind of catharsis now. He wasn't gonna beat him up, he wasn't going to punch him but he would kick him.
Hence, without warning, he got up suddenly and raised his leg, kicking Edward hard. And yeah, it was a chest kick. It sent Edward tumbling into the table across from them at the sheer force of it. There. Done. "Happy?"
Edward had yelped, which was not his proudest moment, but that hurt! And who could see that coming? He was catching his breath, rolling onto the side as ran his hands down himself to check for injuries, coughing. No broken rib, but damn, that had knocked the breath out of him and then some. "Who kicks in the chest?!"
What was that all about? "What is your deal, you watch Karate Kid one time too often?" How did he even get his leg up there? He didn't look that flexible. So, no, Edward wasn't happy, but he came to sit, leaning back against the desk, and looking up at Harvey. "How was it for you?"
"S'okay." Harvey admitted and then he came over and sat down next to Edward, putting his hand on his thigh in a comforting manner and slapping it lightly before he pulled away. "I had a client once who was going to Blackmate, he hurt a lot of people and apparently you were one of them but the Bat already took you to Arkham while you were unconscious. Anyway, I spoke to him and he told me 'I couldn't help it, I had the opportunity and the Riddler is fun to hit' and I remember thinking that it would have been nice to beat your ass all those years ago when you were just Ed Nygma."
Harvey hmmed and then turned to Ed, nodding in approval. "It's satisfying, I'm not gonna bullshit you. You're whinier than I expected though."
Or maybe he was about as whiny as expected. Hard to say. "And for the record, I do-- did kickboxing."
"Well then. I do tai chi, so if you ever come at me reeeeeally slowly, I'm gonna kick your ass." Edward rubbed his chest, still looking at Harvey. Touching established, some boundaries shifted. Some tension released and no major injuries. So far, he was taking it as a win. "Look, anyone who's into hitting me also wants to hear me whine about it, else why do it? If you do it really nicely, I can do more than whine, but I think you're a bit too vanilla for that talk."
He grinned at him, reaching out again. Harvey had touched him, therefore it seemed fair game to touch him again too, this time to place a hand on his arm. "You didn't get all of that bulk just from kickboxing, did you? Very impressive. Those suits didn't do you justice."
"Kickboxing, jogging, weight lifting, sometimes crossfit if I could find the time. I haven't worked out in a while, this ain't even my peak." Harvey lamented because it was strangely nice to have something resembling a normal conversation, even if it was with a fucking asshole like Nygma. It wasn't about his face or his change or anything like that. Working out. Very easy going, very nice. "I can bench press 127kg these days, my goal is 150 kg."
He only wished he could have fought Maroni fair and square. He'd never have gotten the acid even close. All it took was a fucking bullet in the end, when the game wasn't fun and he was lost in pain but it would have been nice to trash the bastard. "You lift?"
"Wow. You can almost lift me twice." That was hot, Edward had to admit. He was still feeling up Harvey's arm, since the man hadn't protested. Felt very nice, made him wonder what he looked like without a shirt. Especially with the burns, did they go down any further? It was fascinating in quite a number of ways, some of them more sexual than others. "I lift a little, but-- Compared to you? I lift twigs."
He flexed his free arm, then laughed, good-natured about it. He wasn't weak compared to the general population, but given how bulky most inmates tended to be? Yeah, he could get tossed around, whenever he wasn't careful with his leverage. "I work out for looks more than anything. Looks and stamina. What can I say? I like to be pleasing in all the ways when I'm vying for attention."
"I did it for health and protection. I got a lot of death threats, got a lot of attacks, lots of rogues breaking in." Harvey had provoked and it was like poking an ants nest. Once he provoked, more came out and then there were fucking everywhere, ruining his good time. The Joker in his home, Falcone's men following him home, Maroni in his court - it was a fucking nightmare. "If you ever want to improve your reps... we're here a while."
And Harvey had no idea what to do with that. He was humiliated to be here, angry and frustrated with the world and not sure how one went about breaking out.
"Does this place had a gym? I assume not. Seems like a lot of damage could be done if you give the joker something weighted..."
"Used to have one, didn't last. Killer Croc has a pool downstairs, I guess." More or less, anyway. "I'd not recommend taking a dip there." For very obvious reasons. "I do resistance training. Kinesiology really helps. I've had to get creative for whenever I'm stuck here, though my home gym set-up is beautiful right now."
He missed it, honestly. Alas, nothing to be done about it. "We're not going to be on a similar regime though, I've a feeling that we're going for widely different looks. Look at you, all butch and handsome."
He could get into it. "I like the growl when you're angry, really goes with your general vibe. I can never pull that off, I'm better at sounding affronted."
"If you say so." Well, he guessed Edward was as weird and as queer as he had been when he first met him. He didn't mind, he knew that this was the way Edward was and he was trying to just make peace with it. He smiled at Edward, with only one side capable of moving. "Guess you got a point, we aren't exactly in the same league. Though all I'm going for is strong enough to hold my own, I ain't looking for a vibe."
He was supposed to be here for a couple of years but he assumed it'd never work like that so he was mostly just killing time until the inevitable. He would have to find new ways to keep in shape, he supposed he could work on his legs more.
"I never had a home gym. Gilda wanted the spare room to be ..." Fuck. "A kid's room, you know?" No, he didn't. He was a rogue, why would he know? "I need to get a new place, that's gonna be a bitch."
Ed wasn't sure what to say to that exactly. Kid's room. Gilda. No, family life wasn't really his thing, wasn't any rogue's thing. Had never been his thing. That might be consistent too, something they all had in common. Instead of saying something, he patted Harvey's shoulder, looking sympathetic. How disorienting that had to be for him. A whole different life, entirely shattered.
He didn't have to fake the sympathy. "It won't be that difficult to get a new place. Not if you know what you're going for. I know a bit about the market, if you let me know... I've a feeling part of you might already have an idea."
It was all about the theme and the pizzazz. He had seen enough of what this man right here was capable of. "Then you can have a home gym. Or whatever else is to your tastes. My primary concern was broadband."
"I just want something to hit, that's all I need." How did it feel to be pitied by Edward Nygma? Not great. He didn't know why he shared, he didn't know why he said things, he just wished he could stop. He wished he was harder, he wished he didn't have to deal. It was easier with Two-Face, he always knew how to handle the ugly emotions. Probably always had cause Harvey certainly never did. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly before yawning. It was quite the sight, Harvey yawning, his face was an experience to say the least.
"You're a genius, eh? That's what they always said." Universal genius. "Tell me, genius, what are my odds of survival if I don't do shit about this?"
He gestured to his face, just curious. Doctors tried to help him but he didn't want to talk to them. Oddly, it was easier to talk to Edward and he figured Edward had some basic knowledge. "Weeks? Months? Years?"
"If you do nothing about it? Nothing at all?" Edward looked it over, his eyes narrowing. it looked gruesome, but focusing on it made that easier to ignore, even if he was aware of the smell. Repulsive, sure, but fascinating as well, especially now he'd been issues a challenge. He could never resist a good challenge. "You've healed remarkably well as much as you possibly could, which says something for your immune system. Impressive. Some healthy scabbing there, less puss than might be expected. But it's still raw in places, friction rubbing and tearing at it. Obviously some of it is entirely eroded, acid burns deep."
Clearly. "As you've said, there's a risk of infection. In here, I'd say that risk is a guarantee. I've got a bit of germaphobia and it's impossible to relax with that in this place, that should tell you enough of that. If it does get infected and you still do nothing, the question is when they'll intervene. Best chance would be if you develop a fever and pass out, then they have to do something. Might be in time before sepsis sets in. Under those circumstances, we're resetting the board, depends on how well they treat you from there. Otherwise, you'll be dead in a few days."
Edward stopped his analysis, his eyes closing for a moment and then focusing on Harvey, expression relaxed compared to the look from before. "It'd be a shame. What will it take for you to do shit about this?"
"It can't be fixed. It'd take years of work to get it to a place where it doesn't look so bad but it's still gonna hurt. I know they could do a graft and then it ain't open no more, that's all and nothing cosmetic but that's the limit. Why change it? Pain is a friend now. It hurts so bad, I don't feel it any more. I don't let myself. If I did, I think I'd really belong here cause I'd lose my mind. When it hit me, I felt my face come off and at first, I thought it was whatever they threw but it was my face, Nygma." Harvey laughed suddenly, abruptly, his eyes not fully focused on anything because clearly, his brain could not handle it. It was almost like a switch flocked and he shut himself down until it was repressed enough. After a few beats of silence, Harvey sighed.
Then he raised his hand and touched the good side of his face. "I don't trust 'em. Any of 'em. They'll put me out and off me. It's Gotham. If the docs ain't psychos, they're probably mafia owned. Nothing is safe here. No one is safe. I'll live with it until it kills me, I think." So a short life but at least he went out on his own.
"I guess to answer you - what it would take is to trust someone enough to let me near me."
"You ever felt safe here?" Couldn't have, Edward wouldn't buy it. He knew enough of Harvey's history, he had read the articles, he had grown up not that far from him. Outside the Narrows, but just barely. "You want to be in control of things, of people. That's the way to trust."
Or at least that was how he felt. What a nightmare, though, what had happened to Harvey. Ed couldn't imagine the pain. Hell, he didn't want to imagine the pain, the horror, the absolute terror of that reality sinking in. He reached out, touching the other side of Harvey's face. "Fuck the cosmetics of it. I think you own the look, you pull it off. But they can do something to lessen the risk. Maybe not the doctors, you're right, they are all hacks. But there are people in this town with more knowledge than anyone else. Who's keeping Victor Fries alive? Who figured out how the Joker can keep walking?"
It was all pretty simple. "You know the rogues. There's some trust. You're trusting me to be myself, aren't you?"
"I felt safe once." When he was with Jim and Bruce at a party, discussing the future of Gotham, believing that they had a chance. It was a beautiful moment of hope and he knew then that he trusted Bruce and Jim with his life. Hell, he trusted the Bat too. And where were they now? Couldn't even fucking look at him.
And yet here was Edward, a fucker he didn't trust for a second, and he was looking at him and touching him like an old friend. Like he wasn't repulsed or repelled. He was just here. With him.
"I'm trusting you all to be yourselves, yes. You rogues, you'll all do whatever you do. And you stab each other in the back all the fucking time so I don't trust any of you as far as I can throw you." And yet, he did find them interesting. He wasn't a rogue, he never would be, but he knew they could do impossible things and had many times over. "To trust that there is someone in Gotham who can make this mess better is a tall order. I guess by your logic, I gotta let go and trust those who shouldn't be trusted."
Harvey snorted in amusement and pulled away from Edward, shaking his head. "You know, everyone I did trust let me down. Maybe I should trust the worst cause the best, they didn't want me."
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"Hi, Nygma. Why do I get the feeling that you're trying to avoid us?"
The Mark vomited blood on the table and fell onto the floor. Harvey kicked him aside and grabbed the chair opposite Edward - the newly vacated chair because everyone had promptly fucked off - and sat down. He looked at Edward, clearly not happy. And no, it wasn't Harvey. It really wasn't Harvey. It was Two-Face. "We should talk."
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"There's a question. And I have one for you, what is the worst way to start a conversation and inspire dread? Guess you've already answered that." A talk. Yeah, it never ended well when anyone said that to him. He looked at Harvey, guessing that this wasn't Harvey. Not the one he'd met before, anyway. Did not take a genius to figure that out and he was a genius. He knew. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, politely, "What do I call you?"
Well, he didn't want to be rude.
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Two face pulled out his coin, the same one he had during his trial all those years ago. One side was brilliant silver and the other was scratched to shit.
"Do you feel lucky, Nygma?" Two face slipped the coin idly. "Cause you rogues, you're something fucking else. I think you're lucky. Bottom feeding scum like you, you rig the system and you never pay for anything. You got a lot of luck."
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He held his hands up, showing that he wanted no fight. Of course, that was likely irrelevant if Harvey, if Two-Face wanted a fight, but... Whatever, he was gesturing anyway. "We've a few things to clear up."
Ugh, his face was looking gruesome. That had to hurt. He should really be in the infirmary, in hospital, given his face was essentially an open wound. "For one, I've never felt lucky. Don't even believe in it, if I'm being honest with you." Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Whatever. Powering through it. "For another, I know, I know what it looks like to you, but I've never worked with Maroni. Never cared for him. He always came through with the sexism and homophobia, you know? Not my style. I just turned a phrase, I thought there had to be more to it. Retroactively struck a nerve, I get that, but that's just coincidence. bad luck, if you will."
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And then Two face flipped his coin and caught it, turning it over and -- well, silver. Fuck.
Harvey sighed and felt a strange relief as he looked at it. He didn't really want to kill Nygma but right now, he had a poor moral compass and no direction so he did whatever felt right, not what he probably had to do. "Lucky boy." Harvey looked at the coin for a few and then slipped it away and like that, he was done. He stood up, unsure what else to do but to leave.
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He got to his feet, moving away from the table to face him properly. Harvey, Two-Face, whoever he was right now. He daringly put a hand on his arm, always one to go more touchy-feely than he probably should. "Come on, that can't be it. You'll just get angry again if we don't resolve this. It shouldn't be like that between us, should it? I say we should never go to bed angry, it will be better for us in the long run."
He gestured at himself, smiling brightly. "Come on. Hit me once, then we'll be even. Let it out."
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A rogue was a rogue. They hurt each other, they hurt other people - it was the way it was. Black and white. Good and evil. And Gotham was a rotten evil shithole. If Nygma fucked him over then it was on Harvey cause he stayed here. He tried to fight it. He was an idiot.
"As much as your face is pretty punchable, I'll pass."
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He turned, making eye-contact with one of the guys watching from a bit away. They always had an audience, the big names. "You there! Bring my Mark to the infirmary, will you? Usual rate, some extra if you show manners."
For now the guy just nodded, dumbstruck, and Edward was already looking back at Harvey again. Well, he took care of his people. It paid off in the long run. "Where were we? Ah, right, right. Shush!"
He picked up where he'd left off, gently correcting Harvey. "My face is pretty and punchable. I always felt one feeds into the other, you know? Primal forces at work."
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"Stop touching my face." He tilted his head to the side, looking at Edward and meeting his eyes. "It's prone to infection and I'm trying to avoid sepsis."
So he didn't need anyone's unwashed hands near it. Not that he was really doing much to protect it otherwise, he should be in a hospital, getting treatment and help but it was Gotham. Only in Gotham could a patient discharge themselves with half their face missing and no one followed it up. "You really want me to punch you, huh?"
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There was a thought. "Which, by the way, I'd worry about a lot more, considering the risk of infection."
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Harvey was jumping no man in the shower and he would like that to die here and never become a persistent rumour, thanks. He held up his coin and flipped it again. "Let's see if I can hit you." Fuck. Silver. "Kick you?" Ah. Okay. Better. That one was face down, not the best for Edward but they could reach some kind of catharsis now. He wasn't gonna beat him up, he wasn't going to punch him but he would kick him.
Hence, without warning, he got up suddenly and raised his leg, kicking Edward hard. And yeah, it was a chest kick. It sent Edward tumbling into the table across from them at the sheer force of it. There. Done. "Happy?"
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What was that all about? "What is your deal, you watch Karate Kid one time too often?" How did he even get his leg up there? He didn't look that flexible. So, no, Edward wasn't happy, but he came to sit, leaning back against the desk, and looking up at Harvey. "How was it for you?"
Kinda gay. He had honed in on that one.
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Harvey hmmed and then turned to Ed, nodding in approval. "It's satisfying, I'm not gonna bullshit you. You're whinier than I expected though."
Or maybe he was about as whiny as expected. Hard to say. "And for the record, I do-- did kickboxing."
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He grinned at him, reaching out again. Harvey had touched him, therefore it seemed fair game to touch him again too, this time to place a hand on his arm. "You didn't get all of that bulk just from kickboxing, did you? Very impressive. Those suits didn't do you justice."
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He only wished he could have fought Maroni fair and square. He'd never have gotten the acid even close. All it took was a fucking bullet in the end, when the game wasn't fun and he was lost in pain but it would have been nice to trash the bastard. "You lift?"
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He flexed his free arm, then laughed, good-natured about it. He wasn't weak compared to the general population, but given how bulky most inmates tended to be? Yeah, he could get tossed around, whenever he wasn't careful with his leverage. "I work out for looks more than anything. Looks and stamina. What can I say? I like to be pleasing in all the ways when I'm vying for attention."
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And Harvey had no idea what to do with that. He was humiliated to be here, angry and frustrated with the world and not sure how one went about breaking out.
"Does this place had a gym? I assume not. Seems like a lot of damage could be done if you give the joker something weighted..."
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He missed it, honestly. Alas, nothing to be done about it. "We're not going to be on a similar regime though, I've a feeling that we're going for widely different looks. Look at you, all butch and handsome."
He could get into it. "I like the growl when you're angry, really goes with your general vibe. I can never pull that off, I'm better at sounding affronted."
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He was supposed to be here for a couple of years but he assumed it'd never work like that so he was mostly just killing time until the inevitable. He would have to find new ways to keep in shape, he supposed he could work on his legs more.
"I never had a home gym. Gilda wanted the spare room to be ..." Fuck. "A kid's room, you know?" No, he didn't. He was a rogue, why would he know? "I need to get a new place, that's gonna be a bitch."
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He didn't have to fake the sympathy. "It won't be that difficult to get a new place. Not if you know what you're going for. I know a bit about the market, if you let me know... I've a feeling part of you might already have an idea."
It was all about the theme and the pizzazz. He had seen enough of what this man right here was capable of. "Then you can have a home gym. Or whatever else is to your tastes. My primary concern was broadband."
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"You're a genius, eh? That's what they always said." Universal genius. "Tell me, genius, what are my odds of survival if I don't do shit about this?"
He gestured to his face, just curious. Doctors tried to help him but he didn't want to talk to them. Oddly, it was easier to talk to Edward and he figured Edward had some basic knowledge. "Weeks? Months? Years?"
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Clearly. "As you've said, there's a risk of infection. In here, I'd say that risk is a guarantee. I've got a bit of germaphobia and it's impossible to relax with that in this place, that should tell you enough of that. If it does get infected and you still do nothing, the question is when they'll intervene. Best chance would be if you develop a fever and pass out, then they have to do something. Might be in time before sepsis sets in. Under those circumstances, we're resetting the board, depends on how well they treat you from there. Otherwise, you'll be dead in a few days."
Edward stopped his analysis, his eyes closing for a moment and then focusing on Harvey, expression relaxed compared to the look from before. "It'd be a shame. What will it take for you to do shit about this?"
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"It can't be fixed. It'd take years of work to get it to a place where it doesn't look so bad but it's still gonna hurt. I know they could do a graft and then it ain't open no more, that's all and nothing cosmetic but that's the limit. Why change it? Pain is a friend now. It hurts so bad, I don't feel it any more. I don't let myself. If I did, I think I'd really belong here cause I'd lose my mind. When it hit me, I felt my face come off and at first, I thought it was whatever they threw but it was my face, Nygma." Harvey laughed suddenly, abruptly, his eyes not fully focused on anything because clearly, his brain could not handle it. It was almost like a switch flocked and he shut himself down until it was repressed enough. After a few beats of silence, Harvey sighed.
Then he raised his hand and touched the good side of his face. "I don't trust 'em. Any of 'em. They'll put me out and off me. It's Gotham. If the docs ain't psychos, they're probably mafia owned. Nothing is safe here. No one is safe. I'll live with it until it kills me, I think." So a short life but at least he went out on his own.
"I guess to answer you - what it would take is to trust someone enough to let me near me."
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Or at least that was how he felt. What a nightmare, though, what had happened to Harvey. Ed couldn't imagine the pain. Hell, he didn't want to imagine the pain, the horror, the absolute terror of that reality sinking in. He reached out, touching the other side of Harvey's face. "Fuck the cosmetics of it. I think you own the look, you pull it off. But they can do something to lessen the risk. Maybe not the doctors, you're right, they are all hacks. But there are people in this town with more knowledge than anyone else. Who's keeping Victor Fries alive? Who figured out how the Joker can keep walking?"
It was all pretty simple. "You know the rogues. There's some trust. You're trusting me to be myself, aren't you?"
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And yet here was Edward, a fucker he didn't trust for a second, and he was looking at him and touching him like an old friend. Like he wasn't repulsed or repelled. He was just here. With him.
"I'm trusting you all to be yourselves, yes. You rogues, you'll all do whatever you do. And you stab each other in the back all the fucking time so I don't trust any of you as far as I can throw you." And yet, he did find them interesting. He wasn't a rogue, he never would be, but he knew they could do impossible things and had many times over. "To trust that there is someone in Gotham who can make this mess better is a tall order. I guess by your logic, I gotta let go and trust those who shouldn't be trusted."
Harvey snorted in amusement and pulled away from Edward, shaking his head. "You know, everyone I did trust let me down. Maybe I should trust the worst cause the best, they didn't want me."
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