#i also don't think i've ever done as many google searches for one starter/response as I did for this one 😅

[guardian-of-gotham]

@who-is-muses

When Harvey opened the door to his office on the first day of his new job, the first thing to greet him was a range of smells similar to a buffet table all set for Sunday brunch at a nice diner. The next thing to greet him was the sight of his best friend of several years, Bruce Wayne, turning towards the door in surprise after having lost track of time while obsessing over the smallest, perfectionistic details he wanted to get right before the other man arrived.

"Harvey?" Bruce glanced at the clock above the door, confirming that it was in fact time for his friend's shift to start soon. "Shit. Um... Surprise!?" Despite his own self-consciousness regarding his preparations, everything looked immaculate and over the top. Tea lights set atop miniature scales of justice were strewn about the room, safely distanced from anything flammable, of course, and a pair of detachable sconces containing a pot of algerian ivy were hung on the two side walls. Behind his friend's new desk was a large, round blackboard with "Congratulations Harvey!" written on it in an elegant font, and framing the whole thing was a giant golden laurel wreath. Off to the side was the true center of attention, though: a banquet cart supporting a larger set of scales, each tray laden with an assortment of food.

On the left, the dishes included grits and eggs with fried bologna, creamy mushroom and brie croissant sandwiches, bananas foster belgian waffles, cinnamon rolls, tahitian vanilla bean souffle with salted caramel anglaise, bourbon pecan cream cheese stuffed french toast, and buttermilk biscuits with sides of butter and sausage gravy. Underneath the tray, there was a chafing fuel can to keep everything warm. Such a thing wasn't present under the right tray, though, which contained chilled or room temperature foods, like chocolate-dipped strawberries, banana slices with a chocolate peanut butter ganache dipping sauce, coffee crumb cake, white chocolate raspberry scones, and a bowl of fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries with whipped cream. To the side of that tray, there was also a bucket of ice containing a bottle of Dom Perignon dated the year of Harvey's birth and a few pitchers of various juices. Meanwhile, the warmed tray had beside it a pot of coffee, a thermal carafe containing steamed milk, a tin of hot cocoa mix, a few jars of various syrups and toppings, and a ceramic cup containing a recently-made salted caramel latte with a laurel wreath drawn in the foam on top, a design which Bruce had spent months perfecting each time he made himself coffee at his own office.

Speaking of Bruce, the man himself looked nowhere near as elegant as everything he'd set up. Having gotten no sleep at all between the previous night's patrol and the extensive time spent in the kitchen this morning, his eyes were accented with a prominent pair of dark circles. He was sweaty and disheveled from running around to get everything done in time, leaving several strands of his otherwise slicked-back hair hanging in front of his face. To keep from over-heating, his shirt was only half-buttoned with the sleeves rolled up, and while his suit jacket hung neatly from the coat rack at the door, his tie hung loosely over his shoulders. He'd hoped to have the time to make himself look more presentable before Harvey arrived, but instead, he quite literally appeared to be a hot mess.

"Oh, um, these are for you!" Bruce blurted suddenly, stepping aside to reveal an ornate glass vase containing a bouquet of red and blue pansies on Harvey's desk. His new position also revealed a lock-picking kit he'd set aside there earlier, as well as a microwave and mini fridge tied up with red ribbon next to some filing cabinets against the back wall, but he was too tired and nervous about his friend's reaction to comment on, or even pay attention to any of that. A fiery pink haze spread across his cheeks as that nervousness shifted to embarrassment over the dawning realization that he'd likely overdone things.

"This isn't too much, is it?"