Somewhere on the Mainland; Sunday Early Evening

[totalwildcard]

You asked Harley, it was a pretty good Sunday, so far.

She'd started out her day with no plan, and yet by happy accident (and it was definitely an accident, and not someone somewhere making room in a shared schedule to facilitate things, or anything deliberate on the part of anyone directly involved!) she'd run into Marc, and that had sparked a simple and easy plan after all: to drive him to the mainland for dinner, at a restaurant she'd overheard someone talking about on one of her off-island jaunts earlier in the week. It was supposed to be a family-run, no-nonsense little Italian place, and exactly the sort of thing Harley was in the mood for, especially right now with the company she had.

So life was indeed pretty good!

And Harley's mood wasn't soured even by finding out there was actually no parking available right by the restaurant. After some searching, she'd managed to find a spot some blocks away - which was to say, she'd sniped it from right under someone's nose with a truly reckless move. Which had led to some blaring horns from other cars. Which was all good in Harley's book! She had more important things to be thinking about, anyway!

"And the tiramisu's supposed to be amazing," she was saying, as they got out of the car. "Like, 'someone's 97-year-old tiny little Italian grandma made it' kind of amazing. D'you think they'd let me order that for an app and not just dessert?"

(NFB for distance, for the one modded with permission + some NPCs)

Comments

[totalwildcard]

He was met with a very small smile. If Harley's facial expressions tended to be loud, this one... was not.

"Hi."

She seemed to be searching his face in return. Wondering if 'welcome back' was apt, yet. Not that he'd gone anywhere, but Harley didn't entirely know how much that had been part of the point.

[hasaknightjob]

That got another one of those huffs out of Marc. This time with a flicker of more life behind his eyes as well, since now she could see them.

"Still here, huh?"

He meant both of them.

[totalwildcard]

"Still here," Harley confirmed. "Told ya, you're gonna have to work harder."

[hasaknightjob]

"Tough broad," Marc said. It was a compliment.

[totalwildcard]

"Thank you," Harley replied, perhaps a little predictably. The feigned smugness was on the weak side, even if her smile widened a touch. "Try an' keep up."

[hasaknightjob]

"Do my best," Marc said. Then he looked somber again as he was reminded his inability to do something was what started all this.

[totalwildcard]

Harley got so close to poking him in the nose with her free hand.

Instead, it sort of hovered in the air, before she snapped her fingers and pointed at him, instead. "Hey, no sinking back in there right now!"

[hasaknightjob]

Another huff. It sounded closer to a laugh this time. Comparatively speaking.

"Pain in the ass."

Also a compliment.

[totalwildcard]

"If it's gonna keep you afloat? Gladly."

And now she did prod him right in the tip of his nose. Although it was really more of a gentle brush than it was even a full boop.

[hasaknightjob]

"Keeping me afloat now?" Marc asked.

Marc had intended the incredulity to sound like a tease about whether she could. Instead it came out more serious and about whether she'd want to.

[totalwildcard]

Whichever way he meant it...

Harley came back with, "What's it look like?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Yes?" Marc replied, but he wasn't certain.

[totalwildcard]

"Yes," Harley said, the faintest bit of something amused in her voice and on her face. "Well, I'm giving it a shot, anyway."

[hasaknightjob]

"Keep this up I'm gonna think you're nice," Marc told her.

[totalwildcard]

"I am nice," Harley retorted. "Sometimes, to some people."

A select few, maybe, but it counted!

"And you look like you just tried to run a mile in ten seconds. So I'm gonna be nice to ya."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc rubbed a hand over his face. Using the one not connected to the arm Harley was touching. Her hand could stay there as far as Marc was concerned.

"Cool. Got pity going for me."

[totalwildcard]

He missed Harley rolling her eyes, although he could probably still hear it.

The rest sounded wry.

"It's not pity, get over yourself."

[hasaknightjob]

"Was trying to be funny," Marc said.

Understandably he was less successful at his attempt at humor than he normally was.

[totalwildcard]

Harley snorted. "That I will pity you over."

Well, she could only be so nice before all her other facets moved back into play.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc nodded since it wasn't like her comment was unfair.

"Guess I just bring pretty into the - the equation."

Nope. Hadn't been about to say another word there. Not at all.

[totalwildcard]

What else could he have said? There were no other words that applied to what they were doing! Not now when Harley was still sitting there rubbing his arm and talking him down instead of fucking off or kicking him out for needing too much, not earlier when she'd pulled him close on the street, or even earlier still when she'd launched that one thug at him and trusted him to take care of it!

Other words? Please.

"It's fine when the pretty's this pretty," Harley teased, and brushed a few fingertips of her free hand against his cheek, feather-light.

[hasaknightjob]

No other words at all when Marc gave a shit about the thugs because they'd been bothering someone who mattered to Harley. Or the fact that Marc had tried to use his words when it came to a potential problem. Or that Marc hadn't left as soon as that attempt to use his words spectacularly blew up on him, either by physically walking out the door or by giving up control of the body.

Or that he was sitting here accepting those touches when he'd sworn at one point that he hated physical contact.

Nope. No other words.

"Could say the same," Marc replied. There was a lift of the eyebrows there to suggest maybe this time the humor attempt was better?

[totalwildcard]

Harley snickered, so yes. (There was a note of relief mixed in there, don't worry about it.) "Oh, look who's back in the game."

[hasaknightjob]

"I always come back," Marc said. There was a tired sigh along with it but he still looked as wrung out as if he'd attempted to arm wrestle the Hulk so some tiredness wasn't unexpected. The attempt had been for humor again.

[totalwildcard]

Harley's lips just curved further into a smile.

"Yeah you do."