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]

"Just relax," Harley murmured - along with some other encouraging things where the words mattered less than the tone. And the tone said there was nothing to worry about, because nothing existed outside of this moment, and nothing mattered, either.

She just wanted him to feel good.

And she knew the signs, too. She could feel every movement he made, both against her body and in the circle of her hand. So she knew not to let up now, either, instead kicking everything up just a little. Another bit of encouragement. Positive reinforcement.

[hasaknightjob]

It was good. It was all good. For that moment in time Marc could let his thoughts go. Which wasn't unusual for him. Distancing himself from what was going on was kind of the whole deal with the way he'd evolved to handle things. But normally that meant everything, letting go by being gone.

Not this. Where the unpleasant could leave but he would still be there, awake, present, and feeling things that had nothing to do with pain.

(That it was someone else who was making that happen was - well that was a lot. That got filed with thoughts as a thing not being lingered on right now. The results of that attention were what mattered.)

Harley's murmurs and touch worked their magic, getting Marc closer and closer until finally he let go. Nothing loud or sharp. A grunt and a release and then a full body melting. An entirely different kind of bonelessness from earlier on the couch. Before it was the exhaustion of usingevery ounce of strength he had. Now it was not needing to be strong at all. Just being.

[totalwildcard]

Harley saw him through it with some soothing noises, her hand working him over until he was fully spent and going all languid in her arms.

Her hand left his length. Her arm joined the other one in wrapping around him, all nice and snug. Not tight but there. And she buried her face against his neck as best she could, with a happy hum.

Like she'd gotten something out of it. Huh.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc lay there in her arms, the water lapping around them, and let his breathing come back to normal. He put both of his hands on hers in an approximation of the embrace from his position.

He didn't speak yet. Right now he was existing. Just being. With her.

[totalwildcard]

Even Harley wasn't saying anything. She listened to him breathing (and felt it almost as much), and the water, and the faint noise of tiny bubbles popping in the impressive amount of foam still left in the bath.

She was...

Content.

It was an odd feeling. But the weight of him against her chest helped her not pay that part more attention than it deserved.

[hasaknightjob]

Content wasn't one Marc felt too often either. Usually there was some aspect of wrongness, since if nothing else the chaos in his mind guaranteed it.

Not now though. Now it was quiet. Though Marc did shift his attention to the sound of Harley breathing. Silence felt wrong. But this, this was okay.

[totalwildcard]

Harley's breathing was steady.

Also she would undoubtedly speak again soon. But just for another moment more, she was finding it in herself to just be. Maybe basking a little bit in having managed to make him relax.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc couldn't have named the last time he felt relaxed if someone's life depended on it. Hell, had he ever? Harley had more than earned some basking.

As for Marc, he was still existing in the moment. He moved, but only to idly toy with the hand he was holding. Acknowledging Harley was there without saying anything.

[totalwildcard]

Harley's other hand rubbed his skin about as idly. Mostly it was just the thumb. Just a little bit of something.

Like the kiss she pressed into the curve of his neck.

Like the way she murmured, obviously smirking even by her tone alone, "Bath's not too bad, huh?"

[hasaknightjob]

There was a hint of a smile playing about Marc's lips. "It's okay I guess."

[totalwildcard]

It was about the response Harley had been hoping to bait out of him, so she just giggled like a kid who'd just pulled off a harmless prank.

And pressed the next kiss against his cheek.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc turned his head to try to look at her. "You're okay too."

Said as a purposeful understatement.

[totalwildcard]

"Aww," Harley said, "so're you."

Hilarious.

"Just pretty okay."

[hasaknightjob]

"Higher than I usually rank," Marc said. He brought her hand up for a kiss. "I'll take it."

[totalwildcard]

Harley attempted to keep a pleased smirk off her face - purely for the sake of the joke - but failed miserably.

"Good, 'cause it's what you're getting."

[hasaknightjob]

"Bare compliment and you," Marc said. "If that's what I got, I'm ahead of the game."

[totalwildcard]

"Now who's the flatterer?"

She did not look particularly offended by it, no.

[hasaknightjob]

"I'm known for my charm," Marc said. "It's how I get all those women at clubs."

[totalwildcard]

"Must be some charm," Harley quipped, mercilessly, "since ya don't even go into clubs."

[hasaknightjob]

"I don't like to brag," Marc said, waving that off.

[totalwildcard]

"'Cause ya don't know how?"

Okay, okay, could she make up for being a pain by pressing a lazy kiss to his neck?

[hasaknightjob]

It wasn't as though he'd turn that kiss down regardless of the motivation.

"Scored you, didn't I?" Marc replied, as though that covered any need to brag about something.

[totalwildcard]

Harley snorted.

"You had help!"

[hasaknightjob]

Marc frowned. "From who?"

[totalwildcard]

"From me!"

Yes.

Yes, she was going to take partial credit for him scoring her. In whatever definition they wanted to be using for that.