Needful Things Building; Monday

[totalwildcard]

The Dream House was gone by morning, replaced again with the antique store and the apartment above it, both with all four walls intact, and the color scheme decidedly less pink.

And in said apartment, late in the morning, Harley woke up with a start. Like fully bolting upright and everything, with a gasp.

"... Barbie looks like me."

She couldn't believe it. She brought her hands up to her face, smooshing her cheeks.

"Like me."

This jaw! These cheekbones under her skin!

Something about it was making her eyes well up.

At least, until something else about the weekend came back to her. "Bruce!" Oh, God, he'd been eating something obviously plastic, all weekend long! Harley scrambled out of bed to find him - only to, yes, find him curled up in one of his usual spots, seemingly right as rain.

She still ended up taking him on a long walk around town. It took a while for her to be convinced that just as magically as he'd turned into a toy dog for the weekend, whatever the plastic stuff he'd been eating (and, to be fair, pooping out at what seemed like an alarming rate for a fully functioning gastric system) had just as magically turned into actually edible stuff in his guts when he'd turned back. He seemed fine! He was leaving behind dog shit that was the usual level of disgusting!

Still, between the long walk and then breakfast for both him and herself, the morning had already turned into the afternoon by the time something occurred to Harley, and sent her bolting down the stairs into the store.

There, she found the display of dolls of varying ages and kinds.

And there, tucked near the back, was a Barbie. Harley carefully pulled her out from between a Victorian-ish porcelain doll and a fairly creepy 1950s baby, and smiled down at her.

It was a little watery, but there was no one here to see it, was there?

"Oh, there you are."

Something in her chest ached a little.

(expecting one!)

Comments

[totalwildcard]

"Well you can clearly say that just fine," Harley teased, all relaxed in his closer embrace. "Because you keep tellin' me."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc rolled his eyes. "Sorry I'm boring you."

Teasing, not actually offended.

[totalwildcard]

Harley soothed him with a sneaky, quick kiss on the cheek all the same.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "I'm just so bored with ya."

[hasaknightjob]

"I'm a pretty boring guy," Marc said. Very deadpan. Oh so serious.

[totalwildcard]

"Uh huh," Harley replied easily. "I'd even say unremarkable."

A beat.

"Ha, unre-Marc-able!"

Amazing.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc gave a long, long suffering sigh.

Steven would've loved that joke.

[totalwildcard]

Luckily Harley loved Marc's reaction, too.

As was obvious enough from the snicker that immediately followed.

[hasaknightjob]

"Sure, laugh it up," Marc said.

He didn't sound like he actually minded it.

[totalwildcard]

"Of course!" Harley retorted. "'Cause it's funny! You're just jealous you can't make puns as great as mine."

Sure, Harls.

[hasaknightjob]

"I'll leave that for you and Steven," Marc said. "You two have all the fun."

[totalwildcard]

"Only if you promise you'll have other fun."

She stole another little cheek kiss.

[hasaknightjob]

"Never heard of it," Marc said. Granted there was a grin that went along with that.

[totalwildcard]

Yeah, Harley pointed at it.

"Face says otherwise."

[hasaknightjob]

"My face only has one place to talk out of," Marc pointed out.

[totalwildcard]

"One place, but a ton of other ways," Harley retorted, unfazed.

[hasaknightjob]

"Sounds fake," Marc told her.

His fingertips traced idle patterns on her shoulder where he was holding her.

[totalwildcard]

"And lotsa fake things sound true," Harley replied, "so... There ya go."

What?

[hasaknightjob]

Marc had no idea. He was just going to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'll leave figuring out fun to you. How's that?"

[totalwildcard]

"Well they do say you should leave some things to the experts..." Harley teased.

Also the less said about how freaking dopey her smile turned at the kiss, the better.

[hasaknightjob]

"You are smarter than me," Marc said, by way of agreeing with her.

No comment on if he noticed the smile.

[totalwildcard]

"In matters of fun for sure."

And book smarts, but she was really fun-focused right now.

[hasaknightjob]

"Feels like saying you're better at fun than me isn't exactly a huge compliment," Marc said.

Because arguably some rocks were better at fun than he was.

[totalwildcard]

"Not all facts need to feel like compliments," Harley returned. "You're terrible at fun, I'm great, that's that!"

[hasaknightjob]

"So good thing I found you," Marc said.

[totalwildcard]

"Real convenient for ya," Harley replied with a smirk.

And just... Took in the sight of his face, for a moment.