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

[hasaknightjob]

"Wilds," Marc said. He was smiling at her in his own kind of soft fashion. "You are the unexplored wilds."

[totalwildcard]

Harley looked amused, but, goddammit. It was soft, too.

"What's the difference?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Wilderness is like a forest or some shit," Marc said. "You're the animals too."

[totalwildcard]

Harley quirked her eyebrows. "Ooh, I like that!"

No surprise there.

[hasaknightjob]

"Sure as hell don't think plants when I think of you," Marc said.

Perhaps ironic considering who versions of her dated in other universes but hey, they were in this one.

[totalwildcard]

"What, am I not a cute dandelion? A nice shrub? Whatever berries grow on?"

Look who'd made it out of her post-orgasmic state of languid bonelessness.

[hasaknightjob]

"I guess there's always bush..." Marc said, with faux thoughtfulness.

[totalwildcard]

He had absolutely earned this raucous laugh that erupted from Harley.

Enjoy, Marc!

[hasaknightjob]

Oh he was. Marc also looked shamelessly proud about it as well.

[totalwildcard]

"I know you don't prefer a deserted landscape," Harley managed, after the biggest of the laughter passed. "So, lucky I got a bushy oasis for ya."

Terrible.

[hasaknightjob]

"If you're a desert down there I'm doing it wrong," Marc replied.

[totalwildcard]

Harley huffed, bemused. "Yanno," she said, "the bar is so deep in hell that once upon a time I woulda been genuinely impressed that you know that."

[hasaknightjob]

Confusion shaped Marc's face. "You think I don't know it's my job to get you wet?"

[totalwildcard]

Harley shook her head and straightened up on his lap enough that she could settle her hands on his shoulders. Like this was serious business, or a lesson or something.

"Okay, first of all, it's not your job, but it is deeeeply appreciated." She could not have put more emphasis on that one word. Or more of her face. "Second, no, I dom't think that, and I'm not surprised that ya do! I'm just making a comment on what wildly stupid shit I've put up with from other guys, like, way in the past."

Mostly.

And also, yes, obviously just from the guys.

[hasaknightjob]

"Copy that," Marc said. "But if we're having sex then it is my job to make sure you're having a good time. Kind of a partnership thing there."

[totalwildcard]

"... Is it bad I still kinda think that's impressive?" Harley wondered, after a thoughtful pause abd a tilt of her head.

Which she then shook.

"And no, not based on what you've done, but what others have." Beat. "Haven't."

[hasaknightjob]

"My opinion of who you've been with before me isn't getting any higher," Marc said, on the odd chance her question wasn't rhetorical.

[totalwildcard]

"Well, hope to whoever's listenin' you never have any reason to meet them," Harley sighed, for... more than one reason, actually.

There were exceptions, but it seemed like a longshot he'd ever meet them, either.

"Anyway," she continued, brightening again, "now I've got you to look after my little oasis, and you are clearly takin' your job very seriously! So no reason to worry about any of those other bozos!"

[hasaknightjob]

"Past is past," Marc agreed. "Got no problem forgetting about unpleasant shit."

There were layers to that joke, of course.

[totalwildcard]

"Got no problem forgetting," Harley agreed, amused, because sometimes you just had to drag an obvious layer out. "But right now it's you and me."

[hasaknightjob]

"That works better for me," Marc said.

And, yanno, ignore the implied layers to that. It was fine.

[totalwildcard]

Fully ignored, it was fine.

Also Harley leaned in to kiss him. No reason.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc kissed her back, also no reason.

[totalwildcard]

Harley melted against him.

Just taking a moment to really appreciate him. In the small ways. How solid he was, how nice he smelled...

Definitely not anything he'd just said, though.