Apartment Above Needful Things; Tuesday Late Morning

[totalwildcard]

Harley had spent most of the weekend on the mainland. Not just Baltimore, either - she'd taken the kid out on a little road trip. Yanno, for life lessons! Most of them criminal, of course, but that was sort of how their mentorship worked, so someone else could handle the boring stuff. Anyway, they'd had fun!

So much of it, in fact, that Harley had only landed back on the island late on Monday evening. Technically probably Tuesday? Which meant that after she'd passed out and slept her fill, the day was already well on its way. She rolled groggily out of bed, shambled her way into the living room --

And groaned when she saw the glitter bomb still waiting on the coffee table, and not downstairs attached to the front door ready to explode on Frenchie if he showed up again this week. Whether he'd already shown up or not, Harley was not in a state to go set it up now.

She shuffled around some more, in search of her phone, which she found discarded on the kitchen counter. No calls, no messages apart from Cass informing her she'd ordered breakfast delivery on Harley's account. Harley looked at the phone for a long moment more anyway, tapping her thumb against the side of it in thought. Groggy, still sleepy, not yet caffeinated thought.

And pulled up a number she'd had for a while but never actually texted before.

(Successfully, anyway. There was that time on her birthday.)

You awake yet?

(expecting one but can be open for other stuff as well!)

Comments

[totalwildcard]

"No, but you said we."

Don't make her explain the difference.

[hasaknightjob]

"How's that different?" Marc asked. Because Harley wasn't the only one who could do that.

[totalwildcard]

"Because," Harley said, with great confidence, like that should be enough of an answer.

Or like she'd expected to be able to just barrel on, starting from that word. Because she ended up halting and almost visibly groping around for more in her head.

"You could just passively not want me to go back," she said. Yanno, eventually, getting back to her grin as the gears turned. "But 'we'll try' is active, it's participating.'

[hasaknightjob]

Marc suspected the we had something to do with it but fuck if he was going to point it out.

"Yeah, active," is what he said instead. "Active I'm good at."

[totalwildcard]

"And I don't got many people who wanna stand beside me against anything," Harley added, and okay, there was the spirit of the 'we' again. "Of course I'm gonna notice that."

[hasaknightjob]

"You got me," Marc said. Ignore the squeeze of her hand when he said that. This was purely a tactical conversation.

[totalwildcard]

Harley was going to both ignore it and give him a squeeze back, how was that?

"You gonna fight the Gotham PD for me?" she teased. "Keep my pretty ass away from jail?"

[hasaknightjob]

"With," Marc said. "You're a tough broad. You don't need for."

[totalwildcard]

Harley preened just a little bit in response to that.

Also that made this next bit not at all serious: "Technically it can be either 'for' or 'with' if, say, you've got your own handful of idiots and I've got mine..."

[hasaknightjob]

"You're fighting my idiots now?" Marc asked. "Is that it?"

[totalwildcard]

"Might be!" Harley replied, with a very weak attempt at playing coy.

Even before she giggled.

[hasaknightjob]

"What's so funny?" Marc asked.

Look, he got thrown by implications of not dealing with his problems by himself.

[totalwildcard]

You know, it was a more complicated question than it probably should have been? Judging by how Harley paused upon hearing it, her head tilting like she was a curious puppy.

"Nothing?" she hazarded. "Or, well, that I said 'maybe' when I mean 'yeah', and I just tried to be cute about it?"

In part as a defense mechanism.

Which the laugh was not actually a part of.

[hasaknightjob]

"Got it," Marc said. He looked at their hands together, turning them back and forth as he studied the contrast.

"Cool."

[totalwildcard]

Harley's gaze was briefly drawn with his to their hands, but then it returned to his face again, and studied that.

"Cool," she echoed.

[hasaknightjob]

"You're a good fighter," Marc said. Deliberately and obviously understating things. "I guess you can join sometimes."

[totalwildcard]

"And maybe next time you'll pay enough attention to know I'm more than good," Harley teased, but it came out on the soft side, and a little distracted.

She brushed her thumb against his hand.

[hasaknightjob]

"Only seen ya once," Marc pointed out. "Could've been a fluke."

He was aware that could also apply in reverse to him. He was also not looking like he minded what she was doing with her thumb.

[totalwildcard]

"So you don't believe me about the guards?"

There, she hit the tone a little more steady. Teasing.

"Ya gotta see to believe?"

[hasaknightjob]

"I believe ya about the guards," Marc said. "You and me working together we need more practice with."

Truth? Excuse to spend more time together? Whatever.

[totalwildcard]

"Yeah we do," Harley replied in a way that seemed to make it sound both genuine and like an innuendo, further muddling the waters there. Whatever! "I'm game."

And with that bit of something light as a cover, she dared to bring their joined hands up to where she could sneak a press of her lips against his knuckles.

[hasaknightjob]

Harley was able to do that very thing without problem. With his phone now away, Marc put his free hand on her hip for somewhere to rest it. And to hold her. For balance.

"Getting a list of shit I could see you do," Marc said.

[totalwildcard]

"Ooh, a list?"

What, of course Harley was going to act all curious about that! She was also going to press a few more idle kisses over the back of his gand.

[hasaknightjob]

"Roller derby, the silk thing - " Marc rattled off.

Was he ever going to remember the full name of "the silk thing"? Great question!

[totalwildcard]

Maybe if he found it mesmerizing enough upon seeing it to care enough?

Harley nodded along - and then gave a soft huff (against his skin), and said, "That's two things, that's not a list. But maybe it's just your natural tendency to be concise and efficient shining through!"