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]

"Yeah, you would," Harley replied, without thinking twice about it. Because she believed him without thinking twice about it. "Almost makes me wanna fall."

[hasaknightjob]

"When it gets icy around here I'll keep an eye out," Marc told her.

Shut up about how that meant months from now.

[totalwildcard]

Oh, Harley shut up about it for sure. She just also happened to beam at him for it in a not particularly concealed manner.

"Lookin' forward to it," she teased. Sort of?

[hasaknightjob]

"I'm good at snowball fights," he told her.

Promise? Warning? Little of both?

[totalwildcard]

Whereas Harley's response was more of a pure playground taunt, delivered with a big smirk:

"You think you're good at snowball fights."

[hasaknightjob]

Was Marc now thinking about asking Midnight to make some snow in the All Purpose Room? Maybe.

"Challenge accepted," Marc said. "Sorry in advance for kicking your ass."

[totalwildcard]

"Lotsa things ya could be doin' with my ass," Harley replied, "but that won't be one of them."

Did she have anything to back up any of these claims? Remained to be seen!

[hasaknightjob]

Marc quirked an eyebrow at her. "Not saying I won't keep you warm after."

[totalwildcard]

"You better," Harley scoffed, "after I beat ya!"

[hasaknightjob]

Marc reached up to lightly tug at a lock of her hair. "You can try."

[totalwildcard]

Harley snapped her teeth in the general direction of his hand.

"I can do more than try, I'm real good at throwing things."

Yeah, yeah, he'd told her before he was too. That had no bearing on anything.

[hasaknightjob]

"Says you," Marc told her. Though admittedly he had seen her toss some stuff when they fought those guys going after Cass. But what did facts have to do with anything? "I'll believe it when I see it."

[totalwildcard]

"Then I guess you got something to wait for, huh?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Guess so."

Marc looked surprisingly pleased for a guy who was just told he wasn't getting instant gratification on something. Also for being Marc, frankly.

[totalwildcard]

Harley cradled his face between her hands, and smiled at him, reflecting something pleased right back to him.

And then she pulled her hands away, and announced, "But I'm gettin' up now."

And went to do just that, scooting back and off him.

[hasaknightjob]

Sure enough, Marc watched to make she didn't trip for whatever reason.

[totalwildcard]

And she did not! Harley made it off him and onto her feet without much of an incident, despite how staying in one position for so long was something even she could feel in her chemical-addled muscles.

She even made a little gesture of 'ta-dah!' once she was fully upright on her feet again, like a gymnast finishing a routine, because that was just how she was as a person.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc hadn't been ruling out her pretending to trip to test him, so regardless he watched the results with interest.

"Nice job," he said when she gave the flourish, since that was as effusive as he got. "Tens all over."

[totalwildcard]

"Thank you!" Harley replied, preening. Smugly. But cheerful about it!

And then held out her hands for his.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc hadn't anticipated the offer. He took her hands and waited to see where she was going with it.

(He could guess, he just wanted to see.)

[totalwildcard]

Well, then! That was just a great excuse for Harley to put on a big show about hauling his up to his feet. Big backwards lean and everything!

"Come on!"

[hasaknightjob]

Marc likewise made an effort to seem heavier than he was. Not that Harley couldn't move him at all, but enough so he could watch her keep up the show.

[totalwildcard]

And Harley really put her back into it! Figuratively and literally. She could sometimes be something of a cartoon character, and that was on full display here, in the way she genuinely risked falling on her ass as she wrenched him up from the chair, so exaggerated in her backwards lean, feet planted so firm against the floor near the chair.

She huffed and puffed to really sell it, too. "Jesus, you're a workout, sweetie!"

[hasaknightjob]

When she got him out of the chair Marc used the momentum to stand closer to her than she had necessarily been pulling.

"Thought you liked it when I made you break a sweat."

[totalwildcard]

All the more convenient for Harley to grab onto him so she wouldn't actually fall on her ass. See how everything worked out?

"Usually there's big perks involved," she retorted. "It's not the same!"