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]

"You're the coolest," Harley told him, regardless of whether he cared or not. "And you're here instead of jacking it at home!"

[hasaknightjob]

"Looks like you're worth leaving the house for," Marc said. Which was obvious by him being there but he figured maybe she'd like hearing it anyway.

[totalwildcard]

Judging by the way Harley beamed at him, and the way he'd gotten kissed for saying it the first time around? Hell yes she did.

"Aw, and so're you!" she said. "Though don't let that fool ya into thinkin' I'm not still indulgin' in plenty of me time as well." Not every thought needed voicing but that alone never stopped her. "Ya just feature heavily in that, too."

[hasaknightjob]

"Long as it's what I am," Marc said. "And not what I'm not."

[totalwildcard]

"... What?"

Yeah, Harley didn't follow.

[hasaknightjob]

"Not some fantasy version of me," Marc explained.

[totalwildcard]

""Well, it's by definition a fantasy version since you're not there," Harley couldn't help noting, "but it's not like imagine you into some kinda... knight in shining armor come to save and-or ravish me, if that eases your concern?"

Okay so she should have remembered he was a knight, actually, but at least she'd never actually seen the armor!

[hasaknightjob]

"All I'm asking," Marc said. He wasn't exactly a chivalric knight so it was fine as far as he was concerned. "Then we're good."

[totalwildcard]

"Okay," Harley nodded, "but you know you can't actually police someone else's thoughts about ya, right?"

[hasaknightjob]

"I can have opinions about it," Marc replied. "Same as you do about if I want to change you."

[totalwildcard]

"That's different," Harley said, tilting her head a little. "Not the opinions part, anyone can have opinions about anything, but the other stuff."

[hasaknightjob]

"All I was saying was opinions," Marc said. Just so it was clear.

[totalwildcard]

"But there's a difference between me havin' opinions about you wanting to change me," Harley pointed out, "and you having 'em about whether I get off to imagining you with a beard or something."

[hasaknightjob]

"And I can have opinions about whether you want me to be a different person," Marc said. "I'm not talking about a beard. I'm talking about who I am. I don't get how what I'm saying is different from what you did. Thought we were agreeing here."

[totalwildcard]

"I just don't know if I get why it matters," Harley admitted, still frowning at him, "what I think in my head about something that's not supposed to be real in the first place."

[hasaknightjob]

"You want me into you but I can't want you to be into me?" Marc asked.

[totalwildcard]

"Yes!" Harley said. Then immediately frowned harder, because that didn't sound right. "I mean no? Fuck, which is the answer that means I want ya to be into me, and you can want whatever the fuck you want? About anything."

[hasaknightjob]

"I want you," Marc said. "All I'm saying is it'd be nice if you wanted me as I am. Not some other version of me who acts different."

[totalwildcard]

"Jesus Christmas," Harley exclaimed, finally letting go of him so she could throw her hands up, "do you really think a little bit of solo roleplay in my head would make any difference to how much I want you as exactly just you whenever you're anywhere near me?!"

[hasaknightjob]

"All I was asking is the same thing you were asking," Marc said. "I don't get why it's shitty if I want it."

[totalwildcard]

"It's not shitty, I just don't get it!"

The open exasperation probably wasn't helping the situation any.

"It wouldn't be wantin' you to be different."

[hasaknightjob]

Also didn't help that Marc was bad at explaining things in general, let alone himself.

"How?" Marc asked. "If it's a fantasy it's a want."

[totalwildcard]

"Yeah, a passing fancy in the moment," Harley retorted. "Doesn't mean anything!"

[hasaknightjob]

"I don't - fine," Marc said. But it looked like he was hitting a wall on getting his brain to wrap around this. "I was trying to say what you said. That's all."

[totalwildcard]

"I wasn't tryin' to be a cop about your thoughts that you have when I'm not even there."

Was it possible this was one of those cases where Harley's desire to set boundaries had veered into overcorrection mode because she was still learning?

Entirely.