Somewhere on the Mainland; Tuesday Evening

[totalwildcard]

It was rare these days that Harley had plans, let alone ones that were less immediate than later in the same day at most. Funny what power a "could be free Tuesday" spoken on a Thursday could have! Because now it was Tuesday, and the "could be" had turned into an "am" - and Harley had plans she'd actually put a little bit of effort into!

Or bribed Cass to do something for her ahead of time on the mainland. Potayto, tomahto.

They'd taken the car off the island. It was parked a few blocks away now, to draw less attention to where they were actually going - which was a warehouse, but an old-timey one, all nice red brick, one whose actual warehouse days were long gone. If Marc had paid attention to any of the signage before they'd rounded the corner to the back of the building, he may have caught something about "circus arts".

Harley consulted Cass's messages on her phone to find the right door, then stepped up to it, and rapped a rhythmic knock against it. It wasn't Shave and a Haircut; it was something much more convoluted than that.

"Us circus folk like an elaborate knock," she told Marc with a smirk.

She was not actually circus folk except by a very long stretch, and the knock she'd just performed would not be familiar to anyone.

(NFB and for the one gently modded)

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

Marc could also help her out by shifting position to try to make room for her, since not like he minded her being on his lap. Not hugely roomy but maybe it was enough for the steering wheel not to dig into one of her kidneys from behind.

Her happiness, the weird liminal space they were in of sitting in her car in a neighborhood he'd never been in at who the fuck knew what hour of the night, got him saying another one of the things he'd not said earlier.

"You don't try to make me something I'm not. I like that."

[totalwildcard]

"It'd never stick," Harley declared, as she successfully settled in his lap. Still a little cramped, sure, but with no steering wheel digging into her it was just an excuse to be really close!

Her hands cradled his face between them.

"You're you."

[hasaknightjob]

"People have tried," Marc said. He wrapped his arms around her waist to help hold her close. "I liked what you said. That second fiddle thing."

[totalwildcard]

Harley's smile tilted into one of wry surprise.

"You did?"

[hasaknightjob]

"You got it," Marc said. At least he thought she did. It was how he took what she said anyway. Hopefully he wasn't wrong. Either way this was him sharing more of those thoughts he'd swallowed earlier. "With Steven. Lotta people treat him like he's holding me back. Like I'm not the one saying this is what I want.

"This is how I wanna do things now," Marc said. "I'm making that call. You saying you're okay walking that with me - I liked it."

[totalwildcard]

"Oh," Harley said. He wasn't wrong. He'd taken it the way she'd meant it.

She nodded, then shrugged.

"Like I said: you're you. And you've been saying that's how you wanna play your own existence from the start."

[hasaknightjob]

"It's funny," Marc said, now that he was getting sort of philosophical about it all. "Steven did that with Watts. Making sure he got Steven and me. Guess I'm doing the same."

Marc and Steven having some things in common. Who knew?

[totalwildcard]

Harley very much did! Shrink brain!

"Okay, but I am not going to start wearin' a fancy hat," she joked. "Fucks with my hair."

[hasaknightjob]

"You'd look adorable," Marc told her. Naturally he had to reach up and lightly tug at a lock of her hair when he did it.

[totalwildcard]

Marc, please don't inadvertently encourage her to steal Watts's hat.

"Well of course," Harley replied, tilting her head with the tug, as if it hadn't been as light as it was. "I look adorable in anything!"

[hasaknightjob]

"It's not highest on the list but it doesn't hurt," Marc told her. He idly toyed with that lock of hair now that he was holding it.

[totalwildcard]

Harley let him.

And smirked.

"I also look adorable in nothing."

[hasaknightjob]

"I have noticed that," Marc said, like it was a natural phenomenon he'd observed in the wild. "When you're happy too."

[totalwildcard]

Wasn't Harley kind of a force of nature to begin with? Even being an inner city gal through and through.

"Ooh, you've been paying attention!"

She tried to say it all smirky-like, but there was an undeniable note of softness right underneath.

[hasaknightjob]

"Yeah," Marc said, looking right at her, "I have."

[totalwildcard]

It was no longer a note of softness, it was the whole thing. Harley looked touched, was what she looked like.

"Oh."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc leaned up to press a kiss to her forehead, a silent acknowledgement he was doing it now, in fact. Paying attention.

[totalwildcard]

Okay but Harley's expression had no softer it could go to anymore and it really wanted to! That was a problem!

Her arms slid over his shoulders as best they could. "Marc," Harley found herself whispering, like it was an endearment in itself. All feeling.

[hasaknightjob]

"Yeah?" he asked. He'd used up a lot of words already so this one was standing in for "I'm listening" and "Still here."

[totalwildcard]

Harley tried pressing her forehead to his. The whispering lingered, like a secret.

A sweet one.

"I think I really like you."

[hasaknightjob]

That was, you know, not awful.

"I like you too," he said. Just as soft as she had.

[totalwildcard]

Harley smiled wider.

Happy.

And murmured, like a tease, "Ya big softie," like she wasn't the one who'd just now said it first.

[hasaknightjob]

"Shaddup," he replied. Because of course he was obligated to. The smile took out any remote hint of seriousness.

[totalwildcard]

Harley pressed a kiss against the smile in penance anyway, just in case. Or because she wanted to. One of those!

"You talked so much," she said, still soft and quiet, and only half-joking. "Ya wanna hear anything in particular from me?"

[hasaknightjob]

Marc gave it some thought. "I dunno? Still feels like I've been yapping over you."

This was what happened when any amount of talking was an exponential difference from your usual.