Needful Things Building; Monday Afternoon

[totalwildcard]

Harley was having a quiet day in.

... What? It happened! It was allowed! Even the most high energy rogues had to take days off sometimes. There was a marathon of some awful reality show on the TV - oh, also, she had a TV now, a vintage one with a great aesthetic and terrible reception! - and she had a comfy onesie on and a takeout order on the way.

What more could a girl need?

(for one!)

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

"Nice seeing him not blurry," Marc said.

Since the the last time had been the pictures she'd sent him, you see.

[totalwildcard]

If only Harley had actually been able to recall such ancient history.

"... Huh?"

[hasaknightjob]

"The pictures you sent," Marc reminded her. In a way it was nice to talk with someone whose ability to recall details could be as shitty as his own.

[totalwildcard]

"Oh!" Harley said, perking up. "Oh, yeah, he was loving chasing after squirrels at that park!"

The squirrels probably didn't share the sentiment.

[hasaknightjob]

"Now you're back," Marc said, as though her sitting on her own couch didn't make that self evident. "So things are okay?"

[totalwildcard]

"Why wouldn't they be?" Harley asked - and finally pulled the sandwich out of the bag, not at all as a distraction.

It was a hefty, generous pastrami on rye, so it would have made for a worthy distraction. Also no, why would Harley be a little homesick for New York? Don't be ridiculous.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc wasn't going to say no to a nice pastrami, so that worked out for him if she still felt like sharing.

"Because you left town," Marc said.

[totalwildcard]

"That was no big deal!"

Probably not the impression he'd gotten on the phone. Nope.

Harley went to tear the sandwich into to two, with a surprising amount of care. Just not enough to actually go get a knife of anything.

"But I'm back now, so what's it matter?"

[hasaknightjob]

"I dunno," Marc said. He watched the sandwich more than her. For food reasons. Nothing related to eye contact. "Just asking?"

The last part was a question because he wasn't sure either.

[totalwildcard]

See? The sandwich was a great thing to have around!

Incidentally, he was now being handed approximately half of it. It was the smaller half, but it had started out as a pretty big sandwich, so even half was still sizeable. "So ya got nothing to worry about! Eat your pastrami, sweetie!"

[hasaknightjob]

"Okay," Marc said, sounding like he wasn't sure about it. He took the offered half, which needed both of his hands to make sure none of the pastrami fell out. "So what are we watching?"

[totalwildcard]

Harley gestured excitedly towards the TV. Yes, with her side of the sandwich, somehow by pure fate not managing to lose any of the pastrami. "Oh!" she said. "They re-design interiors, competitively? And talk shit about each other behind each other's backs! And some of them might be siblings...? I dunno, but it's riveting."

Just not enough for her to have bothered parsing all the finer details! It was junk television, that wasn't the point.

[hasaknightjob]

"What, like how fast you can put up shelves?"

Marc did not watch reality TV, so his idea of competition was more sports based.

[totalwildcard]

"Like how pretty they can make it," Harley clarified, then tilted her head. "But I'd watch that, too! Like how fast they can put together one of those IKEA things without the instructions and without swearing."

[hasaknightjob]

"Those are obnoxious," Marc agreed. He made a face at the rest of it. "Who's to say what's pretty?"

The multiverse was, of course, shocked that Marc had no sense of appreciation for home decor.

[totalwildcard]

"Uhhh," Harley said, gesturing to the TV again, like this should be obvious, "the professionals?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Yeah but if I don't like - " Marc made a vague gesture as he tried to think of something " - polka dots somebody's gonna tell me I'm wrong?"

[totalwildcard]

"If ya go on the show, they will!" Harley pointed out.

Then looked in the middle distance, clearly imagining that. "God, it would be such bad television," she sighed, "but you would look so good."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc gave her a bemused look. "I'd look good on TV?"

[totalwildcard]

"You look good anywhere," Harley felt compelled to say, "but with proper, bright TV lights --"

And then she turned her attention from the TV and the middle distance of her inner thoughts towards him - and blinked like she was seeing him properly for the first time that afternoon. Including finally taking in his arm on the back of the couch, and how cozily close to her that put him.

"Oh," she murmured, suddenly smitten. "Hi."

[hasaknightjob]

"Still here," Marc replied.

Look, he got needing to reorient yourself to your current situation. No surprise or judgement on his part, simply confirmation.

[totalwildcard]

Okay, but why was he saying words instead of leaning in to kiss her hello?

Here, Harley could show him how that worked!

[hasaknightjob]

There was a brief moment of adjustment because he was still holding his half of a sandwich. But the end result was kissing Harley so Marc had motivation to take care of that quickly and return the gesture.

[totalwildcard]

Oh, Harley was clutching her half of the sandwich like her life depended on it, it was fine. Might've made things a little more awkward than they needed to be, but that was fine.

She seemed pretty pleased with the kiss all the same. If the happy little noise was any indication.

[hasaknightjob]

Had Marc maybe been wondering about the status of kisses or happy noises as of that afternoon? Not that he'd admit. But there was something like a smile on his lips which indicated if nothing else he didn't mind them.