Apartment Above Needful Things; Monday Afternoon

[totalwildcard]

Soooooo... Harley no longer had a headache? And okay, maybe talking to Atton the day before had helped, a little, something. But come Monday, she was still in something of a blanket goblin mode, huddled in her apartment with comfort snacks and Bruce and bad reality TV reruns.

She'd pick herself up by her bootstraps tomorrow, okay? It was coming, cross her heart! Soon!

Just... maybe not yet.

So far, for Monday, having made it to the couch instead of the bed seemed like enough progress.

(for a guy that knows who he is, and lotsa slow play)

Comments

[totalwildcard]

Hey, there could've been something new, never knew before you asked!

"No blowin' up the lovebirds, got it."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc shrugged to indicate nothing else was worth mentioning. "They're important to me. Both of them. He's good for Steven. Treats him right. So he's one of my people too."

[totalwildcard]

"Hey," Harley said out of nowhere, "are you aware you don't always seem to think of yourself as a person?"

It was related, honest!

[hasaknightjob]

"I'm a tool," Marc replied.

Not said in the sense of a synonym for frat boy douchebag. More a synonym for something like a hammer.

[totalwildcard]

"... That's actually worse than what I was referrin' to," Harley replied, after a briefly stunned silence, peering up at him. "But thanks for provin' my poing for me in the most depressing way possible, I guess!"

[hasaknightjob]

"You're welcome," Marc said, dryly.

[totalwildcard]

Harley shook it off.

"I mean, you know that your list of things ya can't give doesn't actually have you anywhere near it?"

[hasaknightjob]

Marc frowned, not following her. "How do you mean?"

[totalwildcard]

"Well, boundaries I have tend to have a lot more to do with me than protecting other people."

[hasaknightjob]

"Boundaries are different," Marc said. "You already know the shit I'm not into."

[totalwildcard]

"What, we're not calling 'don't mess with Fancy Hat and Steven' a boundary?" Harley asked. "What the fuck else if your thing supposed to be called?"

[hasaknightjob]

"I dunno," Marc said. "Preference? Priority? What's it matter what I call it?"

[totalwildcard]

"Nothing, probably," Harley admitted, "but I'm trying to corral ya back to my point by bein' annoying about it. Sometimes that works!"

[hasaknightjob]

"You're annoying about most things," Marc assured her. Lightly teasing.

[totalwildcard]

"You can't distract me with that," Harley told him, almost too seriously.

Also he probably could.

[hasaknightjob]

"So what's your point again?" Marc said. Not challenging, trying to understand. "Without getting into word choice."

[totalwildcard]

"Things ya can't give, right?" Harley replied. "Is there anything you think you can't give? That's not about Steven. Just you."

[hasaknightjob]

"My time?" Marc said, since that was sort of what he'd been going for anyway. "Not that I get as many calls as I used to but when I gotta go I gotta go. In addition to the Steven stuff."

[totalwildcard]

"Oh, good job, so there is still something that's actually yours!"

Considering how easily those words could have been mocking, Harley came off remarkably sincere.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc frowned, not following. He gave a guess. "My time is mine?"

[totalwildcard]

"Not a lot of anything else seems to be."

[hasaknightjob]

"Yeah," Marc said. It made perfect sense to him. "It's how it works."

[totalwildcard]

"But you're a person," Harley pointed out. Helpfully.

(Maybe not really.)

[hasaknightjob]

"I don't do so great when I try to be," Marc said.

[totalwildcard]

"Okay, well, lemme ask this one," Harley replied. "Whose fuckin' tool do ya think you're being right now?"