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 Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 1:45 pm
Harley had been driven to this. Otto had been ignoring her texts and messages. This was his fault that she was at his door now, knocking as patiently as she was capable of. Which meant it was also his fault that her shoulders sunk with the slightest bit of defeat.
"Otto?" She called to the door. "It's me!" To be honest, she didn't know why that would have helped at all. She'd given him many, many reasons to not want to answer. At this point, there was a very good chance that he just wasn't in, but she liked to operate under the assumption that the people she needed would conveniently be in the places she required them to be. It was more fun that way.
"I've come for a truce!" If there was anything that would get him to the door, that would be it.
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Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 8:10 pm
He hadn't been asleep, exactly; but for once Chance had been almost dozing, lounging on one of the couches in Otto's room with a book in his hand. He was stretched out comfortably, only know the book was lying face down on his chest and Chance's eyes were closed, his breathing deep and even.
It would have been the start to maybe a nice nap - were it not for the persistent knocking on the door and the voice that followed it.
Chance opened his eyes, squinted a little against the brightness of the room, and slid his legs off of the couch. He was wearing a pair of galaxy print leggings and an oversized black sweatshirt that was probably a good size and a half too big for him, his black curls a little rumpled from where they'd pressed against the arm of the couch.
Yawning, Chance reached out and pulled the door open, blinking down at the figure framed in the doorway.
"A truce for what?" he asked mildly.
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 6:38 am
The door opened, and Harley drew in a breath, ready to make an awful lot of noise. Except, when she looked down, she didn't see an angry blond with too-blue eyes glaring up at her. There was a considerable amount of black, though. Suitably perplexed, she followed the black upwards to a pale face she didn't recognize, framed by rumpled curly hair. Huh.
There was a pause of exactly three seconds before she let out her breath in a laugh, raising a hand to wave it in dismissal.
"Truce, what? Why would I need one of those?" a forcefully cheerful and purposefully suspicious laugh followed. One step backwards, a quick look to the other closed doors in the hallway, and she seemed satisfied enough to know that she had not, in fact, chosen the wrong door by accident. When she snapped back to the unknown figure in the doorway, she was all smiles. With her confusion over, she was left with the opportunity to take a better look at him, noting how comfortable his outfit looked, and how much material he managed on the island. By contrast, she felt practically naked in her short shorts, a white tank top with 'SILENT PROTAGONIST' written in bold black across the chest, a second and very pink tank top under that, and of course her red converse. Not that she tended to mind, she was just mildly envious of his too-cozy, nap-time attire.
"Otto's not here?" she asked pleasantly, already trying to skirt around this new man and into the room.
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:26 am
Chance's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, a brow raising.
"Uh huh," he said mildly, and he made no real effort to stop her from entering, Chance merely stepping aside and waving a careless hand behind him at the room. It was currently neat and tidy - and entirely Otto-less with the singular occupant at present being Chance himself.
He yawned and ran a hand through his messy curls. "Nope," said Chance lightly, a smile on his face. "On duty. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid. Why, did you need him for something?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:42 am
Harley just continued on looking as innocent as she could. No, she wasn't up to anything! Why would anyone ask such a ridiculous question? She lived her whole life as unassuming and under the radar as possible... A smile cracked at her own internal dialogue, and she pressed her lips together for a brief moment to squash it out. Instead she looked about the room, and what she did see confirmed that Otto was at the very least not in plain view.
"Oh no, that sounds awful." She said flatly, but still rather pleasantly. At the latter question though, she perked up and turned her gaze up towards him, beaming happily.
"Well...kind of? He doesn't have to be present, so, I dunno." Well, he didn't need to be here, but she would certainly prefer it that way. It was easier to see reactions if you were there to witness them. "But that can wait a moment! I don't think I've met you before. Are you a friend of Otto's? I'm Hattie, by the way." She prattled quickly, ending with her hand stuck out for him to shake, if he was so inclined.
"I'm a-" Her extended fingers wiggled for a moment, as she searched for a word that would accurately describe her relationship to Otto. Pain in the a**? Thorn in a side? Annoying acquaintance? Bringer of unwanted underwear? "-friend." She finished with a sure, but rather ominous, nod. "Mostly." She added, because it just felt right.
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:51 am
She was a feisty redhead, he'd give her that. Chance found himself relatively amused, leaning against the wall beside the door and folding his arms across his chest, relaxed and easygoing. Another yawn escaped, Chance idly tugging up the sleeve of his too big sweatshirt.
His brows rose again. He was biting back a smile now, though it was hard.
"Me?" said Chance mildly, and reached out, giving the girl's - Hattie's - hand a loose shake. "I'm Chance. I'm the boyfriend."
Even after all this time it still sent a stupid, silly thrill of pleasure through him just staying it aloud. Chance let go of her fingers and then padded over to the couch, shuffling rather sleepily, and flopped down onto it, stretching an arm across the back of it and resting his head against his hand. He glanced up at Hattie, no longer hiding his smile.
"What do you not need him present for? Maybe I can help."
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:05 pm
Boyfriend.
The shocked look on her face was almost immediately followed up by absolute joy. Boyfriend! Otto had one! Good for Otto. If he had told her about Chance, she must not have been listening. Now though, she'd never forget. Ever.
"I didn't know Otto had a boyfriend! That's awesome! Also," She stopped, her thrilled expression falling for a moment. Though he was already walking away, she tried to lean in, her hand up to give a side-mouthed secret. "-good luck to you, bro. You're gonna need it." She turned away from Chance in that moment, closing the door behind them both. "I mean, if you haven't figured that out already." Maybe he liked that about Otto? She did. Grumpy gusses were the best. Usually.
Seconds later, she was hopping over the couch back to fall into the seat beside him, already leaning in eagerly. She had questions. So many questions. He was posing one to her though, which made his more important than anything else.
"That depends. Are you the kind of boyfriend who likes to tease and torment?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:25 pm
He stifled back a very strong urge to laugh at the myriad of expressions on Hattie's face, Chance raising his hand and rubbing idly at his mouth in a rather lackluster effort at concealing his smile.
"He does indeed have a boyfriend," he said, amusement thick in his voice - and then he was entirely unable to hide anything at all, a choking laughter escaping Chance's throat at Hattie's words. He couldn't help the snort that followed, eyes twinkling.
"Yes, thank you," he said with a grin. "I'm sure I'll need all the luck with a little s**t like Otto."
It was said with a decent amount of affection, Chance relaxing onto the couch. He gave Hattie a questioning look, head tilted.
"Absolutely," he said without hesitation. "I tease him all the time."
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:56 pm
"Oh, so you do know!" Good. Chance knew that Otto was a little s**t. That would help him out tremendously. It didn't stop her from reaching out and grasping his shoulder in solidarity. "I'm here if you need me. He can be a handful." As if she herself wasn't one. As if she had any idea exactly how Otto was behind closed doors, when he wasn't getting hounded relentlessly by someone who had only a flimsy grasp on the concept of personal space.
Chance was setting himself up to be the best partner in crime ever. Hattie's eyes practically sparkled at the thought.
"Chance you are amazing already!" She wiggled in her seat, sitting a little more comfortably facing him. "Okay, so, get this!" Her hands splayed before her, in time with each word. "A while back, the little shithead had the balls to use every. single. washing machine. It was the worst! Of course I railed on him about it. But then he did it again. The little jackass." Her little story was punctuated with a considerable amount of hand gestures, and her tone was a regular roller coaster of emotion.
"So I DM'd him that I put a red pair of my undies in with his whites - I didn't, by the way - but he thought I did, which was enough. He was so panicked - and then so mad!" Harley laughed loud and suddenly, practically cackling at the memory. "Christmas rolls around, and I'm like what do I get Otto? I mean, we're not close, but presents are great, right? I waffled for a bit, and then I bought him a brand new red thong - and some gummies but mostly the thong." She had worked herself up, and was barely able to finish her sentence, she was laughing so hard at the memory.
"But he WOULDN'T KEEP IT!" She cried out, wiping her eyes as tears started to form. Laughing tears. "And it's been a feud ever since." More giggling followed, a bit of a snort, and she reached out again to grab Chance's shoulders again. "Why won't he accept my gift, Chance?! Why?!"
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:43 pm
"All too well," came the answer, Chance nodding at Hattie in solemn acquiescence. It was like finding a kindred soul who understood his "struggles", and he appreciated very much her clear support in these very serious matters.
He listened carefully to Hattie's story, and by the end, he was shaking his head in disbelief, his head still propped up in one of his hands.
"That is a very, very tragic story," said Chance, and he reached out and clapped a hand on Hattie's shoulder in a similar fashion of what she'd done to him earlier. "I can't believe he would reject your gift! It's a perfectly lovely gift, and really, he should definitely accept it."
He gave her a Very Serious look.
"I've got your back, Hattie. I'll make him accept it."
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 6:11 am
"Right? I put so much thought and effort into it, and he's rejecting it. Like the snarky butt-head he is." Harley pretended her tears were from an overwhelming sadness, as opposed to simply laughing at how terrible of a person she is and how fun it's been to razzle the Sun boy. The hand on her shoulder was both hilarious and incredibly reassuring: Chance was certainly putting himself in the position of the perfect partner-in-crime.
"Thank you, Chance. Thank you so much!" She cried into her hands, cackling away. It took a little while for her to get herself sorted out again, and to stop laughing long enough to take this seriously. This was certainly something to be taken seriously. When she finally did settle down, wiping at her eyes with the palms of her hands, she still couldn't help but grin.
"I'm glad I met you instead. I almost considered a truce." She stuck out her tongue in disgust. Then, like flicking a switch, she looked away and at the rest of the room, searching.
"So, where's the bed? And which pillow does he use? I want to put this on it." From her back pocket came the thong in question, pulled between her thumbs. "And does he have paper hidden somewhere? I also wanna leave a love note."
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 6:49 am
"Clearly he was being rude, rejecting such a thoughtful and well thought out gift," said Chance sagely. "He should learn to accept all things with grace and dignity."
He almost got the last part out without laughing. Almost.
Chance ran a hand through his curls and grinned at Hattie. "Well, consider me your newest buddy," he said grandly, waving a hand. "Or partner-in-crime, or friend, or whatever the case may be, I am here to assist you in all things possible."
His eyes went to the little red scrap of fabric in Hattie's hand and Chance almost lost it right then and there, a snorting snicker escaping that he barely stifled. Rising from the couch, he gestured for Hattie to follow him.
"Bed's over here; no paper that I know of, but I have a sketchbook you can take a page out of, I don't mind."
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 7:26 am
"All the above?" Harley suggested helpfully. "I'd really like all the above. 'Buddy-Partner-Friend' has a pretty cool ring to it." How he managed to keep a mostly straight face for all of this was beyond her. She had lost it from the start. He was well put-together and put her to shame. He would be a considerable amount of help. Maybe he could teach her some tricks!
The snorting snicker was rather satisfying. It was a definite start. She followed his lead off the couch and towards the designated bedroom, still holding the thong stretched between her hands.
"If you don't mind? I'd love the paper. Also do you have a marker or something? I like being obvious." As if that wasn't already obvious. She gazed at the bed once they found it, wondering how a bed could manage to look so Otto. Whatever that even meant. "Also, which pillow is his? Like, the one he'd use the most? There are a lot of them."
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 7:35 am
"Excellent," said Chance, and this time a s**t eating grin was on his face, unable to be hidden. "I approve of all of these things, so therefore Hattie, you are my new Buddy Partner Friend in all things, especially those pertaining to Otto Graves."
Because Otto would totally be okay with that, right?
Right.
Chance had gone around to the side of the bed where his sketchbook was resting on the bedside table. He picked it up, leafed through the various drawings until he got to the back, where there were blank sheets, and carefully tore one out before setting the book back down.
"Markers...I have a sharpie, here," he said, sliding open a drawer and rummaging until he found it. Chance held both of them out towards Hattie and then gazed down at the bed.
"Well. Yes. He does like his pillows," he said, his lips twitching, a mixture of amusement and affection in his voice. "But I think probably that one, over there, the really squashy one, I think that's the one he normally puts his head on."
Maybe. It was hard to tell.
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 2:30 pm
"It's going to be amazing." Harley whispered. Then she grinned, her gaze unfocusing as she thought of the possibilities. All the ways she and Chance could mess with the angry short stack. Where would they even start?!
The thong thing seemed like a good start. Their first collaboration, really. Even if it was a project Hattie had started some time ago.
"I can see that." There were certainly a lot of pillows. Not that she argued with the logic. Pillows were great. She just hadn't seen to many on a bed in Deus before. He must have brought them in on his own dime. That was dedication. The offered paper and sharpie were taken as she was distracted with thoughts of pillows (and how comfortable that bed looked…maybe she should sneak in at some point…), and she spotted the one he was gesturing to. Yep, she'd probably choose that one too.
For now, the thong was only lazily placed on the pillow, marking it in the event that particular one got eaten by the rest. With that many in one place, it was certainly possible. The paper was her current focus, and she had so many things she wanted to write.
"What do you think would be better? 'Give in', or 'With all my love'?" She mused, pressing the cap of the sharpie against her lips. "I dunno, what do you suggest?"
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