maskormenacelogs | make mine a pain in the neck

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make mine a pain in the neck

WHO: Harvey Dent & Lil Crawley.
WHERE: A local park.
WHEN: Morning.
WHAT: Totally normal best friends forever.
WARNINGS: These two.

[ Frustration always becomes something of a physical presence for Lil Crawley -- something that gets under her skin and sits in her gut like a tumor. She dwells on things until they consume her, keeping her up at night. She knows it was mostly her fault, what happened with Matt, because she'd been reckless and impulsive and careless, like she always is, but that knowledge doesn't make it any better. If anything, it makes the state of things harder to accept. It makes her restless, filling her with fitful, volatile energy.

So, she takes up running in the mornings again. It isn't as if she's sleeping well anyway.

Lil takes her old path through the park, letting her mind linger on her taste in men, or how much of her romantic troubles she can possibly blame on her husband's rejection of her. That train of thought works her running pace up to a relatively aggressive one, and she nearly sprints right past what initially appears to be a homeless man, sleeping on one off the nearby benches. She wouldn't have given him a second glance, except that face is one she's become so familiar with that she unconsciously registers some recognition -- enough that her steps slow and she pauses, squinting over her shoulder.

Finally, she walks back towards him. Another pause, then she shakes him roughly by the shoulder. ]

Harv?

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Wha--

[ Reflexively, Harvey springs up, arm drawn back as if to throw a punch; his hair hangs in his face in lazy curls, left eye already wide open and awake-looking as glass-eyes are wont to, his right eye blinking in the daylight of morning.

He stills his arm, palm opening so he can see there's nothing held within it. His vision clears, Lil coming into focus. ]

Lil? What're you-- [ He swings his legs off the side of the bench, rubbing his hand through his hair and grimacing as if his head hurt. ] What do you want?

[ She doesn't flinch away, even with his arm instinctively pulls back -- it's that power, the invulnerability that protects her -- she just keeps staring at him, her hand lingering on his shoulder. There's something skeptical and vaguely concerned in her face that draws her eyebrows together, like she doesn't know what he's doing on this park bench but she finds it entirely suspect, for one reason or another.

Finally, after a second, she withdraws her hand. ]

Nothin'. [ As if the question mildly offends her, at that. ] What the hell are you doin' out here?

[ Hissing a breath out sharply, Harvey sits back so that his posture is straighter but his back is against the bench, and he rubs his right eye with the heel of his hand. Lacking a mirror, he futzes with his hair idly hoping it will fall into place. ]

I was just sleeping. It's warm enough out here that it isn't exactly uncomfortable. [ He looks at her. ] You knew I wasn't staying at home anymore, didn't you?

I -- [ Maybe she had a passing thought to it once or twice, but it isn't as if she's home that much either, except to eat and sleep. Put on the spot, she exhales, folding her arms over her chest in a slightly defensive way. ] Well, even if y'aren't stayin' at the house anymore, I wouldn't be expectin' t'find y'sleepin' out in the goddamn open, Harv.

[ She exhales, a little impatient, partially because there is a small seed of concern, against her better logic. ]

Aren't y'livin' anywhere? Anywhere proper, I mean.

[ Harvey rubs at his face again, slapping wakefulness into himself rather than answer her immediately and then leveling a weary glare in her direction. ]

It was a nice night, I thought I'd enjoy it by sleeping outside. You should try it sometime. [ His tone's impatient as well, a little derisive as if that will get her to drop the subject. He turns his head, exhaling sharply. ] I've got a room somewhere, anyway. I wouldn't tell you where since I know you won't be visiting.

You weren't worried, were you?

Maybe a little. So, what? We ain't strangers, are we?

[ Her arms unfold themselves, but only so that her hands can settle on her hips -- an even more disapproving posture than the one she had before. It'll take more than a little derision to get her to drop anything. This is Lillian Crawley, after all. The woman is like a bear trap: Once she latches on, she doesn't let go. ]

If y'were gonna be livin' like this, why'd y'leave the damn house?

Not strangers, no. And we aren't friends, either.

[ His hands come to rest on his knees, fingers gripping tightly and sharpening the wrinkles in the fabric. Harvey regards her darkly, eyes half-lidded in his scrutiny. He peels his jacket off his lap and tosses it over the back of the bench, feeling too warm for its coverage now. ]

I know better than to stick around somewhere I can be "tracked down" to. Maybe I want some privacy these days.

Privacy for what? It ain't like I was breathin' down your neck anyway.

[ She watches him back, refusing to flinch away despite his scrutiny. Despite the twinge of annoyance she feels, her concern -- as much as she herself questions why she feels it -- isn't disingenuous. ]

And we are friends. [ Insistence, after a beat. ] I let go of way too much shit with you for us not t'be, Harvey Dent.

Privacy from anyone that might try snooping after me even though I'm minding my own business. Behaving... and everything.

[ He rubs his hand through his hair again, nose wrinkling, and Harvey finally gets to his feet and stretches. Looking at her, his lips curl into something that's meant as a smirk but manifests more as a sneer. ]

That was your choice. Why should it make us friends?

I ain't snoopin', if that's what you're implyin'. It ain't like I wanted t'run in t'you. Y'never say anythin' nice t'me.

[ There's just something about the way he sneers at her, that dismissive attitude towards what she'd felt to be some kind of loyalty -- it annoys her, working it's way under her skin in a way that makes her half-want to retaliate, just to be catty. She could let it go instead (after all, this is Harvey, and him behaving like this towards her is hardly something new), but people rarely accuse Lil of being the bigger person.

So, pointedly: ]

If we ain't friends, there's a thing or two I've been keepin' from Matt for y'that I could probably tell him.

Not you. Your-- there's other people in the house besides the two of us.

[ Frank. There's Matt. Renee's around, not to mention Kate Kane -- Harvey would rather just be somewhere he could know for sure he wouldn't have his door broken down whenever someone had a bone to pick, there were benefits to being hard to find.

He frowns, eyebrows arching and shoulders bristling, and at his sides his hands twitch as if they were moments away from grabbing her. He keeps them at his side. ]

Not being friends doesn't mean you want me as an enemy, does it?

What would y'even do, shove me off another goddamn boat? I ain't afraid of you, Harvey Dent.

[ She doesn't take the half-threat well, annoyance tinging her voice as she folds her arms over her chest again, daring him to start something with her. Dogged as she might be in her loyalty, she can hold a grudge a good long while too -- and both come out of a ridiculously stubborn attitude that isn't beyond pettiness. ]

You're lucky I ain't on talkin' terms with that man right now, or I might feel like spillin' jus' t'spite you.

I'm not threatening you.

[ Though still glowering, he says it quickly enough, wanting that much clear. Even if it had been meant as such impulsively, Harvey doesn't want anything like that on the record when he's been trying this hard.

His jaw clenches and he regards her carefully, his expression calming slightly. ]

What happened? Broken up already?

We weren't t'gether. Not like that.

[ Her answer comes defensively sharp. She's trying not to think about what Matt had said when they'd fought (that no, they weren't, but maybe they could have been), and while Harvey may be calming down, Lil feels herself getting slightly more worked up.

Her eyebrows pull together in obvious aggravation. ]

We had a fight. Not that it's any of your damn business.

Sure thing.

[ He sounds skeptical, but it's not a subject he is particularly keen on pushing -- he doesn't want to know, if anything was between them. It would just irritate him. ]

If you're both my friends, I don't think it's not my business, either. I don't care-- it's not-- forget it. What do you want me to do, buy you breakfast?

Why, are y'offerin'?

[ It's automatic and challenging, like the subject at hand has begun to make her a bit sore and that soreness is starting to win over whatever strange, precarious sense of friendship she has towards Harvey. ]

Breakfast ain't gonna make up for the thing with the boat, but it might be a start on me lettin' go of the fact that y'moved out an' didn't even tell me.

Then let's get breakfast. [ He needs to shower, too, but Harvey thinks it would be better he do that afterward; he's still wary of letting anyone know exactly where he's staying. ] I'll get cleaned up afterward, unless you don't mind letting me borrow your shower before we eat.

[ He doesn't assume she'll agree. ]

Where do you want to go?

[ She pauses, eying him a second like she isn't sure if she should be worried about this actually being a ploy for him to drown her in maple syrup or hollandaise sauce. Maybe she just wasn't expecting him to agree. But far be it from Lillian Crawley to back down once a challenge of any kind, breakfast or not, has been issued.

So, fine. Breakfast it is. ]

You'll be fine. Y'even looked at me yet? I'm sweaty an' wearin' my runnin' stuff.

[ Like they don't already make an awkward pair anyway, if Lil cared about those kinds of appearances. She starts off back down the path, waving for him to follow her. ]

C'mon. I know a place around here. We can walk.

[ He does look at her when she says that, nose wrinkled slightly in uncertain assessment. Once Lil accepts he feels a strange feeling settle in his throat and low in his chest, the anxiety he often feels when he isn't sure he's made the right decision. Is this a mistake? Probably. What is he doing, still associating with her? If anything might set him off...

But despite what he might say, he doesn't dislike her. In fact--

Well, it's complicated. Harvey isn't exactly fighting them off these days, friend-wise. Not that he ever was. ]

Great. I'll follow you, then. [ Which he does, pulling out his wallet as he walks to double-check that he wasn't robbed during the night. ] Not expensive, is it?

My treat. Don't worry about it.

[ She says that almost dismissively. Must be nice, a supermodel's salary. There's probably jobs with better stability, but she gets paid to stand around and have her picture taken, so there's not a whole lot to complain about. Gives her a little something extra to take her not-friends out to breakfast with anyway. ]

Some day though? I'm gonna get y'explain t'me what the hell your deal with Matt Murdock is.

[ It's something she just has to wrap her head around, something she can't lay to rest until she does. ]

[ He frowns at her, tucking his wallet away again with an aggravated exhale. Harvey is technically between jobs at the moment and does need to be money-conscious, but it's also a matter of dignity on top of simply finances. He keeps his eyes on the ground, glaring at each step his feet take and feeling a headache -- just a headache, thankfully -- prickling at his temples and the top of his nose. ]

I'm the one that invited you -- I can at least pay for myself. I'm not some charity case, Lil.

[ He fixes his eyes back on her, gaze irritable and tense but mostly tired, then shoves his hands into his pockets. ]

Why does that matter?

[ It isn't even a purposeful attempt to demean him or anything like that -- Lil just genuinely doesn't give a damn who pays for breakfast, so long as breakfast gets done, one way or another. She's never been very good at paying attention to things like a man's dignity. ]

Call it a damn investment or somethin' then. Y'can buy next time.

[ She waves her hand, as if to wave the matter off. ]

It matters. Alright? I mean, y'do get kinda crazy over him, y'know that. An' I figure if anyone's got a right t'know, it's me.

Don't go planning a second date before we're finished with the first one.

[ He sneers mildly, hands still jammed in his pockets, a lock of his hair falling over his forehead in a perfect curl even as Harvey lowers and raises his chin to change where he's looking. He's being faintly facetious, but around Lil everything he says has a way of sounding hostile. ]

You two aren't together like that-- [ He repeats it emphatically, using her own wording. ] So what makes you so entitled? Maybe it's private. Maybe it's complicated.

We already lived t'gether. An' y'almost killed me. That's as good as marriage, far as I'm concerned, so don't y'start givin' me attitude, Harvey Dent.

[ It's probably unhealthy somehow that she can even say that as casually as she does, but talking about it like that makes it feel less like trauma and more like something she owns by having survived it. She's survived Harvey this long, so clearly there's nothing he can do at breakfast that'll leave any permanent damage.

She pauses pointedly at the door once they reach the quaint little restaurant, putting her hand on the handle but not actually opening the damn thing for a full beat. ]

What's that supposed t'mean anyway, "complicated?"

You assume me and my wife had that kind of relationship.

[ He'll give all the attitude he wants!! Harvey sneers again, broader this time and clearly a bit defensive about... well, everything that's on the table of discussion at the moment. Gilda. Matt. For heaven's sake, did everything have to feel like he was on trial?

He reaches for the door handle as well, gripping it about her hand and pulling it. ]

Complicated like it can't be explained.

[ Lil has an odd moment where she isn't sure exactly if she's feeling jealous of Harvey Dent or not. It's the kind of moment that makes a person question their sanity and their priorities in life. It gives you a little perspective.

She releases the door handle, letting Harvey pull it open. ]

You're jus' sayin' that t'be difficult.

[ Not like him and Matt have such a complex and elaborate bond that she wouldn't be able to at least understand the gist of it, right? ]

[ The door is yanked open roughly and it creaks a little on its hinges before Harvey steadies it, holding it again as they walk inside so it doesn't slam closed. His eyebrows are low and sulky over his eyes, nose wrinkled, but he puts off answering her in order to survey the restaurant for a free table.

A hostess comes by and he holds up two fingers. ]

It's true. Anyway, I don't see why I should have to explain myself. Matt and I don't have anything to do with you and me. [ Not really true. ] You really expect to understand it?

[ Stubbornness permeates Lil's body language, her posture and the briskness of her long stride as she follows their hostess to a booth by the window. Sliding in, she takes one of the menus, crossing her legs beneath the table. She bumps her knee on the underside, making her frown a bit impatiently as she answers: ]

You an' Matt might have somethin' t'do with me an' Matt.

[ A moot point, maybe, when she doesn't even know if the man will ever speak to her again, but she's feeling inexplicably territorial. ]

What're y'bein' so coy about it for anyway?

[ He sits down but doesn't open his menu right away, staring across the table combatively. His fingers grip at his knees tightly under the table, fingernails digging against the fabric of his slacks. ]

I'm not being coy. I don't want to talk about Matt, I already-- [ Anger pulses at his temples again, reminding him instantly of Kate Kane and her constant nosing in, her constant meddling. It seems like Harvey already spends far too much time protecting this relationship, whatever exactly it really is. ] I don't see why "we're friends" can't be good enough for you.

Y'don't jus' shove people off of boats for mentionin' your friends.

[ Her menu hits the tabletop with a slapping noise as she puts it down with excessive force, her words sharper than she meant for them to be.

It wasn't an argument a second ago, and maybe it isn't quite yet even now, but there's a tension in the way she stares at him across the table, something annoyed and determined at the same time. It may or may not have a thing or two to do with the fact that her and Matt are on the rocks right now, but she isn't volunteering that explanation, if she even consciously recognizes that she's taking it out on Harvey.

She gets confrontational, bordering on accusing, with too much ease. ]

Y'know who I'd kill over? People I love. D'you love him?

[ That does it.

Something explodes -- or rather, many small somethings -- in his mind, flips like a switch, and suddenly Harvey is up again, flipping over the condiments and the basket of creamers on the table. His eyes are wide, unfocused, manic with emotion. ]

Don't ever ask me that. I'm nothing like you -- nothing. You're alive, aren't you?! I don't kill, and if I did-- [ His hands clutch his chair tightly, the knuckles and fingers turning white. ] It wouldn't be for him. One person can make me kill, only one -- and I'm not talking about him.

[ He inclines his head downward and flings his chair over roughly, breathing in and out. ]

Anger. Fear. Who the hell says it has to only be about love?

[ She stares back at him, meeting those wide and wild eyes with her own, recklessly fearless in the face of violence and maybe -- maybe even inviting it, because taking her frustrations out on Harvey gives her something to fight, and having something to fight keeps her from feeling powerless. Anger can be answered with anger. It might not even matter what they're fighting about anymore.

Lil stays seated, but her voice is hostile enough, stubborn as it is. ]

Well, we ain't that goddamn different either. Both sittin' here fightin' about Matt Murdock, ain't we?

That doesn't mean anything. People fight about all sorts of things without having a damn thing in common.

[ His hands, still shaking slightly, curl fingers first into his palms, but Harvey simply remains standing there for a few more moments before he angrily -- aggressively, grabbing it up and slamming it against the floor -- rights his chair again to retake his seat.

The right side of his face is flushed with emotion, the left barely changed; plastic surgery or not, nerve damage can only be reversed so much. Slowly he goes about setting upright everything else he knocked over, too, before the hostess or the manager comes over to see what's going on. ]

We wouldn't be fighting if you could evolve the ability to take a hint.

[ But they have Matt in common. And bad tempers. That's probably most of the problem right there. That, and the fact that Lil has trouble backing down from things like this. She never knows or cares where the line is -- she'll cross it without looking back. She'll break every barrier down brick by brick if she puts her mind to it, and she sure has become stubborn with Harvey Dent.

Finally, with annoyance making her movements brisk, Lil reaches out to help him rearrange things into their proper places on the table. ]

I got enough problems with Matt. I don't need you bein' one of 'em too, okay? [ She sounds exasperated. ] That's all I'm sayin'.

I don't care what you want. I've known Matt longer than you have -- that should be my line.

[ He sounds irritated but, again, a bit tired, his hands a bit clumsy as they set things back in order. He almost bumps his water glass on his blind side, the left, but manages at the last moment to catch it before it overturns.

All right. Steady. He frowns as he looks over the table slowly and lifts his menu again, rubbing a hand idly over his very dry mouth. ]

--And I have as much right to my own business as you do.

But I know him better than you.

[ She doesn't know why it seems so important to contest that point -- some possessive impulse, a reaction based out of emotional injury, her wound from arguing with Matt still fresh all this time later. She won't think about the words that had been said -- how he'd said they could've been something, or that if he didn't have a right to be jealous, neither did she. But here she is, sitting across the table from Harvey Dent and becoming gradually more aware that she might just be jealous of him after all, as ridiculous as the entire notion is.

Lil folds her arms and crosses her legs under the table, just barely bumping it with her knee thanks to the crisp, frustrated nature of the movement. ]

Either way, we're gonna have t'stop fightin' over him every single goddamn time we see each other.

No you don't -- and you're the one picking fights over this, Lil. I'm trying to stay out of trouble.

[ Harvey sits back, face more scowly than ever, but he relaxes himself through small, easy movements -- refolding his napkin, adjusting his shirt collar, aligning his silverware. Little things that require enough time and focus to clear his head even that much. ]

You don't even have a reason to be getting weird about him. We're entitled to a friendship. [ He puts his menu down. ] What're you getting?

It ain't friendship, whatever y'got goin' on. Or at least it ain't a normal one. I dunno what it is, exactly, but that ain't the word I'd use.

[ Her tone still has a slightly catty edge, but at least she's looking at the menu again when he asks her that question -- determined, it seems, to still have a meal with this man. Speaking of odd definitions for "friendship." ]

I'm gettin' waffles an' OJ. [ She eyes him over her menu. ] What're you gettin'?

Nothing about me is exactly normal these days, if you ain't noticed.

[ He winces at that, though, irritated by the coarseness of both his tone and his vocabulary. "Ain't" isn't a Harvey Dent word. So Harvey Dent needs to stay more focused, present in his current state of mind.

Which means he simply glowers before pinching at the bridge of his nose and responding with: ]

Eggs. Toast. Coffee. Nothing fancy.

[ Not that Lil even has a well-calibrated sense of what normal even means anymore. In way, this has become it's own twisted kind of normal-- her and Harvey, their bad tempers, the situation escalating. But at the very least, they aren't at each other's throats. Not for the moment.

Lil leans to wave over the waitress before glancing back at Harvey. ]

Don't know what you're talkin' about. Y'sayin' y'think y'were more normal before this?

[ Not that his appearance had ever really fazed her -- but aesthetically, he seems more normal to her than ever. ]

[ Harvey levels a look at her, more deadpan than annoyed. ]

I used to be. What, you think I was born with burns up and down my body?

[ But he's also convinced -- at least some part of him is -- that what happened to him happened for a reason, that maybe he really was meant to be that other Harvey Dent, Harvey Two-Face, to view the world the way it really was. Does it count as blindness is Harvey is trying not to see something?

He doesn't think about it for now. He just turns toward the waitress to make his order. ]

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make mine a pain in the neck

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