~Broken Family~

Hi, Mom

Harley had secretly almost been glad that Billy couldn't hear their conversation, but after blowing Gwen off, he quickly turned back to him and struck up a conversation about this year's Formula 1 regulations.

"Well," Gwen interrupted over his shoulder. "What about just...just friends? Can we be friends again?"

Harley paused mid-sign, hardly turning his head to glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

YES, he signed, swallowing. "Sure. Just friends."

"Plus," he added quickly, not sure why he was telling her this, maybe thinking somewhere deep down that it would provoke her, "I've already got a girlfriend, anyway."

"Oh." Gwen sounded surprised, but not jealous or anything. For some reason that made him upset. "That's great, Harley!"

Harley gave a curt nod, thinking of Liesel's joyful smile as he asked her out to a movie. It'd seemed wrong, almost, at the time, but now that he was talking to Gwen in person and she was no longer a painful memory, he was glad that he had. 

A boisterous laugh exploded from outside and Clay stumbled through the door, dripping wet and laughing. Ellie soon followed, just as soaked.

"What---" Harley started, but he already knew what was going on. Clay had taken Ellie out on a jetski earlier to explore the lake's small, central little island. They must've tipped over.

Clay cleared his throat and regained his composure as soon as he saw their guests, and Ellie smacked his balled-up shirt against his chest, which he hastily tugged on. Harley saw the pale patch of scarred skin where he'd jumped in front of Tony's blaster to protect Ellie, who was now living at the compound with the few scarce Avengers who still lived there, like Cap, Clay, and Happy, who definitely deserved the title of Avenger after helping in their German escape. She and Clay came to visit a lot, and were there just about every other day.

"Gwen." Clay gave her a nod and took a few strides forward in his wet bare feet, leaving prints on the floor, and stuck out a hand to her. "How've you been?"

Gwen seemed surprised at the gesture of formality, but she didn't hesitate to shake his hand and smile at Ellie, who was helping herself to a box of crackers in the pantry.

WHO? Billy asked in confusion, waving for Harley's attention, and he suddenly felt bad for accidentally excluding the Deaf teen.

E-L-L-I-E, Harley spelled out, pointing to her. He continued to explain her connection to Clay and Clay's connection to himself, which took a lot of sighs and fingerspelling.

TALK TO CLAY? Harley suggested, thinking he and Gwen should have some more alone time to talk. HE KNOW SIGN.

Billy brightened at that and skipped over to the young man who was now drying his hair on Grover's mud-covered dog towel.

"Um..." Gwen nervously gestured to the door. "Want to take a walk? I feel like we've got a lot to talk about."

"Do we?" Harley challenged, but he knew it was true. Grabbing his crutch, which he'd leaned against the wall, he followed Gwen outside, dragging his foot behind him.

An awkward silence permeated the air at first as they walked around the back side of the house. Harley wasn't sure what to say.

"It's been awhile," Gwen said after they'd walked for about two minutes. "I...I think about what I said every day."

"Oh?" Harley fought to keep his mouth closed, thinking of Gwen's hurtful words she'd told one of the HYDRA guards just as he was dragging himself out of his beaten stupor.

"Harley, I didn't mean any of that," she claimed. Harley almost snorted in disbelief, not wanting to admit Gwen had simply voiced those thoughts that had always originally been his. "I was trying to come up with reasons for the soldiers to let you go. I was trying to convince them to---"