Let's Be Insane Together (CWAC Book Three)

Chapter 12: The L Word

Tony rubs his eyes as he moves down the stairs to the lobby, Harley paces, Tony watches her a moment, the set of her shoulders, the fidgeting of her hands, the whispering to herself, she's on the edge of a breakdown. Tony takes a breath, he can deal with it this time, he's old enough to deal with it now, mature enough.

"Harley?" he asks reaching the bottom of the stairs, she looks to him and sniffles.

"He told me he loves me," she tells him. "I don't know how...I don't know how to...do that" he looks to her sadly. "I don't..." she looks to him, begging, she needs him to be her father, right now at this moment, she needs him. He moves to her and touches her shoulders before hugging her, she hugs him back, clutches to him.

"So you're dating?" he asks her. "That's....and he's made you cry" he mumbles. "Wait" he pulls back. "He made you cry by telling you that he loves you?" he asks her. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"No one loves me" she corrects. "There's always something else, they always want something else" Tony takes her face in his hands.

"I love you," he tells her.

"You have to" she corrects. "You have to love me...." she looks down, Tony pulls her closer and rubs her back.

"You want to stay a few days?" he asks her. "We have plenty of spare rooms....I'll even send someone out to pick up your dog, so that it can stay here" she sniffles and nods. "I'll send Bucky, he's good with mutts" he kisses her head and wraps his arm around her shoulder.

.................

Bucky glares at Tony who is smirking, Bucky's clothing is torn and there is a hyena attached to the lead in his hand.

"Dog" Bucky states. "You said dog" Bucky motions to Marvel who's tail is wagging. "That is not a dog"

"Marvel!!" Harley cheers running towards the hyena which wiggles free of Bucky and runs back at his mistress, she hugs him and smiles.

"Harley" Tony states. "What is that?"

"This is Marvel" she answers smiling. "He was a gift...." she whispers, Tony then gets this look on his face.

"No" he whispers. "Wade" he states at Harley who looks down. "Wade Wilson? That's the guy you've been dating?" she looks to him.

"Yeah, you know him?"

"The guy's crazy, doll face," Bucky tells her.

"Yeah" she answers dreamily. "Yeah, he is" she looks to Marvel who looks back up at her, she smiles sadly and then sniffles fighting off more tears. She looks to Tony who sighs softly and moves to her. 

"All right" he crouches.

"He made me feel normal" she whispers to him. "Like there's nothing wrong with me" she looks down.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Tony tells her.

"There is" she corrects. "We both know it.....but he....treated me like I was perfect" he strokes her cheek and pulls her into a hug.

"Then why don't you go back to him?" Tony asks her, she shrugs.

"Because I can't say....L.." she chokes. "Lo," she gags. "I can't say the l-word and he'll want me to"

"So don't tell him," Bucky tells her, she looks to him. "Show him" she smiles a little. "Selene killed her way through a horde of werewolves to save my life" Bucky states with a warm smile. "That's how I knew she loved me" Harley raises an eyebrow.

"You have a vampire?" She asks Tony who shrugs and then points to Bucky.

"He's a hybrid" she looks to Bucky.

"Half werewolf, half vampire" Bucky elaborates. Harley stares at him.

"Okay," she whispers. "Okay," she glances to Bucky and scoots away from him. "Weird" she mumbles, Tony smirks.

"So what are you going to do, kiddo?" Tony asks, she looks to him and then stands.

..........................

Ivy and Loki stare at Wade who is crying hugging a blow up unicorn.

"What happened?" Ivy asks.

"I told her I loved her" Wade answers. "And she ran away, I haven't seen her in three days....she took Marvel too.....I think she left me" Loki looks to Ivy who shrugs, she moves to Wade and crouches.

"Listen, I've known Harley a long time and she's....." Ivy sighs. "When it comes to relationships, she's never had it easy, the first five guys she told she loved them, took her cash and left her" Wade looks to her. "The next three told her first, and then took her money and left....."

"Harley has no money" Wade points out, Ivy stares at him.

"She didn't tell you?" Ivy stands and then sighs. "Her real name is Harleen Quinzel.....Stark" Loki and Wade look to her surprised. "She's a Stark, Tony's daughter" Loki starts laughing and smirks.

"She's his daughter?" he asks, Wade sits up and hangs his head.

"Look, my point, she's probably just freaking out because you said those three words, and she's worried you're going to rob her"

"But I meant it," Wade tells her. "She's the first person I've ever said those words to....ever" Wade stands.

"You two are a weird couple" Loki mumbles.

"You need to prove it to her, you need to prove to her that you mean it" Ivy tells Wade and then grabs a plant pot from the side, she wiggles her hand over the soil and smiles, a plant erupts from the soil, a beautiful red and black plant, Wade and Harley's colors. She holds it out to Wade. "Start with this," she tells him. "Get her all her favorite things.....don't take from her, give to her," Ivy tells him. "You're good for her, and I love you both" Wade smiles and nods looking to the plant.

"Yeah, yeah, I will" Wade agrees.

................................

"Cupcake?" Wade asks stepping into the apartment, lit with hundreds of candles, he smiles and follows the blood droplets to the roof access window, he climbs out and heads up to the roof where Harley and Marvel wait for him, she smiles at him and then looks down, Wade follows her eyes and smiles wider, there, in bodies, is the four words he wanted to hear. 'I love you too'. He looks back up to her then moves to her, grabbing her face and kissing her. She throws her arms around his neck and kisses him back. He lifts her up and holds her close to him. Finally, the two of them embracing what they have together. He turns with her and she smiles touching the scars on the back of his head.

"I love you," she tells him against his lips. "And I'm sorry, puddin'...."

"I know, Cupcake" he whispers. "It's all right.....I love you too" he pulls her back to him, and they make out some more.