Day 61: Greenhouse

[dualistic]

While Harvey never really enjoyed having to babysit one of the newer patients, he had to admit that Barnaby had been pretty easy to deal with. He'd been composed, quiet, and focused, which was a lot better than some of the other patients who only gave confused looks or had over-the-top reactions to everything they heard.

The point was, that conversation had almost been enjoyable, which was strange for Harvey to admit. He didn't know how Barnaby was going to manage in this place in the long run, but he wouldn't be surprised if he found his feet eventually and then did decently well for himself. It wasn't Harvey's job to care either way, but the close quarters they were kept in meant he'd probably end up finding out anyway.

Unfortunately, a positive note could only last for so long. As usual, it was a nurse who ruined it by insisting that he should go to the greenhouse for the last shift of the day. "Mr. Eckhart, it's not cold in there, so it shouldn't be any strain on you. It might be nice to help something grow, don't you think?"

He didn't dignify any of that with a response and instead resigned himself to his fate. He was one of the first people to make it into the muggy greenhouse, and he realized that he wasn't a fan of being cold or being hot. He fanned the air in front of his face for a few seconds and then went to find somewhere to sit down.

All the plants were lined up in pots; it almost felt like they were staring at him, waiting for him to do something about it. Well, that wasn't gonna happen.

[For Peter Parker.]

Comments

[tightsofmight]

It wasn't such a bad day. Comparatively, it was actually a rather good one. If you subtracted a few things here and there, the entirety of breakfast, the cold, the whole of his brain and how it kept running back to the same deep dark corners he needed to avoid, it was a pretty mellow experience. No one had given him any news. Worse news. It was about the only kind you could expect to hear, and it had him yearning for a thumb through of the Daily Bugle like you wouldn't believe. Even if it was one of those issues with his own mug splashed across the front for some saucy headlines.

Yeah. It was at that point. He'd even give a bear hug to the Kingpin if he strolled in for visitor's day. Lowering your standards was the only way you could work a smile out of anyone here.

Which was probably why he was in the greenhouse today. For 'fun'. Aunt May would have a field day, her little boy was weeding things of his own volition. But it was something to do with his hands, and it was something different-ish. A good chore to lose yourself in.

Except that would be really hard to do when there was only like. Five people in there with you. And he knew two of them too. Peter stifled an uprising in his gut and gave Sora a little smile and a wave, though he privately felt thankful that the boy was already talking with someone else. And the other, well.

Let's just say that while he could technically continue to avoid Harvey Dent, there came a point where you just felt ridiculous dodging somebody for no good reason. Especially after last night. He didn't seem mad at him. Call it cowardice (or highly attuned self-preservation), but after what had happened in the Coliseum he hadn't wanted to take his chances with the most volatile member of their little crew. Whatever Harvey might feel about the rest of them, he actually did like Indy. That much was plain. So excuse him for thinking that...well...

Peter would have strangled himself, too. You don't take that sort of thing lightly.

But that wasn't the case. Not yet. So maybe he could take a wee chance with a guy who made a hobby out of trailing after Batman with a gun in his hand and hope for the best. Besides, not sitting with him would just be stupid. There were so few people in the greenhouse that sitting at an empty spot would look like the height of social awkwardness.

He didn't sit though. Not unless he wasn't wanted. Hands in his pockets and situating himself at Harvey's right, he made a nod at the lonely potted plants. "I take it this isn't your thing."

[dualistic]

Well, this was unexpected.

Harvey had been pretty convinced that Peter had been trying to avoid him since the night in the basement, but they'd been forced to interact -- at least somewhat -- the night before. That had apparently lifted up the wall between them, since the kid had decided to approach out of his own volition now. It wouldn't have been so hard to avoid each other in the greenhouse, since there were rows of plants extending throughout the room, but Peter had still wandered over here.

Maybe it was his way of apologizing, or trying to make up for what he'd done. Harvey had never hold it against the kid that much, though. Sure, if they'd met the day after he probably would have had some choice words for Peter, probably would have let all of his anger at what this place had done to them spill over.

At this point, though, with Jones back in business and the whole group of them working on their next suicidal mission, there wasn't much point in making a thing of it. Peter was still acting pretty awkward, but Harvey could handle that. If it weren't for this place, they probably would have never interacted, after all. They weren't exactly in the same social circles.

In response to Peter's statement, Harvey just barked out a laugh and shook his head. "No. How about you?" As far as he knew, teenage boys weren't into gardening, but Peter wasn't exactly a normal teenage boy.

[tightsofmight]

Crinkles outlined his nose as he shook his head in the negative, pulling a face. "Never. Aunt May would have to drag me by my heels to get me anywhere near the garden shed."

Taking the lack of throttling motions as an invitation to sit, Peter pushed at a pot absently with a finger or two as he talked. He wasn't leaping at the chance to plant things right about now, but he couldn't help but fiddle a little. Particularly when he was nervous.

"...Thank you. For..." His lips worked from side to side. This was a hard thing to say. Peter couldn't even work out the specifics of what he was grateful for, or what he felt about the man beside him or even what the hell his opinion on last night as a whole was. There were too many question marks in the equation, and he couldn't help but give an ear to that tiny voice in the back of his head reminding him that this was not a good man. Card carrying villain to his right, don't look now.

And yet every time that voice came up, there was also the blanket stifling it. A universal 'Dude, chill' to the frantic nerves that worked up every time he had to stand still and converse with the likes of the Kingpin, of Norman. He couldn't find it in him to be scared of Harvey anymore.

"...Well, thanks for giving a crap, I guess." So much for eloquence. Peter dropped his head in a hand and ceased all plant-prodding. He was still staring at the ground. "I almost didn't come last night. Not just for - like, everything. The works. Screw the basement. I never want to touch it again."

There was a pause. The words stuck heavily to his teeth as they gritted, ground down on one another. "I'd been hiding behind corners thinking you were going to shoot me."

They weren't bosom buddies. Probably never would be. But, at least on Peter's end, a quiet ease had fallen between the two. Maybe he could trust in that for a while.

[dualistic]

Aunt May? Harvey squinted at that, but he realized that even though Peter liked to wear spandex and could clearly handle himself in a fight, he had to have someone who watched over him considering his age. An aunt, then. It brought up the obvious question of his parents, but maybe they hadn't been able to deal with the fact that their son was leaking webs.

Whatever, it wasn't important, and more than that, he was suddenly being thanked. Harvey couldn't even begin to imagine what for, and he just sent a steady stare at Peter as he waited for the explanation that was sure to follow.

In the end, what Peter said didn't really apply, or Harvey didn't think so, anyway. He wouldn't say that he was known for caring at this point. He'd cared before, about Gotham and its well-being and the people in it, but that had all been used up by now and he'd paid the price for it.

"Shoot you? That's maybe a little too extreme. I might have wrung your neck, though." He tried to make it lighthearted, but in the end it turned out to have a grimmer hint to it. Peter would get the idea. He wasn't attacking him now, after all.

"Anyway, I don't think I ever said I cared. Just so we're clear." He glanced over at the kid and then sighed. "There wouldn't be a point to not coming along, you know. What would you have done, cried into your pillow all night?"

[tightsofmight]

"How frugal of you to save the bullets," Peter commented smoothly. Though...really, neither of them should be so nonchalant about it when they both knew perfectly well it had been a possibility. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Peter could sit there and pretend to be affronted by the idea that Harvey might have tried to hurt him in the heat of the moment, but then he would have to take a gander at his good old days. He'd nearly strangled that fake Spider-Man to death, he'd been so enraged. Amongst other incidents.

He would have exploded on anyone else that might have been in that ring with Indy, no matter who won or lost. So yeah, he would just sit here and be grateful that the only bruises he took home the following night had been from Scott and not someone a little less benevolent.

They bypassed all morbid joking quickly enough to make way for a mighty roll of the eyes. Good god, Harvey, simmer down. "I didn't mean cared like - geez, dude, I just meant you guys not kicking me out on my tucchas when I showed up last night. I won't cry if I'm not on your Christmas card list this year. We're fine." He levelled the older man with a flat, but poignant stare. They might get used to each other (sorta), but would never, ever be friends. And Peter was okay with that.

"And no. I was halfway to the morgue before I turned around for you guys." That took his gaze off the man and back onto the pots. Peter finally gave up on wasting space and moved into a more comfortable sit, easing into the work the nurses had set out before them. While the hands worked loosely the jaw went tighter, putting an ache in his teeth as they pressed inexorably on one another. "They switched my room on me."

[dualistic]

Saving bullets was something to consider too; Harvey was glad to see that the two of them could talk about this with a certain amount of levity. It wouldn't have been the same story a few days ago, but at this point he didn't see why he should start shit with Peter when they were supposed to be working together. The kid had clearly beaten himself up about what had happened, so that was that.

More than that, this was giving them the chance to settle out just what sort of relationship they had, which was a professional one. It was good to see that Peter understood that too, though Harvey also realized that anyone who was aiming to be friends with him probably had a few screws loose.

Before Harvey could comment on that, though, Peter explained what he'd been up to the night before. He'd lost a roommate, and from the sounds of it the two had been close. Well, unless he'd been going up there to gloat over the body, but Peter definitely wasn't the type to do that.

"Guess if it's not one thing it's another, huh?" he remarked with a sigh, not willing to offer more consolation than that. Nothing he said was going to make it better, so why bother? "Any idea if we're going down again tonight? I'm wondering why our tour guide gave us those souvenirs." His curiosity was going to be the near-death of him again, but that stop it from existing.

[tightsofmight]

"Amen to that. They've got the best working Trauma-Go-Round this side of the Atlantic." He tried not to take the force of those words out on the dirt. Pat it gently, be kind to the little baby plants. They needed to be transferred to the little Pet Shop of Horrors safe and sound after all.

And it might have come a little belatedly, but Peter realized that that statement hadn't been followed with a pat on the back. Or something equally well meaning. Maybe it had been a good idea to roll on over to Harvey today after all. Now that he had simmered down some (a lot...) it was better to just let things slide. He could dwell on them later. In private. He didn't want to get the reputation as that weeping boy who is always crouching alone in the corner.

Might be a little late for that but it was nothing a little damage control couldn't fix.

"No idea, actually." Peter chewed his lip, frowning. "I haven't heard anything about it on the board. I don't really, have plans, but like..."
The frown deepened and his brows drew tense creases above his nose. "I was thinking about tracking down some people I didn't catch today. Maybe see if they have anything new."

Sakura was one. He still had her monster notes. And there was also Claire and Jessica. He wasn't about to go throwing names aloud because he doubted Harvey give a single crap about who Peter was buddies with, but he needed a valid reason to take a breather tonight. Not that the basement and its lovely underground water feature weren't important, but he felt like...

Okay fine, he was being a coward. But just give him one more night, then he could come back to it. Just one. Pardon his terror sweats, but if what lay beyond the lake was the slightest bit like the Coliseum, Peter wasn't sure how much longer he could make himself go down there. There came a point where it all just seemed masochistic to try.

Peter made a face at the mention of their little ferry man. "Ugh. Beats me. Maybe he just wanted to mark us as human sacrifices for the giant ape that lives down there." And none of them looked quite enough like Fay Wray to get a pass from old King Kong, so they were obviously screwed. "It's starting to feel like boy scouts. We keep getting all kinds of badges and stickers for the crap they pull on us."

[dualistic]

So it sounded like no one had really taken charge with herding their group together this time around. Seeing how it was almost the end of the day and Peter was apparently putting together other plans, Harvey was going to assume that it wasn't happening. He didn't like that they were taking so many breaks, but he also couldn't exactly blame the others for wanting "a night off." Scott had just introduced him to his girlfriend, so chances were he wanted to spend some more time with her too.

He could always try to just round up Jones and Sangamon and go as a group of three, but he doubted he'd be able to track them down before they were taken back to their rooms. As much as hated to admit it, he was going to have to be more on top of the bulletin board in the future, even if it meant he was the one who had to put up the first note.

Leave it to Peter to come up with the most inventive possibility for what might be waiting to kill them down there. A giant ape. The sad thing was that Harvey wouldn't have been that surprised at this point.

The kid's comment about feeling like a boy scout was definitely something Harvey could relate to, though. "Yeah, I'd almost rather they didn't. I don't like feeling like I'm doing a favor for Landel." Even if that was the truth, which was possible, he sure as hell didn't need it shoved in his face. "Still, I guess we've gotta at least give it a shot when we get around to going down there again." He wasn't going to ignore it out of pride, because that would have been even more foolish in the end.