Chapter Text
Chapter 7
Harley slept through the night rather peacefully despite his current form, although in the beginning it was a bit uneasy due to now not having legs anymore and a snake torso where they once were, but after a bit of tossing and turning in his sleep, he had managed to find a comfortable sleeping position and settled in for a dreamless sleep.
As day broke over the horizon, his internal clock caused him to stir, sitting up slightly and rubbing his eyes as he stretched- wait, why was in someone else’s house? And what was wrong with his-
He then looked down under the covers, and instead of the familiar bumps that indicated his legs, he saw a long, almost serpent like bump under the covers and the events of yesterday came back to him. Oh yes… That lovely thing…
His eyes narrowed with a sense of complete and utter annoyance as he looked down at his changed lower torso under the blankets as the sight of it alone fully woke him up as if it was a bucket of cold water thrown directly at him, cold, and inconvenient. After a moment of staring, he just simply shook his head and moved to get out of the bed, only to end up losing his balance and falling onto the floor with a small thump and a disgruntled hiss.
For another moment, he simply laid there, staring up at the indifferent ceiling of his current bedroom before he propped himself up with his arms, staring down at the lighter grey under scales looking up at him before he heard footsteps approaching his bedroom door before it opened and a familiar pair of bright green eyes stared down at him. “Uh, are you okay Harley?” Ainsley asked, eyebrow slightly raised while she was clearly trying not to laugh, clearly figuring out what had happened.
Harley simply stared at her now with annoyance and embarrassment evident in his eyes. “Yes, I am perfectly fine..." He groaned, his voice dripping with a small amount of sarcasm as he fixed her with a slight glare, though the fact he was literally laying down on the floor probably ruined any semblance of intimidation.
Ainsley simply chuckled awkwardly at his words, rubbing the back of her head as she glanced away from him for a moment. “Do you… Uh, need a hand?” She asked tentatively, grinning softly down at him sheepish.
For a moment, Harley thought about telling her ‘no’, but given his current circumstances, he decided, albeit reluctantly, to suck it up. “…yes…” he muttered begrudgingly, nodding his head slightly. Ainsley nodded as well, moving towards him and gently rolling him over to where his upper scales were facing the ceiling as if he was made of porcelain before, while letting him hold onto her for support, he corrected his upper torso into a position where he’d be standing upright if he were still a regular human.
He felt a touch of shame as she helped him up, not liking the fact that he had to rely on her for something as simple as getting up from the floor at all... But he pushed it down and nodded his head at her. “Much better… Thank you…” He thanked her in a quiet tone, still looking a bit disgruntled from falling out of the bed.
Ainsley simply grinned at him, sensing the opportunity to have a go at him. “Well, good morning sleepyhead” She chirped, playfully reaching over to ruffle his hair to which he gave her a bit of a glare in response. “Don’t worry, I hate mornings too” She said, now pulling her hand away much to Harley’s relief. “Anyways, want some breakfast?”
Harley nodded his head in reply. “I suppose so…” He responded, trying to ignore the fact that the lead biologist ruffled his hair like he was some sort of child. He was a rather intelligent and important man, not a child that needed to be consoled.
Ainsley merely nodded in reply as she turned away from him and began to move downstairs. “Got it! I’ll even make you a cup of coffee for you!” She called out to him as she began to move down the stairs. “I swear, you can live on coffee at this point…” She muttered under her breath as she went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Harley watched as she left the room and then let out a scoff as he heard her mutter, she wasn't exactly that wrong, he could most likely live off of coffee at this point, but he preferred not having to think about that too much. He let out a quiet sigh and began to head downstairs…
…Only he then caught his reflection in the mirror nearby, and he paused at the sight of his reflection in the mirror. He stood there, studying himself in the mirror, taking all the new details that his new form had. And as he did, he still couldn’t help the increasing feeling of… Wrongness that trailed him like a dog would following its owner, that the reflection in the mirror staring back at him didn’t feel… Like him. It was almost as if he was staring at a stranger. He knew it was him, sure, that it was his body, but at the same time it was not like him at all.
He raised a hand, gently running his fingers over the smooth scales and suddenly taking a moment to take in the feeling of them. Then his eyes decided to wander further as well, landing on the spot where human met serpent. After a moment of hesitation, he lifted up his lab coat and dress shirt that he had been wearing since yesterday to look at the divide.
Right under his bellybutton, the scales had suddenly stopped their ascent from the day before and had instead crossed his lower torso as if the presence of the only remaining evidence he was once growing inside his mother as an unborn baby acted as some sort of invisible barrier to them, leaving a perfect line of grey scales around approximately where his hips used to be when he was fully human.
He found his expression hardening at the sight, almost tempted to slam his fist into the mirror before he managed to calm himself down. No need to do something that irrational, besides, the least he could do was try not to damage Ainsley’s property during his stay here. He slowly turned his gaze up towards the reflective glass again, almost childishly hoping that he would find his old human self staring back at him. But no, instead there was still just…
…The reflection of a half-man half-snake creature…
He sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a brief moment before finally turning away from the mirror and heading towards the open bedroom door to make his way downstairs. After making sure his serpent half was fully out the door, he closed the door and towards the stairs, where he realised he might have a problem.
Descending the stairs. This may be an issue. Unlike ascending the stairs like last time, he had to go down them, this could be risky if he didn’t play his cards right.
He stood there for a moment, staring down at the wooden steps as the sound of Ainsley humming away in the kitchen as she prepared breakfast filled his ears, she was going to be occupied for a bit. That’s good, it would give him the opportunity to figure out how to get downstairs on his own.
After a moment of hesitation assessing his situation and options, Harley carefully and firmly grabbed onto the railing with both hands and carefully and slowly, he slithered (though it was more like a bizzare shuffle), down the stairs. Much to his dismay, he found himself almost falling over and down the stairs if it not being the fact he was holding onto the railing to support him. But the fact that he almost fell down the stairs and had to hold onto the railing for support made him scowl. He shouldn’t have to be doing this! He should be able to walk down the stairs like a normal human being!
But… He wasn’t a human anymore… At least, below the waist, and that fact infuriated and insulted him more than anything else in this entire situation. He got a degree in neuroscience, which was no easy feat, was going to save Playtime Co. from bankruptcy despite his… feelings about the place (or more accurately, the founder of the bloody factory), and… This happened to him. If he, Blackwood, or any of those other scientists figure out a way to resurrect the dead from just scraps of DNA… That incompetent imbecile that did this to him is not getting the luxury of dying once.
Sure, it would probably but more or less a clone given how he was digested mush by now in Experiment 1160’s stomach and it would be impossible without a full proper body but, ah, a man could dream…
Eventually, he made it down the stairs and he couldn’t help but let out a small smirk of triumph at that as he turned into the kitchen to see Ainsley brewing his coffee and preparing breakfast for the both of them, the beverage that was now being pulled out of the coffee machine smelling rather… Good if he must say so himself. Ainsley then turned her head to see him leaning in the passageway, giving him a small smile and a nod of acknowledgment as he entered the kitchen, holding onto the walls and kitchen bench for support as he made his way over to her, Ainsley meeting him halfway with his coffee as she handed him the mug filled with the bitter brew. “Don’t worry, it’s black” She smiled as he took the mug from her as she went back to preparing breakfast.
Harley nodded at her gratefully, taking a sip of the black bitter liquid as he took a moment to savour the taste of the beverage as it moved down his throat. Ah… Just how he liked it.
“You know? I can never understand how you can drink coffee all the time, let alone black coffee, it’s so bitter that I can’t drink more then one gulp” Ainsley admitted to him as she saw the pleased look on Harley’s face as she turned around and grabbed to slices of bread and popped them into a toaster. Every time, every time Ainsley tried to drink any type of coffee, Ainsley could only make it through one sip before the bitterness overwhelmed her and she just… Ditched the beverage and go right back to her warm, sweet hot chocolate… Ah, but not today, after all, she and Harley still probably have to get settled to their current circumstances.
At the head biologist’s words, Harley paused mid sip of his coffee and gave her a slight glare over the rim of his coffee mug, the look in his eyes told any onlooker everything they needed to know, heck, you could even hear his thoughts due to the look on his face, which was; ‘You have no idea what you’re talking about, don’t insult my coffee’. But instead he just let out a long sigh. “I like it bitter, unlike you and your preference for sweet foods and beverages…” He stated simply, irritation at the insult of his favourite drink evident in his voice as he finally took another sip.
Ainsley gave him a side eyed glance, clearly indignant. “Hey, at least my hot chocolates in the morning don’t make me want to gag! Again, I don’t know how you can drink that stuff 24/7, honestly! It’s, again, so bitter I can barely make it through one gulp!” She whined, though she had to admit, she was getting a bit sick of her regular hot chocolate so maybe she could give, say, mocha a try? It can be kind of sweetish, so maybe she could give that a chance.
After a few more moments, there was the sound of a ‘pop!’ And two slices of toast popped out of the toaster to which Ainsley grabbed both of them out and placed them on separate plates along with grabbing a jar of honey as she put to more slices of bread in the toaster, and with another ‘pop!’ She grabbed the slices of toast and put it on the plate with the other two and opened the jar of honey and began to spread it onto two of the four slices of toast on one plate while leaving the other bare, then, grabbing a cup, she poured a cup of water for herself and made her way over the to dining table with her and Harley’s breakfasts. “And don’t worry, the one with the honey on it is mine” Ainsley reassured him as she gave him the plate of bare toast and sat down a chair away from on the opposite side of the dining table. “Though there are other spreads up there if you want something on yours?”
Harley simply gave his coffee a sip with a small frown before answering. “I’m fine with just plain toast, thank you” He responded simply, the thought of any type of 'spread', as Ainsley had put it, on his pieces of toast made him almost grimace. He was NOT having any sweet type of spread on his toast, thank you very much. Besides, he wasn’t into sweet things anyway.
The two scientists then began to eat their breakfast. Harley taking small bites of his plain toast as he every so often as he looked down at his lower half coiling around the floor beneath him. The thought of being a literal snake-from-the-waist-down still felt... weird, even after sleeping a whole night. He also noted how... mundane all this all felt, having breakfast with Ainsley like this. Normally he'd just go into work, grab a coffee and not talk to anyone for most of the day. The same rule applied if he was at her residence to ‘de stress’ as per their agreement. But now he was having breakfast with her like this... He had to admit that it wasn’t that bad. Having someone to... spend time with like this in the morning. He didn't know if it was just the fact that they knew eachother on both a professional and intimate level, but this was... oddly pleasant... And he didn’t know how to feel about it…
Thankfully, Ainsley was able to provide him with a distraction. “Hey” she said suddenly, causing Harley to look up from his toast to see her looking at him thoughtfully. “I know I said I was planning to go to your house today to get some of your things but... Do you want to come with me?" She asked just as thoughtfully, her bright green eyes gently boring into his dark brown ones.
Harley stared right back at her, somewhat surprised at her question. Though as much as he didn’t want to go outside in his current state, he supposed there was no harm in going with her, besides, he might not be back at his house for a long time until a cure to his… predicament was found. “I suppose I could come with you… I just have one request…” He paused in taking another sip of his coffee to make sure the biologist was still looking at him. “Is it possible for you to… Carry me to and from the car…? It looks like it’s going to rain and…” He trailed off, embarrassment evident in his face. Sure, the matter would be different if it was nice outside, he could lean on her for support, but given how the sky seemed to be outside from what he could see through a gap in the curtains in a window Ainsley hadn’t covered fully, he didn’t want to slide this way and that like Bambi on ice on wet pavement in his current state when in could potentially injure him.
Though those concerns immediately left out the window when he saw the devilish grin on Ainsley’s face. Oh no…
But before he could say anything, Ainsley had gotten out of her seat, ran over to him, and picked him out of his chair and into a bridal carry, leading him to let out an indignant squawk in reply to which Ainsley just laughed at. “Why of course Harley! It would be my pleasure!” Ainsley chirped in response to her superior’s flustered and embarrassed noises and expression as she ran out of the kitchen, grabbed her car keys off its hook, unlocked and opened the front door and, after making sure no one was around, went outside, locked the house, ran down the driveway in the overcast weather to her car, to which she unlocked it and deposited the flustered Harley in the backseat before carefully closing the door, moving to hop in the drivers seat and began to back out of the driveway. Laughing at Harley’s flustered expression he still had on his face all the while. “Hahaha! Ohhh you just gave me so many ideas Harley, I have to do that in the labs next!”
That immediately snapped Harley out of his flustered stupor. “Don’t you dare” He said firmly, now giving her a glare through the upper rear view mirror as they drove the familar way to his residence. His serpentine lower torso whacking against the leather car seat in irritation. “I’m an adult! I’m not child! I’m not to be carried everywhere!”
"Hey! You're the one who asked to be carried! Oh! I know! I'll carry you over my shoulder like a baby! That should be easier-" Ainsley’s answer to that was a smack behind the head with the tip of a snake tail by an increasingly irritated Harley. “Ah! Alright I get it!" She relented with a laugh, continuing to focus her attention on the road ahead of her. “But hey, you kind of tempted me before you know”
Harley simply let out a small hiss of annoyance as she told him he had tempted her. The very thought of her picking him up like he was a baby or a sack of potatoes constantly when the weather was good was more infuriating than what he experienced minutes before. “Yes, maybe I did tempt you before, but now? I'm warning you” He warned in an irritated voice, glaring at her from the back seat of her car as he sighed a laid back into the car seat.
This was going to be a long day, he could feel it…
Ainsley had to hand it to Harley, he always did have a nice house.
Harley’s house was a fair distance out of the city, but that was just the way he liked it, he wasn’t exactly a social butterfly and the farther away from people, the better. But the house wasn’t bad, in fact, it was rather nice, though that was to be expected, Playtime Co. was starting to give hush money to their employees that were aware of the Bigger Bodies Initiative to prevent them from potentially ratting out to the police (though who would believe any tattletales anyway?), and as Leith liked to say every now and again; ‘Give people money, and they’ll do anything you want’.
Though, hush money wasn’t given to everyone, it was just given to the most important people on The Initiative, such as the heads and the lead scientists, Ainsley included. But she had a feeling that there wasn’t declining profits in the toy factory, Leith would, albeit reluctantly, give everyone hush money. But alas, they weren’t here to ponder money, they were here to get some of Sawyer’s belongings and then head back home.
Ainsley pulled up to the grey bricked house on the curb and turned the car off before turning in Harley who was now fully sprawled out in the backseat, looking uncomfortable as he looked at his home through the passenger seats window. She raised a brow. “Hey… Are you okay?” She asked, her voice unintentionally soft before she realised her error and tried to address him differently until-
“I’m fine… Just… Help me out of the car and into the house…” Harley said, trying to sound composed as stared at his home for another moment. The idea that he was going to need help getting in and out of his own house felt… Humiliating to him. He let out a short sigh, if that imbecile hadn’t… Come on Harley, don’t think about that now… Though it was kind of hard to considering he was below the waist…- Just try to get over it…
Ainsley just stared at him for a moment longer before she nodded, moving to grab a spare key she had for she would show up to his place to 'de stress' as per their agreement and opened the driver's side door and stepped outside, closing the door, she moved over to the passenger side door Harley was at and opened it. A sudden idea forming in her mind. "Hey, if you want, you can help me pack some of your stuff, get it in the car and what have you?" She suggested, stepping back a bit to allow him to sliver out as she sun peaked out a bit in the overcast sky. They were on a quiet street, so she wasn’t worried about him being seen, still, that slight probability sent a shiver of dread down her spine and causing a pit to form in her gut but... If it would make him feel better about himself, if only for a moment, she’d take it.
Harley just looked at her for a moment before nodding silently. Helping her pack some of his things would at least be better than just sitting in the backseat of her car like a child as she moved his stuff, besides, anything to feel useful at this point… Carefully, he used his arms to push himself out of the back seat and onto the sidewalk into Ainsley’s waiting arms, his serpentine lower torso coiling around on the concrete as he found his balance and leverage with it, once he did, he carefully pulled away from her slightly. God was this humiliating...
As Harley fully got out of the car, Ainsley quickly checked to make sure none of his snake half was in the car door before she carefully closed it, once the door was closed, she turned to move towards the house to get Harley inside and out of view and-
...Woah...
Ainsley instead found herself staring at her superiors lower snake half, the pale gold scales that made up the stripes on his back were sparkling in the light of the sun that was peaking out of the clouds like... Not like crystals, but like something out of a... And bloody hell, his predominantly grey scales were nothing to sneeze at either…
As Ainsley was caught up in the moment, Harley caught her staring at his lower half, mainly at the pale gold stripes and he had to fight the urge to hiss at her as he shifted awkwardly under her admiring gaze. He was still very understandably not used to the way he looked now, and the way she was staring at him made him feel embarrassed and something else he couldn’t put a finger on. “Stop staring. It’s rude to stare…” He grumbled quietly, his cheeks turning slightly red.
That snapped the red headed biologist out of her admiring trance and she let out a startled yelp, stumbling backwards a bit as she shook her head. “Ah! Sorry Harley!” Ainsley quickly said apologetically, rubbing the back of her head as she locked the car with her car keys, smiling sheepishly and apologetically as she adjusted her grip on Harley, who just ‘hmph’d at her and twitched his snake tail in irritation.
Knowing he wouldn’t say anything, Ainsley turned away from the car and began slowly walking up the walkway to the front door, allowing Harley to hold onto her for support as they made their way to a white door to which she inserted the spare key into the lock and with a 'click!' The door opened and she stood a bit to the side. “After you, its your house at the end of the day after all" She offered, to which Harley nodded to her silently in thanks before coiling his way through the doorway and into the house, his tail dragging behind him as he slithered through the open door, Once he was fully inside, Ainsley entered his house right behind him and carefully closed the door behind them before turning back to the house and turned on the passage way lights, Illuminating the house in the artificial light. “You know, I can never get over how clean your place is every time I come around" She admitted, looking around at the pristine wooden floors and white walls of the familiar home.
Harley just let out a small huff of arrogance as he heard his colleagues comment. He has always been rather tidy and meticulous in how he kept his place. Everything had a specific place, and everything was always in its place. And if one of those things were moved without permission… Well, best leave that to the imagination. "Well, I like to keep my place as neat as possible..." He mumbled, his voice a little louder as he continued to coil his way further into the house, heading towards the living room while holding onto the walls for support. Once he reached the grey couch, Harley carefully pulled himself up on top of it, his scales glinting in the light above his living room as he took the moment to relax in the familiar space. “You can start by packing some of my things in my room if you want…” He gestured to his room without looking at the white door that lead to his bedroom.
Ainsley stared at him for a moment. ‘Must’ve changed his mind…’ She rationalised before she nodded. “Yeah, I can do that. But remember when I said I was on my last batch of black coffee? Well, if you have any coffee beans here it would save me a trip to the store”
Harley nodded immediately as he stretched himself out further. “Yes, I do have some, it’s in the kitchen, in the cupboard on the right above the stove” He said, gesturing to the kitchen, which was more spotless then the rest of the house, with his snake tail. To which Ainsley nodded, quickly ducked out of the house and unlocked her car, and several moments later, she came back in with some spare plastic shopping bags she kept in the trunk of her car. Dumping them in a nearby corner (earning a grimace from Harley), before grabbing one and heading into the kitchen.
Once she was out of sight, Harley grabbed one of the cushions on his couch and placed it behind his head as he relaxed further on the couch. He sighed, closing his eyes, he couldn’t believe this… A few days ago he could move around without issue and now he couldn’t and had to rely on someone for support. And now he had to lie back as one of his scientists was in his kitchen packing some of his stuff as he laid down on his couch, slightly worried he’d get in the way if he tried to assist her. This was his house, his space and his things, he shouldn’t have had to have someone-!
His irritated thoughts were cut off as Ainsley re-emerged from the kitchen, the plastic bag now holding his coffee beans and in her other hand was a simple coffee mug. "Okay Harley, I got your coffee grounds, even got you... Well, I don’t know if it’s your favourite but I got you the mug you seemed to drink out of the most when I'm around” She chuckled, moving to carefully place the coffee mug in the bag with the container of coffee beans and gently place it on the floor. “Again, I don't know if it’s your favourite you're something but hey, consider it my apology for staring at you before, yeah? Anyways, I'm planning to head to your room and getting you some of your shirts and what have you, but I may grab all of them, who knows? But do you want me to grab anything else? Some books or what have you?"
The brief moment that Harley’s eyes had lit up vanished when Ainsley stated what she was going to do next, and his expression turned slightly sour again. “Just… Grab everything from in the dresser and the closet, it will be easier that way…” He said quietly, the humiliation about his circumstances still nagging away at him.
Ainsley stared at him for a moment. “…Are you- Forget it, you’re not okay are-“
“I’m fine” Harley quickly replied in an irritated huff, his body tense. His wasn’t fine, far from it. He felt irritated, frustrated, humiliated, and vulnerable, in half of a body that wasn’t even mammalian below the waist, but reptilian. And why did it have to be a snake? Of all things it had to be a bloody snake… And this whole situation was starting to take its toll on him, but he wasn’t going to let her know that.
Ainsley quickly shut her jaw with an audible click. She knew that tone Harley was using all too well, and she knew better than to push the issue further. “O-Okay…” She relented reluctantly as she watched the Head of Special Projects look away with his snake tail whacking against the floorboards. “I’ll… Just go pack some of your clothes…” She told him softly, grabbing some plastic bags and heading down the hall to a nearby door to which she slipped inside.
Finally… A chance to breathe… And a chance too…
Ainsley just sighed. Not now, Harley was still outside up the hall, she didn’t want to risk him hearing her, sides, she still had work to do, walking over to the closet, she opened the door and began to carefully fold his upper clothing such as his shirts and coats and sticking them in the bags, more then once, her hand brushed against one of his leg wear and her gaze would fall to a pair of shoes he kept in there, and it made her heart ache, sure, she said she would find a way to reverse his transformation, and he had told the other scientists to, in his own words ‘see that a way to turn me back is found’, but what if it was permanent? What if he was stuck as some half man, half snake being forever? What if he eventually got treated like Matt-
She suddenly closed the closet door with a slam and sat on his bed, burying her face into her hands, no, don’t think about him or that, they could find a cure for him and Harley wouldn’t end up like Matthew or those other two boys, becoming another experiment for Playtime Co. to use and make unrecognisable… Sides, she had a chance to do what she couldn’t do with Matthew, spare her boss/occasional lover from a fate that wasn’t his! (Why did she get deja vu by thinking that?) Still… Matthew could’ve been in that spare room… The world could’ve gotten a chance to be shaped by a lovely man named Matthew Hallard-
“Are you alright?”
“Uh-? Oh-!” Ainsley jumped to her feet off the bed at the sound of Harley’s voice, calling back to him down the passageway, he must’ve heard the closet door slam and wondered what was wrong. “Y-Yeah Harley I’m fine! I just slammed the closest door a bit too hard! Anyways I got you your shirts and what have you! Do you want me to grab anything else or will you be fine getting them yourself?”
There was a pause before she heard Harley call back out to her. “…I can get some of my things myself thank you… But could you grab me some audio recorders from my study please? Along with anything else of note?” He asked her, to which Ainsley nodded, sure, in his state he couldn’t exactly move, but there was a chance he could learn to move on his own, which would be great if he could learn to move properly in his current state soon, she wanted him to still have some independence even in his new form.
“Yeah! I can do that! And you know where the empty bags are!” She called back to him, grabbing the bag filled with clothes as she took a moment to calm herself, she was only twenty-three when Matthew became Experiment 1322, she was only twenty-four now, besides, being in your early twenties was too young to have a child, wasn’t it? Even if that child was a 15 year old teenager, At least in her opinion, sides… There was always a chance Matthew could’ve… In the end, at least she made Playcare a bit more bearable for someone his age… Right? At least she liked to tell herself that. Still, she had to focus on the present. Help Harley out in any way she could, and once he was back to normal, they could go back to work on what was really important.
And she could make sure Matthew’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain, that was something she vowed on when he became part of Experiment 1322, Doey the Doughman. Though now that she thought about it… Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to grab some stuff from Harley’s bathroom for her to use while he was staying at her house…
She wasn’t fine. Harley could gather that much through the slight tiredness he heard in her voice when she answered him. But he decided to drop it for now, over the three years he had known Ainsley, she probably would’ve told him she was fine until she wasn’t. Still, he wasn’t the person who usually went around asking people he knew ‘are you alright?’ If he saw something was bothering them, and despite their… Intimate moments, he had never asked her that question before, it just slipped out, and despite the way she knew him on a deeper level then just coworkers, it probably also threw her for a loop.
Still… The fact he felt like asking…
He inhaled sharply, taking a moment to listen to Ainsley rummaging through his office to distract his mind as his hand drifted over the couch towards the empty bags Ainsley had left for him in arms reach, his eyes he had closed momentarily opening again as he looked at the handle of the bag as he inhaled again, this time letting out a deep sigh as he got off the couch and grabbed one of the bags in his hand. Once he was fully off the couch, he silently looked around the living room, contemplating which things he wanted to bring with him before his gaze settled on a nearby bookshelf across the room near the TV.
Better place than any… Besides, despite his current… Circumstances being almost out of a science fiction book, he could use some of his usual titles to read while he was staying with Ainsley.
Slowly, Harley coiled his way over to the bookshelf, being careful to not ‘trip’ on his tail on the way there. He silently began looking over the books on the shelf, his eyes scanning over the spines of the books, trying to figure out which ones to take with him. And as he did, his gaze settled on a book in particular and he paused, reaching out and pulling the book out as he read what was on the cover.
JURASSIC PARK
MICHEAL CRICHTON
The book didn’t belong to him surprisingly, well, that’s was stretch, he had the book under his possession here which he bought with his own money, but one look inside the inner cover confirmed it, this one belonged to Ainsley. Evident by the fact she had written her name in the inner cover. She probably left it here the last time she was here and he didn’t notice until now. It annoyed him, but at least she could have it back now…
He had only just seen the movie a few weeks ago, back when he was normal and his right hand, Bruno White dragged him out of the labs to ‘get some fresh air’, he didn’t like it as much as the novel, sure, it was fine, but the movie felt like, to him at least, it was filmed with a child audience in mind. Made sense, given how much the younger population was obsessed with the extinct reptiles, but it still irked him… Especially how they did Nedry’s death. (Or maybe he was just more fixed on the novel, yes, that was probably it).
Still… At least it got some parts right, but still, looking at the novel in his hand again, he was reminded of something that game warden character, Robert Muldoon was it? Had said.
‘They show extraordinary intelligence, even problem solving intelligence. Especially The Big One… That one, when she looks at you, you can see she’s working things out.’
That one quote reminded him of certain auburn haired biologist more than he cared to admit. Unlike the Velociraptor, Ainsley wasn’t… Cold and detached, he could tell she was capable of forming bonds, evident with Stella Greyber (Harley had a feeling they had known each other for a long time, but he didn’t pray), but there was… Something behind her eyes, something… Calculated, like she was studying the person she was speaking with, trying to figure them out. Over time, that look in her bright green irises faded but with some, it still remained, Eddie Ritterman being an example, If Harley had to guess on that one, it would be because since the Head of Research was a bit of a recluse, she was still figuring him out, still trying to see what made him tick.
And whether Eddie knew it or not, Harley didn’t know, but he did, and he found that intriguing.
And along with that, was the… Well, he wouldn’t say problem solving like The Big One in the film, with Ainsley it was more of… How to put it… ‘Ruthlessness’, that seemed to fit rather well, especially regarding a certain… Incident, where he happened to see a certain look on the auburn haired scientists face when she was just a simple research assistant when she- Oh never mind, he was here to pack his books, not compare his Colleague with Benefits with a fictional extinct reptile.
Still… Seeing that cruel, uncaring smirk and her bright green eyes being something colder, sharper, as she watched those two would be whistleblowers she tricked into entering Experiment 1222’s holding pen while it was inside be torn apart while she took notes with a calm hand on ‘Would adults wearing child themed onesies placate 1222, Mommy Long Legs in some capacity?’ Her own personal experiment she conducted without authorisation mind you.
He knew that grin he saw on her face over the security cameras well, he felt it on his own face with the successful creation of Experiment 1160, Boxy Boo, when he went to visit the first successful experiment for the first time. And despite the headaches she had already caused him, Harley could tell, Ainsley Blackwood was something else, something they couldn’t pass up or dispose.
Needless to say, Blackwood was only let off with a warning that day by him and Leith, and behind the Head of Innovation’s back, he made Ainsley the lead of the biology department in Special Projects despite her being in her early twenties at the time and only being around for a year that very same day despite Leith’s complaints and saying he should ‘promote someone more experienced’, but he quickly shut up, he and Ritterman both did when Dr. Ainsley Blackwood rose to the challenge like a duck to the water in a pond. And he didn’t regret it once.
Sure, he still found her annoying, stubborn and difficult, even more so since her promotion. But he never denied she was gifted and talented for her age, she was an asset to his team, a valuable one at that. And that wasn’t because they began bedding each other a year later when she was twenty-two after another one of their arguments, Ainsley was always good at her work, even before their little agreement to deal with the tension of a stressful day between them, but after that deal he couldn’t help but think she was not just intelligent but also…
NO, back on task Sawyer! Stop getting distracted! And with that, Harley began to put his books into the bag, including his and Ainsley’s copies of Jurassic Park and some other ones he wanted to take with him. Eventually, he stopped packing the bag and stared off into space for a few moments, trying to reign control of his thoughts for another moment before he took a deep breath, turned around and slithered back to the couch and pulled himself up onto it, and it was once he was on the piece of furniture and started to relax as much as he could in his current state he realised something.
Wait a minute…
He looked between the bookshelves and the couch briefly, there was nothing to provide him support to and the coffee table in the middle of the room wouldn’t have provided much use… He… He had gone over to the bookshelf to get those books without any problems… No stumbling, no falling flat on his face, nothing, and without help no less. He looked down at his snake torso for a moment as the realisation continued to sink in, the scales glinting in the artificial light as a small smile began to slowly take over his face.
Maybe even in this form, he could still manage himself to a degree, despite his lower torso being that of a serpents, maybe he could still work like in his current state despite it being so different from what he was used to, maybe he could still be the one paving the golden path after all. He just had to-
“Well, someone looks happy” His thoughts were cut abruptly short and he looked up to see Ainsley had once again entered the sitting room with another bag full of his belongings, this time instead of clothes, it was full of audio recorders and some of his stuff from his bathroom, shampoo, body wash and the like. Ainsley entered the room and carefully set the bag next to the one filled with his shirts and other upper clothing as she smirked at him. “What’s the occasion?”
“Oh, I was just noticing that I was able to move over to the bookshelf and back to the couch again without any problems..." Harley explained simply, his small smile widening slightly and he looked down at his snake half again before turning his gaze to her slightly surprised expression.
“Wait, what? You did?” She asked him, her voice sounding as genuinely surprised as it was written on her face. And that look made Harley let his smile evolve into a pleased smirk at both her tone of voice and her expression alone. “C-Can you show me…?” And from that disbelieving tone alone he was oh so willing to give her a demonstration.
“Why, of course” He answered, his voice oozing with confidence that hid the small bit of doubt he could actually do it a second time, but he steeled his resolve. He slowly got up off the couch, using his snake tail to help keep his balance, and then slowly started making his way over to the bookshelf once again as Ainsley now watched him closely, wide eyed, which was both not helping his slight nerves, and also boosting his ego as if he was showing her some new discovery he made with the human body.
Eventually, without using anything for support, Harley made his way to the bookshelf, and back towards the couch without falling flat on his face, though he did wobble around a lot much to his slight annoyance, but he found it not mattering as much to him as he turned his attention towards her again, trying not to look too pleased with himself. “See? I did it all on my own just fine” He stated, still trying to hide his growing satisfaction. He opened his mouth, preparing to speak again…
…Only for him to find himself being pulled into a bear hug and spun around the lounge room by a very happy Ainsley Blackwood. To which he let out a shout of surprise at. “AAAAAAAAA!! I’m so happy for you! I thought it would take longer for you to get used to moving around- AHH!” The auburn red head’s gushing was abruptly cut off as Ainsley lost her balance and they both unceremoniously fell onto the couch, Ainsley underneath Harley and the man on top of her as Ainsley sat up slightly underneath him. “Eh… Sorry Harley…” She muttered, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
Harley simply narrowed his eyes at her and huffed. “Warn me when you do something like that next time…” He huffed indigently, staring at her in slight irritation as he shifted his body off her slightly, to which he found he couldn’t as Ainsley still had her arms wrapped around him.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry! I'm just so happy!" She exclaimed, tightening her grip on him and hugging him again, to which Harley tried to pull away, not used to physical affection from someone (Unless you counted Ainsley, though you have to understand this was a sudden display of affection), but to no avail. "The fact that you were able to move across the room...! Without help! We might not be able to do as much practice with movement then we thought!" She exclaimed with joy, holding him close as she smiled, her bright green eyes glowing with joy.
Harley just let out a quiet sigh at this point and just gave up trying to get away from her. "Yes yes, I'm happy about it as well, but could you ease up on the physical contact a bit? You're squeezing me like a bloody boa-constrictor..." He said with slight annoyance in his voice as he squirmed in her grip a bit.
"Heh, says you at the moment"
Dammit, walked right into that one.
Harley just grumbled to himself quietly and just looked away from her, trying to ignore the slight heat he felt in his cheeks as she looked at him. "Shut up..." He said indignantly, still trying to keep his composure and contain his feelings of embarrassment and flustered emotions.
Maybe he shouldn’t have told her right away, then he wouldn’t have to deal with this undignified display of affection in his own home and being forced to deal with his newfound colour in his cheeks…