2019-09-18 - Catching Fireflies

It's been a bit since the first-date-turned-all-out-war, but Harvey's kept in touch with intermittent 3am texts. That's how this little walk through the forest gets set-up, a random invitation sent out at 3:21 in the morning two days prior. They agreed to meet sometime just before sunset, where they'd have enough light to walk around in and not get lost, but Harvey's been making vague references about how the forest gets better at night. At least it was a pleasant walk thus far! No Waffle Sergeants with butter-pad hats, no giant forks or pancakes running at them. This was just a regular ol' forest, with two irregular people, chit-chatting about life. They've gotten through your standard date conversation - what's your favorite color (Harvey's is red), where do you see yourself in five years (winning a Pulitzer), that sort of stuff.

And now darkness was creeping. They were closer to the edge of the forest, where the trees were thinner, but far enough away that the city lights wouldn't obstruct the magnificence that was about to happen. He stops them off the path, in front of a massive tree, shifting the satchel that he's been lugging around about. "Okay, you ready for this?" He looks to her, brows climbing, a big chesire grin on his face, as he pulls out a couple of empty mason jars from within. In the woods beyond, the first few faint flickering yellow lights of fireflies begin to alight, appearing and disappearing in the air like will o' wisps. That's right, they were gonna catch themselves some fireflies yo.

Hailey likes going on walks in forests, so this was an easy sell. It's better when these walks don't intersect with some sort of breakfast food culture-war, which is a thought she cheerfully shared at the outset of this stroll, along with favorite color (doesn't have one, likes all colors equally, way to be racist, Harvey) and five-year-plan (asleep). Also some helpful things, like this is poison oak, don't touch (and definitely don't pretend a stick covered in it is a sword and carry it around with you for like a week).

So now she's stopped, and occupies herself during this pause by braiding long strings of grass acquired from somewhere, since apparently just doing nothing is too hard. "The degree to which I am ready for this is off the charts," she agrees with a serious nod, throwing the braided grass because she wasn't doing anything, just paying attention so as to be properly floored. Which actually she kind of might be, now that she's caught up to the master plan, based on the slow brightening of her smile with the pinpricks of light over yonder. Duly marveling/charmed, she admits, "I have never seen actual lightning bugs before. They look eerie." She wants a jar, put it in the hand she's holding out to Harvey, please.

Harvey doesn't have any really helpful information - he wouldn't know which trees were poison oak even if they smacked him on the dick and gave him crotch-itch for a month - and the information he did have was pretty inappropriate for date-like activities. Like, oh, over there is where they found some dead bodies, and further down there was a scary house that might have eaten a kid? And of course there's the sawmill and all the bodies that were ripped to pieces. Yes, yes, he'll just keep that to himself, and look eager and interested when she talks about trees he shouldn't touch or make swords with.

But now they're stopped and her slowly brightening smile was captivating - he shouldn't be staring, but some things can't be helped. Hopefully for him, she's too distracted by the glowing butts of the fireflies to notice, and he gets it together in a second, chuckling as he plunks one of the mason jars in her hands. "You've never seen fireflies before?" he sounds skeptical, but also delighted. "Just wait until it gets a little darker. The whole forest lights up. Makes you forget about all the scary stories you hear about this place. I take Harvey on walks down here sometimes."

If Hailey notices the captivation, she pretends not to. That seems fair, since she's been watching dimples-and-other-parts of Harvey pretty consistently. So it's, "Thank you," for the jar with a beam at him. "I've never lived where they do before," is her shrugged defense for having lived a firefly-less life to date. Before she goes tramping through the underbrush, some of which is definitely poison oak, she pauses with a slowly dawning realization: "I think that counts as a thing we have in common, then. Right? Ahm, taking Harvey on walks sometimes?"

She just entertained herself immensely and so now starts stalking incandescent insects. What she doesn't know and is going to learn the hard way is that fireflies are SUPER EASY to see for half a second at a time, when they glow, and the rest of the time... So this should keep her occupied for a while, at least.

Do you want dimples, Hailey?! 'cuz making jokes like that is exactly how you get 'em. There's a big, deep belly-laugh that comes out of Harvey as he dives headlong into the underbrush behind her, his grin stretching from ear-to-ear and putting those pretty dimples on full display. "Next time, I'll bring him along. And then you can be a Hailey walking Harvey who's walking Harvey; that won't be a confusing thing to tell people at all," he jokes.

The woods open up to a very small clearing up ahead, enough room where they won't be smacking into trees while attempting to snatch the tiny glowing bugs. "In San Fran, we had fireflies but they didn't flash. But when I was a kid, my dad took me to some weird little town in Pennsylvania one summer and I stayed with some friends of his. We caught fireflies every night," he tells her as he unscrews the lid from the jar. "We'd squish the light-up parts and smear the glow on their hands. I feel bad about it now, but when you're that young? You don't realize what you're doing."

"Isn't that the entire plot of Inception?" Hailey pauses to think about that for a second, eyes narrowing thoughtfully, but then fireflies do things so she gets back to the business of catching them.

The story about bug-guts isn't all that charming, honestly, so it earns him a side-eye. "Ew. We're definitely not squishing bugs. Or. I'm not, anyway. I guess you can if you want, but this is me hoping you've outgrown bug-squishing." Makes a face, shakes her head, unscrews her jar, pockets the lid. "Right, then. Since you've got experience in this field, Mister O'Donnell," she looks expectantly between Harvey and the quick trails of flashing bugs that are just trying to get laid.

"Don't jinx us. We'll end up getting pulled into some kinda nightmare and I'll turn into a spinning top and we'll never figure out if the end was a dream or reality," Harvey sighs dramatically, then flashes her another dimpled grin, clearly trying to dig his way out of his utterly uncharming story with how pretty he is. "Hey, we all do stupid shit when we're kids. I got over the bug-squishing real fast. Then I spent a solid two weeks believing I was a wolf cub abandoned in the big city. I was seven," his grin goes lopsided as he watches her, eyes bright in the darkness. "I got over that, too, though I will say that I have an exceptionally realistic wolf howl." That he's not going to prove to her now, on account of all that side-eyeing.

But yes, fireflies. Right. "Allow me to show you how it's done, Miss Stevenson," he doesn't want to disappoint. So let's see how he does..

"So you just hold the jar out, and.." Harvey begins to demonstrate, clutching the open mason jar in his hand. He takes a step forward into the cloud of little glowing lightning bugs that separates the two of them, sweeping the jar elegantly through the air - or what would be elegant, if he didn't trip in the process, sending him stumbling forward and towards Hailey. Hopefully she's quicker than he is, else they are gonna end up on the ground.

Just so he doesn't feel terrible about being a stupid, bug-squishing child, Hailey shares cheerfully, "When I was seven, I put pool floaties on my feet and tried to walk across a pond." She smiles brightly to conclude, "It didn't work." Much like how Harvey's attempts to catch fireflies didn't work, probably with about the same results: someone fell down and got hurt. The only lingering question is whether or not she's going down with him. (Change one preposition in that sentence and the whole meaning skews...)

Hailey brought her A-game on this here walk in the forest. She sees that fall coming well in advance, giving her ample time to shore up her defenses, brace her weight on her back foot, hold the glass jar way out to the side, and scoop an arm around Harvey's waist before he hits the dirt. "Just hold the jar out and fall over?" she finishes cheerfully, after an 'oof' for having to absorb the shock of his off-balance weight, here. "You're really good at this!" Okay, yes, there are some stars in her eyes (or fireflies or whatever) for being all close to Harvey, but also the incompetence is darling.

She's gonna be easy AF, apparently.

Usually, this whole thing is turned around. She trips/swoons/whatever, he catches her in his arms, and it's all very misogynistic appropriately romantic. But apparently catching fireflies once twenty-five years ago does not an expert make, and he's saved from falling flat on his face by her epic athletic prowess. "Oof!" he grunts as he slams into her arm, flailing unsteadily until he finds some kind of semblance of balance there. His jar is most definitely empty, but maybe he can recover from this!

"I didn't catch any fireflies," he states the obvious once he's caught his breath, staying close and looking down at all those stars in her eyes. Don't worry, he's gonna put an arm around her waist, too, so that he can catch her after she swoons from his follow-up: "But it looks like I caught something way better."

Hailey puts her wrist to her forehead and faints.

Okay, no. That doesn't happen.

Instead, he says something awesome and makes her bite her lip for a solid three seconds. Quickly, "Before this becomes a semantic argument about who caught whom - " She'll just curse the fact that she's still holding onto a empty mason jar so can't catch the front of his shirt, but whatever. It's a minor hitch to a lovely moment, 'cause she kisses him then. Or they kiss each other, as is more likely. The point is: kissing happens. Amid the fireflies (and the haunted-ass forest).

Their lips meet and like an army of sentient pancakes bursts out of the woods and eat them for breakfast!!

Okay, so no, none of that happens either.

This was definitely going to be a 'Hans shot first' sort of moment, because he was totally leaning in to kiss her when she leans up to kiss him. Either way, kissing does indeed happen. It's not exactly a chaste sort of liplock, but while he tips his head to fit his lips comfortably to her own, he doesn't press for a full on make-out here among the fireflies and potential murder trees. Instead, he just lingers for a turn or two, and then parts with a light laugh, giving her hip a squeeze. "Yeah," he nods to himself, "Definitely better than a firefly." There's those dimples again.

Not the charmingest thing ever said in the immediate aftermath of what has to go down as one of the best-orchestrated first kisses of all time, but Hailey says around a sliiiightly shaky exhale, "Should I be worried about getting squished and smeared all over?" Getting her wobbly knees back under her now, she pulls a quick face. "Or that you're about to run off into the woods, howling like a wolf?" Just based on how keen she looks for a second, she might kinda be hoping that actually happens.

Barring that eventuality, she gives Harvey one last smoosh before stepping back and trying to find something to put in her jar, here. "Serious business now."

"I'm pretty sure I just tried to squish and smear you all over and you put a stop to that," Harvey remarks with a cheeky grin, "And I'll have you know, I don't break out the wolf howling until at least the fourth date. I have respect for myself!" His eyes are brighter as he leans into her to give her a quick smooch while she gives him a smoosh, then rights himself and clears his throat. He pulls his own empty mason jar back to his chest, peering down at her own critically.

"Maybe if we work together..?" Here, he'll just put his own jar somewhere over there~ and free up his hands while he steps in behind her. His fingers smooth a touch down along her arm, from elbow to wrist, looping his fingers around after. Yes, it means he has to be real close against her back, but that's just the price he's gonna have to pay if he intends on catching these fireflies srsly. "Serious business," he agrees, making sure that his lips were right there against her ear in case she couldn't hear him properly otherwise. "Ready?"

Very briefly, with a brow-knit, Hailey shares, "I don't know what date-number this is?" She rolls the fingers of her empty hand out - one, two, three...? Sorry, says the shrug that ends her efforts to count them. But serious business.

While he's talking about working together, she's intensely stalking a bug. "Like, you herd them into the jar and I catch them or - oh! The opposite of that." Not that it's a complaint, mind; she's much happier with Harvey's method than her own, evidenced by the fact that she stops stalking that one particular insect. And all the insects, actually, leaning into him for a good three seconds during which it's enough to remember how to breathe. But serious business, woman!

(i hope she crushes this)

(damn)

"I get the feeling they don't like the jar." Just holding it out there and hoping they fly in isn't working. 🙁

"Two. Not that I'm counting or anything," Harvey comes back easily like the smitten kitten wolf pup that he is. It's probably a safe bet to assume that he was no longer pursuing (read: stalking) her just for mystery asylum information - and probably hasn't been for a bit now. "If we make it to four? You're in for a treat."

But right now there is serious business to be had, and dammit woman! He was trying to help sweep her arm through the air and catch some bugs while she goes and leans into him and distracts him, terrible. "Maybe we're not very good at this," he replies, and then shakes his head. "No, no. We got this!" he sets his jaw, determined, and sets his eyes on one particular glowy-butted insect.

Needless to say, they don't got this.

With a clear of her throat, Hailey posits, "Four, huh? At the rate we're going, that should be right around... Halloween?" She dithers a moment before committing to that timeline with a nod. Also, "Did you know four is considered a deficient number?" Which doesn't mean what it sounds like, but betting on the likelihood that Harvey doesn't know that... "So what if we make it to three instead?" What she doesn't have on her sheet is haggling, so just smelling good and sticking close will have to do for negotiating tactics.

Another failed attempt to put a bug in a jar - though at least this time, they manage to not only not fall over but to actually get one of the bugs to light briefly on Harvey's sleeve before it's like 'lol psych!' and flies away. "If you think about it. Really. Failing at this is just us being respectful of the bugs' wishes to not get trapped. Soooo, for being really bad at it, we're actually much better people." Read: lets stop before someone gets hurt

To her point about them not achieving their fourth date until Halloween, Harvey only has this to say: "Hey, yanno, some things are worth waiting around for," which would probably sound a lot like the Stalker Motto or something if it wasn't spoken with his lips against her ear. The whole thing about deficient numbers makes his brows climb, but she does smell really good, and she's leaning just right, so.. "Okay, you got a deal. You know, they say third time's the charm," which has nothing to do with anything except he wanted to say something catchy about numbers too.

But since they aren't catching fireflies anytime soon, he drops his hand from hers to snag her about the hips and turn her into him, so that he can show her that big ol' darling dimpled grin of his. "Good point," he agrees to all those things she was saying but he's concentrating rather intently on those pretty eyes of hers, turning his head down so that he can nudge her nose with his own. He was totally going to kiss her again. But wait! A miracle happens!

'Cause just before his lips land on her own, something a'glow catches the corner of his eye. He releases her to reach up, swiping the backs of his fingers across her cheek before he catches a firefly that was about to land there. "I got one!" he declares, all of a sudden very excited, eyes flaring open wide like a kid on Christmas day. "Quick, the jar!"

Hailey probably had all kinds of things to say and do up to the point that he got one! But all those things immediately become irrelevant - like how she was all happy to be about to be kissed again, and how she was taken with the simple act of running her thumb along his chin and jaw... "Oh goodness, well! Don't squash it, please!" Because if catching a bug kills a moment, then squashing one would be pissing on the dead moment's grave.

Was she holding the jar this whole time? She's surprised to realize this, having stepped back to cast around on the ground for a moment before looking in at her hand like 'omg neat!' She could just hand him the jar, but instead... she chews on the corner of her mouth while she aligns the opening with his fist, holding onto his wrist this time so it all lines up properly and - "We did a thing!"

The lid is in her pocket, so hopefully Harvey has the presence of mind to keep his palm over the top of the jar, or the thing they did will escape immediately.

They did a thing! THEY DID A THING! Harvey's smile brightens, broadens, when she lays her hand over his wrist to hold his fist above the jar, the firefly neatly deposited within. "I can't believe it," he really can't, but in spite of that, he's got enough wits to keep his palm over the open top while the firefly floats inside, its butt-light turning off and on intermittently.

But this was an exciting moment! THEY DID A THING! So please forgive him in this moment of enthusiasm for suddenly planting his lips on her own. It's a big kiss, it's an eager kiss, one born right out of this momentous delight. He deserves it, really, considering all of those terrible rolls earlier.

Since she doesn't have a jar in her hand this time (yay), Hailey will totally take a handful of the front of his shirt now, pulling on it to make sure that kiss is properly good. And then flattening her hand against it to make sure that properly good kiss gets finished, "Before that becomes a totally different thing." Her small laugh is appropriately breathless when she takes a half-step back, distance being a necessary thing.

She smooths his shirt for him, since she messed it up, then taps her fingernail on the side of the jar o' firefly. "That said, if we catch another, we should celebrate again." So she's going to try, gosh darnit!

Ahem.

She pretty much immediately cups one in her hands. Wait, that's two with one swipe! She looks studiously at the jar and not Harvey, so as to pretend she's not gloating at how much more awesome she is than he is.

Harvey can't help but grin wide against her lips as she grabs a fistful of his shirt and pulls him in real good, his eyes closing as he leans in to her. And honestly he was going to completely forget about the firefly in this here jar in favor of grabbing her, too, so it's a good thing that she takes that step back when she does, regardless of how flustered Harvey looks when it's over. "Yeahyeah, right," he mumbles something under his breath about how something's totally become a thing, rabble rabble. And then she has to go and immediately scoop two fireflies up into her hand and prove to him what a little bitch he is when it comes to catching fireflies.

But he's not jealous or bitter about it, no siree bob! Mostly because she promised celebration and he has found himself desperately wanting to go back to what they were doing five seconds ago. So there's a: "Whoa! You didn't tell me you were a secret ninja!" followed by a subtly breathless chuckle. "Quick, in the jar! Don't let the other one escape," he bumps his hand against her own, and he might not be quick enough to crush fireflies, but he's at least decently reflexive enough to move his hand from the jar and quickly press her own hand down over the top.

"Beginner's luck?" (Working dice.)

Three jarred fireflies bounce around for a while, 'cause kissing of the sort that leaves a person (specifically Hailey) out of breath and somehow mussed. Weird how that happens. She even puts the lid on the jar and sets it down somewhere for a while, preoccupied. By the time this adventure runs its course, they manage to up the count to a whopping five fireflies, which Hailey releases about the time all the other bugs have started dimming for the night, blowing into the jar till they buzz off.

Then it's a really dark walk back to vehicles, hands held, more kisses exchanged, and a final, "Goodnight, Harvey." With a stupidly smitten smile at him. "I hope you have really good dreams." Lower case d.

She'll have her own really good dreams about catching some uppercase D soon if you know what i mean