Thursday, April 9/09
Who: Harlow and Fox What: Breakfast Where: Fox's room When: Morning
Harlow made her way up from the cafeteria to her brother’s room. She had spent twenty minutes in there trying to figure out what Fox would want to have and then just rolled her eyes at herself and thought about him and what he would buy. It didn’t always work like that but with Fox it usually worked well, probably because they were siblings and he didn’t know she was doing it.
So she knocked on his door, armed with extra large coffees, his exactly the way he liked it, hers loaded with flavoured creamer and sugar. And a bag with his favourite breakfasty foods from the cafeteria, or at least she hoped he liked them. Harlow had to knock with her foot a couple of times as she waited for her brother.
Fox was dead to the world, sprawled out on his bed, one foot peeking out from the covers that were bunched around his hips. He groaned, hearing an obnoxious banging in his dream. Finally, it dawned on him that it wasn't part of the dream, so he woke up. "Whaddya want?" Since his face was buried in a pillow the sound didn't travel far.
Climbing off the bed, he wrapped the sheet around his hips, stumbling to the door and flinging it open. "Better be a good reason for this," he grumbled. His nose twitched and eyes opened a bit more. "Coffee? Gimmie." And so it was that the disturbance of his sleep was somewhat forgiven.
Harlow grinned when Fox opened the door, he was hilarious when you woke him up apparently. She let him have his coffee and then waltzed into the room, shutting the door behind her. Harlow wasn’t really a morning person she was just awake but she wasn’t usually happy about it. But ever since she got to TJS she kept getting flashes of people who walked past her door or were just in the vicinity and it kept her awake. Not to mention she hadn’t slept well since her mother passed away.
The little blonde sat herself down on the end of Fox’s bed and started to open the bag, pulling out one of the doughnuts she had in there and watched him for a moment. “So…sleep good?” She asked as she bit her lip to keep from smiling knowing it would get a sarcastic remark.
Fox sipped the coffee, shuting the door and leaning against it for a bit. "I did. Until about two minutes ago when some underage blonde decided to pound wood." Satisfied with the coffee for the moment, he shuffled back over to the bed, unsuccessful in stifling his yawn.
Harlow rolled her eyes at him and licked sugar off her fingers. “Why do you always make everything sound so dirty? It’s like a talent with you.” She wasn’t actually annoyed by it, it amused her. There really wasn’t a lot Fox could do to make her not like him, he seemed decent and unless he turned into a raging asshole she was pretty happy being his little sister.
Fox shrugged. "It's a learned skill." Sitting, he nodded at the bag. "Whatcha hiding?" He sipped more of his coffee, liking that she'd kept it black for him.
“Apparently so.” She said as she took a sip of her coffee and then grinned at him. “I’m not hiding anything nosey, go ahead dig in.” Harlow told him as she set the bag closer to him. She crossed her legs under herself and watched him for a moment. She never had any guys in her life, any man her mother dated she hid from Harlow, the last man in her life was her grandfather and he died when she was ten.
Fox snatched the bag from her and peeked inside. "Yum." He pulled out a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and left the doughnut in there for next. Setting the coffee on the nightstand, he upwrapped the impromptu breakfast. "Thanks."
“You’re welcome. My Nana always told me, if you’re going to go wake a man up you better have coffee and food for him…it’s safer that way.” Harlow smiled and then shrugged. “My Papa was a bit of a grump in the mornings.” She finished off her doughnut and then pondered the virtues of eating the other one she bought for herself. Harlow didn’t eat food with value, she had no adults to tell her what to do so sugar and fat was all she ate.
Seeing Harlow was done with her doughnut, Fox reached into the bag and pulled out the lone fruit cup. "Eat this." They may not have talked much, but he was keeping an eye on her to feel her out. "Binge on sugar later," he said so she didn't think he was trying to tell her what to do. Sipping his coffee, he went back to work on the biscuit.
Harlow frowned at him and poked the cup with her finger. “Why?” She asked with suspicion. “I got that for you.” She said as she took another sip of her sugar filled coffee. “You like that stuff.” Harlow said as she leaned against the wall, stretching her legs out in front of her.
Fox shrugged and set it in her lap. "Because all you've been eating is sugar and you're gonna crash." He didn't feel like taking care of her, so she'd better do it herself.
Harlow looked at him for a second and then smirked as she opened it. “You care about me.” She said as she ate a grape and then scooted a bit closer to him.
Fox rolled his eyes, finishing his biscuit and licking the grease from his fingers. "What the hell gives you that idea? Maybe I just want the sugar for myself." To prove his point, he grabbed the chocolate covered custard doughnut and took a bite. "Yum."
“You are a terrible liar.” She said simply as she ate a piece of pineapple and then started poking around in the fruit looking for something she wanted to eat. “This would be much better with like whipped cream on it.” Harlow looked at him when he bit into the doughnut and smiled. “Sugar junkie.”
"Yup. I totally am. No white stuff for you." Fox licked his fingers, taking another bite of the doughnut and washing it down with coffee.
“Again, dirty.” Harlow said as she pulled out a blueberry and ate it. She looked at Fox seriously for a moment and then took a sip of her coffee. “So I have to ask you a question and you’re probably gonna get all annoyed but I need to know the answer.” She said as she set the fruit cup aside.
Fox set the coffee aside, having the feeling that something that hot in his hands would not be good when she asked him questions. "You can ask. Doesn't mean I'll answer."
Harlow frowned at her coffee and then nodded. “Fair enough, I’d answer the same way. Okay, I don’t believe it, but I need a definite answer from you so I can tell people to shut the fuck up. Are you fucking some rich guy, so that he buys you shit?”
Yeah, it was a good thing Fox wasn't holding his coffee. Given the way his hands clenched into fists, he would've had hot coffee all over his lap. Fox shoved to his feet. "I've never fucked a guy and every damned thing I have I earned on my own." It was the only answer she was getting. Angry, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt from his dresser, stalking to the bathroom to take a shower.
Harlow’s eyes widened at his reaction and then she frowned once he went into the bathroom. She knew better but to be able to tell the people perpetuating the rumor to shut the fuck up with confidence would be helpful. Harlow got up and took the food off of Fox’s bed and straightened it up, making the bed and then sitting on it again as she continued to drink her coffee, waiting for her brother.
Fox dropped the sheet onto the bathroom floor and stepped under the spray. Part of him knew he shouldn't be angry at her. She was just asking. But dammit! Why did everyone have to believe the same fucking rumors? He couldn't just be an average guy, could he?
Harlow chewed on her lip and pulled out her phone, playing a game as she waited every so patiently hopped up on caffeine and sugar.
Seven minutes later, Fox dragged himself out of the bathroom, clean dry and dressed. The sheet he tossed to the hamper. It probably needed to get washed anyways. He walked back over to his coffee, drinking what was left.
She looked at him when he came out and sat up straighter. “I’m sorry I asked you that. But I’m glad that I was right.” Harlow finished her coffee and bounced slightly on his bed, trying to not be annoying because it was obvious Fox wasn’t in a good mood.
"Whatever." Fox tossed the cup into the trash, no longer hungry or good company. "You're free to believe what you want. Same as everyone else around here."
Harlow narrowed her eyes at him and stood on the bed so she was more level with him. “Fuck you Fox, don’t you fucking try to brush me off. I told those morons you weren’t like that, that you didn’t fuck guys or have a fucking sugar daddy. I make up my own mind about shit, but I needed to hear you say it so that I knew without a doubt it wasn’t true for the next douchebag who tried to tell me shit about my brother.”
Fox snorted. "They're always going to tell you shit. Gets to the point where some of it's actually believable." Like how some people were claiming he fucked them when he hadn't even seen them before. Hell, next he'd be fucking underage boys and girls by rumor's standards.
“Probably, because they can’t fucking help themselves and they need to start shit.” She looked at him for a minute and then shook her head. “Im sure it’s not believable and even if it sounds it, I will still ask you before I believe it.”
Fox blinked, finally turning to face her. "You don't know me well enough to know what's believable and what's not. So why give me the benefit of the doubt?" Maybe he should ask Cassie or Kate to do some recon on Harlow. Feel her out. She was too damned nice to last long around here.
“No I don’t know that well, but I do know saying because you’re my big brother won’t get me anywhere either. However my gut tells me you are a good guy and anyone who could overcome Chase Wiley and still be a good guy deserves benefit of the doubt in my book.” She said with a nod before dropping down on the bed to dig in the bag for her other doughnut.
Fox grabbed the bag from her to steal the doughnut. "Nope. Mine." He didn't really know what to say to her. Cassie was definitely going to have to talk to her for him.
“Hey! No way that doughnut is so mine!” Harlow jumped up and tried to grab the bag but honestly Fox was almost a foot taller than her, there was no way she was going to reach it. “Dick.” She frowned at him eventhough she still tried to jump for it.
Fox smirked. "Now you're catching on." He held the bag above her head, laughing as she jumped for it. This wasn't much different than teasing any of his friends. It was kind of fun.
Harlow glared at him and then punched him in the armpit so he would hopefully drop the bag. She knew she couldn’t hurt him that much, even though she was pretty sure Fox would milk it for all it was worth.
"Ow!" Fox laughed, the bag dropping a couple inches. "Little bitch," he teased. He opened the bag, reaching in for the doughnut and bringing it out. "Oo! Sprinkles!"
Harlow tried not to laugh and grabbed for the bag. “Hey those are my sprinkles douche!” She stopped jumping and crossed her arms over her chest. “Apparently you take on the role of asshat big brother really well.” She said flatly, still trying not to smile.
"Don't know a damned thing about being a brother," he shrugged. "You just as easy to pick on as Cassie."
“Well I feel sorry for Cassie.” She said with a laugh as she stuck out her tongue at him and then pouted at him. “Please…I’m hungry and that is my food.” Harlow had moment where she hated being little and this was one of them.
"Then finish the fruit," Fox smiled. Oh fuck, there came the big brown puppy eyes. That with the pig tails? Ugh. Little bitch. Fox rolled his eyes and lowered his arm, passing over the doughnut.
Harlow was going to tell him what he could do with his fruit when he gave her the doughnut. She squeaked and then threw her arms around his neck, after taking the pastry of course and kissed his cheek. “You’re awesome.” She said before letting go and falling back onto the bed to eat it.
Fox dropped back on the bed, licking his fingers of sugar and picking up the fruit. He popped the lid off and started with the cantaloupe. Gross. Never good out of season.
“See fruit isn’t worth it.” Harlow said as she took a bite of the doughnut. “I only like pineapples, berries and those little oranges.”
"It's good when it's in season. This?" Fox held up one of the little peach rocks that dared to call itself fruit. "This is not." He tossed it into the garbage, going for the honeydew instead.
Harlow watched him and then licked the sugar off her fingers. “Why do you call yourself Fox?” She had no idea and figured it was something she should know.
He shrugged. The full story was something he shared with people he trusted, and he didn't know Harlow well enough for that. "It's just a nickname."
Harlow frowned slightly, feeling it wasn’t the full truth but just shrugged. “okay.” She said as she pulled her knees up to her chest so she could get more comfortable.
Fox leaned back against the wall, taking a break. Apparently, she was intending to stay for awhile. "Don't you have class or something this morning?"
Harlow smiled at him and then shrugged. "You trying to get rid of me big brother?"
Fox winced at the term. "Don't call me that," he said gently. He wasn't used to the idea yet and wasn't sure he was going to be.
Harlow blinked and then nodded. "yeah sorry." She got up and collected her bag. "You're right I have class." she had no idea if she did or not but suddenly she needed to not be there.
"Harlow," Fox reached for her hand, holding her. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to this. I've told you that before."
"I know I know, I just...ugh ignore me when I do this okay." She smiled and then just shrugged. "I probably am missing class though."
Fox nodded. "Go to class. I'll see you around." She was under 18 and needed the credits that being here would get her. And Fox needed some time to himself to think.
"Okay..." she said softly as she threw her bag over her shoulder and then made her way out of his room. "later." She said before going out of the dorms and the exact opposite way to class.