#ivarper

(Not like she'd had it much before. Harry never cared for her inventions. He never cared to listen or come home when Harper knew he should have, and he'd never even had the decency to return not smelling of alcohol. She's ashamed to have even connected him with the idea of family. Yet, who else was there to think about, faced with nothing but the cruel sands of the mesa and your own monsters? Thinking of the other Old Builders felt no better.)

She and Ivor, they fit like faded puzzle pieces. It was practically the same story for both of them; Good intentions, the creation of a monster, the deaths of hundreds- then getting their asses saved by Jesse. Ivor is as cruel to himself as the rest of the people of this world are to him. Harper had tried to stay in Crown Mesa to fix her mistakes, but fled by threat of execution. There was no fixing the dead. Now they're here, two cats with different coats, hiding their shame.

Yet, for some reason, Ivor can't see her for her wrong doings. Or perhaps he looks past them. Even from the moment he'd ended up trapped with her in Crown Mesa, all he had shown was admiration and affection for her. Harper doesn't know why. She may never know why. All she knows is that he loves her, and for the same odd reason, and with the same ability to see past what he's done, she loves him back.

And as Jesse had cared for Ivor upon his arrival, Ivor then cared for Harper. Who, of which, received a much more positive welcome. Make sure she gets cleaned up, settled in, make sure she doesn't die of malnutrition. Good God, she's skinny.

Ivor, of all people, is someone who's more than qualified to help this sort of issue. He's not only a medic, but someone who… to put it lightly, can, has, and /will/ find himself putting on more than enough extra pounds in the colder months. He knows how to eat, and he most certainly knows how to make sure someone else is getting fed right. Especially someone of Harper's condition.

It's not like Harper is complaining about either one of those things. She's been through far too much to judge someone for their size, and cuddling sessions with him have ended up with Harper just about melting into Ivor's soft warmth. She appreciates all the help she can get regarding meals as well. Forgetting to eat after having so little for so long is easy. The calorie counts for her here are much better than they were in the mesa, but sometimes it's hard to keep up.

But now, little more than a year after she's been staying in the temple, Ivor doesn't seem to stop worrying about her well being. Nor does he want to stop spoiling her. He's the gift that just keeps on giving, much of what he gives consisting of affection and carefully prepared meals usually followed by plenty of dessert.

(He loves the sweets himself, but he knows Harper does too. Sugar was hard for her to handle for a few months; now that she can eat it, he's damn well going to make sure she gets to enjoy it as much as possible.)

Today, Harper finds that the problem of her eating too little is long gone. Or, more specifically, the problem has been flipped on its head. The sweater ivor gave to her last year- that had been quite baggy at the time -is now snug over her frame. The seams at the shoulders threaten to rip when she stretches, and the midsection of the garment makes her stomach more than obvious, but she keeps it on regardless. She has plenty more to wear, and another can always be stolen from Ivor.

As she makes her way to the kitchen for breakfast, the early morning light is gray and dim through the windows. She's the only one awake now, perhaps until Ivor realizes she's gone and gets lonely.

Harper cracks two eggs, letting the insides slip into the skillet and sizzle on the hot metal. As she stirs the eggs with a fork, the thoughts stir in her mind.

Ivor's rubbed off on her. A portion of it being his eating habits- but maybe that's not a problem so much as it is the damaged clothes that come with it. While Ivor has trouble even stepping outside the temple without constant ridicule, Harper has a clean slate in this world. Very few even bat an eye at her in the markets, and no one but a madman is going to yell obscenities at a stranger for their weight. Not to mention she feels perfectly healthy, perhaps more so.

Harper decides that, although unintentional, she'd much rather be soft, comfortable, and happy than much else at the moment. If it isn't broken, don't fix it. It's an added bonus that it seems Ivor can't get enough of it.

She goes rigid at the sudden presence behind her, but relaxes as Ivor's chin rests on her shoulder and his arms wrap around her belly. He seemed to be in agreement, then.

"Can't go anywhere without me, can't you?" Her words are as soft as the smile gracing her lips. She doesn't have to look to know of the dumb smile on his own face.

"Well, how can I resist going with someone so enamouring?" He moves a hand to her side in a gentle, brisk motion. "And what are we up to here, Breakfast? That's nowhere near enough for you." Ivor breaks away, reaching for the egg carton on the counter. "Let's fix that."