Harlivy One Shots

you're pulling away

Upon the Bat Family disbanding, there was a silver lining for Harley - the chance to live together with Ivy again for the first time in their weeks of separation. However, the excitement of moving back in with Ivy was much deeper than being around each other or reviving their sex lives, though, that was a huge plus; it could bridge the growing gap between them that concerned Harley. 

They were on two different paths of life now, Ivy being the girl boss of villainy as the CEO of the Legion of Doom and Harley devoted to heroism, tasked with the duty of stopping Gotham's villains at any cost. They knew beforehand that it would be difficult, but never in a million years would Harley have ever thought that they would be led this far astray. Their individual responsibilities kept them occupied enough so that times in which they would see each other were few and far between. Though, whenever given the opportunity, it would always be Harley reaching out, calling, attempting to make plans, and even showing up at Ivy's work. Despite Harley's best efforts, Ivy would always be in the middle of a more pressing matter, often declining calls or cancelling plans. To Harley, this was worrying; she felt as if she was being ignored or worse, that Ivy didn't love her anymore. But dragging herself back fully into her life by moving back in, this, in her eyes, was the solution. Ivy couldn't ignore her if she was there, and Harley would once again be sure that their relationship was as strong as ever. 

As days turned into a week back in the old apartment, Harley's initial optimism began to be overwhelmed with unease. Despite the close physical proximity, Ivy still felt emotionally miles away. It was small things at first: missed calls and small arguments, but it grew to bigger things: acting differently,  always being gone,  and seemingly blatantly ignoring her presence. And although they were intimate with each other, it wasn't the same as before, these times being meaningless and less passionate. Ivy was unbothered, unnoticing of her actions. Harley on the other hand was an insecure mess, obsessing over every interaction and dissecting them to pieces in an attempt to see where she went wrong, where she failed to earn the right to be loved as she felt she had for years with her former partner. 

A week since the move in, a week since she was sure that everything would turn out to be okay, Harley was curled up on the couch, sobbing into one of the plant themed throw pillows. When Ivy came through the door, she was going to take care of business as usual, but the sound of cries echoed throughout the room were loud enough that they deemed investigation. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the blonde hunched over on the couch and slowly walked over to her. Ivy silently sat herself beside Harley and placed her hand on top of hers, gently offering a supportive squeeze.

Harley looked upward, her eyes swollen and red, her voice shaky and her breaths uneven as she attempted to tell Ivy what had been weighing on her since they got separated weeks prior. "Ives...", her voice trembling and full of vulnerability, "I thought us being together again would fix things, make us feel like 'us' again. But it feels like you're slipping away and I don't know what I'm doing wrong and I feels like it's all my fault. You're pulling away from me and I'm so scared of losing you."

Ivy felt a pang of guilt as she saw Harley's tear streaked face, each of her words stabbing a knife into her heart, her expression softening as she listened intently. She shifted on the couch, allowing Harley to lay her head on her lap and let out her emotions in her warm embrace. Ivy ran her fingers through her hair, something she knew that Harley loved and would find soothing. 

"Peanut", Ivy began softly, her voice laced with both reassurance and concern. "I love you so  much, you know that right? There is nothing in this world that could ever change that." She paused, trying to figure out the right words to say. "I never intended for you to feel unloved or that I was pulling away, and for that I am so sorry Harls." Ivy gripped her hand tighter with one hand and continued to play with the blonde's hair tenderly with the other. "Running the Legion has been, well, a lot harder than I had originally anticipated. There is just so much more going on behind the scenes that I have to take care of; a lot more than we dealt with when we were just partners in crime." Ivy wasn't good with emotions, not in the slightest. She was sure about how she felt about Harley though, and she needed to be sure it was known. "That is no excuse, I know that, but...", she paused once more to fight the tears welling up in her eyes. "I've been focused on so many other things in the past couple weeks that I've lost sight on what truly matters. You are the most important person in the world to me and i wish i was better at showing it in the ways that you need me to."

Ivy stopped and looked downward at Harley, lifting her chin with her hand so that she could gaze reassuringly into her eyes, her thumbs wiping the tears from her eyes. "Harls, you are the most important thing in the world to me. I realize now that I need to be better at showing it in the ways that you need me to, I really am sorry for that." Ivy, now giving way to the tears desperately trying to roll down her cheek, gave a gentle smile, seeing Harley's face. "I've just been so scared to lose that I just pushed you away because I couldn't imagine loving anyone else." Harley, who was now sitting up in Ivy's lap facing towards her, gave a gentle smile back, her hands gripping Ivy's tightly. "As long as you want me around, I'm here. No more distractions or empty promises, just us, Harley and Ivy, taking over the fucking world."

Harley, for the first time in weeks, was sure of their relationship, her insecurities and worry dissipated. "I love you Ives."

"I love you too Peanut." Ivy leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.