Work Text:
On my way home. Need to talk to you. That was all the message said, but instantly, Gideon's thoughts were spinning wildly. She sent a message back almost instantaneously, asking what Harrow wanted, but of course, she got no answer. Ugh. Ughhh. Why was Harrow always so deliberately frustrating?
Now she was in the shower. Not because it was only going to make things worse if she was still grody from the gym, but because she needed something to do while her doom approached at an unknowable speed.
She wracked her brain, trying to decide what it was that she could have done wrong recently. She'd finished the milk, but Harrow hardly ever touched it, so it probably wasn't that. She'd changed the cat's litter, she'd only left one pair of socks in the living room this whole week, which was pretty damn good if you asked her, and she'd even gotten up early when Harrow had asked her to, every time this week! There wasn't any reason Harrow should be pissed at her! Not pissed enough for a we need to talk message, which, she assumed, was almost always code for I hate you and want to break up.
By the time she shut the water off, Gideon was all worked up and Manny was crying at the door. She stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself, and stepped around the cat into the hallway. "Do you know what she's got her panties in a twist about?" she asked him, watching him wind his grey fluff around and between her legs. "I didn't do shit, and when she asks you, you'd better tell her that. She can't just kick me out."
Manny, who Gideon refused to call by his full name because it was *stupid*, meowed at her. Begging for treats, she assumed, because he was always begging for treats. Because Harrow always gave in to his begging. "Give me a few minutes," she told him. "I need to get dressed. Your mom will be here in a few, and I bet you can wheedle some treats out of her." Despite that attempt to discourage him from following her, he was right on her heels when she stepped into their bedroom. Whatever. It wasn't like she didn't appreciate his company. For the moment, she ignored him, getting dressed.
She was careful to hang her towel back up and gather up her sweaty gym clothes, even, so that she wasn't giving Harrow anything new to complain about. A quick glance around the room showed she'd left the bed unmade when she'd gotten up. So she made the bed, with Manny's help, and even fluffed up Harrow's pillow. If she had more time, she might've stripped the bed and washed the sheets, but it was getting close to dinnertime now, and drying the blankets would take far too long.
With their room straightened up, Gideon checked the hallway for stray cat toys and socks. Harrow didn't believe her, but Manny stole her socks sometimes and batted them up and down the hall, and Gideon got in trouble for socks being in the hallway.
No socks this time, thankfully, but there was a little catnip mouse. She picked it up and put it on his cat tree. What was it, then? She hadn't forgotten any important dates, the fancy dinner with Harrow's entire fucking extended family wasn't until next week, and she hadn't even seen Ianthe in the last two weeks, so it wasn't that she'd pissed off Harrow's other girlfriend. Hell, Gideon hadn't even seen Corona in two weeks, because those two were off on some family vacation.
Had she been in a particularly bad mood because of that? Was that what it was? She didn't remember being pissy with Harrow lately, so it couldn't be that.
She was sprinting through the house by the time Harrow got home, looking for anything else out of place, when she heard Harrow walk in the door. Shit. Too late, Nav. Giving up the search, she dashed down the stairs, meeting Harrow in the hallway.
Harrowhark was already bent down, petting Manny's long fur. "Mandible tells me," she said in her sepulchral voice, not looking at Gideon, "that you have been neglecting him, Griddle."
"I haven't been neglecting him," was Gideon's automatic complaint. "I had shit to do when I got home from the gym, Harrow. I had to shower, and then I was picking up around the house. He was following me around, I petted him when I could."
There was no answer right away, because Manny was purring and demanding all of Harrow's attention. Gideon shifted from foot to food, watching Harrow with anticipation. When it finally came, it was milder than she expected. "You were picking up around the house?"
"Uh, yeah. I help. You know that, idiot. I help all the time, I just get distracted sometimes." Okay, cool it. She sounded way more defensive than she wanted to. Giving Harrow the satisfaction of putting her on the defensive was not on her to-do list tonight. She needed to sound casual. "I know work's been stressful for you lately, and I just thought, you know, it'd be cool for you to not feel like you needed to clean up when you get home." Much better. It sounded like it was no big deal now, and not like she was looking for praise and reassurance. Because she wasn't. Obviously.
Harrow finally stood, peering up at Gideon curiously, like she was trying to read her girlfriend's thoughts. "I see," she said slowly. "You're worked up about something. What's going on?"
"Why would anything be going on? Nothing's going on, I just deserve a good grade in being your girlfriend. Something totally normal to want and definitely possible to achieve." Hopefully that sounded sarcastic enough that Harrow wouldn't see through her. She'd gotten good at that lately, seeing through Gideon.
No such chance, apparently. Harrow's eyes narrowed, and at first Gideon thought she was going to start a fight, but she reached for Gideon's hand instead. "What? Why wouldn't you?" she asked, and her tone sounded bewildered rather than angry.
"Oh, I don't know. You said we needed to talk, so I don't really know what I did," Gideon said, bristling despite the hand in hers. She was so ready for a fight that it seemed unavoidable.
"Did I send that to you?"
Gideon blinked. "It wasn't for me?"
"No. It wasn't for you, it was for Sextus. I knew I should have double checked, but I was in a hurry. I have to call him before dinner, and I was letting him know to expect me." The slim hand in Gideon's squeezed hers, and now she could see that Harrow wasn't in a bad mood at all. She even sounded amused when she said, "about time you picked up around here, though."
Gideon flipped her off, but her relief was strong. They were okay. She really needed to stop catastrophizing.