Chapter 86: Breakfast

"Honey, are you okay?"

Closing the door behind her, Claire Dunphy sat beside her youngest daughter. Looking around Alex's room, Claire saw several posters of what she believed to be great scientists and inventors. All along her work table were dozens of spare parts, wires, and screws. What grabbed her attention was the thick, circular, battery-like object that sat on a stand.

Beside it was a rough frame of the battery. Several pieces of metal and copper were attached together, and a mess of wires led up to its center. That must be the project Alex has been working on for the past few weeks. A rac reactor? The name eluded Claire, but she knew it was a challenging project for Alex to struggle for as long as she had.

"Harvey's back." Alex whispered through the pillow material. She was lying face down and shifted around until the side of her face looked up at her.

Claire nodded and rubbed Alex's shoulder. Claire had already known; Luke had told her after the family portrait was taken. Claire was surprised when she heard the news, as well as Phil, but her husband quickly became happy at the news. Claire was also happy to hear that the boy she grew to care about had returned from Hell. It was still an odd thing to think about.

At the same time, while Claire liked Harvey. She was still upset at him for disappearing like he did. He had everyone worried sick. Looking at Alex, Claire frowned at the memory of her daughter's state after she came home from the morning Harvey left for Hell. Her tear-stained face broke her heart and awakened her inner mama bear instincts.

"I know… how was he?" Claire asked tentatively.

"He grew taller, and his eyes changed… well, I guess he changed." Alex mumbled and looked over at her work table, especially the tucked-away photo frame drawer. "He's different."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

Alex shifted around and sat up, a pillow clutched tightly in front of her. "I don't know how to explain it, but… it's just a feeling."

Claire frowned and was confused at that. She couldn't wrap her head around what Alex was trying to say. Claire guessed she could only understand what Alex was meant by seeing Harvey herself.

"Alex. What did you two talk about?" Claire knew she was pushing her luck in breaching the sensitive area, but it was her job to help Alex feel better.

"…I broke up with him." Alex said as she tightened her hold on the pillow. "Mom… was I wrong to do that? Should I have been more understanding even after everything he's gone through?"

Claire looked away and frowned slightly. She wasn't shocked to hear that Alex broke up with Harvey; after all, what girl wouldn't after being abandoned by her boyfriend for so long? But Claire wasn't naive. Harvey's situation was different. More complicated. Amy's death and the situation with the near eradication of the city didn't help. 

Harvey was shouldering too much for someone his age. Claire knew he had a hard upbringing, and his responsibility as the Ghost Rider exasperated everything. But that didn't mean Alex's own feelings should have been dismissed. Alex had every right to feel like she did; her daughter was hurt, and she had made her choice. 

"I don't know, Alex. Only you can answer that for yourself." Claire said with a small smile. She felt a pant of disappointment rise in her; she wished she had a more substantial answer. "But I do know Harvey is a good boy. I'm sure he had his reasons for the things he did. Are… you and him still friends?"

"I… hope so." Alex said and buried her head into her pillow. 

Claire scooted over and pulled her in front of a hug. Soothingly, she rubbed Alex's back in small circles.

"Oh honey, I'm sure you two still are. You have too much history to throw it all out over a breakup. Just give it some time. Things will get better." Claire said softly; she felt Alex nod into her shoulder.

At the sound of a click, Claire turned her head to see Phil smile softly. A questioning look on his face. Claire smiled and nodded. Phil made a thumbs-up and backed out of the room silently. Claire turned back to Alex and continued holding her. She was sure everything would be fine; call it mother's intuition.

•••

"Harvey? You there?"

It was early morning; Wanda had received a text from her brother yesterday that he and all the guys would spend some time together. Have a night in the town, as Pietro said—a way for Harvey to take his mind off the breakup. Hours later, she got another text from her brother saying that the plan worked and that Harvey was in much better spirits.

"I'm coming in." Wanda said as she opened Harvey's bedroom door. After knocking a few times and receiving no response, she decided to open the door. "You better not be asleep. It's ten in the morning."

Wanda looked around Harvey's bedroom and noticed something she hadn't done before. It was bare and clean, as if no one lived in it. Was his bedroom always like this? So lifeless? Even his bed looked untouched.

The sounds of a running shower echoed from the bathroom, gaining her attention. Wanda walked over to the open door and peered inside; she could see the bathroom mirror from her angle. Suddenly, the running water stopped, and Harvey walked in front of the mirror, a white towel around his waist. 

On the top of Harvey's back was an intricate tattoo. The tattoo depicted two jagged blades pointing to his shoulders; fire and complicated sharp waves surrounded the blades. Suddenly, the tattoo pulsed red with energy, shocking her out of her trance. Looking away from the tattoo, Wanda looked at the mirror and saw a large scar on Harvey's chest. 

Wanda gasped and stepped back in horror, her hands raised, covering his mouth.

"It's not so bad, Wanda." Harvey said from the bathroom. His eyes were looking at her from the reflection. "Really."

Wanda had the decency to look ashamed and turned away from him. After a minute, Harvey walked out of the bathroom dressed in a black shirt and pants. A white open button-up shirt hung loosely over his shirt. His hair was damp, but after a second, it became dry, with steam rising over his head.

"…did it hurt?" Wanda asked.

"It did." Harvey placed a hand on his chest and smiled. "But not anymore."

Wanda watched as a small smile grew on his face, his gold-red eyes shimmered. Unseen memories played through his eyes, and after what felt like forever, he shook his head and smiled at her. 

"Sorry, I got lost in thought. So what's up?" Harvey asked and looked at her softly.

"Oh, uh. I was going to ask if you wanted to grab breakfast with Haley and me." Wanda asked and pointed behind her. "She's waiting for us in the car if you want to go."

"Sure, sounds good." Harvey said with a nod. 

"Great." Wanda said. "Let's go."

•••

"Man, that's good."

The environment of the Sweet Butter Kitchen was warm and relaxing. The small restaurant was packed with hungry patrons and busy servers. Delicious platters lay warm in front of the customers, and the loud sounds of the kitchen provided a lovely ambiance to the hungry customers. On a small round table sat Haley, Wanda, and Harvey. In front of them each were their chosen breakfast platers and drinks.

Wanda had a bistro breakfast sandwich while Harvey had buttermilk fried chicken and waffles; Haley herself had an egg and herbs omelet and a salad. Haley and Wanda watched, amused, as Harvey ate with gusto. Feeling something slide against her leg, Haley looked down at the large black bag beside her. Inside the bag were the contents of a project she and Alex had been working on for months.

"Really good." Harvey said as he drank some of his black coffee. "Thanks for inviting me to breakfast."

"Don't mention it." Haley said with a wave. "I thought it would be nice to spend time together, like you did with the guys."

"So what did you boys do all last night?" Wanda asked as she pointed her fork at Harvey. He only grinned and shook his finger.

"Ah, sorry. I can't reveal the actions of the brotherhood." Harvey said cheekily and went back to eating. 

"Boys." Haley rolled her eyes and went back to eating her salad and eggs. "You and your little clubs."

"Hey Harvey?" Wanda put down her fork and looked him in the eyes. "How did you get that tattoo?"

Haley's eyes grew slightly, and she looked over to Harvey. He swallowed and drank some water; with a cough, he looked at them both and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, that isn't really a tattoo. It's more like a storage seal that contains a set of weapons." Harvey said and leaned on the table. "They're the Blades of Chaos. The smith god Hephaestus forged them a long time ago in the furnace of Hades himself. They're made of an ancient ore called Uru, and they hold primordial cosmic fire that I can infuse my Hellfire with. In short, they're god-tier weapons that Zarathos had in his armory that I brought with me. The tattoo is just a convenient way to store them. Otherwise, I'd just be carrying them on my back constantly."

Haley and Wanda looked at him wide-eyed. That was much more than they thought he would say, but at this point, nothing is simple when it involves Harvey. Haley sighed and nodded absentmindedly. She bent down, picked up the black bag beside her, and handed it to Harvey.

"Nothing is simple with you, Harvey. Anyway, here, take this." Haley held up the bag and smiled. "It's a gift from Alex and I. We worked really hard on this."

Harvey's eyes grew wide, and he accepted the bag. Resting it in his lap, he carefully looked inside and saw something that caused his breath to hitch. Slowly, a small smile grew on his face, and he looked up at Haley.

"Thank you, Haley." Harvey nodded and then looked at the bag again. "Can you let Alex know I appreciate the gift? I'd thank her in person, but right now, it's kinda…"

Nodding in understanding, Haley spoke. "I will. I'll let her know; it was actually her idea to give it to you today. She… needs some time, but you can thank her in person soon."

Placing the bag down next to his leg, Harvey nodded and smiled. Wanda smiled at the sight, reached out, and held the top of his hand. Harvey smiled and patted the top of her hand appreciably. Wanda then pulled her hand away, and the two continued eating.

Haley smiled at the sight and nodded to herself. It seemed she was right. Her feelings towards Harvey had changed. She first realized it when she saw Harvey and Wanda walking away close to each other yesterday. 

It wasn't jealousy she felt when Wanda's hand rested on his back. Knowing Wanda cared and watched over Harvey was a sense of comfort. He's been through a lot, and he would probably continue going through hardships due to being the Ghost Rider, so it was reassuring to know Wanda and Pietro would be close to giving him the support he needs when Luke, Alex, or herself couldn't.

But deep inside, she did love him, but not in the romantic sense. Not anymore. Haley compared it to the way she loved Luke. She loved him like a brother. Haley decided to take a break from being involved in relationships and focus on her career.

"So Haley." Harvey said as he finished his food. "How's the job going? Pietro told me a little, but I'd love to hear it from you."

Haley smiled and began telling him and Wanda all about her work. He and Wanda listened with rapt attention, and Harvey praised her for every accomplishment she made in her short time with her new company. 

Yes, this kind of relationship with Harvey was one she wouldn't trade for anything. She couldn't imagine a world he wasn't in her life.