15790/Bunny's Apartment Hunt

Bunny's Apartment Hunt
Date of Scene:	04 September 2023
Location:	Bronx
Synopsis:	Bunny is apartment-hunting. Mark and Bunny discuss their needs if they cohabitate in the future. Short jokes are had. The two are dorks. Surely nothing bad is going to happen ever to the two.
Cast of Characters:	Bunny Macleod, Mark Grayson

---

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    There are always apartments that are listed on places like CheapNYApartments.Net, BargainPlacesNYC.org, and apartmentsforcashnoquestionsasked.com

    They are not always the cleanest, healthiest, or most legal apartments. Some had ranged from 'literally a limited access walk-in closet with no bathroom' to 'someone's bathroom with a murphy bed' to 'OH GOD SO MANY ROACHES'

    Bunny had been at the physical part of 'checking out apartments in person' for a couple of days, and had invited Mark to join her because, quite frankly, some of the apartment brokers thought her ID was fake and wouldn't rent to kids. So today her pink hair was pinned up in a low bun with some of the curls allowed to frame her face. She was wearing the one set of 'professional' clothes she owned, which was a dusty pink skirt and matching coat that had the carebears on the inner lining, and a white button down shirt. And nylons. And still had to wear a pair of pink chucks because she had no other shoes except roller skates.

    The whole ensemble was made funnier by the fact she was sullenly sitting on a bench drinking lemonade from a novelty cup with a peach on the top of it, and a half peach floating int he very sugary citrus-peach blend.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark had agreed to accompany Bunny on the search. The appearance of a young couple apartment hunting was a lot more palatable than Bunny trying to search herself. Plus, it keeps any possible creepers away.

He was dressed in a pair slacks, a button up shirt and a vest, with a pair of loafers on his feet. He casually swirls the cup with cherry lemonade on it and looks thoughtful as he glances aside to his girlfriend.

"Would it be too soon to suggest that maybe we move in together? I mean, I can move out of the dorm at the end of the semester and with both of us together, could find something workable? We could also try Gotham, Miles and Eve live there, so it's gotta be a bit more affordable."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "I can't with Gotham. The local vigilantes get huffy when you intrude on their turf, they tend to be a bit tougher on metahumans an' my team's pretty New York based." Bunny replies thoughtfully. She then purses her lips.

    "Also that's where I almost got killed by a mutant pig with a chainsaw and my ankle got broken by a ninja lady. Never liked working in Gotham when I was running deliveries." she murmurs quietly, and then she tilts her head back.

    "I dunno, you think you're ready to live with having a literal wall of roller skates?" she asks, giving a glance up to Mark witih a small smile tugging at her lips, though her cheeks flush a little pink.

    "Well, okay, theoretically talking -- we move in together. Are we gonna want a two bedroom or one bedroom to start out? What's the division of chores gonna be like? Are you a TP-goes-over or TP-goes-under type of person?" Bunny wonders outloud, giving her peach lemonade a swirl. "How are you with pets?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
He hadn't even thought of that with Gotham. Though it has him wondering how Eve is pulling it off. A question to ask her for another time. Though as Bunny is explaining her past experiences in Gotham, Mark's lips purse into a thin and unhappy line. No, there's nothing he can do about it now. No, he can't watch her 24 and 7. But, he can be there for her now.

Which brings him to the conversation that they are currently handling. "I mean, a one bedroom suggests that we're fairly serious while a two bedroom suggests that we're figuring it out and that maybe we'll have a spare room someday. But also, two bedrooms are more expensive, so that defeats the purpose of us co-habbing. Maybe if we get a couch with a pull out bed?" he suggests as he turns his attention to her more fully.

"I don't mind helping clean, but I'm a terrible cook, so if you're gonna give me nights for that, I hope you like takeout." he explains. "We can take care of cleaning together - I can literally make sure the cobwebs are out of the corners." His smile is teasing and he turns his attention to the TP questions.

"Beards are good, mullets are bad." comes the explanation in reference to the lay of the toiletpaper. "What type of pet are considering? I'm okay with much anything, though I'm probably more of a cat person than anything."

Now he's turning his own attention to it all. "You okay with heights, I assume. We're going to need something high to hide our comings and goings. Are you okay with me telling my parents we're living together? Or would you prefer I keep it quiet. Finding out could add some pressure I don't want to force on you. Do you have anything you're allergic to? Any medical conditions I need to worry about?"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny gives a snort of amusement. "Was just thinking about it. One of my teammates works out of GOtham sometimes. There's a lot of pressure from the locals. And they are *Scary*. Gabby lives in Gotham part-time." Bunny explains, giving an awkward smile. "And it's fine, it's fine. Ah, that's how I met another guy, almost got exploded by an evil mutant-hating church organization, it's cool. And ancient history."

    And Bebop and Rocksteady, weirdly, can be likeable. Almost. Once you get to know them.

    No, no actually they don't.

    "'Cause you're taller than me, naturally." Bunny sticks her tongue out in reply to getting the cobwebs out of the corners. "I'm all right with heights, I can platform down to street level, but anything higher than an eighth-floor walkup is going to be heck on moving any furnature in. You can't get a couch through a window." she replies, satisified apparently with his answer on the toilet paper. That's a very important question, she's learned.

    "I mean, my dad would flip his lid, but I'm sure he's written me off. Is... are your parents going to start getting pushy if you live with a girlfriend? I mean, it's the 2020's. People cohabitate because the rent is Too Damn High. And I'll get someone on the Avengers team to write up my income so we can make that all official if we're gonna get an official apartment and not --" she picks up a stapped piece of paper "A 'decently sized walk in closet infested with definitely not bedbugs.'" she states, and then crumples that page up and tosses it towards the trashcan. It rims, and then sinks in.

    "Allergies? Eh, I get a weird rash if I eat too much peanutbutter. But not allergic to iodine or shellfish, so it's just a quirk. I'm terminally short." she states, and gives a dour face. "So you'll have to handle anything on the high shelves for me. As for pets... uh... well... how open are you to exotics?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I don't know if they'll get pushy... but we may end up having a standing dinner reservation with them once a month." Mark explains. "I mean, my mom knows I'm an alien, so there's all that. And then dad... you'll just have to meet him. And when you do, do not mention Omni-Man. It's a sore spot." He sighs, taking a long draw from his drink until it makes the slurping sound of it being nearly empty.

"Yeah, my income is going to all be school related. I get a pretty decent check at the beginning of the semester. I have a fair bit saved up to help with the downpayment. Nothing glamourous, but at least comfortable." he suggests as he nods.

"No allergies I know of. And you're fun-sized and I know this as fact." he points out to her, tossing his cup towards the trash can.

It splatters against the side, sending ice everywhere and only the lid goes in. "Baseball, not basketball." he comments regretfully as he pushes himself to his feet to police up the trash.

"What type of exotic are we talking about?" he inquires.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "You must have a heck of a fastball." Bunny jokes with a small laugh.

    "I get it. No Omni-Man, stick to questions about travel work and writing." Bunny replies with a small smile, and she does some quick math in her head. "Do your parents know I'm a mutant? Or ah... working with any groups? Or do I just keep up the 'performance pianist with odd hours' deals?" she gives a bright smile, and then she purses her lips "Do they know that *I* know that you're a superhero?" she asks in a soft voice, making sure no one can overhear them.

    "... and you *bet* I'm fun sized. Definitely had fun the other night." she cracks the joke, trying to bypass how exotic they were talking.

    "Oh, well, he's kind of... a turtle? But long-tailed... thick shell... tortoise. He's got a little pen right now but he's used to sleeping in baskets. Spends a lot of time asleep."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Yeah. So much for my budding career when my powers kicked in." Mark says with a laugh as he picks up the cup and tosses it away before he comes back over to Bunny and offers her a hand up - a hand he won't release unless she wants to once they start walking.

"So they know your name. Both Bunny and the real one. And that you perfer Bunny. I have not told them that you're a superhero as of yet. I assumed you will tell them when you are ready. I also have not told them that you are a mutant."

He pauses, and admits. "Frankly, I never had reason to. They wanted to know what you looked like, what you did, and if you make me happy." He shakes his head. "No, but I plan to tell them soon. About you knowing my identity." he explains.

"A long tailed turtle? Never heard of that, but if you've been taking care of it, that's fine." Though at her comment at them having fun the other night, his cheeks darken considerably. "Hopefully the first of many fun nights." he manages before turning his attention back to her.

"I ran into Gabby in Gotham the other day." he explains, "When she was visiting with Tim Drake-Wayne. She explained what she does and all that." He considers Bunny and glances at the ground. "I haven't told her yet. You finding out was an accident. But a happy one that I'd never take back. But I'm working on trusting others. The Titans don't even know my identity. Outside of you and my parents, Eve's the only other one that knows, other than my ex, Amber."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Huh? She was hanging out with a Wayne kid? Those kids are *nuts*. If you google the Gotham City newspapers it's all like 'Wayne Heir Kidnapped at Gunpoint - Rescued by Half the Superheros in Gotham' or 'Wayne kid accidentally drives elephant into parking lot, says he confused it with a Burger King'." Bunny replies, "they're genuinely nuts, but I think that comes with being from the richest family on the East Coast. I heard Bruce Wayne is *actually* a lizard person who Batman controls with psychic powers bounced off the *moon*." she states, conspiritally, and she gives a small smile, and she walks along, Mark's hand in one hand, and her lemonade in the other.

    "You should keep your identity a secret as long as possible. If only 'cause if they decide to go through an register mutants and not just all powered people, I'm sure the Young Avengers are gonna be on the list of people required to document ID. And I'm not sure if that means compromising my identity... and compromising you in the process." she frowns a moment. "I hope I don't have to out myself for the GED class. I'm hoping maybe to take college classes in the spring semester, y'know? Get myself back on track... but I get it. Not trusting others. There's some stuff that just... doesn't get told. But that's part of the life, y'know?"

    She gives a squeeze of his hand.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"She said that he was actually paying her to bodyguard him. I guess against all that." At least that's how Mark assumes it is as they walk. "I've only heard scary things about Batman. Like... is he the Boogey Man? I don't know. But I hope to never cross him."

He nods when Bunny tells him to keep his identity a secret. "I'm trying." he explains as they walk, his fingers move to slide between hers. "I can help you study?" he suggests. "At least when we have downtime together at night. Oh, speaking of..." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small stoppered jar filled with a bit of dirt.

"While I was on New Krypton, I grabbed a soild sample, just to have it. It's the furthest I've ever travelled off world. I've flown to the Moon a couple of times. And to Mars once. But never that far."

"Dad says reaching Viltrum is impossible. He got caught in some freak wormhole or something that sent him here. If I tried, it'd take centuries to get there at my fastest speed."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "That... must be incredibly lonely for your dad. Keeping my powers a secret from my family was really hard. And I felt alone most of the time, even with other mutants around. I didn't really want to let it show." she recalls questly, and her fingers lace with his, until she pauses, looking at the jar of dirt. "Oh! Oh wow now THAT is a heck of a souvineer!" she replies with surprise.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I heard a rumor that there was another Viltrumite on Earth, but I never met them." Mark responds as he nods to put the container away. "I have the other two in my room at home. But well, if we're going to live together, I can bring them over when we find the place."

"Seeing the city freed from the bottle was really neat. But then it was attacked by the Lanterns and the Guardians of Oa. More the Guardians. Troia, Caitlin and I were trying to help the Kryptonians from stopping the attack. The Lanterns stopped, the Oa folks... there orbs kept firing. Eventually we had to destroy them."

His voice is quiet, unsure. Something has been weighing on him since he came back. "I think Superman got hurt or something. I saw him fly off... but haven't seen him since."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny listens quietly as they walk, and she gives a small smile up to Mark, her hand giving another squeeze to his before the story turns more serious. She has to take a couple more strides to keep up -- she's too used to skates -- and she looks up and then, unsure of what to say to something so serious... she just holds his hand, pausing to look up at him.
    "But you came back. And that's the important thing." she replies, trying to process what tha twould be like. She'd never be at that calibre of power.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Pausing in his walk, Mark turns to Bunny and his free hand rests on her cheek. "You gave me a reason to come back." he says quietly to her, his cheeks warm, eyes studying hers as they face each other.

"We're both still young. And we have a lot of time... but I couldn't bear the thought of not seeing your smile again. Or feeling your touch..." He swallows and his mouth moves, as if about to say more, but nothing comes out.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny lights up. Her cheeks turn red, and there's the briefest glimpse of the gasoline-puddle rainbow of her powers against her skin, and she gives a small squeak of a sound, and then she looks up to Mark, and she just... wraps her arms around him, and squeezes.

    "I swear to god if you propose to me in the first year I am yeeting you to the moon." she warns him. Mostly burying her face against him because her face is so red.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"What!" Mark laughs as he picks up Bunny and gives her a spin. "No! We have a lot more to do before we get /there/!" He shakes his head violently. Setting her back down on the ground, he looks apologetic. "No no..." he drops his hands to his sides. "...I was just trying to be stupid romantic and maybe..." A cough and a clearing of his throat.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Eeeeeee!" Bunny laughs as she's spun around, laughing so hard that she tears up, and she wipes at an eye with her palm.

    "It was stupid romantic. You're good at it. I'm like, cheesy romantic. And hormone-filled teen romantic." she laughs, looking back up to Mark, and then reaching for his hand again. She's still quite red.

    "You come back to me, I'll come back to you. It's a deal."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Way too many of those movies when I was a kid..." Mark admits with a laugh. "I'll back off of them though." His hand catches hers, fingers lacing together as he leans down and places a kiss on her forehead.

"Totally a deal. So where's the next place on our list?"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Could be worse. I was the kid who my parents let me watch whatever I wanted. Robocop. Judge Dreadd. Clockwork Orange. And then boom, off to piano recital where I'd warm up by playing so many scales and then suddenly -- the Terminator Theme." Bunny laughs, and her cheeks get pink as he kisses her forehead. She squeezes his hand in three quick pulses.

    "Aaaah this is a basement apartment a couple blocks from the park. It says 'older and in need of updating'. Which could mean everything from 'abandoned and uninhabited for eighty years, haunted by horrible things' to 'it lacks actual walls'." Bunny gives a wry smile.

    "Maybe I should have asked your mom to come with us on this trip. I'm sure she's pretty intimidating when it comes to real estate."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Or former murder house scene that was never cleaned up." A basement? Mark makes a face at that before his attention turns to the suggestion, his hand settling with hers as they start to walk, him taking out his phone to map the direction they are headed in.

"My mom's suggestion would have been to live outside the city and use the difference in rent to buy a car." he points out with a chuckle. "Between your skates and my ability to fly, I think we can handle the city thing better. But she really is a beast when it comes to real estate."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Anyone I've ever known who works in real estate is scary. Same thing for investimagative journalism, and teaching." Bunny gives a small laugh. "Besides, I dunno how to drive. I skate or take the subway. This is the Way." she jokes, letting him map out the direction.

    "Can you imagine some sort of city emergency and me having to take the commuter rail to rendezvous with my team?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark mimes talking into his phone. "Alien donuts are attacking the city? Sorry, I'm going to be late, the mid-city express pulled away from the station without me!" He winks aside to Bunny as they start to make their way along the city streets.

"So we've only spent the night together once. Do you require anything special for bed? Like, do you sleep with the music on, or anything like that?" he asks, still feeling her out for the pair of them to live together

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Knowing my luck they'd hit up one of the Flashes for an assist to get me there, and I'd have to bee-ar-bee, need to rebearing my skates 'cause they're not MEANT to go at LightFreakingSpeed." Bunny gives a flat expression at that, and she gives a laugh.

    "Ah... no I pretty much can fall asleep anywhere. I slept on an ottoman, on the couch, on a corner of the bed, spending the nigth with you was kind of a surprise?" she ventures with a thought. "I Can't sleep in total silence. There has to be traffic, or a fan, or subway rumbles. What about you? I mean, I've shared beds with people for about half my life at this point, between living in small apartments with tons of siblings and crashing out at Tommy's." she admits quietly. "... wasn't weird, was it?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I can fly pretty fast, you know!" Mark says with mock hurt as he chuckles. "I should ask the Titans to bring you by sometime to say hello. But that would only be after they learn my secret identity. Becuase if they didn't know it already, they'd know it when they'd meet you." he admits.

"I mean, it's not weird. I was an only child. I can't imagine sharing a bed with a sibling. And you and Tommy were dating, I mean, there's nothing weird about that." he shrugs his shoulders.

He considers his response and blows out a breath. "A little noise is good. I did music when I was younger, but now anything could work. We might need to consider a larger bed though. My dorm bed ended up with you almost on top of me to get some sleep."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Well I mean, even when we were dating it was less anything like we've done nad more like 'a bunch of kittens piled on top of each other for warmth and comfort'." Bunny admits with a sheepish sort of smile. "You're my first, like, serious boyfriend."

    And she gives a soft hum as she considers. "It was so comfortable though. And at one point I was kinda squished between your side and the wall and like, the *perfect* amount of pressure for my anxious butt." she gives a sigh of satisfaction. "But mostly, I meant you sharing your bed with someone 'cause it can be weird. I think my siblings and I were pretty much always in each other's beds when we were little." she smiles, and then she bites on her lower lip "I... don't think I know any Titans. I mean, you've got pretty much the best of the best on that team, don't you? I'm just on the farm team for the local guys."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Your butt's pretty nice for an anxious one." Mark replies with a smirk before he nods. "We're on the same page on the seriousness scale. Which is why I wanted to make sure it was kosher to suggest that we actually try the living together thing." He considers her and gives her arm a gentle swing with his arm.

"I mean, yeah. But that doesn't mean there aren't allies and such. I mean, Robins aren't even powered, I don't think? But yeah, I'd need to make sure before just whisking you into the Tower. I'm not even an official member yet. I hope to change that, at some point."

"I did lead a team. The Teen Team. But none of the members are around. I kinda want to dissolve it. None of us are really teens anymore."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "I don't know. Maybe they're also telepathically controlling Bruce Wayne." Bunny suggests thoughtfully, her arm swinging with his as she gives a smile, and rubs the back of her head.

    "Yeah, we don't really do much. I mean, I've seen Tony Stark more than I've seen members of my team. He showed up and was all like 'oh hey, Bunny, let me hold that building for you'." Bunny gives an embarrassed grin "Which was really, really nice of him, 'cause I've got a time limit on my bubbles."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"You are so convinced that Bruce Wayne is an android." Mark decides with a chuckle. "You don't like... have a murder board dedicated to that?" he lasts with a smirk as he nods. "About how long do your bubbles last, in case we're ever working together, I can count in my head how long you're okay for. How much can your bubble handle. Like, it was a big building? My dad said once he was able to stop an asteroid the size of Texas from crashing into the Earth."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Lizard Person. Batman's a vampire. His flock of robins are ghouls." Bunny corrects, but it's clear that she doesn't believe that for a second.

    "Ah... it was a decently sized building? It was when Carnage got loose -- some lady decided to use the commotion for her own nefarious things, and she blasted a hole in the side of a building. I was able to hold on for about a minute and a half -- after that, it starts to really strain me." Bunny admits, and she rubs the back of her head.

    "It's something I'm working on."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"A building weighing hundreds of tons for a minute and a half? That's pretty amazing, Bunny!" Mark responds to her, clearly impressed by the stats as she lays them down.

"I have a ways to go before I'm throwing Texas around." he explains. "Right now, my upper limit is a good sized tank in normal use, and a building when in duress. Compared to the Kryptonians and even some of the powerhouses, I'm well in the kiddie pool."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Well... I mean, it was a strain. I was down for a couple days after that." Bunny admits quietly, and she rubs her arm in quiet contemplation. "But you fly around at mach two. You lift tanks and throw them around, and you're pretty impervious to damage normally. A smart thug with a knife can take me out." Bunny gives an embarrassed smile.

    "... and it was an extra minute that they had to evacuate the building. I was... if Iron Man hadn't shown up to take the load and quick-weld a support in place... well. At least the migraine wouldn't have lasted long."

Mark Grayson has posed:
A sigh escapes from Mark, as he stops, turning his attention to Bunny. "You assume thugs are smart. It's the dumb ones that are the most dangerous." he points out as he shakes his head. "You sell yourself short. You're working to improve, which is the most important part. I mean, knowing your limits and all is fine..."

"But you're still here." He chews on the inside of his jaw, then adds. "And I'll be your biggest fan and will work to help you improve, because it will improve me as well. Deal?" he asks her.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "I can't sell myself any other way!" Bunny bemoans "Any shorter and I'd have to market myself like Peter Dinklage except without as much respect!" Bunny protests.

    And she looks up at Mark. She looks contemplative, releasing his hand, and then takes off running.

    "YOU CAN'T IMRPROVE ME IF YOU CAN'T CATCH ME! MWA HA HA HA HA!"

    She fully realizes he can probably catch her.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"When I catch you, I'm gonna do so many things to you they'll need to hire a censor!" Mark calls out, not quite taking to the air as he starts to run after her!