Title: Finding Sleep

Fandom: Home Alone

Pairing: Harry and Marv

Rating: T (for now) It's slash and talks about it a bit. Rating may change later.

Summary: Takes place during HA2. This is a fic that fills in the gaps of the movie and focuses on Harry and Marv, the Wet Bandits, as they find a place to stay for nights they stay in New York. The movie focuses on Kevin McCalister. Well, this is what the Wet Bandits were up to during those parts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Notes: This fic is dedicated to Aline Riva! She inspired me to write this fic with her own lovely HA fanfictions, which you should all check out and read after reading this one!

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The streets of New York were bustling with people in the cold December air as everyone did their last minute Christmas shopping. Among the pedestrians walked two men who were known as the Wet Bandits. After having just arrived off a semi-truck full of fish, the two of them were excited to know they were now free from jail and were both ready to take on the days ahead of them. However, in their grand scheme of escaping jail and being on the run until they got some form of other travel, neither had planned on the simple troubles that lay ahead of them.

"Man, I'm starving" commented Marv Merchants as gave his stomach a light squeeze. His stomach chose that moment to grumble in agreement. He was wearing several layers of tattered clothing, a thick brown jacket being worn on top. His thick curly brown hair stuck on end and swayed slightly in the frigid wind.

Harry Lyme was walking beside him, a deep frown on his face as he glared out at everyone they walked past on the streets of New York. "That's the third time you've brought that up, Marv." He huffed quietly. He wore a heavy brown coat and a thick green scarf around his neck in an attempt to keep himself warm. A black wool hat was worn on his balding head.

"Well, it's true!" defended the other Bandit, glancing down at his left hand which was currently covered in stick white masking tape. He was currently pulling off the coins of money he had snatched out of the nearest Santa Clause they had walked by on the street. Harry had, of course, reprimanded him again for stealing the change, but the taller man had ignored him; he still fully believed that every little bit helped. Not to mention his excitement in claiming that they were now known as the "Sticky Bandits" rather than the "Wet Bandits". Either way, it irritated Harry.

"Just don't think about it then! Don't think about the fact that you're hungry!" groused Harry.

"I can't! Everywhere I look I either see a vendor, a restaurant, or a sign with food on it!" continued Marv.

"Well, forget about it! We don't have any money to buy any food with!" snapped Harry. Marv sighed and looked back down at his hand, nearly walking into someone as they went. Harry grumbled darkly as he caught Marv's sleeve, pulling on it enough to help Marv avoid being hit by a traffic sign. "And watch where you're goin'! I won't think twice about leaving ya on the ground if you run into a pole and pass out cold."

However, his words went on deaf ears as Marv picked off a dime from his sticky thumb. He stared at the dime for a moment before his mind finally clicked and his eyes went wide. "Hey, Harry! We DO have money!" Harry glanced up at his friend, taking a hand and adjusting the tight wool hat on his head. Marv shoved his tape covered hand at Harry, who flinched back slightly to avoid getting stuck to it. "The money I've been taking from those donation buckets! I've been doing that for over an hour now and I'm sure I've hit at least a dozen of them!"

"Marv, we've only passed about SIX of those things" pointed out the shorter bandit.

Marv nodded uncertainly, "I know, Harry. That's why I said a dozen…"

Harry rolled his eyes as the scowl on his face deepened. "A dozen is twelve! Six is HALF a dozen!" He grumbled, shoving past an older man with a beard. He ignored the man's protests as they continued walking through the crowd. Marv furrowed his brow, trying to figure out how he had messed that up.

His contemplations were short lived as his brown eyes fell back to his hand, his idea about the money he'd been stealing coming back to him. "Well, anyways, Harry, the point is; I've been collecting money! I'll bet if we count how much I've collected in my pocket; it'd be enough to get us something to eat!"

Harry opened his mouth to castigate him again, when Marv's words sunk in. He blinked and glanced up at his friend, who was once again wearing his silly and childish grin. Harry chose his words carefully. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, Marv. But that's actually a good idea."

Marv just stared at his friend as though waiting for him to finish. There had been no sarcasm in his voice. No mockery or scorn. Harry had sounded truly impressed. "R-Really?"

Harry could tell that Marv was shocked that his own idea had been good, but decided not to comment on it. "Yeah, Marv. I think it's a great idea!" He paused to look around for a place to stand and check out the amount of money Marv had stolen. He gestured his arm for Marv to follow him towards an alley entrance with some boxes lined up against the brick wall. "Come on, pull out what you got."

Marv grinned widely and reached into the large pockets of his dingy brown coat. As Marv did this, Harry gave a wary glance at the crowd of people walking back and forth down the sidewalk, making sure no one was eavesdropping. It was a habit they had both picked up from years of being bandits. Harry figured neither of them would ever again be able to walk down any street without looking over their shoulders every now and then.

Harry tore his attention away from the crowd and back to Marv's hands, which were now filled with the change he had stolen. Minding Marv's sticky hand, he took a finger and sifted through the coins in the other's hands. Calculating the amount of money before him in his head, Harry deduced that Marv had three dollars and seventy-five cents. Harry frowned. That was not the amount he had anticipated; he had hoped his lanky friend had been able to steal more. "This was all ya got?" he grimaced. "A kindergartener could have stolen more than this!"

Marv blinked down at him. "No! That's not all of it! There's a bunch more in my pocket! This was just all I could fit into my hand!"

Hiding his relief, Harry sighed. "Well, what are ya waitin' for! Bring it out!" Marv whimpered slightly, looking uncertain of what to do with his hands full. Harry gave a huff and offered out his own hands, allowing Marv to hand him what he already had. Of course, Harry had to wait impatiently while Marv pulled off most of the change from his sticky hand.

About ten minutes later, Harry had counted out that Marv had stolen a total of twelve dollars and forty-two cents. This had been quickly followed by Marv's amusing cry of, "Wow! No wonder my pockets were so heavy!" Harry was now the one who was holding onto the money, mainly because Harry didn't feel like waiting for Marv to peel off the money from his sticky hand again.

The two of them proceeded to walk through the streets of New York, now searching for a good place to eat. Harry figured they could easily be able to get something to eat with the money they now had. Perhaps they would even have a few dollars extra for later.

"You know, I gotta hand it to ya, Marv. I honestly didn't think much about your idea of stealin' from the Santa Clauses, but now it doesn't seem so bad. Ya managed to help with our hunger problem" smirked Harry as they turned a corner to walk across another street. Harry coughed slightly and waved his hand out in front of him as he walked over a steam grate. Marv was smiling broadly; it wasn't often Harry was complementing him, especially for an idea of his.

"Aw, shucks, Harry. It was nothin'" blushed Marv. He always enjoyed moments like this. Moments when he was receiving praise from Harry, his closest friend and companion. The two of them walked side by side along the throng of people. Marv became lost in thought as he followed alongside Harry, wondering where they would be heading to eat. Harry seemed to be deep within his own thoughts, a light scowl on his face. Marv's idea had been great and all, but they still had a lot more other things to worry about. Marv had stolen enough money to get them food for the moment, but what about later that night? What about tomorrow?

It wasn't until someone bumped into his shoulder did Harry snap out of his thoughts. He glanced back, annoyed that he had been hit. His eyes landed on a small kid walking in the other direction. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, but for some reason there was a nagging feeling in his mind that told him that kid was familiar. There had been a name written on the kid's backpack, but he had been unable to read it. He turned back around, shaking his head. Marv saw this and asked, "What's the matter?"

Harry frowned and replied dismissively, "Thought I saw somethin'."

Marv glanced back to see for himself, wondering what could have Harry so concerned. He didn't like it when things bothered Harry, unfortunately, it seemed everything bothered him these days. Ever since they had escaped jail, Harry had been even more arguable and aggressive than ever before. It made the taller man nervous to think about it. So far, Harry hadn't turned this new anger on him and Marv hoped it stayed that way. Harry was the most important person to him and he couldn't stand the idea of Harry being mad at him.

Both men had been so preoccupied with their thoughts that neither of them were ready when Marv smashed himself against a thin blonde woman and nearly making both her and Marv fall over. Marv was quick to recover and regain his balance, however; his sticky hand was now glued to her purse. Harry watched silently as Marv tried prying his hand off her purse, making the woman more and more uncomfortable with each tug. Harry watched on in mild concern, a part of him wanting to help, but another thinking it would be best to stay out of it. With a final pull, Marv managed to free himself.

Harry watched with a scowl as Marv sheepishly smiled at the woman and tried to flirt with her by speaking what very little French he knew. Harry could feel his blood boil as he watched Marv look at the woman the way he was now; the way he was speaking to her. The slap Marv received from the woman a second later was revenge enough for the flirting attempt he had tried and it made Harry feel rather pleased. Marv had never been good with women, which was probably part of the reason for their close relationship; but it still made Harry uncomfortable whenever Marv spoke to women that way.

"Serves ya right!" sneered Harry, giving Marv a punch in the arm. "Come on!" He stormed off ahead of him, hearing Marv mumble, "I think she likes me…"

Harry walked off in front of Marv, hearing Marv's cry of triumph after he had his sticky hand pulled off from the side of his face. The shorter man knew he shouldn't feel as jealous as he did and it was a miracle his ego even allowed himself to admit he was slightly jealous. It wasn't even about the fact that Marv had interacted with an attractive woman while he didn't. It was the fact that Marv had acted that way around someone else at all.

Marv finally seemed to come out of his daze and realized Harry's sudden mood swing. Marv was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but even he knew why this was. He sped walked a few feet so that he was caught up to his friend, leaning down slightly to talk to him. "Uh, Harry-D-Don't be mad about what happened back there—It was—"

"Can it!" snapped Harry. He would have none of it; Harry was not in the mood. "It was your stupid fault! You should have paid attention to where you were goin'!" Harry didn't say anything more about the subject and Marv didn't bring it up again. The taller man knew his actions had gotten on the other man's nerves.

Between the two of them, Marv was by far the more open and affectionate one. However, Harry was known for showing his true colors for the other man whenever he felt the slightest bit threatened. The relationship between the two of them was tricky, in ways. Harry insisted it was nothing; what they had between them. Yet Marv didn't buy it. He knew there was much more underneath the surface. It had been this way for about a year now. It started a month or so back before they had been thrown into jail after stealing from the McCalister house. Besides, friends did not do some of the stuff they have done to one another….

Marv's thoughts were shattered when Harry finally spoke up, his voice a little more steady and with less anger in it. "Alright, well, pick a place you want to eat. Any place around here you think looks good?"

Marv scratched the back of his hand with his right, un-sticky hand, making his brown curls even more of a mess. He glanced around at their surroundings, looking for a place to eat. His brown eyes landed on a small coffee shop that sold hamburgers as well. He pointed at it. "What about that place?"

Harry looked to where he was pointing and read the sign above it. 'Uncommon Grounds' it read. Harry looked over the shop's windows and entrance, figuring out if it was deemed worthy enough to waste their money on. They reached the shop and stopped before it. Harry immediately started reading the sign that was plastered on the inside of the window that read some of the specials they were having. This place sold more than just coffee, it seemed.

Harry nodded. "Alright. Let's go in."

The shop wasn't very busy, allowing them to get their order quickly. Both bandits looked over the menus that were on the wall before them; a cashier waiting for them to decide. Marv began picking at his teeth with his good hand, his eyes never leaving the menu above their heads.

"Alright, I know what I want" declared Harry as he stepped before the cashier. He glanced back at Marv. "You know what you want?"

"…Yeah…." Answered Marv uncertainly, his eyes still on the menu.

Harry frowned. "I can wait another minute if you need—"

"No, I know what I want!" retorted Marv more sharply. Harry gave him an odd look before turning back to the cashier and ordering.

"I'll have a chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato. And I'll also have a Coke with that" he said. The cashier nodded and turned to Marv, who was still looking up at the menu as he picked at his teeth.

"I'll have what he's having" he muttered after a moment, finally tearing his eyes away.

Harry narrowed his eyes at him as he paid and received his change. Marv was glancing nervously around them, now turning to biting his nails. The time they had spent in jail had made Marv more skittish than he ever used to be. He fidgeted more now; he was never able to sit still for very long. He picked at his teeth and bit his nails now, which was something he never used to do. It was no secret that the time they had spent in jail had messed with Marv slightly. It had messed with them both really. Not only was Marv more skittish, but Harry had noticed Marv having a more difficult time focusing on things and other simple tasks. His mind always seemed far off and away.

Their food came quickly enough and Harry paid with the change Marv had stolen. He had gruffly apologized for everything being in change though in actuality he didn't feel one bit sorry. He was just thankful they were able to eat at all. Once they had sat down with their food at the side wall of the shop; sliding into booths, they began eating in silence until Harry spoke up.

He gulped down some of his sandwich and looked at Marv from across the table almost accusingly. "You weren't able to read the menu, were you?"

Marv flinched at his words and placed his sandwich down on the plate it had been placed on. He stalled in answering by taking a long sip of his Coke. "No, I could."

"Don't lie to me."

"I really could! I can read the menu!"

"I've noticed you have more trouble reading now. Ever since we got in jail you've been having trouble. Not that you could read very well to begin with…."

"I don't have any trouble reading, Harry!" Marv practically shouted this, earning him a swift kick in the leg from Harry. The curly haired man grunted at the impact. They both nonchalantly looked around their surroundings, seeing that no one had paid them any mind.

"Would you keep it down?" hissed Harry, leaning over the table slightly. He adjusted the green scarf around his neck before turning back to eating his sandwich. "We're tryin' to keep as low a profile as possible until we can make some cash and get outta here!"

Marv nodded, his lips in a tight line. "Well, I can read. Don't say I can't."

"I'm not going to argue with you over this again, Marv."

It looked as though Marv wished to say more on the issue of his reading, but he kept his mouth shut. Besides, Harry's words had brought on a whole new line of thoughts in both their minds. In ways, it had brought them back to reality. They did have to keep a low profile. Not to mention the main problem: finding a place to sleep.

It was bad enough that they had no clue if they were going to get to ear, but now they had nothing to guarantee they would be able to find a place to sleep either. Sure, Marv's sticky hand was bringing in some money, but they wouldn't be able to depend on that for long; it could barely buy them food. Breaking out of jail had seemed like such a wonderful thing earlier that morning when they had snuck out of the semi-truck filled with crates of fish. But now that they were out in the open, both of them were unsure of what their next move was to be.

Harry had said something about getting some airline tickets and heading to some far off country, but nothing more had been said about it. Marv didn't like to think about it; but he often pondered if Harry even knew what they were going to do. He knew Harry was the type of guy who hated to admit when he was wrong or didn't have a plan, but he had the offhand feeling that this was one of those times.

"Harry?" voiced Marv as he finished off his sandwich.

"What, Marv?" replied Harry with a sigh; his gaze focused on the door of the shop as he watched other costumers enter the shop.

"Where are we going to stay tonight?"

There it was: the question that neither of them knew the answer to. The question that had both of their minds filled with worry. Yet Harry brushed his question with an uneasy answer, "I'm still workin' that out!"

Marv nodded, knowing that by that tone of voice there was no room for discussion. Harry was always the one who figured things out. Harry was always the one who figured out their next move and got them out of troubling situations.

Marv gave a loud sigh, disappointed that his sandwich was already gone. He wouldn't mind having another one. Possibly even a third one with how hungry he was still feeling. He was sure Harry was feeling the same way. Though what they had was going to have to suffice. Marv placed both his hands down on the table, immediately regretting it a moment later for he had forgotten his left hand was still bandaged in sticky tape. He tugged at his hand yet it didn't budge from its spot on the table; having fully gotten stuck to it. He tried pulling again with no result. He tugged even harder, making the whole table shift slightly. This gained Harry's attention.

"What are you doin'?" he demanded, annoyed that his thoughts had been interrupted yet again by Marv's silly antics.

"My hand is stuck" grunted Marv as he continued to try prying his hand off the table.

"Serves ya right! You should have taken it off!" growled Harry.

"No! Then I wouldn't be able to steal change as easily!" responded Marv and with one last final tug he managed to get his hand unstuck. Harry kept the table from moving too much. He knew it was sealed to the wall and had support underneath, but the way it had been moving had made him nervous. Last thing they needed was to grab attention to the workers at the shop.

With one last indignant sigh Harry said, "Come on, let's get out of here." He scooted to the edge of the booth and stood up; fixing his coat and making sure the buttons were tightened.

Marv quickly followed suit, being more mindful of his hand. He did not wish to get stuck to anything again. The two of them walked out the door to the coffee shop and both immediately shivered, the cold December air running right through them. Marv took a step closer to Harry, looking in both directions as they decided which way to go. "Where should we go now?"

"I dunno. We should figure out a place to stay for tonight. We certainly can't stay out in this cold. We'll freeze before the night is out" replied Harry with a shiver. Marv nodded to that.

"I'm not picky. So long as I'm with you, Harry" responded Marv with a goofy grin. Harry looked up at him with a smirk.

"You're hopeless…."chuckled the shorter man.

"No, I'm romantic" beamed Marv.

"Romantic and hopeless" muttered Harry as he started walking in a random direction down the sidewalk. His tone however was light hearted and there was still a smirk playing on his lips.

"Aww, come on, Harry. You know you like that about me. You've even said so yourself" chuckled Marv as he stuck his sticky hand into another one of the donation buckets and collected more change for them to use later.

"When? When did I say that?" inquired Harry. He stopped momentarily to look both ways before crossing the street, going as far as to grab the cuff of Marv's coat sleeve to make sure he was following. He let go once he was across the street. Marv was known to get lost in thought and forget to pay attention to where he was walking. Especially now that Marv was pulling off more change from his hand.

"You've said it many times! I can't remember just the one time! You usually say it in bed though." Marv had said this last bit more quietly, for he knew they were surrounded by strangers and saying it louder would only upset Harry. It wasn't that Harry didn't care for Marv, he truly did; he just didn't like announcing it publicly. Harry was more the type to be attracted to women and he preferred for people to think of him that way. However, Marv was the exception. The two of them had been together for several years now and not just in the means of being partners in crime. They were partners in every sense of the term. Harry Lyme was just simply not the type to be open with his emotions or broadcast his relationship.

Marv didn't mind it though. Harry yelled and hit at him, but at the end of the day Marv knew he cared. Harry was stubborn and bad tempered and often found it hard to pretend otherwise. He would not have put up with Marv for all this time if he didn't care.

Harry chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like me. Alright, maybe I did. But to be honest with ya, Marv, I sometimes will say anything to shut you up in bed." He downright laughed after these words.

Marv gave a sideways grin, not sure if he was being complimented or insulted. "What are you sayin', Harry? That I'm loud in bed?"

"Loud, talkative, annoying; however you wanna word it."

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing!"

Harry stopped walking; making the crowd they had been walking with walk around them. He looked up at his friend and lover in the eyes. "Seriously, Marv, I wouldn't wanna have it any other way." He then promptly turned on his heel and kept on walking down the street, leaving a blushing Marv to follow in his tracks.

The two of them continued to walk through the streets for another hour or so before Harry had had enough. It wasn't doing them any good walking aimlessly through the city; they needed some sort of a plan. They stopped at a Subway entrance, watching people walk up and down the stairs that led to the subway tunnels. Marv leaned up against the railing, picking at his teeth with his good hand again.

"We need more money" he commented offhandedly.

"I know…." Groaned Harry, crossing his arms over his chest. He watched as pedestrians walked past them. "We're gonna have to steal someone's wallet."

"What good will that do?"

Harry frowned, his eyes narrowing as he turned to glare up at Marv. He grumbled for a moment and shook his head. "Is there anything in that head of yours, Marv? Anything?"

"Oh, I'm sure there's somethin'" chuckled the taller bandit, taking the question literally and not catching the insult attached to it. Harry shook his head and focused on the task at hand.

"Watch…..and learn…." Whispered Harry. Marv watched as Harry chose a woman who was walking with who he could only assume was her boyfriend. The boyfriend was currently saying something quietly into her ear as they walked by, distracting both of them. Being mindful not to grab the attention of the boyfriend, who could easily punch both their lights out, he reached his hand into her purse and snatched the first thing he could grab. The woman and her boyfriend didn't notice as Harry hid the item under his arm, not even truly positive if it was even anything he wanted. Once they were gone, Harry looked down and saw that they were in luck. It was her wallet!

"Nice one, Harry!" praised Marv, giving the other man a pat on the back. Harry smiled, a smug look on his face.

"Works like a charm!" He opened the light purple wallet to see that there was about eighty dollars inside of it. Not to mention several credit cards. "Nice! We'll be able to use these! So long as we ditch them later so that the cops can't track it back to us once the girl realizes it was stolen. We'll also have to use fake names in case the local cops have heard of our escape from Chicago." Marv nodded. He wasn't worried; Harry always knew what to do. "So, Marv, where would you like to be staying at?"

Marv shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know. Some place with heat."

Harry had expected a better answer than that. "Very descriptive, Marv. I was thinking of maybe a hotel."

Marv nodded. "That would be nice. Hotels have heat."

Harry forced himself not to roll his eyes. "I was thinking of a NICE hotel. I mean, we do have several credit cards here, Marv." He waved the wallet in front of Marv's face in emphasis.

Marv grunted in frustration. He threw his arms up in the air. "I dunno, Harry! Where were YOU thinking of staying? We can't stay at TOO nice of a hotel. Not like the Plaza or anything…."

Harry looked at him skeptically. "And why not?"

Marv gave him an incredulous look. "We don't have the money to—" he stopped short, blinking. Harry was giving him a knowing smile as it dawned on him. "Ooh!" He laughed at his own mistake, nodding.

"The Plaza it is then, Marvin!" he wrapped an arm around Marv's thin waist and started walking them both towards the direction of the Plaza. "You and I are about to sleep in comfort and class!"

"With big fluffy pillows?" asked Marv, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"That's right."

"A television?"

"You betcha!"

"Just like living in the big house like we've always wanted…Only….temporarily…" Marv frowned at the thought.

"Yes, but then we can work on a good heist and get some cash and be outta here and living the big life before you know it!" exclaimed Harry with a renowned sense of thrill for the days to come. It was just like when they had been plotting their escape out of jail, only now they were a step further into the plan. They had had a bumpy start but now they were on their feet again.

Marv smiled, loving the sound of their plan more and more. What could possibly go wrong?

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Author's Notes: Well, there is the first chapter. Of course, I AM following the plot of the movie, so you should already know, something obviously does go wrong. But it would seem that Kevin McCalister is not the only one who is considering staying at the classy Plaza hotel. I have a lot more planned for this. This is only the first day in the city for them and as you know, they stay at least two nights. So, I'm hoping to have more written soon! I hope these two were in character enough. Please review so I know what you all think!