Chapter 2: Breakfast in Bed

Harley woke up and didn't know where she was at first. She brushed the soft covers away and stretched. Warm morning sunlight flooded the room. It seemed unnatural, though, too orange. She rubbed her eyes. Now she remembered where she was. Ivy's garden. She had been sleeping very heavily and had a vivid dream. A pleasant one, but it was fading away quickly.

The orange glow coming through her curtains was from artificial lights. This was a staff lounge that Ivy had converted into her bedroom, and it had a window looking in on the greenhouse. Mundane plants were incubating in there. Ivy had left them alone. Her creations thrived out in the open, all over the rest of the facility. Harley wondered absently why Ivy hadn't made anything grow in here. Did she think it was intrusive?

Harley sat up and felt the press of her waistband under the soft swell of her plumped up belly. She gave it a squeeze and smiled. It felt so good. In the past week, she'd gone from a flat stomach to a genuine potbelly, and she loved it. She was amazed at the speed with which she'd gained all this weight, but she figured that's what happens when you're stuffed full twenty-four-seven.

Just then she smelled a delicious aroma waft into the room. There was a knock at her door. "Come in!" she called.

The door swung inward, and Ivy entered, wearing only a dark green shift. In her arms was a veritable feast: a steaming stack of pancakes topped with all kinds of fruit and whipped cream, a massive omelet, hash browns, and three large biscuits, all held in a handmade tray made of woven fronds. "How bout a little breakfast in bed, Harley?"

"I don't see a little breakfast!"

Ivy's beaming smile faltered. She looked down at the meal, concerned. "Oh, I… guess I got carried away…"

"No, no!" Harley immediately replied. "I was just kidding. I'm actually really hungry. It looks fantastic." Ivy brightened again. She came over with the tray. Harley scooted over. "Why don't you sit down with me? We can share."

"Um, sure." Ivy lowered the tray into Harley's outstretched hands and got into the bed next to her. She eyed Harley as she did—she had outgrown her pajamas, and her soft gray tank top couldn't cover her swollen stomach. Harley scooched back over once Ivy was settled, so her thigh was against Harley's. Her legs had gotten so plump too. She was unbearably adorable.

"Where'd you get whipped cream? And eggs?" Harley asked.

"I thought you must be getting tired of my fruits and vegetables all the time, so I raided a grocery store last night."

"Was that safe?" Harley asked. Ivy felt an icy pang of… guilt? No, not quite, but something like it. Harley looked so serious all of a sudden.

"It's alright. There was no danger," she lied.

"That's good." Ivy was relieved. Harley cut into the pancakes and ate a big bite. "Oh my God, this is so good!" She quickly took another bite. Pretty soon she had wolfed down half the stack. Ivy grinned.

With her mouth half-full, Harley abruptly asked, "You remember how yesterday I was tellin' you about me bein' afraid of deep water?"

"Um, yes. What about it?"

"Well, I got to thinkin' about fears, and then I was thinkin' about Dr. Crane, and his…"

"You still call him Dr. Crane?"

"I guess so, yeah. Force of habit from knowin' him at Arkham." She swished some potatoes and eggs together and took a big forkful.

Ivy realized after a moment that Harley meant when she and Crane were working at Arkham, not imprisoned there. She tried to think if Harley had ever mentioned her life before her criminal career to her before.

"He makes people hallucinate all this horrifyin' stuff, right? Like monsters. But there's real monsters in the world. Every year, it seems like they double. Killer Croc's a livin' nightmare. Solomon Grundy's an actual frickin' zombie!"

"Huh… I hadn't thought of that…"

"And then there's the other big guy who likes fear. Batsy does his whole shtick…" Harley held up a finger at either side of her head to make ears and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Criminals are scared of me. I'm a bat." Ivy burst out laughing, and Harley grinned. "You like that, Red?"

"Okay, so he thinks bats are scary? But there's zombies and monsters and everything out there."

"Exactly! That's my point." Harley shoveled another big bite into her mouth. "Mm, Red, this is all so good!" she added, chewing.

They continued to talk while Harley ate. Not just about monsters but everything. And the whole time, Ivy didn't feel an ounce of concern. Not even when Harley had casually mentioned the Batman. For the first time since shacking up here with Harley, she felt no tension. She only had attention for this witty, vivacious woman. And how much she was eating.

Harley popped the last of her massive breakfast, a plump, juicy strawberry, into her mouth and let out a contented moan. She set the woven tray aside and rubbed her stomach in big, slow circles, pulling her shirt up almost to her breasts. Ivy didn't notice how she was looking at her out of the corner of her eye and biting her lower lip. She was too focused on that belly. "Oof, I'm really stuffed," Harley said huskily.

"Yeah, you are…" said Ivy. It was cute how nervous she was, Harley thought. All this effort, but she couldn't find the words to play along. That was alright. Harley could be bold.

"Hey, Red, could you do me a favor?" Harley asked. "Could you… rub my belly?"

"Um, uh… y-yeah. Sure." Ivy's face flushed, and Harley felt her heart melt for this poor dork. A wicked smile crossed her face. She put her hands behind her head, offering her swollen stomach for Ivy. Ivy tentatively laid a hand on it and began to rub, gently. Her light touch was intoxicating. She sighed and said, "A little harder."

Ivy pressed down a bit, relishing how Harley's doughy belly felt with her fingers pressing into it. She rubbed in slow circles, and Harley smiled. Ivy loved that smile. She thought it was one of the most adorable things about Harley. And now that she was gaining weight, her cheeks were filling out, and she was even cuter.

Ivy gave Harley's belly a little squeeze. She couldn't help it. Harley arched an eyebrow and said playfully, "Gee, Red, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were tryin' to fatten me up on purpose."

"Why would I do that?" asked Ivy. She knew, of course, that Harley knew. That Harley had for a while. And she'd just been playing along, drawing out the air of naivete for fun. Ivy had noticed the way Harley had been asking for seconds, exposing her stomach to her, and commenting on how full she was over the past few days.

"Maybe 'cause you like to see me like this." Ivy had both hands on Harley's stomach now and was sitting up on her knees.

"Uh-huh?" Ivy slid her hands to Harley's sides and gave them a squeeze.

Harley giggled. "You know what, Red?"

"What?" Ivy crossed her left leg over Harley's so she was straddling her. Her long, wavy red locks, peppered with little green leaves, enclosed both their faces. Ivy looked up from Harley's middle, and they locked eyes. "Tell me."

"I wanna get real big."

"You do?" Ivy's heart was pounding. This was unbelievable.

Harley nodded. She reached up and caressed Ivy's face. Then she ran her hand down to the top of Ivy's blouse and started unbuttoning. Harley found that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath.

Ivy lowered herself onto Harley, feeling Harley's plump belly against her bare skin. They kissed. Then Harley looked concerned. "Hey, Red, am I… can I…?"

"Oh, um, yeah, you're fine. All those plants you've been eating will have inoculated you."

"You made sure of that, didn't ya, Red? Huh?" Harley smiled, teasing.

"Uh… yes," Ivy replied quietly.

Harley laughed. "Oh, Red. This is gonna be fun!"