Won't you be my neighbor? [Roy/Mercy/Leon]

[MERCY REGIUS]

Mercy scowled into her lap when Leon's hand abruptly left her shoulder; she wasn't aware until it was gone that his touch was a comfort despite her irritation with him. His own irritation was apparent in the tone of his voice, his frustration with her obvious. She couldn't deny that set her off still further, though something in the back of her mind was telling her of course he was right. "Why are you mad?" He snapped back, explaining the circumstances that, should Mercy connect the dots, were of course in his his favor. She had been the one who pulled Leon away from further contact with Roy in the first place, with her alarming phone call about her suspicions she was pregnant. Thinking of that still made Mercy feel uneasy--she still hadn't decided if she was relieved with the negative results... or disappointed. The confusion only added to her irked state, and it wasn't long at all before she was up from the couch and crossing to the kitchen, anything to just avoid those feelings right now.

Why was she mad? Mercy refused to admit the truth out loud--a truth that had only really been spelled out or her the day after The Phone Call, when the thoughts she figured she'd imagined returned. She wanted to be in control of Leon. Plain and simple. With him so close and still dependent on her, it made these impulses stronger than ever. Roy's sudden appearance wouldn't have been a problem if he didn't know Leon previously; if she could have gotten to him first and decide from there whether to let him in or not. But his connections to Leon meant that they'd both, probably, be vying for Leon's attention, and Mercy knew she'd lose. Roy was new again, exciting, and like Leon pointed out, good for him. Mercy was rather old hat by now. It also didn't help that in the mere moments Mercy had seen Roy, she couldn't shake him in a bad way. A new sort of greed invaded her mind, accompanied by the feeling that something... someone?... was smirking with pleasure at the notion.

Mercy stood in front of the sink and took a hair elastic off her wrist, stretching it a few times before throwing her hair into a ponytail. She hated to be "that girl" whose bitch-mode was flipped on by a snap of an elastic, but as Mercy's hair was usually worn down, this was never a good sign. She did not intend to have it out with Leon knowing she didn't have a leg to stand on, but she couldn't help how irked she was. It would have taken him a second, she thought, trying to justify herself while simultaneously condemning him, and in an effort to keep her silence, she began putting away the drying dishes by the sink (albeit more loudly than necessary). An inexplicable (but at the same time alarmingly familiar) rage began to build in her, and it only took Leon's next point to stir her out of her silence.

Mercy cursed in disbelief, and laughed, exasperated. "Fuck. Fuck. Leon, I thought you understood how completely not sick of you I am! I just really don't know how I can make that any clearer," she shook her head and slammed the utensil drawer shut before turning back to grip the edge of the sink. She laughed again once and glanced at him over her shoulder. "I can smother you more, if you want. I am all for that." Something inside her practically applauded this idea, and Mercy only rolled her eyes at herself and scowled. She took a moment to collect herself, not liking this foreign... thing in her head, and decided it was better to offer Leon a piece of the truth if she couldn't give him all of it. "I just... am interested in you," she explained lamely, turning around to lean against the sink. "I want to know what's going on, is all." Which was very clearly not all, but that was as far as Mercy was willing to take it.