harlow hartley

BACKSTORY

harlow lives a normal life with loving parents until he's five. his parents run a heart-themed bakery that suddenly becomes very popular, slowly changing from a local 'mom and pop' store to a multimillion dollar chain that takes over their lives. harlow remembers his parents being warm and kind when he was younger, but over the next decade or so, they begin to withdraw, first hiring babysitters and then full-time nannies and caretakers to raise him. harlow's not a very outspoken kid - verbally, anyway. he does everything he can to get their attention without outright stating that he needs it, like dyeing his hair, getting his ears pierced, and buying stupid things with their money, like designer clothes that look like they came from walmart. in response, he gets...nothing. by the time he's 17, he hasn't actually seen them in over a year.

enter shujaa.

she's an ancient cat spirit and needs a human host to make herself physical. like harlow, she's been invisible for ages and eventually lost all sense of self, completely unaware of the world around her until harlow quite literally trips over her. harlow may be detached and isolated from the rest of the world as a result of his upbringing and depression, but he's still a good kid; he immediately checks up on the cat he trips on and tries to make sure she's okay. while he's googling the nearest vet clinic, shujaa accidentally links the two of them, an instinctual response to being alone for so long that binds them permanently.

so now there's a talking cat.

after introductions are had and arrangements made, harlow, being a little bit vindictive, very much opportunistic, and highly dramatic in his own private way, takes this chance to be as obnoxious as possible and takes to the streets as a vigilante, using a very expensive suit he commissions with his parents' money. if they ever bothered to look at what he's spending their cash on, they'd know his 'secret identity' immediately - and that's what he wants, really, but they never do check, of course.

harlow tells himself he's just doing this to be a resentful little shit. he tells himself that he's doing this just to be obnoxious and cause problems, because heroes are all anyone pays attention to in silver city anymore. but the thing is...he can't really bring himself to be like that. at his heart, harlow is a good kid and a bit altruistic, even though he puts on a cynical front, and he can't stop himself from stepping in every time he sees someone in trouble. likewise, shujaa tells herself she's just tagging along because she needs him to stay alive, and he's being really reckless, but she's not a bad...person? cat? whatever. just like harlow, she can't help but want to help others. together they become known as 'the kid and the cat'. 

it never gets his parents' attention, but the longer he does it, the better he feels - not because of the recognition, but because he's finally got a friend to support him - shujaa.

he also, maybe just a little bit, genuinely enjoys helping people.

but don't tell anyone that.