somethingwithturquoise | MHA #4; Saturday Afternoon [07/15].

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MHA #4; Saturday Afternoon [07/15].

To say that this week had been an off week felt like a bit of an understatement, and the fact that Summer didn't even think of this until she decided to do terrible things to eggs yesterday was a good indication of just how off it really was. But also, in a way, she'd had a week to sort of...process things and had a better understanding of where she was mentally, physically, spiritually, blah blah blah, so now it was just time to smooth out the rougher edges in the best way she knew how.

By making some pot brownies.

She considered trying to do something fancy with it, but since Stark would also be baking something (she was putting money down now on what color his baked goods would be), but decided to just stick with something nice and classic. And honestly? By the time she was pulling them out of the over, she was already feeling better than she had almost all week.

Whether that was from the catharsis of baking or some liberal taste-testing of the batter while she was working was impossible to determine for sure, but did it really matter anyway?

[[ expecting an alien, but open if anyone wants to @ her before he shows up, and, clearly, a little CW for recreational drug use ahoy ]]

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"I don't want to be hopeless," Stark said quietly.

He really didn't. He wanted to be someone that people wanted to spend time with. Especially certain people. He wanted to not worry so much about everything.

"I like being more relaxed. And chocolate. Of course. This is a good idea."

"And I think we both," Summer admitted, "could stand being a little more relaxed right now. Come on."

She cocked her head toward the living room before starting to drift that way with plate in hand.

"Let's go sit down."

There was a part of Stark (one that was louder than it ought to be) that was very worried about what Summer might be planning on saying to him.

He was going to try and ignore that part for now and just focus on what was happening in the moment. In the moment there didn't seem to be anything to worry himself about. She wouldn't ask him to come over and bake brownies just to tell him to leave her alone forever.

"Right," he said, nodding before turning to make sure the door was shut behind him. "Let's sit. And eat some brownies. And relax."

"Exactly," Summer confirmed, taking up one side of the couch just as she'd done a little earlier that week with Rey, tucking one leg underneath her and angled toward the other side, this time with the plate held between her and Stark so he could take his pick before she would then pluck one up for herself and set them aside.

"Unless you wanted to start with yours," she said. "Although...one of yours now as sort of a pre-high control group isn't the worst idea, either."

Stark took the opposite end of the couch, probably closer to the arm than was strictly necessarily, and then picked up a brownie at random.

"I tried mine to make sure they turned out well," he said. "I think you'll like them either way. I hope you will."

"Has there ever been a baked good," and Summer was definitely batter-buzzed enough to let out a slight snort there, "that you've made that I didn't enjoy, Stark?"

And once he'd gotten one of hers, she set the plate aside and then held out her hand for his container so she could get one of those, too. No shame in dual-weilding brownies, right?

"There could be a first time."

Stark didn't really believe that. He passed his container over.

"Maybe you've decided not to like strawberries anymore. That would be terrible." He associated the smell and taste of strawberries with Summer (and summer).

He held up his brownie in a sort of toast. "Cheers? To...relaxing?"

Summer smiled a little as she held up one of his brownies in kind. "Cheers," she agreed, leaning forward to nudged hers against his in a sort of clinking of desserts instead of glasses, "and may I never actual grow out of my brand."

With that, she took a bite before adding, "Imagine what a massive waste of time that'd make it all."

"It's part of who you are," Stark said, nodding. "I like who you are."

He took a bite of his own brownie, chewed thoughtfully, swallowed. "I like the brownie, too."

Try to contain your shock, Summer.

"Just keep in mind," said Summer, "it'll be a while before you start to feel anything, so try not too eat too many before then. Actually, your brownies'll probably be a good buffer for that in the meantime. And these," holding up what remained of hers for emphasis on what she meant, "are pretty good, too."

Hardly any surprise there, either, really, and she popped the last of it into her mouth with her own thoughtful chewing, looking over at at Stark and wondering where exactly to go next. Or maybe they'd just go back and forth all night complimenting each other's fine baking skills, who knew.

Stark offered a hesitant smile. "I'm glad you like them. And chocolate and strawberry go well together."

He took another bite, swallowed, and then popped the rest of the brownie into his mouth.

"Do you make these often?"

Had you been holding out on chocolate flavored highs, Summer?

"Not too often," Summer said. "It's usually too much hassle, and between Wednesday's jello and things for class, that is already way too much of my time being spent in a kitchen. I am, however, kind of mad at myself for not thinking of introducing you to this sooner."

But maybe it had just been waiting for the right moment when it would really be needed.

"Then you wouldn't be able to introduce it to me now," Stark pointed out.

When maybe they both really needed it.

"Thank you. For asking me to come over."

He'd been so unsure of things this week. He still was but just being here helped. He reached for one of the strawberry brownies.

Well, at least he wasn't alone in that uncertainty, although Summer herself was feeing a little more...understanding of everything by now. She smiled a little. Nodded.

"Thanks for taking my eggs and giving me the idea," she said. And, after maybe a slight hesitation, "I think we might be a little overdue, for something like this, anyway."

"Something like relaxing?" Stark asked. He was pretty sure that wasn't quite it.

"Or something like...talking?"

"Something like," Summer said, grabbing another strawberry brownie before sort of settling back into her corner of the couch, "a little bit of both? Maybe?"

That maybe sounded a bit like a probably. A probably we will, a probably we should.

"Should I have another of your brownies before we talk?" Stark asked softly.

"So I know I'll stay relaxed?"

Summer took a moment to consider how potent she made the mix, how delayed the effect might be, and everything that might come up.

"Maybe," she suggested, "just a little one."

Just in case.

Stark nodded and reached for a medium-sized brownie. Just in case.

"All right. Is there... anything you want to say? Or should we wait? Should I say something?"

He shouldn't feel so nervous. She wouldn't have invited him here if she was just going to tell him to leave her be. Her apartment was a good place full of good memories and she was his best friend.

Everything was going to be fine.

Wasn't it?

Summer looked over at Stark again, thoughtful, and very aware of the fact that she had the benefit of a little pre-gaming.

And that there were a lot of directions this question could take them. But, without much idea of exactly where she wanted to go right now, that gave it just that right amount of appeal to convince her to ask.

"Is there anything you want to say?"

There were so many things Stark wanted to say.

"I... should apologize. For last weekend. Again. I didn't mean to impose, or to upset you. I didn't stop to think. I should have and I'm sorry for that."

That was only a very small part of what he wanted to say.

"She did enjoy meeting you. She liked you."

And out of all the things Summer thought Stark might say, that was sort of what she'd been hoping for the most. Mostly because it was the easiest to handle, but not just because of that.

"I am glad to have finally met her, too," she said. "I just wish...I wish it could have gone down differently."

She chewed on her lip and dropped her eyes toward the space on the couch between them.

"I'm honestly kind of pissed off about it," she admitted.

"It was a mistake," Stark said, looking down. "That I should have known not to make. I was just...I don't know. She was here and she asked and I didn't even stop to think I just came down the stairs."

He took a sad little bite of his brownie before continuing.

"But that's not an excuse."

"Well " said Summer, pulling her other leg up, folding it in with the other, leaning forward a little with her elbows on her knees, "not like we can go back and change it or anything. And not that it really matters that much now, anyway, I guess..."

"I'd like to make it right," Stark said quietly. "But we can't change it so I can't. Is...is there anything I can do? To make it better, at least?"

Apologies were good. But apologies weren't everything.

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