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

[somethingwithturquoise]

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 ]]

Comments

[stykera]

"I don't like it either," Stark said quickly. "At all."

His hand lifted, as if he was going to reach toward her, but he dropped it back down. Maybe that wasn't the right move.

[somethingwithturquoise]

And, of course, Summer noticed that lifted and dropped hand, and, after considering it for a moment, she offered a small smile and a slight scoot closer to hold out hers for his across the couch.

"Still friends, then?" she asked.

[stykera]

"Summer."

Stark hesitated but reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "There's nothing I can think of that would make me stop being your friend."

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Yeah," said Summer, grin going slightly crooked (and maybe a little pitying) as she gave Stark's hand a much firmer squeeze on her end; the extra brush of her thumb was the gentle part for her. "I know. That was mostly just a reassurance for you, really."

[stykera]

Stark sunk back into the couch a little but didn't let go of Summer's hand.

"Thank you. For that. For knowing I needed it. You know me very well."

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Better than most," Summer agreed.

Longer than most, too, apparently! But that was the sort of card you kept in your sleeve, just in case.

She leaned her shoulder against the back of the couch and tilted her head, thumb still moving with light brushes, not entirely consciously.

Things had moved just a bit beyond the batter-buzz by now, really.

[stykera]

"Better than anyone here," Stark said softly. Maybe better than anyone anywhere.

He tilted his body toward her a little, still leaning against the back of the couch and holding on to her hand.

"This was a good idea."

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Most of my ideas are," Summer, needlessly, reminded him, and gave Stark another grin. "You think you're feeling anything yet?"

[stykera]

"I feel...better."

Which was due in part to the brownies and in part to talking. A little.

"Definitely better. How do you feel?"

He still wasn't letting go of that hand. It was a good hand to hold.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Pretty good," Summer told him. "But I had the advantage of getting to pre-game when I tested the batter before popping them into the oven."

[stykera]

"Mmmmmm." Stark nodded. "You're clever. That was a good idea too. Like most of them."

He turned toward her, leaning a little more (if he leaned over too far he was going to end up laying sideways) and smiled crookedly. "Maybe I should make some, sometime. Another time. For you. So I can try the batter."

[somethingwithturquoise]

"You do run the risk of salmonella," Summer warned him, "because of the raw eggs, but since they were such nice eggs, I'm sure I'll be fiiiiine. But I can send you the recipe if you want? Or just teach you how to make them?"

[stykera]

"You should teach me," Stark said. "So I don't do it wrong."

Because he was so bad at baking on his own, obviously.

"And then we can both eat them, too. It's a very good plan."

He squeezed her hand again. "Don't you think?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

"I think it's a great plan," Summer decided, after taking a moment to sort of tilt her head back and consider it a little, with a light smirk playing on her face. And a squeeze of his hand in response, thumb still brushing circles where it could. "You like 'em, then? Good idea?"

[stykera]

"Very good idea," Stark said with a contented little sigh. "Very good."

He leaned over a little more, smiling at her. "One of your best, I think."

[somethingwithturquoise]

"I figured you'd like them," Summer noted, and then had another observation to make, with a nod toward Stark. "You keep leaning like that, you're just going to fall right over."

[stykera]

"That's fine," Stark said, dangerously closer to tipping over. "It's a very comfortable couch to lay on. Very comfortable for all sorts of things."

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Oh, yeah?" asked Summer, unable to keep her grin down as she took a moment to just take in Stark's precarious angle, and to feel that little urge in the tip of fingers to just sort of touch things and consider what sort of things there were to be touch. "I bet I can think of something else that might be pretty comfortable to lay on, as good as my couch is for that kind of thing."

[stykera]

"Oh?"

Stark gave in and just let himself tip all the way on to his side and looked up at her.

"Where is that?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

Looking back down at Stark with her brows lifted, Summer took a moment to lift her hand to brush her fingers now against the top of his head before she shifted, pushing back against the arm of the couch and angling toward him a little, hands departed so she could open her arms invitingly.

"Just grab me one of your brownies on the way over," she said.

[stykera]

Stark grinned over at her from where he lay before sitting up enough to grab the entire container of strawberry brownies and move it to the other end of the coffee table.

"Then we won't have to get up again," he explained, holding out one brownie to her as he moved closer.

Her open arms were so very inviting.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Now look who's got the good ideas," Summer said, looking terribly proud of both of them, as she took the brownie from Stark with a nod of her head. "Thank you," she said, going to take a little nibble from it before giving another slightly shift to make things hopefully slightly more comfortable for him when he did settle in. "I must be finally rubbing off on you."

[stykera]

"Maybe you're a good influence," Stark said, settling himself so he could lean against her with a very contented sigh.

"A good influence. Very good friend. Just... very good."

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Just very good?" asked Summer, through another bite of brownie, while her other, non-brownie'd hand found its way back to the top of Stark's head. "Whatever happened to best?"

[stykera]

"A very good friend," Stark repeated, closing his eye. "But my best friend. Maybe the best one I've ever had."