MHA #4; Saturday [09/30].

[somethingwithturquoise]

Well, look at that. Summer was doing the responsible, adult thing and sending a message over to the hotel that morning to be left with Hemorrhage to let him know that she'd be willing to have him come over so that they could talk, and coffee had been made and there was a blaster on the kitchen counter as he sat at the kitchen table not drinking his own coffee (what with the bucket helmet and all ) and she peered at him from where she was leaning against the counter and tried to figure out where to even begin.

"So," she said, "why are you here right now, exactly?"



There was a long pause, a bit of some awkward shifting in his chair. "I, uh...." He coughed. "Heard you were single again."

Summer blinked for a moment before staring at Hemorrhage. "Like, six months ago!"

"So you've already moved on? To someone else?"

"Well, no," Summer said, immediately, rolling her eyes, but then she faltered a little on the uncertain truth of that statement and pulled back a little. "I mean, there is kind of this one guy, but that's, like, nothing serious--"

"--the puny one with the half-mask?"

"That's not fair," Summer protested, "he's been really working out a lot lately! Not that it matters whether I'm with someone else or not right now, anyway, Hemorrhage. We're over. We've been over for a long time, we have documents and everything. Why would I want to go back and rehash old relationships that were bad ideas to begin with?"

"Well, Rick said--"

"RICK?"

"Rick said," Hemorrhage tried again, shrugging a shoulder, looking off to the side, "you seemed pretty interested in revisiting relics of the past lately, and so he thought, maybe..."

"Oh mygod," said Summer, sucking in a breath to keep a bit of her rage from boiling over, "that asshole went and found you to send you here for Parents Weekend, again, all because I decided to use Tiny Planet as a hook-up spot at the exact moment he decided to rehabilitate some pigs???"

WHY WAS THIS HER LIFE RIGHT NOW???

"Soooooo," Hemorrhage hedged, "you're not interested in getting back together?"

"No!" Summer declared, leaving it in absolutely no uncertain terms. "Never! Well, I mean, okay, there was maybe a few times I thought about it directly after the breakup, but that's got to tell you a lot that even in the wreckage of a two and a half year relationship, I still didn't get that desperate."

"Wow," said Hemorrhage, "okay. Harsh."

"Whatever happened to 'you're a total bitch, Summer, I don't need that in my life', anyway?" she said, throwing up a hand in frustration.

"Well, that was almost three years ago," Hemorrhage pointed out, leaning forward a little. "A lot can change in three years. And that bitch was exactly who I feel in love with all those years ago, when the world was just a merciless wasteland and we pissed on the grave of the past."

And, for a moment, there was a small tug of nostalgia in Summer's heart, as she nodded and gave Hemorrhage a small smile. "We did piss on the grave of the past," she said. "But that was then. This is now. I mean, I know you still dress like a Mad Max extra, but it's been a long time since even you've been in that world, right? I mean, god, what is it you're even doing these days?"

"Investment banking."

"Exact--, wait, what? Investment banking? Really?"

Hemorrhage shrugged.

"Wow, well, okay, I guess that just really proves my point, then, doesn't it? I mean, you used to roam the wastelands striking fear into the bowels those who dared to cross your path, and now you're an investment banker. I used to eat the hearts of my enemies to gain their courage, and now I make jello shots and run a general store. What we had, in that moment, was really special, Hemorrhage, but it was just a blip in time. We're different people now. And you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice.



"And also," she felt this part was particularly important, "you should really invest in some pants, dude."

Hemorrhage sighed, nodding a little forlornly as he looked down at that untouched coffee cup. "You're right," he said. "Of course you're right. I just...I just sometimes miss the times we had, the spark between us, destroying everything in our path with wild abandon for all the guts and glory....but the Apocalypse is behind us now. It is time to move on..."

With that, he lifted his hands to his helmet to pull it off so he could finally drink his coffee, and Summer immediately winced, cringing back like she'd just got hit with an eyeful of the burning hot sun reflected off a sheet of metal, which, really, with how pale his face was under that helmet, wasn't too far off from the truth, and she was now going to be finishing her coffee trying to look at literally anything else but that horrible moustache.


[[ expecting some visitors a bit later on, but definitely very open before them in the timeline, and CW for recreational drug use in the comments, because Summer. ]]

Comments

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Come on," said Summer, picking up the tray of cupcakes and a tub of icing and a bag of candy bars, and heading out of the kitchen. "Let's over this party to the living room."

[girlofgrey]

Chiana grabbed another bag of candy and followed on her heels.

"Oh, we're gonna party? Drad. What've you got in mind?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Well, I was thinking more of a chill party," Summer admitted, "especially once this really kicks in, but, I mean, you're the guest, I'm open to suggestions."

[girlofgrey]

"We could always go out dancing later," Chiana suggested. "Or find another way to move around here. If you want to."

Stark gave her a bit of an odd look but settled himself on the couch and finished his last bite of cupcake.

"But hanging out with you two and eating and getting relaxed sounds good too."

[somethingwithturquoise]

"We can see how you feel in a little bit," Summer suggested, as she flopped easily onto the couch at the other end. "I can put on some music on in the meantime, if you want, too. You in the mood for anything in particular?"

[stykera]

Stark opened his mouth to point out that they could dance here but Chiana flopped down between them before he could speak.

"I don't know your music," Chiana pointed out. "Stark, you got recommendations?"

"I...let Summer pick," Stark said.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Well, I figured you wouldn't know specifics," Summer clarified, and her phone was already out again after finishing the last of her cupcake and connecting to her speakers. "But, you know, to, like, set the general vibe."

[girlofgrey]

"Something fun," Chiana said. "Good for relaxing to. You got something that puts you in the mood?"

A beat.

"For relaxing."

[somethingwithturquoise]

And now Summer was arching a cool brow at that pause, and felt she had a good idea of where to take it from there: a little chill, with an edge of sensual. A little Hozier, a little Lucius, a little Mitski.

And thn she set her phone aside and slumped down low as she put her feet up on the coffee table with a long sigh.

"God, I needed this today."

[stykera]

Stark sighed a little because Summer was all the way on the other end of the couch and he couldn't reach her without reaching over Chiana.

"You deserve it. Relaxing," he told her. "With a friend. And...me."

[somethingwithturquoise]

Maybe the positioning had been strategic for exactly that reason. Maybe it had just been the force of habit into her usual spot on the couch. Even Summer wasn't entirely sure, to be honest. It had been a weird couple of days.

She was, however, rolling her head on the back of the couch to look over at him as she noted, "You make it sound like you're not also a friend, Stark..."

[girlofgrey]

"Yeah, Stark," Chiana very helpfully chimed in, giving Summer a lazy grin before turning her attention to the other end of the couch. "You saying you're not friends?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

And with a question like that, Stark now had both women on the couch looking over at him imploringly, Summer's brows lifted slightly as she waited to see how he was going to answer that one.

[stykera]

Stark had made a terrible mistake here. Or maybe not.

"She's my best friend," he told Chiana. "And she's...she's more. She's..."

He reached for another cupcake and the frosting tub before continuing. "We're..."

Okay, so it wasn't much of a continuation. Yet.

"I love her," he said finally. "Which I think you know and you just wanted me to say it so you could see what happened."

[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer just gave a soft smile at that. One that suggested approval, too, in that, out of all the ways Stark could have responded, that was probably one of the better ones.

[girlofgrey]

"'Course I knew," Chiana scoffed, taking the final bite of her own cupcake. "I think everyone knows."

Stark just shook his head at her slightly but gave Summer a soft smile in return.

"How about you, Summer?" Chiana asked, turning her head back towards the other woman. "Got anything to add?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Hey," said Summer, shaking her head a little and closing her eyes in anticipation of that moment when the effects of the cupcakes and the sound of the music would align perfectly, "I'm not the one over here acting like friend is a category I'm removed from just because the L-bomb has been dropped. I love all my good friends."

And then, magnanimously, because she figured it was what Chiana was aiming for and it never hurt for Stark to hear it anyway, she added, like it was a given, "Stark included. Obvi."

[girlofgrey]

Chiana gave a little snort because that wasn't quite what she was aiming for. But she respected the way Summer had danced around what she'd meant and she grinned at her.

"Oh, I love my friends too. Stark included."

Her grin turned a little wicked. "Not recently."

[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer cracked open one of her eyes and turned her head to look past Chiana to Stark, because no amount of projecting herself to be totally chill with all the nuances and aspects of this conversation was going to be strong enough to prevent her from not wanting to see his reaction to that.

[stykera]

Stark squirmed a little, tried to cover it up by taking a very large bite of cupcake, failed at covering it up and eventually started coughing.

"Chiana! That's...no. It's not just that. You know that! It's not. We're...I...and you..."

Chiana sank back into the couch cushions looking very pleased with herself.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Recognizing that look on Chiana's face as one practically her own, reflected back, Summer just shook her head a little, shifting a little so that she was now sitting with her back to the couch's armrest, facing the two of them, tucking her legs up close to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she leaned forward a little. "You know," she teased lightly, "I think there might have been a full sentence or thought in there somewhere, but I'm not sure."

[stykera]

"You're teaming up against me," Stark protested weakly.

"We could team up," Chiana said. "Not a bad idea, Stark."

"...what?"

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Oh, come on," said Summer, smirking faintly as one of her legs stretching out to nudge Chiana a little with her foot. "Be nice. Two on one is a little unfair..."

[girlofgrey]

Chiana moved a little closer to Summer, leaning in. "It would be very nice. I think he'd like it if he just relaxed a little more. Don't you think so?"

Was she serious or was she just trying to make Stark squirm more? It was hard to say and the narrative wasn't telling.

"Chiana." Stark's voice was almost pleading now.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Oh, he'll get there," Summer assured Chiana, but the way she flicked her gaze up Stark afterwards made it sound like more of a promise in retrospect. "He just needs time. Can't hit him with the heavy artillery right out the gate, he'll just get defensive and flail."