MHA #8, Sunday...all day probably

[stykera]

Stark had come back to himself when the sun came up. Which meant he'd woken up, huddled in his costume cape, in an alleyway. Without his mask. Not the ideal way to wake up when you were someone who needed your mask to keep energy from leaking out the space where the rest of your face ought to be.

A brief but frantic search of his surroundings was interrupted by remembering the events of the previous evening. At that point he'd bolted for his apartment, muttering darkly to himself the whole way.

Hopefully he'd be forgiven for slamming the door to the apartment so forcefully once he arrived.

Once safely inside, he had changed into warmer normal clothing, flinging the costume into a corner to be dealt with later. Now he just needed to find something to cover his face with until he could figure out where his mask had ended up. At least he had some experience with improvised face coverings.

Halloween, he'd decided, was not something he intended on celebrating again. Possibly ever. And going out in public wasn't looking great for the foreseeable future.

[Very open should you wish to see a maskless alien stomping around talking to himself and looking for something to wrap around his head.]

Comments

[firstofitskind]

"Maybe not," Liam said, stepping inside. "But you're a friend. And you're upset." Clearly. "Necessary or not, I'd like to try and help."

[stykera]

"Sorry." It was shaping up to be one of those days where he said that a lot. "Thank you."

"I appreciate it." And it was easier to not freak out entirely if there was someone there being kind. Who knew?

[firstofitskind]

"I spent last night trying to keep Verity from licking everything in sight. Apparently that's how Martians gather information about their environment," Liam said conversationally, as he looked around the apartment for something Stark could use as a temporary face covering. "Who knew?"

Certainly not Liam, that was for sure.

[stykera]

"Seems very inefficient," Stark said, with the barest hint of a smile. "Odd species." And that was coming from the guy who was leaking light all over his home as they spoke.

"I used to have a scarf. Maybe more than one. Don't like the cold much. I think there's a box. Somewhere."

It shouldn't be that hard. It wasn't like he had all that many belongings.

[firstofitskind]

"Also unsanitary," Liam said drily. "Maybe in a closet somewhere?" he continued, in relation to the scarf-hunt.

[stykera]

"Very unsanitary," Stark agreed. Poor Verity was probably using a year's supply of mouth wash this morning.

"Closet's mostly empty." He pointed to a closed door. "I think. There were some things from the animals that were here. Might be in there." It was very possible one of them had given him a scarf! It was also possible his closet spontaneously generated items. This was Fandom, after all.

[firstofitskind]

She so was.

"She also tried to eat the little light that came in one of her drinks," Liam sighed as he opened the closet door and- aha! There was indeed a box.

He rifled through it- hats, gloves, a pair of denim cut-offs- and oh! Scarf.

"Found one," he said, holding it up so Stark could see.

[stykera]

"You did," Stark agreed. "It's...colorful." Unlike most of his clothing. He was an earth tones sort of guy! At least he was never planning on setting foot outside the apartment again so nobody would see it!

Maskless beggars can't be choosers, Stark!

"It should work." He reached for the scarf. "I think, for now. It's...cloth is fine for a while. Not forever. Isn't enough."

[firstofitskind]

"I can send the Troopers over to the bar," Liam offered. "If you're not feeling up to going out to look for it." Not that he wanted Stark to hide in his apartment forever, but there was a difference between hiding for a day and hiding forever.

[stykera]

He was carefully wrapping the scarf around his head now. "Someone may have it. Should be recognizable. The only one on the island. Maybe they'll return it? No reason to keep it." He was fairly certain there wasn't anyone on the island that would do that to him for no reason.

"There," he said, tugging the scarf into position. "Good enough for now. I think."

He relaxed, slightly, once it was in place.

[firstofitskind]

“It suits you,” Liam said, hint of a smile playing about his lips.

Not the colors, obviously. But the pattern’s theme.

“If someone has it, we’ll find it.” The guys would even appreciate having an actual police-related task to work on!!

[stykera]

"Not sure I believe you," Stark said.

"Thank you. The mask is, it-" he frowned and started over. "Without the mask I have to concentrate on-" he waved a hand at his now scarf-covered face. "It can be too much, if I'm not careful. Gets tiring. Have to hold myself together." He'd almost died again from not having it for a while after he came back from being executed but was wisely choosing not to share that minor detail at this time.

[firstofitskind]

Thank you, Stark, for leaving that detail out. Too often their conversations ended up rehashing horrible memories.

“I get that,” Liam said, glancing down at his hands. “Well, not exactly, but- kinda.”

There was a reason he wore gloves some days, when he wanted to be extra-sure he wouldn’t accidentally touch someone.

[stykera]

"You get a lot," Stark pointed out. Which was a relief!

"So, the mask. No leaking. Much easier to exist."