MHA #8, Thursday Morning

[stykera]

Faye was still a bird. Stark was still himself and still trying, and occasionally succeeding, to not be upset about that fact. But it had been nearly a week now and she was still a large bird rather than herself and that was distressing.

"We should go outside," he said. Of course he talked to her. He didn't get responses other than the occasional "frarnk" or flapping of wings but he had talked to her consistently since Boston. Talking to a bird was better than staring silently at a bird.

"I'll get coffee," he said, standing up from the couch where he'd been sulking sitting. "Or food. You could fish again, if you like. Or get into fights with a flamingo. Or...I don't know. Bird things." Bird things that hopefully didn't include flying away.


[For someone who will hopefully return to her usual leggy self soon!]

Comments

[flourish_or_perish]

Faye, who was definitely a bird, totally would have loved to go outside. That's where birds belonged, after all.

And she had her eye on one flamingo in particular. That bird knew what she (he?) did.

But, bird grudges and thoughts of fishing or whatever were fairly abandoned once Faye lifted her wings to gesture and...found they were arms, instead. Bare arms, naturally, because in the grand tradition of Fandom animal transformations, she was now very naked.

And the squawk she'd been about to let out morphed into a jumbled, "--oh my god what happened?"

[stykera]

Stark stared for just a moment before rushing over to Faye.

"You're you again," he said, clearly relieved. "You haven't been you for almost a week you've been a bird but you're you again now. Are you alright?"

He'd stopped short of reaching for her. She'd been a bird for several days. She might not want to be touched.

[flourish_or_perish]

"I would like a blanket or something," Faye decided, taking a seat and crossing her legs neatly. "But I'm fine. I don't know -- like, why was I a bird?"

Was this Boston's fault? Probably.

[stykera]

"I can get a blanket," Stark said, moving to do just that. He did have a few. Maybe he needed more if it was going to be cold again and there would be someone else in this apartment frequently. Or maybe he just needed larger blankets.

"I don't know why," he said as he handed the blanket over. "We were in the hotel and talking about dinner and then you were a bird! And then you stayed a bird and I've been worried you were going to keep staying a bird."

It was a very dramatic way to get out of what would have been a very cute date night in Boston, Faye!

[flourish_or_perish]

"Well, I didn't do it on purpose," Faye pointed out as she wrapped herself up in the blanket, in case that was a question. "I definitely didn't want to be a bird. Especially such a big bird."

Not that a canary or whatever would have been great, either, but at least way more compact.

[stykera]

"I didn't think you did it on purpose!" He might have briefly considered and then rejected the thought though, especially when he was trying to juggle all of her luggage.

"You were a large bird. Very long legs." Very sharp pointy beak, too. "Very noticeable trying to leave the hotel."

"I like you much better this way," he added, sitting down not quite right next to her. "I'm very glad you're back to yourself."

[flourish_or_perish]

"I'm glad to be back, too," Faye decided, frowning and drawing the blanket around herself more firmly just to like, make a little point about it. "Boston was fine until that happened."

And now she felt cheated out of her vacation, at least in part.

[stykera]

Stark also felt a bit cheated out of the last couple days of vacation, for some reason.

"It was a good trip until then," Stark agreed. "I would go back, I think. Or somewhere different. I liked going with you."

Much more than, say, going to Japan and sharing a room with a whole group of people.

"But I always like being with you."

[flourish_or_perish]

"I mean, it was all very history-y," Faye noted. "Maybe somewhere with less history next time. More gambling and food."

Faye wanted to go on a cruise, really. She just didn't know it.

[stykera]

"History and whales. I liked the whales. The ghost tour should have had more ghosts. We could find somewhere with gambling, I think. Food is easy."

A cruise might be an interesting experience for both of them!

"You could pick somewhere to go. Everywhere has been fine, so far, even when I was worried it wouldn't be. Only a few odd looks but nobody had bothered me."

[flourish_or_perish]

"Ghost whales," Faye suggested, nodding. "Somewhere's got to have ghost whales."

Damn it, Summer, way to not be here to educate everyone about the infinite possibilities of the multiverse. There were totally ghost whales somewhere.

"If anyone had bothered you when I was a bird, I would have stabbed them with my beak." Romance.

[stykera]

"There might be ghost whales somewhere... I've only ever seen people. I suppose there could be whales that were people?"

Summer could have found them a planet peopled by whales, for sure.

"Your beak did look painful. I think that would have been effective. But no one bothered me."

Too bad. Faye as a bird getting defensive of Stark would have been something to see and he would have appreciated it very much.

"I...I did take pictures. Of you as a bird. In case you wanted to see."

[flourish_or_perish]

"I do kind of want to see," Faye admitted, grudgingly. "I mean, I'd rather not have been a bird in the first place, but was I at least a pretty bird?"

She thought she had been, but it wasn't as though she'd been looking in a lot of mirrors. It did seem like she'd been purple, though, which just felt...weirdly fitting.

[stykera]

Stark nodded, then pulled out his phone to find the pictures. He didn't take photos often so bringing them up was quick.

"Very striking," he said, holding the phone out. "See? Even purple. But you're much prettier this way. The way you're supposed to be."

[flourish_or_perish]

"But it's good to know I'm pretty in all forms," Faye decided, leaning in to look at the picture. "I wonder what did it. Like, I want to avoid doing whatever it was that turned me into a bird in the first place."

Fortunately for Faye, it probably wouldn't happen again for a while. Less fortunately for Faye, there was no real way for her to predict it.

[stykera]

"I'd like to avoid it too," Stark said with perhaps a bit more force than was necessary. He'd been lonely this past week!

"I think it just happens. For no reason. I've never been an animal." YET. "But it's been happening as long as I've been here."

[flourish_or_perish]

"It'll probably happen to you, too." Faye was just resigned. It wasn't even funny. "I wonder what you'd be."

Maybe a stork, just because it was only a letter off from his name? And also Faye sort of wanted a bird friend if it happened to her again.

[stykera]

"Why," Stark asked, voice full of reproach, "would you say that?"

He had already said it. If the island was listening and decided to turn him into something for pointing out it hadn't done so yet it was going to be his own fault. But he'd be something cuddly, obviously! Maybe a koala that wanted cuddles.

"I would much rather stay me and you can stay you. We can both stay us."

He paused, frowning, before speaking again. "Do you need anything? Want anything? Besides the blanket. You weren't yourself for a long time."

[flourish_or_perish]

If he turned into a koala, Faye would happily carry him around and show him off to people and inevitably feed him poorly. Give him the full Grogu treatment.

"Maybe a snack," she decided, thinking about it. "What day is it? How long was I a bird?"

There was maybe a little note of panic there. She really didn't like losing time if she could help it.

[stykera]

"It's Thursday," Stark said, keeping his voice calm because he did recognize that note in her voice. Of course he did. "You were a bird since Friday."

Which, Stark thought, felt like much longer and he was still very tempted to reach over and start clinging. Well, it would start as clinging but she was wearing only a blanket and who knew what might happen.

"I can get you food. Or make food. Or we could go get food. Whatever you like."

[flourish_or_perish]

No, exactly, she was only in a blanket. Food could be a thing later, considering Faye was shifting herself closer on the couch now. "Almost a week? That's way too long to spend as a bird."

Think of all the fish she'd just swallowed whole. Gross.

[stykera]

"Any amount was too long for you to be a bird," Stark said quietly. "I missed you."

Yes, she'd been there the entire time but she hadn't really been there and he had grown very used to having her around and not being constantly and quietly lonely.

And if she was going to move closer it only made sense to lift his arm to put over her shoulder and pull her closer still. She might be cold, after all, wearing only a blanket.

[flourish_or_perish]

Faye snuggled right up to him with a soft sigh. "Not a word of this to anyone on the Bebop," she noted.

Not that Stark was talking to any of them, but just...like, just imagine what Spike would do with the knowledge that Faye had spent almost a week as a bird.

"Or Din." That was probably harder.

[stykera]

"Edward would like it," Stark said, smiling as he put his other arm around Faye as well. "But I don't think I ought to be calling them...Ever."

Because Spike might answer and that wouldn't end well.

Luckily, Spike wasn't here so there could be snuggling and discussions of birds with no real risk.

"Telling Din might make him feel better. About showing his face."

[flourish_or_perish]

"But who's going to make me feel better about being a bird?" Faye asked plaintively, curling against Stark and reaching to trace a hand along his arm.

She had some suggestions about who could make her feel better.

[stykera]

"I'm right here," Stark pointed out, lifting the hand that had been on her shoulder up to toy with her hair. "And I've missed you. Very much. Does that help?"

He did have some ideas about making her feel better. Or at the very least taking her mind off of having been a bird for nearly a week.

"Or..." He let his voice trail off. One soft kiss was a good place to start.