MHA #8, Thursday Evening

[stykera]

The only reason Stark was not at a bar trying to drink his feelings away for the 4th night in a row was because Anakin had said he would be coming by tonight. He could, he reasoned, always head across the street or wander to the other bar later if he needed to. Or if Anakin didn't show.

Instead of drinking yet was standing awkwardly in his living room, watching the door with a serious expression on his face.

He'd had nothing but serious expressions on his face the entire week.

[For the Jedi mentioned above]

Comments

[sith_happened]

Anakin had been an adult when he'd left the house and had progressed through a series of changes before getting to Stark's place with a armful of takeout and an annoyed look on his ten year old face. "Stark!" he yelled.

[stykera]

Stark was unamused when he opened the door to see a small child instead of who he was expecting.

"What? Why do you look like that?" It wasn't a weekend, nobody should be a child!

[sith_happened]

"I don't know," Anakin whined, now a teenger. "It's been happening all day."

[stykera]

"I hadn't noticed," Stark said, turning away and suddenly sporting a full head of hair. "I've just been... here."

You know, moping. Alone.

[sith_happened]

"Growing your hair out," Anakin noted as he stood in particularly flattering light.

[stykera]

"I was," Stark said sadly, suddenly backlit very prettily. "She said she wanted to see it, once. I should shave."

[sith_happened]

"Do what you want," teenaged Anakin advised.

Don't listen to teenaged Anakin, Stark.

[stykera]

"What if I don't want to do anything?" Stark countered, looking serious (and slightly pained) once more.

[sith_happened]

"Then we just sit here and watch holos," Anakin said.

[stykera]

"And eat?"

Stark was a little hungry, in spite of himself. Maybe barely eating for days on end wasn't the best idea.

[sith_happened]

"And eat," Anakin confirmed. "I've got Chinese, pizza, and Thai. Mooby wouldn't give me anything because I was shirtless when I arrived."

[stykera]

Stark would have said thank you, but his face was inexplicably covered in green Muppet vomit.

"Augh!"

[sith_happened]

Don't hug him right now, Anakin! Ew, ew!

Oh, fine. Hug him.

[stykera]

Stark was in somewhat desperate need of hugs.

Stark was also very unsure about the idea of being hugged by Anakin.

[sith_happened]

Why did Anakin keep turning into a teenager?!

"You didn't like it?"

[stykera]

"I didn't know we were on hugging terms."

Stark didn't get hugs often. Especially after the weekend.

[sith_happened]

"It seemed like a special occasion?" Anakin said.

[stykera]

That was confusing for Stark, Anakin, and his face was showing that plainly.

"Oh. I...all right."

[sith_happened]

Well, Anakin and Obi-Wan both approved of that, apparently, because there they were, smiling at each other.

[stykera]

That just made Stark feel the need to sit down on the floor and meditate.

Which, to be fair, might do him some good if he could do it properly.

[sith_happened]

That looked like a good idea! Teenaged Anakin would join him. "I do this all the time," he said. "I levitate glitter."

[stykera]

"Glitter?" Stark asked, surprised instead of moping over the connotations of glitter for some reason.

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled. "It involves a lot of concentration," he said. "I did it as a party trick a few times in high school."

[stykera]

Stark waved his hands around, ending with them framing his chin. Why? Who knows.

"I didn't go to many parties then."

[sith_happened]

"I did," Anakin said, striding around ominously.

[stykera]

"Are you leaving already?" Stark asked, trying and failing not to look sad about it.

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled. "I'm not leaving."

[stykera]

Stark apparently couldn't even look at Anakin's smile and turned away to show off his full head of hair again.

"Good. I...thank you."

He didn't want to be alone, even if he did have nice ginger hair for the moment.

[sith_happened]

He did! And Anakin knew good hair. He beamed at Stark. "Let's eat."

[stykera]

Stark, still sporting the hair, was mildly alarmed at that suggestion. Or maybe at the smile.

Maybe he'd be done making that face after he went and got some plates from the kitchen.

[sith_happened]

The smile was weird. Anakin went back to a small smirk--and being 18--while he waited for Stark to return.

[stykera]

Stark was grinning about something when he returned. Too bad his first smile in days was one with no reason.

"You keep being younger." That wasn't really something to grin about and yet here they were.

[sith_happened]

"It's very confusing," Anakin admitted, smiling back for some reason.

[stykera]

Confusing enough that Stark was suddenly maskless, in a cage, and screaming.

[sith_happened]

"What the frell?" teenaged Anakin gasped.

[stykera]

"I don't know," Stark said uncertainly. "That was...a long time ago."

[sith_happened]

"what happened?" Anakin asked, putting food onto plates and smiling.

[stykera]

"I was executed," Stark said, grimacing and waving his hands.

"I... got better."

[sith_happened]

Oh, look, another hug!

[stykera]

Anakin, all that did was put Stark back in the cage and start him screaming again!

[sith_happened]

Oh no!

Anakin turned away to brood.

[stykera]

Stark slumped down, holding his mask against his face.

"I thought tonight was supposed to help."

[sith_happened]

Anakin looked frustrated while behind him some long-dead Jedi Master nodded along. "Fandom is being unhelpful."

"Just like you," the Jedi Master told Anakin.

[stykera]

"Maybe nothing is going to be helpful," Stark said, one tear slowly rolling down his cheek.

[sith_happened]

"Aww, don't cry, Mister," tiny Anakin pleaded. "It'll mess up your mask and maybe rust it."

Tiny Anakin wasn't the most empathetic person.

[stykera]

Well fine, Stark would just take his mask off and turn away. Still looking sad.

"It doesn't rust."

[sith_happened]

"It doesn't?" Anakin replied. "What kind of alloy is it?"

[stykera]

"I'm not certain," Stark admitted, looking fine with that. "I didn't make it. Or the others."

Like the fancy one he'd shoved in the back of the closet the other day because he didn't want to look at it.

[sith_happened]

"Does Amaya make them?" Anakin asked.

[stykera]

"She made me two," Stark said, smirking. "A backup and one... one that was pretty."

That he was never wearing again because it would make him sad. In spite of the smirking.

[sith_happened]

Anakin was apparently judging the hell out of that for some reason. "That was very nice of her."

[stykera]

"It was," Stark agreed, looking confused.

[sith_happened]

Anakin and Obi-Wan were here for you, Stark!

"That's wonderful!" Obi-Wan said.

[stykera]

The addition of Obi-Wan had Stark cowering. Maybe it was the beard?

[sith_happened]

It was intimidating in its magnificence.

"You okay?" Anakin asked.

[stykera]

No, not okay. Now Stark was lying in a box and unconscious.

[sith_happened]

Anakin was going to stare in this good light, then, and look at him.

[stykera]

Well if he was going to be looked at then Stark was going to sit, lean against a wall, and look terribly depressed.

Which was pretty much his default state this week.

[sith_happened]

Anakin sighed. "Well, let's at least eat something and be depressed."

[stykera]

Why was someone pressing Stark's face against the table now? Who knows.

"I've been trying," he protested.

[sith_happened]

"Maybe we should eat faster?" Anakin said.

[stykera]

"That seems wise," Stark agreed, looking quite shocked about it all.

[sith_happened]

Well, Anakin having constructive ideas was fairly novel.

"I'm not hungry," Obi-Wan, popping back up again, said. "But the food smells delicious."

"Thanks," Anakin said a little wryly, opening a takeout box at random and digging in.

[stykera]

"I am hungry," Stark admitted. Barely eating for days would do that to you. But instead of reaching for the food he was holding out his mask.

[sith_happened]

"You don't need your mask on to eat?" Anakin guessed, smiling wide.

[stykera]

"It's better not to take it off unless I have to," Stark said, giving him some side-eye while wearing his giant fluffy muppet coat.

"I didn't mean to take it off!"

[sith_happened]

"I don't mean to keep turning into a teenager!" Anakin replied.

[stykera]

Stark also didn't mean to end up unconscious in a box. Again. And yet.

[sith_happened]

Anakin stared at him pensively as he ate his Thai food.

[stykera]

Stark, safely out of the box and upright once more, gasped.

And then reached for some food because this was getting ridiculous and he wanted at least a few bites.

[sith_happened]

"We should've rescheduled," Anakin sighed, looking frustrated.

[stykera]

"You don't have to stay," Stark said, holding up a couple of comms badges that had just appeared.

[sith_happened]

"Of course I will," Steve said stubbornly. "I'm not leaving just because I'm a teenager half the time."