Demon Marcus, Sunday

[myownface]

Sparkle was putting out rainbows today. Just rainbow everything into the display in the window, from tye-dye to stripes to shirts to hats to bathing suits. Sparkle himself had donned a black t-shirt with a big rainbow flag across it, because if he had to be working during Baltimore Pride weekend, he was at least going to observe it.

Oh yeah.

Lookin' good.

Comments

[sharp_man]

Hannibal had been to Pride yesterday, and since as far as he knew Sparkle hadn't, and also there was a day today that he might want to visit the closest he had to a child (even if neither of them was likely to mention it), he was stopping by the store today.

He had with him an insulated bag and a small box. Happy Father's Day Pride, Sparkle!

[myownface]

And hell, this one was a complicated day for Sparkle at best, which was at least in part why he was embracing the Pride thing so hard in the first place.

Also because he was super queer. But also because father issues. So when Hannibal came in, Sparkle got that weird knot in his throat that said volumes about how aware of today he really was. While at that same time perking up a little?

Life was weird.

"Hey," he said, nodding a little. "Nice day out there?"

[sharp_man]

And if Hannibal was fully aware of those issues and doing his best to distract Sparkle with the ones at hand instead of the long-standing ones, he doubted he could be blamed for it.

"It isn't bad," Hannibal answered. "A little hot. I see you've embraced the spirit of the weekend." He nodded at the brightly colored window.

[myownface]

"Well, I mean, if anybody is going to embrace Pride..." Sparkle shrugged a little. "You know, it's funny? Toronto has like the best parade in freaking Canada and I've never been? Which sucks, because freaking Trudeau marched in last year's."

Sparkle was so not going to Toronto Pride last year.

Less so, this year.

"Shit, I've never been to Pride."

Did he lose queer points for that? He was pretty sure he lost queer points for that.

[sharp_man]

"Well," Hannibal said, handing Sparkle the white box with a rainbow bow, "this year, a little bit of Pride has come to you."

[myownface]

"You really didn't have to--" Sparkle opened the box as he spoke, "--OH MY GOD BEST APRON."

He liked it.

[sharp_man]

Hannibal grinned. "When I saw it, I thought that you might appreciate it. And it comes with lunch." He hefted his bag. "Rainbow trout."

[myownface]

"Fitting," Sparkle laughed, shaking his head a little. "Really embracing the whole Pride thing, huh?"

He wasn't complaining.

[sharp_man]

Hannibal smiled as he unpacked the food. "It is a philosophy centered around being proud of who you are, and expressing that, despite what anybody else might think."

He nodded to Sparkle and handed him a plate. "Something I think that we can both agree is important."

[myownface]

"Can't deny that," Sparkle admitted as he accepted the plate, looking at it thoughtfully. "And this looks amazing."

He'd never thought of wrapping trout in bacon before, though. Anything was amazing with enough bacon.

[sharp_man]

And "bacon" could hide a multitude of meats.

Even if this one was in fact pork.

"Thank you." Hannibal unpacked the drinks. "I brought both iced tea and a decent pilsner; I wasn't sure which you'd prefer today."

[myownface]

Giving Sparkle cause to doubt the bacon would have been cruel and unusual anyway.

"I'm game for the pilsner," Sparkle replied, smiling faintly. "It isn't like I do anything around here I can't have a little buzz for anyway."

Well. He'd avoid the burn barrel if he was actually drunk, but A Drink wasn't gonna do that.

[sharp_man]

"Beer it is." Hannibal pulled out glasses and poured them each one. "Where shall we eat?"

[myownface]

"We can just pull chairs up and eat at the counter here, if that works," Sparkle suggested. "Or I can flip the sign to closed and we can eat in the back or something. Either works for me, honestly."

It wasn't like he made so much business around noon that he couldn't afford to take a lunch break.

[sharp_man]

"It's your business, your decision," Hannibal said, smiling. "I am open to either."

[myownface]

"Countertop it is," Sparkle decided after a pause. "It's nicer out here than it is in the back, anyway. Smells less like smoke."

He loved that burn barrel, okay? It was his very best friend and kept him from committing some far more serious arson elsewhere, generally.

[sharp_man]

"Countertop it is," Hannibal repeated, and set up the plates and glasses there, bringing out silverware and napkins to go with them. "I'm afraid I neglected to bring a centerpiece," he teased.

[myownface]

Sparkle snorted a little at that, and then grabbed the nearest thing that fell to hand - three glittery bottles of nail polish - and set them down between them.

"I am prepared."

Apparently.

[sharp_man]

Hannibal laughed. "Well, there we are. And appropriate to the weekend."

[myownface]

"Everything I do is appropriate to the weekend," Sparkle declared. "It's one of the great things about being me."

[sharp_man]

"True," Hannibal said, "but only one of them."

He raised his beer glass in a toast. "To you, and to being yourself no matter what."

[myownface]

Sparkle gave a little snort at that, but he raised his glass all the same.

"Especially to being yourself no matter what," he decided. "To hell with anyone who says otherwise."

He was well aware at this point that a statement like that could very well be taken literally in present company.

Fuck it.

[sharp_man]

And Hannibal appreciated that. And so long as Sparkle was being true to himself and not putting himself down, he would count it a win, whether that self involved murder or not.

Fire seemed more Sparkle's thing, anyway.

Hannibal smiled and drank to the toast. "I hope you enjoy the fish; it's a new recipe for me, but it was either this or something with far too much food coloring."

[myownface]

"Bet you could have done something pretty wild with vegetables, though," Sparkle mused. And now that thought was in his head. So.

Someone was going to be experimenting with vegetables this week.

[sharp_man]

"Between beets, carrots, and peppers, you could get most of the colors," Hannibal said. "And there are potatoes that are purple. Blue is more difficult, though."

Far be it from Hannibal to discourage experimentation.

"Simply grilling them with herbs would keep the color best, I think."

[myownface]

Sparkle nodded a little, and, so help him, he grinned.

"Challenge accepted," he decided. "And I'll figure out something blue without resorting to blueberries somehow. Unless, uh, I can find a vegetable that goes well with blueberries."

Because why not try?

[sharp_man]

"I look forward to it," Hannibal said. "You might check different worlds; I'm certain someone must have something blue."

[myownface]

"I'm in noooo hurry to go back to Coruscant," Sparkle admitted after a moment's pause. "But I bet if anywhere had something like that, it'd be the market there. Vegetables out that way are insane."

In delicious if weird ways.

[sharp_man]

"Well, should you end up back there, you'll have to bring me some to try. Otherwise, maybe Portalocity would have some catalogues or information."

[myownface]

Sparkle nodded a little.

"I'm not sure I trust Portalocity to hook me up with food that isn't going to kill me, or at least turn me, like, purple for a month," he noted. "But yeah, if I ever end up heading back to the temple with Atton," which wasn't quite so likely these days, even if it had once been like a home away from home, "I'll do some shopping."

[sharp_man]

Hannibal nodded, pleased. "Perhaps you can find something that will leave you glittery," he suggested. "You never know."