Stark Industries - Monday

[slothbabyproductions]

It had only been a few weeks of sick days and family time, but when Kamala returned to her desk, she found it practically buried under a mountain of weird scientific gadgets. Apparently, the Starbucks gremlins had gotten very creative with their spare time.

Maybe a little too creative.

Kamala let out a long sigh and rolled up her sleeves. She started clearing the mess one gadget at a time, carefully cataloging everything.

Just in case one of them decided to explode, shrink her desk, or open a portal to another dimension

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[what_big_teeth]

Stark Industries was Eleanor's third stop that afternoon. The first was the post office, to send out her letter to Luma, letting her know, in no uncertain terms, that she would be staying on the island for thr summer after her graduation. She thought that would alleviate the nervousness that went with such a bold declaration, but it still gripped her stomach with dread. Ironic, really, considering Eleanor could order most people to do what she wanted, if she wanted, but Luma had always been defiantly immune to all that.

The second stop was, of course, the T&C, to pick up Squishies, Red for Kamala and Blueberry Pie for Eleanor's own curiosity, and to haggle a fifteen percent discount out of Summer for being superhero adjacent in dating one.

And now she was here, her third spot, brows lifted as she took in all the things surrounding that superhero girlfriend as she approached.

"Wow," she said, offering the Squishy out, "I think I came in just the nick of time. You look like you're pretty overdue for one of these."

[slothbabyproductions]

"Oh my gosh, you have no idea!" Kamala said, practically bouncing as she grabbed the squishy and gave Eleanor a quick, work-appropriate kiss in greeting. "You are a total hero today. Seriously. My red dye number five levels were in critical condition. Another hour and I might have... well, okay, I probably would have survived, but it would have been tragic. Thank you!"

[what_big_teeth]

"You're welcome," said Eleanor, with that soft, bright beaming that could only come from making Kamala's day better, although, really, that wasn't even a heavy lifting job. "And I wish I'd have known it was so critical sooner. I might have been able to get the full discount at the store today if I could explain that I was off to save my girlfriend. It's apparently some sort of superhero day today."

[slothbabyproductions]

"It's superhero day?!"

Kamala's eyes became wide as saucers. Squishies. On Discount. For Superheroes.

"So, would I have to show up in costume or..."

Kamala might be ingesting so may squishies she may not sleep tonight.

[what_big_teeth]

It was a break week! It would be fine!

"25% off," Eleanor confirmed with a nod. "And I don't think you'd have to get all dressed up. I think the only rule is 'be a superhero.' Miss Smith did seem pretty up for bargaining, though, so I bet if you did show up in full costume, you could talk her into a bigger discount."

Eleanor, no.

[slothbabyproductions]

"It's been a while since I've worn the costume. What would you think would make a better impression, the one made in outer space or the one my mom made?"

Eleanor was at risk of dealing with a sugar induced hyperactive Kamala. Totally at fault.

[what_big_teeth]

Oh no! Anything but that! Whatever will Eleanor do with such horrors upon horrors!

"Well I know I'd be more impressed with the one from your mom," she admitted with a soft smile, "but I'm not the one you're trying to impress."

She'd already done that in spaced. Locked, loaded, sealed, and topped with a bow.

[slothbabyproductions]

"Who says I'm done impressing you?" Kamala teased. "I feel like that's an ongoing job, you know? Though really you should be more impressed that I've kept my plants alive for so long. It's a minor miracle to be honest."

[what_big_teeth]

"You've impressed me with interest already," Eleanor informed her, leaning in to nudge her shoulder against Kamala's, and then realizing she should take advantage of only holding onto one Squishy now to hold onto Kamala's hand with the newly freed one. "You're pretty set for a while, I think. Plus, I take some of the credit for those plants, too. Maybe I put some of my grandmother's old magic into them when you weren't looking."

The fact that Eleanor's own garden was thriving now, too, couldn't be anything but a supernatural touch, whether she knew it or not, right?

[slothbabyproductions]

Kamala burst out laughing as she gave El’s hand a squeeze. “Hold on. I have to say something cheesy and I need to over do it for maximum cheesiness.”

She lowered her gaze to look directly into Eleanor’s eyes. “Baby, I know you’re magic because you cast a spell on me and I never want it dispelled.”

She did her best to say it with a straight face but started to giggle half-way through it.

[what_big_teeth]

That was certainly one way to make sure that Kamala had Eleanor's complete and total attention, her brows lifting with curiosity. There was a little bit of skepticism, too, that it would really be that cheesy, and perhaps just a touch of nervousness that it might be something bad, that you think she'd have shaken by now, but that sense of dread would always be a dull thrum inside her stomach, no matter how things actually seemed to be working out with all of this.

When kamala met her eyes, Eleanor blinked a moment in preparation to hold her gaze back, and when she started giggling before she even finished, well, there was no hope for Eleanor, either, who felt her own laugh bubbling up almost from the first word.

"Okay, okay," she said, once she managed to get her own giggles under control enough to speak and wave her hand dismissively over it, "you win. That's so cheesy, I'm worried that panda from the store is going to burst in here and accuse you of trying to steal his gimmick."

But she was grinning, and she was grinning with utmost fondness at Kamala for a moment before leaning in to steal a (work appropriate, of course) kiss.

"But it was pretty cute."

[slothbabyproductions]

There was nothing better, in Kamala's opinion, when she was able to get her Eldritch girlfriend to giggle and smile. The work appropriate kiss was just an added bonus.

And then there was being called cute.

"Oh, so you think I'm cute when I'm cheesy," Kamala teased and batted her eye lashes to add to the effect. "I'll remember that for future reference."