fandomtownies | Caritas; Wednesday [04/30].

Summer had been warned, because Tino had texted her earlier that day trying to coordinate outfits, but that still did not prepare her for actually witnessing her coworker in all his fashionable glory sporting a full-on all denim suit.

"Thanks," she told him. "I hate it."

He was going to insist that she actually loved it and was just jealous and Summer had to decide if she wanted to humor him by sarcastically saying he was right just so he didn't bother her endlessly about it and just insisting that he was categorically wrong in this and nothing he could say or do would change her mind on this.

"Like, it's seriously making me want to burn every piece of denim I own as soon as I get home. Is that what you wanted? Is that your whole goal in all of this? Because it can't possibly be to be comfortable or to look good."

And don't even get her started with the denim beer cozies he was going to be putting on everyone's drinks tonight, too.

Featured Cocktail
Strawberry Soju

Featured Jello
Mt. Fuji
Cherry Blossom
Matcha
Sweet Peach Sake

Caritas is open!

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"What?" Summer blinked innocently at him, feigning shock. "You mean you don't want them, Stark?"

Your cheese pizza flavored instant noodles?? Absurd.

"I thought you might appreciate them more," Stark told her, almost smiling again.

"We..." might as well just go for it. "We could always share them? And try both?"

"I could probably see if I can manage to get the other flavors out of the machine, too," Summer noted, with a soft smile of her own. "There were four. But, yeah, no. I don't think anyone should be trying those alone or sober."

See? That wasn't that hard, now, was it?

"Except for Gladio," Stark said. "He does love his noodles."

Maybe he could share them with Iggy though? Great way to bond on the camping trip!

"Maybe... this weekend?" To hang out. As friends. Awkwardly. Maybe.

As friends. Awkwardly definitely.

But if there was any awkwardness in Summer's soft smile back or her slight shrug, it seemed pretty minimal and fleeting.

"Sure," she said. "This weekend sounds great. Barring any space kaiju attacks, of course."

Stark had enough awkward for the both of them. This would be so much less complicated if he could talk it through with his favorite person...oops.

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of keeping you away from your robot ferret."

Summer couldn't help grinning a little more. "I'm really starting to like that stupid robot ferret, you know," she said. "Even some of the others Summers now, too. But C-137 can still suck all my balls."

"I think you may have liked it from the beginning," Stark said. "I'd...I'd still like to see it for myself. Sometime. If I can."

Was that too much? He had no idea where the imaginary lines were. Because they were imaginary.

"Which one is C-137?" Quick, change the subject in case you overstepped, Stark!

"C-137 is the Rick that started this whole GoTron thing," Summer explained, "so he's sort of the Head Rick of Operations, and his Summee is sort of his Roght Hand Man, because apparently, this Rick has beef with his Morty and is clearly using his Summer to make him jealous, and she doesn't even realize it because she's got such a big boner for power, and has literally nothing else going on in her life. It's actually kind of sad, really..."

And then she was looking at Stark kind of thoughtfully for a moment.

"And I guess we could go see it. It's kept under the ocean, which is always a little tricky because that's Mr. Nimbus' territory and I did kind of, you know, infiltrate his palace and killed....a lot of his guards, but I also accidentally made his powers stronger so he could bear up Rick, so maybe we're even? Either way, I could always, you know, bring it up to dry land, there's some pretty sweet tropical islands nearby."

"Tropical islands?"

Too soon, Summer!

"I'd like to see it. If you wouldn't mind. And if you wouldn't end up being chased by...Mr. Nimbus? I wouldn't want you to...I wouldn't want anything to happen. Because of me."

Summer winced a little because, right. Yeah. The trip to Jamaica that wasn't. Whoops.

Then she shook her head a little. "He hasn't started any shit yet," she assured him. "I'm sure he won't start any now. But, you know, definitely something to keep in mind if we do go and he's got his panties in a wad about something Rick did again."

There was not an instruction book for how to proceed in this situation. Too bad for the both of them.

"You know I'd help you any way I could," Stark said softly. "With your grandfather or anyone else. Anything else."

"I know," Summer said, with a soft smile back to match that tone. "Thanks, Stark. You know I appreciate that. "

That got Stark to risk some brief eye contact even.

"I do. But it's always true. No matter what else might change."

"And not much has," Summer reminded him. "We're still friends. And that's what's most important...right?"

"Always," Stark said, a little more fiercely than he meant to.

Always if he had anything to say about it, anyway.

"I just...haven't figured it all out yet." Or much of it. Possibly any of it.

Summer was quiet for a moment, looking at Stark thoughtfully.

"Is there really all that much to figure out, though?" she asked, and, with another of those smaller smiles, she added, "I'd tell you not to worry about it so much, but I know you're going to, anyway. But you really don't have to."

"I'm good at worrying," Stark said. Another almost smile, this one slightly crooked. "It might be what I'm best at."

"I just...I feel...I don't even know how I feel."

Still confused about what everything meant, mostly.

"But I know not everything changed but enough did and I'm just...adjusting. A work in progress. Still."

Edited 2025-05-01 00:40 (UTC)

"Yeah," Summer agreed, letting out a little sigh. "I get that. I'm sorry. I'd say it'll help build character or some shit, but then I'll just end up sounding like my dad."

Her nose wrinkled and her tongue stuck out, because no one wanted to have to resort to that.

"Please don't be your father," Stark said. "Neither one of us wants that. And I think I've built enough character for several lifetimes already."

Caritas; Wednesday [04/30].

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