MCA #4, Wednesday Morning

[myownface]

Sparkle had spent yesterday on a mission. A sort of home-base mission that had involved interspersing half-assed attempts at going through his usual daily routine with actual research, and now he had three destinations picked out; Nar Shaddaa was the obvious one. Something familiar where they could just go and get lost for a while, maybe do some drinking, make some bad life choices. The second, some mostly aquatic Outer Rim resort world, one that Sparkle had admittedly just chosen by closing his eyes and pointing at a list of resort planets. And the third? Just... empty space somewhere Mid Rim, not necessarily near anything in particular, but near enough to something in general that they could theoretically just pick a direction, go, and find something to do once they got there.

Armed with those three destinations, he was making his way to Atton's bedroom door, raising a fist, and knocking. Hard.

"Hey, Atton! Get your ass out of bed! Tomorrow's another stupid family and togetherness holiday and I fully intend to drag you up to your fucking ship and make you fly it somewhere before anybody thinks to invite us to dinner!"

Also, he was worried about you, Atton. Also that.

[OOC: For the one!]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

"I mean, I'm not exactly anyone's idea of a good judge of 'having your shit together'," Atton said lightly. "But I think you're living up, anyway. Figured you should know that."

[myownface]

Sparkle chewed on his lip for a few seconds, processing that.

"Thanks," he replied. And then, rather than making a big deal out of it or anything, he added, "between the two of us we probably almost make, like, most of one functional guy."

Well, on the good days. They both had their bad ones. But every mostly functional guy was allowed to have a few of those too, right?

[suitably_heroic]

Atton considered that.

"Well, at least I get to be the handsome half," he said.

[myownface]

"Yeah," Sparkle replied easily. "But I'm the fun half."

Eh.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton sighed. He stared into hyperspace again, for a while.

"I know, okay?" he said. "I know."

[myownface]

Sparkle cast a quiet glance his way.

And then sighed.

"Didn't mean it like that," he noted, softly. "But I do miss you, you know."

[suitably_heroic]

Atton ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to say to that, or even what to do with it.

"I'm still here," he said finally.

[myownface]

"Yeah," Sparkle agreed.

Maybe Atton was even a hell of a lot more him than he usually let himself be, raw and numb all at the same time. And he saw that. It wasn't even really a first.

"So am I."

And he wasn't going anywhere, damn it.

And Atton didn't have to do this alone.

[suitably_heroic]

That analysis probably wasn't far off. Atton was exceedingly good at obfuscating bullshit most of the time; in some ways these past few months had been a lot like a holographic disguise suddenly failing, to reveal the thing underneath.

"Thanks," Atton said quietly. "I know it's stressing you out."

[myownface]

Sparkle gave a little snort at that, not meant to be mean, really. Just kind of wry.

"Most things stress me out," he pointed out. "Like, I get stressed out if I have chipped paint on my nails. I haven't scrubbed the kitchen floor down past the laminate yet so I'm pretty sure I'm doing fine. Mostly I worry if I'm, like..." He waved a hand around. "Being too Sparkle for you right now, or whatever."

[suitably_heroic]

Atton huffed something that kinda sounded like a laugh if you squinted at it right. "No," he said. "You're-- always easy to deal with."

Unlike, say. Sia.

[myownface]

"Okay," Sparkle replied, nodding. Settling into his seat a little more. "Okay. Good. Then I'm gonna keep Sparkling at you." A beat. "And it's gonna keep involving surprise broccoli, so there."

Sparkle's gonna Sparkle.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton considered that, reached into his pocket, and flung a cigarette right over Sparkle's head. "Don't abuse it."

[myownface]

"Aw, hey, don't waste those," Sparkle laughed. "C'mon, they don't exactly sell those in your neck of the multiverse, man."

Quitting his worst habits would be the hardest part of spending more time in Atton's galaxy, probably.

[suitably_heroic]

"It was worth it," Atton decided, grumpily. "You're getting airs and I don't like it."

[myownface]

"All this over a little broccoli, huh? Okay, okay, fine. No broccoli for a while, I promise."

Maybe radishes...

[suitably_heroic]

"That's better," Atton muttered. "Much better."

[myownface]

Sparkle just gave him a smug little look.

... And then leaned over to retrieve that cigarette.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton shook his head, reached out, and gave his shoulder a light shove.

[myownface]

And Sparkle, with a bit of a laugh, hopped forward a half-step with the foot that was planted there, scooped the cigarette up from the floor, and tucked it behind his ear for later.

[suitably_heroic]

"You're not nearly as cute as you think you are," Atton grumbled. "Your boyfriends are enabling you too much, I see how it is."

[myownface]

"Nah," Sparkle replied easily. "Neither of them is that invested in how much broccoli I pick up when I get the groceries, I promise."

But both enjoyed it when he gave that shameless little smile. It balanced out.

[suitably_heroic]

His boyfriends clearly didn't understand yet that the Jaws theme started playing whenever Sparkle busted that one out.

"Sure," Atton grumbled onwards, "I believe that."

[myownface]

Maybe they just both happened to really like sharks!

"I'll tell you what," Sparkle replied, and that jaws theme was probably playing now, in fact, "next time either of them gets on my case about your broccoli intake, I'll tell them exactly what to do with that."

As this was a situation that was not terribly likely to actually come up, and all.

[suitably_heroic]

"You better," Atton muttered. "You better."

He was still running on low batteries. He'd figure out a way to complain more loudly later.