MHA #8 | Morning

[flourish_or_perish]

So. Last night had happened.

There had been no pollen involved. Just a little breaking and entering (and a silly neighbor who Faye hadn't really minded seeing shirtless, but she wished had left earlier. Or not come at all, since he was the cops.) But it had, ultimately, turned out pretty well.

Meaning that Faye had woken up being...held. One might even call it cuddled. And -- this was now Faye's deepest secret. Deeper even than her debt or her real age or her identity -- she had liked it. And cuddled back, however briefly.

So, naturally, she'd kicked Stark out of his own bed and sent him off to the kitchen to make breakfast, before she could get too used to how much she'd liked it. And now, having taken her sweet time to get out of bed, she padded out to the kitchen in what was definitely Stark's shirt, because she wasn't just going to put on her own clothes again, okay? Not before breakfast.

"Are you actually making pancakes?"

[for the glowy guy. NO LIAM, NOT YOU, YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE YESTERDAY]

Comments

[flourish_or_perish]

It really just depended on how bad Faye wanted something. A lot of times, she'd give up pretty easily.

Other times, you know, she'd break into a guy's apartment.

"You can scream after I show up again," Faye replied, going over to perch on the counter with a little wiggle of her eyebrows.

Yeah, she just wanted to see if she could embarrass him. She thought it was cute.

[stykera]

Well, lucky for Faye, Stark was easily flustered by her.

"But I..." He looked up at her, caught the eyebrow wiggle and immediately looked down again.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

Putting some pancakes on a plate was easier than making eye contact but he did look at her when he offered the plate. She was sitting right there. On the counter. In his shirt.

"You do that on purpose."

[flourish_or_perish]

"I do most things on purpose," Faye told him, taking the plate. "But yes, I do that on purpose, every time."

And it was a skill set that had served her very well over the years. There was a reason Faye was a pretty effective thief.

"Would you rather I didn't?"

Didn't mean she'd stop, considering that how flustered Stark got was one of the things that kind of drew her to this. Faye knew perfectly well what to do with confident, flirtatious men; this was different and intriguing. (And, like, dangerous, but she would deal with that when it all hit her and she panicked and not a second before!)

[stykera]

"No," Stark said, more quickly than he meant to. He didn't want her to stop.

"I just... you're... it's confusing."

Although maybe a little less so after last night? But maybe not.

[flourish_or_perish]

"Do that on purpose, too, usually," Faye replied cheerfully, tucking into her pancakes. "But I don't know what's so confusing about me now."

Given that she was sitting here, on his kitchen counter, wearing his shirt and eating pancakes he'd made her. Was she unclear now?

Of course, she also refused to use her words pretty much ever and had thrown him out of bed for daring to cuddle her, so. There were perhaps some mixed messages going on here.

[stykera]

"You're here," Stark pointed out, which was confusing all by itself.

And she'd kicked him out of bed when he was very contentedly cuddling!

"I really didn't think you were serious." Until she grabbed him last night in front of his shirtless neighbor and how was he supposed to look Liam in the eye now?

"Not unhappy to be wrong." Just confused!

[flourish_or_perish]

"I can keep proving how serious I am," Faye pointed out. "We have some time before class."

More flustering, please.

"It's not a big deal," she added, because she had to.

[stykera]

Stark very nearly dropped his own plate at that, which would have been a shameful waste of pancakes.

"I..." Now was a good time for a mouthful of pancake. Yep.

He disagreed about how big a deal things might be but he wasn't quite clueless enough to argue. He could just be quietly confused.

Quietly confused and eating pancakes and looking at Faye, perched on the counter.

[flourish_or_perish]

She watched him, eating her own pancakes for a moment before amending, "It doesn't have to be a big deal."

But so help her, Stark, if you made a big deal of this, she would get into her spaceship and fly away before you could cuddle her again.

"Just two neighbors being friendly," she added, just to make herself even less clear.

[stykera]

"None of my other neighbors are quite so friendly," Stark pointed out. "But even close to as friendly."

Exactly one other person on this island had been anywhere near as friendly and that was only the once during the pollen.

"But... there is time. Before class."

He was awkward and occasionally clueless but he wasn't stupid.

[flourish_or_perish]

Faye's smile was slow and appreciative. "Probably after class, too," she added lightly.

Look, she was a very busy woman, obviously, with all her day-drinking and random thievery, but she could probably make an exception today.

[stykera]

"There's paintball," Stark said thoughtfully. He'd hate to miss a chance to shoot at Anakin. "I don't have to go, but there's Anakin."

He might come back covered in paint. But that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

[flourish_or_perish]

"Then why don't you do that and come back and tell me all about your victory?" Faye suggested.

Suggestively.

Because yeah, paintball meant he'd need to rinse off. Maybe with a buddy!

[stykera]

"Sometimes he cheats," Stark told her. "He might shoot me first."

Not today, thanks RNG!

[flourish_or_perish]

"Don't let him," Faye replied helpfully. "Cheat back."

This is what you get for hanging out with Faye, Stark. You get these kinds of helpful suggestions.

[stykera]

"It's usually too late. Or he comes up on my right and I can't see him."

Plus, cheating got you disappointed looks from Captain America.

[flourish_or_perish]

Whatever, Faye didn't care if Sexy Teaching Buddy Steve looked at her sadly if it meant Stark won.

"Does that happen a lot? Outside of paintball, I mean," Faye asked, gesturing to the right side of her own face.

Don't mistake her curiosity for concern. You were confused. She didn't worry about anyone but herself, okay?

[stykera]

"It's not usually a problem except at paintball," Stark said. "Usually there isn't anyone trying to sneak up on me."

Of course, usually nobody broke in either. Anything could happen!

"Why?"

[flourish_or_perish]

"Because," Faye told her pancakes, "I would make a point to cover your right side next time there's crazy shit on the island, if you were worried about it."

Stop it, no one here was protective. Crazy talk.

[stykera]

Faye’s pancakes were probably very interested to hear that. The alien who made them certainly was.

He was also growing ever more confused about where he stood.

"Thank you," Stark said softly. "I'd like that."

[flourish_or_perish]

God, Stark, it's like you weren't used to dealing with someone who refused to be emotionally honest with herself under any circumstances. What could possibly be confusing about that?

"I mean, ideally, it's not necessary," Faye added, a little extra flip as she looked up again just because ugh, she'd almost been kind of vulnerable there. "Though I still think I have to figure out a way to help with this Anakin thing."

[stykera]

Everything was confusing about that, Faye!

"Well, life's never ideal. There's always something to go wrong. Sometimes that needs backup. Or someone to watch out for you. For me."

And aside from Liam who came running at the sounds of screams, Stark hadn't really had that in a long time.

"Anakin I'll do my best to shoot later."

[flourish_or_perish]

"Well. I'll watch out for you, when things aren't ideal." Said very matter-of-fact, and Faye immediately shoved a super impolite amount of pancakes into her mouth so he couldn't ask her any immediate follow-up questions.

Strategy.

[stykera]

"Thank you," Stark said again. "I appreciate it."

He was feeling very appreciative right now, Faye.

"Did you... want more pancakes?"

[flourish_or_perish]

Faye chewed thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing enough to curiously ask, "If I say yes, would you actually make me more?"

This was a test, Stark! Better pass!