FTEC, Sunday (8/5)

[stykera]

It was good to be back in the clinic for a regularly scheduled shift. Stark liked some routine in his life. Particularly when the routine was one he could choose whether or not to follow. This sort of routine was comforting in its normalcy.

He'd brought cupcakes decorated with Olympic rings shh, don't tell the IOC today and was now settled at the desk watching the coverage with some of the nurses. He didn't understand most of the events and kept asking questions. Unfortunately for him, the nurses weren't terribly familiar with a lot of what was happening either.

The alien is in, watching the Olympics, and ready to assist you should you need him.

[Open, OCD-free, etc]

Comments

[longislandiceme]

Bobby knew from past radio broadcasts that Stark worked at the clinic on Sundays. So once Sunday rolled around, there he was, poking his head in the door.

"Uh, hi?" he greeted tentatively. That Stark probably wouldn't recognize him all un-iced didn't actually occur to him.

[omg massive SP due to heading to work soonish but I haaad to.]

[stykera]

"Hello," Stark replied, looking away from the screen to see who had entered and to make sure they weren't gushing blood or anything like that. You never knew, around here.

"Do you need help? Are you hurt? Or ill?" He'd seen Bobby places (like cupcake class!), so he recognized him. He just didn't recognize him as the same person who had been a block of ice last week. His face was totally different when he was an ice cube!

[longislandiceme]

"No," Bobby shook his head. "I just- I came by cause I wanted to talk. About something. Um. With you."

[stykera]

That was different. Stark didn't get 'I want to talk to you' very often. It rarely boded well.


"About what? Is something wrong?" He asked because, well, usually something was in this sort of situation. "Can I help? I'm happy to talk."

[longislandiceme]

"No, nothing's wrong, exactly, anymore." Well, aside from the nightmares that still plagued him most nights, but he barely wanted to admit those to himself, let alone someone else. "I don't know if you remember me but I was in detention with you, in that other world."

[stykera]

"I don't remember seeing you there," Stark said slowly. "Unless you weren't you?" Unless you were, perhaps, a giant block of ice? Stark would probably make the connection if you gave him a few minutes. "But I have been trying not to think about it too much."

If he dwelled on every time he'd ever been locked in a cell or a box he would have no time to do anything else.

[longislandiceme]

"I was me," except a little crazier with a tendency to talk to a voice in his head (which, okay, he still did sometimes because said voice was actually real, just usually a lot quieter). "I just looked a little different." He concentrated, and a cupcake-shaped block of ice coalesced in his hand.

[stykera]

Bobby, Stark isn't going to judge you for talking to a voice in your head. He might just offer advice. Involving dumpsters.

"Oh," Stark said, looking at the best ice cube ever. "Oh.. I'm sorry. I know it isn't real, not anymore, but it was. I'm so sorry that happened. No one should have to do that." Even though almost everyone did, eventually, though not usually with such violence.

[longislandiceme]

"You being there, it helped, though," Bobby said, letting the cupcake melt into his hand. "Just knowing that someone was watching out for me- him. Whatever. And not gonna try and make me let go or forget or anything like that. So I just wanted to say thanks."

[stykera]

"Making you let go wouldn't have helped anyone," Stark replied. There hadn't been anything for him to hold onto but he probably would have done so if he'd been able. "Neither would forgetting. Sometimes people think forgetting will help but it never does. And I." He stopped, looking very hard at the hand where the cupcake ice block had been.

"I've been through this. That. Not the same thing, it's never the same for anyone, but it hurts. It always hurts. And when she was gone...I remember it helped, a little, when I knew there was someone watching. Someone hovering. I'm glad I could do something. If it helped, even a little."