fandom_clinic | Fandom Clinic, Monday 12/26

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stark

Fandom Clinic, Monday 12/26

It had been a quiet few days for Stark with the holiday and the very gentle surprises from the island. What he might have seen in those ornaments on Christmas Eve he'd be keeping to himself. He'd enjoyed the fireplace yesterday very much, and the cake, but now it was Monday and time to go back to work. Even if work were likely to be very quiet.

He arrived at the clinic with coffee as always, along with some pastries, and found rather a lot of boxes including one shaped, naturally, like a crab.

"It's boxing day," one nurse explained. Which wasn't an explanation at all but Stark just nodded and settled in at the desk.

The clinic was open, the alien was (boxed) in, and the crab had a fancy wooden box.

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Where you can find an alien, some boxes, and a crab.

Steven came by around late morning. His satchel looked fuller than normal and he had two takeaway cups from the Perk. "Hello, Stark! How are you?"

"Hello, Steven," Stark said, looking up. "I'm alright. Enjoying the quiet. And you?"

"I'm all right," Steven said. He offered one of the cups to Stark. "Got you a nice warm mocha to help chase the cold away."

"Thank you," Stark said smiling as he took the cup. "Coffee and chocolate. It has been cold. The fireplace yesterday was good for that."

"And!" Steven rummaged in his satchel, then produced a wrapped package which he held out to Stark with a flourish. Or at least an attempt at a flourish. It was Steven after all. "For you. From Llewellyn and me. For the holidays."

"Oh. Thank you," Stark said, reaching for the package but then frowning slightly. "I don't have anything for you, though."

"It's a gift," Steven said, with a smile. "Only meant to make you happy. At least we hope it makes you happy. No expectation of anything back. It's not a holiday time of year for you, after all."

"I borrow the holidays, I think," Stark said. "At least parts of them. Since I haven't got my own. I just...didn't think of gifts this year, really."

There was still time for that. Christmas lasted 12 days!

"But thank you. I'm sure it will make me happy. Should I open it?"

"If you like," Steven said. "Or if you'd rather do it private I understand. Marc hasn't been much for opening his gifts in front of people this year."

"No reason not to open it now," Stark said. "If you don't mind."

Maybe Steven had a hangup about watching people open gifts. Who knew?

"Is Marc alright?" he asked, carefully lifting a piece of tape off the wrapping paper.

"He's all right," Steven said, touched that Stark would ask. "It's not as bad as it was back in September. It's just a little hard for him, still. Letting people see him participate in the holidays."

Anybody else and Steven wouldn't have given that much detail. But it was Stark and he was a trusted friend to Marc and Steven both.

"I hope it gets easier for him," Stark said softly. "Most things do, given enough time."

He finished undoing the wrapping paper then and flashed Steven a quick but delighted grin. "Candy! Thank you. So much chocolate."

"You said you'd never tried the British kind, so there you are," Steven said with a smile. "That's from Llewellyn and me. Should be enough variety to give you an idea."

"Please thank him for me. In case I don't see him soon," Stark said. "I look forward to trying all of these."

"Consider it done," Steven said. "He was happy to help out. We were able to get you a bigger box that way."

"It was kind of you. Of both of you."

"And very appreciated," Stark added. "You didn't need to do anything at all."

"I think holidays are a nice way of showing friends you're thinking about them," Steven said. "That you appreciate them. Having friendship itself is a gift, isn't it? Nothing wrong with making that literal from time to time. Least I think so."

"It's always a good thing to make sure people know they're appreciated. You never know when they need it. Or if you might not get the chance to tell them later on. Better to make certain they know when you have the chance."

"That's true, isn't it?" Steven said, with feeling. "Things can get taken away so quickly."

That thought process led to melancholy things, so Steven tried to shake it off and instead say, "You're appreciated. By me and Marc. Hope you know that."

"They can," Stark agreed. "And thank you. I appreciate you both as well. Even without coffee and chocolate."

"Chocolate for the holiday, coffee because I know you don't like cold," Steven said with a smile. "How's that been for you? Was the snow yesterday a bit much?"

Steven had liked it, but Steven didn't mind cold like Stark did.

"The snow was pretty but I stayed inside yesterday," Stark said. "The fireplace was nice. That's happened before. I wouldn't mind those staying longer. I just don't like cold. I'll live. But it's good of you to check."

"The fireplace was nice," Steven agreed. "Cozy. Won't lie, it was a bit hard leaving the flat. If I didn't promise to take care of Nell's kittens while she's gone Llewellyn and I might've ordered dinner in yesterday."

"I didn't have anywhere I needed to be, so I could stay in. No cats to look in on," Stark said. "Are they doing alright without her?"

"They're fine," Steven said. "Happy to play about. Curled up by the fire yesterday both times I checked. Suppose it helps they have each other for company while she's gone. No risk them getting lonely."

Not that Steven was worried about Raphael while he and Llewellyn were gone or anything.

"And they have you to check on them as well. They probably like having people there," Stark said. "They must be used to it. Is Watts's cat doing well? Did he like the fire too?"

"Snug as can be," Steven said. "He curled up on top of us, mainly. But we were curled up on the couch by the fire. Suppose far as he's concerned it was warm all around, people and fire both. If I was a cat that's where I'd want to be."

Don't jinx things, Steven. The island would totally turn you into a cat.

The island did like to do things like that.

"I don't remember much of being a koala," Stark said. "But I think a small animal would like that. Somewhere warm and safe."

Probie had probably liked laying in front of a fire too.

"I know I like that. Somewhere warm and safe with good company."

"Koalas like hugging, don't they?" Steven said, thinking about it. He mimed holding his arms out in front of him as though wrapped around an invisible object. "Feel like you always see them like that, holding on to something like they don't want to let go."

"I spent a lot of time hugging people," Stark agreed. "Anakin and Summer and Travis. There were pictures."

"Anakin's the one seems like he's frowning all the time, yeah?" Steven asked.

"Not all the time," Stark said with a grin. "He smiles when he shoots me in paintball. And when he's torturing us all on Wednesdays in the summer."

"Yeah, that's the one," Steven said, snapping his fingers when he was able to put the name to his memory of the face. "He was in my class. Didn't really get a chance to chat with him much."

Steven had been a bit skittish about chatting with his fellow classmates after how Steve Rogers had reacted. Steven hadn't wanted to take the risk on upsetting any more of them.

"He must be nice if he's a friend of yours though," Steven said.

"We've known each other a long time," Stark said. And Anakin was a fellow Space Person which counted for something. There weren't that many of them here now.

"He's a good friend."

"Must be if you were hugging him even as a koala," Steven said with a smile. He remembered something else Stark had once said about him and Anakin. Or at least that he thought Stark had said. "Don't you and he take the mick out of each other at games? Like paintball and the like?"

"He was there when I turned into a koala. And he cheats at paintball."

Stark paused.

"I think he cheats at most games."

Using the Force was totally cheating.

Steven laughed. "Sorry, it's just - I'm picturing a koala with a paintball gun now."

"I don't think they gave me a gun then. Anakin's daughter did turn me rainbow colors though. Not with paint."

"With magic?" Steven asked. It was Fandom, you couldn't rule it out.

"Dye," Stark said. "I was still rainbow when I turned back."

Just ask Summer and Travis!

Steven took a moment as he tried to imagine it. "So on your skin or...?"

Stark chose to keep an air of mystery about him and not answer that with more than a look.

Some things maybe only the people who saw you naked needed to know.

"Right, right, understood," Steven said. After all, there were certain things you didn't share with friends unless they were also friends with some sort of extra arrangement going on which involved nudity.

There might be a better phrase for that but Steven didn't know it.

Where you can probably find more boxes and an alien if you need him.

Where you can find a player enjoying a day with pretty much no plans.

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Fandom Clinic, Monday 12/26

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