A bar in Baltimore- Saturday night

[notconflicted]

Sia hadn't cared much about her birthday in the past, and she wasn't sure she cared now. But, she really shouldn't have gotten to this birthday, and it was a milestone which meant nothing at home, and it was just days before graduation in Fandom. Once she'd managed to swing a couple days when no one would be looking for her that hard, she more or less had to come back, right?

A few people had been invited. Nothing big, and anyone was welcome to come and go as they pleased, though she had managed to find a bar that wasn't completely insane tonight.

And as she came back from opening a tab, Sia asked, "Why would they beg us not to order margaritas?"


[For a few, but open if your character's at the bar!]

Comments

[myownface]

"None," Sparkle laughed, shaking his head. "I'm just being normal Sparkle-levels of Earth in-joke crazy, I promise."

This was baseline Sparkle.

[notconflicted]

"I'm trusting that," she said, "because we don't have much experience hanging out together."

Which was weird to think about now.

[myownface]

Considering just how many mutual friends they had, it was super weird.

"You'll know when I'm drunk," Sparkle replied with a little grin. "I'm weird when I'm sober, I'm a complete idiot when I'm drunk."

[notconflicted]

"Does that include the stealing of animals or is there a whole other thing to watch for?" she wondered.

[myownface]

Just wait until she found out about the breaking and entering and all that arson.

"Nnnnoooooo?"

That was not a yes-or-no question. But here they were.

[notconflicted]

"I'm concerned now," she said.

[myownface]

"Don't be," Sparkle replied. "I promise to not do anything more stupid than trying and failing to steal animals on the night of your birthday celebrations."

All bets were off tomorrow night and all nights thereafter!

[notconflicted]

"Good," she said, like that was even a good baseline there. "Especially since I'm only here so long to bail you out so you're better off relying on Atton."

Which could be awkward, since she didn't really expect him to show.

[myownface]

"Yeah, and Atton's liable to kill me if I ever call him up needing bail, anyway."

You know. Again.

[notconflicted]

"Let's definitely not have that. I like having you unkilled," she said, as the waitress came by with some drinks. "How is he doing?"

[myownface]

"Who ever knows with Atton, right?"

Presumably his roommate? Still, Sparkle was giving Sia an apologetic sort of smile as he reached and snagged a beer for himself.

"He hasn't, like, gone completely nuclear or anything lately, but odds are just about even that he's doing well or he's just holding it in, you know?"

[notconflicted]

"And it's too much to expect that he'd say something either way," she said, sipping her own drink.

[myownface]

"Pretty much," Sparkle agreed, biting back a sigh. "I mean, I can try to keep a closer eye on him, but that'd probably just freak him out."

[notconflicted]

"Probably," she agreed. It was one of the reasons she'd mostly backed off, too. "I feel like I should apologize."

[myownface]

Sparkle's head tilted to the side a little in question.

"To Atton?"

[notconflicted]

"To you for dealing with it," she clarified. She'd gotten over the feeling of wanting to apologize to Atton about five months ago.

[myownface]

Sparkle blinked, and then he ducked his head and laughed a little.

"Nah," he replied. "I mean, he's hard to get a read on, but he's still Atton. He's like a brother to me, you know? He's confusing. Sometimes he drives me fucking insane. But it's not, like, a chore."

[notconflicted]

"Good," she said, genuinely glad to hear it. "And I don't mean to say he is. I've just gotten used to him being... difficult."

That word about summed it up, yes.

[myownface]

Sounded like the right word to Sparkle, anyway!

"He never was the most cooperative guy out there," he allowed. "That's sort of his thing, I guess. But if he feels happier or safer or just less twitchy that way, then he's welcome to it, so long as he's not secretly melting down or something."

[notconflicted]

"True," she said after a moment. "I should probably start viewing it that way."

[myownface]

And there was another curious look from Sparkle, at that.

"Well, how have you been viewing it so far?"

[notconflicted]

"It's a different situation," she said, "but the majority of the time I think he's very specifically done with me. But if he has to be, then I suppose he has to be."

Still sucked, but it had to be healthier.

[myownface]

Sparkle bit the inside of his cheek at that one.

Hm.

"I mean," he hedged, "if you take a step back for your own mental health because he's shitty for your headspace, all power to you. I love the man. Like. With all my fucking heart I love the man. But I'll be the first one to admit that worrying about where his head is all the time will fuck you up. And if wondering if he's avoiding you or if he's just in a mood is making things hard for you..."

He shrugged a little.

"You can risk it getting ugly and call him on it, or you can give him his space and see if something gives. But if there's one thing I'm sure about with Atton, it's that the moment shit gets complicated, if he's got the option to take his distance and he thinks it'd be easier to just not face it again, he'll take it."

[notconflicted]

"He certainly will," Sia agreed. "I don't exactly get opportunities to call him on it, and there comes a point where me trying makes it worse for both of us. So, anything that happens now is essentially up to him, and I have to deal with it."

So yeah, she wasn't holding her breath.

[myownface]

Sparkle grimaced a little in sympathy.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Maybe it would've been easier years ago, but everyone being scattered to the four winds doesn't make it easier, either."

He took a drink from his beer, and then shrugged.

"Maybe he'll pull his head out of his ass before too long and figure his shit out. Weirder things have happened. But it's not worth driving yourself nuts over, either."