Time for some mouthwash

[lucetimods]

Who: You! Yes, you!
What: Well the event is over. So um. Yeah.
When: Today! The 19th! Whenever you wake up, so long as its after midnight.
Where: Well, just about anywhere, wouldn't ya say?
Summary: So like, there's these people. They think they're in love. But suddenly the experiment is over and they're all like, "WHOA! I can't believe I totally made out with you!" But the other one is like, "Oh my god, gross!" and the other goes, "Come on it was awesome!" But the second one is like, "You pervert, I'ma kill you with my space lasers!" And then shit blew up and it was awesome. The End.
Rating: Tame-ish? I mean, are you guys really gonna wanna smut in this log too? Seriously.


Okay it's after the event. Suddenly you realize you're not in love! Maybe the person you were with fell asleep next to you. Whaddya gonna do now? Awkward abounds! The village fractures! True Love loses yet again. So much for that being the strongest force of all, am I right?

Comments

[fleurdesel]

...as you will, then. [Not her patient. Not her problem. He can deal with his shoulder when it pops out of place again on his own. She wasn't obligated to do anything.

Adele turns away from Stark in favor of gathering her clothing piece by piece, frowning at a scarf. Not the one Remy had given he- Stark had. Tuesday. Because she 'shouldn't have to smell like a crawdad', or something of the sort.]

[alloys]

[He'll just--cross that road if he comes to it. He won't think about it. He doesn't want to think about any of the things she did from him. Not a bit.]

I'll, um...[Fuck.] Yeah. I'm gonna go. [Backing into the doorway now.] So. Bye.

[fleurdesel]

Coward.

[It slips out unintentionally, but this. All of this. It was like being slapped with her own past. She'd remained silent then, when it was Robert skittering out of their bedroom. Now? Now she may as well say something, even if it won't mean a damn thing to either of them.

She grits her teeth and stands, a little of her usual irritation at Stark shining through.]

[alloys]

[Oh, hell no.

His grip tightens on the door frame, back still turned to her. She knows how to provoke him now. She knows everything. And he knows so much about her. More than he wants to.

Dammit.]

I'm not a coward. You, of all people, should know that.

[fleurdesel]

Then what do you call this? Strategic retreat?

[Not his fault. It's not his fault. She knows it isn't anymore than it's hers but- everything. She'd told him. Everything. The divorce, the accident. Remy. Degas.

Unger. The children, that last bloody night, that she was going back to die. He. Knew. Everything. And she had never, ever wanted him to know any of it. No one should know this much about her, not Ginia, not Lupin, and these were things she would never in all her time here tell Ben.

Stark knew things he had no right to know. And that made her vicious.]

How is this not some act of cowardice on your part?

[alloys]

[Grip tightening.]

Because I don't owe you anything. And I don't need anything from you.

[Because it was all just a big ol' bundle of lies. Welcome to Luceti, Adele. What a great way to get broken into experiment chaos.

He's going to walk away from this. He's going to walk away from it and not think about her life or the feelings they shared. The feelings were false. Who knew what else was. And he doesn't want any part of that.]

[fleurdesel]

And that's the only time you spare your time for someone, when you're indebted to them? When you need something from them?

[Stupid, selfish man. Stupid, selfish her. But that stung. She was worth however much time it took to discuss this- whatever this was. She didn't even rightly know what it was she wanted to say. All Adele knew was that she would not suffer this silently a second time. Not again.

Never again.]

You cannot just walk out on this because it makes you uncomfortable! That is cowardice and I'm right to call you a coward if you walk out now.

[alloys]

Then say it. Call me a coward if you like. It isn't true, and it doesn't matter to me whether you say it or not. Because, you know what, Doc? I don't care.

[He doesn't.]

I can do whatever the hell I want. And so can you. You have the Malnosso to thank for that. [Because there's no way in hell he's taking any kind of accountability for whatever she's feeling right now. Like he chose that. Like he chose any of it.]

[fleurdesel]

Of course you don't. Heaven forbid Tony Stark give a damn. [She couldn't take this, talking to his back. Not anymore.

She reaches out and grabs his shoulder. His bad one, even, out of spite. He could throw her off with a thought. She expected it. Was braced for it. Not a fighter in the slightest but prepared to be struck all the same.]

[alloys]

[Ow, goddammit--he grimaces in recoil as a pain jolts through his shoulder.]

Look--you want to make something more out of this than it has to be? Because I sure as hell don't. Welcome to Luceti. The Malnosso screw you over. Get used to it. The sooner you learn to move on from the shit they put you through, the less of a goddamn hellhole this place becomes.

[fleurdesel]

I want you to look me in the eye and tell me, no. I want you to swear you will not mention anything of what I told you. That is all I want Stark. Your silence.

[Everything else she could handle later. But this. This she needed said. Needed done. She needed his word, for the little it was worth, that he would keep it to himself. She's done it for him, and after this week? She's earned that much. She has a right to it, and he had damn well give her this.]

Turn around and give me your word.

[alloys]

[It's an easy promise to give. Because he isn't going to talk about her. He doesn't even know her. False acquaintance--false affection--doesn't count. Why the hell would he talk about her life when he doesn't want to talk about any of this, period?

He turns, only slightly, to make eye contact for the first time since she kissed him.]

I promise. There, happy?

[fleurdesel]

With you? Never.

[It wasn't enough, but it would do. Who would believe him anyway.

She grits her teeth and goes back to gathering her clothing. Stark could die in a fire for all she cared. He could spontaneously combust right this moment and she would have exactly no fucks to give on the matter. The scarf she left, along with anything else he'd given her.

She didn't want it. Any of it. She hadn't wanted him, she hadn't wanted this, and as soon as she's able she is going to get fantastically drunk just to forget the entire thing.]

[alloys]

[And he leaves, without a second glance. Not his problem. This is not his problem. This was the Malnosso's doing. He doesn't have anything to feel responsible for. And that's all that matters right now.]