livingmyths | 055: Hangover Time

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055: Hangover Time

My head is throbbing terribly today and my tummy's all funny, but I guess I'm lucky I didn't get more sick. I think I'll work down in the dark quiet section of the Library for a while. Sometimes when I'm down there alone the Library seems like it's singing to me a little - even during the day.

Mat, thank you so much for taking care of me last night. I'm sorry I slipped out so early this morning, but I thought it might take me longer than usual to walk into work and you were sleeping so peacefully. I left Bunny to watch over you.

I have to stop and get more peanut butter crackers on the way home. Do you want or need anything? Maybe I'll get some soup, too. I haven't felt like eating anything, but maybe by tonight soup would taste good.

Tony, I think I'll take your suggestion about the drinking so it's not so unfair to Mat.

I wonder if I'll see Dr. Horrible around again. Seems like every time I turn around he's there. I guess he must really like books. It's a little odd to keep running into him like that, but he seems like a nice person and he always asks after Emma and how I'm doing and all that.

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"I see. It's good that you don't have to drink any more, though. Your friend Tony, he's, uh...protective, isn't he?

"Well, I was buying these." He held up the bouquet of daffodils. "And Emma told me there was a language of flowers, so I started looking them up. Chrysanthemums mean friendship. Well, other colors also mean other things. So I got you one because you weren't feeling well and I wanted to cheer you up. Is that weird?"

Rain nodded. "He watches over me all the time. It makes me feel safe."

"Oh," Rain said. "There's a little boy who talks to the flowers. He can make them grow and everything, but I didn't know they meant things the way animals do. Thank you then. It was very sweet of you to want to cheer me up and I don't think it's weird at all." She smiled brightly at him.

"Well, as long as you're okay with that..." Anyway, he was the one on the lookout for Emma everywhere, so who was he to judge.

A little boy who--oh right, he'd seen that on the Network.

"Animals mean things? Anyway, you're welcome. Can you tell me how to get to the home, then? Emma works there," he said, and then hesitantly, in a small voice, "These are for her."

Iron Man had stepped into the library just as Dr. Horrible had explained about the flowers. That was interesting. The flowers were for Emma? It made Tony feel slightly better. But not so much so that he was going to leave.

As always, Rain sensed that he was near. She turned right to him and waved while a big smile came across her face. Tony waved back, smiling as well, not that you could see it behind the mask.

"Rain, it's good to see you," he said.

Rain carefully set down the chrysanthemum and went over to hug him tightly. "Iron Man!" she said cheerfully. "You came to see me! This is Dr. Horrible. He brought me a flower to cheer me up."

Oh, sh**, what was with the suit? Tony Stark definitely had to be a superhero. Dr. Horrible was not pleased by this turn of events. He would be keeping an eye on this guy. Just because Rain liked him did not make him okay.

"Um, hi. I was just on my way out," he said, awkwardly. He tried a wave, but was still holding the daffodils.

"Already? That's too bad," Tony said, trying to not smirk too much as he said it. "Why don't we at least walk you out, or go with you a ways?"

Tony turned to glance over at Rain. "You can take a break for a few moments, right?"

Edited 2009-01-07 01:51 (UTC)

Rain nodded with a smile. She was always happy to spend time with Iron Man. "Sure. I can take one whenever I want."

She turned to Dr. Horrible. "Do you mind if we walk with you?" she asked innocently.

"...I'm probably not going your way," he said quickly, hoping to make an exit. But he didn't want to let on to Rain that anything was wrong. "Errands and all that."

"Well we can just see you out then," Tony said with a nod. Horrible seemed to be getting the idea that he needed to be elsewhere.

"Rain do you want to go flying after that?"

Rain had been fiddling with her network device and now looked pale and upset. "I, um... I need a minute here."

She only looked worse when she finally turned it off and hid it in her backpack far, far down. "I'm sorry," she whispered to Dr. Horrible and Iron Man. "I don't want to go anywhere right now. I don't want to fly. I just think I'm going to go home."

Dr. Horrible looked at her and then turned to try to catch Tony's eye. This did not work, because, well, mask. Something had obviously just happened on the Network, but he had no idea what.

"Rain..." he said, concerned, but trailed off because he didn't want to pry.

Tony also noticed the sudden change in Rain's mood and, being constantly connected to the network, he had a good idea what it was about.

"Why don't I just take you home?" he asked, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

Rain nodded. "Okay. Sorry, Dr, Horrible. But I don't think Emma would want you talking to me anymore anyway."

She turned and hid her face against Iron Man's chest. "I just want to go home and not be here anymore."

"What? Why wouldn't she...um, I guess I'll just be going then. I mean, I still want to talk to you unless you don't want me to, but probably I should leave. Now."

He was rambling, but nobody was paying attention to him anyway. He really needed to see Emma and get this straightened out, so with one backward glance, he left.

Tony wrapped an arm around Rain and just held her close for a moment, he could tell she was really upset and hurt. He contemplated saying something to Emma over the network but let it go.

"It was nice meeting you, Dr. Horrible," he said after the retreating man before turning back to Rain.

"Alright, let's get you home."

Rain nodded, still keeping her face hidden, not even able to speak. She reached down to grab her backpack then turned again to hold onto him tightly, letting him know she was ready non-verbally. Her battery talismans were secreted in one hand, keeping her from falling apart.

Tony murmured to her that it was going to be okay and that he was here for her as he slowly rose into the air. He held onto her tight as he flew towards her house, not relaxing even a little until they were there.

"We're home now, Rain."

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek before dropping her backpack on one of the seats and scuttling along the side of the wall into the bedroom and down behind the bed on the far side, batteries still tightly held in her hand.

Tony didn't say anything, instead he followed Rain into the bedroom and he just sat down on the ground at the end of the bed near the the wall. He would just wait there until she said something or was ready to move.

After a while, she slipped out from around the edge and curled up in his lap like a little girl.

He just wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her as much as he could as if he could protect her from whatever upset her.

"You're a good person, Rain."

"Emma doesn't want to be my friend anymore," Rain whispered.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," he said softly, smoothing her hair with his hand. "I know that you really liked her. She's making a very poor choice. though."

"It's 'cause I'm not good," she said even more quietly. "But I think what she says is wrong."

055: Hangover Time

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