Room 307, Sunday Early Afternoon

[dollpocalypse]

"Yeah, but you can't just go to bars like that," Topher was in the middle of explaining to Maria over a breakfast of Mountain Dew and Doritos. "They're... I don't know. For grown-ups or whatever."

"Not always," Maria informed him almost a little sharply, though she didn't look like she had an interest in elaborating on that. "And it's not as though I drank. Which I don't, for the record. I just met your friend Kenzi and some Jedi who knows you guys and learned all about the time you shrunk some girl's laundry."

Topher made a face. "You heard about that?" he groused.

"Yep," Maria confirmed. "And did Dad really punch Peter at a dance? Don't get me wrong, it's seriously badass and I'd do it if I went to school with him too, but it doesn't sound like high school-dad."

Topher winced. "Yeah... maybe don't mention that one to him," he suggested. "Just. Eat your breakfast, okay?"

"Then can I look at your computer?"

Topher sighed. "Be my guest."

[[door and post open! yeah, i really freaking love this kid, why do you ask?]]

Comments

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"Not too much. I guess I'm pretty lucky," Antonia said. "Most people don't have dads who are as smart as you guys are." The amazing thing was, she wasn't even sucking up.

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh," Topher said, pausing. He sort of had to grin at that, actually, and he turned to Billy with a shrug. "She's awesome."

[selfhelphero]

"We must be doing something right," Billy said, looking Antonia over carefully. "Do you, um, have anything...special you can do?"

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"I can do spells like you, if that's what you mean," she said. "I'm gonna be a hero too! Or, well, I keep trying, but Cap always stops me and says something about karma being a b-word."

[dollpocalypse]

"Well... he shouldn't be saying that around you," Topher decided. "How come he won't let you be a hero? We're your parents."

Thaaaat felt weird to say, yes.

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"He says I'm too young and I don't have enough experience. I don't try to get kidnapped. I only tried that once and I knew Iron Man would come for me, so it wasn't even that bad. I can't get better if they don't let me try, right?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher blinked.

"You tried to get kidnapped so Tony would--" Oh god, she really was their kid. Topher shot Billy a helpless look. "Yeah, um, maybe don't do that? I mean, I'm all for practice, but that's kind of a step beyond?"

[selfhelphero]

"Tony gets worried when his friends get hurt, and I'm pretty sure the kids of his friends count too," Billy pointed out. "You don't want to worry him, do you?"

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

Antonia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Oh em gee, I already got this lecture once. I don't want to worry him or you guys. Not you but, you know, the other versions of you at home. It's just not fair 'cause you guys got to do all kinds of cool stuff when you were teenagers and I'm so close to being a teenager that I should get to do cool stuff too!"

[dollpocalypse]

"So... go to Fandom when you're old enough?" Topher suggested.

And then he thought about it.

"And be really, really careful?"

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"I know. You guys already said I could come here." That was still a few years away though, unfortunately. "I just want to help!"

[selfhelphero]

"I get that, I really do," Billy said sympathetically. "But it's easier to help when you're stronger." Yes, karma really was a bitch, thank you Steve.

[dollpocalypse]

"Does Billy still do hero stuff?" Topher asked, eyes flicking from Billy back to Antonia. "And what do I do?"

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"Dad's totally an awesome hero," Antonia said with a nod. "And you...well, you do something science-y but I'm not allowed to know what it is until I'm older. Personally, I think you're a secret agent or a super spy."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher raised his eyebrows. "Okay, that'd be awesome," he conceded, "but that's not really sciencey."

Topher, be nice.

"I probably make someone's weapons or something," he decided. "Or AI. I bet I could make a killer AI."

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"You mean an AI that's awesome, not one that would actually kill people, right?" She had to check!

[dollpocalypse]

"Well, duh," Topher confirmed. "I'm not a supervillain."

Beat.

"Hopefully. You wouldn't --" he waved a hand idly at Billy -- "with me if I were a supervillain, right?"

[selfhelphero]

"I doubt it. I'd probably try to fix you and make you not a villain anymore," Billy said. "Because I'd know what kind of person you really were."

[dollpocalypse]

See that blush, Billy? See it? Well, probably, as it was making an admirable attempt at rivaling Iron Man's armor in terms of its... redness.

"Good," Topher decided, grinning despite himself. "'Cause in movies when the hero dates the villain, it's always bad."

...

"I just said 'dates.'" OH GOOD GOD.

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"Um, aren't you guys dating? You started in school," Antonia pointed out. "Ooooh or did that not happen yet?"

[selfhelphero]

"Uh, well, we--there's been a date. That's as far as we've gotten though," Billy said sheepishly.

[dollpocalypse]

"It was an awesome date, though!" Topher chimed in. "Tony and Captain America were there. By accident, sort of. Is that... do you know that story?"

What? So maybe he wanted to see what track he was on. So sue him.

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"Uh huh! You wanted to see the Doombots and you and dad flew and he kept you safe and then you got to meet Tony and Cap and you held hands and it was awesome," Antonia said, stopping to breathe once she was done.

[dollpocalypse]

...yeah, she was totally the best of the three kids. It was just a fact.

"Huh," Topher said, grinning. He looked over at Billy. "I guess... that's a thing."

[selfhelphero]

"I guess so. I'm...pretty good with that," Billy said with a grin. "If you are, I mean."