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]

"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."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher wrung his hands slightly, but the grin lingered. "As a, um, possible sequence of events, really really far down the road, barring unforeseen dimension-specific complications?"

[selfhelphero]

Billy laughed, and nodded. "As an entirely possible possibility of science and fate, yes."

[borntofangirl.livejournal.com]

"You guys are such dorks," Antonia said with affection.

[dollpocalypse]

"Yeah, my guess is it's genetic," Topher told her fondly.

Beat.

"However that worked." Science? Science.