Room 307, Tuesday Evening

[dollpocalypse]

So for Topher, today had been noteworthy due to a variety of circumstances, the most obvious of which being:

1.) His best friend was apparently a world-famous political blogger who'd saved a whole bunch of kids' lives
2.) Said best friend had just been forced to go into hiding to avoid being killed by a Belgian psychopath
3.) Topher's room was still full of paint fumes, and
4.) It was his sixteenth birthday.

As a result of all of that, plus the portal-lag that came from the round-trip excursion to Peter's universe, Topher was just a little bit exhausted by the time he got back to his room in the evening. Too exhausted, in fact, to indulge in his usual birthday tradition of a cupcake and a couple rounds of laser tag at the nearest arena. So instead, by the time he got to his room, he flopped down on his bed to try to repress concerns about Peter by playing Tetris on his phone.

At least he was kicking ass at it, so, you know, there was that.

[[open! billy | dave | kenzi | ben ]]

Comments

[selfhelphero]

"Ah, Tetris is still awesome," Billy said in approval as he came in, awkwardly trying to hide the box behind his back. "So, um, I wanted to say happy birthday. Unless you don't like birthdays, I mean." He probably should have thought about that before now.

[dollpocalypse]

...Billy, how were you so adorable? How???

"...oh," Topher said, blushing a little. Look, he hadn't expected anyone to know that it was his birthday, let alone acknowledge it. "Thanks. I, uh. Didn't realize people, you know. Knew about it. I mean. Thanks."

Yeah, Topher, you'd said that already. And that giant grin made you look like a dork.

[selfhelphero]

"I asked in the office," Billy said, finally producing the box and offering it to Topher as he felt like a very, very good person. "I didn't want to miss your day if I could help it."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher took the box, still a little stunned. Look, it was the first time anyone other than his parents had acknowledged his birthday, okay? Give him a break.

"Thanks," he said again, grinning hugely. "Um. I should probably ask when yours is so I can, uh. Remember. And get you something cool."

[selfhelphero]

"May 28th," Billy said, looking a little sheepish. "I don't know if this is cool. I just wanted to get you something."

[dollpocalypse]

"I bet it's cool," Topher said, with certainty. As if to prove his point, he opened the box -- and totally grinned even more. Billy, you were so awesome.

"Oh, cupcakes! Awesome!" he said sincerely. "This is -- I mean -- that's, like. What I usually do, for my birthdays. Cupcakes. I mean, cupcakes and laser tag, but we had paintball the other day and that was way better than laser tag, except I never stopped to get a cupcake and you're awesome."

[selfhelphero]

Billy was practically beaming now that he wasn't nervous. Or, now that he was less nervous, at least. "You--oh good, because I--I thought a whole cake would be too much and I wasn't sure if you liked vanilla or chocolate so I got one of each and--well, there's actually something else too. But you have to close your eyes."

[dollpocalypse]

Perfect. Person. Seriously.

"Okay," Topher said, trying not to bounce with excitement as he closed his eyes. What, he was excited.

[selfhelphero]

This had the potential to go really well or really badly, and Billy wasn't sure which was more likely, no matter how much he'd thought about it. Now that Topher had his eyes closed and everything though, he didn't have much of a choice except to go ahead and do this, so he leaned in closer and kissed Topher on the cheek.

Baaaaby steps.

[dollpocalypse]

There was a tiny, high-pitched noise. And flaily hands that miraculously remained within his personal bubble, because whacking Billy in the face while he was making with the cheek-kissing would just be horrible.

When Billy was done -- because look, interrupting him would just be rude -- Topher was blushing hugely. He let out a breath (a contented one) and when he went to speak, wound up making a noise that sounded a lot like keysmash.

[selfhelphero]

Billy had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the noise Topher made, not wanting Topher to think he was laughing at him in a bad way. Really, that was the best reaction Billy could have imagined. "Was, uh, was that okay?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher nodded vigorously. "Yuh-huh," he affirmed. "It was. Yeah. Um. I. I mean."

What did he mean?

Finally he gave up on talking and simply thrust the box of cupcakes out in Billy's direction. "Want one?"

[selfhelphero]

Billy grinned and nodded. "Sure! I'll have whichever one you don't want."

[dollpocalypse]

"Chocolate, then," Topher offered generously, extracting the chocolate cupcake and carefully tearing off the lid of the box so Billy could use it as a plate.

His own vanilla cupcake, meanwhile, was totally getting shoved in his mouth before he could say anything else that was weird or awkward.

"Mmm," he said around a mouthful of frosting. "Awesome."

[selfhelphero]

Billy laughed and downed his cupcake in two bites, also glad for the distraction of having his mouth full. "Yeah, the bakery's good," he said, licking frosting off his fingers.

[dollpocalypse]

"Totally," Topher agreed, swallowing the rest of the cupcake in a gulp and hunting around for a napkin or something to help with the frosting-mustache situation. "Um. Thanks. By the way."

[selfhelphero]

"You're welcome," Billy said, snickering softly at Topher. "I'm glad I found something you liked. I figured sugar was a safe bet."

[dollpocalypse]

"Totally was," Topher agreed. "You're. Like. Kind of the coolest," he blurted out.

[selfhelphero]

Aaaaand now Billy was blushing wildly, ducking his head down to try to hide it a little. "I don't know about that. I'd settle for being pretty cool," he said.

[dollpocalypse]

Topher shook his head. "Coolest," he repeated, with certainty. "I mean, with the -- and the --" Topher, try not to hit something with all that hand-flailing. "You're just really cool," he summed up.

[selfhelphero]

"With the cupcakes and the...other thing?" Look, he wasn't sure if the word kiss would be too much for Topher, with all the flailing.

[dollpocalypse]

"And the..." Topher wrung his hands. "Billyness."

Eloquent.

[selfhelphero]

"I'm sure my mother will be proud that you're happy with how I am," Billy said with a laugh.

[dollpocalypse]

Topher tilted his head, still sort of grinning a little. "Your mom knows about me?"

[selfhelphero]

"She knows you're a friend of mine. She doesn't, um, know what kind of friend," Billy admitted. "I kind of haven't--I mean, I think she knows. About me and all. My dad too. They're smart and--I'm kind of hoping they'll talk to me about it before I have to talk to them."