Room 307, Thursday Afternoon

[dollpocalypse]

Topher was beginning to accept one important inevitability: Ace was clearly going to live the rest of her life as a wolf puppy, and Topher would forever be resigned to feeding her (inappropriate starches), taking her on walks (to the roof) and cleaning up after her (not at all). It was a very unfortunate inevitability, not only because the walks and the not-quite-cleaning-up kind of qualified as work, but also because, you know, he wasn't going to have anyone to talk to in class tomorrow.

"And it sucks for you, too," he informed her from where he'd perched himself on his bed, typing away on his laptop. "Since you're not going to get to play with the robots. I bet tomorrow he'll let us make weapony ones, but nope. None for you. At all."

[[for the wolf puppy, but open after!]]

Comments

[dollpocalypse]

"You don't know that! And -- stop it! Ewwwww!" Topher grabbed for a pillow, pressed it to his face tightly, and gestured wildly with his free hand toward his closet. "Your jacket's... somewhere there. And pants."

He had had the good sense to realize that if he'd lost Ace's jacket, he would probably die.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"...You hung my knickers in your closet?"

Ace did not think this word 'pants' meant what Topher thought this word 'pants' meant. Two cultures divided by a common language and vastly differing views on the edibility of organ meats.

[dollpocalypse]

Oh good god, Ace, why did you have to say that!?

"I did no such thing!" That would've required touching things! Ew ew ew ew ew ew. "Pants! Leg... coverings! That cover your whole legs! Don't be all... British!"

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Because of the look on his faaaaace, of course!

Much like why she had to say -- while finding the leg coverings and a t-shirt and jacket, "So what did you do with my knickers?"

The point here was basically to snicker herself right out of turning red because she was the naked -- or at least formerly naked -- one here, and it was working out pretty well so far.

[dollpocalypse]

Okay, breathing was a little easier now that she was getting herself clothed. "Uh," he said, gingerly starting to lower the pillow that was shielding his eyes. "Nothing? Maybe they're still in the classroom. Ask Professor Alenko."

YOU'RE WELCOME, ACE.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

That moment of silence would be Ace running through that conversation in her head. And also buttoning her jeans.

"Maybe I will!"

Maybe she wouldn't, and maybe she'd never, ever think about what Professor Alenko might've done with her knickers if they weren't still in the classroom.

[dollpocalypse]

Maybe Fosse... nope, even grosser.

"Also," Topher said, retreating into a teeny little ball and pointing at the Space Battles sheets that might now be tarnished forever, "could you maybe wash those?"

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Ace rolled her eyes. "Because I touched 'em or because you don't know how to do laundry?"

She felt it was a valid question to ask of a social twelve-year old, possibly followed by do I need to wash ME after having touched them? but she kept that one to herself because he'd taken care of her for a week while she chewed on his shoes, after all.

[dollpocalypse]

"Because you touched them naked." Duh. "I know how to do laundry!"

Uh. That was debatable.

"...Sorta."

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"Uh-huh." Ace nodded. "I believe you. But just to say thanks for not shipping me off to the dog-catcher, I'll wash my girl-cooties off them anyway."

[dollpocalypse]

"Thanks," Topher said, mildly surprised by how agreeable she was being. "You... are way better at being appreciative than the last person I had to watch when he was like this."

Ahahahaha. Yes. This was true.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"Why, what'd he do?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Bit my hand a lot, got paint all over my room... I think he messed with some of my wires, too."

To be fair, the paint had been Ben's fault.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"I did slobber on your shoes," Ace pointed out, just to be fair.

[dollpocalypse]

"But didn't bite me." And that was one thing she would have up on Peter Wiggin for the rest of her life. Be proud of that, Ace! "And I can get more shoes. Or take my roommate's."

That was gross. And rude. Don't do that, Topher.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"Are they cool?"

Possibly Topher shouldn't rely on Ace to convince him of that.

[dollpocalypse]

"Nope," Topher said immediately.

Sorry, Dave.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Ace blew a raspberry. "Not worth nicking, then."

She wasn't a thief. Really.

Well, not from people she knew. Just a borrower-without-permission-who-sometimes-forgot-to-return-stuff.

[dollpocalypse]

"So I'll stick to the ones with dog drool on them," Topher said mournfully. "Unless you want to fix those too..."

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"Dream on." Both her guilt and her gratitude had limits. "It'll dry. At least your mouth isn't shoe-flavoured now."

[dollpocalypse]

"Maybe I have a rare condition," Topher protested.

Nope.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"Oh yeah?" Ace made kissy-faces at him. "Want to prove it?"

Don't be cruel, Ace.

[dollpocalypse]

Topher shrieked... no, he shrieked.

And then managed a very garbled "'minarelationship."

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"........you're something something with bacon and chips?"

Damn, that sounded good, actually.

[dollpocalypse]

"What?" Oh, Ace. "No. A thing. A... person thing." He waved his hands very vaguely to illustrate this obviously critical point.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"A person thing," Ace repeated, as if hearing it in her own voice would make any more sense. (Spoiler: it didn't.)

[dollpocalypse]

"Well... you were making kiss-faces!" Topher blurted out accusingly, like that would explain it.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Slow, slooooooooooow blink. "I wasn't actually gonna! I just knew you'd run screaming." Another slow, slooooooooooow blink. "Wait, there's a person-thing you don't run screaming from?"

Maybe it was a robot girl?

[dollpocalypse]

"Yuh-huh," Topher confirmed. "And I wasn't gonna run screaming from my own room. You might... I don't know, like, pee on everything."

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"........I didn't even do that when I was a puppy!"

[dollpocalypse]

"Well," Topher sputtered, "people can change their minds! About... acceptable behavior!"

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Staring finally gave way to a laugh. "And you say I'm kind of insane?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Did I say that?" Topher checked. "I don't remember saying that."

He'd totally said it.