An Apartment in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday Morning

[dollpocalypse]

It was morning on day seven of Topher working for Peter, and so far he was finding it to be pretty symbiotic. Work made repression really, really easy, after all, and he was starting to see why Peter was such a workaholic all the time. Skipping out on sleep and meals when he could just tweak code on the holographic desk until things made sense was way better than actually thinking about things.

Granted, the fact that he was working for Peter meant that he did eventually have to speak enough to explain things, which was... not ideal, but it was close to worth it.

"Okay," he said, glancing behind him to Peter, "so here's what I got for you."

His fingers flew over holographic keys on Peter's desk as he ran through a quick and fortunately un-technobabbled explanation of how the new mail filters would work, some quick shortcuts to make gathering intel less of a challenge next time, and finally a few unnecessary and entirely overcomplicated upgrades he'd set up that should make the servers a lot more secure and manageable.

"Got it?"

[[for one, obviously, and SP.]]

Comments

[lockestheway]

"Not at all," Peter said dismissively, "But if it stops working, I'll call you in to fix it back up for me."

Thank you, Peter.

[dollpocalypse]

"Yeah, by all means," Topher mumbled, because he would gladly spend the rest of the summer here if he could. Or possibly forever. "You sure you don't have any full-time positions open?"

[lockestheway]

"I'm not really in any position to hire on full-time staff," Peter said. If he was anyone else, he might have even sounded apologetic about it. "I'll let you know if the situation changes, though."

[dollpocalypse]

"Thanks." Whether he sounded apologetic or not didn't really make a difference. The promise to keep him updated, now, that made a difference. Pragmatism and all that. "'s a lot better than Fandom, here."

[lockestheway]

"I thought you liked Fandom," said Peter.

Then again, he thought that of anyone who stayed there by default, because he couldn't think of another feasible reason to stick around an island that insane-- you had to enjoy it, right?

He took the desk and slid his fingers over the interface.

[dollpocalypse]

Sure, take his means of repression toy. Cruel.

"Do you like it after last week?" Topher challenged, obviously missing the difference in their situations based on Peter's criteria.

[lockestheway]

Peter shot him a look. "I came by for a visit and they kept me a week," he said flatly. "That's the very last time I stop by again - there's no amount of restitution they can cough up to make up for my wasted time."

Peter's priorities were weird.

[dollpocalypse]

"Yeah, well." Topher made a face. "I'd take a week of wasted time over what it had me doing."

Which was, you know, also a week of wasted time.

[lockestheway]

Peter reached over and patted him on the shoulder. Physical contact! Be proud! "At least you're trying to make up for it," he said. Oh god, Peter. Not everything was about you. "Though I'm still not completely caught up."

[dollpocalypse]

...That was just a world of bizarreness, Peter.

"I could stay longer," Topher said hopefully. Peter was... easier to do reparations for than he figured Billy and Victor and everyone else might be. "I could just not leave until you're fully caught up. And everyone at Fandom graduates or explodes or something."

[lockestheway]

Peter rolled his eyes. "I don't want to deal with your parents calling me to ask where their only son is," he said. "I've barely got mine figured out."

You still didn't quite have yours figured out, Peter.

[dollpocalypse]

"Crap." Well, it'd been worth a shot. "Last resort, I guess I can just try it the old-fashioned way and just get kicked out of school."

No you would not, Topher.

[lockestheway]

Peter shrugged. "If you want another one of those on your transcript," he said. "But I'm sure you've gotten bored of hacking into school databases. Then again, it's your life, buddy."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher stared down. "Hacking into school databases is better than reprogramming people I'm sorta friends with and having them arrest people I'm sorta dating and then having to talk to them both again," he mumbled.

Look, it wasn't like Peter had been about to ask.

[lockestheway]

Or, y'know, care. Sorry, Topher.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Really?" he said. "You know that week was basically just a really vivid fever dream, right, or I'd never be able to wash Karla off of me."

[dollpocalypse]

...

"Wait. What?"

GOOD GOD, PETER.

[lockestheway]

"Oh, don't make me tell you when I'm trying really hard to repress it," Peter said. Despite bringing it up.

Wiggins were really bad at repressing.

[dollpocalypse]

"You brought it up," Topher pointed out reasonably. "You seriously kissed Karla ? Dude, why?"

Close, Topher.

[lockestheway]

"I don't know, other me was insane," Peter said, waving it off. "I had a shower and that was the end of it."

[dollpocalypse]

"Ew," Topher pronounced. "That's almost as bad as the me thing."

Which, considering Topher's drama-queen tendencies, was saying something. Something mean and uncalled-for, but.

[lockestheway]

"Not me," Peter said, waving it off. "I actually have taste."

[dollpocalypse]

"And Karla counts as taste?" TOPHER. "I mean, I guess that's better than putting Billy in jail, but..."

[lockestheway]

"No," Peter said, and whacked him lightly upside the head. "I mean I have taste. I don't know who that guy last week was, but he was clearly inferior to me."

[dollpocalypse]

"How do you figure?"

[lockestheway]

Peter shot him a funny look. "He slept with Karla," he said.

Because really.