Deep Enough In The Rocky Bits For Loud Noises Coming From There To Not Be Terrifying | Friday Noon

[dollpocalypse]

Honestly, if you really considered everything that had gone on this summer, it was kind of surprising that Topher hadn't done this sooner. 

First of all, this summer had been crap, full of people leaving and Topher being evil and oh yeah, more people leaving. Different people. This would've been the perfect stress relief at any of his old schools, where he wouldn't have given it a second thought, but here, where he wasn't even all that likely to get in trouble for it, it was even more appealing. Plus he'd just taken a class that had gone into this kind of stuff, just a little. Or he'd done extra research that hadn't necessarily been encouraged, strictly speaking. Either way: knowledge.

All that, and he'd met someone who liked to play with explosives months ago. How had it taken them even this long?

"Okay," he muttered to his companion see what I did there?. "Think we've scared off all the teal deer?"

[[for one, and then another less-shirt-wearing one! and to be clear, there is not actually going to be dangerous stuff going on; the 'splosives are teeny and will mostly be tossed at rocks and stuff. but people are welcome to overhear from elsewhere if you'd like.]]

Comments

[dollpocalypse]

Topher was only staring at her a little. Really.

"Uh." Okay, important question first. "Do you always carry that or just today?"

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Ace might've looked a liiiittle busted. "Ladder, always. Hook... I thought we might need it?"

[dollpocalypse]

Well. That was good to know.

"Dude," Topher said, pointing a finger in the direction of the ladder, "next time the dorms get invaded by... anything besides those mechanical spiders, I'm hitching a ride on this."

He still missed those mechanical spiders. Damn it, Fandom.

"And that includes the fake babies." Beat. "Maybe especially the fake babies."

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"...Fake babies?" Yes, she was attaching the grapple to one end of the ladder as she asked. Multitasking ahoy.

[dollpocalypse]

"Sometimes kids show up that are supposedly your and your friends' future children in an alternate dimension," he explained. "And then they want to, like, stalk Captain America or give you judgey looks while eating ice cream."

Well, that last one was his AU self's fault for procreating with a Wiggin. Really now, Topher.

"Sure you can throw that thing without it hitting you in the face?"

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Oh, never give her an opening like that, Brink. "Without hitting me? Absolutely."

Said right before tossing it up there, so good luck scrambling out of potential face-range.

Not that it hit anything but the rocks, and Ace gave it a good yank to make sure it was seated well before starting her climb.

[dollpocalypse]

Yeah, he totally flailed a bit trying to avoid getting hit. Mean, Ace.

"Do I wait for you to get to the top, or what?" he called after her when it occurred to him that he was expected to follow.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"Depends whether you want to look up my skirt or not!" Still mean, yup. Though given she was wearing bike-shorts longer than the skirt, there clearly wasn't anything to actually look at.

Also she was a pretty quick climber, so the question was going to be moot in a minute anyway.

[dollpocalypse]

"Still gross!" he informed her, but the bike shorts kept him from flailing too much.

With that, he set off after her, and if there were tiny whimpery noises at the surprising amount of energy this involved, well... your face.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

To make up for the meanness a bit, Ace offered him a hand once she'd reached the top. "Long as you don't mind the cooties..."

[dollpocalypse]

"I just climbed your rope," he pointed out in a grumble, taking her hand. And everyone knew cooties could live on rope. So there.

After straightening up and dusting off his clothes to his satisfaction -- it would be a tragedy if this sweater vest got tarnished, you know -- he peered down at the nice spacious area they had for explosive-throwing. Not bad.

And then he got right to the important part.

"Can I throw it?"

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Down came the bag and out came the booty again. "You can throw the first one." Please, like she hadn't brought more than one can.

[dollpocalypse]

Well, now she was totally forgiven for the teasing. Totally.

Topher took a moment to assess the options, then delicately picked one up. "'Kay, so... stay," he instructed. Probably unnecessarily. And with a nice dramatic wind-up of his arm, he tossed it down to the clearing below.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"So next time," Ace said conversationally, peering over to watch it fall, "You might want to take the cap off."

Since that was what primed the fuse.

KA - BOOM!!!

"......Or I might want to stick it on tighter."

[dollpocalypse]

"...Yeah, that was intentional," he decided. Lying. Totally lying. "'Cause I saw you did it badly."

Riiiight.

"So that was kind of awesome."

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"Not bad. Good aim." By which she meant he successfully got it over edge and didn't blow them both up, which was all she cared about now that the teal deer were out of danger.

"Needs more destruction, though." Anyone who thought that backpack was empty now needed to go back to the dorms and lie down, because they hadn't passed the minimum brain-cell requirements to play with explosive devices.

They could, however, be forgiven for not expecting Ace to pull out a Hola Gato toaster (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_EpTo-u2xlY/T3WxxdzJs2I/AAAAAAAABJI/2Jkv4A_vGSQ/s1600/hello-kitty-toaster.jpg) with no lever and a frayed, plugless power-cord.

She slid another mini-nitro can into one of the toast slots, jerked the lid off and drop-kicked it over the side of the rocks. "BOMBS AWAY!"

[dollpocalypse]

That poor, poor toaster.

Topher totally geeked the hell out at that explosion, flailing a bit. "Okay," he admitted, turning to Ace after the fact. "That was much better."

And louder. Good thing no one lived in these parts, right?

[justlurkinghere]

The bang had been more than enough to send Derek into a frenzy and hide under the bed like a dog in the fourth of July put Derek on edge. He went still, listening for the signs of someone coming for him, trying to catch the scent of gunpowder or wolfsbane.

When the second explosion happened, he went looking for the source: two dumb kids. Two dumb kids who were setting off cherry bombs by his totally legit house.

Ugh.

So, he did the reasonable thing and stood a good distance away, glaring at them until they noticed his presence. His shirtless, shirtless presence.

Look, he was allowed to work out however he wanted in the comfort of his own creeptastic home, okay?

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"That scrapyard's the best." More rummaging in the bag meant it was going to be a tick or two before Ace noticed anybody's shirtless anything. "Want to blow up a wind-up clown doll or a World's Best Step-Great-Granddad mug?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh, totally the clown," Topher said without even needing to think about it. "Clowns are creepy."

Know what else was creepy? Lurkers. Lurkers like Derek.

Too bad Topher was too distracted by all the pretty explosives to notice him.

LOOK, SCIENCE WAS AND WOULD ALWAYS BE HIS FIRST LOVE, OKAY? Especially the science of shit that blew up.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"It's hard to pretend not to be a girl when you say things like that, y'know," Ace who had suddenly gotten older, hotter, and slightly more Asian pointed out, handing him the clown doll. "If I was ever gonna marry anybody..."

The towering, glowering, shirtless bloke whose sudden presence when she turned around made Ace forget for a moment how to form consonants might be a contender. Though only after Thor, because come on.

[dollpocalypse]

"Wait, what?" Clown doll in hand, Topher turned to toss it down to their designated explosion zone, but was interrupted by, yes, the shirtless guy.

The very creepy-looking shirtless guy.

"Uh." That was alarming. "Hello."

[justlurkinghere]

"You're trespassing." Kind of. Just go with it.

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

"It's a forest preserve." Oh look, consonants. Also, not so much forest in this part, but just go with it. Teal deer had to be chased away, was the point.

[dollpocalypse]

Maybe Derek kept them as pets! Or for late-night snacks on the full moons. You never knew!

"Hey, if you own this place, you should really do something about all the dirt," Topher supplied. "Also the explosions down there in the clearing. The neighbors have complained."

Topher, one of these days you were going to get eaten. You just were.