Stark Industries [all day]

[momslilassassin]

After getting to pull a rickshaw blindfolded for class (and really, what class hadn't done that?), Ben was in a good mood as he settled in behind the counter with some of the unclassified documents Ender had passed along about the colony they'd be heading to after graduation.

It kept his mind off of the mess his own galaxy had become, but he'd be happy to set it aside and help any customers who came in looking for something to get fixed!

Comments

[dollpocalypse]

"Okay, so, I have a question," Topher said, breezing into the shop like he had any business being here at all today. Really he just liked hanging out with Ben. Shh, don't tell. "You know how you said you hadn't, like, watched Billy and me hang out before?"

[momslilassassin]

"Until yesterday, really," Ben said with a little smile. "Have you caught your breath back yet?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Mostly," Topher admitted. "Except Billy and Tony and I are gonna see a movie later and I wanted to see if you, like... had anything new to share. Or anything."

Topher, stop trying to get Ben to ship you with a mutual friend. It was weird.

"Also you were really badass yesterday."

[momslilassassin]

"Well, he did seem pretty concerned about your safety," Ben said, then realized how that might sound and tacked on a, "not that I wasn't. Why? Do you want him to like you?"

When had he turned into a seventeen year old girl?

[dollpocalypse]

Topher made a face. "No." He wrinkled his nose. "I don't know. Maybe. Whatever! I was just wondering. If you, like. Noticed anything."

[momslilassassin]

"Well, I was a little busy," Ben admitted, "but it was kind of hard to separate you two. What movie are you going to see?"

[dollpocalypse]

"The new Assignment Improbable," Topher answered. "It was Tony's idea. I think he thinks that we... y'know."

Topher didn't even know. So.

[momslilassassin]

"...and so he wants to come along?" Ben asked. "That seems weird."

[dollpocalypse]

"Huh." Topher pondered that. "That... isn't normal, is it?"

[momslilassassin]

"To go on a date with other people? Not really, no."

[dollpocalypse]

"Maybe he wants us to have something to talk about?"

Not like Topher or Billy had a tendency to babble on about Tony all the time, or anything.

[momslilassassin]

Yeah, if Topher and Billy had been cartoon characters, big googly hearts would have shot from their eyes when Tony'd arrived yesterday.

"Do you normally have problems coming up with things to talk about with Billy?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher's brow furrowed. "We mostly just talk about Tony," he admitted.

A beat.

"And your texts last weekend."

[momslilassassin]

Ben groaned. "Astral."

[dollpocalypse]

"He thought they were cool!" Topher said encouragingly. "And... weird."

A beat.

"Peter just thought they were weird." TOPHER, STOP TALKING.

[momslilassassin]

Ben made a very bad strangled sound. "You told Peter about them?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher winced. "And Tony?" he tried. "Is that... bad?"

[momslilassassin]

"Tooooooooooooooopher," Ben whined, banging his head on the counter. "Kind of, yes."

[dollpocalypse]

"It came up in conversation!" Topher insisted. "Ender brought it up!"

[momslilassassin]

"ENDER KNOWS TOO?!" Ben blanched. "Well, I'll just have to live here. Under the counter. Forever."

Because that was a normal reaction.

[dollpocalypse]

"What? It's not like it's news to him!" Topher squawked. Then he squinted. "...it isn't, right?"

Because that would be horrifying.

[momslilassassin]

"That I completely overshared about our private lives? Yeah, he didn't really know that," Ben said.

From under the counter.

Because he was mature that way.

[dollpocalypse]

"Dude," Topher said. "You're under a counter."

He wanted to laugh, but that seemed mean.

"Are you... okay?"

[momslilassassin]

"Just wondering if Mr. Stark would mind if I moved in here," Ben said.

Someone was taking a page from the Anakin Skywalker school of overreacting.

[dollpocalypse]

"...I think you'd probably get really bored," Topher decided. "You wanna... come out from there? Maybe?"

This was becoming a Problem.