Ever since the start of 2015, Hyper had made a habit out of calling Benny over. At first it seemed like a semi-normal job. She would keep him by her side to prevent anybody from starting conflicts with her; nobody would dare to mock her or call her out when she could call upon her assassin and have the opponent on the ground in half a second.

If that didn't happen (and 80% of the time it didn't) they would just hang out. Grab coffee, see some cheesy romance movie, gossip a little, and Benny could deal with that. He got food, drinks, entertainment, the possible satisfaction of someone's blood on his hands, and of course thousands of bucks an outing- not the ten grand he got for helping her with Critic, but still a substantial amount. And obviously, his employer always appreciated his company, because at least she had company.

Then Hyper started calling him over with no tangible reason. She wouldn't be going out or having anybody over. She'd just shoot him a message asking him to spend time at her house. And Benny was fine by that. It was a fantastic house, after all, and he was sure that for all her insane tactics, there was nothing she could do to him- he knew her shtick too well already. Hyper would sometimes pull out the same material she used to manipulate Critic so many months ago, and Benny learned she actually did like some of that stuff, and they could watch a movie or play some fighting game (he learned to lose on purpose, or else she'd mope the whole time).

As time went by, Benny got more and more insight into just how pitiful she really was. She had begun paying him just to spend time with her. Yeah, she had her little online communities of people to gush about her obsessions, but he seemed to be the only friend she had in real life. For good reason, of course- she apparently had no idea how to socialize without trapping somebody into doing it, be it kidnapping or paying them, and she didn't exactly present herself as somebody you'd want to get close to.

And while she tried to stay in denial, there were times she would begin to unravel in front of him, usually whenever her failed love life came into conversation. Times she would rant about feeling unfulfilled, that she didn't understand (or didn't want to understand) why she was still alone, and she would end up thinking about Critic again. Whenever they got onto that subject, Benny tried to steer the conversation in another direction, because now that she was paying him for simply being there, he had no desire to enable her deluded fantasy anymore.

Through some twisted logic, though, Benny did like spending time with her. Not just for the superficial reasons, but because she was interesting to talk to. She was a wild mess, but she had her endearing moments, and he had to admire her determination, even if it was awfully misplaced.

It all came to a peak one night, during the late winter. Benny was at home, listening to music and chilling to the best of his ability with an eye on his phone. He got the notifications, sensing they were her before he even saw them, and positive they were her once he did.

Tonight is shit can u come over pls?
dont ask why!

And of course he didn't ask. Nobody ever did. He just had to be there. So within minutes he was at her door.
Hyper opened the door, and a wave of relief crossed her face. "God, you came so fast."
Benny shrugged. "It's my job."

She smiled and wiped under her glasses, either trying to hide the obvious fact she had been crying, or draw attention to it. Benny passed through the doorway and sat down on his usual spot on the couch.

The TV was on, playing disturbingly familiar credits. On the table before him, he noticed an open DVD case. When he picked it up to read the cover, he started to understand why she was apparently having a breakdown. It was Christmas Story 2.

When Hyper sat next to him, he gestured to the case. "Why are you watching this again?"
"It's just that it doesn't make sense! It's so easy in the movies!" Her bottled up angst rapidly came pouring out. "Like, how come Ralphie can be all quirky and thirsty over this girl and still end up with her in the end when he barely even talked to her, but even though I keep trying to get closer to Critic, and even after we had such a nice Christmas together, he hasn't texted me back once!" She started to cry again. "And like, I stopped breaking into his studio, I thought maybe he would come to me now, cause he should like me back by now, right? I mean, he let me sleep on him! Why doesn't he want to do more with me? What's wrong with me? It's not fair!"

Great, she was getting into Critic-mood now. "You didn't actually answer me. Why are you watching the movie?"
"I thought it'd feel better to watch it, a-and remember the good times and all," Hyper answered, "but it just makes it all worse!" She flopped face-down on the couch, wallowing in self-pity. "I'm such a loser!"

Nothing she was saying was right, of course, except for the fact Critic hadn't tried to contact her since they watched Christmas Story 2 together. Benny hadn't been around for that (he was busy losing himself in the works of Jane Austen), and if Critic hadn't told him about it he wouldn't have believed it. But what Hyper didn't seem to get (or was refusing to admit) was it had been an attempt to pacify her, not an encouragement. She needed to get over this nonsense before she self-destructed and he lost his best customer and sort-of close friend.
"Hyper. Listen to me." She perked her head up as Benny began to speak to her in his straightforward tone. "You can't expect Critic to pursue you. He hasn't done it yet and he isn't going to. I mean...we kidnapped him, for Christ's sake. He's not gonna get over that." Hyper put her head back down, but Benny continued. "It's done. It's not love. It's just best for everyone involved for you to move on. Just don't keep putting him or yourself through this shit. You're just going to wreck yourself and your relationships."

Hyper lifted her head again, giving Benny a desperate little smile. "You mean...you care about me?"
Benny smiled a little, trying to appeal to her self esteem so she'd get it through her head this time. "Yeah, I mean...you're probably my best client."

Looking ready to cry again, Hyper threw her arms around Benny, taking him aback. "Thank you for staying, Benny. You're always so nice to me."
"Uh, thanks." He was used to her lack of personal space, but she was clutching him unusually hard this time.
It didn't help the awkwardness when Hyper shifted her body to sit right in his lap, still holding onto him like a little kid. He saw the detail of her face, red and wet, and smelled vodka on her breath, which explained a lot. She got the most emotional and the most touchy when she had been drinking, and if she didn't take it out by messaging Critic, she took it out on Benny.
"Like, you always come when I call, and then you let me talk to you..." She stared at Benny, captivated. "And you're a really good shot."
Before Benny could decide whether to stick around or flee, Hyper pulled him in and kissed Benny on the lips.

Even though Hyper was clinging to him with all her desperate fervor, Benny was trained to escape any scenario, and quickly wriggled out of her grip before the kiss dragged on too long. He could deal with her lying on him and venting. He could not deal with her drunkenly coming on to him.
After he pulled away, Hyper sat and stared, mouth agape, but slowly morphing into a mad smile. She started giggling mad and dropped her head on Benny's chest. He couldn't tell if she felt great about what she just did or if she was trying to laugh off regret.

"Uh, listen," Benny looked at his phone, "I think I have another appointment coming in." He moved Hyper off of his lap and got up. "I should go."
"Wait! You're not staying?" Hyper cried out.
Benny felt bad about leaving her behind when she was still sort of a mess, but he was worried what he could get tangled up in if he stayed with her overnight. As fucked up as it was, he was kind of attracted to her when she was coming on so strong, but she was also drunk, emotionally vulnerable, and his employer. It felt way too wrong, even for him.
"You should probably go to bed." He picked up the Christmas Story 2 DVD. "Stop living in the past. Find someone else." He turned aside and mumbled, "but not me."
Hyper nodded and got off the couch herself. "I'm really tired anyway. I'll forward the cash to your account tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll, uh, throw in a little extra."
"I'd prefer you not," Benny said. "It'd just make me feel like your prostitute on top of your assassin."
Hyper giggled again, still somewhat nervous, and with less intensity hugged Benny. "Goodnight, Benny."
"'Night, Hyper," Benny said, patting her on the back, then disappearing into the night.

Maybe some day he'd let her kiss him again, when she wasn't drunk and she wasn't paying him. Maybe he'd let her do more.
Maybe he was just as desperate and crazy as she was after spending so much time with her.