Just Like High School
A Toby & Happy Story
By Brown Eyes Parker
Rated: T
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Scorpion related.
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It was like high school all over again. He would pull on her proverbial braids and say things just to get her attention. It would usually work, she would sigh in exasperation and give him dirty looks, it egged him on to do it more because he couldn't tell her to her face that he had a crush on her. She would laugh at him (even though he couldn't remember ever seeing her laugh) or worse, she might expect him to take her out for coffee or something. And then he couldn't act like a little boy anymore, trying to get her attention with his antics. He would have to act like an adult.
And he couldn't do that. It would mean dinner dates, movies, and deciding who slept on the right side of the bed. It would mean making sacrifices, and he didn't know if he could really give up gambling. Not even for somebody he liked as much as Happy. Oh, maybe he could do it for a little bit, but eventually the siren's call of a fresh deck of playing cards and the promise of crisp hundred dollar bills would win out, and everything would be over. Dead because of an addiction he just couldn't get a handle on because he couldn't be bothered to try hard enough and do it.
"I think you like her," Paige said one day when he went over to her house for dinner without the rest of the team.
He had forgotten she could read social cues almost as well as he could.
"No," he lied, swirling his Coke with his straw and watching the tornado of bubbles dance around his glass.
"You act like a high school boy when you're around her. Come on, Toby don't lie to me! You have to like her just a little bit."
"No!" He insisted a little more loudly than he should have.
"Okay," Paige answered, knowing when to drop the issue.
But she didn't really, she kept glancing at him all through dinner and while they washed dishes, and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe Happy had said something to her even though he was sure she hadn't, she couldn't know his boyish antics were signs that he liked her.
Maybe Paige had mentioned something to Happy. . .
It was possible, he realized, girls usually told each other secrets like that. Even if it was just all in their head most of the time.
Except he didn't think Paige was the type of girl to spread rumors around about crushes, especially if she wasn't sure about it.
So, maybe he wasn't giving Happy enough credit.
Or maybe she had a crush on him too and she wanted Paige to feel him out for her. Because that was something girls did, sometimes. Especially if they wanted somebody to break it to them easily.
And if that was the case, he was going to have to do some serious damage control. Because maybe he didn't really want her to know he didn't like her.
Just in case.
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He asked her to lunch just the two of them. And he made a fool of himself, stumbling over his words and telling her not to believe anything Paige had told her, Happy just gave him a funny look and took a sip of her seltzer water, completely unaware of what he was talking about.
He should have just left it unsaid and changed the subject. But he didn't, he pressed forward, recklessly and uncaring of what could happen next.
So, he asked her out again. And she didn't look at him like he had two heads.
Happy looked at him and smiled in the way that she usually smiled at him. "That would be nice," she answered, meaning it sincerely.
"Good. I'm looking forward to it."
"Just try and not act like a high school boy anymore," Happy said. "It isn't very becoming."
There it was the inevitable request to act more like an adult. But for her, he decided he would take the risk and do it.
Even if it led to all the things he was afraid of.
But maybe with the right person, it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe with the right person, he would be able to handle it.
"Okay," he agreed without hesitating for too long, not wanting to give her a reason to doubt him for one second.
"Thank you," Happy said sincerely.
He knew they weren't on their way to a happily ever after, but he thought maybe they could head in that direction one day with a little faith and trust in each other. Maybe there would be the kind of happily ever after that two geniuses could create.
He hardly dared hope that it was possible.
But at the same time, he was hoping with all his heart that it was even though he knew it wasn't going to be easy. They could just as easily combust as they could come together with a perfect blend of chemistry. It could be an award-winning science project or something they might have to scrap all together.
He plunged in head first and hoped for the best.
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"Just be careful," Walter told him a few months later. "If things go south between you and Happy, it could ruin the whole team dynamic."
"I know," he answered. "I am being careful. I promise."
"I know, I'm just making sure," Walter assured him.
"You have to be careful too," he replied. "If things go south between you and Paige, it could ruin the whole team dynamic."
Walter looked surprised for a minute and then he shrugged. "We're both trying not to let that happen. Paige doesn't let me wander too far away. She saves me from myself."
"Happy saves me from myself too," he admitted.
"I'm glad to hear that," Walter said sincerely.
He would never say it aloud, but he was glad she did it too.
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They made it to an almost happily ever after. There were still occasional explosive fights and Paige would have to come soothe things over between them. And sometimes he acted like a high school boy, trying to impress her with his antics. Happy would put a stop to it right away though, not allowing him to do silly things even for a second.
And they definitely weren't the award-winning experiment he had envisioned in the first few months but they weren't even close to combusting either.
And that, that was enough.
_The End_
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Author's Note:
This is my first Toby & Happy story. Since I am still getting used to the characters, I am not sure if I have their voices. But I hope you'll tell me what you think sincerely. Thanks in advance, I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Holly, 10/29/2014_