"The Death of the Independent Voice" some were calling it.
A lot of other people were calling it "about bloody time" or "good riddance" or "That twat Jonatton finally getting his comeuppance."
Rocket was calling it his greatest triumph.
Robin was calling it a job well done.
Toby just called it a really full on weekend!
It'd only been three days but in that time there had been some serious moves pulled by a lot of important and scary people and Toby liked to think he'd had a hand in getting that all rolling. The whole Hero thing had been easier than he'd thought, or maybe he was just a natural.
It hadn't been hard to convince Robin that Place should stop advertising in SugaRape, the poor bloke was practically vibrating with fear at how much money Doug Rocket seemed to be losing on a daily basis. Then Sasha turned up and Rocket had been all too ready to jump at the chance of making a statement about the importance of 'free love' and while Toby was pretty sure that wasn't the actual problem - Dan was likely to be more concerned over the whole invasion of privacy bit - it had started the shit-storm that was currently enveloping the magazine formerly known as SugaRape... which was actually the magazine formerly known as SugarApe... which was really confusing.
He watched Sasha as she whirled around the office. She was pretty fucking magnificent, like a goddess in really high heels and a pencil skirt, and he was tapping that. Not that she'd be happy to hear him say that, she'd probably be pissed to know he was even thinking it, cos there were rules and if he wanted to turn what they had into a relationship then he had to follow them, and the first rule was respect. But that was ok, Toby could work with rules, because Sasha was amazing and she actually liked him.
He'd had to call Claire and apologise. He was still happy to help out Dan and all that but he didn't really want to feel her nipples anymore, not if it was going to ruin what he had going with Sasha. And, weirdly, Claire didn't seem that hot anymore either. I mean, she was alright, and he'd never be stupid enough to say to her face that he didn't think she was that much of a love muffin, but it was true.
Claire slouched. He'd pointed it out to Sasha last night, that Sasha had, like, confident shoulders and that, and she'd explained that people responded to body language before you even got close enough to open your mouth so the way you walked and stood were important. She said the secret to success appeared to be walking through the world like you were one step away from stabbing someone in the chest with your stiletto. Then she'd let Toby go down on her. Yep, life was pretty sweet right now.
Sasha headed over to his desk, her hips swaying in a way that really did make it seem like someone was about to die, and he tried to look like he was busy and knew what he was doing.
"Toby," she said, giving him that little smile that made him want to sit up really straight. "How's the internet feedback coming?"
"Really good, Sasha, really good," he nodded, pulling up the comments. "I've been making sure that the worst of the troll responses get taken down and have got our five dummy accounts egging on the positive feedback. And my cousin Dajve put up a video response about free love and she linked it to Rocket's and that's just, like gone mental, with the internet peeps, and she texted me to ask if she could maybe get together with Mr Rocket for a remix of one of his old hits, and..."
He did probably have more to say, but Sasha was really smiling at him now and leaning over the counter of the front desk so that he could see all the way down her blouse to the lace on her bra. It was red and black, he hadn't seen it before, which meant that he'd now seen two of Sasha's bras. Which was more than he'd ever seen of any other real life girl ever.
"Well done, Toby," she purred and Toby tried to lick his lips, but realised his tongue was too dry. "I never would have thought of dummy accounts to combat the trolls. You're not as stupid as you look, are you?"
"Not really," Toby replied, trying to grin in a beguiling way.
Sasha made a little humming noise behind her pursed lips, almost like a laugh but not like she was laughing at him.
"And have we heard from the Complaints Commission yet?"
"Not yet," Toby grinned, resting his face on his hand and trying to stare up at Sasha in a way that implied that he would be well up for some discrete lunchtime fondling, if that's what Sasha wanted. Except he was probably going to be a bit too busy for a proper lunch break today, what with being the only person on the front desk now, and the schedule of work Sasha had printed out for him when he'd arrived that morning.
Sasha frowned. That wasn't good. He couldn't let her get cross or she might not want to see him, or work at Place and she was definitely the best thing to happen to the place, and him, since forever.
"I did get an email from, um, Dr Ashcroft, solicitor, who wants to conference call with you."
At this Sasha's face perked up again and Toby wanted to show her that he could be helpful and knowledgable, even though he knew he was really like the... well... if this was a heist film he'd be like the mechanic or something, who didn't mastermind the plan but was still, like, totally integral to the job's success.
"Really?"
"Yup. I reckon it's Dan and Claire's mum. She's a lawyer or something like that. She got Dan out of Nathan's TV show even though he'd signed a release."
"Hmm."
Sasha hummed again and Toby shivered at the sound. He'd gotten to be naked with Sasha twice now and he knew that she liked to make that sound when he did something right. She was a good teacher as well. Soon he'd be good enough with his tongue that she was going to let him move on to using his fingers. And then... who knew.
"Forward the email to my account," she told him seriously, and Toby nodded, trying to be professional even though under the counter his trousers were so tight it was really hard work not to squirm. "Well done, Toby. I'll bring you a baguette for lunch, since you'll have so much work to be getting on with, would you like that?"
"Yes please," Toby answered quickly.
He thought maybe he sounded a bit desperate but Sasha smiled at him again before heading off to Rocket's office, still walking like she owned the place, like she owned Place, and Toby grinned. A sandwich wasn't quite what he'd been after for lunch but it was still good progress. And if he let Sasha buy him lunch, maybe he could buy her dinner again.
Or maybe he should bring around dinner for her and her little sisters. They were sweet girls and if he did that it'd be like proving that he wasn't scared of commitment and responsibility and all. Maybe he could bring them dinner and then afterwards do the dishes! Women liked that sort of thing.
He forwarded the email, and several others that he reckoned Sasha should look at, then went back to being Rocketfan101, Freelove64, Gellyhair29, notrash4you, and shoreditchcool09, whilst fielding calls from magazines and tabloids who wanted a statement. He had a prepared one to read out and had gotten so good at it that someone actually said, "Thank you Mr Rocket" when he was done.
It was quarter past one, and he was eating his baguette, well, half of Sasha's baguette, which was totally better because it was totally the sort of thing that people who were a solid item did - Dan and his boyfriend probably did it all the time - when the front doors slid open and someone walked in.
Toby nearly choked on his chicken and avocado.
It wasn't like the first time he'd seen Jones, but it was the first time he'd seen him close up.
"Hi, I'm, um-"
"Jones!" Toby finished for him, jumping up and holding his hand out for Jones to shake. "'M Toby. I'm a friend of Claire's."
"Right," Jones replied and Toby smiled in a way that he hoped was friendly but not pervy. "She hasn't really talked about you. But, you know, she's not living with me anymore, so... and we never really talked that much, but... I've seen you working the door at parties and stuff though. Nice to meet you?"
Jones was taller than he'd remembered, and skinny, but in a rock star sort of way, and it felt weird to be shaking hands with someone who's hand was strong and a bit calloused but that had painted purple nails, and being able to feel the edge of one of the guys bangles as well. That was probably, like, that thing - juxtaposition - his brain supplied. Like, lots of stuff that seemed opposite but then worked well together and made you think about stuff in a different way. Like art. Toby suddenly felt really deep, and couldn't wait to tell Sasha about it later. She'd probably be impressed.
And Jones was wearing make-up too. Which was fine, Toby told himself. He'd been really into Adam Ant when he was little and that guy had rocked eyeliner and that.
Mostly Jones' make-up seemed to be hiding a bruise around his eye and nose, and Toby had heard the rumour from Rufus yesterday that Jones had nutted a guy twice his size for trying it on with him after his Friday night spot at that techno club. Jones might be pretty but he seemed tough too. Toby'd never thrown a punch in his life and he decided he wanted Jones to like him, because he didn't fancy getting his head kicked in by a guy in eye shadow and sparkly boots. He didn't fancy getting his head kicked in by anyone, actually.
He hadn't expected him to be so softly spoken though. Toby realised, in a proper moment of epiphany, that he sounded a bit like Dan did (when he wasn't drunk and yelling, obviously) all quiet and a bit nervous but totally charming at the same time.
He could totally get why someone would go gay for Jones now. Not that he was going to, of course. He had Sasha, and he still didn't think he could go for, you know, cock, but Jones seemed like the sort of bloke anyone could easily want to be in love with.
"Um," Jones said taking his hand back. "I ran into Sasha on Saturday and she said to drop by. Is she in, mate?"
"Oh, yeah," Toby agreed. "She's just in her office, but she might be eating lunch. She and I are sharing a baguette, cos we're, like..."
Toby didn't know how to finish that sentence. He was massively keen to tell people that he was with Sasha, and not just for bragging rights or anything like that, but he wasn't sure that he was allowed to. Sasha hadn't said he could and he wasn't even sure if she considered them a couple or anything.
But Jones grinned at him and nodded like he understood, and Toby guessed that after being in a covert relationship for the last few years, Jones probably did understand pretty well.
"Right. Congratulations. She's pretty cool."
"Yeah, I know, right!" Toby beamed. He tried to reel it in, 'cos enthusiasm wasn't cool, but Jones just smiled at him with teeth that were crooked but in a David Bowie kind of way, which made him feel like less of an idiot. "Dan's cool too, though," he said, so Jones wouldn't feel left out.
"Yeah, I know,"Jones replied and Toby found himself watching a bit too closely at the way Jones' arm came up when he ruffled the back of his hair with his hand. "So... Sasha?"
Toby pointed in the direction of her office and wondered if he should shake the DJs hand again but Jones was too quick and set off toward Sasha's door with a friendly wave before Toby thought to put his hand out.
If Sasha moved like some sort of Goddess of Death, Toby reckoned Jones moved like the God of a Good Party. He rolled his hips a bit like Sasha but looser, and he looked like he was moving to music even though he didn't have headphones on. Toby could see them hanging from Jones' satchel, beat up and grubby, with gaff tape on one of the ear pads where the fake leather had peeled away. They weren't cool, or the latest thing from Japan, like the five pairs of headphones Nathan had, but somehow they seemed more... (Toby wracked his brain for an intelligent descriptor)... legit? Yeah, legit. Jones' stuff was old but it was used a lot and not just for show.
Toby nodded to himself. He felt like he'd had another epiphany. He was getting absolutely wise and it was all because of Sasha. He couldn't wait to tell her all the new stuff he'd realised, but she was going to be busy for hours yet so he wrote it out on a post-it note so he wouldn't forget, then looked up where the least cheap Chinese take-away was near Sasha's and put through an order that he could pick up on their way home from work.
Toby still wanted to be a hero, but he reckoned there was more to it than just saving the day or making a bold move. Sasha was a strong woman (she didn't really need comforting) and next year she'd be finished her degree and be out in the world as a kick arse lawyer, or something like that. She was going to need someone around who could pack lunches and do laundry and cook a mean omelet. And he reckoned he could totally fill that job description.