Straight Up Typhoon – 4
Wow, it's fun being inattentive! Lord, I've left brain cells all over this country.
"I don't know, Ben, it's not that I don't want to help people." Reed shook his head and took another drink of his beer, resting his arms back on the table with a sigh. "But super hero? I mean…are you really comfortable with that title?"
Ben took a drink as well, scanning up at the sky for a moment from where he sat across from Reed at their outside table. The bar itself seemed a little too crowded, and so they had sought refuge outdoors, even as cold out as it was. "Hey, I was the one who was least okay with this whole mess, if you remember."
Reed nodded with a faint smile and fiddled with the label on his bottle. "I remember. I'm not talking about the publicity, or the fans, or the endorsement offers and the utter lack of privacy…"
"Not that any of those are icing on the cake."
"Right. What's really bothering me is the expectations. What exactly does this 'profession' entail? You know what I mean, don't you?" he held out a hand.
"Sure." Ben nodded. "I walk down the streets and people expect me to pound somethin'."
"What are we supposed to do? Roam the streets looking for petty thugs and drunk drivers? I know there's nothing we can do about how the public sees us, but I just wish they could see us for what we really are. Not what they read in comic books or see in movies."
"So what are we?" Ben prodded.
Reed blinked. "Scientists."
"I guess 'super hero' just has a better ring to it." Ben muttered and drank.
"I might've imagined fame and fortune, but…not like this." Reed admitted. "I always thought that I would do something big. Something great, something that benefit the good of mankind long after I was gone."
"And you'd get your name in a little plaque and everything." Ben offered a bit sardonically.
"I just don't like the idea of my fame being based purely off of my image. That's all."
"At least you're the leader of this outfit, ain't ya? Besides, just think about those of us who never wanted to be famous at all." Ben suddenly squinted past Reed's shoulder as though seeing something familiar. "…And who says people got a false image of us, anyhow? Didn't we save a lot a'lives that night? Vic went nuts pretty hard."
Reed sat back a little. "Yeah…I guess so. But are we really up for doing that sort of thing again?"
"If we have to, yeah." Ben decided. "Look on the bright side; at least kids don't run from you."
Reed smirked and chuckled in protest. "Ben, the kids love you."
"Nah, nah," Ben leaned back and laughed as well. "The kids love Johnny."
Reed rolled his eyes slightly and muttered to himself as he took another drink. "Everyone loves Johnny."
"Not everyone." Ben grunted back.
"You know you love him, Ben." Reed jested. "That's why you hate him so much."
"…Sometimes the kid's alright. Sometimes. But it ain't like I'm linin' up to kiss him." Ben raised an accusing brow.
"Yeah, yeah." Reed set his beer down and crossed his arms.
"Hey, check it out." Ben gave a slight head nod over Reed's shoulder, which he had been glancing over repeatedly in the last few minutes.
Reed threw a glance over as well. "What is it?"
"That scrawny twerp right there. One with the turtleneck who flirts like he thinks he's Brad Pitt's long lost twin." Ben this time used the aid of a gesturing finger. "That's the punk who's been botherin' Al."
Reed followed Ben's direction and set eyes upon this supposed offender. True to the description, he was a rather smallish figure, likely not five foot five with an almost toned build and clothes that clung tightly to his less than impressive frame. He had clearly over-gelled hair and an unusually dark set of eyebrows, and was spouting out some loud, flirtatious jargon to a group of girls who justly weren't paying him much mind. That turtleneck and khaki shorts combination wasn't helping his image, either. He was certainly nothing pretty to look at, by any standards. Turning back to Ben, Reed smiled slowly. "You're kidding…"
"I wish."
"…Well…he looks…charming."
"So you see my problem." Ben took a heavy drink and sighed.
"You could never pull off that ensemble?" Reed asked dryly. Oh God, he hoped Johnny wasn't starting to rub off on him.
"I sneeze and I might kill him. I gotta be real careful." Ben explained. "And careful ain't exactly what I always been good at. Especially when some little meat head's movin' in on my girl."
"Maybe Alicia will knock his head in and save you the trouble." Reed suggested.
Ben chuckled. "She could take him. Al's sweet, but she ain't no pacifist."
"So then things are working out with you two." Reed gathered, rubbing his hands a little in an absent search for friction.
Ben hesitated for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, actually. They are. Imagine that." He smiled at stared off. For a while, neither of them said anything, but it was a comfortable silence and one that they were accustomed to. "So uh, guess it would be pretty stupid for me to question your love life, eh?"
Reed gave a sheepish shrug. "There's nothing to tell that you don't already know…I guess uh…" Reed looked around and caught sight of the many people who were whispering at one another with eyes locked onto the two of them. "…Well maybe we could save these conversations for less public places…"
Ben quickly caught on. "Oh—er, right." He self-consciously slouched a little and gestured to Reed's drink. "You want another one?"
"I think I'll quit while I'm ahead." Reed shook his head.
"Yeah, guess you're right." Ben agreed, and they stood, suddenly both very much willing to part ways with their on-looking crowd. As Reed looked back over a shoulder, he managed to catch one particular little twerp giving them a good size-up before they walked away.