Straight Up Typhoon – 6
Thanks for the reviews! I'm currently working on the last chapter, so you shouldn't have to worry about this fic up and quitting. There are fifteen. Finally, a nice number. As opposed to twelve or forty-three.
"So what do you think of this one? Hey, Sue?"
Sue quickly shook out of her trance and turned back to face Alicia. "Yeah? What? Sorry."
"This one." she tilted her head slightly, holding out the dress that was clutched in her hands. "Ben says it looks good, but excuse me if I want a women's opinion." She chuckled. "What do you think?"
"Yeah, I was just—" Sue blinked, shaking her head and feeling foolish. "It looks great, yeah, definitely."
"You sure?" Alicia felt her fingers through the material, nodding. "Okay, well, how much?"
Ben offered a gentle hand from behind her and grasped the tag. "Let's see here, uh…" he squinted down slightly, but his eyes quickly widened, mouthing some clearly large number to himself. "Uh, l-lucky us, it's on sale." He lied outright.
"Oh. Great." She shrugged and turned to him with a smile. "You know Ben, you don't have to buy me anything. I do just fine on my own, thanks."
"Yeah, I know." Ben chuckled almost nervously. "But hey, can't a guy treat you nice every now and then?"
"It's not like you're falling behind on that." She grinned and mock-punched him, at which he pretended to be greatly wounded. "Hey…Sue? Sue, hello, earth to Sue…I know you're still there."
"Huh? Yeah, yeah, no, I think three-hundred's fine for that." Sue quickly replied.
Alicia paused for a moment, her smile dropping. "Three-hundred?"
Ben immediately interjected with a panicked expression. "No, no, uh, hey, Sue, y-you must be lookin' at the wrong dress!" he insisted, giving her a funny look.
"What? Oh—oh, right! You're right, no, that one's…" Sue tossed out a hand and gave a weak laugh. "Much cheaper."
"Are you okay, Sue?" Alicia broke in.
"Sure. Fine." She agreed, but then sighed, noting how unbelievable her tone sounded. "…I don't know, maybe I just didn't really feel as up to going out as I thought."
"Come on, Suzie." Ben objected. "You haven't been out with us in ages."
"I know, I know. You're right, I'm just spacing out is all." Sue assured, sweeping the hair from her face tiredly.
"Well snap out of it, we're losing you." Alicia laughed, groping a hand out for a moment before she found Ben's shoulder. "I don't know about you two, but I'm starving. What do you say we get outta here?"
"Sounds great." Ben agreed. "You ladies just stay here, I'm gonna go get this boxed up." He awkwardly took the delicate dress into his massive hands and moved away to the front desk.
Alicia turned back to Sue with a smile. "He's somethin', huh?"
"Ben? Yeah. He's great." Sue returned rather methodically. Not that Ben wasn't great, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on such things.
"Sue…" Alicia started, hesitating for a long moment. "…look, can I ask if something's wrong without getting up into your business?"
Sue blinked, mouth opening as she struggled for something to say. "Things are…normal." Normal, yes indeed, things had never been normaler. Super heroes, super villains, maddening publicity, cheating fiancés, back-stabbing brothers, a bitch of a flu…
"You just don't seem like…you, lately."
"Yeah, I know, I guess I've just got…a lot on my mind." Sue blinked and furrowed her brow, suddenly wondering just how much of the whole mess Ben had relayed to Alicia. Did she know anything about it? Part of her dared to hope she didn't. The less people who knew about this incident the better.
"Alright, come on, let's move." Ben said as he returned, ushering them back to the door. "This place is startin' to feel a little…cramped."
Sue's eyes traveled back behind Ben, where an excitedly chatting crowd was beginning to gather at the clerk's desk. It was an easy guess as to what the commotion was about. "I miss being nobody…" she muttered.
"Tell me about it." Ben grunted, and they shuffled quickly out of the department store.
"Don't sweat it, Ben." Alicia assured as she patted a shoulder, allowing him to lead her out into the cold night air. "Even I get funny looks all the time. Just gotta brush it off."
"People uh…look at you funny?" Ben replied warily, obviously wondering how she could know something like that—and just who these people were and if she could give him their names.
"Sure. I mean, what with me dating a celebrity and all." She grinned.
Sue smirked slightly and shook her head, scanning her surroundings with thoughts that tried to focus more cheerily on her friends as opposed to her currently disastrous relationship with Reed and Johnny.
"How're you dealing with your fame and fortune, Sue?" Alicia asked conversationally.
"…Well I'm still waiting on that fortune part." She murmured. "But other than the having to watch everything I say, do, or buy, and being whistled at and hounded on by sleazy scumbags, and having my picture taken every five seconds and being talked about on T.V. and having kids ask me to turn invisible on the streets everywhere I turn…sure, I guess everything else is just fine."
"Aha." Alicia nodded. "It can't be all bad, can it?"
"…I guess being thought of as a hero can't be the worst thing in the world." Sue agreed. "But I mean the nerve of some people. Some jerk actually asked me my favorite sexual position. In broad daylight, on the sidewalk! Just because I'm famous I'm not entitled to an ounce of privacy?"
"Hey, you think you get weird sex questions…" Ben huffed with a chuckle. "You don't even wanna know the things I get asked. Here good?" he gestured up to the restaurant they were currently walking past, where a small line was formed outside to get in. "Probably less crowded then most places right about now."
"Why not?" Sue shrugged and folded her arms, forcing a quick shiver to warm up and joining the line with Ben and Alicia.
"Well hey there!" greeted a sudden loud voice, and Sue practically jumped a foot in the air. Holding a hand to her chest, she turned with wide eyes to the previously unseen figure near her—a rather short fellow with slicked back hair.
"Oh, gosh, sorry. I uh, didn't see you." Sue apologized quickly, eyes finding Ben and Alicia who both held considerably odd expressions.
"It's no problem." Shrugged the man with a wide grin. "Hi. I'm Roger." He held out a hand, which, after a brief vacillation, Sue skeptically shook.
"Listen pal," Ben's voice came from behind her, one of his hands gently taking her by the shoulder and moving her away. "I thought I told you to take a hike."
"Hey, hey, take it easy, Hulk!" the short man laughed, holding up his hands. "Can't a guy stand in line? This is just a…" his gaze veered over to meet Alicia with a certain glint. "happy coincidence."
"Coincidence my foot." Ben argued back with an unconvinced expression.
"And anyway, I was talking to the lady." Roger motioned a hand towards Sue, who was looking mighty confused at the moment. "So what's your name?"
"You know who she is." Ben said with another warning leer, leaning purposefully back into Roger's direct line of sight.
"What are you, her Daddy? She isn't allowed to talk to new people?"
"First off, you ain't new. 'Least not to me. And second," Ben prodded him just slightly in the chest with a massive finger. "Don't think I don't know what you're tryin' a'pull here. You've been tailing Alicia for the past week now. You think I don't see you?"
"Oh so what, a super hero decides he likes all my old hangouts and suddenly I can't go out anymore?" Roger laughed again with a false joviality.
"Come on, Ben, let's go." Alicia pleaded from behind, her voice uncharacteristically stony.
Sue watched the scene with the distinct feeling of being left out of something. Alicia hadn't said anything about a stalker, which this new acquaintance clearly appeared to be. "Yeah, we'll find somewhere else to eat." She encouraged nevertheless.
"I've had it with this twerp followin' you around." Ben refused, not taking his eyes from said twerp.
"Did you ever consider that maybe Ally and I were friends?" Roger gave an innocent shrug.
"Did you ever consider that maybe I could bust your head like a rotten peach?" Ben leaned in closer.
"Hey, there's no need to get violent."
"I'm beginnin' to think there is."
"Ben, come on." Sue interjected this time, tugging on his arm a little.
"Okay, fine." Ben calmed himself and tossed up a hand. "Look here, Roger. You so much as look at Al funny from here on out—"
"You'll what?" Roger grinned. "Hit me? That might be kind of funny, you know?" he chuckled and shoved his hands down into his pockets. "I bet the press would get a kick out of it."
Ben had a dangerous look in his eye before Alicia stopped him, her tone casual. "Try a restraining order, Rog." She said with a phony smile. "And if that don't work, you won't have to worry about Ben. I'll take care of you myself."
"Ooh baby." Roger returned in amusement, a perverted smirk on his face.
"Let's go." Sue said again, giving a glare of her own to their new disturbance.
"Yeah, I'm goin'." Ben sneered once more at Roger before the three of them backed off.
"Okay, well, seeing as how you're busy," Roger smiled broadly and held up a hand in a wave. "I'll see you later, Ally!"
Ben clenched a fist, noticeably steamed by that last remark as the trio ambled away. "I tell ya, that guy really burns me up." He growled. "Gimme Johnny any day, at least that kid ain't a sick little horndog who can't take a hint."
Sue rolled her eyes a little. "Wanna rethink that one, Ben?"
Ben stiffened slightly, hesitating on his next step and glancing between Sue and Alicia uncomfortably. "Uh…er, Sue, I didn't mean—"
"No, it's okay, I didn't mean for that to sound so…" Sue apologized immediately, feeling uncomfortable. "I was just kidding…"
"Oh. …Right." Ben nodded and took Alicia's arm, who remained quiet with a curious expression.
"So has that guy really been following you Alicia?" Sue asked quickly, eager to change the subject before questions could be asked.
"Him? Yeah." Alicia snorted and brushed it off, shaking her head. "He just doesn't get it. He's a harmless little punk, but damn, is he ever irritating."
"I don't know how harmless guys like him are." Ben protested. "I don't like it. Al, if he ever comes by your place again, you tell me right away, huh?"
"He knows where you live?" Sue asked in concern.
"The whole city knows where I live. Like I said," she nudged Ben, "dating a celebrity?"
"I hate to err on the side of paranoia…but I'm gonna have to agree with Ben." Admitted Sue.
"Hey, it's okay you two." Alicia held up her hands. "I can take care of myself. If it gets out of hand, believe me—you guys'll be the first to know."
Ben supplied another troubled sigh, glancing once back over his shoulder. "Yeah, I know, you're right. Can't blame me for being edgy though, can you?"
"Of course not." Alicia agreed, smiling. "Now can we find somewhere to eat already?"