- RETROMIX + HEATMETAL

[camarod]

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[camarod]

[Billy's usual is some waffles, scrambled egg on sour dough and a black coffee. He's a simple dude, promises Donna he will absolutely try the red berry next time he's in. He probably won't.

Eddie's order is - he can rationalise it from what he knows of Eddie Munson. Stoners love to eat, and Steve looks like such an American Dream he's shocked he doesn't get the maple syrup and butter. When they're alone, Billy does what he does best, sprawls with his arms along the full length of the booth on his side, eyebrow cocked at Steve's phone.

Phone. He's pretty sure he left his behind. Fuck. ] Shit, Munson - my phones still buried under all your shit. [He will not allow this to hinder his escape plan -] If I give you my new address can you drop it off or some shit? I need it for work on Friday.

[heatmetal]

Oh, right, that was what kicked off Steve's little adventure in paleontology.

[ he's got the decency to swallow before he talks, but the words are coming out between enormous bites of food. eddie eats like he's starving, always. ]

No problem.

[retromix]

[ Steve makes no secret of the way he flatly eyes Eddie, going back to his scrolling. ]

Did you guys know that the people here call this place a nexus?

[ BREAKFAST TALK, mmm! Yum, waffles. ]

It's in some of the broadcasts. [ Conceding his moodiness for the moment, he looks at Eddie. ] A nexus is some kind of middle-ground, right? Like a black hole in physics, everything falls into it.

[ He failed getting into tech college, sure, but he wasn't sleeping through every science class. ]

So we're in some kind of giant, cosmic bucket.

[ ... There it is. ]

[camarod]

[He manages to get a pen from someone passing, scribbling his address on a napkin square then glances at Steve as he passes the napkin to Eddie. ]

Nicest bucket I've ever seen. [He's still out of his depth most days. Not used to all the contactless technology; how his phone does everything except wash his damn clothes. Billy didn't pay much attention in science, but he gets the concept of what Steve's saying.

A middle ground. Maybe he really is deader than dead. ] Feels weird as shit as though, right? Some places you go and they just know you're from ass-backwards universe.

[heatmetal]

A waypoint between all universes.

[ Eddie slides the napkin over, tucking it into his pocket. he'll.. add a milkshake onto his order, smiling charmingly at the waitress and making her laugh before he returns to the topic at hand. ]

Comics are a big proponent of the multiverse theory. [ wait, translate to pop culture ] Every choice every single person make make spawns different timelines, different universes.

[retromix]

So there could be doubles of us that fall in here too?

[ Sending a look around their table of Is That A Bad Thing? ]

[camarod]

[Some of the words are sort of meaningless - fucking comics and the multiverse, like he cares, really. But Eddie seems to care, and so does Steve, so he at least tries to pretend like he's listening and not focused on his coffee.

To Steve, he cocks an eyebrow.] Depends which me shows up.

[heatmetal]

Possibly, yeah. But they wouldn't necessarily be us... who we are? That's all choices we make along the way. The parts of ourselves we actually embrace.

[ he grabs the discarded straw wrappers, laying one flat to the table. ]

Say this is your life path. So - let's go with me. This right here [ he taps a point midway through ] is the point I decided I didn't want to be my old man. But say [ he grabs another straw, slapping it down ] maybe he was a better father, or maybe I just make worse decisions, but I double down. Now [ he taps a finger at the end of that line ] you've got an Eddie Munson that could and would hurt you for looking at him the wrong way.

[retromix]

So if Billy's evil Vecna'd twin arrives, we can kick his ass and not feel bad about it? That's what you're saying.

[ To Billy, ]

No offence.

[camarod]

[Steve gets a middle finger - at this point he's probably well acquainted. Mostly, Billy doesn't want to think of that Billy. How he feels like there's something still there under his skin, laying dormant.

So instead he forks some eggs and springs them right across at Steve. And smiles. ]

[heatmetal]

Pretty much. That's not our boy, so we don't have to feel any guilt about it.

[ you heathens have your food fight, this food is being eaten thanks ]

[retromix]

Goddamn —

[ Tearing off some waffle to flick at Billy's stupid stache. ]

So, don't we need some kind of code to know we're who we say we are? Not evil clones?

[heatmetal]

I like the way you think, Harrington.

[ god if you're just gonna throw food he's gonna steal some of it. ]

Two ways to go about it: something only we'd know thus confirming we are the versions we know, or something we'd never say that can serve as a tell.

[retromix]

I know about the freckles on the back of your left thigh.

[ JUST THE FACTS. Sorry, Billy. ]

Only I would know about that right? In this dimension?

[ Is that some humour behind Steve's squint? Maybe. ]

[heatmetal]

Checking to see if I've been getting around?

[ reaching up to pinch Steve's cheek playfully. ]

What if my evil twin seduced you with his dark magic in that world, hmm? Also - kind of kills any dramatic tension if you're shouting about my ass freckles.

[retromix]

[ Ow, his virgin cheek. Have a hair tug around one of those curls. ]

I can't be seduced by evil, for starters. Secondly, your ass freckles being shouted about during an intensely confusing identity crisis would sure clear things up fast depending on the resulting reactions.

[heatmetal]

And yet here we are, with your intimate knowledge of my ass and it's freckles. [ he grins wolfishly, mouthing harder ]

[retromix]

[ He's gonna plant his hand over Eddie's mouth, no big deal. Ignore Steve's reddening cheeks. ]

So moving on with this plan, I think codewords are the best idea. For sure.

[heatmetal]

[ yeah that hand is getting licked as Eddie pulls his face out of Steve's grip, laughing. ]

Mellon. It's elvish for friend, and something neither of you two muscle heads would ever say in a million years if we weren't getting cozy.

[retromix]

Melon. Okay, fine.

[ The fuck, he doesn't have any idea how fruit is fantastical but okay. Shaking his head, Steve shrugs. ]

Mine'll be Aragorn. No Harrington would know that name.

[heatmetal]

[ tossing a sugar packet and sighing dramatically. ]

Can't believe I'm into you. But fine, sure. Hargrove, I haven had as much time to corrupt you so no pressure, but what's your secret passcode?

[camarod]

[The entire thing is excruciating to witness. He gags a little on his coffee, eyes flitting wildly between them like a caged animal, wondering if this is karma at work.

He should have been nicer to Max. He really should have.

Melons, more nerd shit - he’s going to tear his own hair out when they stop flirting for half a second for Billy to snap:] Max. [- and shovel the rest of his eggs in.]

[retromix]

Okay. Melon, Max, and Aragorn.

[ He sighs. Deeply. They sound so dumb. ]

I also think we should all live closer to each other, get out of the hotel. We shouldn't be spread out in case of an attack.

[heatmetal]

[ ... Yeah, this is perhaps not the time to broach that subject. He glanced at Billy and his souring mood. ]

I dunno about you, but once they cut my card off I've got nothing to pay rent with. [ he does plan on selling. But that's a lot harder to do with fucking superheroes everywhere. ]

[camarod]

[What he should say is: yeah that really sucks for you guys huh, because he’s getting grumpy. Not malicious, or vengeful, but a little sour and stung by how easy it is for them to fall into each other.

He should say something clawing and mean, but what he says, because he is a masochist, is:] I have another room, [and then worse, he adds, resigned:] If one of you gets a fucking job. [He is looking pointedly at you Steve.] I already got two. I work late. You’ve got free reign so long as you keep my shit clean - [this time Eddie gets a look,] and you don’t fuck on my couch.