[Nightlight]

[seeagreatergood]

Another day, another dollar, another drug lord deposed as he got off the boat from Central America. As ops go, this one went about as smoothly as you could ask for: sure, the boat was an hour and a half late, and sure there were some shots fired, but nobody died.

Auggie finally gets off work around nine -- practically early -- and heads down to the locker room to shower the stress away.

And gets the bar, instead.

Well, a beer is almost as good as a shower. He sweeps his laser cane over the floor once to check for waitrats, then heads towards the counter to order a drink.

Comments

[seeagreatergood]

"Like I said, prince among men."

Did he order a drink yet? He didn't. He fixes that by getting a whiskey on the rocks.

"So what's been so awesome in your life?"

[toblameforit]

"Sherry got a job," Tony offers. "That he can't talk about to someone with my clearance level."

[seeagreatergood]

Auggie laughs. "No shit?"

[toblameforit]

"Dead serious. I don't even know who he's working for, I just know they're federal and keep weird hours. When I guess he just laughs at me."

[seeagreatergood]

"So he likes it?"

[toblameforit]

"That much I can tell," Tony confirms.

[seeagreatergood]

"Good. What about you? How's school?"

[toblameforit]

"Awesome. Busy but awesome."

[seeagreatergood]

Tony is so adorably collegiate.

"Glad to hear it."

[toblameforit]

"...Are you making fun of me?" he wonders.

[seeagreatergood]

"Who, me? Nah. I'm just imagining you at MIT inventing a more efficient pumping system for kegs."

[toblameforit]

"Been done," Tony says dismissively. "Think more like that joke about gay engineers."

[seeagreatergood]

". . . I don't know that one, but I'm sure I can imagine some punchlines."

[toblameforit]

"I'm pretty sure it ends in 'Have we fully optimized sex?' 'My equations say yes.'"

[seeagreatergood]

"I was thinking 'Close enough for practical purposes,' but I like yours better."

[toblameforit]

"It doesn't really hold up when you think about it, though. I mean, there are girl engineers too, and trust me, they know how to optimize."

[seeagreatergood]

". . . With each other or with you?"

[toblameforit]

"I can only vouch for the second one firsthand. Also, if they were gay girl engineers they'd fall under the original joke."

[seeagreatergood]

"Not necessarily."

It's college! People experiment!

[toblameforit]

"Well, yeah, there's also bi engineers," he allows. "As I happen to know."

[seeagreatergood]

Auggie grins over his glass and doesn't reply.

[toblameforit]

...screw it.

"You wanna go up to my room and joke about my exciting college life some more?"

[seeagreatergood]

"I could be persuaded."

[toblameforit]

"I could be persuasive."

Just not in the middle of the bar where anybody might hear it.

[seeagreatergood]

He laughs, picking up his drink and tucking his laser cane into a pocket.

"You're a brat. Lead the way."