[video]

[sharpes]

[Brandon looks, for all intents and purposes, bored as hell.]

You know what this place really needs?

[Bit of a pause. Purely for dramatic effect, you understand. He is an actor.]

Twitter.

And if you have to ask me what that is, you're seriously dead to me. Like. Don't even try.

Comments

video;

[controlledvariable]

I don't know about getting predictable. [he's predictable since she met him.]

Not gonna say no to you stepping up your game, though.

video;

[sharpes]

Hey, hey, hey. Ego over here.

video;

[controlledvariable]

I'm sure you'll survive. Or are you feeling a little fragile without your millions of Twitter followers?

video;

[sharpes]

If I say 'yes', will you come ply me with sympathy?

video;

[controlledvariable]

I might. What's in it for me?

video;

[sharpes]

Oh, I know a guy who knows a guy who gives great massages.

[a beat.]

And pedicures. But we don't talk about that shady side of the business so much.

video;

[controlledvariable]

You think you could get me his number? [Steph is mean]

How do you even learn that?

video;

[sharpes]

If you ever met my mom, trust me, everything would make sense.

video;

[controlledvariable]

I'm not sure if that should be alarming or not.

[Sudden "would she approve of me???" thoughts. No why]

video;

[sharpes]

She's--

[... a lot of things, really.]

-- Interesting.

video;

[controlledvariable]

.... Is she a stage mom? [He's an actor with Issues. She just did the math]

video || encrypted 70%

[sharpes]

Can we, uh, not? Over this?

[He gestures at the console. His encryptions are, you know, decent, but they're not Let's Talk About My Mom decent.]

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[controlledvariable]

Of course. [No Brandon she's going to make you air your feelings over the network.]

Want me to come over?

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[sharpes]

If you want, I guess. It's no big deal.

[Hey his mom isn't the traumatic part of his history, he just... doesn't exactly like talking about himself where other people can see. Really talking about himself, anyway.]

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[controlledvariable]

Well, I was gonna come ply you with sympathy anyway. [about the twitter thing] But it's up to you.

[She doesn't want to push help how do relationships work]

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[sharpes]

Yeah, sure.

[So casual.]

video → action

[controlledvariable]

I'll bring ice cream.

[And lo, as it was foretold, Steph knocks on Brandon's door not too long after ending the transmission, and she has a tub of only slightly melty ice cream.

Having a best friend with freeze breath is a bonus]

action

[sharpes]

[... eyebrow.]

Okay, where did you find ice cream, exactly? And, uh, yeah, come in.

[He steps back from the door. The place is looking much better than the last time Steph was here, at least.]

permaction

[controlledvariable]

I'm magic. Didn't you know?

[She brandishes it with triumph as she steps inside, pressing a light kiss to Brandon's cheek as she passes him]

I hope you like chocolate.

[sharpes]

Didn't know, but not terribly surprised, either.

[He follows after her, rubbing his cheek.]

Oh, you know. Chocolate. Who isn't a fan?

[controlledvariable]

I'm sure it answers a lot of questions.

[Imagine if she was magic.

That would be terrible.]

I think I once met someone who didn't like it, but that could've been a fever dream.

[she's just going to wander into his kitchen and dish up two bowls of ice cream like she owns the place]

[sharpes]

Some I didn't even know I had!

[gasp, shock!

Brandon follows her into the kitchen and sort of lounges against the expansive island centerpiece, watching her.]

Heathens.

[controlledvariable]

Just don't tell anyone, I'll have to put a curse on you, which'd just be sad for both of us.

[One bowl of icecream + spoon, is getting offered to Brandon, while Steph holds onto her own as she stands next to him. She eats a spoonful before saying anything more.]

I know, right? I can still remember the first time I had it. [what a good day.]

[sharpes]

[He mimes the classic gesture of zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key. That same hand then snags onto that bowl of ice cream.]

Huh, really? I can't.

[controlledvariable]

I think I was like - six? Maybe? I probably got a late start, but I still have an alarming fondness for those terrible chocolate puddings that come with school lunches.