A Different Kind of Birthday
Story Title: A Different Kind of Birthday
Genre: Dollhouse
Characters/Pairings: Topher, Dominic, Adelle
Rating: PG
Summary: Dominic feels bad that Topher is left alone on his birthday, so he and Adelle plan something special for the birthday boy.
Prompt: Topher, Dominic - a different kind of birthday celebration
Notes: Written for demonqueen666 for The Sweet Drabblthon. Also again thanks to angstgoddess003 for the coding.
Adelle stands by her desk. Mr. Dominic is off to the side, arms folded across his chest in his usual position. They don’t talk. Adelle is studying the patterns on her desk intently. She lifts her gaze and smiles sadly as Topher enters her room. He looks so hopeful. She doesn’t want to be the one to hurt him. She knows she must.
“Mr. Brink...” she murmurs softly.
“Uh, hi,” he says. “So, um, about that active I need for those, uh... tests, that I run...” he trails off and looks up at her.
Adelle sighs. “I’m sorry, Topher,” she says and watches as the smile falls from his face even though he doesn’t know what’s wrong. “but we don’t have any spare actives today. They’re all booked out.”
Topher’s face crumbles (though he tries hard not to show it). His shoulders slump and his head lowers. Adelle can see the exact moment the light dims from his eyes. And Topher is always happy. It seems unnatural for him to be sad.
“I know there’s space tomorrow. I wouldn’t mind at all if you ran your... tests tomorrow.” She tries to reassure him but his slumped shoulders just give a slight shrug.
“It’s alright,” he says. Adelle can’t see his face, she only has his voice to try to guess what’s going through his mind. Whatever it is, it’s heartbroken. “I guess I’ll just get back to then. All those actives need programming.”
“Alright,” Adelle says hesitantly. She can’t think of what to say to make this better. Topher turns to leave and he’s at the door when she calls him back. “Oh, and, Topher?”
He turns. “Yeah?”
“Happy Birthday.” Her smile is warm, loving almost.
“Thanks,” he whispers. He attempts to smile at her then leaves.
Adelle sighs and slumps into her chair. Now that the tech’s gone, she doesn’t try to keep the smile on her face. She feels downright horrible. There’s something charming about Topher Brink; his little mannerisms, his humour, his quirks, the way he’s bold and full of himself but at the same time self-conscious and stuttering. His sweater vests are dorky and his hair always messy and too long. Adelle liked him from the start. So she hates to see him sad. And on his birthday, no less.
Adelle lets out another sigh and swivels in her chair to face Mr. Dominic. There’s a frown on his face, which isn’t entirely unusual, but he looks uncomfortable and unsure as well. “Something wrong, Mr. Dominic?” she asks.
“No, ma’am,” he says. Then he pauses, considering. “I was just thinking about Topher. I feel sorry for him.”
Adelle sits up in her chair and lifts an eyebrow. “You feel sorry for Topher Brink?” There’s a note of incredulity in her voice.
Dominic bristles. “No one should be alone on their birthday,” he says.
Adelle flops back down. “No, they shouldn’t.” She looks up to meet Mr. Dominic’s eyes. “What do you suggest we do about it, then?”
Dominic thinks for a moment before saying, “I think there’s a patisserie down the road. I could pick something up for him there.”
Adelle smiles (the closest she’ll ever get to a grin). “Excellent. I suggest you go at once.”
“Of course, ma’am." Dominic nods once and then heads for the door.
Adelle’s still smiling to herself when she turns to the paperwork on her desk. She knows Topher doesn’t have many, if any, friends, and she can relate to that so well. She knows firsthand how lonely one can get. She knows too that these little engagements she allows him to have with an active once a year are the only things that make his birthday what it’s meant to be: a happy day.
Though she can’t spare him an active today, she hopes she can bring him some joy, even if only a little.
...
Dominic strides purposefully down the street. The patisserie is a bit further away than he anticipated and he doesn’t want to be gone too long. He finds the shop easily enough. Rows of cakes line the window display, with ‘Mikaela’s Cake’s and Shakes’ written above the door in big gold cursive. A bell tinkles as he enters and an old woman with kind eyes smiles at him. Looking around, he sees he’s the only one in the shop.
“What can I do for you, sir?” the woman asks as he comes up to the counter.
“Er, I wanted a cake,” Dominic says.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place then,” the woman replies. “What kind of cake were you looking for?”
“It’s for a colleague. It’s his birthday. I wanted to get him something. He seemed lonely and I felt bad.” The woman probably doesn’t need all this information but Dominic gives it to her anyway.
“That’s nice of you.”
Dominic shrugs, looking uncomfortable. He’s not used to being nice.
“Okay,” the woman says. “How about you come back in ten, fifteen minutes or so and I’ll fix him something nice.”
Dominic hesitates-does he want to wait that long?-but then nods. This woman seems nice and, although he doesn’t necessarily want to admit it, he wants to get something good for Topher. “Alright. Thank you.” He hesitates before leaving. “Is there anything else you need?”
“He’s not allergic to anything, is he?” the woman asks.
Dominic shakes his head. “No, nothing.” He had to check over Topher’s records when he was first hired at the Dollhouse.
“And his name?”
Dominic scribbles Topher onto the paper the woman hands him, thanks her again, then walks out the door. He stands on the street for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to do now. There’s no point going back to the Dollhouse; he’d have to leave again as soon as he got there. But where else can he go?
Eventually, he decides on checking out the mall around the corner and walking around there. The mall isn’t that big and it’s new so many of the shops aren’t open yet. Still, there’s a wide range of things, from clothing to stationary, and pet shops to beauty salons. Dominic wanders aimlessly, glancing in the windows of a few places that strike his fancy. He stops when he walks by an electronic games shop. He hesitates, then thinks, “Why the hell not?” and steps inside.
There’s a reason Dominic doesn’t go into these sorts of places. He imagines this is Topher’s idea of heaven, though. Surrounding him on all sides are hundreds and hundreds of different games, all for different players. He doesn’t have a chance to take more than a few steps forward before a pimply-faced kid with thick black glasses comes up to him.
“Can I help you?” he asks.
Again, Dominic hesitates, fighting the urge to run. “Yeah, I was looking for something for a...friend.” He would not, under normal circumstances, call Topher a friend, but right now he would not call this ‘normal circumstances’.
“Like what?” the kid asks.
Dominic resists the urge to growl at him. “I don’t know. I don’t know what he plays.” He crinkles his brow. “Computer stuff, I think.”
“And what type of game?”
The kid is really getting on his nerves. Can’t he see that he is way out of his depth here and has no idea what the hell he’s doing? Can’t he help him a little?!
“Er, something new?” Dominic asks. He’s pretty sure Topher is the type of person to obsessively buy video games as soon as they come out.
The kid leads him over to the section marked ‘PC GAMES’. He grabs something off the shelf and shows it to him. “This one’s just come out and it’s got loads of good reviews. It has advanced graphics, like nothing ever seen before, and a new multi-player extension where you can...”
“I’ll take it.” Dominic grabs the game from the kid’s hands and walks briskly to the counter. It seems to take an age for the kid to ring it up and key in his credit card. He doesn’t even look at the price; frankly, he doesn’t care. He just wants to get out of here. Being surrounded by all this nerd stuff is putting him on edge. “Thanks,” he says as the kid hands him the bag and then hurries out. On the way back to the patisserie he picks up a card, a box of candles and some wrapping paper from a newsagent.
The kind woman is just putting the finishing touches on the cake for Topher when he arrives. She smiles at him as he enters then continues her work. Dominic comes over and sees that the cake is chocolate (double layered, maybe?) with a large yellow, ‘Happy Birthday, Topher’scrawled across it. Instead of the usual sugared flowers on cakes, there are multi-coloured smiley-faces all over it. Dominic thinks Topher will like it. He hopes, at least.
“There we are,” the woman says. “All finished.” She picks up the cake and slides it into a box.
“Thank you so much,” he says, taking the box and handing her the cash.
“No problem. I hope your colleague enjoys his birthday.” She gives him back his change and gives him one last smile as he leaves.
Laden with his parcels, Dominic hurries back to the Dollhouse. He has a bit of difficulty wrestling open the door with his hands full but he manages eventually. Adelle’s sitting at her desk but she stands when she sees him.
“I see you got a bit more than a cake,” she notes dryly, glancing meaningfully at everything in his arms.
He shrugs and comes to set them down on her desk.
“Just so you know, I am never going into a video games store again.” He grimaces, causing her to laugh lightly.
“I’m sure Topher will be very grateful for your sacrifice,” she says. Then she stops, “Oh, I forgot. I’ve got a meeting this afternoon.” She glances at him. “You’ll have to give this to him on your own.”
“What?” Dominic exclaims. “Are you serious? You’re leaving me alone?”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. You bought this all on your own, anyway. All you have to do is give him his present and eat cake with him for half an hour or so. I hardly think that’s hard.”
He wants to protest but she shoots a look at him that says, ‘Don’t even try’ so he doesn’t.
Adelle pulls the game he got Topher out of the bag and says, “I’ll wrap, you write.” He takes the card and a pen and goes to sit on one of the couches while Adelle pulls out a pair of scissors and begins to delicately wrap the gift. When he comes back over she’s got it done perfectly, complete with a little bow (he doesn’t know why she has ribbon in her desk but he doesn’t ask). She signs her name then sticks the card to the present and hands it to him. “Off you go then,” she says.
“Can’t you come with me?” Dominic whines. He knows he sounds like a petulant child but he really doesn’t want to face Topher alone.
“No.” She looks like she’s trying not to laugh at him.
Grudgingly he picks up the cake, takes the knife she hands him and heads out the door. He walks slowly, trying to delay the inevitable. He knows he can’t put this off forever. Through the window he can see Topher slumped at his desk, looking with sad eyes at the computer screen. With a sigh, Dominic pushes open the door.
Topher doesn’t look over at him at first, he just continues to stare at the screen. Dominic clears his throat awkwardly. Topher looks then.
“Oh, Dominic. What are you-” his eyes catch the parcels in his hands, “doing here...?”
“Happy Birthday?” Dominic says uneasily. He feels entirely out of place and out of his element here. He’s meant to be walking around scowling at people, not bringing them birthday gifts. What the hell was he thinking?!
Topher raises his eyebrows.
Trying to lighten the situation, Dominic says, “I got you a cake!”
Topher’s eyebrows rise higher. There’s silence
“Stop looking at me like that!” Dominic eventually exclaims. “I felt bad for you that you had no one to spend your birthday with so I got you something,” he explains. “Here.” He thrusts the present into Topher’s surprised arms.
Slowly, Topher pulls the card off the top. “From Laurence and Adelle,” he reads aloud.
“Yeah, she felt bad too but she’s busy.” Dominic shrugs. When Topher makes no move to continue unwrapping the present, he says, “Well, are you going to open it or not?”
“Oh, uh. Yeah, I guess,” Topher says. He begins to gingerly pull off the ribbon and unwrap the paper. He looks like he’s heading off to the slaughter or something. By now Dominic’s really regretting suggesting all this in the first place. But, when Topher unwraps the packaging and pulls the game out, his face breaks into the biggest smile, almost despite himself. “Oh, wow,” he breaths. He actually strokes the cover. And that, Dominic guesses, is well worth all the awkwardness of this exchange.
“Thank you,” Topher gushes. “This is amazing. I didn’t know it was out yet!” His fingers trace the back cover. Mumbling seemingly to himself he says, “Hundreds of patches, smartest bots around, many new weapons to choose from...” then louder, “This thing is awesome! Thank you, Dom!”
There’s a scary moment there where Dominic thinks Topher might actually get up and hug him, but, thankfully, the tech stays put.
“Okay, then,” Dominic says, “Cake time?”
Topher glances up at him. “Oh, okay.” He gets up from his chair and leads Dominic into the back room. They sit on the couch and Dominic places the cake on the table. He pulls it out of its box, then inserts the candles in it. He’s not actually sure how old Topher is, so he just litters them around the outside, not counting how many he puts in.
“Uh, Dom, you know I’m not ten, right?” Topher asks.
Dominic glances at him. “You do act like it sometimes, though.”
Topher laughs lights. “Touché,” he agrees .
Dominic lights the candles then looks at him. “You’re not going to make me sing are you?” he asks warily.
Topher looks horrified. “But singing is what makes a birthday a birthday!” He droops his shoulders and hangs his head, looking miserable, just like he did before. “But I guess if you don’t want to...”
Dominic growls. He knows Topher is leading him on, he knows he doesn’t really care if he sings or not but, man, when he looks at him like that...
“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you,” he grudgingly begins to sing. “Happy Birthday to, Topher. Happy Birthday to you.” By the time he’s finished Topher is laughing so hard it’s practically impossible for him to blow out to candles. He manages eventually, effectively throwing spit across the entire cake in the process.
Dominic hands him the knife and he digs in deep. When he pulls it out, it’s covered in chocolaty goo. Topher looks up and meets Dominic’s eyes. “Well, you know what that means...”
“Don’t. Even. Try,” Dominic growls out but Topher just grins. He places the knife carefully on the table then practically jumps on Dominic. Dominic is much bigger and much stronger than Topher but he hadn’t expected Topher to jump on him. Quickly, before Dominic can resist, Topher plants a big wet kiss on his cheek, then springs back, out of his grasp.
“Topher!” Dominic yells, angrily wiping Topher’s saliva off his face. “What the hell was that for?!”
“It’s written in the laws of birthdays, Dominic. If the knife comes out dirty, you have to kiss the nearest person. Don’t you know that?” Topher pretends to look shocked
“That’s for kids!” Dominic protests.
“You were the one who said I was ten.” Topher sticks out his tongue. “Can I come sit back down now?” he asks softly.
Dominic glares.
“Oh, come on, Dom! Have a little fun!”
“Fine,” Dominic relents.
Slowly, Topher makes his way back to the couch and sits down. “Don’t hurt me,” he warns. “I’m the birthday boy.
“Whatever.”
Topher picks up the knife again and starts to cut the cake.
“I don’t have plates,” Dominic realizes.
“That’s fine, we’ll just eat with our hands,” Topher says. When he sees Dominic staring at him in doubt, he picks up a large piece to demonstrate. He then proceeds to stuff it in his mouth.
Dominic does the same, trying (and failing) to maintain some form of dignity. He’s kinda glad Adelle isn’t there now. She, he’s sure, would manage to do this daintily. He doesn’t want her to see him make a complete fool out of himself.
The two eat their pieces in companionable silence.
“Good cake,” Topher mutters after he’s finished.
“Mhm,” Dominic replies, his mouth still full. With nothing to wipe his fingers on, he concedes to licking them clean.
After they’re done, Topher picks up his new game.
“Verse ya?” he asks.
“I don’t play computer games,” Dominic tells him. He means, ‘No’.
Topher ignores his silent protest. “You’d better start, then,” he tells him. He hops up from the couch and scrambles over to the TV, where he inserts the game into the console. He flicks on the TV, grabs the controllers and hops back over the table onto the couch. He hands Dominic one of the controllers while he begins to flick through the menu.
“Topher, I really have no idea how to play this,” Dominic tries to protest. Topher waggles a finger at him.
“Uh, uh, my little Padawan, you have much to learn.”
Dominic sighs and falls back against the couch, accepting his fate.
Over the next three hours, Topher shows Dominic the way of the computer game and the two of them battle it out against each other. Dominic’s actually kinda proud that he manages to beat Topher one out of four times, seeing as how much longer the other man’s being playing for. He’s also found that he actually enjoys computer games (not that he’ll ever admit it to anyone).
In fact, the two are so engrossed in their game that they don’t notice Adelle when she enters the office. She hesitates before making her presence known, watching as the two men banter good-naturedly with each other.
“Looks like you two are having fun,” she says at last. Two heads fly around to look at her. Dominic’s cheeks colour slightly, as if embarrassed at being caught. Topher just grins at her. She smiles back.
“Adelle!” Topher exclaims. He jumps off the couch and comes running at her, throwing his arms around her waist. Adelle lets out a little gasp as the air is squeezed from her lungs, then tentatively puts her arms around Topher. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Topher exclaims.
Adelle smiles wider. “No problem, Topher.” She pats him on the back and he lets go, smiling a little timidly.
“Cake?” he asks.
“Sure,” she agrees easily.
Topher takes her arms and pulls her over to the couch. He cuts her a large slice. She just looks at him. He cuts it in half again.
“Gotta have some of those inappropriate starches,” he tells her.
She laughs and picks up the cake in her fingers. “Of course.”
Dominic was right; she can make eating chocolate mud cake out of one’s hands dignified. He grumbles slightly at that.
Topher picks up his controller again and motions for Dominic to do the same. The two of them continue to play while Adelle finishes her cake.
“So have you had a good day, Topher?” Adelle asks after awhile.
Topher glances at her (stupidly, ‘cause it allows Dominic the time to kill his player). “Yeah...” he says. “I have, actually.”
“That’s surprising?” Dominic asks, looking mildly hurt.
Topher just looks at him. “Yes. Very.”
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Adelle interjects smoothly. “And it looks like you’ve got yourself a new opponent. I’m sure Mr. Dominic would love to come play with you more often.”
Dominic’s about to glare at her when he realizes: he would. He would actually like to hang out with Topher Brink more often. God, what’s happened to him? “Best of three?” he asks Topher to keep his mind off it.
“You know I’m gonna win,” Topher says.
“I feel this is my lucky one.”
“You said that last time.”
“I feel this one more.”
They settle back into the couch.
Genre: Dollhouse
Characters/Pairings: Topher, Dominic, Adelle
Rating: PG
Summary: Dominic feels bad that Topher is left alone on his birthday, so he and Adelle plan something special for the birthday boy.
Prompt: Topher, Dominic - a different kind of birthday celebration
Notes: Written for demonqueen666 for The Sweet Drabblthon. Also again thanks to angstgoddess003 for the coding.
Adelle stands by her desk. Mr. Dominic is off to the side, arms folded across his chest in his usual position. They don’t talk. Adelle is studying the patterns on her desk intently. She lifts her gaze and smiles sadly as Topher enters her room. He looks so hopeful. She doesn’t want to be the one to hurt him. She knows she must.
“Mr. Brink...” she murmurs softly.
“Uh, hi,” he says. “So, um, about that active I need for those, uh... tests, that I run...” he trails off and looks up at her.
Adelle sighs. “I’m sorry, Topher,” she says and watches as the smile falls from his face even though he doesn’t know what’s wrong. “but we don’t have any spare actives today. They’re all booked out.”
Topher’s face crumbles (though he tries hard not to show it). His shoulders slump and his head lowers. Adelle can see the exact moment the light dims from his eyes. And Topher is always happy. It seems unnatural for him to be sad.
“I know there’s space tomorrow. I wouldn’t mind at all if you ran your... tests tomorrow.” She tries to reassure him but his slumped shoulders just give a slight shrug.
“It’s alright,” he says. Adelle can’t see his face, she only has his voice to try to guess what’s going through his mind. Whatever it is, it’s heartbroken. “I guess I’ll just get back to then. All those actives need programming.”
“Alright,” Adelle says hesitantly. She can’t think of what to say to make this better. Topher turns to leave and he’s at the door when she calls him back. “Oh, and, Topher?”
He turns. “Yeah?”
“Happy Birthday.” Her smile is warm, loving almost.
“Thanks,” he whispers. He attempts to smile at her then leaves.
Adelle sighs and slumps into her chair. Now that the tech’s gone, she doesn’t try to keep the smile on her face. She feels downright horrible. There’s something charming about Topher Brink; his little mannerisms, his humour, his quirks, the way he’s bold and full of himself but at the same time self-conscious and stuttering. His sweater vests are dorky and his hair always messy and too long. Adelle liked him from the start. So she hates to see him sad. And on his birthday, no less.
Adelle lets out another sigh and swivels in her chair to face Mr. Dominic. There’s a frown on his face, which isn’t entirely unusual, but he looks uncomfortable and unsure as well. “Something wrong, Mr. Dominic?” she asks.
“No, ma’am,” he says. Then he pauses, considering. “I was just thinking about Topher. I feel sorry for him.”
Adelle sits up in her chair and lifts an eyebrow. “You feel sorry for Topher Brink?” There’s a note of incredulity in her voice.
Dominic bristles. “No one should be alone on their birthday,” he says.
Adelle flops back down. “No, they shouldn’t.” She looks up to meet Mr. Dominic’s eyes. “What do you suggest we do about it, then?”
Dominic thinks for a moment before saying, “I think there’s a patisserie down the road. I could pick something up for him there.”
Adelle smiles (the closest she’ll ever get to a grin). “Excellent. I suggest you go at once.”
“Of course, ma’am." Dominic nods once and then heads for the door.
Adelle’s still smiling to herself when she turns to the paperwork on her desk. She knows Topher doesn’t have many, if any, friends, and she can relate to that so well. She knows firsthand how lonely one can get. She knows too that these little engagements she allows him to have with an active once a year are the only things that make his birthday what it’s meant to be: a happy day.
Though she can’t spare him an active today, she hopes she can bring him some joy, even if only a little.
...
Dominic strides purposefully down the street. The patisserie is a bit further away than he anticipated and he doesn’t want to be gone too long. He finds the shop easily enough. Rows of cakes line the window display, with ‘Mikaela’s Cake’s and Shakes’ written above the door in big gold cursive. A bell tinkles as he enters and an old woman with kind eyes smiles at him. Looking around, he sees he’s the only one in the shop.
“What can I do for you, sir?” the woman asks as he comes up to the counter.
“Er, I wanted a cake,” Dominic says.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place then,” the woman replies. “What kind of cake were you looking for?”
“It’s for a colleague. It’s his birthday. I wanted to get him something. He seemed lonely and I felt bad.” The woman probably doesn’t need all this information but Dominic gives it to her anyway.
“That’s nice of you.”
Dominic shrugs, looking uncomfortable. He’s not used to being nice.
“Okay,” the woman says. “How about you come back in ten, fifteen minutes or so and I’ll fix him something nice.”
Dominic hesitates-does he want to wait that long?-but then nods. This woman seems nice and, although he doesn’t necessarily want to admit it, he wants to get something good for Topher. “Alright. Thank you.” He hesitates before leaving. “Is there anything else you need?”
“He’s not allergic to anything, is he?” the woman asks.
Dominic shakes his head. “No, nothing.” He had to check over Topher’s records when he was first hired at the Dollhouse.
“And his name?”
Dominic scribbles Topher onto the paper the woman hands him, thanks her again, then walks out the door. He stands on the street for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to do now. There’s no point going back to the Dollhouse; he’d have to leave again as soon as he got there. But where else can he go?
Eventually, he decides on checking out the mall around the corner and walking around there. The mall isn’t that big and it’s new so many of the shops aren’t open yet. Still, there’s a wide range of things, from clothing to stationary, and pet shops to beauty salons. Dominic wanders aimlessly, glancing in the windows of a few places that strike his fancy. He stops when he walks by an electronic games shop. He hesitates, then thinks, “Why the hell not?” and steps inside.
There’s a reason Dominic doesn’t go into these sorts of places. He imagines this is Topher’s idea of heaven, though. Surrounding him on all sides are hundreds and hundreds of different games, all for different players. He doesn’t have a chance to take more than a few steps forward before a pimply-faced kid with thick black glasses comes up to him.
“Can I help you?” he asks.
Again, Dominic hesitates, fighting the urge to run. “Yeah, I was looking for something for a...friend.” He would not, under normal circumstances, call Topher a friend, but right now he would not call this ‘normal circumstances’.
“Like what?” the kid asks.
Dominic resists the urge to growl at him. “I don’t know. I don’t know what he plays.” He crinkles his brow. “Computer stuff, I think.”
“And what type of game?”
The kid is really getting on his nerves. Can’t he see that he is way out of his depth here and has no idea what the hell he’s doing? Can’t he help him a little?!
“Er, something new?” Dominic asks. He’s pretty sure Topher is the type of person to obsessively buy video games as soon as they come out.
The kid leads him over to the section marked ‘PC GAMES’. He grabs something off the shelf and shows it to him. “This one’s just come out and it’s got loads of good reviews. It has advanced graphics, like nothing ever seen before, and a new multi-player extension where you can...”
“I’ll take it.” Dominic grabs the game from the kid’s hands and walks briskly to the counter. It seems to take an age for the kid to ring it up and key in his credit card. He doesn’t even look at the price; frankly, he doesn’t care. He just wants to get out of here. Being surrounded by all this nerd stuff is putting him on edge. “Thanks,” he says as the kid hands him the bag and then hurries out. On the way back to the patisserie he picks up a card, a box of candles and some wrapping paper from a newsagent.
The kind woman is just putting the finishing touches on the cake for Topher when he arrives. She smiles at him as he enters then continues her work. Dominic comes over and sees that the cake is chocolate (double layered, maybe?) with a large yellow, ‘Happy Birthday, Topher’scrawled across it. Instead of the usual sugared flowers on cakes, there are multi-coloured smiley-faces all over it. Dominic thinks Topher will like it. He hopes, at least.
“There we are,” the woman says. “All finished.” She picks up the cake and slides it into a box.
“Thank you so much,” he says, taking the box and handing her the cash.
“No problem. I hope your colleague enjoys his birthday.” She gives him back his change and gives him one last smile as he leaves.
Laden with his parcels, Dominic hurries back to the Dollhouse. He has a bit of difficulty wrestling open the door with his hands full but he manages eventually. Adelle’s sitting at her desk but she stands when she sees him.
“I see you got a bit more than a cake,” she notes dryly, glancing meaningfully at everything in his arms.
He shrugs and comes to set them down on her desk.
“Just so you know, I am never going into a video games store again.” He grimaces, causing her to laugh lightly.
“I’m sure Topher will be very grateful for your sacrifice,” she says. Then she stops, “Oh, I forgot. I’ve got a meeting this afternoon.” She glances at him. “You’ll have to give this to him on your own.”
“What?” Dominic exclaims. “Are you serious? You’re leaving me alone?”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. You bought this all on your own, anyway. All you have to do is give him his present and eat cake with him for half an hour or so. I hardly think that’s hard.”
He wants to protest but she shoots a look at him that says, ‘Don’t even try’ so he doesn’t.
Adelle pulls the game he got Topher out of the bag and says, “I’ll wrap, you write.” He takes the card and a pen and goes to sit on one of the couches while Adelle pulls out a pair of scissors and begins to delicately wrap the gift. When he comes back over she’s got it done perfectly, complete with a little bow (he doesn’t know why she has ribbon in her desk but he doesn’t ask). She signs her name then sticks the card to the present and hands it to him. “Off you go then,” she says.
“Can’t you come with me?” Dominic whines. He knows he sounds like a petulant child but he really doesn’t want to face Topher alone.
“No.” She looks like she’s trying not to laugh at him.
Grudgingly he picks up the cake, takes the knife she hands him and heads out the door. He walks slowly, trying to delay the inevitable. He knows he can’t put this off forever. Through the window he can see Topher slumped at his desk, looking with sad eyes at the computer screen. With a sigh, Dominic pushes open the door.
Topher doesn’t look over at him at first, he just continues to stare at the screen. Dominic clears his throat awkwardly. Topher looks then.
“Oh, Dominic. What are you-” his eyes catch the parcels in his hands, “doing here...?”
“Happy Birthday?” Dominic says uneasily. He feels entirely out of place and out of his element here. He’s meant to be walking around scowling at people, not bringing them birthday gifts. What the hell was he thinking?!
Topher raises his eyebrows.
Trying to lighten the situation, Dominic says, “I got you a cake!”
Topher’s eyebrows rise higher. There’s silence
“Stop looking at me like that!” Dominic eventually exclaims. “I felt bad for you that you had no one to spend your birthday with so I got you something,” he explains. “Here.” He thrusts the present into Topher’s surprised arms.
Slowly, Topher pulls the card off the top. “From Laurence and Adelle,” he reads aloud.
“Yeah, she felt bad too but she’s busy.” Dominic shrugs. When Topher makes no move to continue unwrapping the present, he says, “Well, are you going to open it or not?”
“Oh, uh. Yeah, I guess,” Topher says. He begins to gingerly pull off the ribbon and unwrap the paper. He looks like he’s heading off to the slaughter or something. By now Dominic’s really regretting suggesting all this in the first place. But, when Topher unwraps the packaging and pulls the game out, his face breaks into the biggest smile, almost despite himself. “Oh, wow,” he breaths. He actually strokes the cover. And that, Dominic guesses, is well worth all the awkwardness of this exchange.
“Thank you,” Topher gushes. “This is amazing. I didn’t know it was out yet!” His fingers trace the back cover. Mumbling seemingly to himself he says, “Hundreds of patches, smartest bots around, many new weapons to choose from...” then louder, “This thing is awesome! Thank you, Dom!”
There’s a scary moment there where Dominic thinks Topher might actually get up and hug him, but, thankfully, the tech stays put.
“Okay, then,” Dominic says, “Cake time?”
Topher glances up at him. “Oh, okay.” He gets up from his chair and leads Dominic into the back room. They sit on the couch and Dominic places the cake on the table. He pulls it out of its box, then inserts the candles in it. He’s not actually sure how old Topher is, so he just litters them around the outside, not counting how many he puts in.
“Uh, Dom, you know I’m not ten, right?” Topher asks.
Dominic glances at him. “You do act like it sometimes, though.”
Topher laughs lights. “Touché,” he agrees .
Dominic lights the candles then looks at him. “You’re not going to make me sing are you?” he asks warily.
Topher looks horrified. “But singing is what makes a birthday a birthday!” He droops his shoulders and hangs his head, looking miserable, just like he did before. “But I guess if you don’t want to...”
Dominic growls. He knows Topher is leading him on, he knows he doesn’t really care if he sings or not but, man, when he looks at him like that...
“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you,” he grudgingly begins to sing. “Happy Birthday to, Topher. Happy Birthday to you.” By the time he’s finished Topher is laughing so hard it’s practically impossible for him to blow out to candles. He manages eventually, effectively throwing spit across the entire cake in the process.
Dominic hands him the knife and he digs in deep. When he pulls it out, it’s covered in chocolaty goo. Topher looks up and meets Dominic’s eyes. “Well, you know what that means...”
“Don’t. Even. Try,” Dominic growls out but Topher just grins. He places the knife carefully on the table then practically jumps on Dominic. Dominic is much bigger and much stronger than Topher but he hadn’t expected Topher to jump on him. Quickly, before Dominic can resist, Topher plants a big wet kiss on his cheek, then springs back, out of his grasp.
“Topher!” Dominic yells, angrily wiping Topher’s saliva off his face. “What the hell was that for?!”
“It’s written in the laws of birthdays, Dominic. If the knife comes out dirty, you have to kiss the nearest person. Don’t you know that?” Topher pretends to look shocked
“That’s for kids!” Dominic protests.
“You were the one who said I was ten.” Topher sticks out his tongue. “Can I come sit back down now?” he asks softly.
Dominic glares.
“Oh, come on, Dom! Have a little fun!”
“Fine,” Dominic relents.
Slowly, Topher makes his way back to the couch and sits down. “Don’t hurt me,” he warns. “I’m the birthday boy.
“Whatever.”
Topher picks up the knife again and starts to cut the cake.
“I don’t have plates,” Dominic realizes.
“That’s fine, we’ll just eat with our hands,” Topher says. When he sees Dominic staring at him in doubt, he picks up a large piece to demonstrate. He then proceeds to stuff it in his mouth.
Dominic does the same, trying (and failing) to maintain some form of dignity. He’s kinda glad Adelle isn’t there now. She, he’s sure, would manage to do this daintily. He doesn’t want her to see him make a complete fool out of himself.
The two eat their pieces in companionable silence.
“Good cake,” Topher mutters after he’s finished.
“Mhm,” Dominic replies, his mouth still full. With nothing to wipe his fingers on, he concedes to licking them clean.
After they’re done, Topher picks up his new game.
“Verse ya?” he asks.
“I don’t play computer games,” Dominic tells him. He means, ‘No’.
Topher ignores his silent protest. “You’d better start, then,” he tells him. He hops up from the couch and scrambles over to the TV, where he inserts the game into the console. He flicks on the TV, grabs the controllers and hops back over the table onto the couch. He hands Dominic one of the controllers while he begins to flick through the menu.
“Topher, I really have no idea how to play this,” Dominic tries to protest. Topher waggles a finger at him.
“Uh, uh, my little Padawan, you have much to learn.”
Dominic sighs and falls back against the couch, accepting his fate.
Over the next three hours, Topher shows Dominic the way of the computer game and the two of them battle it out against each other. Dominic’s actually kinda proud that he manages to beat Topher one out of four times, seeing as how much longer the other man’s being playing for. He’s also found that he actually enjoys computer games (not that he’ll ever admit it to anyone).
In fact, the two are so engrossed in their game that they don’t notice Adelle when she enters the office. She hesitates before making her presence known, watching as the two men banter good-naturedly with each other.
“Looks like you two are having fun,” she says at last. Two heads fly around to look at her. Dominic’s cheeks colour slightly, as if embarrassed at being caught. Topher just grins at her. She smiles back.
“Adelle!” Topher exclaims. He jumps off the couch and comes running at her, throwing his arms around her waist. Adelle lets out a little gasp as the air is squeezed from her lungs, then tentatively puts her arms around Topher. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Topher exclaims.
Adelle smiles wider. “No problem, Topher.” She pats him on the back and he lets go, smiling a little timidly.
“Cake?” he asks.
“Sure,” she agrees easily.
Topher takes her arms and pulls her over to the couch. He cuts her a large slice. She just looks at him. He cuts it in half again.
“Gotta have some of those inappropriate starches,” he tells her.
She laughs and picks up the cake in her fingers. “Of course.”
Dominic was right; she can make eating chocolate mud cake out of one’s hands dignified. He grumbles slightly at that.
Topher picks up his controller again and motions for Dominic to do the same. The two of them continue to play while Adelle finishes her cake.
“So have you had a good day, Topher?” Adelle asks after awhile.
Topher glances at her (stupidly, ‘cause it allows Dominic the time to kill his player). “Yeah...” he says. “I have, actually.”
“That’s surprising?” Dominic asks, looking mildly hurt.
Topher just looks at him. “Yes. Very.”
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Adelle interjects smoothly. “And it looks like you’ve got yourself a new opponent. I’m sure Mr. Dominic would love to come play with you more often.”
Dominic’s about to glare at her when he realizes: he would. He would actually like to hang out with Topher Brink more often. God, what’s happened to him? “Best of three?” he asks Topher to keep his mind off it.
“You know I’m gonna win,” Topher says.
“I feel this is my lucky one.”
“You said that last time.”
“I feel this one more.”
They settle back into the couch.