Son of a Spy

Gordon Miller Future-Verse Side Blog

[notthejanitorjones]

"No!" Jenny declared as she took a bold step onto the sidewalk. She stretched her arms out and smiled at her friend. "None of that! You have to have more faith in yourself, Gordo."

She locked arms with him, giggling a bit at her own thoughts. "You gotta be like, 'I am Gordon Miller. I am a handsome, cool, fun dude that people love to be around. I can get any lady's number.' And then you get it." Despite her claims, she still seemed eager to walk away from the bar. "You never know. She could have been your Eliza Funnigans."

[theultimatespiderfan]

"Yeah, that's never been the case for me, Jenny-bean, and you know it." He and Jenny were always the outcast kids. The only reason they had a close group of friends was because their parents had been friends and coworkers. Gordon had always been the kid with the stutter, then the kid who was way too into comic books, then the awkward teen who didn't know how to talk to anyone but Jenny.

He still was that guy.

Wow. Jenny really wanted him to date someone, huh? He looked back toward the bar, even as Jenny was leading him away.

"Maybe I should go and--Who?"

[infiniitefrequency]

He gave a weak chuckle, leaning against the counter, "I don't know man. If you haven't noticed, tradition is kind of my thing. Just kinda ... follow in the footsteps. It's pretty easy you know?" he picked at the crumbs on the counter, "What else would I do?"

[theultimatespiderfan]

Gordon grinned at his friend.

"Come on. You're all about hard work and making a name for yourself. Since when do you take the easy way out of anything?"

[infiniitefrequency]

He waved a hand, before rubbing over his brow, "It's- it's this thing my mom started doing at work back when she was our age. Every Monday she would bring cookies to work for everyone to have. It- she got the idea from Mr Sterling, a tradition she liked and wanted to keep doing. So now, I'm doing it- but I'm fucking it up!"

He growled under his breath, kicking at a cabinet, "I keep fucking everything up."

[theultimatespiderfan]

"Ok, first of all, these cookies are amazing. Second, that's your mom's tradition. You don't have to do the same thing. You can do your own tradition, man. You don't have to be the cookie guy. Third, if anyone complains about free cookies, kick them straight in the nards because that's rude and I'm not afraid to say it."

[lessgrumpychen]

It took all of two seconds for Ethan to decide that was a good enough answer. "Alright," he said, clapping the man on the shoulder. "But send me a picture of you guys at your place. I need visual proof you made it home." He knew all too well how easy it was to make it seem like you were home when you weren't. He went to settle back into his seat, watching them with cautious eyes as they made their way out and shaking his head when Gordon paused.

The girl looked over at Ethan, then gave a questionable look to Gordon. "Um...thanks?" She reached out towards Jenny, grabbing her forearm as she asked, "Hey, do you know this guy?"

Jenny lit up. "Oh my god, Bathroom Girl!" she squealed. She attempted to turn to tap Gordon on the chest, but instead narrowly missed smacking him in the face. "This is my Gordon I told you about! He's my bestest friend! He called my mom!" She leaned closer like she was going to tell a secret, but still spoke in the same loud voice. "He thinks I'm gonna go home and pass out, but I'm totally gonna kick his ass at Mario Kart."

That seemed to be enough for the girl. She let go of Jenny, telling them both to be safe too before looking back at Ethan. Jenny stumbled out towards the door, suddenly swinging around to poke Gordon. "Oh my god, we should have given Bathroom Girl your number!"

[theultimatespiderfan]

My Gordon.

She called him her Gordon. He couldn't help a goofy grin when he heard her say that. He almost didn't hear what was being said between them.

"She probably will." Gordon agreed to her Mario Kart comment. "Even drunk, she probably will. That's so sad..." He trailed off, rethinking his life for a moment. Still, he looked up and thanked the mystery girl for checking to make sure Jenny wasn't being lead off by some stranger while she was too drunk to protest. He appreciated that.

His shoulders slumped ever so slightly as Jenny suggested Gordon should have given bathroom girl his number. He'd always been more than happy being Jenny's best friend but for a moment he thought maybe--No. Stop that. Get over it already.

"Y-You think? She was pretty cute. I don't think I would have had a shot with her.

[infiniitefrequency]

@theultimatespiderfan cont'd:

[ unsent ] oh god you're gonna be useless at advice for this [ sms ] women [ sms ] i don't understand them, i'll never understand them [ sms ] i'm sure it's all my fault but how do you figure out when they're upset but they don't tell you why they're upset how to fix it?

[ sms ] i just wanna fix it

[theultimatespiderfan]

[text] What?

[text] Why are you coming to ME about women? What happened? Do you want to come over? You seem super upset.

[theultimatespiderfan]

[ sms ] KILL ME

[ sms ] take a javelin and spear me through the chest as slow as you possibly can

- PJ

[text: UNSENT] I'm trying really hard not to read this in a sexual way. This is weird, bro.

[text] Did the cookies not come out right or??

[theultimatespiderfan]

Without using names or physical descriptors could you describe someone you love?

"Ok, quick question though. Does 'Mom' count as a name?"

[theultimatespiderfan]

"So... Um... I've been wondering... How does one... go about... dating? Like, how do you even find people to date? How do you ask them? How do you make the words--" He trailed off, gesturing to his mouth and then moving them away, asking how to make words come out.

"How do you know what words make the date happen? I'm beyond confusion."

[thoughtkick]

“Keep the ones who heard you when you never said a word.”

— Unknown

[infiniitefrequency]

"I- I'm not! I'm not stressed!"

For a secret agent, he was a shit liar to his best friend. He shifted on the spot, hands rubbing on his apron. It was embroidered with little snowmen and snowflakes and the words i like warm hugs worn and faded.

He shrugged again, before sighing, "It's ... my first solo cookie Monday. it has to be perfect."

"How's the chocolate chip to cookie ratio? Is the oatmeal to dry? I can't make the ginger snap snap enough!"

[theultimatespiderfan]

"... What is cookie monday and how can I incorporate it into my life?" Gordon asked through a mouthful of cookies."

"Also, you're stressed, bro. Take a breath."

[lessgrumpychen]

Jenny giggled when he squished her cheeks, then somehow managed to light up even more. "Did you hear that?" Jenny asked, reaching over to aggressively put a hand on Ethan's forearm. "He called my mom!"

It wasn't a whine or frustrated groan. Instead, it was a statement of pure joy. Even in her extremely drunken state, it was impossible to ignore the giant soft spot Jenny had for her mother. The idea that Gordon got her approval for some sort of sleepover sent her over the moon, while Ethan just stared at her with irritated disbelief.

"Yup," he said to Jenny, while giving Gordon a short nod in acknowledgement of his plan. He stood up, pretending he was going to pick up the microphone again while Jenny blabbered on about how stoked she was that her mother was letting her have fun. A firm hand was placed on Gordon's shoulders as he leaned down, whispering with a surprisingly concerned voice, "Are you sure you're good to get you both home safe?"

Worry from Ethan wasn't something he showed often, mostly because he genuinely didn't care about people, but he did care about his friends. They were his two weak spots, and he needed to be absolutely sure they were both going to be passed out at Gordon's place safe and sound within the hour before he'd let them walk out the door.

[theultimatespiderfan]

"Look, I don't know a lot about anything. When it comes to Jenny though... I know I'll do anything to keep her safe. I'll text you when we get back to my place and I'll text you again when she's asleep."

Gordon placed his hands on Jenny's shoulders and started leading her away, keeping her as steady as he could without having to carry her. However, he had noticed Ethan had been stealing glances at a girl nearby and assumed she must have been his sugar mama target. On the way out, he leaned over and whispered to her.

"Hey... That guy is like cave of wonders level rich. Don't pay his tab. Have him pay yours. Be safe and have fun tonight. Your makeup is on point. Don't waste it, girl."

[notthejanitorjones]

"Well, clearly that's because you have high class pajama tastes."

"That depends," she said, trying--and failing--to put a small smile on. "Will my answer change your opinion on eating it?"

[theultimatespiderfan]

"Well, we always knew this about me. I have the style to rival Mr. Sterling. But only for pajamas."

"Not in the slightest. But it will change--Actually, it won't change how tight I hug you. You're gonna get the Gordon special no matter what you say."

[lobotomyscars]

sorry can you repeat that. i was busy trying to make eye contact and act normal and didn't hear you

[lessgrumpychen]

"I. Tried." Ethan groaned, bonking the back of his head against the wall in mild frustration with each word. "She hasn't sung a single fucking song the entire time we've been here. I thought she was being weird after the second drink, so I tried to get her to leave, but she said she didn't want to go back to her apartment and wanted to do 'one more song.' Then the next time it was 'I have to go to the bathroom' but she came back with another drink instead. Then the fucking bathroom thing again, and then the last time some dudes tried hitting on her and I had to make sure they took off before we did."

Jenny assumed her new freedom from the tie meant she was good to roam again and attempted to take a few steps away from the table, only to be thwarted by Ethan's hand snagging a handful of the back of her dress. Her lips formed a small pout as Ethan continued, "I ordered her some onion rings and a pitcher of water, but I haven't been able to figure out what happened to our waiter. I've been stress sweating for the past hour! Look at this!" With his free hand, Ethan held up a portion of his open shirt which, despite the black fabric and dimmer lighting, was fairly obviously drenched. "This is Prada, Gordon! You're not supposed to sweat in Prada!"

Her eyes lit up at Gordon and she reached out, attempting to hold his face but in actuality smushing his cheeks a little. "No. Gordon," she said, an unwavering determination in her drunken eyes. She was gone for the night. "The plan. We--" She paused, seeming to have to swallow down a rush of sickness. "We go back to the house. All of us. Sleepover. Like old times. We can play games and Mom will make pancakes, I know it."

[theultimatespiderfan]

So much was happening all at once. Jenny was attempting a jail break, his cheeks were being squeezed, Ethan was yelling about rich people shit again. Then there was pancakes.

He took a moment to sort it all out before he gently took hold of Jenny's shoulders and guided her to a seat again so Ethan didn't stretch her dress.

"Ok. Jen. Listen to me." He held her face and squished her cheeks right back. "I called your mom on the way here. She said for you to come sleep at my place since it's closer. We will play video games and paint nails and tell secrets and I will make pancakes in the morning. It's gonna be super fun and very safe. And you can't say no because your mom said so, so there. Ethan is gonna stay here and close the tab and make sure all the good songs get played. Someone has to make sure someone sings Stairway to Heaven, right? It's a very important job and Ethan is just the man for it."

He winked to Ethan, hoping this would get him out of it so he could stay and do whatever it was Ethan did when he was alone.

He hadn't actually called Emma but he hoped a direct order from her mother would get Jenny to comply. Plus, he was pretty sure that's what Mrs. Jones would want. He'd known her a long time. A safe Jenny was a common goal they had.

[lessgrumpychen]

The sight Gordon walked in on was truly one to behold. Ethan had dropped a little money to get a secluded VIP corner, mostly so he could brood in peace while babysitting the drunk, and was currently slouched back in his chair. His tie was mysteriously missing, the first three buttons of his shirt were undone, his hair looked like he had clearly been running his hands through it numerous times in the past hour, and his eyes appeared to be burning a hole in the nearby emergency exit, as if he was trying to telepathically open it to escape.

Jenny barely looked any better. While her dress was still in all the right places, she appeared to have given up on fixing the bra strap that slid on her left shoulder. Her right arm was up above her head as she swayed to the karaoke machine's music; Ethan had clearly given up on singing and had now picked songs she could just dance to instead as some sort of distraction. The far bigger problem was how much she looked like her usual self. The pink flush in her cheeks was back, her grin lit up the tiny area around her, and her laughter even managed to break Ethan out of his daze for a second. His eyes went from Jenny's face to the crowd, and he perked up when he saw Gordon approaching. Thanking some unknown god, Ethan stood up, which of course got Jenny's attention. She turned to see what he was looking at and beamed at her approaching friend.

"Mr. Worldwide!" Jenny squealed, her voice cracking a bit as she threw up both hands. Tied around her left wrist was Ethan's missing tie, the other end firmly in his grasp. Apparently, he felt the need to leash her to keep her in place.

"It's a long fucking story," Ethan said, shaking his head. His desperate eyes found Gordon's as he handed the tie off to him, then flopped back down onto his seat. "Thank you. I owe you one. Seriously, dude, she's been a nightmare."

[theultimatespiderfan]

VIP section.

Hair disheveled.

Tie gone.

Top buttons undone.

Drunk Jenny.

Gordon's mood shifted to shy and uncomfortable as soon as he saw Ethan. The evidence seemed to suggest something PG13 had been happening there and he wasn't sure he wanted to be there anymore. That is, until he saw Jenny. All negative thoughts went out the window when he saw the state she was in.

Oh, Jenny. What happened?

He started by immediately untying her wrist, checking it to make sure it hadn't been bruised in the process.

"Dude, why didn't you just take her home? You don't need to seduce someone for free drinks. What are you trying to prove?" He ducked down to get in Jenny's eye line and tried to assess her level of drunk. "Jenny-bean? Hey, can you drink some water? We're gonna walk back to my place, ok?"

[stxincd]

"The feeling of being forgiven by another and forgiving oneself are so much alike, there's no point in trying to keep them distinct."

William Tell, Abel Morales, Santiago Garcia (and Kane) A multi-fandom 'Oscar Isaac characters'-centered multimuse, 18+, mutuals only, heavily headcanon based and potentially canon-divergent Adored, explored and attempted by P., 30+

[lessgrumpychen]

"Wake up, man! This is a red alert emergency. I need--NO!" Ethan stopped talking long enough to snag the wandering Jenny and yank her back to his side. "Just get your ass down to Space and--knock it off--watch her long enough for me to--stop it. I'm not holding your hand." There was a faint whine on the other end. "Gordon, come get your girl or I'm going to lock her up in a room and get some free food."

[theultimatespiderfan]

Gordon was slowly waking up the more Ethan talked, his eyes widening as he imagined the scene that was going down at the bar.

"Ok! I'm coming! I'm coming! Give me five minutes. Don't lock her up and DON'T LOSE HER."

Gordon hung up and began hurriedly throwing on clothes. He was so hyper-focused on the task of getting Jenny home safe that he didn't even question why she was at a bar with Ethan in the first place. He grabbed his wallet, hoping he had enough cash to pay Ethan and Jenny's tabs for them (he didn't want some poor strange girl to be conned into doing it), pocketed his keys, and headed for the bar.

Thankfully the bar they frequented wasn't far from the comic book store. It was probably why Ethan had called him in the first place. Ease of convenience over anything. Plus, he probably knew Gordon would best take care of his Jenny problem. He stood at the door, craning his neck to try and locate his friends, before suddenly spotting them and racing over.

"Jen! Ethan! What's going on?"