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[It's strange that wearing something other than his spandex ensemble would make him feel more naked in public, but there it was. Wade always was a master of contradictions. Even with the image enhancer in place, which gives him the appearance of what he'd looked like years before the cancer, the absence of cloth covering his face is enough to make him feel a little uncomfortable. But this place has recently opened, and he supposes they're not exactly used to costumed superheroes traipsing right on through. Not yet, anyway. Give it a few weeks.

As he sits there, alone in an unfamiliar Indian restaurant after waving away the waitress for the second time, he once again entertains the notion that he's been stood up. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened to him, and it's not as if he was prepared to make a big deal out of today anyway. After all, he's had tons of birthdays come and go without incident in his lifetime. What's one more?

Still, something causes him to keep glancing over at the entrance, waiting for a familiar face to come walking through. There must be some reason he keeps waiting, some reason he keeps holding back from eating a solo dinner and leaving to resume the festivities in the solitude of his apartment. It may seem pathetic and more than a little schmaltzy, but this is the first time Wade's ever had a chance to share this day with someone else in quite a long time.

He supposes that's worth waiting for, even for just another five minutes.]

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[And it's then that Travis walks in, looking just a little winded. His sense of direction was already pretty horrible as is (even back home, he couldn't count the times he'd nearly driven into Mexico): finding a new place, then, was a real pain in the ass. He'd had to hurry over at a jog, knowing full well he was pretty late, and with that ridiculous bike of his, parking in not-Santa Destroy had been truly horrendous. How embarrassing: being late when he's the one who invited him out in the first place...]

Geez...

[His eyes scan the restaurant for a familiar face. Or mask. Wade was right, it's a nice enough place, but not too fancy that he feels out of place in his jeans. But apart from earning himself a judgmental raise of the eyebrow from a short, stocky waitress for standing in her way, he sees nothing. Wade's not here. Maybe he's even later than he is. That or he just... didn't show up at all. Travis' heart sinks for a minute-- maybe it was too weird after all-- but the eerily familiar man sitting by himself catches his attention before that thought can fully take over.

Maybe-- maybe that's--

No way.

Travis gives up on decorum and stares.]

[And for once, Wade feels overdressed.

Granted it's not like he's wearing a suit or anything-- just a modest button-down blue shirt and black trousers-- but he feels a little awkward seeing Travis come in wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The jacket's nice, though, a different color from what he usually wears.

He watches as Travis's eyes roam over his face, over the close-cropped brown hair, the strong cheekbones and the firm jawline. Wade's always had those features, of course, but he's sure that they're much more pronounced now that he doesn't have those annoying scars to get in the way.

Wade feels his mouth break into a shy smile-- it's not that he's not used to this kind of attention, but people usually stare at him for an altogether different reason.]

Hey there, Trav. [He ducks his head, letting out an embarrassed chuckle.] Whaddya think? Too much?

[Wait, he wasn't supposed to dress up, was he? This was supposed to just be a casual birthday... thing. God, he doesn't even know. But that's not his biggest concern right now, though; Wade's distinct lack of scarring is completely throwing him for a loop.]

No, uh... [He sinks into his chair, still staring. The features are the same-- unmarred, so strange and foreign unmarred like this, but exactly the same. And it's not that Wade looks bad. Hell. It's the opposite. Even if it is still very unusual.] You look good.

[Holy shit, that was really gay.]

How did-- [He has to ask. Travis makes a vague gesture directed at his own face.] How are you doing that?

[And now Wade's grin grows conspiratorial. He extends his right hand, tugging the sleeve back a little to expose a small, normal-looking watch around his wrist.]

Image enhancer. Better'n plastic surgery. Projects an image around my entire body that's attuned to my biological receptors. Or somethin' like that-- I kinda zoned out on the specifics. Basically it allows me to alter my appearance to look like anyone I want. Russell Crowe, Barack Obama-- you name it. Used to have one that was about the size of an iPhone, but my personal geek figured I needed something a bit more convenient, so he whipped this up for me.

[He taps the watch's face.] Lot less conspicuous this way. And it tells time now, too. I usually only need it for, like... espionage and things like that, but I figured this place hasn't gotten used to people of my... profession just yet. Plus... y'know. Thought you might like to see what I looked like before the-- well. Before.

[Wade clears his throat, taking one of the menus from the table and opening it.]

We should probably get to orderin' something before they kick us out for loitering. Anything looks good at this point-- I'm starving. What about you?

[Travis eyes the device with great interest as Wade explains it. Man, would Naomi be jealous of something like that.]

Damn. That's... that's actually really useful. [His own "personal geek", too, eh? He'd already gotten the idea that Wade was a lot more... high-end, so to speak, than he was, but this goes a long way in confirming it even more. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little jealous.

"Before". Travis' eyes move back to Wade's face, clear, unscarred. He doesn't know what to say to that, nor is he sure he could ever think of anything to say about it at all. Wade cuts him off before he can continue that line of thought, which he's thankful for: God, he's so bad at this.]

Yeah, same here. [He grabs his own menu and scans it, but he continues to glance occasionally up at Wade's face.]

[Wade eyes the menu, flipping the pages back and forth a little indecisively. So far he's pretty impressed by the look of the restaurant. The ambiance is right and the staff have been pretty friendly and accommodating-- the waitress had actually blushed when he'd flashed a smile her way, which was a huge bonus even considering it was due to the holographic image he's got in place-- but he knows that the most important aspect of any restaurant is the food. The chicken dishes look amazing, but he's leaning more towards seafood at the moment. Hm. Decisions, decisions.

He glances up at Travis to see if he's finished deciding, and for the briefest of moments, their eyes meet. From the looks of things, Travis had been looking at him for quite a while, and that realization causes Wade's mouth to stretch in a crooked grin. God, he could easily get used to this.]

How 'bout it, Trav? See somethin' you like?

[His voice is soft and coy-- it's pretty obvious he's not just talking about the food.]

[Shit. He noticed. Travis' eyes dart quickly away from Wade's and back to the menu, but the damage has already been done. He's already caught him staring. Not to mention that he's so damned distracted that he's become incapable of reading the menu. It's all turned illegible in his brain: a whole lot of dots and lines and nothing else. Needless to say, he hasn't decided on what he wants to get yet.

Just what the hell is bugging him about Wade's face?

It isn't as if he's still stunned by the fact that the scars are gone. He's already reconciled that: he can see the man's old face within the new one. (Or is it the new within the old?) Nor is he overly awed that he does actually look good. His face is fine. It's... it's just...

Something is off.]

I can't decide. [Travis raises his eyes to Wade's face, then, and just like that, it clicks.

He... kind of looks like Van Wilder.

Travis looks a little distressed.]

[So after much deliberation, Wade decides he's going to go for the shrimp makhani. With some chicken pakora as an appetizer. Hey, no one ever said he wasn't allowed to compromise.

He closes up the menu and decisively places it to one side. Now all that's left is to wait for Travis to decide on his meal. Except that Travis doesn't seem to be focused on his menu right now. In fact, right now he's staring at him with a calculating look on his face, a look that's slowly edging into an expression of... Wade doesn't know what, but he can surmise it's nothing good.]

...Somethin' wrong, Trav? The, uh... the hologram isn't wearing off, is it?

[Instinctively he touches his face, as if he'd be able to discern its appearance simply by feel.]

Shit. Knew it was actin' funny the last time I used it. Shoulda taken it to Weasel to get repaired right then. Stupid.

No! [It's the opposite problem, really-- the damn thing's working too well. (God, that movie was so painfully mediocre. Why did they keep making sequels? Why why why.)] It's working fine.

It's-- it's just weird. I met you without the hologram thing, so I'm not used to [the... old? new? Van Wilder?] this "face".

[Oh god. Is he going to admit it? Does he really have a choice? Wade looks concerned enough about the logical conclusion that his only option here is to explain his actually horribly ridiculous (but true!) reasoning.]

...Also, I couldn't tell before 'cause you didn't have hair, but. You kind of look like that guy who played Van Wilder.

Edited 2013-03-16 14:33 (UTC)

[And for the briefest of moments, Wade can only blink in surprise at that revelation. He stares at Travis for a few seconds, and then the dam breaks and he just dissolves into raucous laughter.]

Van Wilder, Trav? Van Wilder?! Come on! You couldn't have picked a better movie, maybe? Smokin' Aces? The Proposal? Buried? Had to go with one of his shittier movies? You really are somethin' else, you know that? I guess I should be happy you didn't go with Just Friends though, huh? That fatsuit was fuckin' painful.

[His laughter tapers off after a while, though his body still shakes with residual chuckles.]

Seriously, though. I'm flattered. No-- y'know what? Ryan Reynolds should be flattered. I've been rockin' this face long before he was even a zygote, after all. D'you know he only became a fan of me because I mentioned him in one of my comics? And now supposedly he's gonna play me in my own movie. How cool is that?

[He pauses thoughtfully.]

Hope they kinda go easy on the makeup, to be honest. I was hot in the first movie. Even though they did seal my mouth shut later on, those assholes.

[Wade shakes his head.]

In any case, don't worry about it. Any relation to any persons living or dead, yadda yadda you know the rest. It's not bad or anything, right? That I look like him?

Edited 2013-03-18 05:41 (UTC)

[Travis can't help but crack up, too: the situation is so ridiculous--and Wade's laughter too infectious-- for him not to.]

Dude, I'm sorry, I just-- it was on TV the other day, it was the first thing I thought of! Shit. [He chuckles.] Agreed, though. Nobody knows how to make those things look natural. I don't know why they don't just cast actual fat people.

[He listens, grinning, until Wade gets to explaining his first movie: maybe he's missed a Marvel movie or two...?]

Nah, it's not a bad thing at all. But, uh... The first movie? I don't remember seeing you in anything. [But then the mouth sealing bit FINALLY clicks, and his jaw drops.] Wait. Origins? Seriously? You've gotta be fucking kidding me!

[Wade snaps his fingers, pointing at Travis triumphantly as if he's discovered a vital clue.]

Ha! So you did watch it! Wha'cha think? I was pretty awesome for those five seconds, huh?

I mean, they totally fucked the pooch on all the other parts of that movie, but at least I showed my badassitude for a bit of it. And looked goddamn handsome while doing it, I might add. When you've normally got a face like roadkill, you tend to take what you can get.

[He winks to show that it's at least partially a joke.]

'Course I have. I don't read the comics, but fuck if I'm not a film guy.

[He shrugs, still smiling.]

Gotta say. You were probably the only thing that made that mess worth it. [Not that he paid to see it, or anything: Bishop wouldn't let him pay actual money to rent it.] None of that made any sense to me.

[Even so, Wade's still partially serious. Travis hasn't really been in this sort of position much-- ever, probably-- so it momentarily trips him up.]

Hey, you pulled that look off first. Like you said, he's the one who's supposed to be flattered here.

[At that last bit, Wade smiles. It's a gentle, grateful smile.]

Thanks, man. That actually means a lot.

[He rests one hand close to Travis's on the table, as if he's considering reaching across and giving it a squeeze. And then the waitress comes forward and quick as a wink his hand vanishes under the table again.

He gives her another charming, white-toothed smile at her question of whether they're ready to order.]

Somethin' tells me we might need a little more time. You know what you want or do you need a few more minutes to decide, Trav?

Edited 2013-03-19 05:31 (UTC)

Don't mention it. Besides, it's your birthday, right? I'm not gonna be an ass to you on today of all days. [His expression softens, relieved. (Man, he needs to get better at actually talking to people.)

But as for Wade's hand, he's got no clue; no longer worried about the whole face thing, Travis has returned to scanning the menu and misses the motion entirely. Even if he isn't being too careful about skimming the menu. He's never been particularly creative with what he eats, unless you count broke, lazy bachelor creativity, which is an entirely different and entirely more unappetizing beast. Stickin' with something more standard seems like a pretty all right idea. right now.]

Oh, uh...

[Once the waitress approaches, he takes one last cursory glance at the menu before looking back up at her again.]

Tandoori chicken. Thanks.

[The woman nods and scribbles the order down, then turns to Wade. (Who she has been eyeing curiously all night. Is this guy a celebrity, or something?)]

[Don't worry. Wade's not a celebrity-- he's just played by one on TV. He gives her his order, and with another smile asks if he and his friend here could possibly start off with some garlic naan, if it wasn't too much trouble. His smile widens as she blushes prettily, nods and scurries off to the kitchens to place their orders. She's actually really cute, with that short dark hair and glasses.

Wade watches her leave for a while, then turns his attention to Travis to see if he'd noticed the exchange. If he had, he's gonna give him a conspiratorial grin, as if to say "really pulled a fast one on her with the hologram, didn't I".]

So anyway. Where were we? Oh right. You were telling me how much of a movie buff you were. Y'know, aside from that movie marathon I took part in and the, uh... [He chuckles.] ...plethora of cutesy anime paraphernalia around your room, I feel like I don't know a thing about your hobbies or anything like that. Good a time as any to rectify that now, huh?

Edited 2013-03-19 08:20 (UTC)

[Travis' eyebrows go up as he gives Wade a look of mild amusement.]

Don't charm the waitress too much, dude.

[~~You're here with him after all. evenifitisntadate~~]

Eh, you know... basic nerd shit. [Travis shrugs a shoulder. He's clearly a little unaccustomed to talking about this when it isn't over the internet. How the hell does he even cover everything in one go.] Anime, games, sci-fi junk. Wrestling--more lucha libre than American stuff, but hey, I started on that when I was a kid, so I can't diss it entirely. And, like I said earlier, movies. I'm pretty much all over when it comes to taste in that particular area; I watch all kinds of stuff, really.

And I'm guessing you're not all about 'work', either? [please say yes or he's going to have to rethink this relationship]

[Wade has to laugh at that.]

Oh please. Do I really give off that impression of being all work and no play? You don't know me very well, do you?

In any case, my tastes in movies are pretty much like yours. More into the action and horror than anything else, but you sit me down in front of a movie and chances are I'll enjoy it. Except for romcoms. Don't really have much interest in those, to be honest. They all seem to follow the same formula.

Let's see... what else? I tend to lean over to the side of western animation, myself. Looney Tunes, Disney, Pixar-- those are more my scene. Though I have watched a few Miyazaki movies and liked 'em, so... [A grin.]... if you ever wanna take me on your nerdy carpet ride, I'm always open to trying new things.

Speaking of which, I've never watched lucha libre before either. Maybe you could ease me into that too. It'd give us something to talk about, maybe. When we're not... y'know. [Another grin, this one naughtier than the first.]

Hey, you never know. You probably wouldn't have expected to be sharing a line of work with a guy like me, either.

[Travis listens to Wade list it all off and is privately very, very grateful. He's met someone who, potentially, could actually have decent taste in things. Damn, lucky him. ]

Nice. I'll have to bring you up to speed on the stuff you don't know, and if you wanna do the same for me, I'm not opposed. Haven't really watched western stuff since I was a kid. [He laughs.] God, I think I've still got some ancient figure of Shredder sitting around.

Heh, definitely. When we're free. [Oh, you are nasty, Mr. Wilson. Travis shoots him the same mischievous smirk.] It's like the normal stuff except maybe ten times better, since they don't give a shit and just throw guys around all the time even more.

[Travis's laugh is entirely too infectious not to join in.] Shredder? Man, and here I was thinkin' you were a Raph man. Shows what I know, huh?

But sure, I'll give lucha libre a shot. I mean, I'm pretty much used to sweaty muscled guys in spandex and masks tossing each other around like ragdolls, so I should at least get some enjoyment out of it, right?

[It's at that moment that the waitress returns, setting the platter of naan down on the table. Wade sends her off again with a word of thanks before tearing off a piece and popping it unceremoniously into his mouth.]

Oh man, that's really good. Try some of that, Trav.

Edited 2013-04-01 06:58 (UTC)

[He sits in silence for a few seconds, chewing thoughtfully before he speaks again.]

You actually reminded me of something I wanted to ask you for a while. How'd you get into this business, anyway? I don't mean to, like... diss you or say you're not cut out for it or anything, I'm just kind of curious. I mean, I think we've already established that you're the first person I haven't killed who has the same job as me.

I know why I picked it up-- I just wanna know what your reasons were.

[He tears another piece off of the bread.]

Unless that's too personal, of course.

I was! He got lost last time I moved-- I was so pissed, that was a damn good piece of plastic!

[The food takes his mind off the topic before he can comment on the aforementioned sweaty muscled spandex guys ~~still not gay~~. Sure enough, it is good. Looks like birthday boy made a good choice of restaurant.

He silently mulls over Wade's question, though, assessing what's best to tell and what isn't. There were a lot of reasons. Hell, he doesn't even know how much of it was Jeane anymore. A moment later, he's decided on a suitable excuse:]

I had a score to settle. And it was good money.

[Not to mention the thrill of a lifetime. But he's not sure how he feels about that now, years away from himself at 27.]

For Bishop, right?

[Wade winces as soon as the words are out of his mouth, holding his hand up as if in a physical attempt to stop Travis from answering. God, what a douchey, callous thing to blurt out.]

Shit-- sorry! Just popped out. I mean, it's only natural that I'd come to that conclusion considering what you already told me, but... yeah. You don't have to answer that. Sorry.

We can talk about how I got into the cleaning biz, if you want. No walking through awkward minefields there.

[Ouch. The reminder stings a little-- even knowing that Wade understands-- but he shrugs it off.]

No, that part-- it came later. Much later. [And it's been a while since then, too, even if the wound still feels fresh sometimes.] Different kind of score.

[In any case, he figures that the entire story, murderous ex-girlfriend and all, is too convoluted and depressing to make any sort of decent dinner conversation, so he moves on.]

Yeah? How'd that go, then?

[Wade hides his shy smile in his glass of water as he takes a sip.]

Promise me you're not gonna laugh? I always wanted to be a secret agent. When I was a kid I used to watch James Bond movies religiously. I dunno exactly when I switched to assassination, but it was pretty much the same thing.

There was a kind of glamour in that lifestyle, y'know? You could feel powerful. Confident. Dangerous. You know Max von Sydow's character in Three Days of the Condor? I wanted to be Max von Sydow. Just this awesome guy who commanded respect before you even knew his name.

That's partly the reason why I joined the army when I was younger-- I wanted that sort of... lethal respect, y'know? I dunno... the concept was really sexy to me. So after my stint in the army, I met an agent who arranged that kind of thing. Worked for him for a while before I went freelance.

It was pretty a pretty lean first few years, and I think the guy was kinda jerkin' me around for a lot of it-- taking more than his fair share of the pay and all that-- but I was young and in love with the lifestyle, so I didn't really notice or care too much. And it was easy, too-- taking people's lives and getting paid for it? Pretty much a dream come true for me. Wouldn't change jobs for anything.

'Course, I also do a bit of pro bono work from time to time, but everybody does that, right?

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