Less awkward than the previous one

If there is one thing you aren't sure of, it's what to say to Annabeth's roommate. However, you are determined to not show weakness in front of her. Something made infinitely more difficult due to the fact that you know that she knows what it was that you and Annabeth got up to last night. You decided to stall for time by going immediately to the coffee pot in the room. You're actually quite suprised, since Jennifer and Allyson had one of those by the cup coffee makers, that Annabeth and Britney have an old school one that makes multiple cups of coffee, with filters and coffee grounds, etc.

You feel Britney's eyes on you, as you pour yourself a mug of coffee before going to the refrigerator and taking out the carton of milk in there. After checking the expiration date and finding it good, you pour a dollop of milk into your coffee.

"You know, we have creamer," Britney says.

You shrug in response. "I'm old fashioned."

You then look through a couple of the drawers before finding a spoon. You poor a small amount of sugar into your coffee, just enough to take the edge off, but not nearly enough to overpower the coffee flavor of coffee. Jen liked to have a bit of coffee with her cream and sugar, where the end result tasted very little like coffee at all. You stir the cup gently, taking out the spoon and taste testing your coffee, and finding it good.

"So..." Britney said with an amused tone and a wicked grin on her face as you sat down across from her at the small, square table they had. "How was your night?"

You take a sip of your coffee as you deliberate how to answer. "It ended better than it started."

"I'll bet," she shot back. "Not gonna lie, since Annabeth never really showed interest in anyone, I thought she's end up as some sort of cat lady."

"Maybe she was just waiting for someone special?" you reply in Annabeth's defense.

"And you think you're that someone special?" she counters with a raised eyebrow.

You shrug noncommittally. "Annabeth seems to think so." It was close enough to the truth without mentioning the fact that she was rooming with a metahuman capable of seeing the future.

"So, James, how long have you two known each other? She's never mentioned you before," Britney asks.

"It's... Complicated..." you give as a form of non-answer, which most definitely piques her interest.

"Oh?" she inquires with an obvious curiosity, as if she's stumbled on some form of juicy gossip. "Do tell!"

"It's not my story to tell," you easily tell her. "And even if it was, I'm not sure you'd believe it."

"We live in a time of heroes, where dude can bench press a tank without breaking a sweat," Britney points out. "I can imagine a great deal is possible."

"I get the feeling that what we see about superheroes on T.V. isn't exactly a definitive representation of who they are," you say knowingly.

Britney shrugs. "That's not exactly a new concept. It's been the same for many celebs and T.V. personalities."

"Touché," you concede before taking a pull of your coffee.

"So what is it about you that makes little Anna just spread her legs like some sorority slut?" Britney asks with faux innocence as you **** on your coffee and do a spittake.

"E-excuse me!?" you exclaim.

Britney nails you with a look of suspicion. "Annabeth is an innocent 'girl next door' type girl, so I'm curious what sort of line you fed her to get you to sleep with her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" You put your hands up in innocence. "It's not like that! We met through my sister and since I was having a rough patch with my sister and her roommate, Annabeth let me crash here for the night! Besides, Annabeth was the one who seduced me!"

Britney looked at you incredulously. "Sweet, little miss goody, goody Annabeth seduced you?"

"Some people, like ogres, have layers," you defend yourself.

"So you think Anna is an ogre," Britney accused.

"No, I think she has layers," you counter as you wipe up your mess. "There is nothing ogre-ish about her."

"Ogre-ish?" Annabeth asks as she wraps her arms around you from behind. She then addresses her roommate. "Are you done messing with him yet?"

"Given enough time, I could have had him squiring," Britney declared.

"So... Was this a test of some sort?" you ask confused.

"Nah, I just wanted to play with your head a bit. Besides, I gotta look out for my girl here. I wasn't kidding that in all the time we've lived together, she's never shown any interest in anyone," Britney informed you.

"He's special," Annabeth stated.

"So he tells me," Britney responds.

"Even he doesn't know how special he is," Annabeth tells her. "Without Hawkins, there is no Tyson."

Britney raised an eyebrow at that. "Don't you think you're moving a bit fast with him?"

"No matter what we end up being with each other, we're forever," Annabeth says with absolute certainty.

Britney's expression is one of total shock as she addresses you. "I'm surprised you're not freaking out."

"We have an unexplainable connection," you reply honestly.

"What? Like soul mates?" Britney asks sarcastically.

You actually give her words serious thought. "Maybe? In a world of heroes, anything is possible, right?"

"So what? You two will ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after?" Britney asks, her tone full of disbelief.

"That would be nice, but that's not how soulmates work," Annabeth responds.

"I suppose if anyone would know, it'd be you," Britney reluctantly concedes.

"Oh? How so?" you inquire.

"Anna, here, probably knows more about all of the weird crap going on in the world, like metahumans and stuff, than anyone else on the planet," Britney informs you, much to Annabeth's embarassment. "Speaking of which, there might be a new villian on the loose."

"A new villain?" Annabeth asks with great interest.

"Well, no one's really sure on that just yet. All I know, is that a bunch of people were talking about him this morning. Some guy calling himself 'Mastermind', who apparently messed up a couple of the Knights of Walpurgis. Nobody is sure if he's a new independent vigilante or a villain staking out his claim on the city," says Britney.

"Sounds like someone to keep an eye out for," Annabeth says with a knowing grin.

"Did you ever find out more about that one meta from Aurora?" Britney asks.

You quirk an eyebrow because that's where you are from, meaning you are the metahuman Annabeth had obviously been trying to research.

Annabeth blushes as she hugs you tighter. "I actually met him. For all the bad press he got from his hometown, he's actually a sweetie."

"Personally, I think he's a bit of a tool," you state disparagingly about yourself. It takes all your self-control to not grin.

"Jealous?" Britney asked with a smirk.

"Not even remotely," you easily and without the slightest hestiation reply.

"Just wait until you see her geek out over a meta," Britney says with a mischeivous grin.

"Brit!" Annabeth shouts in protest.

Your grin matches Britney's. "I'm sure she's adorable."

"James!" Annabeth complains, though not once does she lose her smile. "I am so wishing the two of you never met right now!" The two of you simply laugh in response. It's a nice respite from the previous evening and you're not sure what you'll be heading back into once your return to Jen and Allie's place. You can only hope that you can assauge their fears enough that they are willing to take you back in.