MP   Biggest fumble I've ever seen.

MP   They should take away your license for that.

You groan, taking another bite of your double-decker chicken sandwich. You make sure to catch any loose ketchup that dribbles out.

MC   It was in the moment! There were cameras all over me!

MC   It's not against the law to push the boundaries.

MP   What's another word for boundaries.

MP   Quickly.

MC   Don't get all word-smart on me.

MP   I saw the wipeout. You getting up afterwards didn't fix it.

MC   It was a little mistake! Not a fumble.

MC   You get a high off of the adrenaline, and you try to make moves.

MC   That's just how it is with a ride like mine.

MC   Don't be jealous.

MP   Fuck off.

Seeing him scoff and send you a dark glare gives you chills. Like staring down from a peak high enough where a misstep will break every bone in your body.

It's wild knowing that some people are scared of this feeling.

MP   I already have one. One with enough armor so I don't have to wear little kiddy knee pads.

MP   It's called a car.

MC   That rickety thing is barely a car.

MC   Isn't it a senior citizen by this point?

If you weren't sitting across from each other, he would've punched you. You'd welcome some fisticuffs if you didn't have precious food on your hands in the moment.

MP   Prick.

MP   Like I can afford anything better at the moment.

MC   Yo, that's right! You're still saving up for a Blaze?

MP   Yeah.

MC   Godspeed, brother.

MC   Sports cars aren't my thing, but I can appreciate a beauty when I see one.

MC   Does the roof come down?

That scowl of his dulls into a grin.

MP   Idiot, of course the roof comes down.

MP   No use cruising if you can't feel the air.

MC   Hell yeah. At least we can agree on that.

Your phone buzzes. You wipe a greasy hand on a napkin and pick it up.

MC   Damn.

MP   What? Is it a villain?

MP   I didn't see you bring your Wildwood outfit this -

MC   (Shh!! DUDE!)

You glance around in what you hope is an inconspicuous manner.

MC   (Not so loud!)

MC   (I'm in civilian mode right now!)

MP   Forest Grove's full of hippie-dippie idiots. No one's listening.

MC   (I'm not risking it! Do you know how scary upper management can be?)

You've gotten more than an earful about your public conduct. It all started with your Super name, then how you acted during fights and interviews, then the little things you let slip by when talking about work with friends. So you like your job a little too much. Can't blame a guy being passionate.

Nonetheless, you're ready to never get pulled into a Public Relations meeting again. And that means keeping your secret identity secret.

MP   Look at you. They must've scared your ass straight.

MP   A real stark contrast to the loud-and-proud 'Mantis Rider' of yesteryear.

MC   I was just a little sprout back then. Don't blame me for getting too excited.

MP   Bullshit. You were practically begging to be recognized.

MC   Whatever, man.

As you respond to the earlier message, you see Maple peer over the table.

MP   Gabrielle?

MC   Yup. Just family stuff.

MP   Did they finally disown you?

MC   Dude. Why would you joke about that?

MP   It was just a guess. Calm down.

MC   Jerkass.

MC   Anyway. She was just reminding me of something.

MC   Gotta call my mom later.

MP   You have to be reminded to call your mom?

MC   No!

MC   And even if I forgot it was today, I'm a busy guy!

MP   Today? What's today?

MC   Nothing.

One of his eyebrows cocks upward.

MP   I'll ask her, then.

MC   What?! Dude, no way you have her number.

MP   I know her Schemer. She sends me fucking... red panda shit.

MC   You're lying.

MP   Watch me.

MP   I'm sending the message now.

MC   Don't!

You groan as he puts his phone down and gives you a meaningful look.

MC   It's an anniversary. That's all.

MP   It must be pretty embarassing, if all this is any indication.

MC   Christ, dude. It's my dad, okay?

MC   Is that what you wanted to hear?

You had hoped that snapping at him feels cathartic. But it just makes the sick feeling in your gut worse.

MP   Fuck. I didn't know.

MP   Sorry.

MC   It's... whatever.

MC   It helps her, y'know. Calling home.

MC   So she knows I'm still around.

MC   I probably would've remembered, but Gabby's always been, uh,

MC   More careful, I guess. Making sure I do.

MP   Yeah. I get that.

Maybe you should throw some chicken at him. Would that lighten the mood? Aww, damn, you just finished eating all your food. A napkin wouldn't be heavy enough. Not unless you balled it up.

MP   How did it happen?

You can't say anything for a moment. Then, you shrug.

MC   Heart problems. Some genetic stuff, from what I remember.

MC   He toughed it out in the hospital for a while.

MP   That's... rough.

MC   Yeah, well... y'know.

You glance over your food, looking for anything else you can busy yourself with.

MP   Seems like he was a good guy.

MC   Yeah. He was.

MC   Always cracking jokes like nothing was wrong.

MC   He was too good at it. Got me a few times back then.

MC   You remember that long break I took during high school? Thanksgiving?

MC   That was, uh, what we did afterwards.

MC   To get our minds off of things.

MP   Huh.

MP   I've always wondered if that was it. But you didn't bring it up then.

Maple, the guy who recoils with disgust whenever you get all sentimental about your fans. Who'd rather fist-fight you than hear about your feelings. As difficult as this is for you, it's probably not so easy on his end, either.

MC   Yeah, well...

MC   We made it here.

MC   That's all that matters, right?

You lift up your plastic cup. After a moment, he does too.

MC   To dads.

MC   And all the stuff they mess up in our lives.

You accidentally get some of your soda on his hand when your drinks collide. You laugh and apologize, bracing yourself for him to throw a punch or fireball at you. But he doesn't do much, for some reason.

So you chuck a greasy napkin at him. That gets him back to normal.