The Adventures of Johnny and Alex - The One with the Hot Dogs Who: Alex Rogan and Johnny Five Where: a hot dog grill restaurant What: two friends meeting When: before the body swap days Warnings/Rating: PG-13 Status complete
Alex smiled as he settled in his chair at the booth in the restaurant he had agreed to meet Johnny at. It was an awesome chili place, and groovy, and made all sorts of chili burger, chili dog, and chili fry things. He liked them all! He didn’t get here very often, what with work and all, but he did get here. And he liked it here when he came. He planned on bringing Portia in, sometime soon... when he remembered to ask her.
Yes.
In the meantime, he looked at a menu and waited for Johnny. He was also maybe sketching a little, a diagram of an idea he had... sort of.
Johnny came in, eyes scanning for Alex, and spotting him quickly. He waved as he made his way to the table, then, and took the adjacent seat. “Alex! Good to see you. What looks tasty?”
Alex rose as the man came in, then sat again, grinning. “The junkyard pretzel dogs always look good, as do the Tijuana Soft Dogs. I’m pondering one of those, or a straight up salted chili cheese dog.” Sometimes the classics were the best ones.
Johnny grinned, shook hands, and began pouring over the menu in kind. He’d look things over, but decided to go with one of Alex’ recommendations after all. “So, how’s work? Built anything exciting lately?”
He shook hands and hmmed, thinking. “I have been working on modified nanotechnology. A lot of what I am working on now is modifying and Terranizing technology from my dreams. I dreamed of an alien world, and so a lot of tech from it is amazing and utterly alien. Working to make Earth versions is amazingly interesting and fun!” Alex smiled. “How has work been for you?”
“That’s fascinating,” Johnny said, genuinely interested. He’d always loved to tinker with electronics and mechanical things, he just didn’t always have the time now that he was semi-famous. He did have a nicknack shelf full of sci-fi prop replicas that he had made himself, but that was hardly the same thing. All they did was flash some lights and make some noise.
“Oh, you know, play as usual. The Dexter Butterfingers franchise has really taken off. I’ll even be speaking at a few conventions in the fall.”
“Yeah? That’s cool!” A pause. “Er, what’s the Dexter Butterfingers franchise?” Alex might have missed something there. He often did, he knew. He was a little dense when it came to catching clues and keeping up, when he had technology to think about.
“My TV show!” Johnny explained excitedly. “First it was a juvenile book series, then a feature-length animated film, now it’s an animated series. I voice the title character, Dexter Butterfingers, a clumsy stage magician who dreams of being a real wizard.”
Johnny was just a big kid at heart, and he’d adored the books, so he was pretty much in seventh heaven having Butterfingers as a steady gig. “I should give you a copy of the movie, I have tons.”
“Oh, cool! Sounds awesome! And I’d love that! I’d watch it with my girlfriend!” Alex nodded, eyes bright. “It sounds like a lot of fun! I hope it continues to go well!”
“I enjoy it,” Johnny said. He might like to tinker, but he loved to tell stories. “I’ll drop a copy in the mail to you tomorrow, so I don’t forget.” He grinned. “And how is Portia, by the way?”
“Thanks!” Alex bounced. That was awesome of the guy! “”She is pretty cool! She’s traveling to and from filming right now, but she is definitely still awesome.” Alex was smitten as smitten could be.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, eh?” Johnny mused. He might not have much hope for himself, but he was glad for his friend. It was always nice to see that things really could work out. “How did the two of you meet?”
“Nah, I feel like that about her all the time.” Alex nodded, and grinned. “On the net, during the singing incident. Then I serenaded her and danced with her.” Alex smiled. “It was fun! She pulled me out of my shell.”
"You lucked out," Johnny said, "My brother just broke up with his girlfriend of a few months. He fell hard and fast, and I guess she hadn't quite gotten there yet, emotionally, and she slammed on the breaks. He took it pretty hard."
Alex winced. “Man, that sucks. I can imagine., If things hadn’t gone so well with me and Portia, I’d be wrecked, I think...” He was less emotional though, so he wasn’t sure for sure.
Then the food arrived, including a huge platter of chili fries that was set between them, compliments of a blushing waitress, who was apparently a fan of Johnny’s.
Johnny was still getting to know Wally, so he worried how the younger man would react, after stepping outside his comfort zone only to be rebuffed. But Wally was a big boy now, he didn't need Johnny to smother him. Hopefully in time he'd bounce back.
Johnny smiled, and offered the waitress an autograph, thanking her exuberantly and probably thoroughly embarrassing her. He was getting recognized more often lately, after appearing at various fan conventions. Of course, every now and then, he got mistaken for other people, which he just got a big kick out of. Doctor What?
"Sorry," he said to Alex, after the waitress excused herself, floating happily away, "People are really starting to put a face to he voice, after Comic Con."
Alex chuckled. “It’s okay. As long as you’re happy with it, that’s cool. And, you know, cheesy fries.” Of which, one, he took. and nommed. “Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow.”
"I'm still getting used to it," Johnny said, helping himself to the fries as well. "It's not all bad." He might not ever get used to it, but he was enjoying it so far. "I'm just excited to be helping to tell stories that people are actually hearing, and enjoying. Maybe I'm not impacting the future, but sometimes just making people smile and laugh is enough."
Alex nodded. “I am just glad no one knows who I am. I’m just a scientist, and a student, and a fixit man, and nothing more. Barely got my first patents accepted. Still having trouble with my main invention.” He nodded.
“Good way to be, I think. Telling stories can change worlds.”