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[sayshazam]

Billy wasn't going to puke. He 100%, positively, definitely, wasn't going to throw up because he was so nervous. Probably. He had faced super scary supervillains so he could totally show up at Isabelle's door and ask her out on a date. That was it. No biggie.

Except it was big because rejection would totally suck. No matter how much he told himself he would survive the rejection it would still suck. You could still be friends with someone if they turned you down for a date, right? Yeah, he was sure you could.

Plus, Alec had told Billy it was okay to ask Isabelle, which meant she wasn't currently dating someone or secretly hated Billy and would laugh in his face if he asked her out. At least he hoped Alec would have warned him about that.

Earlier he had texted Isabelle to ask if he could come over to her place and hang out for a bit and she had agreed. Now he was committed and there was no turning back from this. He had actually debated on bringing flowers but that kind of seemed like the sort of thing that he should bring on the actual date. If it happened.

Stopping outside her door he did a smell check of his breath and armpits before he did his best to calm himself. He probably still seemed nervous but not as nervous as he was earlier. He had fought the Crime Syndicate, he could totally ask out the most amazing, fun, gorgeous girl ever.

"I'm so doomed," he mumbled to himself before knocking on Isabelle's door.

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[sayshazam]

Billy sat down and tried not to look too disappointed about her saying she wasn't going to hold his head in her lap like that again, even if he had just been joking. Then he checked himself, remembering that all she had done was agree to go on a date with him. He should probably just get through that first.

"Oh good, because the head punching was definitely my least favorite thing about that night," he said, sitting down next to her on the couch. He was suddenly really aware of how close she was and he was sure he could feel a sort of warmth moving through him from the side she was on. It sounded dumb and Billy felt stupid for thinking it but it was a nice feeling. "If you go again I can be the person in your corner that squirts water into your mouth and rubs your shoulders between rounds though? And I can say 'you got 'em on the ropes, kid!' if that would help?"

[seveninches]

"Did you fight anyone else that night?" she asks, curious as to whether he'd decided to take anybody else on. She still doesn't really know how strong Billy is like this - their fight had been kind of unfair and over pretty quickly.

It takes her a moment to realise he's referencing mundane boxing, and then she smiles. "I wouldn't say no to the shoulder rubbing part," she says thoughtfully. She doesn't understand mundane boxing like she doesn't understand most mundane things, but she can get behind that part. She thinks Jace would probably like boxing, if he were here. She'd pay money to watch him fight some of the people here. "I don't know I like you calling me kid, though."

[sayshazam]

"Yeah, I usually fight three of four people a night at those things," Billy admitted. Usually they go a lot better than his fight with Isabelle. He was pretty sure he went down so easily because of whatever sent his mind home but he wasn't going to argue that with Isabelle. She had punched his lights out fair and square.

"Heh, the kid thing would be weird," Billy admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He forgot that she didn't really "get" some mundane things. "But you can have shoulder rubs anytime you want!"

Because shoulder rubs meant he got to touch her and that was always a good thing. They were probably supposed to be something really nice for her but Billy thought he'd probably enjoy giving them as much as she did getting them.

[seveninches]

"Any time I want?" she echoes, raising an eyebrow at him. People back home would know better than to make Izzy an offer like that, so she's glad that he apparently hasn't figured her out yet. Back home it would depend on who offered it. If it were Alec she'd make him do it whenever he wanted to train, just to annoy him. Jace she'd make do it in-battle, just to see if they could, see if he could still fight while trying to half-heartedly give her a massage. Alec would yell at them, and Izzy laughs aloud just thinking about it.

"You might come to regret that," she tells him, knocking her shoulder against his playfully. "People have told me I'm a handful."

[sayshazam]

"Ummmm, probably not when I'm a school or work unless it's like... an emergency or something," Billy said, giving it serious thought. He couldn't see why he wouldn't want to give her a shoulder or back rub but the way she looked at him and then laughed had him a little worried.

"Yeah, well, I like that about you," he said, smiling and bumping her shoulder back. "Why would I want just a little bit of a good thing?"

[seveninches]

Isabelle frowns at him. "But that ruins all my fun." She'd already been planning faking an emergency and dragging him out of school. She still didn't really understand why he went in the first place. She could kind of work it out if she squints, but the whole concept of mundane schooling seems pointless to Isabelle. She'd rather be learning how to stab things.

"People usually do," she counters, but she doesn't pause on the fact for long. "So what do you have planned for this date, hm?"

[sayshazam]

"So the back rub itself isn't fun at all, huh?" he asked, giving her an amused look. It absolutely wasn't fair that the way she frowned at him was completely adorable and she didn't even seem like she was pouting or anything. Billy also really, really didn't want to ruin her fun. "Alright, fine. You can sometimes do it during school. Just try to keep that to once a month or something, okay?"

To be honest, Billy hadn't really thought about what to do on the date. He hadn't ever expected to make it this far, really. There were a few ideas floating in his head but that was about it.

"It's a surprise," he finally said. "Sort of. I was thinking casual dinner at my place and then a kind of... semi-formal going out?"

[seveninches]

"Once a month," she promises, crossing her heart. "I swear."

She doesn't know whether a surprise means he hasn't worked something out or if it's an actual surprise, but she's happy either way. Isabelle likes surprises well enough and she likes Billy. She trusts that he knows what she might like, and that he won't drag her around to the library or something. She can only hope he hasn't gotten dating advice from Alec beforehand, otherwise she's doomed.

"That sounds fun," she says honestly. "Can you cook?" Isabelle definitely can't, but she's always willing to try.

[sayshazam]

"You can ask outside of school and work anytime you want though," Billy said, feeling his face turn a bit red at that. He kind of thought maybe he should explain to her that just because he got all awkward about things like that didn't mean he didn't want to do them. It was kind of the opposite of that, actually. Billy just liked being around her.

"I can sort of cook? I'm still learning, this is the first time in my life that I've been able to buy my own ingredients and stuff. Before it was whatever I could steal or any place that was all you can eat."

[seveninches]

"Why?" she asks, not stopping to think about whether it sounds too blunt or not. She doesn't know why Billy would have to resort to stealing - he certainly doesn't strike her as the type. She thinks he'd probably blush and apologise too much to be any good at being a thief, so the information surprises her.

"You used to steal stuff?" She's not judging, she's just confused. It's a side of Billy she hasn't ever seen before and she finds it interesting.

[sayshazam]

"When I lived on the street if I didn't have enough money to buy food or I couldn't find any then I had to steal so I didn't starve," Billy said with a shrug. It wasn't something he was proud of but he wasn't ashamed of it either. Steal or starve was actually a pretty easy choice even if at the time he'd had a pretty bad attitude about it. If he had to do it all over again he'd still steal, maybe just not be such a jerk about it.