The life of a cosplayer was not the most dynamic but there were certain necessities that were needed when it came to being in a costume. Booker wasn’t an all out professional, but he was fairly experienced in it and that meant he knew what he needed to make a costume both successful and comfortable. Too many times cosplayers got themselves into situations they couldn’t remove themselves from. Costumes too big for doorways, no way to eat without removing whole sections of it, and the same fears when it came to using the restroom. Booker knew all the pitfalls and he stated them to Javier in hopes that he could help him make his costume effective.

>>"It'll need to be able to breathe and stay in place...And not made out of something that is easily flammable. Got it."

He nodded, watching Javier take notes and think on the matter. Booker was patience, merely standing still and keeping himself from throwing off the guy’s work. He kept quiet, humming a song in his head as Javier looked him up and down and decided on the best recourse of action to take. Ensure that the costume was safe and comfortable, therefore, required the tailor’s utmost focus, something which the librarian didn’t want to ruin.

However, he had to admit that he felt just a little on show right now. Briefly the image of him being a mannequin in a storefront window flashed through his head and the man had to keep himself from laughing once again. He was trying to be a good model. Thankfully Javier broke the silence, finally when he gestured to the photo on his phone.

>>"Okay, so it has to hold like that...But without being a one-piece body suit. Hmm."

Booker nodded and let the man work his magic.

>>"Well, here's an idea. If you construct the belt to be heavy enough to sit... to sit here, on your hips, then it could hold the shirt down, as well as holding the pants up. And it would be easier to... undo the whole thing."

Booker looked down. He wasn’t at all embarrassed when Javier touched his hips; he was far too interested in what was being said. He nodded, making notes in his head about the belt and how it needed to fit around his waist. Javier certainly hit on a good point. He wouldn’t have to wear a full boy suit, just form a form fittings pants and a shirt. If he had those, then he would use the belt to means of keeping it all in place. It was perfect for his needs. A easy way to use the restroom, not full body binding, he loved it!

He beamed, looking down to Javier and just gave him the widest of smiles. ”You’re a genius! That works out perfectly!” He clapped his hands in excitement. ”I knew were the right person to come to about this!”

Booker paid intense attention to what Javier was explaining about his idea. There had to be a certain functionality to a costume if he wanted to exist in it for a full day. Javier thought about the possible attachment to a belt, and as he was explaining, he forgot for a moment about not poking at the model. Luckily, Booker did not seem offended by the gesture.

>> ”You’re a genius! That works out perfectly! I knew were the right person to come to about this!”

Javier blushed a little at the compliment. He did not see it as such a big deal; having grown up with his father the tailor and his mother the fashion model, such tricks and solutions were simply something that made sense to him. But it was nice to see he was on the right track.

"Well then..." he walked around the work table to look through the shelves that held boxes, and several bolts and piles of fabric. After some searching, he found what he had been looking for, and he pulled up a step ladder to reach the bolts he needed.

"I'd say, maybe one of these two" he said, lifting both down and placing the on the table. Now that they were working on things, and his anxiety was slowly ebbing away, he felt at his normal strength again. He glanced at Booker across the room "I might not have exactly what we need, in which case, we'll have to buy something else. But." Climbing down, he unwound some of the two bolts; both were flexible materials, relatively thin, one a lighter shade of pink and the other a darker magenta color. "These should be flexible enough... but still possible to sew. I'd say, if you like one of them enough, we could mock up a shirt, and see how it works..."

Booker was excited to work on this project with Javier. It really seemed as if the tailor knew what he was doing, which was an accurate thing to say. If he were a crappy tailor, he wouldn’t still be in business, now would he? No, to operate a shop, especially in New York, and earn some kind of living out of it, then he had to be talented in some way -- or just know millions of people who were too nice to tell him he was bad at his job and kept giving him their business out of pity. But that wasn’t the case here. No. Booker was at least 85% sure of that.

Javier seemed spurred on by Booker’s words but the compliment immediately earned a slight coloring to his cheeks. The librarian smirked a little, finding the reaction to be completely adorable, but he didn’t make any comment on it for fear of making Javier worse off than before. So, instead, he kept his mouth shut and simply let the man think.

>>"Well then..."

Booker followed the tailor with his eyes, watching as he moved over to several shelves where he started to look through and pull down bolts of wrapped fabric. It was all a variety of colors, like a rainbow, but Javier stopped when he pulled down a set of two that were closest in hue to the imagine of Bandit’s chestpiece. Booker’s eyes were alit with interest as his new friend brought them over.

>>"I'd say, maybe one of these two...I might not have exactly what we need, in which case, we'll have to buy something else. But. These should be flexible enough... but still possible to sew. I'd say, if you like one of them enough, we could mock up a shirt, and see how it works..."

Really Javier had the best eye. The colors he chose were extremely close, though one was a smidge too light and the other too dark. But, Booker believed he could actually fix that himself with some clever shading. In that case, the light color would probably be the best option as it would more easily define his own musculature than the darker one.

”Those definitely work,” Booker announced. He stroked his chin in thought before he finally pointed to the lighter option again. ”I think that’s closest!” He gave him a brilliant smile and watched him return to work. Hoping that it was okay to move again, Booker began to look around the shop before glancing once more at the tailor. ”You ever been to a convention to cosplay? I mean, with your skill, you could probably make yourself any costume. Biclops, Flying Fox, I bet you could pull off a Blur cosplay. You have the physique.”

Javier looked at the two different shades of fabric on the table. He was generally goof at his job, but if he really was truly talented at anything, he was talented at colors. He was only working from one picture, and neither was a perfect match, but he could use either for a test, and fix the color issue later.

>>”Those definitely work... I think that’s closest!”

Booker, on his part, was simply and endearingly enthusiastic. He had a smile that Javier liked to look at, and he was totally in for the full experience. In this case, for getting a costume made. Javier pulled up the pad with the measurements, and some patterns, and got to work with some chalk.

>>”You ever been to a convention to cosplay? I mean, with your skill, you could probably make yourself any costume. Biclops, Flying Fox, I bet you could pull off a Blur cosplay. You have the physique.”

Javier arched an eyebrow, glancing up at Booker, then down at himself. He knew most of those names only by passing, and he had never really put much thought into comparing his physique to that of a superhero. He decided to take it as a compliment, with a small smile.

"No, I've never been... not really the superhero type." he confessed, his hands working on the fabric. He paused, wondering if Booker would take his comment as some kind of a judgment on his hobby, and sighed, gesturing at himself "I mean... socially awkward. You probably guessed. And conventions tend to get... overwhelming. I don't think I could pose in front of strangers."

Booker knew that cosplaying wasn’t for everyone and not everyone wanted to spend the time getting into the world. However, more often than not, most people it at least once. Hell, just going to a Halloween party all dressed up was close enough to get a feel for what awaited people in the cosplay world. That was why Booker inquired if Javier had ever done it. He had the physique and he had the means to dress up as pretty much anyone he wanted to -- if he wanted to. A flash of a smile pulled at Javier’s lips as he continued to work.

>>"No, I've never been... not really the superhero type...I mean... socially awkward. You probably guessed. And conventions tend to get... overwhelming. I don't think I could pose in front of strangers."

A slight smirk etched Booker’s lips. Socially awkward. He really didn’t think of Javier as like that, just a quiet guy who kept to himself, for the most part. But it seemed as if the man had some general fears about being dressed up in public -- or being in public in general. That would certainly make cosplaying difficult as it tended to draw a lot of people’s eyes towards you. Booker could only imagine how that felt as the man really didn’t share those fears.

However he did know people who had gone through similar episodes. For instance, his sister, Nessa, when she was transitioning still. Booker could see how she felt whenever she went out in public and dressed according to her true gender in those early days. There was a lot of uncertainty, a lot of second guessing, but eventually made it through to be the confident young woman she was day. That clearly wasn’t Javier’s case and whatever his social anxiety stemmed from, he wasn’t a doctor to be able to decipher it.

But he was a friend and he was a friend who liked to help.

”You know, you’d be surprised how easily you blend in with the crowd there, even in costume,” Booker said with a smile. ”Everyone is there to just have fun…” and slowly added, ”...and get laid by people in costumes to live out their fantasies.” He blinked before he chuckled heartily, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. ”Not me, of course. I go because I like dressing up. But sometimes all you need is the right person to go with.” He thought for another moment. ”You know, if you ever felt like tagging along, I wouldn’t mind. I love introducing people to the convention scene. Plus, you wouldn’t be alone! You’d know me.” He shrugged, offering a goofy smile. ”But I understand if not. Consider it an open invitation?”

It was strange, admitting something like that to Booker. Not like Javier had not told people before about his issues. He had a precious few friends and close family who knew, and sometimes he had to signal them in situations where they were relevant. No, it was strange because up to this point Booker had given him no indication that he noticed his awkwardness at all. In fact, he had been treating him like an average person someone made friends with at the farmer's market. It was nice, and Javier did not want to lose it by going too far into explaining his issues.

>>”You know, you’d be surprised how easily you blend in with the crowd there, even in costume. Everyone is there to just have fun… ...and get laid by people in costumes to live out their fantasies.”

Javier arched an eyebrow again, and chuckled a little. Leave it to Booker to say something like that. Not that the existence of dressing up for erotic role-play was news to Javier, even if he had never ventured into that subculture, either as participant or as a fashion professional. But he was certainly not going to judge people for it. Even Booker.

>>”Not me, of course. I go because I like dressing up. But sometimes all you need is the right person to go with... You know, if you ever felt like tagging along, I wouldn’t mind. I love introducing people to the convention scene. Plus, you wouldn’t be alone! You’d know me. But I understand if not. Consider it an open invitation?”

Javier paused as he glanced up again. Booker was beaming with his usual open friendliness, inviting him along to participate in the con as... um. Not a date, clearly. But still, it was nice of him to offer, knowing that such a place would not be very comforting for Javier to be in, costumed or otherwise. Besides, he admired people who got as committed to a hobby as Booker did. He liked to be around them, for the sheer enjoyment.

"I'll definitely think about it. It does sound fun." he nodded with a smile, before he turned back to his work. He wondered what it would be like to actually go to a con with Booker as he finished laying out the simple pattern, and began to cut. He thought about the offer, for more reasons than one. "People really go there..." he paused "... for their superhero crushes?" he finally asked, with a chuckle "I mean, I can kinda see it..." he gestured at the shirt in progress. He paused, glancing up at Booker again, realizing that his comment was a little too easy to misread. "I mean, the superhero thing. Confidence is attractive." Especially if you had none. And you also did not know how to dig yourself out of this conversation.

Booker smiled as he looked over the tailor who was hard at work. He didn’t want to interrupt him but he seemed to have given him a lot of trust when he said that he was socially anxious. There were not a lot of people who opened up about things like that in their life. It was personal and to talk about it with a virtual stranger was pretty much unheard of. And yet, Javier did; Booker gained a sense of pride at feeling like he had that trust with the other man.

Of course, Booker being the man that he was, he wanted to help. Sure the convention scene could be a little rough but he liked to think that, with him there, Javier will be able to have a good time. Besides, in his mind, Javier was helping him create a costume and it would be a shame to not see his creation brought out before the public. Booker was sure it would be a masterpiece and, with his help, it should be recognized.

He wouldn’t push the tailor, though. Nope. He would lay out the option for the man to consider and, if he wanted to go, all he had to do was tell the librarian. He would be more than happy to make said plans.

>>"I'll definitely think about it. It does sound fun."

A grin most pleased appeared on the librarian’s face. Yesss! Javier would think about it! That’s almost like agreeing to go! It was, like, practically the same thing. Of course he wouldn’t demand anything of the man, he would simply wait to hear confirmation on whether or not he really wanted to go once the day got closer. They still had plenty of time, of course.

Booker, tired of standing, regained his earlier seat and stretched out on it, hands behind his head and legs crossed in front of him. He was already formulating ideas on how to piece together the rest of Bandit’s costume. The coat was probably the easiest part. He could hit up a few coat warehouses or thrift stores in search of one similar and then bring it to Javier to mend so that it matched up better. But as his mind switched to the kinds of make-up (he would need contact lens too) he would have to use, he turned back to Javier who seemed to be smiling to himself.

>> "People really go there... for their superhero crushes? I mean, I can kinda see it...I mean, the superhero thing. Confidence is attractive."

A hearty chuckle followed as he nodded his head. ”Oh yeah. It’s an excuse for a lot of sweaty nerds to gawk at their favorite comic and film characters come to life. I never hooked up at one, but I’ve certainly heard stories.” He then offered Javier a warning. ”And, if you do go, don’t gawk at the Booth Babes when they are not working. Trust me, they hate that. I saw this one guy dressed up as The Badger. Totally ripped, completely looked the role, and he was drooling over this booth babe who was on her lunch break.” he snorted. ”And she must have had enough because she clocked him directly in the eye. So, as a concerned friend, I’m warning, don’t pester them when they are trying to eat their chimichanga.”

Booker put himself into a more comfortable position, watching Javier work. The tailor was not a big fain being watched; it usually made him feel uncomfortable, on the spot, or simply as if a customer was checking if he was working fast enough or well enough. But Booker had proven by now that he was not that kind of a person. Still, keeping the conversation going was a good distraction, so Javier brought up the topic of people hitting on costumes at cons.

>> ”Oh yeah. It’s an excuse for a lot of sweaty nerds to gawk at their favorite comic and film characters come to life. I never hooked up at one, but I’ve certainly heard stories.”

Javier had no doubt that Booker was telling the truth - but he also had no doubt that people had to be hitting on him all the time. He picked his costumes well, he had the physique to back them up, plus he was just overall a very friendly and likable person. People would want to be close to him, especially when he was dressed as a superhero.

>>”And, if you do go, don’t gawk at the Booth Babes when they are not working. Trust me, they hate that. I saw this one guy dressed up as The Badger. Totally ripped, completely looked the roll, and he was drooling over this booth babe who was on her lunch break. And she must have had enough because she clocked him directly in the eye. So, as a concerned friend, I’m warning, don’t pester them when they are trying to eat their chimichanga.”

"Duly noted. I don't think that's gonna be a problem." Javier laughed. It was a funny story, even though the warning was redundant: He would not really hit on anyone at a con, so he was definitely not in danger of being punched in the eye. He was done cutting patterns now, and moved on to pinning things together, which was a bit of a pain with stretchy materials like this one.

Oh Booker had some stories. The convention world was not for the faint of heart. There were scandalous, leering eyes, and groping hands. Even Booker himself had been the victim of such things. How many times had his own ass been grabbed by some half-drunk anime chick? How many times had someone who happened to be dressed up as a character his own was shipped with and attempted to taking sexy picture poses with? The cosplay world was not all innocence and fun times, but...it could be. That was the reason that he invited Javier, also why he wanted to warn him. If his new friend had decided to go and came across trouble, he didn’t want him to be mad because he didn’t know the risks ahead of time.

Full disclosure, that was Booker’s motto.

Javier grinned a bit at his story but was definitely busy with his work. The librarian tried to not interrupt him, but he wasn’t the biggest fan of absolute silence, unless he was reading. Any other time and he needed to either be talking or on his phone or flipping through a magazine. Silence allowed too much time to think in his opinion. Thankfully Javier didn’t see too overly bothered by Booker’s talking and actually engaged.

"Duly noted. I don't think that's gonna be a problem."

The librarian smirked and nodded his head. It was true. He didn’t expect someone with social anxieties to openly hit on any scandalously dressed Booth Babes. And they certainly couldn’t accuse him of staring as it seemed that Javier would just keep his eyes averted around them the whole time. So, maybe telling him this story was unnecessary but it was done nonetheless.

And once again the silence fell across them. Booker was actually fine with it, recline and just looking around the shop. He didn’t bother to watch Javier because he didn’t want the other to feel like he was being scrutinized. if he was going to work, he wanted to ensure that the man could work in relative ease. He didn’t need to be made uncomfortable in his own business. But, again, Booker was not a fan of silence unless under some very strict reasons. And since Javier didn’t ask him to be quiet earlier, he figured he could pick up the conversation again.

He smiled, his eyes still looking over knick-knacks and items that were scattered about the workshop. ”You really do have a great shop here,” Booker said. ”It’s...you.”] He added with an endearing smile. ”Don’t ask me what I mean by that because I honestly don’t know. I just…” he smirked as he looked around the shop and back to Javier again. ”...I see this place and it's exactly what I imagined when you said you were a tailor.”

Places were like that. Some places just seemed to possess the characteristics of the owner. The shop was small, hard to find, and reminded him of the smaller and quiet tailor who worked at pinning the material. He didn’t know if Javier felt that way, or if he would be offended, but he truly hoped he wasn’t.

After another moment, he decided that he wanted to know a bit more about the man. He was friendly enough and Booker wouldn’t make him talk about himself if he didn’t want to, but there was no harm in trying to start a conversation. ”Did you always want to be a tailor?” he asked. ”Is this, like, your dream?”

Javier worked in silence for a bit as Booker looked around. He wondered if the librarian was getting bored, or if he was trying to think of a new topic to talk about. The shirt really wasn't that complicated (not at this stage, anyway), but it would need some more time before it was ready for a test.

>>”You really do have a great shop here. It’s...you.”

Javier glanced up again, with some pins between his lips. He was not sure what Booker was trying to say, but he was smiling, so it was probably a compliment.

>>”Don’t ask me what I mean by that because I honestly don’t know. I just...I see this place and it's exactly what I imagined when you said you were a tailor.”

Javier chuckled. A lot of people had a lot of ideas of what tailors looked like and what they did. Booker seemed genuinely interested in his work, but then again, Booker seemed genuinely interested in everything. He finished pinning the shirt. "Thanks?"

>>”Did you always want to be a tailor? Is this, like, your dream?”

"My dad's a tailor" Javier answered, shifting things around as he moved over to the sewing machine in the corner. He had a couple of them, but this one was set up for tests and quick fixes "So I kinda grew up around it. I actually studied chemistry in college." he added with a chuckle "I wanted to work with special materials... Design special work outfits and the like. But it turns out, running a shop is just fine for me. It's not a stressful job." It was better to do things at his own pace, and still make money. At least not many exciting and stressful things tended to happen around a tailor shop.

Booker was naturally a curious person. That was why he was so into books, because books had information and Booker was a sponge for information. Oh how he loved to just bury his nose between pages and learn absolutely everything that he could. He would spend hours in a single session, just reading and absorbing it all. His parents were proud of that. His sister called him a nerd. But other people’s opinions of him didn’t matter as he was doing precisely what he loved.

So, of course that begged the question, was this Javier’s dream? The man had a shop, seemed like a talented tailor, so he wondered if it were true. He didn’t want to press the man for answers to personal questions, so he merely asked with no assumptions as to whether or not he would get a yes, no, or a **** off. No matter what, he was just happy to engage in a conversation with the interesting little tailor.

>>"My dad's a tailor...So I kinda grew up around it. I actually studied chemistry in college."

Booker’s eyebrows perked in interest. A chemistry student? He found that extremely interesting. The furthest that Booker got in the sciences had to do with information science. The library field required a great amount of computer literacy, especially considering how quickly the world of information evolved. Because of that he needed to have a deeper understand of information in the digital age. But chemistry? The hard sciences? He knew most of the basics but nothing more in-depth than that.

”Wow, color me impressed,” he grinned. ”Don’t meet many chemist-tailors. I’m happy to say you’re my first.”

Another beaming smile.

>>"I wanted to work with special materials... Design special work outfits and the like. But it turns out, running a shop is just fine for me. It's not a stressful job."

It was nice to know that Javier at least wasn’t disatisfied with his job. It may not have been is absolute dream job but it wasn’t a stressful environment and he got to work some things that were special. He smiled a bit. Honestly the tailor sounded like he belonged in some comic book universe, making bulletproof suits for superheroes rather than working in the real world. But at least he seemed to find some semblance of happiness, right?

”So long as you can see the bright shiny side of things,” Booker replied. He liked what he was learning about Javier, even it he was only getting bits of information at a time. They were going at the tailor’s pace and that was absolutely fine with him. ”And who knows, maybe you’ll eventually get to design those special outfits? You never know what the future will bring.” He smiled cheerily to Javier, taking another doughnut out of the box and munching on it. ”What kind of suits, if you don’t mind my asking? Unfortunately chemistry isn’t my forte. Now if you have book or digital information questions, or nerd questions, I’m definitely your guy.”

Javier turned the pinned shirt around a few times, trying to decide how best to sew it together. It was not going to be a perfect fit; he mostly just wanted to see how the fabric would behave with the sewing machine, and how much it would stretch once put on. It was easier than putting in all the detail work and then throwing it all out at the last stage.

>>”So long as you can see the bright shiny side of things. And who knows, maybe you’ll eventually get to design those special outfits? You never know what the future will bring.”

"You never know" Javier smirked, sitting at the machine "I've had some jobs that were pretty fun, lately."

Count the original 19th century dresses, and the X-uniform among them. Of course he was not going to mention either to Booker specifically. Client confidentiality, and all that.

>>”What kind of suits, if you don’t mind my asking? Unfortunately chemistry isn’t my forte. Now if you have book or digital information questions, or nerd questions, I’m definitely your guy.”

Javier smiled. Smiling came easy around Booker. He was the kind of guy that everyone wanted to be their guy, books or nerd questions or otherwise.

"Not that far from your superhero costumes, actually" he admitted, setting the machine up "I mean, working for vigilantes... I am not sure how I'd feel about that. But outfits that are practical... you know, things that adjust to mutant powers. Like shapeshifting, or... fire" he chuckled, nodding at Bandit's costume, referring to their earlier conversation "I like the challenge of creating materials that can handle that kind of stress. or do specific things. Practical things." he arched an eyebrow at Booker "And before you ask, no, I'm not going to design any real life Arachnid Adult web shooters..."

So it seemed that Javier had loftier goals in mind before he settled onto his life as a tailor in a little shop. There was nothing wrong with that, so long as you didn’t let it completely define you. Javier seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders and he was making his world work for him. He had some issues but, for the most part, he seemed generally happy. There were few people who could even say that much about their lives. Clearly a tragic byproduct of his high-stressed world that they lived in.

>> "You never know…I've had some jobs that were pretty fun, lately."

Booker smiled. It warmed his heart to know that Javier was looking on the brighter side of things. Yeah he wasn’t creating suits that were changing the world by being a combination of fashion and chemistry, but it was still something important he was doing. And, the fact that he was finding bright spots in his world was all the more endearing. Booker really liked hanging out with Javier. They had only met once before but he had a feeling that they were going to make great friends.

Idly he watched Javier work, not thinking anything, just observing, seeing the way that he moved, how he pinned the material, the concentration on his face and the skill with which he created. Booker had to blink, pushing away some stupid, silly thoughts that wanted to germinate and instead inquired after Javier’s original plans. How was he going to combine chemistry and clothing?


>>"Not that far from your superhero costumes, actually. I mean, working for vigilantes... I am not sure how I'd feel about that. But outfits that are practical... you know, things that adjust to mutant powers. Like shapeshifting, or... fire…I like the challenge of creating materials that can handle that kind of stress. or do specific things. Practical things."

His eyebrows just seemed to find a permanent arch whenever he heard Javier speak. The way he described his passion, creating clothing for mutants was just so…oh my god! Like, it was definitely a necessity! He’d known plenty of mutant who would have killed for something like that! Sadly a lot of shifters didn’t have the ability to take their clothes with them. Certainly a tragedy. The fact that Javier could even conceive of clothing that could help them was…mind boggling.

”Wow. That…that is like so completely amazing!” he happily announced. ”I mean, to be able to make effective clothing like that would certain expand your market and it would help so many people.” he smiled, watching Javier briefly. ”You certainly impress me more and more every time I talk to you, Mr. Moreno.”

He paused. A sly smile spreading across his lips. Suddenly an idea came to mind, one that would be so amazingly awesome for a cosplay that he couldn’t keep it to himself. It may have sounded insane but surely Javier had some kind of ideas, right? He opened his mouth, his question already on his lips…

>>"And before you ask, no, I'm not going to design any real life Arachnid Adult web shooters..."

His hand flew over his heart! ”Ugh!! Breaking my heart here!” He flopped back into his chair. Oh well, it was too good to be true.

Chuckling, he resumed lounging on the chair, his hands resting behind his head. He observed the other for a few moments, recalling another thing that came to mind concerning Javier; he didn’t know his status. Was he seeing someone? What if he thought Booker was asking him out to the convention thing? He didn’t seem to indicate that before but he didn’t want make him uncomfortable if he was inviting him alone to something and not whatever other person was in his life. Come on, an adorable shy tailor surely had someone.

He sighed before he chewed on the inside of his lip and spoke up. ”You know, for the convention thing, if you did want to go, you can bring someone if you want to? I know enough people to get an extra ticket. That way, you know, your girlfriend…boyfriend…spouse or whatever could come too? Just let me know. I’ll make it happen.”

Javier glanced up to catch the wonder on Booker's face when he mentioned the kind of outfits he wished he could work on. It was close to the whole superhero-cosplay thing, except... for real. It was another kind of excitement, something that dew Javier in a lot more than the idea of using his... actual superhuman strength. Which he sometimes forgot about.

>>”Wow. That…that is like so completely amazing! I mean, to be able to make effective clothing like that would certain expand your market and it would help so many people. You certainly impress me more and more every time I talk to you, Mr. Moreno.”

Javier blushed a little and chuckled as he set the machine up. He appreciated Booker's admiration, and that he could see why his work would be useful for people, mutants especially. But he was also almost sure that there was another thought forming in Booker's head... and he told him the web shooters were not really in the plan.

>>”Ugh!! Breaking my heart here!”

Javier laughed and shook his head, beginning to sew the shirt. The material was not exactly cooperating, but it was not as horrible as expected either. He clicked his tongue, adjusting things on the machine. In the meantime, he left Booker alone with his thoughts, even though he already knew that tended to ahve unexpected results.

>>”You know, for the convention thing, if you did want to go, you can bring someone if you want to? I know enough people to get an extra ticket. That way, you know, your girlfriend…boyfriend…spouse or whatever could come too? Just let me know. I’ll make it happen.”

Javier looked up; it took him a minute to take in what Booker was saying, and also what he was implying. He blushed again. Was Booker trying to ask if he was single? Surely not. Booker would have just asked outright, more likely than not. Most likely, he was just offering a nice gesture, like the nice person he was. Javier sewed another line on the shirt before he answered.

"I don't... have any of those" he confessed, feeling a little awkward about it. He did not want to seem like a complete charity case, running the small shop, being socially awkward, and not having a date. But that was kind of the reality of it. "Honesty, I haven't had a girlfriend and boyfriend since college. New York is kind of a crazy place." he shrugged with a shy smile "But thanks for the offer. Um... for the extra ticket, I mean. I appreciate it."

Should he ask? He should not ask. If this really was just Booker being nice, there was no reason to make something awkward about it. But if he didn't ask, there would not be another chance anytime soon. Sure, the Humpr alert kinda suggested Booker was single... or not, but Javier didn't think he was that kind of a person. Javier opened his mouth, but then changed his mind, and went back to sewing the shirt.

Honestly Booker couldn’t have felt more stupid. How could he invite someone out without asking if they were even with someone? Not that that was the reason he invited him! Nope! I mean, Javier was an attractive guy, yes, and definitely Booker’s type but is technically on the rebound and he doesn’t just throw himself into relationships without a second thought! Javier is a nice guy and he deserves better than a rebound; especially if he was already with someone! God, stupid Booker. What could Javier even be thinking about the librarian? Was he being extra awkward around him because of that or was that just his normal awkward? Great, now Booker was overthinking things.

No, he needed to jump into damage control. He really didn’t want Javier to think that he was some creep trying to hit on someone who was already in a relationship. So, he offered an alternative. He brought them back to the subject of the convention and said that if Javier had a significant other that he should be encouraged to bring them along, Booker could score the tickets. Of course, the second the words left his lips, he immediately felt bad again.

Dammit. That sounded so…desperate to cover-up sounding! Gawd! It’s like in those awkward teen movies where someone fails so far aby being suave that each and every word that comes out of his mouth just digs him deeper and deeper into the mess he had created. He felt ridiculous for having said what he said and waited for the show to drop. Javier was a tailor! The dream of any man or woman!

Again, not that that mattered to him! Sigh. Dammit.

Booker blinked his confusing thoughts away and zeroed back in on Javier who seemed to blush under Booker’s latest question. He didn’t look in the librarian’s way for long before he shook his head and quietly eeked out a…

>>"I don't... have any of those"

Booker wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about any of that. He liked Javier as a friend, they had a great starting ground like that. But the revelation that he wasn’t seeing anyone also, for some reason, seemed like important information for him to remember (as if he could forget with his eidetic memory). Filing that away for reasons that he wasn’t sure of, Booker raised his eyes to Javier again as the man went on.

>>"Honesty, I haven't had a girlfriend and boyfriend since college. New York is kind of a crazy place…But thanks for the offer. Um... for the extra ticket, I mean. I appreciate it."

Okay. More interesting information for him to file away. Either Javier just confirmed that he dated both men and women or Booker was reading too much into things. He tried not to think too hard on it, just keeping Javier’s words in his mind in the same folder as him being single and tried to move past it. Javier was thanking him for the ticket and the librarian nodded in reply. Really it was no problem. If Javier had been seeing someone, then he certainly could have swung another ticket and showed a nice couple a good time on the convention scene. Perfect plan!

But it seemed that wouldn’t be the case. Javier was single and had not been in the dating scene for a while. Booker had a hard time believing that because Javier was just…look at him! Then again, some would say it was hard to believe that Booker was single right now too. He guessed that everyone had the times in their lives when they weren’t with another. But he was getting way far off track!

”Oh, you’re welcome,” Booker said with somewhat shy smile. He shrugged his shoulders as he averted his eyes and picked up his phone again. He had to admit that Javier was actually taking a lot of trust in him by revealing so much about himself, he figured that he was owed in kind. So, Booker cleared his throat and spoke nonchalantly. ”Yeah my last girlfriend was not familiar with the scene but she seemed to get into it…” he started. He then sighed and continued. ”…last boyfriend,” he shook his head remembering Chriis. ”He definitely didn’t like it. Probably shouldn’t have taken that as a sign that we were going to broke up, eh?”

He smirked. There. One awkward eye for an eye…