Watching Susan storm off angrily, Benjamin was at a loss for words and didn't know what to do.
He wasn't sure whether to chase after her or to call his best friend Reed and tell him to come quickly.
For a moment, he was completely stuck.
"You're single yourself and still trying to help someone else get a girlfriend? Tsk, tsk…"
"With a 'good bro' like you, Reed's out of luck."
Fenris, enjoying the drama, couldn't help tossing out a sarcastic remark as he watched the clumsy, awkward Benjamin stand there looking lost.
What thoughts could Benjamin possibly be struggling with?
He just wanted to protect his best friend's future girlfriend from being taken away by someone else.
"You jerk! This is all your fault, and you're still gloating!"
Infuriated, Benjamin swung a punch straight at Fenris.
Bam!
Before his punch could even land, his face suddenly twisted in pain. He clutched his stomach and staggered back, groaning and gasping for breath.
"Don't blame me for your mess."
Fenris wasn't so full of himself as to think a few flirtatious lines would actually affect Susan and Reed's relationship.
Clearly, there wasn't much of a relationship yet.
Susan was so beautiful that she must have had countless admirers. Victor Von Doom, the future Doctor Doom, was one of them.
Getting hit on or flirted with must be a regular occurrence for her. There was no way a few words would change how she felt about someone she genuinely cared for.
In fact, before Benjamin started "helping," Susan had already made her stance clear:
"I don't have a place to keep your heart."
Susan was angry partly because Benjamin's "help" only made things worse.
After all, this was America, where "life is precious, love is priceless, but freedom comes above all."
Freedom is everything. Long live freedom!
The other reason was likely Reed's insufferable lack of social awareness.
He was late to a meeting. Not the first time either. And they weren't even officially dating yet. Even if they were, he'd have been dumped eventually. Otherwise, why would Susan end up with Victor Von Doom after graduation?
Benjamin slowly straightened up and stared at Fenris. How could someone who looked so lean hit that hard? Was that martial arts?
It hurt like hell, but he couldn't back down now. He adjusted his breathing, preparing for round two.
At that moment, a disheveled man with messy hair came jogging over.
"Ben, what happened? I just ran into Susan. She told me never to contact her again."
"Reed… He… He was hitting on Susan. I told her you were her boyfriend, and then she… I'm sorry, man. I think I messed everything up." Benjamin lowered his head, frustrated and full of regret.
Just like Reed, Benjamin was a textbook straight man. Straight guys tend to be logical thinkers, always trying to reason through things.
Sure, Fenris's flirting started it, but what really made Susan mad was Benjamin's claim that Reed was her boyfriend, which interfered with her freedom to choose.
Reed's mood turned complicated. He couldn't really blame Benjamin, who was only looking out for him, but still…
"Forget it. I'll go find Susan and apologize. She might forgive me."
"I'll come with you," Benjamin said, wanting to apologize too.
Fenris nearly laughed out loud. These two steel-hearted straight men were too much.
One thought that a simple apology would fix everything, like nothing had happened. The other was even worse. He wanted to go together?
If Reed went alone, there might still be a chance.
But bringing Benjamin? That was a sure way to mess things up for good.
With Reed's personality, if Susan didn't accept Benjamin's apology, or even if she did, but stuck to her decision, he would definitely say something like, "We both apologized, what more do you want?" or "What do we have to do for you to forgive us?"
"Ahem!" Fenris cleared his throat and said something that left them both stunned.
"I've got a job. You two in or not?"
Benjamin scoffed, "Are you out of your mind? You flirted with his girl, you flirted with the girl he likes, and you still expect us to help you?"
Fenris held up two fingers. "Two hundred thousand dollars."
"…"
Benjamin fell silent.
Fenris took out the time controller and introduced it to Reed.
"This is a time controller. Originally, it could store and view recordings, set specific times, and access or travel to different timelines and parallel universes."
"Where it came from, don't ask. Who I am, don't ask. Just fix it, take the money, do whatever you want, and don't cause trouble for yourselves."
"So, are you in?"
Reed and Benjamin exchanged glances. Time controller? Traveling across timelines and parallel universes?
Could this be real?
It sounded a bit ridiculous.
Benjamin didn't buy it. He figured this guy was just messing with them.
But Reed was starting to believe it. Or rather, as a scientific genius, he was deeply intrigued.
With his skills, once he opened the device, it would be clear whether it was real or fake.
And even if it turned out to be fake, they'd still get paid. It wouldn't waste much time, and for two hundred thousand dollars, Reed was willing to be "fooled" a few more times.
If it was real, though, it would be a historic breakthrough in human technology.
Just imagine. If humans could travel through time and to parallel universes, it could change the fate of not just this world, but countless others!