Daydreams and Disasters

Bachelor Auctions - AKA RomCom Nonsense

Author's Note: I love slow burn romance tales. This was born from a love of traditional tropes and my characters showing off different sides of their lives. After all, Nancy Solo is a Librarian as much as she is a hero, and Ben is a politician with a politician's clout, as much as he plays Robin Hood after hours.

Bad Decisions for Good Causes:

Solomon suggests it with a snort, the idea that as bachelor Senators they could easily auction off a date and make some money for some of the city's less fortunate. Ben had agreed easily enough, knowing just how much the city's wealthy would pay to have their ear, especially after the bill they'd just pushed through. Most corporations were seriously upset with the government now that Sage and Zimbardo had restricted the money they could donate to politicians. And while Ben was concerned that some socialite's wife was going to get conned into serving them a poisoned pastry, he really did want to fund the local shelters better than the government had, and if that meant putting on a tuxedo and a smile, he'd do it.

When he mentioned it to Nancy over a few precious stolen minutes at a cafe just down the road from the library, she grinned and laughed. "You know I can't possibly put up enough for you and Zim right? You're going to actually have to go through with a date with a stranger." Ben pouted, and he couldn't help but notice the way Nancy's eyes flickered to the lip trapped between his teeth before resettling on his eyes. While he would infinitely prefer a date with the woman who was devouring a croissant with gusto, even though it was lunch and a sandwich or soup would have been more appropriate, he knew that this was for the good of others.

"Are you saying you'd go on a date with me if you had the money, Nancy? Because I can be a cheap date," he smirked as she choked on her gulp of tea at the innuendo.

"You're terrible," she snorted. "Besides, we both know you can drink like water and it won't do a thing to you." His shrug was lost in the thought she was putting into pouring him another cup of coffee from the communal pot on the table.

"I wonder who will win that date? I hope it's an 87 year old Grandma who pinches your cheeks and makes you eat butterscotch candies while watching over her carpet shark."

He groaned. " I would prefer a benign granny to some of the women who will be bidding. I swear some of them stare at me like I'm a piece of meat." At Nancy's snicker he continued, washing his comment down with the coffee, "I know it's not the same, but I'm guessing it's a bit what girls must feel like when construction workers objectify them."

Nancy shrugged. "Some of them are getting really creative. It doesn't mean it's any less disgusting, but I handle it a little better if there's a little more than 'hey hot stuff' shouted at me. Not that it happens often." Ben didn't want to tell her that her librarian's tweed may not have appealed to the guys in hard hats but that it was more than enough to get him day dreaming. Which immediately made him feel worse because how bad was it that in a conversation about objectification he ended up doing exactly what they were despairing over?

"Will you at least be there? You don't have to bid or anything, I'd just like a familiar face when it goes down." His plea was met with a long suffering sigh.

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't watch this fiasco from the front row seats?" The sour note the word 'friend' sounded out to Ben hung in the air between them and if Nancy heard anything different, she didn't seem to acknowledge it.

XXX

Jamie stared as her sister paced in the kitchen, neatly avoiding the island, hopping over Ghoul, and giving her neice Mecha and an in pieces Droney a wide berth. It was an odd circuit and she felt more than a little bemused as Nancy bemoaned her predicament.

"I can't just let him get auctioned off! It's my duty as his friend to be there!"

Jamie just listened, watching as Ghoul flicked a lazy feline tail and Nancy ranted.

"He looked so sad, Jamie! I know he wants me to win that date so the money gets donated and he doesn't end up in some crazy society lady's hands, but I'm super poor right now. Like, I know you told me not to buy any unnecessary stuff, but I found a first edition Bradbury and then I just had to fix it, and now I am broker than the person they told to go home in the chorus of Glamorous!"