Hiro irritably sipped his fruity umbrella drink and tried to use the power of his mind to get Ando away from the craps table. It seemed his powers didn't extend that far, though, because Ando kept putting down bet after bet, and Hiro had to keep stopping time because if he didn't Ando would blow all their money on his dice, and then they couldn't save the world. Even Ando didn't deserve being punished by all of New York exploding.

Ando put his hand on Hiro's wrist. "Blow," he ordered.

"Eh?" Hiro said, blinking in confusion as he sloshed pineapple juice and rum over the rim of his glass. Maybe he'd had too many drinks because that one word from Ando brought back memories of them being drunk and girlfriendless back when they were sixteen.

"The dice," Ando said, opening up his palm. "Blow on them for luck. I'm on a hot streak."

Hiro scowled. "You are not on a hot streak. You are on a cheat streak! If I wasn't here, you would probably be abandoned and penniless in an alley somewhere, a million miles from home."

"If you weren't here, I wouldn't be a million miles from home." Ando shoved the dice at him again. "Blow. How else are we supposed to have enough cash to save the world? You're the one always going on about destiny."

Hiro blew, Ando threw the dice against the wall, and Hiro stopped time. He carefully spun the little red cubes to a natural set up and settled down next to Ando again. Time sped up and the stickman was calling out winners, pushing chips at Ando. Again. For the billionth time that night.

"There are other ways I could make money with my power," Hiro grumbled.

"Uh-huh," said Ando. "Name one."

Hiro wrinkled his forehead. "I... I could-- uh, stop time and use the opportunity to collect many cans for the recycling deposit. I saw on a can of Coca-Cola that some places in America allow you five cents for every can. If I collected one million cans, I would have--"

"About as much money as we could make in one night right now. Do you really want to strain your powers collecting cans?"

"No," Hiro grunted, slumping in his chair.

"All right, I will make you a promise to put your fragile mind at ease," Ando said. "I promise not to lose our very last dollar if you promise not to get so drunk that you forget how to stop time, all right?"

Hiro nodded. Ando could get really wrapped up in unimportant things, but he'd never lied to Hiro. "Let me keep that dollar, though."

Ando grinned and dug out his wallet, plucking out one American dollar and handing it over to Hiro. He gave Hiro's upper arm an excited squeeze. "Now use your powers to make us a couple thousand more of those. Destiny, right?"

"Destiny," Hiro agreed, pocketing the dollar. Ando was a very good friend sometimes.

...Which he told himself hours later, irritable again, when Ando dragged him from the craps table to a strip club and desperately begged him for singles.