Happy Boostlethon, poisonivory!
Special thanks to embersownmatt and butteredcups for helping out with the chemistry tutoring bits because I'm the clever person to make that part of the plot despite having dropped the class in high school. More special thanks to gambitgrl for beta-ing this monster at the last moment. Title comes from Walking to Do by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.
Title: A Whole Lot of Walking to Do
Fandom: DCU
Rating: PG-13 for language
Word Count: 17010
Characters: Ted, Booster, bunch of other people
Summary: Warnings for an overabundance of cameos and name drops, references to geek, retro and pop culture, and a timeline that probably wouldn't stand up to actual scrutiny. It started with just a little tutoring...
When Mr. Allen asked Ted to tutor a student, he had no clue whom it could be, and surreptitiously eavesdropping before announcing his presence was a little difficult when the door was wide open. The thunderous chatter of kids rushing off to find food and friends didn't help either. He did, however, catch the somewhat bewildered but mostly disappointed words of, "-isn't like you. I can't understand what happened." Peering into the classroom, Ted spied the chemistry teacher sitting on the edge of his desk and talking to a tall, broad-shouldered teen who looked familiar in that 'passed a thousand times in the hall without really noticing' kind of way.
He cleared his throat, "You wanted to see me, Mr. Allen?"
The man in question looked up. "Ah, Ted. Thank you for coming. I'd like you to meet Michael Carter. He seems to be having issues grasping some of the material and is in need of a tutor. Michael, this is Ted Kord, one of my top students. I have every confidence he can help you get your grades back up."
The kid- Michael -look a bit embarrassed. "Thanks, Mr. Allen." His words were mostly mumbled into his own collarbone. "I'll try to do better."
A hand clapped on his shoulder. "If there's anyone you should want to do better for, it's yourself,and perhaps Coach Grant, if you want to stay on the team."
Michael grinned, a quick little thing, fast as lightning and flashing teeth just as bright. "Right."
Mr. Allen sent them off with some words of encouragement and a wave; the two stood out in the hall looking a little uncertain as to what, exactly, the next step entailed.
"Well," Ted, for lack of anything else to do, held out his hand, "I'm Ted."
"So I've heard." The hand was clasped in a grip built for crushing small creatures or rescuing babies from burning buildings- strong enough to crunch bones but careful enough that you were aware of how much pain you weren’t in in. "Booster."
"Booster?"
"It's a nickname. I, uh, don't like 'Michael' much."
"Don't know why, it's not a bad name. Not like 'Herman' or 'Siegfried', but whatever." Ted shifted his bag higher on his shoulders and gave this 'Booster' a look. He was tall- probably close to six feet already -and had the kind of clean, all-American look of a Rockwellian hero, if Rockwell ever made a hero. "So you're on a sports team, then?"
"Football. Starting quarterback for the varsity team- well, I was. Until I stop almost-failing chemistry, I'm benched."
If Ted knew anything about high school sports all of that might’ve meant something to him. Instead he just shrugged. "That's what tutors are for. So do you need to eat with your team to keep your spot on the bench? Because we should probably figure out what we need to work on and schedules and stuff."
Booster shifted a bit, looking out into the hall. It had thinned out, most of the students already in their usual chomping grounds, but there were a few stragglers and drifters floating about. "No, I'm... I'm good to hang around."
"Yeah, well- I hope eating is in your plan because I'm hungry. You buying or packing?"
"I brought something."
"Good. We can eat in the quad and go over what you're having problems with."
Booster's (and Ted could not get over how ridiculous that nickname was) problem was pretty impressive. That is, Ted was impressed that he managed to go a month without almost-failing before. He spent a good five minutes just staring at the tests Booster gave him, sandwich slowly drooping in one hand, as he tried to figure out where to even start.
"Okay," he let out a sigh. He hoped Mr. Allen gave him all the extra credit in the universe for this because wow. "I, um... we should probably just start with basics. You know, build on fundamentals and all that. You do that in sports, don't you?"
Booster seemed a little confused at the question. "Well, yeah."
"Okay. Good." Ted shifted through the pages and wondered if something like Chemistry for Dummies existed. Or better yet, Chemistry for People that Obviously aren't Trying. He'd have to ask Barbara to look it up for him. "We should probably meet up a couple times a week. You have a schedule or something?"
There was a pause as Booster swallowed a mouthful of sandwich- something thin and barely more than two slabs of bread slapped together, probably a slice of luncheon meat and cheese held together by mustard. Not like Ted's that was hemorrhaging tomatoes, pulled chicken and ranch dressing. Ted would've felt self-conscious if he thought about it and instead focused on the abysmal test scores.
"Coach cut down my practice days to Monday and Friday after school."
"What about weekends? Those free?"
Booster's eyes darted to the side momentarily, and Ted would've missed it if he hadn't looked up at just the right moment. "Not usually."
Well, nothing for it, then. "Guess Tuesday through Thursday is it." Ted pulled out his planner and made a note in it. "We can just meet up at the library after class- there's a table in the history section that's usually pretty quiet. There a number I can reach you at?"
There was a pause just noticeable enough and that time Booster actually looked uncomfortable. "Not really."
It stirred irritation in Ted. "You know, it's not like I'm going to crash your place or crimp your style or anything. Just because I'm your tutor doesn't mean I think we've suddenly become friends."
"It's not- I didn't-" Booster slapped a hand to his face and sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I don't want my ma to know I'm having trouble in school is all."
Ted's jimmies unrustled themselves. He could understand that- Lord knew what kind of grief his own father would give him if he found out Ted was close to failing a class. "Well, it's only for just-in-case purposes, anyway. Here," he tore out a corner of paper from his planner and scribbled out contact info on it. "You can call me if you need to, and that's my e-mail address if you prefer."
That seemed to put Booster more at ease. "Yeah. Yeah, e-mail is good."
"We can start tomorrow. That work for you?"
"Sure."
"Mind if I hang on to your tests, so I can plan lessons and stuff?"
"Go for it."
"Alright, cool." Ted finally took his first bite of his sandwich and found half of it already plopped out in a pile on his napkin. He would've rolled his eyes and just re-stuffed it, but with Booster sitting there he felt sort of... awkward. They ate in silence, not looking at each other and not trying to bring attention to themselves. He almost sighed with relief when Booster polished off his lunch and let out a hasty, "See you tomorrow" before leaving. Ted picked at some fallen chicken, popping it in his mouth and licking the dressing from his fingers. Why the hell did he volunteer to be a tutor?
~*~*~*~
Another day, another final bell, another afternoon of students ping-ponging off each other in the packed halls. Ted often wondered where they all came from; it didn't seem like there were enough classes to hold them all. It seemed like people came in from some kind of multiverse for the sole purpose of making things a confusing mess. However, through perseverance and a generous application of elbows, he made it to the haven that was the library. Tucked behind the periodicals and huge History of... encyclopedias, was a table occupied by Booster, a chemistry book and... an amazingly leggy blonde. She leaned on the back of a chair, laughing at something Booster said. Ted slowed, wondering if he was intruding on anything when the two noticed him. The girl said something to Booster before going off with a wave, and when she passed by Ted she gave him a quick little grin.
Ted spun around as he walked, utterly amazed that she'd acknowledged his existence, and nearly ran into a bookshelf. "Wow," he marveled, still not recovering from the encounter. "Who was that?"
"My sister."
"Sister? She's really-"
Booster gave him the look of someone acutely aware of how attractive other people found his sister and who was not particularly eager to keep hearing it.
"Uh, her hair is very shiny. What kind of shampoo does she use?"
That made Booster snort, but at least it didn't seem like he was going to beat Ted up. The upturn of his lips prompted Ted to joke, "Don't be jealous, your hair is also very shiny."
Booster ducked his head- but not quick enough Ted didn't see that little smile he tried to hide -and ran a self-conscious hand through his hair. "Uh, thanks. We use the same products, actually."
"Well, it's working out for you." Ted began pulling out his own books, notebooks and his planner. "Ready to enter the magical world of science?"
"Isn't 'magical science' an oxymoron?"
"Not familiar with Arthur C. Clark, I see. Third law: 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'."
An amused eyebrow rose. "So chemistry is sufficiently advanced?"
"Well," Ted said dryly, "for some people it is."
"Ouch." But Booster didn't look insulted, grinning instead. "Got me there."
That the other teen had no problems laughing at himself bumped Booster up a notch in Ted's opinion. "Alright, already. Let's get started then."
He scooted in closer, just enough that his knee bumped into Booster's chair, leaned forward with a pencil in hand and pointing at the book's copy of the periodic table as he explained. "The entire purpose of the periodic table is to put the elements into an organized and easy-to-remember fashion. It's organized by atomic number- left to right, up and down. The atomic mass usually increases as you go, too; there's only a couple exceptions so they're easy to remember. The colors represent different categories of elements and each horizontal row is called a period-"
Booster groaned and put his head in his hands. "We don't have to start this far back."
"Did you forget the test where you put down '69' every time you're asked how many electrons were in an element?"
The blond’s face went red before turning away. "I... got bored."
"You're gonna be a lot more bored if you don't pay attention and get kicked off the team."
There was a sigh, a pinching of nose bridges, and some muttered curses about gardens before Booster turned back to the book. "Okay, okay. Continue."
And so it went for the first week, Ted cramming a chapter each session and helping Booster plow through his homework. On Friday night Booster emailed him periodically to clarify a problem. When it happened again Monday, Ted just gave him his usernames for various IM programs. Which meant he wasn't raiding with his guild and that was not a good start to his week. Especially when Scott ended up getting the drops necessary to craft the legendary weapon Ted had been after.
He stuffed his face in his hands. "Arrrrrgh. So fucking not fair!"
Scott laughed over Mumble. "/Next time, Ted. Next time./"
"I hate you so much."
"/Ted, the mystic forge is still going to be there when you've got time./"
"Stop being reasonable, Babs." Booster's chat window flashed. It was, quelle surprise, another question about balancing equations. "I'm trying to whine here."
"/Well, I think Tim's going to be on later, so if you're that desperate, maybe you two night owls can jump in with another group./"
He typed up an explanation and hit enter with a pinky before clicking his mic active again. "I dunno, this is looking pretty hopeless. I think my Fridays and Mondays are shot for the foreseeable future."
"/Maybe we should do another Mist run in Ted's honor./"
"Hate you, too, Sue."
Not an hour later, however, he received a message from Booster that read Gotta run. Dinner and then my sister roped herself into playing a game with me.
What game? Ted asked before he could help it. It was probably some ultra-violent manly game jocks played so they could pretend they weren't nerds, like Halo or Dead or Alive or maybe something like Madden if Booster was the type who lived-breathed-ate football.
Mari0.
I'm trying to through the Portal map pack but Shel is terrible at it
keeps putting portals in the worst spots possible.
I almost think she's trolling me.
Well. That was unexpected. Mari0?
You can download it for free online.
It's a 2d sidescroller using Mario sprites, but you have a portal gun
like from the Portal game.
You into puzzle games?
I guess.
I'm not a gamer or anything I just like games that are fun.
Gotta go
see you after school.
"Huh." Ted said to his screen. "Didn't expect that." As soon as Booster's name went inactive, he set his own status to invisible, fired up Guild Wars 2 and clicked his mic on again. "Alright, I'm going World vs World, so you guys can bite me."
~*~*~*~
The rest of the week passed by without incident until, once again, Friday hit. After the final bell rang Ted lingered behind the rest of the class, waiting for things to thin out a bit before he started on his way to the buses. He did not expect Booster to be waiting at the door- how did Booster know what his last class was?
"Uh," he shifted his bag on his shoulder, "hi?"
"Hey," Booster bit his lip, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Aren't you supposed to be practicing?"
"Kinda got an emergency, and I don't know anyone else that might help."
Brow furrowing, Ted moved toward a little alcove away from the stream of bodies. "What is it?"
Instead of answering, Booster dug into his own bag and dragged out a laptop, handing it over to Ted. "It stopped working last night, and I don't know anything about computers. I was hoping maybe you did."
The casing was a little beat up and scuffed- an old and definitely outdated Samsung. "What makes you think I know anything about computers?" he asked, even as he popped it open and tried to turn it on. Nothing happened.
"Well, you're probably the smartest person I know, so I figured if you couldn't fix it you’d know who could."
"Lucky for you I do know a thing or two, but I can’t work it out here." He checked his watch- the buses would be leaving soon. "I'm going to have to take it home and look at it. You can come over if you want, otherwise I'll bring it back Monday."
Booster's eyebrows raised. "Your folks wouldn't mind?"
Ted shrugged, tucking the laptop under his arm. "My dad's out on business, and I'll call my mom on the bus, but I doubt she'll care. If she does, I'll just tell her it's an emergency cram session." He walked on, giving Booster no other choice but to follow him or leave his laptop in someone else's possession for the weekend. By the time they reached the bus, most of the seats were already taken though Ted managed to find them a spot kitty-corner across the aisle from each other. Ted waved at a couple familiar faces before sitting next to John Jones, who was a decent enough guy if not far too serious and quiet for Ted's taste. Booster smiled nervously at Carol Ferris, who made space for him with a placating little smile of her own. He sat on the edge of the seat, obviously not comfortable in the slightest, but before Ted could open his mouth someone poked Booster in the back of the head.
"Aren't you supposed to be practicing, Carter?"
"Me?" Booster grinned brightly, and it hit Ted sideways that he could go from pleasantly good looking to almost mesmerizing in a second. "You weren't the one benched. What're you doing here, Grayson?"
"Sprained my ankle at practice yesterday. Coach told me to take it easy for the rest of the week. What about you?"
"Ted's tutoring me in chemistry. We're headed to his place, so he can take a look at my computer."
"Oh yeah?" Dick looked at Ted for just a moment before turning back to Booster. "He's a smart enough guy, just don't let him talk your ear off, okay?"
They laughed and chatted throughout the ride, and Ted ground his teeth together as he pretended not to listen in. Fucking Grayson. If this kicked off another sort-of-rivalry, Barbara was going to beat both their asses. Thankfully, though, no Rubicons were crossed before Ted stood up and waved at Booster to follow him off the bus, right behind Ollie Queen and Kimiyo Hoshi in the Lower Swank part of town.
Booster gave a low whistle as he looked around, the buildings too large to be free-standing Victorians, too small to be manors. "Wow. Talk about putting on the Ritz."
"This is nothing. You should try about three miles down that way," Ted said, pointing after the bus. "Down there’s where the super-rich that like showing off how super-rich they are."
"Your family isn't super rich?"
"We do alright.” Ted shrugged, he didn’t really think about it. “C'mon, my place is just a couple blocks this way."
Unfortunately, now that Dick wasn't around to make easy conversation with Booster, the walk to Ted's house filled with a silence that stretched thin between them, uncomfortable and putting Ted on edge. He'd never felt more relieved when the wild barking started up, muffled as the noise filtered out from panes of glass. Ted grinned, pace quickening slightly and he turned into a gate, punched in the code and let Booster in first. By the time Ted stepped in and closed the gate behind him, a small, slightly rotund beagle was wriggling through the dog door and galloping down the steps.
Ted handed Booster's laptop back so he could crouch down with his arms thrown out wide. "Hey there, Buggy! You miss me? Of course you did. I missed you too, baby!" The dog whined, torn between wanting to jump on Ted and lick him all over, or writhe on the ground demanding her belly to be rubbed; as if, for the nth time, she didn't believe Ted would come back home.
"I didn't know you had a dog," Booster said from somewhere over Ted's shoulder.
"Oh, uh- I probably should've mentioned that before. Do you have any phobias? Allergies? Dog biscuits in your pockets?"
"No, no- I'm good. And if I had any dog treats, Skeets would've gotten to 'em already."
"Skeets?"
"My dog."
Bug finally realized that her person was not alone and rolled back onto her legs to paw at Booster's knees and nose his thigh, debating if she could demand pets from him, too. When Booster knelt and scratched behind her ear, Bug stuck her wet nose against his neck then anywhere else she could explore, making him laugh.
"So what's her name?" Booster asked as she made the attempt to climb in his lap and up the back of his shirt.
"Bug. She's kind of getting on in the years. Used to belong to a family friend- an archeology professor -but he started going on digs more and more often, so he ended up giving her to us. C'mere, Bug! C'mon, girl!" He lifted the happy mess of dog up in his arms, leading the way up to the front. Ted unlocked the door and called out, "Hey, Mom! I'm home!"
From the living room came the answering shout of, "Welcome home, sweetie. How was school?"
"Eh, same old." He let Bug down, and she scrabbled toward the stairs, obviously familiar with that part of the routine. "Got someone from school having some computer problems, so we're heading up to my room."
"Alright. Your grandmother gave us baklava, so take a piece up if you want."
Ted's eyes lit up. "Oooo, baklava!"
"And feed Bug while you're in the kitchen."
"Sure thing, Mom!"
Ted detoured into the kitchen, and Booster hissed at him, "I thought you said you were going to call ahead."
He got a shrug with his answer, "Eh, she found out eventually and it's okay anyway, so no harm, no foul. You want a piece?"
"Uh... I don't know what..."
"Baklava."
"Baklava is."
"It's a kind of flaky pastry filled with nuts."
Booster shifted as Ted bustled around. "I guess I'll try a piece, sure."
"Want a drink? We got milk, soda, water. Mom usually has black tea in the afternoon so we can reheat that for you."
"Water is fine." He stood uncertainly in the doorway as Ted went about, apparently entirely at ease with Booster's presence as if he were a friend and not some guy from school he was academically hand-holding.
He pulled out two plates and forks, opened up a box on the counter, and put a piece of parallelogram baked good onto each, then he grabbed two glasses and set them by the fridge. "You want ice with your water?"
"Sure."
Once the glass was filled, Ted handed it and the plate with fork to Booster. He jerked his head in the direction of the stairs. "Head up to the second floor. My door's the first on the right. If you need to use the bathroom before I get up there, it's at the end of the opposite hall."
It took a bit of maneuvering to get the baklava, drink and laptop balancing together, but Booster nodded and started on his way. The last he saw of the kitchen was Ted fishing out a tin of dog food and pulling open the top. Booster nearly tripped over Bug as she skidded into the kitchen. He felt out of place in the high-ceiling foyer and clerestory windows crisscrossed with decorative bars, letting in the afternoon light. Even the stairs were opulent, curving upward under a chandelier of elegantly shaped metal and glass, topped with electric candles. Booster tried not to think of the dirt he tracked all over the runner. The second story hall was lined with photos of a man- Ted's father, if Booster guessed from the hair and shape of his jaw -with various people, planes, buildings and Booster wondered how important a man Kord Sr. was. Reaching the first door on the right, Booster finagled the doorknob with an elbow, carefully poking his head inside of Ted's room, just to make sure he found the right one.
Despite not knowing the other teen that well, Booster was pretty confident it was Ted's room, and not just from the mess of tossed clothing and books all over the floor. An entire wall lined with bookshelves, half filled with beat up copies of sci-fi books, half with thick texts that had titles containing things like 'quantum' and 'mathematics' and various synonyms for 'technology' was a solid hint. There were three different models of the USS Enterprise opposite a Millennium Falcon and a TIE Interceptor. On the walls were posters of Indiana Jones, Serenity, Metropolis and, of all things, the periodic table. Which, upon closer inspection, was actually a periodic table of fictional elements. Booster sipped at his water and marveled at how Ted was apparently a level of geek that Booster hadn't known previously existed. On the desk were two large monitors flanked by various action figures, smaller ship models, TRON lightcycles- both classic and modern -and the biggest damn computer tower Booster had ever seen outside of science movies from the '80s.
He could hear Ted coming up the stairs, steps heavy and without a care in the world. When Ted entered the room, he kicked his door mostly shut, just enough to give a sense of privacy and warn any parental figures they should knock first, but just open enough so any four-legged critter could nose its way in without difficulty.
"Welcome to Casa de Ted. We hope you enjoy your stay and don't forget to tip your waiter on the way out."
"A waiter who makes me take up my own meals? Can't say I'm too impressed."
"Don't worry. What I lack in service, I make up for with witty banter." Ted sat at his computer chair, spinning it around so he could put his baklava, glass of milk and a bottle of honey on the side-table. "Alright, lemme take a look at the thing. You bring the power cable?"
"Yeah, hang on." He dug the cord out of his bag, sitting on the floor as he watched Ted plug things in. "It was working fine after school yesterday, but when I tried turning it on after dinner, nothing happened."
Ted hummed around a sip of milk, laptop open on his knees. "Let Dr. Ted see what he can do. How's the baklava, by the way?"
Having kind of forgotten about the pastry entirely, Booster took a forkful of a corner and popped it in his mouth.
"That's not an expression of taste-bud-induced-bliss."
"It's... I don't know what to think." He swallowed the bite and then took another one, chewing slowly, brow furrowed in thought. "It's not bad, but it's so different from anything else I've had."
"Here," Ted held out the bear-shaped bottle, "I like honey with mine. Makes it sweeter."
Obediently putting a dab of honey on the plate, Booster dipped his next forkful into it. His eyebrows jumped at the taste. "Oh yeah, definitely better with honey."
That got him a big grin out of Ted. "Yup, thought so. You keep eating, I'll mess with this." The moment Ted started to hook all sorts of things to Booster's laptop, almost before Booster managed to swallow his next bite, he practically forgot the other teen was in the room. So Booster sat and ate and watched as Ted hummed tunelessly, pressing buttons and plugging one thing to another and that thing to his own computer. By the time Booster finished his baklava, Ted had drained half his cup of milk and was taking a screwdriver to the laptop's casing. Feeling a little awkward just sitting there, Booster pulled out a book from his bag and leaned against Ted's bed. At some point Bug shuffled into the room and laid down in a nest of clothes by Booster's side. He scratched a thumb over her head, smiling to himself as her tailed whumped against the floor.
About halfway through his second chapter, Ted said, "Okay, so I got good news and bad news."
Booster looked up, "Did you figure it out?"
"Well, that's the good news." Ted swiveled his chair around, chewing around the last bit of baklava. "What book you reading?"
"Oh, it's, uh, The Devil in the White City, a non-fiction novel that's half about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and H. H. Holmes, America's first serial killer."
"Yeah, yeah- I've heard of him. He as fucked up as everyone says?"
"Worse, if you can believe that." Booster dog-eared his book. "So what's the verdict, Doc? Will it play the piano again?"
"'Fraid not."
"Guess that's okay. Couldn't do it before, either."
Ted snorted but then his mouth went a little twisty. "Sorry to say it, but it looks like your motherboard is fried."
"That's bad, right?"
"Pretty much a death sentence."
Booster winced, "No way to fix it?"
"I got an enclosure I can put the hard drive in, so we can at least pull the files from it, but aside from that there's nothing I can do. Sorry, man. Once it's dead, it's dead."
"Not my Aunt Lucy. She was a Republican."
Ted froze. His head slowly turned so he could stare at Booster with disbelieving eyes.
The look clearly unnerved him, "What?"
"Did you just make a Road to Morocco reference?"
"Um... yes?"
Laptop forgotten, Ted cupped his chin in one hand. "Dare I ask what else you like?"
"Well, lots of stuff."
"Marx Brothers?"
"Who doesn't?"
"Abbot and Costello?"
"Of course."
"The Thin Man series?"
"First one's the best."
"Charlie Chaplin?"
"I've only seen a couple films"
Ted's eyes narrowed in challenge. "Buster Keaton?"
That made Booster pause, "Who?"
A grin split Ted's lips, crooked and full of anticipated mirth. "If you like Chaplin, you'll love Keaton. Too bad about your laptop- I'd let you borrow some DVDs."
"We have a DVD player at home. Little old, but it still works. Or I can steal my sister's computer." Booster hesitated for a moment, caught by the pleasantly amazed little expression on Ted's face. "What?"
"Sorry, I just... didn't think we'd have similar tastes in anything. I have friends that like a couple of the same things I do, but not so much the older stuff."
Booster laughed and scratched at his chest. "You're lucky. Aside from my sister and mom, the only thing I seem to have in common with my so-called friends is football."
"If you ever want to be introduced to people with off-beat senses of humor and a taste for something a little less sporty, just let me know. You seem like a pretty easy-going guy, so I'm sure you'd get along with my friends. Most of them, anyway. But!" Ted kicked his heel against the floor, spinning around once before stopping himself at the computer. "We should get your files transferring while we get to tutoring again. I have a 4G USB you can use for any homework or any other files you need access to. If there's anything else you need that won't fit, just hang on to your hard drive until you get a new computer, and I can help transfer the rest then."
"That's... I really appreciate it, Ted. I don't know how to thank you for all this."
"You can thank me by taking good care of this." Ted held out an awkward looking Ravage figure, the robo-panther all straight limbs and strange proportions. Ted folded the joints in until it became a thumbdrive, Decepticon sigil facing up. "If you don't think I want this back, I don't know if we can be friends."
Booster's own mouth twisted as he looked at the USB. "I don't know how you can let me take something like that and expect me not to keep it."
There was a long pause. "Good point. But it still stands- I'll be wanting this back."
"I'll try."
~*~*~*~
Booster ended up staying for dinner- a frozen lasagna and garlic bread -and late enough that Ted's mom insisted on driving him home. She dropped him off by a park at the part of town where the line between comfortably middle class and the Projects blurred. After saying their good nights and driving off, Ted's mom asked if Booster was a new friend.
Ted just settled back in his seat and said, "Maybe."
The rest of the weekend went by as it always did: tinkering with whatever project caught his fancy, chatting with friends and playing games when he needed a break, playing with Bug when he needed a break from that, and awkwardly not talking to his father when he finally came back from whatever business trip he was on. When Monday rolled around, Ted was so busy remembering how to get through school he completely forgot about what happened Friday, at least until he passed Booster in the hall. They passed each other so quickly it only gave Booster time to lock eyes with him and smile, the whole thing blindsiding Ted so he could only stutter-grin in return. By lunch, normalcy returned with Booster sitting with all the football players and Ted at the alcove table with all the other fringers, trying to hash out a plan to see the midnight showing of The Hobbit.
At least until Booster approached their table with a self-conscious little grin. "Hey, Ted," his hands were stuffed in his pocket, "just wanted to thank you for your help Friday. I, uh," he pulled the Ravage USB from his pocket and handed it over, "I'm sharing my sister's computer for now. It'll be a while before I get my own again, so I probably won't see you online…but…you know. Thanks."
"Yeah, no problem." Slipping the USB into his own pocket, Ted swiveled around on the bench until he was straddling the seat. "When's your next chemistry class?"
"Tomorrow after lunch."
"If you need help with your homework, I can help you out during lunch."
"Really? You don't mind?"
"I'm a tutor, right?" Ted shrugged, "It's all part of being responsible something something something. 'S no problem at all."
Booster's grin wasn't quite as brilliant as the one he gave Grayson on Friday but it made Ted quirk a smile back all the same. "Yeah. That'd be awesome. See you tomorrow, then."
When Booster left, Ted turned back to the table to find everyone else looking at him with equally skeptical expressions. "What?"
"You're tutoring Booster in chemistry?" Ralph asked with his chin on Sue's shoulder.
"Yeah. Why?"
Ralph's nose twitched, but he otherwise said nothing. Instead, Sue chided, "Responsible? You? I guess the Mayans were right."
"You know what else they were right about? Human sacrifice." He threw a piece of lettuce at her, getting it stuck in her glossy black hair. "Heathens." A chunk of gouda smacked him right between the eyes.
Part Two
Title: A Whole Lot of Walking to Do
Fandom: DCU
Rating: PG-13 for language
Word Count: 17010
Characters: Ted, Booster, bunch of other people
Summary: Warnings for an overabundance of cameos and name drops, references to geek, retro and pop culture, and a timeline that probably wouldn't stand up to actual scrutiny. It started with just a little tutoring...
When Mr. Allen asked Ted to tutor a student, he had no clue whom it could be, and surreptitiously eavesdropping before announcing his presence was a little difficult when the door was wide open. The thunderous chatter of kids rushing off to find food and friends didn't help either. He did, however, catch the somewhat bewildered but mostly disappointed words of, "-isn't like you. I can't understand what happened." Peering into the classroom, Ted spied the chemistry teacher sitting on the edge of his desk and talking to a tall, broad-shouldered teen who looked familiar in that 'passed a thousand times in the hall without really noticing' kind of way.
He cleared his throat, "You wanted to see me, Mr. Allen?"
The man in question looked up. "Ah, Ted. Thank you for coming. I'd like you to meet Michael Carter. He seems to be having issues grasping some of the material and is in need of a tutor. Michael, this is Ted Kord, one of my top students. I have every confidence he can help you get your grades back up."
The kid- Michael -look a bit embarrassed. "Thanks, Mr. Allen." His words were mostly mumbled into his own collarbone. "I'll try to do better."
A hand clapped on his shoulder. "If there's anyone you should want to do better for, it's yourself,and perhaps Coach Grant, if you want to stay on the team."
Michael grinned, a quick little thing, fast as lightning and flashing teeth just as bright. "Right."
Mr. Allen sent them off with some words of encouragement and a wave; the two stood out in the hall looking a little uncertain as to what, exactly, the next step entailed.
"Well," Ted, for lack of anything else to do, held out his hand, "I'm Ted."
"So I've heard." The hand was clasped in a grip built for crushing small creatures or rescuing babies from burning buildings- strong enough to crunch bones but careful enough that you were aware of how much pain you weren’t in in. "Booster."
"Booster?"
"It's a nickname. I, uh, don't like 'Michael' much."
"Don't know why, it's not a bad name. Not like 'Herman' or 'Siegfried', but whatever." Ted shifted his bag higher on his shoulders and gave this 'Booster' a look. He was tall- probably close to six feet already -and had the kind of clean, all-American look of a Rockwellian hero, if Rockwell ever made a hero. "So you're on a sports team, then?"
"Football. Starting quarterback for the varsity team- well, I was. Until I stop almost-failing chemistry, I'm benched."
If Ted knew anything about high school sports all of that might’ve meant something to him. Instead he just shrugged. "That's what tutors are for. So do you need to eat with your team to keep your spot on the bench? Because we should probably figure out what we need to work on and schedules and stuff."
Booster shifted a bit, looking out into the hall. It had thinned out, most of the students already in their usual chomping grounds, but there were a few stragglers and drifters floating about. "No, I'm... I'm good to hang around."
"Yeah, well- I hope eating is in your plan because I'm hungry. You buying or packing?"
"I brought something."
"Good. We can eat in the quad and go over what you're having problems with."
Booster's (and Ted could not get over how ridiculous that nickname was) problem was pretty impressive. That is, Ted was impressed that he managed to go a month without almost-failing before. He spent a good five minutes just staring at the tests Booster gave him, sandwich slowly drooping in one hand, as he tried to figure out where to even start.
"Okay," he let out a sigh. He hoped Mr. Allen gave him all the extra credit in the universe for this because wow. "I, um... we should probably just start with basics. You know, build on fundamentals and all that. You do that in sports, don't you?"
Booster seemed a little confused at the question. "Well, yeah."
"Okay. Good." Ted shifted through the pages and wondered if something like Chemistry for Dummies existed. Or better yet, Chemistry for People that Obviously aren't Trying. He'd have to ask Barbara to look it up for him. "We should probably meet up a couple times a week. You have a schedule or something?"
There was a pause as Booster swallowed a mouthful of sandwich- something thin and barely more than two slabs of bread slapped together, probably a slice of luncheon meat and cheese held together by mustard. Not like Ted's that was hemorrhaging tomatoes, pulled chicken and ranch dressing. Ted would've felt self-conscious if he thought about it and instead focused on the abysmal test scores.
"Coach cut down my practice days to Monday and Friday after school."
"What about weekends? Those free?"
Booster's eyes darted to the side momentarily, and Ted would've missed it if he hadn't looked up at just the right moment. "Not usually."
Well, nothing for it, then. "Guess Tuesday through Thursday is it." Ted pulled out his planner and made a note in it. "We can just meet up at the library after class- there's a table in the history section that's usually pretty quiet. There a number I can reach you at?"
There was a pause just noticeable enough and that time Booster actually looked uncomfortable. "Not really."
It stirred irritation in Ted. "You know, it's not like I'm going to crash your place or crimp your style or anything. Just because I'm your tutor doesn't mean I think we've suddenly become friends."
"It's not- I didn't-" Booster slapped a hand to his face and sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I don't want my ma to know I'm having trouble in school is all."
Ted's jimmies unrustled themselves. He could understand that- Lord knew what kind of grief his own father would give him if he found out Ted was close to failing a class. "Well, it's only for just-in-case purposes, anyway. Here," he tore out a corner of paper from his planner and scribbled out contact info on it. "You can call me if you need to, and that's my e-mail address if you prefer."
That seemed to put Booster more at ease. "Yeah. Yeah, e-mail is good."
"We can start tomorrow. That work for you?"
"Sure."
"Mind if I hang on to your tests, so I can plan lessons and stuff?"
"Go for it."
"Alright, cool." Ted finally took his first bite of his sandwich and found half of it already plopped out in a pile on his napkin. He would've rolled his eyes and just re-stuffed it, but with Booster sitting there he felt sort of... awkward. They ate in silence, not looking at each other and not trying to bring attention to themselves. He almost sighed with relief when Booster polished off his lunch and let out a hasty, "See you tomorrow" before leaving. Ted picked at some fallen chicken, popping it in his mouth and licking the dressing from his fingers. Why the hell did he volunteer to be a tutor?
~*~*~*~
Another day, another final bell, another afternoon of students ping-ponging off each other in the packed halls. Ted often wondered where they all came from; it didn't seem like there were enough classes to hold them all. It seemed like people came in from some kind of multiverse for the sole purpose of making things a confusing mess. However, through perseverance and a generous application of elbows, he made it to the haven that was the library. Tucked behind the periodicals and huge History of... encyclopedias, was a table occupied by Booster, a chemistry book and... an amazingly leggy blonde. She leaned on the back of a chair, laughing at something Booster said. Ted slowed, wondering if he was intruding on anything when the two noticed him. The girl said something to Booster before going off with a wave, and when she passed by Ted she gave him a quick little grin.
Ted spun around as he walked, utterly amazed that she'd acknowledged his existence, and nearly ran into a bookshelf. "Wow," he marveled, still not recovering from the encounter. "Who was that?"
"My sister."
"Sister? She's really-"
Booster gave him the look of someone acutely aware of how attractive other people found his sister and who was not particularly eager to keep hearing it.
"Uh, her hair is very shiny. What kind of shampoo does she use?"
That made Booster snort, but at least it didn't seem like he was going to beat Ted up. The upturn of his lips prompted Ted to joke, "Don't be jealous, your hair is also very shiny."
Booster ducked his head- but not quick enough Ted didn't see that little smile he tried to hide -and ran a self-conscious hand through his hair. "Uh, thanks. We use the same products, actually."
"Well, it's working out for you." Ted began pulling out his own books, notebooks and his planner. "Ready to enter the magical world of science?"
"Isn't 'magical science' an oxymoron?"
"Not familiar with Arthur C. Clark, I see. Third law: 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'."
An amused eyebrow rose. "So chemistry is sufficiently advanced?"
"Well," Ted said dryly, "for some people it is."
"Ouch." But Booster didn't look insulted, grinning instead. "Got me there."
That the other teen had no problems laughing at himself bumped Booster up a notch in Ted's opinion. "Alright, already. Let's get started then."
He scooted in closer, just enough that his knee bumped into Booster's chair, leaned forward with a pencil in hand and pointing at the book's copy of the periodic table as he explained. "The entire purpose of the periodic table is to put the elements into an organized and easy-to-remember fashion. It's organized by atomic number- left to right, up and down. The atomic mass usually increases as you go, too; there's only a couple exceptions so they're easy to remember. The colors represent different categories of elements and each horizontal row is called a period-"
Booster groaned and put his head in his hands. "We don't have to start this far back."
"Did you forget the test where you put down '69' every time you're asked how many electrons were in an element?"
The blond’s face went red before turning away. "I... got bored."
"You're gonna be a lot more bored if you don't pay attention and get kicked off the team."
There was a sigh, a pinching of nose bridges, and some muttered curses about gardens before Booster turned back to the book. "Okay, okay. Continue."
And so it went for the first week, Ted cramming a chapter each session and helping Booster plow through his homework. On Friday night Booster emailed him periodically to clarify a problem. When it happened again Monday, Ted just gave him his usernames for various IM programs. Which meant he wasn't raiding with his guild and that was not a good start to his week. Especially when Scott ended up getting the drops necessary to craft the legendary weapon Ted had been after.
He stuffed his face in his hands. "Arrrrrgh. So fucking not fair!"
Scott laughed over Mumble. "/Next time, Ted. Next time./"
"I hate you so much."
"/Ted, the mystic forge is still going to be there when you've got time./"
"Stop being reasonable, Babs." Booster's chat window flashed. It was, quelle surprise, another question about balancing equations. "I'm trying to whine here."
"/Well, I think Tim's going to be on later, so if you're that desperate, maybe you two night owls can jump in with another group./"
He typed up an explanation and hit enter with a pinky before clicking his mic active again. "I dunno, this is looking pretty hopeless. I think my Fridays and Mondays are shot for the foreseeable future."
"/Maybe we should do another Mist run in Ted's honor./"
"Hate you, too, Sue."
Not an hour later, however, he received a message from Booster that read Gotta run. Dinner and then my sister roped herself into playing a game with me.
What game? Ted asked before he could help it. It was probably some ultra-violent manly game jocks played so they could pretend they weren't nerds, like Halo or Dead or Alive or maybe something like Madden if Booster was the type who lived-breathed-ate football.
Mari0.
I'm trying to through the Portal map pack but Shel is terrible at it
keeps putting portals in the worst spots possible.
I almost think she's trolling me.
Well. That was unexpected. Mari0?
You can download it for free online.
It's a 2d sidescroller using Mario sprites, but you have a portal gun
like from the Portal game.
You into puzzle games?
I guess.
I'm not a gamer or anything I just like games that are fun.
Gotta go
see you after school.
"Huh." Ted said to his screen. "Didn't expect that." As soon as Booster's name went inactive, he set his own status to invisible, fired up Guild Wars 2 and clicked his mic on again. "Alright, I'm going World vs World, so you guys can bite me."
~*~*~*~
The rest of the week passed by without incident until, once again, Friday hit. After the final bell rang Ted lingered behind the rest of the class, waiting for things to thin out a bit before he started on his way to the buses. He did not expect Booster to be waiting at the door- how did Booster know what his last class was?
"Uh," he shifted his bag on his shoulder, "hi?"
"Hey," Booster bit his lip, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Aren't you supposed to be practicing?"
"Kinda got an emergency, and I don't know anyone else that might help."
Brow furrowing, Ted moved toward a little alcove away from the stream of bodies. "What is it?"
Instead of answering, Booster dug into his own bag and dragged out a laptop, handing it over to Ted. "It stopped working last night, and I don't know anything about computers. I was hoping maybe you did."
The casing was a little beat up and scuffed- an old and definitely outdated Samsung. "What makes you think I know anything about computers?" he asked, even as he popped it open and tried to turn it on. Nothing happened.
"Well, you're probably the smartest person I know, so I figured if you couldn't fix it you’d know who could."
"Lucky for you I do know a thing or two, but I can’t work it out here." He checked his watch- the buses would be leaving soon. "I'm going to have to take it home and look at it. You can come over if you want, otherwise I'll bring it back Monday."
Booster's eyebrows raised. "Your folks wouldn't mind?"
Ted shrugged, tucking the laptop under his arm. "My dad's out on business, and I'll call my mom on the bus, but I doubt she'll care. If she does, I'll just tell her it's an emergency cram session." He walked on, giving Booster no other choice but to follow him or leave his laptop in someone else's possession for the weekend. By the time they reached the bus, most of the seats were already taken though Ted managed to find them a spot kitty-corner across the aisle from each other. Ted waved at a couple familiar faces before sitting next to John Jones, who was a decent enough guy if not far too serious and quiet for Ted's taste. Booster smiled nervously at Carol Ferris, who made space for him with a placating little smile of her own. He sat on the edge of the seat, obviously not comfortable in the slightest, but before Ted could open his mouth someone poked Booster in the back of the head.
"Aren't you supposed to be practicing, Carter?"
"Me?" Booster grinned brightly, and it hit Ted sideways that he could go from pleasantly good looking to almost mesmerizing in a second. "You weren't the one benched. What're you doing here, Grayson?"
"Sprained my ankle at practice yesterday. Coach told me to take it easy for the rest of the week. What about you?"
"Ted's tutoring me in chemistry. We're headed to his place, so he can take a look at my computer."
"Oh yeah?" Dick looked at Ted for just a moment before turning back to Booster. "He's a smart enough guy, just don't let him talk your ear off, okay?"
They laughed and chatted throughout the ride, and Ted ground his teeth together as he pretended not to listen in. Fucking Grayson. If this kicked off another sort-of-rivalry, Barbara was going to beat both their asses. Thankfully, though, no Rubicons were crossed before Ted stood up and waved at Booster to follow him off the bus, right behind Ollie Queen and Kimiyo Hoshi in the Lower Swank part of town.
Booster gave a low whistle as he looked around, the buildings too large to be free-standing Victorians, too small to be manors. "Wow. Talk about putting on the Ritz."
"This is nothing. You should try about three miles down that way," Ted said, pointing after the bus. "Down there’s where the super-rich that like showing off how super-rich they are."
"Your family isn't super rich?"
"We do alright.” Ted shrugged, he didn’t really think about it. “C'mon, my place is just a couple blocks this way."
Unfortunately, now that Dick wasn't around to make easy conversation with Booster, the walk to Ted's house filled with a silence that stretched thin between them, uncomfortable and putting Ted on edge. He'd never felt more relieved when the wild barking started up, muffled as the noise filtered out from panes of glass. Ted grinned, pace quickening slightly and he turned into a gate, punched in the code and let Booster in first. By the time Ted stepped in and closed the gate behind him, a small, slightly rotund beagle was wriggling through the dog door and galloping down the steps.
Ted handed Booster's laptop back so he could crouch down with his arms thrown out wide. "Hey there, Buggy! You miss me? Of course you did. I missed you too, baby!" The dog whined, torn between wanting to jump on Ted and lick him all over, or writhe on the ground demanding her belly to be rubbed; as if, for the nth time, she didn't believe Ted would come back home.
"I didn't know you had a dog," Booster said from somewhere over Ted's shoulder.
"Oh, uh- I probably should've mentioned that before. Do you have any phobias? Allergies? Dog biscuits in your pockets?"
"No, no- I'm good. And if I had any dog treats, Skeets would've gotten to 'em already."
"Skeets?"
"My dog."
Bug finally realized that her person was not alone and rolled back onto her legs to paw at Booster's knees and nose his thigh, debating if she could demand pets from him, too. When Booster knelt and scratched behind her ear, Bug stuck her wet nose against his neck then anywhere else she could explore, making him laugh.
"So what's her name?" Booster asked as she made the attempt to climb in his lap and up the back of his shirt.
"Bug. She's kind of getting on in the years. Used to belong to a family friend- an archeology professor -but he started going on digs more and more often, so he ended up giving her to us. C'mere, Bug! C'mon, girl!" He lifted the happy mess of dog up in his arms, leading the way up to the front. Ted unlocked the door and called out, "Hey, Mom! I'm home!"
From the living room came the answering shout of, "Welcome home, sweetie. How was school?"
"Eh, same old." He let Bug down, and she scrabbled toward the stairs, obviously familiar with that part of the routine. "Got someone from school having some computer problems, so we're heading up to my room."
"Alright. Your grandmother gave us baklava, so take a piece up if you want."
Ted's eyes lit up. "Oooo, baklava!"
"And feed Bug while you're in the kitchen."
"Sure thing, Mom!"
Ted detoured into the kitchen, and Booster hissed at him, "I thought you said you were going to call ahead."
He got a shrug with his answer, "Eh, she found out eventually and it's okay anyway, so no harm, no foul. You want a piece?"
"Uh... I don't know what..."
"Baklava."
"Baklava is."
"It's a kind of flaky pastry filled with nuts."
Booster shifted as Ted bustled around. "I guess I'll try a piece, sure."
"Want a drink? We got milk, soda, water. Mom usually has black tea in the afternoon so we can reheat that for you."
"Water is fine." He stood uncertainly in the doorway as Ted went about, apparently entirely at ease with Booster's presence as if he were a friend and not some guy from school he was academically hand-holding.
He pulled out two plates and forks, opened up a box on the counter, and put a piece of parallelogram baked good onto each, then he grabbed two glasses and set them by the fridge. "You want ice with your water?"
"Sure."
Once the glass was filled, Ted handed it and the plate with fork to Booster. He jerked his head in the direction of the stairs. "Head up to the second floor. My door's the first on the right. If you need to use the bathroom before I get up there, it's at the end of the opposite hall."
It took a bit of maneuvering to get the baklava, drink and laptop balancing together, but Booster nodded and started on his way. The last he saw of the kitchen was Ted fishing out a tin of dog food and pulling open the top. Booster nearly tripped over Bug as she skidded into the kitchen. He felt out of place in the high-ceiling foyer and clerestory windows crisscrossed with decorative bars, letting in the afternoon light. Even the stairs were opulent, curving upward under a chandelier of elegantly shaped metal and glass, topped with electric candles. Booster tried not to think of the dirt he tracked all over the runner. The second story hall was lined with photos of a man- Ted's father, if Booster guessed from the hair and shape of his jaw -with various people, planes, buildings and Booster wondered how important a man Kord Sr. was. Reaching the first door on the right, Booster finagled the doorknob with an elbow, carefully poking his head inside of Ted's room, just to make sure he found the right one.
Despite not knowing the other teen that well, Booster was pretty confident it was Ted's room, and not just from the mess of tossed clothing and books all over the floor. An entire wall lined with bookshelves, half filled with beat up copies of sci-fi books, half with thick texts that had titles containing things like 'quantum' and 'mathematics' and various synonyms for 'technology' was a solid hint. There were three different models of the USS Enterprise opposite a Millennium Falcon and a TIE Interceptor. On the walls were posters of Indiana Jones, Serenity, Metropolis and, of all things, the periodic table. Which, upon closer inspection, was actually a periodic table of fictional elements. Booster sipped at his water and marveled at how Ted was apparently a level of geek that Booster hadn't known previously existed. On the desk were two large monitors flanked by various action figures, smaller ship models, TRON lightcycles- both classic and modern -and the biggest damn computer tower Booster had ever seen outside of science movies from the '80s.
He could hear Ted coming up the stairs, steps heavy and without a care in the world. When Ted entered the room, he kicked his door mostly shut, just enough to give a sense of privacy and warn any parental figures they should knock first, but just open enough so any four-legged critter could nose its way in without difficulty.
"Welcome to Casa de Ted. We hope you enjoy your stay and don't forget to tip your waiter on the way out."
"A waiter who makes me take up my own meals? Can't say I'm too impressed."
"Don't worry. What I lack in service, I make up for with witty banter." Ted sat at his computer chair, spinning it around so he could put his baklava, glass of milk and a bottle of honey on the side-table. "Alright, lemme take a look at the thing. You bring the power cable?"
"Yeah, hang on." He dug the cord out of his bag, sitting on the floor as he watched Ted plug things in. "It was working fine after school yesterday, but when I tried turning it on after dinner, nothing happened."
Ted hummed around a sip of milk, laptop open on his knees. "Let Dr. Ted see what he can do. How's the baklava, by the way?"
Having kind of forgotten about the pastry entirely, Booster took a forkful of a corner and popped it in his mouth.
"That's not an expression of taste-bud-induced-bliss."
"It's... I don't know what to think." He swallowed the bite and then took another one, chewing slowly, brow furrowed in thought. "It's not bad, but it's so different from anything else I've had."
"Here," Ted held out the bear-shaped bottle, "I like honey with mine. Makes it sweeter."
Obediently putting a dab of honey on the plate, Booster dipped his next forkful into it. His eyebrows jumped at the taste. "Oh yeah, definitely better with honey."
That got him a big grin out of Ted. "Yup, thought so. You keep eating, I'll mess with this." The moment Ted started to hook all sorts of things to Booster's laptop, almost before Booster managed to swallow his next bite, he practically forgot the other teen was in the room. So Booster sat and ate and watched as Ted hummed tunelessly, pressing buttons and plugging one thing to another and that thing to his own computer. By the time Booster finished his baklava, Ted had drained half his cup of milk and was taking a screwdriver to the laptop's casing. Feeling a little awkward just sitting there, Booster pulled out a book from his bag and leaned against Ted's bed. At some point Bug shuffled into the room and laid down in a nest of clothes by Booster's side. He scratched a thumb over her head, smiling to himself as her tailed whumped against the floor.
About halfway through his second chapter, Ted said, "Okay, so I got good news and bad news."
Booster looked up, "Did you figure it out?"
"Well, that's the good news." Ted swiveled his chair around, chewing around the last bit of baklava. "What book you reading?"
"Oh, it's, uh, The Devil in the White City, a non-fiction novel that's half about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and H. H. Holmes, America's first serial killer."
"Yeah, yeah- I've heard of him. He as fucked up as everyone says?"
"Worse, if you can believe that." Booster dog-eared his book. "So what's the verdict, Doc? Will it play the piano again?"
"'Fraid not."
"Guess that's okay. Couldn't do it before, either."
Ted snorted but then his mouth went a little twisty. "Sorry to say it, but it looks like your motherboard is fried."
"That's bad, right?"
"Pretty much a death sentence."
Booster winced, "No way to fix it?"
"I got an enclosure I can put the hard drive in, so we can at least pull the files from it, but aside from that there's nothing I can do. Sorry, man. Once it's dead, it's dead."
"Not my Aunt Lucy. She was a Republican."
Ted froze. His head slowly turned so he could stare at Booster with disbelieving eyes.
The look clearly unnerved him, "What?"
"Did you just make a Road to Morocco reference?"
"Um... yes?"
Laptop forgotten, Ted cupped his chin in one hand. "Dare I ask what else you like?"
"Well, lots of stuff."
"Marx Brothers?"
"Who doesn't?"
"Abbot and Costello?"
"Of course."
"The Thin Man series?"
"First one's the best."
"Charlie Chaplin?"
"I've only seen a couple films"
Ted's eyes narrowed in challenge. "Buster Keaton?"
That made Booster pause, "Who?"
A grin split Ted's lips, crooked and full of anticipated mirth. "If you like Chaplin, you'll love Keaton. Too bad about your laptop- I'd let you borrow some DVDs."
"We have a DVD player at home. Little old, but it still works. Or I can steal my sister's computer." Booster hesitated for a moment, caught by the pleasantly amazed little expression on Ted's face. "What?"
"Sorry, I just... didn't think we'd have similar tastes in anything. I have friends that like a couple of the same things I do, but not so much the older stuff."
Booster laughed and scratched at his chest. "You're lucky. Aside from my sister and mom, the only thing I seem to have in common with my so-called friends is football."
"If you ever want to be introduced to people with off-beat senses of humor and a taste for something a little less sporty, just let me know. You seem like a pretty easy-going guy, so I'm sure you'd get along with my friends. Most of them, anyway. But!" Ted kicked his heel against the floor, spinning around once before stopping himself at the computer. "We should get your files transferring while we get to tutoring again. I have a 4G USB you can use for any homework or any other files you need access to. If there's anything else you need that won't fit, just hang on to your hard drive until you get a new computer, and I can help transfer the rest then."
"That's... I really appreciate it, Ted. I don't know how to thank you for all this."
"You can thank me by taking good care of this." Ted held out an awkward looking Ravage figure, the robo-panther all straight limbs and strange proportions. Ted folded the joints in until it became a thumbdrive, Decepticon sigil facing up. "If you don't think I want this back, I don't know if we can be friends."
Booster's own mouth twisted as he looked at the USB. "I don't know how you can let me take something like that and expect me not to keep it."
There was a long pause. "Good point. But it still stands- I'll be wanting this back."
"I'll try."
~*~*~*~
Booster ended up staying for dinner- a frozen lasagna and garlic bread -and late enough that Ted's mom insisted on driving him home. She dropped him off by a park at the part of town where the line between comfortably middle class and the Projects blurred. After saying their good nights and driving off, Ted's mom asked if Booster was a new friend.
Ted just settled back in his seat and said, "Maybe."
The rest of the weekend went by as it always did: tinkering with whatever project caught his fancy, chatting with friends and playing games when he needed a break, playing with Bug when he needed a break from that, and awkwardly not talking to his father when he finally came back from whatever business trip he was on. When Monday rolled around, Ted was so busy remembering how to get through school he completely forgot about what happened Friday, at least until he passed Booster in the hall. They passed each other so quickly it only gave Booster time to lock eyes with him and smile, the whole thing blindsiding Ted so he could only stutter-grin in return. By lunch, normalcy returned with Booster sitting with all the football players and Ted at the alcove table with all the other fringers, trying to hash out a plan to see the midnight showing of The Hobbit.
At least until Booster approached their table with a self-conscious little grin. "Hey, Ted," his hands were stuffed in his pocket, "just wanted to thank you for your help Friday. I, uh," he pulled the Ravage USB from his pocket and handed it over, "I'm sharing my sister's computer for now. It'll be a while before I get my own again, so I probably won't see you online…but…you know. Thanks."
"Yeah, no problem." Slipping the USB into his own pocket, Ted swiveled around on the bench until he was straddling the seat. "When's your next chemistry class?"
"Tomorrow after lunch."
"If you need help with your homework, I can help you out during lunch."
"Really? You don't mind?"
"I'm a tutor, right?" Ted shrugged, "It's all part of being responsible something something something. 'S no problem at all."
Booster's grin wasn't quite as brilliant as the one he gave Grayson on Friday but it made Ted quirk a smile back all the same. "Yeah. That'd be awesome. See you tomorrow, then."
When Booster left, Ted turned back to the table to find everyone else looking at him with equally skeptical expressions. "What?"
"You're tutoring Booster in chemistry?" Ralph asked with his chin on Sue's shoulder.
"Yeah. Why?"
Ralph's nose twitched, but he otherwise said nothing. Instead, Sue chided, "Responsible? You? I guess the Mayans were right."
"You know what else they were right about? Human sacrifice." He threw a piece of lettuce at her, getting it stuck in her glossy black hair. "Heathens." A chunk of gouda smacked him right between the eyes.
Part Two