And soon I'll find that I was completely wrong.
Title: Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Fandom: Justice League
Characters: Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Wonder Woman, Kate Spencer
Prompt: "Home."
Word Count: 1140
Rating: PG/PG-13
Author's Notes: Wanted to get this written before the 7th, when the next Manhunter is scheduled to come out (at least last I checked) and we will (hopefully, presumably) find out the truth behind Beetle(?). Because despite the fact that I have no idea where Booster is OYL, I fully believe he should've been the first person Wonder Woman called.
Written in about two hours, no beta, god I need to go to bed.
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
"While we wait for Batman's results," Diana said slowly. "I took the liberty of calling someone else who might be of some help."
Kate frowned curiously. "Who?"
As if waiting for just that cue, the doorbell rang. Kate and Diana glanced in the direction of the door, then at each other. Kate wondered if Diana was also thinking about the conveniently timed chime.
Probably not, she decided as she followed the Amazon to greet the mysterious new person that, Kate suddenly realized, Diana hadn't yet given the name of.
Opening the door revealed a slightly scruffy-looking man rubbing the back of his neck as he looked off to the side. He was tall, with short blond hair, and quite heroically proportioned. Kate had no idea who he was.
The man immediately turned to look at Diana and frowned. He looked tired.
"Diana," he sighed, sounding tired as well. "I thought I asked you not to call unless it was...."
He trailed off suddenly, shocked gaze focused on something behind them. It didn't take a genius to guess just what, or rather who, had caused his reaction, so Kate wasn't at all surprised to suddenly hear Beetle's voice.
"Booster?"
The finally-named Booster brushed past Kate and Diana without a second glance, entirely focused on the man who for all intents and purposes was Blue Beetle, previously deceased.
"Ted?" Booster whispered, raising a hand as if to touch the man, but hesitating. "I thought you were...."
Beetle smiled wryly and shrugged. "That's what they tell me."
Swallowing thickly, Booster croaked, "Take it off."
"...I don't think dinner and a movie is too much to ask before you start making demands like that," Beetle quipped.
"The mask, Ted!" Booster snapped, again reaching out to him and stopping himself. "Take off your goggles."
Beetle's expression turned serious, then he nodded and touched the underside of his chin. Moments later, his cowl was hanging down over his back, finally revealing a face that Kate had previously only seen in pictures. His short brown hair was a mess from being under the cowl, but he definitely looked like Ted Kord.
Reaching out and finally touching him, Booster's eyes darted hungrily over Ted's face before he lurched forward and hugged the man tightly. Eyes widening with surprise, Ted hesitantly returned the hug, running a hand over Booster's back.
"God I've missed you, Ted," Booster whispered raggedly.
Kate shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling like an intruder. A glance at Diana revealed that the woman was gazing at the two men with sad fondness.
Finally letting go, Booster didn't bother stepping back, seeming perfectly comfortable well within Ted's personal space. Ted, for his part, didn't even seem to notice what would, for most people, be an uncomfortable level of closeness.
Glancing over his shoulder, Booster winced and said, "Diana, could you...?"
"We'll give you a moment," Diana replied smoothly, smiling.
She started walking from the room and it took Kate a moment to realize that she should probably follow. Giving the two men one more curious glance, she hurried after Diana.
Once they were far enough that they should be out of earshot, Kate leaned over and murmured, "So... Are they...?"
Diana just laughed.
---------------
As Kate and Diana's footsteps faded in the background, Booster reached out again and rested his hands on Ted's shoulders.
"Ted..." he said slowly, reluctantly, then took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Why was I kicked out of Gotham U?"
Ted's brow furrowed in confusion, then his expression abruptly cleared in understanding. "Gambling," he said. "You needed the money for your mom."
"And then?"
"Then...you let the money get to you and you got caught," Ted sighed.
Booster grimaced and nodded. "Remember the vampire we were hired to collect?"
Wincing, Ted muttered, "Jeez, Booster."
"Why didn't we get paid for the job?"
Ted looked down. "He--It...." He sighed. "He jumped. Killed himself so we couldn't take him back to be hurt. Like his family."
Leaning down, Booster touched his forehead to Ted's, gently squeezing the man's shoulders. "When Overmaster invaded. And I said I knew what was happening, what was going to happen. What did you say to me before I left?"
Smiling wryly, Ted looked up at him and said, "'I can't even tell you to be careful and have it mean anything.'"
"'It would mean you cared. That would mean a lot.'"
"'Then be careful, Booster. Don't get yourself killed in that thing.' God, what was I thinking building that deathtrap for you?"
Pulling Ted into his arms, Booster closed his eyes and turned his face to press it against the side of his friend's head. Ted tensed briefly in surprise, then just as quickly relaxed and hugged him back. Cupping the back of Ted's head with one hand, Booster took a deep, shaky breath and decided that he could let go whenever he wanted...he just didn't want to.
---------------
Later, much later, Booster wandered into the room Kate and Diana had appropriated to discuss Diana's case. He was staring at the floor, hands stuffed into his pockets.
"Michael," Diana greeted him.
"Diana."
"What's your opinion?" she asked gently. "Do you think it's really him?"
Booster sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Yes...and no."
"Well that clears everything up," Kate grumbled.
"When I put my lasso on him, he said he was Ted Kord," Diana said.
"He--" Booster shook his head and met her eyes. "What did he say...exactly?"
Diana frowned thoughtfully. "He said the DNA test would prove he was Ted Kord."
"The DNA... God, he must suspect," Booster muttered, mouth tilting up slightly in amusement.
"Suspect what?" Kate asked impatiently.
For the first time since coming, Booster looked directly at her. "He is Ted Kord and he isn't," he said. "The mind might be his, but the body...it's different. I'm not sure if it's just...healed or a cloned body, but that's not the same body Ted had last time I saw him."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "How can you be so sure?"
Pointing to his own head, Booster replied, "Ted has--had a scar on his scalp. I checked, it's not there."
"Perhaps you missed it," Diana suggested.
"It's six inches long," Booster argued. "It's from when Doomsday put him in a coma. ...Ted was always worried his hair would grow in white there." He grinned suddenly. "It never did, but one time I got some clippings from when Tora cut her hair and planted them on him." Looking off to the side, his expression was nostalgic and sad. "You should've heard him yelling when he found them...."
"So he isn't Ted?" Kate asked reluctantly.
Booster frowned. "Didn't you hear what I said? It's his mind, the only thing that's different is his body."
Turning and walking from the room, he added, "And that's close enough."
-----
Note: Will track down issue number and give appropriate credit for quotes used. ...Tomorrow.
Fandom: Justice League
Characters: Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Wonder Woman, Kate Spencer
Prompt: "Home."
Word Count: 1140
Rating: PG/PG-13
Author's Notes: Wanted to get this written before the 7th, when the next Manhunter is scheduled to come out (at least last I checked) and we will (hopefully, presumably) find out the truth behind Beetle(?). Because despite the fact that I have no idea where Booster is OYL, I fully believe he should've been the first person Wonder Woman called.
Written in about two hours, no beta, god I need to go to bed.
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
"While we wait for Batman's results," Diana said slowly. "I took the liberty of calling someone else who might be of some help."
Kate frowned curiously. "Who?"
As if waiting for just that cue, the doorbell rang. Kate and Diana glanced in the direction of the door, then at each other. Kate wondered if Diana was also thinking about the conveniently timed chime.
Probably not, she decided as she followed the Amazon to greet the mysterious new person that, Kate suddenly realized, Diana hadn't yet given the name of.
Opening the door revealed a slightly scruffy-looking man rubbing the back of his neck as he looked off to the side. He was tall, with short blond hair, and quite heroically proportioned. Kate had no idea who he was.
The man immediately turned to look at Diana and frowned. He looked tired.
"Diana," he sighed, sounding tired as well. "I thought I asked you not to call unless it was...."
He trailed off suddenly, shocked gaze focused on something behind them. It didn't take a genius to guess just what, or rather who, had caused his reaction, so Kate wasn't at all surprised to suddenly hear Beetle's voice.
"Booster?"
The finally-named Booster brushed past Kate and Diana without a second glance, entirely focused on the man who for all intents and purposes was Blue Beetle, previously deceased.
"Ted?" Booster whispered, raising a hand as if to touch the man, but hesitating. "I thought you were...."
Beetle smiled wryly and shrugged. "That's what they tell me."
Swallowing thickly, Booster croaked, "Take it off."
"...I don't think dinner and a movie is too much to ask before you start making demands like that," Beetle quipped.
"The mask, Ted!" Booster snapped, again reaching out to him and stopping himself. "Take off your goggles."
Beetle's expression turned serious, then he nodded and touched the underside of his chin. Moments later, his cowl was hanging down over his back, finally revealing a face that Kate had previously only seen in pictures. His short brown hair was a mess from being under the cowl, but he definitely looked like Ted Kord.
Reaching out and finally touching him, Booster's eyes darted hungrily over Ted's face before he lurched forward and hugged the man tightly. Eyes widening with surprise, Ted hesitantly returned the hug, running a hand over Booster's back.
"God I've missed you, Ted," Booster whispered raggedly.
Kate shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling like an intruder. A glance at Diana revealed that the woman was gazing at the two men with sad fondness.
Finally letting go, Booster didn't bother stepping back, seeming perfectly comfortable well within Ted's personal space. Ted, for his part, didn't even seem to notice what would, for most people, be an uncomfortable level of closeness.
Glancing over his shoulder, Booster winced and said, "Diana, could you...?"
"We'll give you a moment," Diana replied smoothly, smiling.
She started walking from the room and it took Kate a moment to realize that she should probably follow. Giving the two men one more curious glance, she hurried after Diana.
Once they were far enough that they should be out of earshot, Kate leaned over and murmured, "So... Are they...?"
Diana just laughed.
---------------
As Kate and Diana's footsteps faded in the background, Booster reached out again and rested his hands on Ted's shoulders.
"Ted..." he said slowly, reluctantly, then took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Why was I kicked out of Gotham U?"
Ted's brow furrowed in confusion, then his expression abruptly cleared in understanding. "Gambling," he said. "You needed the money for your mom."
"And then?"
"Then...you let the money get to you and you got caught," Ted sighed.
Booster grimaced and nodded. "Remember the vampire we were hired to collect?"
Wincing, Ted muttered, "Jeez, Booster."
"Why didn't we get paid for the job?"
Ted looked down. "He--It...." He sighed. "He jumped. Killed himself so we couldn't take him back to be hurt. Like his family."
Leaning down, Booster touched his forehead to Ted's, gently squeezing the man's shoulders. "When Overmaster invaded. And I said I knew what was happening, what was going to happen. What did you say to me before I left?"
Smiling wryly, Ted looked up at him and said, "'I can't even tell you to be careful and have it mean anything.'"
"'It would mean you cared. That would mean a lot.'"
"'Then be careful, Booster. Don't get yourself killed in that thing.' God, what was I thinking building that deathtrap for you?"
Pulling Ted into his arms, Booster closed his eyes and turned his face to press it against the side of his friend's head. Ted tensed briefly in surprise, then just as quickly relaxed and hugged him back. Cupping the back of Ted's head with one hand, Booster took a deep, shaky breath and decided that he could let go whenever he wanted...he just didn't want to.
---------------
Later, much later, Booster wandered into the room Kate and Diana had appropriated to discuss Diana's case. He was staring at the floor, hands stuffed into his pockets.
"Michael," Diana greeted him.
"Diana."
"What's your opinion?" she asked gently. "Do you think it's really him?"
Booster sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Yes...and no."
"Well that clears everything up," Kate grumbled.
"When I put my lasso on him, he said he was Ted Kord," Diana said.
"He--" Booster shook his head and met her eyes. "What did he say...exactly?"
Diana frowned thoughtfully. "He said the DNA test would prove he was Ted Kord."
"The DNA... God, he must suspect," Booster muttered, mouth tilting up slightly in amusement.
"Suspect what?" Kate asked impatiently.
For the first time since coming, Booster looked directly at her. "He is Ted Kord and he isn't," he said. "The mind might be his, but the body...it's different. I'm not sure if it's just...healed or a cloned body, but that's not the same body Ted had last time I saw him."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "How can you be so sure?"
Pointing to his own head, Booster replied, "Ted has--had a scar on his scalp. I checked, it's not there."
"Perhaps you missed it," Diana suggested.
"It's six inches long," Booster argued. "It's from when Doomsday put him in a coma. ...Ted was always worried his hair would grow in white there." He grinned suddenly. "It never did, but one time I got some clippings from when Tora cut her hair and planted them on him." Looking off to the side, his expression was nostalgic and sad. "You should've heard him yelling when he found them...."
"So he isn't Ted?" Kate asked reluctantly.
Booster frowned. "Didn't you hear what I said? It's his mind, the only thing that's different is his body."
Turning and walking from the room, he added, "And that's close enough."
-----
Note: Will track down issue number and give appropriate credit for quotes used. ...Tomorrow.