Happy New Year!
It's time once again, folks. That's right, it's a continuation of the Mullet-verse fic, Hairy Situations and Situational Hair! Par for the course, it doesn't have a name yet. Haha!
The prologue is sort of my New Year present to you fine people. Because you know what? You guys are the greatest. Really. I mean that. You and my speech team, you're both great. Except you people are potentially greater, since you never shared a hotel room with me and left me to distract the speech coaches so you could get it on in a fellow teammate's room. Which I would've been able to do if they'd just answered the damn phone so I could warn of the impending bed-check. Gah!
...Anyway. *cough* Ahem. (Beta love goes out to lakidaa, who is always willing to tell me if what I've written doesn't make sense.)
CHAPTERS: { Prologue }{ Chapter One }{ Chapter Two }{ Chapter Three }{ Chapter Four }{ Chapter Five }{ Chapter Six }{ Chapter Seven }{ Chapter Eight }{ Epilogue }
<-{ previous story: Midst Of Rough Earthliness } { next story: Harmonious Discourse }->
Prologue~
There was only so much tentative, nervous making out that Ted could participate in before his brain ruthlessly, emphatically pointed out that the other person was definitely not female, and that there were things going on downstairs that could cause a whole other set of problems.
Ted turned his head, pulling away. Sighing, Booster rested his forehead against Ted's shoulder, letting his arms drop to his sides.
"Ted," he groaned in frustration.
"I'm sorry," Ted protested. "This is still...really weird for me."
"You can't tell me you've never thought about it," Booster argued, lifting his head to look at the man.
"No!"
Booster frowned disbelievingly. "Not even when it seemed like forever since you'd gone out with a woman and pretty much anything sentient and breathing looked good?" He paused thoughtfully. "Though maybe not even breathing, considering some of the beings we've encountered...."
"Booster, we're rapidly approaching Too Much Information territory," Ted said, giving him an odd look. "Actually, scratch that. We've entered the territory and are crossing into Repressed Memory city limits." He paused. "Though I am impressed you know what 'sentient' means."
Waving a hand dismissively, Booster said, "That's beside the point. The point is--"
"The point is, no I've never really thought about it."
"You're in denial. You admit you're in denial."
"About--About this!" Ted sputtered, motioning between the two of them with an uncomfortable look on his face. "Not...that."
Booster rolled his eyes. "Thanks for clarifying, Professor Articulate."
Ted thumped him on the shoulder and turned away, walking toward a box sitting on the sturdy desk. His cowl lay on top of it and he prodded the goggles. "Anyway, it doesn't matter right now," he said irritably. "I have a meeting with the Justice League."
"You have a what?" Booster demanded, disbelief warring with anger on his face. "Why are you meeting with them? Is that why you're wearing your suit?"
"They want to be sure I'm...." Ted motioned vaguely, trying out words in his head before settling for, "Me."
"And you didn't tell them to go to hell because....?"
Ted gave him a look. "Because I really don't want them tracking me down to make sure." He frowned and looked down, absently rubbing his right elbow. "And they have access to resources we don't which we'll need in order to check out Junior."
"I'd rather they never even meet him," Booster said with worried confusion.
"Magic users, Booster," Ted persisted. "Trained magic users. No offense, but you really don't have a clue what you did or how you did it. I'd like some reassurance that the...magic that created him isn't going to wear off and suddenly...uncreate him. And if that is going to happen, I'd like to be able to talk to someone about how to stop it happening."
Booster winced, obviously having considered the possibility himself. "We could...." He made a frustrated sound and brushed his black hair back from his forehead with one hand. "We don't need the Justice League, we could find someone on our own. What about Dr. Fate?"
"He's still holding a grudge about you going through his things."
Grimacing at the reminder, Booster spread his hands. "Zatanna."
"Itching powder in her fishnets; I'm surprised you've forgotten."
"Brother Blood?"
"Booster, he's a supervillain. The name's a dead giveaway."
"Nngh! What about...that guy you used to hang out with? In Hub City? Doesn't he have some sort of freaky magic?"
"That's the Question, and no, he's just a sociopath." Ted sighed. "Look it doesn't matter. For now I'm going to play nice and try not to convince anyone that dying has effected my sanity, though that's debatable."
"I'm still not comfortable with them meeting Junior," Booster insisted.
Ted rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We'll tell them the bare minimum information required. Maybe see if there's a doctor who can look him over while we're there, just to save time. We just keep quiet about his...birth, unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Ted...he's not exactly subtle."
"So we'll give him lessons in proper etiquette around superheroes!" Ted snapped in frustration. "You could be a little help, you know. You've known him longer than I have, for one thing." Leaning his hand on the desktop, he sighed. "Sometimes I just really wish I understood him better. I wish we understood him better."
Booster's eyes widened suddenly in horror. "Ted, take it back!" he said in a panicked rush.
Ted only had time to realize that the material under his hand wasn't the wooden desktop he thought it was before a blinding flash of light spread through the basement.
-----
If you have no idea what I'm talking about with this Mullet-verse stuff, you can find the entire Hairy Situations and Situational Hair story HERE (near the bottom). It's where Junior, Zombie Max, and buggy Skeets make their first appearances.
[ETA of chapter the first: written, in the editing stages]
The prologue is sort of my New Year present to you fine people. Because you know what? You guys are the greatest. Really. I mean that. You and my speech team, you're both great. Except you people are potentially greater, since you never shared a hotel room with me and left me to distract the speech coaches so you could get it on in a fellow teammate's room. Which I would've been able to do if they'd just answered the damn phone so I could warn of the impending bed-check. Gah!
...Anyway. *cough* Ahem. (Beta love goes out to lakidaa, who is always willing to tell me if what I've written doesn't make sense.)
CHAPTERS: { Prologue }{ Chapter One }{ Chapter Two }{ Chapter Three }{ Chapter Four }{ Chapter Five }{ Chapter Six }{ Chapter Seven }{ Chapter Eight }{ Epilogue }
<-{ previous story: Midst Of Rough Earthliness } { next story: Harmonious Discourse }->
Prologue~
There was only so much tentative, nervous making out that Ted could participate in before his brain ruthlessly, emphatically pointed out that the other person was definitely not female, and that there were things going on downstairs that could cause a whole other set of problems.
Ted turned his head, pulling away. Sighing, Booster rested his forehead against Ted's shoulder, letting his arms drop to his sides.
"Ted," he groaned in frustration.
"I'm sorry," Ted protested. "This is still...really weird for me."
"You can't tell me you've never thought about it," Booster argued, lifting his head to look at the man.
"No!"
Booster frowned disbelievingly. "Not even when it seemed like forever since you'd gone out with a woman and pretty much anything sentient and breathing looked good?" He paused thoughtfully. "Though maybe not even breathing, considering some of the beings we've encountered...."
"Booster, we're rapidly approaching Too Much Information territory," Ted said, giving him an odd look. "Actually, scratch that. We've entered the territory and are crossing into Repressed Memory city limits." He paused. "Though I am impressed you know what 'sentient' means."
Waving a hand dismissively, Booster said, "That's beside the point. The point is--"
"The point is, no I've never really thought about it."
"You're in denial. You admit you're in denial."
"About--About this!" Ted sputtered, motioning between the two of them with an uncomfortable look on his face. "Not...that."
Booster rolled his eyes. "Thanks for clarifying, Professor Articulate."
Ted thumped him on the shoulder and turned away, walking toward a box sitting on the sturdy desk. His cowl lay on top of it and he prodded the goggles. "Anyway, it doesn't matter right now," he said irritably. "I have a meeting with the Justice League."
"You have a what?" Booster demanded, disbelief warring with anger on his face. "Why are you meeting with them? Is that why you're wearing your suit?"
"They want to be sure I'm...." Ted motioned vaguely, trying out words in his head before settling for, "Me."
"And you didn't tell them to go to hell because....?"
Ted gave him a look. "Because I really don't want them tracking me down to make sure." He frowned and looked down, absently rubbing his right elbow. "And they have access to resources we don't which we'll need in order to check out Junior."
"I'd rather they never even meet him," Booster said with worried confusion.
"Magic users, Booster," Ted persisted. "Trained magic users. No offense, but you really don't have a clue what you did or how you did it. I'd like some reassurance that the...magic that created him isn't going to wear off and suddenly...uncreate him. And if that is going to happen, I'd like to be able to talk to someone about how to stop it happening."
Booster winced, obviously having considered the possibility himself. "We could...." He made a frustrated sound and brushed his black hair back from his forehead with one hand. "We don't need the Justice League, we could find someone on our own. What about Dr. Fate?"
"He's still holding a grudge about you going through his things."
Grimacing at the reminder, Booster spread his hands. "Zatanna."
"Itching powder in her fishnets; I'm surprised you've forgotten."
"Brother Blood?"
"Booster, he's a supervillain. The name's a dead giveaway."
"Nngh! What about...that guy you used to hang out with? In Hub City? Doesn't he have some sort of freaky magic?"
"That's the Question, and no, he's just a sociopath." Ted sighed. "Look it doesn't matter. For now I'm going to play nice and try not to convince anyone that dying has effected my sanity, though that's debatable."
"I'm still not comfortable with them meeting Junior," Booster insisted.
Ted rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We'll tell them the bare minimum information required. Maybe see if there's a doctor who can look him over while we're there, just to save time. We just keep quiet about his...birth, unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Ted...he's not exactly subtle."
"So we'll give him lessons in proper etiquette around superheroes!" Ted snapped in frustration. "You could be a little help, you know. You've known him longer than I have, for one thing." Leaning his hand on the desktop, he sighed. "Sometimes I just really wish I understood him better. I wish we understood him better."
Booster's eyes widened suddenly in horror. "Ted, take it back!" he said in a panicked rush.
Ted only had time to realize that the material under his hand wasn't the wooden desktop he thought it was before a blinding flash of light spread through the basement.
-----
If you have no idea what I'm talking about with this Mullet-verse stuff, you can find the entire Hairy Situations and Situational Hair story HERE (near the bottom). It's where Junior, Zombie Max, and buggy Skeets make their first appearances.
[ETA of chapter the first: written, in the editing stages]