Little Boy Blue. Chapter 6
This isn't the chapter I meant to write. ...This is the beginning of the chapter I meant to write. But somehow it ended up much, much longer than I expected. Which means I now haven't a clue how many more chapters this will be. I know what will happen and when, just...not what sections it'll be sorted into.
*waves hand* Whatever. Enjoy.
Beta by lakidaa.
CHAPTERS: { Prologue }{ Chapter One }{ Chapter Two }{ Chapter Three }{ Chapter Four }{ Chapter Five }{ Chapter Six }{ Chapter Seven }{ Chapter Eight }{ Chapter Nine }{ Chapter Ten }{ Chapter Eleven }{ Epilogue }
<-{ previous story: Dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide } { next story: Mullet-verse handbook/guide }->
~6th Chapter
Junior's eyes snapped open, awake instantly, and stared up at the ceiling as he tried to figure out what had woken him. Suddenly realizing what it was, he squinted irritably and frowned.
Carefully extracting himself from Goldie's embrace, he paused to brush a kiss against her forehead before padding quietly from the room.
As he entered the lab, he eyed the communication box with irritation. Finally sighing in resignation, he flopped into his chair and pressed the blinking light on the box.
"Using your little buggies to wake me up is an abuse of power, you know," Junior groused, stifling a yawn.
"I'll take that under advisement," Max replied dismissively as his face appeared on the nearby screen. "I've found pretty much everything I can on your satellite."
Junior sat up with interest. "Yeah? Tell me about it."
Lacing his fingers under his chin, Max smirked at him. "How's about you tell me why you're so interested in something that keeps popping up along with the keywords 'time travel' and 'top secret'."
"Max," Junior sighed. "I don't know anything. I'd tell you if I did, honest. Come over later, you can hear it when we do."
Max grimaced and nodded. "Sure." Dropping one hand, he leaned his head against the other. "I'll tell you one thing though, I've got a fix on the location."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." There was an expression of distaste on his shiny face. "And guess who works for the company who has it?"
"Well gosh, Max, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess not one of your most favorite people in the world?"
"Carrie."
Junior laughed. "Oh god, seriously?"
"Yes," Max sneered. "And guess who I'm not asking for help from, since you'll probably need to get to this satellite."
"Aw Max," Junior protested.
Max shook his head. "This is your wacky shenanigan, you ask for her security card."
"Can't you just hack--"
"No."
Junior stared at him. "Are you...actually admitting you can't hack something?"
"The security system's an AI, Jujubee," Max sighed. "It thinks. I can't take it on on it's home turf. Not like that, anyway."
"Wow," Junior murmured. "They like their secrets."
"Very much," Max agreed. "Make the call, I have things to do. Important things."
"Bye, Max."
The man abruptly disappeared from the screen and Junior shook his head in amusement. Digging his address book from under a pile of papers, he took a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes and yawn widely before entering the number on the touch-tone keys on the comm box.
As it dialed, Junior pressed the button to transfer the telephone signal to his comm. When it picked up he smiled in amusement. "Hello, is Carrie there? Yes, thank you."
An angry female voice came through and his smile widened. "Carrie! Hi. Listen, I need you to get ahold of a security pass to your place of employ for me. ...Yes I know what you were in the middle of, you naughty girl."
The female voice rose to a shriek and he fought not to laugh even as he winced at the volume. "My nephew is the OMAX, Carrie. He could put surveillance wherever I asked him to. ...Uh huh, love and kisses to you, too. Don't forget that security pass I--"
He winced as the call cut off loudly, then snickered to himself. Several minutes later the comm box beeped at him to indicate an incoming call. Pressing the button to put it on speakerphone, not wanting a repeat of the painful volume in his comm, he cheerfully greeted, "Malebolge: we specialize in liars, frauds, and lingerie. How may I direct your call?"
"You know you're a real bastard sometimes."
Junior grinned, recognizing the voice. "Quite frequently, being born out of wedlock. Something amiss, Max?"
"You sicced that woman on me!" Max hissed. "Now I'll probably have to go over and do a sweep just to convince her I don't have her bugged. Blue, you know I don't invade people's privacy like that."
"And I suppose I hallucinated that camera I found in the lamp?"
There was a pause before Max said, "You're family, you don't count as 'people'. You I watch twenty-four/seven."
"Not in the shower, I hope."
"No, those I just sell to the highest bidder."
"Will I be seeing a cut of that?" Junior asked, pursing his lips.
"Stop singing in the shower and we'll talk."
Junior grinned again. "Ouch, Max. You know that saying about hurting the ones you love?"
"All's fair in love and business," Max countered.
"Touche."
"OMAX out," Max said with an audible smirk, ending the call.
Sitting back, Junior rested his chin on a hand and smiled.
---------------
Ted woke to a feeling he was becoming disturbingly familiar with. It was the feeling of being wrapped up in Booster and not minding in the slightest. It worried him, sometimes, how used to it he had become.
Grimacing at the sluggish feeling in his brain and the fuzziness of his mouth, he tried to sit up. Booster made a quiet sound of protest and pressed closer to him. Freezing, Ted closed his eyes as he recognized another feeling that was becoming disturbingly familiar, and found himself both relieved and disappointed that he had worn his shirt and boxer shorts to bed.
After a few moments of careful maneuvering, Ted managed to replace himself with his pillow in Booster's arms. Standing, he stretched and yawned before glancing back at the bed.
There was something strangely endearing about the way Booster was snuggling against the pillow, face relaxed and innocent in sleep, subconsciously thinking it was Ted. A thin shaft of sunlight fell across the man's face and he shifted so it shone over his hair, turning the dull black strands golden once more.
Ted's breath caught and he felt something clench in his chest.
It didn't happen often, but sometimes it just hit him. Hard. That was his best friend, who loved him and wanted him. Hell, they had a son together. And if this future was any indication, they had a damn legacy together.
And the warm, scary, overwhelming feeling welling inside him was the reason he hadn't run far and fast the first time Booster kissed him.
The urge to touch the man suddenly flowed through him and he was already reaching out before he realized what he was doing. His fingers hovered over Booster's cheekbone for a moment, then slowly retracted. Ted didn't want to risk waking him.
Shaking his head, he told himself it wasn't regret he was feeling as he slipped from the room.
---------------
The layout of the house hadn't changed any since yesterday, but Ted's brain was still foggy with sleep so it took him a confused moment to remember which direction the dining room was in. Standing in the doorway, he leaned against the frame as a jaw-cracking yawn escaped him.
When he opened his eyes again, Junior was sitting at the table looking up at him with an amused smile. A bowl of cereal sat in front of him on the table.
"Coffee should be ready in a bit," Junior said, raising a spoonful of what looked like raisin bran to his mouth. "I just put it on. There's...um, cereal in that cabinet over there. Milk's in the fridge. Ah...I think we have eggs, if you want. And there's bread. That's in the fridge too." He shrugged and put the spoon in his mouth.
Mouth not yet awake, Ted made a sound that he hoped was interpreted as a thanks and shuffled over to the pantry. Inside, among various other boxes and bags of assorted dry foods, was a box of raisin bran and a box of cornflakes. Ted frowned at them, thoughts trickling into order.
"Is this going to be a constant throughout your life?" he mumbled.
"What?" Junior asked in confusion, spoon hovering over his bowl. "Breakfast?"
Shaking his head, Ted grabbed the box of cornflakes and closed the pantry. "Nevermind."
Junior shrugged and went back to his cereal, pausing to point Ted toward the bowls and spoons. That taken care of, they both ate in companionable silence.
"So, uh, no offense," Junior said suddenly. "But what're you doing up this early? I mean, dad's usually up before you."
Ted shrugged. "Last night w--" Startled by a sudden clattering sound, he looked up to find that Junior had dropped his spoon into his bowl. A splash of milk was dripping down his arm and he had a look of carefully cultivated blankness on his face.
"Nevermind," he said, voice equally blank. "I...don't want to know what you were doing last night."
Ted stared at him for a moment before understanding dawned and he snorted. Standing up, he swiped at his son's hair as he made his way to the coffeepot. "Wiseacre," he said affectionately. "I meant last night as in yesterday. I was going to say it was pretty tiring, what with being dragged into the future by our well-intentioned but misguided son." At his pointed look, Junior ducked his head and snickered.
"Barely through the door and already there's snickering, that does not bode well."
Ted almost dropped his coffee cup in shock. He knew that voice. He knew it very, very well. It had spoken the last words he'd heard before dying.
"Join me or die time, is that it?"
"That's it exactly."
Then one last spitting in the face of danger and....
"Please don't try to kill me, it's annoying."
Blinking back memories, Ted stared at the face of the man who killed him...and realized that in the course of his flashback he had picked up a knife off the counter. He didn't put it down.
"He's right," Junior spoke up. "It makes him cranky and then Ron kicks him out and he comes to stay on our couch and be cranky at us. Annoying."
Max frowned at Ted, looking put out. "Grampa Grudge, oh how you've been missed."
Junior snorted a laugh. "Oh man, I'd forgotten you used to call him that."
Max cocked his head, then his pale skin shimmered into a gleaming silver. He spread his hands and gave Ted an impatient look with his mismatched eyes. "Better now?"
Dropping the knife back on the counter with a jarring clatter, Ted drew a sharp breath. It was easy to forget, since Max had been de-aged and then further altered by Bug and Skeets, who he was. Max at fourteen and shiny was different enough from Max at middle-aged and skin-toned that he didn't usually register as a threat except peripherally.
And he certainly didn't bear such a striking resemblance to a murderer.
"Yeaaah look, can we deal with your trauma later?" Max said dismissively. "Or actually sooner, considering. Congratulations. Unlike some people, you get to have the certain knowledge that eventually you'll get the hell over it." With that he turned to Junior and pointed to the door. "I'm going to go wake Gold."
"No monster face," Junior warned, turning back to his cereal.
"She loves monster face," Max argued smoothly.
"You know how she is when she's being stubborn about an idea. I'd take her threats of castration seriously if I were you."
Max winced and started out the door, pausing to glance back as Junior called his name.
"I noticed you weren't surprised to see him," Junior enunciated, giving him a pointed look.
"I'm practicing being unflappable."
Junior raised an eyebrow. Max raised one back.
"I'll find that camera," Junior said certainly.
Max raised both eyebrows and smirked. "Have fun."
---------------
Goldie's scream, and subsequent cursing at Max, suggested "monster face" had indeed made an appearance. It also woke Booster, who wandered into the dining room moments later with a worried, confused look on his face. A smile lit up his face when he caught sight of Ted and he dropped his head on the man's shoulder with a contented sigh.
Junior's mouth started twitching like he was trying not to laugh and he headed out the door when Ted shot him an annoyed look. As soon as it shut behind him, Ted could hear him laughing quietly.
Raising a hand, Ted poked Booster's shoulder until he lifted his head and kissed Ted's cheek.
"There's food," Ted told him, listing the foods Junior had mentioned earlier. Booster just snatched Ted's empty bowl and poured some cornflakes from the box still on the counter.
"Who screamed?" he finally asked, getting the milk out.
"Goldie," Ted said, then cleared his throat. "Max is here."
"Hm?"
"Max," Ted emphasized. When Booster didn't look up from his cereal, he added, "He looked a lot like he did when we first met."
"You and him?"
"You and me," Ted clarified, sitting next to him at the table. "And...he also looked a lot like the last time I saw him alive. And adult."
That got Booster's attention and he met Ted's eyes with worried understanding. "Oh."
"I think I wanted to stab him."
Booster wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a sideways hug, resting his cheek against Ted's hair. "You didn't, though." There was silence for a moment before he said, "No really. You didn't, right?"
"I'm not sure it would take," Ted said thoughtfully, lowering an eyebrow. "He's more machine than man now."
After a moment, Booster started snickering. Ted elbowed him and the snicker became a full-blown laugh, jostling Ted until Booster turned and wrapped both arms around him.
"I'm glad my trauma is so amusing," Ted griped half-heartedly.
"Yes, your pain and suffering brings me great enjoyment," Booster chuckled, pressing a kiss to his temple.
"Has the tinman returned to Oz?"
They both jumped in surprise at the even voice, rising to their feet and whirling to face....
"Question!" Ted slowly relaxed, setting a comforting hand on Booster's arm. "You're back. What are--Wait, what?"
"The metal man with a hollow businessman heart," Question murmured, closing the outside door behind him.
"Max went thataway," Ted said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward the door that led to the rest of the house.
"Is Oz here or...wherever he lives?" Booster glanced at Ted in confusion. "Did you find out where he lives while you were threatening stabbing?"
Ted shrugged. "I think he's got a roommate named Ron."
"Roommate?"
"I'd rather not speculate."
Question cocked his head. "Good to see again. Two of one mind, give and take of years' familiarity." Straightening, he strode past them. "Questions have answers in the light of day."
As he disappeared through the door, Ted and Booster stared after him for a moment before looking at each other.
"So...." Booster said slowly. "Sociopath, huh?"
"Kinda, yeah." Ted shrugged. "Won't be the first time we've followed one."
"True. ...Probably won't be the last."
Quirking a smile, Ted motioned toward the door with a sweeping gesture. "Follow the yellow brick road."
"Age before beauty," Booster countered, smirking.
Ted raised an eyebrow. "With that hair?"
"Again with the hair!"
Chuckling, Ted shoved him toward the door. "Hustle your buns, beauty."
"Sure, gramps."
-----
[ETA of chapter the seventh: plotted, partially written]
Mullet-verse handbook/guide. (AKA "Are you as lost as I am?")
*waves hand* Whatever. Enjoy.
Beta by lakidaa.
CHAPTERS: { Prologue }{ Chapter One }{ Chapter Two }{ Chapter Three }{ Chapter Four }{ Chapter Five }{ Chapter Six }{ Chapter Seven }{ Chapter Eight }{ Chapter Nine }{ Chapter Ten }{ Chapter Eleven }{ Epilogue }
<-{ previous story: Dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide } { next story: Mullet-verse handbook/guide }->
~6th Chapter
Junior's eyes snapped open, awake instantly, and stared up at the ceiling as he tried to figure out what had woken him. Suddenly realizing what it was, he squinted irritably and frowned.
Carefully extracting himself from Goldie's embrace, he paused to brush a kiss against her forehead before padding quietly from the room.
As he entered the lab, he eyed the communication box with irritation. Finally sighing in resignation, he flopped into his chair and pressed the blinking light on the box.
"Using your little buggies to wake me up is an abuse of power, you know," Junior groused, stifling a yawn.
"I'll take that under advisement," Max replied dismissively as his face appeared on the nearby screen. "I've found pretty much everything I can on your satellite."
Junior sat up with interest. "Yeah? Tell me about it."
Lacing his fingers under his chin, Max smirked at him. "How's about you tell me why you're so interested in something that keeps popping up along with the keywords 'time travel' and 'top secret'."
"Max," Junior sighed. "I don't know anything. I'd tell you if I did, honest. Come over later, you can hear it when we do."
Max grimaced and nodded. "Sure." Dropping one hand, he leaned his head against the other. "I'll tell you one thing though, I've got a fix on the location."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." There was an expression of distaste on his shiny face. "And guess who works for the company who has it?"
"Well gosh, Max, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess not one of your most favorite people in the world?"
"Carrie."
Junior laughed. "Oh god, seriously?"
"Yes," Max sneered. "And guess who I'm not asking for help from, since you'll probably need to get to this satellite."
"Aw Max," Junior protested.
Max shook his head. "This is your wacky shenanigan, you ask for her security card."
"Can't you just hack--"
"No."
Junior stared at him. "Are you...actually admitting you can't hack something?"
"The security system's an AI, Jujubee," Max sighed. "It thinks. I can't take it on on it's home turf. Not like that, anyway."
"Wow," Junior murmured. "They like their secrets."
"Very much," Max agreed. "Make the call, I have things to do. Important things."
"Bye, Max."
The man abruptly disappeared from the screen and Junior shook his head in amusement. Digging his address book from under a pile of papers, he took a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes and yawn widely before entering the number on the touch-tone keys on the comm box.
As it dialed, Junior pressed the button to transfer the telephone signal to his comm. When it picked up he smiled in amusement. "Hello, is Carrie there? Yes, thank you."
An angry female voice came through and his smile widened. "Carrie! Hi. Listen, I need you to get ahold of a security pass to your place of employ for me. ...Yes I know what you were in the middle of, you naughty girl."
The female voice rose to a shriek and he fought not to laugh even as he winced at the volume. "My nephew is the OMAX, Carrie. He could put surveillance wherever I asked him to. ...Uh huh, love and kisses to you, too. Don't forget that security pass I--"
He winced as the call cut off loudly, then snickered to himself. Several minutes later the comm box beeped at him to indicate an incoming call. Pressing the button to put it on speakerphone, not wanting a repeat of the painful volume in his comm, he cheerfully greeted, "Malebolge: we specialize in liars, frauds, and lingerie. How may I direct your call?"
"You know you're a real bastard sometimes."
Junior grinned, recognizing the voice. "Quite frequently, being born out of wedlock. Something amiss, Max?"
"You sicced that woman on me!" Max hissed. "Now I'll probably have to go over and do a sweep just to convince her I don't have her bugged. Blue, you know I don't invade people's privacy like that."
"And I suppose I hallucinated that camera I found in the lamp?"
There was a pause before Max said, "You're family, you don't count as 'people'. You I watch twenty-four/seven."
"Not in the shower, I hope."
"No, those I just sell to the highest bidder."
"Will I be seeing a cut of that?" Junior asked, pursing his lips.
"Stop singing in the shower and we'll talk."
Junior grinned again. "Ouch, Max. You know that saying about hurting the ones you love?"
"All's fair in love and business," Max countered.
"Touche."
"OMAX out," Max said with an audible smirk, ending the call.
Sitting back, Junior rested his chin on a hand and smiled.
---------------
Ted woke to a feeling he was becoming disturbingly familiar with. It was the feeling of being wrapped up in Booster and not minding in the slightest. It worried him, sometimes, how used to it he had become.
Grimacing at the sluggish feeling in his brain and the fuzziness of his mouth, he tried to sit up. Booster made a quiet sound of protest and pressed closer to him. Freezing, Ted closed his eyes as he recognized another feeling that was becoming disturbingly familiar, and found himself both relieved and disappointed that he had worn his shirt and boxer shorts to bed.
After a few moments of careful maneuvering, Ted managed to replace himself with his pillow in Booster's arms. Standing, he stretched and yawned before glancing back at the bed.
There was something strangely endearing about the way Booster was snuggling against the pillow, face relaxed and innocent in sleep, subconsciously thinking it was Ted. A thin shaft of sunlight fell across the man's face and he shifted so it shone over his hair, turning the dull black strands golden once more.
Ted's breath caught and he felt something clench in his chest.
It didn't happen often, but sometimes it just hit him. Hard. That was his best friend, who loved him and wanted him. Hell, they had a son together. And if this future was any indication, they had a damn legacy together.
And the warm, scary, overwhelming feeling welling inside him was the reason he hadn't run far and fast the first time Booster kissed him.
The urge to touch the man suddenly flowed through him and he was already reaching out before he realized what he was doing. His fingers hovered over Booster's cheekbone for a moment, then slowly retracted. Ted didn't want to risk waking him.
Shaking his head, he told himself it wasn't regret he was feeling as he slipped from the room.
---------------
The layout of the house hadn't changed any since yesterday, but Ted's brain was still foggy with sleep so it took him a confused moment to remember which direction the dining room was in. Standing in the doorway, he leaned against the frame as a jaw-cracking yawn escaped him.
When he opened his eyes again, Junior was sitting at the table looking up at him with an amused smile. A bowl of cereal sat in front of him on the table.
"Coffee should be ready in a bit," Junior said, raising a spoonful of what looked like raisin bran to his mouth. "I just put it on. There's...um, cereal in that cabinet over there. Milk's in the fridge. Ah...I think we have eggs, if you want. And there's bread. That's in the fridge too." He shrugged and put the spoon in his mouth.
Mouth not yet awake, Ted made a sound that he hoped was interpreted as a thanks and shuffled over to the pantry. Inside, among various other boxes and bags of assorted dry foods, was a box of raisin bran and a box of cornflakes. Ted frowned at them, thoughts trickling into order.
"Is this going to be a constant throughout your life?" he mumbled.
"What?" Junior asked in confusion, spoon hovering over his bowl. "Breakfast?"
Shaking his head, Ted grabbed the box of cornflakes and closed the pantry. "Nevermind."
Junior shrugged and went back to his cereal, pausing to point Ted toward the bowls and spoons. That taken care of, they both ate in companionable silence.
"So, uh, no offense," Junior said suddenly. "But what're you doing up this early? I mean, dad's usually up before you."
Ted shrugged. "Last night w--" Startled by a sudden clattering sound, he looked up to find that Junior had dropped his spoon into his bowl. A splash of milk was dripping down his arm and he had a look of carefully cultivated blankness on his face.
"Nevermind," he said, voice equally blank. "I...don't want to know what you were doing last night."
Ted stared at him for a moment before understanding dawned and he snorted. Standing up, he swiped at his son's hair as he made his way to the coffeepot. "Wiseacre," he said affectionately. "I meant last night as in yesterday. I was going to say it was pretty tiring, what with being dragged into the future by our well-intentioned but misguided son." At his pointed look, Junior ducked his head and snickered.
"Barely through the door and already there's snickering, that does not bode well."
Ted almost dropped his coffee cup in shock. He knew that voice. He knew it very, very well. It had spoken the last words he'd heard before dying.
"Join me or die time, is that it?"
"That's it exactly."
Then one last spitting in the face of danger and....
"Please don't try to kill me, it's annoying."
Blinking back memories, Ted stared at the face of the man who killed him...and realized that in the course of his flashback he had picked up a knife off the counter. He didn't put it down.
"He's right," Junior spoke up. "It makes him cranky and then Ron kicks him out and he comes to stay on our couch and be cranky at us. Annoying."
Max frowned at Ted, looking put out. "Grampa Grudge, oh how you've been missed."
Junior snorted a laugh. "Oh man, I'd forgotten you used to call him that."
Max cocked his head, then his pale skin shimmered into a gleaming silver. He spread his hands and gave Ted an impatient look with his mismatched eyes. "Better now?"
Dropping the knife back on the counter with a jarring clatter, Ted drew a sharp breath. It was easy to forget, since Max had been de-aged and then further altered by Bug and Skeets, who he was. Max at fourteen and shiny was different enough from Max at middle-aged and skin-toned that he didn't usually register as a threat except peripherally.
And he certainly didn't bear such a striking resemblance to a murderer.
"Yeaaah look, can we deal with your trauma later?" Max said dismissively. "Or actually sooner, considering. Congratulations. Unlike some people, you get to have the certain knowledge that eventually you'll get the hell over it." With that he turned to Junior and pointed to the door. "I'm going to go wake Gold."
"No monster face," Junior warned, turning back to his cereal.
"She loves monster face," Max argued smoothly.
"You know how she is when she's being stubborn about an idea. I'd take her threats of castration seriously if I were you."
Max winced and started out the door, pausing to glance back as Junior called his name.
"I noticed you weren't surprised to see him," Junior enunciated, giving him a pointed look.
"I'm practicing being unflappable."
Junior raised an eyebrow. Max raised one back.
"I'll find that camera," Junior said certainly.
Max raised both eyebrows and smirked. "Have fun."
---------------
Goldie's scream, and subsequent cursing at Max, suggested "monster face" had indeed made an appearance. It also woke Booster, who wandered into the dining room moments later with a worried, confused look on his face. A smile lit up his face when he caught sight of Ted and he dropped his head on the man's shoulder with a contented sigh.
Junior's mouth started twitching like he was trying not to laugh and he headed out the door when Ted shot him an annoyed look. As soon as it shut behind him, Ted could hear him laughing quietly.
Raising a hand, Ted poked Booster's shoulder until he lifted his head and kissed Ted's cheek.
"There's food," Ted told him, listing the foods Junior had mentioned earlier. Booster just snatched Ted's empty bowl and poured some cornflakes from the box still on the counter.
"Who screamed?" he finally asked, getting the milk out.
"Goldie," Ted said, then cleared his throat. "Max is here."
"Hm?"
"Max," Ted emphasized. When Booster didn't look up from his cereal, he added, "He looked a lot like he did when we first met."
"You and him?"
"You and me," Ted clarified, sitting next to him at the table. "And...he also looked a lot like the last time I saw him alive. And adult."
That got Booster's attention and he met Ted's eyes with worried understanding. "Oh."
"I think I wanted to stab him."
Booster wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a sideways hug, resting his cheek against Ted's hair. "You didn't, though." There was silence for a moment before he said, "No really. You didn't, right?"
"I'm not sure it would take," Ted said thoughtfully, lowering an eyebrow. "He's more machine than man now."
After a moment, Booster started snickering. Ted elbowed him and the snicker became a full-blown laugh, jostling Ted until Booster turned and wrapped both arms around him.
"I'm glad my trauma is so amusing," Ted griped half-heartedly.
"Yes, your pain and suffering brings me great enjoyment," Booster chuckled, pressing a kiss to his temple.
"Has the tinman returned to Oz?"
They both jumped in surprise at the even voice, rising to their feet and whirling to face....
"Question!" Ted slowly relaxed, setting a comforting hand on Booster's arm. "You're back. What are--Wait, what?"
"The metal man with a hollow businessman heart," Question murmured, closing the outside door behind him.
"Max went thataway," Ted said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward the door that led to the rest of the house.
"Is Oz here or...wherever he lives?" Booster glanced at Ted in confusion. "Did you find out where he lives while you were threatening stabbing?"
Ted shrugged. "I think he's got a roommate named Ron."
"Roommate?"
"I'd rather not speculate."
Question cocked his head. "Good to see again. Two of one mind, give and take of years' familiarity." Straightening, he strode past them. "Questions have answers in the light of day."
As he disappeared through the door, Ted and Booster stared after him for a moment before looking at each other.
"So...." Booster said slowly. "Sociopath, huh?"
"Kinda, yeah." Ted shrugged. "Won't be the first time we've followed one."
"True. ...Probably won't be the last."
Quirking a smile, Ted motioned toward the door with a sweeping gesture. "Follow the yellow brick road."
"Age before beauty," Booster countered, smirking.
Ted raised an eyebrow. "With that hair?"
"Again with the hair!"
Chuckling, Ted shoved him toward the door. "Hustle your buns, beauty."
"Sure, gramps."
-----
[ETA of chapter the seventh: plotted, partially written]
Mullet-verse handbook/guide. (AKA "Are you as lost as I am?")