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It's nearly half past twelve when the doctor returns. Tora, who has been pacing for almost the full eight hours, springs on him immediately. He proffers a nervous smile.
“We have him stabilised.” The look of sheer joy that crosses Tora's tightened features is warming even through her icy exterior.
“Can I...” She hesitates. The doctor nods briefly.
“Yes. But I'm afraid that these two gentlemen will have to wait here.” Her face crumples a little, but Booster shakes his head with that trademark grin of his.
“No! Go on, Tora. Tell Guy we say hi, and that we'll kick his ass if he ever pulls a stunt like that again.” Tora hesitates for a moment, then smiles widely through a faceful of tears, flinging her arms around Booster and Ted.
“... Thank you.” She sniffles gratefully.
“Don't mention it. We'll go grab a coffee or something downstairs. Come find us when you're done,” Ted smiles, patting her back gently. “C'mon Michael, let's leave her to it, I'll buy you a drink.”
They watch Tora hurry after the doctor, grinning stupidly, wiping at the mascara streaks under her eyes. There's silence for a second, then his team-mate grins.
“Sounds good. But call me Booster.”
“... C'mon Booster, I'll buy you a drink.”
The coffee is awful, of course, but to Ted it may as well be liquid gold.
Not that liquid gold would taste great, his mind unhelpfully points out. Metaphors have never really been Ted Kord's area of expertise. Still, knowing that Guy's okay for the moment, and actually sitting with Booster Gold being civil certainly makes a change.
“Listen,” Says Booster, frowning over his polystyrene cup. “I... I'm sorry for being such a jerk these past few weeks...” He even looks duly ashamed, and Ted has to hold back a chuckle at the rather pathetic upward glance he offers.
“Don't worry about it, Booster,” Ted tries the name out with a curious fascination. It's a similar feeling to being let into an R rated movie for the first time. “Let's just forget about it, okay?”
Booster frowns, almost sullenly, rubbing a hand across his tired eyes. He struggles to find appropriate words, then finally comes out with something that Ted wasn't even vaguely anticipating.
“How come you're always so nice to everyone?” He asks frustratedly.
“Why not? It's no fun being bitter all the time.” Ted says, taking a sip of his coffee which has, ironically, almost seven teaspoons of sugar stirred into it.
“No... But, I mean... You barely know that Jaime kid, and he's just taken your car!”
“Well he needs to get home somehow! He's got school tomorrow!” Ted protests plaintively, holding his hands up in defence. “Anyway, the kid's a formula one driver – he's hardly likely to want an aged Ford Focus with a broken radio.”
There's silence, then Booster sniggers a little childishly.
“If you've sat in it, he probably is.” He smirks, and Ted chuckles.
“... He was a little too excited to be driving it, wasn't he?”
They lapse into silence eventually, Booster frowning thoughtfully and Ted watching the twenty four hour news channel playing quietly in the corner of the hospital lobby.
“Hey, how are you getting back, then?” Booster finally asks nearly ten minutes later. Ted blinks, sipping at his coffee idly with a shrug.
“To my hotel? Taxi? I dunno. I hadn't really thought it through.”
“A taxi? At this time of night?”
“... Walk?” Ted tries again.
“At this time of night?!” Booster offers back again.
“You and Tora are walking back to your hotel!” He points out with a rather childish whine. Booster pulls a face in frustration.
“Doesn't count. Our hotel's, like, a three minute walk! In a group!” He informs Ted, talking wildly with his hands.
“Well I already gave Jaime my car!”
“Let me give you a lift back.” Booster says seriously, leaning over the table to frown a little too hard at Ted's face.
“... Is this some trick to lure me into your car and strangle me?” Ted asks, only half joking. Booster blinks owlishly, then wrinkles his forehead.
“No!” He complains indignantly. “Why would you even think that?!” He gives an annoyed huff of breath that Ted can't help but find unexpectedly endearing.
“Relax, I was joking. You can give me a lift back.”
[ INTERLUDE OF SOME KIND I AM LAZY FUCK YOU D:]
“Well thanks for a wonderful evening, Booster, I'd ask you for a goodnight kiss, but my dad might see,” Ted jokes, elbowing open the car door. There's a rather awkward silence that should, ideally, have been filled with laughter. “... Booster? That was a joke. You're meant to laugh.”
Booster blinks, then looks up suddenly, his eyes very, very blue and very, very intense.
Oh god, maybe he is going to kill me... In the parking lot... He's going to leave my body out as a warning to others... Ohgodohgod.
“Ask me.”
“W-What?” Ted understands. At least, he hopes he understands.
“Ask me.” Booster repeats, and Ted really does understand. Unfortunately, his lack of any sort of social skills means that all he can do is blush fiercely.
Lucky for him, Booster takes control, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck and pulling him in for a hesitant kiss.
It's gentle and experimental, but it makes Ted's brain shut down regardless. Booster doesn't taste of anything cliché and romantic, no whiskey or cigarettes or inexplicable strawberries. He tastes mostly of bitter hospital coffee and then the warm dampness of his mouth distracts Ted from anything else. A tongue teases across his, then flits away skittishly as Booster pulls away, looking thoroughly ashamed.
“Oh man... I'm so sorry.” He looks the epitome of humiliated, and flinches back when Ted reaches out to him. “I didn't mean... God, I'm sorry. I've gotta... Go. Go check on Tora...” He doesn't meet Ted's eyes, his eyes fix instead on the passenger side footwell.
Ted, still too utterly thrown to do anything else, finds himself nodding unhappily.
“Oh... Uh... Yeah. Yeah, that's okay. I... See you tomorrow, I guess.” He blinks, pulling away sharply, hesitating a moment before he closes the car door.
“We have him stabilised.” The look of sheer joy that crosses Tora's tightened features is warming even through her icy exterior.
“Can I...” She hesitates. The doctor nods briefly.
“Yes. But I'm afraid that these two gentlemen will have to wait here.” Her face crumples a little, but Booster shakes his head with that trademark grin of his.
“No! Go on, Tora. Tell Guy we say hi, and that we'll kick his ass if he ever pulls a stunt like that again.” Tora hesitates for a moment, then smiles widely through a faceful of tears, flinging her arms around Booster and Ted.
“... Thank you.” She sniffles gratefully.
“Don't mention it. We'll go grab a coffee or something downstairs. Come find us when you're done,” Ted smiles, patting her back gently. “C'mon Michael, let's leave her to it, I'll buy you a drink.”
They watch Tora hurry after the doctor, grinning stupidly, wiping at the mascara streaks under her eyes. There's silence for a second, then his team-mate grins.
“Sounds good. But call me Booster.”
“... C'mon Booster, I'll buy you a drink.”
The coffee is awful, of course, but to Ted it may as well be liquid gold.
Not that liquid gold would taste great, his mind unhelpfully points out. Metaphors have never really been Ted Kord's area of expertise. Still, knowing that Guy's okay for the moment, and actually sitting with Booster Gold being civil certainly makes a change.
“Listen,” Says Booster, frowning over his polystyrene cup. “I... I'm sorry for being such a jerk these past few weeks...” He even looks duly ashamed, and Ted has to hold back a chuckle at the rather pathetic upward glance he offers.
“Don't worry about it, Booster,” Ted tries the name out with a curious fascination. It's a similar feeling to being let into an R rated movie for the first time. “Let's just forget about it, okay?”
Booster frowns, almost sullenly, rubbing a hand across his tired eyes. He struggles to find appropriate words, then finally comes out with something that Ted wasn't even vaguely anticipating.
“How come you're always so nice to everyone?” He asks frustratedly.
“Why not? It's no fun being bitter all the time.” Ted says, taking a sip of his coffee which has, ironically, almost seven teaspoons of sugar stirred into it.
“No... But, I mean... You barely know that Jaime kid, and he's just taken your car!”
“Well he needs to get home somehow! He's got school tomorrow!” Ted protests plaintively, holding his hands up in defence. “Anyway, the kid's a formula one driver – he's hardly likely to want an aged Ford Focus with a broken radio.”
There's silence, then Booster sniggers a little childishly.
“If you've sat in it, he probably is.” He smirks, and Ted chuckles.
“... He was a little too excited to be driving it, wasn't he?”
They lapse into silence eventually, Booster frowning thoughtfully and Ted watching the twenty four hour news channel playing quietly in the corner of the hospital lobby.
“Hey, how are you getting back, then?” Booster finally asks nearly ten minutes later. Ted blinks, sipping at his coffee idly with a shrug.
“To my hotel? Taxi? I dunno. I hadn't really thought it through.”
“A taxi? At this time of night?”
“... Walk?” Ted tries again.
“At this time of night?!” Booster offers back again.
“You and Tora are walking back to your hotel!” He points out with a rather childish whine. Booster pulls a face in frustration.
“Doesn't count. Our hotel's, like, a three minute walk! In a group!” He informs Ted, talking wildly with his hands.
“Well I already gave Jaime my car!”
“Let me give you a lift back.” Booster says seriously, leaning over the table to frown a little too hard at Ted's face.
“... Is this some trick to lure me into your car and strangle me?” Ted asks, only half joking. Booster blinks owlishly, then wrinkles his forehead.
“No!” He complains indignantly. “Why would you even think that?!” He gives an annoyed huff of breath that Ted can't help but find unexpectedly endearing.
“Relax, I was joking. You can give me a lift back.”
[ INTERLUDE OF SOME KIND I AM LAZY FUCK YOU D:]
“Well thanks for a wonderful evening, Booster, I'd ask you for a goodnight kiss, but my dad might see,” Ted jokes, elbowing open the car door. There's a rather awkward silence that should, ideally, have been filled with laughter. “... Booster? That was a joke. You're meant to laugh.”
Booster blinks, then looks up suddenly, his eyes very, very blue and very, very intense.
Oh god, maybe he is going to kill me... In the parking lot... He's going to leave my body out as a warning to others... Ohgodohgod.
“Ask me.”
“W-What?” Ted understands. At least, he hopes he understands.
“Ask me.” Booster repeats, and Ted really does understand. Unfortunately, his lack of any sort of social skills means that all he can do is blush fiercely.
Lucky for him, Booster takes control, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck and pulling him in for a hesitant kiss.
It's gentle and experimental, but it makes Ted's brain shut down regardless. Booster doesn't taste of anything cliché and romantic, no whiskey or cigarettes or inexplicable strawberries. He tastes mostly of bitter hospital coffee and then the warm dampness of his mouth distracts Ted from anything else. A tongue teases across his, then flits away skittishly as Booster pulls away, looking thoroughly ashamed.
“Oh man... I'm so sorry.” He looks the epitome of humiliated, and flinches back when Ted reaches out to him. “I didn't mean... God, I'm sorry. I've gotta... Go. Go check on Tora...” He doesn't meet Ted's eyes, his eyes fix instead on the passenger side footwell.
Ted, still too utterly thrown to do anything else, finds himself nodding unhappily.
“Oh... Uh... Yeah. Yeah, that's okay. I... See you tomorrow, I guess.” He blinks, pulling away sharply, hesitating a moment before he closes the car door.