Happy Boostlethon, rhymed!
Title: Baby's First Christmas
Author: loveofsound
Recipient: rhymed
Ted’s original plan for Christmas was to get together with the rest of the League, eat, exchange terrible presents and get so drunk he was waking up with a hangover on New Years Eve. When he found out the rest of the League had other plans, he decided to stay home instead, getting just as drunk with only his favorite Christmas movies for companions. His plans changed again when Booster offhandedly mentioned that in the future, they didn’t do much of any celebrating for Christmas. Now, he was going to make sure that Booster had the best Christmas Ted could possibly give him. That was why he found himself pacing the Holiday aisles with a cart full of decorations, stockings, and enough tinsel to make even the Batcave look festive. Also in the cart was a little blue “baby’s first Christmas” teddy bear ornament and a reindeer sweater with a giant red light-up nose, both presents for Booster. He chuckled to himself as he imagined the look on Booster’s face when he opened his gifts and continued on, adding more and more into his cart from each aisle he went down. When his cart was stuffed full of holiday decorations and paper and tape, he made his way over to the grocery section to gather the food and booze necessary for the two day celebration. Booster would be arriving sometime on Christmas Eve and staying until Christmas Day, so Ted would need a lot of provisions to get them through. He had to keep an eye on the cart to make sure nothing spilled out when all was said and done, but he somehow made it through the check out line and the parking lot to his car.
When he was finally home and the car unloaded, he turned on the fireplace and chose his holiday playlist from his ipod. His tree had already been put up, though it stood bare in the middle of his living room. Carefully, he laid out all the tree decorations on the floor and began to take them out of their packaging, covering the tree in all the blue and gold ornaments, tinsel, garland and lights he had found at the store. When the tree was done he stopped for a break, making a cup of hot cocoa and sitting on the couch to admire his work. He had thought about decking it out traditional style with the tacky red and green bulbs that littered every holiday section in every store, but once he had actually found Booster Gold and Blue Beetle ornaments, he knew he had to make the tree Blue and Gold. With his mug empty, he went back to decorating, this time focusing on the house instead of the tree. He covered the fireplace mantle with a string of garland and plastic candles, then hung and filled the two stockings. The window clings were next, snowflakes, trees, snowmen and stars on all the windows and doors in the living room, dining room and kitchen. Lights went up and the tree skirt went around the tree, remaining empty while he finished decorating. More candles, plastic and real, were placed around the house along with snowmen figurines and a mini tree for the coffee table. He kept the wreath for last, waiting until all the other decorations had been spread around the house before going outside and hanging the wreath on the door. He smiled as he went back inside, pulling the gifts from their bags and putting them in their boxes, wrapping them neatly and putting a big bow on each one. With the wrapping and decorating all done, he moved on to the baking (limited as it was, being premade dough from Mr. Pillsbury), and spent the rest of the night filling plate after plate with sugary Christmas treats.
********
When Christmas Eve finally arrived, Ted felt giddy like he had as a child waiting for family to start arriving. They had agreed that Booster would arrive somewhere around 6:00, giving Ted plenty of time to start preparing the Christmas Eve tacos, and he was just frying up the beef when he heard the knock at the door. Ted grinned and practically ran to the door, flinging it open to see Booster in his civvies holding a bottle of vodka with a bow on it.
“I figured this was an appropriate present, yeah? Isn’t this what all the kiddies get on Christmas?”
Ted laughed. “Well, their parents, anyway. Come in, come in! I’m making tacos! Go ahead and look through the fridge, there should be some orange juice or soda in there to use as a mixer if you want to make us some drinks.” He closed the door behind Booster and smiled as he saw the blonde looking around the house at all the decorations.
“Dude, is that a Booster Gold ornament on your tree?” He walked himself over to the tree and laughed. “Oh man, where did you even find this?”
“They’re everywhere! Look closer, there’s more. Some Beetle’s, too. You should’ve seen the selection they had. Batman, Superman, a Guy Gardner...”
“Guy? You’re kidding me!”
Ted shook his head and grinned. “One hundred percent serious. There were a lot of them there, too. He must not be very popular! Come on, make us drinks while I finish dinner.”
They headed to the kitchen where Booster made two drinks and Ted finished cooking the meat. He pulled out twin cutting boards and knives and handed one of each to Booster, grabbing an onion and a tomato out of the fridge.
“Here. Pick one to cut.”
“What? And here I thought I was the guest. You’re putting me to work?” Booster chuckled and grabbed the tomato from Ted’s hand, putting it down on the cutting board and slicing into it. “So is this traditional Christmas food or just a Teddy special?”
“Teddy special. I didn’t really want to cook a great big meal for just two of us, and besides I never really was too fond of traditional Christmas food.” He sliced into the onion and shrugged. “So you’re stuck with tacos and pizza instead of Ham and mashed potatoes and fruitcake.” He finished chopping up the onion and grabbed a few bowls from the cupboard, sliding the onion into one and handing one over to Booster.
“That’s cool. I love pizza and tacos, so you can’t go wrong with that!” He slid his tomatoes in the bowl and opened the fridge back up. “I saw some lettuce in here, is that for the tacos too?”
Ted leaned back against the counter with a smile and watched as the blonde rifled through his refrigerator as naturally as if it were his own. “Yeah, just grab the bagged lettuce so we don’t have to chop up the head of lettuce. I’m too lazy for that.”
Booster did as he was told and gave Ted a smile. “You actually have lettuce in there for other reasons? Like for salad reasons, or are you harboring a bunny around here I haven’t met yet?”
Ted snorted. “Some of us can’t drink beer and eat pizza all the time and maintain a nice body like you.” He cringed as soon as it was out of his mouth and blushed. “Fit. Maintain a FIT body.”
Booster raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Nice body, huh?” He flexed his arms and gave Ted a wink. “Yeah, I do have a rather hot bod don’t I?”
The brunette rolled his eyes and smacked Booster in the side. “Shut it, Mr. Ego. Dinner’s basically done, just grab the salsa and sour cream out of the fridge.”
With all the taco fixings spread out on the counter, they each made their plates (Booster’s barely containing his four tacos while Ted grabbed two) and made their way to the dinning room table. “So I love what you did to the house.”
Ted smiled around his bite of taco and swallowed before answering. “If I had more notice I would have put lights outside, too, but this is what you’re stuck with. I can’t believe you guys don’t celebrate Christmas in the future!”
Booster shrugged. “Well, as far as I can tell, it’s more of a religious holiday? We don’t celebrate those.” He took a bite and asked the next question with his mouth full. “I thought you weren’t religious either?”
“Nah, I’m not, but it’s definitely about way more than that. Presents, for one, and hanging out and watching Christmas movies. Oh!” He got up and headed to the kitchen, grabbing the plates on the counter wrapped in tin foil and plopping them down in front of Booster. “And cookies! I baked.”
“Awe, for me? You shouldn’t have!” The blonde smiled and lifted the foil, grabbing one of the cookies off the plate.
“Don’t get too excited, it’s store bought dough.”
“I’m wounded. These are pretty good though, I gotta say.”
“Hey, only the best for my best friend! Hurry up and eat your taco feast, Boost, we gotta get to the movie viewing portion of the night.”
Booster finished the last of his tacos and brushed the crumbs off his hands on his thighs. “And what are we watching?”
“Muppet’s Christmas Carol. Best Christmas movie ever, I promise. You’ll love it.”
“Alright, alright, so Muppet’s it is.”
********
“So no one thinks to question why Scrooge is suddenly super nice? They just accept it like it’s literally no big deal?”
Ted rolled his eyes. “No, don’t question it, ok. I saw you laughing, you liked it don’t lie!”
Booster raised his hands in defeat. “You caught me, it was funny. So what’s next? Got another movie to watch?”
“I do, in fact, but first…come on, follow me.” Ted led Booster through the house and downstairs to where the Bug was hidden. “Hop in! We’re gonna fly around the city and look at the lights.”
“But I fly all the time. I’ve seen these lights every night since they were put up.”
Ted pushed Booster towards the Bug. “Come on, it’s my tradition. Just get in there!” Booster rolled his eyes and headed inside the Bug. Ted followed and fell into his chair at the controls, taking them out through the tunnel and into the city. It had gotten dark but the streetlights and the windows from the buildings and the Christmas lights lining the streets lit everything up. Ted put the Bug on auto pilot and leaned back in his chair as he watched Booster take in the sights.
“Pretty, isn’t it? When you’re not just flying past it to the next disaster?”
Booster looked at Ted and smiled. “You do this every year?”
Ted nodded, then slapped his knee. “Oh wait! Hold on!” He flipped a few switches and turned back to the blonde. “You can’t see it, but the whole bottom of the Bug is now lit up.”
“Seriously? Like Christmas light style?” Booster laughed when Ted nodded. “Super science mind, and you use it to put Christmas lights on the Bug.”
“You should see what she does on the 4th of July.” Ted grinned, watching as Booster shook his head and looked out at the city below. Silence filled the Bug as Booster smiled softly, watching the snow fall slowly around them.
“It’s really nice. Different than back home. I mean, there are lights, of course. Tons and tons of lights, but they don’t look like this.” He paused, still staring out through the glass. “Certainly not all these Christmas lights.”
Ted smiled fondly at the back of Boosters head. It should have been hard to amaze him, being from the future and all, and usually it was. Usually it was Booster amazing Ted with his future tech and tales of scientific breakthroughs, but when Ted had the chance to show the blonde something that awed him he reveled in it. He loved watching Boosters face light up, hearing the man go silent in appreciation or babbling in excitement at whatever it was Ted was showing him. It always made his heart ache in an odd sort of way he could never put his finger on. His heart was doing it again, now, as he realized how easy and natural it was to let Booster in on his personal yearly tradition.
“So is this what you do every year? Watch puppet movies and go out in a lit up Bug?”
Ted shook his head and laughed. “Mostly. And drink.” He shrugged. “We should get back to the house. I have a few more movies to make you watch.”
********
The next morning, Ted found himself picking up empty liquor bottles with a terrible headache and a hankering for waffles. Figuring Booster would wake up with a hangover just as bad as his own, he decided to give the blonde a treat, and he pulled out the waffle maker and all the ingredients to make a Christmas breakfast. As the batter cooked he grabbed a bottle of asprin and a glass of orange juice, taking a few of the pills before setting them right next to the plate on the tray he was making. When the waffles were done he grabbed the tray and headed to the guest bedroom Booster had slept in. He knocked twice softly on the door and entered, quickly realizing Booster had taken off his shirt before going to bed. Ted stared, tracing the hard muscles of the blonde’s back with his eyes. He had always admired Booster’s body and could never quite convince himself to look away when the blonde changed in or out of costume in front of him, but this was different. This was Booster asleep in one of Ted’s beds, blanket bunched around his hips teasingly (wouldn’t you like to see what’s under here?). If he closed his eyes, the brunette could imagine that he had just occupied that space next to Booster, that he had gotten up to make breakfast for his lover. He could pretend that he’d take the tray and set it on the night stand, crawl back under the covers and kiss the back of Booster’s neck until the blonde woke with a moan. Ted sighed and shook his head, and instead walked into the room, setting the tray down and gently shaking the sleeping man awake.
“Hey, Booster! Booster buddy! Boooooster…Come on, wake up, I brought breakfast!”
Booster groaned and rolled over. “Breakfast? What’d you bring me?” He sat up and looked over at the tray with a raised eyebrow and a frown. “The waffles are green.”
Ted laughed. “Food coloring. It’s Christmas, don’t be a Scrooge! I also brought aspirin. I figured you’d need it.”
Booster grabbed the tray and pulled it into his lap, spilling out a few of the pills into his palm and taking them with a swig of the orange juice. “You are a God. I mean it, a certifiable holy man. This day we celebrate the Great Lord Ted Kord, for he is a fine and thoughtful friend.”
“Oh, hush, a small sacrifice will do. Come on, eat up. You’ve got a stocking and presents to open.”
The blonde dug in, devouring the waffles and chugging the orange juice, and he patted his stomach when he was finished. “Man, seriously, green or not, those were the best waffles I think I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.”
“Oh stop it, you’re making me blush! Now come on, get your ass out here, I want to open presents!”
Ted grabbed the dishes and headed out the door, noticing before he shut it that Booster was only wearing boxers under the blankets. He cringed as he walked toward the kitchen to put the dishes in the sink, realizing how lucky he was Booster hadn’t been shirtless the night before when vodka had loosened Ted’s tongue. He pulled out the presents from the tree and took the stocking down from the mantle, getting comfy on the couch just as Booster came into the living room.
“Now I feel like kind of a dick for not bringing anything but the vodka as a present.” The blonde fell heavily onto the couch next to Ted and took the stocking he was offered.
“Nonsense, it’s your first Christmas. You’ll make up for it next year.” Booster laughed as he spilled the contents of the stocking in his lap.
“Wow, trying to fatten me up? What’d you do, go through the store and buy every piece of chocolate you could find?”
“Tradition, Boost. Stockings are a dentist’s best friend; I’m just trying to help the economy out. Job security and all that.”
“Lotto ticket? Another tradition?” Ted nodded. “Oh, a gift card? Free money? Man, I’m beginning to really like this holiday!”
Ted laughed and punched Booster in the arm. “What, the Muppet’s, a nighttime tour of the city lights and breakfast in bed weren’t enough to convince you?”
“That’s just a date. But free money? That’s enough to convince me you guys have this Christmas thing right!”
Ted paled at the word date, fighting the urge to argue that it wasn’t a date, not really, not unless both parties agreed, which he would if Booster would, not that he wanted that necessarily…He cleared his throat when he saw Booster staring at him and gave him a smile. “Ok, so stocking is done, here’s your first present.” Booster’s grin doubled in size as he tore through the paper, and he roared with laughter as he pulled the sweater out of the box.
“Oh my god, Ted! I’m going to look like I stole something out of your closet!”
Ted faked a pout as he folded his arms. “I have fantastic taste in clothing, so shut your mouth.” He slapped Booster and grinned. “Come on, put it on! It’s Christmas, you have to!” The blonde slipped the sweater over his head and Ted leaned forward to press the button that made its nose light up, trying very hard to ignore the heat that raced through his body as he accidentally brushed against Booster’s chest. “There. Now you’re really getting into the spirit.” He handed the other box over and watched as it, too, was unwrapped.
“Baby’s first Christmas…seriously?” The blonde shook his head and chuckled. “You have terrible taste in gifts, Mr. Kord. You’re lucky you’re such a good friend or I’d have to walk out right now and never come back.” He smiled and set the ornament on the coffee table. “Thanks, Ted. Really. Aside from a headache, this has been a pretty great time. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
Ted felt his face heat up and smiled in return. “Well, I hope this means you’ll be spending more Christmas’s with me, then. We can make our own Blue and Gold Christmas traditions!”
“Of course! I think I like this tree, so that can definitely stay and the Muppet’s was pretty cool, I’ll admit.” He paused. “The ride in the Bug was nice.”
Ted stayed silent for a moment, waiting to see if the blonde was going to say anything else. “Yeah, like I said, the city is gorgeous once you take the time to really look. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Actually, speaking of the city, I have another tradition. There’s this coffee shop a few blocks away that’s open on Christmas, and I always walk there to grab a cup of coffee. It’s kind of nice to go out and walk through the city like a normal civilian once in a while, and it’s usually pretty quite out right now. If you’re not too hung over…”
“No, that sounds awesome! Got a scarf and some gloves? I didn’t really plan on a winter stroll.”
The brunette searched through his closet for extra winter gear as Booster picked up the wrapping paper and changed his pajama pants for jeans. When they both felt they were sufficiently bundled up, they headed out. Ted had been right; the city was mostly quite except for the few cars headed to Christmas dinners. The snow from the night before was still mostly pristine on the trees and in the park, and it sparkled like glitter spread over the city. Ted smiled to himself as they crunched down the sidewalk headed toward the shop, their breath like clouds billowing in front of their faces.
“It’s beautiful out here.” Booster said reverently and Ted nodded.
“It is. Days like this…” He paused, searching for the right words to explain what he was feeling. “We see so much shit everyday, some new alien race wanting to destroy us or some power hungry super human wanting to take over the world, that we kind of forget what we’re fighting for.” He shook his head. “I don’t know; I like to take these walks to remind myself exactly why it is we do what we do.” He shoved his gloved hands into his coat pocket. “I guess it helps to ground me.” The blonde man nodded.
They continued the walk in silence and Ted’s heart ached thinking about what he couldn’t have. A part of him was happy he could share this with Booster, but another part of him was wishing he had kept this to himself because the urge to reach over and grab the blondes hand in his own was almost too hard to fight. He thought about how great his cold, chapped lips would feel against Boosters, how they’d link arms and he’d lay his head on the taller man’s shoulder as they walked through the city, but he swallowed his disappointment and smile as he pointed to the coffee shop he promised Booster. “There it is; the one coffee shop I’ve found in the city that is still open on Christmas day.”
“If it’s all the same, I think I’ll order hot chocolate.” Booster laughed. They went in and Ted greeted the barista on duty, ordering their drinks and tipping generously. They both took a few sips of their drinks in the shop, getting warm and chatting with the employee, then they headed out again with hands warmed by hot liquid.
“So how do you like Christmas so far?” Ted asked as they passed one of the many shops closed for the day.
“I already said I liked it, what more do you want?” Booster answered, laughing. “What about you? Do you think you’ll be inviting me to more of your Christmases?”
Ted laughed and playfully elbowed the blonde. “Of course, but you have to buy me fantastic presents next year.” He jumped as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the message from Fire. ‘merry christmas! weather here is gorgeous, did you give yourself to booster for christmas?? lol’ He was grateful to the cold wind for making his cheeks red because he knew for sure he was blushing. “Fire says Merry Christmas and that the weather is amazing there.”
Booster snorted. “Tell her she sucks.”
Ted laughed and nodded in agreement. ‘merry christmas i hate you.’
Once again, the walk back to the house was made mostly in silence, every once in a while broken by the sounds of slurping or idle conversation. When they made it back to Ted’s they knocked their shoes against the side of the house to get rid of the snow and removed their winter wear at the door. Both men hurried inside to get warm and Ted turned the fireplace on.
“So what’s next on the agenda?” Booster fell onto the couch and crossed his arms in an attempt to get warm.
“Well, normally I’ll grab a blanket and watch A Christmas Story.”
“I don’t even know what that is, but a blanket sounds like a fantastic idea!”
Ted went to the linen closet and paused. If he pulled two blankets, they’d each have their own. If he pulled one, they’d share, and there was a chance he could touch Booster. He closed his eyes and grabbed one of the biggest blankets he had. ‘a compromise’ he thought to himself. He made his way back to the living room and threw the blanket on the couch, putting in his copy of A Christmas Story before letting himself fall onto the couch. Booster spread the blanket over them and settled down, his thigh touching Ted’s. The movie started, but the brunette barely noticed. What he did notice was the other man’s breathing and the heat coming from his body, and the way the light from the window and the tv lit up his blonde hair. He screwed his eyes shut and willed himself to stop thinking about the way their bodies were touching, but he failed. When Booster started nodding off and his head fell on the brunette’s shoulders, Ted thought he would die. They had been close, but they had never been this close, and it was killing him. He drew a shaky breath and let his fingers gently intertwine with Booster’s. He yelped when his fingers were grasped tight and tried to wrench his hand away.
“No, don’t pull away.” Boosters voice was heavy with sleep and pleading, and Ted couldn’t get himself to defy the request.
“Ok,” he swallowed. He watched uneasily as Booster sat up and looked at him. He waited, watching the blondes eyebrows scrunch up and his mouth twitch, like he was trying to say something but couldn’t figure out how or what to say. Suddenly, Booster leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ted’s lips. At first, Ted was unresponsive, caught off guard by the blonde’s actions. Then he let his hand find a home in the back of Booster’s head, fingers gripping hair, and pulled him closer. The kiss lasted an electrifying moment before Booster pulled himself up and straddled Ted, never once breaking the kiss. His hands cupped Ted’s face and Ted’s hands settled themselves on Booster’s waist as their kiss continued, oblivious to the movie on the screen or the snow that had started back up outside. When they finally parted, breathlessly panting and red cheeked, they both smiled.
“Was that ok?” Booster asked, voice low and husky.
Ted nodded and grinned. “Oh god, you have no idea how ok that was.”
“No, I think I have an idea.” Booster laughed. “So, uh…how offended would you be if I asked you if we could take this to the bedroom?”
Ted smiled and kissed Booster’s jaw. “Oh, not offended at all.”
********
One year later
Ted cursed himself for forgetting to grab the bottle of wine to take to Fire’s house for their Christmas dinner. He meant to grab it a week before, or really any time before Christmas Eve, since he knew every single store would be packed full. He could barely even walk through the store, let alone actually check out in a timely fashion. He sighed as he grabbed a bottle from the shelf, not even paying attention to what he was grabbing so long as it was wine. He felt his pocket buzz as he was waiting in line to check out and pulled out his phone. ‘hurry up, teddy, i have an early christmas present for you.’ The accompanying picture was of Booster, bow wrapped around his neck and nothing else, standing in front of the full length mirror in their shared bathroom. Ted smiled and put the wine back, reasoning that Fire didn’t really need a bottle of wine as he pulled out his keys and headed for the door.
Author: loveofsound
Recipient: rhymed
Ted’s original plan for Christmas was to get together with the rest of the League, eat, exchange terrible presents and get so drunk he was waking up with a hangover on New Years Eve. When he found out the rest of the League had other plans, he decided to stay home instead, getting just as drunk with only his favorite Christmas movies for companions. His plans changed again when Booster offhandedly mentioned that in the future, they didn’t do much of any celebrating for Christmas. Now, he was going to make sure that Booster had the best Christmas Ted could possibly give him. That was why he found himself pacing the Holiday aisles with a cart full of decorations, stockings, and enough tinsel to make even the Batcave look festive. Also in the cart was a little blue “baby’s first Christmas” teddy bear ornament and a reindeer sweater with a giant red light-up nose, both presents for Booster. He chuckled to himself as he imagined the look on Booster’s face when he opened his gifts and continued on, adding more and more into his cart from each aisle he went down. When his cart was stuffed full of holiday decorations and paper and tape, he made his way over to the grocery section to gather the food and booze necessary for the two day celebration. Booster would be arriving sometime on Christmas Eve and staying until Christmas Day, so Ted would need a lot of provisions to get them through. He had to keep an eye on the cart to make sure nothing spilled out when all was said and done, but he somehow made it through the check out line and the parking lot to his car.
When he was finally home and the car unloaded, he turned on the fireplace and chose his holiday playlist from his ipod. His tree had already been put up, though it stood bare in the middle of his living room. Carefully, he laid out all the tree decorations on the floor and began to take them out of their packaging, covering the tree in all the blue and gold ornaments, tinsel, garland and lights he had found at the store. When the tree was done he stopped for a break, making a cup of hot cocoa and sitting on the couch to admire his work. He had thought about decking it out traditional style with the tacky red and green bulbs that littered every holiday section in every store, but once he had actually found Booster Gold and Blue Beetle ornaments, he knew he had to make the tree Blue and Gold. With his mug empty, he went back to decorating, this time focusing on the house instead of the tree. He covered the fireplace mantle with a string of garland and plastic candles, then hung and filled the two stockings. The window clings were next, snowflakes, trees, snowmen and stars on all the windows and doors in the living room, dining room and kitchen. Lights went up and the tree skirt went around the tree, remaining empty while he finished decorating. More candles, plastic and real, were placed around the house along with snowmen figurines and a mini tree for the coffee table. He kept the wreath for last, waiting until all the other decorations had been spread around the house before going outside and hanging the wreath on the door. He smiled as he went back inside, pulling the gifts from their bags and putting them in their boxes, wrapping them neatly and putting a big bow on each one. With the wrapping and decorating all done, he moved on to the baking (limited as it was, being premade dough from Mr. Pillsbury), and spent the rest of the night filling plate after plate with sugary Christmas treats.
********
When Christmas Eve finally arrived, Ted felt giddy like he had as a child waiting for family to start arriving. They had agreed that Booster would arrive somewhere around 6:00, giving Ted plenty of time to start preparing the Christmas Eve tacos, and he was just frying up the beef when he heard the knock at the door. Ted grinned and practically ran to the door, flinging it open to see Booster in his civvies holding a bottle of vodka with a bow on it.
“I figured this was an appropriate present, yeah? Isn’t this what all the kiddies get on Christmas?”
Ted laughed. “Well, their parents, anyway. Come in, come in! I’m making tacos! Go ahead and look through the fridge, there should be some orange juice or soda in there to use as a mixer if you want to make us some drinks.” He closed the door behind Booster and smiled as he saw the blonde looking around the house at all the decorations.
“Dude, is that a Booster Gold ornament on your tree?” He walked himself over to the tree and laughed. “Oh man, where did you even find this?”
“They’re everywhere! Look closer, there’s more. Some Beetle’s, too. You should’ve seen the selection they had. Batman, Superman, a Guy Gardner...”
“Guy? You’re kidding me!”
Ted shook his head and grinned. “One hundred percent serious. There were a lot of them there, too. He must not be very popular! Come on, make us drinks while I finish dinner.”
They headed to the kitchen where Booster made two drinks and Ted finished cooking the meat. He pulled out twin cutting boards and knives and handed one of each to Booster, grabbing an onion and a tomato out of the fridge.
“Here. Pick one to cut.”
“What? And here I thought I was the guest. You’re putting me to work?” Booster chuckled and grabbed the tomato from Ted’s hand, putting it down on the cutting board and slicing into it. “So is this traditional Christmas food or just a Teddy special?”
“Teddy special. I didn’t really want to cook a great big meal for just two of us, and besides I never really was too fond of traditional Christmas food.” He sliced into the onion and shrugged. “So you’re stuck with tacos and pizza instead of Ham and mashed potatoes and fruitcake.” He finished chopping up the onion and grabbed a few bowls from the cupboard, sliding the onion into one and handing one over to Booster.
“That’s cool. I love pizza and tacos, so you can’t go wrong with that!” He slid his tomatoes in the bowl and opened the fridge back up. “I saw some lettuce in here, is that for the tacos too?”
Ted leaned back against the counter with a smile and watched as the blonde rifled through his refrigerator as naturally as if it were his own. “Yeah, just grab the bagged lettuce so we don’t have to chop up the head of lettuce. I’m too lazy for that.”
Booster did as he was told and gave Ted a smile. “You actually have lettuce in there for other reasons? Like for salad reasons, or are you harboring a bunny around here I haven’t met yet?”
Ted snorted. “Some of us can’t drink beer and eat pizza all the time and maintain a nice body like you.” He cringed as soon as it was out of his mouth and blushed. “Fit. Maintain a FIT body.”
Booster raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Nice body, huh?” He flexed his arms and gave Ted a wink. “Yeah, I do have a rather hot bod don’t I?”
The brunette rolled his eyes and smacked Booster in the side. “Shut it, Mr. Ego. Dinner’s basically done, just grab the salsa and sour cream out of the fridge.”
With all the taco fixings spread out on the counter, they each made their plates (Booster’s barely containing his four tacos while Ted grabbed two) and made their way to the dinning room table. “So I love what you did to the house.”
Ted smiled around his bite of taco and swallowed before answering. “If I had more notice I would have put lights outside, too, but this is what you’re stuck with. I can’t believe you guys don’t celebrate Christmas in the future!”
Booster shrugged. “Well, as far as I can tell, it’s more of a religious holiday? We don’t celebrate those.” He took a bite and asked the next question with his mouth full. “I thought you weren’t religious either?”
“Nah, I’m not, but it’s definitely about way more than that. Presents, for one, and hanging out and watching Christmas movies. Oh!” He got up and headed to the kitchen, grabbing the plates on the counter wrapped in tin foil and plopping them down in front of Booster. “And cookies! I baked.”
“Awe, for me? You shouldn’t have!” The blonde smiled and lifted the foil, grabbing one of the cookies off the plate.
“Don’t get too excited, it’s store bought dough.”
“I’m wounded. These are pretty good though, I gotta say.”
“Hey, only the best for my best friend! Hurry up and eat your taco feast, Boost, we gotta get to the movie viewing portion of the night.”
Booster finished the last of his tacos and brushed the crumbs off his hands on his thighs. “And what are we watching?”
“Muppet’s Christmas Carol. Best Christmas movie ever, I promise. You’ll love it.”
“Alright, alright, so Muppet’s it is.”
********
“So no one thinks to question why Scrooge is suddenly super nice? They just accept it like it’s literally no big deal?”
Ted rolled his eyes. “No, don’t question it, ok. I saw you laughing, you liked it don’t lie!”
Booster raised his hands in defeat. “You caught me, it was funny. So what’s next? Got another movie to watch?”
“I do, in fact, but first…come on, follow me.” Ted led Booster through the house and downstairs to where the Bug was hidden. “Hop in! We’re gonna fly around the city and look at the lights.”
“But I fly all the time. I’ve seen these lights every night since they were put up.”
Ted pushed Booster towards the Bug. “Come on, it’s my tradition. Just get in there!” Booster rolled his eyes and headed inside the Bug. Ted followed and fell into his chair at the controls, taking them out through the tunnel and into the city. It had gotten dark but the streetlights and the windows from the buildings and the Christmas lights lining the streets lit everything up. Ted put the Bug on auto pilot and leaned back in his chair as he watched Booster take in the sights.
“Pretty, isn’t it? When you’re not just flying past it to the next disaster?”
Booster looked at Ted and smiled. “You do this every year?”
Ted nodded, then slapped his knee. “Oh wait! Hold on!” He flipped a few switches and turned back to the blonde. “You can’t see it, but the whole bottom of the Bug is now lit up.”
“Seriously? Like Christmas light style?” Booster laughed when Ted nodded. “Super science mind, and you use it to put Christmas lights on the Bug.”
“You should see what she does on the 4th of July.” Ted grinned, watching as Booster shook his head and looked out at the city below. Silence filled the Bug as Booster smiled softly, watching the snow fall slowly around them.
“It’s really nice. Different than back home. I mean, there are lights, of course. Tons and tons of lights, but they don’t look like this.” He paused, still staring out through the glass. “Certainly not all these Christmas lights.”
Ted smiled fondly at the back of Boosters head. It should have been hard to amaze him, being from the future and all, and usually it was. Usually it was Booster amazing Ted with his future tech and tales of scientific breakthroughs, but when Ted had the chance to show the blonde something that awed him he reveled in it. He loved watching Boosters face light up, hearing the man go silent in appreciation or babbling in excitement at whatever it was Ted was showing him. It always made his heart ache in an odd sort of way he could never put his finger on. His heart was doing it again, now, as he realized how easy and natural it was to let Booster in on his personal yearly tradition.
“So is this what you do every year? Watch puppet movies and go out in a lit up Bug?”
Ted shook his head and laughed. “Mostly. And drink.” He shrugged. “We should get back to the house. I have a few more movies to make you watch.”
********
The next morning, Ted found himself picking up empty liquor bottles with a terrible headache and a hankering for waffles. Figuring Booster would wake up with a hangover just as bad as his own, he decided to give the blonde a treat, and he pulled out the waffle maker and all the ingredients to make a Christmas breakfast. As the batter cooked he grabbed a bottle of asprin and a glass of orange juice, taking a few of the pills before setting them right next to the plate on the tray he was making. When the waffles were done he grabbed the tray and headed to the guest bedroom Booster had slept in. He knocked twice softly on the door and entered, quickly realizing Booster had taken off his shirt before going to bed. Ted stared, tracing the hard muscles of the blonde’s back with his eyes. He had always admired Booster’s body and could never quite convince himself to look away when the blonde changed in or out of costume in front of him, but this was different. This was Booster asleep in one of Ted’s beds, blanket bunched around his hips teasingly (wouldn’t you like to see what’s under here?). If he closed his eyes, the brunette could imagine that he had just occupied that space next to Booster, that he had gotten up to make breakfast for his lover. He could pretend that he’d take the tray and set it on the night stand, crawl back under the covers and kiss the back of Booster’s neck until the blonde woke with a moan. Ted sighed and shook his head, and instead walked into the room, setting the tray down and gently shaking the sleeping man awake.
“Hey, Booster! Booster buddy! Boooooster…Come on, wake up, I brought breakfast!”
Booster groaned and rolled over. “Breakfast? What’d you bring me?” He sat up and looked over at the tray with a raised eyebrow and a frown. “The waffles are green.”
Ted laughed. “Food coloring. It’s Christmas, don’t be a Scrooge! I also brought aspirin. I figured you’d need it.”
Booster grabbed the tray and pulled it into his lap, spilling out a few of the pills into his palm and taking them with a swig of the orange juice. “You are a God. I mean it, a certifiable holy man. This day we celebrate the Great Lord Ted Kord, for he is a fine and thoughtful friend.”
“Oh, hush, a small sacrifice will do. Come on, eat up. You’ve got a stocking and presents to open.”
The blonde dug in, devouring the waffles and chugging the orange juice, and he patted his stomach when he was finished. “Man, seriously, green or not, those were the best waffles I think I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.”
“Oh stop it, you’re making me blush! Now come on, get your ass out here, I want to open presents!”
Ted grabbed the dishes and headed out the door, noticing before he shut it that Booster was only wearing boxers under the blankets. He cringed as he walked toward the kitchen to put the dishes in the sink, realizing how lucky he was Booster hadn’t been shirtless the night before when vodka had loosened Ted’s tongue. He pulled out the presents from the tree and took the stocking down from the mantle, getting comfy on the couch just as Booster came into the living room.
“Now I feel like kind of a dick for not bringing anything but the vodka as a present.” The blonde fell heavily onto the couch next to Ted and took the stocking he was offered.
“Nonsense, it’s your first Christmas. You’ll make up for it next year.” Booster laughed as he spilled the contents of the stocking in his lap.
“Wow, trying to fatten me up? What’d you do, go through the store and buy every piece of chocolate you could find?”
“Tradition, Boost. Stockings are a dentist’s best friend; I’m just trying to help the economy out. Job security and all that.”
“Lotto ticket? Another tradition?” Ted nodded. “Oh, a gift card? Free money? Man, I’m beginning to really like this holiday!”
Ted laughed and punched Booster in the arm. “What, the Muppet’s, a nighttime tour of the city lights and breakfast in bed weren’t enough to convince you?”
“That’s just a date. But free money? That’s enough to convince me you guys have this Christmas thing right!”
Ted paled at the word date, fighting the urge to argue that it wasn’t a date, not really, not unless both parties agreed, which he would if Booster would, not that he wanted that necessarily…He cleared his throat when he saw Booster staring at him and gave him a smile. “Ok, so stocking is done, here’s your first present.” Booster’s grin doubled in size as he tore through the paper, and he roared with laughter as he pulled the sweater out of the box.
“Oh my god, Ted! I’m going to look like I stole something out of your closet!”
Ted faked a pout as he folded his arms. “I have fantastic taste in clothing, so shut your mouth.” He slapped Booster and grinned. “Come on, put it on! It’s Christmas, you have to!” The blonde slipped the sweater over his head and Ted leaned forward to press the button that made its nose light up, trying very hard to ignore the heat that raced through his body as he accidentally brushed against Booster’s chest. “There. Now you’re really getting into the spirit.” He handed the other box over and watched as it, too, was unwrapped.
“Baby’s first Christmas…seriously?” The blonde shook his head and chuckled. “You have terrible taste in gifts, Mr. Kord. You’re lucky you’re such a good friend or I’d have to walk out right now and never come back.” He smiled and set the ornament on the coffee table. “Thanks, Ted. Really. Aside from a headache, this has been a pretty great time. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
Ted felt his face heat up and smiled in return. “Well, I hope this means you’ll be spending more Christmas’s with me, then. We can make our own Blue and Gold Christmas traditions!”
“Of course! I think I like this tree, so that can definitely stay and the Muppet’s was pretty cool, I’ll admit.” He paused. “The ride in the Bug was nice.”
Ted stayed silent for a moment, waiting to see if the blonde was going to say anything else. “Yeah, like I said, the city is gorgeous once you take the time to really look. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Actually, speaking of the city, I have another tradition. There’s this coffee shop a few blocks away that’s open on Christmas, and I always walk there to grab a cup of coffee. It’s kind of nice to go out and walk through the city like a normal civilian once in a while, and it’s usually pretty quite out right now. If you’re not too hung over…”
“No, that sounds awesome! Got a scarf and some gloves? I didn’t really plan on a winter stroll.”
The brunette searched through his closet for extra winter gear as Booster picked up the wrapping paper and changed his pajama pants for jeans. When they both felt they were sufficiently bundled up, they headed out. Ted had been right; the city was mostly quite except for the few cars headed to Christmas dinners. The snow from the night before was still mostly pristine on the trees and in the park, and it sparkled like glitter spread over the city. Ted smiled to himself as they crunched down the sidewalk headed toward the shop, their breath like clouds billowing in front of their faces.
“It’s beautiful out here.” Booster said reverently and Ted nodded.
“It is. Days like this…” He paused, searching for the right words to explain what he was feeling. “We see so much shit everyday, some new alien race wanting to destroy us or some power hungry super human wanting to take over the world, that we kind of forget what we’re fighting for.” He shook his head. “I don’t know; I like to take these walks to remind myself exactly why it is we do what we do.” He shoved his gloved hands into his coat pocket. “I guess it helps to ground me.” The blonde man nodded.
They continued the walk in silence and Ted’s heart ached thinking about what he couldn’t have. A part of him was happy he could share this with Booster, but another part of him was wishing he had kept this to himself because the urge to reach over and grab the blondes hand in his own was almost too hard to fight. He thought about how great his cold, chapped lips would feel against Boosters, how they’d link arms and he’d lay his head on the taller man’s shoulder as they walked through the city, but he swallowed his disappointment and smile as he pointed to the coffee shop he promised Booster. “There it is; the one coffee shop I’ve found in the city that is still open on Christmas day.”
“If it’s all the same, I think I’ll order hot chocolate.” Booster laughed. They went in and Ted greeted the barista on duty, ordering their drinks and tipping generously. They both took a few sips of their drinks in the shop, getting warm and chatting with the employee, then they headed out again with hands warmed by hot liquid.
“So how do you like Christmas so far?” Ted asked as they passed one of the many shops closed for the day.
“I already said I liked it, what more do you want?” Booster answered, laughing. “What about you? Do you think you’ll be inviting me to more of your Christmases?”
Ted laughed and playfully elbowed the blonde. “Of course, but you have to buy me fantastic presents next year.” He jumped as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the message from Fire. ‘merry christmas! weather here is gorgeous, did you give yourself to booster for christmas?? lol’ He was grateful to the cold wind for making his cheeks red because he knew for sure he was blushing. “Fire says Merry Christmas and that the weather is amazing there.”
Booster snorted. “Tell her she sucks.”
Ted laughed and nodded in agreement. ‘merry christmas i hate you.’
Once again, the walk back to the house was made mostly in silence, every once in a while broken by the sounds of slurping or idle conversation. When they made it back to Ted’s they knocked their shoes against the side of the house to get rid of the snow and removed their winter wear at the door. Both men hurried inside to get warm and Ted turned the fireplace on.
“So what’s next on the agenda?” Booster fell onto the couch and crossed his arms in an attempt to get warm.
“Well, normally I’ll grab a blanket and watch A Christmas Story.”
“I don’t even know what that is, but a blanket sounds like a fantastic idea!”
Ted went to the linen closet and paused. If he pulled two blankets, they’d each have their own. If he pulled one, they’d share, and there was a chance he could touch Booster. He closed his eyes and grabbed one of the biggest blankets he had. ‘a compromise’ he thought to himself. He made his way back to the living room and threw the blanket on the couch, putting in his copy of A Christmas Story before letting himself fall onto the couch. Booster spread the blanket over them and settled down, his thigh touching Ted’s. The movie started, but the brunette barely noticed. What he did notice was the other man’s breathing and the heat coming from his body, and the way the light from the window and the tv lit up his blonde hair. He screwed his eyes shut and willed himself to stop thinking about the way their bodies were touching, but he failed. When Booster started nodding off and his head fell on the brunette’s shoulders, Ted thought he would die. They had been close, but they had never been this close, and it was killing him. He drew a shaky breath and let his fingers gently intertwine with Booster’s. He yelped when his fingers were grasped tight and tried to wrench his hand away.
“No, don’t pull away.” Boosters voice was heavy with sleep and pleading, and Ted couldn’t get himself to defy the request.
“Ok,” he swallowed. He watched uneasily as Booster sat up and looked at him. He waited, watching the blondes eyebrows scrunch up and his mouth twitch, like he was trying to say something but couldn’t figure out how or what to say. Suddenly, Booster leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ted’s lips. At first, Ted was unresponsive, caught off guard by the blonde’s actions. Then he let his hand find a home in the back of Booster’s head, fingers gripping hair, and pulled him closer. The kiss lasted an electrifying moment before Booster pulled himself up and straddled Ted, never once breaking the kiss. His hands cupped Ted’s face and Ted’s hands settled themselves on Booster’s waist as their kiss continued, oblivious to the movie on the screen or the snow that had started back up outside. When they finally parted, breathlessly panting and red cheeked, they both smiled.
“Was that ok?” Booster asked, voice low and husky.
Ted nodded and grinned. “Oh god, you have no idea how ok that was.”
“No, I think I have an idea.” Booster laughed. “So, uh…how offended would you be if I asked you if we could take this to the bedroom?”
Ted smiled and kissed Booster’s jaw. “Oh, not offended at all.”
********
One year later
Ted cursed himself for forgetting to grab the bottle of wine to take to Fire’s house for their Christmas dinner. He meant to grab it a week before, or really any time before Christmas Eve, since he knew every single store would be packed full. He could barely even walk through the store, let alone actually check out in a timely fashion. He sighed as he grabbed a bottle from the shelf, not even paying attention to what he was grabbing so long as it was wine. He felt his pocket buzz as he was waiting in line to check out and pulled out his phone. ‘hurry up, teddy, i have an early christmas present for you.’ The accompanying picture was of Booster, bow wrapped around his neck and nothing else, standing in front of the full length mirror in their shared bathroom. Ted smiled and put the wine back, reasoning that Fire didn’t really need a bottle of wine as he pulled out his keys and headed for the door.