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ajremixThis should be the last in this series that I didn't plan to have happen. And I also remembered that I haven't been crediting these titles soooo...
"You Give Me Fever" comes from a Ray Charles song featuring Natalie Cole, "Caught Up in You" from .38 Special, "Strength, Courage and Wisdom" from India.Arie, "In This for You" by Chrisette Michelle and this one from Toad the Wet Sprocket.
I love my random music.
Title: When We Recovered
Fandom: DCU
Rating: PG
Word Count: 838
Characters: Ted, Booster
In Response to: 30 days of Boostle - harassment
Summary: Sequel to In This for You. The moral of today's story- it's frightening how a parent can damage their child. Alternatively: revenge is sweet.
Their relationship was slow going but the progress was obvious and that heartened Booster greatly. He spent most nights curled around Ted, stroking his hair or his arm and praising his courage, his determination, his willingness to overcome his self-loathing. Little by little Ted came to accept his own emotions as being as natural as anyone else's. Then the days came by when Ted could pull Booster in for a kiss without any of the hesitation or panic that had nearly petrified him in the beginning. The first time they made love Booster thought he'd die with pride and relief- because Ted initiated it. Ted wanted it- him -and was no longer afraid of himself. The second time, Booster said how proud and relieved he was with mouth and tongue and hands and Ted writhed against him unreserved.
It was almost enough for Booster to not eventually ask, "So why were you so freaked out about liking men?"
Ted, delicately separating wires from whatever bit of technology he had in front of him, said, "That's just how things are."
"What things? Wasn't there a decade of love or something going on? Or did gay people not exist then?"
"You're thinking Summer of Love and that was back in the 60's. And I don't know if you've noticed, but life isn't exactly easy for people claiming to be bi- or homosexual with all those religious nutjobs around."
Booster leaned on the back of Ted's chair, bending down to place a kiss in his hair. "That's now. What happened before?"
There was a pause before Ted angled the magnifying glass closer to his work. "My dad."
"Your dad didn't like you liking guys?"
"Honestly, I don't think my dad ever figured it out. He was one of those guys that would just... sneer whenever the topic of gay people came up and whenever he saw two men or two women even just holding hands, he'd tell them to have respect for decent people." Ted gave a bitter little laugh, reaching back to squeeze one of Booster's hands. "He was the kind of guy that would hear about people that died of AIDS and say they deserved it."
Booster squeezed back, trying to decide if whatever Ted was working on was dangerous or important enough that he shouldn't try to plop himself in his lap. "Don't you hate your dad?"
"I do now but back then, especially after my mom died, I wanted to make him proud of me. I tried my best to be the good son and when I realized I was attracted to other guys I... I freaked out." The point of the stylus hovered over the wires, not steady enough to continue parting them. "I was afraid of what my dad would say or do so I tried to bury it deep and kept telling myself I was normal, that I wasn't wrong or unnatural."
"You're not," Booster said against Ted's hair, "you weren't then and you're not now."
"I know." With a sigh, Ted leaned back, head settling back against Booster's torso. He continued with a depreciating grin, "Of course, Uncle Jarvis found out somehow. He tried telling me it was okay and I didn't have to be afraid or hide it, but then he also turned out to be insane so, you know, everything he ever told me was pretty suspect."
"But you're okay with it now."
Ted opened his eyes, looking straight into Booster's. He smiled, warm and open, and said, "I'm okay with it now."
"Good," Booster leaned down to kiss Ted's forehead. Ted went back to work but Booster's fingers dragged along his shoulders, down his spine, up his arm. Not meaning to distract, just to feel him and let him know Booster was with him. "So, just out of curiosity," Booster said as he ran a finger up the back of Ted's neck, "have you considered how pissed your dad would be if he found out you were having sex with men? Or just me?"
Ted paused and for a long, long moment just sat there. Then he threw down his tools and pounced on Booster. Not figuratively- literally pounced with his arms thrown about his shoulders and legs cinched tight around his waist, nearly sending Booster crashing to the floor. Ted kissed him so hard he practically sucked the breath right out of his lungs.
"Mph! Mrfmf!" Booster managed to tear his lips away with a gasp. "Whoa- hang on! Not complaining the sudden attitude change, but don't tell me you're only using sex with me as a way to get back at the old man."
"No," Ted replied, looking and sounding for all the world as if explaining were a mere formality and he really just wanted to be kissing Booster forever, "first we're going to have 'you are a goddamn genius' sex. Then I'm going to use sex with you as a way to get back at the old man."
Booster's eyebrows jumped. "Oh, well- that's okay then."
"You Give Me Fever" comes from a Ray Charles song featuring Natalie Cole, "Caught Up in You" from .38 Special, "Strength, Courage and Wisdom" from India.Arie, "In This for You" by Chrisette Michelle and this one from Toad the Wet Sprocket.
I love my random music.
Title: When We Recovered
Fandom: DCU
Rating: PG
Word Count: 838
Characters: Ted, Booster
In Response to: 30 days of Boostle - harassment
Summary: Sequel to In This for You. The moral of today's story- it's frightening how a parent can damage their child. Alternatively: revenge is sweet.
Their relationship was slow going but the progress was obvious and that heartened Booster greatly. He spent most nights curled around Ted, stroking his hair or his arm and praising his courage, his determination, his willingness to overcome his self-loathing. Little by little Ted came to accept his own emotions as being as natural as anyone else's. Then the days came by when Ted could pull Booster in for a kiss without any of the hesitation or panic that had nearly petrified him in the beginning. The first time they made love Booster thought he'd die with pride and relief- because Ted initiated it. Ted wanted it- him -and was no longer afraid of himself. The second time, Booster said how proud and relieved he was with mouth and tongue and hands and Ted writhed against him unreserved.
It was almost enough for Booster to not eventually ask, "So why were you so freaked out about liking men?"
Ted, delicately separating wires from whatever bit of technology he had in front of him, said, "That's just how things are."
"What things? Wasn't there a decade of love or something going on? Or did gay people not exist then?"
"You're thinking Summer of Love and that was back in the 60's. And I don't know if you've noticed, but life isn't exactly easy for people claiming to be bi- or homosexual with all those religious nutjobs around."
Booster leaned on the back of Ted's chair, bending down to place a kiss in his hair. "That's now. What happened before?"
There was a pause before Ted angled the magnifying glass closer to his work. "My dad."
"Your dad didn't like you liking guys?"
"Honestly, I don't think my dad ever figured it out. He was one of those guys that would just... sneer whenever the topic of gay people came up and whenever he saw two men or two women even just holding hands, he'd tell them to have respect for decent people." Ted gave a bitter little laugh, reaching back to squeeze one of Booster's hands. "He was the kind of guy that would hear about people that died of AIDS and say they deserved it."
Booster squeezed back, trying to decide if whatever Ted was working on was dangerous or important enough that he shouldn't try to plop himself in his lap. "Don't you hate your dad?"
"I do now but back then, especially after my mom died, I wanted to make him proud of me. I tried my best to be the good son and when I realized I was attracted to other guys I... I freaked out." The point of the stylus hovered over the wires, not steady enough to continue parting them. "I was afraid of what my dad would say or do so I tried to bury it deep and kept telling myself I was normal, that I wasn't wrong or unnatural."
"You're not," Booster said against Ted's hair, "you weren't then and you're not now."
"I know." With a sigh, Ted leaned back, head settling back against Booster's torso. He continued with a depreciating grin, "Of course, Uncle Jarvis found out somehow. He tried telling me it was okay and I didn't have to be afraid or hide it, but then he also turned out to be insane so, you know, everything he ever told me was pretty suspect."
"But you're okay with it now."
Ted opened his eyes, looking straight into Booster's. He smiled, warm and open, and said, "I'm okay with it now."
"Good," Booster leaned down to kiss Ted's forehead. Ted went back to work but Booster's fingers dragged along his shoulders, down his spine, up his arm. Not meaning to distract, just to feel him and let him know Booster was with him. "So, just out of curiosity," Booster said as he ran a finger up the back of Ted's neck, "have you considered how pissed your dad would be if he found out you were having sex with men? Or just me?"
Ted paused and for a long, long moment just sat there. Then he threw down his tools and pounced on Booster. Not figuratively- literally pounced with his arms thrown about his shoulders and legs cinched tight around his waist, nearly sending Booster crashing to the floor. Ted kissed him so hard he practically sucked the breath right out of his lungs.
"Mph! Mrfmf!" Booster managed to tear his lips away with a gasp. "Whoa- hang on! Not complaining the sudden attitude change, but don't tell me you're only using sex with me as a way to get back at the old man."
"No," Ted replied, looking and sounding for all the world as if explaining were a mere formality and he really just wanted to be kissing Booster forever, "first we're going to have 'you are a goddamn genius' sex. Then I'm going to use sex with you as a way to get back at the old man."
Booster's eyebrows jumped. "Oh, well- that's okay then."
