Disclaimer: Characters owned by DC Comics.
This was a Christmas gift for a friend who likes Booster Gold and Blue Beetle.
A full moon in a clear, starry sky.
A spire made of pure crystal.
A figured bathed in moonlight, hands clasped in prayers for the future.
Angel wings fluttering in the night wind.
The figure turns.
"Eternal…"
It's Booster Gold.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
And Ted Kord wakes up in a cold, cold sweat. At least he hopes that's sweat.
…
The next morning, in JLI headquarters, Ted stumbles into the kitchen looking terrible. He has bags under his eyes, his face is turned down in a frown, and it looks as if he was so tired he put the wrong shoes on the wrong feet.
"Morning Ted! How'd you sleep last night?" Ted's so-called best friend and partner in crime, Booster Gold, asked, in an overtly chippy tone and a big, silly grin on his face. Ted slowly turns to face Booster, mumbles something, and then drags himself out of the kitchen with a cup of organic coffee (with soy milk and nutrasweetner).
At that moment, Booster started snickering to himself.
"What did you do, Michael." Beatriz Costa deadpanned, her best friend Tora Olafsdotter by her side.
"You didn't even say it as a question." Booster pointed out
"Because we know you did something to Ted." Bea further deadpanned.
"What makes you-"
"Please don't finish that sentence the way you were planning to." Bea held her hand in up to motion Booster to stop. Booster sighed and began to spill his guts.
"Okay, fine. Basically I've been secretly going into his room at night and whispering stuff to him while he sleeps."
"Why would you do that?" Bea asked.
"Yeah I mean everybody knows you go in his bedroom while he sleeps so it's not much of a secret." Tora said in a completely innocent tone of voice.
"WE ARE NOT G-anyway, I got the idea from a Simpsons episode."
"I asked why." Bea reminded him. Booster just shrugged.
"Cuz I like messing with him."
"And you're not worried you might screw up his head permanently?" Tora asked.
"How would anyone tell?" Booster asked back.
"You know, you're being a lot more mean spirited with pranking Ted then you usually are." Bea acknowledged.
"Yeah well we have to move the plot along somehow." Booster sighed.
"What?"
"What?" Booster parroted.
…
Ted was trying to make his way down the hotel hallway in his big wheel. But no matter how many turns he made, he could never reach the end of the hall. Just more doors that lead to nowhere, when suddenly, he turned a corner and came to a dead end.
Only he wasn't alone.
There, at the very end, were two identical versions of Guy Gardner.
"Come play with us, Ted…" they beckoned.
Ted was tossing and turning in his bed, mumbling to himself about "All work and no play," while Booster tiptoed out of his room because he is so sneaky, when-WHAM!
Booster fell flat on his back, and looked up to see he had walked straight into Batman. Bruce had his back turned to Booster, and hadn't even seemed to acknowledge that Booster was there.
"Bats, what are you doing here?" Booster asked. "Oh, wait, I'm guessing Bea and Tora narced on me because of Ted."
Booster got up and started brushing some dust off his costume.
"Alright, fine, I won't bother Ted anymore in his sleep, okay Bruce?"
And then Batman turned around and… HE HAD A HORRIBLE, DISTORTED CLOWN FACE!
"I'M NOT BRUUUUUUCE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
THUMP
Booster looked up, and realized he had fallen out of bed.
And that Ted was standing on the other side of his bed with a big, satisfied grin plastered on his face.
"How did you-"
"Dude, I was literally one step out of the kitchen the minute you blabbed to Bea. The next time you're gonna brag about a prank, make sure I'm not within earshot."