When Mike was halfway through putting on his cowboy boots.
Julie was in the middle of a greeting when she saw Mike hunched over Mutt, grunting as he tried to slip on the boots when he was sure that everyone was off doing their own thing without a chance of catching him by surprise.
Maybe he shouldn't have been so shocked. Julie always took him by surprise.
That didn't make the situation any less embarrassing and awkward. Unbearably so.
"Uh..." Mike tried to find his voice, his almost booted foot frozen in the air as he and Julie exchanged incredulous looks. "Hey...?"
His voice was the rock that cracked the iceberg. Julie snorted once. Then she giggled. Seconds later, she was clutching her gut and cackling until she fell into the inevitable silent laughter-the kind of laughter Mike had only ever seen in little children being tickled.
Unable to summon any genuine irritation, Mike just joined in her fit and halfheartedly finished sliding the boots on, pulling his pants back down so that only the soles could be seen. Unless one paid especially close attention, no one could tell that Mike was wearing anything besides average shoes. His tight pants made the boots relatively easy to hide.
When Julie's guffaws finally dissolved into light snickers, Mike walked up to her with a hand behind his head. "Aaand that's why you never see me take my shoes off."
Julie snorted again, but thankfully didn't enter another laugh attack. "How long have you been wearing those?" She asked curiously.
"Since I came here. I'm too used to big boots. They were required for the Kane co. uniform, and stepping back into ordinary tennis shoes after those things felt way too uncomfortable. Besides..." He smirked and leaned closer to her face. "They make me feel tough."
Julie shook her head, giggling again. "You're such a dork, Mike."
Mike put a hand on his heart, mock hurt on his face. "Ouch, Jules. You just don't understand do you? Do you have any idea how cool it is to just put on these boots, stand before your greatest enemy, summon your staff like a total boss, and proclaim 'This town ain't big enough for the two of us!'" Mike crouched until he was Julie's height, drawing up his pants leggings so that his cowboy boots(buckle and all) were showing.
He grinned when Julie laughed again, harder than before.
"Oh, you think that's funny? What if I told you that Chuck Norris passed it down to me? Told me I was in line to be the next invincible badass. Said these shoes held all of his mighty power, and that I, Mike Chilton, am the only one qualified to harness it for the good of mankind. And babes." Okay, MAYBE he had stolen that line from Texas.
Julie was practically suffocating from the laughter that consumed her, falling down her knees and placing her hands on the floor to prevent herself from collapse. Mike kneeled down next to her, almost bumping his head against hers as the two drowned in the silliness of the whole event.
"Y-y'know, I j-just came do-down here to get a tune up!" Julie managed to gasp.
"Well now you can leave without the tune up, but more than enough satisfaction!" Mike responded gleefully. Julie grabbed his shoulders, the floor no longer enough to support her aching ribs.
When the two were out of breath and happily exhausted, they just leaned against each other back-to-back. Neither said anything for a while, basking in the after-glow of stupid jokes and bad timing.
Mike spoke up. "Looks like you got some good black mail material, huh, Jules?"
He felt her straighten. "Do those boots give you the power to mind read?"
There was a light chuckle. "Super badassery only. Sorry to dissapoint."
"Don't worry about it. In case you haven't noticed," She lifted her leg up, showing off her blindingly white, sleek boots courtesy of Kane co. "I have a thing for those kind of boots." She grinned at him, her eyes going half lidded.
Mike smirked.