Author's notes: Shout out goes to user retro mania for this one. He contacted me back in May and requested a Captain Planet fic based on the Justice League of America comics from the 60's. I chose to write something much darker, sitting between the episode "Canned Hunt" and the story told in Brave and Bold #30. This is a light-hearted prologue to a longer fic, but this chapter is meant to stand alone (for now). Be warned that writing for this will be slow-going
Prologue: Of Parties and Innuendos
A certain red-haired Batman was absolutely hammered. Professor Ivo was attempting to give him a wide berth, but it seemed he constantly found a way to get back to her, sling his arm over her shoulders and make not-so-subtle innuendos about the pair heading back to his hut. The alcohol heavy on his breath did little for Linka's ice-cold attitude, and she immediately began searching the room for Gi every time.
Gi was pleased with herself. The party was a smashing success, everyone was having fun—even Linka, when Wheeler got distracted—and the costumes were fabulous. She wasn't sure who'd suggested a costume party for Wheeler's birthday party, but his enthusiasm over comic books had steered the decorations and costumes from there. Kwame (or perhaps the Green Lantern?) had really outdone himself on the birthday cake. The simple sheet cake sprang to life in the form of Wheeler's favorite comic book cover, The Brave and the Bold #30. His eye for detail served him well, as details from a perfect Justice League logo down to the price and DC logo featured on the cake, just as the images Gi had seen online. Gi's insistence that everyone stick to Justice League characters only added to the theme.
Of course, it didn't help that she felt she was Wonder Woman incarnate in her costume.
Periodically, she'd catch Linka's eye and wink as she motioned to the lasso on her hip. The Soviet girl usually blushed darkly; Gi had taken to timing her suggestive gestures as Wheeler whispered in her girlfriend's ear. Ma-ti had quite a few laughs at Linka's expense. Gi knew she and Linka were very lucky with the boys' acceptance of their relationship, even if a drunken Wheeler didn't know when to stop. A more sober Wheeler would've kept his mouth shut and respected his closest friends. A hung over Wheeler would be profusely apologizing in the morning, Gi thought with a chuckle. A remorseful Wheeler would be hoping Gi didn't chuck him into the sea, perhaps with Linka's help—and the blonde would be all too willing to help. Gi had heard some of the remarks about "peeling off the jacket" to see what it concealed.
Why Linka had chosen to dress as a villain was beyond Gi, but Professor Ivo was a simple costume. Linka had certainly gone through great lengths to pull it off. The suit, while bulky, was somewhat of an oxymoron. Linka had planned it to hide the femininity of her figure. In certain ways, the suit merely enhanced that, but in other ways, she definitely looked like a man (even if a pretty one). She'd even gone to far as to temporarily color her hair and style and tuck it in such a way that she could mimic the Ivy League haircut, even if it did look a bit shaggy with her hair's thickness and true length.
"I do not think that Wheeler has any inhibitions left," Aquaman chuckled as he moved to stand beside her. "I'm not sure how much more of his flirting Linka can take." The tight shirt emphasized Ma-ti's muscular frame, though the scaled pattern didn't look particularly good on him. The over-sized gloves hid the strength his forearms possessed; Gi thought his forearms were one of his best features.
"Linka is so going to kill me for not playing knight in shining armor," she responded with a laugh. Gi grinned to herself. Linka's blushing at her suggestiveness during Wheeler's advances had left Wheeler to assume he was making the blonde blush.
"I think it might be a good idea to save her soon."
"Nah, I think I'll enjoy it a little longer." Ma-ti chuckled and shook his head.
"Gi." She turned to the young man; sometimes it was difficult to shake the notion that he was no longer a boy. His next words, in a rare moment of directness, reminded Gi of such. "If you'd like to engage Linka... physically, I mean... any time soon, you may want to don your knight's gear." Gi spit out the cocktail she'd been nursing for the better part of an hour as the young man laughed. The outburst caught Kwame's attention, and he began laughing as well... and in turn, his laughter captured the attention of Wheeler and Linka.
After the redhead turned back to her lover, Gi decided it would be best to go ahead and pick up her sword. Well, in this case, it was a cake server. "Let's cut the cake, everyone!" Wheeler turned back to her enthusiastically.
"Aw right, cake!"
The lights dimmed and Kwame removed his gloves before lighting the candles as Ma-ti lead the group into song. "Happy birthday, dear Wheeler," a group of voices sang.
"Happy birthday and nyet Yankee," a lone voice resounded, causing the group to laugh before the final line. The lights snapped back on after the candles were out, and Wheeler was handed the cake server. Linka couldn't help but cringe.
Wheeler's cuts were sloppy on the best of days, and his judgment was not exactly the best in that moment of time. Gi had gently convinced him to let her take over cake cutting duty after he'd haphazardly cut himself a rhombus-shaped piece. "And go sit at the head of the table," the water planeteer gently chided. "Linka and I will get everyone set up before presents."
"Aw right, presents!" The girls served their dearest friends, ranging from their fellow planeteers to Georgie to Suchi, but before they could move to the table, Linka thrust herself into the other girl's face.
"Bozhe moi, Gi! If you could help me out with him, I would appreciate it." Gi merely smiled.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Linka." The blue eyes staring back at her darkened.
"If you want to sleep in my bed—or perhaps do other things with me—in the near future, you might want to discover what I am talking about."
Gi gulped. Maybe she should don that complete set of armor after all.