[DC Comics, Ted/Booster: 3 Things Batman Learned About Ted Kord (And One Thing He Just Discovered)]

[.livejournal.com]

Title: Three Things Batman Learned About Ted Kord (And One Thing He Just Discovered)
Fandom: DC Comics; Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Genre: Drama/General/Fluff
Rating: PG
Word Count: 3,529
Characters/Pairing: Batman, Ted/Booster
Summary: [Batman POV] Batman's view on the second Blue Beetle via four different instances.
Notes: Spoilers for episode 08 (Fall of the Blue Beetle) of Brave and the Bold. Also, since this is Brave and the Bold, combined with Beetle and Booster, expect lots of cheesy stuff and puns.


I.

It had been a long, hard day when we were done dealing with the Madmen. Usually these rogues were more likely to stick to Hub City, but someone had paid them to take a trip to Gotham. Lucky me.

It's not that the Madmen are difficult to deal with; it's that they're just annoying in their persistence. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised when the Blue Beetle showed up midway through the brawl to help out.

"Figured you might be busy with some big league baddies," he quipped. I shook my head.

"You came all the way from Hub City for this?" Landing a punch and putting one of the men out cold, I turned and leveled another.

"They left me a lovely little love letter." He bashed two thugs' heads together and they went tumbling to the ground. "Said they were going to get the Joker to help out. Figured you could use a hand."

I picked up one in horribly tacky blue face paint and threw him into the remaining three. As the pile hit the concrete, they all fell unconscious.

"Seems strange for them to come all the way to Gotham for no reason but to hassle me."

Blue Beetle frowned. "I thought so as well."

A blaring siren echoed from where the Bug hovered above us and Blue Beetle quickly raced to the dangling cord and pulled himself up. After a few moments, I heard him yelling down at me.

"That's why they were here! Batman, they've started a fire at a building in Hub City so they'd evacuate the bank next-door."

"Go ahead, Blue Beetle. I'll follow."

The hatch of the Bug closed and it flew off. I sent out the signal for the Batmobile and waited. It was obvious what the Madman had been up to now. Preying upon Ted's better nature to come and help me, they'd gotten Hub City hero free for the night. Quickly getting into the Batmobile, I sped toward the city.

Ted's a great guy. A little too keen on the bantering and puns sometimes, but a good guy. It figures they'd use that against him.

It seemed to take forever to reach Hub City, and I easily surmised the location of the trouble by the billowing smoke on the skyline. Navigating the streets, I rushed out to aide the blue blur I saw assisting the fire crew on the scene.

Swinging down from a burning window, a singed blue outfit and smoke-fogged goggles, Blue Beetle landed on the ground.

"They already took the money and ran," he said to me as he walked past. I glanced up at the crowd of reporters and photographers and stepped back a bit into the shadows. Sure some superheroes were all about being front page news, Booster Gold especially, but not me. At first, I assumed that was what Ted was doing as well; until I noticed the small bundle in his arms.

Ignoring the shouts of reporters and the flashes of cameras, Blue Beetle gently set down the young boy in his arms and knelt beside him.

"You okay? Not light headed or anything?"

The boy shook his head in the negative and Ted grinned. "Good. You're a tough kid."

A wide smile on his soot-smeared face, the boy was quickly enveloped in the arms of worried parents who had pushed through the crowd.

"Thank you so much, Blue Beetle!"

"You saved our son!"

"Just doing my job." He humbly nodded as he turned away and walked over to where I stood.

Not able to help myself, I smiled. "Your friend Booster would have been over there doing interviews for hours."

Ted chuckled. "Booster's better at interviews than I am. Right now, I'm more concerned about all the people who had savings stored in that bank. I was wondering, do you think between Kord and Wayne Enterprises we might be able to...help them out?"

I blinked, a bit thrown by his sudden suggestion. While I was still pretty certain that my fellow heroes didn't know I was Bruce Wayne, many of them knew I had strong connections with him.

Placing a hand on Ted's shoulder as we walked away from the wall of reporters and cameras, I nodded. "I think Wayne Enterprises would be more than happy to help these people out."

"Great!" He grinned.

Looking about to make sure we were out of earshot of the others, I whispered. "You're too kind, Ted. That's why they knew you'd come to Gotham to help me out."

He just shrugged and smiled. "No one got hurt, that's the important thing. Plus, it's my duty as a hero to do the right thing. It's in our rule book."

"We don't have a rule book, Beetle."

Prodding his index finger at my chest, he retorted. "We do. It's right here in our hearts. Because super powers or hi-tech gadgets or whatever- we wouldn't do this unless some part of us cared."

"Beetle..."

"Well this too-caring superhero needs his beauty sleep so he can get up tomorrow morning and go to normal work and pretend he wasn't out late the night before running around in spandex. What about you?"

"Good night, Blue Beetle."

He smiled as he lifted himself up into the Bug. "Good night, Batman. If you sleep like a normal person, that is."

And shaking my head, I knew that Ted was right. Because no matter how or why we all became heroes, we do it because we care.

------------------------------------------------


II.

If there was one thing I enjoyed most about working with Blue Beetle, it was that he appreciated hi-tech gadgets like no other superhero. I think since we both came from backgrounds in which we have no actual powers, but have to make do with the income from the family inherited business to supply our arsenal, it allows us to appreciate hard work on a different level than the others.

So when we found ourselves tied up over a giant water tank full of man-eating sharks, we very calmly discussed what gadget would be best to get us out of the situation.

"So, you're down to one Batarang?"

"I thought it best to save it for getting through the laser sensor on the door out of here. Unless you have something else that can do that."

"Nope. Used my last one up on that last sensor in the hallway. I'd just cut us loose, but the rope is covered in sensors to trigger us dropping."

"And I don't want to risk jumping in time if we don't have to."

"Agreed." He sighed, his head clanging back against the metal column we were tied to.

"It's times like this I wish I could fly and didn't have to decide which costly self-manufactured gadget to use. I mean, the parts for this beetle flash cost over a hundred dollars and that's not even counting all the hours I spent making it!"

I nodded, watching him put the aforementioned item back into his utility belt.

"Not that it would get us out of here anyways."

"If it comes down to it, I'll just use my Batarang to stop the timer. We can find another way out of the door."

"Wait a second…"

"What?"

"Shh! Thinking."

He fell completely silent, leaving just the echoing countdown to our fate as fish food as the only background noise. Warily, I glanced to the counter. It now read just one minute left.

"Beetle..."

"I'm working on it."

50 seconds.

I glanced over again, noticing his right hand fidgeting with something in his belt.

40 seconds.

"We're running out of time."

"Don't use your Batarang. I've got this, Batman. Just trust me."

30 seconds.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm rewiring the…" He flinched as something at his belt sparked.

20 seconds.

"The beetle flash parts and my portable beetle phone. It's hard to do with one hand."

10 seconds.

"But when I'm done…"

"We're going to be done in a few seconds!"

5 seconds.

"…I can do this!"

A high-pitched frequency echoed throughout the room, causing large cracks to start forming in the tank. One of the cracks spurted out water directly onto the countdown device, shorting it out as the timer read one second.

Ted grinned at me, reaching into his belt and pulling out a beetle-shaped knife to cut himself loose.

"Just try not to land on the sharks when you fall. I made sure the tank wouldn't completely crack so I didn't drain all their water."

I glanced down at the half-full tank and the sharks sulking in their remaining liquid.

"You were worried about the sharks?" I asked. Taking the sharp edge of the Batarang, I started sawing at the ropes on my wrists.

"It's not their fault."

The ropes fell away and we both quickly swung away from the sharks and onto the ground. With the sensors disabled, no other booby traps sprang up to meet us.

"How did you do that anyways?"

Holding up a mass of blue metal and wires, he explained. "I rewired my phone using the wires from the flash. Basically, I amped the ringtone enough to hit the resonant frequency of the glass tank; then I calculated the angle of fracture needed to douse the controls in water and held the device in that direction when I set it off. Plus, I didn't damage my flash or my phone; I just have to fix their wiring."

Throwing my Batarang at the laser sensor on the door and dashing out after the fleeing villains, I clapped a hand onto Ted's shoulder.

"You're a genius, Blue Beetle."

He shook his head. "Aww, don't say that. Not coming from you. I'm used it to from Booster and the others, but not from you. You're Batman."

And too focused on catching the bad guys at the moment to continue our conversation, I made a mental note to speak to Ted afterwards. Because after that little last minute stunt of his buying us enough time to catch these criminals, he fully deserved to know that it was his amazing intellect that we had to thank for it.
------------------------------------------------

III.

One of the quickest things you will ever learn about teaming up with Blue Beetle is that you either team up with him and only him or you manage on your own. This is mostly in part to Booster Gold. Now Beetle and Booster are great guys on their own, but put them together and you'd think you were working with teenagers.

Actually, correct that. Working with eight year olds. Their penchant for turning every situation into a giant joke was something I had to admit rather grated on my nerves.

But after our run in with Fun Haus on Halloween, I found out that perhaps Booster and Beetle were a better team than I'd ever imagined. And the two of them, their penchant for joking around aside, were definitely closer than I'd first suspected.

It had been the signal from Skeets that had brought me to the city currently being attacked by legions of Fun Haus's robo-pumpkins. Once I got there, I quickly realized that the distress signal wasn't for me; it was a call for Blue Beetle.

But as Blue Beetle and I went rushing into the abandoned warehouse the signal was coming from, we never suspected that the whole setup was a trap. A hard blow to the head and a blackout later, we came to; chained up next to a suit-less Booster Gold.

"When I had Skeets send out for help," he said glaring in our direction. "First of all, I only wanted Beetle here."

"Is it a problem that I came as well?" I asked.

"I just…"

"He was hoping to spare his dignity a little damage," Skeet piped in. "Beetle is already accustomed to seeing Booster in less dignified situations."

"Thanks, Skeets," Booster replied sarcastically. "Secondly, Batman, if you were going to come, shouldn't you of all people realized that the place they were holding me was probably a trap?"

"I'd call it a booby trap, but Wonder Woman isn't here," Beetle quipped. Booster laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"So do you have any idea how to get out of here?" I asked over the laughter.

"I came here when Fun Haus told me there was a bomb about to go off in the warehouse basement. Then something hit me over the head…"

"Luckily, there's nothing there to damage," Beetle cut in.

"Ha ha. And like you, I found myself chained up. Except it seems I got the honor of having my suit stripped off."

"Nice boxers, by the way. Very festive."

At Blue Beetle's remark, I glanced down and spotted the boxers covered in little ghosts with word bubbles reading "Boo!"

"It seems Fun Haus knew about your power suit and our utility belts."

Across the room on a table lay my utility belt, Beetle's belt and Booster's power suit, gauntlets and flight ring. It was near by that Skeets was chained to the wall.

"He left your goggles though," Beetle remarked.

"I told him the goggles, they do nothing," Booster replied.

The two laughed, clearly a private joke that I didn't quite grasp and I continued to try and wrench my hands and feet free of their chains. It was then that I first heard it, the lumbering footsteps of something large and metal approaching.

"And look, we have company!" Beetle spoke up, indicating the robot figure coming out of the shadows toward us.

"I don't remember inviting anyone."

"Must be a party crasher."

"Booster, use your goggles to see what it's made of."

The blonde shot me an irritated look and sighed. "Fine fine, spoil all the surprise." Running a scan of it, he frowned. "Lovely, it's a robo-werewolf."

"At least it's not a robo-vampire?"

"Well, that would suck."

"Maybe if we're lucky, he'll be all bark and no bite," Beetle said. The robo-werewolf growled and edged closer.

Booster grinned. "Looks like he woke up on the wrong side of the moon today."

"The scan, Booster. What were the readings?" I asked through gritted teeth. This wasn't the time to be goofing around!

"Chill, Batman. Don't be so uptight."

"Well, he is a bit tied-up."

Even I turned my head to Blue Beetle at this remark, both Booster and I somewhat gaping at him.

"Okay, that was just bad," Booster finally managed in reply.

"Yeah, well…it sounded better in my head."

A metallic snap of jaws and a growl drew our attention back to the real matter at hand. Red eyes gleamed out of its silver face as it looked at each of us, clearly trying to decide, with what tiny circuits it had that counted for a brain, which of us to attack first.

"So uh…guys? I think I know why Fun Haus took my suit."

I could tell by his tone Booster was trying to sound upbeat, but the slightest tinge of worry in it let me know immediately what was going on.

"It's armed with bullets, isn't it?" I surmised. Booster nodded mutely.

"But we have reinforced suits too!" Beetle said; a tinge of panic in his voice now as well.

"But mine is bulletproof. And if I had my force field, I could reflect the bullets back at the robot."

A silence fell over our group as the robo-werewolf turned mechanically towards Booster. As its jaws opened to reveal a gun barrel, I tried my hardest to get a hand or leg free, but it seemed that Blue Beetle had beaten me to it.

"Booster, get down!"

"Ted, don't!"

The gun fired and I felt a lurch in the pit of my stomach when I saw the bullet hit Ted. Managing to get one of my legs free, I kicked up at the robo-werewolf's head and sent him flying across the room.

Taking a brief moment to grab up the two utility belts in case the robot got back up, I rushed over to where Booster was holding Beetle in his arms.

"You idiot."

"Tis but a flesh wound," Ted quipped.

"One that is currently bleeding all over my boxers," he retorted.

Without a word, I reached over and cut the chains loose from Booster. From what I could see, sometime during their bantering, Ted had already gotten his hands and one leg free. Leave it to him to manage all those ridiculous puns while getting himself out of that.

"Thanks," Booster murmured in my direction before turning his full attention back to Ted. "Just your shoulder, right?"

"It went through clean, it just…" He winced. "It stings a bit."

Booster shifted him in his arms, now that his hands were free, and cradled him against his chest. "Hey Batman, got any gauze in that belt of yours?"

"Let me take care of it." I pulled out a pad of gauze, and pressed it against the wound. As I wound the rest of the gauze around his shoulder, Ted laughed.

"Looks like I've been bitten by the werewolf."

Booster looked torn between laughing and crying as he replied, "That 'bite' was meant for me."

I tied off the gauze and stepped back, feeling strangely like I was intruding on something private. As I walked over to the wall to set Skeets free, I could hear their quiet voices behind me.

"Couldn't let him getcha."

"You're such a hero, Ted."

"You would have done the same for me."

"True."

Picking up Booster's suit and turning back around, I froze. It was certain now, I was intruding. Their foreheads leaned against each others and their hands clasped tight, it was so obvious to me that Booster Gold and Blue Beetle were as close as some people had teased they were. And when Booster pressed a kiss to Beetle's forehead, I pointedly looked away.

This was their moment; as friends, lovers and perhaps something even beyond that.

And although I felt awkward as I interrupted them by returning Booster's suit to him, I also felt somehow enlightened. The Blue Beetle didn't just take that bullet because he was a hero; he took that bullet because it would have hurt him more to see Booster Gold injured.

When we parted that evening, Ted's shoulder a clean wound that would easily heal and Fun Haus's scheme quickly thwarted by an angry Booster Gold, I knew that I left my two fellow heroes in each other's capable hands.

------------------------------------------------

IV.

It had been two years since Ted Kord had died to fix his mistake, and I'd finally told his successor, Jaime, the story. Perhaps it was that or perhaps it was just because it felt like the right thing to do, but whatever it was that compelled me to check in on Booster Gold that day, I never suspected to learn what I did.

I had dropped down outside Booster's window to see if he was home when I heard not one, but two familiar voices from inside.

"I'm telling you, someone is out there!"

"I knew this would happen if you retired. Now every bird or gust of wind outside my window is a super villain! Plus, you're not even armed."

"I have a lamp!"

"Yes, I can see that you have my very expensive lamp that I paid for thanks to those toothpaste commercials. I don't know what good it'll do you though."

"I'm going to knock their lights out."

And if that pun hadn't confirmed my suspicions, Booster's next words did.

"Why couldn't you have retired bad puns like that rather than your costume, Ted?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Bad Pickup Lines?"

As the two bickered in the background about various pickup lines I'd rather not have found out Booster had used on Ted, I tapped discreetly on the window.

"Aha, there is someone there!" A voice, which sounded too much like Ted for it to be fake, exclaimed.

I could hear Booster standing up and coming over. Moments later, the blinds went up. I could see a surprised Booster standing before me by the window and behind him Ted Kord, alive and well, was wielding a lamp.

"Batman?"

I frowned. "And here I was coming over to make sure the Blue Beetle's death wasn't depressing you."

They exchanged a sheepish grin then and invited me in. Over a cup of coffee at Booster's kitchen table, Ted explained what had happened that day and why he'd chosen to stay hidden away.

"I didn't want anyone else to get hurt on my behalf, especially now that there's a new Blue Beetle. Plus, Booster said that in the future there are plenty of stories of heroes who fake their death and then have really great comebacks, so who knows. I might be back someday."

I left with well-wishes for them both and promises to keep in touch. Sure, the second Blue Beetle might have "died" that day two years ago, but as for Ted Kord- he lives on. And perhaps, someday, when the time is right, Ted will don his costume again. Until then, I'm sure Jaime will continue to make us all proud.

Comments

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

Oh, this was amazingly sweet, and funny. I love that Ted didn't want to kill the poor innocent sharks. Great story!

[abarero]

Ted's just so awesome, he even worries about the animals involved in crazy schemes by villains XD

Glad you liked it! :)

[shiny-glor-chan.livejournal.com]

This made me happy beyond belief. I like this Batman. The goggles comment was AWESOME! The Boostle interaction was simply amazing. Lovely job.

[abarero]

Thanks! I like Brave and the Bold Batman too. He's not so secretly a softie XD

[ex-felonazc.livejournal.com]

TED, ILU. ♥

"ILU"s go also to Booster and Bats. Because they are cuties.

[abarero]

Glad you enjoyed it! (and yes, massive hearts to all three of them, especially Ted XD)

[porntestpilot.livejournal.com]

"I told him the goggles, they do nothing," Booster replied

Note to self: Make meme picture with Booster.

This was epic fun! Completely aligned with the cartoon and the comic, and the awesome happy ending! :D

I love your Lj layout btw, very nice.

[abarero]

I'm honestly surprised no one has already done the meme picture for Booster or Beetle in regards to goggles. XD

And thanks so much! Happy endings are the best kind :)

(Thanks on the LJ layout too! I have a tendency to love blue a lot. No surprise there XD)

[freddie-mac.livejournal.com]

very fun -- glad that I clicked the link! Nice to see Bats' view of Beetle; esp liked how Ted brushed away Bats' compliment of being a genius (and Bats' reaction to that). Lotsa good stuff here, and we always knew that Beetle had survived (and is wieldign Booster's expensive lamps!).

[abarero]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

Oh yes, have to watch out for those not-dead Ted Kord's wielding lamps XD

LOLTastic

[thegodoftigers.livejournal.com]

:D

Now Beetle and Booster are great guys on their own, but put them together and you'd think you were working with teenagers.

Actually, correct that. Working with eight year olds. Now... That is the most Honest and rawest thing come out of that. B%B must have a Blue and Gold episode...