exit smiling

May. 8, 2012 at 11:38pm with 33 notes

He was tired in a way that pulled on his bones, like tiny pebbles were tied to his arms and his legs. The couch was uncomfortable; the way Booster’d dumped him on it was even worse. His legs were all tangled up.

”Hey,” Booster said. Ted could hear his bare feet on the carpet and the ominous slosh of tea in a mug. It’d taken him a good six months to convince Booster to only fill mugs halfway if he was gonna carry them. He spilled things like it was his job.

“You’re okay?” he asked, and his legs came into view, just black formless sweatpants. He set the tea on the coffee table. “How are you doing?”

“I’m all right,” Ted said. “I mean I’m a little sore — it’s not that bad.”

“Tss,” he said. “Don’t assume anything just yet. Still need to see the situation under the suit.”

“It’s impact absorbent; if anything it’ll be better than you’re expecting — shit!” Ted swore when Booster pressed a gentle hand to his ribs. “Shit, don’t do that.”

“It’s just bruised, I think,” he said. “At least, it is here.”

Pain pulsed like heat through his blood there, and he grunted until Booster took his hand off — “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s fine. I’m really okay, I’m…I just need some sleep, cool?”

Booster knelt in front of him. It was weird, it was so funny seeing his laughing eyes and his toothpaste white smile get cold and grey and worried, like it was now. His face was serious. His eyes searched.

“Yeah,” he said. He moved his hand up under the left of Ted’s jaw, like to keep his head in place, then reached out with his other hand to switch on the lamp. Outside was dark and huge; inside was small, and yellow, and warm. “Just…gonna get you out of the suit, okay? I don’t like — ” he traced a thumb over the bridge of Ted’s goggles and the crusted rusty stain there. “I don’t like seeing blood on you.”

“Sure.” Ted smiled. He blinked, slowly because it felt good to close his eyes, but he wanted them open to see that face.

“Mm. Yeah, yeah, okay, okay,” Booster was whispering to himself, over over over; his eyes darted around Ted’s face like nervous birds. “Here, just…tell me if it…hurts.”

“I will,” he said.

Booster started off clinically enough. He cupped his hands around Ted’s face and touched his fingers down the seams to find the locking mechanism.

But he started to turn gentle; his fingers got down to the corners of Ted’s jaw, so he swept them back up, behind his ears with a gentle pressure that made Ted shiver. His index fingers came to rest at the corners of his goggles, where he paused with open lips to stare at Ted.

“That’s right,” Ted said. “Th- um. That’s where it…”

“I know,” Booster said. He ran his thumb over Ted’s cheekbone. He leaned forward as if he was trying to get a closer look, but his eyes never left Ted’s, until he was hunched over him, holding his face like a precious thing.

“Um,” Booster said. He didn’t need to ask out loud, not really.

“Yes,” he said. Booster smiled.

He closed the distance like a heartbeat, closing a circuit more than anything else. His hands slid forward over the mask and rustled against Ted’s ears.

His thumbs found the locks against his temples. He pressed, gently but just hard enough, and pressed his lips harder against Ted’s. He kissed Ted’s temples with his thumbs. The goggles fell off, clattered onto the carpet, and Booster pushed the hood off to trap his fingers in Ted’s hair. He pushed just hard enough.

—————

Ted woke up in the middle of the night, not on the couch, but on the bed. He was curled around Booster, only wearing boxers — not his. The half-full mug of tea was on the dresser. It was cold and over-steeped.