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Movie Nights and Pillow Forts. (Hournite)

Summary: The team has a movie night and Beth and Rick share a pillow fort.

Warning: None

Categorie: Fluff

Read notes at the end.

The week had been hectic for the new JSA, fourteen tests collectively, a fitness gram in Beth's gym class, six late assignments for Rick, and sleep deprived Courtney and Yolanda were not having any good times. And that's not even mentioning the ISA and their mysterious plans.

Pat tried to take it easy on them during training, his parental instincts telling him something was wrong.

As they walked into Pit Stop for their training session on Friday, they found the training room to be void of equipment. No half made puppets of the ISA, no punching bags or targets to aim at.

The team gave Pat a questioning look and he explained himself.

"We're gonna try something different. You guys have had a hard week and over exerting yourselves isn't helping anyone out in the long run. So you're gonna take it easy for today."

"Thanks dad," Yolanda and Rick joked.

"So what are we going to do?" Courtney questioned.

"Just some easy team building excercises. You all have to feel just as comfortable being together as you do being apart."

"We do," Beth defended brightly, but shrunk at how everyone stared at her. "at least, I do."

"Yeah, no thanks. Team building excercises? This isn't summer camp and I'm not three." Rick stated.

"Be nice, Pat's just trying to help." Beth chided.

Rick rolled his eyes but complied.

"So what did you have in mind?" Yolanda requested.

"Well, just something easy, hopefully that you'll find fun. Get you guys a little de-stressd."

"Pillow forts!" Beth exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, what?" Rick turned to her.

"Pillow Forts. I never had any friends to make pillow forts or have sleepovers with, but they always seemed super fun to make." she explained brightly, not even realizing the sadness in that statement.

Rick's heart hurt at the underlying weight of the words she didn't even realize was there. He understood what it was like to feel alone. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand but he didn't.

Courtney smiled at the girl and said, "I think that's a great idea, we could build them together as a team-"

"And Chuck could project a movie while we're inside. We could totally have a sleepover." Beth proposed.

"And where are going to get pillows to make the forts, this is a car shop not a mattress firm." Yolanda brought up.

"Pat can go home and get stuff." Courtney offered.

The team looked to Pat, the girls had pleading eyes and Rick looked plain uninterested.

"I don't see why not." Pat said.

Smiles took over the girls' faces and Courtney highfived her friends.

"Ooh, and I could get snacks from my house. Just get on comms and tell me what you guys want." Beth offered. "Of course, if you're willing to drop me off, Mr. Dugan." she said sheepishly.

"Sure, kiddo."

"Yay!"

"Okay, well, let's get going. Court, I'll tell your mom you're staying over at a friend's house, the rest of you call your parents and let them know you'll be out."

"It's fine, my parents probably won't even notice I'm gone." Yolanda grumbled bitterly.

"Same here," Beth chided. "They work at night a lot now that I'm older."

Rick stayed silent, wondering if his uncle would come home at all that night. Not that he'd bother to check on the boy.

"Okay, well be back soon," Beth smiled, grabbing her goggles our of her bag and running out the door to catch up with Pat who had already gone outside.

The three teens stood in silence for a bit before Courtney and Yolanda started looking for good spots to set up their fort.

"Don't forget comms," Courtney reminded before turning hers on.

Yolanda and Rick followed her example and were met with Beth's voice.

"Alright, we're almost at my house, what movie were you guys thinking of watching?"

"Umm, we're not really sure, what can Chuck play?" Courtney replied.

"He can do anything really, oh wait, okay, anything but badly done historical drama or science fiction. He prefers something more accurate."

"But isn't the entire point of both those genes the fact that they're dramatic and fictional?" Rick queried.

"Chuck says some stuff just goes too off the charts. It's more the inaccuracy that irks him. What about something from the 80's, that's always fun. Maybe something like The Breakfast Club, or Heathers." she proposed.

"Nah, not Heathers. That Kurt guy was a real asshole." Rick chided.

Courtney and Yolanda turned to him in confusion, surprised he knew anything about the dark teen drama.

Rick simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, we're at my house, gimme a minute while I look for my keys. Be right back." Beth said before their connection cut out.

"Kurt was an asshole?" Yolanda prodded

"What?" Rick defended. "Beth told me a bit about the movie."

Courtney snickered.

"You shouldn't say profanities around Beth. It would be a shame if her Prince Charming was a bad influence."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rick interrogated

"Nothing," Courtney shrugged before giving Yolanda a knowing look.

"What?" Rick pushed.

The girls only shook their heads. He was about to say something else when Beth came back online.

"Hey guys, sorry, I kept dropping my keys. What do you guys feel like. There's a ton of chips. And some chocolates. Ooh, I found a huge bag of candy from Halloween. It's still closed!"

"Uh-" Courtney was interrupted.

"Popcorn is a must." Beth added before the sound of something being placed in a bag took over the coms.

"Are you just taking everything?" Yolanda asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Beth confirmed. "And Pat shouldn't be back for another fifteen minutes so I should have time to grab some pajamas."

"Oh, that's smart. We're just going to be sleeping in our school clothes." Courtney stated.

"Actually, I have some clean gym clothes in my bag, a few shirts and a couple pairs of shorts. You can borrow some." Yolanda supplied.

"What about you, Rick?" Beth spoke.

"It's fine."

"No, come on, we're all gonna have something to wear. I'm sure I can find something, or maybe Pat can get you some clothes."

"It's okay, really."

"Nope, too late, I already have clothes for us."

"How are you so fast?" Courtney wondered aloud.

"I'm magical." Beth joked.

Rick almost said 'yes, you are.' But pushed that thought down to the furthest reaches of his soul.

"Maybe something scary?" Yolanda said.

"I'm not a huge fan of scary movies." Beth replied.

"What about a rom-com?" Courtney offered

"No way." Rick opposed.

"How about Twilight." Courtney said.

"No!" Rick and Yolanda exclaimed in unison.

"Harry Potter?"

"We don't stan JK these days." Beth expressed, earning a nod from Yolanda.

"How about a mystery movie?" Rick proposed for the first time.

"I'm unopposed." Yolanda declared.

"Me too," Courtney agreed.

"Okay, I'll if there's any mysteries Chuck reccomends. He says he likes Clue." Beth provided.

"Sounds good." Courtney replied

"Yeah, sure." Yolanda answered.

" M'kay," Rick added.

"I'll be back, I need to get the rest of my stuff."

"Rest of your stuff," Courtney began. "I thought you had everything, what else are you-"

"Bye guys!"

"-getting?"

Courtney quickly shrugged it off before guiding Yolanda to once again look for a place to set up their pillow fort.

Rick leaned against the table behind him until Pat and Beth got back a bit later.

The short girl came in wheeling a suitcase behind her.

"What do you have in there?" Yolanda was first to question.

"Food, clothes, nail polish, some toiletries, pillows, blankets. Just the basics."

"Isn't Pat already bringing blankets? That might be too many."

"We're making pillow forts, is there ever such a thing as too many blankets?"

"That's fair." Courtney input.

Pat came in, sliding a cardboard box against the floor.

"These are some covers we never unpacked and I have pillows in the car." The man announced.

"This is going to be so much fun." Beth proclaimed, opening her suitcase and pulling out five blankets. Two pillows that had been shoved inside sprung out and we're grabbed by the girl. "So, where are we making these?"

"Court and I decided we'd have a place over here," Yolanda pointed to a corner below the stairs. "And we would tie some of the blankets up and let them hang down and then we could space the sides out with the stools."

"Nice," Beth complimented. "How about you Rick?"

"Umm...I don't really know how to make a pillow fort." He stated plainly.

"Oh, that's okay, I can help you. I read up on it during the ride back."

Rick nodded his head curtly before standing up straight and allowing the girl in front of him to lead the way.

With arms crossed over his chest, the boy listened intently to Beth as she rattled on about all the different ways and places they could put up the fort. He felt strangely giddy at the amount of excitement in the girls voice.

The two settled on a spot next to Courtney and Yolanda, choosing a similar approach to the construction of the fort. Beth ran up the metal stairs and instructed Rick to toss up a blanket. She tied two of the ends around the rails of the walkway and repeated the steps until the fort had four 'walls'.

Beth ran down to Rick, who was tossing pillows inside the fort, taking an excited look at their creation.

"And for some added structure," the girl grabbed two foldable chairs from across the room, dragging them to the fort, placing them inside. She moved one back until it, and the fabric covering it, met Courtney and Yolanda's stool. She then moved the other side approximately the same distance on the side parallel.

Beth emerged from the fort all smiles. Rick embraced the slight smile that made it's way onto his face when he saw her ecstatic expression. She raised her hand to highfive him which he awkwardly returned.

Pat had sat watching the kids build their forts, happy that they were having fun, but stood when he realized it was getting dark.

"Okay, I'm gonna head home. Please, keep everything in one piece. And Court," Pat gave the blonde a pointed look, " the staff comes home with me."

"What?" Courtney, who had built her fort with the help of the staff, asked caught off guard

"Yes. I'm going home and it needs to come with me. It had to go back in its box for the night. I'm glad the two of you..." he struggled to find a word," bonded. But it needs to go back home."

"But Pat," Courtney groaned.

"No 'but pat's, it needs to go back home." he stated softly.

Courtney looked at the glowing stick that levitates next to her. She pouted, but moved her head in Pat's direction, signaling the staff to go with him.

"See you tomorrow," she told it.

"There's a mini fridge and a microwave in my office. Remember, one piece. Night kids, have fun." Pat chided as he walked out the door.

"Goodnight Mr. Dugan." Beth called.

When he drove off, the teens sat in silence before Beth spoke up.

"I'm gonna go heat up some popcorn. There's snacks in my bag and Rick, I brought some clothes for you to change into."

"Thanks." he said as she tossed a large t-shirt and pair of pajama pants in his direction.

Beth went into Pat's office to make to popcorn as Courtney and Yolanda settled into their pillow filled heaven, wrapping themselves in blankets and waiting for Beth to get the movie started.

Rick went in his fort and decided he might as well change into the clothes he was given.

He had just reached for the t-shirt when he heard the fabric pulled back.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Beth cried and turned away when she saw Rick was shirtless.

"It's, fine, what's up?" he asked masking his blush by pulling the shirt over his head.

"Um," Beth flushed. "I was just wondering if you wanted any popcorn. She said shaking the bag in her hand.

"No, I'm good, thanks though."

She simply nodded before uttering,

"Chuck's gonna start the movie soon."

"Kay."

Beth shuffled off to give the girls popcorn. Entering the tent she was greeted by Courtney and Yolanda saying, "Hey," in unison.

"I have popcorn." Beth sang.

"Ooh, yay." Courtney praised.

"Give," Yolanda said, making a grabbing motion with her hand and smiling happily.

Beth gladly complied, handing the bag over to the girls.

"I'm gonna get Chuck to start up the movie. Don't eat all the popcorn without me, I'll be right back."

The two girls nodded, grinning, and opened the popcorn.

Beth left the fort and got her goggles, placing them over her eyes.

"Ready Chuck?"

"Indeed."

"This is going to be great!"

Beth took off the goggles and pointed them at the wall across from her, gently placing the goggles on the floor as the opening credits began projecting on the wall.

She rushed back to the girls' fort and stepped inside to see Courtney trying to throw popcorn into Yolanda's mouth.

"Okay, it's on." Beth announced, loud enough for Rick to hear as well.

The girls moved closer to the opening of the fort and peeled back the opening to watch the movie.

They watched lazily, sometimes shifting to find a better way of sitting. Courtney and Yolanda carried on their own conversation as Beth painted Courtney's nails listening to the movie in the background.

As the girls waited for their nails to dry spoke to eachother lowly as to not disturb Rick next to them.

Beth lightly tapped her nails to see if they were dry and Courtney and Yolanda shared a teasing look.

"Do you think he's lonely over there?" Yolanda asked Courtney, just loud enough for Beth to hear.

"I'm sure he's fine." Courtney continued

"I don't know, maybe someone should check on him?"

The two turned to Beth with a knowing look.

"I'll do it," she offered immediately. "Yeah, it's not right for him to be all alone."

She rose from her position and stepped over pillows to leave the fort. She quietly walked over to his fort, hearing Courtney and Yolanda's quiet giggles behind her.

The front Rick's fort was a little open. Beth walked to the side and pulled the blanket back.

"Knock, knock." Beth spoke

"Hey," he greeted.

"I thought you may be lonely. Well, Court and Yolanda thought, but I wanted to see if you needed company. So I can stay. Only if you want me to of course." she rambled.

"Yeah, sure." Rick responded softly, scooting over and patting the spot next to him. She gladly entered and took her place next to him.

Her legs were crisscrossed and she twiddled her fingers, appreciating the glittery polish on her nails.

Rick turned to her, a smirk on his face.

"Thanks for making this with me," he gestured to the fort around them. "It was...surprisingly fun."

"Told you." Beth gloated, bumping her shoulder to his.

"Yeah, you did." Rick said under his breath as he gazed at her. He admired her eyes, the way the light reflected off of them. Rick inhaled sharply before taking a leap of faith.

He draped his arm across her shoulders to test the waters.

She quickly moved closer and laid her head on his chest. A wide smile graced his face, she didn't notice though, focusing all her energy to prevent the blood rushing to her face. She failed.

They stayed in that position until the movie ended.

Rick was half asleep by the time the credits finished rolling. He was snapped awake by Beth moving from her position and making a move to leave the fort.

"Where are you going?" He whispered.

"I'm gonna change then go to sleep in the girls' tent. And of course say goodnight to Chuck."

"Oh," he responded, trying not to let his disappointment peek through. "Okay. Goodnight."

"Night." she smiled and left the fort.

Rick frowned but perked up just a bit when her heard Beth's sweet voice say goodnight to the goggles. He thought it was adorable how much she cared about the AI in those goggles.

He layed back and tried to fall asleep but soon realized it was much more difficult when Beth wasn't in close proximity. He ran his fingers through his hair frustratedly and tried to build up enough courage to just ask Beth to stay with him that night.

But he quickly found he didn't have to. As if the universe heard him, he saw Beth cautiously lift up the opening of his fort.

She looked sheepish as she met his eyes.

"Courtney and Yolanda are hogging all the space inside. Would it be alright if I could, maybe, stay here. It's up to you." she questioned quickly.

Rick nodded his head as apathetically as he could, when on the inside he was absolutely thrilled.

Beth slowly stepped into their fort. Rick made note of the oversized black t-shirt she wore that fell over her light green pajama pants.

She layed down facing the opposite direction as he did, but bot could still feel the body heat radiating off the back of the other.

"You know the reason Court and Yolanda sent you over here was probably so they could have the tent all to themselves." Rick stated.

Beth thought about it for a minute before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness. I was worried they were getting tired of me. Phew."

"Why would they get tired of you?"

"Everyone does at some point. Even if it's just for a little bit."

"Hey," Rick said darkly. "I'm never gonna get tired of you. Ever. Not even for a little bit. You understand?" He asked with a seriousness yet softness she didn't see often.

She nodded her head, hoping he could understand the gesture even if he wasn't looking at her.

Beth moved back until she made contact with Rick. Their backs were pressed up against eachother and they both found comfort in the warmth of the other.

Beth lay frozen, worried about if Rick was okay with the contact, but her worries were soon relieved when she felt Rick's hand reach for hers.

They interlocked their fingers, still not looking at one another, before they both fell into a peaceful sleep.

...

Rick woke up to light streaming through the covers of the fort and the sound of giggling.

He looked to the source of the noise to see Beth and Yolanda holding the blankets open.

"What?" He asked groggily.

They only giggled more.

That's when he registered the weight that covered half his body. Beth was practically on top of him, her face snuggled in his chest.

Rick's eyes widened and his system was shocked awake. He heard Courtney smack her hand over her mouth to muffled her laugh at the sight of the boy.

"Pat's going to be here in half an hour. We need to take everything down." Yolanda supplied.

Rick nodded his head tiredly and the girls walked away, letting the blankets drop behind them.

Rick gazed down at Beth, angry with himself for liking their position so much. He groaned internally as he tried figuring out how to wake Beth up.

He gently tried to move her off of him, laying her just beside him.

"Beth, you have to wake up." He tried softly, lightly shaking her shoulder.

She groaned, but complied, blinking several times.

"Pat's gonna be here soon, we have to start taking everything down."

Beth frowned.

"But it's Saturday, can't we just stay here for a few more...hours?" She proposed.

Rick chuckled softly at her question but shook his head.

"It's already light out, my uncle probably knows I'm gone." the boy grimaced.

"I wish you could just live with one of us."

"Yeah me too," he whispered.

Beth propped herself up before crawling out of their fort.

Rick followed and saw she was heading up the stairs to untie to blankets. He saw the pout on her face as she undid the knots and watched the sheets fall to the floor.

"You know, maybe we can do this again sometime?" Rick called up, smiling when he saw Beth perk up.

The team worked together to undo everything and neatly organize their pillows and blankets. They all decided to change back into their clothes from the day before, Courtney and Rick returned their borrowed clothes.

Rick helped Beth stuff everything back into her suitcase and they finished just as Pat arrived.

"Hey guys, how was your night, good I hope?" he questioned.

"We had a really great time," Courtney confirmed. "Thanks for coming up with the idea, Beth."

"No problem, I always wanted to do something like this." the girl smiled.

"You guys ready to go?" Pat asked.

"Yeah, we're all set." Yolanda said.

Beth just nodded happily.

"Help me get everything in the back." the man directed.

Once everything was done, the girls began piling into the car.

"Rick, you coming?" Courtney asked.

"Oh, nah, I'm just going to walk home."

"You sure kid," Pat verified.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Aw, okay, talk to you later Rick," Beth came over and gave him a quick hug before retreating into the car.

Pat drove off and Rick waved goodbye to the girls.

The boy turned and made his way home. As he walked, he thought of his interactions with Beth. He couldn't explain the flutter in his stomach when he saw her excited, or how naturally comfortable he felt by her side.

One thing he did know though, was that Beth made him happy. They could do anything from sitting in silence at lunch, to fighting crime, to sleeping in a pillow fort.

One thing was certain, Beth Chapel was a wonder, and Rick was all there for it.

The End.

Okay, that was my second hournite fic, i hope you liked it. I'm super lazy so i didn't edit it, so if there are any errors please let me know. I'm not sure if anyone picked up on the reference I made when Rick said Kurt Kelly was and a-hole. For those who didn't know, Cameron Gellman played Kurt Kelly in a television adaptation of Heather. I just thought it was something funny to throw in there. If you have and comments or criticisms, let me know in the comments. I sound like a YouTuber, lol. I hope everyone has a great day and if anyone has any prompts they'd like to see, let me know. That's all for today💕💕

Sincerely, Tessa.

The Birthday Thing (Hournite)

Summary: It's Rick's birthday and Beth makes sure it's a great one.

Warnings: none

Category: Fluff

See notes at the end:)

Light flooded Rick's room. He groaned, angry at himself for forgetting to shut his blinds after coming back from patrol the night before. Pulling his blanket up over his head he hoped he could fall back into slumber, but had no such luck.

He rubbed his eyes, seeing his alarm was going to ring anyway and stood up from his bed, he went and grabbed his clothes before heading to shower.

He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and took not of the large purple circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep. With hair disheveled and greasey, he turned the water on to hot and washed away the traces of last night's patrol.

When he returned to his room, he grabbed his phone from it's place charging on his nightstand. He looked at the date and realized, it was his birthday.

His first birthday since he found out the truth about his parents. His first birthday since he joined the JSA. His first birthday since he and Beth had gotten close.

He didn't even have time to process when he saw a text from Beth reading,

'Happy Birthday, Rick!!!🎉🎉🎉'

He smiled, because of course Beth would remember his own birthday before he did. He could just imagine the bright smile on her face as she typed away at her keypad, probably with goggles hanging around her neck.

He peeked out the window to see if his uncle's truck was out in the yard. It wasn't. That was probably for the better, seeing as the best birthday present he could possibly imagine was crushing it under his fist like the first time.

He glanced at the clock and saw it was almost time for him to leave. Grabbing his backpack, Rick left his house and began his walk to school. It was slow walk, fog had settled over the road giving the path a spooky yet calming atmospher.

Rick had thought a lot about what today meant. He didn't feel any older, or smarter. He compared this birthday to his last birthday. Before, he felt alone on his birthdays. His uncle wasn't around long and it's not like he had friends.

Though, the year before, Beth had noticed something was off about him at lunch. When she asked him about it, he was surprised that she had spoke to him, let alone noticed he was in more of a mood than usual. But that was Beth after all, observant as hell.

He had almost snapped at her when she asked, knowing it was none of her business, but when he looked up at her face, the real concern drawn over it made him rethink it.

'I'm not really loving my birthday this year.' he explained as honestly as he could without spilling the whole truth.

'Oh, why didn't you say so earlier?' Beth exclaimed before digging a hand into her bag and pulling out a small plastic box full of brownies.

Rick's eyes widened.

'Do you just have sweets at the ready for all occasions?' He asked as monotone as possible.

She nodded her head brightly.

'Yeah, pretty much.' she stated and slid the container over the him.

He picked one cautiously and took a bite. He swore to himself he would never admit how good they were out loud.

'Thanks.' He nodded gratefully before the two fell back into silence once more.

Rick's thoughts came to a halt when he saw the tree. The one where his parents were murdered, the one he punched down when he first got his powers.

He crouched down, gently running his fingers over the bark. Tracing the hourglass figure he had carved wood.

"Some birthday," he muttered bitterly, as if they could hear him.

He stood and continued his walk, finally making it to school with only five minutes before the bell rang. As he entered the building he was immediately tackled in a hug.

He knew it was Beth right away, her arms snuggly wrapped around his torso as she buried her face in his chest. She let go after a moment and beamed up at him,

"Happy Birthday!"

"How are you so energetic," He asked before dropping his voice low. "We patrolled till what, three in the morning?"

"Oh, I didn't go to sleep last night. I'm certain it will come back to bite me in a few hours. Anyway, I have something for you." she grabbed something out of her bag and handed it to him. It was a container of brownies, much like the ones from the year prior.

"They're the same recipe as last year, and..." she grinned before taking out two cards from her folder.

One was store bought and had in bright letters,

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!'

"This one is from Court, Yolanda, and Pat." she gave it to him before extending out another card, stuck in a a closed envelope which read on the back,

Rick

In loopy letters.

"And this one's from me. Don't open it until after training though." she instructed.

He nodded happily before opening the box of brownies and taking a large bite. They were just as good as they were before. But this time they were still warm.

"Beth, did you stay up all night because you decided to make me brownies?"

"No. I stayed up all night because I had a ton of homework to do. And because I decided to make you brownies."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I am very aware. But I really wanted to, and either way, by the time I was done with my homework, I only had a couple hours until I had to wake up. It seemed like a good idea to me."

He smiled widely, he couldn't remember a time anyone had ever done so much for him.

"Thank you." he said.

"Anytime." she smiled playfully.

He opened his mouth to say more when her heard two voices behind his yell,

"Happy birthday."

Rick turned to see Courtney and Yolanda smiling.

"Thanks guys."

"I'm just really glad we made it in time. Traffic was crazy this morning." Courtney said.

"Did you guys drive here together?" Rick questioned.

"Umm-umm, we did," Yolanda stuttered out. "You know, carpool is good for the environment and all tha-"

"Is that your shirt from yesterday?" Beth asked innocently.

"Is that the bell?" Yolanda prompted. Then a loud beep confirmed her statement. "It is, see you guys at lunch, bye. Happy Birthday, Rick." she spoke loudly as she dragged Courtney with her. The blonde waved sweetly before turning back to Yolanda and rushing across the hall.

Beth giggled.

Rick thought it was the most amazing sound in the world.

"They're getting really bad at excuses. But the carpool thing might not be all that bad of an idea." the girl thought aloud. "Okay, well I'm going to head to class, see you at lunch."

"See you."

Beth squeezed his had once before pulling away and walking off to class. Rick stood frozen, absolutely certain he looked like a love struck idiot in the middle of the hallway, but he didn't care.

The day dragged by slower than usual and lunch came as a relief to Rick who had been dozing of in every class he had been to.

When he walked into the cafeteria, he realized he wasn't the only one that was exhausted. Courtney had her head on the table, hair covering her face. Yolanda was leaning on her, blinking rapidly in an attempt at staying awake. Even Beth, who had seemed quite energetic in the morning, had her chin in her hand, eyes closed.

"You too?" Rick asked the group.

"End my suffering." Yolanda muttered against Courtney's hair.

"We should really invest in 5 hour energy." Beth declared sleepily.

"Or cocaine." came a muffled reply from Courtney.

"Yeah, that too." Yolanda agreed yawning.

"Maybe we should just skip training today." Rick propositioned.

"No, we have to get used to the exhaustion. It's apart of superhero life." Beth pointed out.

"Shhh." Courtney said. "Secret identity remember?"

"Sorry," Beth mumbled as her face slipped lower and lower down her arm.

"But what about homework. How can we do that and spend all night out?" Yolanda questioned, now buried in Courtney's blonde locks.

"Chuck knows all." was Beth's only reply.

"Are we all just going to fall asleep at this table right now?" Rick questioned seriously.

"Mmhm." Yolanda hummed

Rick shrugged, pretty okay with that option. He rested his head against the cool table and let sleep overtake him.

And there they were. The new JSA sleeping in the noisy school cafeteria.

Fifty minutes wasn't enough to make up for their long night, but it was better than nothing. When the bell rang for lunch to end, the group awoke. They said their goodbyes and parted ways until they could go to training.

The school day couldn't end fast enough in Rick's opinion. As soon as the bell rang, he flung out of his seat and walked to the front were he was met by a much more energized group of girls.

"You guys look better." he teased.

"Yeah, we got an extra hour in history. There was a sub and a video." Yolanda informed gesturing between herself and Courtney.

"Same here. I just slept and asked Chuck to record the whole thing." Beth smiled.

"Good for you guys. Pat's picking us up right?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, we might even pick up some pizza for your birthday." Courtney confirmed.

"Thanks." Rick said, surprised they were still going on about his birthday.

They saw Pat roll around into the parking lot. The man waved at the four teens.

Rick leaned over to Beth and asked slowly,

"Do you think he realizes he unintentionally adopted us?"

Beth smiled up at him.

"Do you really still think it was unintentional?"

"Fair." Rick nodded.

They entered Pat's car. Courtney sitting upfront while the rest sat in the back. Rick was seated between Beth and Yolanda.

"Happy Birthday, kid." was the first thing Rick heard as he got in.

"Thanks, Pat."

"I already dropped Mike off at home so we have extra time for training today. Unless you all want to get pizza first?" Pat swiveled his head to the back.

"What kind of a question is that. We always want pizza." Courtney spoke for the group.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, pizza it is."

Beth rested her head against Rick. He relished in the comfort of her body against his and sighed in content.

Courtney heard this and moved her head to look at the two.

Rick caught her eye and narrowed his eyes in confusion. She wiggled her eyebrows as she eyed the two.

Rick's jaw clenched and he glanced down to Beth, who's eyes were closed. The sun that came through the car window cascaded across her face and gave her an angelic glow.

His features softened as he took in her appearance. He knew Courtney was right in her teasing gaze, but he still did not crack.

He tore his eyes away from Beth and back to Courtney. He pointed at her before turning his hand on himself and drawing a line against his throat in a threatening manner.

The blonde simply rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning her gaze back to look at the road.

Rick allowed himself to lean against Beth and relax his body. His hand fell and it landed right against Beth's. The boy froze, unsure of what her reaction would be. He was relieved and ecstatic when she intertwined their fingers together.

Her eyes were still closed and a small smile played on her features.

After they got pizza and pulled into the garage, the teens got out of the car one by one and stood outside the door to their training room.

Pat got his keys and unlocked the door. Rick was shocked by what he saw.

The room was decorated, there was a table of snacks and a cake in the center of the room. Above that was a large banner that read

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" in colorful letters.

"Wha-" Rick could barely spit out before everyone in the room yelled,

"Surprise!"

"What is all this?" he asked dumbfounded.

"It's your birthday party." Courtney stated like it should was the most obvious thing in the universe.

"You guys did all this for me," he asked softly as he looked around the room in awe.

"Well, most of it was Beth's idea. But Pat got all the snacks and the cake. The cosmic staff helped us decorate. " she explained.

"It was kinda hard not telling you all day. I'm surprised Beth didn't crack." Yolanda admitted.

"Honestly, the exhaustion made it slip my mind for almost three hours." Beth said and smiled sheepishly.

"This is," Rick searched for the right words. "the best thing anyone has done for me. I don't think there's anything better than this."

"I will take that as a challenge." Beth warned.

The boy smiled down at her.

"Okay you guys, have your fun. There's water and punch at the end of the table. But remember, we are having training tomorrow, so don't have too much fun." Pat chided.

"Okay, thanks Pat." Courtney said before pulling Yolanda to the snack table, leaving Rick and Beth alone.

"So, all of this," Rick gestured to the decorate room. "Was your idea?"

"Well, the concept of birthday parties aren't very new." Beth tried downplaying, but at the look on Rick's face she cracked. "Yeah. A lot of it was my idea. Though, Court did bring up the option of keeping it a surprise, pretend we forget your birthday or something, but I never was a fan of that. So we just settled on not telling you about the party."

"This is pretty awesome. You know, I honestly think this is the nicest thing someone's done for me since my parents...you know." Rick trailed off.

Beth grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before pulling the teen in for a hug. He gladly accepted and wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller girl's frame.

"Thank you," he mumbled against her hair.

"Anytime. Now come on, its pizza time." she grinned and pulled away from his warm embrace. He frowned at the loss of contact but followed her to the table anyway.

For the next hour the two talked, laughed, sometime in between Courtney and Yolanda joined the two with glittery party hats on their head.

Beth giggled and happily put one over her head. Then the three girls turned and looked at him expectantly.

"Nope. No thank you."

"Come on. It's your party and you're going to be the only one not wearing a hat." Courtney tried.

Rick shook his head.

Beth grabbed his hand with both of hers and gave him a pleading look.

"C'mon please." she begged.

They got him. Rick couldn't say no to her.

He hung his head low.

"Crown me." he said in defeat.

Beth grabbed a hat and put it on his head. Pulling the strings over his face and tucked them behind his ears.

He looked at her and took in the close proximity of their faces. Her hands remained on his cheeks for a bit longer than normal before she pulled away when Courtney coughed.

"Cake?" she proposed.

"Oooh, yes." Beth cheered. "Let's go sing 'Happy Birthday' and blow out candles."

The teens walked over to the center of the table where the cake was. Courtney gestured Pat over from where he was tightening a screw on his STRIPE robot. The man stood and made his way to the group.

Pat grabbed a box of matches and lit the candles stuck in the cake. The group sang Rick 'Happy Birthday'. Beth told the boy to make a wish.

Rick closed his eyes and focused on his wish. He blew out the candles.

The teens clapped and hollered out a string of 'whoops' and 'happy birthday's.

"What'd you wish for?" Courtney asked.

"You can't ask that. If he tells you, the wish won't come true." Beth warned.

Courtney raised her hands in surrender before grabbing a plastic knife off the table and slicing the cake. She served Rick first before grabbing slices for herself and Yolanda. The two girls walked off yet again leaving behind Beth and Rick.

"What do you think they do when they leave us alone?" Beth wondered aloud.

"Not sure. Talk maybe. Plot world domination?"

"I thought it was our job to stop that from happening?"

"Oh yeah. That's true." Rick chided playfully, earning a small giggle from Beth.

"Thanks for the party." He said as he took a bit of cake.

"You already said that." Beth smiled.

"And I'll say it again. Thank you, Beth Chapel for the best birthday ever," he thanked once more before grabbing both her hands with his own. "I have no idea what I'd do without you."

The girl simply rolled her eyes teasingly, not believing she was worth all the praise. But the look in Rick's eyes made her feel like the most important person in the world.

They talked for the rest of the party. Debated about classes, superhero names, and everything in between.

They had such a good time they didn't even realize it had gotten dark until Pat tapped them on the shoulders.

"Hey kids, it's getting dark. I should probably be taking you home."

Beth frowned knowing she'd have to stop talking to Rick but quickly replaced it with a polite smile.

"Alright Mr. Dugan, let's get everything cleaned up."

The man nodded and went to the table, beginning to clear out the empty bowls of chips and candy.

"I probably shouldn't take the cake home. My uncle probably won't be too happy about it." Rick stated

"We can leave it here in the mini fridge. Eat it after training tomorrow. Right Mr. Dugan?" Beth called.

"Sure thing."

"See, probably solved."

"Okay then," Rick said.

The four teens helped clean the table and soon the training room looked just as it had before the party took place.

They walked outside and to the sidewalk where Pat's car was parked.

Courtney and Yolanda got in while Beth stood with Rick.

"I think I'm just gonna walk," he told Pat.

"Okay, stay safe kiddo." Pat instructed. "Beth?"

"Gimme a minute, please." she said as she moved closer to Rick.

She turned to him and lowered her voice so the others didn't hear her.

"I had a lot of fun tonight." she smiled.

"Me too, all thanks to you."

"I'm really glad I met you." Beth confessed.

"I'm really glad I met you." Rick laughed. "What's with all the seriousness?"

"I just know it's not easy. Spending so many birthdays alone. But I just want you to know that as long as I'm around, you'll never have to spend your birthdays alone ever again."

Rick had no idea what to say to that. He wore a shocked expression before shaking it off and grabbing her face in his hands gently.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead before resting his own forehead against hers.

Rick could've stayed like that forever and he'd be the happiest guy alive, but Beth pulled away.

"I'm gonna go. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Happy birthday." she waved as she got into the car.

He waved back before turning around and walking all the way home with the widest grin on his face.

Once he got home, he was relieved to see his uncle passed out on the couch.

Rick made his way to his room and fell onto the bed. He tossed his backpack to the side of his room and rested on the bed.

His eyes snapped open when he remembered the card Beth gave him that morning. He scrambled off the bed and shuffled through his bag until he found the envelope with his name on it.

He carefully opened it and took out the card inside.

It looked to be handmade and the cover was decorated with hand drawn balloons outlined in glitter.

The cover had the words,

'Happy Birthday, Rick' on the front and right below in the bottom corner were Beth's initials.

He opened the card and read the words inside.

Dear Rick,

It's your birthday. Yay! I hope you've had an amazing day and I really hope I was one of the reasons for it.

I know the past years have been tough for you and birthdays might not be your favorite memories but I promise, as long as I live I will make sure that every day you will have good memories. Cause you deserve them.

If I could choose one person to spend the rest of my life making happy, it would be you. You are the greatest person and you absolutely deserve the world and I will make sure you get it.

If you listened to me and read this after training like I told you, I hope you liked the party. If not, you just ruined your own suprise.

Anyway, I hope you've had a very happy birthday. Best wishes and lots of love.

-Beth

Rick looked at the card, smiling ear to ear at Beth's sweet note. He would never get tired of her antics. He moved back to his bed card still in hand. The teen held it close to his chest.

The last thought on his mind before he slipped into his dreams,

"I'd do anything for Beth Chapel."