#❋ a ready mind ❋ ( bridget . headcanons ) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hournites · 1 year

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beth gets her new suit, and rick tells her he really likes it (with heart eyes lol), yolanda and courtney notice and tease him about it when they realize his crush. post this past season my headcanon is that rick's crush on beth becomes supremely obvious to everyone but beth hehe

Flirting in Fashion

With the Chapels added to the fold, Beth offered to host some JSA meetings at her house. Barbara, thrilled with not having to deep-vacuum the living room of crumbs after brainstorming sessions or worry about broken vases from indoor incidents, championed the new JSA parental tag-team system. The Montez family were still adjusting to, well, everything, but Yolanda felt confident she wasn't getting shipped off to an out-of-state boarding school like her worst fears, so all-in-all, everything felt like a win.

Rick couldn't deny being accepted with open arms to Beth's family didn't give him whiplash, but the longer he pushed against the invitation to come after school and weekends or staying for dinner, the more he felt like they honestly missed him when he declined. He found Bridget warm and thoughtful and James, practical and supportive. Sooner than later, Rick was looking forward to spending time at the Chapel house. Not just because of Beth, but for her whole family.

Yolanda is at the door when Rick knocks at the front, letting him in before he can ask who else made it. Pat and James are talking about whether or not potato salad is a crime of a dish in the kitchen, and Courtney is draped across the vintage ottoman, texting like a madwoman.

But it's Beth that Rick's eyes instantly draw to, hovering around an odd-standing figure covered with a blanket in the living room.

"What's happening?" he asks Yolanda as he drops his bag by the door, expecting a run-down. There's no emergency or detailed agenda. There's Sylvester's brain that they need to plan for a rescue, but where a hypothetical floating brain could be hiding is still yet to be figured out. Jakeem has noped out of any tunnel exploring until his gorilla night-terrors end and Artemis is also refusing to go down there for understandable reasons and it's still unclear if she's actually on the team.

Bridget has chimed in that having a medical plan for what to do with the brain depends on the condition they find it in, which requires some more thinking in itself. These are mitigation strategies Rick's never thought of, but he supposes this is partly why they're having these types of meetings here at Beth's house. Though what any of these may have to do with a random statue jiving with the retro Chapel décor, he has no idea.

She shrugs at him. "I'm not sure. Beth says we were waiting for you before making some announcement."

"Announcement?"

Yolanda shrugs again, hands up in the air. "I'm just telling you what I know." She glances at Courtney and shakes her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you mind telling her that leaving Cameron 60 texts without a single one back isn't a good look?"

Rick snorts. "Yeah, I'm not doing that. You know who could, though?"

Yolanda glares at him like she knows exactly who popped into his mind. Rick smirks and she rolls her eyes. "Fine," she grumbles under her breath, making her way to the ottoman. "I'll do it myself."

Beth is so engrossed with the statue thing that she doesn't even notice him behind her. Rick taps the shoulder of her cow-print bomber jacket. "Should I be worried? It looks like Frankenstein is under there."

She shoots him a look over her shoulder, stuffing school bus yellow measuring tape into her pocket. "You mean Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein is the human that creates him, but no, this isn't of any mad-science concern."

"Then what is it? I've never seen it around."

Beth turns around and crosses her arms. "It's not ready yet."

"Is this part of the so-called announcement you have?"

Beth smiles. "Maybe."

"Alright!" Pat nods at the group assembled around. "The boys have a field trip to the honeycomb museum and Dr. Chapel is stuck in a surgery, apparently, but she gave us the go ahead to get right into business--Courtney put your phone down."

Yolanda sticks her palm out and Courtney begrudgingly drops her iPhone into her hand. Everyone else finds some seats on the couch or the carpeted floor.

Pat gestures to James Chapel, who takes the lead to start the meeting.

"Hello folks, glad to see you all here." He stands beside Beth, who is still fussing with the blanket covering the statue thing. "As some of you may or may not know, Beth's mother and I have been working very hard to provide Beth with an upgraded suit. We've decided to use this opportunity for some feedback before we go ahead with ordering it from one of my clients that specializes in this wear."

"It's just a prototype," Beth adds in, clearly nervous. "So anything can be changed. I get final say, of course, but don't be afraid to be critical."

Courtney sits up a bit straighter. "What's going to happen to your old suit? I liked it!"

Yolanda wrinkles her nose. "Court, the gloves are like five times bigger than her hands."

Rick backs her up. "I liked it too, but I think we can all agree that it doesn't really match Beth's style?"

"Oh, I like Chuck's a lot, don't get me wrong! But since combat mode was only a prototype, it isn't designed to be fully functional for all fighting styles, and that could be a bit of a problem." Beth looks at Courtney. "It's also not the cutest. You turned Sylvester's suit into a crop top. Why can't I?"

Rick leans forward, his eyes wide. "You want your suit to be a crop top?"

Yolanda covered her mouth with her hand to hide another undignified snort.

Beth raises an eyebrow at Rick with an amused smile. "No... I meant, why can't I make my suit my own?"

"Our own," James cuts in, a tad too proud. Bath pats his back. "Okay, dad. Our own."

"Well!" He urged her to pull the cover off what Rick now understands is a mannequin. "Go on!"

Beth bites her lip and bounces on her feet, then pulls the cover off with a flourish. "What do you think?"

Courtney and Yolanda both hop to their feet, hyping it up immediately.

"Woah!" Courtney says. "It looks badass!"

"Beth you're going to rock this, oh my gosh." Yolanda reaches out to touch one of the sleeves.

Cindy, slipping into the room fashionably late, stands at the door with a Starbucks in hand. "Huh," she says, tilting her head at the costume. "Not bad, Chapel."

Rick stays seated as the girls gush and Pat starts analyzing it aloud from his experience. He's not sure what he was expecting but this is far from the suit upgrade he had in mind. For one thing, it is isn't earth-toned and bulky anymore. The burgundy is gone from the jacket, replaced with a sleek yellow breast plate that goes up to the neck. The gloves are no longer suede tan, either, but the same new honey-mustard colour with zippers. The breast plate sits over a tunic, complementing the primary colour with black sleeves and legging type pants that are tucked into boots that end at the mid-calf. A thin stripped black belt criss-crosses over the hips with an emerald Dr. Mid-Nite crescent moon emblem in the middle, matching another jewel-toned brooch right where the suit ends at her neck. The green cape is brighter, silkier, repurposed to flair out around the waist like an outer skirt, hiding more pockets for the fanny pack Beth used to wear. But the most notable difference is the cowl. Or the lack of one. At the top of the mannequin stand sits the goggles around the eyes and an emerald head band with the option of a hood draped against the back.

Beth says, "I'm not sure about the belt. It might be a bit unnecessary, tough to get on and off, and I do really miss the burgundy, but maybe I'll just add that to the boots." She turns to Rick, who still hasn't said a word. All he can think about is how similar the suit looks like his cape, and then he can't help wondering what his cape would look like, trimmed short to match her costume.

He clears his throat when Yolanda nudges his shoulder, stammering out, "You designed this?"

"Why, is it tacky?" Beth and Courtney both look back at him, Beth biting her nail with concern.

"No! No, it looks great."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's really...It suits you. Try it on."

Beth glances between Rick and her friends, a little put on the spot. "Right now?"

"I mean," Rick adds quickly, feeling embarrassed at the sudden attention everyone in the room is giving him, "You won't know how easy it is to get into until you do, right?"

Pat shoots him a thumbs up. "Great thinking, Rick. We won't know for sure of any potential design flaws until we see it in action."

Beth smiles, glancing at her dad to see if that's okay. James says sure, and then they are hauling the mannequin upstairs to Beth's room for her to get changed.

"Okay," Courtney announces to the room, like she's just witnessed the greatest project runway entry ever. "I totally see where Beth was coming from. Her other costume was old. This one is hot!"

"It's not as hot as mine," Cindy quips, taking another sip of her drink.

Yolanda sizes her up, a hand on her hip. "At least Beth's dad actually cares about her to make the suit and not use it as a murder graduation present."

"Hey, now." Pat steps between the two, ending any possibility of a cat fight.

"Beth always looked good," Rick argues. "Don't make it sound like she looked bad before."

"We're not saying that." Yolanda rolls her eyes. "We're just voicing that this one is clearly better."

Cindy is still staring Yolanda down when she says, "This was a bad idea. If you're all fine sitting here watching Hourman drool over Dr. Mid-Nite's couple costume design workshop, that's your prerogative. I have better things to do." She sets her travel cup down on the coffee table to leave. "Miss me or don't, I guess."

Rick's palms begin to prick with sweat. He wipes them against his pants hastily, adamant to clear the air. "What is she even talking about? All I said is that it suited her?"

Courtney laughs.

He frowns. It feels like she's laughing at him for some inside joke he doesn't get. "Court--"

"Okay!" Beth's voice floats from upstairs, quieting them all. "Now remember that the material is flimsy because it's not the real stuff yet!"

"Enough with the excuses, it's going to look good. Get your ass down here!" Yolanda calls up the stairs. James belly-laughs, and Rick cracks an excited smile, leaning forward in anticipation of the reveal.

She emerges at the front of the living room, a gloved hand against the doorway. "Did someone call the doctor?" She steps in, flashing a pose.

Courtney's jaw drops. "Shut up, it's perfect."

Beth twirls around and flexes her arms out, testing the elasticity of the sleeves.

"I have no notes," Yolanda agrees.

The hood is down and she's not wearing her goggles, just sporting the hairband. Her hair stands out, bold and beautiful, and it is as Rick makes the observation that he pin points what makes the suit so great. She's not camouflaged into the background. There's no way she'll be lost behind the white, blues and purples of the Wildcat, Stargirl and Hourman suits. Her shoulders roll back with a confidence as she moves around, and the verve of her hair brings life to Dr. Mid-Nite that the other costume confines, all emphasizing that she's never been a static role. The entire look oozes Beth's personality, and Rick can't stop smiling.

Yolanda snaps a few pictures on her phone so that Bridget and Barbara won't miss out.

"Is it comfortable? Can you sit in it?" Rick asks her, remembering what's important. "I really like it," he adds.

She nods, grinning. "The belt is fine. It needs to be adjusted a bit, but if we're in a pinch, I can ditch it."

"Or I can help!" he offers.

"Thanks." Beth appears genuinely touched. "That's sweet, Rick."

Yolanda and Courtney share another look.

Pat starts bringing up questions about the suit's supposed thermo controls and what other smart tech Beth's dad has planned as added features in the suit. Beth removes the breast plate, demonstrating how it works to protect her vital organs. "Mom thought it would be helpful in light of the Artemis arrow thing, or if I'm bending down helping someone medically so I'm protected from the back."

Rick takes it from her, inspecting it eagerly. "How does it come on and off so quick?"

"It's magnet tech," Beth supplies. Rick hands it back and Beth passes it along to an interested Courtney.

"This is some futuristic gladiator shit," she says, giving it a curious shake.

"Court."

"Gladiator stuff."

"I think it's best to get it off before I accidentally rip something." Beth turns around in front of Rick. "Do you mind unzipping the back?"

Rick tugs on the zipper, it's jerky and requires him to press his hand against the small of her back so to not get the mouth of the zipper stuck in the fabric. "Sorry," he mutters as an unknown feeling rises to his chest. Once the task is done, he steps away and Beth rushes back upstairs. Her dad's phone rings, and he excuses himself out the door to take the call on the porch.

Pat says, "I think this was a real productive session."

The teens nod and he checks the clock. "Court, I'm going to head back home to start cooking dinner. Are you going to come with me or hitch a ride with Rick?"

"I can't. I'm staying here for dinner," Rick pipes up. He's pretty certain that there might be a suit fitting encore when Bridget gets home and he doesn't want to miss that.

Yolanda eyeballs him. "Courtney can walk with me, Pat."

"Alrighty." Pat salutes. "See you at home, Court."

"Cindy is right, you know." Courtney sidles up to Rick, sitting next to him on the couch. "You like her. We're talking suuu-per mega crush."

"You jumped at the chance at helping her get ready," Yolanda teases. "Scoring all the brownie points you can get."

"That's called being nice!"

"There's being nice and then there's the heart eyes motherfucker gif face." Courtney pulls it up on her phone, shaking her screen at him.

He pushes her arm out of his face. "I don't look like that."

But then Yolanda and Courtney are giving him twin Thor Ragnarok meme squinty eyes and he's suddenly seriously concerned.

"I looked like that?!"

Rick groans, falling back against the couch and burying his face with one of the throw pillows. "Whatever."

"There there." Courtney pats his knee. "It's not your fault that deep down you're a lover not a fighter." She cracks up before the ridiculous sentence is even out of her mouth. Rick wants to drive the Mustang into a ditch.

"It could be worse." Yolanda flips a braid over her shoulder. "You could be crushing on Cindy."

"You mean like Jakeem?"

"He's not over that?" Yolanda purses her lips. "Poor kid."

"I don't know..." Courtney says. "You don't think maybe one day when he's older, like, much, much older... She might give him a chance?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"Absolutely not."

"What are we talking about?" Beth asks, stepping into the room in her previous outfit.

Yolanda looks at Court who looks at Rick. He sits up, attempting to look somewhat normal. "Uh. Jakeem's crush on Cindy."

"Why? I thought that was old news."

They all look at Rick.

"Uh..." He stalls. "Just because."

"He finds it relatable," Courtney coughs under her breath, but thankfully Beth doesn't hear.

James walks in then, pocketing his phone and Rick pivots the conversation as smoothly as he can manage, "Mr. Chapel, don't you think Jakeem could use a costume too? All he has is a hoodie. That pen's going to get lost."

Her dad lights up. "Great idea, son. Bridget's getting pizza. Let's talk concepts at dinner, are you girls staying too?"

Yolanda hauls Courtney off the couch just before she says yes, saving Rick from her meddling and general messy.

"Sorry Mr. Chapel, we've got to head home right away."

"We do?" Courtney says as Yolanda drags her by the elbow. "But Pat said--"

"Bye, Rick! Awesome suit, Beth. Thanks Mr. C!"

Beth's dad waves at the girls with a chuckle. "You two get home safe now."

"We will!"

Beth turns to Rick after tossing Cindy's lipgloss stained cup into the trash. "Not so Frankenstein's monster after all, right?"

He blushes when his stomach flips at her pleased smile. "Not at all." And screw him, but Rick immediately thinks Beth would rock the costume for Frankenstein's bride.

#hn fic #hournite #rick x beth #fluff #stargirl #ask #anon

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