#dukeoftcd

    elizabeth is breathless as she shuts the heavy door behind her and ted, securing them in a small, dimly lit chamber, the candlelight sending soft, frantic shadows dancing across the stone walls. her grin is too large to even consider hiding. she knew popping back to medieval england to tour ted around was going to be fun, but it was already shaping up to be an unforgettable trip back in time. “i think we’re alone now... there doesn’t seem to be anyone around.” she crosses to a large wardrobe, pulling it open and smiling at its contents. “servants’ clothes -- perfect for disguises.”

    “i've been talking to strangers, acting like i'm a stranger.” he’s mindful to sit downwind of ted, letting his cigarette smoke get swallowed by the breeze. california gets much colder after sundown than lars was expecting. he shivers a little in his thin jacket. “ -- look like i've been up all night and you know what? i hate it.”

    “theodore --” her voice is impossibly soft, a poorly suppressed smile tugging at the corners of her lips. it’s too tempting to tug him down by the front of his pretzels ‘n cheese work shirt, plant another kiss on his nose, his cheek, his mouth, but liz knows if she does he’ll miss the bus to the mall and ted can’t afford to be late to work again. still, she takes him by the hand, kisses his knuckles then presses the spot to her cheek, gazing up at him. “i’ll be there for your break at half past two.” elizabeth’s eyes brighten and she smiles more earnestly up at ted. “i’ll stop by the record store on my way! i’ve heard excellent things about a new single called ‘smells like teen spirit’ -- we can listen to it together.”

She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. “Actually, I think you could do anything you wanted. Even wield hammers.” She smiled at him and placed a reassuring hand on his. “I didn’t- I didn’t have anything to show you. I just like being paid attention to.”

    “oh, c’mon, 80s dad! that’s totally unfair.” how were they supposed to know the ride would be so much bumpier in the original phone booth, causing them to spill their can of mountain dew over everything ( and everyone ) inside? the booth billie and thea borrowed from kelly was way smoother. billie didn’t even drop a single hot cheeto crumb when they were in it! ( well, not the first time, anyway ). they put on their best pleading face, hoping ted will give in. “it was just a most unfortunate accident -- next time we stop at a gas station i’ll get some supplies to clean it all up.”

  The question about free will is an interesting one and actually does inspire some thought on their end. They find themselves thinking for a moment before they respond. “That’s a really good question honestly. I do think there’s something in everyone that can not be controlled by the factors they live in.. so I suppose that could be free will. Of course, there are powers and folks who want to stamp that out for their own benefit over the course of history.. but one can always fight back against them I find.“

    “from driving on tour?” southern california weather can certainly be unforgivable during the day, everything arid and boiling, but once the sun dips below the skyline lon quite enjoys it. the glass coke bottle in his hand still sweats down his fingers, though, despite the budding coolness of the night. lon hovers the neck of the bottle up by his mouth, pressing his lips into the cool glass as he watches ted. wyld stallyns aren’t a household name, as far as lon can tell, but they’ve got a way with their fans that he’s never quite seen before. “y’know, i think you should get used to it.” the grin he gives is sugared by the soda but still genuine. “i have a feeling you’ll be on the road for a while -- crowds love you.”

   “wait, is that an option??” they shove their hand into the bag of lays ted is hogging, crunching loudly on them in the interim as they think. maybe it’s weird to go and visit your dad in the past as often as billlie seems to, but how often does one get the chance to pick the brain of their parents when they were your age? “dude, just wait for the future -- we’ve got like... virtual reality. and you can draw in it. like, you put on these goggles and you just see stuff --” they’re not explaining it very well, but it doesn’t matter. “it’s most excellent. just wait.”