Cat in Hell's Chance (a Beetlelands fanfic)

Caught in Crushes

Betelgeuse looked between the Maitlands for what seemed like a few minutes, coming to a decision. It was yes or no, and his mind was telling him to gravitate towards yes. Adam and Barbara were giving him matching curious looks, waiting for him to give them his answer. But now, he was torn between a simple yes or no. And that was starting to become apparent to Adam and Barbara, whose curious expressions quickly became matching expressions of confusion and concern.

Barbara reached out, hand brushing through Betelgeuse's hair. "You okay, Beej?"

"H-huh?" He turned his head in her direction, his hair briefly flashing blue. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just couldn't find an answer."

Barbara folded her arms, giving Betelgeuse a stern and serious look. Well then, you had better say yes. Because there are absolutely no take backs on this second chance we're giving you."

"Okay, okay!" Betelgeuse's hair went back to being green as he held his hands up in front of him. "Yes, I say yes!"

"Thank you, Betel-"

"So as long as I get to hit on you two sexy beings."

Barbara was quick to turn that down though. "No. We're going to have to add another rule to our house rules: no hitting on Adam and I or Charles and Delia. You got that, mister?"

Betelgeuse pulled a pouty face in response, Adam turning his attention over towards Barbara with a shrug. "Let's just let him do that. It'll be easier for us to get to know him and for him to get to know us better that way."

"Adam-," Barbara started to say.

Upon seeing that Adam now sported a matching pouty face to the one that Betelgeuse himself had, Barbara closed her eyes in response and groaned rather softly to herself. Fine, she had to guess. But, as a sort of amendment to the newly made and already pre-existing house rule, Betelgeuse was only allowed to hit on her or Adam whenever he pleased. Only then and that was that.

"Does that include me being allowed to kiss and touch you whenever?" Betelgeuse made a move to grab at Adam's ass, but the male ghost was quick to push him away with a look of disgust on his face.

"No, not unless we say that it's okay. But not now, okay?" Betelgeuse went to grab at Adam's ass again. "Kissing, that is. Not touching."

Betelgeuse's hair turned a shade of blue as he retracted his hand. "But... but?"

Barbara sighed, closing her eyes and resting a hand against her forehead. "Betelgeuse, we only just gave you that second chance and you're already starting to prove to the two of us that you haven't changed."

"You gave it to me yesterday. And I accepted it yesterday." When a confused look crossed Barbara's face, Betelgeuse found himself having to ask, "have you guys forgotten that tine moved differently for the dead than it did for the living? Or do I have to remind you guys all over again?"

"No. There's no need to." Barbara shook her head, mentally slapping herself for forgetting something as simple as that. "We'll remember that."

"Wait? What time and day is it?" Adam's question was quickly answered when the sound of knocking followed by Lydia's voice were heard from the other side of the door.

"Guys, are you okay in there? We haven't seen you all week."

Barbara quickly stood up, making her way over towards the attic door and pulling it open for Lydia. "I thought we saw you yesterday?"

"If by yesterday, you mean a week ago." Lydia made her way into the attic. "What was going on in here?"

"Nothing that you should know." Adam slapped Betelgeuse's hand away when the latter tried to grab at his ass again. "Betelgeuse, no. Stop with that."

Betelgeuse turned into a dog as he pouted at Adam. He whimpered, causing Adam to roll his eyes and sigh as he shook his head in response. Quickly, he stood up from where he was sat and led Betelgeuse, having since reverted back to his humanoid form, over to a separate part of the attic. Presumably so that they could talk in private.

Barbara sighed softly to herself as well, turning her attention back over towards Lydia.

"Are you sure you and Adam don't have a crush on Betelgeuse?"

Barbara's eyes widened at that, her quickly opting to shake her head. "No. Adam and I are married to each other, Lydia. There's absolutely no way in hell that he and I have a crush on Betelgeuse. He's certainly acting like he has a crush on Adam and I and that's it. Neither Adam nor I has a crush on him."

"You're biting at your lip and looking nervously off to the side. You didn't seem to think that I didn't take notice that my dad was acting exactly like that around Delia long before I found out they were engaged, did you?"

"I think that was because he didn't want you to that know something was going on between him and Delia," Barbara had to remind the teen.

"Is there something that's going on between Betelgeuse and you guys, then?" A sly smirk flashed across Lydia's face as she waited for an answer from Barbara. When there was none, however, Lydia frowned and folded her arms. "You know what, I'm going to go back downstairs and find Delia,"

"Lydia, no. There's no need for you to do that."

"I'M ALREADY DOING IT THOUGH!" Lydia shouted back to her as she slammed the attic door closed and ran downstairs.

Barbara sighed, turning back to Adam and Betelgeuse as they reentered the main part of the attic and made her way over towards them. Adam looked over towards Barbara with a look of concern.

"What's up with Lydia?"

"She seems to think that you and I have a crush on Betelgeuse."

"Well, we don't." Adam turned his head.

Barbara found herself giggling before covering her mouth and stifling it. But that did nothing to keep herself from giving Adam an amused look. "Adam, you're staring at him."

"No, I'm not."