The Favor
When Youngblood became a ghost he actually didn't think he would be so lonely. It was stressful and annoying, being so young, watching the years go by but never being able to move on or change. He was a child who died, and the only way for him to feel like a child again was to play.
But even then he felt invisible. That made his powers listen to his wishes and cause no adult to see him. And maybe that was for the better, adults were scary, adults could hurt you. They wouldn't understand.
Meeting the other ghosts was both a blessing and a curse. Everyone saw him as a kid, some thought he was annoying and others played with him. He was grateful to Ember for spending so much of her time being a pirate, but he didn't want to take up so much of her time. It made him feel guilty.
When Danny became King and the ghost kid heard that he was destined to help the other ghosts, Youngblood plucked up his courage and asked him for a favor: Find him a friend. One alive that wanted to play and never get bored of it.
Danny took the task very seriously, looking for all possible candidates, avoiding ghosts. Until he found a more or less suitable friend: Klarion. He was older than Youngblood but seemed to be just as bored. Clockwork looked at him in dismay at his solution to the problem but didn't stop him.
This led to the Justice League being defeated by Klarion, who had taken over the Watchtower and seemed to be happily talking to air. He was seconds away from destroying the earth or something similar with death ray, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Everyone froze when a portal opened next to the boy and someone came out asking "How are the new friends?" Before realizing the situation, the creature sighed in disappointment and destroyed the death ray with a snap of his fingers. A girl just like him came out of the portal excited ignoring everyone and began to talk to the air. Klarion seemed to be following the conversation.
Danny watched Youngblood talking to Dani and Klarion, he knew that his cousin could be good company, but he hadn't contacted her before due to her travels and status as a halfa (the probability of destroying the world was there too); well, now Youngblood had two friends (that solved the problem) but- how did he prevent them from ending the world? Or worse, from terrorize innocent cosplayers?
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I couldn’t stop thinking about this and Barbie Steve so:
Steve is a special edition Ken, with his polo shirt and sunglasses he’s supposed to be Cool Party Ken, always ready to party and nothing more.
Steve hates it. Not the polo, he actually loves his outfit, but the idea he will be nothing more than the Cool Party Ken. A Ken.
He watches Nancy, who is supposed to be “his Barbie”, being Journalist Barbie and Good student Barbie and he wishes he could do that too. Journalist Barbie comes with a flowery long skirt he can’t stop thinking about.
But he can’t wear it because he’s a Ken.
And he knows he should be okay with what he is because he’s very lucky to be a special edition Ken and all the other Ken are jealous of him, so he tries to endure it for a while.
Until he can’t anymore.
He starts off with something he always dreamed of: he takes a pair of scissors and hairspray and becomes an hairstylist. Everyone is shocked to see and Hairstylist Ken but they welcome the change anyways, not knowing that Steve actually refers to himself as Hairstylist Barbie.
Robin, a Student/Worker Barbie, is the first person he tells.
She comes to him asking for a short haircut which is considered a crazy thing to want, since almost all Barbies have long hair.
“I don’t care! I hate my long hair, if people get upset that’s their problem. I will be a Rebel Barbie if I have to.”
“But why me?” Steve can’t help but ask. Usually people get haircuts from Hairstylist Barbies, not him.
“Because no Hairstylist Barbie wants to cut my hair” she admits, looking down “they think it’s weird. But I thought you would… understand.”
And Steve does understand, so he cuts her hair with no more objections. At the end, Robin is admiring her new shorter hair in the mirror when Steve says “well, one Hairstylist Barbie did say yes to you, in the end.”
And Robin understands.
—
The first person to call him Barbie, however, is Eddie.
Eddie is a standard Ken and he’s okay with it, most of the time. He firmly believes that any special edition Ken is just a snuck out snob, so he lives his life trying to prove that average Ken like him are just as fine.
“If we were just like the Special Kens like Steve” Jonathan objects “we would have found a Barbie to be with, don’t you think?”
Eddie would love to go on a rant about how Steve the Cool Party Ken is nothing special, but his eyes are caught by two Sailor Barbies walking across the street.
Eddie has never seen a Sailor Barbie but they have the same outfit, similar short hair and matching hats, so he imagines it must be a new type.
Despite looking so similar, one of them catches his eye.
He gives Jonathan a knowing look of “watch as I get a Barbie for myself”, which Jonathan replies with a look of “can’t wait to see you make a fool of yourself”, and then he’s off crossing the street.
He watches as one of them enters a ice cream parlor, and the other, the one who has caught his interest, stays back, staring at the door as if they needed to take some courage.
Eddie takes it as a sign to shoot his shot “Hey Barbiegirl!”
Nameless Sailor Barbie goes rigid but doesn’t turn around, so Eddie catches up to them.
“You know that old saying, every Barbie needs a Ken so…”
Sailor Barbie finally turns around, and Eddie is shocked to be faced with Steve the Pool Party Ken. Or maybe not a Ken. He’s confused.
Steve is looking at him expectingly, red in the cheeks.
He wets his lips before talking, making them glossier “so…?”
He doesn’t correct Eddie, he doesn’t say “I’m not a Barbie, you idiot”, he doesn’t reject him. He wants him to finish with his cheesy and overused pick up line.
Eddie wonders if he has been a special edition Lucky Ken without realizing it before.
“So, would you be my Barbie?”
Steve giggles, kisses him in the cheek and says “take me to dinner first, then we’ll see” and then, without another word, he’s gone inside the parlor.
Eddie stands there, staring at the door, too shocked to turn around and give Jonathan a “I told you so”.
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