Legends of Tomorrow One Shots

The Skateboard Act

Ben placed the skateboard in front of Ethan, a smirk forming on their lips.

"This is a bad idea," Ethan frowned.

"I thought you science types were supposed to apply science to everything and be awesome at everything," Ben said.

"No, that's just something we made up to look cool," Ethan said. "The stereotype where we all suck at everything, not science is more accurate."

Ben shrugged. "Whatever." They shoved a black helmet at him. "It's going to be fun either way."

Ethan took the helmet apprehensively. He'd been worried ever since Ben had told him they were going to teach him to skateboard. He didn't really want to, but there were few things that gave his friend joy these days. So, he agreed to come. But he'd never really been good with doing things with his feet. He couldn't run track, because he was constantly tripping over himself. He couldn't play soccer because he didn't have hand-eye coordination. He couldn't play basketball, because he couldn't dribble and run at the same time. He couldn't -- well you get the point.

Ethan was very bad at physical activity. He could only work with his hands on experiments. Science projects. Computers. Nothing sporty.

He was pretty sure he was going to break his neck, trying to do this. But he supposed it would be worth it if it made Ben happy.

Ben put their own purple helmet on, snapping the straps together around their chin. Ethan followed their example.

Once they both had all their equipment -- helmets, shoulder pads, knee pads -- nice and secure, the two turned to the skateboard.

"So, do you want to be goofy or regular?" Ben asked.

Ethan stared at them. "What?"

"The stance," Ben explained. "Left foot or right foot?"

"Oh," Ethan said. "Left."

"Okay, back foot -- that's your right, my left -- on the ground. Front foot -- you're left, my right -- over the front hardware. Your front foot toe should be flared forward."

Ethan nodded and did as they instructed, putting his left foot over the front wheels and planting his right foot on the ground. It felt a little awkward because normally he was the one teaching people things.

"Now put your back foot just behind the tail side hardware," Ben instructed. Ethan moved, placing his right foot behind his left foot and over the skateboard's back wheels.

Ben went on to explain how to properly shift weight between your feet when moving to push the board forward. They explained how Ethan should learn to gently pivot his feet so he could reposition them easier. They had him get off and showed him how they made him get back on and do it himself.

When they were perfectly satisfied with the way Ethan was doing things, they moved on. They showed him how to get the board moving and how to stop it.

"You have to keep the weight on the front foot until the back foot is on the board too. As the board moves, balance out your weight. You need to stay centered," they explained, as they pushed their foot off the ground and went rolling down the sidewalk.

Ben gently moved their foot along the sidewalk, using it to stop their movement. "The faster you go, the more you have to judge how much force you use to stop. The faster you go the more dangerous it gets."

"I was wrong," Ethan muttered. "I'm not going to break my neck. I'm gonna break my leg."

"Oh stop whining," Ben told them. They dismounted the board and rolled it over to him with their foot. "It's your turn."

"Is it too late to back out?" Ethan asked.

"Yes," Ben said. "Don't be a wimp!"

Ethan sighed, stepping onto the board, hesitant. He pushed off the ground as Ben told him to. At first, everything was going okay. The two took turns riding back and forth on the skateboard. They didn't do any tricks since Ethan wasn't really that skilled yet, but it was still fun.

But when one of the school bullies came trotting up and starting picking a fight, Ethan 'accidentally' slipped off the skateboard and sent it flying his way. It left the other boy with more than a few broken bones.

The bully was enraged and swore vengeance on Ethan, but it was totally worth it. Besides, he figured he had a few months to figure out a good hiding place while the other guy's injuries healed.

---

That wasn't very good but I had fun. I love my Legend Kids. They're so much fun to write, and they all hold such a big place in my heart. They've been such a huge part of me these past few years. I'm sorry if you guys don't like them as much as I do, and I'm sorry if the one-shots with them in it bother you. But they're really important to me, so I enjoy writing them. I hope you enjoy reading about them...

That's all for now,

Toodles!

~ Elsie