Title: Ringo is a Punk (2/3)
Author: Leah
E-mail: leahwarsha@aol.comNOSPAM
Rating: Nothing you wouldn't see on the show.
Distribution: Please do not distribute without permission.
Disclaimer: Fox can bite me. They trash fanfiction sites with or without disclaimers, so I'm just going to write. They can alienate their fans if they like but we stand by our shows.
Spoilers: None to speak of.
Synopsis: A trip through Langly's musical history, with pit-stops in 1984, 1992 and 2000.

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TACOMA PARK, MARYLAND
1992

He let the door close behind him and then turned to latch the deadbolts.  Three of the locks latched on their own and the rest were manual. He walked into the main area of the office which swirled with high-pitched whines, ringing and a strange, thumping sound that Langly could swear was his blood beating in his ears.  Frohike and Byers were still up. The first sat in a corner rewiring a motherboard, holding needle-nose pliers in one hand and the board in the other, wearing his fingerless gloves as usual. Byers sat at one of the computer terminals, apparently typing up his article on Gulf War Syndrome.  Frohike looked up as Langly walked into the room and mouthed something.  

"What?!" Langly called back, causing both men to involuntarily jump in their seats.

"Jeez, Langly," Frohike replied in a louder voice which cut through the haze of sonic noise. He stood up, tucking the motherboard onto a shelf, and came closer. "What'd they do, drill your ears?!"

"Yeah!" he replied. "There were people moshing! It was the only place that was safe!"

Frohike and Byers exchanged an amused look.

"What?!" Langly demanded and crossed his arms.

Frohike reached forward and pulled out the T-shirt which had been tucked into the front of Langly's jeans. Hanging onto merchandise through a whole concert was a pain, but Langly was tall and couldn't risk them running out of larges by waiting until afterwards to hit the merchandise table.

"I'd hate to insult your tender sensibilities!" Frohike replied, holding up the black shirt and eyeing the day glow "Ramones: Mondo Bizarro" logo on its front. Then, he put it to his nose. Satisfied, he smiled and winked. Langly snatched the shirt back.

"It was the people behind me!" he snapped, embarrassed by the shirt's sweet, smoky odor. "Stop looking so damn impressed!"

"You shouldn't stand so close to the speakers!" Byers said. "Your ears!"  

"The Ramones are worth a little tinitus!" Langly replied.

"Yeah, well," Frohike said, "thanks for spreading the joy!" Then he turned around and said something else which Langly didn't catch, though he did notice the smirk on Byers' lips before he innocently turned his chair back towards the computer.

"Hey," Langly said, "what'd you call me, Dip Wad?!"

Frohike retrieved the motherboard and pliers and sat back down in his chair. "Nothing!" he replied with a mock bow of the head and returned to his work.

Langly stood for a moment, glaring first at Byers who'd resumed his typing and then Frohike with his electronics. Then he crossed his arms tightly, still holding the shirt, and tapped his foot. His sneakers were probably making noise against the concrete flooring, but he couldn't hear it as a particularly high whine arced its way through his brain.

"At least it's not that Motown crap!" he finally yelled at Frohike, who rolled his eyes. "Or whatever it is that you listen to!" he yelled at Byers, who held his hands up.

"What, Mozart?!" the man asked, slightly abashed.

"Mozart my ass! And another thing," he pointed a finger at Frohike. "I may not wanna get crushed in a mosh pit, but at least I don't examine my gray hairs with an industrial strength magnifying glass!"

Frohike put the motherboard in his lap and menacingly pointed the pliers at Langly. "Let's see how much hair you have left when you wake up tomorrow, Hippie Boy!"

"That's enough!" Byers cried, standing up. "Both of you! Can you argue another time?!" Both men shot him a glance. "I have to finish this tonight or we won't have an issue this week!" he said, and gestured somewhat helplessly to the computer monitor.  Frohike muttered something and Langly narrowed his eyes at him.

"What?!" he cried defensively, "I just said 'fine'!"

"Well... fine then!" Langly replied.

"Great!" Byers sighed and sat back down.

Frohike and Langly continued to stare at each other, until the first shrugged an apology and the second followed suit. After picking up the motherboard and working on it a moment, Langly could see Frohike carefully mouth "Hippie Boy" before looking up at him.

"Golden Oldie," Langly mouthed back, and when Frohike's face registered confusion he broke out into a broad grin.