faesphere | [Random RP Post

[This question is one Teddy's more comfortable answering. He doesn't want to say anything that might upset Billy too much, nor does he himself want to be too upset. He's always guarded his more solemn emotions as best as he could, because he doesn't want anyone to see how vulnerable - even how broken it makes him. Even Billy - What would he think if his boyfriend just started to cry or something in front of him, even with Billy safe and here, solid and warm and real?

So this, yes, this is a better topic. Carefully, so as not to jostle Billy too much, Teddy turns onto his back, one hand moving up to rest his wrist against his forehead while the other stays entwined in one of Billy's, his gaze on the ceiling for the moment.]

Well... I kind of spent a while stomping around and wanting everyone to hurry up and get on with all their plans and strategies and stuff. I could barely keep myself still, you know? After one those meetings, Cap - Yeah, Cap, he pulled me aside and told me he had a special assignment for me.

[He turns his head then, looking over at Billy with a light smile.]

He sent me to Arizona to find Hank Pym, knock him out, shift myself to look and sound just like him, and break into the prison. While I was there, I heard about the passwords they were using - which were really dumb and old school, by the way, and what I had to do to get past all the doors and everything.

[The smile fades with another sigh, and he looks back up at the ceiling again. He hesitates, because he hates, hates presenting this side of himself. But...]

You know... how hard it was to keep acting like that guy? To keep passing by your cell because I didn't know how to get you out of there yet?

Edited 2015-07-16 10:35 (UTC)

[Billy's eyes widen, hearing that, equal parts surprised and impressed. Sounds like Teddy reacted much the same way he expected - and how he himself would, if their roles had been reversed. It's kind of reassuring, actually, though he's not glad that Teddy had to experience it.

Still...]

My boyfriend is so cool.

[...Oh god, he hadn't meant to say that out loud. But- okay, even as his face goes red in the dark, and he ducks his head, he totally means it. Teddy's being serious, he's expressing how difficult it was, but- seriously!]

I-I mean! You took out Hank Pym. You took out a veteran Avenger. And then fooled everyone from Arizona to the prison, and you freed everyone, and... you're just amazing, you know that?

[That... really wasn't what he was expecting to hear. He looks at Billy, surprised at first, and then he just has to look away as he feels his face warm, and the blush reaches all the way to the tips of his ears. Is this what it feels like to be fanboyed? He covers his face with one hand and turns his head away fully, trying to hide the blush without cheating by shifting.]

- wasn't that amazing, I mean - Ms. Hill was still really suspicious of me, but... heh. Yeah. Yeah, I did knock him out. And did all that stuff. I'm - actually really surprised it all worked? That I didn't screw it up somehow?

[The difference was the high stakes, really; Billy was in there, people were unfairly imprisoned. Teddy couldn't fail, he couldn't.]

[Well. If Teddy's embarrassed too, that's a little different. A brief, muffled cough of a laugh escapes Billy's lips, and he sneaks in closer, resting his head on Teddy's chest like a pillow. It's so instinctive that as an afterthought he hopes Teddy won't mind. This must be so new to him, here.]

You didn't. You saved us all. Cap had a good plan, and he chose the right person for the job.

[It's definitely pretty new to him. It's so... so intimate that it makes that blush stay on his face, for a different reason this time, and slowly bring his arm down to wrap around Billy's shoulders. It feels like Billy's done things like this practically all his life, while Teddy's a bit behind on it. Wow... talk about a role reversal.]

Well... you know. I couldn't just... Ha. I still can't believe Captain America chose me. Like, actually specifically picked me to do it.

[... And he still can't believe Cap gave up, too. He can't help wondering what'll happen to him, now...]

No way. You were a perfect fit, and he knew it.

[Teddy's arm around him is extra-reassuring - it's good to feel it there, to know that not only is he safe, but also welcome. Teddy's not pulling away or too uncomfortable with this to ask him to stop.

He wasn't sure, so... yeah. It's good.]

Mmmm...

[Billy you are going to make him die from blushing so hard at this rate, and Teddy figures if he just shuts up, they can stop with all the praise. He's such a Captain America fanboy that hearing all that is like receiving a standing ovation with him in the spotlight. It's flattering, but wow is he ever flustered.

But... there is one thing. He squeezes Billy's shoulder, feeling the urge to lean down and kiss the top of his head, but really unsure if he should follow through. Billy's been awfully affectionate, and yet...]

I'm just glad I got you out of there.

[Finally, he does follow through; he leans his head down to press a gentle kiss against Billy's hair, then pulls back, head against the pillow and a blush across his cheeks once more.]

...Mm.

[Billy doesn't respond negatively to the kiss - hell, he's barely surprised. He shifts his head a little to find just the right spot, and slides his hand up between them to drag a blanket over them both, palm to Teddy's chest once he's done. God, but he's going to miss this again, after tonight. He knows his parents would never allow it to be a regular thing. Maybe he can sneak into Teddy's room sometimes, or catch little naps at the base here and there, but... not openly. Not until they have their own place, and that's years away.

I've never wanted to grow up so fast before.]

I'm glad... that it was you. Anyone else...

[They wouldn't understand, he figures. Teddy'd been with him at the Cube, Teddy knew what this war had already done to them. Teddy's seen him at his most frightened.

Teddy knows how to take care of him.]

Yeah... I know.

[Anyone else wouldn't have really understood. Teddy and Billy have been side by side through all those horrors they had to face, came out of it together... Only they really know what they went through.

Still, Billy might feel Teddy's heart beating a bit faster, if only because he's nervous. Sleeping in the same bed together like this, Billy curled around him with his hand on his chest; how is he ever going to get any sleep?

But... it's good, too. Teddy draws comfort in physical touch, and Billy being so open towards it when he hadn't been before is confusing, yes, but also so... relaxing? Safe? It's a good feeling to have, even if it makes him flustered.]

Well... we should try to get some sleep. We might be able to not go to school tomorrow, but... [You know, just in case.]

[Billy makes a quiet noise of acknowledgement, fingers gently curling and uncurling against Teddy, a subtle, uneasy stroking motion. He isn't sure if he'll be able to sleep, either- tired as he is, he can't help wanting to just lay awake for a while, listening to Teddy's heart and how he breathes, letting the fact that they're both here and alive soothe his lingering nerves. He knows he's much better than he would have been without the experience of Luceti behind him; he'd probably be a wreck, hiding alone in his room because he's too nervous to rebel against his parents like this. Teddy would certainly have his work cut out for him.

This way... maybe I can make it easier on him. Help him instead. He's done so much, even if he doesn't remember it yet.

Tomorrow will bring him one step closer to that reality, though. Maybe sleep would be good for them.]

Yeah... okay. I'll try.

[He won't make any promises, but he can at least keep his eyes closed.

Not before he lifts his head to kiss the corner of Teddy's lips, however. He can't not. When they're sharing a bed, when it's the two of them... kissing Teddy goodnight when he comes to bed is practically his lullabye.]

[Now. That was a very intimate gesture right there, and Teddy feels the butterflies in his stomach kick it up a notch. He can't help the smile on his face, a bit dorky and ridiculous, because god. Despite everything, he's so in love with this boy.

The smile does fade, however, as he shuts his eyes to try to get some sleep himself. It does take him longer than usual to fall asleep, but after a while, it's the exhaustion of all the stress they went through, it's Billy by his side and against his chest. It's all of that that makes him drift off and finally get the sleep that he needed.]

[True to Billy's assumption, one night was all they got; in the morning his parents were quiet, supportive, but there were certain glances he noticed out of the corner of his eyes that spoke volumes to how much trouble he'd be in if he pulled that stunt again. His prison trauma could only stretch their limits so far. It didn't help that he was so much more adjusted than he probably ought to be. It's a complicated dance of how much is too much? because whether he's upset or not, someone's bound to be worrying about him.

He does talk to Teddy, like he'd promised, and he talks to a colleague of his mother's to give her some peace of mind. In a way, it does actually help.

They return to school, but he finds it more difficult to return to a bustling New York high school after years of Luceti's strange, makeshift little town version of one. He sorely misses discussing magic and alternate worlds under the pretense of learning, instead yawning his way through algebra and US history. He does indulge his imagination in writing class, though. There are a hundred stories he could tell, now.

The biggest problem, truth be told... is that he's so damn horny all the time.

He can't help it. The further away from the war he gets, the more he remembers how free his life was with Teddy in Luceti. They came and went as they pleased, they cuddled and kissed and god did they ever make love without having to worry about anyone else's schedule. Now it's difficult to even get a good makeout session going without the risk of someone walking in on them. He doesn't know how many more of his mother's knowing (and slightly disapproving) looks he can handle.

So, distractions. Those become very important. And in the middle of one such distraction - that is, reorganizing his room - he discovers his camera. On a whim, he checks it, not even daring to hope.

But there they are, laid out in a file browser as soon as he plugs in the SD card. Hundreds, no, thousands of photos of the world he remembers so vividly, in dreams and in his memories. Lush forests, cozy old buildings, the most gorgeous scenery he'd ever seen in his life. All the friends he and Teddy had left behind. Their wings. Their home. Optimus and Misty, oh god.

He cries a little, browsing through them. Can't help it. It's a whole other life, and it's hard to witness it alone. How long until Teddy remembers? It can't be long now, but it feels like it's been forever already.

There's so many photos it'll take him hours to sort through them all. But he starts anyway, knowing he'll regret it later if he doesn't. If someone checked the card, saw all the people he'd photographed there... he has no idea how he'd explain.]

[For his part, Teddy sometimes felt like he wasn't sure what to do with Billy. The other boy had gone from blushing when he kissed his cheek, stammering when he got flustered by something he did, and not seeking out his touch so much... to something calmer. Cheek kisses were met with a smile, he didn't stammer so much, and he sought his touch much more than he ever did before. And when he did, he wasn't nervous, he didn't shrug away before long; it was like he'd been with Teddy for years, like how Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan are with each other, than the newly developing relationship that they actually have.

Teddy kind of feels like there's a lot of pressure on him to not act as ridiculous as he usually does, so he tries to suck up all those feelings and act calmer like Billy does. He can't help it a lot of the time; he's in a teenage boy, and this relationship he has is still new, his first real one. He can't help the blushing, the giggles, the butterflies, the gazing, and sometimes he has to be the one who shrugs out of a touch because it just makes him feel like he's going to explode or something. It's been a little stressful, on top of the trauma of the war that he'd been left with that seemed to affect Teddy more than Billy.

He goes to his mother's grave more often, just to talk about some things that he's not sure he can talk about with anyone else. And the heroics, god, Teddy lives to be a superhero. Nothing has been on the scale that the war was, and after Captain America's... passing, crime had escalated, as if the bad guys thought it meant they could do more harm without consequences. Well, they thought wrong. As long as he wasn't in school, of course, where he notices Billy struggle but also flourish in areas that he hadn't done so before.

His life. What was it now?

Still, the latest issue of a comic book series he'd been following is out, and he knows he can share plenty of geeky moments with Billy. He doesn't even have to knock; he heads to his room, price held carefully around the bag, and opens the door with a big grin on his face.]

Guess who got the latest issue of -

[Only to trail off when he sees the pictures that Billy's going through. Luckily, it's of some of the buildings and not of any of the people there, or the boys themselves for that matter. But it's still enough to make Teddy pause and frown a little, head tilted slightly to get a better look.]

What're those?

[For a split second, it's like Billy possesses Tommy's powers instead of magic; he jerks the cursor over to the "x" to close the window, spinning around in his computer chair to face Teddy with wide eyes. He really hadn't expected anyone to be home yet, so he didn't have a reasonable excuse for what he'd been doing yet. Crap.]

Um... New Zealand?

[...THAT'LL HAVE TO DO.]

Wow, New Zealand? Like, Modern Day Middle Earth New Zealand?

[BAD MOVE BILLY, because Teddy's interested now. You dared to mention the place where they filmed The Lord of the Rings, and that makes Teddy walk further into the room, as if doing that will make the window come back up.]

Where'd you get pictures like that? It looked like there was a lot.

[Oh, goddammit. He should've said Canada. No one gets excited about Canada.

He spins his chair idly back and forth, feigning disinterest and pointedly keeping the window closed.]

Just Google image search. Since the films came out it's a total tourist trap, so there's thousands of photos online.

[It's true. The only things in Canada are rocks and trees and trees and rocks

and water.

And that's not enough to deter Teddy. Setting the comic book down beside the laptop, Teddy leans on the desk, and though he's polite enough to not touch Billy's mouse or touchpad, he still looks like a kid who wants his Christmas present early.]

So? Bring it back up! We can see which ones were in the film, maybe make up what happened if they weren't. [DOESN'T THAT SOUND FUN]

[Billy hesitates, giving a thoughtful hum as he considers the screen and Teddy's expression. It does actually sound fun, if it were true, but the photos definitely aren't sorted yet and he'd rather not be caught in an awkward lie.

So instead he reaches up to tilt the laptop shut, snagging the comic instead.]

Nope, it's for a secret project. What'd you pick up?

[Teddy sets free a groan as he tips his head back in mock-exasperation. Photo-blocked! Nerd-blocked! Middle Earth-blocked!]

Awwww, come on! [But, with a sigh, he lowers his head again to talk about the comic.] It's the third issue of the Guardians of the Galaxy comic. I managed to get the variant with Gamora. [ISN'T THAT COOL? Sure, it cost him a bit more, but it was worth it.]

[Whew. Crisis temporarily averted. Billy lifts the issue to admire the cover - which really is lovely - and starts pondering alternative distraction tactics.]

Wow, sweet find! Variants by this artist always sell out fast. Gonna read it now, or...?

I don't know, I was thinking I'd seal this one up and get the regular issue later? Those are gonna be there all week, and I, uh... didn't bring enough with me for one of those.

[He fidgets slightly; it's weird talking about money when he has so little of it and Billy's family is loaded.]

I mean, I don't mind reading it now; I've been waiting forever for this one. But, you know... [Variants. Maybe they can go to comic-con and get that one signed by the artist, then there's no way they could ever get any bends in it.]

[Oh, he totally knows. Variants. You treasure those suckers. Almost reverently, Billy offers the issue back to Teddy, nodding in agreement.]

I don't have that one. How about I pick it up and we can share it? I mean, we live in the same house anyway, no sense in buying it twice.

[It's way too early to be saying "we're getting married so what's mine is yours" but that's totally going to be a thing later, so.]

[Not to mention that marriage is really far from Teddy's mind at this point, so yes, best not to bring it up.]

Really? [There's a hopeful little smile before he can hide it, and then he does, looking down at the floor instead.] I mean, I was planning on getting it anyway, but... your call. [Please get it please get it]

[Yeah, Billy doesn't miss that. He knows how much Teddy can fuss about money, and considering their situation... well. Even if he wasn't likely to pick up the comic - which he is, because of course he is - he'd want to do it now. That variant probably blew through Teddy's budget for the week.]

Uh-huh. We can swing by tomorrow after school. I'm dragging you along as punishment for going without me today.

[It's teasing, mostly- he's usually okay, but even he has the occasional sadsack day here and there. Sometimes it's best when people give him space.]

Edited 2015-07-19 10:24 (UTC)

[... Yeah, Teddy can't help the smile after that.]

I can live with that. [Billy did seem uncomfortable earlier (probably the hormones, not that Teddy knew), thus him going out by himself to grab the comic. But if this is his punishment? He can take it.

And after a moment, he leans down to give his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek, then bump his forehead against Billy's forehead and says quietly, before pulling back,] I love you.

[Which is... still kind of a new phrase, though definitely not the first few times they shared the sentiment. Still makes his cheeks redden a little, though. Yet he knows Billy's thinking about him with this comic book thing, and Teddy appreciates that, so...]

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