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Billy understood the value of a good education. He really did. It was important, and if this Young Avengers thing didn't last forever, he'd need a normal person job. A lot of superheroes had gone onto college, and had degrees, and masters, and some even had PhDs, and Billy respected them for it, and had assured his parents numerous times that he would graduate from high school.
But Fridays still sucked, and Billy wanted to be anywhere but trapped at this stupid desk, in stupid math class, learning about stuff he already knew because he was weeks ahead in homework, just in case Galactus attacked or something. Hell, he would pay for a fight right then. If the evil version of the Great Lake Avengers showed up suddenly, he would take it because beggars couldn't be choosers, and he was beginning to think time had stopped.
Thirty minutes, and he would get to spend an entire evening with Teddy. Normally they walked halfway to school together, since their schools were sort of close, but Teddy had been up early working on a group project all week. Billy loved him a lot, but waking up at five am, no way.
As a result, he had been looking forward to Friday for days, so scratch that evil Great Lake Avengers thing. He'd be really pissed if that happened. He just wanted a normal night out.
Billy looked up at the clock. Twenty-nine more minutes. He could do this.
Fridays sucked.
~~~
16:30:04 @Agreenboy Finally free! See you in fifteen. Movie tonight?
16:32:27 @Agreenboy Scratch that! Be a little late. Mom wants me for something.
16:32:54 IdontwanttogohomeIdontwanttogohomeIdontwanttogohome
~~~
"What?"
His mom looked up from her book, eyebrows raised. "Don't take that tone with me, William."
Billy, who hadn't ever talked back to his mom and didn't plan on starting, swallowed the sigh in his throat and forced his foot to stop tapping impatiently on the floor. "Did you need me, mom?"
"Better," his mom conceded, getting up and kissing him on the forehead. "How was school?"
"Fine," Billy gritted out.
"Do you remember the last thing I asked you to do before you left this morning?"
Billy, who had been texting with Teddy all morning about their possible plans that evening, tried to remember if his mom had said anything to him. Something about … something. Maybe. It hadn't seemed that important at the time, and he had been running late. Teddy was distracting.
"I asked you to sign your grandmother's birthday card."
"Seriously?" Billy said, a lot more loudly than he meant to, then withered a little at the look on his mom's face. He hadn't been grounded since he was seven, when had secretly stolen Mr. Nelson's dog and tried to pass it off as Simon, the dog he had always wanted. "Couldn't it wait?"
"I also need you to mail it for me. Before five. I would have gone today, but …"
"Okay, okay," Billy said, before the guilt suffocated him. "I'm hanging out with Teddy tonight."
"Be back by eleven."
"I'm seventeen years old," he protested, hastily scribbling his name onto the card then stuffing it into the envelope. He would have to run if he wanted to make it to the post office before it closed. He could just spell his way there, but if his mom found out he was that lazy, he'd get an earful later. That only left him with, like, six hours to spend with Teddy. Not nearly enough.
"That's precisely why I don't want to you staying out until all hours of the night."
"Mom, I'm not exactly your average teenager."
"You are in the ways that matter," she replied, kissing him again. "Midnight, okay?"
"Okay," Billy replied glumly.
~~~
16:49:13 @Agreenboy Omw. Have to hit post office first. Be there in twenty.
17:01:46 @Agreenboy Define surprise. Will I like it? :)
17:12:03 @Agreenboy Downstairs. Buzzer not working. Please come get me.
~~~
Of course, the minute he sent that last message, one of the numerous old ladies who lived in Teddy's building came shuffling up to the door. They all knew and loved him, so he had no trouble getting inside, but he also felt obligated to help Mrs. Rayner with her groceries.
"You are such a sweet boy, Billy. Teddy is a very lucky young man."
"Thanks, Mrs. R." Billy waved goodbye, trying to pretend he wasn't blushing. The idea that this army of little old ladies knew about him and Teddy made him feel a bit pervy, but it had been kind of unavoidable after Mrs. Gardner, who was a notorious gossip, caught them making out.
Billy took the stairs two at a time, because Teddy lived on the next floor. He didn't even notice the peeling wallpaper anymore, or the strange old smell, or the orange carpets in the hallway. Teddy had been shuffled around like an unwanted pet for weeks before settling here, where Billy didn't have to worry about him because he had a legion of protective widows cooking for him.
Billy would never admit it, but he was glad Teddy hadn't stayed at the Avengers Tower. He had been moved there after Jessica Jones had found out he was living in their apparently-not-so-secret secret headquarters. Neither of them could get used to seeing Spider-Man in the halls on a regular basis and acting like they weren't just a couple of awestruck fanboys out of their league.
He had almost asked his mom if Teddy could move into their already crowded apartment.
Thankfully, the Stark Scholarship for Super-powered Orphans had come through in the end.
That wasn't the official title, but he and Teddy had called it that for so long, he couldn't remember the real name, and still couldn't discuss it without dissolving into almost hysterical laughter. But it paid the bills, and Teddy could finish high school in the neighbourhood he had lived in since he was a baby, even if he didn't really like his school any better than Billy did.
Finally, he was at Teddy's door, knocking. Teddy opened it, freshly showered with his hair all tousled and wearing one of Billy's shirts, which meant it was way too tight and way too hot on him. Billy, who hadn't seen Teddy since Sunday, when they had briefly fought the Vulture, went a little weak-kneed. Instead of mauling him, Billy slipped his arms around Teddy's waist.
"I am so glad to see you," he mumbled into Teddy's neck.
"You're going to hate me in a second," Teddy replied, smiling against Billy's ear.
"I doubt it." Billy slipped his hand under the hem of Teddy's shirt and palmed his back. He still hadn't quite gotten the hang of announcing how turned on he was by, like, Teddy's entire existence, but he'd gotten a lot better about showing him. He was so obviously hard right now.
"God," a voice said from the living room, "get a fucking room already."
Billy bumped his head against Teddy's shoulder. "I hate my life."
"He was supposed to be visiting his parents," Teddy explained, raising his voice on the second half of the sentence. "He practically promised," Teddy added, apologetically. "Almost, anyway."
"I did visit them. My mom chewed me out for escaping juvie, and my dad told me to stop acting like such a cocky brat. Then I fought with my mom about the fact I skipped school to go see her, and that I had run in where the neighbours could see instead of taking the bus. Then I fought with my dad about the fact that someone named Luke Cage had called to confirm the tragic and untimely deaths of Frank and Mary Sheppard. I never actually said that. I just implied it."
"He's been home all day," Teddy added. "He ate everything in the fridge."
Tommy shrugged. "I was hungry. You try running across two states."
"How long did you spend with each other them? Like, five minutes?"
"Five minutes too many," Tommy said. "So … what are we doing tonight?"
"We're eating at that Italian place you hate," Billy snapped.
"Great," Tommy said, zipping out the front door. "I'm so hungry I'll eat anything!"
~~~
18:22:02 RT @Agreenboy: B's cock-blocking maybe-bro is on a date w/ us :(
18:23:32 @Hawkingbird We're hiding in the restroom just for some peace & quiet
18:24:07 He found us. Fridays suck!!!
~~~
Billy had quickly learned to ignore Tommy. He was constantly on, and couldn't take hint, and while Billy couldn't be one hundred percent sure, they were practically identical, and Tommy felt like his brother, especially in the way Tommy annoyed him. Billy would have preferred him to be less of an ass, but at least he didn't live with him. That had been Teddy's bad luck. Stark Industries was in financial trouble, and it was just cheaper if they got rid of two problems with one lease. Still, it made spending time alone with Teddy even harder. Tommy was always there.
"Are you guys holding hands under the table?" Tommy asked loudly.
"Why do you care?" Billy snapped back, tightening his fingers around Teddy's.
"I don't," Tommy replied. "This place sucks. I'm going to go for a run. Be back soon."
"Take your time," Billy told him, squeezing Teddy's hand again, and they shared a secret smile. The waiter, who had once slipped Teddy his number before finding out he wasn't available, had sat them in their favourite booth at the back, which had a cool art nouveau thing going for it.
They ordered dessert and coffee, though the latter was mainly for appearances. Billy relaxed against Teddy, taking Teddy's hand when his arm slipped over his shoulders, counting his fingers. They talked about going to see a movie, but nothing good was really playing, and Billy found making out in theatre seats to be uncomfortable with the armrest poking into his belly.
So Billy listened to Teddy bitch about his group project, and how he had done most of the work despite being the only one with the unforgiving schedule of a superhero. And Teddy let Billy vent about how his brothers had broken into his room and read his comics with sticky fingers. It was relaxing, perfect and exactly what Billy needed to unwind after his hellish Teddy-less week.
"I am so glad you're the gay one," Teddy said suddenly.
Billy laughed. "And you have a thing for brunets."
"Yeah," Teddy replied, kissing him on the mouth.
"Do you think Kate will take him for the rest of the night?"
"Stop talking about him," Teddy replied, and slipped his tongue between Billy's open lips.
~~~
19:01:33 Had dinner with @Agreenboy. Did I mention he is the best?
19:02:45 @ThatTallGirl lol T's all yours if you want him. PS. T-bro, not T-bf
19:03:59 @ThatTallGirl Welcome to my world. :(
~~~
"Wanna walk?" Teddy asked, his hands dug deep into the pocket of his jeans.
"Yeah," Billy replied, grinning. A large part of him just wanted to race back to Teddy's apartment and get him as naked as he could before Tommy came home and ruined it, but he knew Teddy liked to walk around, especially here in Greenwich Village. It cleared his mind, Teddy had confessed once, to see that he was, you know, normal, and not alone.
Billy worried himself sick sometimes, thinking about Teddy being alone. He didn't have any relatives on earth because his adopted mom had secretly been a skrull, and his real parents were long dead, even if it had seemed, just for a few moments there, that Captain Marvel was alive.
But Teddy was really, really alone, and that terrified Billy when he thought too hard about it. His little brothers might drive him bonkers most of the time, and his mom was always poking around his room under the guise of cleaning up, and his dad wouldn't let him learn how to drive, but at least he had parents and brothers. The closest thing Teddy had to a brother was Tommy.
"Oh, hey, there's this song I wanted you to listen to. It's totally you."
"I'm still recovering from the last time you said that," Billy replied, but he hooked the earphone Teddy offered into the curve of his ear. It was pretty cold out, so he used that as an excuse to lean into Teddy, who radiated heat, until their foreheads practically touched. "Okay, play it."
"Prepare to be dazzled."
"I already am," Billy said, the streetlights reflecting off Teddy's numerous ear piercings, adding a halo effect to his golden hair. Teddy was drawing attention from some of the guys on the street, but Billy took that as a compliment. He would be insulted if everyone ignored Teddy's hotness.
The song was amazing, mellow and wistful, more his style than Teddy's. He found himself walking along with the beat, long strides that curved into Teddy's path. It didn't taken more than a few steps for Teddy to start mimicking his dance, his left leg crisscrossing with Billy's right one, always trying to get one foot ahead of the other. Pretty soon they were walking like idiots.
Billy couldn't stop laughing.
"You're so beautiful when you smile like that," Teddy said abruptly.
Billy, who was scrawny and looked like he was twelve and had a dorky haircut, scrunched up his face and tried to brush the comment off, but Teddy wrapped his arms around Billy's shoulders. They swayed like that for a while, people brushing by them without jostling them too badly.
"Learn to take a compliment," Teddy murmured.
"Learn to warn me first," Billy replied, smiling into Teddy's shoulder.
~~~
20:13:57 @Agreenboy is torturing me in a good way.
20:14:46 lol T just pointed out how kinky that sounds. Oops.
20:15:59 @Patriotick Yes, we both remember the training session tomorrow morning. :)
~~~
Teddy talked him into using his powers to get them to Central Park, which meant they could easily walk to Teddy's place and not have to take the subway. They ducked into the nearest alleyway, behind a dumpster that was inexplicably filled with hundreds of purple cabbages.
"Hey, wait," Teddy said as Billy opened his mouth to begin his teleportation chant.
"What?"
"This," Teddy said, and kissed him quick and hard, grinning against Billy's lips. "Ok, now."
"IwantustobeinCentralParkIwantustobeinCentralParkIwantustobeinCentralPark …"
Billy still hadn't mastered spell-casting, so they materialised in the middle of Wollman Rink, in a crowd of enthusiastic skaters, and promptly fell on their asses, laughing. Part of the reason Billy loved living in New York City so much was that everybody had seen so many superheroes that a couple of teenagers appearing out of nowhere in a burst of blue light elicited, like, zero reaction.
Teddy helped him up, and they shuffled carefully to the edge, hands clasped.
"Are you okay?" Billy asked.
"A little sore," Teddy admitted. "I could have really used a …"
Billy widened his eyes, reaching out to put his hand over Teddy's mouth. "Don't say it!"
"Ass-guardian," Teddy said, speaking over him, batting his hand away.
"I totally set you up for that," Billy replied. "Why do I always set you up for that?"
Teddy grinned, all teeth. "Oh, I don't know. Because it's hilarious?"
Billy elbowed him lightly in the side, which Teddy took as an all out declaration of war. Laughing, they grabbed at each other, and slipped out of each other's reaching grasps, and ran up and down the hills. Eventually, and Billy wasn't even sure how, he ended up on Teddy's back.
"There you guys are," Tommy said, zipping up to them. Billy groaned loudly, but Tommy didn't even seem to notice. "Fucking in public is tacky, by the way. It totally reeks of desperation."
"Jealous?" Teddy asked, his hands secure behind Billy's knees, shifting him up higher.
Tommy rolled his eyes. "As if. Next time we should go to China for dinner. It's good shit."
"You ran to China?"
"I would have been back sooner," Tommy admitted, "but I got distracted by pyramids."
"Lucky us," Billy said, arms loosely hooked over Teddy's shoulders, then froze suddenly. "Oh, crap." Teddy bulked up immediately, his skin taking a greenish hue, but Billy shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just. Some guys from school just looked over here. One of them is Kesler."
"I can go beat him up," Teddy offered casually, losing the green but retaining the size.
Billy shook his head again. "No, whatever. It's not like the entire school doesn't know I'm gay."
"Do they know you have an older brother who can vaporise shit?" Tommy asked.
"It probably wouldn't surprise them," Billy replied, more casual than he felt. The truth was everyone at his school was scared of him after he practically electrocuted Kesler, which pretty much meant everyone ignored him, and made for some lonely days. He could have transferred out, but he'd had a long talk with his parents, and they had all agreed it was crucial he stayed.
Redefining normal was pretty important to him these days.
~~~
21:39:27 Finally free! T-bro has decided we're boring. Peace at last!
21:42:14 @Speedster It's called being a third wheel. Google it.
21:44:03 @Speedster Shouldn't you be watching where you're going?
~~~
Tommy had walked with them all the way to their apartment then had decided he felt like seeing Australia. "I hear it's warm this time of year," he had said with a shrug. "And I would rather not listen to you guys screw. It weirds me the fuck out. No offence," he had added. "Don't wait up!"
Teddy's room was neat and half-empty. Most of his stuff had been destroyed when the Super Skrull had ruined his old apartment, and killed his mom. Billy had been bringing over stuff from his own messy room when he remembered, books and comics he liked, eye-catching pictures he clipped out of magazines, various pieces of interesting furniture his parents found at estate sales.
While Teddy set up his iPod, Billy shrugged out of his hoody and tossed it on the ground. He moved to tug his tee-shirt back down from where it had bunched up under his armpits, but Teddy's fingers slid over his chest and pulled it clean off. The bed dipped under his weight.
"I've been thinking about this all week," Teddy admitted, yanking off his own shirt.
"One of us needs a car," Billy replied, touching Teddy's chest. "We need the privacy."
"Is your dad still being a dick about learning to drive?"
"He thinks I'll turn his Prius into the Young Avengers mobile."
Teddy snorted. "Doesn't he realise taking the subway is way faster?"
"I know. That's exactly what I told him."
They grinned at each other.
Sex was still as exciting and scary and amazing and baffling as ever, even though they'd been together for almost a year. As embarrassing as it had been to admit, Teddy was Billy's first everything. Teddy had been with three different girls, though he didn't like to speak about it much. He and Teddy had come from two very different places, but Billy liked that about them.
So sex was fun, but he also enjoyed the afterwards when they lay around and glanced mournfully at time ticking slowly away. When they walked around without clothes and admired each other. When they talked, and read comics, and kissed, and touched, and whispered like the entire world was listening when it was usually just Tommy, who was the loneliest person Billy knew.
"You gotta go soon," Teddy said, his head resting on Billy's naked stomach as Billy played with his hair. His lips looked freshly kissed, red and full; Billy lightly touched his thumb to them. Teddy tilted his head up and smiled. "Did you want to borrow Left 4 Dead 2? I finished it.
"Okay. Do you still want to come over for breakfast on Sunday? My dad was wondering."
"Yeah, sure. He makes really good French toast."
Billy bent over to kiss him then reluctantly got up. Teddy watched him from the bed, head propped up with his hand. Sometimes, Billy wondered what Teddy really looked like. He was the only guy Billy knew who had chosen when to go through puberty. There had been a few times, on those rare occasions when they spent the night together, where Billy had woken up to find Teddy was different than he remembered, but that was life with a shape-shifter, he guessed.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Billy asked.
"Bright and early," Teddy replied, reeling Billy in for one more kiss. "Sweet dreams."
"Thanks for putting up with Tommy."
"I'm practically desensitized to him now," Teddy assured him, stepping back.
"IdontwantogohomebutIhavetoIdontwantogohomebutIhavetoIdontwantogohomebutIhaveto …"
~~~
23:59:59 Made it home with a second to spare! @Agreenboy <3 you and good night
00:01:42 @Vision20 Yes, I had a great time, thank you for asking
00:05:09 Normal is totally overrated. #obvious
~~~