FIC: YOUNG AVENGERS: Round Trip
Title: Round Trip
Rating: PG
Pairing: Billy/Teddy
Word Count: 1200ish
Summary: Teddy's been away from Earth for six months. Will Billy still want him when he returns?
Notes Schmoop Bingo fic! For the prompt "returning home from a long trip." And it is mighty schmoopy. My card is Here.
Teddy was calm. He repeated the words to himself while he paced back and forth on the bridge. The chamber, built small for Skrulls, echoed with the sound of his heavy steps. The bridge crew watched him as though they feared he might explode at any time. Teddy couldn't blame them; he really might if they didn't land soon.
The ship was close enough to the planet that he could pick out the continents' vague outlines under the cloud cover, but the countdown in the corner of the screen told him it would be hours until the ship slid into geo-stationary orbit above their destination. After that, Teddy only had to board the landing pods and disembark at Stark International Airport.
Until then, though, Teddy had nothing to do but worry about what would happen when he rejoined the Avengers. He hadn't been home in six months, the half an Earth-year he had negotiated with the fledgling Skrull nation in searching for a ruler. Now he was returning to his second semester of college, super hero work, and his boyfriend. Teddy's stomach fluttered when he thought of Billy; he closed his eyes and saw the exact look on his face as the ship had lifted off. When it had come time to board the ship the first time, Billy had stood on tip-toe to give him a fierce kiss and demanded Teddy return in an urgent whisper. Teddy could almost feel the hot, harsh breaths on his ear that had accompanied the plea. Billy had looked so small and alone as he receded in the distance. Every day since, Teddy questioned his decision.
"Highness, E.T.A. at two hours and fourty-five minutes." The navigator spoke the Earth time units carefully. All the Skrull attempted to learn some rudimentary English in respect to their new ruler, the same way Teddy had picked up some pidgen Skrullos though he could easily rely on the automatic translators installed throughout most official buildings. It was one of many new reforms sweeping through the remaining Skrull under Dorrek's rule.
"Thank you--" Teddy realized he didn't know the woman's name, and cut his thanks short. She didn't smile, but her eyes warmed and she nodded respectfully before returning to her work. The crew always managed to respect Teddy and ignore him completely at the same time.
After that, he managed to settle himself in the too-small chair reserved for him in the back of the room. He watched Earth grow larger and larger until -- finally -- the bridge crew burst into a flurry of activity preparing for the Emperor's departure. Four months ago Teddy had accepted that there was very little he could actually do while the professionals around him worked, so he stayed in his cramped chair until someone directed him otherwise.
Though the time dragged, Teddy still thought the time when his bodyguards ushered him to the landing pod came much too soon. The trip down to Earth took no time at all, but the turbulence threw the small pod around and for a tense moment everyone thought they were going to land too soon and wind up splashing into the Atlantic. When Teddy found himself dry-washing his hands and hoping they might, he knew he had to force himself to calm down. Billy didn't deserve to have to deal with him in this state.
Even if he had found someone more attractive at ESU. Or decided to date girls. Or ran off with Eli. Or just realized what a rotten boyfriend a half-Skrull emperor made for a brilliant, smart, funny, wonderful, earth-bound wizard like himself.
That's ridiculous, Teddy scolded himself with a frown. Over their hobbled-together phoneline Billy had shown no indication that he was anything but faithful and waiting on Teddy's return with the same eagerness Teddy himself felt. The longing that colored Billy's voice showed he wasn't handling this as well as he pretended. When Teddy imagined himself in Billy's place, he saw himself bitter and hurt that his boyfriend had chosen the welfare of an alien race a galaxy away over spending all his time with the man he already loved. But I'm not Billy.
It was a weak reassurance at best, but one he repeated to himself over and over while the pod cooled and the crew prepared for disembarking. The quiet voices reading off check-list after checklist washed around Teddy but he heard none of it until an aide tapped him on the shoulder. A few minutes later, the hatch slid open with a hiss of decompression. Teddy swore the air's very texture changed. He took a deep breath and grinned; it smelled great, smog and all. His worries hadn't dissipated, but they seemed smaller and more ridiculous now that his feet were only a few inches off Earth soil and Billy was waiting somewhere out there for him.
Once the security team cleared the area, they informed Teddy he was free to leave the ship any time he liked, but he had guests waiting on him and he should consider disembarking immediately. They ought not have bothered, because Teddy pushed right past them and stumbled out into the bright sunlight before the speech concluded.
Eli caught him when he did and they grinned at each other like a pair of idiots.
"Hey, man," Teddy greeted. Before Eli could answer the rest of the team -- Kate and Cassie and Jonas and Tommy -- mobbed him to form a massive spandex rainbow group hug. Teddy thought he couldn't be happier, until he realized there was one person still missing. Once he pried himself away, he looked around and spotted Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan. Behind them he could see Billy's grandparents and his two brothers, but not Billy himself.
Teddy's face fell and he promised himself he wouldn't cry. Billy hadn't come, and Teddy couldn't blame him; what kind of boyfriend was he, trotting off into space for half a year? A terrible one, that's what. Anyone would have done the same.
Two not-so-strong arms throwing themselves around him interrupted the thought. He stumbled again and nearly lost his balance. Twisting in the unexpected grip, he found himself completely unable to move. A loud, wet noise came from behind him, followed by several more sobs. He felt a wet spot growing on the back of his ceremonial robes.
Teddy didn't mind in the least.
"--You're back!" Billy cried. "It's been six months but you're finally back and I didn't think it was ever going to come but you're here!"
"I'm back," he agreed, wrapping Billy in a hug. He had to take care not to crush any bones when he picked Billy right up off the ground and spun him around. His mouth hurt from smiling but he didn't stop, and he could see the expression echoed on his friend's faces. "And you're still here."
"Of course I'm still here, you idiot!" There was no venom in the words, just confusion. "Where else would I be?"
"Don't know," Teddy answered. He bent slightly and let his skin shift back into his real, human-looking form before kissing Billy with the same passion as the day he'd left. Billy tasted and looked and smelled exactly like Teddy had remembered, only real instead of the slivers of memory that tried to slip away. Teddy buried his nose in Billy's dark hair and inhaled sharply. He smelled better than the Earth air. "But it doesn't matter."
Rating: PG
Pairing: Billy/Teddy
Word Count: 1200ish
Summary: Teddy's been away from Earth for six months. Will Billy still want him when he returns?
Notes Schmoop Bingo fic! For the prompt "returning home from a long trip." And it is mighty schmoopy. My card is Here.
Teddy was calm. He repeated the words to himself while he paced back and forth on the bridge. The chamber, built small for Skrulls, echoed with the sound of his heavy steps. The bridge crew watched him as though they feared he might explode at any time. Teddy couldn't blame them; he really might if they didn't land soon.
The ship was close enough to the planet that he could pick out the continents' vague outlines under the cloud cover, but the countdown in the corner of the screen told him it would be hours until the ship slid into geo-stationary orbit above their destination. After that, Teddy only had to board the landing pods and disembark at Stark International Airport.
Until then, though, Teddy had nothing to do but worry about what would happen when he rejoined the Avengers. He hadn't been home in six months, the half an Earth-year he had negotiated with the fledgling Skrull nation in searching for a ruler. Now he was returning to his second semester of college, super hero work, and his boyfriend. Teddy's stomach fluttered when he thought of Billy; he closed his eyes and saw the exact look on his face as the ship had lifted off. When it had come time to board the ship the first time, Billy had stood on tip-toe to give him a fierce kiss and demanded Teddy return in an urgent whisper. Teddy could almost feel the hot, harsh breaths on his ear that had accompanied the plea. Billy had looked so small and alone as he receded in the distance. Every day since, Teddy questioned his decision.
"Highness, E.T.A. at two hours and fourty-five minutes." The navigator spoke the Earth time units carefully. All the Skrull attempted to learn some rudimentary English in respect to their new ruler, the same way Teddy had picked up some pidgen Skrullos though he could easily rely on the automatic translators installed throughout most official buildings. It was one of many new reforms sweeping through the remaining Skrull under Dorrek's rule.
"Thank you--" Teddy realized he didn't know the woman's name, and cut his thanks short. She didn't smile, but her eyes warmed and she nodded respectfully before returning to her work. The crew always managed to respect Teddy and ignore him completely at the same time.
After that, he managed to settle himself in the too-small chair reserved for him in the back of the room. He watched Earth grow larger and larger until -- finally -- the bridge crew burst into a flurry of activity preparing for the Emperor's departure. Four months ago Teddy had accepted that there was very little he could actually do while the professionals around him worked, so he stayed in his cramped chair until someone directed him otherwise.
Though the time dragged, Teddy still thought the time when his bodyguards ushered him to the landing pod came much too soon. The trip down to Earth took no time at all, but the turbulence threw the small pod around and for a tense moment everyone thought they were going to land too soon and wind up splashing into the Atlantic. When Teddy found himself dry-washing his hands and hoping they might, he knew he had to force himself to calm down. Billy didn't deserve to have to deal with him in this state.
Even if he had found someone more attractive at ESU. Or decided to date girls. Or ran off with Eli. Or just realized what a rotten boyfriend a half-Skrull emperor made for a brilliant, smart, funny, wonderful, earth-bound wizard like himself.
That's ridiculous, Teddy scolded himself with a frown. Over their hobbled-together phoneline Billy had shown no indication that he was anything but faithful and waiting on Teddy's return with the same eagerness Teddy himself felt. The longing that colored Billy's voice showed he wasn't handling this as well as he pretended. When Teddy imagined himself in Billy's place, he saw himself bitter and hurt that his boyfriend had chosen the welfare of an alien race a galaxy away over spending all his time with the man he already loved. But I'm not Billy.
It was a weak reassurance at best, but one he repeated to himself over and over while the pod cooled and the crew prepared for disembarking. The quiet voices reading off check-list after checklist washed around Teddy but he heard none of it until an aide tapped him on the shoulder. A few minutes later, the hatch slid open with a hiss of decompression. Teddy swore the air's very texture changed. He took a deep breath and grinned; it smelled great, smog and all. His worries hadn't dissipated, but they seemed smaller and more ridiculous now that his feet were only a few inches off Earth soil and Billy was waiting somewhere out there for him.
Once the security team cleared the area, they informed Teddy he was free to leave the ship any time he liked, but he had guests waiting on him and he should consider disembarking immediately. They ought not have bothered, because Teddy pushed right past them and stumbled out into the bright sunlight before the speech concluded.
Eli caught him when he did and they grinned at each other like a pair of idiots.
"Hey, man," Teddy greeted. Before Eli could answer the rest of the team -- Kate and Cassie and Jonas and Tommy -- mobbed him to form a massive spandex rainbow group hug. Teddy thought he couldn't be happier, until he realized there was one person still missing. Once he pried himself away, he looked around and spotted Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan. Behind them he could see Billy's grandparents and his two brothers, but not Billy himself.
Teddy's face fell and he promised himself he wouldn't cry. Billy hadn't come, and Teddy couldn't blame him; what kind of boyfriend was he, trotting off into space for half a year? A terrible one, that's what. Anyone would have done the same.
Two not-so-strong arms throwing themselves around him interrupted the thought. He stumbled again and nearly lost his balance. Twisting in the unexpected grip, he found himself completely unable to move. A loud, wet noise came from behind him, followed by several more sobs. He felt a wet spot growing on the back of his ceremonial robes.
Teddy didn't mind in the least.
"--You're back!" Billy cried. "It's been six months but you're finally back and I didn't think it was ever going to come but you're here!"
"I'm back," he agreed, wrapping Billy in a hug. He had to take care not to crush any bones when he picked Billy right up off the ground and spun him around. His mouth hurt from smiling but he didn't stop, and he could see the expression echoed on his friend's faces. "And you're still here."
"Of course I'm still here, you idiot!" There was no venom in the words, just confusion. "Where else would I be?"
"Don't know," Teddy answered. He bent slightly and let his skin shift back into his real, human-looking form before kissing Billy with the same passion as the day he'd left. Billy tasted and looked and smelled exactly like Teddy had remembered, only real instead of the slivers of memory that tried to slip away. Teddy buried his nose in Billy's dark hair and inhaled sharply. He smelled better than the Earth air. "But it doesn't matter."