30 Quills: Denial (#11~The truth never changes . . .)
A/N: A few notes for this one.
It’s not clear if Billy’s switches schools after what happened with Kessler, but I would assume with anti-mutant sentiments so rampant in the Marvel-verse, he would have had to do so. He might even have been expelled for the assault. This is written under the assumption that he did go to a new school after that. Also, when the Kaplans take Teddy in, I think it would be logical to switch him to Billy’s high school instead of having him commute to his old one. (If you have read the previous 30-Q fic #14, you might remember he finished the year at his old school when his mom died, so summer has passed between that fic and this one.)
In the YA timeline, this would take place before the events in Young Avengers Special. If you guys recall, that was the issue where Jessica interviewed all the kids about their history. It’s also when Wiccan and Hulking decide to go public about their sexuality. I think they might have felt more comfortable doing that because they were already public as Billy and Teddy.
~+~
Denial
30 Quills challenge: #11~The truth never changes . . .
~+~
“Mnnghff--” Billy grumbled into Teddy’s back when his head thunked down between his shoulder blades.
Teddy turned from the mirror where he was giving his hair a quick comb, but he could only see a a tuft of messy dark hair peaking over his shoulder. Billy was never very articulate when first waking up.
“Is that so?” Teddy humored him anyway, putting a hand over the pair that had clasped around his waist.
“Shaddup,” Billy nuzzled into him with a whine, “Why do we have to go to school again?”
“Because America values scholastic achievement,” Teddy padded his hands in sympathy before turning around and chuckling at Billy’s bedhead, “Now c’mon, get ready.”
“I think I’ll just go in my pajamas. I’m feeling rebellious.”
Teddy snorted, “No, you’re feeling lazy.”
“Boys!” Mrs. Kaplan called from the kitchen, “Breakfast is ready. William Kaplan, I hope you don’t plan on being late to your first day of school!”
“I’ll have him down in a minute, Mrs. K!” Teddy assured.
“Thank you, Teddy!”
“Traitor--” Billy grumbled with a sleepy glare.
“Only choosing the winning side, B,” Teddy smirked back, ducking in to nip at Billy’s neck.
Ire quickly forgotten, Billy purred and tangled a hand in Teddy’s hair, his other trailing the tempting waistband of Teddy’s jeans, “Well, if losing means you’ll keep doing that . . .”
“Biiiiiiiiiiiiilly--” Jake paused suddenly in the doorway as he walked in on the amorous scene, little hands flying to his hips and glaring, “Mom says stop making out and come down for breakfast.”
Teddy could only snicker as Billy had a momentary spazz before lunging after his little brother, “She wouldn’t say that!”
“She would if she saw you!” Jake countered, dodging his brother easily to hide behind Teddy.
“You little--”
“Moooooooom!! Billy and Teddy were--”
Teddy quickly covered his mouth, “That’s enough out of you.”
A single hand hoisted Jake up with ease and gave him a toss into the air that had the 2nd grader squealing with laughter.
“Again! Again!” Jake wriggled in Teddy’s grip when he was caught.
“Not if you’re gonna go get us in trouble,” Teddy gave him a pointed look.
“I won’t! I won’t!”
Billy snorted, shaking his head as he leaned against the dresser, but his lips were curved with a soft smile, “You’re such a frickin’ traitor.”
Teddy merely grinned at him and tossed Jake again, settling the youngster on his shoulders after catching him this time. Jake laughed, awkwardly hugging Teddy’s head to keep his balance.
“Hey, hey!” Teddy poked the boy’s side, “You’re messing up the do, man. I spent a whole thirty seconds on that!”
The little one scrubbed Teddy’s hair, just to be annoying before suddenly addressing his brother with a demanding huff, “Billy, why can’t you be super strong like Teddy? Magic’s lame.”
“Excuse me? Brat! Next time you got a crazy super villain on your tail, I’m taking my magic and leaving you to die,” Billy groused, not meaning a single word; though it was fun to see how big Jake’s eyes got just at the thought.
“Magic,” Teddy stressed with a small buck of his shoulders that had Jake sprawling over him, “Is awesome, and Billy’s already the super strongest person I know. Powers, or not. Right, babe?”
Crossing his arms, Billy pursed his lips, “So now you’re sucking up, are you?”
Teddy leaned in with a shit-eating grin, “Is it working?”
Billy gripped the front of his shirt and tugged him down into a kiss in answer. Once, twice, until Teddy took hold of Jake’s little hands and forced him to cover his eyes, because really he was too young to venture into voyeurism yet and--
“Mooooooooom--” Aaron’s shout had them pulling apart again, but this time they could only laugh.
“Go get ready,” Teddy urged with one final peck as he scooped up the youngest Kaplan before he could scream anything else, “Aw, no you don’t! C’mon, you two--”
He zoomed down the hall making silly race car noises that had the twins in a giggling fit by the time he deposited them on the breakfast bar’s stools.
“Theodore Altman. I’ll have you walking the twins to the bus if you are going to rile them up into a hyperactive fit every morning,” Rebecca squinted at him dangerously behind her glasses, poking a finger at his chest.
Teddy offered an apologetic smile he knew she trouble resisting, “Sorry, Mrs. K.”
“Mhmm,” she placed the hearty breakfast Mr. Kaplan had prepared for them in front of each boy, leaving one extra for when Billy decided to lazy his way down.
“Chef Jeff Kaplan’s first day of school special, to help get those soft summer brains working again. Eat up, boys!” Mr. Kaplan padded his son’s on the shoulder, including Teddy, before turning to his wife in consternation, “Honey, I can’t find that green tie!”
“It’s in the closet.”
“I don’t see it anywhere. Help me find it, please. I’m going to be late if I dawdle around here much longer.”
“Jeff, I told you to get a new prescription for your glasses,” she paused on the way out of the kitchen, “Boys, I want those plates empty by the time I come back!”
“Yes, Mom!”
They left in search of Mr. Kaplan’s tie and silence reigned for a rare moment in the Kaplan home as the boys all chewed their food. Billy was taking his sweet time, and Teddy was starting to wonder if maybe he had just flopped back into bed. He wouldn’t put it past him to--
“Teddy?”
He glanced up at Aaron, who was suddenly looking at him with an intense gravity Teddy didn’t think the mischievous seven-year-old could be capable of.
“You’re not gonna kiss Billy at school are you?”
Teddy blinked slow, thrown for a complete loop. Both the twins were now waiting for his answer with solemn faces. Blues eyes searched two pairs of brown as his expression turned wry, “Since when are you two suddenly interested in us kissing? You guys scheming to get us in trouble?”
The little faces staring at him remained perfectly serious. Jake’s brow furrowed in unmistakable displeasure, and he spoke resolutely, “If you make Billy get hurt again, we’re not gonna like you anymore Teddy.”
Aaron’s deep frown illustrated his complete agreement to his brother’s statement clearer than any words could have.
“Get him hurt?” Now he was honestly shocked, “Guys, I would never do anything to get Billy hurt. What is this about?”
“Last time Billy kissed a boy at his school,” Aaron said quietly, “He started coming home hurt all the time.”
Teddy crushed the spoon in his hand before he could stop himself. The twins stared at it a little alarmed.
“Teddy?” Jake tried.
“Sorry, I’ll--” Teddy stared at the spoon he’d just destroyed and set it down on the counter, “I’ll be right back.”
The boys said nothing as Teddy left, but it was just as well because he was so lost in thought he would never have heard them. Only a few months after having met Billy, Teddy had realized that there were things from Billy’s past he didn’t much like to talk about.
Kessler and all things related were avoided if possible. Teddy knew the gist, but Billy never went into many into details, and he never pried because just thinking about it made a dangerous rage boil in his gut. Like, now. Thinking for just a moment that Billy would once again become a target of some macho bigoted idiot-- He was glad he wasn’t holding anything, because the way his fists were clenching he would had broken that too. But beyond the rage, there was a desperate worry, that Billy-- who had been doing fine in the new school he switched to after frying Kessler-- would now become ostracized, because of him.
“Billy,” he called as he opened the other’s door. Billy was just pulling on a shirt, looking slightly more awake than when he’d left with the twins earlier.
“Geez, I haven’t taken that long. Did Mom send you after me again?” He ran fingers through messy dark hair, to comb it into some sort of order. When the door sounded shut, he looked up in surprise, “Teddy?”
The blond leaned against the door, shoulders tense and hands still clenched at his side. His gaze was on the floor, but Billy could tell by the crinkle in his brow he was glaring.
“Did the brats step out of line? Listen, I’ll--”
“Maybe we shouldn’t act like a couple at school.”
Utter silence met his statement. When Teddy looked up frowning into Billy’s dumbstruck expression, he pressed on.
“Last time you came out at school, it didn’t work out so well. No one really knows at this school--”
“Some people do. I’ve been asked. I don’t go around shouting it on the mountain tops, but I’ve never denied being gay, Teddy. No one has made a big deal of it--”
“And you think they won’t if we walk in holding hands? If we kiss in the hall?”
“Ted--”
“They’ll go apeshit, B. You know they will. And if you weren’t a target before, then you definitely become one now--”
“Teddy--”
“I don’t want to be responsible for that. Billy, I don’t want you getting hurt because of us-- because of me--”
“Teddy--”
“If we don’t let on about what’s going on between us, then we won’t have to worry about--”
“TEDDY!”
Blue light crackled around Billy’s form, passing over Teddy’s skin with a swift tingle of raw power when Billy grabbed his collar and pulled him down to meet softly glowing eyes.
“Teddy,” Billy tried again now that he had his boyfriend’s attention. The glow faded from his eyes, but they stayed determined, almost hard. “I want you to listen, because I’m only going to say this once.”
Teddy nodded mutely.
“I don’t care who sees me with you, or what they might think. I won’t turn my back on you because it makes a of couple bigots uncomfortable. If they don’t like it, they’ll have to find a way to deal, because I don’t care much for being discreet. I am not, not will I ever be, ashamed of you. So don’t you dare ask me to pretend to be. Okay?”
Billy’s face softened until he was looking at him with worry pinching his brow, and Teddy knew it was because he had planted doubt where there should be none.
“You’re frickin’ amazing, B. And I could never be ashamed of you either,” Teddy said firmly, cupping Billy’s face then shrugging a bit, “I’m just kind of an overprotective idiot.”
“On the rare occasion,” Billy replied with a half-smile, kissing his chin.
“I’d also ravish you in public if it wouldn’t get us arrested for indecent exposure,” he smiled as Billy tipped his head back with a laugh, pulling him close to whisper in his ear, “But I swear, if any bigoted teenage punk tries to hurt you, B-- I will break them in half.”
“Now, now. That’s not very hero-like,” Billy tapped his shoulder, pulling back to look at Teddy with a small smile, light blush dusting his cheeks, “Though it’s kinda appreciated.”
Their lips met again, and it was just so hard to pull away when they were already pressed so close, and it was just this good; and it was so easy to ignore that little gnat niggling their minds that they were pressed for time and-- The door suddenly thumped against Teddy’s back and they stumbled away from it in surprise.
The twins peaked in simultaneously, raising their voices in chorus, “Moooooooom! They’re making out again!”
“William Kaplan! Please reschedule your amorous activities for a later time. You are not going to be late to school on your very first day!”
Billy muffled a frustrated growl into his chest and Teddy padded him in sympathy, unable to quiet a grumble of complaint, “Are we ever gonna get past second base in your house, B?”
“Never. Never, ever, ever.”
~+~
Fin
~30 Quills Index~
It’s not clear if Billy’s switches schools after what happened with Kessler, but I would assume with anti-mutant sentiments so rampant in the Marvel-verse, he would have had to do so. He might even have been expelled for the assault. This is written under the assumption that he did go to a new school after that. Also, when the Kaplans take Teddy in, I think it would be logical to switch him to Billy’s high school instead of having him commute to his old one. (If you have read the previous 30-Q fic #14, you might remember he finished the year at his old school when his mom died, so summer has passed between that fic and this one.)
In the YA timeline, this would take place before the events in Young Avengers Special. If you guys recall, that was the issue where Jessica interviewed all the kids about their history. It’s also when Wiccan and Hulking decide to go public about their sexuality. I think they might have felt more comfortable doing that because they were already public as Billy and Teddy.
~+~
Denial
30 Quills challenge: #11~The truth never changes . . .
~+~
“Mnnghff--” Billy grumbled into Teddy’s back when his head thunked down between his shoulder blades.
Teddy turned from the mirror where he was giving his hair a quick comb, but he could only see a a tuft of messy dark hair peaking over his shoulder. Billy was never very articulate when first waking up.
“Is that so?” Teddy humored him anyway, putting a hand over the pair that had clasped around his waist.
“Shaddup,” Billy nuzzled into him with a whine, “Why do we have to go to school again?”
“Because America values scholastic achievement,” Teddy padded his hands in sympathy before turning around and chuckling at Billy’s bedhead, “Now c’mon, get ready.”
“I think I’ll just go in my pajamas. I’m feeling rebellious.”
Teddy snorted, “No, you’re feeling lazy.”
“Boys!” Mrs. Kaplan called from the kitchen, “Breakfast is ready. William Kaplan, I hope you don’t plan on being late to your first day of school!”
“I’ll have him down in a minute, Mrs. K!” Teddy assured.
“Thank you, Teddy!”
“Traitor--” Billy grumbled with a sleepy glare.
“Only choosing the winning side, B,” Teddy smirked back, ducking in to nip at Billy’s neck.
Ire quickly forgotten, Billy purred and tangled a hand in Teddy’s hair, his other trailing the tempting waistband of Teddy’s jeans, “Well, if losing means you’ll keep doing that . . .”
“Biiiiiiiiiiiiilly--” Jake paused suddenly in the doorway as he walked in on the amorous scene, little hands flying to his hips and glaring, “Mom says stop making out and come down for breakfast.”
Teddy could only snicker as Billy had a momentary spazz before lunging after his little brother, “She wouldn’t say that!”
“She would if she saw you!” Jake countered, dodging his brother easily to hide behind Teddy.
“You little--”
“Moooooooom!! Billy and Teddy were--”
Teddy quickly covered his mouth, “That’s enough out of you.”
A single hand hoisted Jake up with ease and gave him a toss into the air that had the 2nd grader squealing with laughter.
“Again! Again!” Jake wriggled in Teddy’s grip when he was caught.
“Not if you’re gonna go get us in trouble,” Teddy gave him a pointed look.
“I won’t! I won’t!”
Billy snorted, shaking his head as he leaned against the dresser, but his lips were curved with a soft smile, “You’re such a frickin’ traitor.”
Teddy merely grinned at him and tossed Jake again, settling the youngster on his shoulders after catching him this time. Jake laughed, awkwardly hugging Teddy’s head to keep his balance.
“Hey, hey!” Teddy poked the boy’s side, “You’re messing up the do, man. I spent a whole thirty seconds on that!”
The little one scrubbed Teddy’s hair, just to be annoying before suddenly addressing his brother with a demanding huff, “Billy, why can’t you be super strong like Teddy? Magic’s lame.”
“Excuse me? Brat! Next time you got a crazy super villain on your tail, I’m taking my magic and leaving you to die,” Billy groused, not meaning a single word; though it was fun to see how big Jake’s eyes got just at the thought.
“Magic,” Teddy stressed with a small buck of his shoulders that had Jake sprawling over him, “Is awesome, and Billy’s already the super strongest person I know. Powers, or not. Right, babe?”
Crossing his arms, Billy pursed his lips, “So now you’re sucking up, are you?”
Teddy leaned in with a shit-eating grin, “Is it working?”
Billy gripped the front of his shirt and tugged him down into a kiss in answer. Once, twice, until Teddy took hold of Jake’s little hands and forced him to cover his eyes, because really he was too young to venture into voyeurism yet and--
“Mooooooooom--” Aaron’s shout had them pulling apart again, but this time they could only laugh.
“Go get ready,” Teddy urged with one final peck as he scooped up the youngest Kaplan before he could scream anything else, “Aw, no you don’t! C’mon, you two--”
He zoomed down the hall making silly race car noises that had the twins in a giggling fit by the time he deposited them on the breakfast bar’s stools.
“Theodore Altman. I’ll have you walking the twins to the bus if you are going to rile them up into a hyperactive fit every morning,” Rebecca squinted at him dangerously behind her glasses, poking a finger at his chest.
Teddy offered an apologetic smile he knew she trouble resisting, “Sorry, Mrs. K.”
“Mhmm,” she placed the hearty breakfast Mr. Kaplan had prepared for them in front of each boy, leaving one extra for when Billy decided to lazy his way down.
“Chef Jeff Kaplan’s first day of school special, to help get those soft summer brains working again. Eat up, boys!” Mr. Kaplan padded his son’s on the shoulder, including Teddy, before turning to his wife in consternation, “Honey, I can’t find that green tie!”
“It’s in the closet.”
“I don’t see it anywhere. Help me find it, please. I’m going to be late if I dawdle around here much longer.”
“Jeff, I told you to get a new prescription for your glasses,” she paused on the way out of the kitchen, “Boys, I want those plates empty by the time I come back!”
“Yes, Mom!”
They left in search of Mr. Kaplan’s tie and silence reigned for a rare moment in the Kaplan home as the boys all chewed their food. Billy was taking his sweet time, and Teddy was starting to wonder if maybe he had just flopped back into bed. He wouldn’t put it past him to--
“Teddy?”
He glanced up at Aaron, who was suddenly looking at him with an intense gravity Teddy didn’t think the mischievous seven-year-old could be capable of.
“You’re not gonna kiss Billy at school are you?”
Teddy blinked slow, thrown for a complete loop. Both the twins were now waiting for his answer with solemn faces. Blues eyes searched two pairs of brown as his expression turned wry, “Since when are you two suddenly interested in us kissing? You guys scheming to get us in trouble?”
The little faces staring at him remained perfectly serious. Jake’s brow furrowed in unmistakable displeasure, and he spoke resolutely, “If you make Billy get hurt again, we’re not gonna like you anymore Teddy.”
Aaron’s deep frown illustrated his complete agreement to his brother’s statement clearer than any words could have.
“Get him hurt?” Now he was honestly shocked, “Guys, I would never do anything to get Billy hurt. What is this about?”
“Last time Billy kissed a boy at his school,” Aaron said quietly, “He started coming home hurt all the time.”
Teddy crushed the spoon in his hand before he could stop himself. The twins stared at it a little alarmed.
“Teddy?” Jake tried.
“Sorry, I’ll--” Teddy stared at the spoon he’d just destroyed and set it down on the counter, “I’ll be right back.”
The boys said nothing as Teddy left, but it was just as well because he was so lost in thought he would never have heard them. Only a few months after having met Billy, Teddy had realized that there were things from Billy’s past he didn’t much like to talk about.
Kessler and all things related were avoided if possible. Teddy knew the gist, but Billy never went into many into details, and he never pried because just thinking about it made a dangerous rage boil in his gut. Like, now. Thinking for just a moment that Billy would once again become a target of some macho bigoted idiot-- He was glad he wasn’t holding anything, because the way his fists were clenching he would had broken that too. But beyond the rage, there was a desperate worry, that Billy-- who had been doing fine in the new school he switched to after frying Kessler-- would now become ostracized, because of him.
“Billy,” he called as he opened the other’s door. Billy was just pulling on a shirt, looking slightly more awake than when he’d left with the twins earlier.
“Geez, I haven’t taken that long. Did Mom send you after me again?” He ran fingers through messy dark hair, to comb it into some sort of order. When the door sounded shut, he looked up in surprise, “Teddy?”
The blond leaned against the door, shoulders tense and hands still clenched at his side. His gaze was on the floor, but Billy could tell by the crinkle in his brow he was glaring.
“Did the brats step out of line? Listen, I’ll--”
“Maybe we shouldn’t act like a couple at school.”
Utter silence met his statement. When Teddy looked up frowning into Billy’s dumbstruck expression, he pressed on.
“Last time you came out at school, it didn’t work out so well. No one really knows at this school--”
“Some people do. I’ve been asked. I don’t go around shouting it on the mountain tops, but I’ve never denied being gay, Teddy. No one has made a big deal of it--”
“And you think they won’t if we walk in holding hands? If we kiss in the hall?”
“Ted--”
“They’ll go apeshit, B. You know they will. And if you weren’t a target before, then you definitely become one now--”
“Teddy--”
“I don’t want to be responsible for that. Billy, I don’t want you getting hurt because of us-- because of me--”
“Teddy--”
“If we don’t let on about what’s going on between us, then we won’t have to worry about--”
“TEDDY!”
Blue light crackled around Billy’s form, passing over Teddy’s skin with a swift tingle of raw power when Billy grabbed his collar and pulled him down to meet softly glowing eyes.
“Teddy,” Billy tried again now that he had his boyfriend’s attention. The glow faded from his eyes, but they stayed determined, almost hard. “I want you to listen, because I’m only going to say this once.”
Teddy nodded mutely.
“I don’t care who sees me with you, or what they might think. I won’t turn my back on you because it makes a of couple bigots uncomfortable. If they don’t like it, they’ll have to find a way to deal, because I don’t care much for being discreet. I am not, not will I ever be, ashamed of you. So don’t you dare ask me to pretend to be. Okay?”
Billy’s face softened until he was looking at him with worry pinching his brow, and Teddy knew it was because he had planted doubt where there should be none.
“You’re frickin’ amazing, B. And I could never be ashamed of you either,” Teddy said firmly, cupping Billy’s face then shrugging a bit, “I’m just kind of an overprotective idiot.”
“On the rare occasion,” Billy replied with a half-smile, kissing his chin.
“I’d also ravish you in public if it wouldn’t get us arrested for indecent exposure,” he smiled as Billy tipped his head back with a laugh, pulling him close to whisper in his ear, “But I swear, if any bigoted teenage punk tries to hurt you, B-- I will break them in half.”
“Now, now. That’s not very hero-like,” Billy tapped his shoulder, pulling back to look at Teddy with a small smile, light blush dusting his cheeks, “Though it’s kinda appreciated.”
Their lips met again, and it was just so hard to pull away when they were already pressed so close, and it was just this good; and it was so easy to ignore that little gnat niggling their minds that they were pressed for time and-- The door suddenly thumped against Teddy’s back and they stumbled away from it in surprise.
The twins peaked in simultaneously, raising their voices in chorus, “Moooooooom! They’re making out again!”
“William Kaplan! Please reschedule your amorous activities for a later time. You are not going to be late to school on your very first day!”
Billy muffled a frustrated growl into his chest and Teddy padded him in sympathy, unable to quiet a grumble of complaint, “Are we ever gonna get past second base in your house, B?”
“Never. Never, ever, ever.”
~+~
Fin
~30 Quills Index~