Paper Moth
Title: Paper Moth 2/?*
Pairing: Mothman/Dollar Bill, Silhouette worked her way in again
Rating/Warning/Spoilers: pg13 ish as of now for a few curse words
Summary: The day after.
Author's Notes: I was inspired by this drabble by puckhiggins. I am my own beta so any mistakes are mine. Feel free to point them out.
*It is the best I could come up with. I am open to suggestions for a better title.
Part one can be found here.
Bill was up before the alarm had even gone off. If he was not mistaken he really never got to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes that kiss replayed in his mind. Which really would not have not been that bad if it would stop there. But his brain would not that kind to him. No it had to end it with that look of hurt he saw in Byron’s eyes before he ran out the door. Bill could still not figure out where it all had gone so wrong. Those two kisses had been some of the best he ever had. And Bryon had been in to them. Bill was positive of that. There was no hesitation on his part. Everything had been fine until Ursula had walked in. He could understand Bryon being embarrassed at being caught by one of his fellow Minutemen but that was not embarrassment Bill had seen in Byron’s eyes. It was a mixture of what looked like equal parts anger and shame. But why? It just did not make any sense. He really needed to talk to Byron but he needed a shower first and maybe something to eat. Ok so he would call him after he had a shower and ate but did he really have the time? No he would be late for work and Bill hated to be late. He had earned a reputation for always being on time and he did not want to ruin that. He could call Byron during his lunch break. That is if he did not find some other way to put it off.
* * *
Byron did not care who was calling he was not answering the phone and it had nothing to do with the fact that his limbs could not function properly enough to get his wings out from where they had gotten wedged between the wall and couch. Byron had meant to take them off last night but he had more important things to do like finding that really good bottle of rum he saved for special occasions. Like getting your heart stomped on by some asshole that shall go nameless. It took him a bit longer to find than usual, a bottle of vodka can do that to you, but never the less he did. And half a bottle later Bryon was on cloud nine. That was until was woken up by some jerk calling him at noon. Everyone knows that you do not call someone the morning after a drinking binge that was just rude. You have to wait until at least 24 hours after their last drink. Jerks! Whoever it was would hang up and leave him alone. Ah finally! The accursed phone stopped and he could go back to sleep finally.
* * *
“Damn it Byron.” Bill slammed the phone down. Bryon was not answering his phone and no one had seen him sense he left yesterday in a hurry. Bill had really wanted to talk to him today and when he could not get him on the phone he was starting to get worried. Sally had said that Byron had looked really upset when he left and that made Bill worry. Byron was not the most stable Minutemen. He has always been prone to self-destructive behavior.
Bill remembers when he witnessed it first hand. Byron had been too late to save a little girl. His wings had gotten stuck on a fence and when he finally got them lose the girl was dead and the guy had gotten away. Bill had found him that night in his office drunk off his ass. Bill's heart had broken a little when he saw that. He always knew that this job was tough on Byron but he had never seen it until then. He still remembers those slurred words Bryon kept repeating “It’s all my fault. I couldn’t save her.” That night had been the first night they had ever hugged. Bill had done it just to give the crying man some comfort and at first that was all it was. But something happened during that hug. Something clicked in place in Bill’s brain right then and there. All those awkward embraces and encounters through out the years were gone. For the first time in his life Bill actually felt comfortable. Having this man in his arms felt right and that made Bill feel horrible. Not because it was another man but because he was thinking with his other head when his friend was breaking down in front of him. Bill decided that they both needed to get out of here. He did not want to any of his fellow Minutemen seeing Byron like this; he was already self conscious enough. And since Byron’s place was closer it seemed like the best place for him. After what felt like a life time of practically carrying Byron through back allies, a barely conscious winged man was not something you wanted to parade down Main Street, they were finally at Bryon’s apartment. After carefully taking off Bryon’s wings and placing him in bed Bill made his retreat. He did not want to be here when Bryon awoke. It was best to let him think that he made it home by himself and that no one had witnessed that moment of weakness.
Since Bryon was not answering his phone Bill was going to go over to his place. Bill wanted to talk to him and to make sure that he was doing ok. But he had a shift at First National in thirty minutes. What if Byron shows up hear while Bill is pulling his shift at the bank? It is not like Bill could be in to places at once, but there were seven other pairs of eyes that he could use. But whom should he ask? Silk Spectre had a date; Night Owl never misses a patrol, Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis were going on “patrol” together tonight, Bill did not want to owe The Comedian a favor, so that just left Silhouette. Bill decided to stop by her office before he left.
“Hey Ursula. Got a minute?
Ursula looked up from the book she was reading and smiled when she saw the masked man in her door way. “Of course I do Bill. So did you and Bryon have a good time last night after a left?”
“No. Not long after you left he got very upset and stormed out.”
“Really? About what?”
“I am not sure but I am going to find out. I need to ask you for a favor.”
“What do you need?”
“I was going to go over to Byron’s place so I could talk to have but I have to be at First National in a little bit. They are still a little ticked off about the cape so I do not think they are going to let me take the day off. I was going to go over to his apartment after that. But if he shows up here before I do will you give me a call? That way I can make up an excuse to get away from work.”
“Sure thing Bill. If Byron steps foot in this building I will make sure he does not leave before you get to see him.”
Bill’s face lighted up after hearing this “Really? Thanks Ursula. You’re the best. I got to run. Talk to you later.”
Ursula could not help but laugh as Bill practically skipped down the hallway. When he was excited and it was really cute. She had been surprised that it had taken this long for the two of to realize they were made for each other. When Byron joined the Minutemen he kept to himself. No matter how hard any of his fellow adventures tried to befriend him he stayed the loner until the day Dollar Bill joined. Those two seemed to bond instantly. Byron was still a bit of a loner but that was only when Bill was not around. But when he was Byron actually looked happy and Ursula could have sworn she had seen Byron smile for the first time after Bill paid him a compliment. At first she thought she was seeing things but no he was actually smiling. And there seemed to be a little sparkle in Bill’s eyes whenever he was talking to or about Byron. Bill always seemed so focused and serious when Ursula first met him. But was Bill was different around Byron. He seemed to let his guard down and actually be himself instead of the Dollar Bill. “Boys are so confusing.”
* * *
Byron woke up with a splitting headache and a sore back. I guess getting drunk and falling asleep with your wings on can do that to you. But it still was not enough to distract him from what had happened last night. “That jerk.”
After a few failed attempts Bryon was able to pull his left wing out from between the couch and wall. Once he was up he undid the straps and let the fall to the ground. “I really need to redesign these things but I need a shower first. And something to eat wouldn’t kill me. Screw it I will just take them off before I start drinking.” With that decided Bryon made his way to the bathroom in hopes of washing off yesterday’s filth. Hopefully a hot shower would be enough to do that.
Byron only got out of the shower when he finally ran out of hot water. He still felt dirty but his back was not hurting so much, which was a small victory. Byron was in his kitchen making himself a sandwich when he heard someone knocking at his door. At first Byron thought he might have imagined it. No one has ever visited him in the six months that he has lived here. But the second knock confirmed that he was not hearing things. Byron made his way over to his door and was less than enthusiastic to see whom his first visitor was.
“What do you want Bill?”
“We need to talk about last night.”
“No you need to take you ass home and leave me alone.”
“Not until we talk.”
“There is nothing to talk about. What friendship or whatever the hell you want to call it that we had is done. I do not want anything to do with you Bill. When you see me you can either leave me alone or get the hell out of my way. Got it?”
“Byron you really don’t mean that.”
“Yes I do. I finally see the real you Bill and I want nothing to do with him. Goodnight.”
“Bryon wa…” The door slamming in face cut him off. “Damn it Byron! Open the door!” Bill wait hoping that the door would open but nothing happened. Bill sighed and started on his way home. Bill had never felt like this before. He was use to everything going his way and he liked that. But it looked like Bill might resign himself to the fact that that was going to happen this time and he did not like that one bit.