prompt // alone in a crowd one night
Birthdays, for me, are more about thanking those who seem to be glad that I've managed to stick around for another year than greeting cards and hoarding presents and all that. If some of y'all were here with me in Jersey, I'd take you out to some fancy schmancy place to eat, buy you dinner, and make sure the first round of drinks are all on me. But since I can't do that, I'm doing this instead.
Atti was beautiful, wonderful, and thoughtful enough to write me a little ficbit for my birthday. It's wonderful (WHO HERE IS SURPRISED) and it's Teddy Altman (WHO HERE IS SURPRISED) and it's really just, well, see for yourself. As a thank you, I wanted to write her a ficbit back, but work is crazy and I'm afraid with NYCC this weekend, it might get lost by the wayside. So instead, I'm posting a little prompt fic that's never seen the light of day beyond riko and our little side projects; the prompt is the title -- "alone in a crowd one night" that I'm pretty sure was riko's choice and therefore, awesome.
Hopefully, I WILL find time to write her something more PROPER. Until then. Atti, babe, this one's for you. I knew from the start that YOU WERE A KEEPER.
Title: Alone in a Crowd One Night (ficbit prompt)
Fandom: Young Avengers (Billy/Teddy)
Rating: PG
Words: 705
Notes: exists as part of the band!au universe, posted as a thank you for attilatehbun
Because of Tommy’s absolute refusal to ritualistically sacrifice his social life for the sake of the band, Friday nights usually mean no practice - much to Teddy’s chagrin. No practice automatically means no Billy, not unless Teddy can figure out some other reason beyond the very obvious, the very accurate, and the very embarrassing, Cause, well, I just want to see you.
This week’s excuse comes reasonably easy - the bridge to Teddy’s latest contribution which, so for some inexplicable and infinitely frustrating reason, refuses to gel. They spend the first hour and a half dicking around, tuning and re-tuning their guitars for no apparent reason beyond not really wanting to start, since that implies that doing so would also require them to stop talking. Instead, they play their some variation of twenty questions; today’s version is “firsts”.
“First CD,” Teddy throws out, and immediate Billy answers: “Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” This is enough to get Teddy to let out a small giggle, shaking his head as he moves on to the A-string for what seems to be the twentieth time.
“Wow, seriously, dude?”
Billy shrugs and half-flinches as Teddy accidentally tunes the wrong way and the pitch goes wonky and way too flat for a moment. “I’d asked for Black Sabbath, but my mom was worried that I’d grow up wearing velvet capes, leather pants and yelling Hail Satan! Hail Satan! wherever I went, so Elton John it was.”
Teddy laughs - louder this time - and from behind a broad, mischievous grin he manages to add, “And so instead of making you a devil worshipper, she just made you gay.”
Billy refuses to answer Teddy on principal, though his bottom lip threatens to slide out from under the top in a kind of disgruntled pout. Instead, he simply rolls his eyes - the way he always does - and grabs hold of the guitar in Teddy’s lap by the neck and pulls it towards him. “First concert,” he says without looking up and resumes tuning where he broke Teddy off.
“The Breeders. Like, years ago, back when the Knitting Factory was still the Knitting Factory, yeah?” Teddy says, leaning back onto his hands and tilting his head to one side to watch Billy. He’s better at tuning than Teddy is; Billy’s hands are quicker and much more certain, and Teddy likes that about them - among other things. “You know, it’s funny,” Teddy then adds distractedly after a short pause; his blue eyes are moving back and forth, following Billy’s fingers as they move up and down the fretboard, striking harmonics. “Like, when I went, I had the strangest thought. When I was standing there. They were playing - god I can’t even remember anymore - I think it was, like, The She? And I was standing there, in a room with like a couple hundred hipsters with their ironic haircuts and, I swear, I was like so totally convinced that, nobody here gets it, do they? Nobody is hearing what I’m hearing. Nobody here can possibly listen as hard or as much as the way that I’m listening right now.” Teddy coughs out a tiny laugh. “It was totally self-centered and maybe kind of pathetic, but, like, I felt for a minute there like I was special. And that the music was made just for me.” He shakes his head, as if pulling himself from a daydream and blinks at Billy with a self-deprecating smile.
He’s surprised to find Billy staring at him with what Teddy can only assume is curiosity. His brown eyes are large and slightly wide, like he’s been startled, and after a moment, the tiny, round ‘oh’ of Billy’s mouth broadens and spreads into a bright grin. It’s enough to get Teddy to look away, down at the toes of his sneakers, as he feels his cheeks prickle. He clears his throat and gives his head a small shake. “I mean, kind of stupid, right?”
When he looks back, Billy is still smiling at him, smiling in a way that makes Teddy want to ask what he’s done so that he can keep on doing it, just to keep that smile going. Billy laughs and shakes his head back. “Nah, Ted. It’s really not.”
Atti was beautiful, wonderful, and thoughtful enough to write me a little ficbit for my birthday. It's wonderful (WHO HERE IS SURPRISED) and it's Teddy Altman (WHO HERE IS SURPRISED) and it's really just, well, see for yourself. As a thank you, I wanted to write her a ficbit back, but work is crazy and I'm afraid with NYCC this weekend, it might get lost by the wayside. So instead, I'm posting a little prompt fic that's never seen the light of day beyond riko and our little side projects; the prompt is the title -- "alone in a crowd one night" that I'm pretty sure was riko's choice and therefore, awesome.
Hopefully, I WILL find time to write her something more PROPER. Until then. Atti, babe, this one's for you. I knew from the start that YOU WERE A KEEPER.
Title: Alone in a Crowd One Night (ficbit prompt)
Fandom: Young Avengers (Billy/Teddy)
Rating: PG
Words: 705
Notes: exists as part of the band!au universe, posted as a thank you for attilatehbun
Because of Tommy’s absolute refusal to ritualistically sacrifice his social life for the sake of the band, Friday nights usually mean no practice - much to Teddy’s chagrin. No practice automatically means no Billy, not unless Teddy can figure out some other reason beyond the very obvious, the very accurate, and the very embarrassing, Cause, well, I just want to see you.
This week’s excuse comes reasonably easy - the bridge to Teddy’s latest contribution which, so for some inexplicable and infinitely frustrating reason, refuses to gel. They spend the first hour and a half dicking around, tuning and re-tuning their guitars for no apparent reason beyond not really wanting to start, since that implies that doing so would also require them to stop talking. Instead, they play their some variation of twenty questions; today’s version is “firsts”.
“First CD,” Teddy throws out, and immediate Billy answers: “Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” This is enough to get Teddy to let out a small giggle, shaking his head as he moves on to the A-string for what seems to be the twentieth time.
“Wow, seriously, dude?”
Billy shrugs and half-flinches as Teddy accidentally tunes the wrong way and the pitch goes wonky and way too flat for a moment. “I’d asked for Black Sabbath, but my mom was worried that I’d grow up wearing velvet capes, leather pants and yelling Hail Satan! Hail Satan! wherever I went, so Elton John it was.”
Teddy laughs - louder this time - and from behind a broad, mischievous grin he manages to add, “And so instead of making you a devil worshipper, she just made you gay.”
Billy refuses to answer Teddy on principal, though his bottom lip threatens to slide out from under the top in a kind of disgruntled pout. Instead, he simply rolls his eyes - the way he always does - and grabs hold of the guitar in Teddy’s lap by the neck and pulls it towards him. “First concert,” he says without looking up and resumes tuning where he broke Teddy off.
“The Breeders. Like, years ago, back when the Knitting Factory was still the Knitting Factory, yeah?” Teddy says, leaning back onto his hands and tilting his head to one side to watch Billy. He’s better at tuning than Teddy is; Billy’s hands are quicker and much more certain, and Teddy likes that about them - among other things. “You know, it’s funny,” Teddy then adds distractedly after a short pause; his blue eyes are moving back and forth, following Billy’s fingers as they move up and down the fretboard, striking harmonics. “Like, when I went, I had the strangest thought. When I was standing there. They were playing - god I can’t even remember anymore - I think it was, like, The She? And I was standing there, in a room with like a couple hundred hipsters with their ironic haircuts and, I swear, I was like so totally convinced that, nobody here gets it, do they? Nobody is hearing what I’m hearing. Nobody here can possibly listen as hard or as much as the way that I’m listening right now.” Teddy coughs out a tiny laugh. “It was totally self-centered and maybe kind of pathetic, but, like, I felt for a minute there like I was special. And that the music was made just for me.” He shakes his head, as if pulling himself from a daydream and blinks at Billy with a self-deprecating smile.
He’s surprised to find Billy staring at him with what Teddy can only assume is curiosity. His brown eyes are large and slightly wide, like he’s been startled, and after a moment, the tiny, round ‘oh’ of Billy’s mouth broadens and spreads into a bright grin. It’s enough to get Teddy to look away, down at the toes of his sneakers, as he feels his cheeks prickle. He clears his throat and gives his head a small shake. “I mean, kind of stupid, right?”
When he looks back, Billy is still smiling at him, smiling in a way that makes Teddy want to ask what he’s done so that he can keep on doing it, just to keep that smile going. Billy laughs and shakes his head back. “Nah, Ted. It’s really not.”