(no subject)
Title: A Ghost of Violets and Cinnamon
Universe: Young Avengers
Rating: PG
Summery: A little Billy/Teddy written for bluestarmuse in exchange for icon goodness
"So Scorpio used to be Nick Fury's brother?" Teddy asked, stifling a yawn. He hadn't gotten much rest the past couple of days, and it was starting to catch up with him. He had planned to find some quiet corner to curl up in after the funeral, but then Tommy - Speed - had shown up looking for help with the Zodiac (and for Billy to clean up the mess he'd made of the UN building), and off they'd gone. And now Billy had taken everyone else home, and they were drifting along above the city, not really going anywhere.
"Yeah, and his son after that," Billy said.
"Nick Fury has a son?"
"Yeah. Disappeared a while back."
It was quiet, this far up. Teddy put a hand on Billy's shoulder, running his thumb up and down the vertebra of his neck. "I'm ready to go home."
"You sure?" Billy asked.
"Yeah." His thumb stilled, and he rested his forehead against Billy's hair. His eyes were closed as they flew over the streets Teddy had walked all his life, coming closer and closer to the building he had always called home. Billy brought them to the tiny balcony enclosed by wrought iron rails, and they stepped off the glowing disc of the spell caster's power. Teddy reached down, scooping up the pot of marigolds that lived out there. "I need to water these," Teddy said as he pushed the balcony doors open.
The first thing that struck him was the smell. The apartment smelled like it hadn't been opened in a couple of days... and it smelled like her perfume. Violets and cinnamon.
Teddy stopped, fingers clenching so tightly that the flowerpot cracked. He closed his eyes and tried not to breath in the ghost of his mother. He could feel fresh, hot tears making tracks down his face as Billy gently removed the broken flowerpot from his hands and wrapped his arms around Teddy's torso.
The shape shifter clung to Billy with considerably more care than he had the pot, burring his face in the crook of Billy's neck. He let the smell of leather and sweat overwhelm him as Billy rubbed his back and made generally soothing noises.
He didn't say 'It's alright,' or that everything was going to be okay. Teddy found himself incredibly grateful for that.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Teddy pulled away. Billy reached up and ran his thumb across Teddy's jaw, offering him a very small smile. "I love you," the dark haired boy said. Teddy smiled back, nuzzling Billy's cheek.
"I love you too."
"Good. I'd feel like a real idiot if you didn't." Billy ran his fingers through Teddy's hair and made a face as the blond locks stuck up at odd angles. "And you need to wash your hair."
"You're not in much better shape," Teddy pointed out with a chuckle.
"We just spent the last couple of hours cleaning up after Tommy's mess," Billy pointed out. "Oh God... I'm probably going to be spending the rest of my life cleaning up after his messes..."
Teddy laughed quietly, lips close to Billy's ear. He felt the other boy shiver and press closer. "We can worry about that later. Right now, food, sleep, and a wash -- not necessarily in that order -- is what we need."
"I think I can handle food," Billy pointed out, giving Teddy a gentle shove. "Go wash."
Teddy held his hands up in defeat and slipped away as Billy went into the kitchenette.
The spell caster could hear the water running in the bathroom as he opened the fridge and surveyed the contents. Three-day-old Chinese food, questionable lunchmeat, and a box of baking soda. The freezer yielded a stack of frozen pizzas and a few Healthy Choice dinners. Billy closed his eyes and drummed his fingers against the counter, remembering the last time he'd had dinner with Teddy and Mrs. Altman. She'd insisted he call her Sarah, and she'd made dinner using her favorite recipe: a Chang's Take-Out Chinese menu that lived next to the phone. A cautious peek showed the menu was still tacked to the wall, right where she'd left it. He could hear the ghost of her laughter as she admitted that she couldn't cook to save her life, and that they lived on delivered meals.
Billy pulled two of the frozen pizzas out and turned on the oven. He heard the water cut off as he was sticking the pizzas in. "It's pepperoni and mushrooms!" he called, turning as Teddy turned on the CD player. An old Three Dog Night song crept out of the speakers, and Chuck Negron sang the praises of an old-fashioned love song while Teddy swayed a little on his feet. Billy came up behind him, resting his chin on Teddy's shoulder. His damp hair smelled faintly of violets.
Universe: Young Avengers
Rating: PG
Summery: A little Billy/Teddy written for bluestarmuse in exchange for icon goodness
"So Scorpio used to be Nick Fury's brother?" Teddy asked, stifling a yawn. He hadn't gotten much rest the past couple of days, and it was starting to catch up with him. He had planned to find some quiet corner to curl up in after the funeral, but then Tommy - Speed - had shown up looking for help with the Zodiac (and for Billy to clean up the mess he'd made of the UN building), and off they'd gone. And now Billy had taken everyone else home, and they were drifting along above the city, not really going anywhere.
"Yeah, and his son after that," Billy said.
"Nick Fury has a son?"
"Yeah. Disappeared a while back."
It was quiet, this far up. Teddy put a hand on Billy's shoulder, running his thumb up and down the vertebra of his neck. "I'm ready to go home."
"You sure?" Billy asked.
"Yeah." His thumb stilled, and he rested his forehead against Billy's hair. His eyes were closed as they flew over the streets Teddy had walked all his life, coming closer and closer to the building he had always called home. Billy brought them to the tiny balcony enclosed by wrought iron rails, and they stepped off the glowing disc of the spell caster's power. Teddy reached down, scooping up the pot of marigolds that lived out there. "I need to water these," Teddy said as he pushed the balcony doors open.
The first thing that struck him was the smell. The apartment smelled like it hadn't been opened in a couple of days... and it smelled like her perfume. Violets and cinnamon.
Teddy stopped, fingers clenching so tightly that the flowerpot cracked. He closed his eyes and tried not to breath in the ghost of his mother. He could feel fresh, hot tears making tracks down his face as Billy gently removed the broken flowerpot from his hands and wrapped his arms around Teddy's torso.
The shape shifter clung to Billy with considerably more care than he had the pot, burring his face in the crook of Billy's neck. He let the smell of leather and sweat overwhelm him as Billy rubbed his back and made generally soothing noises.
He didn't say 'It's alright,' or that everything was going to be okay. Teddy found himself incredibly grateful for that.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Teddy pulled away. Billy reached up and ran his thumb across Teddy's jaw, offering him a very small smile. "I love you," the dark haired boy said. Teddy smiled back, nuzzling Billy's cheek.
"I love you too."
"Good. I'd feel like a real idiot if you didn't." Billy ran his fingers through Teddy's hair and made a face as the blond locks stuck up at odd angles. "And you need to wash your hair."
"You're not in much better shape," Teddy pointed out with a chuckle.
"We just spent the last couple of hours cleaning up after Tommy's mess," Billy pointed out. "Oh God... I'm probably going to be spending the rest of my life cleaning up after his messes..."
Teddy laughed quietly, lips close to Billy's ear. He felt the other boy shiver and press closer. "We can worry about that later. Right now, food, sleep, and a wash -- not necessarily in that order -- is what we need."
"I think I can handle food," Billy pointed out, giving Teddy a gentle shove. "Go wash."
Teddy held his hands up in defeat and slipped away as Billy went into the kitchenette.
The spell caster could hear the water running in the bathroom as he opened the fridge and surveyed the contents. Three-day-old Chinese food, questionable lunchmeat, and a box of baking soda. The freezer yielded a stack of frozen pizzas and a few Healthy Choice dinners. Billy closed his eyes and drummed his fingers against the counter, remembering the last time he'd had dinner with Teddy and Mrs. Altman. She'd insisted he call her Sarah, and she'd made dinner using her favorite recipe: a Chang's Take-Out Chinese menu that lived next to the phone. A cautious peek showed the menu was still tacked to the wall, right where she'd left it. He could hear the ghost of her laughter as she admitted that she couldn't cook to save her life, and that they lived on delivered meals.
Billy pulled two of the frozen pizzas out and turned on the oven. He heard the water cut off as he was sticking the pizzas in. "It's pepperoni and mushrooms!" he called, turning as Teddy turned on the CD player. An old Three Dog Night song crept out of the speakers, and Chuck Negron sang the praises of an old-fashioned love song while Teddy swayed a little on his feet. Billy came up behind him, resting his chin on Teddy's shoulder. His damp hair smelled faintly of violets.