(╯°□°）╯Hulking /(.□ . \)

Hi, my name is Teddy Altman. I guess I'm not your average teenager... but neither are my friends. I think it's good we all have each other. Life's not exactly a easy being what I am... but I guess everyone has their baggage. So, wanna hang out? I know a few cool tricks (and I'm very good at dressing up for costume parties). ____________ Independent RP blog Don't be shy to drop a line! I don't mind going off any timeline and AUs are not out of the question either :3

[semiurged]

Starter

[semiurged]

Selfish. Right. There was no way for Billy to hide how quickly his face blanched, so he didn’t even bother. He examined their hands again, searching for…something. That arm suddenly felt like it had been held straight up for hours, but he hadn’t even had any answers to share. Or comfort.

“I wanted to fix it,” Billy said blandly. Useless, his hand slipped down to the bed, comforted by the fact that it couldn’t sink all the way down. “Loki said that was a way to fix it, a Plan B. I was an idiot for believing him, since he’s, y’know, a trickster god, and it turns out that wouldn’t have even worked…” Because apparently he couldn’t even kill himself properly. “I…didn’t know what else to do, I guess.” His shoulders slumped. “And then I just screwed up again.”

Looking up at Teddy, he gave him a shaky grimace, panic setting in at the back of his throat. “I’m still screwing up at making you happy too, so I guess…nothing’s changed, you’re right.” His voice broke towards the end, because Teddy was right. He was still stuck in the same place. Still wasting both of their lives.

[teddybacon]

Teddy frowned deeply, reminded of how Loki had tried to trick Billy into believing it was an option. A strong wave of anger coursed through him but then subsided almost as quickly as it had come when Billy's voice cracked. 

He shook his head, reaching for Billy's hands slowly so that he could push him away if he wanted to, "That's not what I meant... That's not at all what I meant." He breathed in deeply, trying to focus his emotions so that he wouldn't explode on him again, "You do make me happy. That's why I'd be so upset if you were... gone. Do you understand what I mean?" 

Teddy sighed, looking down between them, "I was supposed to have a calm adult conversation with you. Not chew you out... But it's so hard to keep a calm head about this..." He wanted to just drop the topic, forget about what Kate had said, chalk it up to being a one time thing, even though he'd tried twice, and lounge on the bed with Billy, one arm around him and reading whatever comic he he had over his shoulder. 

[teddybacon]

"America? As in Captain America?" Teddy asked. She must be running with the big shots then… 

[noworldnomad]

"Well, sometimes, but the whole ex sidekick thing makes that kinda… y’know, I feel like I’m about to start spouting one liners every five seconds. It’s good to team up, but mainly me and Steve just go bowling." This was starting to feel unpleasantly close to name dropping. "Uh, I actually meant America Chavez."

[teddybacon]

"Oh right. Of course." Teddy nodded letting out a small laugh at the idea of one liner tourettes, "America helped us a lot… with the whole universe parasite ordeal…" 

He smiled, imagining how it would be like to just hang out with Captain America that casually. 

[noworldnomad]

"Yeah. Uh. Heard that got pretty intense. Sorry I couldn’t make it to the showdown." Because that was when she’d been scared she was still dead, and that Onslaught was waiting in the Negative Zone to pounce. "You guys are okay now, right? The Young Avengers Team?"

[teddybacon]

"That's okay. We managed just fine." Teddy assured and then sighed, "Yeah, we're okay now. I mean, no imminent universal threats... just the teenage drama left over... You know how it is." 

[teddybacon]

Teddy frowned, finally jerking back from Loki’s grip, “You lied again. Which is it Loki? Is Billy the one who’s holding me back or am I holding him back?” 

"He has a lot of motivation. He practices all the time." He countered, looking insulted, "I can’t trust anything that comes out of your mouth can I?" And even so, everything he said was so irritatingly logical. 

[xgodofstoriesx]

He clawed at Teddy’s hand before he managed to speak again. "Maybe-" he wheezed out, staring at him, “-You are both bad for each other?”

[teddybacon]

"Maybe." Teddy glared, breathing heavily, “You need to get your story straight before you try to manipulate me.” 

“Maybe. You need to tell us exactly what you have planned. Instead of playing us like a chess game! Maybe we’d actually all survive then!” 

He grit his teeth, staring back at Loki. His anger didn’t even feel good because it wasn’t fully justified. Part of him was angry because of how true it could be, and he threw it all on Loki. 

[xgodofstoriesx]

"I have no plans, Altman!" Loki snapped. "Do you so easily forget that it was I who tried to stop Billy from getting us into this mess? Still, I am stuck with the task of trying to do so! If you cared so desperately about Billy, you would leave!”

[teddybacon]

Teddy deflated and sighed, running a hand over his face. He didn't want to leave Billy, but for selfish reasons... or mind control reasons. There was only one way to really test it out and if it also meant he would keep from distracting him while he practiced then... that would be beneficial to everyone wouldn't it? 

And it would be beneficial to them both if Teddy wasn't doubting everything he said and did. 

He nodded slowly, looking back at Loki, "Okay... I'll tell him after dinner..." 

[semiurged]

Starter

[semiurged]

If Billy’s eyes suddenly resembled a deer’s in headlights, at least he recovered quickly enough. Actually hearing it felt…weird. Way weirder than reading Kate’s incessant texts. He could delete the text messages, but Teddy’s words were already out there. And it was much more difficult to ignore someone when they were actually staring at you. And holding your hand.

Teddy’s breath snapped his attention away from their hands, back to Teddy’s face. Billy furrowed his brows, opening his mouth twice before actually saying anything. “I don’t…” Clearing his throat, he started again. “Okay, just. I meant. Okay, let’s put it this way. I tried to make up for being a shitty boyfriend and wound up bringing back a parasite with your mom’s face instead. It was my fault, my responsibility, and that was just…I thought it was the only way to fix it. So…it was circumstantial. The mostly part is just me being an idiot. Plan A before Plan B, Billy…” He made a loose gesture with his free hand, sighing a bit.

[teddybacon]

"What does that mean? Plan A before Plan B?" Teddy asked, a concerned look crossing his face, "Billy? Killing yourself shouldn't even be a plan!" 

"There are always other ways to solve it!" His resolve to stay calm and collected about the topic and conversation quickly melting. He breathed in quickly, feeling a flash of hurt, "How could you be so selfish? Why is it so easy for you take away the one thing that makes me happy? This is just like the conversation we had before and nothing's changed." 

[kissmymultiverse]

((for later, for kicks XD)) "When he said he would give me a pearl necklace, I thought I was getting actual jewellery."

America stared at Teddy for a moment, not sure if she should laugh or be slightly taken aback at hearing about her friends’ sex life. “Well, Um-” She gave a small grin, “Can’t blame you. I’d have thought the same thing.”

[teddybacon]

"Yep." 

[semiurged]

Starter

[semiurged]

Billy’s foot twitched at the touch, but it prompted him to exhale and push out the tension again, relaxing his jaw and shoulders once again. He idly wondered how many times he’d need to pull it back and forth during this conversation. His eyes met Teddy’s as he arched his heel into the touch in thanks.

“I don’t blame Kate,” Billy asserted, trying to at least establish fact without making a fool of himself. “She cares. I can’t blame anyone for caring, even if I want to. And that conversation must’ve been incredibly awkward for, well, both of you, actually, ouch. No one would do that unless they were really worried. Besides, she gave me plenty of chances to tell you myself.”  Which I kind of just ignored entirely. And why do I keep talking. Get to the point, Kaplan.

“I’m…really sorry that I worried you guys over nothing,” he continued. “I should’ve just explained it to her properly.” He pushed himself closer to Teddy, a bit tentative, and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I love you too, Teddy. But I don’t think I’ll be summoning any interdimensional parasites anytime soon, and it was mostly just her…”

[teddybacon]

Teddy frowned and shook his head, "It wasn't an awkward conversation. It was a serious one. And we talked for a long time. Long enough for me to try and make heads and tails of it all..." There he went, trying to dismiss it all again. Like it was nothing. Kate and him had already figured he would try and do that. 

He held Billy's hand when he rested it on his shoulder, grateful for the contact, and started back into his eyes, "What does that mean? Mostly just her?" 

Holding his breath and then letting it out slowly so that he wouldn't suddenly explode on Billy, he squeezed his hand, "You were willing to... kill yourself... mostly because of her. But there were other reasons? Other factors? I need you to tell me. I need to know, Billy."

"I want to help." He added pleadingly.  

[teddybacon]

Teddy frowned, finally jerking back from Loki’s grip, “You lied again. Which is it Loki? Is Billy the one who’s holding me back or am I holding him back?” 

"He has a lot of motivation. He practices all the time." He countered, looking insulted, "I can’t trust anything that comes out of your mouth can I?" And even so, everything he said was so irritatingly logical. 

[xgodofstoriesx]

He clawed at Teddy’s hand before he managed to speak again. "Maybe-" he wheezed out, staring at him, “-You are both bad for each other?”

[teddybacon]

"Maybe." Teddy glared, breathing heavily, "You need to get your story straight before you try to manipulate me." 

"Maybe. You need to tell us exactly what you have planned. Instead of playing us like a chess game! Maybe we'd actually all survive then!" 

He grit his teeth, staring back at Loki. His anger didn't even feel good because it wasn't fully justified. Part of him was angry because of how true it could be, and he threw it all on Loki. 

[teddybacon]

"A few weeks…" Teddy repeated, trying so hard not to fall for it. But he couldn’t escape the logic. Especially if it would smooth everything over if he could just confirm it. 

He tried to jerk back instinctively when Loki pulled him forward but the mention of Billy kept him close. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he stared at Loki, “What is it?” Was it serious? 

[xgodofstoriesx]

"I lied earlier; Billy is not progressing at the speed that I had hoped he would." Loki admitted softly in his ear. "He’s… distracted. He lacks the motivation to get things done. If I may be honest? You are holding him back, Teddy. He struggles to clear his head and focus with you constantly there. If you leave for a while, it will benefit the both of you. Let’s be honest, Billy is too kind to say it himself, isn’t he?"

[teddybacon]

Teddy frowned, finally jerking back from Loki's grip, "You lied again. Which is it Loki? Is Billy the one who's holding me back or am I holding him back?" 

"He has a lot of motivation. He practices all the time." He countered, looking insulted, "I can't trust anything that comes out of your mouth can I?" And even so, everything he said was so irritatingly logical. 

[semiurged]

Starter

[semiurged]

Not in the mood to read comic books… Nope, Billy hadn’t dodged this bullet. Part of him wanted to be mad at Kate, but he didn’t have it in him at the moment. It was his fault, really. The whole mess was his fault. The consequences were literally staring at him in the face.

Billy’s face fell before Teddy even finished clearing his throat. He gripped the corner of the top issue in a futile attempt to pull the whole stack back. Instead, his hand slipped and he ended up making an indent on the comforter. He didn’t look up.

“Ah, sure, what’s up?” he asked, inching back to his previous position.

[teddybacon]

"Hey-uh," Teddy noticed the sudden way Billy tensed up, his open body language closing off immediately. He probably had more or less of an idea what he was going to talk about then. A part of him questioned why he seemed to want to stray from the topic as much as possible, why he didn't he feel like confiding in him, his boyfriend, his technically- fiancé. 

He reached for Billy's foot, running his thumb over the heel comfortingly to get him to relax a little bit, "I was talking to Kate earlier... And she told me a few things that happened when I wasn't there..." His heart beat picked up again, apprehension swimming with his blood once more, "And pointed out a few things that did..." 

He wanted to face palm right then and there. He really should have stuck to his plan, but now he was just building and building up the conversation. Giving it more ammunition to blow up in their faces. 

"Don't blame her. I know it's tempting but she's just worried... Just like I am. Billy... can you- I just. I love you and I hate that I can't protect you. Not completely. Do you know what I mean?" 

[brainseverywhere-sendbooze]

"There’s no way out!"

"Whoa, hey, we’ll be alright, kid. Okay? First of all, are you hurt? …" Tony looked around, the armor’s lights illuminating the slightly-shifting walls of the mine shaft they were in. "Look, erm… I don’t trust the structural integrity of this place to just try blasting our way out, so we’ll have to find our way out." 

[teddybacon]

Teddy breathed in and out quickly, feeling the ceiling crumble on top of them slowly, “No, I’m not I’m fine.” 

"How are we gonna find our way out? The whole thing is gonna cave in!" He added, the entire shaft creaking loudly. If Billy was here he would’ve been able to reinforce it somehow. 

[brainseverywhere-sendbooze]

"Well, you’ve got me. And I’ve got nanites…" Tony held up his gauntleted hand, the blue light set in its palm creating a hologram of the mine’s plans. "Alright, I can send out my nanites to scan a way ahead that is safe, and change paths whenever they find out it is not. But we’ll have to hurry. Ready?" He sent out the nanites already, the safe… ish paths lighting up green and the unsafe ones turning red on the map. 

[teddybacon]

"Which blue one are we going to follow?" Teddy asked, calming down as the new plan came into construction. 

"How much time do we have?" He added, knowing he was probably asking too much but couldn't help it. He wanted out now. 

[teddybacon]

"If everything you say is true… then maybe I won’t even be able to go." He crossed his arms, "Not that I believe you.” 

He still felt an incredible amount of guilt for even considering it and his heart felt tight in his chest. David had suggested that leaving him for a little bit would be a sure fire way of finding out whether or not he really had a pull on Billy. But how much did he want to test that when he hated the idea of being away from him for that long? 

And if he understood? If he agreed that it would be a good idea? That would be so much worse. 

[xgodofstoriesx]

"Listen," Loki said in a softer tone. "You go away for a few weeks. You keep in touch with us. Once you’ve relaxed and became the Teddy we all know and love, you can come back. You get to see who you really are - that’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?" Loki stepped forward, grabbing Teddy’s arm and pulling him down so his mouth was next to his lips. "I have a secret to tell you. About Billy. It’s important." 

[teddybacon]

"A few weeks..." Teddy repeated, trying so hard not to fall for it. But he couldn't escape the logic. Especially if it would smooth everything over if he could just confirm it. 

He tried to jerk back instinctively when Loki pulled him forward but the mention of Billy kept him close. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he stared at Loki, "What is it?" Was it serious? 

[semiurged]

Starter

[semiurged]

Billy cocked his head, frowning a bit. This wasn’t exactly what he’d expected—maybe it wasn’t about that… The involuntary sigh of relief was muffled by the turn of the page. The tension in his shoulders leaked out a bit, letting him slouch rather than prop himself against the wall. He smiled like an idiot when Teddy sat on his bed and set the issue down again.

“I think you’re a lot more interesting than Batman, honestly,” Billy chided with a smirk. As he pushed the stack toward Teddy, inching closer, he asked, “Did you read yours yet? Dunno which ones you’re still following, but…”

[teddybacon]

Teddy smiled back at Billy's smirk, wishing Kate was wrong. He wanted Billy to be as relaxed and happy all the time. He'd shelter him and hold him and comfort him forever, "Really?"

His smile slipped and he looked down at the pile his boyfriend pushed over. He couldn't shelter Billy from himself. 

"Thanks... I'm not really in the mood to read now though..." Teddy cleared his throat, gathering the courage, and looked back up at Billy, "If you're not busy then... I was hoping we could talk..." 

[teddybacon]

Teddy frowned, trying not to give any importance to Loki’s words. But they both knew that the seed of doubt was planted and growing with every reference to Billy’s abilities. 

"How much of your life is real? What does it matter? If it feels real?" He asked, trying to expel all the thoughts threatening to break down the foundation of their relationship. 

He sighed, “I love Billy. I… of course I’d wanna come on the trip.” 

[xgodofstoriesx]

"I’m the God of Lies, Teddy. And I can sense a liar." Loki sent him a small, maybe sympathetic smile. "No one will blame you if you go. They will understand. He will understand.”

[teddybacon]

"If everything you say is true... then maybe I won't even be able to go." He crossed his arms, "Not that I believe you." 

He still felt an incredible amount of guilt for even considering it and his heart felt tight in his chest. David had suggested that leaving him for a little bit would be a sure fire way of finding out whether or not he really had a pull on Billy. But how much did he want to test that when he hated the idea of being away from him for that long? 

And if he understood? If he agreed that it would be a good idea? That would be so much worse. 

[teddybacon]

"America? As in Captain America?" Teddy asked. She must be running with the big shots then… 

[noworldnomad]

"Well, sometimes, but the whole ex sidekick thing makes that kinda… y’know, I feel like I’m about to start spouting one liners every five seconds. It’s good to team up, but mainly me and Steve just go bowling." This was starting to feel unpleasantly close to name dropping. "Uh, I actually meant America Chavez."

[teddybacon]

"Oh right. Of course." Teddy nodded letting out a small laugh at the idea of one liner tourettes, "America helped us a lot... with the whole universe parasite ordeal..." 

He smiled, imagining how it would be like to just hang out with Captain America that casually. 

[xgodofstoriesx]

"Just trust me." Loki snorted. "If I do suddenly turn evil and wish to rule the Nine Realms, it won’t do me much good if they are completely destroyed, hm? And yes, he meant well, dear little Billy tried to give you something you wanted, but look where that got us? You know, look where it got you. Perhaps you never even wanted to come on this trip. But you wouldn’t know, would you? He would have made sure of that.”

"That is the thing with dating a reality warper. You may not trust me, but how much do you trust him? How much of your life is real?” 

[teddybacon]

Teddy frowned, trying not to give any importance to Loki's words. But they both knew that the seed of doubt was planted and growing with every reference to Billy's abilities. 

"How much of your life is real? What does it matter? If it feels real?" He asked, trying to expel all the thoughts threatening to break down the foundation of their relationship. 

He sighed, "I love Billy. I... of course I'd wanna come on the trip." 

[semiurged]

Starter

[semiurged]

Billy sucked back a groan as soon as he heard Teddy’s voice through the door. It wasn’t quite as terror-inducing as, “We need to talk,” but he had a feeling Teddy would say something similar enough as soon as he walked in, so that was pretty irrelevant. Almost made it worse, actually.

Teddy’s voice just felt really…desperate. Knowing he was probably the cause of it made his heart sink about six feet. And Kate’s text… Billy really wanted it to be about anything else—like maybe Billy kept leaving his dirty socks everywhere, or Teddy wanted him to stop complaining about Batwoman’s wedding cancelation, or something.

Billy pressed more of his weight against the wall for some support and picked up the issue he had been reading, flipping through it at what he hoped was a steady, natural pace. Even as he tore one of the corners.

“Depends on if you consider me glaring at Batman ‘busy’,” Billy said, contorting his face into a smile. “By which I mean, no, I’m not busy.”

[teddybacon]

Teddy nodded, taking that as an okay to walk in. He instantly felt more relaxed when he found the familiar scene of Billy on the bed, reading comics and looking annoyed at the whatever turn the story had taken. 

He sat at the edge of the bed, and took in the spread of comics Billy had around him, "I could come back later if you wanna finish." He offered. He didn't feel as desperate as before... and some apprehension about broaching the subject was starting to crawl into emotional state. 

Still, he didn't wanna leave him in the room alone. He could always take a nap until Billy finished reading. 

[semiurged]

Starter

Billy attempted to blow his bangs out of his eyes—he really needed to get a trim—as he flipped through the latest issue of Batman and Robin. The rest of his weekly pull lay in a pile next to him on the bed.

A gust of wind from the open window brushed the corners of the issue just as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Billy put the issue back on the stack and fished out his phone. It was Kate. <Is Teddy there?> Scowling, Billy sent a rapid-fire text back. <I didn’t hear him come in. I thought he was with you.>

Three days ago, she’d sent him a rather odd text, asking if he’d told Teddy about his “suicidal tendencies.” He’d seen no reason to do so—it wasn’t even relevant anymore, now that Mother was gone, so why bother? She seemed somewhat satisfied, if troubled, with the response, and reminded him for the tenth time that she was there if he needed to talk. They’d settled into their normal perpetual-texting routine shortly after, but for some reason, that last text sent a wave of dread crashing over him. He set down his phone and scowled.

There was a knock on the door.

[teddybacon]

Teddy knocked one more time before turning the door knob, hoping he wasn't interrupting anything too important. He wanted to wait behind the door. That was the plan initially... 

He didn't usually plan things when it came to talking to his own boyfriend for God's sake. 

But his talk with Kate had shed light on a lot of things. Brought to the forefront a list of dark truths he hadn't realised the severity of before. He knew Billy was... sad. That he struggled with his own self worth on the best of days. He didn't realise how much or just how serious it all was.

So yes, he'd planned a whole scenario on the way back home of how to broach the subject, how to talk him through it... But once he'd reached his destination, he felt a desperateness fill his frame- And just pushed the door open, forcing the situation to happen faster. 

"Billy? You're not busy are you?"