When Billy Met Teddy - Chapter 7
Title: When Billy Met Teddy - Chapter 7
Status: Complete
Pairing: Billy/Teddy
Rating: PG for language
Notes: FINALLY!!! IT'S UP!!! Again, I'm sorry that it took so long, and hopefully I'll maintain a much better pace this time. Mucho kudos goes to latimer84 for doing most excellent beta for me. *glomps*
It was Friday, and so far Billy had done a great job of avoiding Teddy. Then again, Teddy figured, Billy had a lot of practice with that sort of thing. After some asking around, though, he found out that Billy sometimes had lunch on the bleachers next to the school's football field. His inquiries had earned him some puzzled looks, but as he asked around, Teddy began to realize that he didn't care. After spending all day yesterday thinking about the incident at Billy's apartment, he needed to talk to Billy, if only to apologize again.
Luckily, Billy was on the bleachers today, too engrossed in his sandwich to notice Teddy's approach. Teddy took in a deep breath and stuck his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking.
"Hey."
Billy jumped as if a gun had been fired. When he saw Teddy, his eyes widened, then narrowed into a confused scowl.
"Look, I'm sorry about Wednesday night..."
"Don't be." Billy's voice was sad, but seemed to have an angry edge to it. Teddy couldn't tell which one of them Billy was mad at, but he assumed it was him. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You came to me for help and I was a jerk. I'm sorry."
"No, Billy..." Teddy shook his head and sat down next to the raven-haired teen. "You were right about a lot of that stuff. I've been an ass to people a lot longer than you have, and you had every right to be mad. You-"
"Why?" Billy interrupted, his gaze suddenly suspicious. "No offense, Ted, but why are you telling me all of this?" His eyes darted past Teddy quickly, as if he expected Greg to pop out from behind the bleachers with a video camera. Teddy saw the look and winced. He figured Billy had more than enough reason to be worried, and wanted desperately to tell Billy the whole truth. How beautiful the other boy's eyes were in the light of the sun, how Teddy's heart beat a little faster when he saw Billy smile. But… Billy would probably just think it was a joke, or, even worse, tell the whole school that Theodore Altman was a big flaming homo. He had to say something, though, or else Billy might get impatient and leave, so he opted for the next best thing.
"I know you and I haven't really hung out before, but I had a lot of fun on Wednesday. I mean, once I got to know you I realized that people really need to cut you a fucking break, you know?" He looked over at Billy, who was still looking at him with slanted eyes. They were a lot less accusing, though. More like they were seeing Teddy for the first time.
Billy was silent a moment, then looked back out to center field. "Okay, so let's say that, hypothetically, you weren't bullshitting me. Would you seriously risk all your friendships just for mine? I mean, I'm not exactly the most popular guy here." He looked down at his forgotten half-eaten sandwich, and slowly turned it in his hands as if he was thinking about something. Then, he said in a low voice, "I'm the school fag, remember?"
So it was true. Billy was gay. I took some effort, but Teddy managed to tone down the utter glee in his voice. "Why are you always so down on yourself, man? Who cares if you're gay or not?" Yes, Teddy, play it down. No way are you gay, too, oh no.
"Greg."
Teddy winced again. The name had been spat out, almost like an accusation. "Greg's..." Greg's an ass. I only hang out with him so I can be cool, too? Yeah, that'll work. And Spider-Man'll swing in and offer us fruit pies. "Greg's misunderstood, like you." Billy scoffed, but Teddy looked insistent. "Really, he is! He doesn't come from the best family in the world, you know. His parents don't really pay him much attention, so he has to vent somehow. Not... not that it's right for him to pick on you, it's just..." Again, no good excuse. Greg was a dick, plain and simple...but at least he was a dick who accepted Teddy, who made him feel like he was important. That had to count for something, right?
“So then why do you hang out with him?”
Because he makes me feel good about myself. Because he makes me feel like I belong. Because he’s really cute and I have…well, used to have a crush on him, I think. I don’t know anymore… “Because he’s always been there for me, anytime I needed him. He may be difficult to deal with sometimes, but he’s a really good friend.”
Billy scowled skeptically, but then shook his head and sighed. “I still don’t get it, but…” He shook his head again, as if he was baffled.
Time to change the subject. “I’m not like him, though. I…I want you to know that I’m not gonna just stand by and let Greg pick on people anymore. I never knew that I was really hurting anyone until you blew up on me.” His jaw clenched as he remembered the guilty tears shed in the elevator. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just…”
Could he really tell Billy? For some reason he couldn’t figure out, he wanted to tell Billy everything, to confess the lust and the pain and the uncertainty that he had felt over the past few days…but he was moving pretty fast as it was, he thought. He didn’t know if he could trust Billy with all of his secrets. Even though I really want to.
“Just…I won’t do it anymore, okay?”
Surprisingly, Billy gave him a lopsided smile, and Teddy’s breath caught in his throat. He really liked it when Billy smiled; it made him feel warm. “Okay, Ted…okay. I believe you. We…we can hang out if you want.”
Teddy knew that Billy was taking a big risk and he loved him for it. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn’t have been a good idea to lean forward and kiss him at the moment. Instead, he smiled back and said, “It’s Teddy. All my friends call me that, remember?”
“Yeah.” Billy looked away, and Teddy could’ve sworn that he saw a little bit of blush in Billy’s cheeks.
Does he…?
“So, I know you have your group that you sit with at lunch,” Billy said hesitantly as he turned back to look the blond-haired jock in the eyes, “but how about you come visit me over here sometime?”
“How about this weekend? Not…here, I mean, but maybe at that burger joint I saw near your place? Lenny’s, I think.”
Billy’s mouth hung open for about half a second, like he was going to say something, but instead he nodded. “Yeah, sounds great.”
“Okay, cool.” Teddy tried to not smile too widely. “I’ll call you tomorrow around eleven.” He got up and dusted the back of his jeans before extending his hand to Billy. “I’ll see you around, then.”
When Billy took the hand, it was as if electricity was coursing through Teddy’s body. But it was a pleasant tingle, and Teddy had to force himself to shake the hand quickly and let go.
“I’ll see you later, Ted…Teddy.” There was that slight blush again, Teddy noted. Maybe…
“Bye, Billy.” Teddy gave a little wave, then walked down the bleachers and back to the main building. It took a lot of effort to not dance on the way. As he went inside though, he ran into Greg, who’d been getting a soda from the machine. Teddy paused as a sinking feeling tore the glee right from his chest.
“Hey, Teddy! Where you been, man?”
Here was the test, Teddy knew. Was he still a liar, a fake? Or was he man enough to stick to his conviction and change? When he opened his mouth to speak, he silently prayed that he was making the right decision. “I was over at the bleachers, talking with Billy.”
Greg smiled, but it wasn’t anything close to one of Billy’s. Rather, it reminded Teddy of a cartoon shark about to eat its prey. “Really, huh? You two are becoming fast buddies, ain’tcha?”
Teddy tried to look as confident as possible, despite the urge to hide behind a joke or something that would keep him in Greg’s good graces. “Actually, yeah. He’s not as bad as you think, man. He’s a cool guy, once you get to know him. Shit, if he played sports he’d probably fit in with the rest of us.”
Greg locked gazes with Teddy for a few seconds, as if he was trying to figure something out. He smirked, his eyes softening. “You know, maybe you’re right, Teddy. I’ve been pretty hard on the guy lately. Maybe it’s time to cut him a break. After all, if you say he’s cool, maybe he is.”
Teddy blinked, confused. “Really?”
“Yeah, man. Besides, I got a reputation to keep, remember? This whole picking on the less fortunate thing’s getting pretty old. And, hey, maybe if I start being a little nicer, the chicks’ll notice and I can finally get Stacy Werner to go out with me.”
“Cool,” Teddy nodded, amazed by Greg’s turnaround. Granted, it wasn’t the purest of motivations, but still, it was a start. “I’m gonna head off to class, but I’ll see you after school right?”
“Yeah, sure, man,” Greg replied, lightly punching Teddy’s shoulder. “I got this awesome lay-up that I wanna show you.” He turned around and walked off into the crowded hallway, which seemed to part a little for him. “See ya!”
“See ya!” Teddy called back, and walked the other direction to his U.S. history class. Once again, he felt like dancing as he walked. Greg’s reaction had definitely been unexpected, but it was good, right? Maybe it was just that right time of year for a change(, he guessed).
Had Teddy gone back the other way, however, he would’ve changed his mind. Not even a minute had had passed since their conversation before Greg sought out his friend Kesler and pulled him to the side.
“I need a favor,” he muttered.
Kesler just grinned.
Status: Complete
Pairing: Billy/Teddy
Rating: PG for language
Notes: FINALLY!!! IT'S UP!!! Again, I'm sorry that it took so long, and hopefully I'll maintain a much better pace this time. Mucho kudos goes to latimer84 for doing most excellent beta for me. *glomps*
It was Friday, and so far Billy had done a great job of avoiding Teddy. Then again, Teddy figured, Billy had a lot of practice with that sort of thing. After some asking around, though, he found out that Billy sometimes had lunch on the bleachers next to the school's football field. His inquiries had earned him some puzzled looks, but as he asked around, Teddy began to realize that he didn't care. After spending all day yesterday thinking about the incident at Billy's apartment, he needed to talk to Billy, if only to apologize again.
Luckily, Billy was on the bleachers today, too engrossed in his sandwich to notice Teddy's approach. Teddy took in a deep breath and stuck his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking.
"Hey."
Billy jumped as if a gun had been fired. When he saw Teddy, his eyes widened, then narrowed into a confused scowl.
"Look, I'm sorry about Wednesday night..."
"Don't be." Billy's voice was sad, but seemed to have an angry edge to it. Teddy couldn't tell which one of them Billy was mad at, but he assumed it was him. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You came to me for help and I was a jerk. I'm sorry."
"No, Billy..." Teddy shook his head and sat down next to the raven-haired teen. "You were right about a lot of that stuff. I've been an ass to people a lot longer than you have, and you had every right to be mad. You-"
"Why?" Billy interrupted, his gaze suddenly suspicious. "No offense, Ted, but why are you telling me all of this?" His eyes darted past Teddy quickly, as if he expected Greg to pop out from behind the bleachers with a video camera. Teddy saw the look and winced. He figured Billy had more than enough reason to be worried, and wanted desperately to tell Billy the whole truth. How beautiful the other boy's eyes were in the light of the sun, how Teddy's heart beat a little faster when he saw Billy smile. But… Billy would probably just think it was a joke, or, even worse, tell the whole school that Theodore Altman was a big flaming homo. He had to say something, though, or else Billy might get impatient and leave, so he opted for the next best thing.
"I know you and I haven't really hung out before, but I had a lot of fun on Wednesday. I mean, once I got to know you I realized that people really need to cut you a fucking break, you know?" He looked over at Billy, who was still looking at him with slanted eyes. They were a lot less accusing, though. More like they were seeing Teddy for the first time.
Billy was silent a moment, then looked back out to center field. "Okay, so let's say that, hypothetically, you weren't bullshitting me. Would you seriously risk all your friendships just for mine? I mean, I'm not exactly the most popular guy here." He looked down at his forgotten half-eaten sandwich, and slowly turned it in his hands as if he was thinking about something. Then, he said in a low voice, "I'm the school fag, remember?"
So it was true. Billy was gay. I took some effort, but Teddy managed to tone down the utter glee in his voice. "Why are you always so down on yourself, man? Who cares if you're gay or not?" Yes, Teddy, play it down. No way are you gay, too, oh no.
"Greg."
Teddy winced again. The name had been spat out, almost like an accusation. "Greg's..." Greg's an ass. I only hang out with him so I can be cool, too? Yeah, that'll work. And Spider-Man'll swing in and offer us fruit pies. "Greg's misunderstood, like you." Billy scoffed, but Teddy looked insistent. "Really, he is! He doesn't come from the best family in the world, you know. His parents don't really pay him much attention, so he has to vent somehow. Not... not that it's right for him to pick on you, it's just..." Again, no good excuse. Greg was a dick, plain and simple...but at least he was a dick who accepted Teddy, who made him feel like he was important. That had to count for something, right?
“So then why do you hang out with him?”
Because he makes me feel good about myself. Because he makes me feel like I belong. Because he’s really cute and I have…well, used to have a crush on him, I think. I don’t know anymore… “Because he’s always been there for me, anytime I needed him. He may be difficult to deal with sometimes, but he’s a really good friend.”
Billy scowled skeptically, but then shook his head and sighed. “I still don’t get it, but…” He shook his head again, as if he was baffled.
Time to change the subject. “I’m not like him, though. I…I want you to know that I’m not gonna just stand by and let Greg pick on people anymore. I never knew that I was really hurting anyone until you blew up on me.” His jaw clenched as he remembered the guilty tears shed in the elevator. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just…”
Could he really tell Billy? For some reason he couldn’t figure out, he wanted to tell Billy everything, to confess the lust and the pain and the uncertainty that he had felt over the past few days…but he was moving pretty fast as it was, he thought. He didn’t know if he could trust Billy with all of his secrets. Even though I really want to.
“Just…I won’t do it anymore, okay?”
Surprisingly, Billy gave him a lopsided smile, and Teddy’s breath caught in his throat. He really liked it when Billy smiled; it made him feel warm. “Okay, Ted…okay. I believe you. We…we can hang out if you want.”
Teddy knew that Billy was taking a big risk and he loved him for it. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn’t have been a good idea to lean forward and kiss him at the moment. Instead, he smiled back and said, “It’s Teddy. All my friends call me that, remember?”
“Yeah.” Billy looked away, and Teddy could’ve sworn that he saw a little bit of blush in Billy’s cheeks.
Does he…?
“So, I know you have your group that you sit with at lunch,” Billy said hesitantly as he turned back to look the blond-haired jock in the eyes, “but how about you come visit me over here sometime?”
“How about this weekend? Not…here, I mean, but maybe at that burger joint I saw near your place? Lenny’s, I think.”
Billy’s mouth hung open for about half a second, like he was going to say something, but instead he nodded. “Yeah, sounds great.”
“Okay, cool.” Teddy tried to not smile too widely. “I’ll call you tomorrow around eleven.” He got up and dusted the back of his jeans before extending his hand to Billy. “I’ll see you around, then.”
When Billy took the hand, it was as if electricity was coursing through Teddy’s body. But it was a pleasant tingle, and Teddy had to force himself to shake the hand quickly and let go.
“I’ll see you later, Ted…Teddy.” There was that slight blush again, Teddy noted. Maybe…
“Bye, Billy.” Teddy gave a little wave, then walked down the bleachers and back to the main building. It took a lot of effort to not dance on the way. As he went inside though, he ran into Greg, who’d been getting a soda from the machine. Teddy paused as a sinking feeling tore the glee right from his chest.
“Hey, Teddy! Where you been, man?”
Here was the test, Teddy knew. Was he still a liar, a fake? Or was he man enough to stick to his conviction and change? When he opened his mouth to speak, he silently prayed that he was making the right decision. “I was over at the bleachers, talking with Billy.”
Greg smiled, but it wasn’t anything close to one of Billy’s. Rather, it reminded Teddy of a cartoon shark about to eat its prey. “Really, huh? You two are becoming fast buddies, ain’tcha?”
Teddy tried to look as confident as possible, despite the urge to hide behind a joke or something that would keep him in Greg’s good graces. “Actually, yeah. He’s not as bad as you think, man. He’s a cool guy, once you get to know him. Shit, if he played sports he’d probably fit in with the rest of us.”
Greg locked gazes with Teddy for a few seconds, as if he was trying to figure something out. He smirked, his eyes softening. “You know, maybe you’re right, Teddy. I’ve been pretty hard on the guy lately. Maybe it’s time to cut him a break. After all, if you say he’s cool, maybe he is.”
Teddy blinked, confused. “Really?”
“Yeah, man. Besides, I got a reputation to keep, remember? This whole picking on the less fortunate thing’s getting pretty old. And, hey, maybe if I start being a little nicer, the chicks’ll notice and I can finally get Stacy Werner to go out with me.”
“Cool,” Teddy nodded, amazed by Greg’s turnaround. Granted, it wasn’t the purest of motivations, but still, it was a start. “I’m gonna head off to class, but I’ll see you after school right?”
“Yeah, sure, man,” Greg replied, lightly punching Teddy’s shoulder. “I got this awesome lay-up that I wanna show you.” He turned around and walked off into the crowded hallway, which seemed to part a little for him. “See ya!”
“See ya!” Teddy called back, and walked the other direction to his U.S. history class. Once again, he felt like dancing as he walked. Greg’s reaction had definitely been unexpected, but it was good, right? Maybe it was just that right time of year for a change(, he guessed).
Had Teddy gone back the other way, however, he would’ve changed his mind. Not even a minute had had passed since their conversation before Greg sought out his friend Kesler and pulled him to the side.
“I need a favor,” he muttered.
Kesler just grinned.