Ficlet | Seeing, Suddenly
Title: Seeing, Suddenly
Author: attilatehbun
Fandom: Young Avengers
Pairing/Characters: Billy Kaplan/Teddy Altman
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: <800
Prompt: i like him when he's angry
Author's Notes: From hiruko_undead's prompt at the Billy/Teddy PDA fest
I actually kind of like this one, I should poke it some more.
::
Billy had tried to be patient. He had tried to wait it out, he had tried to sit there and quietly drink his coffee and pretend to do the crossword puzzle while he waited for Teddy to escape from his walking shitstain of a former 'best friend'. He had tried. Really.
But every time he flicks his eyes over to the counter, that prick's smug grin gets wider and wider, and Teddy seems almost to be shrinking, ducking his head and picking nervously at a loose thread on his shirt, and Billy can feel the air around him growing thick and heavy. He looks down at his arms; all the hairs are standing on end, he can literally feel his hackles raise, and everything is starting to feel crackly around the edges. He knows that if he doesn't do something, get himself under control right now, he is going to have a lightning attack of rage in the middle of a New York coffee shop, and the bad press alone will get him grounded for a month.
He stands up as calmly as he can, folds up the half-filled in crossword puzzle (he blinks at it for a second and the words shimmer blue and then suddenly the whole thing is in Russian, he thinks, and that's just weird because he doesn't know a word in Russian besides da, so where did his subconscious drag that up from?) and goes to collect Teddy.
Teddy, at this point, has actually torn a rather sizable hole in the bottom of his shirt from worrying at it with too-strong fingers, and he doesn't seem to have noticed, because the prick, Greg, is sneering openly now. Billy takes note of this, and the faint flush at the tips of Teddy's ears and only barely manages not to fry the asshole making Teddy look like that on the spot.
He wants to say a million cutting things to this kid, from how dare you to so insignificant that you can only get your rocks off by standing in the shadow of someone truly great but he doesn't actually trust words to come out of his mouth, it might be all lightning, so he keeps his mouth shut, for once, and grabs Teddy's wrist. Teddy gasps, Billy can feel a bit of electricity arcing from his skin to Teddy's, and they have to leave, now.
Billy glares at Greg, who is apparently too stupid to realize he should be scared, and wants to punch him in the gut so badly that he has to close his eyes against the magic flaring behind them. Greg doubles over coughing all the same, and Billy drags Teddy out of the coffee shop without a single glance back.
They get about half a block down before Teddy tugs him into an alley and corners him against the wall.
What the hell was that? he's saying, but everything's still blue and Billy has to discharge some of the lightning just so he can think again.
(He hopes there weren't any rats in that trash can.)
Then Teddy is touching his face, gentle, running one large thumb over Billy's lower lip. Hey, he says, hey, come back. And Billy does, he takes a deep breath and feels the magic and the power fade out of his skin.
"Sorry," Billy says, voice rough and full of sparks. "I couldn't-- Watching him, you, it was making me so angry, I just--"
"It's okay," Teddy says, a grin spreading across his face. His hand slides into Billy's hair and he brings their foreheads together. "I'm glad you did."
"Yeah?" Billy breathes the last of the magic out and leans into Teddy's hand.
"Actually, I kind of liked it." Teddy's lips quirk and his eyes narrow, and Billy can see, suddenly, Teddy's pupils are huge. "It's hot, the way the magic picks you out and leaves everyone else dark." He abruptly leans in the rest of the way and kisses Billy, and there must be a little magic left in him, because he can feel the power arcing across the distance between them. He grips Teddy's hips and angles against him for just a moment before pulling back.
He looks down. "I. It's not good, me losing control like that."
"I know," Teddy says, and resumes rubbing his thumb over Billy's lower lip. "But. I'm here to talk you down. Or at least," he pauses, eyes narrowing dangerously again, "at least find a better use for the excess."
Billy catches Teddy's thumb between his lips and a bit of something, anger, power, magic, anticipation, sparks from his eyes. He bites down gently; Teddy groans, eyes closing, and Billy smiles, just a little. "Yeah, okay," he says, and lets the magic swell around them both.
::fin::
Author: attilatehbun
Fandom: Young Avengers
Pairing/Characters: Billy Kaplan/Teddy Altman
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: <800
Prompt: i like him when he's angry
Author's Notes: From hiruko_undead's prompt at the Billy/Teddy PDA fest
I actually kind of like this one, I should poke it some more.
::
Billy had tried to be patient. He had tried to wait it out, he had tried to sit there and quietly drink his coffee and pretend to do the crossword puzzle while he waited for Teddy to escape from his walking shitstain of a former 'best friend'. He had tried. Really.
But every time he flicks his eyes over to the counter, that prick's smug grin gets wider and wider, and Teddy seems almost to be shrinking, ducking his head and picking nervously at a loose thread on his shirt, and Billy can feel the air around him growing thick and heavy. He looks down at his arms; all the hairs are standing on end, he can literally feel his hackles raise, and everything is starting to feel crackly around the edges. He knows that if he doesn't do something, get himself under control right now, he is going to have a lightning attack of rage in the middle of a New York coffee shop, and the bad press alone will get him grounded for a month.
He stands up as calmly as he can, folds up the half-filled in crossword puzzle (he blinks at it for a second and the words shimmer blue and then suddenly the whole thing is in Russian, he thinks, and that's just weird because he doesn't know a word in Russian besides da, so where did his subconscious drag that up from?) and goes to collect Teddy.
Teddy, at this point, has actually torn a rather sizable hole in the bottom of his shirt from worrying at it with too-strong fingers, and he doesn't seem to have noticed, because the prick, Greg, is sneering openly now. Billy takes note of this, and the faint flush at the tips of Teddy's ears and only barely manages not to fry the asshole making Teddy look like that on the spot.
He wants to say a million cutting things to this kid, from how dare you to so insignificant that you can only get your rocks off by standing in the shadow of someone truly great but he doesn't actually trust words to come out of his mouth, it might be all lightning, so he keeps his mouth shut, for once, and grabs Teddy's wrist. Teddy gasps, Billy can feel a bit of electricity arcing from his skin to Teddy's, and they have to leave, now.
Billy glares at Greg, who is apparently too stupid to realize he should be scared, and wants to punch him in the gut so badly that he has to close his eyes against the magic flaring behind them. Greg doubles over coughing all the same, and Billy drags Teddy out of the coffee shop without a single glance back.
They get about half a block down before Teddy tugs him into an alley and corners him against the wall.
What the hell was that? he's saying, but everything's still blue and Billy has to discharge some of the lightning just so he can think again.
(He hopes there weren't any rats in that trash can.)
Then Teddy is touching his face, gentle, running one large thumb over Billy's lower lip. Hey, he says, hey, come back. And Billy does, he takes a deep breath and feels the magic and the power fade out of his skin.
"Sorry," Billy says, voice rough and full of sparks. "I couldn't-- Watching him, you, it was making me so angry, I just--"
"It's okay," Teddy says, a grin spreading across his face. His hand slides into Billy's hair and he brings their foreheads together. "I'm glad you did."
"Yeah?" Billy breathes the last of the magic out and leans into Teddy's hand.
"Actually, I kind of liked it." Teddy's lips quirk and his eyes narrow, and Billy can see, suddenly, Teddy's pupils are huge. "It's hot, the way the magic picks you out and leaves everyone else dark." He abruptly leans in the rest of the way and kisses Billy, and there must be a little magic left in him, because he can feel the power arcing across the distance between them. He grips Teddy's hips and angles against him for just a moment before pulling back.
He looks down. "I. It's not good, me losing control like that."
"I know," Teddy says, and resumes rubbing his thumb over Billy's lower lip. "But. I'm here to talk you down. Or at least," he pauses, eyes narrowing dangerously again, "at least find a better use for the excess."
Billy catches Teddy's thumb between his lips and a bit of something, anger, power, magic, anticipation, sparks from his eyes. He bites down gently; Teddy groans, eyes closing, and Billy smiles, just a little. "Yeah, okay," he says, and lets the magic swell around them both.
::fin::