FIC: Young Avengers: Public Displays of Affection
Title: Public Displays of Affection
Rating: PG
Fandom: Young Avengers; Billy/Teddy, mentions of Karolina/Xavin
Wordcount: 921
Warnings: None
Summary: Teddy's insecure, Karolina says too much, and things fail to go according to plan.
"We're just not into PDA," Billy repeats for what seems like the billionth time. Karolina, via webcam, frowns and her eyebrows draw together in a way that reminds Billy of his mother. He resists the urge to slam his laptop shut to get away.
"Billy, there's a big difference between 'not into PDA' and 'shy enough that your boyfriend is worried about your relationship.'"
That gets his attention. "He's what?"
She slaps a hand over her mouth. "I didn't say that, okay?"
"Except that I'm pretty sure you did. Since when does Teddy talk to you about our relationship?" The thought disturbs him for some reason. Probably the mental image of Karolina, Xavin, and Teddy having some kind of alien slumber party and giggling about him while they painted their nails.
"He mentioned it to Xavin. Who mentioned it to me."
"I've been defeated by the gay superhero grapevine. Great." He puts his head down in the crook of his elbow, knocking the headset askew. Though she's trying to hide it as a cough, he can tell she's laughing at him.
"So do something about it. Teddy's got a point -- are you ashamed?"
"No! I just don't want..." what he doesn't want is lost as Karolina looks over her shoulder and her face lights up. Not literally, although Billy wouldn't be remotely surprised at this point. She and Xavin don't have any problem with showing affection.
"Gottago," his alien friend says before signing out abruptly. With a sigh, Billy pulls off his headset and shuts his own down.
So Teddy is worried about their relationship, because Billy is shy. Billy is not shy, he just doesn't want them plastered all over the front pages so that everyone he knows as Wiccan can rib him about it until the end of time.
Which is not the same as shy. Or ashamed. Probably.
***
He antagonizes about it for the next three days, until Tommy starts to call him emo and Eli threatens to punch him if he sighs one more time. Billy's pretty sure it's not an empty threat, and Teddy's starting to get visibly worried, so he shuts up and starts to work on a plan.
It ought to be simple since all he has to do is 'show affection more,' but it's actually more complicated than that. For one thing, Billy still doesn't want him with his tongue down Teddy's throat to end up all over the front page of the paper his parents read over coffee. Eventually, after an extended session of pretending to listen to Kate talk about politics, Billy realizes that he can just pull Teddy to some place private, kiss him, and be done with the whole problem.
Once Billy's got a plan he wants to put it into action immediately. Of course, the city's villainous population doesn't agree because he spends the next two weeks waiting for the Young Avengers to get into any kind of fight. He'd even take non-powered bank robbers. Anything.
Stupid people and their stupid following the law.
Finally -- finally! -- some crazy anarchists decide that they want to attack a ribbon cutting ceremony in Central Park and the older Avengers decide that the kids can handle this one more or less on their own. This is Billy's chance; he can finally reassure Teddy and get Karolina to stop being so pushy all at once.
He's so distracted by the thought that he nearly gets shot twice and manages to get his cape tangled in the mayor's giant scissors so badly that by the time the whole ordeal is over it's not so much 'artfully ripped' as 'torn to shreds.' When the cops finally arrive to take the badguys away and Billy lets himself touch the ground again he looks around for a grove of trees, only to discover that they've ended up in the baseball field instead of the wooded area to the west.
Damn. And there are people watching. His intentions must have shown on his face at some point, because Teddy is looking at him expectantly, and Billy fidgets for the photographers trying to catch a good shot of the young heroes.
His indecision drags on so long that the moment and the adrenaline is nearly over before he sighs, squares his shoulders and throws caution to the wind.
***
The next morning, the Daily Bugle arrives on their doorstep as usual. Billy wakes up two hours early to make sure that he can grab it before his parents do in case they managed to get them when Teddy slipped a hand up Billy's shirt and Billy was pushing Teddy's turtleneck down so that he could give him a hicky.
He nearly thinks he's looking at the wrong day's paper when he unrolls it and sees ... nothing. They didn't even make the front page. A few furious minutes of flipping pages and scanning articles later and he manages to find a tiny blurb about the fight and nothing at all about the kiss.
When Teddy comes down the stairs, Billy is humming something silly to himself as he makes breakfast. A pair of arms wrap around his waist and Teddy kisses his ear.
"It didn't kill you," the shapeshifter says, wryly.
"It very nearly did. I mean, you might give me a heart attack yet," Billy points out as he flips a pancake.
"We'll see about that." Teddy's tongue darts out to lick Billy's ear, and after that breakfast can burn for all Billy cares.
Rating: PG
Fandom: Young Avengers; Billy/Teddy, mentions of Karolina/Xavin
Wordcount: 921
Warnings: None
Summary: Teddy's insecure, Karolina says too much, and things fail to go according to plan.
"We're just not into PDA," Billy repeats for what seems like the billionth time. Karolina, via webcam, frowns and her eyebrows draw together in a way that reminds Billy of his mother. He resists the urge to slam his laptop shut to get away.
"Billy, there's a big difference between 'not into PDA' and 'shy enough that your boyfriend is worried about your relationship.'"
That gets his attention. "He's what?"
She slaps a hand over her mouth. "I didn't say that, okay?"
"Except that I'm pretty sure you did. Since when does Teddy talk to you about our relationship?" The thought disturbs him for some reason. Probably the mental image of Karolina, Xavin, and Teddy having some kind of alien slumber party and giggling about him while they painted their nails.
"He mentioned it to Xavin. Who mentioned it to me."
"I've been defeated by the gay superhero grapevine. Great." He puts his head down in the crook of his elbow, knocking the headset askew. Though she's trying to hide it as a cough, he can tell she's laughing at him.
"So do something about it. Teddy's got a point -- are you ashamed?"
"No! I just don't want..." what he doesn't want is lost as Karolina looks over her shoulder and her face lights up. Not literally, although Billy wouldn't be remotely surprised at this point. She and Xavin don't have any problem with showing affection.
"Gottago," his alien friend says before signing out abruptly. With a sigh, Billy pulls off his headset and shuts his own down.
So Teddy is worried about their relationship, because Billy is shy. Billy is not shy, he just doesn't want them plastered all over the front pages so that everyone he knows as Wiccan can rib him about it until the end of time.
Which is not the same as shy. Or ashamed. Probably.
***
He antagonizes about it for the next three days, until Tommy starts to call him emo and Eli threatens to punch him if he sighs one more time. Billy's pretty sure it's not an empty threat, and Teddy's starting to get visibly worried, so he shuts up and starts to work on a plan.
It ought to be simple since all he has to do is 'show affection more,' but it's actually more complicated than that. For one thing, Billy still doesn't want him with his tongue down Teddy's throat to end up all over the front page of the paper his parents read over coffee. Eventually, after an extended session of pretending to listen to Kate talk about politics, Billy realizes that he can just pull Teddy to some place private, kiss him, and be done with the whole problem.
Once Billy's got a plan he wants to put it into action immediately. Of course, the city's villainous population doesn't agree because he spends the next two weeks waiting for the Young Avengers to get into any kind of fight. He'd even take non-powered bank robbers. Anything.
Stupid people and their stupid following the law.
Finally -- finally! -- some crazy anarchists decide that they want to attack a ribbon cutting ceremony in Central Park and the older Avengers decide that the kids can handle this one more or less on their own. This is Billy's chance; he can finally reassure Teddy and get Karolina to stop being so pushy all at once.
He's so distracted by the thought that he nearly gets shot twice and manages to get his cape tangled in the mayor's giant scissors so badly that by the time the whole ordeal is over it's not so much 'artfully ripped' as 'torn to shreds.' When the cops finally arrive to take the badguys away and Billy lets himself touch the ground again he looks around for a grove of trees, only to discover that they've ended up in the baseball field instead of the wooded area to the west.
Damn. And there are people watching. His intentions must have shown on his face at some point, because Teddy is looking at him expectantly, and Billy fidgets for the photographers trying to catch a good shot of the young heroes.
His indecision drags on so long that the moment and the adrenaline is nearly over before he sighs, squares his shoulders and throws caution to the wind.
***
The next morning, the Daily Bugle arrives on their doorstep as usual. Billy wakes up two hours early to make sure that he can grab it before his parents do in case they managed to get them when Teddy slipped a hand up Billy's shirt and Billy was pushing Teddy's turtleneck down so that he could give him a hicky.
He nearly thinks he's looking at the wrong day's paper when he unrolls it and sees ... nothing. They didn't even make the front page. A few furious minutes of flipping pages and scanning articles later and he manages to find a tiny blurb about the fight and nothing at all about the kiss.
When Teddy comes down the stairs, Billy is humming something silly to himself as he makes breakfast. A pair of arms wrap around his waist and Teddy kisses his ear.
"It didn't kill you," the shapeshifter says, wryly.
"It very nearly did. I mean, you might give me a heart attack yet," Billy points out as he flips a pancake.
"We'll see about that." Teddy's tongue darts out to lick Billy's ear, and after that breakfast can burn for all Billy cares.