selfhelp | [IC] Appointments Post

[She gives him a small faint smile, the expression crooked and for once not wholly convincing, although there's still the same look of understanding in her eyes.]

Billy, I think all of us are a bit of a mess at the moment. [Although another thought occurs to her and she tilts her head, studying him intently for a moment.] Or are there more after-effects of the magic than you just being drained and exhausted?

...Mm.

[He doesn't, actually. He doesn't want to talk or think about it at all, but the thoughts are a jumbled mess that won't leave him alone. He's done his food, though, so after a long moment he leans back in his chair, shaking his head.]

I think... I'm gonna rest for a while. Maybe it'll clear my head...

Is a hero who tries and fails really that much less of one than the hero that succeeds?

[Falling in battle is supposed to be pretty heroic and grand. You know. Historically. And theoretically. Or something like that.]

[He can't understand that, not really- he lacks the knowledge of Tommy's family history or the understanding of what a broken, unsupportive family would be like. He complains about them plenty, but at the end of the day, he knows he's lucky. So he can't imagine letting go of his family name like that. It had been hard enough, in that temporary fantasy, to pretend that he was someone else. For Tommy and Wanda, though...

But he can recognize that the Shepherds let Tommy be taken away. Let the government or whatever lock him away in juvie. Let him become an experiment for the amusement of people who think mutants are guinea pigs to play with in laboratories. He'd been there, he'd heard Tommy say it himself.

So yeah, he can recognize not wanting to be associated with them. In the end, it's Tommy's choice.]

I don't care what your name is... as long as we're still family.

[Billy can only shrug. He's not asking for forgiveness, here. He'd never expect it. But he'd apologized. There's really not much else he can do, is there?]

Thank you... for that.

[He chews idly on his lower lip, glancing sidelong at her. The surreal blue shade of his eyes glows a little, for just a moment or two, as if trying to give her an answer.]

In a way... I hope so. I hope... this isn't me...

Aww. But I'd miss you if you slept out there.

[Laptop, Starkphone, clothes, books... Some have their place in the drawers, some on the nightstand, and some remain on the bed. He's not going to be sleeping in this bed, anyway; Now that they're comfortable sleeping with each other again, Teddy doesn't particularly want to sleep alone again for a good while.]

Then I guess I'm only spending the other 5% sleeping.

[His lip quirks, glancing sidelong at Teddy as he tucks his pajamas under the pillow. He has no idea how this week is going to go, but... this is nice. Familiar. It's like he's getting back into the groove of being him more and more every day.

He'll be okay. Slowly but surely, and with lots of help, he's doing it.]

[It's the first hint she's seen of that blue glow and there's part of her that tenses, because she can't help but relate it to the eerie glow that had looked out at her from Clint's eyes. She takes a moment, inhales and exhales, before reaching over and rests a hand light against his arm.]

It might take a bit to work it all out of your system, right? Be patient with yourself, Billy. Recovery doesn't happen overnight.

[Teddy shares that same look, a sidelong glance with a light, teasing smile as he slides a folder underneath "his" pillow. It looks like Teddy has that same thought in mind, about how natural and comfortable this feels, even as he raises an eyebrow and tilts his head away.]

Oh really? Here I thought you were going to show me one or two things.

[Teddy gets a quirked brow for that one. The nice thing about finding himself again is that he gets to be expressive again- even if said expressiveness all-too-often turns to matter-of-fact commentary and straight-faced remarks. Billy is Billy, after all.]

How do you know those things won't be happening in the water?

[...Ugh.]

Of course it was amnesia...

[No wonder she's been missing all this time.]

So she was in Latveria the whole time?

[... Oh

Well

Teddy does, at least, have enough control of his expressions to not look surprised or flustered. The other eyebrow joins the second, both raised now, and his smile grows.

... The flush on his face betrays him, though.]

Well. That's one way to work around a percentage problem. Beats math any day.

[Mia nods, rising to clear his plates into the sink. She can come back and wash up later.]

If you feel like it tomorrow, you could take a walk through one of the simulation rooms instead, somewhere peaceful. [Although she or Teddy or someone else he'd let close enough would have to go with him, in case.]

[Yeah, the blush is telling enough that Billy knows he's getting the message. And the fact that he is - and is perfectly okay with it - is encouraging. So... okay. Note to self. Good subject to work with.]

Not much of a competition. Anything beats math any day. We're on a vacation, remember?

[And he still hasn't gone back to- nope nope nope nevermind.]

[He stubbornly ignores that unspoken cue. He knows it's hard. He knew it was going to be hard. But it's not stopping him.]

...Whatever, I'll... deal with it. It's just a good way to test me, that's all.

Right, right. We now have a math barrier surrounding the springs. No numbers or word problems are getting in here.

[With everything unpacked and set in their places on Teddy's side, he moves to Billy's bed, then flops down on it and on his back, arms spread out with his palms facing up, and looks up at Billy with a smile. That blush still hasn't really left his face, either.]

So, wanna hang out here for a while, or is it hot springs time now?

[Billy glances around, his expressing musing and thoughtful, then shakes his head.]

Hot springs? There's not a whole lot to do in here that we couldn't do back at our place. And I know we didn't actually walk up the mountain, but I kind of feel like we did.

[Overstuffed backpacks are heavy and sweaty and gross, okay.]

[What are you talking about, his backpack was light as a feather.

Teddy's smile grows at that because, again, it's a decision Billy made without asking Teddy what he wanted, and that's something he loved seeing ever since they talked about the whole "give and take" thing. They really are getting better... slowly, but surely.

Still, now that Teddy's flopped down, he might need a bit of bullying to get him back up. So he holds out his arms and opens and closes his hands, hoping that Billy can pull him up.]

Hot springs it is. I think I'm gonna need a boost, though.

[Billy lifts a brow at him for that. A boost, huh.

He could go over there and help him out. That's what a good, helpful boyfriend would do. Or at least, someone who doesn't know Teddy as well as he does. Someone who doesn't know that he has super strength and could probably pick himself and the bed up in a heartbeat if he wanted.

Wordlessly, and pointedly ignoring Teddy's reaching arms, Billy shrugs off his jacket, untangles the scarf from around his neck, and drags his shirt off.]

Aren't people traditionally supposed to go naked at hot springs?

[Teddy never specified what kind of boost he wanted, after all.]

[...

...

...

theodorerufusaltman.exe has stopped working due to overheating and needs to shut down

or just ogle for a while

Which he does. It's different from when Billy would throw his shirt off to go shower; This is, quite deliberately, a strip tease. A boost, if you will.

...

And so he lets his arms drop back to the bed, then pushes himself up, still staring appreciatively at his shirtless boyfriend.]

Yeah... They do...

[Mmmmhm. Billy Kaplan does it right.

for once

Billy purses his lips - crushing that thought again - and tosses the shirt on the bed, then rests his hands on his hips. The attention from Teddy is both pleasantly ego-boosting and somewhat intimidating, but right now it's more former than latter, which is a significant improvement from before.]

Oh, good, you're up. Are you coming?

Uh... [Teddy blinks a couple times, snapping out of his little fantasy: Billy going to the pants next, unbuttoning them while Teddy's hands rest where Billy's are right now, and - and wow, okay. Hot springs, yes.] Yeah. Yeah, I'm... yeah. Coming.

[He pushes himself off the bed, and while the scarf and coat come off easily enough, he feels... a little self-conscious about the rest, whatever will show skin. He shouldn't, Billy's seen him naked plenty of times, and...

Whatever, Teddy will have to get over it if they do do something more over the week.]

[Contrary to his words, Billy doesn't go full-on naked- at least, not yet. He's still debating that. If he's okay, if they're okay, if it's appropriate to jump right into things despite not really making it even this far before. At the very least, though, he can't go swimming in his jeans, so off they go, along with shoes and socks. He's about to go for the towel and slippers that are available for use at the spa when he notices Teddy's hesitation.]

...Teddy?

[Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all... he'd decided for them, hadn't he? Shit...]

[... Well. If there's something that can calm his nerves a little, it's seeing more of Billy exposed. Particularly his legs - Beautiful as always, even with them being a bit thinner than usual, like the rest of him. Blame the month long possession, pushing away from the good, healthy things like exercise and even food. But he's working on getting all of that back, Teddy can tell.

... God, what is he so nervous about? With Billy calling attention to him, Teddy tears his gaze away again and fingers at the edge of his own shirt.]

It's okay, I'm fine.

[he's going to see everything and how utterly boring you are

Teddy slides his shirt up and off anyway, letting it drop on the bed behind him, though he keeps his eyes ahead rather than looking at Billy.]

I was just thinking... [that we could bring our tunes out there. That it might be better if you went on ahead. That I needed to see if the laptop would work out here.] ... I probably still need a boost or two, that's all.

[No secrets.]

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