selfhelp | [IC] Appointments Post

[There's that free, unrestrained laugh that Teddy loves. But right now he's focused on keep Billy trapped under his hands, leaning a little further forward to ensure this. He's not being tickled, but he still laughs, unable to hold back that and the huge grin from getting the upper-hand here, though he's pretty sure it won't last long. Billy has a knack for squirming out of his grip somehow to get right back at him.]

[Billy doesn't even try to tickle back yet - Teddy has this knack for shifting something and making it a less-than-helpful method of defense anyway - instead wriggling his body and trying to roll away, his chest shaking with muffled giggles. He uses his tucked legs to dig his foot into the dirt and push, sliding his body over the blanket, though not quite out of reach just yet. It's all he can do not to fall right over.]

Oh god- oh god, unfair-

Do you surrender?!

[With Billy pushing himself away, Teddy attacks his legs instead, just waiting for the right or wrong answer. Right answer means moving away, wrong answer means launching right back to his sides again. Choose wisely.]

I'll never surrender!

[He says it with a stammer, still fighting laughter, letting himself fall back and trying to roll and twist away. He can't cave that easily, not when they've only just begun. And Teddy looked about to fall asleep a minute ago, so maybe he has a chance...!]

Wrong answer!

[Teddy follows the movement, though doing so makes him pause for just a second in an attempt to get his hands back on Billy's sides. If Billy wanted a chance, this it!]

[He'll definitely take it. Another moment of wriggling, and then, when he sees an opening in Teddy's posture, he tucks up his knee again and shoves against the ground, letting it give him just enough momentum to twist he and Teddy around. He moves his hands to Teddy's forearms, pinning them down. Even if they both know Teddy could get him off with a shrug, with anyone else, that would count as a victory.]

Ha! Pinned you!

[Teddy's caught a bit off-guard by that, seeing how he hasn't grown up with little siblings and thus isn't used to the tactics used to squirm away from them. He could've easily stopped Billy, but he still ends up on his back and not fighting the pin whatsoever. Instead, he lets his laughter trail off breathlessly, smile still on his face as he struggles against the grip weakly.]

Hey, lemme up...

I don't know, maybe I should make you surrender.

[It's half-teasing, half-serious, though Billy's grin gives away what side he's leaning to. He looks far too pleased with himself, and he leans in close, almost touching noses with the blond.]

How badly do you want up, huh?

[That grin of Billy's is mirrored onto Teddy's face, the mirth and humor of it all infectious and even making those dimples in his cheeks appear. Still, he stays still, hands curled into loose fists.]

Bad enough to risk letting you do your worst?

Tough talk from someone who doesn't know what my worst is.

[Billy's fingers inch upwards, working towards the underside of Teddy's arms.]

Just give in, and maybe I'll be merciful. You are kind of cute, after all.

[Teddy bites his lip, his arms automatically moving away a little to try getting away from those suspicious-looking fingers. He can feel the sensitivity of Billy's touch start to fade, and he shifts the nerves in his body to make it stop happening - kind of hard for Billy to be teasingly threatening if Teddy can't be tickled for it. Probably less weird, too.]

Hmmm. You might have to flatter me a little more to get me to give up...

[Billy quirks a brow at that - hmmmm - and gets his legs hooked between Teddy's, so he can't move them much either. He bends down, getting his head beneath Teddy's chin to give his neck a little kiss and a nip.]

Awfully bold of you, the prisoner making demands of his captor.

[And here Billy's calling him bold. Teddy raises his brows at that, but still slowly tips his head back - now, this is the type of teasing that his body can get behind, and it's a relief to not have to fight his own instincts for a brief moment.]

I wouldn't really call them demands. More like... requests?

[True, they aren't exactly isolated out here, but Billy isn't feeling particularly shameful about it, and they are somewhat hidden behind the tree. Regardless, he tilts his head to repeat the gesture a little higher, tongue teasing over the spot where his teeth had grazed the skin.]

Mm... guess that's okay. Then I'd say... my prisoner isn't just cute, he's handsome, and awfully irresistible, to boot. I could kiss every inch and not get bored. And even if he wasn't hot as hell - which he is - I wouldn't be able to say no to his personality, which is, impossibly, even more attractive.

[He kisses again, suckling and scraping, trying to get that ever-elusive hickey that never sticks around on Teddy's healing body. Between attempts he keeps talking, half-muffled, but clear enough to get the words across.]

See, my prisoner... he's so thoughtful, to come up with an idea like this, to bring me out here... show me something he knows I'd love, give me this awesome meal... and make me laugh...

[Finally he draws back, licking his lower lip idly before it settles into a softer, more genuine smile instead of his earlier grin, meeting Teddy's eyes.]

...Well?

[When Billy pulls away, it's clear that Teddy had had his eyes shut, even knowing how risky that is in the hands of a tickler, to enjoy the sensation against his neck, and a light blush on his cheeks as well due to both that and the compliments he'd received. He's not sure if he really believes all of that, but it's still so nice to hear - and feel, on top of that.

But once the sensation fades, Teddy opens his eyes to look at Billy, and - god. God, he could stare at that look on Billy's face forever and get utterly lost in it. The sincerity, the love and adoration; it all makes Teddy dumbstruck for a moment, and in that same moment, not afraid at all of the question he wants to ask.]

... Yeah. Yeah, all right... I give up. I surrender.

[Billy smiles down at him for a moment longer, then moves his hands to Teddy's face instead of his arms, holding him like that as he leans in to give him a proper kiss, right on the lips, loving and appreciative and very grateful for this date idea of his.]

[With their hands and arms positioned the way they were, Teddy ends up with his palms against Billy's ribcage as he shuts his eyes and opens up to the kiss, making it a bit more intimate. Do it, his mind keeps shouting, do it do it do it, but it's quickly driven out by the fact that 1, this kiss is pretty awesome, and 2, he's not exactly in a position to do what it's telling him to do. And he rather likes the position he's in, anyway.]

[Billy is none the wiser to Teddy's turmoil, but he's fine with the position they're in right now, too. The kiss lasts much longer than the ones he'd left at Teddy's neck, and when he finally pulls back, flushed and breathless, he can't quite resist giving Teddy one more peck on the lips before he shifts away, straddling the blond's legs instead of holding him down.]

Mm... that was a pretty nice surrender, Altman.

[For a moment, Teddy remains on his back, just as flushed and breathless, in order to get some of his clarity back.]

Ha... You're the one who made it happen, Kaplan.

[Once that moment passes, Teddy pushes himself up on his elbows and looks up at Billy, still straddling him and all...]

Sooo... gonna let me up?

Working on it. It's a multi-step process.

[He's close again, now that he's sitting up. Billy leans in for one more kiss before he finally rolls off of Teddy's legs, standing up and dusting his pants off.]

There, you're free. Never say I'm not merciful.

[The kiss has Teddy smiling, and he too starts to move, though he rolls to his knees and stays there as he dusts at his back and butt.]

Yeah, yeah. Freedooooom and all that.

[Then, as he gets into a kneel, he looks up at Billy, and...

This is it, he tells himself, and he realizes that he's frozen in place. He's suddenly very aware of the fact that there'll either be more kisses after this, or an awkward tension to the air as they walk home in silence. Visions of the latter make that fear jump right back to his stomach, but he can't just let this moment pass him by again, not when this is the reason he asked Billy out on a date in the first place.

In a way, Teddy does it to force himself into asking the question. What he does is just ask one thing first:]

Could you stay standing for a minute? I need to tell you something...

[Billy's smiling at the half-quote, amused and exasperated because it was so obvious, and even Teddy knew it. The smile fades into curiosity at Teddy's unusual request- why would he need to stay standing just so Teddy could talk? He offers a hand out as if to help him up as well, brow quirking.]

Sure, fire away.

[He can't imagine Teddy would do this. He can't imagine they'd be ready, that Teddy would want it now, that after everything that's happened, Teddy would be able to make a decision this huge yet.

So he has no idea. No idea.]

[Okay. Okay okay.

Okay.

... Okay, what was he supposed to say? Teddy had a whole thing memorized. Written down and practiced and everything, and all he remembers is the fact that he says Billy's name first. So he's frozen again, dumbly staring at Billy's hand, and slowly reaches out to take it in his own.

...

But he doesn't let Billy pull him up. Instead, he keeps his eyes on their hands, and once he moves his other hand to join them, he just. Stops trying to remember and says everything that he wants to say.]

Billy... We've been together for more than two years now. And I know that's not so long to some people, but to a couple of teenagers who risk their lives to be heroes, and live here knowing we could be sent to someone else's war any moment? Or forced to go through experiments that make us fall out of love, forget we ever had anything, or go crazy and try to hurt each other, only to get back together, remember everything, and still support and stick with each other no matter what happens? Two years isn't so long, but it's enough. It's enough to make me realize how much I want to be with you, just like this, for however long we both live. It's enough to make me see that you're... you're the love of my life. We could be together for two more years, five, or ten... but I like the sound of "forever".

[At first, Billy doesn't really get it. It doesn't click, what's happening here. He listens, of course, nodding quietly, fighting back a flinch at the 'crazy' part, because- yeah, and puzzling over the point of all of it. And then-

"However long we both live."

It's like a puzzle piece, sliding easily into place. The picture becomes clear, the words coming together to bring to light what this situation is. Teddy's speech takes an unexpected turn, and Billy stares, because even as he's hearing Teddy say all of that, he's still not sure he believes it. Because- because it could just be a commitment thing, like a promise for the future, to stay together no matter what experiments come their way, it doesn't have to mean what it sounds like, but it sounds like, it sounds like-

He doesn't trust his voice, with his breath caught in his throat the way it is, and he doesn't want to interrupt either, in case Teddy stops and doesn't do... whatever he's doing (it sounds like it sounds like oh god it sounds like--), so all he does is stare, mouth partly agape, trying very hard to remember to breathe as he waits.

Forever, forever, he said forever, he said as long as we both-]

[There's a small pause as Teddy tries to tell himself to look up at Billy's face. But he shakes it off, knowing that if he does, he might just chicken out, and so he keeps his eyes on their hands instead.]

I know we're young. I know people are going to think we're not ready. That we might... [No, that's one of the major factors in why he's been so afraid to go through with it, don't address it - ] I know we'll go back home sometime. But until we do, I know I can't spend another minute not letting you know how much I want this. And I know that if we did go back, and I never said this to you, or asked what I'm going to ask, I'm going to regret it even if I don't remember it. Who knows what'll happen back at home? But right now, I know that this is what I want. I've never felt more ready or sure of anything, and I don't care how old we are. I'm not going to wait a few more years just to let everyone approve of us. I want to be with you, now and forever, and I want to make it official.

[Finally, he does look up, a smile that's all too nervous and yet all too sincere.]

But this is another thing we need to do as a team. I can't do it unless you want it too, so...

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