selfhelp | [IC] Appointments Post

[Once the ring is on, all jokes and teases about the design just sort of... vanish from Billy's mind, even though a moment ago he'd had at least a dozen quips. Now, though, seeing it there, fitted so perfectly on his finger, like it was meant to be there, words seem to be entirely beyond him. All he can really do is stare, awestruck and delighted, his hand lifted a bit to model it for himself. Silver had always been more his colour, it's true, but this...

...yeah, he can definitely get used to wearing gold. Especially when it's something like this.]

...Teddy... it's perfect.

Only because you make it perfect.

[Teddy lets Billy admire it a bit longer, and then he can't help himself; he lifts his right hand to entwine his fingers with Billy's, indulging in the feel of the ring between them. It feels wonderful, like a physical reminder of just how far their relationship has come, how much further it will go, a promise that wherever the future goes, they'll always be at each other's side.]

It would've been pretty dull if it just stayed in the box.

Dork.

[He says it with affection as always, his gaze on their joined hands, seeing the ring between them, a beautiful splash of colour against their skin. Though the fact that it's only there once makes him recognize one single problem amid all that perfection.]

...You realize now I'll have to come up with something amazing for you too, right?

What, like a date, or...

[But then Teddy notices where Billy's gaze is. The ring?

Oooh...]

I mean... I don't know, I always thought - You know, the... proposee gets the ring, not the proposer.

[Still, there's a blush on his face at the thought. Being able to show that he's officially Billy's, taken and set for life with his lover by his side.]

Yes, because we're such a traditional couple.

[Billy laughs quietly at that, tugging Teddy closer to give that cute blush another kiss, already pondering the idea more seriously. A ring would be pretty tricky, with Teddy's shapeshifting... But what else would even work for an engagement...?]

I'll think of something. Why should I be the only one who gets to show it off?

[And visually announce to the world that he's taken, besides.]

You do have a point there, Kaplan.

[Hee. Kaplan. Maybe in the future, whenever they decide to actually get married - tomorrow or ten years down the road or here or back at home or wherever, maybe he can add that name to his own. The thought makes him grin giddily again, and he isn't sure if he should expect a ring or whatever, right now he's just so happy that he brushes noses with Billy and lets out a quiet laugh.]

Billy - Oh man, we're engaged. We're fiancés.

[Wow, he really, really likes the way that word sounds.]

[His face is going to hurt by the end of the day thanks to all of this grinning. Billy can't find it in him to complain, though. He's still too happy.

Teddy's comment earns him an even bigger smile - and another kiss, besides.]

Thanks to you, we are. And someday? We'll be husbands.

[If Teddy's cheeks could hurt, they probably would be thanks to all this smiling, made even happier thanks to Billy's comment. God, he feels like - He feels like -

Ah, screw it. With a louder laugh, Teddy holds Billy's waist and spins, lifting Billy up in the air as he circles a couple of times, then slows to a halt, lowering him enough to wrap an arm around Billy and let him be more stable against him, though not letting his feet touch the ground yet.]

Someday... You know how much I thought about this? Growing older with you, getting married, having our own place and everything? [Well, they already have their own place, but. Technically they are sharing it with Tommy.]

[Billy can't help laughing at that, his hands gripping Teddy's shoulders, leaning into the spin, although he doesn't doubt that his boyfriend can stay balanced enough to keep them both upright. It's super dorky, but Teddy's joy and enthusiasm is infectious, and he doesn't mind being manhandled at all.]

I thought about it too, sometimes... I just never thought it would happen, well... this soon, I guess.

[It wasn't all that long ago since he'd screwed everything up so badly, since he felt like he'd almost lost Teddy because of his stupid mistakes and the Malnosso's interference. But now? He feels like they've won. They fought for what they'd had before and made it stronger than ever, and now they're taking it - their relationship - further still.

He'd thought this dream was still far, far away, a whispered potential at best, but as usual, Teddy had surprised him and set him straight. Teddy was always doing that, taking his worst fears in hand, all his self-loathing and cynicism and the darker thoughts he'd kept hidden from everyone else and dragging him back to the light. He put up with all his faults the way no one else ever could, or would. All the more reason for him to say yes, and to never, ever let him go. Maybe he'd have been prepared to before, if Teddy had chosen it, if Teddy had...

...but no. Not now. He has a ring, and a fiancé, and he's going to work hard to be just as good to Teddy as Teddy's been to him. Anything less would be unacceptable.]

[Indeed, it's easy to hold the two of them up. Teddy keeps his arms around his boyfriend's waist, holding him up enough to have to look up at him and happy as a clam; he always loves the chance to get to show off his strength like this, in a more positive and harmless way.]

I know... same here. When I first started thinking about it, I thought it wouldn't be until... you know, like our twenties. But it just... felt right. Like I couldn't go a day without wanting to ask you.

[Knowing what they'd been through, what the Malnosso might make them do in the future, what happened to couples here and the memories when one returns to their home; it seemed awful to go through everything every day, look at Billy and realize that one day, they'll forget everything here, all that they did and experienced, and not live their lives to the absolute fullest. Heartbreak is something they'll have to go through, whether it's experiment-induced or because one went home before the other.

But they shouldn't have to live in fear because of it. Hesitation would only cause more regret in the end, and Teddy knew he'd regret so much if Billy went home without knowing how much Teddy wanted to spend his life with him. And if there's one thing he learned, with Billy being possessed and hurting them both, with people going home, and everything... life here is too short to hesitate.

So here they are, young and engaged. And Teddy doesn't regret a thing.]

[Billy had thought of all of those risks and more before today, but now they're a million miles away. He knows that any time he starts to worry about them, all he'll have to do is think about the ring around his finger and he'll feel better. That's how it should be, right? The love of your partner should overcome any obstacle, it should support you in any of the doubts you might have. That's the point.

And for Teddy to have been thinking about this for god-knows how long... it's so touching, Billy's at a loss for words. When did it start? When did he begin to wonder about it? When did he get the ring? Was it before or after everything went to hell? If it was after, god...

He really does love me. He loves me, no matter what I've done, no matter how little I'd felt I deserved it before. He loves me...

He shivers, fingers curling in the material of Teddy's shirt, and when the words still don't find his voice he leans in for another kiss, softer this time, tender and loving, all the emotions he's feeling but can't describe. It's wonderful, Teddy's wonderful, the ring's wonderful, and just... the very idea of being married, whether it's tomorrow or next year or years from now, it's all wonderful. It's what he's dreamed about and more than he'd ever hoped for.]

[It's so wonderful, and Teddy shows all of his love in return as he kisses back, keeping one arm around Billy's waist while the other reaches up to hold his cheek, and - god, what was he even afraid of now? It seems so silly, now that he's asked and Billy's said yes. How could he have almost taken it back again, given in to his fears and missed out on this, which is easily one of the happiest moments in his life?

If there had been any doubt left in his head after everything went to hell, if he still had any lingering thoughts that Billy wants something better than him, more conforming or better looking or whatever, that one word melted it away. Yes, and life became a bit more colorful than it already was with Billy in his life. Because now, even if Billy's sent home, the love they have, the one that Teddy's absolutely sure of, will stay.

By the time Teddy's body demands more air, and before it shifts to accommodate this, he's lowered Billy to his feet again, and when he pulls back, he keeps his eyes shut, breathless and so, so happy. He has a big, dimpled smile on his face and he doesn't even care how ridiculous it looks. All that matters is that Billy's here with him, here now and forever.]

Ha... We should probably get back home soon. Unless you want me to keep kissing you out here...

[A little breathless, but happily so, Billy opens his eyes, and he's glad that the first thing to greet him is Teddy's grand smile. Really, with this as a reward, with Teddy cemented firmly in his future now, how could he possibly have said anything but yes? It really was a no-brainer. He couldn't possibly do any better than Teddy, and he wouldn't want to try looking, either. His life is right here, right in front of him.

The suggestion to go home takes a couple of seconds to burrow through the bliss of his mind, and he glances around, feeling suddenly sheepish to have shared such a heated moment where anybody could have seen it. True, they are still pretty isolated, but...]

That's... probably a good idea. If we do that again I don't think I could stop.

Me neither... Don't think I want to stop, either.

[But first, they have to gather up everything they brought with them. It'd be kind of rude to leave their blanket and leftover food and everything. It's hard to let go, and Teddy ends up pressing another kiss against Billy's lips before he pries himself away with a little laugh. God, they're utterly hopeless.

Thankfully, with Billy's help, it doesn't take long at all to gather everything up again. With one arm holding the heavier things and the other around Billy's waist, Teddy looks down at him with a raised eyebrow, the nerves at his back already tingling.]

So. Should I fly my fiance home, or should we walk?

[It's kind of ridiculous how much he loves that word now. Fiance, fiance...]

[Billy's gaze shifts to the route home, then back to Teddy's face, and he's warmed by the tone of voice and the expression he sees there. Without another moment to think about it, he turns and winds his arms around Teddy's neck for extra support, his cheeks faintly pink as he smiles. He can see, out of the corner of his eye, the glint of the ring where his hand is touching Teddy's neck, and it makes him all the more sure. Fiance.]

I don't mind if you fly us home.

Home it is.

[Just as Billy can see the ring, Teddy can feel it against his neck, a sliver of coolness amid the warmth of Billy's hands. It's a feeling that makes him giddy, and one he can definitely get used to.

With his boyfriend's permission, Teddy tightens his grip securely around him, pushes his shirt up with a bit of shifting along his back, grows his larger wings, and takes off with both bundles in his arms. He grins against the wind; he felt like soaring when Billy said yes, and now, he can finally do that, too. And maybe, maybe someday, he can fly alongside his boyfriend again, each using their powers to own the sky and make it their own big wide playing field.

But even if that never happens, Teddy's fine with that. He loves Billy not for his powers, but for him, and Teddy is always willing to take him into the sky and make it theirs just like this.]

[It's been so long since they were in the air together, since Billy was in the air, that in the first few moments, his breath is taken away by the sudden rush, by the change of altitude, by the wind in his face. He blinks rapidly but forces himself not to shield his face or look away. He wants this, and the day's events have made him feel self-indulgent enough to acknowledge that fact. What he'd left on Teddy's note all those months ago was still just as true as it had been that day- he did miss flying, and experiencing it now is one more reminder of why. Teddy's arm around him, the wind in his hair, the freshness of the air above the village, above everything, the way his bare skin tingled from the slight chill.

It's different, being carried like this instead of flying himself there. He's not stupid or delusional, he can acknowledge that fact, too. His body doesn't have the same weightlessness as it did when he used magic to keep himself aloft, and it's only the speed of their flight that keeps him from hanging off Teddy like a deadweight. He's being carried by Teddy instead of soaring through the air at his side. And while it isn't necessarily bad, it's just... not the same.

One more thing to mull over later, maybe. Not now, though- now, he doesn't care how they get home, just that they're going. They're engaged now, they've a promise between them that didn't exist when they left, and he wants to spend the rest of the day celebrating that fact.

And in the meantime... well, he's going to enjoy the hell out of the flight, even if it isn't the way both of them would have liked it to be.]

[If it didn't take long for them to reach the cherry tree grove in the first place, then it takes even less time to get home. Teddy's a fast flier anyway, and the prospect of celebrating their engagement in the privacy of their place has got him wanting to get there even more.

There's a few more moments of disbelieving happiness, quiet laughter and joyful kisses, before Teddy reaches the window they usually went through after flying together. Even with Billy unable to help, Teddy's still got this covered; he shifts another arm to open the window, then uses that to help Billy get inside. Ever since that time months ago, Teddy's slightly weirder shifting to make things easier on himself or to get past an obstacle had been held back, hardly showing itself due to how... well, weird it was. Right now? He doesn't care how it looks; Billy loves him, Billy loves him and wants to spend forever with him, so why should he worry about how he looks when he shifts?]

Careful. [Not that he'd ever drop Billy, but...]

I'm always careful.

[Which is just about the most bald-faced lie he's ever told, but he doesn't care. He doesn't even look twice at Teddy growing an extra arm, merely lets the blond help him climb in the window and reaches back out to take the picnic basket so Teddy can join him. The sooner they get that out of the way and into their apartment, the happier he'll be- which is impressive, since he's already on Cloud Nine, so to speak.

It's a little sad that the flight is over, but he knows well enough that any time he wants to go again, all he needs to do is ask.]

[God, Billy didn't even raise an eyebrow or anything. Even now, a little more than two years since the day Billy took one look at his tested Hulkling form and looked about ready to wet his pants, he can look at the forms he takes without batting an eye, love him all the same and ask for nothing more or less, and make Teddy feels less like an alien in a human body.

And someday, he's going to marry this man. It's impossible to think of himself not loving him as much as he does, loving his smile and laugh and his honesty and openness and everything about him.

Once the basket is out of his hands, Teddy climbs inside with two arms instead of three, and - well, Billy better hope he put the basket down already, because Teddy's coming up behind him to grab him around the waist and lift him off his feet again. It's almost like he just doesn't want Billy to touch the ground that much - or he's so happy that his sense of tactile affection and love of sweeping Billy off his feet are at sickening levels.]

You know the last thing I'm thinking about is the picnic basket, right? [He says as he already heads to their door.]

[Billy sets free a gasping laugh, suddenly off his feet, and he can't help but wriggle a little, letting the basket drop on the closest surface he can reach as they pass by.]

Ha- no, but I can take a guess- oh my god, someone's eager.

[Not that he can really blame Teddy for being excited. They're one door away from the freedom to grab and cling and make out and god-knows-what-else, and he's pleased by the prospect, too.]

Was it that obvious?

[It's more of a rhetorical question at this point; Teddy hasn't felt this eager, excited and happy in a long while, not all at once at least. It's obvious and he knows it. And - Maybe in the past he was better at keeping his emotions in check, making sure the more embarrassing ones had been kept under wraps. But since meeting Billy, since he started to trust him and open up to him more, show how he felt and talked to him and just let him know things... He's been more comfortable showing it. Not fully, of course, but so much more than he'd been in years. It's yet another reason why Teddy wants to spend his life with him; he's sure he won't find that level of security and comfort with anyone else.

The thought only passes briefly through his mind as he finally, finally gets through the door. Still, he doesn't stop walking until he reaches the couch, where he deposits Billy before sinking down beside him. Immediately, his hands reach out to brush Billy's hair back and slide down to stroke his neck - Teddy's already tactile, how's he supposed to stop himself from touching his boyfriend now?]

So I was thinking of what day we'd pick when we get married - [And not if anymore, but when, wow.] It can be this year or whatever year we want it to be, but as for the day, I thought -

[Billy smiles musingly, leaning his body into the touch and sliding both hands up Teddy's shirt to his shoulders, working towards wrapping his arms around the blond's neck. When he thinks about a special date they'd both love to share, that they'd both easily remember, that doesn't interfere with birthday or holiday or anything else, there's only one day that comes to mind-]

May the 4th?

[It's them, after all. What else could it be?]

[And Teddy was just getting out the "M" part when Billy spoke up. He laughs a little as a result, helpless and so amused, and slides his hands down Billy's sternum to wind his arms around his waist.]

May the 4th. That's exactly what I was going to say.

[It's not even a solid date or any real plans - those can come later, when they actually are ready to be married. But just that, just the day and the knowledge that his new fiance is on the same wavelength, makes him so eager for the future.]

That is both super dorky and awesome at the same time.

[How very... them. Yeah, that's definitely the word for it. Though Teddy's words give him reason to pause, and he leans back a bit, eyes widening, one hand resting on Teddy's chest between them.]

But- wait- you want to do this here? Or- like- soon?

[He'd said this year or whatever year but what does Teddy want to do? Suddenly he's unsure.]

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