selfhelp | [IC] Appointments Post

[It's in the middle of the night when it happens. Teddy hardly wakes up for anything, but the feeling of a tightness all across his body and the sound of ripping cloth manages to rouse him enough to try to figure out what's going on.

First, the clothes he's wearing are way too small for him, and yeah, they're purple, but they're like... a lavender color. Second, Billy is not there with him, and Billy's made it a point to be there most of the time when Teddy wakes up. He shifts himself smaller just to make the clothes less comfortable on him, then gets up to get some other clothes for him.

In the closet is another mystery. His clothes are still there, yes, but half of them are girl clothes that are still too small for him, and most of Billy's clothes are missing too. With his half-groggy mind, Teddy has to look back and make sure that this is actually his room, and - one look at the ceiling confirms that yes, it is. The universe above him is dark and idle, indicating that Billy's sleeping. But he's not in the bed...?

With new pajamas on and the older ones discarded, Teddy ambles out of the room, eyes still partially in a squint and hair a mess. It doesn't take too much wandering to find Billy laying there on the couch, asleep and covered up, and Teddy takes a moment to stare blearily before he leans over the back of it.]

Billy? Billyyyy... [What is he even doing on the couch, Teddy doesn't remember putting him in the proverbial doghouse or anything...]

[It usually doesn't take much to wake Billy up, even at such an absurd hour; being a light sleeper can be both blessing and curse at times. After a moment or so he stirs at Teddy's voice, curling up in a reluctant ball on one end of the couch, then rolls partway over and lifts a hand to rub at his eyes. Clarity and memory peek through the fog of his sleep-deprived mind- exiling himself to the couch, the week he's had, Teddie sleeping in the room they used to share...

God, what time is it?]

Hmm...? Did something happen...?

'pparently. What're you doin' on the couch?

[It's even more confusing, Billy seeming to act like nothing happened. Teddy rubs at an eye, trying to figure out just how to word "There are girls' clothes in our closet and I don't know why Billy are you trying to tell me something" properly in his sleep-fogged mind. So far, he's getting nothing.]

[Billy immediately goes still, slowly sliding his fingers down his face to uncover his now-open eyes so he can stare. The voice is Teddy's. And the face is Teddy's. Not the girl, not some alternate universe fun-but-not-who-he-wants version, but his Teddy. His breath catches in his throat, and he keeps his hands where they are, pressed over his mouth, his voice muffled. Nearly all traces of sleep are gone, now- he's awake but not entirely sure that he is.]

...Is this a dream?

[Don't wake up don't wake up don't wake up-]

Um. [Teddy looks back at their room, where the door is open and the shredded girl-pajamas lie on the floor.] I was about to say no, but I just ripped through some clothes and I found some girl ones in the closet, so I dunno anymore. But prob'ly not.

[Billy can't help but have doubts, because he is seriously not this lucky ever, but he won't just lie here and wonder about it. With Teddy's confirmation he finally drops his hands down to use them as leverage, getting up to his knees so he's high enough to lean in and get his arms around Teddy's waist, burying his face in his boyfriend's shirt. Sure feels real to him.]

...Oh my god... oh my god, Teddy... thank god, you're...

[He can't help it- much as he tries to fight, he starts trembling, shaken with relief and the worry he'd been holding on to and hiding all week. This can't be a dream. Even his own subconscious wouldn't be so cruel.]

[... Well. That makes Teddy wake up, or at least a little more. He pauses, blinks a few times to get more sleep out of his eyes, then winds his arms around Billy, a bit concerned and a bit confused. What just happened here...?]

Bee? Babe, what happened? I'm okay, I'm right here...

[Now that he thinks about it... he did have a weird dream about walking around as a girl for a while. It's a bit fuzzy, but...]

[Billy wants to answer, wants to settle down immediately and reassure Teddy that he's fine, just fine. He wants to explain himself properly, too; by the obvious confusion in Teddy's voice, it's easy to tell that he doesn't remember what happened.

And that's... sad, in a way. Does that mean that Teddie was just a shifted creation? Or did they really switch places for a week? The fact that he doesn't have all of the answers makes it harder to speak, too.

More than that, though... how can he explain what he's feeling right now? The crushing relief of knowing that he didn't lose his love, that he doesn't have to endure this place without the man he'd promised to spend the rest of his life with? How can he describe the despair he'd been living with, the uncertainty, the juggle between enjoying his female counterpart's company and feeling Teddy's absence like a gaping hole in his heart?

There aren't really words for all of that. So he shakes his head a bit helplessly, shoulders shaking as he lets the grateful tears fall. He's not ready just yet. He just needs to indulge in this for a while.]

[Teddy would like to ask just what's wrong, even though bits and pieces are starting to come together, and he can almost guess at what happened. But instead of asking, he just shuts his eyes, tightens his hold and lifts a hand to run his fingers through Billy's hair. He knows, he knows that Billy will tell him in due time, that he just needs to get this out of him first. Sadness, maybe? Or is it relief? It must be relief, with the thanks he was giving earlier.

So Teddy just stays as he is, holding Billy close and letting himself be a solid presence, and giving his boyfriend all the time he needs.]

[It's a bit of both, now that everything's sinking in; the relief is much, much stronger, of course, and it shows in the way he clings to Teddy's body, but he can't help but wonder about the girl's fate. Was she okay? Was she back in her universe, with the one she loves? Did she even exist in the first place? He hopes she does. He doesn't like the idea of the last week being so utterly pointless. Teddy has enough existential issues as it is, and she was too real to be just some construct. Besides, the universe deserves a few extra Teddys.

The thought makes him smile despite the tears, and finally he tugs back a bit, sniffing and wiping at his eyes so he can look at Teddy properly.]

Sorry... sorry, I... it's okay. Everything's fine. Just... things have been weird, that's all. Do you... do you remember yesterday?

[Once Billy pulls back, Teddy cups his cheek and caresses his cheekbone with his thumb, a small smile on his own face. The smile Billy's giving in return makes the worry he's feeling lessen, until his own can grow a little.

With the question asked, Teddy opens his mouth to answer, then shuts it, frowns, and tries again, slower this time.]

... Sort of. It's... weird, like a jumble of different memories floating around in my head. I remember being here and talking to you and everyone else, but I was... [What does he even call it - ] different? But I remember things from back home too, except... you know. Also different. Those ones are a lot fuzzier, but...

[He remembers looking up at a pretty woman who almost looked like their version of Wanda, though there were a few differences. It's as if that was one of the happiest moments of his alternate's life, seeing the young woman cup his cheeks with love in her eyes and kissing his nose. He remembers a man with blond hair and blue eyes with a hand on his shoulder and looking at him with such concern, like a father would, and him having to look away and shift away the burning in his eyes. Three teenaged girls in costume grinning up at him and giving a thumbs up.

They're all brief and blurry, but he remembers them.]

[Huh. That's slightly more than Billy expected, actually, and he frowns thoughtfully, leaning further until he's sitting on the couch once more, hugging his knees to his chest. So it was still Teddy, after all? Or is it that much more complicated? God, trying to sort it out is just going to make his head hurt, isn't it.]

You were... shifted. Or switched with someone else, I'm not sure. It's been a week since then.

It felt... different from other shifts. [He says it as he climbs over the couch to sit beside Billy instead.] I know I keep saying different, but - it really was.

[He hopes it means that his alternate self was just that - an alternate, and not just a shift for the sake of a shift. He remembers the fear she felt during that week, the worry that everything she felt wasn't real after all. He has a feeling, however, that it is, and she's finally back with that smiling girl.

But Teddy's here now, in this reality, with the one he loves. Now that he's settled beside Billy, Teddy wraps an arm around his shoulders and pulls him against his side, then rests his chin on his hair.]

I didn't know it was a week, though... God, Billy, I...

[Billy leans gladly into the embrace, one hand sliding from his leg to lift and curl in the warm, familiar fabric of Teddy's shirt; he'd have shifted closer even if Teddy hadn't pulled him in. He's so glad to have Teddy back, he hates the very idea of separating even for a moment right now.]

It's okay now- it's okay. You're back. I'm fine, honest. The worst part was... not knowing, I think. I had no idea if it was a shift, or...

[... Or if he went back home. Teddy can finish that in his head.

As much as he wants to promise he won't leave Billy alone, there's really no way he can do that. They both know that they could wake up and find the other gone, brought back to their world and left with no clue as to what, and more importantly, who he just left behind. There's really nothing either of them can do about it, and it's another frustration added on to Teddy's list.

So instead of promising, Teddy pulls Billy a little closer, showing that he understands what he means.]

They'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to take me away from you. [He rubs his shoulder, a small half smile quirking up.] And you probably would've heard that before anything could actually happen.

Hah... I believe it. And they'd have a heck of a time dealing with the both of us, then.

[The cynic in him knows better- knows that people vanish without a fight or farewell, stolen or shifted silently out of the world and back to their own. But he doesn't want to think about that, not with Teddy back at his side again. He wants to believe that they'd go down fighting, that they'd leave together somehow. The alternative is just too lonely, and he'd already had enough of a taste of that to know he can't take more right now.

Instead he scoots closer still, nuzzling his head against Teddy's shoulder. This... this is much better.]

Welcome back...

Glad to be back.

[He nuzzles his cheek against Billy's hair in return, eyes shutting and enjoying the moment. They have a future together, a future they promised each other, and he doesn't like the idea that something could take that away in an instant.

But then, it's like that back on their own world as well, especially in the life of a teenage superhero. One of them could die, or decide that being boyfriends with a superhero is too stressful, or breaking up, or... anything, really. It's different, but still sort of the same. There's a risk in both worlds, and Teddy wants to treasure what he has for however long he has it in both.

With his eyes close, though, Teddy realizes just how tired he is. It is still in the middle of the night and all...]

Hey... wanna go back to bed? Our bed? You've probably had enough of sleeping on the couch.

[It feels like he could fall back to sleep just like this- cuddled up against his boyfriend, reunited and at peace with the one he loves. No need whatsoever for anything else. But Teddy's question brings to mind the stiffness his body has been feeling the last day or so, the result of prolonged time on a small, unsupportive couch rather than his own bed. He's kept that ache to himself to avoid making Teddie feel guilty about unintentionally booting him from the bedroom, but with his real lover back, he feels free to be honest about it.]

God, yes. One more night on this thing and I'm pretty sure I'd start walking like a ninety-year-old woman. Amazing and unfortunate how much you miss a box spring when it's gone.

Maybe we can get one of those sleep number beds. [He says it as he maneuvers the both of them up and off the couch, and though Teddy meant to keep going, he ends up cutting himself off with a huge yawn before shaking his head, then getting back on track.] Or, you know, memory foam. One of those things.

[He wraps an arm around Billy's shoulders, left hand in view... and that's when he realizes that there's something missing, something important. Teddy has a suspicion as to where it is, but he'd still like it back on him right away.]

Um. Going completely off the subject of beds for a second - Do you know where my ring is?

Oh crap, I forgot-

[Billy lets go of Teddy and reaches up behind his neck, undoing the clasp of the necklace he'd had tucked into his shirt. Drawing it out reveals Teddy's ring dangling at the center.]

Your, um... other self was wearing it when she woke up. I thought it would be safer if I held onto it, just in case.

[And there it is. Just the sight of it dangling there makes Teddy smile, especially knowing that Billy held on to it. He reaches up to touch his fingers against the band, which grows slightly in size to match, just as Billy spelled it to.]

Ha... good thinking. I wouldn't want to lose it for anything.

[And now that he knows Billy kept it, Teddy holds out his hand instead, and he ends up remembering just a few weeks ago, when Billy first gave him the ring.]

Wanna do the honors again?

...Hah. Well I sure as hell wouldn't say no.

[Grinning sleepily, Billy slides the ring off of the chain and onto the offered finger instead, curling his fingers under Teddy's palm and squeezing gently.]

Yeah... that's much better.

[... Yep. It's just as beautiful as it was when he first got it, and feeling it slide onto his finger is just as magical, too. Once more, they're showing their promise for their future, rather than just Billy having his own ring.

Speaking of which, Teddy glances down and... yup. There's the ring on Billy's hand too, not that Teddy doubted it was there. There's just... something about seeing both his and Billy's rings that sends a quiet thrill through him, and while he's too tired to show it with a kiss, he instead does so by shutting his eyes and pressing their foreheads together.]

No argument here.

[IC] Appointments Post

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