selfhelp | [Voice/Action] Forward-dated to the afternoon of the 9th

[He should have seen this coming- it's like it's some kind of retaliation for what he'd done on Teddy's birthday. He still manages to be surprised when Teddy shoos him out of the apartment some time after breakfast on the 9th, barely given time to grab his coat and stuff his laptop into a bag before he's been officially banished from his own home.

...Well then. Looks like he's in the wind today. First things first: while he isn't usually the type to announce this kind of thing, thanks to having the afternoon to himself (whereas usually his birthday is filled with doting parents and obnoxious little brothers vying for attention) he's feeling indulgent enough to go for it, and he remembers something in particular...]

Okay- first of all, question for everybody. Now that I know about that whole... Valentine's Day thing that's supposed to happen every year, does anyone know how to avoid it? Or should I just lock myself in my room for a few days and hope for the best?

And second, to the X-Men? If the team training is still on for today, it's probably safe to go ahead and assume I won't make it. I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday. But happy birthday to Logan whenever he gets back- 180 is a pretty big landmark, right?

[Hopefully he won't get killed for that one, but he just couldn't help himself. Even if the accuracy of that number is questionable.

The rest of the afternoon will be spent in the following ways: goofing off in the Battle Dome with some self-indulgent hologram scenarios blatantly ripped out of Star Trek, wasting time in Seventh Heaven with excessive amounts of coffee and his laptop like a proper teenage hipster, and then, when his battery's running dry, returning to building #5 to bully Teddy into feeding the laptop's power cord under the door, at which point he'll be curled up on the floor outside his apartment playing Minecraft or something while he waits for his boyfriend to finish... whatever he's doing in there.]

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[And once Teddy finds that note, he'll take a little break to stick it on the corner of his laptop, because he's a bit hopeless like that.

After a few minutes though, Teddy does indeed knock on the door, this time opening it enough to stick his head outside.]

Okay, I'm ready if you are. Or are we going to wait a little longer to get everything you lost back?

[It's weird. Of all the things one could nerd about, Kurt never considered his peers or teachers as one of the subjects.]

But he's an X-Man.

I was thinking about grabbing some lunch. Seventh Heaven? I'm already here.

Ah yes. Lunch is a thing, isn't it.

All right. I shall see you there shortly.

[And there he is!]

[Oh, it's that holiday again, isn't it? Saleh remembers it, but has pretty much given up on trying to avoid it.]

I don't think there is a way to avoid it, really, save for leaving the enclosure entirely. But I wouldn't be surprised if that stops working.

[Ororo's at the Danger Room when she spies Billy. She heard his little announcement over the journals earlier - something to ask him about in person, obviously. So she goes over to meet him once he finishes playing Star Trek, smiling warmly.]

Hello, Billy. Happy birthday.

[Billy's initial response is just a vague "hrmmm" sound, headphones on, barely attentive. He doesn't look up this time- the lava fall taught him a lesson in keeping his eyes on the screen.]

Hang on, I just found diamond.

Mmm.

[Well, time to lean his head against the door frame and watch what he's doing.

...

He still doesn't quite get what Billy sees in Minecraft - well, okay, he can see it. It's just not his thing, unless they're on Survival, or Billy's leading him somewhere. But as long as he's enjoying it, then Teddy likes it just fine.]

[Oh, right. Alternate universe.]

Yeah, he's one of those too. Where I'm from, team rosters are pretty flexible.

What, really? Am I an Avenger, too?

["Lunch is a thing", what even, Loki. Should he be worried about your eating schedule?

He waves Loki over to his table when he arrives, though, tugging his headphones off his ears and shutting his laptop to make room.]

There really is nothing more convenient than teleportation magic, is there.

[It takes about thirty seconds of fiddling before Billy sighs quietly and exits the game, pulling his headphones down to rest around his neck and glancing up mournfully at his ever-patient boyfriend.]

My pickaxe fell in lava anyway.

[He's not bitter at all, noooope.]

What exactly is valentines day anyways? Is it like christmas?

If the shifts can get my boyfriend out playing husband to some other hussy when he has me at home, do you really think being a hermit shall do you any good this upcoming week?

[Loki smiles at Billy, though there's no hiding the fact that he looks... tired.]

Nothing I can think of at the moment.

[He sits down with Billy and stretches out his legs.]

[... Pfft. Teddy smiles in response to that, and he opens the door a little further to allow his shoulders to fit, letting him smooth his boyfriend's hair back.]

I really am sorry. You'll get it back soon; you've got a lot more patience with that than I do.

[He leans down to kiss his forehead, then moves back while giving Billy a pat on the shoulder.]

Now, shut that down and come in here.

I think you mostly stuck with the X-Men, but they teamed up with the Avengers now and then, so it's not like you guys were rivals, really.

It's okay, I promise I'm not traumatized by my unexpected demise.

[He's more interested in what's waiting for him inside, actually, so he shuts the laptop and tucks it under his arm, rising to his feet.]

So? Do I need to close my eyes? Count to ten? Follow a trail of rose petals to the bedroom?

[He's had a lot of time to wonder what Teddy's up to, okay.]

What, like go on a mission or something? Because I could probably try to arrange that.

[Might be worth a shot, assuming he's allowed. And that Teddy can come along.]

[Wow, it's a good thing he hadn't tried to magic himself a tricorder or something after his foray into fictional space funtimes. That's a little too dorky to face Storm with even for him.]

Oh, hey Storm. Thanks, it's been pretty good so far.

Ah... kind of yes and no? I mean, it's like Christmas in that it's a holiday from Earth, and these days they're both mostly for giving gifts to people you care about. But Valentine's Day is something that usually gets celebrated by couples. Dating-couples, that is.

And if you're not dating anyone, then you're supposed to eat an entire tub of ice cream and watch movies or something. At least, that's the cliche answer.

Huh. That's pretty cool, I gotta say. [He can live with that. It's enough to bug Tony about later, at least. And then he smiles, now that he can focus on his original reason for seeing Billy.] By the way, man - happy birthday!

[He does look beat, good grief. Though with everything that's been going on lately, with the whole going-home plans, it's understandable.]

You look like you could use a break. Or at the very least a decent night's sleep.

That doesn't sound so bad, and how bad can the Malnosso make it? It can't be any worse than those creepy elves they sent for Christmas.

[....w...ell. How does one argue with that, really.]

I don't like the idea of just sitting around and waiting for the inevitable, though.

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[Voice/Action] Forward-dated to the afternoon of the 9th

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