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

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[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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[Well, okay, he'll indulge a little. Technically you're never too old for the birthday song. He does blink at that last bit, though, tilting his head up to try and get a decent look at Teddy, albeit one at a weird angle.]

...Is it terrible that I'm now a little sad we don't match that song anymore?

[It was an admittedly shameless four months of quiet glee, okay.]

[Teddy tilts his head down to indulge Billy, lips quirked up with amusement. Really, he either expected this or some kind of pleasantly surprised reaction, both good in their own ways.]

That is terrible. You're going to be a wreck when we both turn eighteen, aren't you?

[He lowers his arms so that they hang more loosely, giving Billy proper room to blow out the candles.]

Candles time.

I'm gonna cry. Great big Alice-the-doorknob-drowning tears, you'll see.

[Still, he leans in to go ahead and blow the candles out, though he doesn't quite manage it all in one breath. It gets kind of tricky the higher you get.]

All right, Crocodile Tears Kaplan.

[He still tilts his head down a little further to press a kiss to Billy's hair once all the candles are blown out, then reaches out to grab the knife he brought with him, pulling it closer to his boyfriend.]

If you'd do the honors? I need to get something else. [He pulls back, too, though he won't leave until Billy cuts into the cake and sees what kind Teddy made for him.]

First things first- this is a Kaplan family tradition.

[He reaches down to pull a couple of the candles out of the cake, sticking them into his mouth to lick the icing off. As soon as he tastes it, though, he goes still, eyes widening.]

Cream cheese? Oh my god, you're kidding-

[He snags a few more candles, sucking absently on the ends and taking the knife to cut a piece now that a section's been cleared of wax. And- yep, just as he suspected. There's only one kind of cake he likes that goes perfectly with cream cheese icing.]

Carrot cake. Are you trying to slay me with awesome one step at a time, T?

[Yeah he might as well just admit defeat now- his face is going to seriously hurt from all this smiling before the day is over.]

Oh, yeah. I'm your new worst enemy, B.

[He shoots a teasing look over his shoulder as he walks away again, this time towards his own room. Once inside, he cleans a bit, seeing how his project cause something of a mess, and checks to make sure his present is perfect for the umpteenth time, and gives Billy plenty of time to eat his first slice of cake.

Once he returns, he holds a wrapped present in his hands, and he raises his eyebrows as he moves the free chair around to sit beside Billy.]

So, what did I score on the cake?

[By the time Teddy returns, Billy has not only licked every single candle clean, but also cut himself a hefty slice of cake, and is just polishing off the last couple of bites. He looks utterly smitten and thoroughly sated.

Teddy gets something of a dramatic response at first, as Billy lifts his fork, one last smear of icing twisted around the tip-]

"On a scale of one to ten, you are an eleven."

[And then, more seriously, right before he helps himself to the last bite-]

So that's what you were up to. You were gone so long I was about to go looking for you.

And pull yourself away from the cake? [He places his palm against his chest rather dramatically.] Billy... I'm touched.

[But he can't keep that up, so Teddy ends up chuckling and lowering his hand, then raising them both up to set the present on the table between himself and Billy. Judging by how he carefully sets it down, there must be something important inside.]

When you get the chance, go ahead and open this. Unless you think you won't survive another awesome assault.

After all this, I'm genuinely terrified for my life.

[More (really) genuine is his curiosity, though, so after a quick scrape of his fork to get the last of the icing off his plate, he pushes the cake and dishes aside to slide the box over to himself. Just what could be inside to make Teddy so interested in his reaction?

The answer is pretty damn obvious when he rips off the paper, opens the box, and stares.

A long moment of immobile silence follows, after which Billy calmly sets down the box. Calmly stands. Calmly walks around the table to where Teddy is sitting.

And then not-so-calmly flings himself at his boyfriend with quite possibly enough force to knock him (and the chair) right over.]

[Teddy was expecting a few things, yet this was not one of them. He's completely thrown for a loop when Billy stands up and goes to him, and ends up yelping in surprise when he's practically tackled by his boyfriend. If he'd been standing, it probably wouldn't have much effect, but with just the chair, both he and Billy tip right over and end up in an awkward pile on the floor.

But he still laughs, holding his boyfriend against him and looking down at him fondly. Yeah... He knew getting that was a good idea, even if it meant spending a few points that were saved for Tony and Jane's project.]

I take it this means you like it?

[He'd probably feel bad for knocking them over if Teddy didn't have a healing factor- or, more likely, if Teddy wasn't laughing. And even if the impact was awfully jarring, Billy still grins down at his boyfriend, arms braced on either side of his head.

If the sudden tackling wasn't enough of a hint about how he feels about the gift, the sudden attack of kisses over every facial feature that Billy can think to kiss is a pretty good one by itself.]

Probably- [Kiss-] A safe- [Kiss-] Assumption- [Kiss-] To make-

[KISS. And the grand finale is a much longer one, right on the lips, his hands shifting a little to twist in Teddy's hair.]

[Teddy shuts his eyes and sets free more quiet laughter from the kisses, although he's effectively shushed when they reach his lips. He lets out a hum instead, one hand moving to the back of Billy's head and the other resting against his neck, and returns the kiss, fighting the smile against his lips lest it just ends up feeling awkward.

There's no small amount of passion either, so when the kiss finally breaks, Teddy's slightly breathless, and he looks at Billy with the wide, happy smile that he'd been forcing back.]

Happy birthday. I knew you missed it.

[The smile on Teddy's face is just one more reason to celebrate, and Billy gives him one more quick peck on the lips before rolling off and pushing himself upright, offering a hand out to pull Teddy back to his feet before he returns to the box to give his gift a proper examination, pulling the camera out at last. It would have gotten a pretty damn pleased response if it was just a camera, but it had only taken a few seconds to recognize that it was much more than that.

No, it was his camera, the one he'd had back home. Right down to the nicks and scratches of much-loved use, the labeled SD card, the white-out dots on the surface that defined his favourite settings. It was perfect. Everything was perfect.]

I can't believe you got it... I think- [Click-] Oh my god, there's even photos on the card...!

Don't worry, I didn't look at any of the photos. Tempting as it was.

[He grins as he sits down at the table again, reaching under it briefly to take the guitar he hid under it.] You can look at them if you want; I think we've got enough time.

[Yes, that does mean he has more planned. But he won't elaborate, instead he just smirks a little as he tunes the guitar, and then begins to play, as if passing the time to let Billy look at photos he'd taken before he came here. But if Billy pays attention, what Teddy's playing might be very familiar.]

[Billy grins, his cheeks a little pink, because- okay, he's kind of predictable, because he's already using the camera's view screen to flip through the photos. He's quiet while Teddy's tunes up, glancing over a couple of times curiously before the pictures catch his attention again.

It's like a massive nostalgia trip; there's the view from the apartment window during a particularly nice sunset, his parents banter in the kitchen, his brothers playing Mario Kart with Tommy, a dozen or so shots of the cityscape that he'd taken on his and Teddy's last flying date before the SRA went live, and- even some pictures of Mrs. Altman, elegant, smiling, and approachable as ever, shot during his final visit to Teddy's place before she died. Something to save for later, so as not to upset Teddy right now, but definitely a treasure he hadn't expected. More surprising is a series of photos he can't even remember taking, as if the camera had come from Teddy's time, not his own. He'll have to ask about that.

When the song starts, though, he's immediately distracted. Those chords are instantly recognizable to him, and the fact that Teddy's learned to play them is just as much of a delight as the extravagant set across the room from their seats. He lowers the camera, at first watching Teddy play with an expression that could only be described as adoring, and before long he closes his eyes, just listening contentedly to the music and letting it carry him away. Next step is to hum along, then to mouth the words, and then - during the last verse - he's singing quietly along without even realizing it.

God, but he loves that song.]

[While he'd love to see Billy's reaction, Teddy can't exactly look up without messing the song up, so he just smiles a little while he looks down at what he's doing. He'd been practicing this song much longer than preparing the apartment, waiting for a moment just like this to play it for Billy. Considering the soft singing he can hear at the end, he made a good choice.

Teddy definitely isn't one for Sound of Music, having never actually seen the movie all the way through without nodding off on Billy's shoulder. But the parts he has seen, he's paid attention to, and he'd hear Billy hum or mouth the words to the songs, and this one always gave him a soft, content smile. That's how Teddy knew which one to play.

When he looks up, he definitely knows he made the right choice. His smile grows, and he lowers his head again, strumming the strings lightly to gear up for another song.]

When you feel like it, let's head to the Battledome. I've got something else there for you. [And after he talks, he plays again, another song Billy ought to be familiar with.]

[Billy's brows lift at that - oho, he gets a treat over there, too? It's a busy evening - but instead of getting up to tug Teddy into leaving, he crosses his arms and leans them on the table, resting his chin on them and watching Teddy again, looking perfectly content.]

Or I could sit here and let you keep serenading me. There's nothing quite so alluring as a hot guy with a guitar.

[Teddy grins in response, though doesn't say anything else. Again, it's a matter of concentration. It's hard to do something like play guitar and thinking about what words to say at the same time, as he's come to learn a while ago.

Once he's finished, he taps the front of it, then leans forward to give Billy a smile. There's something in his eyes that makes him look excited, maybe for what he has in store, or maybe for what he says next.]

By the way, we're not going to teleport there. Let's fly.

[Billy's eyes widen slightly at that, and he slides back his chair and straightens up, eyeing the camera for a moment before slinging the strap over his shoulder. If they're going flying, he's totally going to take advantage of them being in the sky, oh yes.]

I'm okay with that. We haven't gone for a while, have we?

[He steps up to Teddy, taking his hand and giving it a light squeeze - and leaning in to give him one more kiss - before he pulls back, heading for his room.]

Just let me get my coat and I'll meet you in the kitchen.

[It's got the best take-off window, after all.]

All right.

[Teddy watches him go, a look on his face that can only be described as fond, before he stands and heads to the kitchen, already starting to unbutton his shirt. He has these clothes on for a reason, as they're plain and unassuming, and will do a better job of fitting in with the scenario his has planned than anything else he has.

So when Billy gets to the kitchen, Teddy's already at the open window, looking out at the sky with the sleeves of his shirt tied around his waist. When he hears his boyfriend come in, he smiles, both happy to see him and amused by what he's wearing; he so knew it.]

Ready? [He holds out his hand for him. Even just this part, taking off together, is wonderful to Teddy.]

[He tries not to be predictable, honest, but when he gets to his closet to grab his coat and his uniform is just hanging there, practically begging...

...well, what's the harm? So of course he comes out wearing his Wiccan cape instead, totally unashamed. It's his birthday, dammit, he'll wear what he wants.]

Ready.

[He returns the smile and accepts Teddy's offered hand, his gaze running (equally shamelessly) over the blond's bare chest before they both step out of the open window and take off into the sky, one with powerful flapping wings and the other drifting weightless on a current of blue magic. He loves this every time, with the glow around their bodies and the beat of air with each movement of Teddy's wings, the warmth of their joined hands and the way the ground gets smaller and smaller the further they go.

He looks at Teddy again, this time focusing on his face, and floats closer to brush his shoulder up against his boyfriend's.]

How did you know this is exactly what I wanted?

Oh, I don't know. Probably because it's exactly what I wanted, too.

[He takes to gliding now that Billy's closer, not particularly wanting to hit him with his wings, and just looks at him with a warm smile, cheeks slightly flushed to back up his statement. He loves this just as much as Billy does, feeling the wind through his hair and the warmth of his lover's hand contrasting against the nip of the winter air. Seeing the ground so far beneath them, watching the sights that would be impossible to see from below, being so close to the sky - Teddy loves everything about it, and it makes him so grateful that he thought wings might be a good idea a year ago, and Billy backed him up on it.

With him looking at Billy like this and seeing that expression, Teddy just can't help himself; he leans his head over to press his lips against his boyfriend's, though not for too long, seeing how he needs to watch where he's going. The whole flight would just be ruined if they crashed into a bird mid-kiss, huh?]

Edited 2013-02-08 06:50 (UTC)

[Billy half-laughs against his lips, breaking the kiss and bumping his forehead against his boyfriend's, thinking much the same thing. It's not like it would ruin the date or anything, but it would make things a little awkward. Albeit hilarious.

Token affection wholeheartedly returned, he lifts his free hand to tug the cap off his camera, turning it on and lifting it to his eye to snap a picture of Teddy, grinning behind it.]

To capture the moment! Not that I'll be forgetting it anytime soon.

[Teddy had, at first, looked a little surprised to see the camera pointed at him, but he managed to give a smile just before the picture went off. And wow, it even gave a flash, something that was missing from Billy's iPhone. He blinks hard, then lets out a soft chuckle as he lets go of Billy's hand, veering off to the side slightly.]

In that case, go nuts. You've got to be dying to use that thing.

I've been dying to take pictures in general. You should see my phone, it's already half-full of photos.

[He has no idea how much space he's got, but at least he has his laptop back, so that's not really a concern. He gets three or four photos of Teddy before he turns the camera on the scenery, taking pictures of whatever looks interesting.]

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[action] teddy are you trying to kill him

[action] maybe a little

[Action] ye devil

[Action] only for you bb

[Action] sickening

[Action] totally

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