halfnhalf | 004 - Action/Voice

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004 - Action/Voice

[Action]

[Although Teddy didn't go on the draft, he knew plenty of friends who did. Once he was certain they were all accounted for, though some had gone through some heavy losses, he felt like he could relax a little. And with relaxation, it dawned on him that he hadn't really practiced his shifting ability in a while. Sure, there was his Hulkling form, but he knew that one. Knew it inside and out. What about others?

This is why he sits by the edge of the fountain, homework and pencil in hand, though he doesn't work so much as watch people over the top of the page. He's inconspicuous about it, as this is a hobby he's developed for some time now.

And when he's sure he's not in anyone's range of vision, he transforms, shifting into the form of the person he's got his eyes on. That's when he stops watching them and looks down at the body he's impersonating, just to study the shape, occasionally glancing up to make sure he has everything right. Even when the person's left, he still stays in that form for a few long moments before he shifts back, writing his answers in his homework once he's satisfied with the shape he's in.

Observe, learn, shift, hold. This is what he's learned over the years, though it's been a while since he's done this for selfless reasons. Just for practice, nothing more.]

[Voice]

[It's sunset and he's still outside, though he appears to be walking back home. There's just one thing on his mind, something that occurred to him while shifting.]

Anyone up for playing b-ball sometime? It's been way too long since I actually got to play against someone. Holograms just don't really cut it, you know?

[He would suggest football, but, well. When you've got the ability to possibly break someone in half with a good tackle, that probably isn't the best sport to go for.]

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[Billy's gaze shifts to their joined hands, his fingers tensing against Teddy's, brows furrowing a little. At first there's just confusion, then bewilderment, and then finally focus. That was electricity. That was a message from his body, the very core of him, telling him that it's time. That the wait is over. Hesitantly he begins to chant, at first so faintly it's almost silent, gradually rising in volume.]

...I want... I-I want... I want I want IwantIwantIwantIwantIwantIwant...

[Initially, it does nothing, and he worries that it isn't back at all, but the truth is he doesn't really want anything. What he'd wanted desperately all this time is the one thing that was out of reach: for his magic to be back. And now it is.

Instead he shifts back to the basics: eyes closed, deep breaths, intense focus. Over time he feels the heat forming around his hands, spreading along his arm to cover the rest of his body, and a shaky, relieved smile crosses his lips. He's glowing, even if his eyes aren't open to see it. The experience is unforgettably familiar. He's glowing and it's magic.

A minute or so later, when he finally opens his eyes, the glow has eclipsed both of them, surrounded them and lifted them off the bench and at least two feet into the air.

And he grins like he could light up the sun.]

I want to fly.

[A memory surfaces, of the two of them sitting on Teddy's bed and practicing just like that, his mother's self-help books spread around them like ritual candles and holding hands to "better the flow" or something. It was a little more chaste, considering they had just started dating by that time.

Now Teddy looks all around - the glow around them, the ground below them, their entwined hands, and finally, up at Billy, and - and he looks so incredibly beautiful. It's not just the magic, but it's the smile, that dizzying smile that can make the world start spinning again and everything around him to become brighter, more colorful.

For a moment, Teddy has to stare, and his expression can only be described as joyful adoration. But then Billy states the obvious, and then Teddy has to state the obvious too.]

You're doing it... You got it! [He squeezes Billy's hands, allowing his legs to stretch and his body to tilt forward slightly.] Look at you - You got it!

I've got it!

[Billy can't help but echo the exclamation, eyes bright, kicking his legs a bit to get them turning in the air. It's sappy and silly and kind of childish but he's so happy at this point he can't bring himself to care. He's here with Teddy and he has magic again and he can fly...]

Hey- grab your stuff, okay? I want to go flying for real.

[His expression is eager and hopeful- he's not sure if Teddy's finished doing whatever he was hanging out here to do, but he really wants to go, and he wants to share this moment with the most important person he has in his life here. And sure, they've gone flying plenty of times before, and it's not like this time is particularly special, it just feels like it is.]

[Teddy can't help it - he laughs out loud when Billy turns them around, bright and happy, because Billy's joy is just that contagious. And in Teddy's humble opinion, Billy didn't even need to look hopeful for that request. He gives his hands another squeeze, then uses Billy's weight to push himself downward and outside of the magical glow.]

I think I can work flying into my schedule! [He didn't bring much, just his backpack along with his homework, which he's already stuffing away now that he's on the ground. He'd been thinking of sticking around and copying the appearance of more people, possibly with Billy beside him and comparing the original with the copy, but this? He really doesn't mind stopping his self-training for the day for this.

Once his backpack is on his back, he looks up at Billy with a big smile, contemplating something for a moment... and then he reaches up to take Billy's hands again. He pulls himself up into that magical field again, feeling himself go weightless once more, and he gives his boyfriend's hands a gentle squeeze.]

Ready when you are, babe.

[Billy responses merely with a cheeky grin, twining their fingers together and giving them a little push with his magic, allowing them to glide higher into the air and over the village. It's been a bit of a drizzly day, but for the moment the weather's behaving, giving the sky a soft grey look now accented by the gentle glow around their bodies. He keeps switching between looking ahead and looking at Teddy, feeling that same thrill he'd felt the first time they flew like this - the experience of owning the sky, of sharing it with someone special. There's really no words that could describe it that would equal the sensation. The wind is chilly but Teddy's hand is warm against his own, and he swears he hasn't felt this good in weeks.]

Oh my god, I've seriously missed this. I'm gonna spend all day teleporting from room to room.

[Teddy has a grin of his own as he looks out ahead of him, and with his posture, you'd think he was born to fly. It's certainly a far cry from the very first time Billy flew with him like this, with Teddy holding on tight and staring with wide eyes, only to slowly grow less terrified and more ecstatic with the realization that he's flying.

And now, he doesn't even think to wonder if Billy's powers are weak thanks to being gone for so long, if he should use his own wings or if he should ask if this is all right. All that he has is full and complete trust for his boyfriend and his abilities. And he has to admit that he's missed this - not just flying with Billy, but Billy using his power to fly them both.

He, too, alternates between looking ahead and at Billy, and when their gazes happen to catch, he gives a little chuckle and brushes their shoulders together. One of those times is when Billy speaks, and Teddy keeps himself close, shoulder to shoulder.]

Just don't get too lazy. I don't want to catch you pulling a Merlin and Higitus Figitusing the room on me.

Ha! I'd only do that if I was going to move.

[He gives Teddy's hand a little squeeze. He's honoured by Teddy trusting him to fly them both like this after so long with no magic at all, though he isn't surprised by it; Teddy had trusted him when he'd been terrible and inexperienced and far more likely to drop right out of the sky than reach their destination.]

And why would I ever want to leave our place?

[He can't quite bring himself to call it home yet - still clinging to the notion that they'll go to their real home soon, together - but it's getting there. And it's theirs the way that his parents' place will never be, that much he knows.]

[That's all right, because Teddy can't bring himself to call it home either. And even if he did in the future, he knows it won't be his real home. It'd be a temporary one at best, with the hustle and bustle of the New York life waiting for him back at his real one.

But with that question, Teddy lifts a brow and gives Billy's shoulder a little nudge with his own.]

I can think of a good reason. We live on the fifth floor without an elevator.

[At least they're not living on the eighth floor. And he's mostly teasing - he loves their place, especially loves their neighbors, and it really is theirs in a way it couldn't be back at home.]

Edited 2013-04-14 00:50 (UTC)

[Billy can't help but laugh at that; it is a bit ridiculous that they live so high up when there were rooms available on the lower floors, and half the time he cheated by coming in through the kitchen window anyway.]

You know, I was going to use the excuse that I picked the place because Luke Skywalker lived down the hall, but I didn't even know he was there until after I moved in. I just knew I'd miss the altitude. I was raised in an apartment sixteen floors up, after all.

Yeah, but you had an elevator, right?

[It's not that Teddy gets tired or anything; it can just wear on his patience sometimes, having to jog up all those flights of stairs. Going through the kitchen window is nice, though.]

But I can't argue. We lived on the third floor before I moved. Living on the fifth floor is a good compromise. [Even if there is no convenient elevator.]

[Billy snorts faintly, floating a bit closer to tip-toe his fingers up Teddy's back, grazing over the feathers of his wings before withdrawing.]

Says the guy who can pull wings out of his back at will. I bet you like the exercise.

[It's a good thing that Billy's the one focusing on flying the two of them and not Teddy. It's when Billy's fingers get to just below his wings that he feels a shiver start to come on, and then it becomes unrestrained when he feels them brush over his feathers. It's not the jump and arch he did when Billy first did that to him, but it's still so sensitive to someone else's touch.]

Yeah, I do. But one of these days I'm going to break the stairs by stepping down too hard. I've done it before.

[Don't be cranky, bf, it's just a bit of stairs.]

Well, thankfully you not only live in a building that apparently fixes itself when it breaks, but you have a boyfriend who can zap it better on request. So broken steps are no big deal.

[That makes Teddy give a brief pause, then smile affectionately, somewhat shyly, and move his hand brush his fingers across Billy's hairline. Funny how just a few words can make a little annoyance like lack of elevators turn into full on, dopey love once again.]

Yeah. I do.

[Because it's not only the fact that Billy can use his magic again, after so long without it, but also that this person is his boyfriend. How did he get so lucky again?]

[And of course that makes Billy pause, glancing over at Teddy, his expression both curious and slightly flustered. How is it that even though they've gone all the way in pretty much every manner that a couple can, and such tender touches and tone of voice can still get him blushing?

Shyly burying it with a quiet huff and a cough, he floats in close enough that his shoulder bumps against Teddy's, giving his hand a squeeze.]

Maybe we just need to work on teaching you how to be light on your feet. You can be like a... Hulk ninja. Or something.

Haha... you're rambling a little, you know.

[Still, it makes him smile and squeeze Billy's hand in return; it's cute and all.]

... Besides, I don't think the Hulk could be a ninja no matter how hard he tried at it.

[The rambling comment - and Teddy's expression, because by now Billy knows the gist of what Teddy's thinking, and that expression just screams I am indulging your cuteness which is just infuriatingly sweet - makes Billy clamp his mouth shut, determined to be quiet and therefore not ramble, but he only manages it for about twenty seconds. Damn his free spirit or whatever.]

That's just unfair. Now I can't dare you or challenge you or anything because you're the one who be testing that theory. Totally uncontrolled bias there.

[No no no, really, the image of Hulk trying to sneak around in a ninja outfit is just hilarious and he's trying to imagine him being quiet. It's just utterly amazing, and he kind of wants to draw it or something, except he can't draw unless it's stylized and stylized, to some people, equals laziness.]

What would you dare me to do, anyway? Give Hulkling a ninja outfit?

I was going to suggest you trying to get from the bedroom to the kitchen as Hulkling without the kids hearing you- [Because that's totally what their furry infants have become-] But that sounds even better.

[They really have, so Teddy doesn't even hesitate to tilt his head and glance upwards as if in thought.]

Hulkling in a ninja outfit... and going from the bedroom to the kitchen without waking up the kids.

Well, well. Look who's trying to one-up me now.

[He quirks a brow, fighting back a smile.]

Now, to figure out the stakes...

[please don't say lack of sex]

How about... if I win, and I end up alerting the kids no matter how quiet I am, I get access to your laptop for a week. Gotta catch up on Skyrim and everything else of mine you've got on there.

[please don't say lack of sex]

[Like that wouldn't be self-flagellation, Teddy.]

Whaaat? Like you don't have that already...

[Though, okay, he is on his laptop an awful lot. And it isn't such a terrible loss since if Teddy's on his laptop and he needs one, there's still Teddy's...

...hmm. In retaliation, though, what to do.]

Fine, whatever. But if I win, mm...

[How can he make it worth Teddy's while to actually try to pull it off.]

...If I win, I'm gonna go to the library, and...

[He leans over, tugging Teddy in closer to whisper in his ear something lengthy and teasing, involving kama sutra and contortion and practice and a few other things that have no business being discussed in a public place. And when he draws back he has to look away because he honestly can't look Teddy in the eye again.]

Edited 2013-04-18 09:31 (UTC)

[Teddy looks both curious and amused when he's dragged in closer, but when Billy starts whispering, that smile fades, and in its place is his cheeks growing redder and redder, and by the time Billy pulls away, even parts of Teddy's ears are red. He can tell thanks to his earrings feeling cooler against his ears than usual, and - oh god that is not what he's focusing on right now.]

U-Uh... Can we... do that sometime in the, ah... future anyway?

I make no promises, especially with a potential victory hanging in the balance. How could I possibly give away my trump card?

[He still won't look at Teddy, free hand lifting to scratch awkwardly at his cheek, which is still bright red, as if even he can't believe that such a suggestion came out of his own mouth.]

You'll just have to make a choice between... that, or Skyrim, I guess.

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