005 - Action/Voice
[Today marked a big day for Teddy Altman: He's eighteen today. If he were back in New York, he could vote in elections, own a credit/debit card of his own, and not have to groan over papers and applications that had a little note for people who were under eighteen. He's pretty much an adult now.
He still kind of feels like a young teenager who has no idea what he's doing, though, so he can't help being a little disappointed when he wakes up and doesn't suddenly feel like a man with a plan who knows everything and can do anything.
After gently being coaxed outside by Billy, Teddy decides to do all the things he usually does, seeing how Luceti is sorely lacking in ways to celebrate a milestone year like this. He wanders and chats up store owners, from the bakery to the weapon shop to Seventh Heaven to even the general store. He gets himself a large meal for lunch, as is customary for a guy like him, and orders his favorite just for today. He visits the library and reads up on whatever new comics they have, and that's where he gets lost in thought enough to open his journal and ask a question that's been on his mind since the day began.]
When someone turns eighteen, do they do anything special? It's a pretty big thing for teenagers in America; you can vote and get drafted and pretty much be considered an adult by the law. But does it mean anything in other worlds? Call me curious.
[He goes to the Battledome after that to simulate a basketball game – just to watch this time, not to participate. The 1992 East Regional Final, Duke verses Kentucky, one of the most suspenseful games in history and something that Teddy had watched on YouTube, but certainly not like this. It's no wonder that he's particularly hyped when he walks out. So much so that he takes to the sky as soon as he's outside, deciding that he'd rather take the joyride home rather than plain old walking. He's still a teenager, and he still feels pretty invincible even without that adult knowledge he was expecting, so why not?
Teddy might not feel any different, but it's still a pretty special day.]
He still kind of feels like a young teenager who has no idea what he's doing, though, so he can't help being a little disappointed when he wakes up and doesn't suddenly feel like a man with a plan who knows everything and can do anything.
After gently being coaxed outside by Billy, Teddy decides to do all the things he usually does, seeing how Luceti is sorely lacking in ways to celebrate a milestone year like this. He wanders and chats up store owners, from the bakery to the weapon shop to Seventh Heaven to even the general store. He gets himself a large meal for lunch, as is customary for a guy like him, and orders his favorite just for today. He visits the library and reads up on whatever new comics they have, and that's where he gets lost in thought enough to open his journal and ask a question that's been on his mind since the day began.]
When someone turns eighteen, do they do anything special? It's a pretty big thing for teenagers in America; you can vote and get drafted and pretty much be considered an adult by the law. But does it mean anything in other worlds? Call me curious.
[He goes to the Battledome after that to simulate a basketball game – just to watch this time, not to participate. The 1992 East Regional Final, Duke verses Kentucky, one of the most suspenseful games in history and something that Teddy had watched on YouTube, but certainly not like this. It's no wonder that he's particularly hyped when he walks out. So much so that he takes to the sky as soon as he's outside, deciding that he'd rather take the joyride home rather than plain old walking. He's still a teenager, and he still feels pretty invincible even without that adult knowledge he was expecting, so why not?
Teddy might not feel any different, but it's still a pretty special day.]
[action]
[It's business as usual for a few moments longer - really, really good business, mind - but then the angle's just right, and Billy suddenly cries out, a quick bark of delight and pleasure, his back arching, trying to do his part to help Teddy find that spot again, and again, and again. So good. It's always so good. And Teddy's sudden influx of bad language is always a good indication of how much he's enjoying it. So apparently today it's a lot.]
'm gonna wash your mouth out... soon as I get to it...
[He's okay with it being busy, though. He likes to be marked, too.]
[action]
[Teddy lifts away from Billy's neck in favor of pressing their foreheads together, eyes dark and hazy, a warm and delighted smile on his face as he just watches, getting lost in those beautiful brown eyes again and again as he pushes into him. When sensation forces him to move again, Teddy lets out a quiet moan near Billy's lips before he follows it, pressing a deep, passionate kiss there.
At the same time, he changes his angle ever so slightly, one that he's sure will lead to the place that will send Billy to a downward spiral of pleasure, and increases his pace. Let's see him "wash his mouth out" when Billy's busy crying out in pleasure, eh?]
[action]
[action]
It's his birthday, yes, but one of the best parts is watching Billy writhe under him and cry out loudly, fingers and toes curling against him when he hits that spot, and Teddy's determined to have him do so again and again and again until he's utterly spent. Just like what he said to Billy - right into the mattress.]
[action]
They're both masters at this by now, so it doesn't take long for Teddy to find what he's searching for, and Billy practically screams into the kiss, the sound muffled at first before he turns his head to the side to let it out. Normally he'd try to quiet himself a little, but he knows that Teddy likes to hear it, and it is his birthday after all. If there was ever a time to let loose, it's now. Another thrust, and he's scratching and and clawing at the blond's back, creating long red marks over and over as Teddy's body heals itself.
A few more thrusts like that and he'll be gone, completely and totally gone.]
[action]
After three, four thrusts that are just as deep, yet speed up each time, Teddy reaches the end and is just gone; he presses as close as possible, twists his hand into the sheet and lets out a cry against Billy's shoulder as he releases himself, the sound tapering off into heavy panting against sweat-slicked skin.
God, god, it's so good.]
[action]
Either way, it feels too incredible for it to matter. Teddy's final thrust shoves him right off the edge, and he feels himself peak - messily, wonderfully - between them, his back arched, clinging to Teddy like he'd die on the spot if they separated.
So, so good. He rides out that glorious high for a while, his body relaxing as he slowly winds down from it, panting heavily against Teddy's hair. It'll take him a bit to catch his breath again, and even his brain's still behind on processing feelings into coherent thought. One stands out in his mind, though: best birthday sex ever, or best birthday sex ever?]
[action]
It takes Teddy a long moment to even think about moving. His brain is still reeling, trying to catch up, but that doesn't stop him from showing affection. He breathes hard against Billy's neck, and he brushes his lips against the skin, barely even counting as light kisses. He wants to stay close, shuddering and sighing from residual pleasure, and he'd like to stay buried and connected for a good few hours more. But the latter part is a little ridiculous, and so, Teddy withdraws, then half slides, half flops to his side, arm around Billy's waist and lips brushing against his torso instead.]
Hmm... Hey... [He rests his cheek against his chest to look up at him with a slightly dazed, yet absolutely affectionate smile.]
[action]
Hey... ha... happy birthday...?
[action]
Yeah... yeah. Happy birthday... definitely.
[But Teddy's not totally gross, so he stops what he's doing, wipes his hand against the sheets, and then places it against Billy's chest as he tilts his head to kiss his collarbone, the other hand sifting from under his body to work the condom off of him.]
You made it a... a good one. Thanks. [He rests his cheek against him again, smile still on his face, while he slides his hand up to rub gentle circles into his shoulder.] Don't think this means you're... getting out of singing, Kaplan.
[action]
Billy stares blearily at Teddy for a long moment, letting the words slowly sink in. Once it clicks, he groans, sounding significantly less pleasured this time, smacking his face against the pillow.]
Oh my god, you know, even I forgot about that...
[action]
[Billy's flustered state isn't about to deter Teddy from giving all the affection he wants to give, though, and soon enough, he's pressing light kisses up towards his neck, shifting his position to get better access.]
Mm, but... doesn't have to be now. Got you to sing in a whole different way... [And just in case Billy tries to take that as an opportunity:] Doesn't count, but still.
[action]
Or. Or. He could indulge his boyfriend on this very special birthday as one more gift before the grand finale. He tilts his head up to let Teddy do as he pleases to his neck, one hand moving to brush through that blond hair, and his gaze shifts to the ceiling, then back down again before Teddy might notice, even if he is otherwise occupied.
Hmmmm, indeed.]
I'm not sure I should be singing before I catch my breath properly... I'd probably sound like a dying frog. A dying frog who just had really good sex.
[action]
[Still, he grins, blitzed out and just plain happy. Sex tends to do this to him, leave him even more affectionate than he usually is, like all the stresses in his life have left, and there's nothing else but him and the person he loves most under him, holding him, stroking his hair.
He pushes at his elbow to look down at Billy's fact, the other hand leaving his shoulder to caress his cheek instead. And he just... looks for a minute, look at the young man lying there with previous gelled hair now a complete mess, eyes still hazy and warm, his skin sweaty and still a little flushed, lips parted, and everything about him is just - just perfect, beautiful. Teddy could stay here for the rest of his life and be happy, though he knows how ridiculous that is.]
I love you. [He says on a whisper as he leans down to brush their lips together, this kiss much slower than the other, even with Teddy taking advantage of how Billy's lips are parted to turn it into something deeper.]
[action]
[Billy would reply much the same way if his lips weren't otherwise occupied, so instead of saying it aloud, he opens up for the kiss, a few fingers dipping down to brush over Teddy's neck, holding him there, keeping him close. He lets the kiss, every touch, and the way his body curls almost possessively - tenderly, lovingly - around Teddy's, show how he feels. When they're like this he doesn't need words, and it's Teddy he has to thank for that- all his life he'd been full of words, overflowing with thoughts and opinions and word-vomit about this or that, big or small.
With Teddy, he doesn't need that. With Teddy, he can just feel. And right now, those feelings are coming on as strongly as ever.
I love you, too.]
[action]
It's easy to get the message, the end to a paragraph that makes Teddy's lips tilt upward, disrupting the kiss a little, but also making it more enjoyable. Maybe this is his favorite part of sex: the aftermath, the way that nothing exists except this pocket of space around them, bodies pressed together without a shred of clothing between them, sharing words without saying them. He loves this part, so much.]
[action]
He tilts his head a bit to nuzzle his forehead against Teddy's, their hair tangling lazily together, blond on black, light and dark. So very yin and yang, he muses, smiling to himself, two halves of a whole. Pressed in close like this, he can feel Teddy's heart against his own, beat for beat, like they're keeping pace together. He doesn't know if it's unconscious or intentional shifting on Teddy's part, or just fate that this happens, and truth be told, he doesn't care. All he knows is that their bodies are in tune to the very core, and really, what could be better than that?
He'd been mulling on and off what song he would sing if he was forced to do it, his collection too vast to really decide on any one song, but his thoughts remind him of an obscure song he used to like as a kid, tracked down again in recent years - and he'd fallen in love with it all over again for very different reasons. Cuddled up beneath Teddy, skin to skin, relaxed and calm the way he can only get in the afterglow, he hums a bit of the tune, half to himself, testing his voice.]
[action]
But Teddy isn't going to complain, nor interrupt. While he'd rather rest his chin on Billy's chest and watch him with adoring eyes, he'd rather not make him laugh right in the middle of singing. Instead, he settles back on his side, sliding his arm under the pillow to support himself, and strokes Billy's torso with his other hand, a gentle smile on his face. This is another thing he'd been waiting for.]
[action]
It's why, knowing that Teddy's watching him, Billy stretches out, gets himself good and comfortable in a position to let the air flow good and smooth... and then closes his eyes. He can pretend he's not being watched as he does this, because if he thinks too much about it, he'll probably just want to hide himself under the blanket rather than follow through on it. It can be for Teddy, to Teddy, just not... well, to him. Maybe someday he'll have that sort of confidence, but certainly not now.
Here, in the quiet, in the darkness beneath his eyelids, he can imagine an empty stage and just...]
I looked in the sky
And there I saw a star
Shining so bright above
I closed my eyes
And wished upon the star
That I would fine true love
Someone who needed me
Someone to share my life
For a love that would be true
I would wait forever
[action]
... Not that Teddy minded. Maybe he would've before he fell so in love, but now - hell, every love song makes him a little giddy, embarrassing as it is to admit. He's never heard of it, and he's not sure if it comes from a musical or not.
Either way, it's Billy singing, and that's enough to make Teddy watch his face, his throat as it moves, and feel a strong urge to kiss his cheeks, his neck, his shoulder, but for now, he resists. He just watches, feeling a warmth inside him from the words and the voice behind it.]
[action]
He can't just half-ass it. And soon enough, touching Teddy helps him enough to get back on track and remember the chorus, as well as giving him the courage to open his eyes and look at Teddy directly as he sings, albeit shyly. Even if it's just for a minute...]
One star
Brighter than the others
Two hearts
Beating for each other
I believe wishes really come true
[action]
In response to Billy's shyness, Teddy reaches out to brush the back of his fingers across Billy's cheek. You're doing fine.]
[action]
You just have to dream
Nothing's as bad as it seems to be
believe me
[And then, as if struck by sudden inspiration, his eyes open again and flare with a blue light for a couple of seconds. The lights and the window go dim, and somehow, when the brightness in his eyes fades away, the blue glow around them only intensifies.
This is it. This is the moment. He keeps his eyes open, watching Teddy... and nudges him onto his back, pointing up at the ceiling.]
Someone's waiting for you to try
There in the sky...
[action]
Well, he realizes that it's not their ceiling anymore. Or, rather... It is. Maybe. But it sure doesn't look like it, not when it's absolutely covered with stars and the vastness of space beyond it. It's like Billy opened up the ceiling and the roof for him, the barrier and the projection of stars, and showed him the real, actual sky, a view just like back home. It's one of the only reasons he'd leave New York City, flying just enough away to stare up at the sky, unobstructed by the life of the city.
It's just like that, and Teddy ends up staring for a long moment, awestruck, lips parted and eyes wide with wonder. He raises his arm, fingers stretched as if he could touch it, bring the stars closer to them until he has them in his hands. Impossible and silly, he knows... Then again, this should be impossible, too. And that glow Billy had in his eyes, and that song...]
... It goes on forever, and... [His arm lowers, the back of his wrist against his forehead, and he smiles a wide, dimpled smile, thinking the quote to be so appropriate right now.] Oh my God, it's full of stars...
[action]
....
He hopes they can actually sleep under it...
He grins, anyway, watching Teddy stare at it, amused by his quote. Such a space nerd. But two can play at this game.]
I'm the best at space.
[He made it! On the ceiling! Seriously! Is that cool or what!?]
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