halfnhalf | 002 - [Action/Voice]

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002 - [Action/Voice]

[Late in the morning, only just after he had his morning coffee and just fixed toast for breakfast, Teddy had been surprised to find himself being shoved out of the apartment by his own boyfriend. Soon, he found himself blinking at the front door, a piece of cinnamoned toast still in his hand as the post-it note with his name beside Billy's door sign fluttered mournfully to the ground.

He got out a pitiful whine and forlornly posted the note back up before he ushered himself outside, finishing his toast in the meantime.

During the day, Teddy can be found at multiple places. The first is the Battledome, where he fiddles with the settings, some as harmless as a movie theater and some as dangerous as a warzone, but he doesn't fully go through with them. He's merely going through the options for later use. He may mutter to himself about how this must be what the Danger Room is like, and he may even be up for a light spar or something different if someone found him.

The second is Seventh Heaven, where he eats a light lunch of a small burger with fries, and he's a little proud of how he didn't compare it to New York's food outloud. It doen't mean he doesn't think it, though, and he spends more time subtly people watching and listening to conversations than really focusing on food and what the homelife was like. When he's done, he doodles a few musical notes on a napkin, again to possibly be used at a later date, before he stuffs that in his pocket.

The final place is on the roof of the school. He's not doing much of anything up there, just sitting with his legs pulled up and looking out over the village.

Teddy still can't help marveling over how different this place is from what he's used to. There aren't any sounds of car alarms or horns, no distant conversations or laughter, no police sirens or a far off explosion from an invading force (though, Teddy thinks to himself, he ought to be more thankful for the lack of the latter). Occasionally at night, he still wakes up and thinks that it's too quiet, too dark. And he really hopes he's not the only one who thinks that way.

With that thought in mind, Teddy reaches behind him to take the journal, left open in case Billy decides to let him back into the apartment, and decides to address the masses.]

Does anyone else feel seriously out of place here, or am I just being weird? And I don't mean the whole, "being held captive and having to suffer through lame shifts", but just the setting in general. Anyone else out there come from a home that's completely different from a village straight out of Golden Sun?

[He decides then that he'll chat with people for a while, then venture off the roof and see if Billy will allow him back inside. Not that Teddy knows what he did to deserve being kicked outside, but maybe he can beg for forgiveness enough to be let back in.]

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[The teleporting makes him give a hard blink and look around, not quite realizing where they are at first, before his brain catches up with his body and figures it out. Ah, the Battledome. ... What, were they doing to simulate New York and fight Doombots like he did with Susan? It sounds super fun, but -

Then they're heading inside, and it's nothing like that. His face lights up - a movie! Teddy had, admittedly, not been to a theater often, only for movies that he desperately wanted to see when they came out, like Lord of the Rings. Otherwise, money was tight and Teddy didn't want to waste more than he did on comics and video games.

This isn't one of those giant theaters, but it's close enough to make him feel excited.]

Are you kidding? I'm totally game.

[And with that, Teddy goes to flop back on the plush seat. And then the question hits.]

So which movie is playing now? [He almost expects The Sound of Music.]

[Sound of Music, bah. It's not even Sunday. Billy grins, tugging some popcorn kernels and butter out of his backpack and wandering over to the popcorn machine to make some snacks. Because brownies are never enough.]

Mm, I was thinking about one with mice, and rats, and a really spastic crow... any ideas?

[There's silence at first as Teddy's mouth hangs open and he stares at Billy's back.

Then said back will have a blond attached to it, seeing how Teddy decided to get up and wrap his arms around Billy's waist from behind.]

No way. Seriously? You got The Secret of NIMH? Billy!

[HE HASN'T SEEN IT IN SO LONG well okay like a month before he got here but STILL.]

[OOF, suddenly a Teddy is attached to him. Billy nearly stumbles in surprise at the impact, but he finds himself held at the waist, so he just grins and brushes his hands over Teddy's, leaning back against him.]

Well, I'm happy you're happy about it. I wasn't sure if you'd be in the mood for a cartoon.

[Even a good one.]

It's not a cartoon.

[Despite his words, Teddy's still all smiles, and to free Billy's hands up, he moves his hands down to slide them into his pockets instead.]

It's an animated feature film. There's a difference.

You say that like I would ever insult a cartoon, ever.

[Billy tilts his head until it bumps up against Teddy's neck, starting up the machine. It starts to whir and heat up, melting the butter and spinning the kernels. Before long it'll smell like a real movie theater.]

Hmm.

[It's more of a content sound than anything, as Teddy's busy resting his head against Billy's and thinking about how much he loves this person in his arms. Once the kernels start to pop and the delicious aroma of popcorn starts to fill the air, Teddy decides to speak, eyes on the machine.]

You ever notice no matter how full you are, the smell of popcorn makes you feel like you went for days without food?

...Well, now that you mention it. [Billy's voice is musing, closing his eyes and rocking his body back and forth a bit, almost in time with the gentle rotations of the popcorn maker. He looks (and feels) utterly contented, like he doesn't want to be anywhere else but right here, right now.] Maybe we should just melt the brownies and have chocolate popcorn instead.

[Teddy could point out how melting brownies would probably end badly and make them horribly burned instead, but he doesn't really care. He shuts his eyes and follows Billy's movements, and it's pretty clear that that contentment is mutual. Billy was the one who did all of this for him, probably even thinking of how Teddy's had birthdays with his lost mother in the past, and they're in this crazy world but they're in this crazy world together.]

We could. We might just invent something great. Brownie covered popcorn.

Hmm... I'm thinking enjoy the movie first, invent hideous food another time. I don't know how much of an iron stomach you've got but throwing up isn't on my game plan tonight.

[Or maybe when he gets himself some more plain old melting chocolate, instead of brownie mix. God knows what's in that stuff (besides the chocolate chips, that was his doing).]

Too bad we can't take this with us. Microwave popcorn is okay, but the good stuff is from a real popper.

[Teddy would rather not end the evening with Billy throwing up either, so he'll just grin and give a nod of agreement. Another time, then, when they both feel brave enough to possibly spend the rest of the afternoon feeling sick to their stomachs because they were being stupid teenagers.

He finally does open his eyes to watch the popcorn at Billy's comment, noting that it's almost done.]

I think we're just doomed to have to visit movie theaters forever for that kind of popcorn treatment. But I'm not complaining. [After all, it means more excuses to go see movies together.]

Oh no, what a terrible fate we have. [His tone dry, Billy lets go of Teddy to reach out and fetch them a big, buttery bag of fresh popcorn, taking his hand again and pulling him over towards the seats.] Okay, birthday boy, pick a seat and I'll get it started.

[Teddy slides his hands out of Billy's pockets once the popcorn's done, only to be led over to the seats. In that case, he'll just flop back onto the seat he'd taken before, hands entwined over his stomach and content to watch Billy work.]

I don't know about you, but these are way more comfortable than movie seats.

You think? I was going to keep working on the program later, make it a little bigger or something, but maybe I should keep the seats the way they are.

[He plops down in the seat beside Teddy, dropping the backpack in the next seat over and handing Teddy a popcorn bag. Next to come out is the two cups - deposited into the cup holders - as well as the bottle of soda, which he uses to fill up.]

[And since they must keep in contact at all times, Teddy reaches to rest his hand against Billy's shoulder blade while he works. With the other, he'll set the popcorn bag in his lap and begin snacking on them. Mm, just as good as theater popcorn.]

Definitely keep the seats. They're perfectly good to lounge in for next time we do this.

[Because there will most certainly be a next time, with them being such movie fans and all.]

Okay, the seats stay. I'll just make the screen bigger, then.

[Next time, though. Right now they have a movie to watch. Once he's done getting things set up, Billy settles back down in his seat and flicks the remote to get the movie started. Then he passes it over, making something of a show of it.]

Since it's your birthday I'll give you the honour of controlling the movie. But don't abuse this power!

[Oh pffft, Teddy can't help laughing quietly at that. Boyfriend you are ridiculous, but he, too, will make a show of taking the remote.]

The remote of power... It can turn all those who hold it mad, unless one is strong of heart.

[He holds it in the palm of his hand a little while longer, reminiscent of Boromir examining the ring in the movies... before he smiles and gives a shrug, moving his thumb to push PLAY.]

Good thing my heart's already taken.

[Pffft.]

Dork.

[It's said quietly and not the least bit seriously, as the lights fade and the movie starts up. Billy shifts over as far to the side of his seat as he can get, resting his head on Teddy's shoulder and settling in to enjoy the movie.

Part 2, he thinks, is a complete success as well. Hopefully #3 will go over without a hitch, too...]

[And so Teddy watches, slowly eating the popcorn and mouthing the words to the songs and keeping his one free hand locked with Billy's. This is not only a favorite of Teddy's, but also a nostalgic one; his mother got it for him when he was just a little boy, thinking the cover looked cute and that it was perfect for him. She had no idea how dark it actually was until she saw it along with him, but he loved it so much that she decided not to take it back. It was one of those movies that he watched at least once a day as a child with so much energy and not enough to do.

These days, he still watches it occasionally, and still loves it as much as he did back then, if the way he smiles at certain points says anything. Though with everything he's been through, one or two parts make him tense up, but the moment is soon gone. Mrs. Brisby is still bamf and quietly heroic and snarky and is still his favorite and everything else about the movie is still epic as always. He's just happy Billy likes the movie too; he'd been worried when he first showed it to him as revenge for watching so much Sound of Music, but his worries were unfounded. And Teddy probably fell more in love with him that day.

As the credits play, Teddy finds himself mouthing the words to the song again, even very quietly singing it. God, he loves that song.]

[Billy does enjoy the movie, yes, though not as much as Teddy- he lacks the nostalgia attached to it, those childhood memories, since his childhood is full of cartoons like the old Avengers, or X-Men, or Batman shows, and the classic musicals he barely understood but often watched with his parents.

No, what he liked most about it was seeing how much Teddy loved it, so during the credits, as Teddy mouths along - and sings with - the final song, Billy tilts his head up to watch him, indulging in the joy and the delight in his eyes, the sound of his voice, and the fingers wrapped around his own.

Yeah, this was a good idea. And he might even try to sing along himself, shy as he is about his own voice. He mostly just likes to listen.]

[Teddy hears that voice alongside his own, though he doesn't quiet down to listen, despite how much he'd like to. Billy would probably stop if he did that, as he is shy about his voice. He wouldn't understand why, considering his voice is perfect to him, if he himself wasn't shy about his own. He's not bad, and apparently very good if he tries. He just can't help it.

So he just keeps singing quietly along and gives Billy a long glance, noticing him watching him. Near the end, he stops all together, because he just can't hold himself back anymore - So he leans around to kiss him.

This was definitely a good idea.]

[Huh what but we were singin- oh.

...Well this is alright.

Billy indulges in the kiss for a long moment before drawing back a little reluctantly, remaining close, his arms comfortably around Teddy's neck. That? That was nice.]

Mm... I'll take that as a sign that you enjoyed the movie.

Mmhmm.

[Teddy's own arms remain entwined around Billy's waist, his smile gentle and musing while he keeps their foreheads together. That was nice. And... well, surely the evening can't get any better, so might as well get comfy here.]

You really are the very best.

Haha, you keep saying that like you're trying to give me an excuse to one-up what I've already done!

[He tilts his head to nuzzle his nose lightly against Teddy's, lowering his voice.]

Close your eyes.

[At first, Teddy doesn't shut his eyes, because really? There's more? He keeps saying that because he's never been this spoiled, not even on previous birthdays.

So, so spoiled. Pfft...

Finally, though, he does shut his eyes, his arms sliding back enough to rest his hands lightly on Billy's waist instead, in case his boyfriend needs to move.]

What am I supposed to expect now? You keep surprising me.

[there is no spoon]

[there is no try]

[oh my god do i try]

[god help the outcasts]

[help me obi-wan kenobi you're my only hope]

[losing all hope was freedom]

[FREEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM]

I KNEW YOU WOULD USE THAT ONE

I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF

no no I'd have done it too

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