Who: Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman Where: Midtown Library, then a pizzeria nearby. When: Thursday, May 17, 2012 - After school (forward dated) What: Billy talks to the cute boy and the world doesn't end... Hurray Rating: Safe
Billy bounded up the steps to the library, stopping only for a moment to collect himself before pulling the doors open and entering the somber atmosphere of the library. He looked around at the people that were milling about in the front, a small frown ghosting over his lips. He didn’t see what he was hoping to, and his heart sank for the briefest of moments as he walked toward the front desk.
Pulling his headphones out of his ears, Billy smiled at Tina, the young librarian that he’d kinda roped in this recent endeavor. She regularly worked during the hours that Billy spent at the library, and, over time, had actually built something of a passing friendship. One that Billy had come to count on, ever since tall, blond, and handsome had started coming into the library.
“He here?” Billy asked as he leaned on the desk.
“What? No hello? No how are you?” Tina retorted quietly with a laugh.
Billy rolled his eyes, though his smile never left. “I forgot my manners. Hello Tina. How are you doing today?” He thumbed through the returned books that sat haphazardly on a cart near Tina’s desk as he spoke.
“I’m fine, thank you for asking.”
“That’s good to hear. So... he here?” Billy rocked on his heels as he scanned the library again, looking for one particular person. One that, even though he’d never worked up the nerve to talk to him, set his teenaged overactive heart aflutter.
“You’re hopeless,” Tina laughed as she shook her head and pointed toward a section of shelves. “I think he’s over there, but I’m not sure because.... well.. I’m busy and don’t have time to keep track of young blondes.”
Billy’s smile grew wider at the news, and he drummed his hands on the desk before thanking Tina and turning toward the direction she pointed. For the last couple of weeks, ever since he’d seen the other boy, Billy had made every excuse he could think of to come to the library. While he’d not actually talked to the blonde yet, he’d certainly imagined talking to him.. among other things that flit through the mind of a sixteen year old boy.
Rounding the corner of the stacks, Billy paused and rolled back to hide, his heart already racing and pushing blood to his cheeks. What was he really afraid of? If he wanted anything in life to happen, he was going to have to go after it, like the lady in the flower shop had said. You can do it this time, Kaplan. Just go say hi.
==
”...adequate water necessary for athletes to heal torn ligaments. Protein is also important, so physicians recommend a diet of lentils, soy, beans, nuts, eggs, and meats, at least 6 to 12 ounces daily. Many recommend taking a multivitamin to also speed the healing process.”
Teddy turned the page to look at the diagrams of the ligaments, the explanation of their structures and most common injury areas. Not that he had ever had an injury in these areas, but it was good to know how things connected. Because for the most part, he really didn’t know when he was experimenting with morphing. He somehow just instinctively managed to make things function. Now he was realizing just how intelligent his body was, to be able to make the longer structures work. Soft tissue, hard tissue, ligaments, bones... He was too scared to try anything big and major yet, but wow... Just the little things he had been attempting.
This ability was much more complex than he had first thought.
He looked doubtfully at the other, heavier textbook in his hand, blond brows pinching. He wasn’t sure he knew enough chemistry to understand cell metabolism and the finer, complex structures of the body’s tissues, but he was going to give it a shot. Maybe he’d get an idea as to why his skin turned green...
He looked quickly to the right and blinked. Funny... had someone been standing at the end of the shelves?
...Nah. He selected another book on athletic nutrition and started for one of the tables.
==
Billy peered around the corner again, the mission impossible theme springing unbidden to his mind. He watched the other boy walk away, attentive eyes drinking in every detail before sliding between the stacks, fingertips brushing against the books as he looked at their titles. Anatomy... nutrition... musculature development... Billy glanced down at his slight form, practically devoid of muscles, and sighed. Well, that plan wasn’t going to work. He’d planned on just finding out what the other boy was reading and grab the same thing, trying to look like he was studying the same subject, but how would he even begin to convince someone like that he was a jock?
Lips pursed in thought, he walked out of the stacks and toward his usual haunt in the library, that being the section on the paranormal and magic. Every so often, he even found something that was useful. He grabbed two books, one on illusions and the other on meditation. He’d read both of them before, but he’d at least fit in with books to browse, rather than just sitting with nothing.
With a deep breath, and more courage than he thought he had, Billy set the books down on the same table as the exceptionally cute blonde, instead of one of the empty tables nearby.
“This seat taken?” He asked quietly in his best be cool voice.
==
“No, go ahead. It’s not...” Teddy looked up.“...taken.”
This guy... Oh, he’d noticed him a long time ago. A very well-formed, quiet kid with paler skin, dark hair and brown eyes. Obviously a brainy sort, thus why Teddy had never bothered approaching him.
Hell, he never tried to approach anyone in that way, though. He just tried to get close to their group, and he’d never noticed this one having any friends along with him. He leaned on his hand, finger absently playing with the top piercing banding the crest of his ear and pulled another book to himself, the larger text book.
If I can make myself seem less of a dumb jock, maybe... He stared at the words. Cripes, nothing was making sense now...
He froze, breath stopping. Well, apparently I am blond for a reason. As casually as possible he turned the book right side up and tried to find a reading spot. Dammit, I’m probably so red right now... What if I’m green? I hope I’m not green...
==
Billy watched the readjustment of the book with amusement before turning to his own, making sure it was facing the right way before thumbing it open and flipping through the pages. It had all kinds of information on the history and proper techniques involved in meditation. At the moment though, Billy wouldn’t have cared if it was scrawled in crayon in some foreign language, for all the attention he was really paying to the content. He feigned interest as time wound on though, eyes sliding upward from the book to across the table, then quickly back to the words again.
He was just fortunate that nobody could see under the surface. While he appeared to be collected and focused, his mind was a veritable explosion of thoughts and his emotions would best be described as one of those new rollercoasters at the amusement park.
Talk to him...
Billy glanced up again, gaze lingering on the blonde hair for only a moment before scanning downward, finally resting on the book in front of the other teen. “Something for school?” he finally asked quietly, glad that they were in a library. It was a convenient excuse to be quiet, rather than the timidity that currently colored Billy’s words.
==
Teddy had his fingers wound in his longer bangs at the moment. Blue eyes shot up past his arm at the question and quickly dipped down. Well, he couldn’t really say the truth of it, could he?
“Yeah,” he agreed, keeping his gaze shifted away from the others. He didn’t care for lying at all. “Just a few more tests. Then the year’s done.” He brightened, looking up suddenly. “I’ve just moved to this area, so I’ll be starting at the highschool over there next year.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “Do you go to that one?”
He was truly hopeful. He didn’t know anyone yet in this area of New York. If this kid could show him around, why, he’d be killing two birds with one stone.
==
“Um... over there?” Billy pointed toward the general direction of Midtown High. The cute boy was going to Midtown? Billy’s mind exploded like confetti for a moment, his train of thought sufficiently derailed by the news. He was going to Midtown... with Billy. Well, not with Billy, but they’d be at the same school. Close enough.
“Yeah, I go there. Senior next year.” He had intended for it to come out as cool sounding, but it came out more like a squeak that brought a quick smear of red to Billy’s cheeks. He ran his hand through his hair, pulling stray strands out of his eyes. He looked at the other teen’s baby blues and lost the next thing he was going to say. He was sure it was going to be clever though.
==
“Midtown, that’s it.” He grinned. “Way cool.”
The other kid was nervous, and he didn’t notice. A bit. Instead he saw him just doing this cute thing trying to control that drape of dark bangs and looking at him waiting for him to carry the conversation. Good! Now if only he didn’t screw this up because his belly was in knots.
He held a hand forward over the table. “Teddy. Teddy Altman.”
==
As Billy shook Teddy’s hand, he couldn’t help but notice how soft the other teen’s skin was. Billy’s own fingertips had long ago been toughened up from guitar practices, and he had assumed that, well, he’d assumed that Teddy’s would have been similar, from football or basketball or some sort of sports that he had to play.
“Uh... Billy Kaplan.” He didn’t pull his hand away immediately. He didn’t want to actually ever pull his hand away, but that would certainly be awkward at some point. After a time longer than normal, Billy reluctantly released his grip and folded his hands over his book.
“So... uh...” Billy’s lips pursed as he tried to think of something to say. What did people talk about? He was worried that if he didn’t say something, Teddy would get up and walk away, and he didn’t want that at all.
“You just moved to the area?” He ended up parroting from Teddy’s earlier statement. “Maybe... I-I could, I don’t know, show you around?” Billy pulled at the hair near his neck. Was that too forward? That was too forward. He shrugged to make it seem more natural. “I mean... if you don’t already know the area, or something.”
==
Teddy liked the hand, so wasn’t bothered in the least by Billy’s holding on longer than usual. Angular with harder edges, just like the rest of him seemed to be. Teddy knew he probably had the biggest, goofiest grin smeared all over his face. “That’d be awesome.”
And it was. The quiet, cute kid was going to show him around! “You hungry? I’m starving.” He didn’t wait for an answer, standing and scooping up the books.
==
“Uh.... sure. Yeah.” Billy slapped his book closed, the sound louder than he’d expected it to be in the quiet library. “Oops,” he said with a nervous laugh as the few other people there glared toward him. “Sorry...” He grabbed the books and stood up as well, pushing in his chair with his foot.
He walked toward the library’s door, only to be stopped by a quiet throat clearing from Tina behind the front desk. “You have to check those out, you know,” she offered with a grin, holding out her hands over the counter.
“Uh... right,” Billy gushed, feeling like an idiot as he walked over to the desk, mouthing oh my god before setting the books on the counter and looking at Teddy.
==
“Whoops! Yeah...” He stood behind Billy with his ears burning, holding his books and feeling awkward. He looked curiously at the books that were being checked out. Meditation? An odd subject. He stowed it away in the back of his mind for conversation fodder later. He didn’t notice any of the librarian’s looks as he handed over his books with a grin, instead focused on Billy.
“Where’s a good place to eat at around here? I can buy if you want.”
==
I can buy if you want. Billy about melted right there at the desk. “Uh... What do you like? to eat... I mean, yeah?” He didn’t want to suggest something that Teddy wouldn’t like. Most teens his age liked pizza and cheeseburgers and such. Billy could go for a slice of pizza right now. Or anything really. Since his parents practiced kosher, those types of food didn’t get served at the Kaplan household.
After he loaded his books into his messenger bag, he shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them from fidgeting. He felt like his entire body was being jolted with electricity. He’d never had the cute boy offer to pay for food. Or invite him along to eat. Or really any of it.
“I mean, there’s a pizzeria close by, but you don’t look like you eat a lot of junk foods.”
==
“Pizza is great! Honestly, I’ve never ran into a food I haven’t liked yet.” He folded the books under his arm, walking along happily by the other.
This is a first! I’ve gotten to eat out with the basketball team before after a game, but never one on one. I hope I don’t make an ass of myself. This guy seems nice and... wait... Oh my gawd, he just complimented me, didn’t he? Wait... Yes! That was a total compliment! I have to say something back!
“You don’t look like you dip into a lot of junk food either.” He stumbled on his tongue, trying to think of how else to clarify that he thought Billy’s legs looked rather nice and knew there wasn’t without totally outing himself, so instead blurted a “So it’s close by? The pizzeria?”
==
“My parents eat kosher, which means that this is our little secret. But it’s not far, just around that corner.” Billy smirked as he gestured before bounding down the steps of the library to the sidewalk below. He wanted to pinch himself, to see if it was a dream, but he knew better. His dreams were not the stuff of young adult romance novels, but rather darker and more menacing. Still, they were only dreams, and couldn’t harm him.
“So...” he asked as he fell in step beside Teddy. He walked close to the other teen, but not so close to be touching. That singular act of restraint was taking most of Billy’s willpower. Well, his willpower was divided between that and avoiding skipping down the street like a silly school girl.
“Where are you from?”
==
“Grew up between areas, from Midwest to this side of the States. Mom’s a realtor and finally set up in this area, and has been established in New York for a few years now. She started a new branch in this area, kind of a sister company of the one she was working for, from what I understand. Finally found what we’re sure is going to be our permanent residence for a while. It’s a sweet older house. And the neighborhood around here’s nice. After next year hoping to hit one of the colleges in the area. Quite a few nice ones to choose from.... Not that I know what I want to do when I get there. Hopefully I’ll figure out my calling in a few years.” Blabbering! You’re blabbering! Stop it! “Uh, you?”
==
Billy shrugged. “Always been here. Mom and Dad both had established medical practices here when I was but a little one, so it’s the only place I really know. I have traveled though.” He didn’t bother to elaborate that the travel was due to Bart’s superspeed. Did he even have any normal friends that he could end up introducing Teddy to? Bart? No. Tommy? No. Loki didn’t really count as a friend and definitely didn’t count as normal. Mia? Maybe, but was she even a friend? Was Tommy? They’d only really hung out that one time. Bart would be interested in protecting his secret identity, so he’d probably be able to at least contain his power. He was still a spaz though, in a good way.
Realizing that he’d drifted off in thought, he looked at Teddy. Man, those blue eyes... “Probably won’t go that far from here either, once I go to college.”
==
Teddy watched him as he spoke. Man, was he glad he added to his height. He used to be much shorter than Billy. As it was he was a little taller, and could see his face directly, watching him drift off and think to himself. When he looked back, Teddy just smiled.
“Family’s important, huh? Some would want to flee the area as soon as they were old enough.” Total bonus if he wants to stick around the area. “Do you have a big family?” If I can just keep him talking. His talking is nice... The voice certainly struck a few chords, along with those thoughtful gazes and faint, occupied expressions. Personality seemed very nice.
And he was entirely cute close up. Way too cute... No staring... Don’t stare. Look ahead for a bit.
==
“I’ve got Mom, Dad, Gramps, Grams, a couple of cousins, and two younger brothers who are annoying as all get out.” Billy shrugged again as they rounded the corner. “Family and friends are what we have in life. I love my family, even if they totally don’t understand me and probably never will.” He smiled as he pulled open the door to the pizzeria. “Here we are... after you,” he offered jovially with a mock bow and wave of his hand.
==
And humorous! Teddy gave an appreciative laugh. “Why, thank you, good sir!” He stepped in and inhaled the aromas of chopped vegetables, baking pizza dough, spicy meats and cheeses, feeling his mouth moisten. He immediately stepped up and craned his neck back to look at the menu, eyes drifting back and forth over the options while speaking.
“That’s a big family. If it helps, sometimes I’m sure my mom doesn’t quite get me, either. But she lets me do what I like so long as I check in and I do my chores. She’s pretty cool.” He looked over suddenly. “I will eat a large and a half entirely to myself. Not quite sure how much you like to eat. What do you like topping wise?”
==
“Uh... anything’s good with me. I’m not a picky eater, and I certainly won’t eat nearly as much as you do.” One and a half to himself? Well, he had to fuel that body somehow, Billy supposed. He fussed with his hair while dividing his time between looking at the menu and at Teddy. “Uh... not that that’s a bad thing at all,” he quickly added after realizing how his statement could have been taken. “I mean... “ he gestured toward Teddy’s physique, not quite knowing the terms to use to convey what he was thinking. With no suitable words coming to mind, Billy grinned a bit sheepishly and pointed toward the dining area.
“I’ll get us a booth.”
== Thirty Minutes Later ==
Not only did he finish off a large and a half as promised, but Teddy was quickly polishing off the cinnamon breadsticks as well. He did at least slow from his usual pace, self conscious of himself. Billy was staring quite a bit...
Probably thinks I’m a hog... Man. Maybe I shouldn’t have offered to eat with him right off the bat.
He asked Billy about some of the kosher habits. He honestly didn’t know too much about Jewish culture. It sounded interesting. He let him know his mother wasn’t super religious, though he’d been enrolled in episcopal school until highschool. They did holidays, but they didn’t deck all out on them. He watched Billy’s reactions closely between large bites of food. He didn’t think he’d be necessarily disqualified because of it, but he was looking for any sign that Billy might not like him and any hint he thought he was okay.
Slow down. Geez. So what if he doesn’t end up liking you? It wouldn’t be the end of the world, right? He thought about it a little more as Billy talked, watching the dip of his brown eyes, the shine of his bangs, catching the slightest bit of color in the light, the way his mouth moved when he talked and the graceful angles of his fingers as he picked at the food.
... Yeah, who am I trying to kid? His stomach did another flip, pulling in a breath.
“Movies.”
==
Billy was staring, but not because of the volume of food Teddy was consuming, though it was an amazing feat to watch. He was more focusing on the way Teddy’s eyes seemed to shimmer like the ocean against the beach. It was actually quite distracting, having the other teen across the table smiling and talking and acting genuinely interested in what he had to say. He’d barely touched a quarter of the food that Teddy had consumed, and had spent the last ten minutes slowly picking off individual toppings as he countered, elaborated, and asked his own questions, the range of topics ranging from silly to serious.
His free hand often slid behind his neck, rubbing the flesh as he nervously thought about how to answer whatever came next. What if he said the wrong thing? Half of the things he’d even said had been stammered and stilted at best. Teddy probably thought he had some sort of speech issue. Wouldn’t that be great? Billy Kaplan, idiot. Still, if Teddy was thinking insulting thoughts about him, he was hiding it really well at the very least.
And when Teddy said movies, it was like he’d been punched in the gut with a cattle prod. He tried to look cool and collected, but even his ears were heating up from the sudden flush.
“What... about them?” he asked, voice small like a mouse.
==
Quick! Abort you idiot! “Uh... I like them. No!” He thumped himself in the forehead. If you’re going to ask him, ask him! He looked up, as steady as he could force himself to be. “Do you want to go to them?” His nervousness quickly welled up. “Maybe not tonight! But... whenever...”
==
Billy blinked a couple of times, his head cocked slightly to the side as he processed the words spoken. And then processed them again. And again for good measure. Did he just get asked to go to the movies? He did. Teddy just asked him to the movies. It could just be a friend thing, his internal monologue offered. He was awfully nervous in how he asked though. That’s not usually the case with the whole ‘hey, lets go watch something and chill’. Even Billy wasn’t that nervous when it came to things like that. Besides, Teddy had been much cooler and far more collected whenever they left the library to eat, so no, there had to be something there, and the possibility of that was making Billy’s heart race.
But he still hadn’t answered, and he could see the worry and indecision and confusion all tangled behind those blonde locks.
“Yes. That’d be cool.” Awesome, actually like the greatest thing ever to happen. Billy just needed someone that he could squee with about the super hot boy who may or may not have just asked him out on a date. He was gonna assume the former though.
==
His insides melted from the steel knots they had been forming (it was making it hard to digest). Relief lit up the eyes as he grinned. “Good! I’m not sure what’s playing... But... umm... we can just hit the theater around eight or so and see what’s on?”
Happiness! That had to be the longest moment of his life watching Billy’s expressions and trying to fathom if he was thinking he was a freak or not.
But damn... If this went well... If they really hit it off like he hoped... What would he do when he did find out what a freak he was?
Another night, though. For now, he was going to the movies with Billy. Life was grand.