hulkling_altman (hulkling_altman) wrote in newalliance, @ 2012-07-21 00:57:00 |
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Entry tags: | hulkling, wiccan |
Who Teddy Altman, Billy Kaplan, NPC Mrs. Altman
Where Teddy's home, New York.
When (backdated) July 19th, 2012, night.
What Teddy and his mom have their first real disagreement.
Rating PG, and G for Guilt.
Completed in Gdoc.
Teddy was sore, exhausted, and hungry when he and Billy wandered into his house late that night. It was the flipside of trying to help people... You got beat up and pressed your body beyond healthy limits at times. Teddy had known that, expected it, but this was the first time he had truly felt it.
And the plan was to eat, rest, shower, then go out and do it all again tomorrow. All with the agitation of his arm stinging like crazy. At least he could move it, though. Billy’s magic worked wonders.
He moved to the fridge, pleased to find half a turkey waiting in it, using his uninjured hand to put it on the counter. “Sandwich work for now?” he asked Billy quietly.
==
It took a moment for Billy to process Teddy’s words. He was near asleep on his feet, eyes drooped shut as he leaned against the wall of the kitchen. He was hungry, though not as hungry as he was tired and ready for bed. Well, bed and a nice, hot bath to soak his sore, aching muscles in.
“Yeah,” he whispered quietly toward the bright light of the refrigerator. “That’s fine.”
==
Teddy nodded, making the sandwiches for them quietly. Nothing fancy, just sustenance. He took a bite of his, putting Billy’s on a plate and placed a turkey leg and thigh on his own.
Then the light turned on.
Teddy froze at the kitchen counter, slowly turning about to face his mother. She was in her bathrobe, her blue eyes alert despite the weary lines around them, her blond hair not its usual smooth, glossy cascade around her shoulders.
“Mom, hey, I was just...”
“Table.”
Teddy looked to Billy.
“Both of you,” she stated.
Teddy’s gut clenched. They sat at the table often to discuss things. But they always just wandered willingly to it whenever they were ready to figure things out. He’d never been ordered to sit at it. He exchanged another look with Billy, then moved to set the plates down first. The scrape of the chair legs sounded obnoxiously loud when he pulled it out to sit.
==
Billy sat down next to Teddy. He started to say something, to make some sort of excuse for them being up late. He refrained though, because he recognized the cold steel in Mrs. Altman’s tone. It was the same edge that his mother got when she was displeased with something he’d done. Did something happen? He didn’t imagine that she was suddenly upset with them spending so much time together. They’d been doing that with her blessing since they’d met.
What then? Had Teddy missed something important? Had he promised to be somewhere with her and then failed to follow through? Billy tried to remember if anything of the sort had been mentioned, but he was too tired and sore to be anywhere but in the present.
==
“Both of you eat.” Mrs. Altman moved to heat some water, starting tea for herself. It made Teddy even more nervous. His mom never acted so aloof with him. He wasn’t sure how angry she was, if she was even angry, or if she was making him sit and wonder on purpose. He wasn’t nearly as ravenous feeling as he was a moment ago, quietly picking turkey free of the bones and chewing his sandwich.
He was nearly done when Mrs. Altman sat with her tea and looked to the bones still on his plate. “Finish those, too.”
Teddy stared at her, stared at the bones. Another glance up and down.
“I’ve noticed you eat them before, Theodore. You’ll want the marrow, especially now.”
That was the problem. He did want the bones. But he didn’t want to eat them in front of his mom and Billy. “No thank you...”
“Are you sure, Teddy? Or should I say Hulkling?”
==
The sound of Teddy’s codename jerked Billy’s sleep-addled mind to attention in the same way that hearing it in the field had started to train him to suddenly become aware of his environment. He rubbed his eyes for a moment before staring at Mrs. Altman. How in the world did she figure that out? Figuring him out was one thing, he only wore a simple headband. Anyone familiar with what he looked like could easily recognize him. Which, now that he was thinking about it, wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Once again though, Billy refrained from speaking. This wasn’t his house and wasn’t his family, no matter how close he’d grown to Teddy. Yes, he was there, but he didn’t know if his input would be welcome by either of the Altmans.
==
There it was. Teddy knew she knew somehow as soon as he had seen her, but had still hoped and doubted, and now it was a certainty. He looked away, feeling the tension in the air, feeling the guilt in his belly like a stone.
Mrs. Altman stared at him steadily, her slender hand setting the tea cup down with a purposeful softness. Her voice was quiet, but the anger was still evident. “What are you two thinking?” She looked at both of them, Billy not escaping her demanding stare either.
“How do you know?”
“You were on TV. There really wasn’t any mistaking the two of you.”
Teddy felt some of the knot in his stomach explode out of his mouth. “How?! I mean, Mom, I didn’t exactly look... How long have you known?!”
“Quite some time," she admitted. "Oh, it wasn’t that difficult to figure out, Theodore. You started eating so much, and all I had to do was pay attention.”
It was a bit much for Teddy, though. He’d had conversations with himself before, trying to work up nerve to tell his mother he was a mutant. How well would she take it? He never imagined she would be angry, kick him out, or anything so rash, but he’d fretted over if she’d be sad her child wasn’t normal
And now she knew--had known--and he was confused and out of sorts with this new information. “And you didn’t say anything?” He stared at her, incredulous.
“You obviously weren’t ready to talk about it.”
“But...! You could have...! I wish you had said!”
Her usually smooth brow creased. Mrs. Altman didn’t use raised tones, and she softened her tone for the upset teen. “Well, perhaps I should have. Okay, yes, but I didn’t know how to approach it. Sweetie, it doesn’t change anything. You’re still a good kid. But what you’re doing now...” She looked at him steadily. “I know your heart is in the right place. Always is. But you need to stop this.”
“Stop?”
“This entire escapade. I‘m sorry, but I can’t let it continue.” Her voice had become much quieter. She leaned forward, hand touching the table. “You just... can’t. There’s no choice. No negotiating. This is done.”
Teddy looked at her, rocked back in his chair, lips pressing and jaw tight. For a second he looked as though that was going to be it. He would just nod and agree, not wanting to argue. He and his mother never truly argued. Honestly, Teddy hated the thought of her being upset. But she’d never given him such an adamant no before either. It all seemed entirely surreal.
“Why?”
“To keep you safe. I won’t explain further than that for now.”
Teddy gave another rock of his torso, looking to the side. When he looked back at her, his eyes weren’t unkind, even an apology edging them, but a firm resolve had settled in his gaze. “No.”
==
Did he just tell his mother no? Billy’s jaw dropped in disbelief. In the almost two months that he and Teddy had been together, he’d never heard him talk back to his mother or tell her no. This was huge.
==
“Theodore...” It wasn’t a warning tone, it was a quiet plea to put the discussion to rest.
“No.” He shook his head, his voice steady. “I’m not stopping.”
“You don’t understand the dangers--.”
“I don’t understand? Mom, have you noticed what’s going on out there?” He pointed toward the door with his stiff hand. “People--people are getting seriously hurt, dying! How can you possibly ask me to just do nothing?”
Now Mrs. Altman did raise her voice, hand to her chest. “Because I won’t have you ending up injured or dead! It’s my job to keep you safe!”
“My life isn’t any more important than anyone else’s!”
“Yes, it is!” She stood. “Please, just trust me on this! And what about Billy?” She pointed to him. “What if something happens to him?” When she saw their looks she pressed at her brow impatiently. “Yes, I know about that as well!”
==
Well that’s great, Billy thought mirthlessly, though truthfully it wasn’t as if they’d been secretive about their relationship around Teddy’s mother. Given that, it wasn’t a surprise to him that Mrs. Altman knew. He took her admission as more of a I’m not going to condone it anymore.
Even worse, what if Mrs. Altman decided to tell his parents? That would be a disaster waiting to happen, he was sure of it.
==
“But of course you didn’t say. What else do you know that you aren’t saying?” Teddy asked, looking at his mother as though she were a stranger.
“Well, it’s not like it’s a surprise...”
Teddy’s brow lowered. Billy had learned that look. It was that stubborn look. He wanted answers. “Why isn’t it? Why does none of this surprise you?”
Now Mrs. Altman faltered, looking worried and at a loss for words. “Because... It... Oh, Teddy, let’s just say that liking the same sex runs in the family!” Teddy’s brows shot up. “As it stands, I thought you two might change your mind after Billy was hurt. You two realize you might not be just injured next time? That you could be killed? Are you willing to put each other through that?”
Teddy was quiet, looking down at the table. A large breath was pulled in, released slowly. “We know that’s a possibility, Mom.” His eyes shot up to look at her steadily. “But we saved over a dozen people from having to get that news that... nobody ever wants to hear. Billy and I are two people. Understanding what we do and how we feel--I’d never stand idly by if I can prevent that from happening to another couple.” He reached down, the turkey bones grabbed up. “So I’m not stopping. If nothing else I have to be there for my team. I’m sorry, but...”
“Teddy, you don’t understand. I can’t let you...”
But Teddy was standing from the table. The parent and teen met each others’ hurt gaze. Then he shook his head, eyes dipping to the floor. “Billy.. Let’s go.”
==
“Are you sure?” Billy asked quietly as he stood up and pushed his chair in. By the look in Teddy’s eyes and the tone of his voice, Billy already knew the answer. This wasn’t good. He took their plates over to the sink and rinsed them off.
“We know it’s dangerous,” he said toward the water and the dishes. He didn’t dare look at Mrs. Altman for fear of his courage evaporating. “We’ve both already been hurt, and it’s only just started. But people barely older than us are in the army, or are training to become police officers. And these are people without special abilities. What kind of people would we be if we sat on the gifts we were given? I’m not sure we’d be the type of people that you’d want your son to be.”
He shut the water off and dried his hands. “I’ll take care of him,” he offered as he crossed the kitchen to stand next to Teddy.
“I promise.”
==
Mrs. Altman stared at Billy, looking very lost and without words. Finally she gave a small nod knuckles to her chin. It was the nod of a woman too afraid of trying to speak for fear of flying apart.
Inside, it killed Teddy to see her that way. But there was nothing else for him to say. He could only hope she believed Billy (because he certainly did). She didn’t turn to watch them leave, though Teddy looked back from the open door, a conflict in his eyes. He was careful to lock the door before closing it behind them, the two trekking back into the snowy night.