hulkling_altman (hulkling_altman) wrote in newalliance, @ 2014-12-05 19:52:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | hulkling, speedy ii |
Who: Hulkling + Open
When: December 5, 2014
Where: New York City
What: Hulkling has reason to be frustrated and grumpy. It doesn't necessarily cause him to make poor life choices, and yet, here he was.
Rating: PG-13, cursing and violence.
He finished his final exam. He was free of college for now. Really, he should have been happy. Instead he very much... wasn't.
~~~ Not long ago... ~~~
"We should be celebrating." He looked over hopefully at Billy. They were busy packing up the dorm room, getting things sorted to go... well, home. Billy was going home anyhow. Teddy had decided on another course of action. "Our finals done, no obligations until sundown. There's several parties going on. Or we could just go to the 'new place' and hang out."
Billy gave a noncommittal sound, looking disinterested and dull as he folded clothes mechanically into a dufflebag. Teddy pursed his lips, trying again. "Do you want to go somewhere to get coffee? Maybe a movie ... Billy?"
"No," Billy finally answered, leaving the bag to wander to a Final Fantasy poster, removing the tacking from the bottom and looking up at the top corners blankly, far out of his reach.
Teddy moved over to him, standing affectionately close as he reached up and removed the top tacks. He caught the picture gently as it came down, arms partly around Billy. Billy just watched, sighed a bit and took it, started to roll it up. Teddy felt something sting in his chest as his boyfriend moved away wordlessly.
"Are you going to be okay?" His question was quiet, the softness of his tone demanding more attention than normal volume.
Billy shrugged.
"... You're angry with me."
"No."
"Then what are you?"
Billy set the poster down, finger tracing it, then gave another shrug, one that he hardly seemed even to bother moving his shoulders with. "I'm not anything right now."
"Billy, I can't just quit. It's... I'm not--what I have, need to do--." The taller blond started to stumble over words, hands spread and trying to sort out the inner conflict. But he wasn't sure how to, and it helped not at all when Billy finally looked at him, brown eyes tired.
"I'm not stopping you," the young mage assured. "I just... can't right." Billy had frowned, looking back at his packing. "I can't anything right now."
~~~
Teddy fold his wings about himself, watching the gang moving about loudly in the alley, the group on some sort of mission Teddy could only guess at. One of the girls shoved one of the guys into the brick wall playfully at something he said. He cursed back at her while the others laughed, not missing a step. No crimes have been done. Not yet. Teddy wasn't as preemptive as some of the team. People had to be undoubtedly in the wrong before he brandished his claws. Besides, his thoughts weren't focused.
Am I choosing this over my boyfriend? he wondered. No, he almost immediately reassured himself. Billy wasn't able to 'cape' right now, too deep in the grips of depression, but he'd never said Teddy couldn't or gave the slightest indication Teddy should stop. So why the guilt? ... Because I can't fix it. I don't know how to fix Billy's sadness. And it was driving Teddy crazy trying to figure out how.
It took him a moment to realize the gang had gone quiet, now on the prowl. Teddy shook his head sharply, green hide thickening on his frame as he focused on the task at hand. They were stopping, the backpacks being dropped and guns loaded and bottles being prepped.
Cocktails. Teddy felt his jaw tighten, narrowing his eyes. The teen had a definite dislike of burning buildings. He followed along more closely as the leader counted off how the attack was going to go down. Bottles thrown in, people to gun down at the remaining exits. Everyone nodded, in agreement with this, having already been briefed time and time again on how they were going to hit the run down building. They set off, hurrying around the blocks to get in position.
Teddy touched a claw to his ear com. "Hey guys. I stumbled on something that needs taken care of sorta urgent-like. Will fill you in on it in a bit." Then he dropped down, frame shifting into one of the gang members that had ran toward the back, skin folding into the necessary hoodie. The frame was a lot slighter than him, but Teddy had become used to squishing himself down when needed. He trot after the others as they crouched by the corner, counting down with the lighter ready to set several of the molotov cocktails aflame.
One of the gang members looked to him, glaring. He was entirely fooled by Teddy's shifting. "Hey, go around back, fucktard!"
"Sorry, I need to clarify something." Teddy didn't pause, trotting up and socking the guy in the jaw. The girl jumped back in alarm, two of the cocktails being knocked over and guttering over the sidewalk.
"Jesus! What the fuck are you-?" That was all she had time for before Teddy's arm stretched out, wrapping her up. She was dragged toward him, his inner elbow squeezing in the sleeper hold, even while his other leg kicked out to the other fellow's face. The one remaining gang member stumbled back out of reach.
The girl was making a gagging sound, beating at his arm. Teddy didn't expect her to stop the futile struggle. Yet she did, grabbing a knife out of her belt and stabbing it backward into his thigh. Teddy gave a short start of sound that ended in a growl, keeping his grip. She was starting to flag, pulling the knife out and trying again, but this time hitting hardened armor. Teddy focused on the gang member that had backed away. He had his lighter out, watching Teddy wildly while he flicked the lid open and a bright tongue of flame lit his craggy face. He had a bottle in his other hand.
Teddy's blue eyes hardened. Don't even think about it... he tried to wordlessly warn the guy. Not that it did any good. The criminal lit the cloth and threw the bottle at them.
Jerk. Teddy backhanded the bottle away, but liquid flung and it broke when it hit the pavement. Teddy pushed the unconscious girl away, a line of fire rushing up his frame. "Ow, ow! Okay, hot!" His wings were out now, rushing to clap about his frame and smother the fire. Then he leaped right at running gangbanger.
He probably could have been a lot gentler than he was when he clocked him. Teddy half tossed him against the wall of the building, letting him slump there and marching on, his clothes and hide still smoking.
Well, I'm already irritated. May as well. He ran at the gang members in the back waiting to ambush their rivals and wondering what was taking the cocktail team so long. The first two were entirely surprised, not reacting quickly enough to the muscled mass of green leathery wings and armor stampeding toward them. The others he roared at, bulling into them even as panicked gunshots fired. Then he ended up having to pull them to safety as the gang members within the building became aware of what was going on outside and started to fire from the windows as well.
So now but a minute later Teddy sat with his arms folded, glaring at nothing with his back to a dumpster, five gang members slumped beside him in an awkward pile.
One of them started to stir with a groan. Teddy glanced at him, then away, brows a low line as he bopped him on the head quickly, sending him back into unconsciousness again. He touched his ear com again, ignoring the sharp sound of a bullet reflecting off the metal above him. He may as well while waiting for their bullets to run out.
"Someone tell me there is pizza being ordered tonight."