Teddy himself wasn't sure if, or how, he was going to react until he was already speaking. "If you meant that," he said quietly, his gaze fixed immovably on that one word. "Then don't ever, ever do that. Or anything like it."
He turned his gaze slowly on Billy, some unidentifiable mixture of hurt and frustration and affection in his eyes. Even he didn't know what he was feeling at that moment, just that it was more intense than anything he'd felt for someone else before, and it was triggered by that word. Love. "Don't even think about it. And if you have to, take me with you."