Log -- Teddy Altman || Billy Kaplan ‣ WHO: Teddy Altman || Billy Kaplan ‣ WHAT: Billy has a bad dream so understandably teleports himself to where he feels the most safe, but he's the only one dreaming ‣ WHEN: August 12th, 2020 ‣ WHERE: Teddy's apartment ‣ RATING | WARNINGS: Low || References to death ‣ STATUS: Complete || Log
His face was like a quiet pool that would hold everything safe in its depth.
Teddy Altman & Billy Kaplan
It wasn’t a dream he hadn’t had before but there was something more brutal about it tonight, the horror as Mary-Jo Altman was forced into a form she hadn’t used for years. When he woke up, gasping for air with the smell of burning flesh in his nose, tears in his eyes and a strangled scream in his throat the sobs escaped him even before he could stop them.
He wanted to be somewhere safe. The urge built in him, higher and higher, that pressure in his chest that he associated with a teleport tugging inside of him. He can’t breathe, he can’t think past the sound of Teddy’s agonised scream as the woman who raised him was burned alive in front of them and-
IwanttobesafeIwanttobesafeIwanttobesafeIwanttobe-
He could see the blue light around him even with his eyes closed, his stomach swooped out and his ears popped as he blinked out of existence in his own home and appeared, a fraction of a second later, somewhere...else.
He figured it was probably Wanda’s place, or Blossom’s. It didn’t smell like either of their apartments, though, and the room was pitch dark. Where had he ended up?
He popped into existence at the bottom of someone’s bed.
Oh, he thought, as he looked up at the head of the bed to see a specific blond looking at him confused and sleep rumpled and more than a little weirded out. Oh shit.
Teddy happened to be the blond who was both confused, sleep rumpled and definitely more than a little weirded out. He had just slipped under when a flash of blue followed by a popping sound had definitely woken him and he was immediately awake, danger senses blaring like ambulance sirens. It was very much a fight or flight reaction. It died however as suddenly as it had come over him when he realized it wasn’t a burglar or intruder but rather a sleepy looking Billy with all the threatening aura of a scared rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.
What the actual… fuck?
Was this some sort of dream?
His forehead furrowed as Teddy shuffled upwards towards the head of the bed, the covers pooling around his waist, revealing the fact he didn’t in fact sleep in anything save for a pair of boxer briefs. “Billy?”
Billy scrambled backwards off the bed and he absolutely should have fallen but used his powers to stop himself at the last minute, hovering above the ground until he could get his feet underneath himself.
He’d teleported himself to Teddy’s room. He’d teleported himself to Teddy’s room where Teddy was sleeping in nothing but his underwear and how was he supposed to explain this?
He rubbed at his face, like that would get rid of the tear-tracks before they were noticed and cleared his throat. “I- uh- I am so sorry.”
“Woah, hey, hey,” Teddy murmured softly as Billy scrambled off the bed as if he’d been lit on fire and looked like he was going to fall only to save himself by- wait, was Billy levitating? Okay this was either a very vivid dream or there was a lot more to Billy Kaplan than first met the eye. Either way all his questions were quickly dismissed when he recognized that Billy had been crying.
Covers were tossed aside and Teddy got to his feet, rummaging out a t-shirt, it was pulled on a moment later in a vague attempt at looking decent before Teddy approached Billy.
“So I clearly have a lot of questions. Like, a bazillion, but they can wait until I know what’s going on with you.” His hands flexed where they rested at his sides before they lifted, fingers easing the lopsided edge of Billy’s t-shirt back onto his shoulder before he offered a smile. “Did you want a drink or anything?”
“No, I need to teleport myself to the seventh circle of hell or something and live out the rest of my days there,” Billy said miserably, having gone completely still when Teddy’s fingers gently fixed his shirt, settling the neck properly. The shirt was still too big, but that was why he slept in it. It was comforting.
He glanced up at Teddy, met his eyes briefly before adding almost dead-pan, “Unless that drink is arsenic, in which case, yes please.”
“So, teleportation, like in the movies or comic books.” Teddy said with a small smirk. “You know if you were some sort of alien with awesome super powers you could have just told me.”
He snorted quietly. “I am not feeding you arsenic.”
A hand caught Billy’s elbow and tugged him in the direction of the bed, gently. “So, what is going on?”
Billy’s brain did the human equivalent of a blue-screen-of-death and over their heads the lightbulb exploded at the surge of electricity in the air for half a second. He wasn’t the alien with superpowers in the room but he couldn’t just come out and say that.
“Not an alien,” he muttered, “and are you sure on the arsenic? It’d be a lot easier than having to live with the mortification that I wanted to be somewhere saf- that I teleported into your room in the middle of the night after having a nightmare.”
“Dude,” Teddy gently admonished as the lightbulb exploded and glass was sent flying everywhere. “Just don’t put your feet down anytime soon, okay?”
The roll of the eyes should have been answer enough in response to the question about the arsenic but to be doubly sure Teddy nodded. “100% sure.”
He sat down on the end of his bed and tugged Billy down to join him. “So if you’re not an alien, what are you? And don’t think I haven’t noticed the lack of answer to my question about what’s going on with you.”
“Let me just-” Billy waved his hand and his fingers glow brightly enough to light up the room. He then lifted his other hand and the glass shards floated up from the ground. Mumbling underneath his breath, they formed back into the lightbulb and then he put it down on the table on the opposite side of the room without actually moving. “Fixed it. Sorry.”
He picked at the edge of his thumb. “It- I’m a mutant, I think. That’s the term for it, anyway. A bit like… some of the Titans, you know? More… Raven or Beast Boy than Superman. I really didn’t- I’m still getting the hang of these stupid powers, I didn’t mean to teleport out here. It’s super creepy. I’m super creeped out by myself right now. How are you not creeped out by me?”
“Wow,” Teddy uttered softly. “You would be really handy to have around this place. My roommates break stuff all the time.” Too much roughhousing and playing indoors Lacrosse which was never a good idea but did they listen? Nope, not at all. The exact opposite in fact.
They were definitely never getting their security deposit back. Fact.
“Well, there are worse people I could have turning up in my bedroom in the middle of the night.” Teddy lifted his shoulders. “And I mean you must have been pretty freaked out by something to lose control like that and to wind up here rather than I dunno at one of your best friends places.”
“I’m really good at frying technology,’ Billy admitted, “had to work out how to fix the stuff my powers broke when my-” he wet his lower lip, “when my roommate had to head home.”
He pushed his fingers through his hair awkwardly. It felt wrong to lie to Teddy, to laugh it off as a loss of control when it really wasn’t. He felt his cheeks flush with the slight compliment - was that a compliment? It must have been right? Or was it just a ‘you could have been a serial killer so on the scale of serial killer and weird teleporting magic dude you’re okay’?
“Not convinced it was a loss of control,” he admitted after a moment of agonisingly loud silence during which he was chewing the inside of his lower lip almost raw. “My powers don’t always work like that. It-”
Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward, braced his forearms against his knees. It was easier if he couldn’t see Teddy out of his peripheral vision.
“I had a really bad dream - I don’t wanna talk about what it was about but it just, it was really bad. I wanted to be somewhere I felt safe. That- so my powers reacted, taking me somewhere that subconsciously I would feel, y’know, safe.”
Teddy reached out to help sort Billy's hair into something approaching normal rather than the sleep ruffled look he currently had going on before he withdrew his fingers. That was probably too forward, too presumptuous, Billy was perfectly capable of sorting out his own hair.
He did grimace however as he watched Billy chew on the inside of his lower lip. He was fairly certain that would bleed if he kept that up any longer. Fortunately then he started talking so that habit ceased.
Teddy gave Billy some space, shifting to curl his bare legs under him, to sit cross legged and nod as Billy gave some background. "Well, I'm flattered that I make you feel safe."
Billy made the tiniest of noises as Teddy’s fingers carefully combed his hair back into place, some semblance of something that didn’t look like he’d been sleeping. It wasn’t a noise of complaint, but honestly he needed to accept his mortification and maybe wish aloud that the earth swallow him whole.
His teeth caught his lip again, chewing on it, even as he spoke. “You don’t think that’s weird?”
Would it be wrong of Teddy to file that way for the future whatever that future might be? Probably, but that wasn’t going to stop him. He frowned when Billy began to worry that lower lip again and without much thought or regard for personal space or the fact they were starting out as new friends he reached out, easing the lip out from between Billy’s teeth. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that.”
He cleared his throat and pushed his fingers into his own hair.
“And I dunno, sometimes you just meet somebody and things click. You know?”
Billy stopped breathing when Teddy’s fingers touched his lip and it took everything in him not to just lean completely into the touch. He only failed a little bit, shivering a little. He glanced up, watching Teddy’s fingers sink into his own hair and resisted the urge to have his own follow.
He mumbled an apology, though chewing his lip was one of his less self-destructive anxious habits, feeling cold when the touch dropped away.
“Yeah, but there’s clicking with someone and then teleporting to their room in the middle of the night because you had a nightmare.” He swallowed. “I woulda wanted to tell you about my powers in a way that didn’t involve my weird anxiety.”
Teddy chuckled softly. “Okay, I’ll give you that.” He lightly nudged Billy’s knee with his own. “So, what else can you do? I mean, aside from what I’ve already seen.”
He desperately wanted to ask about the nightmare but Billy had made it very clear that he didn’t want to talk about it so he was not going to force the issue.
Besides, it might help to talk about something else.
Billy’s eyes dropped to where Teddy’s knee touched his and ignored the way that his whole body wanted to respond by just flopping forwards until Teddy sunk his fingers into Billy’s hair again and petted him back to sleep. He knew a lot of his confusion was around the fact that in the dreams they were… well, they were something. But it wasn’t all that, and if he didn’t know Teddy in the dreams, Billy would so desperately want to… to date him.
It just felt like he was being a creeper because of the fact that he knew the dream-version of this perfect human. Alien.
“Um, I can kinda do a lot,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “In the dr- I think I’m still learning about what I can do, y’know? So there might be more that I’ve still gotta discover. But, uh, in short? I can fly and create lightning. And I can teleport, and I have telekinesis. And some kind of… warping power? I think?”
Teddy was quiet and listened, nodding to show that he was still registering everything that Billy was telling him. “How did they start? I mean, you see stuff in the movies, but most of the time I don’t actually know how realistic that is.”
Honestly no point of reference but it helped that Teddy was open minded in a lot of ways. Was it surreal to think that super powers actually existed? Sure, but also very cool.
Billy grimaced. “I was startled in the kitchen and blew up the toaster,” he said quietly. “Honestly, I had no idea what was happening, just one moment I was making cereal and then something made me jump and I blew up the toaster. The electricity came first, or lighting, whatever it is.”
He wanted to mention that he’d dreamed about his powers first, but that seemed inappropriate. He didn’t know if Teddy was even a dreamer yet. If he’d ever be a Dreamer. Was it wrong of him to be disappointed if Teddy never did dream?
“My housemate got really good at patching things up.”
“That’s kinda my role in this house,” Teddy admitted. “My roommates are total idiots most of the time. They play Lacrosse indoors and last night one of them thought it was a good idea to set off fireworks indoors. Newsflash, it was not.”
He idly toyed with his fingers, idly rubbing the thumb and index finger of his right hand over the ring which he had weirdly always felt comfortable having on the traditional engagement finger on his left hand.
“So I’m guessing your housemate was cool with the whole powers thing?”
Billy snorted, resisting the urge to make a comment about Teddy being the anti-himbo in what was probably a household full of them. “Wow, that’s something,” he agreed. “Your house is already way more interesting than mine. And I was in dorms last year with just one other person sharing my room.”
He nodded, “Yeah, I mean it was weird for him but he was okay with it. I tried not to use them at home anyway, I went to other places to practise.” He bit his lower lip again, seeing the anxious way Teddy was playing with his ring. “I know it’s a lot, like, a lot. Aside from tonight’s slip - which won’t happen again, I promise - I’ll make sure to avoid using them around you, too.”
“Jocks,” Teddy said, deliberate arch of his eyebrows. “But they’re good guys even if some of their choices are… questionable.” And likely end up with one of them in the ER at some point, sooner rather than later.
He frowned and shook his head. “We’re friends, right? I mean if you were into cigarettes and drugs then yeah I’d tell you not to do that shit around me, but this is different. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be yourself around me.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Billy joked, weakly, meeting Teddy’s eyes and stubbornly ignoring the way that he wanted to sway forward again. “I am absolutely this much of a mess over ninety percent of the time.”
Teddy chuckled. “You’re lucky that you’re pretty.” The compliment was out before he had a chance to stop it and Teddy’s eyes immediately widened, his cheeks flushed and he ducked his head, fingers straying back into his hair.
If Billy had been drinking, he would have choked on his water. As it was, he sort of let out a strangled, surprised sound and choked on the air slightly. He cleared his throat, feeling his own cheeks flushing and he rubbed the back of his head.
“Pretty sure I’d have been murdered by now if I wasn’t,” he offered, though he was clearly flustered by the compliment. “Though I- uh- you’re only the second person to tell me that.” He swallowed. “Pretty’s good, right? It’s not like… one of those words that secretly sucks?”
“Pretty’s good.” Teddy nodded his head, giving a shy smile. “Definitely a compliment.” He blew out a breath and scratched at his eyebrow. “Do you want to crash here tonight?”
“Uh- I-” Billy felt like his brain was running Windows 95 and had BSoD’d on him. “Are you- I mean I don’t wanna be a- I don’t wanna be a bother or anything.”
But he really kind of did. Honestly. His room smelt like burning person, and the smell was still kind of in his nose and the idea of burying his face in something that smelt nice was very appealing.
“...are you sure?”
Teddy reached out to grab a handful of a pillow that he used to lightly smack Billy on the arm. “Wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.” He smirked and got to his feet, moving around to make the empty side of his bed a little more appealing with an addition of another pillow.
He was really glad that he had literally changed his sheets the night before. So glad.
Billy laughed despite the anxiety in his stomach. This was a terrible idea and he knew it. But here he was, in for a penny or whatever that phrase was. He glanced skyward, towards a God he didn’t believe in, and then stood off the bed, stretching his arms above his head and was thankful for the darkness. He wasn’t sure he could handle seeing Teddy’s bare legs without combusting.
“You always so quick to jump into the ‘there’s only one bed’ trope?” Billy teases, before his brain can stop himself. Where was some kind of wrathful deity to strike him down when he needed one. He facepalmed. “I’ll take that cup of arsenic now, thanks.”
Teddy arched an eyebrow. “Well, I mean, there is the communal couch, but between you and me it’s a pretty crappy place to crash. And you don’t want to be woken by my roommates” He snorted at the facepalming. “Relax, Billy. Arsenic is still not happening.”
He was definitely keeping his t-shirt on even though he was more comfortable sleeping in less as he’d always been that way even when he had been younger much to his aunt’s utter horror.
“Do I want to know what’s happened on the communal couch?” Billy asked, skin preemptively crawling as he moved towards the other side of the bed. He was impressed that Teddy had a double, but he guessed that was what happened when you lived off campus. He hadn’t had a double bed in his first year. He hadn’t really needed one, anyway.
He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, almost hesitant, before he slid under the sheets, sitting with his back against the headboard.
“Last chance to kick me out…” He’d never actually shared a bed with anyone before, he had no idea what kind of sleeping partner he would be. He really hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself. Which, obviously, meant that he totally would. “I mean, you’re clearly an absolute gentleman and would never be so cruel as to make a man teleport himself home…”
“Yeah, it’s better not to ask.” Teddy had one rather vivid memory and image of having caught one of his roommates with his girlfriend. Honestly if mind bleach had been a thing he totally would have drunk it by the bucketful.
He slipped under the covers on his side, reaching to plump up and make his pillows more comfortable. “Nope, not happening.” A smile was given. “So, get some sleep, and if you’re feeling brave in the morning I can introduce you to my roommates.”
Billy slid down the headboard and wriggled a little until he was lying properly on the bed, lifting his hips to tug his shirt down properly and then settled on his back, looking up at the ceiling. After a moment, he turned onto his side, looking at Teddy.
“I can imagine how that conversation’s gonna go,” he drawled, feeling not quite bonelessly relaxed, but he was more comfortable than he thought he would be, “‘morning guys here’s a magical idiot that teleported into my room in the middle of the night and we shared a bed, his name’s Billy, don’t let him have any arsenic’.”
Teddy glanced over at exactly the wrong moment as he watched Billy wiggled around to get comfortable and tug his shirt back down properly, and he was certain he could feel the tips of his ears getting warm. What the fuck? He ran fingers through his hair and purposefully moved the strands of blond to block his ears from sight. There, no risk of Billy seeing his ears.
“Or we could stay you swung over after they went to bed, hung out, it got late and so you crashed.” He grinned over at Billy. “Simple enough, right?”
Billy tilted his head, smile clear even in the darkness. “Better not wander out in the morning wearing anything of yours, then,” he teased, settling himself and tucking one arm underneath his head. “I’ll just, uh,” he wiggled the fingers of his other hand, “some clothes to me in the morning.”
He cleared his throat. “And- um- tha- thank you, for not being weird about this.”
Teddy chuckled. “I have been known to lend clothes to friends so wouldn’t be a complete reach.” He shifted until he had the pillow cradled between his arms and rested his head there, looking over at Billy. “I think me being weird about this was literally the last thing you needed right now.”
His shoulders lifted. “Besides, you have super powers, which is all kinds of awesome.”
“You always put the needs of others above your own potential freak-outs about your super-powered new friends?” Billy asked, glancing up at the pillow and ignoring the way his whole being wanted to just roll closer until they were wrapped together. That was dumb. “I should probably let you get back to sleep, huh.”
“Well, considering this is the first time it has ever happened to me then I’m gonna say… yes?” Teddy ventured with a laugh. “And I mean, I don’t think I’m the only one that needs some sleep. You’re the one recovering from a nightmare.”
He smiled. “So, try and relax, hopefully you won’t have another nightmare.”
“With you to chase it away, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Billy said, more sincere than he meant to and he’s glad it’s dark because he can feel his cheeks heating up again.
He reached over the small space between them and squeezed Teddy’s forearm.
“Night, Teddy,” he says, chewing his lower lip before rolling over so he had his back to the other man. At least that way he wouldn’t do something stupid.
Please, he thought, trying to talk to the small part of his brain that was clinging onto common sense, please don’t let me do something stupid in my sleep.