InsaneJournal

Absolutely it was Billy Kaplan-Altman running up Wanda’s cottage door. Who else could it be? He did have to stop a few times to adjust for sudden height changes, but he knew that that was pretty normal for a Skrull his age and that he would grow into his shapeshifting. If he was shapeshifting. Which he obviously was not, because again, he very obviously was Billy Kaplan-Altman.

…How tall WAS he, anyway? It was a little hard to tell, because adults were all tall.

Maybe it wouldn’t matter! He was going to the house of one of his FAVORITE people, who always had stories and cookies and had the best most magical garden of all time with cool bugs and snakes and he got to learn what plants to use gentle hands with and which ones he could just rip out with surprising strength.

Not surprising, because he was an adult.

He knocked on the door to be polite even though he never had to, he could just walk in or be teleported in but it was still polite to do so…and then opened it right away in excitement. “Hi Gran–Mom! Mom! I was feeling like ice cream and maybe you wanted some too?”

Wanda wasn’t a stranger to people barging in. Certain people, that is. She had an open door policy with her children (Teddy included), and she encouraged it. Their presence made her home bright and busy and loud. Any moment – mundane or quick or catastrophic to her interior – was a moment she soaked up.

But she was also alone this morning, no special friend in sight, and she was thankful for that when Billy came through. Her tea was still piping hot as she stirred her condiments in, and she passed her son a humored look. “It’s a bit early for ice cream, isn’t it?”

Wait, ice cream was comfort food. Wanda changed her tactic. That humor melted into concern, and the mug was left on the counter so she could approach with free hands. “Is everything alright?”

Sebastian couldn’t help it, he practically leaped into Wanda’s arms because, well, he was used to being smaller, used to being caught, used to rubbing his nose in one particular spot on Wanda’s clothes and in fact, he shrunk a good foot so that he could do that. Being a shapeshifter was very fun but it was also very hard when you were so excited!

“Yes, everything is fine!” He chirped, beaming up at Wanda with total adoration. Whoops. Beaming up. Maybe she wouldn’t notice?? In the blink of an eye he grew–first far too tall, overcompensating, because Sebastian couldn’t exactly remember how tall his dad was. He tried to cover it up with another hug, as Grandma was always good for those and she could be persuaded to do a lot with enough hugs. “Do you have the good sprinkles? And hot fudge? I ate all of my vegetables too, definitely.”

Yes, Sebastian was the most convincing, he knew it.

Oh. This was not Billy. They had Billy’s face and Billy’s enthusiasm, but the aura was – no, this was not her son. Whoever they are was also not a threat. That hug was too, ah, what’s the word for it?

Wholesome? That hug was too wholesome. Her brain cells went back to functioning in English now. This whole Billy-shaped body went down, then up, too up, but she was fine with the initiation of this second hug. Wanda blinked, utterly confused, and did not let that stop her from hugging him back.

“I have the best sprinkles,” she confirmed, amusement finding its way into her voice as she pulled her head back to look at ‘Billy.’ “And it seems like you have eaten your vegetables, look at this sudden and very natural growth spurt.”

Yes, ‘Billy.’ She noticed.

Sebastian’s left ear elongated out of his head, pointy and vibrantly green, and he only noticed when it itched and he reached up to scratch it. Frantically, he covered up his ear with one hand, as if this was something natural to do and completely reasonable. …That was when his other ear poked up, and Sebastian then had to cover that one.

He was caught, and he knew it.

‘Billy’ shrunk once again, features slowly morphing and adjusting until what was left in his place was a little blonde, and very decidedly green, boy. His face was etched with lines that were a part of his skin, but seemed to fit and flow along the contours of his face, so they appeared as more natural markings rather than any sort of injury. He grinned at Wanda, bright blue eyes twinkling, before Sebastian once again leaped at Wanda for a hug, pressing a series of kisses to her cheek. There were never enough with Grandma Wanda!

“Grandma! Hi! Did I surprise you? Did you know it was me? Grandma, I’m getting really good at shapeshifting, right?

Wanda had suspicions. What those suspicions were, exactly, eluded her - but she suspected something. This time of year had a theme other than Halloween, and the mixed bag of emotions she had about it was best defined as bittersweet. The last few years had brought both hope of what was to come and an ache about all of the things that had changed.

It stung to have lost Toph. To have lost Sil. But the little face changed and looked at her, bright eyes and curious skin? That gave her hope of what could come again. She took the little boy in her arms like it was a practiced move, and she hoped all the excess moisture gathering in her eyes didn’t spill over. (They’d be happy tears anyway, but still.)

“You’re getting so good at it, I hardly noticed the difference,” Wanda claimed, playing around while wearing the widest smile. She playfully swung Sebastian in her arms before plopping him down onto the kitchen island to get a better look at him. “Hello there, little love. Billy and Teddy are your fathers?”

If Sebastian thought anything odd about Wanda's question, he definitely didn't show it. He was content to kick his feet back and forth and smile back at Wanda, a missing front tooth causing just a little bit of a lisp and a whistle to escape when he spoke. "Yep! They're my daddies! You’re my grandma! And…” Sebastian’s brow furrowed in thought, the lines becoming even more pronounced. “Uncle Tommy is…Dad’s…brother!” He looked very pleased with himself for figuring out the complicated relationship between brothers. It was easier to remember given that Dad and Uncle Tommy had the same face. “Twin!” Sebastian shouted, suddenly, even more proud for coming up with that word.

He tugged at Wanda’s shirt to pull her closer so that he could cup his hands around her ear and whisper. “Grandma, remember I came from space but I don’t remember it? It’s a secret. And, I got another secret, I love you.” Sebastian pulled back once again just looking like he really had shared the best secret, even though neither one of them really were secrets. But it was still fun to have them! “Grandma, can we eat ice cream and then go to the garden? I promise I will use my nice hands,” said while he was petting the air, demonstrating just how gentle he would be. “And I will only pull the weeds you say to and even if there is a very cool bug or snake, I will leave it in the dirt where it lives to keep the garden healthy.”

This was obviously from experience.

Came from space. Wanda hummed in understanding, smiling and nodding along his words, his little voice. Her vision grew misty again, and she reached out to thread her fingers through that soft baby hair (he was a baby to her, and no one was allowed to argue with her about it) and she knew, right in this moment, that she loved him too.

“We definitely can,” she giggled softly, knowing that she’d give this child everything he wanted from her – and she hoped Billy and Teddy wouldn’t be too upset about that. Ice cream was definitely going to be part of breakfast. “Let me ask you one more thing first; you did so well knowing who your parents are, and who your uncle is, and where you came from. Can you tell me your whole name?”

“Thank you, Grandma, I learned!” Sebastian chirped. He twisted himself around left and right searching for something (presumably a snack) (that looked and tasted like cookies) (not fruit) before turning back to Wanda. “My big long name is,” he took a breath, eyes rolling up while he thought about it and tried to make sure he said every word. “S’bazene, house of Dren’dat, line of Xandin and Xolx.” He was a Skrull, after all, and even if he didn’t remember his time there, he still had a name and lineage and those things were important to Skrulls. His papa was Dorrek VIII, after all!

“But my name here is Sebastian Kaplan-Altman. Another long name!” Sebastian, predictably, giggled even at that. What a great day so far! First he totally fooled Grandma, then they were going to have ice cream with the good sprinkles, and there might even be a cool bug in the garden! “See, I did it! Are you so proud I did it? Can we call my dad and my papa? Just in case they don’t know I came to your house? And Uncle Tommy? He wants ice cream too, he eats so so so much ice cream, Grandma, more than me!”

Oof, quite the long name. Wanda was committing that to memory, like she’d committed his whole being into memory - she’d have to take hundreds of pictures while he was with them, obviously. Several family photos. Everything she’d done with Sil to keep her fresh in her mind and never forgotten in case the timelines changed again, she would do it with Sebastian.

“We will call them in,” she assured him. “They’ll be so excited to see you. But first, let me -” Wanda raised her hands, magic swirling through the kitchen in ribbons and wisps, opening cabinets and bringing forth bowls, sprinkles, icecream, spoons. All of it moved as if they had their own sentience (Beauty and the Beast inspired, she was determined to make it a spectacle for him) as they put together the best breakfast ice cream.

The last touch were the sprinkles that swirled around and around him before they landed into the bowl.

“You have to promise your dad and papa that you will brush your teeth really well tonight.”

Even though he had seen this display, and many other displays of magic before, Sebastian still clapped like it was the first time because it was always cool when Grandma did magic. It would have been cool if she had just brought down the ice cream with her hands, because ice cream was cool and Grandma was definitely cool, but having a magical display in the morning was so much better!

Sebastian picked up his spoon, already overloaded with ice cream and probably far too large for his mouth but by golly he was going to try! “Cheers!” he said, touching his spoon to Wanda’s. “Thank you, Grandma, this is going to be a very good day!”