14435/Central Park in June

Central Park in June
Date of Scene:	10 June 2022
Location:	Central Park, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Billy and Teddy head to the park to celebrate the end of finals, graduation, and make a couple of new discoveries about one another.
Cast of Characters:	Wiccan, Hulkling

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Wiccan has posed:
It's probably safe to say that Billy would text or call or hopefully meet up with Teddy since their first meeting. He maybe sent snacks while Teddy was studying for finals or encouraged him to at least meet for a walk to clear his mind between study sessions. This might be one of those times as Teddy nears the graduation date. This time, however, it's a picnic blanket in Central Park and a reusable grocery bag full of goodies that Billy is casually unpacking and setting on the blanket.

Hulkling has posed:
With finals swiftly approaching and all the craziness that was preparing for graduation and the stress of not knowing where he was going to end up looming, Teddy had been pretty busy but he'd of course always taken time to answer Billy's texts and was grateful for the little breaks away from studying that he needed to clear his mind and not think about classes.

He strolls on over to where Billy's pulling things out of the bag and says, "Hey," as he gets closer. He's dressed in a pair of dull grey cargo shorts and sneakers along with a white t-shirt that shows off the bit of a tan that he's got going on as the summer has started and his athletic build. He has a backpack slung over one shoulder but it looks lighter than the one Billy crashed into initially. He drops that on the ground then sits on the blanket. "How's it going?"

Wiccan has posed:
"Hey!" Billy looks up with a grin, "I brought some snacks. Well, celebratory snacks. Since we're nearing the end of the college part of life! Hooray!" even though he probably knows how stressed Teddy has been about things. "Maybe some reassurance that everything will be ok." He pulls out some strawberries and chocolate hummus and a container of what looks to be baklava. "I went sweet...hope that's ok?" He also pulls out a bottle of champagne and two plastic champagne flutes. "I mean...it tends to go best with the champagne, right? Especially the strawberries."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy just grins at Billy's selection of items and lets out a gusty sigh. "Yeah," he says. "Last final officially done. Nothing to do but wait now and hope that I passed." He grins a little bit crookedly. "Then, unless something goes horribly horribly wrong.. graduation." He then says, "I even found someplace I can store my stuff for a while until I find a place to stay so long as it's not more than a couple of months. So.. a couple of worries taken care of and a little bit more time to try to get things sorted out. So, that's all stuff to celebrate, right?"

Wiccan has posed:
"Hooray!" Billy cheers when Teddy announces that the last of his finals are done. "And of course you passed. Probably with flying colors. You don't strike me as the type who flakes off. More the humble type." He does seem quite confident about that. "And you're going to graduate and I'll be there to cheer for you. If that's ok." See? Plenty to celebrate.

At the mention of find a place to store his things, his smile falters a little but then he points out, "We still have a couch with your name on it if you want. I've been trying to get my dad to turn his office back into the Guest Room it's supposed to be but he's pushing back."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy smiles and gives a shrug of his shoulders. He might not be quite as confident about that as Billy is, but he's pretty sure he's done alright enough to graduate one way or another. He didn't feel like he'd bombed any of his exams anyway. "Yeah, of course. I got you a ticket. I get a couple." For family. That he doesn't have. Or friends. He rifles around in his bag and pulls out an envelope that has a ticket to the graduation ceremony and holds it out to Billy.

Teddy shakes his head and grins at Billy, "I don't want to put your family out or anything like that. And if your dad has an office, he shouldn't have to give it up for some random stranger. That doesn't even make any sense." His smile is warm, though, reassuring. "Though I might take you up on the couch space for a little bit while I find a more stable crash space. The storage unit is a friend's. They're only using half of it so I can use the other half for now."

Wiccan has posed:
"You aren't a 'random stranger', you're my friend," Billy offers quickly to squash that particular concern. "And my dad has an office where he works and all he does there is poke about on the computer and watch sports when no one else wants to watch it. It really should be a guest room, but I guess that's what they'll convert my room into eventually. The couch is your's if you want it. It's a pull-out bed."

The ticket, when offered, gets another grin and he carefully puts it in his wallet so he doesn't lose it. "I'll be there with bells on. Well, not actual bells."

Hulkling has posed:
"Nope. Now that you said it you need to show up with literal bells," Teddy grins, but doesn't seem at all serious about that. He then says, "It's your parents' house and they should be able to do whatever they want with it. And if your dad wants someplace to hide and watch sports, let the guy hide and watch sports." Teddy laughs. "Seriously. But okay. I will take the couch for a little bit. And I'll try to stay out of their hair as much as possible. I'll probably be out a lot looking at places and going on interviews anyway."

Wiccan has posed:
"Did you send your resume to my mom?" Speaking of jobs. "And what about the ice cream place?" Billy settles down on the blanket as well and starts opening the strawberries and the hummus, "I washed them already," in regards to the berries. "And I -will- find bells if I must." Now it's anyone's guess as to whether or not he'll actually show up with bells.

"They're mostly at work most of the day anyhow. It's generally me puttering about during the day."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy nods and says, "Yeah. I sent her my resume and I put in an application at the ice cream place but they've got more applicants than they've got jobs for the summer. It's kind of a popular summer job spot. I also put in with a couple of temp agencies to see if they can find me some temp work to get started on." He has not been slacking in his quest for employment. Then he laughs and says, "I will laugh if you actually show up with bells on." He reaches over and grabs a strawberry, popping it into his mouth and chewing with a sigh. Mnn. Strawberry.

Wiccan has posed:
Challenge accepted. Billy merely grins before he reaches for the champagne to try and open it. Thing is, he's probably not that accustomed to popping champagne corks. He takes a moment to look at it before giving a sort of shy chuckle to Teddy and looking back. "Ok, I'm just going to get this <Open>." That final word is said with no small amount of intention and there is a brief flicker of blue before the cork just pops out and lands across the blanket. Grinning as if he totally meant to do that, Billy then pours the champagne into one plastic flute and hands it out to Teddy before pouring one for himself.

"I'm told the chocolate hummus is good too. I haven't had it myself..."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy chuckles when Billy pops the cork on the champagne the 'easy' way and reaches out to take the flute that he's handed with a dip of his head. He waits for Billy to have his own glass before making a toast. "To.. graduating.. and moving on to.. whatever comes next." He grins a little and then lifts his glass, clicking it against Billy's. Then he takes a sip from the champagne. A skeptical look is given to the hummus but he takes a strawberry and dips it in, giving it a once-over before he puts it in his mouth. Considering.

Wiccan has posed:
"To new beginnings, L'chaim," Billy offers for his own part of the toast, clinking the plastic glasses with Teddy before also taking a sip to 'seal' the two toasts. The skeptical look gets a laugh, "Yeah, I thought the same way. I really should have gone with nutella." But here they are with chocolate hummus.

He'll also take a strawberry and dip it in the hummus for his own taste. "It's...not as savory as I thought it might be. But it's not as sweet, either."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy's face is .. thoughtful.. for a moment or two as he sits there and debates how he feels about chocolate hummus. Finally he says, "It's not bad. It's a little weird. But hey, never know until you try." He then grins and dips another strawberry into it. Why not?

"How are things going on your end? Sorting everything out?" he asks. He knows Billy was also looking at getting ready for graduate school and some kind of a summer job as well.

Wiccan has posed:
Wiccan also seems a little uncertain but does offer, "Nothing wrong with 'a little weird'. I myself am strange and unusual," he then quotes, his mouth quirking in a grin. He takes a sip of the champagne before answering the next question with a shrug, "I've been mostly just navel-gazing. Trying to decide how I want to do all of this. I'm not really as focused as you are."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy laughs at that and says, "Yeah but you're definitely a good strange and unusual and this is.. just strange and unusual," teasingly. But it's not strange and unusual enough that he isn't going to eat it. It is chocolate, after all, and he's hungry. He smiles over at Billy and says, "Well at least you've got your folks to chill with while you sort all that out, so that's good, right? You'll figure it out. I have a feeling that once the pressure's on you'll just.. bam.. into action.. and zip, zap.. done."

Wiccan has posed:
"You say that now..." Billy offers ominously, but still grins. "Although thank you for not exactly comparing me to chocolate hummus..." not entirely. "It's definitely different," but he'll also eat it because it's there. The grin fades when his parents are mentioned, "Well, my parents aren't exactly thrilled at my focus since it's not really...something you can make a living from. But I'm also not entirely sure that this path is the right one either. It's just the one more expected."

Hulkling has posed:
"Sorry," Teddy says a little awkwardly when he sees Billy's grin fade and he mentions his parents not being particularly happy with his choices. He rubs a little at the back of his neck. "Well.. at least you know.. um.." he falters and finally says. "Well, I have faith in you that you'll figure it out, for what that's worth." He picks up another strawberry and fiddles with it a little bit before he takes a bite.

Wiccan has posed:
Billy shrugs again, "It's ok. It's sort of the argument for the ages, right? We'll never fully live up to our parents' wishes and we can either live their lives or our lives." He takes a contemplative bite of a strawberry, "I think even my birth-mom has expectations of me...and I just sort of want to figure things out for myself, you know?"

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy puffs out a breath and says, "Yeah. I know how that goes." His gaze turns a little distant as he looks out over the park, considering the things that he's recently learned about himself and the many expectations that lay upon him. He then smiles again and says, "We'll figure it out. And everyone else will just have to, you know, deal with that."

Wiccan has posed:
His grin returns and Billy lifts his champagne flute again, "We will. Both of us. And be ourselves and screw what anyone else wants of us." Because rebellion isn't always relegated to just the teenage years. Or something. "Maybe once I decide all of that, I'll stop getting treated like an inexperienced kid. I don't know about you, but I think my parents still think I'm fourteen. So do some of my teachers."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy grins and lifts his flute as well before taking another sip. "I think I've kind of got the opposite problem. There's some people who think I'm ready to take on way more than I can handle and all I really want is a little time to figure things out, you know?" He smiles a bit more faintly but then he says, "They'll figure it out eventually. Sometimes adults need a little time to catch on."

Wiccan has posed:
"You do realize," Billy points out, "That we are technically adults? I mean, I bought the champagne..." and got carded, but he's old enough to purchase it. "We've been technically adults for at least a few year. Scary, huh?"

Hulkling has posed:
"Shh," Teddy says, "I'm not ready." He widens his eyes theatrically and glances around to make sure that no one heard the blasphemies that Billy just spoke. But then his grin turns easy again and he says, "Yeah I know. Maybe I just want to stay a kid a little longer. It was easier." Though considering all the work he's doing on trying to get his feet under him, it's clear he knows he can't.

Wiccan has posed:
Billy lifts his shoulder in another, almost bashful shrug then, "See, then you should totally come stay with us. It'll extend that some, right? I mean, we'll all probably take turns cooking but...I know they'll treat you like you're family." In that maybe he doesn't need to make -every- decision for himself yet.

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy smiles a little wryly and says, "I did say I'd come crash on the couch. And I can even try to help cook. It's not going to be something fancy though." Then he pauses and asks, "Wait. Do you guys keep Kosher? Do I need to be careful I don't like.. put certain things on the wrong dishes or they'll have to be buried in the back yard or something?"

Wiccan has posed:
It's a valid question, "No one expects fancy, that's what eating out is for. And no, we don't keep Kosher. We don't bring pork or shellfish into the house, but we'll eat them out. I mean, bacon is pretty delicious...but we'll have cheeseburgers and stuff like that. We don't have the two sets of dishes, so you're safe." Billy takes some more strawberries and hummus then. "Besides, we live in an apartment complex. No real backyard."

Hulkling has posed:
"Okay," Teddy says, looking a little bit relieved. "No shellfish or pork in the house." He makes a mental note. "Um, any other things I should know about, if I'm going to be crashing there that might be important or that I might not think about? I want to be as considerate a guest as possible and really don't want to piss off your parents."

Wiccan has posed:
Billy does look pensive for a moment at the question, "I don't think so? I mean, I trust you. They trust you." So nothing that would screw the family over. "I'm sure everything will be just fine. They know we're adults. They can kick us out and we can leave, so...it's all about mutual repect, I guess? And probably take my side in case there are arguments..." but the last is obviously a joke. Mostly.

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy laughs just a little bit and says. "Okay, I think I can do that." There's a little bit of relief there, a slight unwinding of some tension in his shoulders when it seems that things should be relatively simple. "It sounds like it will be okay."

Wiccan has posed:
"Of course it will. And you can stay as long as you want. Seriously. And if you need anything from storage, we can go get it." Billy takes another sip from the champagne and then looks pensive, "I wonder if I can get another bed in my room. It would be like a college dorm, I guess, but...you'd have space in a closet and drawers and stuff. If you decide to stay for a while, I mean." His cheeks then flush as he realizes how that might sound. "I mean...uhm..." strawberry. Must eat strawberry to stop talking.

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy smiles a little crookedly when Billy says he can stay as long as he wants. He knows that's never the case. Guests and fish start to smell after a certain period of time, but he appreciates the willingness. He takes another sip from his champagne and reaches for another strawberry, getting it halfway to his mouth when Billy mentions putting another bed in his room and turning it into a dorm room and then it just sort of pauses there. "I thought you were looking to move out," is what he decides on saying. Because he suddenly remembers Billy had been talking about looking for roommates or a place, himself.

Wiccan has posed:
"Well, yes...eventually. But I sort of want to have a job first or get a Teaching Assistant gig at school or something. I mean...in theory I can live at home since it's right here, but..." maybe he's also waiting to see if he and Teddy get along well enough to do the roommate thing together.

Hulkling has posed:
"Ah, yeah, I guess that makes sense," Teddy says with a little grin. "Was wondering if you were just going to build a set of bunk beds and then take off, leaving me behind in your room. Because that would be.. a little awkward." He lifts his glass and takes another sip with a grin. "And who would check the closet for monsters?" He's very clearly teasing now.

Wiccan has posed:
"I'm not sure bunk beds would be comfortable for either of us," Billy starts but then cheekily offers, "Oh, the monsters live under the bed. It's the demons who live in the closet. They tend to be pacified by offerings of KFC. Or blood."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy squints over at Billy and says, "You know you're not helping the situation right?" He's totally teasing. "Though I guess I can bring offerings of KFC. That one's easy enough. They probably wouldn't want my blood. I'm definitely not tasty. Do they like Extra Crispy or Original?" Both brows go up a little bit. This is a serious question. You don't want to appease demons with the wrong kind of chicken.

Wiccan has posed:
"Oh, I think the demons in the closet would totally find you tasty." Billy peers at Teddy over the rim of his champagne flute before finishing what was in there and offering to pour more for the other as well as himself. "But they definitely prefer Original. Extra Crispy just gets too loud...and there are too many crumbs. We don't want bugs, you know?"

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy holds out his glass to have it refilled, only a little left in the bottom. He laughs and says, "Right. Because bugs are the concern there." He shakes his head a little bit, amusement clearly in his eyes. "Fine, but you need to protect me from the demons in case I forget the chicken delivery some night. I don't want to wake up half eaten. That'd ruin my day."

Wiccan has posed:
Billy refills Teddy's champagne flute but then coughs at his statement. "Well, the offering of the KFC usually mollifies them so they don't come out. They're kind of scaredy-cat demons." Why else would they hide in the closet, after all? "They don't need the offering every night. Then there's leftover chicken and that just gets gross."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy wrinkles his nose. Having lived in a dorm, he knows what happens to leftover chicken that gets forgotten somewhere. It is indeed gross. "Yeah okay, no extra chicken. No bugs. No being eaten by demons. And here I thought my biggest worry was going to be accidentally eating a brownie and drinking a glass of milk from the same set of dishware."

Wiccan has posed:
Billy can't help but give a little laugh at that...maybe it's the champagne. "Brownies and milk would be fine. Now, in some places, if you had a burger and milk...that would be a no-no. I mean, we probably would dissuade you from having milk if you also have a burger, but you do you."

Hulkling has posed:
"I mean, I wouldn't have milk with a burger, anyway. I mean, who drinks milk with a burger?" Teddy says with a grin, "But hey, I don't judge. Much." He then reaches for another strawberry and dips it in the chocolate hummus which seems to be growing on him, since he keeps eating it. He's quiet for a few, just looking out and watching people come and go around them, out enjoying the warm late spring sun. Something seems to occur to him though that sobers his expression a little, but then he shakes it off and looks back over at Billy. "So, there's an after-graduation party thing afterward. Do you want to go to that with me too?"

Wiccan has posed:
"I mean, I was going to say, but..." Billy starts but then eats a berry, sans hummus, and takes another drink of the champagne. The invitation catches him a little by surprise as his brows lift, "Really? Yeah, that would be great, thank you! Although I won't know anyone there, so I'll probably just be hanging around you..."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy grins and nods, "Yeah, really." He grabs another berry and pops it into his mouth. When he finishes chewing it he smiles a little wryly and says, "Maybe the point of asking you is because I want you to hang around me? Or.. because I want to hang around you?"

Wiccan has posed:
Wiccan opens his mouth as if to respond but then closes it and blushes some. Not entirely sure what to say, he takes another long drink of the champagne. He finally manages, "Teddy Altman, are you flirting with me?" Maybe the champagne is talking a little more now.

Hulkling has posed:
"Kinda since I met you," Teddy points out with a little bit of a laugh and lifts his glass to take another small sip of his champagne. "Clearly I'm way too subtle if you're only catching on now." His eyes dance a little bit with amusement. "But, I can stop. Especially if I'm going to be staying over at your place. I don't want to make it weird or anything. I just like flirting with you."

Wiccan has posed:
"No, I am particularly dense," Billy offers in reassurance. "But also, I kinda...I was with you too, but I wasn't sure so I second-guessed because...I mean, I didn't want to offend if you were just being friendly." Yup, he's going to need to finish off that champagne in his flure, "Oh, please don't stop!"

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy laughs a little at that and says, "Yeah, I kind of got that feeling." That Billy had been flirting back. It had been so comfortable, so easy, that little back and forth between them. "Well, I was being friendly.. and then we started talking.. and talking.. and talking." He laughs. "And I really like you. So.. flirting. It's a thing." He grins crookedly at the protest and says, "Okay, I won't. As long as you don't either."

Wiccan has posed:
"I won't," Billy grins, "As long as you can tolerate my awkwardness." Because he certainly doesn't consider himself any sort of master-flirter. Quite the opposite. "I really like you too." His champagne flute is empty so he goes to fill it again, especially since they're having a conversation like this. He'll hold out the bottle if Teddy wants some more as well, "I'm glad we're able to talk like this. I guess that's some of the ease?"

Hulkling has posed:
"I just like you, and the awkwardness is just part of you. There's nothing wrong with it. It's genuine. You're not trying to put on a show or anything. So.. there's nothing to tolerate there," Teddy says as he plucks another strawberry from the container. He holds out his glass as well to have it topped up a bit. He's been a little slower on the champagne than Billy has. He nods then and says, "Yeah. So am I. You're really easy to talk to."

Then he takes a breath and his expression turns a little more serious. "Speaking of which, uh.. so.. I heard from my birth parents.. sortof.. it's complicated.. it wasn't them directly but someone representing them. And they wanted me to pick up and leave and go back to where I guess I come from originally.. and I told them no. I have a life here and I'm trying to make my own life and figure things out on my own. And.. it went.. not great? But for now.. this guy is covering for me so I can stay here.. but.. if it gets complicated and messy.. I don't want to bring any of that bullshit to your doorstep or your folks. So if things get weird with them, I might just have to clear out, just to make sure you guys don't get caught up in it."

Wiccan has posed:
It bolsters his confidence...or lowers his inhibitions. Or both. And it's something to do so he doesn't ramble and say things he shouldn't. But as Teddy says those nice things Billy continues to blush. "So are you. Easy to talk to. I like being around you too."

And then Teddy starts talking about family things and he blinks a moment before offering, "Is this a 'Family Business' thing? Please tell me you're not from a Mafia family...I mean, we can figure that out, but...uhm..." he falls quiet again before there's another blink, "Oh, my god...this is...Are you Royalty? Because isn't this sort of like what happened in 'The Prince and Me'? But not the sequels...they weren't good."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy fiddles a bit with the champagne flute. It gives him something to do with his hands while he's trying not to look directly _at_ Billy after unloading all of that. He really wasn't sure how to approach.. well.. any of it. But his concern for Billy and his family outweighed his selfishness of trying to just bury it all somewhere and forget about it.

"No I'm not from a mafia family," Teddy says with a shake of his head. He then opens his mouth and then nothing comes out for a second when Billy jumps to the second conclusion. There's a moment of panic where he kind of gapes like a fish, mouth closing, opening, then closing again. Lie? Don't lie? He doesn't want to lie to Billy. "Uh.. sortof." He makes a bit of a face.

Wiccan has posed:
Billy nearly chokes on a strawberry when Teddy affirms that he's sort of royalty. "What? Seriously? Because that only happens in movies. Or, like...to Grace Kelly." Even though he's really too young to know about her story. "Really?" Dark eyes look at Teddy, no differently really, but as if trying to see if that's really what's going on.

It takes him a moment to respond to the concern for his family, "I'm glad it's not a Mafia family, but...stuff like that won't get to our doorstep. Rather...they won't get through." This may be why he needs all that champagne. He takes another sip, "The whole place is warded."

Hulkling has posed:
Teddy blows out a slow breath and says, "You know that whole... alien.. conversation we had?" He rubs a bit at the back of his neck. Better this come out now than later, just in case he needs to find another couch to crash on after all of this. They live in a world full of mutants and superheroes after all. "That wasn't really.. hypothetical. I am actually an alien. Uh.. and.. also royalty. Which.. isn't actually a good thing because people want me dead because of it. So I'm kind of in hiding."

He then says, "I just.. if they figure out I'm here or come looking for me, I'll bail out and get far away. Because I don't want anything to happen to you or them."

His brow furrows a little bit though and he asks, "Warded? What does that mean?"

Wiccan has posed:
"Alien conversation?" Back upon their first meeting? It takes Billy's champagne-fogged brain a moment to recall, but it's enough time for Teddy to go on with the explanation. "You are? You don't...look like an Alien? But then again, most of them on Star Trek don't either. And the humans in Star Wars...are technically aliens...and look human." He blinks again. "Have they found you yet?"

There's a thoughtful look, "I can research this..." ask others who might have some ideas.

Thing is, Billy doesn't seem to be freaked out by it all. When asked about the warning, he takes another strawberry and eats it before answering, "It means that, unless the ones trying to enter have stronger magic, then they won't be able to get in. And if they try, I'll know."

Hulkling has posed:
The whole claws and not scratching the furniture conversation may have faded into the annals of time for Billy but Teddy remembers it with a kind of chagrinned amusement now. He says, "Um, it's because I'm part shapeshifter. I look like this to fit in with everybody else. I'm sometimes.. green. And a little bigger. And .. I'll show you sometime if you want to see but not in the middle of the park because.. you know.." That's just not something that you do.

"Well, just the guy who was looking for me, but right now he's covering for me so hopefully no one else will come looking.. for now," Teddy says. "It's.. apparently politically complicated. My parents were from two different species and that's a whole thing.. so I'm like this hybrid missing prince that was supposed to be executed at birth but my mom, who I thought was my mom, turns out not to be my mom.. smuggled me here to hide me."

Despite the whole awkward rambling of his verbal vomit, Billy seems to be taking all of this surprisingly well. And wait. "Stronger magic. So you.. have magic?" Sure, he'd thought the cork thing was a neat trick but he hadn't realized it was magic. "Wait. Are you a wizard or something?"

Wiccan has posed:
Brown eyes just sort of blink as Teddy relates his saga. "You should write that. Publish it. That's amazing...and you don't even have to say that it's true, but it would be an excellent Science Fiction book!" Not that he doesn't believe him, but it's fascinating! "Green...and bigger? Like the Hulk?" But the Hulk wasn't an alien. Or was he?

He probably takes it well because he's seen strangeness. He -is- strangeness. "I was sort of being truthful when I mentioned being 'strange and unusual'. And...something like that, yes."

Hulkling has posed:
"Probably not a good idea to write a book while trying to hide," Teddy says with a wry grin. Then he pauses when Billy mentions the Hulk. "Kindof, like a Changeling... Hulk.. a .. Hulkling," Teddy says and actually laughs a little at that. "Not quite that big. I can change my shape a lot so it can kind of look however I want it to. This is just.. me," he says, gesturing at what Billy sees before him. "It's how I grew up, anyway."

"I guess that's a good thing. Makes me feel a little less weird. At least we can be strange and unusual together, right?" There's the faintest bit of hesitation there, as though he's not entirely sure how much all of this is going to change things.

Wiccan has posed:
"Ok, fair. But you could write and not publish it yet? Would the books even reach the alien people hunting you? Billy tilts his head at the description and then, "How does it feel to change your shape? That sounds...fascinating. And scary." And a few other things. "I like your 'just me' just fine." In case there was concern over that.

With the mention of being strange and unusual together, Billy gives a little chuckle, "Yeah. I mean...it...I haven't even told my parents about that. Only a few people actually know."

Hulkling has posed:
"I guess," Teddy considers. "I guess I could just change it all so that it was different peoples and different planets and things and then nobody would really know, I guess." He smiles and says, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid but.. there could be others of my kind on the planet and if they read it and found out.." Yeah, that could be bad.

"It feels.. You ever get your finger caught in a drawer and it pulls out of joint a little and there's that moment where it feels just.. wrong... like you know it's not supposed to do that? Then it goes back to normal? It kinda feels like that. For a moment as you shift, everything feels a little wrong.. then settles back into place." When Billy says that he likes his usual shape just fine, Teddy ducks his head a little and grins.

He nods a little more seriously when Billy says he hasn't even told his parents. "With my mom gone.. you're the only one who knows."

Wiccan has posed:
"Ok, that's a good reason," Billy concedes. "Maybe you can write it once things are resolved. Because I would totally read that book...or watch that movie." He gives a little smile then but falls quiet again at the description of what shapeshifitng feels like. "That's...wow. That's a really good description and it sounds kind of awful but still seems really cool. At least on paper, I guess. Figuratively."

Teddy gets another long look before he reaches out to lightly touch his arm or knee or whatever extremity might be within reach. "I won't tell anyone. Not unless you say it's ok."

Hulkling has posed:
"Maybe. Or just make it different enough that nobody could guess what it was really about," Teddy considers and then shrugs his shoulders, smiling. It's something to think about. Then he laughs a little and says, "It's weird. Not really awful. It doesn't _hurt_. And it can be kinda cool. I don't do it much, actually, unless I really have to for some reason. Mostly because I don't want anyone to find out about me."

He smiles warmly when Billy promises not to tell anyone unless he says it's okay. "Same," he says. "Strange and Unusual Pact of Secrecy." He finishes off his glass of champagne and then sets the flute aside.

Wiccan has posed:
"I mean, I suppose that you could shift all the time so that they wouldn't know who to look for, but...that might be annoying. But Plan D?" Billy suggests. "But I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me. So there's that." He's blending in quite well.

"To be fair, Dr. Strange and M...Scarlet Witch also know about me." And maybe a couple of journalists...but he's not going to worry about that yet. At the mention of a pact, he also puts down his flute and holds out a hand, pinky up. "Pinky swear?"

Hulkling has posed:
"Yeah but then.. it's hard to actually have a life if you don't have an identity. And, at least due to my mom's hard work, we have all the paperwork and legal identities so as far as this world is concerned, I am Teddy Altman. My fingerprints are Teddy Altman. And I don't really want to live my life hiding and changing who I am all the time," Teddy says with a slight slump of his shoulders. But then he nods and says, "Most people can't. They're really good at hiding. It's part of why it's hard to know if there are others on the planet."

His brows rise when Billy mentions Dr. Strange and Scarlet Witch. Those are names that he knows. "Wow. That's... cool. They're like.. bigtime magic people." Eloquent, Teddy. "But I guess that makes sense.. they probably know a lot about magic people in general."

He grins though and extends his pinky to link it with Billy's and gives it a little tug. "Pinky swear." That makes it official.

Wiccan has posed:
Billy tilts his head some, "I guess I never really considered that. I guess it's a sort of Hollywoodizing of the idea of it. Although, there are a lot of indigenous stories about shapeshifters...a lot of them being trickesters. But they don't talk about the realities of it."

He sort of shrugs at the talk of the magic users and he'll happily shift the subject to the pinky swear. "It sure does. I mean, I suppose we could do a blood oath, but that seems a bit extreme. And messy."

Hulkling has posed:
"I'm not really trying to trick anybody," Teddy says thoughtfully as he glances down at his hands. "I'm just trying to you know, live my life and be normal. Hell, that's all I've wanted for most of my life was just to be like everybody else and be accepted by everybody else."

Teddy doesn't know much about magic users or magic in general and so when Billy moves on from it, he seems content to move on as well. The idea of a blood oath has his eyes widening a little bit. "Yeah I think pinky swear is binding enough. I wouldn't have said anything even without the pinky so.. maybe we can hold off on the bleeding."

Wiccan has posed:
Billy looks thoughtful for a moment, "Do you really want to be like everybody else and be accepted by everybody else, or just the people who count? I mean...already, there are people who are going to hate us. And I say, 'Screw them'. I don't want to be accepted by them because that would mean not being true to myself."

"I do agree...blood oaths are pretty intense and would just get messy and my mom is going to want the blanket back."

Hulkling has posed:
"I mean, not anymore," Teddy says. "I got myself in some trouble with that when I was in high school. Trying too hard to be lik everyone else and to be accepted by everyone. I figured out a while ago that wasn't possible, not really. And there are people who, yeah, I don't care if they accept me or not. They just wanted me to be what they wanted, not who I was." He sets the glass aside and then just flops back on the blanket, laying on his back under the fluffy clouds, looking up at them. He folds his arms under his head. "Now, yeah, it's more about being who I want to be." He then laughs at the messiness of blood oaths. "Yeah, let's not make your mom mad. I haven't even met her yet."

Wiccan has posed:
"Me too. Not trouble, per se, but...I didn't feel true to myself. College helped, but...I think traveling really opened my eyes and let me figure more things out. Not that I know everything, but...I like to think I have a better idea of who I am and want to be." Speaking of which, after Teddy lays back on the blanket Billy drains the rest of his champagne flute and does the same, so that they're next to each other. "I mean, blood on the blanket would probably be more concern than mad, but...yeah. Fair enough."

Hulkling has posed:
"Okay, fair enough. I don't want to concern your parents before I meet them," Teddy grins. He tilts his head to look over at Billy for a moment or two and then looks back up at the sky. "It feels better.. having told you. I wasn't sure how I was going to. I wanted to. It's just.. a weird thing to bring up. But I'm glad you know."

Wiccan has posed:
Billy turns to look at Teddy as well and grins, "It is, isn't? And I'm glad you know too. And I'm glad that you trusted me enough to tell me." He laces his hands on his stomach and also looks up at the sky. "So...now what? Where should we go from here?"

Hulkling has posed:
"Same," Teddy says in return. He then falls quiet for a little bit, just looking up at the clouds as they drift by. He then glances over at Billy at that question and asks, "You mean like.. this afternoon? Or..?" Because that's a very important distinction to make in this moment before he says something stupid.

Wiccan has posed:
He can't help a little chuckle at the clarification question, "I mean, sure, this afternoon," Billy starts, "But we also just said we liked each other. I guess...after this afternoon...graduation and the after-party is next?" Because he doesn't want to mess anything up or take advantage of their vulnerabilities. And he may be a little tipsy. That champagne can really go to one's head.