Chapter Text
The thing that Billy would say about this day in hindsight was that they hadn't assumed that their mission would get out of hand as fast as it did.
The Young Avengers had been called to destroy nothing more than the remaining battalion of Doom-bots that was wreaking havoc in the streets of Brooklyn, but when they arrived, they had been immediately confronted by a whole army of the deadly machinery.
"Here we go again," groaned Kate, who seemingly couldn't care less about the intimidating army of killer-robots and set off instantly, killing two of them with swift arrows to their central control systems.
"It's like the bad guys never learn," Tommy replied, not one to leave his girlfriend hanging didn't take long either, bringing three of the machines down with well-placed kicks that were just barely perceptible to the naked eye.
Eli and Nate were still fighting over their plan of attack as they followed Kate and Tommy onto the battlefield. Cassie had turned herself larger second by second, stumping a sizable chunk of robots with the sole of her foot.
Off to the side was Billy, his eyes glowing with ethereal blue light as he frantically mumbled to himself, repeating the same array of barely intelligible words over and over again.
"I don't want to pressure you, little bro, but we could need your help right about now!" Tommy called out as he whipped past his brother and his protector.
"He's doing his best, Tommy! "was Teddy's strained reply as he stood in front of Billy protectively, guarding the smaller boy who was especially vulnerable to attacks of their enemies since the spell demanded all of his concentration, which was already not very much on his best of days.
The blue light that enveloped Billy's eyes sparked outwards suddenly, surrounding him as he ascended from the dirty street. The wooden staff he held in his hand crackled with energy as the raw power forced its way through the rough grain.
"You're doing great, Bee," Teddy said softly, his gaze centered on the other boy, even as he savagely ripped apart a doom-bot that was unfortunate enough to come into Billy's general vicinity.
Billy turned to Teddy, a wry grin on his lips, his blue eyes flickering brown for a second.
"You sound like one of your moms' self-help books."
It sounded a lot harsher than Billy had intended too, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted, since since he was so grateful for Teddy's support. So he cringed inwardly, hoping that the other would understand that there was no malice in his words.
Teddy smiled brightly in return, his dimples showing even in his Hulkling form, and Billy could see in his eyes that he understood. Teddy always understood, and Billy felt the now familiar pang of desire and longing for the other boy. Needless to say, his concentration began to waver instantly.
"The books helped, didn't they. Now focus, Bee, you can do it." Teddy replied, his incredible blue eyes focusing on Billy.
Billy felt a sense of calm wash over him as he listened to his crush for more than two years, and he returned to repeating his spell.
Finally, the blue spheres of solid yet translucent energy spread from Billy's shape to the other team members and enclosed them in a protective armor of blue light.
When Billy's spell had reached everyone, the boy grinned and let out a relieved sigh. The blue glow that had surrounded him disappeared, and with that, his ability to levitate.
He struggled in the air for a fee seconds, trying to regain control of his powers, before he tumbled towards the street. Before he could connect with the ground, though, Teddy had caught him with his giant muscular arms.
Billy blushed deeply as he was pressed into Teddy's incredibly defined chest.
"Hey there, "was all Teddy said, a soft smile playing on his lips as the sun formed a messy halo around his blond hair and illuminated his metal earrings.
"Hey, "Billy returned, suddenly breathless.
They looked at each other for a moment, Billy's cheeks turning pink. Teddy's eyes followed the spray of colour as it travelled down Billy's neck.
„I got literal chills from your spell just now!“ Teddy said then to stop his mind from wandering, a smile playing on his lips as he forced his eyes away from where they had traiterously gone.
„Would you say that your chills were multiplying?“ Billy asked innocently, who, to Teddy’s relief, seemingly hadn‘t noticed his hungry gaze.
„Oh, yes!“ Teddy returned, his smile widening as he picked up on Billy’s reference. „I had so many chills that I was losing control. The power you were supplying, it was...“
„Electrifying?“ Billy finished and they both giggled happily, the chaos around them nothing more than a quiet buzz that they could easily ignore. Billy was still in Teddy's strong grip and he felt so safe.
This was nice, perfect even...nothing like the awkwardness and heartbreak of last week. Teddy was just so beautiful and warm and nice and...
"Would you...Would you like to go to the movies with me, after this is over, of course. " Billy mumbled, before his brain had caught up with his traitorous mouth, pointing to the mess happening on the busy street behind them.
Teddy's smile faded, and silence etched between them as the robots faded into the background.
"I can't...I have...I‘m sorry.."Teddy stuttered after a long moment, but Billy held his gloved hand up, trying desperately not to cry.
"All you ever do is apologize. I get it! Billy spit out, and he wanted to say more, but Eli's angry voice stopped them.
"Stop talking, more fighting! "Eli shouted, ripping the two heroes and the incredibly awkward moment apart. Billy should thank him for that later.
"Billy, I'm sorry... "Teddy repeated weakly and ignored Eli's growing agitation as he reached out for the sorcerer.
But Billy had already turned around abruptly, willing everything in himself to force his powers to do what he intended them to do for once.
“TELEPORTTELEPORTTELEPORT!!“
Why had he even bothered to ask again? Billy knew by now that nothing would ever come from his ill-advised crush on Teddy Altman. He had tried, again and again though, showing his interest, being there for him, but it obviously wasn't enough. Sometimes it had seemed like it was. They could be so close one moment before the other pushed him away in the next.
Billy always came back, though. He couldn't stay away from the other boy. Teddy was charming, kind, beautiful, intelligent, and Billy was sure that Teddy didn't even realize how incredible he was... Teddy was magnetic and Billy was never able to pull away.
Billy was just totally and utterly in love.
Because of that, they met frequently, but seldomly alone. They most often met at their "base," which was what Kate called it...In reality it was nothing more than a dusty abandoned warehouse with two old sofas pushed in the center. It was theirs though. The team spent most of their time there and Billy and Teddy would sit there for hours and talk about comics and movies. In these moments, there were only Billy and Teddy. The other teammates were nothing but a buzz behind them. When they really met alone, though, it was intoxicating.
The day that had changed everything, though, happened the week before.
Teddy's hand had reached for Billy's face to push one of his unruly strands of hair behind his ear. Billy had let out a soft breath, and Teddy had gotten close, so close, angling his face and tipping up Billy's chin. Their breaths mingled between them, and Billy had looked into soft, beautiful eyes that had focused on the sorcerer's lips. Before their lips could meet, though, Teddy had pulled away, apologized and excused himself, leaving Billy alone in the dark of his room.
They didn't talk about the next time they saw each other, which happened to be the day of this particular mission. Billy had been anxious all weekend, hoping for Teddy to explain himself, but when the boy arrived, he had been his usual kind self and had decidedly ignored any possibility of talking to Billy in a moment of privacy.
Billy forced himself to concentrate. His heart had been shattered already; he wouldn't ask him out anymore. Teddy Altman was too good for him, and it hurt incredibly. It was just one more shitty thing in Billy Kaplan's life...what else was new.
He pushed all of it aside as he summoned a shielding barrier that prevented one of the approaching machines to hit Tommy in the jaw.
His brother looked up in begrudging appreciation and opened his mouth to call something undoubtedly crude at Billy to thank him in his own weird way, but the wizard's expression forced the speedster into silence.
"Lil bro, are you okay? "He said silently, just loud enough to be heard over the fighting robots.
Billy opened his mouth to reply when the sound of an approaching Shield-Hovercraft stopped them in their tracks.
"The Avengers?! "
Billy was still gaping at the craft and forcing himself not to hyperventilate when the doom bot next to him was decapitated by Captain America's shield.
It returned to its owner immediately, who saluted in Billy's direction. Needless to say, Billy had to actively force himself not to swoon.
The Battle descended into pure chaos from then on. Most of the original core of the Avengers seemed to have joined the party. Hammers were thrown, lightning struck from the sky, shields crashed into metal, arrows flew in wild arrays, rubble was thrown, and energy blasts penetrated robots.
As the initial hype had died down, Billy made a point of generally avoiding Hulkling entirely. It would destroy the concentration he was desperately holding on to, and he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his idols.
The battlefield was now littered with the machines' husks, and more and more blank spots were visible in between the once intact line of robots, which the heroes naturally would use to their advantage. So it came as no surprise that Billy was suddenly close to none other than the God of Thunder himself.
Wanting to impress the god who was one of his childhood crushes, Billy summoned more of the magical energy flowing through his veins and let it soak into his wooden staff. Quietly he began chanting, as not to make Thor question his sanity, all the while imagining what he wanted his powers to do. An image struck in his mind of another childhood hero of his...perfect!
"YOUSHALLNOTPASSYOUSHALLNOTPASSYOUSHALLNOTPASS!!! "
His last repetition was a shout, and with that, Billy pushed the staff into the ground forcefully, sending out waves of blue lighting that impacted most of the enemies surrounding the aspiring hero and his idol. Thor looked around as if he had just now registered the young man next to him.
Billy gave him a shy wave, supporting himself on his staff since the spell had used up most of his remaining energy.
"That was an act of pure valor, my friend! "Thor called out, his voice gruff and deep.
"Oh, that? T-That was nothing! "Billy said, waving nonchalantly, even though he knew that had been a hell of a lot more than nothing.
Absently he noted something big and green walking in the distance behind Thor, but he decidedly didn't pay it any mind.
"On the contrary," Thor returned gravelly, "that was an impressive feat of strength. Even Odin would have honored your display of strength."
Billy blushed furiously. That was so going in his nonexistent diary later. He opened his mouth to return something, but Thor spoke on and got even closer.
"Are you from Vallhallah?" the god suddenly asked, "because your beauty is not from this realm." Thor inquired lowly as he let his eyes roam over Billy's body, who blushed in a dark pink at the blatant interest in the hero's gaze and the terrible pick up line.
"All jokes aside," Thor said then, obviously pleased with Billy's reaction, "Have we, by any chance, crossed paths before? Your armor is similar to my own. Is it of Asgardian origin?"
Billy nodded, incapable of building coherent sentences because of the flustered state of shock he was in. His suit was basically Asgardian; he had modeled it as closely after Thor's rune designs as possible.
"I should have guessed that you're an Asgardian. Your prowess and might have already revealed your spirit to me," Thor rumbled.
Billy wanted to inject that he wasn't, in fact, from Asgard, but Thor's gaze was still on him, slow, judging, and it really felt to Billy like Thor was checking him out, so he stayed silent. The possibility of this even happening would have his teenager-self jump in excitement, but now Billy could only see it as a small victory since he had long since hoped that Teddy would be the one to show interest in him.
As if on cue, Teddy was coming into their vicinity, throwing a giant piece of rubble onto one of the remaining doom bots before he turned to look at Thor and Billy. At that moment, Thor spoke up again, a wry grin on his face as he stepped into Billy's space.
"What a lucky twist of fate that we meet up on this realm then, but I would surely remember a warrior as dazzling as you." Billy blushed darkly at the compliment, feeling the heat of Thor's muscular body seeping into his own. The god smelled heavenly, pun intended a mix of clean sweat, musk, and something that must have been the man's own natural scent. For alack of a better word, it was intoxicating.
"Is there any chance," Thor asked deeply, more a growl than a sentence, "that you conjured up that spell of yours to impress upon me?"
"I-I did." was Billy's meek reply, and Thor chuckled darkly. Before Billy could catch his breath, the god came impossibly closer; Billy had to look up to meet his eyes. He was big, so big that he would likely even dwarf Teddy, who Billy definitely wasn't thinking about right now when his idol was standing directly in front of him...nope, not a chance.
"And what did you seek to accomplish with your successful attempt to catch my interest?" Thor rumbled, "because you definitely have caught my eye."
Before Billy could let out a flustered reply, a piece of rubble that looked like one half of a small house just narrowly missed Thor's head.
Billy whipped around, already feeling the eyes of Teddy on him before he saw them staring at him. Hulkling was breathing hard, only a small distance away from them, his hands still in the air as his green skin rippled from the effort of throwing the piece of debris.
Their eyes met, and Teddy looked...sad? Dejected?
It must have been only in his imagination, and Billy couldn't say that he particularly cared at the moment. His attention was swept away from Teddy as he heard a resounding chuckle that resonated in his own chest because of the proximity.
Thor looked into Teddy's direction as well, a forbearing smile playing on his lips as he guided one muscular arm around Billy's waist, but letting it loose enough for Billy to get out of the grip if he wanted to.
"Young Hulk, I would advise you to be more careful next time. A bit of sparring with your fellow companions should aid you in improving to actually hit your intended target, or you could hit someone you do not mean to hurt."
"I meant what I did, alright." Teddy scowled at the hero, his usual sunny demeanor was gone from his handsome features. It was especially strange since Teddy was just as nerdy and fanboyish about the Avengers as Billy himself.
"Ahhh, the gift of youth." Thor returned, still smiling, but there was an edge to it now that Billy had never heard from the man before.
Teddy only snuffed at the god and focused on Billy, hurt in his eyes. He looked betrayed and incredibly small for his hulking stature.
Suddenly, Billy realized that Thor had started talking to him again, tightening the hold around his waist, no doubt emboldened by the fact that the younger man hadn't pulled away.
"...all we return to where we left off, my dashing warrior?"
The god must have noticed the gaze Hulkling was giving him because he angled himself to shield Billy from the view of the other.
"What was the reason you desired to leave your impression on me, Asgardian?" Thor repeated now with urgency, mirroring their conversation before Teddy had interrupted them.
Billy should have focused on Thor, but all his attention was drawn to Teddy and the defeated look in his eyes. Teddy looked back at him, his silver earrings shining in the sunlight.
Billy had no idea why Teddy looked so dejected at the moment. The only thing he knew was that this moment between them felt significant; he couldn't say why.
But Billy didn't actually care at the moment, because a not so small part of him felt betrayed and angry about the way Teddy had treated him after his unexplained exit. He wanted to make Teddy feel that way too, so Billy smiled sweetly at Thor's words, aware of the fact that it didn't even remotely reach his eyes.
"I used my power to impress and...ehhhhm....c-court you, God of Thunder“ Billy said finally, trying to sound as Shakespearian as he could.
"My, my, I'd say it worked fabulously then. Consider me wooed," Thor rumbled into his ear, his breath ghosting over the part of Billy's slender neck that wasn't hidden beneath the wings of his tiara.
"What would you answer if I offered to take you for a stroll through the gardens of the Asgardian palace?" Thor said then, his hands creeping lower on Billy's body.
"Gladly. There's no one I'd rather be with than you." Billy exclaimed loudly. His words were targeted at Thor, but his eyes were only on Teddy. With a colorful flash of light, Billy Kaplan and Thor were gone, the only trace of them are runes etched into the ground.
Teddy couldn‘t stop the scream that escaped his lungs as the hurt he was feeling mixed into the anger. When he came to his senses again, he felt more than saw that he had smashed the remaining robots with his bare claws.
Billy was gone, and Teddy wasn‘t with him...