[young] avenger

Teddy's thumb idly stroked along the edge of Billy's finger as they made their way to the elevator; sure, they could have let themselves out via the terrace, taken flight through Billy's magic or his own wings, but they were getting used to being in a world of the mundane again. Not being surrounded by futuristic tech or archaic magics, a simple city with simple people who didn't really need to know they had superheroes for neighbors. He'd overheard someone in their building complain their insurance premium had gone up because word had gotten out before they'd left... he wondered if that had come back down. He sort of hoped so.

He also hoped they never had to test that theory.

Besides, a walk was nice. Reminded him his feet were firmly on the ground where he belonged, not where he was chosen to be. As comfortable as they'd gotten in their courtly life, his place, his home, was here.

"Part of a good baker is a good recipe, so it's really your mom's doing." He deflected, desperately wishing that she could be the one baking for them both and teaching Billy the recipes directly, rather than him having to go from the recipe box that they had salvaged from the old Altman apartment. "I think peaches are more a July-August thing. Maybe I'll make it for my birthday if you can hold off your pie related murder until then. How'd you feel about strawberry cheesecake or something? It's peak strawberry season."

Billy didn't mind that the elevator seemed to take ages to get up to their floor, he was content enough just taking in the normalcy that they had pushed to embrace since their return, homecoming party aside.

❛  i can't be the person you want me to be.  ❜ ❛  i can't be the only one fighting for this.  ❜ ❛  i can't be the reason you hate yourself.  ❜ ❛  i can't do this anymore, but i don't know how to stop.  ❜ ❛  i can't do this if you don't trust me.  ❜ ❛  i can't hate you, and that's the worst part.  ❜ ❛  i can't keep loving a ghost.  ❜ ❛  i can't keep waiting for you to choose me.  ❜ ❛  i can't look at you the same way anymore.  ❜ ❛  i can't lose you, too.  ❜ ❛  i can't make you love me.  ❜ ❛  i can't sleep without thinking about what happened.  ❜ ❛  i can't stop thinking about the way you left.  ❜ ❛  i can't tell you the truth without losing you.  ❜ ❛  i can't tell you to stay when i know you want to leave.  ❜ ❛  can't you hear yourself?  ❜ ❛  can't you just do me this one favor?  ❜ ❛  can't you lie to me, just this once?  ❜ ❛  can't you please just listen?  ❜ ❛  can't you see that i'm trying?  ❜ ❛  can't you stay, just for tonight?  ❜ ❛  can't you stop pushing me away for five seconds?  ❜ ❛  can't you tell i'm scared?  ❜ ❛  can't you understand that i needed you?  ❜ ❛  can't we go back to before everything changed?  ❜ ❛  can't we just be friends?  ❜ ❛  can't we just have one normal night?  ❜ ❛  can't we pretend, just for a little while longer?  ❜ ❛  can't we try again?  ❜ ❛  you can't ask me to stay after everything you did.  ❜ ❛  you can't decide how you want me now.  ❜ ❛  you can't erase what happened.  ❜ ❛  you can't fix this with an apology.  ❜ ❛  you can't just show up here without calling first.  ❜ ❛  you can't keep punishing me for surviving.  ❜ ❛  you can't leave like that and expect me to still be here when you come back.  ❜ ❛  you can't love someone only when it's easy.  ❜ ❛  you can't promise forever when you can't even promise tomorrow.  ❜ ❛  you can't save me from this.  ❜ ❛  you can't say you love me and then disappear.  ❜

The look their uncle gave him was nothing of a scowl but more of a bewildering acceptance.