#hunteraltman

Kiss on the cheek: Platonic love/Friendship

Kiss on the palm of the hand: I am yours

1 Year

The only reason he was standing in the room was that they were moving. It was time to get out of this apartment, time to move closer to the Institute where he was teaching, out of the city. They'd avoided it as long as they could, but they would have to dismantle this room before they left. They couldn't just leave it, as much as it hurt.

Billy stood in the center of a room painted in soft blue, all the detritus of a plan that had never come to fruition. Tiny clothes. Toys. The crib...

He leaned on the rail as the tears came anew along with memories flooding in. The emergency call from Teddy. The pain, the surgery. The malformed egg and the tiny baby who'd been so close to ready they could see the thin blond hair and strong little jaw. They'd been allowed a few minutes with their son. He'd taken a few brave breaths, but his little body just wasn't ready. Billy remembered the feeling of the life slipping from that tiny body and it sent a knife of pain through his heart again.

He could only imagine what Teddy was going through.

5 Years

There wasn't a grave to speak of; Tony had offered to memorialize the baby in a small corner of the garden though, and it had wound up being a small statue of a lamb surrounded by white flowers. Billy sat down and would have hugged his knees had his stomach not gotten in the way. A magical miracle... and along with the joy he felt, there was a stab of guilt.

"I came to tell you, Hunter... you're a big brother. Well, not yet. Soon." He sighed, fingering one of the flowers. "You'd be in kindergarten now, or just starting. I wonder if you'd like being a big brother. I know I did."

Teddy's hands curled over Billy's shoulders and he looked up at his husband with a sad smile. "We miss you, little buddy," Teddy murmured, hugging Billy lightly. "Take good care of him, Mom. I bet he's running you ragged, just like I did."

10 Years

"What's that?"

Billy looked down, surprised out of his musings by the little girl's query. It had been years since he'd gone through this box, long forgotten in the attic amid life's breakneck pace. It was only when he'd gone looking for a picture he thought he might have stored away up here that he'd unearthed the box full of forgotten memories. In his hand was the tiny hat one of the NICU nurses had given them for Hunter to wear while he clung to life. The memories were just as strong, but the pain had been tempered by time.

He sighed, pulling the little girl into his lap. "This belonged to your big brother."

"Dylan? But you said I was older."

Shaking his head, Billy pressed a kiss into soft white curls. "Well, yes, baby. But before we had you and your brother, your Daddy and me had another baby. We called him Hunter." His eyes burned a little, but the tears weren't as bitter as before. "He was too little. He only lived for about a day."

Sarah thought for a moment. "Did he go to Heaven? Daddy says that's where Gramma Sarah went."

If I missed you, let me know!!

Hunteraltman: Hey kid, just because you're dad's the Sorcerer Supreme doesn't mean you get to fall asleep during my history class. You get extra homework for sure, and I don't mean the fun kind. Those who don't learn their history are doomed to be crushed under the boot of a giant sentinel, ya know?

Funlaurakinney: Laura? Damn, it's been ages! Where've you been?

Justgamora: Oh boy, did we piss off the Kree or the Skrulls again? You know our magic instructor's married to Captain Marvel, right?

This-City-Is-A-Symphony: Now aren't you a blast from the past! Pre-politician Dazzler! Back when you at least made catchy songs that almost made up for the fact that you're a total mutant Uncle Tom!

Indomitableinsanity: I hope you're proud, Haller! You're kid's gone completely nuts!

NotGamora: I swear, since Mr. Kaplan-Marvel joined us, it's been all Kree all the time! Oh well, better them than the Shi'Ar. ((Also you get extra lovings because you play Mantis and I love her and omg nobody plays her and I'm so excited!!))

Agent-Juliette-Parker: Whatever it was, I didn't do it.

WitheredTouch: Even the second-rate mutants are coming back and still no Uncle Ben? What is this? Just kidding, dude...kind of.