Young Avengers: Late Night Conversations, fragment
Friday, February 27th, 2009 03:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tsaikoI had completely forgotten I'd written so much of this idea until I was flipping through a notebook looking for an empty page. Of all the Young Avengers, I always feel like I have the hardest time getting Teddy's character right. I feel like I have a good grasp of everyone else, but just can't seem to get Teddy quite right. This is the only thing I've written where I didn't get that feeling so I'm really proud of it.
Now I just have to convince myself that I won't screw his characterization up if I write more of it. -_-
There was a constant, insistent tapping against Teddy's window. It sounded like someone hitting their finger against the pane. The noise paused for a second, and then continued, this time a little bit louder.
If Teddy lived on the first floor of a house in suburban neighborhood, he'd think that his best friend was trying to get his attention. But Teddy lived on the sixth floor of an apartment building in New York City and his ex-best friend currently hated him. His life as an after school special was over.
So who was at the window?
Teddy had the crazy, irrational thought that even thought he'd only been a part of a superhero team for two weeks, somehow some supervillain had found out and was now at his window. At 10:45pm. On a school night. He got out of bed and crept towards the window, ready to turn into something big and scary and quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was wake his mom.
It was only when he saw the blue glow coming through the blinds in thin stripes of neon that it dawned on Teddy that it might be one of his team mates at the window. Only two of his team mates could fly. And only one leaked blue light while doing so.
Billy Kaplan - Asguardian - was at his window.
Had there been an attack? Or an emergency? Teddy pulled the blinds up, expecting to see Billy in his superhero outfit. Instead, he found Billy hovering in mid-air in his pajamas. Billy jerked back from the window, lost his concentration, flickered, and then managed to stabalize himself.
"Can I come in?" Billy's voice was muffled by the glass.
Teddy fumbled with the lock on his window and tried to push it open. That didn't work. At some point it had been welded shut by consecutive layers of paint. He wound up using the slightest bit of his super strength to get it open.
As soon as the window was open, Teddy stepped back. Billy got a foot on the sill and managed to squeeze through the opening. He was wearing Spider-man toe socks that clashed horribly with the plaid pajama bottoms and gray T-shirt he wore. When Billy stumbled getting through the window, Teddy squashed the urge to reach out and help. The urge to reach out and touch. But that seemed too dangerous a thing to do in his bedroom to a guy he'd only known for a couple of weeks. He wasn't sure how Billy would react.
Although the Spider-man socks were kind of cute.
Oh man. He was doomed.
"I know it's kind of late. I just couldn't sleep, thinking about this afternoon and practice and everything. I just wanted to talk." Teddy blinked at the sudden out pouring of words. "And I probably gave you heart failure just showing up at your window. Sorry. I can go if you want."
"No." Teddy didn't even need to think about that. "It's fine. Have a seat." He motioned towards his desk chair, thinking about and quickly discarding the idea of having Billy sit on his bed. Billy sat down on the desk chair, but barely, like he was afraid Teddy might change his mind at any moment.
There was an awkward silence as Teddy settled down on his bed. For all that Billy had said he wanted to talk, he seemed reluctant to say anything. Teddy wound up speaking first. "I'm surprised you found my room on the first try."
He couldn't see Billy's expression in the uncertain light of his room, but he could make out the way Billy hunched in a little. "I didn't. I may have traumatized the old lady that lives next to you."
"Mrs. Shumaker?" Teddy asked. Billy shrugged. "Don't worry about her. She thinks Spider-man is a peeping Tom who is always trying to look in her window."
Billy let out a breath. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Teddy replied. "Mrs. Shumaker will probably ambush my mom when she goes to work tomorrow morning. I'll get to hear all about if from her."
Now I just have to convince myself that I won't screw his characterization up if I write more of it. -_-
There was a constant, insistent tapping against Teddy's window. It sounded like someone hitting their finger against the pane. The noise paused for a second, and then continued, this time a little bit louder.
If Teddy lived on the first floor of a house in suburban neighborhood, he'd think that his best friend was trying to get his attention. But Teddy lived on the sixth floor of an apartment building in New York City and his ex-best friend currently hated him. His life as an after school special was over.
So who was at the window?
Teddy had the crazy, irrational thought that even thought he'd only been a part of a superhero team for two weeks, somehow some supervillain had found out and was now at his window. At 10:45pm. On a school night. He got out of bed and crept towards the window, ready to turn into something big and scary and quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was wake his mom.
It was only when he saw the blue glow coming through the blinds in thin stripes of neon that it dawned on Teddy that it might be one of his team mates at the window. Only two of his team mates could fly. And only one leaked blue light while doing so.
Billy Kaplan - Asguardian - was at his window.
Had there been an attack? Or an emergency? Teddy pulled the blinds up, expecting to see Billy in his superhero outfit. Instead, he found Billy hovering in mid-air in his pajamas. Billy jerked back from the window, lost his concentration, flickered, and then managed to stabalize himself.
"Can I come in?" Billy's voice was muffled by the glass.
Teddy fumbled with the lock on his window and tried to push it open. That didn't work. At some point it had been welded shut by consecutive layers of paint. He wound up using the slightest bit of his super strength to get it open.
As soon as the window was open, Teddy stepped back. Billy got a foot on the sill and managed to squeeze through the opening. He was wearing Spider-man toe socks that clashed horribly with the plaid pajama bottoms and gray T-shirt he wore. When Billy stumbled getting through the window, Teddy squashed the urge to reach out and help. The urge to reach out and touch. But that seemed too dangerous a thing to do in his bedroom to a guy he'd only known for a couple of weeks. He wasn't sure how Billy would react.
Although the Spider-man socks were kind of cute.
Oh man. He was doomed.
"I know it's kind of late. I just couldn't sleep, thinking about this afternoon and practice and everything. I just wanted to talk." Teddy blinked at the sudden out pouring of words. "And I probably gave you heart failure just showing up at your window. Sorry. I can go if you want."
"No." Teddy didn't even need to think about that. "It's fine. Have a seat." He motioned towards his desk chair, thinking about and quickly discarding the idea of having Billy sit on his bed. Billy sat down on the desk chair, but barely, like he was afraid Teddy might change his mind at any moment.
There was an awkward silence as Teddy settled down on his bed. For all that Billy had said he wanted to talk, he seemed reluctant to say anything. Teddy wound up speaking first. "I'm surprised you found my room on the first try."
He couldn't see Billy's expression in the uncertain light of his room, but he could make out the way Billy hunched in a little. "I didn't. I may have traumatized the old lady that lives next to you."
"Mrs. Shumaker?" Teddy asked. Billy shrugged. "Don't worry about her. She thinks Spider-man is a peeping Tom who is always trying to look in her window."
Billy let out a breath. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Teddy replied. "Mrs. Shumaker will probably ambush my mom when she goes to work tomorrow morning. I'll get to hear all about if from her."
