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New York is the city that never sleeps. Even in the middle of the night, there's people on the street, especially in the Village. And cars on the road. As it's not the middle of the night, it's busy. So when there's a loud clang and a manhole flies up into the air tend feet to come crashing down on the sidewalk, it's a miracle it didn't hurt someone. "It smells down there!" Noh-Varr complains, climbing up out of the hole in the ground. "What kind of horrible planet is this? I smell now, don't I?" he asks a woman who's quite naturally staring at the man who's standing in the middle of the road. Fortunately, there was a red light so traffic wasn't moving. And now still isn't despite it being green. Lots of horns though.
Billy does not cook. Well, he makes a mean cheeseburger macaroni, but that's almost it. The one exception to this is grilling hot dogs (they're kosher, of course, but the fact that they're wrapped in bacon might lead his Rabbi to having Opinions), but there's not a whole lot of 'cooking' involved in that. You lay out ingredients, you grill until the bacon is crispy, you put on buns. People apply whatever condiments please them. This is what Billy is doing on the roof of 55 Christopher St, humming a tune. He's dressed in a very tightly fitted green shirt and a pair of jeans— they're not skinny jeans, those don't exist yet, but he tries to emulate the look from his distant future-youth. Then there's a crash, and he's at the edge of the roof looking down in moments, "Oh, fork." Billy has cussed maybe once in his life. "I hate it when weird happens near home." And with that, he reaches out one hand to grab up all the hot dogs and set them aside, telekinetically, and then he's padding over to the side of the roof and leaping off. He'll telekinetically carry anyone who needs carrying down into the below alley, to try to minimize notice of flying without a Wiccan costume.
Teddy Altman is exiting a corner store down the street when he hears the crash of a manhole against the sidewalk. In his hands are a few extra last-minute things things that needed to be picked up, just in case. More napkins (you can never have enough!), some things to drink, and another jar of mustard. "Woah," escapes the young man's mouth as he stands there with a couple others to watch Noh-Varr exit the sewer. It takes a second, but he's soon bounding in that direction, lifting his chin in the direction of the stranger. "Hey!" he shouts out. "You, uh, lost or something?"
Vic has come out from a house in the Village, a big house. Someone's Sanctum Sanctorum if one has to know. He makes his way down the street toward Billy's place, because he's in the neighborhood. His nostrils flare when he catches the scent of the bacon dogs. He picks up his pace. Now is a perfect time to visit his dearest big brother. "Billy!" he calls up. Then the manhole cover flies up in the air, and he turns around with a quickness that is almost a blur. He bounds after Teddy, though he stops at the curb, unwilling to step into the street. "Are you okay?"
"Lost?" Noh-Varr asks, turning his attention from the woman who's not answering him anyway. "This is Earth, right? So, no. I'm where I expected to be. Unless you mean reality in which case yes, but there's nothing you can do about that will you stop that noise!" he demands, turning to glare at the driver about ten feet away who's leaning on his horn. Having made his point, he moves out of the street and lets traffic proceed.
Billy catches up to the group surrounding the oddly dressed fellow, and he blinks a moment, "Reality?" He sighs, his tone sounding long-suffering, "Does that mean you're a transdimensional hopper? That would explain the suit. And means that I need to introduce you to my dad, as he's pretty much in charge of anything that has the word 'dimension' in it. He's Lord of the Pointy Hats. If you're planning on staying, that is. You know. Here. In this reality. Uhh, welcome?" He turns a questioning look to Vic and Teddy.
Noh-varr's answer doesn't seem to surprise Teddy, though it does cause the blond to frown. As if he didn't have enough Strange in his lif already. And on bacon-dog night! He casts a glance to Vic and Billy, then turns back to the guy in the costume. "Yeah, welcome," he says, following him out od the street, which he apparently just realizes he stepped into as well. Hefting his bag of things, he looks to Billy to take point on this one.
Vic waves a little. "Hello. Don't worry, our dad is great." He's intrigued, but not blown away. Hell, he's a mote occupying a braindead body. What's weird after that? "What's your name?" he says. "I'm Vic, and this is Billy and Teddy."
"What's wrong with my uniform?" Noh-Varr asks, extending his arms and looking down at himself. "It fits perfectly and I look very good in it. I've gotten many compliments from men and women. Anyway, no. Reality not dimension. There's a difference and I'll be happy to educate you later. I'm Noh-Varr, Ensign of the 18th Kree Diplomatic Gestalt. Though I suppose I'm captain now." That's what happens when you're the only one left. "It sounds much better, don't you think? Captain Noh-Varr." It's been long enough he can contemplate it. "Anyway, I don't have much choice about staying at the moment. Nice to meet you three. Can I convince you to let me use whatever it is you use to clean yourselves? I smell don't I?" Holding out an arm, he sniffs at it. "Do you actually know what's underground here? It smells horrible."
"Wait, did you say Kree?!" Billy lifts a hand immediately, holding it out and forming a telekinetic wall between them, looking suddenly both On Alert and Alarmed. Crap. Alien invasion! Should he respond to this like a SHIELD agent or a Planner or the Sorcerer Supreme's kid? The options run through Billy's mind, even as he floats up a couple inches without really intending to. Accidental flying is a thing Billy does. "Hold still, there! You're, uh, under arrest." He doesn't specifically actually have arresting powers, but maybe Noh-Varr doesn't know that. "You guys tried to invade once before, not again."
Well, that whole Kree bit certainly gets Teddy's attention, much as it seems to Billy's. He tenses, turns, and…did his muscles just get a little bit bigger? He's also unsure of how to react to this situation, but something about it doesn't /feel/ like an invasion, so he lifts his free hand in a stop-and-calm-down sort of way. "Alright, why don't we take this somewhere private," he suggests, eyeing the crowd now likely staring their way from the surrounding cars and sidewalk. "Come with us," he tells Noh-Varr in his most commanding voice. To where, though?
Vic's brows rise. Kree? But there's nothing he wants to say that Billy hasn't already said, so he just watchese Noh-Var with a stance that's steady and ready. His gaze flits to Teddy, and he offers his encouragement in a soft smile. Yeah, he's one of those 'whatever we get through we'll get through together, cue the singing bluebirds.' "Yeah," he says. "Come with us." His voice sounds way more like an invitation.
"The Kree invaded your planet?" Noh-Varr asks, looking around for signs of them. "Are you sure? Really, really sure? Because they'd probably have won." Probably? Certainly. "Anyway, I'm not from this reality, as I pointed out not long ago. Should I blame you for the humans of another reality shooting down my ship and killing my crew and parents? No, I shouldn't." he decides. "So get back on the ground because I really don't want to hurt you when I'm smelly." Looking over at Teddy, he studies him a second and then Vic before looking back to Teddy. "Did you just get more muscular? It looks really good on you. Just where would you handsome men like to take me?"
Billy mulls this over in his head for a moment, "Well, they didn't invade-invade, there was this whole thing between them and the Skrull with us in the middle. But I suppose if you're from another reality…" He lowers his hands and settles to the ground, before he blinks at the last statement, frowning a little bit. "Okay, you don't say things like calling other men handsome in this reality. I know, its stupid, but it'll be a few decades before we get over this bit of idiocy." He glances sidelong at Teddy, unsure how it is he feels about Noh-Varr's compliment. Hmph. Then he looks to Vic, and nods. "To answer your earlier question, what's down there is the sewer. Biological waste products. Come upstairs, you can have a shower while we work out what to do with you."
Teddy naturally smirks at the compliment, though when Billy glances his way he decides to help move things along to someplace much less public. Because Billy is right about one thing, that's not the kind of talk one wants to throw around willy-nilly. At least not very often. "We're just upstairs," Teddy says, pointing to the penthouse where also the food is. "Let's go?" He starts backing away toward the building, then looks to Vic for encouragement before leading the way.
Vic nods, his disheveled hair bouncing a bit. "Sure," he says, and he falls into step with Teddy. "Transdimensional," he says. "That's pretty groovy. Sorry about your parents, though. He lets Teddy and Billy lead the way. It's not his home, after all. His response to the compliment is an attempt to suppress a smile.
"Are the Kree and Skrull at war here?" Noh-Varr doesn't sound terribly surprised. "They do that. The various empires in my reality were at peace." Granted, a shaky peace but that was the point of the Diplomatic Gestalt. But as Billy goes on, he starts to look puzzled. "What should I call him? You and him - Vic, right? - are kind of pretty but Teddy is definitely handsome." Then looking at the manhole, he wrinkles his nose. Ewww. "Biological waste? And you just let it flow freely underground? I'm going to have to find a different route. Do you have a map?" he asks, as he motions the others toward the building Teddy is moving toward. Pausing a moment, he stoops to pick up the manhole cover as if it weighed nothing and when there's a break in traffic, tosses it back toward the hole. It's… not a hole in one and though it does - mostly - cover the hole, it's not flush with the surface. "That could have been a lot more impressive." Shrugging, he follows the others. Shower.
"Its not flowing freely. The purpose of the sewer is to take it from houses to a waste processing plant. No one's supposed to go down there." explains Billy, though he shakes his head slowly. He extends his hand briefly, and with a gesture, the manhole is settled properly intoplace. "They seemed to be in conflict, at least. We don't have a lot of intel on them." But, he shakes his head at the compliments, and follows Teddy along inside. He leaves off the conversation until they arrive in the apartment, "In this timeperiod, people of the same gender don't compliment eachothers looks. Its taboo." He points towards the bathroom, "I'll make you some clean clothes while you're being unstinky." He looks to Vic, "I'm starved, you too bro?" Then a look to Teddy, "Today is weird." He says this in such a bland tone he might be calling it monday.
Teddy leads the group up the building and into the penthouse, the things in his bag rustling with each step. He's quiet the way up, letting Billy fill Noh-Varr in on the fact that a conflict between the Kree and the Skrulls exist, though once inside he seems to open up. "He's right, you don't want to go making a habit of it. Thanks, though!" He finds a place to set his bag down, then moves to fetch a fresh towel, which he then hands off to Noh-Varr. "You're in luck. Billy is making hot dogs today." A quick smile, then a shrug to Billy. There's nothing weird about weird these days.
Vic grins at Noh-Varr. "Thanks," he says. "It's true, though. We don't do that here. There's a huge stigma." He rakes his fingers through his hair, taming it somewhat. Once inside the place, he makes for the roof. "I'm starving," he tells Billy. "I just got done sparring, and I'm ravenous." Interdimensional beings are interesting, but they don't come wrapped in bacon.
"How strange." Noh-Varr decides, shaking his head. "Earth wasn't like this. The other Earth, I mean. And there's no worldwide computer system here. Either the last hop moved me in time as well of something happened to retard this planet's development. I don't suppose you know anything about the Kree calendar?" Of course they don't. Taking the towel, he heads for the indicated door. "Stigma. Don't care." he says just as the door closes behind him.
"Uh, right, we definately do not have the intel on the Kree calendar." Billy shakes his head slowly, "Though I know of more then one person who ended up back in time to there 1964-now, so there might be some sort of time-rift that keeps drawing people in." He nods over to Vic, grinning dimples as Teddy mentions the hot dogs. "Bacon wrapped kosher all-beef dogs. I, uh, tell myself this story about how that makes it okay, the kosher dog cancels out the bacon. I know, I know, this is not how kosher works, hush."
Kree calendar? Teddy scratches the back of his head as Noh-Varr enters the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. "That's going to be trouble," he announces, turning back to Billy and Vic. "Then again, what else is new?" He crosses the room to his bag of stuff and unloads it onto the table, grinning at the way Billy convinces himself himself to eat bacon. It's adorable. "Do we have enough dogs?" he wonders, throwing a glance over to the others. "Do we have enough bacon!?"
"I'll be good," Vic tells Teddy when Teddy asks if there's going to be enough food. Vic could mow his way through those dogs and do serious damage, and he propbably wants to, but discipline is important. He grins at Billy and says, "So it's a zero sum hot dog? That seems fair to me." He glances toward the house for a glimpse of Nor-Varr should he make an appearance. "Poor guy's so far from home."
"Oh, there's enough for a small army, Teddy. But if we run out I'll conjure some or port to the store, depending on how late it is." Billy is on the slender side, but he eats like he has a black hole in his stomach. Not as much as Vic or Tommy, but he'd come in a respectable third in an eating contest. It might have something to do with the magic. "Exactly." he grins at his magic-brother, "Zero-sum dog. I'll grill up some onions too, though sometimes I like the crunch of raw. Choices, choices. That's what I love about hot dogs. They're easy and yet they can be anyyyything. Hey, I made a pitcher of daiquiri in the fridge." It is the only sort of alcohol, thus far, that Billy likes.
Teddy beams Billy's way. There's nothing really to say about how many hot dogs he can consume, as they've all seen him eat before. It can be an intense affair. "I'll grab it," he says, heading into the kitchen to procure the pitcher and some cups to go along with it. From there, he calls out to the others. "So, what are we going to do about the Kree in our shower?" When he steps out a moment later, pitcher in one hand and a stack of glasses in the other, he sighs. "Didn't expect that to come out of my mouth today."
The Kree is no longer in the shower. He must not have taken his time as it's not long before Noh-Varr opens the door and steps out, wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. "What do you want to do about him?" he asks, giving Teddy a grin. Must have very good hearing. "So what are these dogs you're talking about? I know they're animals but aren't considered food. Or is that another difference between Earths?"
"I don't know," Vic says to Teddy. "Maybe get him a towel or some clean pants?" It's like he can wrap his head around there being trouble, but hospitality has the grater pull. When Noh-Varr steps out, he nods a bit. Okay, alien has a towel. "They're hot dogs," he says. "Beef or pork — these are beef — made into delicious hot dogs. They're maybe the most perfect food."
Billy cocks his head to the stairs up to the roof where the grill is, and heads that way as he muses to Teddy, "I don't know. It sounds like he's a refugee. If he's a reality hopper, dad needs to know. Uh… it might need reporting, to… proper authorities." He tries to dance around the whole SHIELD thing. Once up top, he lifts a hand and the half-cooked dogs he had TK'd to a side plate return to the grill. He's cheating. He nods to Vic, though, "Yeah I don't know why they're called hot dogs. They're wrapped in bacon and then you put…whatever you want on it. "
Teddy lifts his brows in surprise when Noh-Varr comes out in the towel, not even bothering to try and cover up what he just said. Of course they're going to talk behind his back. Vic, however, has the right idea. But first, he catches Billy's cocked head and nods, "Let me put these down and then I'll grab something for you," he tells the Kree. Following Billy up to the roof, he leans in to agree with the young man. "I think it might." He finds a place for the pitcher and the glasses, then gives Billy's shoulder a squeeze. "I'll go grab our guest some clothes."
Eating upstairs then? Fine with him. Noh-Varr follows the others up to the roof then looks around a moment, before sniffing at the odor of the hot dogs. Edible. As is everything organic. "So, reality not dimension. There are multiple dimensions in every reality. They're part of that reality but usually very different, sometimes down to physical law. Realities though tend to follow the same laws unless you start straying far, far off the beaten track." Which the Marvel actually did. "It could be difficult to tell the difference between realities as two of them right next to each other can be almost identical. So there's an Earth in every nearby reality but not every dimension. Understand?"
Vic nods slowly and says, "I actually do." No one's more surprised than he is. He's a history student, astrophysics is not usually his department. "Anyway, you should try a hot dog. We'll see if the tastebuds from your reality are like the ones here, because these are delicious." Any flaw in the dogs rests with Nor-Varr's physiology, nothing else would make sense.
Billy reaches a hand up to squeeze Teddy's hand back before he escapes for clothes, and its only then that he glances over and sees Noh is like, in a towel. Only in a towel. He promptly blushes. "I was supposed to conjure you something clean, but forgot. Distracted. Ahem. Teddy's getting some of his. They might be a bit loose on you." He glances over at Noh-Varr, and nods slowly, "Gotcha. I know a girl who was from a different reality, though hell, _I'm_ technically from a different reality. I'm pretty sure you can't time-travel and stay within the same continuity stream. The very act of travelling into the past would, theoretically, create a branch in the reality continuum. I gave up looking for a way back." He shrugs briefly, then uses his TK to lift a finished dog over to a bun, and put his favorite condiments on: ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, grilled onions. Guiding the dog to settle in his hand, he offers it over to Noh-Varr, "You won't know which condiments you like until you try them." But he put ALL the condiments out. There's multiple kinds of mustard, bbq sauce, shredded cheeses, everything. "This is dog-a-la-Billy." He flashes a grin for Vic, "It is a good test."
Yes, Billy could summon something up for the Kree to wear. And yes, Teddy's clothes might be a touch too large. Nevertheless, the young man decides to wander below just as Billy starts to put together his signature dog. "Be right back," he tells them, before disappearing from the roof. There, he'll set something out in the spare room. A shirt, some slacks, a whole outfit. He'll also spend a moment to take a breath and consider this new development, plus who the first person to contact should be.
"I can eat anything." Noh-Varr assures them. Taking the hot dog from Billy, he bites off an end and nods. "It's fine. I don't know about time travel. It's too dangerous to try and has been outlawed. The only question is, did I travel in time as well as shift realities or is this reality just out of synch with the others I've been in. It looks fairly close so it can't have been too many years." Glancing down a moment, he looks after Teddy. "I'll go get dressed. You have a nudity taboo right?" Without waiting for an answer, he heads downstairs.
"Well, he's an interesting fellow," Vic says after Nor-Varr has taken his leave. He uses his own TK to put together a dog. He's an onion man, himself. Onion and a fancy mustard. Then again, there are plenty of dogs to try all sorts of combinations! Vic holds up a hand and the dog floats into it. He gives Teddy a look and a small shrug as he comes up with clothes as Nor-Varr heads down.
"So, Vic. How you been lately?" Billy goes and settles on a chair, shrugging and biting into his own dog since Noh didn't want it yet. He does comment as an aside, "We haven't hung out enough. We should have Hot Dog Mondays more often. Also it should be a crime for that fellow to wear a shirt. Teddy too, for that matter. If I as King Billy the Great, Lord of the Overworld, Master of All Creation, I'd make it so." He sighs, wistfully.
Vic finds a place to lean and digs into his dog. Mmm, oniony. Poor Kellan. He's got to live with this. "I'm all for Hot Dog Mondays," he says. "That's one of my nights off. I've just been so busy with school. Driving upstate is killing me, but we don't want to leave the city." He grins at Billy. "You dig the new guy? He's easy on the eyes." He wags his dog at Billy as he adds, "There's no good answer I can give. If I say I want to see Teddy without a shirt on, you'll turn me into salamander. If I say I don't, I'm insulting your man. So I'll just cede to your greater wisdom."
"Do you want me to make you a portal? That you can use? So you can go from here to there without wasting time with all that between space that's, well, killing you." offers Billy, setting down his half-eaten hot do go to the pitcher of daiquiri and pour himself a glass, and with a questioning glance at Vic, will pour him one too if its wanted. "I don't know that I dig him so much as yes, he's pretty. Teddy's hotter, then again, Teddy can look like whatever he wants. I like the natural." He laughs softly at the position Vic finds himself stuck in, "You are growing in wisdom yourself, Vic, bro."
Vic's eyes widen. "You can do that?" he says. "You can do that! Yes, I'd love for you to make me a portal. That would save me hours on the road." He snaps down the last of his dog, and he gladly accepts the daiquiri. "Did I mention you were the best brother? Because you are." He can say that since Tommy's not around. He glances around though, just in case. Nope, he's clear. "Yeah, I'm not falling into that trap. I'm just going to drink this and nod a lot."
"I can key it specifically to you, it'd be basically just another Narnia wardrobe, only I wouldn't want it to link into your apartment, and probably link to say, the schools bathroom to a diner a block away from your place." Billy nods his head quickly, grinning. "I've got portals down pat. When it comes to super powers, I'm the travel bureau, Vicky." His dimples flash with a grin and a teasing tone at that, "What days do you go to school? I have all my courses crammed into tues/thurs. I can take a day off from SH— my internship to go with you to the school and we pick the place to set the aperature."
Vic grins at the nickname. "Monday through Friday. Kellan goes with me, so could he be keyed, too? I'm not sure about Kaleb." He takes another drink, nursing his daiquiri along slowly to make it last. "Gosh, I don't want to ask too much of you." Yeah, he says gosh unironically. "But that'd be a fun day trip. We don't get out enough and do brotherly stuff. I've just been so busy."
"Shit, how many classes are you taking? I'm going full time— 12 credits— but I have them smushed all into two days." He lifts a hand, and another hot dog makes itself as he glances that way to direct it telekinetically, "But sure, I can key all of you, its no big deal. I perfected the process with the Narnia wardrobes, this isn't any more complicated. So we take the trip, I'll key up the doors and cast the spell, and you guys can show me around campus. What school are you going to? I'm in NYU, my major is going to be chemical engineering. But..yeah, me too. So busy. My internship kicks my ass somewhat."
"I might do that next semester," Vic says. "I'm taking a lot of different subjects to figure out where I want to focus, and I'm leaning toward history. There's a lot I'll be cutting out next year." He quiets, then. What school? That's the big question, isn't it? "It's upstate," he says. He glances around and sidles closer to his brother. Blood is thick, and very little can trump it. "It's a secret school," he says. "Not supposed to talk about it."
LOG EDIT: Billy said CRAP not SHIT.
"A…secret…school." replies Billy dryly as he regards Vic with an arched brow, sounding a little worried, a little uncertain, "You sure no one's taking advantage of you, bro? Schools which offer real degrees are accredited, are anything but secret. What kind of tutition are they charging you?" Vic is both new and old to the world, so Billy's concerned. He does take a sip from his daiquiri, though. "You *sure* this isn't some sort of scam?" He reaches a hand over to lay it on Vic's arm, giving a squeeze.
Teddy wanders back up from the penthouse at this point, smiling over to Billy and Vic. "I /think/ he's settling in downstairs fine," he says of Noh-Varr. "What's a scam, then?" While half-listening for an answer, most of his attention moves to making himself a hot dog. He has to actually use his hands to do this, but the finished result of ketchup, mustard, and onions is expertly assembled in very little time. Then, it is promptly consumed.
"Oh gosh, no," Vic says. "No one's taking advantage of me. Dad knows about it and he approves. It's a good school." The squeeze on his arm gets a grin from him. "If anything starts smelling funny, I'll let you know." He claps Billy on the shoulder, mindful of his strength. "I love my courses. Dad can tell you it's a good school." To Teddy, he says, "My school's kind of a secret, but it's not a scam."
Dad Approving relaxes Billy, somewhat, though only somewhat. He generally trusts Strange's sense of safety when it comes to his kids, but still: secret school? It just doesn't connect to Billy's brain, so he starts running through theories in his head. Teddy's back, so Billy sends him a quick dimpled grin, cocking his head to the seat next to him in a come-here-you gesture, though he will of course understand if another hot dog needs to happen first. Not everyone can remote up a dog. "If its a secret, will they have an issue with me coming up there? I can't make a portal without being at the destination— primarily to make the portal back, since I don't know where it is." He asides to Teddy, "Vic and Kellan…" One of the other TCP members, who has the power to multiply his body, "…are in this… school. But it takes so much time to drive there and back every day, I'm going to make them a standing portal to speed things up."
Teddy takes a moment to decide between another hot dog and the seat next to Billy, but only a brief one. Billy wins out, of course, and the blond settles down to drape an arm around the other man's shoulders. "Sounds weird," he tells Vic, though his expression suggests he's supportive of this school, nonethless. After all, if Strange approves, it must be alright. "That's really cool of you, but it must be such a nice drive up there." Spoken like someone who doesn't have to make the commute.
"It's beautiful," Vic agrees. "But after awhile it's the same thing every day and you gotta get to work on time and still study." He then tells Billy, "I think you'd have to meet with the headmaster," he says. "I can try to see if he's free enough for me to ask. He might be okay with it because of Dad, but I don't know for sure." He starts to TK himself another dog. One is never enough for the human(ish) chow hound. Vic's powers require a lot of fuel.
Since Billy wins, the teen-witch is magnanimous enough to glance to the grill. One finished dog rises up and floats over to settle into a bun, and then the toppings Teddy likes are added, and it floats over to a plate in front of Teddy. Billy leans into his boyfriend's frame, but he always just… fits. As this is going on, two other uncooked dogs rise and bacon comes with it, wrapping around then going to the grill. All this at once is actually a bit more — delicate and precise — a use of power then he has usually shown. He's always had a fine degree of control, but three sources? He nods to Vic, "Well, I don't mind meeting this guy. If the Lord High Hat of the Pointy Hat Society approves of the school, that's good, but you're *my* brother, and I have obligations to take care of you too." He nods firmly. The whole Lord High Hat thing? Its not said with disrespect. Billy is just… Billy. He just doesn't really notice or recognize propriety. He thumbs towards Teddy, "But it's gotta be understood I don't keep *any* secrets from him unless I'm making like, you know, a blood oath. Which ow."
Teddy smiles down as Billy settles in against him, then is met with a hot dog on a floating plate. How fun! "Please don't make him take a blood oath," he tells Vic, reaching for the plate, which is then set on his lap. He doesn't even bother to check and see how the hot dog is made, instead lifting and biting into it while trusting Billy knows what he likes. Chewing the bite, his eyes close in a dreamy sort of way, because of course it's perfect. "I don't mind if you want to keep it a secret, though. As long as you're getting what you want out of it."
Vic grins at Billy. "I get it, big brother. I'll see if I can get a meeting with him. He's got to understand that we're an unusual family and can keep a secret." He grimaces, and he looks torn. "We can keep a secret," he says. "I mean I know you wouldn't tell anyone. And it wasn't a blood oath. I just don't wanna feel like the guy who told when he said he wouldn't, but I guess that's kind of flimsy." He's about to crack. He wants to crack. Keeping a secret from Billy? It's not natural. "I mean if you think about it, he knows who our family is, he has to know we're not going to lie to each other about it…" Sometimes Vic is an easy sell.
Now that makes Billy feel almost a little guilty. "Vic." he says soberly, "I'm an Agent of SHIELD, a covert government agency charged with protecting the world against horrible things that might endanger it. My internship is a cover. I'm a spy. You know how Dad safeguards the world against metaphysical alien monstrosities? SHIELD safeguards the world against mundane or at least only phyiscally alien monstrosities." He can't go all no secrets in family, and keep secrets, can he? "You're right, though. We're an unusual family. Things with us don't work like they do for everyone else. We're Atlas, the world on our shoulders." That reference they may or may not get. Throughout this, he is still leaning against Teddy, psychically pouring him a daiquiri and floating it over to him. He looks up to the blond and smiles, expression apologetic, "Its been killing me not telling my brothers. I mean, my magic-brothers. Vic and Tommy. My muggle-brothers…" Muggle is a word he frequently uses to describe his entirely mundane family who thinks they raised him- its complicated- and he's never been able to adequately explain it except to say 'mundane', "…are only safe as long as they're ignorant. But they have no powers. But my magic-bros, like. They're *powerful*."
Teddy pulls back from Billy just enough for him to better look down at the young man. At first, he looks surprised at the spilled beans, then a little annoyed, and finally sympathetic. Is the drink being poured because Billy foresaw this series of emotional events? Even if not, he happily reaches out for it. "Yeah, I know it has," he says, casting a glance to Vic. "Sorry it didn't come out sooner?" He's not totally sure if that's true, only time will prove that, but he does lift his glass as if to welcome the news.
Vic exhales sharply and says, "Oh, thank goodness. I was going crazy." He takes a swallow of his drink. Oh daiquiri, so delicious. "I mean that, um, I'm going to worry about you being in a secret organization that deals with alien monstrosities, but you're super smart and super powerful, so I know you'll do great." Then he takes a breath so he can blather out his secret in one long go. "I'm attending a prestigious school for mutants, even though I'm not a mutant, because the headmaster knows Opa and my powers are mutant-like. It's called Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. They've got mutants of all ages, and they teach normal school subjects as well as learning how to hone and control your abilities." It's like a weight has been lifted. He practically sags. Trying to keep a secret from Billy has been, like, the longest ten minutes of his life.
Billy relaxes immediately, too, and practically lays his head— no, he does in fact lay his head against Teddy's shoulder, "Sorry." he murmurs to his boyfriend, and his voice is sincere, but not in an I-wish-I-didn't-do-it tone, "I couldn't sit here and ask him to share and not like, you know, share myself." Then he looks to Vic, nodding his head, "Oh, a mutant sanctuary. That makes sense that they'd do that. I'm not a mutant, but in the future, all of us meta-people have to stick together. But besides, Tommy's a mutant, mom's a mutant-ish, Pietro is. Push comes to shove any mutant needs protecting, I'm there. Anywhere that keeps a mutant safe, I'm going to do anything in my power to protect. I got the specific and personal assurances from the Director of SHIELD that should any part of the government turn against us— and by us I mean both mutants and whatever it is we're classifying you as these days and what Dad and I are, well— she'll be against it. If this Xavier wants to meet me before I show up, I get it. Look me in the eye, take his read on my character. But you know me. Teachers love me." Billy's dimples flash. And he telekinetically makes himself another hot dog, then.
Throughout this speech, Teddy eats, and by the time Billy is finished he needs another hot dog. Instead of asking for one, though, he reaches down between his feet - where he set his drink a moment before - and lifts it. "Now the secret's not so weird," he admits, since it makes sense something like a mutant school would have to be kept as such. As far as Billy is concerned, he gives the man a big hug to show that everything is fine. Because it really is. "The secret downstairs is weird, though. How do we plan on keeping it when he won't even keep his clothes on?"
Vic says, "I'll try to get a meeting with him. He's kind of hard to catch. But yeah, I bet he'd have no problem with you since he knows Opa. They're apparently really good friends." He just looks so relieved as he bites into his second hot dog. Of course Billy would want to protect mutants. He thinks, then he says, "The guy said he was part of some diplomatic group, and your organization deals with aliens. If he means us no harm, would they go easy on him? Or is it better to keep him off their radar?"
Teddy's got no dog? Billy gets him another dog with his mind. Billy is the best boyfriend ever, right? "I think that's a question ahead of where we are, Teddy." admits the teen witch, "The first question is, do we keep it at all? Obviously I mean we don't go tell the general public. But I think I might have a dual obligation to tell Stephen and Peggy both. He's Kree." Although it was the Skrull who killed JFK, it was a part of the Kree-Skrull conflict. "But if he's from another reality, he's not a part of here-Kree. And he seems not to be set on conquering the world? Yay him? Gosh, I thought my life was complicated." He nods to Vic, "The 'diplomatic gestalt', which… I frankly don't know what that means. SHIELD isn't about oppressing people, locking people up. Unless or until someone needs putting down, you know? If he's no threat… a refugee. I think Director Carter would be sympathetic."
Teddy nods and sips some more of his drink while his hot dog is being made. Billy really /is/ the greatest boyfriend ever. "True, we should probably tell them. I mean we will, of course. But we still have to make sure he doesn't wander off before then." This is something that could have already happened for all they know, Teddy having left Noh-Varr to change unattended. Because of course he did. "Peggy will probably know what to do, you're right."
And the greatest brother, don't tell Tommy. "Then that seems like the best course of action," Vic says. "Let the people who know what they're doing do whatever it is they do. He seems like a refugee to me, if humans killed his crew and his parents. I have a feeling if he wanted to do us damage, there wouldn't be much of a street left outside. He probably just wants to get his bearings, poor guy."
"Yeah." Billy agrees with Teddy as his new dog floats over, and continues leaning into him like a key that fits the lock. "Telling is easy, telling the right way? That's a little more complicated. He doesn't seem terribly inclined towards, like, just accepting our social norms. Granted, social norms that suck, but still. So telling it right is important. Director Carter…" Billy would die before calling her Peggy, himself, "…would know what to do, though." He casts a glance off at Vic, and he has to grin and shake his head, "I don't know how powerful he is, but I wouldn't bet against any street in the whole world which has Teddy and I in it, little brother. I turn him into a chicken, Teddy plucks his feathers. And hey, then there's you, awesoming all around him. I don't think the Kree are as all awesome as they think they are. I almost want one to challenge Mom to a duel." He has to grin at that.
Teddy nods, agreeing with both of them. "Yeah, I don't think he's here to do us any harm, but we should still report it." He sets his drink down so that he can grab the new hot dog out of the air. "They may not be as strong as they claim, but they're still strong. And since he's from another reality or…whatever? Who knows?" He still grins at the chicken idea, though. How could that not win every fight?
Vic tells Billy, "I forget you can turn people into chickens. I just punch them really hard. People, not chickens. Not all people, just the bad ones." He does lay waste to that hot dog, though. "I"m sure if you just tell the director what happened, the way it happened, she'll know how to procede." A person he's never met, but Billy and Teddy seem to respect her, so she must be worthy of respect.
There's scooting. Scooting is happening. Billy is sitting there, right? Teddy is sitting there. He's got a hot dog. That poses some logistical challenges, but Billy is a man devoted to his cause. He scoots, nudges, pushes, shifts, until he can be sitting on Teddy's lap. Because he wants to, damn it. "Who knows?" he agrees, "But its not just hey, possible threat. Maybe we can learn from him. I wasn't lying, our intel on the Kree is crap. Even if his-Kree are different from our-Kree, there's stuff to know there. If nothing else he's an asset to work." He flashes a grin to Vic, "I have not in my defense ever turned anyone into a chicken. I just have this solid idea of how it'd work. Chances are like, oh, 50-50, I'd not turn myself into a chicken on accident, based on current models."
The scooting, and then the lap-sitting, make it just a bit tougher for Teddy to finish his hotdog. He manages, though, licking some mustard off his thumb, before reaching around to bear hug Billy from behind. He peeks around to Vic and smiles. "I'd say he's a great source of intel, yeah, but let's leave that up to SHIELD?" Just because Billy told Vic who he worked for, doesn't mean they should discuss the job in too much detail. "You would make a really cute chicken, though."
"You'd be one of those little ones that fight," Vic says. "They're really pretty." He finishes eating his hot dog and gulps down the rest of his daiquiri. It won't get in drunk anyway, alas. But it sure is tasty! "I should be heading back home. I told Kellan I'd be home for dinner." Which, knowing Vic, he'll be starving for when he gets home. "You two call me if you need anything, okay? And don't worry, mum's the word on your organization." He won't even say the name, just to be extra sure.
Billy, having claimed his spot as king of the mountain, settles against Teddy like warm liquid. "Yeah." he agrees with his boyfriend with a nod, then looks to Vic, lifting a hand, "See ya, Vic. You can take the Narnia wardrobe as a shortcut to home; the enter keys are to all of us, its only the outer ones that are selective, for privacy so no one worries about anyone in someone's private space. Shortcut." he advises.
Vic goes home.
Teddy waves as well. "See you around, Vic!" He then leans back and pulls Billy along with him. "So, that's not really how I thought the night would go." He smiles and breathes the other man in, shutting his eyes for a moment. "How do you feel about that school? I've never heard of something like it."