I don't own YA.

A/N: Request fic for Cris-Art on tumblr

Lost Boy

It was 2 am in New York City when a mayday call was intercepted by S.W.O.R.D.. It came supposedly from a passengers' ship, carrying onboard it civilians and merchants, and had a cargo list to match. Supposedly, it was a harmless spaceship, asking for help due to mechanical failure, that's all.
Still, they hesitated due to the race occupying the were at war not that long before, and the wounds have yet to heal. No one was too eager to help if they were helping Skrulls, civilians or not. They hesitated, stalled, and it was those precious moments lost that let the ship break down completely and crash-land into Earth.

Suddenly, it didn't matter who was of which race. Flaming debris and wreckage buried human and Skrull alike, and threatened to claim more lives still. Police and firefighters were all lost in the chaos, unable to regroup and respond properly. The disaster would've surely been much more severe, but then a calmer mind appeared, maintained its cool, and offered the voice of reason and hope.
Captain America took over the operation, and together with the Avengers managed to contain the crisis - but still, not without a price.

–

They were his people, both by birthright and his own unique heritage. The young man bearing the name of Dorrek VIII couldn't help but sympathize with the survivors, forced to live as refugees under constant supervision. They were stranded there, at the mercy of their keepers, until whatever help they called for came.
This wasn't his fault, it couldn't have been. These things happened, he knew, but still the Avenger known as Hulkling couldn't help but feel responsible. Couldn't fight off the overwhelming mixture of compassion and guilt. What was it Xavin called him at the time? His 'savior'? How could he save anyone from this? How-

"Hey-"

A hand rested on his shoulder, making him look down at his partner. Wiccan seemed as worried as Hulkling felt, but the shapeshifter knew it wasn't aimed at the survivors, and that made the shadow of a smile cross his lips. It passed the next moment, though, and he returned his gaze towards the still smoking wreckage.

"You ok?" The mage asked after a moment of watching the other.

"We have to help them, Billy."

There was urgency and graveness in Teddy's voice, but all Billy found appropriate to offer was a hand over Teddy's back, and a reassuring squeeze.

"We will… but we can't do it alone, you know that."
He wanted to say something more, offer more support, but came up short. Billy therefore let out a resigned sigh before offering the best smile he could manage at the time.

"Come on, Cap wants us over for debriefing."

"Right…" Teddy replied tiredly and was about to follow when movement caught his eye.
Turning back, his eyes fell on a small figure, a child, with green skin and pointy ears. Before Teddy could even think of approaching him, however, the child was gone, leaving Hulkling to face a concerned Wiccan.

"What's wrong?!" Wiccan demanded with the faintest of glows lighting his eyes, but all he received was a shake of the head and an apologetic smile.

"Nothing, just… nothing. Let's go, Cap's waiting."

The answer hardly satisfied Billy, but as he saw nothing of interest around them and sensed no threat, he let it go and joined his partner.

–

The Avengers took a chance, and chose to have Teddy involved in negotiations and interactions with the Skrull survivors. Unlike the cult that invaded Earth, this group accepted Teddy's heritage and was therefore very cooperative, to the point of hospitable. Teddy thus spent a great amount of time with them, and quite eagerly learned about their culture and beliefs. They told him among other things about what he was to them, what his very existence represented. How he was their hope, their savior, how he came to them in their time of need.

It was while he was still recovering from that display of worship that Teddy learned that the boy he saw wasn't only a figment of his worn-out mind. A believer like the rest of them, the boy looked at Teddy with awe and adoration, and seemed to follow Teddy like a shadow. It took several days, but the boy finally gathered the courage and offered to share some of his rations with Teddy.
For one who grew up on Earth, the foods Skrulls ate were less than appetizing, but Teddy accepted the offer regardless. It worked well enough to break the ice, at any rate.

–

The child was called Zarrak, Teddy learned soon enough. He was the lone son of two merchants who were aboard the ship. Teddy didn't quite know how to cope with the news that both Zarrak's parents were lost in the crash. It called forth sympathy, and a sense of kinship, as Teddy could relate all too easily to the boy's situation. He thus accepted his company willingly, and soon enough the two were rarely seen away from each other during Teddy's visits.

To many, this relationship seemed at least harmless if not actually beneficial, and helped make relations smoother for both sides. There was one person, however, who couldn't help but dread the outcome, and it was becoming harder and harder for Billy to keep that to himself. This couldn't end well, he knew, but couldn't quite bring himself to discuss it with Teddy - that is, not until that one visit in which Zarrak was nowhere in sight. In his place was a human child, with blond hair and blue eyes that attached himself to Teddy as soon as he saw him. Teddy immediately returned the hug, lips curling into a face-splitting smile.
There was no denying it - the boy looked like a younger version of Teddy.

It was the last straw, and when Teddy turned to Billy, still smiling widely, he met a worried frown.

"We need to talk."

–

"I think you're getting too attached."
There was no malice or venom in Billy's voice, not even accusation. It took him a good while to come up with a way to try and convey his insecurities to Teddy, but the words, clumsy and insufficient as they felt, left him before he could come up with anything better.

The careful smile Teddy settled on when they stepped aside to talk faded further until he was frowning slightly. For a long moment he pondered the words and their meaning before he met Billy's gaze again. There was nothing but concern and worry shining in those brown eyes, and Teddy let himself nod once, twice before he shook his head and turned away.

"Am I supposed to keep them at an arm's length?"

"Either way, they'll be gone in three weeks - if you're lucky." Billy replied in a soft voice.
"Two, if they are."

"They don't have to." Teddy heard himself say, and knew there was plea in both his eyes and voice as he looked back at Billy.

A look of understanding crossed Billy's face, and he looked away the next moment.
"Teddy—"

"Hear me out first!" Teddy requested, and realized he was holding his breath.
Billy was silent and still, and looked at him expectantly. Now that it came to that, Teddy had a hard time saying what he wanted, so he acted instead, and took measured steps to close the physical distance between them. It let him use a lower, softer tone of voice that better matched his words.

"What if… we gave him a place to stay?"

There was some surprise evident on Billy's face, but as he kept quiet, Teddy let himself go on. He inhaled deeply, and then deflated as he exhaled.

"We talked about it, right? Starting a- …a family?"
He raised his hand and trailed his fingers over the length of Billy's arm. The mage in response held onto Teddy's wrist, but didn't look up at him for a long moment more. When finally he did, there was something not unlike apology in his eyes.

"He already has a family waiting for him, you know that, they checked-"

"What if he doesn't want to leave?" Teddy argued.
Billy shook his head.

"Teddy, you can't keep him here-"

"Why not?!"

"He doesn't belong here-"

"Neither do I."

He went too far, that much was obvious to Teddy. Billy seemed shocked and hurt, almost as though he was just punched in the got. He held more tightly onto Teddy's wrist, almost enough for it to hurt.

"It's different."

"How?"

"It is-"

"What, being orphaned? Being different from everyone else around?"

"Teddy-"

"Oh, I know-" Teddy stated confidently enough to get Billy's attention, but when he spoke, his voice was little more than a whisper, and he reached his other hand to caress Billy's cheek.

"It's finding someone you want to stay with… stay for."

It was rare, but Billy was actually speechless. Teddy felt his expression shift, soften under his palm, and his cheeks heat up. There was no more anger or even determination, just sadness and worry Billy looked at Teddy with as he reached a hand to rest over the one on his cheek.

"I just…" Billy paused as he struggled to swallow the lump that formed in his throat.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt if he decides to leave."

A tiny smile rose to Teddy's lips, and he looked at Billy with affection and a touch of melancholy.
"Well, that's what you're here for, right? To help me… pick up the pieces?"

Billy's hand was on his cheek before Teddy even finished talking.

"Always." The mage declared, and Teddy knew he meant it. It was thus with a genuine smile that Teddy pulled Billy into his arms, and let him hug back just as tightly.

–

It was the following day, and Teddy was busy attending one meeting or another for hours on end. Billy often stayed by his side, but he ventured away instead in search of Zarrak - or Zack, as Teddy called him now that the boy wore his human appearance more than he did his Skrull one. Billy found him not too far from where the meeting was held, though as it was private, all the boy had left to do was stare longingly at nothing.
Not out to hide his presence, Billy waved when Zack looked at him, and kept quiet when the boy looked away.

Oh, this was going to be lovely, Billy thought and sat down, not too close as to intimidate or impose, but also not too far.

"He's been in there a while, huh?" The mage asked, a rhetorical question the answer to which they both knew. It therefore mattered little if Zack answered or not - and he didn't.
Billy couldn't blame him - the language barrier they were all fumbling to get over aside, unlike Teddy, Billy was far less than friendly towards Zack.
Well; it was time to make amends, now wasn't it?

"He always complains about those meetings." Billy said casually. "He's basically a prop there, but hey - it keeps everyone happy, right?"
He glanced at Zack in time to see him look away. Keeping a smile to himself, Billy went on.

"He's like that. The lengths he'd go to to make people happy…" Billy trailed off in thought, eyes set on a random point in space. It let Zack look at him again without meeting his gaze.
"He has a lot of expectations to meet, you know? And they came out of nowhere, but here he is, doing his best… he's amazing, really…" Billy hummed and looked at Zarrak, who was looking back for a change, and with a small smile, at that. Billy smiled back.

"You think so too, huh?"

Zack nodded quite eagerly before gripping the bag in his hands. It was only then Billy noticed the luggage and recognized it.

"Your food ration.."
Oh; now that was just too cute.
"You want to share it with him?"

There was another nod, and Billy fended off the urge to scrunch his nose. Skrull foods, or the improvised replacements they came up with had very… distinguishable flavors, and for all of Zack's good intentions, Billy hated to see Teddy dispose of another gift he couldn't eat.
Unless, of course, someone was to intervene.

"No, no, no, he won't eat that." Billy almost apologized and hurried to explain, seeing the heartbroken look on Zack's face.
"You see, what we eat here is different from what you eat. Too different."

Zack seemed ready to cry, but then Billy rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly, if not also somewhat naughtily.

"But I think I can fix that."
The confident statement was accompanied by a pale blue glow in Billy's eyes, and Zack, who knew by then what Billy was capable of, grinned widely.

–

It was with mixed feelings that Teddy accepted the offering from Zarrak once the meeting was finally over. He appreciated the gesture and the intent behind it, but the foods Zarrak liked tended to be… less than appetizing for Teddy. That time was different, though, as the scent that rose from the closed box was actually… appealing.
Now, Teddy was hungry, but to think he'd stoop that low…
All was explained when the box was opened, and inside was a perfectly normal human meal. Teddy stared at Zack in surprise, only to find the boy looking away constantly. Following his gaze, Teddy spotted Billy standing not too far away, and pointedly refusing to meet his eyes.
Oh; so that's what happened, Teddy thought and rested a hand on Zack's head.

"See? I told you he's likeable." Teddy grinned, only to blink the next moment. At first he thought it was his blurry eyes from the day's exhaustion, but he realized then that Zack actually did change his features. It was a subtle change, as Zack still resembled Teddy a great deal, but there was something else there, too, that was equally familiar. To begin with, Zack's eyes were brown…

The smile on Teddy's lips softened, and he wrapped his arm around Zack's shoulders.

"C'mon, let's eat this before it gets cold."
He wasn't surprised when Zack scrunched his nose in mild disgust and shook his head as politely yet intently as he could.

"Yeah, I thought you'd say that."

–

The next two and a half weeks passed rather pleasantly, all things considered. The Avengers made sure no incidents happened, and so everyone involved fell into their own routines. Billy and Teddy specifically spent as much time as they could with Zarrak, explaining to him about their world, and hearing what he had to share from his short life's experience.
There was no denying the boy now looked like the both of them, and when together, Zack was easily mistaken for a younger sibling, and more often - a son.
At one point, Teddy asked to take Zack back with them, just for one night, but sadly, Billy had to put his foot down. Skrulls weren't allowed to leave the vicinity, and they could do without explaining where the boy disappeared to. Also, what were they to feed him?
Teddy resigned eventually and settled for appreciating the small, odd family-like unit they formed.

Those weeks passed far too quickly. It was finally the day, and the Skrull ship descended from the skies above the refugee camp. Everyone were on edge, and the tension in the air was tangible enough to almost become static.
Captain America led the negotiations with the representatives from the ship, leaving Teddy free to spend what precious last moments he had left with Zarrak. The boy, still in his human form, clang tightly onto Teddy's side, and held in one hand a handful of Billy's cape. He refused to let go of either, even when they began boarding survivors and what equipment they managed to salvage from the wreckage.
Teddy ran his hand back and forth through Zack's hair, all the while struggling with a lump in his throat.

"It was fun, I guess, right? We made some nice memories together…"

Zack's shoulders hunched, and Teddy was certain he heard a sniffle. Feeling ready to weep as well, Teddy gave Billy a pleading, miserable look.
Billy looked back silently for a long moment before he nodded once, slowly, and let a small, reassuring smile rise to his lips.
Teddy's heart soared.

"Hey, Zack-" He began in a voice that was both excited and hesitant as he kneeled in front of the boy, his hands resting on those small shoulders. Zack looked at him with big eyes and seemed uncertain as to what was to follow.

"You know, we've been talking, and-" Teddy trailed off in favor of gulping. He glanced at Billy again, and Zack did too.
Billy kept that fond sigh to himself and rested a reassuring hand on Teddy's shoulder.
Teddy breathed deeply and looked back to Zack.

"And if you don't want to go- that is, if you want to stay here - with us-"

Zack's eyes widened the more Teddy said. His lips parted on their own, and he held his breath, eager to hear the offer in full with his own ears.

"If you do, then… we'll… we can-"

"Zarrak!"
The foreign voice cried out; all three turned to look and saw a mature yet still young Skrull run between the survivors, obviously in search of someone. A sinking feeling filled Teddy, and he felt Billy's hand tighten over his shoulder when Zarrak pulled away from them.
The boy changed back as he ran, letting out a word the two Earthlings already knew by then - brother.

Teddy stood up and watched the two embrace tightly, and though it was in Skrull, he thought he knew what they were saying - it was only natural, right? Zarrak looked happy and relieved, at least until he looked back at the two he spent so much time with. There was a long, strained silence, before finally Zarrak's brother bowed deeply at Teddy. Zarrak followed suit, and after another moment, the two turned away. Teddy kept watching them until they disappeared inside the ship, and he finally let out a breath.
He finally let himself appreciate the fact Billy still had his hand on his shoulder, and reached to cover it with his own.

–

"Aren't you going to say it?" Teddy asked when finally the procedure was over, and the ship left Earth's atmosphere.
Billy tilted his head and met Teddy's tired look with a questioning on.

"Say what?"

Teddy pursed his lips before turning fully towards Billy.
"'I told you so'."

Billy contemplated this for a long moment while he inspected their surroundings. Finally he shrugged, hands on his hips.
"Will it make you feel better?"

"…probably not." Teddy admitted and closed his eyes when Billy reached to rest a hand on his cheek. The look in the mage's eyes was warm, and he soon pulled Teddy closer, levitating as he hugged his partner.

"Then let me just do my work and pick up the pieces."

For a long moment they stayed like this, Teddy letting himself be comforted by Billy's presence, until-

"Besides-" Billy hummed, his voice playful. "I have been practicing long-distance teleportation…"

Teddy's brows rose before he closed his eyes. Hold tightening, he buried his face in Billy's neck and inhaled deeply.

"Not that long."

"I'll work harder, then."

"You do that. And Billy?"

"Hm?"

"…thanks. For everything"

"Don't mention it."