A/N: So I've decided to keep this going. It's gonna be hard to do but I'm willing to keep going. I need to keep my writing at a good level since I'm going to be in AP English next year. Go highschool. Anyways, here is the 2nd installment of "I Call Not Being Juliet"

Also, I just bought and read all of the major volumes of the Young Avengers and they are SO GOOD! AHHH! So, the few mistakes I've made about this story are going to be corrected and/or improvised in the story.

But some facts right now about this setting: Takes place after Family Matters and Before Children's Crusade but after the Civil War in Avengers.

Iron Lad is still around to hang out. Haha.

I'm going to explain how Tommy gets out of prison and how he and Billy meet and also why the Scarlet Witch is still here. I'm either gonna go with my own reason, play off the World of M, or use the World of M and use my own reason which still correlates to the main canon. Idk. I wanna hear your guys' feedback.

I love reviews!

Chapter 2: Dreams and Reality

Billy (Dreaming of the past)

I was in the middle of the new issue of "The Amazing Spiderman" when the school bell that ended the learning day went off. I instinctly went to pick up my backpack hanging from the back of my chair, but soon realized it was nowhere to be found. I panicked for a split second, picking up the rest of my books. I searched around as other students flooded to the door. My costume was inside it and if anyone were to…

"Hey! Faggot Geek!" someone called from the front of the room.

I whipped my head up from searching the back of the room to see Kessler there by the trash can, holding up my back pack for everyone to see.

"Lose something?" he said, before slamming it into the trash. As I was running up to the front to grab it back, Kessler hocked a loogie on my back pack and laughed while walking out of the class.

I regrettably pulled my back pack out the can, holding onto the strap with my thumb and fore finger, holding it as far away from me as possible. The phlegmy, viscous substance had covered my back pack in a disgusting layer of Kessler's DNA. I found a few tissues and wiped off as much as I could, and filled my hands with Germ-X. At least my costume was still clean.

I sighed as I finally got out of the class room and into the flow of the high-school halls. I've learned a lot from being an outcast. When you're someone like me, you HAVE to watch out and pay attention to the unsaid rules of teenage hierarchy.

One of the biggest ones: stay invisible. The more invisible, the better. That means you won't be a target, you have less chances of being bullied, and the better chances of surviving this hell hole that sucks up 4 years of our young lives. It's just 4 years. Always keep that in your mind.

However, I wasn't invisible as most of my associates in the same situation as me. I was labeled as the comic nerd. That only raised a few eyes in the social circle. You see, even popular kids have interest in heroes. Every once in a while, they'd ask for a comic issue they could barrow or if I knew any good comic shops around New York.

But if the popular kids knew, so did others. Others as in bullies like Kessler. This would by default make me a target. Scrawny, weak, and always had a couple dollars on them were always a key trait to every comic nerd such as myself.

I remember when I first used my powers. I was trying to stand up for one of my better friends, until Kessler had pushed me to the ground and raised his fist to wind up a punch. I blacked out as his fist began to launch towards my faces.

Next thing I know, Kessler's on the ground, the smell of fried skin cells filled the air and a light smoke was rising from his shoulders. The two other girls who were there thought I had killed him. I had to find them the next day that I had got one of those hand buzzers you get from the trick store and rigged it so it would be like a Taser. They bought it apparently.

Back to my life in school at the current moment.

I had another study session with Teddy today. He's been under my wing for about a week now. I got to my locker, split off from the flow. I just wanted to get to the library as fast as I could before Kessler found me again. As I pulled books out of my locker and into my back pack, my locker was slammed closed, making my cringe and cover my head with my hands on instinct, dropping my back pack on the ground with the rest of my books. I was prepared to take a hit.

But it never came.

I glanced up timidly, hoping that Kessler wasn't just waiting for me to see his fist meet my face. Instead of the ugly mug that was Kessler, was the adorable blue-eyed, bright smile that was Teddy.

"Umm…Are you okay?" Teddy grinned sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head as I got the ground and started picking up my books. He got down to the ground and helped me. I kept my eyes on the ground, but as I reached for my "Amazing Spiderman" comic, our hands met. A little spark (I didn't know if it was my powers or just plain luck) crossed from my fingers to his. I instantly brought my hand back in fear. I felt the blush crawl up my cheeks like a flame.

I stood back up immediately and adjusted the strap of my satchel back over my shoulder. Teddy stood up too looking at the comic. A huge smile was splayed over his lips.

"I love this comic!" Teddy said, "I have the entire series at home."

I looked up at him in shock. The blush all gone from my face. Teddy was a comic fan too?

"YOU DO!?" I said out a little bit too loud, earning a view looks from kids lingering around in the hall, "I just got into this version of Spiderman."

"Really? You're going to love the…" Teddy began.

"Ahhhh! Don't spoil!" I playfully laughed, covering my eyes.

I watched as Teddy kept going on with what he was saying. Tease.

"Damnit Altman!" I screamed, "Shut up!"

He began laughing and I could only smirk as his smile only made me smile along too. He was adorable. Piercings and all. The body helped too.

"So, wanna head to library?" I offered, swiping the comic out of his hands. Teddy made a face, the one he makes when he's thinking, pursing his lips slightly and scrunching his eyebrows.

"I was actually thinking about going to get some pizza." Teddy suggested, "I don't have practice today since the field got totaled in the last Hulkling/Speed fight."

He said it in a way that made it sound like he was there. Well, he probably was there since half the football team had to go to the hospital due to Speed's ability to suck the oxygen out of a person's lungs. Nothing too serious in my opinion. I'm just happy my brother didn't hurt Teddy. Also that Tommy didn't use his powers to scramble their molecules.

"Ummm…" I had to think for a moment, "I still have to be come by 4:30."

I lied.

"That's fine. My mom wanted to spend some time with me too. She has the day off and we barely see each other nowadays." He agreed.

Inside my head, I was ecstatic. I had a date with Teddy Altman! Well, not a date per say. It was one in my own psychotic head. But I couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted this to be one too. Or maybe that was the dark side of me talking again. But for once, I genuinely was happy to be around someone other than Tommy and my mom.

We exited the school together, earning a few looks. I heard a few whispers.

"What's Teddy doing with the comic nerd?"

"Isn't that the Billy kid? Isn't he gay?"

"No, that's just a rumor. He's smart though."

"Teddy's in my Geometry class. He's been falling behind a bit."

"Hey look, the faggot got himself a date."

"Dude, hell no! That's Teddy Altman. He's straight."

I kept my head down until we were a block away from the school. But Teddy had his arm over my shoulders the entire time.

"C'mon, don't listen to them." Teddy told me, "They only have power over you if you give them power."

I looked up at him. I haven't heard that phrase before, but it made sense. If I let their opinions get to me, I let that define who I am. But if I just don't care, I can define who I am.

"Where'd you here that? Is that in an issue of Spider-Man I haven't read yet?" I countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope!" Teddy happily explained, raising his arms above his head and interlocking his fingers behind his head so his elbows were up in the air, "Self-help books! My mom got them for me."

Again, I raised an eye-brow. Teddy and self-help books? That just didn't add up in my head.

"Why do you have books like that?" I asked. Teddy immediately got quiet. We had got to the pizza joint he wanted to stop at. It was across the street from a regular comic shop I like to stop by at least once a week.

I took a seat while Teddy left his back pack on the table and went up to the counter to order for us. I set up our study session and quickly flipped to the pages I had ready for him to work on. Teddy came back and sat in his seat.

"I guess now is a good time to really talk." Teddy said.

"Hmmm?" I hummed in confusion.

"The self-help books…" he began.

"Oh," I sputtered, "Look, you don't have to tell if you don't want to. I mean, I get it if you don't want to. Everyone has baggage."

"No, no," Teddy pushed on, "it's just that…you're like the first real person I've met at this school."

An immediate guilt filled my subconscious. A small guilty laugh escaped my mouth, but Teddy interpreted as me not believing him.

"Honest!" Teddy began, "Not many kids knew I was before I transferred here to the north side of town." Our pizza showed up then on a standing platter. The waitress gave Teddy a wink and walked off. Teddy just smiled and waved her off. I was suddenly remembered of the cold endearing fact that Teddy was in fact straight. Why would he go for me? What would he see in me? I had to know.

"So why are you telling me this?" I asked, taking a bite out of my pizza, curious for an answer. Teddy wouldn't meet eyes with me. His eyes were far off, past me askew, staring out the window. He was obviously in deep thought. I didn't know what to do. I had no idea whether to wait for him or tell him to snap out of it.

I chose to wait.

"I…I wasn't always popular. I never asked to be." Teddy confessed. I turned my head in interest. Teddy, not popular? This wasn't adding up again, and I was here to tutor this adorable lug in Geometry. But I let him continue.

"Back at my other schools, I was an outcast like you. I stayed invisible, no one genuinely liked me, and I wasn't," Teddy gestured to himself, "this." I have to admit. Trying to imagine Teddy like a scrawny kid like me was hard to imagine. And to think Teddy grew about 100+lbs from before he transferred was even harder to imagine. He was ripped! He'd have to be the Hulk. Ha, I made a funny.

"I know, hard to believe. But it's amazing what mind set a self-help book can put you in. I dedicated my 8th grade to gaining weight and when I transferred up here my freshman year, I was already on the varsity team as a starting Running-Back." Teddy said, "But you must've already heard about that."

I could only nod. He finally ripped a slice of pizza and took a bite.

"You're not alone you know." I said. Where the Hell did that come from?! Why would I say that? It was way out of character for me. Did I feel sympathy for him? Feelings suck. 'I'm going to regret this later!'

"What?!" Teddy asked.

"Ummm…" I didn't know how to play off this. So I panicked with the first thought that came to mine, "I mean…you have me, right? You have your parents too!" Great move Kaplan, I thought, now he's gonna think you're creepy.

"Thanks." Teddy shyly responded. Say What? "That actually really means a lot to me. I don't have many real people in my life." What? "The football guys are cool and the girls who come onto me are nice, but…" What?!

"I really like you, Billy."

WHAT?!

"I'm sorry, WHAT?" I exclaim. If I were drinking something, I would've spat it out like they do on TV. If I didn't have a blush then, I definitely had one now.

"You're like a brother to me!" Teddy quickly added, surprised by my reaction. I immediately calmed down and got rid of all assumptions from my mind, but his face had a panic written all over his face. He turned away again and his hands were on the table, thumbs fiddling rapidly.

"I'm sorry if I scared you there. It's just…" he paused, picking his words carefully, "…this past week; I've gotten to know you more than most people at our school. You're like my best friend. Today confirmed that when I realized you were a major comic fan like me!"

Teddy had a goofy grin across his lips. I had no idea what was on my face but I'm pretty sure that it must've been appealing to Teddy.

"You know, I've never had a best friend before." I lied. Tommy was my best friend. But he didn't really count since we only see each other after school, training and fighting with the other Super Villains.

"Really? That's hard to believe. I can't see why people wouldn't like you. You're nice and legit." Teddy said, ripping out a new slice. I stopped in mid bite. Did he just really say that?

"Well, since we're being honest here…" I began. Teddy's eyes sparked up. "…that's honestly the nicest thing anyone has said to me." I said. A feeling of warmth rose in my stomach as the words escaped my lips. It was a pleasant sensation. It was pleasantly comforting. I felt like I didn't have to keep my guard up around Teddy. I felt like I could tell him everything. Well, not the part about me being one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most wanted super villains.

"C'mon. Cut yourself some slack!" Teddy sincerely commented, "Really? No one's been this nice to you?"

I looked down at the pizza before me. Just a piece left. "Yeah." I confessed. I reached for the last piece, but so did Teddy. Our fingers touched again. Another spark arched over to him, but I didn't move my fingers. Our eyes met for a split second, his blue eyes boring deep into mine. It felt like I had spent my entire life time wasted until this moment. I felt…good.

Instead of the darkness that I'm usually surrounded by, Teddy was like a beacon of light in my dreary world. It made me forget the bullies, the constant agony of loneliness, the semi-psychotic thoughts I have of destruction. It made me want to construct something, compelling me to build a relationship.

A relationship with Teddy.

Teddy was the one to pull away this time. "Sorry, you can have the last piece."

I was brought back to reality from my thoughts, "No, you paid for it. You should have it." I grinned back.

"Nah, I owe you for helping me with math." Teddy countered back. I laughed. So it was going to be one of these fights?

"C'mon, with that compliment? You deserve the last piece." I flashed a grin, pushing the trey toward the bigger blonde.

"But you're my best friend now. I insist that you eat the last slice." Teddy pushed back the trey. This felt like the cheesy scene in The Lady and The Tramp where the two dogs were being all cute and fluffy with the last meatball on the plate. I began to feel overly cheesy now.

"Damnit Altman!" I playfully, frustratingly accuse of Teddy being too nice!

"Look, why don't we skip studying today and head over to the comic shop over there." I offer, giving up on trying to convince him, "They know me pretty well over there and I'm willing to see how far up to par you are with me in the comic world."

Teddy's face looked surprised at first. He glanced at his homework, thought about it for a second, and smiled again. "Sure, you got me up to an A- already, so why not?"

We never settled who ate the last piece.

We left a tip at the table, picked up our books, and left. Once entering the comic shop, I was greeted by the owner, who asked who my friend was. I told him "a fellow comic geek." He just smiled.

I lead Teddy over to the Avengers section. He would have to be an Avenger himself to know all of these stories.

"Avengers is my favorite series by Marvel." I admitted, scratching the back of my head shyly. Teddy had a guffaw across his face.

"NO WAY! MINE TOO!" Teddy screamed like a fanboy. Oh God. He was Like me! But I wasn't exactly complaining.

It was ironic really. I'm one of the Young Avengers' arch enemies with me being a teenager too. I didn't hate necessarily. They were more like nuisances to me. My powers are still developing but I know my true potential is up to par with my Mom's reality altering abilities. But, here I was as one of their biggest fans.

As my mother said, keep your friends close, but know every little detail about you enemies and keep them as close as possible.

That however didn't apply to now because I was with Teddy and I could be the geek that I was at nature.

I was ecstatic too at this point. I began firing off questions and began our nerd session. (A/N: B= Billy, T=Teddy)

B- Who's your favorite Avenger?
T- Captain America
B-Mine is Iron Man!

T - What is the correlation between Captain America and Iron Man?
B- Iron's Man father was the head scientist who developed the super serum that gave him his abilities.
T- Yup!

T- Favorite Villain?
B- Scarlet Witch (I was very proud at my answer)
T- Ooooh, good one! I'd say the Super Skrull

B- Favorite Volume?
T- The Civil War, that was intense.
B- Yeah. That one was intense. I cried when Cap was presumed dead.
T- Yeah, me too.
B- And when Hulking played a role in the big turning point. That was just clever. So I'd have to agree with you on that one.

T-You read Young Avengers?
B-That's another one of my favorites!
T- I'll take that as a yes!

B- Favorite Young Avenger?
T- Hulking (Teddy had a smug look on his face. It was then I realized the piercings were the same as Hulking's. Super fan boy. Haha)
B- That would explain the piercings then. I thought you were just being hip.

T- How about you?
B- I think Iron Lad is pretty cool. It's really interesting and timey-whimey how he's actually Kang the Conqueror in the future. But Hulkling is so much cooler!
T-Yeah?

"Are you kidding me? He's the most over looked character in the series. He seems pretty lonely especially after his mom died in that one Family Matters issue of Young Avengers. I wonder where he lives now. Or if he had any other family members. No one should ever be that lonely." I explained strongly, knowing the deep wound that loneliness can have on the heart. Our little geek war had just gotten quite serious when I stopped ranting. Teddy had a solemn look on his face, tears in his eyes. I had no idea why he was like this.

"Teddy? You okay?" I asked, putting down the comic I had in my hands. He was holding the issue I was talking about, the one where Hulkling's mother dies. If only the Young Avengers team had a healer with them. Someone with my powers maybe.

He was in his own world. He hadn't even realized I was inches away from him. It wasn't until I had my hand on his arm and shaking him back from lala land for him to snap back to reality.

"What?" he looked up, "Oh, right. Yeah, I'm okay. It's just…" He paused, looking back to the comic, "This comic just reminded me of my own mom."

"What happened to her?" I asked, feeling genuine sympathy again for Teddy. He's made me have so many feelings today!

"She died…" Teddy wiped the tears away with his sleeve, "…of cancer."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Your dad must have been devastated." I said. He looked up and sniffled his nose. Then he did the impossible. He pulled me in for a hug.

I just stood there as a guy twice my size held me in his arm. Warmth was radiating off his muscle limbs. They were so cozy and surprisingly gentle. I slowly brought up my arms to hug back, my arms barely making their away around his upper back, so I just hugged at his waist. We stood there for a minute. He face nuzzled into the top of my head, with the side of my face comfortable finding a place in his clavicle area. (A/N: That's the collar bone for people who don't understand "clavicle." I'm only saying that because I didn't at one point and assumed something quite sexual. HAHA!)

"Hey, Teddy? You think you could let go now?" I asked. As much as I liked the closeness of having a strapping hottie like Teddy pressed against my body, I didn't want to risk the chance of things popping up and making the situation awkward.

"I'm so so so so so sorry!" Teddy blushed profusely, letting me go, keeping me at arm's length and back away.

"No, it's okay. It seemed like you needed to get that off your chest." I sympathized, "Is everything okay? You've been, nice today." I quickly realized what I said and corrected myself, "not that you're never nice. Maybe more 'friendly'?"

Teddy looked away and sniffled again.

"Today is the anniversary of her death." Teddy confessed.

My felt my face fall. I felt pity for him. I couldn't imagine what I would do if my mother died. If either of my mothers died! Especially the Scarlet Witch! I owe everything in my life to her. She found my soul and awakened my powers back when she was still an Avenger.

Then I did the impossible. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around Teddy's neck, standing up on the tips of my toes, and hugged him. He was shaking before but now that I was keeping him stable, his body regained control and his breathing became calm again. Then he arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me off the ground. Our faces were level at this point.

Our lips were centimeters apart. Our noses practically brushing up against each other and our foreheads were pressed against each other. His brilliant blue eyes were locked onto my cinnamon browns. My mind was screaming at me, "KISS HIM!"

And ever so slightly, I felt myself acting on instinct. It was in slow motion in my perspective. Just a simple movement and his lips would meet mine.

But sadly my dream was ruined by the immense that surrounded me. Not just an immense heat, a burning heat. A heat that was crawling across my back and limbs.

(A/N: For those of you who were expecting that to actually happen so fast, I did say this was a memory dream to be fair at the beginning!)

My eyes snapped awake and I was jolted awake. I found myself on top of a warm body. A green form was under me but my eyes were still blurry. I used my powers to push the surrounding flames back in a perfect circle and off my body. My memory came back to me. I was sorta regretting the dream now.

Could you blame me though for my mind taking the hug more than it really was? I wasn't exaggerating the arms and body though. That was legit. Now where was I?

Oh yeah. I was taken down. And my lightning started a fire here in the park. But who…?

I glanced down and saw Hulkling under me. He was still passed out, but he was shrinking to a more human size form. He was still green though and his face still had the goblin features like the Hulk.

"Quick! He landed over here!" I heard one of the Young Avengers scream from the fray.

"Not before I get to my brother!" I heard Tommy scream back. A huge gust of wind blew past me, igniting the flames higher, "Wiccan, I know you can hear me! Brace yourself! I'm gonna make these kids into a brusque!"

I immediately set up a spherical shield. I watched as the blazing fire whisked away the leaves and branches into a firestorm of ashes. Then I saw Hulkling just lying there. A voice in the back of my head was screaming, "SAVE HIM!"

It sounded like the same voice that told me to kiss Teddy back in the comic shop a few weeks ago, but I didn't listen then. Why should I now?

I watched as the flames slowly crept up to Hulking, the embers slowly burning his skin. I noticed how where the burns began forming, his green skin was fading, and then his flesh began searing. I couldn't bare it. I couldn't take in the sight of watching someone burn alive.

So I stepped over to Hulking and lifted him with my magic, and into the protective bubble. I waited a few minutes until the fire died down. All that was left were the skeletons of the trees, withered, black bones of the trees they used to be. But in the thicket, I could see the Young Avengers and my brother battling it out. I used a camouflage spell to keep everything in the bubble invisible.

"You killed them!" I heard Hawkeye scream, firing an insta-concrete arrow in Tommy's path. He ran right through the puddle, slowing him down. He cursed and tried scraping the material off his feet, but an energy blast hit him right in the chest. He flew back a few feet, but landed on his knees. He glared back the source, Iron Lad. Then smirked over at Hawkeye.

"Nah, Wiccan probably survived that. I don't think your friend did though. Not one with the affinity for fire, am I right?" Speed laughed evilly. From under him, I saw that Stature had snuck up underneath Tommy and grew back to her gargantuan size in a split second to give him one of the nastiest upper cuts I've ever seen him take. He flew at least 10 feet up in the air, and landed 15 feet back. He was out cold.

Iron Lad was above overlooking the situation and was beginning to charge up a laser, preparing to Avenge the loss of their friend. I was about to unleash an energy blast on him, but someone beat me first. A massive beam cut through the haze and knocked Iron Lad out of the sky. Direct Hit! I cocked my head over the smoke cloud to see who it was and out from it emerged my mother.

Iron Lad was caught by Stature who had grown to her giant size and was now at a medium size, lugging the high-tech hero over her shoulder.

"Guys! Retreat back to the other Avengers! We can come back and look for Hulkling later! I've got your back!" Hawkeye screamed, firing a smoke bomb arrow right at the witch's face. Mother immediately whipped the arrow with a purple tendril of energy, earning a puff of smoke. That didn't stop her counter attack though.

From the puff came a sudden blast of violet energy, blowing away any smoke in its way, a clever hat trick that Hawkeye wasn't prepared for. She couldn't react in time so she raised her hands in hoping to survive the hit, but it never felt the searing burn of plasma. I watched as Patriot kumped in front of Hawkeye and take the hit head-on. His shoulder and other arm pressed against the shield, resisting the blast, the residual energy leaking off the edges like an umbrella warding off rain.

His feet were digging into the ground now, struggling to stay upright. Even I knew he only had a few seconds left before he'd be blown back.

"Go Hawkeye!" I heard him scream, his voice muffled by his clenched teeth. The flow and pressure of The Scarlet Witch's power were relentless as she floated closer and closer to the two teens as Stature ran off with Iron Lad to recover.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Hawkeye defiantly, but desperately retorted. The young heroine pulled another arrow from her quiver and aimed at the Witch.. She released the string and the arrow flew through the air, and hit my mother's hand. It had been lodged in her palm, I could see her pain quell up her arm like venom in the bloodstream.

I immediately began charging my energy in my hands, preparing to strike Patriot and Hawkeye at the perfect moment. I would make them pay for hurting my mother. They would see never to hurt one of the most powerful beings in reality. But I couldn't.

The Scarlet Witch's blast ended, giving Patriot a chance to relax, but their moment of triumph quickly ended when they saw the Scarlet Witch again. The immanent light of her power illuminated her eyes, her palms quelling with light like the sun.

She was about to nuke!

When she nuked, she sent out pulses of her power, releasing her strength and proving herself to be one of the most powerful beings on the planet. And if you there within her range, it didn't matter if you were on her side or not, you were basically screwed. From the sky, Iron Man and Ms. Marvel had appeared, whisking away their younger partners, but I wasn't so lucky.

A wave of energy was heading right at me. I didn't know what else to do. So my own powers reacted on instinct. And I blacked out.

Teddy (How he remembers that day and more)

You know when you have dreams about the happiest moments of your life and you just don't want to let go? I'm pretty sure I was having one of those. The thing is, I'm not really one of those people who have long lasting happy moments.

As a kid, I was always an outcast. A…freak.

I discovered my powers as a shapeshifter when I was a toddler. It was a summer day when I was about 4 or 5. This was also around the same time I had started watching TV shows like X-Men and reading their comics too.

I remember wanting to be like them. Heroic, brave, and so totally cool! I used to pretend to have powers like Wolverine, or the blue fur of Beast. Thing is, I had no idea my shapeshifting powers were activated by my imagination and the impulse of want. That's why my mother came back from making me lunch in the kitchen screaming at a mini-beast with Wolverine claws jutting out of his tiny hands. That was when she realized I was mutant. Or, told me I was a mutant. Explanation later on.

Of course, my mother loved me regardless.

When the politics and the crisis of Mutant kind came to my realization when I was a teenager though, I was lucky have a mom like I did. I felt accepted. I didn't feel like I had to be anyone other than myself around my mom.

That was different for me when I was in school.

Elementary school was pretty harmless. This is the point in our young lives where friendships begin. Everyone is innocent and discovering who they were. I had many friends. And as kids, we all had common interests. Cartoons, Video games, Sports, and Comics were all little kids thought about. Also…cooties from girls. Our minds weren't as complicated back then.

That began to change in middle-school however. Middle-school was more a critical part of my life. It was the time in my life where I began to realize the true friends in my life and the kids who just wanted to be around me to use me. This was also around the time where the rest of my guy friends went from hating girls to never stop talking about them.

At this point, I had no idea what was wrong with me.

I just didn't have the same impulses to talk about girls like the rest of them. So I just went along with them. You know, say how you want to feel up a girls tits, or comment who juicy another's butt was. It was all a facade. Then as they went on with their girlfriends, I was left behind, forgotten, and alone. It was in 8th grade that I revelation of my sexual.

I was gay.

It was also at this point where I had to change who I was if I ever wanted to be happy. Or at least, that's what I thought at the time. I was tired of being the outcast. I knew I could change to fit the social norm, so why not? So ever so slightly, during my 8th grade year, I forced my body to accelerate puberty, creating broader shoulders, thicker muscle, and heightened physical ability. However, all the factors like my voice, facial features, and intelligence were all natural.

It was the perfect plan.

When I reached high-school, I had to transfer to upstate New York due to my mom's location transfer at work at the Real-Estate office. Since nobody really knew me there, my physique went without question. In my freshman year, I was accepted on the varsity football team as a starter every other game depending on who were facing that week.

I had friends, the looks, and the popularity to have me set for the rest of my grade school career. But it didn't feel genuine. Every day, I'd put on this mask of the popular jock who had everything when in reality, I was still lonely. This status only stayed with me as long as I played the role everyone else wanted to see.

All they wanted was the smile. The "Hey Teddy!" or the "Dude, wanna party," and even, "Man! You could have any girl in the school!". Popularity? What about friendship?

This was all started when I met Greg.

Greg was the class president and captain of the Basketball and Football teams. He was the all-star jock and the most, if not one of the, popular kids in school. He had dark raven hair that formed a faux-hawk towards the front, muscle bound in steel lean flesh, and the charisma that could convince Dr. Doom be to his best friend too.

That and I may or may not have had a crush on him.

He was the apple of my eye for miserable 4 months of my life. He knew everything about me. He treated me better than everyone else in our posse in the jock circle and he cared, or what I assumed as caring, for me. Then I told him my deepest secret.

"You're a shapeshifter?" Greg exclaimed excitingly. I was expecting him to call me a freak.

Except…he did.

After weeks of shifting into famous celebrities and heroes, I realized he was using me. He abused my abilities for his gain. He was always an attention whore. And to think those months were the happiest I had been were suddenly all a lie. It was a lie I couldn't take back. I was asking for it though. If I were to have real friends, I had to be true to who I was first. And when he said that word to me…

It was like all of those kids back in middle-school all over again. For once, all I wanted was a genuine friendship. Someone who liked me for me! I simply wanted to befriend anyone who saw past my popularity, my gargantuan size, and maybe my powers someday.

I never had a chance to find that someone for a good few months because of the Young Avengers incident. After I finally stood up to Greg, Iron Lad had appeared in the mansion, and recruited me to the team.

So it was me, Hulkling, Elijah as Patriot, and Nathan as Iron Lad. The three of us managed to train together and finally come out to the public. It was difficult at first since Iron Lad was the only one of us who could fly so I ended up hopping from roof top to roof top.

And then Cassie Lang, Ant-Man's daughter, became Stature with her powers of changing her 'stature,' joined team along with the concise and conniving Hawkeye, aka, Kate Bishop, with her bow and arrow. We were the Young Avengers no matter what the Avengers had to say about us. We were ready.

I had real friends. Friends who were willing to die for me, fight for me, and are my allies in our lives as heroes. I finally found a place in this world and this team was something I was proud to be a part of.

That…until we broke apart. One day, Patriot didn't show up, we had no idea where he was. That was until Mister Hyde/Jekyll went on a rampage with him through town. Witnesses say they came from a MGH warehouse. It took both the Young Avengers and Avengers to take Jekyll down.

Afterwards, Elijah broke down and confessed that he had been taking the drugs to be Patriot. He lied to all of us. And it had a chain reaction on all of us. But I didn't want to stop so soon. I had finally found genuine truth in my life, and I wasn't willing to let that go.

But…I was wrong.

The Super Skrull had attacked us at the library when we were going to convince Elijah to come back, powers or not. I mean, Kate didn't have powers either.

But, that day…it was the day I had lost everything. Everything that held meaning to me was on put to the test.

My mom died that day.

It was the day I had realized my life was a lie.

It was also the day I decided I would start again.

I was tired of the past. I wanted to forget it. I wanted to…change. This time for the better.

It was also the same day my biggest dreams had come true.

I moved into Avengers Tower with Captain America. He and Tony became my adoptive fathers. Yes, in that way. Rumors may have been made, but they were all pushed aside due to the impossibility of it all. But they were true.

And so began my new life as Teddy Altman. And sometimes I would replace my name with Rogers or Stark for the fun of it.

Then I met Billy.

Billy was one of the outcast kids at my school. Even as a popular kid, I always kept track of the more unfortunate. He was the comic book nerd around here. But I never really knew him. He seemed really shady and quiet. It was like he was hiding something, but I never looked too far into it. I could understand why.

Then he was paired with me to be his tutor, I knew he was the only person who could ever understand me. He was lost, but he didn't dare let anyone else define him. He was stronger than I was. And I admired him for that.

His ivory skin was perfect in comparison to his locks of fine black hair. Then his eyes glint with a brilliant topaz shimmer whenever the light hits them at the right angle. And his laugh! His laugh was the most adorable thing about him. It was like a giggle mixed with a snort. I don't know how he sees it, but regardless, to me he was perfect.

Most of all, he wasn't a Greg.

And here I was in his dream sequence. The images came to me so vividly of this memory. He was sitting on one side of the table with his book open while the pizza tray was between us, munching on a slice, struggling to get all of the melting cheese in his mouth. I smirked and took a chomp out of my own slice.

Then I told him.

I had no idea how long I was staring out that window. More memories were rushing through my mind: My mother burning, nothing for me to save her. Greg betraying me. Becoming Hulkling. The sense of loneliness that I've always had inside.

And for once, I didn't feel all alone.

"You're not alone." His voice softly said. I looked away from the point of was staring at in space to his gaze.

"What?" I wasn't sure if I heard him right. He was so adorably quiet.

"I mean…you have me, right? And your parents too!" He turned away. Did he just admit that I had him? He turned his down again like he always does when he thinks he said something wrong.

Then out of nowhere, words began pouring out of my mouth like vomit.

"Thanks…that actually means a lot to me" I brought my hands up to the table and folded them, "I don't have that many real friends, I mean, the football guys are cool and the girls who come onto me are nice but…" I couldn't control my mouth at this point, but it felt…right.

"I really like you Billy."

His head whipped up in shock. He probably took that the wrong way so I instantly covered up the homoeroticism.

"You're like a brother to me!" I quickly added. I watched his expression went from surprised to relieved, but then to disappointment.

The rest of our little date went a lot like one of those cheesy romance scenes written by Nicholas Sparks that girls go absolutely nuts over. We couldn't decide who would eat the last of the damn pizza and Billy was the first to break. And we ended up leaving the pizza place with the pizza left.

I followed Billy to the comic shop across the street. I've only been in here a few times but I usually order my comics from online and get them in the mail. I haven't exactly had a lot of time to walk down here and physically buy my comics with school, sports, and young avenging lately. I'm lucky to even have energy at the end of the night to get through half a comic every day.

Billy led me to the Marvel section. I couldn't help but think of the irony of the situation as he started pulling out a few issues that I knew by heart. I was one of the superheroes that was in the comic and I wondered what Billy thought about Hulkling.

Thus began our nerd war.

"Favorite Volume?" Billy asked, using his finger tips to navigate his way through the stack of comics that he was shuffling through.

I had to pause. That was a good question. Of course, I picked a story that I was in since I had experienced it, "Civil War. That was intense."

Billy looked right at me, like he understood what I was talking about, "Yeah, I cried when Cap died."

I laughed at that, "Me too!"

Then Billy smiled brightly and flipped through the pages of a random comic, "And when Hulking played a major role in the turning point in the jail. That was just clever on Iron Man's part."

I raised an eyebrow the comment. The irony was kicking my ass at this point. I just wanted to shift in front of him and see how he'd react. Haha. So I tested the waters. "You read Young Avengers?!"

Billy's face sparked with the glee only a fanboy could muster, "That's another one of my favorites!" he said pulling out the first issue from a rack nearby.

"I'll take that as a yes!" I smirked.

"Who's your favorite Young Avenger?" Billy asked, leaning back on one of the stands, skimming through the pages of a classic Avenger's issue.

I smirked, "Hulking" I said indignantly. The irony was killing me inside. Billy glared at me and raised an eyebrow, like he had figured something out. I turned away shyly and tried not to give away my worried expression.

"That would explain the piercings" Billy laughed, "I thought you were just being hip." A wave of relief washed over me and I laughed with him. I know it's practically impossible for a random civilian to notice the similarities between me and my alter ego, but to fanboys, it was pretty obvious. I've already been called out by my friends at school that if I put on green paint and a spandex, I could easily be the best Hulkling for Halloween.

But super fanboys?

Those were the real challenge.

I've seen sites dedicated to speculations towards the true identities of all of the recorded supers in town. They already have Spider-Man's true identity up there on the list. Along with Kate's identity as Hawkeye. Or Elijah as Patriot. But Iron Man's identity wasn't a problem, the crazy Playboy, Philanthropist, Genius, Billionaire!

I just smirked and felt my earrings, "What about you? Who's your favorite Young Avenger?" I curiously asked back.

And if he said Hulkling, that was it! I was marrying this boy someday! (That is if he was gay too and was interested in me too. Details, details)

"I'd have to say Iron Lad. I think it's cool that he's supposed to grow up to be Kang The Conqueror!" Billy stated in the most 'matter in fact' voice. I slouched a bit and weaved my way through a pile of Young Avengers comics.

"…although, now that I think about it. Hulkling is so much cooler!" Billy adds on, second guessing him answer. I felt my lips turn up and my spirits get higher.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Are you kidding me?" Billy throws his hands in the air (like he just don't care! Don't judge me. It's MY dream! I can make Billy as adorable as I want him to!), "His back story is one of the most over looked sob stories in Marvel history!"

I'm listening contently as Billy lists off reasons, but my eyes drop on a particular issue of Young Avengers. I faintly remember him saying something while I went through this process.

"He seemed pretty lonely after his mom died."

I stared at the cover.

"I wonder what happened to him after. Where's his home?"

I flip to the page

"No one should ever be alone."

And I shut it just as fast. Just looking at an artist's interpretation of the scene was too much. It brought back too much pain, too much agony. When she burned, so did my heart. I didn't care who was around me at this point. Tears began welling in my eyes, and my body went stiff just so I wouldn't fall over and break down on the ground.

I didn't even notice Billy was calling my name until I felt his hand on my arm shaking me. It reminded me of when my mom tried to comfort me and…mom…

"Oh, yeah. I'm okay. Sorry, this comic…it reminded me of my mom…" I put it back down. Billy picked it up and looked at it. He soon realized it was the issue he was talking about when Hulkling's…MY MOM…died.

His face immediately turned to one of sympathy while all I could do is focus my eyes on my shoes. I felt so vulnerable, so weak, and so helpless. And in front a Billy? What would he think of me? Why would he have feelings for a guy like me? I was a fraud. Everything I have is just a lie. Everything that I am is just a mistake. All I was…I don't even know who I am!

"How did she die?" Billy asked gently. His voice seemed to be the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. I couldn't tell him how she really died. So I lied.

"She died…" I wiped the tears with my sleeve, "…of cancer."

Billy's grip on my arm tightened, "I'm sorry to hear that. Your dad must've been devastated." I frown at that. All I had was my mom. Captain America and Iron Man though, they adopted me. So I wasn't parentless. I drew up the courage to look him in the eye.

He was so perfect. So generous and kind. There wasn't a single bad bone in his body. He didn't deserve to be bullied. He didn't deserve the treatment he received now. He needed someone strong, someone brave. Someone who wasn't me. But I couldn't let go of the feeling we were meant to be.

With so many thoughts in my head, my brain didn't follow what my body was doing. I guess my subconscious was acting on instinct because next thing I know, Billy is in my arms, my face in his hair. I inhale softly, breathing in his Billy-ness. He smelled like a fresh pack of trading cards. And peaches. Vaguely like peaches. It was pleasant.

His smaller form fit perfectly with mine. I felt how his smaller stature struggled to hug back, and how his weight was half on the ground and half on me. So lifted him off the ground. Our faces were level now and his arms were around my neck. His eyes flashed a bright blue, but I didn't pay attention to it because it was probably the light.

The window was at my back, but at the angle we were at, it illuminated Billy's face like an angel. He was staring back into my eyes through the bangs of his black hair. Ever so slowly, our faces grew closer until our noses were touching. I loved the way my arms were able to hold his weight so easily, how the heat of his body felt like he was my own personal Teddy bear. But I think I'd be his Teddy bear.

That'd be cute.

Sadly, what really happened past this hug wasn't a kiss. I know, I was disappointed too. I actually ended up putting him down when I realized I was suffocating him and us buying each other a comic.

If it did play out how I wanted, it would've happened like this.

After I put Billy down, I nervously laughed, apologizing.

"No, it's okay. You needed a hug. Everyone needs one in a while…" Billy complied, "It wasn't that bad anyways. I was afraid I was gonna barf all over you."

Billy and I laughed again. We looked at each other again, a pleasant silence between us. This time however, I took this as an opportunity. I slowly stepped forward again and wrapped my arms around Billy's shoulders.

"Thanks for being there for me." I said. Billy hugged me at the waist this time.

"Don't mention it."

Then out of nowhere, he stands up on his tippy toes, making me face down at him. A fiery blush instantly rushes to my face. It was then I noticed his face was as red as mine too. I didn't bother to try to hide it because I knew he felt the time.

Gently, I bring my hands to his cheeks, rubbing my thumb along his cheeks. His hands reach up and grab at my Letterman jacket, making fists and pulling me down closer to his. This was it. We were about to kiss. A perfect moment for us.

Just a little bit closer now, my mind thought. He was so close that his breathe was on mine. It felt like hours. Like when you watch one of those videos that take high-speed videos. SO CLOSE!

Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning…LITERALLY!

(End Dream sequence.) (A/N: C'mon! Did you fall for that again?! WAY TOO EARLY FOR THEIR FIRST KISS! I know what I'm doing. Hahaha!)

My eyes fly open. My instincts kick in, knowing that I was knocked out prior, fully Hulkling out: Wings, Scales, Gargantuan claws, and the monstrous form.

Where was I? Who just shocked me? Where's my team? Oh crap, I was taken hostage wasn't I? Aw man! Not again!

That was when I noticed what had shocked me.

There on the ground was Wiccan, his body covered in a wisp a smoke. It looked like he just took an energy blast or he lost control of me and shot off a bolt.

I take in my surroundings. I was by the Hudson judging by the skyline. The sun was just setting and the water was just getting the right amount of sunlight to have that cool orange effect when it refracted. I didn't dare take time to assess the situation, and I immediately took off.

Bad move on my part though. As soon as I took off, a searing pain surged through my back. It wasn't like the shock that woke me up. It was a pain that was at my core. Then I remembered the fire. Crap. I must've suffered some burns and my molecules are still unstable and reopened up the wounds.

I sit back down, letting my wounds re-close. It'd be a while until I'd be able to move again. Fire was not my friend. And neither was the other kid behind me. He had somehow teleported me and him to some warehouses by the Hudson.

He didn't look good though. He seemed to be in his own dreams. His own nightmares.

I couldn't stand it. My moral instincts kicked in and I stood up, minding my own wounds and leaned over Wiccan. He wasn't much older than I was. Maybe younger? Clumsily, I dragged his body to a wall of the warehouse and propped him up. He slouched over, his breathing beginning to regulate.

Then I groaned as how much it hurt to sit back down. My back was the cold metal of the side of the warehouse. I rubbed my arms gingerly, literally feeling my molecular structure regain integrity. It was the first real moment of rest I've had all day. Wiccan was leaning against the side of my arm now. He was passed out. And if he woke up, what would he be able to do? I'd react first. Plus, I'd hopefully be recovered by then. My guard was down and my I decided to let my shifting powers go.

The scales recessed back into skin and the pigments slowly changed back to a light peach tone. My natural regeneration always worked faster when it was the only power running. Most people don't know but all shape-shifters have to keep a constant state of mind, visualizing what they want to look like at the time.

To pass the time, I pulled out my phone.

4 Texts: Billy

"Oh crap" I mutter.

2:51pm Hey

3:05pm Okay, I'm just assuming you're in practice already

Nope. I was at home.

3:06pm I really hope you get this before you're at the library

Ooops.

3:10pm I need to cancel for today. Busy.

Oh thank God I didn't blow off Billy today! Then that thought went through my mind again and came out much dirtier. But I wish I did have a study session with him today. I could've used his company right now. But all I had was one of the most wanted villains in NYC.

I looked down at Wiccan again and poked his face. Was he drooling? Gross! I took his cape and wiped up his mouth. He must've been having a good dream because he then smiled, and nuzzled more into my shoulder, latching onto my arm. Oh God, what if someone saw us right now? That'd be horrible.

It wasn't that bad though. Wiccan seemed nice enough to not tell anyone. I mean, as soon as I'm good to move again, he wouldn't have to ever know what happened. It'd all stay ambiguous. But explaining why I was on the other side of town would be even harder.

I sighed and laid back my head, "Only if Billy were here."

"Who?!" Wiccan groggily said.

Oh shit!

A/N: There you go guys! An extra-long chapter! I'll probably update next weekend hopefully if I keep getting awesome reviews! Maybe it'll be even longer! I've got a lot in store for you all! Haha! Wickling the most relatable fandom I've been a part of because well…it's just a bit like my life. Haha. If Billy and Teddy had an actual child, I'd probably be the result. GO JOCK NERDS!

Haha. I'd like to give a shout out to the lovely people who reviewed!

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