This one'll be a bit (a lot) angstier, because the au is: "my parents kicked me out and you're the only person that bothered to ask the crying, obviously lost kid with a suitcase if something was the matter" au

The rain was slowing down. Dark, gray clouds began to brighten up and some rays of sun were poking through the gaps in them. It wasn't too busy outside because of that, and Billy was glad. He didn't want anyone he knew seeing him like this; the wet eyes, bulging suitcase, and shaky breaths weren't good conversation starters today. He walked down the path that lead through the trees, hoping to not make himself a public display. Billy came across a wet bench, and decided that it was as good a place as any to sit down for a minute. The sidewalk he'd ended up taking was one that went not too far into the woods near a park, but came out in an entirely different part of town on the other side. He figured it would be perfect for getting away from home.

Home. He didn't have one anymore. That thought buried itself in his mind as he didn't bother to wipe off any water when he sat down on the wooden bench. Billy pulled his red scarf around him tighter, and exhaled into the soft fabric. The warmth from his breath lasted for a second, then faded away. He exhaled again. How did this happen? Billy mused, head hanging low and rain slowly hitting his jacket's hood. They said they'd love me no matter what. They always seemed so accepting of everything I'd done…

He replayed the last three hours' events, unsure of everything in his life up to this point, and scared of what to do next. I can't just run off and live on my own, can I? My job barely pays for weekend meals with friends as it is. And what about school? Can I still even show up after getting kicked out of my house? I don't even have any legal guardians now. Oh god, what is it called… Emancipation? Am I going to have to-

"Hey, are, uh… Are you okay?"

A male's voice cut into Billy's frantic thinking. It pulled him out of his mind, and Billy suddenly realized he was holding onto his head for everything he was worth. He was scared to look up, since he didn't know who he was talking to or what his face looked like. So he didn't. He kept his head down, and let go of it. "I guess not," Billy said, his voice getting caught and cracking partway through. He fingered his scarf with one hand, and wrapped the other arm around his waist defensively. "Sorry…" The words hardly left Billy's lips they were so quiet, but he knew the stranger had heard him.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, his voice hitting Billy's ears dully. "Do you mind if I sit down with you?"

Billy looked up at this. He saw a young man, probably about his age, standing in front of him in the rain. His blond hair was matted down with rain, and silver piercings trapped dots of sun on his ears. "I guess," was all Billy could say.

The stranger walked to sit down next to Billy, careful to go around the suitcase Billy must've dropped on the sidewalk when he went into deep thought. It was silent for a few moments, the only sound being the soft patter of rain. "I'm Teddy," the stranger offered, trying to look Billy in the eyes.

He had put his head back down while Teddy moved to sit, and he stayed that way now. "Billy," he said back, pulling the scarf down a little to not muffle his words. "Nice to meet you," Billy said weakly, with no real meaning behind the words.

"I don't think 'nice' would be a good way to put things, Billy. Not when there's a crying teenage boy with a suitcase and jacket sitting on a bench while it's raining." Teddy reached down and righted Billy's suitcase, setting it next to the sad boy when it was upright and not lying in a puddle.

"Nice is what my parents aren't either, I guess. Not anymore, at least." Billy turned partway to Teddy, but failed to meet his eyes: he looked down without seeing anything. "I'm sorry, you don't want to hear me mumble on," he apologized. "You can go, I get it. I'll be fine."

Teddy moved closer at that. "No, I care about what's wrong. And I don't trust you alone out here like this, especially if something happened between you and your parents. I'm all you got for company right now, Billy. Tell me what happened. Please?"

Exhaling deeply, Billy finally went over everything that happened. "Okay. I live with my mom and dad, and two little brothers. I was adopted, but they'd always treated me like I was actually their own. Used to... Anyway, they were usually so full of love and understanding that I felt I could tell them anything. My brothers were gone at a friend's for the day, and something had been weighing on my mind that I wanted to tell them about. When I told them, they, well, weren't as full of love and understanding as they usually are. Were..."

Teddy put his hand on Billy's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. They sounded like good people, but what did you tell them? If- if you don't mind me asking. I know you probably don't want to talk about it, right?"

Billy looked up at Teddy finally. He locked his own teary, red eyes with Teddy's concerned, blue ones. "I'm gay," he said, his voice catching and he cracked. Not vocally this time. He felt the tears fall and didn't try to hold them back. "Bullies at school always tore me down for it," he said between sobs, "but I always thought that my p-parents would be there for me…" He felt Teddy move closer to him, until he was being hugged by him. And Billy just kept crying and pouring out words. "I never thought that they-they'd be the worst bullies of them all."

Teddy held him protectively, letting Billy cry and talk and he'd be damned if anything got in between them. He knew they were strangers, but that didn't change the fact that the boy crying in his arms needed comfort and someone there for him. As the sobbing continued, Teddy moved one hand to go through Billy's hair. The hood had fallen back, letting the curly brown hair get wet. It felt smooth, and Teddy combed through it with his fingers, all the while saying things into Billy's hair. "It's okay," he'd say, or "You're still worth it," and even "I'm here for you."

Billy didn't know how long he'd cried, but when he finally stopped he just rested his forehead on Teddy's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he croaked, his voice raw from his previous moments.

"Shhh, there's nothing to be sorry about. Not to me, not to your parents, and not to yourself. Here," he said, taking a small rag from his jacket pocket and shaking it open. "I keep this with me in case I come across a Bugblatter Beast of Traal, but you can use it if you want."

Billy smiled softly, accepting the navy-blue rag. "Do you feel happy to make that reference in this situation?" Billy asked, wiping his face down and everything his crying made off.

Teddy took the rag back when Billy was done, folding it neatly into a square and tucking it into the pocket it came from. "I'm sorry, I didn't know how else to justify bringing around a small towel to someone I just met. Now," he said, letting go of Billy and taking his hands instead to face him. "Do you need a place to go?"

Billy nodded, tears showing up in his eyes again. "Yeah, I do. I don't know where though. I've been thinking I could-"

"Stay with me," Teddy said, interrupting Billy apologetically. "You can come to my apartment and meet my mom and have a place to stay for at least the night. She'd understand your situation, believe me: I had to come out to my mom too." Teddy let that sink in, watching Billy process the offer and information he gave him.

"Thank you," was all Billy could say. "I don't know what else I could say, honestly…" He rested his head on Teddy's shoulder again, hearing thunder rumble in the sky as the waning storm came back to life. He cried as the heavens opened. He cried on Teddy's shoulder, who stayed there with him until he couldn't cry anymore. And when Billy was done crying, Teddy helped him up and walked him back to his apartment with his mom. It was a silent walk, with Teddy pulling Billy's suitcase in one hand and holding Billy's hand in the other. Billy hardly looked up the whole walk.

When they got to Teddy's apartment, Billy was shaking. Teddy put his arm around him and rubbed his opposite shoulder empathetically. He opened the door, and let Billy in first, following him with the suitcase. He closed the door after saying "I'm home!" loud enough for his mom to hear. Billy let go of Teddy's hand and grabbed his suitcase suddenly, unsure of what to do. "It's okay," Teddy reassured him, putting his hand on Billy's shoulder again. "Come on, she's probably getting dinner started."

Billy followed Teddy into the apartment timidly, leaving his wet shoes by the door and unzipping his wet jacket. He left the scarf on though: it was too comforting to take off. He was lead into the kitchen where a busy-looking woman was reading through a cookbook and dusting flour off her hands onto an apron. She looked up when Teddy walked in, and smiled when she saw Billy as well. "I didn't know you were bringing someone home, otherwise I'd have cleaned up a bit!" She started washing her hands off, and Billy immediately felt guilty. "You can call me Mrs. Altman. I don't really care for my first name at all."

"H-hi Mrs. Altman," Billy said with some difficulty. He started to tear up again, and he cursed himself endlessly for it. "I'm Billy." A tear fell down his cheek, and he wiped it away immediately. Mrs. Altman noticed and her smile turned right into a worried look.

"Oh, is everything all right?" she asked, drying off her hands and moving closer to the two.

Billy started to say something, but Teddy spoke instead. "Billy needs a place to stay for a while. His parents… weren't as nice to him as you were with me, mom."

And Billy could see Mrs. Altman's heart break when Teddy said those words. She rushed over and hugged Billy, but careful not to overdo her motherly instincts. "Billy, I'm so sorry. Please, you can stay here as long as you like. Teddy," she said, pulling out a chair at the table. "Get the air mattress set up in the living room. And Billy, just sit tight with me in here for a while if you don't mind. I think after a nice dinner you and Teddy can sleep in the living room tonight if that's alright. I know it isn't easy after going through something like you did, and especially alone! You just let me know if you want anything, alright honey?"