Teddy pouted while watching the rain pitter-patter against his bedroom window. It was a Saturday but he was on his lonesome, having lost Billy to the vile clutches of his science-project partner.
"Sorry, it's the only time he can meet up to work on it. I'll be back soon, I promise." Billy said and kissed Teddy's cheek before he left, supplying the blond with a bitter-sweet memory to look back at as time passed. Teddy tapped his fingers against his cheek where, if he focused, he could still feel the ticklish caress of Billy's lips and breath on his skin. Since Billy took off, Teddy managed to finish a game, made minor progress in another before giving up, was about to watch something when he realized everything he had he promised he'd wait for Billy with. He was out of comics to read, too, so when the knock on the door came he was quite grateful, even if it most likely spelled chores in his immediate future.
On the other side of the door was Rebecca, a worried look on her face and- and umbrella in her hand? Teddy blinked.

"Going somewhere, Mrs. Kaplan?"

"Ah- no, not quite. That is-" The woman replied in a distracted manner before regaining her bearings. "Billy forgot his umbrella. Jeff's on shift at the hospital and I need to meet with a patient soon, can I ask you to deliver this to him? I'll drive you as far as I can."

Teddy looked from the umbrella to her face and back.
"But... Billy can just zap himself home", Teddy wanted to say.
"He can magically expel the rain from himself" was another option.
"He can will himself an umbrella!" was the final straw before-
"He's a Scarlet-Witch-level spell-caster!"

He said nothing, knowing it didn't matter in light of the woman's maternal concern. Teddy thus let out a resigned sigh and nodded.
"I'll get ready, give me a moment."

Her smile was bright and grateful. "Thank you."

Teddy closed the door so he could prepare, and then frowned at the weather outside.

"The things I'm willing to do for you..." He muttered and fetched himself a change of clothes.

–

The ride even as far as the subway was as obnoxious as could be expected in that weather, and Teddy cursed every second he spent underground. Even though it was raining he dashed outside, making a run for the library. He, along with many others found refuge on the stairs leading up to the building, from the rain and a bit from the wind. The teen frowned up before looking down at himself. His level of wetness was deemed acceptable, he concluded and reached for his phone while struggling to keep from dropping the two umbrellas he was carrying. He sent Billy a text message saying he was on his way while in the car, but received no reply yet. He figured that finding Billy on his own inside was a better use of his time than freezing outside, and so he turned towards the entrance, only to come to a stop two stairs later, his eyes set on the two teens who on first glance looked familiar. He wished with all his might he was wrong before taking a second look.
As it was, his boyfriend was the one with the wishing-powers, however, and so nothing changed the fact Teddy did recognize them - one John Kessler, and his partner in crime, the guy who usually held the bully's victims while he punched them. They weren't people Teddy was fond of even before he met Billy, but knowing the guy let alone caring for him left Teddy with zero tolerance to Kessler and his lackeys. The worst part was knowing how easy it would be to give them a taste of their own medicine, but that would mean stepping down to their level. Besides, he had better things to do, Teddy thought and was about to take his leave- when he actually heard what they were talking about.

"Not gonna go inside? There's that project thing to do."

"Bah, can't be assed. How about you?"

"Same. Heh, hey, why not get someone to do it for us? Either they do it, or we beat them up!"

"Ha! That's more my style! Who'd you think of?"

"How about that Kaplan guy? I bet he misses you, been a while since you showed him some lovin'!

Teddy stopped dead in his tracks. Something hot and unpleasant boiled in his chest.

"Gross, are you trying to piss me off? I'm staying away from him, he's-"

"Off limits." Teddy cut in, making the two turn to stare at him. He looked back with a calm demeanor, radiating not quite hostility but the kind of protectiveness that was enough to be intimidating. "Find someone else to be your 'partner', Billy already has one."

The small guy moved to hide behind Kessler, who seemed apprehensive about facing an opponent his size. For a moment he seemed ready to make a move, but broke eye contact instead.
"...get out of my face, Altman!" Kessler barked and marched down the stairs despite the rain. He intentionally slammed into Teddy on his way down, but by the looks of it, it hurt him more than it did Teddy by far.

It was hard to say the exchange was satisfying in the least, but Teddy decided not to dwell on it. Crisis averted and all, he started on his way again, entering the sheltering building. Silence and relative warmth greeted him, and he tried to figure out the most efficient way to scour the place in search of his boyfriend. Running into Kessler left him with an uneasy sense of urgency, one he tried to ignore least he walked into people in a mad dash all over the place. Thankfully it didn't take long before Teddy found Billy, hunched over his laptop at one of the desks, a guy Teddy recognized as one of Billy's classmates next to him.
The first thing Teddy did upon making this discovery - he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in and felt his shoulders slacking. Just because the worry itself was misplaced and arguably uncalled for mattered little; Billy was safe - thank God for small mercies.

It was the classmate that noticed Teddy first, thus enabling the blond to sneak up on Billy and lightly bump the umbrella's handle over the top of his head.
"You need to check your phone more often."

Billy blinked before pulling the device out of his pocket. He snickered once he saw the text message waiting to be read.
"'Bringing you your umbrella, I better get good spoils for this quest'. Aw, but I'm not the quest-NPC, Ted."

"Foiled!"

Aware of the third-wheel's presence, Billy smiled up apologetically. "We're not done, but just about. Give me ten minutes and we'll head off together?"

Teddy mock-pouted. He'd have done more but the third-wheel was beginning to show signs of heightened discomfort at the exchange already. "Sure, I'll be in the reading isles, see what editions of Song of Ice and Fire they have here."

"Ah- look for the Wheel of Time while you're at it!"

"Right-O."

Teddy kept the cheerful demeanor until he disappeared between the bookshelves. He felt it again, the need to coddle Billy, but that was neither the time nor the place, he told himself, and almost managed to believe it, but then Billy found him and the next thing he knew, Teddy was hugging him, umbrellas discarded on the floor. Billy needed a moment to get over the surprise but hugged back before long.

"What did I do to deserve this?" He chuckled weakly, but when no answer came, he fell silent as well and enjoyed the embrace.
A good while passed before a muttered, embarrassed "excuse me" ruined the moment, making the two pull apart, bashful looks on their faces while whoever it was scurried away. The distance allowed eye contact, with Billy's eye showing question and mild concern while Teddy's reflected all that along with a bit of sadness. Billy was about to ask about that when a hand rested on his cheek, and he leaned into the touch, his own hand resting over Teddy's.

"Someone missed me."

"Wonder who it was." Teddy countered quietly. Billy studied him before taking hold of Teddy's hand and planting a kiss in the middle of his palm.

"Do you want to tell me what's up, or will I have to get it out of you?"

"Good luck with that."

"I have my ways."

He did, Teddy knew, and smiled back. "Give me your worst."

"Just you wait, when we get home..."
Billy's eyes were narrowed and his teeth bared, a sight Teddy found to be entertaining and adorable.

"Speaking of home, are we ready to make the long, wet way back?"

Billy snorted dismissively.
"Teddy, please. Just because mom thinks I forgot my umbrella doesn't mean that's what happened."

"...oh." Teddy replied simply when a flash of blue briefly filled Billy's eyes, and felt like he should've seen that one coming. "So. Home in thirty seconds?"

"Already there, babe."

At home, there was enough to talk about, enough to do, a bountiful amount of distractions to help keep Billy's mind off the topic at hand. Teddy saw nothing wrong with that scenario, as he saw no point in ruining Billy's good mood with this kind of talk. It didn't matter, either - Teddy would never let him hurt Billy again.

"You're brooding again. I suppose I have to tickle you out of it."

"GAH!"