Ok, yep, I can't stay away. This is the third installment in a series of connected oneshots I'm doing that revolve around Teddy and Billy from the amazing comic Young Avengers. Go read the other two first― if you like BillyxTeddy fluff, I promise you'll like them!

Warnings: If you haven't figured out by now that this contains boyxboy love and/or still disapprove, kindly remove yourself from my presence immediately. Also, this story focuses on the perspective of an OC.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned the Young Avengers, that would be frickin' sweet. But, alas, all I own is the plot and one wimpy little OC.

This story kind of breaks the norm. I hope you like it anyway, though!

Staring at Those Two

James T. Kirkpatrick may have been naïve, but he was no fool. Sure, he cried at the end of Superman Returns. Ok, so maybe he had every superhero comic published in the last five years and worshipped Spider-Man like a god. That was no reason to think that superheroes were all that he thought about. He had other hobbies, too, like… like going to school, and… talking to his friends (not always about superheroes)…

Oh, and his latest, most favorite, hobby of all: staring at those two lovebirds, Theodore Altman and Billy Kaplan. They were truly fascinating.

James wasn't gay, but he certainly wasn't offended by Billy and Teddy being so. His older sister, an avid anime geek, had forced shonen-ai and yaoi upon him from the tender age of six-and-a-half; guys loving guys didn't faze him anymore. But that wasn't why he was staring at them, anyway.

Teddy had always drawn his attention, ever since James had started that year as a freshman in the high school set in the center of New York City. There was something about the tall blond that intrigued James, but he could never figure out what. But since he clearly would never be allowed to talk to so popular an upperclassman― let alone get close enough to really study― there was no way for him to find out why the jock pulled at his attention. It was as if Theodore Altman was similar to some character in one of James's beloved comic books, but he couldn't quite remember which one. Without any leads in the mystery, the freshman boy just attributed the strange vibe to jealousy at the football player's position of popularity in the school, whilst James found himself and his friends eating at the misfit table every day.

But then Billy Kaplan had come along.

Billy was of a similar variety as James and his friends; he was and underling, the butt of constant jokes and torment (though that may have had something to do with his being a bit more effeminate that most guys would care to accept). Thus, he joined them at the outcast table in the corner of the cafeteria. Instantly, James had the same odd feeling of almost-remembrance when Billy sat down before them. And, as he watched Billy pretend that he wasn't taking an interest in the conversation about capes (in which the boys determined that they looked cool but were pretty much useless), James felt as though the pieces of this particular puzzle were slowly falling together.

The day that the two boys came out of the closet came as a surprise, but definitely heightened his interest.

James had just pushed his glasses back onto his face in time to see Billy stand up suddenly with a determined look on his face (and he was pretty sure didn't did have anything to do with the conversation James had been having with his two friends, Stuart and John Luke, about a fight between Iron Man and Batman). The obvious conflict between the two had been very confusing until that shocking kiss that it resulted in. The revelation of their relationship both answered a few nagging questions in the back of James's mind and opened an entire realm of new mysteries to be solved. The two boys that he'd taken such a keen interest in separately were now together, and the feeling of recognition was stronger than ever.

And who would have ever thought that they were just as much fanboys as James, Stuart, and John Luke? It was astounding that someone who had been as popular as Teddy had before his coming out could know so much about superheroes.

James knew he was a nerd. But he couldn't exactly be blamed for that. As with most socially retarding afflictions, his geekiness was genetic. His parents were prime examples of what happened if two trekkies were allowed to procreate. It made for some interesting family reunions, though.

So imagine James's surprise when, after Stuart had finished his five minute-long speech about why Professor Xavier was the greatest superhero of all time (even if he wasn't really the one doing the actual saving), Teddy had jumped into the conversation by stating Northstar was his favorite, for obvious reasons. As he said this, he'd given a very specific look to Billy, and the dark-haired teen's responding smile wasn't lost on James. Now this mystery was tearing at him! He had to figure out what was so special about those two.

He'd been present for Billy's takedown of that jerkish jock, Brett, but had, unfortunately, been too short to see over the other students to actually witness the punch that sent shockwaves around the school. But he had seen a fuming Billy drag away a laughing Teddy by the hand and had immediately heard what the smaller of the two boys had done. Said supposedly effeminate boy was immediately the little nerd's hero.

So now, when the two boys sat in their usual seats beside each other at lunch, ignoring the renewed scandalized looks and whispered rumors, James felt as though he was in the presence of greatness. But it was John Luke who spoke first.

"Is it true that you beat up Brett Samuels?" the boy asked excitedly, leaning forward in anticipation.

"Uh, well…" Billy hedged, scratching his cheek, "I didn't exactly beat him up, per se…"

"Yeah," laughed Teddy, "But you did give him a pretty good knock to the chin. That and the pavement gave him a nasty shock."

James and his friends looked upon the blushing boy in awe.

"I change my mind," Stuart announced. "You're my favorite superhero, now!" Upon hearing this, Billy coughed and choked a bit on the sandwich he'd been eating. Teddy patted and rubbed Billy's back lightly; James saw the pointed look that his boyfriend gave him as he did so.

"Speaking of favorite superheroes," Teddy segued smoothly, "James―" The bespectacled boy looked up in surprise; Teddy knew his name? "―you never finished telling us about Spider-Man."

"Oh," James replied, pushing his glasses back onto his face (darn things were always slipping down), "Well, he hasn't done much lately." This was a lie, but he had suddenly found more important things to focus on. "Um, Billy, who's your favorite hero?"

Billy didn't answer for a moment, but then a small smile pulled at his lips. "There are a lot of cool ones," he replied, "But I'm partial to Hulkling― of the Young Avengers, of course."

Teddy smiled back, running a hand through his blond hair. "Yeah," he said, "Even green, that guy is devilishly handsome." Billy rolled his eyes in response. "But if we're picking from the Young Avengers, I'd have to say that Wiccan is my favorite. He's adorable." Teddy stuck his tongue out at Billy playfully, who in turn punched him lightly in the arm.

James nodded as he took in what they were saying, while wiping the fingerprints from his glasses with a corner of his shirt. Then, as he looked up at the two boys across from him, blurrily engaged in a flirty little battle, everything suddenly clicked into place. The glasses clattered onto the table, his hand left hanging halfway to his face.

No way.

No… way.

James's mind miraculously supplied the answers he'd been struggling to find for the last few weeks. Billy and Teddy were Wiccan and Hulkling.

He fumbled for his glasses, picking them up and slipping them back onto his face. The blobby, colorful shapes transformed into the slightly worried faces of the objects of his intrigue. Now he was panicking. Did they know that he knew?

"Uh, sorry," he apologized quickly, "I'm a little… clumsy." The worry eased a bit, but the former sense of playfulness hanging around the couple was severely diminished.

James had to say something; he had to ask if they really were the costumed heroes he suspected them to be. But then another thought crossed his mind: what if they weren't Hulkling and Wiccan? He would make a fool of himself. And James T. Kirkpatrick was no fool― plus, having read all of those comic books had taught him that having a secret identity was one of the most important things to any crime fighter.

As the bell rang and everyone filed out of the cafeteria, James once again found himself staring at those two mysterious boys. But he'd decided now; whether they were or weren't really superheroes in disguise (though he strongly suspected they were), he wouldn't go to them to confirm anything and wouldn't tell anyone else of his suspicions. Because to him, Billy and Teddy were already heroes, with or without superpowers, crime-fighting hobbies, secret identities, or spandex uniforms. They didn't need any of that; they inspired him just as they were.

Billy looked up at Teddy, leaning close to him. He loved having the feeling of the heavy, muscular arm around his shoulders. "I think that James might have figured us out…" he said quietly, insulating their conversation from the other students they were passing as they walked down the hallway.

"Well, we were being a little too obvious," Teddy conceded.

"That's not entirely my fault," Billy argued.

"I know," Teddy replied.

The couple was silent for a few moments as they continued to walk.

"Think he'll tell anyone?" Billy asked lightly after the pause. Teddy laughed, pulling his boyfriend even closer.

"Not a chance."

*Dances into view*

I hope you guys had as much fun reading that as I did writing it! Honestly, I thought it would have been shorter, but I was hit by sudden inspiration and even typed it all in one day.

And yes, the nerd references were numerous. I wonder if anyone will get them all…

Please review!