tampered | (no subject)

(no subject)

When; THE IDES OF MARCH
Rating; ....prolly pg-13, for boys being boys. with boys.
Characters; Neil Perry [

had_not_lived], Billy Kaplan [

repeatshimself], and Todd Anderson [

mumbled_truth]
Summary; PASSION! BETRAYAL! DRAMA! TEENAGERS!
Log;

Neil's fairly certain he isn't cursed today; tempers and tensions seem to be running high, but he feels just fine and so far no one's given him any trouble. Still, he's glad to be heading home-- he's spent as much time calming people down and ushering their confrontations outside as he has selling books today, and it's left him rather tired.

He doesn't suspect a thing as he heads up the stairs, thinking about what he wants to make for dinner, what he'll read tonight. Nothing of import. There are no omens to warn him of what lies ahead. Shifting a small bag of groceries to one arm, he unlocks the door of his apartment and walks in.

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Billy can't pinpoint when this started. Oh, maybe he kissed Todd first, or Todd kissed him. It wasn't his fault that the other boy looked so much like Ethan Hawke - how was Billy supposed to resist that, seriously? In either case, it hadn't been very long - just after Billy moved in, actually - that they had begun this...thing.

Billy doesn't want to call it an affair. Because it's not like Todd and Neil are married or anything.

But right now he's in their bedroom (Billy finally understand the Desperate Housewives appeal of that) and his fingers are working their way under Todd's shirt. He wants the shirt off, he wants Todd's mouth again.

He knows Todd is shy - well, that's okay, Billy thinks, because it's actually sort of cute, but now is not the time to be timid.

Todd has no idea how this started, when things began to shift or how they got this far. Somewhere inside, he knows that he should feel guilty, that this should feel wrong, but he can't bring himself to actually feel that way.

Least of all right now, shivering slightly at the feel of those fingertips brushing the skin under his shirt. It's not the first time he'd gotten this far, either in general or with another boy, but being with Billy was different. Most importantly, he was far less inhibited than Neil. Todd was shy enough to begin with; it never helped having a partner who was still not entirely comfortable with what they were doing.

So he's more than willing to follow the more experienced boy's lead; no resistance is put up to keep the shirt in place, he's more inclined to help remove it.

After all, the sooner it's out of the way, the sooner he can feel Billy's lips on his own again.

Shirt out of the way, and tossed across the room, no less, and Billy pulls on his own hem impatiently. A small, niggling voice is trying to tell him something - something about another boy, someone he cares about, but he pushes it away. Teddy isn't here. This wouldn't be an issue if Teddy were here. Right? His brain latches onto that even though there's still the anxiety. Billy's always anxious, even when he's making out with someone.

After the shirts are gone and out of the way, his lips find Todd's again, his hands finding purchase on Todd's smooth chest. There. Billy's content again, at least for the moment. Really, this was the best idea they had had in a while. Neil had gone out, giving them a lot of privacy, and everyone in the apartment was pleased with their current situation.

He licks at Todd's bottom lip, once, twice, smoothly, and his thumbs sweep broad circles. Man.

This could be good, right?

If you were to ask Todd, it was already good, as may be indicated by the quiet, involuntary noises that don't quite make it out of his mouth, muffled as it presently is.

One of Todd's hands has found its way around Billy's waist, the fingertips hesitantly tracing indistinct curling patterns in the small of his back. The second is curled around Billy's side, flat against his ribs, slowly but perceptively creeping down towards his hip.

His lips part slightly as he cranes his neck towards the other boy; it could be conscious, but it's more likely that it's a purely biological reflex.

That part of him is still insisting that this is wrong, but it's easy to quiet it. After all, it's nice to be touched by a hand that doesn't constantly remind you of what you've lost.

Neil has locked the door behind him, set aside the groceries. Hung up his coat. Seems like nobody's home; not entirely unusual, and not enough to tip him off that something's wrong. He puts away the things that need to be refrigerated while his roommates disrobe, completely oblivious; considers things for a moment and heads to change into something more comfortable for lounging around the house.

He doesn't remember shutting the bedroom door, but it's not out of place enough to make him pause in opening it. And fling it open he does, stopping dead at the sight before him.

Neil just stares, his hands falling to his sides, mouth gaping in disbelief.

Billy's first reaction is almost comedic. Hearing the door he turns his head, and seeing Neil standing there he topples off the edge of the bed. His eyes are wide as he scrambles for a shirt.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit, he thinks, but he can't even articulate a spell. Say, something like, I'd like to be someplace else. Say, a tiger cage.

"Uh," he manages, finally.

"'Sup." Smooth, Kaplan.

Todd is caught between two reactions; panic at Neil's unexpected arrival and concern that Billy just fell off the bed. Of course, this means he doesn't entirely react to either for a few long moments and sits there, glancing back and forth between the two, eyes widened and mouth hanging slightly agape.

It's a while before he manages to stutter anything out at all.

"N-Neil-- I... I don't..."

Failing to produce any more words, he sighs deeply, staring at the bed for a few painfully long moments of silence before he dares to glance back up towards Neil.

"... you weren't supposed to be home yet."

Edited 2010-03-16 01:28 (UTC)

"I got out early," he says quietly, rather dully.

He's still in shock, not able to believe what's right in front of him. Todd-- his best friend and more, Todd whom he loves, who he thought loved him-- in bed with their roommate. Someone he had taken in out of concern for his happiness. Because of all the people Billy had lost.

Earlier he'd been totally rational about the fact that there was a curse; that's all out the window now. This is obviously real, obviously happening; he's been betrayed and the world may as well be over.

"How could you," he manages, more miserable than wrathful, addressing the words to both of the other boys.

Billy manages to scramble to get his shirt on, and he can't really look Neil in the face. Is this the part where he's supposed to...run out? Feel guilty? Hide in the closet and sing about it? He's not altogether sure. He finally opens his mouth, and nothing comes out.

Teddy would feel even worse, a part of his mind, an uncursed part, tells him, but Billy isn't paying attention.

He looks away, not able to answer immediately. There isn't much to say, much of an explanation to offer. It's not that he doesn't care about Neil anymore, it's just that... somewhere along the line, things have started to change. Things between him and Billy, even things between him and Neil.

"I'm sorry."

Todd glances back up sullenly; it's an apology for the way Neil found out, not for what was going on, and the lack of any other rush to repair things makes that evident. This wasn't how he planned to bring it up; he's been grappling with that particular difficulty long enough, his old fear of speaking up finding a very specific new reason to manifest.

Something in the back of his head is trying to get his attention, trying to tell him that something is incredibly wrong with what's happening, but he's too far gone to listen to what it has to say.

Shouldn't he be angry? Shouldn't he rage and threaten and throw things about the room, turning to destruction since there's obviously no constructive option left? Neil feels as though his heart is cracking, as much because of the obvious lack of regret Todd feels as anything. He casts a sharp look from one, to the other, and back, his lips twisting, hands clenching at his sides. For a moment Neil forgets to breathe; and he doesn't remember he needs to until his lungs begin to burn. I loved you, he almost wants to say, the unformed words an accusation. He still does. And it hurts.

"I have to..." An uncertain step back. His eyes are stinging with tears he refuses to shed in front of the two of them. The act grants him a little more certainty.

"I'm leaving."

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