To Build A Better World
Jan. 3rd, 2011 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorksidefikerTitle: To Build A Better World
Author:dorksidefiker
Fandom: Young Avengers
Table/Prompt: Table 2/15. Early
Character/Pairing: If they were in an earlier part of Bitter Homecoming, odds are good they show up.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1276
Summary: Everything comes together.
Authors Notes/Disclaimer: The 33rd and final part of Bitter Homecoming.
“It’s too soon,” Teddy whispered.
“No,” William corrected, “it’s just early. We can still do this.” He squeezed Teddy’s hand briefly. “I’ll be in the chamber. You know what to do.”
“Are you sure-?”
“It’s too late to question. We don’t have time.” William paused only to kiss his husband, then strode out with the ground eating stride that seemed to have come naturally to him since they’d taken over the Skrull Empire. He moved quickly without looking like he was running.
“Orders, Majesty?”
Teddy returned his attention to the crisis at hand. “Retake the prison ship. Capture who you can, kill anyone you can’t,” he said, not without regret. He knew none of them would stand down easily, and that he’d just condemned people who had been his friends to their death. He’d hoped to avoid this, but they were working to make a better world. As William had told him time and time again, sacrifices would need to be made.
“Sire, the first of the wounded have returned to the flagship.”
“Very good. I want them debriefed as soon as they’ve been tended to.”
“Sire, Westchester-”
“Orders are to stay back and let Megan do her work. Mop up what’s left.” He stood, turning to go, only to find Sarah watching him. She fell in beside him as he walked, keeping silent for a while. “What changed?” she finally asked.
“Changed?” Teddy inquired.
“Until now, you’ve been far too soft with them. Now, you’re ordering their deaths? And what is Father doing?”
Teddy kept watching his daughter as he walked. “Call your brother,” he said. “Make sure everything’s alright on the Throneworld. It’s all going to be over soon.”
“Are we finally going home?” Sarah asked hopefully.
“Yeah, honey.” Teddy looked away, unable to look her in the eyes. “It’s finally going to be over.”
***
There was someone else in William’s work room. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it. He was too aware of the ebb and flow of power all around him to not know. “I know you’re here,” he said. “You might as well show yourself.”
“What happened to you, Billy?” Cassie asked, growing from invisible to the naked eye to her natural height.
“So you are alive,” William said, pulling just enough power and focus from his main spell to keep Cassie at bay. “Not that it matters. You’re too late to stop me.”
“If I had a dollar for every time I’ve beaten the guy who said that-”
William flicked some of the power at Cassie, pinning her in place. “Allow me my villainous cliché. I may even do an evil laugh later.” He reached out through the carefully drawn runes, clutching the little figurine Megan had retrieved from Wakanda tightly as he drew the power the mutant was harvesting to him. Soon. Almost ready.
“I will stop you!” Cassie shrank down, actually managing to get free of the magical bonds. William still knew exactly where she was. He snatched up the power flowing from the prison ship; it tasted like salt and copper and desperation. He caught Cassie just short of his face, eyes glowing blue.
Now.
“I’m making a better world, Cassie,” he whispered.
Then the world went white.
“Up you go,” Will said, taking Cassie by the arm and helping her to her feet. Cassie gaped at the cream colored carpet beneath her feet as her vision swam, then stared around the room in confusion. Where were the metal walls with mystical symbols etched into them, and where had the cheerful yellow wallpaper come from? “Easy, Cassie.”
Cassie jerked away. “You -- you--!”
William sat down heavily in and overstuffed chair, closing his eyes and smiling faintly. “I made a better world,” he said, cracking one eye open again. Has his hair always had so much grey in it? Cassie wondered. She knew it hadn’t had so much silver just a few minutes before, in the metal room on the… space ship? Had they been on a space ship? “Don’t worry, your memories of the old one will face soon, like a bad dream.”
“You’ve lost your mind,” Cassie said unsteadily. Her head was pounding. “Like Wanda!”
“No,” he said, “not like Wanda. What she did was a sandcastle at the edge of the sea. This,” he gestured around the neat, tastefully appointed room, “this is solid as stone.”
The door opened, and Eli looked into the room. “There you are. Bill, get your son, he’s trying to play basketball inside again.”
“Be there in a minute,” William said, a little faintly. He started to rise, but sat back down heavily and with a slightly pained grunt.
Cassie made a choking noise, and Eli looked at her oddly. “You two okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Cassie said, shaking her head as if trying to throw off a bad dream. “Just a headache in my case. I was just asking Billy if he could do something about that.”
Will chuckled. “Sadly, magic can’t fix everything.”
***
Teddy caught the ball before it could crash into the window. His son looked at him through a curtain of dark hair, bringing to mind the looks Billy used to give him, years ago, whenever he was caught doing something he knew he wasn’t supposed to do.
“Maybe you need a little time with Kate in the dojo, Max.”
“Awww, man…”
***
Terry blinked, in the middle of buttoning up his jacket. Something seemed out of place, but he wasn’t sure what. He reached for the Eye of Agamotto, pinning it to his throat. He was supposed to meet with Megan about something she had spotted during her last jaunt to Limbo while looking for Illyana, then he needed to talk to Nico about her mystical sanctuary.
***
The sun felt good on Klara’s back as she plunged her hands into the freshly turned soil. She wiped sweat from her brow with her forearm, then returned to putting the seedlings in place.
***
Pat put the little box with the ring on the table, folding his hands on front of him as he waited for Celeste to say something.
***
“Isn’t that were Sarah works?” Xavin asked, watching James duck into the book store. Karolina threaded her arm through Xavin’s, chuckling.
“It’s sweet,” she said.
***
“Oh, and this one!” Megan said, handing another book down to Nezhno.
Sarah took the pile of books from the nearly overburdened mutant, only to have the books taken from her by James, who was making himself look more like his namesake than usual, and was sporting a brown bomber jacket. She blushed, then quickly shifted the blood away from her face.
***
“You are such a jerk,” Molly said. Tommy just laughed, dodging out of her way, still waving her hat like a little flag.
***
“Was it worth it?” Teddy asked, closing the door behind him. William smiled shakily, and Teddy went over to him, taking both William’s hands in his own, running his thumbs over the backs of his hands. William’s hands felt so frail and thin, like he’d burned away so much of himself along with the power he’d gathered for the spell.
“Oh yes,” William sighed. “We’ve saved the world, Teddy. Anything’s worth that.”
Author:
dorksidefikerFandom: Young Avengers
Table/Prompt: Table 2/15. Early
Character/Pairing: If they were in an earlier part of Bitter Homecoming, odds are good they show up.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1276
Summary: Everything comes together.
Authors Notes/Disclaimer: The 33rd and final part of Bitter Homecoming.
“It’s too soon,” Teddy whispered.
“No,” William corrected, “it’s just early. We can still do this.” He squeezed Teddy’s hand briefly. “I’ll be in the chamber. You know what to do.”
“Are you sure-?”
“It’s too late to question. We don’t have time.” William paused only to kiss his husband, then strode out with the ground eating stride that seemed to have come naturally to him since they’d taken over the Skrull Empire. He moved quickly without looking like he was running.
“Orders, Majesty?”
Teddy returned his attention to the crisis at hand. “Retake the prison ship. Capture who you can, kill anyone you can’t,” he said, not without regret. He knew none of them would stand down easily, and that he’d just condemned people who had been his friends to their death. He’d hoped to avoid this, but they were working to make a better world. As William had told him time and time again, sacrifices would need to be made.
“Sire, the first of the wounded have returned to the flagship.”
“Very good. I want them debriefed as soon as they’ve been tended to.”
“Sire, Westchester-”
“Orders are to stay back and let Megan do her work. Mop up what’s left.” He stood, turning to go, only to find Sarah watching him. She fell in beside him as he walked, keeping silent for a while. “What changed?” she finally asked.
“Changed?” Teddy inquired.
“Until now, you’ve been far too soft with them. Now, you’re ordering their deaths? And what is Father doing?”
Teddy kept watching his daughter as he walked. “Call your brother,” he said. “Make sure everything’s alright on the Throneworld. It’s all going to be over soon.”
“Are we finally going home?” Sarah asked hopefully.
“Yeah, honey.” Teddy looked away, unable to look her in the eyes. “It’s finally going to be over.”
***
There was someone else in William’s work room. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it. He was too aware of the ebb and flow of power all around him to not know. “I know you’re here,” he said. “You might as well show yourself.”
“What happened to you, Billy?” Cassie asked, growing from invisible to the naked eye to her natural height.
“So you are alive,” William said, pulling just enough power and focus from his main spell to keep Cassie at bay. “Not that it matters. You’re too late to stop me.”
“If I had a dollar for every time I’ve beaten the guy who said that-”
William flicked some of the power at Cassie, pinning her in place. “Allow me my villainous cliché. I may even do an evil laugh later.” He reached out through the carefully drawn runes, clutching the little figurine Megan had retrieved from Wakanda tightly as he drew the power the mutant was harvesting to him. Soon. Almost ready.
“I will stop you!” Cassie shrank down, actually managing to get free of the magical bonds. William still knew exactly where she was. He snatched up the power flowing from the prison ship; it tasted like salt and copper and desperation. He caught Cassie just short of his face, eyes glowing blue.
Now.
“I’m making a better world, Cassie,” he whispered.
Then the world went white.
“Up you go,” Will said, taking Cassie by the arm and helping her to her feet. Cassie gaped at the cream colored carpet beneath her feet as her vision swam, then stared around the room in confusion. Where were the metal walls with mystical symbols etched into them, and where had the cheerful yellow wallpaper come from? “Easy, Cassie.”
Cassie jerked away. “You -- you--!”
William sat down heavily in and overstuffed chair, closing his eyes and smiling faintly. “I made a better world,” he said, cracking one eye open again. Has his hair always had so much grey in it? Cassie wondered. She knew it hadn’t had so much silver just a few minutes before, in the metal room on the… space ship? Had they been on a space ship? “Don’t worry, your memories of the old one will face soon, like a bad dream.”
“You’ve lost your mind,” Cassie said unsteadily. Her head was pounding. “Like Wanda!”
“No,” he said, “not like Wanda. What she did was a sandcastle at the edge of the sea. This,” he gestured around the neat, tastefully appointed room, “this is solid as stone.”
The door opened, and Eli looked into the room. “There you are. Bill, get your son, he’s trying to play basketball inside again.”
“Be there in a minute,” William said, a little faintly. He started to rise, but sat back down heavily and with a slightly pained grunt.
Cassie made a choking noise, and Eli looked at her oddly. “You two okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Cassie said, shaking her head as if trying to throw off a bad dream. “Just a headache in my case. I was just asking Billy if he could do something about that.”
Will chuckled. “Sadly, magic can’t fix everything.”
***
Teddy caught the ball before it could crash into the window. His son looked at him through a curtain of dark hair, bringing to mind the looks Billy used to give him, years ago, whenever he was caught doing something he knew he wasn’t supposed to do.
“Maybe you need a little time with Kate in the dojo, Max.”
“Awww, man…”
***
Terry blinked, in the middle of buttoning up his jacket. Something seemed out of place, but he wasn’t sure what. He reached for the Eye of Agamotto, pinning it to his throat. He was supposed to meet with Megan about something she had spotted during her last jaunt to Limbo while looking for Illyana, then he needed to talk to Nico about her mystical sanctuary.
***
The sun felt good on Klara’s back as she plunged her hands into the freshly turned soil. She wiped sweat from her brow with her forearm, then returned to putting the seedlings in place.
***
Pat put the little box with the ring on the table, folding his hands on front of him as he waited for Celeste to say something.
***
“Isn’t that were Sarah works?” Xavin asked, watching James duck into the book store. Karolina threaded her arm through Xavin’s, chuckling.
“It’s sweet,” she said.
***
“Oh, and this one!” Megan said, handing another book down to Nezhno.
Sarah took the pile of books from the nearly overburdened mutant, only to have the books taken from her by James, who was making himself look more like his namesake than usual, and was sporting a brown bomber jacket. She blushed, then quickly shifted the blood away from her face.
***
“You are such a jerk,” Molly said. Tommy just laughed, dodging out of her way, still waving her hat like a little flag.
***
“Was it worth it?” Teddy asked, closing the door behind him. William smiled shakily, and Teddy went over to him, taking both William’s hands in his own, running his thumbs over the backs of his hands. William’s hands felt so frail and thin, like he’d burned away so much of himself along with the power he’d gathered for the spell.
“Oh yes,” William sighed. “We’ve saved the world, Teddy. Anything’s worth that.”