multiversallogs | (no subject)

Teddy had found out that Kate didn't live very far away from Billy at all and, well, there was something he wanted help with... He figured out of everyone here, Kate was the best person to ask, since she had the most experience with it... he thought. He also just wanted to go hang with her a bit since his friends were his family and he lived with Tommy and Billy so he could see them whenever. Kate, not so much. It was important to keep in touch, especially in a weird place that probably wasn't even close to home. He'd have to let Kate in on a slightly embarrassing secret that only Billy really knew about... but, well, he was hoping she'd understand.

Heading up to her place, he knocked on the door.

Today's one of the rare days where Kate takes the full day off. No work, no volunteering, no patrolling. Even a superhero needs a break.

Her break's consisting of a stack of romance novels, a large bottle of diet soda, some crackers, a handful of grapes, a blanket, a pillow, and one comfy couch that's finally been paid off after some overtime at the library. She's nice and settled into the fluffy cushions and prepared to crack open Lonesome Love when the knock comes. Her first reaction is to ignore it and pretend that no one is home, but then again, if it's Tommy, he'll keep knocking in between a few seconds' pause of speeding home and back. Might as well get it over with.

With a sigh, she hefts herself up and to the door, first opening it with a completely bored look that quickly shifts into a surprised expression when she realizes that it certainly isn't Tommy behind it. "Teddy? Hey. What are you doing here?"

Teddy smiles when Kate opens the door, noting the look on her face before her expression changes. Hmm. Maybe it was a good thing he'd stopped by?

"Hey. Just thought I'd come over and see what you were up to. I'm not interrupting anything, am I...?"

She smiles because it's somebody she actually likes visiting her (okay, she likes Tommy too, but Kate won't say that too loud) and she steps back, pulling the door open to let Teddy in. "Nah. I was just laying around like a sack of lazy. Come in."

It's a testament to Kate's comfort level around him that she leaves him to close the door behind himself as she leans against the back of the soft, hands slipped into the pockets of pajama pants. "Where's Billy?"

Teddy steps inside and carefully closes the door behind him. "I just came by myself. Wanted to see how you were doing and maybe catch up a little bit more." Once he's turned back around, he looks down a little sheepishly for a moment and scratching the back of his neck. "Actually... I was wondering if I could have your help with something. Just please don't tell Tommy about... even if he'll probably find out eventually."

"I'm cool. I have the day off so just hanging around like I said," Kate replies with a shrug. To be honest, in a little while she would have gotten bored and restless sitting in an empty house since Claire is wherever Claire is at the moment and there's not much in the way of background noise. Maybe they should get a pet, not a dog like Mr. Muggles or Tommy, but... this is another topic for Kate to think about on another day.

She eyes Teddy carefully with his sudden change in behavior and ends up smirking before she comments on his request. "Usually it's 'Just please don't tell Billy about this...", not Tommy. What's really going on, Teddy?"

"Billy already knows about it so don't have to worry about him. Uhm..." He shifts a little on his feet nervously. "Don't laugh, okay? I was wondering if you knew where I could find a guitar or help me figure out where I can get one... I'm just assuming they have them here. Uh. Acoustic ones. You're a music person so I thought you might know."

"Why would I laugh? You have no faith in me, T. Besides, it's cooler to play the guitar than the cello." Kate actually does huff a laugh, but it's more at the fact he has the nerve to feel embarrassed around her. She is the least judgmental person she knows when it comes to hobbies. If she didn't make fun of him for his fanboyish tendencies, she wouldn't tease him for playing an instrument.

"But yeah, I can do that. The place I go to has a guy who knows pretty much everything about guitars," she assures him, carding her hand through her messy bedhair. "You wanna do now or later or something?"

"I'm not really good at it. It was a hobby I picked up after I started growing out of pokemon," he confesses. "Never took any lessons, just taught myself some chords. But I figure if we have a lot more free time here... It doesn't have to be right now. Whenever is good for you."

"You think I learned how to play the cello over night? My first summer as music camp was a nightmare. Practice makes perfect, you know. As long as you start, you're fine."

She checks her wristwatch before continuing.

"Well, it's still early. Maybe in an hour or so? You want something to drink?" Kate asks, pointing to the kitchen. "I mean, if you're hungry, we'll have to order out because Claire's not here to cook." If he's hungry? The first thing Kate's learned about hanging around teen boys is that they're always hungry, but cooking isn't her strength and well, she's out of ramen and cereal at the moment. It's either water or juice for lunch.

"How old were you when you first started?" He's curious to see if she's been playing longer than him. Probably. Either way, he's pretty sure Kate is definitely better at her instrument than he is at his.

He glances towards the kitchen. "Who's Claire...?"

"Like five or six. It was bigger than me then, so I automatically sucked." Of course she's been playing longer than him, but that doesn't mean she was good at the beginning. It took a lot of frustration and wrong notes to get to where she can comfortably play something without cringing. In fact, she's pretty rusty as there is little time to sit down and play with superheroing and general being sent from one alternate dimension to another. She'll obviously have to make time.

"My roommate. And my coworker. But she's not here right now," Kate explains at first before twisting her lips into an uncertain expression. "She was in the other place with me too, but she got here before I did."

It's hard to describe how it feels to know somebody you never met before in one place and then get pulled into another place and finally see a familiar face. All the other familiar faces from the City are gone and Claire's the last one. Kate isn't ready to lose her.

"I was around 13, I think... Haven't been playing for very long." He has the mental image of a tiny Kate Bishop standing next to a cello that's towering over her while she's trying to hold and play it. It brings a grin to his face.

Teddy's always been good at reading people and noticing their body language. He tilts his head to the side a little curiously at Kate's expression. "Has she been gone for awhile...?"

"She went to work and then probably will do some errands afterwards?" Kate is worried about Claire up and leaving Baedal, and about having an entire apartment to herself again, but that's another issue (and more) to tackle on another day. She smiles to soothe Teddy's obvious concern, hoping she doesn't have to explain the saga of Dawn and Tosh.

"We have the entire place to ourselves. Just don't burn it down."

"Guess it must be not as big a multiple universe dimension - or however you would describe that - as I thought if someone you know from one universe can show up in another completely different one you end up in too. She's not from home...?"

He grins a little at that last sentence. "Don't worry, I've spent years making sure Mom never did that. She couldn't cook at all so I learn so she wouldn't have to keep on buying takeout and fast food all the time... and so we could live without the fear of the apartment burning down." His tone is wry but there's still a small sadness to his tone. It's with grim humor he remembers how they used to joke about that and how she ended up dying, but he shakes himself out of it. "If you've got stuff, I can throw something together...? You really don't know how to cook?"

"No," Kate replies with a shake of her head. "She's from a place where people have powers like ours, but it's not the same world." She catches onto that sad note in Teddy's voice, recognizing it as one that crops up in her own voice every now and then. Avoiding talking about her own mom isn't the healthiest way to deal with things, but for right now, it works. For now. Can't say the same in five or so minutes.

"Does oatmeal count?" Instant oatmeal. Just add hot water oatmeal. The sheepish look on her face says that much.

"Really? Does she have a power too?"

Teddy just shakes his head a little in exasperation at the mention of oatmeal. "What about sandwiches? Sandwiches are easy. Peanut butter and jelly? Lunch meat? I'd ask about microwave stuff but I'm not sure if they have them here..."

"Regeneration." Simply put, Kate knows that Claire heals fast and pretty much is a walking human tank. Her dying is impossible. "But don't tell anybody? I mean, I told you since you asked, but I don't think she's told anybody else."

"Sandwiches I can do. And we have a microwave. Well, something like it," Kate says as she moves into the kitchen to stand in front of a boxy looking sort of thing that honestly resembles a toaster oven with a huge knob over the newer microwave models they are probably more used to. "It's magic powered so every so often we gotta get the guy who made it to come in here and beat it up."

Or one day she will just ask Billy. It'll save her money in the end.

"Ah. That definitely comes in handy." He speaks from experience, what with his crazy ridiculous healing powers. "I won't. You can tell her I'm really a big green alien if you want," he half-jokes back. While he's never really hide being half Kree, half Skrull back home, he hasn't entirely decided on how to deal with it here yet.

Teddy goes to take a look at the 'microwave' and pokes a finger at it curiously. "Huh. Is it attached to anything or can you just pick it up and take it places if it's powered by magic?"

It would be so much easier if Kate could just tell Teddy that Claire already knows what he is, but that would involve explaining the The City and how eventually, they all came out in the open and to be quite honest, she isn't in the mood for that.

"No, I can pick it up, but it's heavy so it's easier to get him to come here than to drag it all the way down to his shop. But it works so that's all I care about, really." Because if it didn't, her current diet would be limited even more.

Teddy makes a little tsk-ing sound. "Alright, first things first. Have you eaten a solid meal yet today? Because if not, tell me what your favorite meal is and I'll see what I can do. Then I'm giving you a few lessons on some easy things to make. It's really not that hard at all."

"Wait, I though we were going to get a guitar," she protests, eyes wide open. Suddenly Kate feels like Teddy has morphed into Mother Hen mode and she unless she wants the Disappointed Look O' Doom, she better not argue too much about it.

"I thought we were going to get it later?" He gives her a little 'no, you are not getting out of this' look. "I don't need it right now either. It can wait."

"But we can go now and get it over with." Yes, Teddy. Your fearless leader is showing fear for once. Fear that in a few minutes, there'll be a fire going on. "I mean, we can just pick up something to eat while we are out there. Two birds and all."

Is this working?

"Kate. It's just cooking. It's not like we're making a bomb." If she really really doesn't want to, of course he won't make her, but knowing how to make at least some stuff for yourself, especially if you have things to make things with, is a good thing!

"That's what you think," Kaye laughs sheepishly. "You weren't around for when Dawn was teaching me how to make fried Oreos. Did you know chocolate sandwich cookies are flammable?"

There's a ton of stuff to cook with in the fridge, both frozen and defrosted, and usually Claire takes care of that as long as Kate's buys them. But if Teddy is here and is teaching her, the chance of being laughed at is slim to none. Plus, he gave her ammo to fight back a couple minute so there's that as well.

"You think you can morph into a fireman in case something does go down?"

Teddy pauses for a moment. "Do they even have Oreos here? Because that sounds pretty good. I've never tried to make fried Oreos before." He laughs, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, I'm a pro at putting out kitchen fires by now."

"Not that I've seen, lately." Kate's been sticking to the cold cereal and soup aisle. All the sweets in the house have been made by Claire. Why buy them when you can just step into the kitchen for free cupcakes?

"Okay. So what do we do first?" Or make, really. The world (meaning her fridge) is Teddy's oyster.

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For Kate!

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