Billy and Shen - Backdated
Oct. 21st, 2017 05:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainThe day after Teddy opens up to her, Shen finally manages to track down Billy. Apology plans are made.
Shen knocked on Billy's door again, for what felt like (and might well be) the twentieth time since the previous day. Maybe she'd have more luck this time than all the others. "Billy? It's Shen."
Billy glanced at the door and frowned, wondering what exactly Shen needed from him at eight at night. God, what if she was here to yell at him like Tamara had, Billy was still a little too sore emotionally from that for another round, but he couldn't just not answer her.
He sighed as he walked over and opened the door with a weak smile. "Hey, Shen. What's up?"
"Hey," Shen greeted him. Finally! She didn't sound angry, but she did sound serious as she asked, "Can I talk to you?"
Oh good. He winced a little, but nodded as he moved aside to open the door up more for her. He closed it after she walked in and stood by the door awkwardly, not quite sure how this talk was going to go so maybe it was better to stand. "What exactly did you want to talk about?"
"Have a wild guess," Shen told him with raised eyebrows, but then her features softened. After a beat, she stated, "So he really hurt you."
Billy let out a loud sigh, he had hope that this was maybe about the club, but no it was obviously about Teddy and he was already so tired. At least she wasn't in his face about it like someone had been. "Um, I'm assuming we are talking about Teddy here and seriously, Shen, I know. I messed up and I hurt him and I'm awful..."
Shit. He would not cry in front of her just cause he was tired and depressed. "I know. Tamara already read me my rights."
"Hey." Shen stepped closer and reached out for him. "You reacted out of hurt, right? And you know you messed up. Now you get to fix it."
Billy bit at his bottom lip, unsure of how to even do that. "Shen, I didn't know he had been outed at his last school. I...ugh, I made such a mess of things. I called him a coward and a liar, I was so mad. How do I even come back from that?"
Shen squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. It was so nice to know that she had been right and he wasn't a jerk. "You own up to your mistakes and apologize. Spoiler alert, he's likely gonna be relieved. You matter a lot to him."
For some reason that made Billy feel worse, the idea that he had stomped on Teddy's insecurities only to hurt when Teddy really cared for him. "Ugh, in such a skuzz." Shen was only trying to help and at least she wasn't in his face like Tamara so he felt a little better talking to her. "You really think just an apology is going to work? I mean, I know Teddy is a nice guy, but..."
"It might take an apology, and some time," Shen answered. "Honestly, I don't know. But he feels terrible that he hurt you." Which was saying a whole lot about the likeliness of Teddy forgiving Billy, as far as she was concerned.
Billy took a deep breath in and blew it out his mouth slowly as he turned to look at Shen. "Is it bad to be glad that he acknowledges that? I mean, I know I was in the wrong when I said those things, but I was hurt by what he did."
"It's... pretty expected," Shen settled on. "But it's also really, really not what matters right now." Priorities, and the priority here was for Billy to make up for being a total jerk about Teddy coming out.
"I know." Billy did his god damn best for that not to come out as a whine, he was not a child! He was an adult who could apologize like one. "I just don't really know how to go about it. I had some ideas, but none of them really seem good enough. Also, he hasn't come back to the room and I don't know if he ever will, he's pretty good at hiding for a big guy."
"Reach out to him, tell him you're sorry, he'll come back," Shen told him, no-nonsense. "You don't need ideas to make an apology real. You just need to mean it, and to be ready to give him time, if he needs it."
"That is so much easier said than done, Shen." Billy did whine this time, but nodded. "You're right though."
He fiddled with his phone, opening the text log with Teddy, but freezing up when it came to actually typing anything out. His last message to Teddy had been the dumb squirt gun emoji because Teddy had been whining about them watching Les Mis again and it made him smile. "I have an idea, and I know you said I don't need some grand idea, but this is Teddy and me so I kind of need to do it. Do you know where he's staying?"
"I haven't asked," Shen stated, although now she felt shitty about it. What kind of a friend didn't know where their friend was staying when he was in a bad place? But she'd been a little distracted (okay, a lot) by what Kitty had told her. "What kind of idea are we talking about? Because it can't be too grand," she pointed out. Teddy didn't want to be out yet, as far as she knew.
Billy shook his head. "No, no. Nothing crazy. So, he really likes strawberries, okay? I mean, like in an unhealthy obsession kind of way. Strawberry ice cream, candies, drinks- you name it he likes it. I was thinking of getting him something like that and maybe also either asking Kitty if his DS is even fixable or going to this used stuff shop I know in the city and looking to see if I can't find him another one."
"That sounds really thoughtful," Shen stated with a nod of her head. Her first instinct was that it was too much, but then she'd thought that if somebody did that for her, she'd be really touched. "As long as you remember the actual apology is the part that counts. That, and, you know, proving you meant it day after day."
Day after day. He wondered if Teddy would shake him after awhile if he kept apologizing over and over, but he knew what Shen meant, nodding to her words. "Yeah. I know, and hopefully he forgives me, but Teddy doesn't seem like a grudge holding kind of guy."
At least he hoped he wasn't.
"Shen....?" He asked a little sweetly, turning to give her a pathetic smile. "Would you help me find out where he's staying? I kind of want it to be a surprise and also I really don't want to have to know if he's ignoring me."
...that face of his was not fair. Shen glared a little, but it was playful. "You'd better make that apology work, Kaplan." That was a yes, obviously.
Billy's whole face lit up and he nodded quickly, getting up from his chair to hug her. "Yes, of course! Thank you, Shen!"
Shen didn't have to keep holding back her small smile once Billy was hugging her, since he couldn't see her face anymore, and she hugged him back, but still rolled her eyes with amusement. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't be an asshole any more."
"I promise!" Billy agreed enthusiastically, even though there was no way he could keep it for forever. He gave her another squeeze before letting her go and stepping back. "Alright. Operation get back in Teddy's good graces is a go!"
Shen knocked on Billy's door again, for what felt like (and might well be) the twentieth time since the previous day. Maybe she'd have more luck this time than all the others. "Billy? It's Shen."
Billy glanced at the door and frowned, wondering what exactly Shen needed from him at eight at night. God, what if she was here to yell at him like Tamara had, Billy was still a little too sore emotionally from that for another round, but he couldn't just not answer her.
He sighed as he walked over and opened the door with a weak smile. "Hey, Shen. What's up?"
"Hey," Shen greeted him. Finally! She didn't sound angry, but she did sound serious as she asked, "Can I talk to you?"
Oh good. He winced a little, but nodded as he moved aside to open the door up more for her. He closed it after she walked in and stood by the door awkwardly, not quite sure how this talk was going to go so maybe it was better to stand. "What exactly did you want to talk about?"
"Have a wild guess," Shen told him with raised eyebrows, but then her features softened. After a beat, she stated, "So he really hurt you."
Billy let out a loud sigh, he had hope that this was maybe about the club, but no it was obviously about Teddy and he was already so tired. At least she wasn't in his face about it like someone had been. "Um, I'm assuming we are talking about Teddy here and seriously, Shen, I know. I messed up and I hurt him and I'm awful..."
Shit. He would not cry in front of her just cause he was tired and depressed. "I know. Tamara already read me my rights."
"Hey." Shen stepped closer and reached out for him. "You reacted out of hurt, right? And you know you messed up. Now you get to fix it."
Billy bit at his bottom lip, unsure of how to even do that. "Shen, I didn't know he had been outed at his last school. I...ugh, I made such a mess of things. I called him a coward and a liar, I was so mad. How do I even come back from that?"
Shen squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. It was so nice to know that she had been right and he wasn't a jerk. "You own up to your mistakes and apologize. Spoiler alert, he's likely gonna be relieved. You matter a lot to him."
For some reason that made Billy feel worse, the idea that he had stomped on Teddy's insecurities only to hurt when Teddy really cared for him. "Ugh, in such a skuzz." Shen was only trying to help and at least she wasn't in his face like Tamara so he felt a little better talking to her. "You really think just an apology is going to work? I mean, I know Teddy is a nice guy, but..."
"It might take an apology, and some time," Shen answered. "Honestly, I don't know. But he feels terrible that he hurt you." Which was saying a whole lot about the likeliness of Teddy forgiving Billy, as far as she was concerned.
Billy took a deep breath in and blew it out his mouth slowly as he turned to look at Shen. "Is it bad to be glad that he acknowledges that? I mean, I know I was in the wrong when I said those things, but I was hurt by what he did."
"It's... pretty expected," Shen settled on. "But it's also really, really not what matters right now." Priorities, and the priority here was for Billy to make up for being a total jerk about Teddy coming out.
"I know." Billy did his god damn best for that not to come out as a whine, he was not a child! He was an adult who could apologize like one. "I just don't really know how to go about it. I had some ideas, but none of them really seem good enough. Also, he hasn't come back to the room and I don't know if he ever will, he's pretty good at hiding for a big guy."
"Reach out to him, tell him you're sorry, he'll come back," Shen told him, no-nonsense. "You don't need ideas to make an apology real. You just need to mean it, and to be ready to give him time, if he needs it."
"That is so much easier said than done, Shen." Billy did whine this time, but nodded. "You're right though."
He fiddled with his phone, opening the text log with Teddy, but freezing up when it came to actually typing anything out. His last message to Teddy had been the dumb squirt gun emoji because Teddy had been whining about them watching Les Mis again and it made him smile. "I have an idea, and I know you said I don't need some grand idea, but this is Teddy and me so I kind of need to do it. Do you know where he's staying?"
"I haven't asked," Shen stated, although now she felt shitty about it. What kind of a friend didn't know where their friend was staying when he was in a bad place? But she'd been a little distracted (okay, a lot) by what Kitty had told her. "What kind of idea are we talking about? Because it can't be too grand," she pointed out. Teddy didn't want to be out yet, as far as she knew.
Billy shook his head. "No, no. Nothing crazy. So, he really likes strawberries, okay? I mean, like in an unhealthy obsession kind of way. Strawberry ice cream, candies, drinks- you name it he likes it. I was thinking of getting him something like that and maybe also either asking Kitty if his DS is even fixable or going to this used stuff shop I know in the city and looking to see if I can't find him another one."
"That sounds really thoughtful," Shen stated with a nod of her head. Her first instinct was that it was too much, but then she'd thought that if somebody did that for her, she'd be really touched. "As long as you remember the actual apology is the part that counts. That, and, you know, proving you meant it day after day."
Day after day. He wondered if Teddy would shake him after awhile if he kept apologizing over and over, but he knew what Shen meant, nodding to her words. "Yeah. I know, and hopefully he forgives me, but Teddy doesn't seem like a grudge holding kind of guy."
At least he hoped he wasn't.
"Shen....?" He asked a little sweetly, turning to give her a pathetic smile. "Would you help me find out where he's staying? I kind of want it to be a surprise and also I really don't want to have to know if he's ignoring me."
...that face of his was not fair. Shen glared a little, but it was playful. "You'd better make that apology work, Kaplan." That was a yes, obviously.
Billy's whole face lit up and he nodded quickly, getting up from his chair to hug her. "Yes, of course! Thank you, Shen!"
Shen didn't have to keep holding back her small smile once Billy was hugging her, since he couldn't see her face anymore, and she hugged him back, but still rolled her eyes with amusement. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't be an asshole any more."
"I promise!" Billy agreed enthusiastically, even though there was no way he could keep it for forever. He gave her another squeeze before letting her go and stepping back. "Alright. Operation get back in Teddy's good graces is a go!"
