[Closed] Family Matters

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Billy Kaplan
WHERE: Temba Young Avengers HQ
WHAT: Wanda is Gone
WHEN: Early December
WARNINGS: Probably emotions, cursing.

It had been easy to tell, when it came down to it. Setting up an early morning message to Wanda, asking if she might wanna join him for the last few days of Hanukkah because he hadn't had the courage to ask her earlier. Learning to embrace who and what he wanted to be wasn't easy. And none of it was easy.

But it was all gone. Her contact information, her name on the crew list, and after a quick search, her things on the ship. Which was when Tommy fled back to the home to barge into Billy's room.

"Listen, no fucking questions, no applauding me about fucking emotional competence or some shit. I need a hug."

Comments

[wearingthestars]

Living with Tommy, Billy more or less had to get used to Tommy barging in abruptly. It was in his nature. Without Teddy here at least there were far less compromising situations to worry about finding himself discovered in.

He looked up, and while his brow furrowed slightly in confusion he nodded and stepped forward to fold his brother into a hug, no questions asked. Not aloud at least.

[doubled_speed]

Don't go developing telepathy or some magical shit to compensate and ask him that wat either.

Hug tendered, Tommy curled in against his younger twin and help him, just... he just needed it for a moment. Which turned into a full minute. Which was of course a lot for him.

"Just us now," he whispered.

[wearingthestars]

He held him close, and the time stretched out for him too, unsure when the last time Tommy had been this still for this long was.

Billy paused, blinking a few times before he properly processed those words, and he pulled Tommy a little closer. His emotions were confusing. He'd never gotten as close to this Wanda as Tommy had, feeling a strange, hollow sort of loss, and a guilt for what hadn't been. Mostly though, he felt sympathy for his brother. Tommy had been able to bond with his family here, and piece by piece there were taken away again.

"We'll be okay," he whispered back in a promise. So long as the two of them were together, they'd be all right.

[doubled_speed]

Hey, he was still for longer when he slept. And with Kyle sometimes. Love made shit weird. But he loved Billy too, and Wanda.

For Tommy, though, this was rather painful. Trying to find his balance with their mom back home was hard. Trying to connect with Vision was hard. The whole 'maybe we aren't related to Magneto and thus Lorna' was hard. Hell, all he had to connect with was a Billy who was rarely around or talking to him, Viv who made time for him but often had her own team stuff to do, and Pietro who was LITERALLY A PAIN to pin down.

Hell, he should probably just try and find Luna and chill with their cousin instead.

Family was hard for Tommy, and this one? This one that had accepted him here? It had felt strangely okay.

"I know we will," Tommy answered. "I'm always okay. I'm okay right now."

Lies. So many lies.

[wearingthestars]

Sleeping didn't count. This was different. Like a hummingbird perching on your finger, and you hardly dared to breathe less it fly away again.

"Maybe she's back with Vision now," he offered, knowing that Tommy wasn't okay, whatever he might say. "They'll be together."

[doubled_speed]

Man, Billy, was that suggesting Tommy didn't sleep but rather had a torpor state? Tell Tommy that and he will feel less guilty for how often he was staying with Kyle now that the guy was trying to deal with the loss of his hand.

"I hope she is. She loved him so much. I hope they're happier than our parents."

So yeah, that... that was a good point. So now Tommy was pulling away because he felt guilty for missing her.

[wearingthestars]

Billy smiled softly and nodded. He liked to think there was at least one version of them out there that were happy.

"I'm really sorry, Tommy," Billy said, feeling his own guilt for the less obvious bond they'd been able to achieve in her time here. "I know we don't really remember when we go back, but...maybe some part of us will hold onto all of this. Maybe you and Wanda can work on things back home..."

[doubled_speed]

Hell, Tommy would give a lot to know there was a happy version of himself out there. But he shook his head. He knew that there wasn't a chance that him and Wanda would be at full peace there.

She was too evasive for her own sons.

"Man, don't hope for things there. Our world sucks, Billy."

[wearingthestars]

"You don't miss it?" Billy thought he understood why that might be though. Tommy'd been able to set down roots here in a way he was pretty sure he hadn't yet been able to back home. There the knocks just kept coming for Tommy.

"...it's not all bad."

[doubled_speed]

Well, he did miss some things, and he hated admitting that.

"I miss David and what I have with him there. I miss that I won't get to know his boss more and finally get to talk Speedster shit with him. I miss talking with Sofia and Laurie and Noriko to learn more about how embarrassing David was when he was younger."

He missed the bits of life he'd set up there but...

"Other than that, things are complicated. Kate's still in the West, Cassie's been talking about going to join her but of course her dad and mom aren't cool on that, and sure it's nice that Eli's back in New York for school, but it's still... It's like no one is around much."

And they didn't make time for Tommy. Tommy had learned a lot about how important it was to make time for each other. To take their found family and hold on to it.