The Silly String Bandit [Closed]

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Poe Dameron, Carol Danvers, Wanda Maximoff
WHERE: Around the City
WHAT: The Silly String Finally Gets Used
WHEN: 12/8
WARNINGS: N/A




It's been waiting there since before the mintpocalypse. The Agrii had misunderstood Tommy when he asked for string. Or maybe they were creatures after his heart. Either way, he had the can, he was going stir crazy for a lack of mischief, and there was JUST ENOUGH protein and carbs sustained in his diet now that he really could ambush people. So it was time.

He grinned and spun the canister in his hand before popping the lid. Makes sure his hand can reliably find the nozzle. And gives a brief spurt to make sure the thing works. It does, and the string is a lurid green. Very Tommy.

Perfect. With that Tommy's out fast as a thought, racing off. Time to hit some victims.

Each of his victims, chosen at random to be honest, will find themselves interrupted in their day as a burst of wind was followed by silly string being sprayed over their hair, shoulders and finally chest.

When he's done Tommy will back off a few steps in front of them. Poe Dameron gets a mischievous smirk and a wave of fingers. Hello there, Space-Shatner. Welcome to town. For Carol there will be less mischief, and maybe an undercurrent of concern because he has NO CLUE clue the Captain will take it. He does, though, salute.

But Wanda? Tommy doesn't even realize who it is until after he's stopped in front of her, and his eyes go wide and tinged with regret. Fuck. He's so grounded.

Comments

[doubled_speed]

The can isn't even there when Poe goes for it. The second he moves Tommy has moved away, five feet further back, can tucked into his back pocket. And he grins.

"What you trying to do, all the way over there? It's like you moved backwards."

[happybeeps]

It boggles the mind, and even Poe- who being a pilot, has perhaps vision honed to be quicker and more receptive than the average person- blinks in surprise, and shakes his head to clear the disorientation it creates. His lips curl though, unable to help himself. It's amazing.

"Do it again," he prompts with a grin, eyes focusing in as if he can catch it if he just tries hard enough.

[doubled_speed]

Oooooh. Someone he can really impress. Okay, for Poe he’ll trot out real speed. There is a gust of wind by Poe as he moves this time. Mach 4 can really disturb air currents. And before Poe can breathe Tommy is five feet behind him.

“Do what?”

[happybeeps]

Try as he might, Poe can't see any of it, but he feels it, and it's the sort of speed that sends an exhilarated thrill through him, even second hand. He spins around to follow the source of the voice with an amazed and bewildered expression.

"...You are amazing, Kid."

[doubled_speed]

“Yeah, I am,” Tommy agreed, grinning. Finally some damn respect. Okay, so people around here have been super nice. But this guy has travelled in space. He gets what FAST is. And Tommy can’t help but like that.

“Your world doesn’t have speedsters?”

[happybeeps]

Poe shakes his head.

"We don't have anything like you."

Force users. Countless alien species. Poe's never seen anything like what Tommy's capable of. "Are you saying there's more of you? People just do that where you're from?"

[doubled_speed]

“Not many people do it. But those that do tend to be faster. But I’m still young and I get better every day.”

Maybe by his mid twenties he’ll break Mach 5, or even 6. Tommy would like that. Almost as much as this praise.

“Course other people can do other things. Both my mom and dad, and my twin for that matter, can fly. A lot slower than I run. But they fly.”

Go ahead. Be more impressed by that.

[happybeeps]

"Faster? What are they going at lightspeed?" Because it's not as though Poe can process the difference with his bare eyes. Tommy's beyond impressive enough on his own.

And well...pilot, he can't help but be impressed by the thought of flight either. But that he has seen in a matter of speaking, so there's less of a look of shock. "Sounds kind of like the Force." In a way.

[doubled_speed]

I mean, I think Northstar and Aurora can almost manage light speed. But only when flying. But they are Canadian so they don’t count.”

Wow, Tommy. Way to dismiss the competition. Still, he has to pause and look at Poe strangely. That word. It’s... definitely setting off alarms.

“The Force?”

[happybeeps]

"Canadian?"

Oh Poe is so not the right person to explain the Force. But...he can try.

"It's...well, the best way I heard it described was as an energy. A life force inside us all. Light and Dark. What guides us. And some people who are particularly connected to the Force are able to hear it, to wield it." Poe is decidedly not one of those people.

[doubled_speed]

“A country and region on Earth that I feel like teasing,” Tommy dismisses. He is not going to try and describe Tim Hortons and poutine and moose.

But the rest of that. Tommy sighs and shakes his head.

“Yeah, avoid my brother, okay? He’ll nerd out over you. Promise I won’t call you Jedi-Face or Skywalker or whatever. Geez, who knew Star Wars was apparently real?”

[happybeeps]

Poe frowns. He'd more or less come to accept that they were all from different universes, or at least, galaxies far outside the reach of his own, so for Tommy to so casually name drop both the Jedi and Skywalker gives him a wave of unease, much like the gifts he'd received from the Agrii.

"...How do you know about that?" he presses, "Star Wars?" he repeats under his breath.

[doubled_speed]

“It’s this whole thing back home. Movies, mostly following some skywalker or other,” Tommy shrugs. “Of course for us it’s all just a fake story. About a galaxy ‘far, far away’ from Earth and humans. I think George Lucas probably is a space wizard or something that can see things really far away. It’s a scam. Asshole is getting money for historical movies? Unless he is changing them a lot.”

Tommy is offended.

[happybeeps]

That...that is a whole lot, and Poe's mind can't quite handle it, wanting to immediately dismiss it as further teasing, but those details...

"Luke?" he prompts, frowning. Apparently his legend extends further than they even knew.

"...George Lucas." The name means nothing to him, though whoever he is, he's telling their story to a whole other world.

[doubled_speed]

“The prequels involve Anakin Skywalker. He’s a prick,” Tommy shrugs. “Which is all I know about that set. Other than Jar-Jar Binks CANNOT be real. Or there is this crazy theory he is actually a Sith or something.”

Please let that be true? Or not. Like he cares.

“George Lucas is some old self-important white asshole who claims to have created your world.”

[happybeeps]

There's recognition in Poe's eyes, so it seems Jar-Jar is as real as any of it, an important historical figure at that.

"...He was a Senator." Definitely not a Sith.

"Never heard of him." Whoever he is, however he knows what he does...

[doubled_speed]

“Well now I know I can dislike Lucas on principle. But really? Jar-Jar is real? The universe is cruel.”

More cruel than expected to be honest.

[happybeeps]

"He's very real. And very before my time. Before my parents time even." But known to this 'speedster' from Earth. Very strange.

[doubled_speed]

“Well avoid my twin. He will nerd out over people from your world being around. Especially if you are a Jedi or whatever.”

Or whatever the good guy names are.

[happybeeps]

"There's a few of us around. But nothing to worry about. I'm not a Jedi, just a pilot."

But it sounds as though it's in his best interests to avoid the twin. His brain's not sure it can handle it.

[doubled_speed]

“Like Han Solo?”

Because that is he only pilot he can come up with.

[happybeeps]

Okay, it's getting a little scary now. But Poe nods.

"Like Han. My father did some missions with him in the war."

[doubled_speed]

Listen, they've ACTUALLY reached the whole of what Tommy knows. Except his brother has a shirt that says 'Han Shot First' and he doesn't know what that means.

"War? Like, against Vader?"

[happybeeps]

He nods again.

"The Rebellion. Against the Empire," he half corrects, Vader being just a small part of it.

[doubled_speed]

Rebellion. Empire. It's all the same to Tommy. So he shrugs it off.

"I guess the secret is just to be faster than the bad guys?"