[Open] These Broken Pieces Of Life

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Open
WHERE: Young Avengers HQ, The Diner, The Greenhouse, The Beach Cave Hot Springs
WHAT: Returning to Temba, Broken Down Home, Farming, Failing To Hide Emotional Pain.
WHEN: August 1st through 15th
WARNINGS: N/A

I. Another Ruined Home | Young Avengers HQ

Freedom. Sunlight. A sandwich made of greens and beautiful vegetables from the greenhouse. A meal that was doing nothing to make what was before him any better. Home, for the last several years... Broken.

"Fucking hell," he grumbled around his mouthful of baconroom wrap. "Because when it fucking rains..."

It fucking poured. The roof was busted open, the door fallen off, and he could already see through the opening that their shared living room space was fucked. And now Tommy had no choice but to hope that things would be fixable. That he could bring out the things that mattered until such time he could have his home and his life back.

"Fat chance that, with my luck."

II. Moving In Day | The Diner

It's only temporary, Tommy tells himself as he pushes into the Diner and puts the heavy box in his arms on the table. He's so tired after all of the work of cleaning the HQ out. Fuck, he just hadn't wanted to deal with that today.

"Tea," he decides, moving to the counter to fish out the kettle so he could fill it with water. Once he's got the thing full and his hand near it to start heating it, he looks to the door in the corner that he never really used. One of the two sets of stairs that led up into the apartment that was once Eli's. A space that hadn't been used in years.

"Home sweet home I guess. But damn, how am I supposed to get a new bed up the stairs? They're narrow!"

III. Whistle While You Work | The Greenhouse

Stressed? Frustrated by the turn of events? Need to feel accomplished in life? Have you ever considered Farming(tm)?!

Tommy groans at the voice running stupid infomercials in his head as he enters the greenhouse, grabs a basket with pruning sheers and gloves from the door, and looks around. The green, the smell of plants, the familiarity of this place... It's strangely soothing to Tommy. Like coming home. Perhaps it was, given no one had put as many years of care and attention into this place as he had.

And this? This was the place he remembers. Tommy immediately moves to the first area where he should have been harvesting already and sets into it. And he pauses only when he hears motion.

"Someone there?" he calls out, looking around. Strange. Not many people came here like he did.

IV. The Calm Is A Lie | Beach Caves Hot Spring

He didn't come here often. There was always the risk he'd turn the wrong way and end up in the crystal rich parts of the minds. Super charging his powers right now was not something Tommy was particularly keen on. It would only make all of this decidedly worse.

Caution was the watch word as he moved through the caves, hand on a wall, until he could hear the water and feel the heat. The springs. A place to soak sore muscles, and he'd been sore as hell since they'd headed underground. No amount of sauna could have helped with it. Now Tommy didn't hesitate for even a second to strip out of his clothes and slip into the almost too hot water.

"Fuck," he mumbled once he was settled into it. It felt so good. So freeing. So nice.

"Fuck," he repeated as he felt a sting in his eyes. It's just from the heat of the water. It's from how hot it is, turning his skin a little pinker. That's it. He's not crying. He's not crying.

Comments

IV please!

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis was trying to find every damn part of water and check on the fish. After the fiasco of catching two burned fish, and having fed them his bait out of guilt, he was attempting to fix what he could. He felt pretty useless but refused to go home like this.

Eventually he came upon the hot springs and saw Tommy with his head down or so it appeared to be. With a small handful of hope and happiness at seeing the other, the king got a little closer and heard the other curse.

Keeping his distance, it sounded as if the other was upset. And of course Noct knew all about trying to tough shit out on his own and putting the world's burdens on his own shoulders.

So he went for a soft tone. "Hey."

[doubled_speed]

It was a long way to travel to get here, and yet Tommy is somehow completely unsurprised that Noctis has found him while he's like this. There seemed to be some special gift in the older man, his ability to find Tommy when Tommy is just hurting and needs an ear to listen to him.

"Hey," he says, his breath catching as he tries to hold his tears in. "What brings you into the caves, Noctipus?"

[fatedsacrifice]

Tommy's tone..there was something in it that tugged at the king's heartstrings. But for the other to save face and give him some time, Noct decided to launch into his original reason for coming out this far.

Sighing and shaking his head, he started. "Saw a lot of fish that were in pretty bad shape. So instead of catching them, I fed them what little bit I had. That led me to start to look around to see how other pools or bodies of water fared and see if there was something I could come up with."

Dark blue eyes then locked onto Tommy, albeit briefly. "And then I found you."

[doubled_speed]

Well that's a good reason. Tommy considers Noct, taking that time to compose himself the best he could.

"Indeed you did. Here I am. Just taking a hot bath. But man, stumbling through caves to find me here is pretty interesting. A plus navigation man. Don't think there are any fish here though."

So if Noctis wanted to go that was fine. Don't mind him and the concerns there. It's okay.

Don't go.

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis shrugged. "Gotta admit I've never really been out this way. But I just followed where the water went and kept going." And try as he might, he wasn't able to keep the visual of the burned fish out of his head.

His stomach was half ready to turn on itself so he decided Tommy was a much better point of focus.

"But speaking of, this is a pretty far out of the way place to take a bath."

[doubled_speed]

"I mean, it's a hot spring, man. And with the ships gone and my old place wrecked, it was this or see if I could grab something in the hotel. So, you know, this."

Because he had wanted a little bit of space. But not so much that no one could find him. Because he's weird like that.

[fatedsacrifice]

The king sighed, debating. But in the end he didn't ask his question and shook his head. "I guess water is as good a place as any right now."

It pained him to think about how much destruction had been caused, all of the devastation. It reminded him of going back home after all of those years away.

[doubled_speed]

"Best way to get clean. I've been cleaning up a palce today and that meant that I really needed to get clean."

So the hot spring. So the hot water. So the hiding away.

[fatedsacrifice]

"Right." Noctis replied in a tone that clearly conveyed that he wasn't convinced of Tommy's words. But he wasn't going to argue because maybe the kid needed time. This place had destructed and it was time to rebuild.

Kind of like he always thought he would've been around to help with the kingdom.

"Hope the water's helping."

[doubled_speed]

"It is," he says with a little shrug. "For now it is."

And that isn't an easy thing to admit to. That maybe he won't be good later.

[fatedsacrifice]

The king sighed and looked around, trying to think of anything but what devastation he'd seen on the way in.

But he heard what Tommy said and his eyes looked back at the other man. "What can I do to help?"

[doubled_speed]

"Help?" he asks, looking confused. Did he even need help? No. He wouldn't say so.

[fatedsacrifice]

"You said the water was helping for now. So I wondered what was going through your head."

There was a small apology in his tone.

[doubled_speed]

Oh. That. Tommy sighs.

"Billy and I were some of the first people to ever set up a home here, you know? A place that would be just ours. It got... fucked."

[fatedsacrifice]

Okay, he could understand that and he nodded sympathetically.

"Rebuilding does suck."

Not that he rebuilt Insomnia, even if he'd wanted to.

[doubled_speed]

"It was home," he says with a sigh. He's used to having to rebuild stuff quite a bit.

"And now I've lost that. Lost the shit all over again."

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis nodded, he knew what that loss felt like all too well. Turning back and seeing the devastation was a huge punch in the gut and he felt so responsible for the death of his father and their people. Which was why Ardyn's words about being a helpless and hapless prince had just ground on his nerves.

"I can help you rebuild it."

And having said that, Noctis felt a little better but this was about Tommy and not himself.

[doubled_speed]

"Can you?" Tommy says, looking shocked. "YOu've got a lot of construction experience?"