revivalproject | [Open] These Broken Pieces Of Life

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[Open] These Broken Pieces Of Life

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.

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"Can't it be replicated or something?" he lashes back with. Billy only asks because he hasn't really used the replicators to know what they're capable of. "Or is that shit just limited to seeds you can find on this stupid planet?"

The Californian's about to ask if Tommy has a broom or something else with a stick so he could start beating the mattress free of dust before that little nugget of information is dropped like a nuke.

"Twice?" he parrots. "Is that like the Christian thing or something? Born again or something?" Because really that's what Tommy meant, right? Right?

"Can't replicate living things," he answers with a shrug. "I don't know why. It's just like that."

And that means they can't exactly hops without going somewhere that they can acquire some, another planet, and then actually putting the effort into doing it.

"First of all, I'm Jewish, so no. And secondly I mean two lives. Once as Thomas Shepherd in New Jersey, once as Thomas Maximoff, who was born in New Jersey and died in LA."

So there. He's fucking weird.

"Like I said. Strange shit."

"You're strange shit," he grumbles under his breath like he's been chastised somehow (he hasn't). It's just a bit to take in because while the Upside Down was a lot to take in, this backstory was more. Yet, the reborn thing sounds... nice. He wish he got that in Hawkins. Billy keeps that to himself for now.

The world was a lot more vast and freaky than he ever realized. He takes it all in before sitting down on the bed with a plop. A cloud of dust poofs up around him. Good thing he didn't take the cloth off yet.

"Sounds like the worst of all of that was being born in New Jersey twice."

He's really strange shit. Tommy knows it, and he actually laughs at the comment. Because it's so completely true. Though the whole birth sass makes him laugh so fucking loud. Like, geez man, what a burn. He moves to flop down on the bed. Yep, more dust. Whatever, he'll clean himself up later.

"You want the crazy part? The really crazy part? Thomas Maximoff was alive during my life time. I was literally reborn before I was even born the first time. Part of the weirdness that comes from your mother being a witch who specializes in chaos magic. Though I still think the rebirth thing was because of Billy's powers."

The way Tommy just owns any snapback that Billy sends his way is surprising. For someone that couldn't take the word 'freak', he could take on anything else Billy threw at him. It was rather surprising. The bed jostles under him as Tommy plops down on it.

"You're telling me the crazy part isn't you waking up in Jersey twice or more. So you're Maximoff but not? Sounds like this body was made waiting for your freaky soul to be put into it. And here I thought the Upside Down shit was crazy from my world."

"East coast worst coast aside, you got a broom or something around here so we can clean this damn mattress off?"

Very few other things were used to justify trying to murder him. Or sterilize him. So yeah, he could take so fucking much more. And since Billy wasn't from New York, well, he was allowed to insult New Jersey.

"I mean, it's not like I remember waking up in Jersey twice. Okay I woke up there most of my life. But who remembers being born? And yeah, we don't really know how that happened, whether we were the original souls in the bodies or not. I think that's why my soul-mom avoids me. That and I don't take after her magically, but rather I'm like her brother, my uncle Pietro, in powers. But like I said, my world is crazy and I've definitely had people just look at me like I'm crazy because of how messed up the family history is."

The 'east coast worst coast' does get Billy flipped off briefly though. Because excuse you, he died on the west coast. Sorta.

"I'll go find a broom to sweep up. But I'll haul the mattress down and beat it out myself."

"I wouldn't want to remember waking up there either." It was easy to bash on a coast he had never been to. But he knows that the California coast was easily the hest coast with how pretty it was. Jersey could keep her sunrises because the west coast sunsets trumped them every time.

He leans to the side so he's still sitting but giving Tommy all the space on the bed. "Your mom sounds like shit then. Maybe she took tips on parenting from Neil at some point if she was in California."

He catches the brief motion of the finger before laughing and sticking his tongue out.

"Probably be easier if both of us hauled the mattress down and beat the dust off of it." Tommy would be faster, but Billy could put some power in his arms at least.

"Asshole," Tommy laughs with some amusement. Because really, he's not that upset. "You know, we grew out of the whole rap-based coast battles years ago, right?"

That's not even relevant in Billy's time, is it? No, not really.

"Frank and Mary were terrible. Wanda and Vision just haven't been there. And in some ways I don't forgive them for that. And in others, I just wish they had been. That they were. They apparently aren't like that, across all universes."

Vision. Someone Tommy's referenced as having been here before. Probably a crumb that Billy can do something with later. And now it's getting serious and talking about things Tommy's bad at talking about so he does his best to deal with it. Which is by distraction. Which he does with a joke.

"Oh come on now, Curls, you aren't really offering to help me beat off, are you?" he says. Which he would probably immediately regret.

"Yet you still want to sponsor me," comes the rebuttal. Why, he still wasn't entirely sure of. Maybe because even with backsliding into punches and slurs, Tommy still saw the bit of good trying to shine through. Just needed more polish.

His foot starts to bounce a little as he listens. "At least they're consistent I guess. I forgot that you come from a place that has universes like that. Plural.

About to add more to the conversation, Tommy drops the flirty joke on him. Billy stiffens and looks back to the other. It throws light on his face easily, which highlights the pink creeping into his cheeks. Talking to Robin about how he felt with... his own gender had been a little liberating. She had gotten it easily on the way down to the bunker. The mattress squeaks as he gets up and starts tugging it. "Shut up. And get off of this so we can get it downstairs. Unless you want to sleep in filth, you——" No. Don't say it. You're being good.

Of course he still wants to sponsor Billy. He's an asshole too. They've got to stick together, right? As for the whole foot bouncing, Tommy definitely sees it and it makes him realize he's making the guy uncomfortable. So he's not going to say more on that of course.

But he sees the reaction, the pink. A red face can be anger as much as embarrassment, and Tommy groans as he gets to his feet.

"Shit, sorry man. Shouldn't have said that. It's just knee jerk. It's nothing to do with you."

But he is up off the bed and with a quick push on the mattress he's helping it up onto it's side.

"I almost want to throw it out through the window. For shits and giggles."

The pink grows and he scowls, trying to use his expression to cover that up. He had already shouted at Tommy before that he wasn't like that. He liked girls like a normal guy was supposed to.

But then everything else happened in between to bring those conflicting feelings back to light and Tommy's teasing doesn't help any of it. A glance from the mattress to the window.

One part of him wants to throw Tommy out of it.

The smarter part knows Tommy would never let Billy catch him.

"Well we could. Save us the energy of beating the dust out when the ground does it for us."

Hilariously, defenestration might even be allowed. Mostly because if Tommy could get a foot on the side of the building, he'd be fine. Just run down it and not care.

"I mean, there's dirt in the ground. But this way we only have to navigate the stair once. Plus, come on. It's gonna be fun."

He moves back to the window and makes sure it's open all the way.

"Think we can squeeze it in?"

"Then we can throw a tarp or clean sheet or something on the ground to catch it." But Tommy was right - it would be far more fun. While the Jersey boy made sure the window was all the way open, Billy pushed it over.

He gives it a look over. "If we hoist it up and push it through diagonally, it should fit. Might take a little bit, but it'll work. I'll hold it up and you get it through." The blond starts lifting it, turning over so the brunt of it was on his back. Easier to keep it's angle this way.

"If anyone sees us doing this, we're totally going to get called gremlins," he laughs as he starts trying to squeeze the corners to get the thing in so he can push.

And man, it's great to squeeze it through.

"When it's mostly off your back, get out from under it, okay? You deserve to head down and watch it fall. I'll hold it and wait."

They deserve their little chaos.

"Im not a gremlin but I’ll vouch for you, Shepherd. You’d be a gremlin along with Munson." He grins and helps get the mattress halfway through the window. It’s easy work, and it’d put his muscles on display if he were wearing a tank top.

Once it’s mostly off of him with the weight in the window, he straightens up. He grins, eyes bright and starts down the stairs. Billy practically takes them two at a time before bursting out of the doors and heading around to the side.

It’s comical, seeing the mattress wiggling mostly out of the window. He laughs and wishes he had a Polaroid camera for this.

"Alright Shepherd!" Billy calls up with his hands cupped around his mouth. "Let her drop!!"

Tommy laughs. Oh Billy, you're a fucking gremlin in this moment. But he does hold the thing still until Billy's outside and calling out. Then he pushes just enough to make sure it will slide out on its own.

From there he moves, full speed of course, to be there at Billy's side to see the thing fall. Which it does. Kicks up a hell of a lot of dust, from it and from the ground, when it hits. And Tommy laughs in delight. Damn.

"That was so cool. Okay, want me to go find a stick to beat this thing with? I could hold it up and you could whap the hell out of it. And I promise no lip or egging on."

And he’s being a nice gremlin. What a concept. Being a gremlin for good for once, using the delinquency to help clean someone’s place.

He’s not even surprised now to see Tommy back at his side as the mattress falls. He laughs as it lands, glad that he’s still wearing the cloth mask to keep him from inhaling the dust.

"You go find some sticks. I’ll get this up against the wall so we can smack the shit out of this bitch." Hopefully not too much and destroy it.

If they destroy it Tommy can just haul a new one over. It will suck, but he doesn't care too much. He is gone instantly. Then it's back after a few minutes with some nice metal rods. All the better to hit things with.

"Alright, got it."

Tommy is gone and Billy gets to work. It’s a little tedious, but he gets it up against the wall. Halfway through that process the speedster is back with metal poles. With a shove, the mattress hits against the wall and the blond looks to him.

"Oh that’s better than what I thinking of. I’m keeping one of those when we’re done." He snatches one and swirls around in his hand to get the weight of it. It wasn’t an axe, but it’d be a good weapon.

"Weirdos with delinquent problems first," he gestures with the rod from Tommy to the mattress, grinning.

"Do whatever you're going to do, Curls," Tommy says with a smile. He's really not bothered one way or another on this matter. The dude with a weapon doesn't bother him.

"Oh, sounds like you want a first swing then," Tommy says with a grin.

"Oh fuck off, dipshit!" And the pole comes up to playfully smack against Tommy’s upper back. He goes to swing again but he’s already moving towards the mattress so the swing goes wide and definitely misses.

"Let’s start in the middle and work our way out. Push the dust and whatever else is in there out to make room for your mutant dust shit."

Of course the small tap earns a chuckle from Tommy. For half a moment he had been worried, but he also just knew it wouldn't have the force to hurt him so he let it happen.

He steps forward and starts to hit at the mattress as well.

"I'm not a dusting mutant. That's Pixie. Apparently her dust can make you high as fuck, if David was to believed."

Billy knows it’s futile to turn a weapon against someone who can literally be gone in a blink. Maybe half of a blink. Tommy is fast - he showed it in the dreamscape and that’s stuck with the blond all this time. What really stuck with him was the fact that Tommy was the only one that actively and successfully saved Billy from his own headspace.

No one else had even tried. Hell, Harrington had watched him get pulled down by his father‘s hands.

That sat with him a little too.

"Shut up. You have skin cells like the rest of us. You’re dusty and a mess, Shepherd." The pole begins to thawk against the mattress in hard smacks. "Unless you’re just that much of a freeeee—weirdo like this Pixie person."

Tommy had never met a victim he hadn't tried to save. Not since he donned the stupid tight as outfit of unstable molecules (which clung to every muscle and made him look DAMN sexy and he knew it).

"Oh, you mean skin cells. Yeah, I've got those too. And I'm TOTALLY a mess. Man, you wouldn't even believe it, Curls."

He is happy to keep beating, pausing only to eye Billy warily. Was the word really going to happen? Don't let it happen man. Billy pivots and Tommy nods.

"I mean, she has a knife that if it cuts you will cut out your soul or something, I think. I don't know. I don't really keep up with X-Men shit much. But David needed someone to listen about it all, and I'm a surprisingly good listener. Then again, so are you."

Nope, the filter caught the word Just in time. Billy gets it but it hasn’t clicked fully into place why it was okay with some people and not Tommy. He was missing seeing the things Tommy experienced and understanding them to really lock it in why it was bad for him, but not Munson.

He sweeps his gaze noticeably over Tommy and goes back to swinging. "Yeah, I can tell you’re a mess Just by your hair, Shepherd."

Billy cackles at the taunt while the dust puffs up in the air around them. This would probably be a sight if anyone walking by happened to look down the alleyway and see the two of them beating the shit out a mattress with poles.

"Don’t have much else to do here and I’m not about to tell everyone my backstory. You’ve already seen some of it so I don’t care as much. But it’s boring here and I don’t want to hang out around Harrington. And the fucker is usually around Buckley and, or Munson, so the less spent around the two of them, the better."

So doing this and chilling at the beach house were Billy‘s way of staying out of trouble and attempting to make other connections that weren’t from Hawkins.

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