The Lies We Tell And The Places We Hide

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Anyone
WHERE: Agrii Ship, On top of the Diner, Diner, Greenhouses (Temba or Peanut Party)
WHAT: Agrii Repair Deliveries lead to Freak Out, Lots of Introspection
WHEN: April 2nd on first prompt, post return to Agra-10 otherwise
WARNINGS: N/A

I. Calling Into Question | Agrii Ship

There's always use for someone who is fast when it comes to repairs. Courier work was something Tommy was just good at. So carrying things from the holds of the Agrii ship and those of the He Rows works out well for Tommy. Even if it means going back into Under Engineering.

He's got to help, right? Can't just stand back, even if he's confused over some stuff personally. Being busy, helping out, that's what he's meant for. Which is what gets him down here so often. Except now he comes down with his box of supplies, still looking for the person who sent him for them.

"Yo computer," Tommy says as he passes by. He's heard Tony gave it a name. Doesn't remember it. "Watch this for me, will you?"

He doesn't wait for confirmation before wandering around. Doesn't even notice where he's going until he steps into the room with all of the beds. The forcefield that made him feel bad is gone so he doesn't even notice he'd gotten here. And...

"What the fuck?" he asks, looking around, his breath hitching. "Those are... they're like the statis things we found Cloud and Scruffy in."

II. The Stars At Night... | Atop The Diner

What do you do when the world is giving you so much trouble facing the fear in your heart? Clearly you gotta feel your place in the universe. Being small, seeing things that are vast, trying to reframe the context of your problems.

For Tommy that used to mean atop Young Avengers HQ. Now here's Tommy, late at night, on top of the Diner. His legs dangle down over the edge of the building, just over the door below. Not that his eyes are cast down there. No, he's looking up toward the sky. The stars. Simple. Distant. Coldly beautiful. Made you feel small and insignificant, and your problems there too. And that helped.

He told himself it helped.

III. Keep Your Hands Busy | A Greenhouse (Peanut Party or Temba, your choice) or Diner

Nothing like buying a shit ton of stuff in a random spacestation to make the work easier. And really, all Tommy can think to do right now, no matter the hour, is working. In the Diner it means reorganizing cabinets and even building new ones to store all the new equipment, tools, and preparation tools. There's even some new experimentation with a pasta maker going on.

But that's not all. Gotta keep busy. So from there it's the greenhouses. There are plants to plant mostly on the ship, and plants to tend to with new tools in Temba itself. Pruning and labeling here, planting and watering there. Considering things for transplant too, now that Donnie's got really cool devices for helping move plants.

Not hard to run into Tommy at this point and find him with dirt under his fingernails and shadows under his eyes. Clearly someone's not getting enough sleep. But don't worry, he's working hard. That's good enough.

Right?

Comments

[doubled_speed]

"I guess it's not," Tommy laughs. That's how it goes with him isn't it? "It's because you've got your super power. Your mopey Tommy radar. I swear I'm happy sometimes."

[fatedsacrifice]

He wasn't sure if that laughter was forced or not, but hell he'd go with it. The reply though had him laughing a little. "Didn't know I had a superpower but I guess I do now."

[doubled_speed]

"Um, dude, the warping shit is definitely a super power."

Doesn't matter that it isn't inborn. Most aren't.

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis reached up to scratch the back of his head. "Ya I guess." But after a moment he stopped. "I just don't tend to think of it like that."

[doubled_speed]

"Don't 'I guess' it. That's an awesome power. A few superheroes back home have it. You can save people like that. Just, you know, need to throw less lethal things I guess."

Does it work with a teddy bear? A coin? A pebble?

[fatedsacrifice]

That had him laugh. "Helps out a lot on the battlefield." And in rescuing people, but he doesn't mention that.

[doubled_speed]

"I can imagine," Tommy says with a laugh. "Like my speed does. But yours is, like, bam-pow-zing!"

Yeah, he's making old school comics sound effects. Gonna fight him over it?

[fatedsacrifice]

Noct couldn't help but to laugh a little more. "I don't know. I think I'm hearing that you're impressed or something."

[doubled_speed]

Tommy laughs. Yeah. Maybe it's like that.

"You are. Sometimes. Just a little."