revivalproject | [Backdated] Storm: Our Lives On Display

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[Backdated] Storm: Our Lives On Display

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Open
WHERE: Temba
WHAT: Two Stormy Memories
WHEN: During Storm Week
WARNINGS: CW: Child Abuse in starter 2

I. A Memory of Delight

Storms. Tommy hates the storms. In fact, if he could just have 100% less storms, he'd be very happy. The happiest a man can be. With the storms he's just... He's lesser. It's always upset him. Always hurt him. Always left him frayed around the edges. But hey, this time they were supposed to be spotty? So he tries to go about his life.

Problem is, this one hits when he's alone, and man if Tommy wasn't on his way back from the new Avengers manor or whatever Tony was calling it. Turned out he didn't like being in his room there, still a work in progress, when the storms and world felt so draining. So walking back was a thing.

And of course, that's when a storm rolled in over him. The second the rain started he felt his powers go and Tommy just cursed. Because, well, what the fuck was going on here? Why did the rain hate him in particular? Cursing one more time, this time in Polish just for good measure, he finds a bit of stone overhang and sits his ass down. If he doesn't move, logically he shouldn't have troubles, right?

Except there's something different today. Of course there is. The rain is getting thick enough that it's hard to see beyond his hand and for some reason... it almost looks like he's in his room above the diner, which makes no sense at all.

II. A Memory of Pain | CW: Child Abuse will be depicted in threads from this starter

That was an experience that was shaking, and for a while, Tommy just stays back in his room at the diner, cuddled up by the fire even though it made him too hot because it just reminded him of what was happening in the moment. It was safer. It was better.

It wasn't enough because anxiety was prone to driving Tommy out of comfortable situations. Which was why he was outside again, heading for the greenhouse. His other safe place. The one that made him feel like he was useful and had a place where he fit in. Even if he had no powers, he could help the plants, right?

What a mistake that was, going outside. Because while it was clear when he stepped out, by the time he made it across the square and was nearing the greenhouse, the rain started. And this time, well, the change comes quickly.

Too quickly.

Comes in the form of his feet stepping not on the road but on familiar worn down wood. He knows the creak his foot produces almost instantly. And there's the sound of a truck door closing.

Sure it's Tommy there, but it also isn't Tommy there, because to another person's eyes it's Tommy but younger. Tommy but with hair as dark as his brother's, not a hint of white in it. A younger, childhood Tommy who is flinching at the sound of booted footsteps nearing in the rain...

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Billy gives him a soft nudge with his elbow, being playful with it, as he leads them through the dark. There's a little squeeze to that hand entwined with his. Then he laughs.

"She's got a temper like me, so it's not like it's hard to piss her off," or maybe Billy was really good at doing it. "We'll just make a different skateboard or find a cart to pull it then. If I want to carry my boyfriend out to the beach for a picnic, then we're gonna find a way for you, me, and a damn picnic basket to get out there, Tomothy."

Not surprising that Billy doesn't need, or ask for, clarification on the his own best friend thing. Tommy doesn't mind dropping lines like that once in a while, but he knows better than to linger over them.

"Tomothy," he snorts, more amused by that than any of the rest of the picture. "And am I the one making this theoretical picnic basket?"

Billy doesn't linger over them, since he's already focusing a lot on leading them through the dark. Reaching out with his free hand, he finds the handrail. "Found the stairs. You sure you don't wanna at least hold onto my back for this?"

As for the picnic basket, he snorts. "You could, and always surprise me with what you put in it. Or we could make it a boyfriend thing where we pack it together or some shit like that."

"Babe, I trust you on an intellectual level, but on a 'i'm a fragile baseline human who has broken his leg twice in a storm' fear brain level, I need to handle the stairs myself."

Very much a 'it's not you, it's me' but with good reason. It really is him.

"You a cook of some sort, Hargrove? Probably better than me at it if you are. I've had to learn it here, piecemeal, from other people."

"Afraid you won't be able to let go once we get to the top? Don't worry about it, I know I'm addicting." Sure, Tommy, you let you think that it's you, but Billy will just spin it into a win for him. He starts up the stairs, listening to both Tommy and his feet as he keeps the easy pace.

"Basics, really. Know the temp to cook meat at, know how to make stuff not taste bland or awful. Kind of came a bit with the territory back home." He glances over his shoulder at Tommy, though he doubts the guy will see him in the dark. "Yeah? You're the second best looking meal here."

Because Billy's going to still be egotistical and say he's the best. But it's also a tactic to get his partner's mind off of things. Hopefully.

"You're definitely a hit of something," Tommy agreed as he moved, slowly, carefully. His steps aren't sure, but he's sure as hell trying.

He does have to stop to laugh though. Heartily. God, Billy just makes him feel so good.

"And I thought I was a tall drink of water. I'll take a meal. Either way, I'm delicious."

"Sunshine. I'm a hit of sunshine," and he's grinning. Tommy could probably hear that grin. Billy keeps the slow and easy pace as they ascend.

"How about this. You be the meal, I'll be the tall drink of water?" It's teasing now, and what did Tommy call himself that night in the diner? A short king? Seemed fitting here.

"I've got sunshine. On a cloudy day," Tommy notes, smiling to himself. It's like a song.

"This is where I make a joke about being thirsty as hell. And you're not THAT tall."

Maybe he's pouting. Just a little.

A song that he knows! If he didn't know, that'd be sad. "You really do. All of Temba and we picked each other. That's called quality taste, babe."

A few more steps and they'd be at the top. "I'm taller than you. But you're faster than me. So it's a trade off. Even like this I bet you're way faster than me." Some ego mixed with reassurance. "And you get forever shotgun on being the little spoon."

Especially on dark and stormy nights like this one."

"I think it was just a good fit that we stumbled into. Which isn't bad either. Sometimes that's just how it works."

Yeah yeah, taller than him. Like that isn't a massive turn on for Tommy when it comes to guys. Like he isn't always into guys that are taller than him.

"I'm not sure I am. I wasn't... I wasn't exactly fast when I was a kid. I didn't start running until my powers came in... Thankfully that wasn't the memory you saw."

Okay, wait, no. There's not a rule that he has to be little spoon. He's small but he's feisty.

"Just for that, you're little spoon this time."

"Shhh, it's just quality taste." Another little squeeze to that hand. It felt ironic that Billy was younger but taller and Tommy was the opposite. He gets to the landing and makes room for his boyfriend to join him before moving onto the bedroom.

"Yeah? You were just lying in wait I bet. Ready to smoke anyone that tried to race you." It's only when Tommy mentions being the little spoon does Billy frown. "No! You're the one having the tough time and since my Walkman isn't working, I gotta find a different way! I'm the big spoon tonight!"

Once on the landing Tommy takes a wide step away from the stairs and breathes a sigh of relief. This is why he stays low to the ground if he can during storms. Too many injuries.

But then they're moving again and this time it feels safer to crowd close.

"Hate to say this, Billy, but I had no coolness or athleticism until after my powers came in. I swear it. It was pathetic. And please, I just... let me hold you, okay? I need..."

He needs to be able to get free. Get away.

"I need to be sure you're safe."

Oh. This is serious talk. Billy can tell with how Tommy seems to fail at figuring out which sentence to end. He doesn't let go of that hand, but reaches up to run his hand through the white hair. "How about we just hold onto each other. Face to face kind of cuddling?"

Maybe hearing his heartbeat would help soothe Tommy.

"I'm safe. You're safe. We're safe, here. Together. Okay?"

No. They aren't. And Billy doesn't get it. Because he hasn't been through the bad part of the storms. So Tommy stops and tries to pull Billy around to look at him.

"Some storms, when midnight hits, the moon does this thing. It screams. And those of us with powers, they go haywire. I've almost blown up buildings in the city before, Billy. I'm scared I would hurt you if I stayed. I can't... I can't let you hold me in a way where I can't get away quickly. If the moon is active this time, if it screams, I need to put all of myself into getting as far away from everyone as quickly as I can."

Billy doesn't get it. The moon screams, but he's never seen someone's powers go out of whack because of it. He holds tight to Tommy's hand, as if the speedster was trying to dart off now.

"I don't care if the moon is crying or screaming. There's storms going on and you said yourself you're fragile. That you'll break easier because you don't have your powers. Don't put yourself at risk like that just for me. I don't care. I want you to stay here." Billy does not like the idea of Tommy running off to keep someone safe. If it was the whole city? Yeah, probably then. But not now, not for one person.

"And I don't want to wake up to the scream, lose control, and then find I jerked too fast and broke your bones, or the vibrations came on too much and..."

And. There's so much to the and. He wants to say here too. But he knows what he is.

"I'm dangerous when the moon screams. And I want to stay, more than anything, but... But I don't want to hurt you. I can't handle maybe hurting you. Do you know how afraid of that I am? It's a thing our family does, often when we don't mean it. And I don't want to do that to you."

That hand grips tighter, forgetting for now that Tommy is fragile like this. "And if it doesn’t scream? You gonna stay? And if you ever hurt me I know you won’t mean it. Like that stupid bug with Kaplan, right?"

Just like if Billy acts like his dad, it’s not like he means to. "If it doesn’t scream, you’ll stay, but..." the blonde swallows hard and continues. "...if it and you have to leave, you promise to come back?"

Oh, Billy... Tommy pulls him close and puts his free hand around him in a hug. A tight one.

"If the moon isn't active, I'll come back," he promises. "You think I'd prefer to be anywhere but with you? I wouldn't. I'm sorry if it feels that way. I'm just... I'm scared. When I can't control my powers people can die. Horribly. Horribly for me, not for them. They... don't feel it."

It's too fast.

Billy's own free hand comes up to return that tight hug. "Say it," he hisses out. "Say that you promise, Tommy. I know your scared and you say you'll come back but I have to hear it."

Yeah, he's in a little deeper with this relationship than he thought he'd be right now, and that's leading to this reaction. "I know you're scared. I don't get it, but I do, I'm just making sure."

"Of course I promise, Billy. On my life. On my brother's life. I'll come back if it's safe because that's what you do when you love someone."

Because Tommy falls hard and Tommy falls fast. He's different than he is at home. He's lost enough people that it would be impossible be too afraid of saying it anymore. Because now they could go not because of him, because of the world, and they'd never know. He can't keep being the scared boy that won't say what matters. Love matters. And it needs said. Even if Billy might not be ready to hear it.

Billy certainly wasn't ready to hear it. There's a brief flicker of wonder if Tommy could feel the shock on his face against his shoulder. No one's told him that they loved him in years, not until after he was dead where it didn't matter anymore. All of his protests die from the shock of hearing that Tommy does actually love him.

His hand drops Tommy's to hug him with both arms, tighter. "I—" there's a soft, choked noise, like his throat really is choking on trying to get out the same sentiment. "It is," he finally settles for, squeezing a little tighter as if to translate the sentiment through physical action instead of just words. "It is what you. You go out and save them from storms too."

Of course he doesn't have to say it. Not now. Maybe not ever. Because this is a violation of Tommy's rule of 'at your pace, Sunshine', and in this moment, it's an important violation.

"Yeah, you do," Tommy agrees. "You're my hero, baby. And I'm grateful for that. But you've got to let me protect you from me. Just like I have to trust you to protect me from you."

Because it would destroy the relationship if either of them hurt the other in the ways they feared. It just would.

"Did you know you're in a pretty small and prestigious group, Sunshine? The people who have gone out of their way to save me for me. You and David. I mean, he dragged my team with him into it, and Kate and Billy and Teddy were happy to do it. But it's just you and him. The people who believe too much in me, in different ways."

Billy will find a way to say it one day. He will. He has to. One day he'll say it because he knows that he's worth being loved and it's worth it to tell it to other people. Tommy wasn't his mom. Tommy promised now to come back. "If you don't come back, I'll get your brother to summon you back and unleash an over-caffeinated Munson on you as punishment."

There's a hard sniff and he's pulling back so he can press his lips against Tommy's cheek. "Of course I'm in a....a prestigious group. A-class right here. And I believe in you so much because you believed in me after we first met."

No, he doesn't have to. That's the thing. Some people say it, some people show it. And some people get blindsided by a speedster who can cram two weeks of thought into five minutes to just ponder the beautiful shade of Billy's eyes. Who has had months to love Billy, had months to love him after only a week.

"If I don't come back and power comes back on, you call my brother immediately, okay? Because if I don't come back, I got hurt, and I need rescuing. And it's easier for him to find me than even someone with Comms. And you really don't need Munson to lecture me on it either. Billy's really good at the mom routine. He learned it from Rebecca. She's really good at the 'i'm not mad I'm just disappointed' routine."

Still, he's pleased for the kiss, for the affirmation. Because you know what, sometimes being a hero means something other than superpowers and fighting villains. Sometimes it means pulling people out of the funks of their own lives. And Tommy's particularly good at that aspect.

"You're a wonder to behold, Sunshine."

Billy is more of an action person than a speaker, if all of his actions are to go by right now. "I'll have my phone ready to call him if you're not back by then. I'll go out and look for you myself if I have to."

Hell, Billy might call for the city to search for him.

"Oh, he wouldn't lecture you. That's Harrington. Munson with too much caffeine would talk about everything probably really manically or some shit."

Billy's finally calming enough that his hug loosens from being too tight to just holding Tommy close. "Only because my superboyfriend has promised to come back. Now c'mon. No storm or screaming moon is going to rob me my fucking cuddling time with my boyfriend."

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