This Is How We Get Along

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Tony Stark, Billy Hargrove
WHERE: Tony's Workshop, Tommy's Room in Avengers HQ
WHAT: Trying to figure out a gift; emotional vulnerability
WHEN: Late September, Early October
WARNINGS: To Be Added in the Billy Hargrove Thread

I. What Do You Get For A Surfer Dude? | Closed to Tony

The thing about Tommy was that he was kind of shit about asking for help when he needed it for himself. Things that would benefit him, or make his life better, or help him deal with his shit. It wasn't something he did. Which always made him showing up to ask for it harder.

So yeah, his showing up (after a good bit of searching) at Tony's workshop door, knocking lightly as he did so, was odd. Him looking nervous was probably less so. He was, after all, trying to heal what he thought was some damage between them due to his own actions. But this wasn't about any of that. This was about asking for help. And fuck if he wasn't shit at that.

II. The Terror of Being Known | Closed to Billy Hargrove

Between them they have so many places to withdraw to. The shack on the beach, the apartment above the diner, the rooms taken up by Billy for his winter in the Civics Center. And here. The place Billy is getting to see for the first time while he comes help Tommy make the place more homey.

A room in the established Avengers HQ. A place shared with Steve Rogers and Janet Van Dyne and probably others. A place that was more plain than the efforts he had taken with the diner's space. Which was supposed to change today. That was absolutely the plan.

A plan that was being foiled by the frustrated noise as Tommy tried, once again, to get a table to sit level. He'd been trying to shim this thing for ten minutes now. Ten minutes for someone like Billy. A lot more than that for Tommy. It was a frustration so deep that he finally did something stupid. He kicked a leg of it in frustration. And with speed. Too much speed. The metal leg bent from the force, dumping the table and the box of tools and decorations that had been sitting on it to the floor.

Which in turn only amped Tommy's bad mood up further, leaving him fuming in particular down at a small, potted plant that clearly had a damaged pot now. Something that was going to take repotting.

"Fucking hell."

Comments

[doubled_speed]

What Tommy deserves and what he gets out of life has rarely lined up. Which he supposes is perfectly expected of his existence if he's honest.

"Not sure I have a lot of boyfriend experience. You're sort of my second."

[playingtough]

"You think I have much of any? You've seen the way my home fucked me up. You know this kind of thing we've got wouldn't be allowed."

He pulls Tommy's hand more into his lap and looks over the room. "Wanna try decorating again? Then we can get your painting looked over and fixed, maybe do dinner at the diner like some old married couple, then cuddle up in one of our many beds we have."

[doubled_speed]

No, he doesn't think Billy has had many at all.

"If we were in your home I'd make sure we were allowed. Like I'd ever let someone stop us."

Now that they are here, he isn't going to let it go so easily.

"I guess," he says, but his eyes flicker to the painting. And it hurts to see it.

[playingtough]

"We’d have to get rid of Neil for that. Fuck Neil. Fuck Frank, fuck Mary." Billy leans against Tommy a little, like the physical presence would help his boyfriend, then straightens up once more.

A squeeze to their hands. "Tell me what you need, babe," Billy asks softly, leaning forward to try and look into those green eyes. "I’m here to try helping."

This was Tommy’s room after all.

[doubled_speed]

Yeah, that sounds right. But Tommy's more focused on the cadence of the words. Focused on the feel of the shell in his hands. The warmth of the body next to his own.

"I don't know. I just..."

The guy moves and it makes Tommy open his eyes and he smiles. Weakly, but he smiles.

"I know you are. But sometimes I don't know how to be better. Or make things better around me."

[playingtough]

Billy waits. A nugget of impatience threatens to make itself bigger, but he smushes it down mentally. Tommy had been patient long enough with him, Billy could return it.

"Sounds like me when you were helping me be a better person. I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. Good thing I had a speedy gremlin of a guy to keep me on the right path."

Billy gives Tommy’s hand a reassuring squeeze. "Speaking of that, I’m… sorry for using that word. I shouldn’t have, even if it didn’t upset you like it has before."

[doubled_speed]

Oh. That. Tommy had forgotten for a bit that Billy had said it. Okay. He... can deal with that.

"Thank you for apologizing. I'm just... Fuck. I'm a mess. I'm a REALLY big mess, Billy. I just hide it better I guess."

[playingtough]

He’s trying to be better, and Billy knows apologizing for bad shit is part of that. "Yeah, and you’re my mess, babe. Which means you’re stuck with me for a long time."

Another squeeze to that hand. "You don’t have to hide it with me, you know that, right?"

[doubled_speed]

His mess? Tommy looks up at Billy again. Really looks up. There are tears in his eyes and they're definitely close to falling over that.

"But I want you to like me."

[playingtough]

Billy reaches up and gently - carefully - brushes his thumb under one of Tommy’s bright green eyes. "We’re both messy. Hot and messy. Whatever. Why wouldn’t I like you knowing more about you? Certainly hasn’t turned you away from me despite all of my shitty past things."

Billy takes a breath. "Did you forget we’re dating? Which means I already like you babe. Like. a lot."

[doubled_speed]

Tenderness. Something neither of them are probably too familiar with. And it just makes his heart beat faster. Doesn't stop the tears, just wipes them away.

"People leave. Liking me doesn't promise anything."

[playingtough]

No, it wasn't a norm for either them with where they were from. Billy had to tap in deep to his childhood to remember how his mom would try to comfort him, though the memories were faint, barely wisps to hold onto.

"You're right, it doesn't. Pretty sure dating does. That we're willing to accept the good and the shitty." He keeps wiping those tears away, his thumbs acting like windshield wipers for his partner's face.

[doubled_speed]

Willing to accept the good and the shitty, huh?

"I guess," he agrees, trying to smile. "Guess I'm so used to the fleeting romance drama of heroes that I don't hold out the greatest hope."

[playingtough]

"Well you're not in a romance drama of heroes. You're in Temba. I'm sure we'll have actual drama at some point, probably revolving around me having the best hair in the city." He swings his arm around Tommy's shoulder to let his hand dangle off towards his chest.

"I got you, Daisy Dukes. All those times you had me, I got you this time."

[doubled_speed]

As if they aren't already having drama here and now. AS if this whole thing wasn't dramatic in its own way.

"I did vote for you," Tommy notes. He is calming down a little now, so hopefully that helps.

"Thank you."

[playingtough]

"Of course you did! You've got an eye for handsome men." Billy sticks his tongue out arrogantly. "And then you even got me to start typing on the silly little device, which I still hate using by the way."

But he'd use it for Tommy. To add to the bit when needed. He reaches for the bundle he brought and pulls it into his lap to open. Various other shells fill it, all collected by the two of them over the times they spent together down at the beach. "Figured these would look super nice in here. Give you a taste of the beach when I'm not around because I'm training or harassing Wesker or someone."

[doubled_speed]

"I appreciate properly tended curls," Tommy counters. "Which is why Eddie isn't higher up. He has hair like Mom, but he lets it get so bad."

He looks at the shells and smiles. Softly. Almost like there's happiness finding his heart again.

"Don't make Wesker hurt you. Like you too much."

[playingtough]

"You appreciate a lot of things about me I think. Might be showing your bias." He leans down to steal a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, I'll only harass him. I know better than to fight him. Bitch wouldn't let me drink and we fought in the bar. I didn't win."

And it hurt his pride more than anything else.

"I promise I'll only fight when needed. Or I gotta defend your honor or some bullshit like that."

[doubled_speed]

"I'll bring you alcohol when you want it. He can't stop me."

Probably.

"My honor? What? Who says I have any of that."

[playingtough]

"Because he can't keep up with greatness. Maybe after we finish up your room we can get a drink or two." He had to be the legal age somewhere for drinking.

He smirks at Tommy's joke. "I think you might've given it to me. Maybe we'll just have to share that shit."

[doubled_speed]

He was legal age for here, given the Agrii.

"Yeah," Tommy says, his voice soft. "Yeah that sounds like a plan. Help me find places for the shells, okay?"

But honestly, he didn't know that he had honor int he way the guy was talking about.

[playingtough]

Even if he wasn't, Wesker could go do terrible things to himself in Billy's opinion. "Well then get up, I can't do it alone." A pause. "Okay, I can, but I don't want to."

His blue eyes look around the room and they seem to settle on a space. "Though I think I've got an idea where to put some. Pick out some shiny ones, babe."

[doubled_speed]

Shiny? Tommy takes his time, handling the things delicately. He's too scared that if he moves fast he'll break these like so many other things. So he moves with such extreme delicacy as builds a small pile of shells.

"These ones work?"

[playingtough]

While Tommy takes his time, Billy seems to hunt for places around the room. There's not a lot of surfaces to work with, mostly the top of a dresser. Billy could make this work.

When Tommy makes his pile and calls out, the blond goes over and observes them. "Perfect." Then he's carefully scooping some up, he goes over to the window. Sunlight streams in through the panes of glass where the curtains aren't pulled shut, and there's a soft clink of each shell being put down.

Then he steps back, letting the light bounce from the glittering, shiny shells to cast fragments of light on the upper wall and ceiling. "Yeah, those are pretty perfect, Daisy Dukes."

[doubled_speed]

Maybe one day there will be more places. But for now they only have so much to work with and Tommy just watches Billy as he works.

"They make me think of you. Shining and good and lighting things up around me."