revivalproject | Richie's Not Group Therapy Session

WHO: Richie and his band of depressed Losers(OTA)
WHERE: Cayde's Bar
WHAT: NOT therapy. Not therapy and not an AA meeting. Just hanging out.
WHEN: Few days after the Town Hall
WARNINGS: Probably some substance abuse/addiction talk.

Richie sent off a message to the whole network just a few hours ago:

It was for his Not Therapy session that he had proposed at the town hall meeting. Just a way for people to get together and to talk about shit happening here. Maybe get a support network that will keep some people sane. Richie knew how effective that was; his own Loser's Club had stopped him from being stupid after Eddie's death more times than they even knew about. It was important and, after learning that things around here could be just as randomly cruel, necessary, he thought. His mind kept returning to Tony at the bar with his sealed bottle of liquor. The talk of loss and all of that...

Yeah. People around here seemed like they could use a social get-together that allowed them to talk about lost friends or loves. People came here and people left without warning. It was a hard way to live, being that powerless. But really, was it any different from where they came from? Really?

Richie sighs as he gets to the bar early and grabs himself a drink of something strong and foul-tasting. He wants to make sure he sips it instead of slugging the whole thing down in one go. No chance of that with this. He sits down at a chair and drums his fingers on the table. Part of his brain is telling him this is stupid and pointless and that he looks stupid for even trying. He buries the thought under another sip and an off-tune humming rendition of 'I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts'.

If no one shows up he's still got his drink. That'll be just fine.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I mean, obviously you were right up in top crush category before I met Teddy, but-"

That teasing grin faded, and Billy shrugged a shoulder, not able to commit to the quip.

"...It's weird. Being alone again."

That was a much better answer, earning Billy an appreciative nod and smile of pride in return that followed Billy's diminishing conviction, slightly slower and with the hope they maybe Tony could convince him not to get too dark if he could keep Billy distracted with the lingering smirk. It didn't survive much longer.

"We're close," Tony said, with a tilt of his head to indicate the whole space around them, the whole situation, "We've got to be. We know more now than we ever have, that has its own momentum." That was the logical solution to this particular problem to Tony, anyway; as soon as Billy got to go home, he'd be back at Teddy's side, like they hadn't lost a second. Or so the theory went.

"..." Billy nodded, not looking quite sure, but he knew it was stupid to keep being so torn up about it when he was one of the few people here who knew he would eventually wind up right back with Teddy.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. A lot's changed."

Billy didn't look particularly comforted by Tony's practical solution, leaving them in an awkward silence for a moment in which Tony tried his tune in a new key, still plucking gently and quiet enough to meander under the voices in the bar. "On the bright side," Tony said abruptly, and immediately regretted it but now it was happening, he was talking, "I'm less inclined to believe this is all your fault. It's all pretty big, for you, listen, I wasn't totally sold on the theory, but aliens just happening to randomly pick you, and your brother, and Wanda, and Lorna, and your boyfriend...So, anyway--Unless you have something to tell me about your feelings on Cap and Teddy, if that's what's changed, then you're off the hook. For now."

"...Cap?" Billy repeated, realization spreading over his face, the rest of what he'd been going to say melting away with that sudden obvious revelation. He'd been so caught up with Teddy, he hadn't-

"Cap's gone?" And fuck, why did that bring that lump to his throat? It wasn't even his Cap. But just having him around made the world feel that much safer. His absence only seemed to highlight the hole that had been left in this place.

That was not at all the kind of heartbreak Tony expected to get back from Billy after telling him that he was Tony's prime suspect in this whole shitshow, but it was very much a heartbreak that Tony recognized like it was a mirror and his eyebrows quickly knit in guilty concern, the tune he was strumming dying slowly in the air between them. Gently, he said, "Yeah, kid," mouth open to say more and managing to just get ahead of it this time, knowing intimately how much more awful it felt to not have realized immediately, and how impossible it seemed to not have felt the sun leave the sky, and snapping that information back between his teeth. He finally dropped a hand from the guitar instead to offer to Billy, gaze downcast but head tilted in understanding.

It took Billy half a second to really acknowledge that hand, but his features softened gratefully as he took it and gave it a squeeze.

"...You okay?" he chanced, knowing it must be that much worse for Tony.

"Always," Tony replied promptly, brow furrowed to challenge Billy, of all people, even questioning his invincibility, but he was quickly looking down at the guitar like he had to very closely consider the next chords he was going to produce. "It's like Teddy, you know..." he tried, because that should have been a good argument and exactly how he had tried to reassure Billy ten seconds ago, only Tony had never relied on Hulkling to do his best work and solve a difficult problem, and this Steve never wanted to go back to his Earth. If that was where he ended up. "We'll see him again soon," didn't sound terrible convincing to his own ears, either.

Tony's mask fooled a lot of people. Sometimes it fooled Billy, but today it felt far too easy to see through. It was a familiar feeling. They went about it in different ways, but the both of them tried to put on a good front.

And Billy knew that when his mask was faltering, the last thing he wanted was to be called out on it, so he nodded, giving a slow nod and bringing up that smile. "...Yeah. We'll see them both soon," he agreed, knowing it wasn't quite true.

He gave a final squeeze before releasing Tony's hand again, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth and he nodding towards the guitar to act as a buffer for the both of them. "So...is it hard? I played piano a bit, but I never tried anything with strings."

Grateful that they weren't lingering on it and to have his hand back before they did, Tony gave his own sharp nod in return, worrying his lip as he abruptly but very fussily drew the guitar up out of his lap and stretched up onto his feet from the amp. "Same principle," he promised, sweeping behind Billy to assemble him with the guitar instead, where he could incidentally bow over Billy's shoulder and tip his head briefly against Billy's temple in the time it took him to arrange the kid's hands to strum something harmonious. He didn't quite stand up straight after that, keeping one hand close to Billy's on the neck to show him where to hold, and leaned on the other arm on the back of the chair with his hand dangling over Billy's chest where it could continued to gesture emphatically as Tony walked him through an easy tune. That had a pattern, and a reliable outcome, and Tony already knew what would make Billy anxious or laugh and make it much harder to think about Teddy or Cap until his fingers started to feel raw.

Richie's Not Group Therapy Session

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