Fastest Hero In The City

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, OTA
WHERE: Around the City
WHAT: May Madness
WHEN: May
WARNINGS: Potential for violence in Heroics stuff.

1. An Prodigy's Life Open to Anyone At SI

Morning. Tommy didn't always like mornings. SI had more than a few interns who were happy to be up and bright eyed and running around in the mornings. Most of them were high school students, and thus of an age with the most noticeable of their number, the one who was working on a defacto 'we'll hire you once the internship' understanding. That was Tommy Maximoff, a young man fresh out of college early, starting his PhD in the fall, with a shock of white hair and who always came in looking tired.

This morning that was true of like any others. He moved at a brisk walk through the lobby and to an elevator and looked half annoyed to have to hold an elevator open for someone.

"Just get on quick," he grumbled, his hand wrapped around a very large but mostly empty cup of coffee.

And then, ten minutes later he was walking into the R&D division he'd been assigned to, putting his coffee down on a counter before unslinging his backpack from his shoulders. He dragged it open and pulled a box of donuts and another of bagels and put them on the counter.

"Food's up Sci-bros!" he called over the work space, grabbing up his cup and heads for his own desk. Cup goes down, an energy drink is pulled out of his backpack, and it gets cracked and poured into his quad-shot espresso. It was a morning ritual that horrified many.

"Okay, what are we working today?" he yawned before taking a very large drink from his cup. "Is Beck in yet?"


2. Crimson Speed On The Streets Open to All

His watch beeped suddenly in the middle of the work day and Tommy cursed under his breath. Why did there have to be an Avengers call in the middle of the day. He called out to no one in particular that he had to go to the bathroom and rushed out.

And instead of the bathroom, he ran for the stairs. Once he was in them he quickly changed and bolted down the floors at impossible speeds and out into the road. He stopped quickly in his running to pull one person off of the street out of the way of a bus, and kept going toward the alarm for a fire.

"See," he said as he came to a stop, dust and dirt kicking up around the scarlet and silver of the costume of Crimson Speed, "it was my understanding that fire fighters did standard fires. Something weird up here?"

3. Tommy At Home Closed to Wanda and Billy

"Mom! B! I'm home!" Tommy shouted as he came in through the front door. It was later than he had wanted. And later than he'd promised, with him arms loaded with grocery bags. He made his way to the kitchen several beats faster than he really should have been able to manage. But given there were only two people in the world he could use his powers around when he wasn't in costume, he wasn't going to be slow at home.

"Did anyone start dinner, or should I work on a stir-fry? Could do a paprikash, but it would take so long tonight," he kept shouting as he entered the kitchen.

"Stupid bank robbery," he grumbled to himself as he did.

4. Speed Dating (lol) Closed to Kyle

Tonight. Sucked. Hard and fast statements there. Work had been hellish, there had been TWO super incidents he'd been caught up in, and JUST before this second one he'd gotten a text from Kyle saying he'd be late for their date. Which just hurt. Kyle was punctual as hell, and Tommy worked so hard to live up to that with his secret life, so this was just a lot.

At least, he supposed, it gave him a chance to come out to this crime and put a stop to it, and even with his favorite team up potential. Who was still there right now. The Human Kite, Tommy's best friend that he wasn't related to or dating.

"So," he said as he watched a cop out some dampener cuffs on the perp the two of them had caught together, "I know I normally stick around to chat you up after these things, but, uh... I sorta gotta book. My boyfriend, that awesome guy I always tell you about? We're supposed to be having a date tonight and yeah he said he was going to be late so I slipped out to do this, but fuck I'm SO late now and he's gonna be hella pissed. Forgive me?"

Comments

[doubled_speed]

"It's very distinctive hair Tommy answered. "And I don't look at your face all that much!"

He reached up for his goggles and lifted them free. "What we do is about privacy, Kyle. Damn. Do you know how often we could have been having 'sleepovers' if I'd known? I was trying to keep secrets secret. FUCK!"

[kyley_b]

Kyle laughed his hyena-like cackle, bent over so he didn't give up and just fall to the ground. He managed to get himself under some control, wiping his eyes.

"Oh, Tommy," he said. "I just thought you were saving yourself for marriage or something." He reached over, pulling the other man into a hug. "Oh, dude. Oh my god you're so cute." He looked down, grinning. "I sincerely thought you were either playing a joke, or just being super romantic all this time."

[doubled_speed]

Saving himself until marriage? What sorta bullshit is that? The hug is still a shock and he lets himself enjoy it.

Then he was the one blushing.

"You've been listening to me wax poetic about you!"

[kyley_b]

"I have!" Kyle laughed. "You see why I thought you were just fucking with me?" He nuzzled Tommy's neck. "And now I know you were totally serious about all of it."

[doubled_speed]

This might be the most embarrassed he’s ever been. Wow.

But the attention was nice and Tommy laughed. No, this was good. Very good.

“More serious than I know how to put into words,” he answered. I mean why else would I tell my best friend all about my boyfriend. Constantly?”

[kyley_b]

"You know," Kyle said, arms wrapped around Tommy. "This means I'm both your boyfriend AND your best friend." The warmth in his heart was damn near overwhelming.

"You've seen me at my worst, and my best. You're my partner pretty much in everything." He tilted Tommy's chin up with his fingers. "I like that." He leaned down, kissing him soundly.

[doubled_speed]

"Well that's convenient," Tommy grinned, squeezing Kyle against him. Then he paused.

"Wait. WAIT," he says, eyes huge. "I'm dating an alien? Holy fuck that is super cool!

But then there's Kyle kissing him and Tommy's arms come up around his neck to hold him close.

[kyley_b]

"A Jewish alien!" Kyle agreed, laughing. He kissed him again, mouth melting open.

"So you can stop worrying about being late because of hero stuff," he said, bumping his head gently against Tommy's.

[doubled_speed]

A Jewish alien. Tommy smiled and nodded.

"A Jewish alien, a Jewish mutant. Guess it works out."

And yep, there goes all of the thought because the heat and insistence of that kiss was hot. Really hot. When it passed he laughed and let his forehead rest against Kyle's. Fun.

"Yeah, I guess I can. Man, I've been doing SO MUCH to hide my powers."

[kyley_b]

"Our folks are gonna be so happy," he snickered.

"I bet you have. God, work must be torture for you." High atop a building, they were quite safely alone, so Kyle allowed himself the luxury of another slow, open kiss. "You know, I appreciate how you never showed your impatience with me."

[doubled_speed]

The kiss was so damn good. Tommy grabbed Kyle by the shirt of his costume and pushed him toward the door to the roof, pressing him up against it. This was good. So good.

When the kiss broke he caught his breath.

"My folks already are. And work is hell. It's part of why I stay late sometimes. I take a lot of work home too, the planning parts. But it's more like how I got through college so young. Crammed a lot of classes into very little time."

It kept his mind occupied.

[kyley_b]

Kyle, pressed against the door, draped his arms around Tommy's shoulders. He looked at him with half-lidded eyes.

"You're so fucking smart," he said, voice as throaty as it was capable of being. "It's SUCH a turn on."

[doubled_speed]

"Not smart," he countered. "I just have a lot of time to think through things. Makes me almost smart."

[kyley_b]

"SO fucking smart," Kyle insists, hauling Tommy close for another kiss. "Don't sell yourself short, dude. Look at how much you've accomplished already."

[doubled_speed]

"Only by working myself ragged."

But he believed in it. There might not be a chance to do it again later, to be something more. He kept pushing his powers further and it was helping him to keep rushing forward. To learn more.

[kyley_b]

"Yeah. But it's amazing. You're amazing."

Kyle hugs Tommy close. "Just let me shower compliments upon you. God knows you've said enough nice stuff about me to me before you knew I was me."

[doubled_speed]

He's amazing? Damn he loved hearing this, the praise was something that always did something for him.

"Shower the compliments upon me. Please. I love to hear it. And I talked nice about you because I love you.'

[kyley_b]

"I love you, too. Because you're hard working, and intelligent, and funny. And you're selfless and brave." He beams. "I mean, I've seen you in action, Crimson Speed. I know how willing you are to put others before yourself.

He touches Tommy's face gently. "And as my best friend? You give me shit. Tommy, I love that about you. I NEED that back and forth, it gives me life."

[doubled_speed]

All of that praise just really has Tommy shivering.

"Well, I'm glad to give you life. Now give me your lips."

[kyley_b]

"Anytime and anywhere." He pulls Tommy as close a she possibly can and kisses him again, getting perhaps a little too handsy for spandex costumes.

[doubled_speed]

Tommy laughs into the kiss and then catches those hands in his own, stopping them.

"Later for that. Fuck, just... I'm hungry.

[kyley_b]

"Mm. Me too. Oh, wait, you mean food, right. Your metabolism. Dude, you must have been eating in secret, huh?

"We can still go for dinner."

[doubled_speed]

“Always,” Tommy admitted with a sigh. Keeping everything from Kyle had been difficult. “I keep a second lunch from home for after our lunch break.”

Still go for dinner. He grinned. Yeah.

“Let’s order something to your place while I tell the fan not to expect me home tonight.”

[kyley_b]

Kyle nuzzled Tommy's neck. "My poor starving Speed," he said, only half joking.

His eyebrows raised. "The whole night, even. I'll try not to be presumptuous, and instead place an order to that Thai place with the huge portions. Say hi to your family for me." He snickered. "Dude, if THEY knew and you didn't? Because that's possible."

[doubled_speed]

“Mom probably hasn’t put it together and we keep Billy out of this stuff for his safety,” Tommy dismissed. He doesn’t want to think someone figured it out, or him either.