What It All Comes Down To

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, OTA
WHERE: Around Temba
WHAT: Coming Down From It All (Post House of Billy)
WHEN: The first week post event [Forward Dated]
WARNINGS: CW: Referenced sexual encounter in thread with Kyle, Referenced child abuse in thread with Kyle.


A. Keeping The Diners Supplied The Diner
"Delivery of fresh produce."

Tommy's tired. Perhaps that's why he's coming in later than normal with supplies for this meal shift. Perhaps that's why he looks frazzled and his hair is limp and he's not racing in with all speed. Clearly it's not the heavy crate loaded down with all sorts of foods from the green house, because that's never slowed him down before. But sleep after something like what they'd gone through was... Well, unlikely.

"The cyanana harvest is starting, so I'm thinking about trying to figure out how to make some sorta pudding out of it. That's a thing, right? Banana pudding or something."

He'd been enough out of it on entering that he didn't even know who it was he was talking to. Like hell he'd thought about how the kitchen help rotation was working now. Nor did he care. He was too tired from all his dreams to care.


B. Healing Power of Horticulture The Greenhouse
If there was one place that Tommy often found peace, it was the greenhouse. Today Tommy was trying his best to work there without getting too complicated with other people. For this he'd done the best thing he could do: working the mint wing. The advantage that came that the specific wing was sealed off from the rest of the greenhouse to keep it from spreading too much. Tommy moved slowly through it with a woven rush basket, humming quietly under his breath some German pop music he remembered from back home. While he moved he clipped little sprigs of mint to pass on to Glownies as a treat.

The advantage of the sealed area was that when the doors opened, Tommy knew someone was there. He could hear it. He turned to look at the door and frowned.

"Can I help you? I thought I was soloing the mint today."


C. The Solitary Island Closed to Aeon
It took a while for him to find her, but Tommy had wanted to have an excuse to get away, but he didn't want to be put into a position where his stupid brain could interrupt him. There had been someone interested after all, and so he'd raced through the city until he found her.

"Aeon," he said, offering a hand up for a high five. "You doing anything? Because if not, island time."


D. Wild Card
[Feel free to hit me up on Discord or Plurk to discuss places Tommy could get cornered. Or just have someone come to his actual home. Other options are to find him lazing by the fountain, on top of a tall building, or hiding out with the glownies which he normally does not visit.]

Comments

[doubled_speed]

"There's a difference between someone thinking you're hot and LIKING you," Tommy sighs, rolling his eyes. "Geez, you act like we haven't had a long debate over how being hot and being emotionally desirable don't always go hand in hand."

They had. Or that Tommy and that Kyle had. Or maybe hadn't. Geez, it's a mess.

"Besides, I've seen you around with Sansa."

He's not an idiot Kyle.

[kyley_b]

"Okay, YEAH, we did, but I'm SAYING you're being kind of hypocritical and also just a fucking asshole by telling me who I do and don't want."

Kyle folds his arms across his chest. His face flushes hotly because he hadn't even really considered that little issue yet. He was still trying to sort everything out in his head. "Yeah, so? I'm not saying, like... run away with me, or whatever, I'm just saying maybe you're a fuck of a lot more loveable than you THINK. Besides, people try not to fall for people who are still very obviously pining for their significant others, Tommy. 'Cause you WERE."

[doubled_speed]

Well Tommy just crosses his arms over his chest because how was he supposed to explain he wasn't even sure why DAVID wanted him of all people. How could someone else want him?

Wait... What?

Tommy stares at Kyle in shock.

"Are you suggesting that you haven't agreed that I'm hot because of how I talk about David?"

[kyley_b]

Kyle does say anything, just keeps his arms crossed and lifts his chin defiantly. His cheeks are positively red, though.

[doubled_speed]

Oh. Tommy stares in shock. Just stares. What?

"Well not I just feel like an asshole in addition to awkward and stupid and a lot of other things. So no, I'm NOT sure this isn't going to be awkward."

[kyley_b]

"You're not an asshole. Well. You can be, but not because of that."

Kyle turns back to the produce, sorting it.

"I can go somewhere else," he says as he focuses on the vegetables and fruits. "At least until we figure out how to fit a whole other life into this one."

[doubled_speed]

Well, at least Kyle corrects himself, because Tommy is ABSOLUTELY an asshole at times. And for right now, he's just watching Kyle.

HE wants to say something. What is he even supposed to say? How do you explain that you don't know how to be a good version of himself? One worth Kyle? He didn't even know how he was worth David, but he hadn't made that choice.

"We need people here, working. I'm not going to turn away help. It means I can take care of myself. And that's even more important now, with how Billy's fucked up. But... I guess my real question is how you're going to put up with a less amazing me? Because don't lie, we both know other Tommy was happier and more positive and nicer than I am."

[kyley_b]

Kyle takes a while before he turns back to Tommy. His face is set, not quite scowling.

"I'm not sure if you noticed," he says evenly, "but we were both a lot nicer there. I can count the number of serious fights we had on one hand, and that's just... not me. Not really."

He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly through his nose. "Okay. So. What's easier, just never mentioning it, or...?

[doubled_speed]

"I don't know what's easier. I never... I'm not someone who DOES easy, Kyle. I'm a fucking mess of bullshit. Hell, the way that I even realized something was wrong with that world was so fucking bullshit."

He wants to confess to Kyle everything he went through. He had SO MUCH experience there. And at last the throws up his arms in defeat.

"My best friend got sent home and it led to my brother having a mental break down, and I could really use my other best friend right now to talk to."

[kyley_b]

Kyle's face softens. He himself hadn't had any idea at all that something was wrong until the message to find Billy had come through, and even then all he'd been worried about was Billy, wondering if it could possibly be Tommy's brother that the cryptic message was referring to.

"C'mere, dipshit," he murmurs softly, folding Tommy into an embrace. "Of course you can talk to me."

[doubled_speed]

Well, Tommy had his ass kicked, in a way, bu Beck. And he'd been away since then. Just missing until the fight. That hadn't been fun.

The offered arms had Tommy moving forward, curling into them to find some measure of comfort. It wasn't much, but it was something. And he needed it, bad.

"Dude, my life is falling apart because I'm starting to realize I could have been so much more, and it sucks, and my brother is hurt and my best friend I don't even KNOW and Mysterio..."

Oh there is so much to get into.

[kyley_b]

"Shhh," Kyle says, rubbing Tommy's back. He's used to backrubs and soothing words from his actual past.

"You're gonna be there for Billy. You'll be strong for him, because he needs you. But for the rest? Dude, you got me. I know I'm different, here, but man... You were my best friend. I won't forget that shit."

He hugs him a little tighter. "And I get it. I really get it. So you can talk to me."

[doubled_speed]

"You don't know me, the real me," Tommy whispered. That's the problem. He doesn't know, and so how can Tommy TALK about what he'd seen? What had been done to him? How he'd gotten hurt?

"I need my hands busy," he whispered. At least that was the same. Even there anxious Tommy tended to keep his hands busy.

[kyley_b]

"No, but I'd like to. So. I'll listen."

He let go, nodding. "So we'll get this stuff sorted and prepared. You can talk if you wanna."

[doubled_speed]

"Okay, but I'm not talking about this shit where people could show up," Tommy points out. Kyle had already known everything about the other him anyway, right?

He reaches into the box and starts pulling out something that could easily be perceived as bok choy.

[kyley_b]

"Totally fine."

Kyle starts putting things into containers. He looks at the master list tacked to the wall to see what is on the menu for the day.

"...I wish that knockoff action figure of yours survived."

[doubled_speed]

See, this is part of why Tommy liked other people working at the diner: they planned better than he did.

"Yeah, me too. That's one of the sweetest gifts someone's gotten me. And the fact that I could be important enough to get a knock off figure is sorta cool."

[kyley_b]

"Dude, there was more of them, too! Like other colours. None of em were correct. It was totally awesome."

Kyle is smiling as he puts away things they won't need until the following day.

"You're pretty cool."

[doubled_speed]

Tommy smiled, trying to focus on Kyle's joking because it made him feel better. "So no red one then? What a shame. I mean, I guess I'm REALLY green, but it was nice, having that connection to Wanda."

He pulls his case of mushrooms out and sets them aside, putting his hands over them to get them vibrated just enough to shed moisture to store them longer.

"Dude, I'm amazingly cool."

[kyley_b]

Kyle shakes his head. "Right, that's her thing."

He glances over and grins. "Yeah. Yeah, you are. And I'm never allowed to make fun of your costume now. I cannot believe I had a grownup version of a stupid outfit I made as a kid."

[doubled_speed]

"Well, her magic is that. And it's like, tied to ancestry back home for her," TOmmy shrugged. Something it wasn't for this Wanda.

"It did look good on you," Tommy counters. "And I can't believe I didn't figure out who you were. Though I admit, I'm glad to not be, you know, in red spandex and that mini cape. Oh god, it was bad."

[kyley_b]

"Which sounds fucking fascinating. Like, I'd seriously love to hear how it works."

Kyle cackles. "Dude, the guy who sold me your action figure? HE clocked me! And we'd just met!" He looks over.

"Aww. I liked it, you looked sexy."

[doubled_speed]

"I wish I knew more about it. But I'm Speed, not Wiccan. I'm not the inheritor, I'm not the mystical one. So I guess it's not for my knowing."

And if he sounds slightly pained over that, he's trying to hide it. But come on, hearing that some VENDOR had figured Kyle out was breaking his heart. He thought he was smarter than that.

"I guess I just tried to respect who you were."

Looked sexy. Tommy blushes and doesn't look at Kyle. Was this flirting? Were they allowed to flirt? He doesn't even fucking know. They need ground rules, but Tommy doesn't do ground rules so he can't even offer them

[kyley_b]

"Maybe some day I'll hear stories," Kyle muses.

Kyle cackles again. "And you did. But it's funny. You were like... I dunno. So fucking sweet. And I appreciate the respect, dude. Nobody respects me."

Kyle's not usually a flirt. It embarrasses him and feels awkward. But this is a man he now remembers as being both a friend and lover.

[doubled_speed]

Maybe he will, but Tommy? Tommy doesn't expect he'll hear it. But he tries not to smile at the idea that he was so good to Kyle. Wow.

IT's weird, the way they have all these familiar, worn channels of a relationship, but at the same time they're strangers. How does he figure all of this out?

"Well, clearly the Agrii think you're worthy of respect.