doubled_speed | For Wearingthestars

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For Wearingthestars

I wish I wasn't alone.

The words were whispered from inside the relative safety of the tiny closet in Tommy Shepherd's bedroom in Springfield, New Jersey. Whispered because there was no way that he wanted Frank or Mary, fighting in the living room, shouting and screaming, to hear them.

I wish I wasn't alone.

Repeated as Tommy held his hands out before him in the darkness palms up. He put as much conviction behind them as he put into anything he said starting with those two words. He had found rather quickly that whatever this power of his was, it came more readily when he framed it as a wish.

I wish I wasn't alone.

He repeated a third time. Three times always seemed to be the right amount when it came to willfully using his power. Even now he could see the faint green glow of energy radiating from his hands, trying to catch his words and shape them into whate he was asking for. At school he didn't always need it three times. He could feel the energy building in his gut like a tidal wave and crashing over him when he wished the bullies would leave him alone, or that he'd actually gotten a good grade so Mary wouldn't yell at him, or that the shirt that got torn up and bloody was clean so Frank wouldn't hit him for wasting good clothes.

Now, though, the words didn't seem to catch, and after a moment of held breath, the energy faded back, leaving behind only the briefest flash of sparks and static that he had to shake out of his hands. Apparently even magic, or whatever this was, couldn't help him.

It was a stupid wish, anyway, Tommy realized as he pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. And then, of course, he flinched at the sound of a breaking plate. They were getting bad tonight. He didn't want to be alone, not with them shouting like that. Sometimes it turned into Frank driving off to drink. Sometimes Mary stormed to their room and locked the door, leaving Frank on the couch. The former tended to mean Frank not coming home at all that night, and when he did the next day he smelled like booze and some other woman's perfume. The latter tended to mean Tommy couldn't sneak some breakfast in the kitchen before school, or being caught if he tried and he really didn't want to be on the receiving end of Frank's belt.

“Dammit. All I wanted was someone to talk to.”

He feels the rush of power even as he feels his body go limp and the world go dark around him. It’s a strange mix between a sneeze and passing out. When the sensation passes things are weird. For one thing, he can’t feel his body. There isn’t the cold of his room or the rough drag of his scratchy wool sweater that is too small for him or even the gnawing in his belly. No, there is just the swelling feeling of his magic, a prickly energy across his skin, and this place.

This new place is nicer than his room. There is more space. There are nerdy decorations on the wall. There are no cracks anywhere or dents from fists or broken furniture. He hates seeing how much nicer this place is than his home. But he is more interested in why his magic brought him here. And in the soft green light everything around him seems bathed in. Tommy raises his hand, or maybe just the concept of a hand, and is faced with the scary truth. His whole body is green and transparent. Okay. That is a bit weirder than normal.

Welcome, Tommy Shepherd, to the world of astral projection. And Billy Kaplan? Meet the strange, glowing ghostly boy in your room.

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The others are watching them, and Tommy doesn't care. Doesn't care at all. Doesn't bother that people are staring at him looking at his face twin with a soft gaze, holding his hands and pulling Billy closer. And Tommy's eyes glow again, and he starts to hover just a bit above their speedster, still holding his hand.

"We both know that isn't true," Tommy answers.

And then there is a flash of green light and they appear outside of a solitary house, Tommy almost immediately sagging against Billy.

"He's here. Inside. Be ready."

Billy hardly even notices that the others are watching, gaze steady on Tommy.

He wants to shake his head, does give a small wobble, but he won't completely deny the possibility that he might ask Tommy for help again in the future.

There's a flash and even Billy's not fast enough to see the transition between where they were and where they appear, supporting Tommy with a concerned look.

"You all right?" he checks, motioning for Eli to help support his weight.

"I'll go check it out- you guys wait here-"

"Like hell you're going in alone," Kate insists to Billy. "If he's in there you won't bother coming back. You'll get yourself into trouble."

Eli does move forward at Billy's beckoning. "Tactically it makes sense to send him to scout."

"Don't assume Billy's got restraint," Tommy counters as he straightens some. It clearly takes some serious effort. "He's just all heart."

"Normally you'd be right- but I mean- he all ready handed our asses to us, I'll be careful," Billy swears, frowning as Tommy tries to straighten. "I'll see what we're up against and come right back. Our only other options are storming the place blind or sending in Cassie."

"Blind at least gives us element of surprise," Vision explains.

"And a united front," Cassie admits. "Not that I don't want to, Billy, but the guy has all the powers of the Fantastic Four."

Tommy pulls at his not-twin to make the guy look at them. "If you think I'm letting you go in there and do something stupid and possibly get hurt, you're crazy."

Billy's brow twists anxiously, looking from face to face, though it's Tommy that finally gets his shoulders to drop in defeat. He can't fight all of them, and they're not wrong.

"...Fine. Together then. What's the plan?"

"Make an entrance," Kate says after a moment. "Blow the wall in, Billy, and you're quick, see if you can distract the Super-Skrull. Vision and Tommy, you're on the getting Teddy out duty. Between you two you should probably be able to deal with whatever's holding Teddy, because something has to be. Eli, Cassie and I will support Billy. We get in, we get out, and we try and get somewhere safe."

There's not a lot of options there, but they have little choice, right?

Not that anyone else is offering something better.

It's Vision, though, that turns his attention to Tommy and frowns.

"It would be important to keep Tommy out of the line of fire. He has no protective..."

He barely even can finish the statement before Tommy speaks with weight in his voice.

"Costume?" Tommy answers, and the green light washes over him, leaving him in what looked like leather coverings, something durable, even has a deep, forest green cape and hood, though the latter is left down at the moment. "I think I'll manage."

An entrance. He can do that. Billy's nodding along, adapting to the new plan.

His eyes widen at Tommy's costume, an impressed smile finding its way to his face, and he gives a quiet laugh. "...Very cool," he compliments, "You sure you're up for this?"

"You're not to him yet," Tommy answers Billy, and when he holds his hand out, there's electricity crackling over it. "This? This is me channeling stuff already in the air. The magic takes out of me. Electricity is me taking out of something else. I'll be fine. They were trying to make me a weapon with this. And you'd be surprised at how good I am at it."

As an example the air smells more of ozone around them as he channels the electricity and it's almost like he's holding blades of light, crackling and irregular.

Eyeing the pseudo blades, Billy considers before giving a nod. He's about as prepared as any of them at this point, probably more so if he's being honest.

"Okay. Let's do this then."

A moment later and Billy's blowing the wall in, big and flashy, rushing in before the dust has a chance to clear. He sets his sights on the Super Skrull, looking to distract him before he can get distracted in turn by Teddy.

And from there, it all goes well. And then all goes wrong. Sure, with Billy to keep attention and Vision to get in the way, the Super-Skrull goes down. And Tommy's electricity shorts out the machinery holding Teddy close. And then it's Kree coming in, and claiming they are going to take Teddy away. It's Tommy, hood previously pulled up for the fight falling as he lunges forward to attack the first Kree that tries to hurt Teddy.

He said he was going to help his not-twin, and so he does, lightning flashing out. Then it's another fight, so much fighting, until the Kree are down, Teddy's supporting the Super-Skrull that he's protecting for no reason, and Vision is offering the best escape plan they've got. The answer for getting up there with only two people who can fly and a larger team is another draining spell on Tommy, the witch creating a disk of green light to hover them all up.

In the end the team splits up as Vision wires himself into the Kree ship's systems, Teddy carrying the wounded Skrull to the back, his eyes saying he wants Billy with him. And Tommy? Tommy, unable to explain or justify the jealousy in his gut, heads to the front of the ship to debate destinations.

And Teddy, one hand holds Billy's and the other looks at the Super-Skrull.

"Are you going to be okay?" Teddy says, his concern focused on his kidnapper. Not even in his reunion with his boyfriend.

The concern Teddy holds for the Super Skrull makes Billy frown. He can't find nearly that compassion just yet. He doesn't want him to die. But a little suffering after what he did? Seems fair.

But that's part of what makes him love Teddy so deeply. His heart and compassion are just so damn big, and while he doesn't know what took place between the two of them, he trusts Teddy's heart.

"Teddy-" he tries to reassure, frowning softly. He killed Teddy's mother, he should really be the last thing he's concerned about just now. Still though, he looks him over to see what he can do. Definitely beyond his first aid skills. "...Hang on," he promises, giving Teddy's hand a parting squeeze, and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before seeking out Tommy.

"Hey- I'm sorry- I know I said- ...the Super Skrull's hurt, and I don't know how to fix it on my own..." he broaches, brow creased with guilt and worry.

Tommy, who had been listening to the others argue about what to do, throwing in his own idea that they just flee the planet and getting shot down, sighs when Billy approaches, pushing off of the wall. Of course he's going to help Billy. How could he do something else?

He just follows after his not-twin, looking tired. And Teddy looks up when Tommy approaches, his attention on the white-haired stranger. In the fight he didn't really have a chance to really look at Tommy.

"Billy, he looks like..."

"I'm getting tired of that," Tommy observes as he moves to stand above the Super-Skrull. "I don't know how much I can do. I've never... When I was there I didn't have time to really work on my magic. This whole thing has been really bad."

"You can try?" Teddy asks.

And wow, when Tommy looks at the hope and the softness in Teddy's eyes, well, Tommy gets why he was replaced so easily. He just nods and raises his hands and starts chanting. Tommy can feel the power in him, thrumming below the surface, but the energy, it just isn't there. He knows he isn't going to manage much, but he still tries, because Billy wants it of him.

Green light bathes them all as Tommy tries, tries to the point where he's almost sagging, too desperate to do what Billy needs. Which, of course, means he's standing there when Kl'rt says it.

"Ironic, is it not? That Mar-Vell and the Scarlet Witch were my prisoners during the first Kree-Skrull war on Earth, and now I owe my life to their sons."

And that's when the magical energy fails, as much from fatigue as from shock.

"I'll explain later," Billy promises, flashing Teddy a small smile. As best he can at least. There's still a whole lot he doesn't understand.

He watches Tommy try his magic with concern, about to tell him to stop when Kl'rt speaks and stuns them both. Billy grips Tommy with a supportive hand, squinting at the Super Skrull in confusion. "...their what??"

Teddy is definitely staring now, and Kl'rt tilts his head as if he's confused by Billy's confusion.

"The sons of the Scarlet Witch," Kl'rt replies, gesturing as if to say both Tommy and Billy fit the description.

"We're not siblings," Tommy insists firmly, but there is a note of hope in his voice.

"Of course you are. Twins. The mage and the speedster," Kl'rt insists.

"Did the Scarlet Witch even have children?" Teddy asks, looking to Billy. He's the expert on her here.

"According to Skrull Intelligence she did. Twin boys. Thomas and William."

No. No, this was not possible. Tommy's hands fell to his sides in clenched fists.

"Don't lie," he growls, walking off toward the cockpit. Don't offer him something that can't be true. Because it can't. Can it?

"He looks so much like you, B," Teddy observes. "Maybe... maybe it's possible. I mean, you said she met you once, she was really nice."

"Uh..." Billy hesitates a moment before nodding, brow still furrowed. "...Y-yeah, but-" That's not possible. Is it? They died. And they'd be much younger...

It makes sense though, and he winces as Tommy talks off, looking to Teddy and drawing comfort from his observation. "...She was. I just...what did he mean about Mar-Vell?"

"I..." Teddy sighs, fingers going through his hair. "That's why the Kree want me, Billy. I'm apparently Mar-Vell's son. And the son of the Skrull Princess. I'm..."

"An Emperor," Kl'rt insists, "and it was my task to protect you so that you could reunify our people. To the Kree you are a genetic abnormality, a hostage, and a weapon. One that, if they cannot control, they will kill. I was here to stop that, my Emperor."

There's noise by the cockpit, raised voices, Vision and Tommy's, and clearly Tommy seems worked up, but the words don't quite make it back this far in the Kree ship. Teddy turns his attention toward it briefly, then back to Billy.

"Nate said... he said he had connections to the Avengers. That was why were in the Failsafe. Maybe it's true, Billy. Maybe I'm..."

"This is why I must return you safely to our people," Kl'rt insists. "You are meant to rule."

This day just keeps getting more and more weird. Billy blinks a bit numbly, nodding at the new bit of information.

He glances back to the raised voices with concern, and then back to Teddy and Kl'rt. "He's not going anywhere he doesn't want to," Billy says firmly. Whoever, or whatever Teddy is, it's his choice. No one gets to come take him away from the only home he's ever known.

Billy seems distracted though, gaze turning back to Tommy, and then Teddy again with a guilty flush, torn.

Teddy looks away from the Super-Skrull and moves to briefly pull his boyfriend into his arms, a tight hug. And while he does so he doesn't hesitate to whisper in his ear.

"I'm safe, Kl'rt isn't strong enough to escape right now. If you need to go talk to that Tommy guy, go do it. I'll be here when you're done."

Some of the tension leaves Billy's shoulder with that hug, and Billy smiles against his shoulder, squeezing him back, endlessly grateful for whatever he'd done to earn the affections of someone like Teddy. He owes the universe big for this one.

"...Thank you," he breathes, glad for Teddy's understanding, and he cards his fingers through the hair at the nape of Teddy's neck before finally pulling away.

He half speeds across the space, slowing before he startles Tommy with his approach, and offering a tentative smile. "...Hey, everything okay?"

Is everything okay? Is everything okay? Tommy stops the pacing he'd been up to, and he notices the others in the cockpit watching him. Them. Frustrated he waves a hand and a faint dome of green light appears around them. Well, more like a wall, but something to isolate their voices.

"Are we just supposed to believe the guy that kidnapped your boyfriend?" Tommy asks, the word just a bit sharp on his tongue.

Eyes skirting to the wall of light, Billy gives it a moment of consideration before looking back to Tommy, cheeks tinging.

"...Teddy seems to." And Billy trusts Teddy's judgement, as crazy as all this seems. "I don't-...I don't know, but...it makes sense? Right? In a weird way?"

"Yeah, except you already verified with your parents that you were born to THEM," Tommy points out. "And we're way to old for it. The guy is crazy."

But he wants it. Wants some claim on Billy. On family. On belonging.

"I did. But I also had my face twin appear to me as a ghostie thing- a lot of stuff that shouldn't be possible seems to be possible, you're kind of a prim example of that," Billy notes, gesturing to the magic surrounding them right this minute.

"It could explain how we're...connected."

Is he, though? Tommy sighs, his fingers carding nervously through his hair.

"No one ever wants me around. I mean, surely you were relieved to find out we weren't related."

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