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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It's something like Billy couldn't even imagine in his wildest dreams, and he watches the place knit itself back together as though nothing had ever happened. He's so caught up in watching that if he had normal reflexes he surely would have missed Tommy falling, but as it is he has plenty of time to move into position to catch him, expression worried and grateful.

"You need to rest. Come on, I'll take you inside-"

"Inside?" Tommy asks. Which doesn't sound like a good idea to him. "No, man. I'm... I'm supposed to go back to the Avengers, remember? Like, this is your family."

His own was in Jersey. They had abandoned him.

"Just for a minute...until you're feeling better," Billy presses. He'll take him back to the Avengers if he wants, but... "...We're family now. And my Mom's going to want to thank you." Like hell she's going to accept that Billy just let his potential twin leave.

Well, he could stand to eat.

"I didn't... I haven't had food since, I don't know. Breakfast yesterday?"

More than a day ago. Yeah, no wonder he's so drained. He hasn't slept, he hasn't eaten. Not that Billy has either. Has to be a lot worse for him. With a sigh Tommy nods and at the moment he doesn't seem bothered about getting out of Billy's arms.

"Alright then. Carry me up. I'll stand on my own when I get to the door."

Billy frowns in a way that Tommy will soon found is very much like his mother's worried frown.

"Yeah, we can eat," he promises. Eat. Explain stuff to Mom and Dad. Easy.

He carries him at a more normal pace, wanting to give Tommy time to gather his strength, mentally rehearsing what he's going to say to his mother. "You sure you can stand?" he asks when they reach the door.

"Yeah, I can stand."

Tommy definitely can do this. And once they reach the door, he hops down from Billy's arms.

"Rebecca and Jeff, right? Psychiatrist and Cardiologist. Your parents."

Better ones than Tommy's ever had. Which he doesn't like. The noise in the hall, though, must catch attention. Or maybe they were more anticipating because of the wall suddenly getting fixed and seeing them through the opening, but before Billy can even open the door it's opening and there's Rebecca, rushing forward to pull her son into her arms.

"Billy!" she says, fear in her voice when she pulls him into her arms. "I was so scared for you after what happened to Sarah and..."

And then she seems to process that Billy isn't alone. She pulls back and stares at Tommy, who was still in the costume he'd magicked up for himself. Her hand comes up to cover her mouth, her eyes flashing back and forth between them.

"Hello, Mrs. Kaplan. Billy's told me a bit about you. I'm..."

"Thomas?" she says, her voice breaking.

Billy nods, and offers a reassuring smile, moving to give his hand a squeeze when his mother catches them by surprise.

He's grateful to feel her arms around him, arms tangling round her to hug her tight. "I'm sorry- I'm okay- I promise- everything's okay-" he assures, growing quiet when Rebecca finally takes notice of Tommy.

He wets his lips, preparing to explain when she shocks him a second time by supplying his name on her own.

Billy blinks in confusion, looking between the two. "You...know who this is?"

Tommy looks to Billy, nervous, not sure what to say.

But Rebecca, she shakes her head, tears in her eyes. "No, I don't. He just looks so much like you, Billy. Except the hair. Like he could have been..."

Yeah, this is... awkward.

"My name is Thomas Shepherd," he admits, voice soft and nervous. "I'm... I'm the reason Billy asked you about all of that." Shit, he needs an excuse quickly. "We sorta met online. Support forums for young mutants."

That gets a raised eyebrow from Rebecca as she looks to Billy. Yeah, still tears in her eyes.

"Come inside, both of you. Let's not talk in the hall."

And her look at Billy says 'we're going to have a talk later' because she might be putting together why some of her books about children in abusive situations have been moved around on her shelves.

"Jeff! Can you get something to eat for Billy and his friend?"

Her voice, of course, cracks at calling Tommy 'friend'.

Right. Billy's gaze flicks away with a shy short of guilt, and he nods, catching his mother's hand to offer a brief squeeze as they make their way inside.

He owes her a better explanation for...ALL of this. Tommy, and Teddy, and...the events of the last few days, really. But for now he's just grateful she knows what they need in this moment.

"Tommy fixed the wall for us. And helped us get Teddy back safe. He's with the Avengers right now, he's going to call later."

"The Avengers?" Rebecca says as she lets the boys come in and closes the door behind them. Then she's herding them into the kitchen. "Do you mean he's living there with them? What about his family?"

"They're in New Jersey and I'm not going back. No one can make me," Tommy insists, his voice firm.

Nice place. Looks good. Tommy seems more and more upset the more they move through the comfort of the house. And then they reach the kitchen, where Jeff turns to greet them. And drops the plate in his hands out of shock as he catches sight of Tommy and Billy.

"Maybe," Billy answers his mother, looking back to Tommy and nodding. "No one's going to," he promises, though he knows maybe that's not the sort of promise he can really keep if the Shepherd's decide to fight for him.

And then there's a blur as he zips forward to catch the plate before it can hit the ground. "...Hey dad," he greets, carefully handing the plate back with a wary smile. "...This is Tommy."

"T-Tommy?" Jeff asks, looking from his son to his wife to the stranger. "That's..."

"Short for Thomas," the kid says, and he's frowning because yeah, everyone is acting so weird about this. And with what was said about the Scarlet Witch and all that... He's so scared of the idea of hoping.

Rebecca and Jeff share a look before Rebecca moves to the table to pull out seats for the boys.

"You're a young mutant too?" she asks, prompting.

"I... yeah. But different from Billy. I use electricity," he says. "And... magic."

His eyes cast to Billy, just about begging for interference. For something. He sits in the seat further from Rebecca and looks just about ready to curl up into himself. How come Billy's parents have to be so interested and so invested and so nice? It's not fair.

"It's been kind of a crazy day," Billy explains, moving to sit by Tommy, and offering his hand out of sight under the table if Tommy wants to take it, "For Tommy especially, so...maybe not too many questions out the gate? I just...wanted everyone to meet, and for Tommy to get some food and time to rest up."

His last action alone was more than deserving of a vert long break.

The offered hand is perfect. Tommy takes it and definitely relaxes a little for the point of contact between them. Can't even explain why. Just holds that hand and tries not to sigh in relief at Billy's request.

But Rebecca and Jeff share another look, because the two of them aren't as subtle as they think. That is it's own telling sort of behavior and neither of them even know it. But Rebecca finally nods and looks to Billy.

"Of course. I'm sorry. Tommy, thank you for anything you've done to help our son and his friends," Rebecca says as Jeff puts a bag of pita chips and a container of hummus on the table for the two as he starts the oven for pizza rolls.

"I'd do anything to help Billy," Tommy admits, and he feels a bit awkward to say it. But that helps adults like you, right?

"Would you boys like to take the pita chips and haggis to Billy's room. Maybe change out of those clothes?"

"I don't have any clothes with me," he says softly.

"You'll fit in Billy's, I think," Jeff says. "And if he doesn't mind, we can replace anything he gives you."

Stroking his thumb over the back of Tommy's hand, Billy can feel Tommy relax, and feels his own heart return to something closer to what's normal for him.

He nods easily, cheeks a bit flush from Tommy's admission.

"Yeah, of course. So long as you don't mind some nerdy tees," he teases lightly, releasing his hand to stand and gather the pita and hummus. "Thanks," he adds belatedly, flashing his parents a grateful smile for their understanding.

Rebecca and Jeff nod at Billy. And clearly those two are going to have a conversation once the two leave. But Tommy? He's just so relieved to be going that he doesn't even notice the shared look. Just waits for Billy to lead on. And once they reach Billy's room, Tommy freezes and looks around.

"It... really looks exactly the same as I saw. I can't believe it."

Closing the door to offer them some privacy, Billy smiles. "Everything that's happened today and you still thought you imagined that part?" he asks, moving to retrieve the rabbit from it's place of honor on his bed, offering it up for Tommy, before toeing open his closet.

"You wanna just browse or should I pick you an outfit?"

The rabbit is really a thing. Huh. Tommy takes it in his hands and sits on the edge of the bed. Is he a touch jealous? Yeah, he finds he is. But he wraps his arms around the rabbit and nods to Billy.

"Would you? I'm trying to deal with how intensely your parents were staring at me. Thing is... I used to look a LOT more like you. I had black hair, until a few months ago. It started getting white strands in it when I started doing magic. And after the electricity came out, it just... it all went white almost overnight."

"Yeah?" Billy looks back over his should at Tommy as though he needs to see him to picture it. "That's weird, I wonder why it would change your hair? Maybe the Avengers can tell you more about that?" he wonders aloud, trying to keep his tone light and casual. He's afraid if things get too serious it'll scare Tommy away again.

He sets a small pile of clothes by Tommy's side after a moment of searching. "Dad's right, we should be about the same size I think. But I have other stuff if this doesn't fit."

"Avengers don't really know about mutants," Tommy dismisses. They had two mutants on their team, but they're long gone. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Their possible soul-relatives.

"Hey, if anything, your stuff will be a big baggy," he says after a moment, setting the rabbit aside and standing to... Well, he doesn't seem like he knows what to do with what he's wearing. At last he mumbles something under his breath and the clothes seem to fizzle away, leaving him in the white scrubs and slippers from the juvie facility. And then he's stripping those off.

Which probably doesn't look good. He's thin, probably too thin, his ribs just faintly visible at his sides. And there are scars dotting his chest and stomach and back, places adults will hit and hurt when they know the marks can't be seen by other people. But at his arms there are needle marks from experiments, and there are a few burns on the skin of his hands, no doubt electrical in origin. Thing is, without a speedster's accelerated healing he hadn't been doing well. The only mark that seems natural is a small birthmark of slightly darker skin right by his hip, one that sort of looks like a thumbprint made out of barely darker skin, a shadow of a touch.

"They're... nice. Intense, but nice."

"They have connections," Billy counters with a half shrug, but he understands. They aren't exactly the X-Men.

The juvie scrubs impose a sobering mood, and Billy belatedly turns to give him privacy, but he sees enough to make him frown at the wall, trying to work out how to school his features into some thing more neutral by the time he has to face Tommy again.

"Intense," he repeats with a small laugh, and he smiles softly, "...Dad's making more food, so we can eat as much of the pita as we want," he reminds gently. Tommy clearly needs it.

"I'm... You're sure it's okay to eat in your bedroom?"

Tommy was used to being punished if he got caught doing so. This whole thing is making him nervous.

"Nn-" Billy hesitates a moment, head turning in confusion before recognition seems to catch, and he flushes guiltily, nodding encouragingly. "No, yeah, it's fine, really. They even said," he reminds, "No one's going to get mad or anything, promise. You can have as much as you want. I can get us some drinks too if you want?"

"Yeah. Could you? I'm too tired to try magicking anything up."

In fact, he's looking at that bed like it's mighty tempting. Like he could stand to pass out for even just ten minutes.

"Yeah, no problem. Go ahead and sit. Or lay down. My room is your room, relax," he assures, flashing him a smile and leaving the room at a more average speed to give Tommy some time to acclimate to all this.

He gets caught up talking with his parents for a moment, before returning with a selection of drinks, not sure yet what Tommy might like.

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