doubled_speed | 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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From:

doubled_speed

"I... thanks," Tommy sighs, and finally his own arms wrap around Billy. Because that's what he needs to do. Just hug the guy for a moment.

From:

wearingthestars

Billy lets out a relieved breath when those arms finally wrap around him, and he doesn't let go for a good long time.

"We'll be okay," he promises, tying their outcome together rather than just assuring Tommy that he'll be all right.

From:

doubled_speed

"We will?"

What a question. Pointless, because the guy is clearly going to say yes, but he wants to hear it.

From:

wearingthestars

"Yes. I promise. We will." And Billy means it with every fiber of his being. He's going to do everything in his power to make sure they overcome whatever else the world tries to throw at them.

From:

doubled_speed

"We should... I wanna go back to the Kaplan's place. I don't want to be here anymore," Tommy hisses, pulling back from Billy.

From:

wearingthestars

"Mmm-" Billy frowns, understanding Tommy's desire, but Cap will be wanting to know where they are. And Teddy's still back there...waiting.

"We could go back to the Avenger's. Wait for Cap to find his way back..."

From:

doubled_speed

Cap... wasn't going to get back without them. Dammit. But Tommy doesn't want to go back there.

"I could... stay here. And you could bring him here?"

From:

wearingthestars

Billy looks about, really observing where he's brought them for the first time. He doesn't know the area well, but it seems to be safe; he's stopped them near a park, and no one looks too unfriendly.

"...You're sure you'd be okay?" It would take a matter of seconds, but Billy doesn't especially want to leave Tommy alone right now.

From:

doubled_speed

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Tommy promises. "This park is only a mile from home. Worst comes to worst, I can walk back to the house from here. I know the way."

From:

wearingthestars

Billy continues to frown, but eventually he gives a reluctant nod. "...Okay. But I'll be right. Even if something goes wrong somehow, I'll come back."

From:

doubled_speed

Someone who wants to come back for him. That's sorta... unexpected. And interesting. And he likes it.

"I'll wait right here. Don't let her bait you."

From:

wearingthestars

"Don't go anywhere." Billy gives him a parting smile, and then, in a flash, he's gone, speeding back to the house, and coming to a stop abruptly by Cap's side as though he'd never left.

"What'd I miss?"

From:

doubled_speed

"You're back," Captain America observes, and he's trying to downplay that he's actually a touch shocked by that. For all that he was used to this sort of thing from Quicksilver back in the day he wasn't as prepared for Billy to be doing the same thing. "You missed Mrs. Shepherd saying a few unkind things. Which I'm glad you missed. I'm guessing Tommy is somewhere safe?"

From:

wearingthestars

"A few," Billy mutters disbelievingly, frowning pointedly, but he nods at Cap's question. "He's safe. 'Bout a mile away." Which is where he'd like to be. "...You done talking to them, or is there more?"

From:

doubled_speed

"I think I'm about done," Cap agrees, frowning at the woman.

"Take the freaks and go," she agrees, voice harsh.

From:

wearingthestars

Billy's gaze jumps abruptly to shoot her a fierce glare, and the ground gives another low rumble.

"You don't deserve to call yourself a mother."

From:

doubled_speed

"You don't really get to talk," Mary snaps. "You don't know what he's like. He nearly killed people!"

From:

wearingthestars

"It was an accident! Which you would know if you cared enough to even try to talk to him. You just left him there," Billy snaps back, trying to keep from doing something he'll regret.

From:

doubled_speed

"He belonged there," Mary counters. "He's a cutie freak, probably gets it from his worthless father."

She doesn't know, after all, that there's a damn good chance Tommy is Billy's twin. And thus their father is the same man. No, she's thinking of Frank.

"Mercury," Captain America says, trying to calm the clearly agitated teen. Because he knows he can't react fast enough to stop Billy if something ACTUALLY happens.

From:

wearingthestars

Clenching his fists, the windows of her car shatter abruptly, but Billy holds his ground, eyes flitting to Cap and trying to take a slow breath.

"I promised him I wouldn't hurt her."

But oh, he's never wanted to hurt someone like this before. Just a regular person too. It scares him.

From:

doubled_speed

That's... probably not a good sign. The shattering. Cap moves forward and puts a firm hand on Billy's shoulder.

"Come on, kid. We're going," he says, even as Mary starts shrieking about that 'freak boy' broke her car. Because clearly it was his fault. But which 'freak boy' is a question.

From:

wearingthestars

Some of the mounting pressure leaves him at Cap's touch, and Billy tries to release that anger, giving a begrudging nod and taking a half step back.

He promised. And Avengers don't kill. Or hurt...'innocent' people. And while she's a horrible excuse for a human, that doesn't justify using his powers against her.

"...Let's find Tommy," he agrees, and then he looks with a touch of apprehension to Cap, because while he can easily just pick him up and speed away...this is Captain America. Toting him off bridal style feels a bit...wrong, and he needs some sort of permission before he tries anything.

From:

doubled_speed

"Take me to Thomas," Cap insists, turning his back on the woman. Just get them out of here.

From:

wearingthestars

Scooping him up, Billy takes off in a flash, a moments later they're back in the spot where he had left Tommy. Setting Cap down, Billy needs a second to school his features, but once he does most of that anger his gone. He doesn't want Tommy to see it.