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 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.

From:

doubled_speed

Tommy, who has squatted down, his hand over the grass, burning it with little bursts of electricity.

"What happened?" he asks, not even looking up.

From:

wearingthestars

"We left," Billy answers, and it's about the nicest thing he can manage to say about the experience on either end.

"...You guys are going to back off on trying to make him go back there now, right?" he asks, looking pointedly to Cap. That woman doesn't want him, and she doesn't deserve him.

From:

doubled_speed

"His mother is his..." Cap starts to stay, and Tommy stands abruptly.

"The Kaplans might actually be my family. I don't want to hear about what that bitch thinks she is," Tommy snaps.

From:

wearingthestars

Billy nods. "I think she made her stance on the issue pretty clear." She doesn't want Tommy. Tommy doesn't want her. Even if he does turn out to be hers, forcing him to go back would be needlessly cruel, and irresponsible.

From:

doubled_speed

"There is the law," Capt says, and Tommy flips him off before slashing his hand through the air, mumbling under his breath.

Not one but TWO portals open up. One to the Avengers headquarters where they'd been with Cap. The other to Teddy in a living room, sitting on a couch.

From:

wearingthestars

"There's laws about abuse too, Cap. Maybe you should read up on them," Billy notes, and he can't even be mad about Tommy flipping him off in that moment. It's justified.

He takes Tommy's hand and moves towards the portal that leads to Teddy, not caring what objections Cap might have in that moment.

From:

doubled_speed

"And right now, I'm either contributing to the delinquency of a minor, kidnapping, or harboring a fugitive," Captain counters. Tommy is, after all, a criminal.

Tommy ignores that, dragging Billy through the portal.

From:

wearingthestars

"You're the one who taught us to do what's right, Cap. Not what the law says-" Billy counters, before he's pulled along and away from all of it. All those people Cap rescued during the war were prisoners too. But Cap had broken those laws.

Once they're through he silently pulls Tommy close, hugging him tight.

From:

doubled_speed

"I still have to operate within the..." he tries to respond, but nope, Tommy's got the portal closed behind them.

And then that embrace. It matters to Tommy. More than he can say. Just lets Billy hug him and basks in that contact. It's good contact.

From:

wearingthestars

"You're okay. We're okay," he promises in a hushed voice, petting his fingers through his hair, catching Teddy's eye over Tommy's shoulder and sharing a silent look.

From:

doubled_speed

Teddy just nods, a quiet supportive sort of thing. Not that he knows what is going on.

Meanwhile Tommy's holding onto his twin as tightly as he can. His maybe twin. His new twin. Damn why is this a problem? He likes this, the welcome. The Shepherds never did that for him. Billy does.

"Why couldn't she like me?"

From:

wearingthestars

"..." That's a hard one, one Billy feels woefully unqualified to answer, but he tries his best.

"...It's her problem. You didn't do anything wrong, she just...it's not your fault, Tommy. Sometimes...it just works out that way...no matter how much you try. It's not right, or fair, but...none of it is because of you. She's the parent."

From:

doubled_speed

Well, Teddy's definitely watching them intently, and silently. Tommy, meanwhile, just holds Billy tighter. Squeezes like he's scared to let go, lest he lose Billy entirely.

"She... they were all I had. What do I have now?"

From:

wearingthestars

"...You've got me. And Mum and Dad, and...the team, all my friends are going to love you. I'm not going anywhere, okay? You're stuck me with now. For life." So long as he doesn't wipe himself from Billy's mind again.

From:

doubled_speed

For life? Tommy can't help but laugh at that thought.

"So I'm rubber and you're rubber adhesive glue?"

Okay, Teddy can't help it. That one is REALLY good, and he snorts with laughter.