When it all comes together, it does so quickly, and in a way Tommy should have known all along when things were going to happen. There was a lot about one particular night spent holding Billy, sheltering his boyfriend in his arms, that made a lot more sense now.
What he wasn’t expecting was the battlefield. There was something… strange about a final stand made in a mall. Not as strong as a thirty foot fall flesh spider nightmare of course, but damn, it was all just very strange.
The biggest problem, though, was that the creature seemed almost aware of Tommy. He stayed at the edges of the conflict, trying to stay out of people’s sight. More than once, though, he could feel something… brush against his mind. Sometimes it was like Billy was about to turn his head, about to catch sight of Tommy. But surely that was impossible.
Still, he kept risking it. Kept risking blowing this timeline for nothing, because Tommy knew that he needed to see. If he didn’t see the right moment, if he couldn’t see the change come over Billy, then everything was for naught.
Honestly, Tommy wonders if he made a mistake by the end, coming into this without knowing the full details of everything. He doesn’t know who the girl is that Billy’s dragging toward the monster. He doesn’t know who most of these children who throw fireworks indoors are, or how they got involved. He doesn’t know a lot of things except for the fact that Billy is bent over a girl who reaches up and touches his face.
For the first time in days Tommy gets a glimpse of the man he loves. Tears roll down Billy’s cheeks.
Tommy wishes he could be there to reach out, to wipe them away.
Then Billy rises. He stands and turns toward the monster he created. The monster that helped create him.
The creature roars as Billy stares up with wide, fearful eyes. This wasn’t a moment they talked about a lot. So much is happening at once. Two teens run up from where Billy entered the food court. The girl on the floor drags herself backward, staring in horror. A nasty thing shoots out of the monster’s mouth and…
Tommy wants to applaud. The speed with which Billy moves is actually impressive for a normal human. His hands come up and catch a maw filled with teeth and sharp bones. It explains the multitude of tiny scars on Billy’s hands and palms, ones Tommy had kissed tenderly under the stars as he promised to always be there.
It feels wrong to stand back as Billy shouts in defiance, giving his all to hold back the literal and metaphorical darkness. This is Billy fighting one of his monsters in the most literal sense. The greatest shame is the way he can’t win.
What comes next is overkill. A scream as the first sharp, gaping appendage sinks into Billy’s side, gripping band biting all at once. Silence falling as others strike and Tommy keeps back the tears before he has to. His eyes are glued to the scene, waiting for it, waiting for that one moment, for the hope that he can make this stop.
All eyes are on Billy as he falls to his knees. It’s an ending. Those wounds are bleeding and there’s no way he could survive this.
Another defiant scream rends the air. Black bile spills from his lips, rolls down his throat.
Tommy slips faster and faster, steps closer, to where he might almost be seen, would be seen if all eyes weren’t on Billy.
And then he sees it. The moment where Billy’s mouth started to move, to form a word. A name. His eyes slip out of focus, and there are new tears forming.
Another tentacle, the mouth one again, forming, twisting, pointed. Here then is Billy’s death.
Here is the one life Tommy can save
- - - - -
There are some things that are a gift when it comes to speed, and there are some things that are a curse. Tommy Shepherd is physically twenty-one and mentally not even sure anymore, and he’s had more than enough time to figure out what he thinks those pros and cons are.
The biggest pros at the moment are the fact that he has all the time in the world to stage an entrance. He moves across the space at a stroll, trying out lines in his head, imagining ways to stop the creature.
In the end he puts himself between Billy’s suspended body and the tentacle, but only after putting one of the metal rope holder thingies nearby to grab once he needs it.
Then he lets himself fall closer and closer to real time. The tentacle lunges forward, already in motion, already looking for Billy. The creature hasn’t had a chance to react yet, to understand. So Tommy smiles up at it, bitter and angry, as he catches the offending appendage. Instead of letting it continue forward he puts all of his body into forcing the thing down. Given he can move faster than a human eye can see, he can put a lot of force behind his will.
There’s a ripping sound that tears through the air, and there’s a gasp behind him.
“Wh-” Billy’s voice slurs out.
Tommy reaches up and hauls the fucking wig off. Fuck that thing.
“I promised, didn’t I? That I’d always be there to save you.”
Tommy doesn’t look back though. The creature is roaring in fury, or pain. Honestly, he doesn’t care which it is. In fact, knowing would waste his time. Instead he grabs the metal support at hand and swings it first one direction, then the other.
Even lightweight, hollow metal can shear through flesh when you have enough speed behind it. The tentacles grasping Billy fall limp and of course Tommy is there to catch him. His fingers vibrate gently to peel the horrid mouth-vines from Billy’s flesh. Between the seconds he takes out the gauze he had brought with him and wraps the wounds as tight as he can. He needs to buy time until he can summon his brother to heal this again.
The creature roars in agony, and Tommy grins up at it.
“Jersey,” Billy croaks out, and Tommy smiles softly, sadly.
“Hey Sunshine,” Tommy croons back softly. “I missed you. Sorry I had to wait. Hate me for it later.”
There’s a look on Billy’s face but Tommy doesn’t linger to look at it. People are shouting, but Tommy can’t pay any attention to them. Now he has a whole other task to set about. Time for one last heroic action. He’s going to buy these other people time for this thing to die. Then he’ll call for his brother and they’ll figure all the rest out from there.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
July 4th, 1985
Date: 2023-10-01 05:17 am (UTC)What he wasn’t expecting was the battlefield. There was something… strange about a final stand made in a mall. Not as strong as a thirty foot fall flesh spider nightmare of course, but damn, it was all just very strange.
The biggest problem, though, was that the creature seemed almost aware of Tommy. He stayed at the edges of the conflict, trying to stay out of people’s sight. More than once, though, he could feel something… brush against his mind. Sometimes it was like Billy was about to turn his head, about to catch sight of Tommy. But surely that was impossible.
Still, he kept risking it. Kept risking blowing this timeline for nothing, because Tommy knew that he needed to see. If he didn’t see the right moment, if he couldn’t see the change come over Billy, then everything was for naught.
Honestly, Tommy wonders if he made a mistake by the end, coming into this without knowing the full details of everything. He doesn’t know who the girl is that Billy’s dragging toward the monster. He doesn’t know who most of these children who throw fireworks indoors are, or how they got involved. He doesn’t know a lot of things except for the fact that Billy is bent over a girl who reaches up and touches his face.
For the first time in days Tommy gets a glimpse of the man he loves. Tears roll down Billy’s cheeks.
Tommy wishes he could be there to reach out, to wipe them away.
Then Billy rises. He stands and turns toward the monster he created. The monster that helped create him.
The creature roars as Billy stares up with wide, fearful eyes. This wasn’t a moment they talked about a lot. So much is happening at once. Two teens run up from where Billy entered the food court. The girl on the floor drags herself backward, staring in horror. A nasty thing shoots out of the monster’s mouth and…
Tommy wants to applaud. The speed with which Billy moves is actually impressive for a normal human. His hands come up and catch a maw filled with teeth and sharp bones. It explains the multitude of tiny scars on Billy’s hands and palms, ones Tommy had kissed tenderly under the stars as he promised to always be there.
It feels wrong to stand back as Billy shouts in defiance, giving his all to hold back the literal and metaphorical darkness. This is Billy fighting one of his monsters in the most literal sense. The greatest shame is the way he can’t win.
What comes next is overkill. A scream as the first sharp, gaping appendage sinks into Billy’s side, gripping band biting all at once. Silence falling as others strike and Tommy keeps back the tears before he has to. His eyes are glued to the scene, waiting for it, waiting for that one moment, for the hope that he can make this stop.
All eyes are on Billy as he falls to his knees. It’s an ending. Those wounds are bleeding and there’s no way he could survive this.
Another defiant scream rends the air. Black bile spills from his lips, rolls down his throat.
Tommy slips faster and faster, steps closer, to where he might almost be seen, would be seen if all eyes weren’t on Billy.
And then he sees it. The moment where Billy’s mouth started to move, to form a word. A name. His eyes slip out of focus, and there are new tears forming.
Another tentacle, the mouth one again, forming, twisting, pointed. Here then is Billy’s death.
Here is the one life Tommy can save
There are some things that are a gift when it comes to speed, and there are some things that are a curse. Tommy Shepherd is physically twenty-one and mentally not even sure anymore, and he’s had more than enough time to figure out what he thinks those pros and cons are.
The biggest pros at the moment are the fact that he has all the time in the world to stage an entrance. He moves across the space at a stroll, trying out lines in his head, imagining ways to stop the creature.
In the end he puts himself between Billy’s suspended body and the tentacle, but only after putting one of the metal rope holder thingies nearby to grab once he needs it.
Then he lets himself fall closer and closer to real time. The tentacle lunges forward, already in motion, already looking for Billy. The creature hasn’t had a chance to react yet, to understand. So Tommy smiles up at it, bitter and angry, as he catches the offending appendage. Instead of letting it continue forward he puts all of his body into forcing the thing down. Given he can move faster than a human eye can see, he can put a lot of force behind his will.
There’s a ripping sound that tears through the air, and there’s a gasp behind him.
“Wh-” Billy’s voice slurs out.
Tommy reaches up and hauls the fucking wig off. Fuck that thing.
“I promised, didn’t I? That I’d always be there to save you.”
Tommy doesn’t look back though. The creature is roaring in fury, or pain. Honestly, he doesn’t care which it is. In fact, knowing would waste his time. Instead he grabs the metal support at hand and swings it first one direction, then the other.
Even lightweight, hollow metal can shear through flesh when you have enough speed behind it. The tentacles grasping Billy fall limp and of course Tommy is there to catch him. His fingers vibrate gently to peel the horrid mouth-vines from Billy’s flesh. Between the seconds he takes out the gauze he had brought with him and wraps the wounds as tight as he can. He needs to buy time until he can summon his brother to heal this again.
The creature roars in agony, and Tommy grins up at it.
“Jersey,” Billy croaks out, and Tommy smiles softly, sadly.
“Hey Sunshine,” Tommy croons back softly. “I missed you. Sorry I had to wait. Hate me for it later.”
There’s a look on Billy’s face but Tommy doesn’t linger to look at it. People are shouting, but Tommy can’t pay any attention to them. Now he has a whole other task to set about. Time for one last heroic action. He’s going to buy these other people time for this thing to die. Then he’ll call for his brother and they’ll figure all the rest out from there.