fanfiction
[X-POSTED from my tumblr]
Fandom: Young Avengers
Title: All That Remains
Word Count: 1206
Rating: PG maybe for some slight cursing on Tommy’s part
Characters: Tommy Shepherd (centric), Teddy Altman
Summary: Tommy struggles to deal with the aftermath of everything that happened, especially Billy’s reaction, and does the only thing he knows how to do. Runs. Teddy notices. [Set in the months as the team recovers from the end of CC9]
Notes: So I’ve had this niggling at the back of my mind since CC9 came out and I had some time on a train ride home to write it up SO HERE IT IS. It’s unbeta’d so there’s probs a lot of grammar errors as well as my terrible writing BUT I HAD TOO MANY FEELS NOT TO GET THIS FINISHED and Tommy and Teddy need to interact more in canon as bros.
In the beginning, Tommy thought it would be easy. Just show him a breaking news story here, an article on crime in Manhattan there, and Billy would get back into his tights and ridiculous cape in no time. But things rarely go his way when he wants them to.
There was only so many times Tommy could try and catch Billy’s attention before it started getting to him. He’d even resorted to a Star Wars Blu-ray that he’s acquired (somewhat nefariously, but desperate times) and offered to watch the whole thing only to be told that he wasn’t in the mood. Billy wasn’t in the mood for much of anything anymore.
It wasn’t that Tommy didn’t feel guilt for what happened-god did he ever--but he couldn’t bear it anymore. Watching Billy destroy himself, destroy the remnants of whatever family Tommy had left was too much for him. Tommy just wanted everything to be better, everything to go back to how it was where nobody was dead or had left the team and Billy was himself.
So, Tommy did the only thing he knew how to do and he ran. It didn’t even matter where he ran to since half the time he didn’t know, but anywhere away was better. He didn’t even notice when he started fighting again. In France he stopped a mugger from attacking a woman down an alley. Or at least he thought it was France, since she said Merci a lot afterwards, but if he thought about it, it might’ve been Canada. Somewhere in California he helped stop a Nazi bee swarm and then in Georgia he saved some kids from a fire. Not because he was living up to a ‘Young Avenger’, not because Patriot or Hawkeye was giving him orders, but because it was the right thing to do.
It didn’t take long before Tommy would be missing for days at a time, helping out people in other states and countries. Teddy didn’t take long to notice either and after one particularly depressing dinner with the Kaplans, Teddy intercepted Tommy before he could scramble away into his room.
“Where’ve you been going?” he asked, putting his hand across the doorway, a concerned frown on his brow. Tommy snorted a little, and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Why is it any of your business, Altman?”
“He notices you know. That you’re gone.”
Tommy faltered. He hadn’t been sure that anything had been able to get through those glassy eyes and actually smack his stupid brother into some sense. Not even Wanda’s visits.
“Yeah right. Nothing gets through to him, you of all people know that.”
Teddy’s eyes flitted down to the floor and his feet shifted uncomfortably. He’d been trying longer than Tommy had to get through to his brother. And they’d both had no luck, but Teddy was taking it harder than he was.
Tommy lost his patience and ducked under the arm that blocked the doorway so he could go into his room, but Teddy caught his sleeve before he could get all the way. Tommy didn’t turn but did stop, giving his arm a tug.
“Let go.”
“No. Not until you tell me where you’ve been going.”
Tommy rolled his eyes. “Again, why is it your business? I don’t remember needing permission to take a piss, Mom.”
Teddy clenched his fist around Tommy’s arm a little.
“This is all I have too y’know. You can’t just. Disappear without me-without him--noticing. As much as you think I don’t, I actually care about you, you massive idiot.”
Tommy turned, trying to get his arm out of Teddy’s grip. The alien was stronger than him, and his hand wasn’t going anywhere. His own fists clenched and he looked up at Teddy, scowling.
“You wanna know where I’ve been going? Anywhere, everywhere that isn’t here. I’m not just going to sit and watch him waste away. I can’t and I won’t. And I’m not going to watch you fail at your job,” he snapped, his eyes getting a little more desperate. “You’re supposed to fix him, and get him back to normal. He’s supposed to be better and we’re supposed to be out there by now!”
Teddy stared at him for a moment before he pulled Tommy by the arm into a tight embrace. He was shaking. It looked like he was doing about a good a job at keeping it together as Tommy was. Tommy squirmed in his grip for a moment, but it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t going anywhere. And part of him needed a fucking hug.
“I’ve tried everything. I don’t know what to do anymore,” he started, shakily sighing. “But you know what’s not helping? You just leaving. I don’t know if I can deal with someone else disappearing. I know he can’t.”
Tommy bit his lip, and tried to shrug Teddy off him, who let him go pretty easily. He didn’t move right away, but enough so he didn’t feel suffocated, and frowned at the floor.
“It doesn’t matter anyway.”
Teddy frowned. “It does. One of these days he’s going to wake up. And if you’re not there, as his friend and his brother, I’m going to have to make up some crazy story about how you joined the circus as a tightrope walker or a lion tamer and he won’t believe me.”
Tommy stared at him. For a good few seconds, which for a speedster was a long time. He then laughed.
“Well, of course he wouldn’t, tightropes? Really? I hate those things. Lion tamer maybe though, we could make that one work.”
Teddy shook his head, and patted Tommy on the shoulder a little, smiling. He looked tired, more tired than Tommy had ever seen him lately.
“Hate to break it to you, but all cats hate you. Little ones you save out of trees for little old ladies that you don’t think I know about and big ones you fight off with a chair. All of them. He wouldn’t believe me.”
Tommy snorted, pulling his shoulder away, a hint of a smile still tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Says you Mister I save cats out of trees for little old ladies when nobody is looking.”
Tommy gave Teddy a shove and Teddy took it, smiling. Somehow it never went up to his eyes though.
“Seriously though, I don’t mind you running off and having some space or whatever it is you do out there, but a heads up when you do would be great. Also use your damn phone once in a while.”
Tommy said nothing for a moment, before he nodded, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Sorry.”
Teddy shrugged. “It’s okay. You can make it up to me by letting me beat you at TF2.”
Tommy raised an eyebrow and scoffed.
“Are you kidding me with that, Altman? You can try and beat me, but you won’t. Ever.”
In the end, there hadn’t been much any of them could have done to stop it. But what mattered was that they were all there for each other whether they needed it or not. And that’s all that he needed really.
Fandom: Young Avengers
Title: All That Remains
Word Count: 1206
Rating: PG maybe for some slight cursing on Tommy’s part
Characters: Tommy Shepherd (centric), Teddy Altman
Summary: Tommy struggles to deal with the aftermath of everything that happened, especially Billy’s reaction, and does the only thing he knows how to do. Runs. Teddy notices. [Set in the months as the team recovers from the end of CC9]
Notes: So I’ve had this niggling at the back of my mind since CC9 came out and I had some time on a train ride home to write it up SO HERE IT IS. It’s unbeta’d so there’s probs a lot of grammar errors as well as my terrible writing BUT I HAD TOO MANY FEELS NOT TO GET THIS FINISHED and Tommy and Teddy need to interact more in canon as bros.
In the beginning, Tommy thought it would be easy. Just show him a breaking news story here, an article on crime in Manhattan there, and Billy would get back into his tights and ridiculous cape in no time. But things rarely go his way when he wants them to.
There was only so many times Tommy could try and catch Billy’s attention before it started getting to him. He’d even resorted to a Star Wars Blu-ray that he’s acquired (somewhat nefariously, but desperate times) and offered to watch the whole thing only to be told that he wasn’t in the mood. Billy wasn’t in the mood for much of anything anymore.
It wasn’t that Tommy didn’t feel guilt for what happened-god did he ever--but he couldn’t bear it anymore. Watching Billy destroy himself, destroy the remnants of whatever family Tommy had left was too much for him. Tommy just wanted everything to be better, everything to go back to how it was where nobody was dead or had left the team and Billy was himself.
So, Tommy did the only thing he knew how to do and he ran. It didn’t even matter where he ran to since half the time he didn’t know, but anywhere away was better. He didn’t even notice when he started fighting again. In France he stopped a mugger from attacking a woman down an alley. Or at least he thought it was France, since she said Merci a lot afterwards, but if he thought about it, it might’ve been Canada. Somewhere in California he helped stop a Nazi bee swarm and then in Georgia he saved some kids from a fire. Not because he was living up to a ‘Young Avenger’, not because Patriot or Hawkeye was giving him orders, but because it was the right thing to do.
It didn’t take long before Tommy would be missing for days at a time, helping out people in other states and countries. Teddy didn’t take long to notice either and after one particularly depressing dinner with the Kaplans, Teddy intercepted Tommy before he could scramble away into his room.
“Where’ve you been going?” he asked, putting his hand across the doorway, a concerned frown on his brow. Tommy snorted a little, and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Why is it any of your business, Altman?”
“He notices you know. That you’re gone.”
Tommy faltered. He hadn’t been sure that anything had been able to get through those glassy eyes and actually smack his stupid brother into some sense. Not even Wanda’s visits.
“Yeah right. Nothing gets through to him, you of all people know that.”
Teddy’s eyes flitted down to the floor and his feet shifted uncomfortably. He’d been trying longer than Tommy had to get through to his brother. And they’d both had no luck, but Teddy was taking it harder than he was.
Tommy lost his patience and ducked under the arm that blocked the doorway so he could go into his room, but Teddy caught his sleeve before he could get all the way. Tommy didn’t turn but did stop, giving his arm a tug.
“Let go.”
“No. Not until you tell me where you’ve been going.”
Tommy rolled his eyes. “Again, why is it your business? I don’t remember needing permission to take a piss, Mom.”
Teddy clenched his fist around Tommy’s arm a little.
“This is all I have too y’know. You can’t just. Disappear without me-without him--noticing. As much as you think I don’t, I actually care about you, you massive idiot.”
Tommy turned, trying to get his arm out of Teddy’s grip. The alien was stronger than him, and his hand wasn’t going anywhere. His own fists clenched and he looked up at Teddy, scowling.
“You wanna know where I’ve been going? Anywhere, everywhere that isn’t here. I’m not just going to sit and watch him waste away. I can’t and I won’t. And I’m not going to watch you fail at your job,” he snapped, his eyes getting a little more desperate. “You’re supposed to fix him, and get him back to normal. He’s supposed to be better and we’re supposed to be out there by now!”
Teddy stared at him for a moment before he pulled Tommy by the arm into a tight embrace. He was shaking. It looked like he was doing about a good a job at keeping it together as Tommy was. Tommy squirmed in his grip for a moment, but it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t going anywhere. And part of him needed a fucking hug.
“I’ve tried everything. I don’t know what to do anymore,” he started, shakily sighing. “But you know what’s not helping? You just leaving. I don’t know if I can deal with someone else disappearing. I know he can’t.”
Tommy bit his lip, and tried to shrug Teddy off him, who let him go pretty easily. He didn’t move right away, but enough so he didn’t feel suffocated, and frowned at the floor.
“It doesn’t matter anyway.”
Teddy frowned. “It does. One of these days he’s going to wake up. And if you’re not there, as his friend and his brother, I’m going to have to make up some crazy story about how you joined the circus as a tightrope walker or a lion tamer and he won’t believe me.”
Tommy stared at him. For a good few seconds, which for a speedster was a long time. He then laughed.
“Well, of course he wouldn’t, tightropes? Really? I hate those things. Lion tamer maybe though, we could make that one work.”
Teddy shook his head, and patted Tommy on the shoulder a little, smiling. He looked tired, more tired than Tommy had ever seen him lately.
“Hate to break it to you, but all cats hate you. Little ones you save out of trees for little old ladies that you don’t think I know about and big ones you fight off with a chair. All of them. He wouldn’t believe me.”
Tommy snorted, pulling his shoulder away, a hint of a smile still tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Says you Mister I save cats out of trees for little old ladies when nobody is looking.”
Tommy gave Teddy a shove and Teddy took it, smiling. Somehow it never went up to his eyes though.
“Seriously though, I don’t mind you running off and having some space or whatever it is you do out there, but a heads up when you do would be great. Also use your damn phone once in a while.”
Tommy said nothing for a moment, before he nodded, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Sorry.”
Teddy shrugged. “It’s okay. You can make it up to me by letting me beat you at TF2.”
Tommy raised an eyebrow and scoffed.
“Are you kidding me with that, Altman? You can try and beat me, but you won’t. Ever.”
In the end, there hadn’t been much any of them could have done to stop it. But what mattered was that they were all there for each other whether they needed it or not. And that’s all that he needed really.