aterat | Gotta Live Fast

Who; Tommy Shepherd, OTA
What; Tommy Adjusting to the town and work
Where; Markets, Hunters Lodge, Residence Square
When; Early to Mid August
Warnings; Tommy is prone to swearing

1. A Taste Of Family | Markets
Some days it was hard not to miss the people you loved. This was something Tommy was more than used to after his time as a captive of the Sphere. Most of the time he didn't know what to do with that tension that bubbled up in him, but today, he had an idea. Which was why Tommy, completely with Speedy's bag over his shoulder, was moving slowly through the markets. Slowly because he didn't really know what all he was going to do about sufficient food. So for now it was about conserving energy, walking the line between too much energy use to stay slow and too much energy use by going fast.

For now he was at a spice merchant, looking over some of their stocks. He needed to find the right spices, but he couldn't always remember the names, which meant a lot of careful sniffing. He had to figure out which ones went into paprikash so he could save up a bit of money and then buy what he'd need. Later. Because he couldn't indulge in spices right now.

"I can't tell if this is normal paprika or hungarian," he sighed as he straightened. This was impossible.

2. Do You Want Fries With That? | Hunter's Lodge
There was a new level of efficiency at meal times at the Hunter's Lodge. A young man with snow white hair and silver googles holding orange tinted lenses on. There would be only the space between a blink between someone settling at a table and Tommy's arrival, unless he was talking to another customer. And at his arrival there was definitely a mug of water set down in front of the person that wouldn't have been in Tommy's hand wherever he was before.

"Hey," he greeted. "Wanna know the specials? Or do you have a specific thing in mind already?"

When he wasn't serving tables he did hover by the kitchen door, though, waiting for new arrivals or people needing assistance, or just food that needed to go out.

3. If I Had A Quarter For Every Time I Counted These Coins... | Residence Square
Money. That really was always the start and stop of all problems wasn't it? Well, he supposed in this case it was less money and the fact that his stomach was... really needy.

These thoughts occurred to Tommy as he sat in one of the chairs that existed in the central courtyard between all of the colored residential buildings. Unloaded into his hand was a pile of coins, which he was counting in frustration not for the first time.

It was like being in high school again, before he stopped going to high school. When there was never enough, no matter how much he wanted there to be enough. He needed something more if he was to sustain himself here. The Sphere had done so much to take care of them...

"Not that I'm very good for being anything other than fast," he lamented to himself out loud. How was he supposed to make this work?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Billy was trying to get the lay of the land, wandering out to the courtyard. The figure sat out there quickly caught his eye, Billy trying to get a better look while looking like he wasn't. Only he was ten, so it was VERY obvious that he was looking.

Because how many people had hair like that? Billy could only think of his Uncle. Or not-Uncle... whoever he really was.

He tried to take a seat near enough to maintain his cover, tapping his fingers together and starring straight ahead when he thought he'd been spotted, realizing he didn't have a very good cover at all.

Oh come on kid. Tommy might be caught up on the fact that he's going to have money issues (and soon even more because there was no way that he wasn't adopting his brother), but he's got eyes. And the boy staring at him was a thing.

Fine, time to deal with that. Tommy moves. In less than a second his money was in its pouch, the pouch in his pocket, and Tommy's chair literally put down next to Billy with Tommy sitting in it.

"You eyeing me, kid?"

Billy started in surprise, but his face broke into a wide grin at that display of powers. Was white hair a speedster thing? Was Tommy going to have white hair one day too?

"No-" he lied automatically, cheeks flushed.

Dude, are you enjoying this? Of course you are. Tommy's amazing.

"Yeah, you really are. What's up with that?"

"You just look like someone I know," he explained, looking a bit sheepish, but still not able to shake that smile.

Look like someone he knows? Tommy frowns at that. Then shrugs it off.

"So your parents taught you it was cool to stare at someone because they're sorta familiar?"

"I wasn't starring," Billy argues petulantly, "Did yours teach you it was cool to-..." Damn. He started that comeback without an ending, and now he falters, lips pressing into a thin line.

Tommy just frowned. He didn't know what to say about any of that. Other than the frown.

"I don't talk about them much. Seriously, you were staring. What's your name, kid?"

He huffs a little, but drops it, since he seems to have triggered something, and he feels bad about making the man frown like that.

"Billy," he answers easily.

Billy? What? Now Tommy was staring at the kid even more.

"I'm Tommy," he said, watching the kid's face closely.

Tommy?

Billy's head tilted in confused recognition, frowning faintly.

"Tommy what-?" he prompts almost suspiciously.

"Man, could you ask a way less complicated question, please?" Tommy asks, fingers coming up to his temples. Kid, you don't know what a can of worms that is.

Fine, simple answer.

"Tommy Shepherd. What about you? If you're going to be pushy on my last name?"

Ah. Shepherd. Billy looks a bit disappointed that his hunch is wrong.

"Billy Maximoff."

Oh.

Fucking.

God.

"Billy," he whispers, leaning in to look at the kid's face. Was Tommy ever that cute at that age? "Holy f-"

Mom would kill him if he taught Billy to curse. Maybe not Mary Shepherd or Wanda back home, but the Wanda that had been his mother in the Sphere? The Wanda that Tommy didn't know was this Billy's mother? Yes, she would.

"How did you get so small? Did you spell yourself?"

There's a small light in his eyes at that cut off curse that says Billy knows what Tommy was going to say, biting back a childish smirk.

"W- what do you mean?" Billy's brows crease, because- well yes, he did spell himself, but to be older, not younger.

"I'm not small," he mutters defensively.

"You're a kid," Tommy counters, like that's the most logical argument. Don't point out he's only five eight thanks.

"No wonder you asked my name. I was born, the first time, Tommy Maximoff, to Wanda Maximoff and the Vision. And yes, I said first time. Mom and magic makes a lot of sh- stuff complicated."

"Yeah?" Billy gives him a pointed look, like- of course he is.

"...the first time?" he repeats a bit numbly, "...We come back?" Because Billy knows what's waiting for them. He could feel the barrier closing, and their mother's grief and fear...

There was probably nothing more traumatizing than what Billy had gone through. Tommy wished he could take that awareness away.

How did he answer the fact that he was pretty sure they were from different worlds? Because the Maximoff kids hadn't lasted this long in his world.

"Yeah," he says at last. It's nicer than the complications of his own life. "Just, uh, not together. Hold on, this isn't outside talk. Are you okay with coming back to my place? I've got to give Speedy his lunch, and I can make hot chocolate."

HE had bought it as a reward for himself, but fuck it.

That's partially comforting, but Billy looks distressed at the implication that they wouldn't come back together.

He frowns, but nods faintly.

"...who's Speedy?"

"My pet. He's a little sloth. Come on, he's probably awake and he's super cuddly."

Billy's going to need something soft and good while Tommy talks to him. He stands and offers his hand to the kid.

"You have a pet sloth?" And via the magic of childhood wonder, all the worry is briefly forgotten, eagerly taking Tommy's hand, happy to go wherever he wants if there's a tiny sloth to cuddle.

Oh man, that's totally the right reaction. Tommy laughs and nods in delight.

"Hold on," he said, before scooping the boy into his arms. Like he's going to wait with this. They need the talk, and for the talk they need Speedy. Just like that they were outside of a gray door and Tommy pulled out a key to unlock it.

"In here. You ready to see the cutest thing ever?"

It's not all that different from being pulled along after Tommy and Not-Pietro, definitely a little less of a shock to the system being carried, and Billy hardly looks disoriented at all, just eager to see the sloth.

"So ready."

Huh, interesting. The kid really does seem to have that special sort of resistance that mutant siblings seem to heave to each other. Tommy smiled at that. The key goes in and the door swings open and there, in the middle of the kitchen they walk into is the kitchen table. With one of the kitchen chairs on top of it. And hanging off of one of the cross support rods on the chair is the hanging body of the juvenile sloth. Noticing the noise and the door open, and seeing his owner, the little thing makes a loud noise, calling for him.

"Yeah yeah, I know, you're hungry," Tommy laughs, heading in and right for the fridge to find his chopped carrots. "Speedy, this is Billy."

Oh look at it! Billy hurries forward, but stops short of touching the sloth without permission, just beaming curiously at the creature.

"It's so small!"

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Gotta Live Fast

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