hybrid_prince | Open Post

Tommy trails him over and then drops down next to him, still close enough to be touching, watching him shed the crown and cape. "We were both fucked up. It was just ... nothing to me. Just a prison, at first. But after a while. Fuck, I missed the world, I missed David and Billy and our friends and ... TV and books and all that shit. But it started to just feel like us. In our space. Like a home, I guess. Just a screwed up one. When I got back, there was just people everywhere. Everything was too loud and too bright and ... there wasn't you. It was like I couldn't handle anything because half of me was missing." Which sounded sappy as hell. But it was true.

He barked a sudden, startled laugh. "I didn't really think about it," Tommy admitted. "I figured without the drugs or whatever they did, you'd have to uh ... want to do it on purpose, right?"

He looked up at the knock, sighing. "Yeah. Go, eat dinner. I'll be around when you're back? Unless they don't want me in the emperor's rooms without you."

"Cute that you think you're not joining us for dinner, even if you aren't hungry," Teddy dismisses Tommy's comment. "Now that Kitty Cat and Little Lamb have seen you and me at the same time and are CERTAIN we're not the same person, they're going to refuse to eat their dinner without both of us."

And Teddy needs his precious kids to eat. Sorry, Tommy. It's family dinner time. Good thing the kids are too young to really process if it's awkward. They'll pick up on it, yes. They likely won't remember it.

Tommy laughed again, shaking his head. "Kitty and lamb. Those kids are gonna kick you when they get older," he teased. "I don't mind. But should we wait until we can do the memory thing? So I don't say something that freaks them out? Plus I can't speak Skrull or Kree."

Tommy didn't mind the idea, he was just a little afraid of it, too. And he didn't want to step in on something that was their tradition. Even if he was their father, they didn't really know him, they just thought they did.

"No one would let me name him Shepherd. They said it wasn't very suitable," Teddy shrugs. So yeah, his lamb. But he rises and spares a kiss to Tommy's forehead before slipping out of the white room and through the main room to open the door.

And damn if the slap he earns opening the door doesn't echo.

"Teddy Altman," Billy hisses at Teddy, and all the words that came after that were Krakoan because he was so angry. And shouted so Tommy could hear, not that Billy knew Tommy was there. "You fucking asshole. How could you THINK to hide Tommy's children from him. I don't care if you're an Emperor or if you left me, but you hurt him, and if you didn't have those children as shields, I would put you in a damn closet for a few years and keep you sealed in there for hurting my brother. And where is he? Did you send him back? Because I'm not okay with you just playing with him and sending him away!"

Tommy's face softened. He watched Teddy walk away, trying to get himself back under control again but he just ... fuck he loved Teddy. And he wanted a chance to love the kids, and not fuck it up.

He sat up when he heard his brother's furious voice. Shit, Billy. He appreciated it, but yeah. It was complicated.

Tommy got up and darted over to stand next to Billy. "Hey - I'm here. We were talking. Thanks for the defense, but I'm okay. It's okay." Tommy gave Billy a small, shy smile that wasn't really like him. "He uh, thought the same thing I did. Thank I hated him."

“Could, uh, one of you speak English?” Teddy asked, looking back and forth between the twins. “I’m sorta lost.”

Billy just sighs and mumbles, his hand glowing blue. And Teddy shivers.

“Did you just... dump a language in my head?”

“No, teaching a non-mutant Krakoan intentionally is against our laws. I just placed a brief charm to let you understand it while I’m here.”

“Your magic has gotten stronger,” teddy observed. But he still hasn’t let billy enter. “Could... I borrow it? Let Tommy speak and understand Skrull and Kree? Maybe... share some memories?”

That earned a distrusting look.

"Sorry." Tommy didn't even always realize they were speaking Krakoan, since he'd had it Billy'd into his head. It was like a switch he forgot to shut off.

He sighed, rubbing at his head absently. "I want to, if you can. And just ... look, we should all talk. You're part of this too. You and Teddy were a thing way before aliens decided we needed to put on a show. And he already figured out about you and David - he saw the ring. But you know I've been ... he missed me, B. Like I missed him. He thought I'd hate the kids and him, and that I'd be weirded out."

The look on Billy's face said that he figured they probably SHOULD be freaked out. Which almost earned a growl from Teddy. Because how could the guy think that way about HIS kids? That's not okay.

"Listen, we can talk about it after dinner," Teddy sighs, fingers carding in his hair. "Right now, the kids will be very confused and upset if their Papa 'pretends' he can't understand them, and if he doesn't know how to act right... Could you...?"

Billy rolled his eyes. "Grant Knowledge," he intoned, and with a wave of his hand and a burst of blue light heavy blue-silver bracelets fell into his hands.

There was nothing that said Billy was irritated more than dragging out reality warping.

The larger bracelet was passed to Teddy, who put it on, because he TRUSTED Billy like that. The other Billy held out to his brother.

"It will serve as an inherent translation talisman for Tommy, he'll be able to speak whatever languages you speak, Teddy, so long as you both wear them. The other thing is if you run a finger over yours, Teddy, it will impart to him memories that he MIGHT have had if you had LET HIM."

Tommy took the bracelet and slipped it on. He gave his brother a grateful hug - probably startling to Teddy, since Tommy had never done that so easily when he'd known them both around one another. Things changed.

"I know it's all messed up," he told Billy. But we'll figure it out, okay? I'm sorry. I'll come get you after dinner?" he offered, giving Billy's wrist a squeeze and then letting him go, spinning the bracelet on his wrist for a second.

“I’m not invited?” billy asks. Seemed an oversight.

“I... B, this is going to be a first for the kids. And when they are over stimulated I can’t get them to sleep. Given the last time they got upset Kathryn started getting a bit rocky around the eyes, I don’t want to give them too much immediately. Intangibility and a space ship? It could get hem hurt. It terrifies me.”

Oh. Maybe Tommy should have thought of that. But he was already nervous about being around his kids for the first time and overwhelmed with everything else. He wasn't sure he wanted to navigate Billy, Teddy, and himself at the same time too.

"Tomorrow?" Tommy asked him quietly. "I just ... they're used to me and I know fuckall about them, Billy. I'll eat with them and try not to fuck it up and then we'll all talk and tomorrow we can all eat with them and you can hang out with your niece and nephew and I'll try not to stop time or anything while I freak out about that."

"Tomorrow," Billy agrees, but he doesn't sound pleased.

Teddy just wraps an arm around Tommy's waist, a silent and familiar show of support

"Sorry," Tommy said, a little helplessly. But he still leaned into Teddy's side without thinking, whole body tiling toward him without thought, like it was natural still after all this time. His body knew Teddy's, instinctively fit against his and craved his nearness and touch.

"We'll figure it out," Tommy said again. "Go hang with David for a while? Try to figure out how you two are gonna teach toddler skrulls?"

Billy did... not really like it from the look on his face, but he lets it slide. For now, the narrowing of his eyes said.

"Fine, but only because he's tired," Billy sighs, walking away, and leaving the two alone. Teddy, meanwhile, closed the door and considered Tommy.

"Would... you like some different clothes? I've got some here I use when I'm you. They look great on you."

Tommy winced inwardly. He wasn't looking forward to the part of this where he had to try to explain things to Billy and David. Or anyone else. He knew it wasn't going to make sense or seem ... healthy or whatever. But he'd been ignoring what was healthy for a long time anyway. He felt guilty and confused and nervous as hell. But beneath it, he couldn't help a steady little stream of happiness. Teddy didn't hate him. Teddy loved him. Teddy didn't blame him. It was like being able to breathe for the first time after years of dragging in shallow gasps.

"Uh yeah, sure. Whatever they're used to is good, I guess?" Tommy said. "I don't want to freak them out, Ted." The version of him they knew right now, they obviously loved. Tommy didn't want the real him to take that away from them.

And Teddy smiled, kissing Tommy's forehead and and then reaching out to stroke the bracelet at his wrist. Enjoy the soft moment of Tommy just bouncing his baby girl on his hip, singing a Skrull nursery rhyme, their son looking up jealously.

"They love you. And that won't change.}

Tommy shut his eyes, startled by the memory. It was ... sweet. But he couldn't help worrying still. What if he just didn't live up to the version Teddy had made of him. "You made me seem really good to them," he said quietly. "I dunno if I'm gonna be that good at it, Ted. I'll try, though."

He pressed his hand lightly to Teddy's stomach. He wanted to ask what it'd been like, if Teddy hated it, if it hurt. But they'd have time later. He didn't want to get started talking now - they might not stop. "I hate that you had to do all this alone," he said instead.

"You'll be great," Teddy counters. But...

"I chose this," he says after a moment. "I chose to be alone in this. But I'm lucky. The... nursemaid I have for them? She's... She's my mom's daughter. I guess we're sorta, like, siblings?"

"You didn't," Tommy said. "Yeah, you kind of did but you chose it because you thought I'd want it. It's like I didn't really chose to not be with you either. We didn't ... chose to be in that room together, we didn't chose to get together to start with. So I'm not going anywhere anymore unless YOU choose to tell me you don't want me around. And I will kick your ass if you try to drug me and send me off again. I want ... Ted I want us to choose it for ourselves. It's fucked up how we started and what happened to us and how we fell for each other. But we still FEEL it."

He shrugged, half-smiling. "But it's good. That you had some kind of family. I uh ... we heard her on the vid calls so much, I started to wonder if you weren't with her, and she just wasn't always a she, since Skrulls can be whatever they want."

Oh wow, Teddy stares at Tommy in half horror. That... no way.

"She's basically the older sister I never had. We spend time talking about Mom."

Tommy flushed, fidgeting self-consciously under that horrified stare and looking away. "What?" he asked, frowning. "If you don't want ... I'm not going to FORCE it, I just thought you wanted it too."

That was good, for Teddy. That he had someone to talk to and help with the kids. That he wasn't alone. It wasn't as good as having one of them (Tommy) here, but it was something. "I'm glad you had her."

"I'd rather have had you," Teddy counters. To have laid in bed at night with his husba...

Oh. Oh man he was having a thought he never would have expected. And blushes through it.

Tommy looked back at him and then nudged him. "Kind of thought that's what I was offering now." Not the husband part, since he didn't know Teddy was thinking it. But to have him.

He smiled at the blush though. Fuck he'd missed Teddy. "Get me the clothes I'm supposed to wear?" he asked.

Well, if all goes well, maybe... Maybe he could ask. As it was, he just heads for the closet and opens it. Mostly it's clearly regal garb for Teddy. But beside it is also a selection of comfortable, clothes, more in lie with Speed's style, though in slightly less flamboyant colors. Body suits, but typically with a bit of cape or other fabric meant to drape.

Tommy followed him, still automatically glued to his side with that natural touch that Tommy hadn't thought to try to shed now that he was with Teddy again. He spotted the clothes that were cut for him readily enough, even if it wasn't quite what he'd wear on his own. He figured allowances had to be made for Skrull central anyway. He picked out one in shades of blue and just pulled off his own clothes - not like Teddy didn't know what he looked like, between two years naked, and shifting into him.

He pulled on the outfit carefully and then faced Teddy. "Am I gonna pass kid inspection?"

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