Tommy’s taken to dozing on the couch in the living room while Billy’s been away - the better to hear him when he returns home, and Tommy is resolute in his belief that it will be a when, not an if. He hasn’t been sleeping well either, under this arrangement, so there are dark circles stamped under his eyes to mirror his twin.

Tommy’s awake the instant he hears Billy’s voice, clambering to his feet an instant later, rushing toward his twin an instant after that.

“Billy!” he shouts in uncontained surprise and anxiety and elation. “Holy shit, dude, am I glad to see you.”

He doesn’t even think about the fact that he’s supposed to be pretending he doesn’t have feelings - Tommy pulls Billy into a tight hug, a lightness of relief ballooning up in his chest.

“I was so worried. You doing OK?”