so take it in, don't hold your breath, the bottom's all i found.

[expeditiousness]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd
WHERE: Various places around the village - see below
WHEN: During the month of February
OPEN TO: ERRYBODY with some closed stuff
WARNINGS: none anticipated, will update if needed.

---

[this is just a handy catch-all log for the month with tommy! check your options below.]

Comments

[demiurgency]

"Said like you've ever had a hangover that lasted more than five minutes," he shoots back at Tommy, but it's affectionate complaining. Yeah, he's still recovering from that week of being gone, everything he'd seen on the mountain and the nightmares after, and he's sure once Wanda's absence fully settles in it's going to hurt, but he doesn't want to hurt right now. He's with his twin, and he's with Nida, and he doesn't want to feel bad. Nida shoots him that look, and Billy looks right back at him, not breaking the eye contact for a long moment. Of course he hasn't forgotten that day in the schoolhouse and what they decided, but this isn't about that. This is about reaffirming that two of the people he cares most about here are still here. That they're real. Maybe they could all use that reassurance.

"Life, family and friends. Pretty much the best things there are, right?" Billy lifts his own glass and takes a healthy swallow, warmth burning through his chest. He takes a deep breath, shakes his head, then eyes Tommy and Nida in turn. "So, what's this about you two dancing??" Because he'd definitely missed that at New Years.

[expeditiousness]

"I'll drink to that," Tommy says, raising his glass in a toast, then takes a drink - which he ends up choking on as the surprise of Billy's question distracts him from swallowing properly. He coughs and splutters loudly against his arm, eyes watering, and sets his glass down again so as not to spill it. Another loud cough, a deep breath, and Tommy's able to speak again.

"Hey man, he started it," he answers, pointing to Nida. "Asked if I'd dance with him 'cause it was his birthday. Can't really refuse a guy a dance on his birthday, right?" That would just be rude.

[skyward_eyes]

"In my defense, it was my birthday, I used that line on everyone, and at the time..."

Nida trails off with a sigh, shaking his head a little. He didn't need to feel guilty then, and he refuses to feel guilty now. Not like him and Billy are anything yet, not like he and Tommy ever did anything more than dance, and not like he hadn't been too mindful of Billy even back then to let it be more than dancing.

"I even danced with Seifer, that turned into mostly being use trying to one up each other and it was aggressive as fuck," Nida explains with a sigh. "Tommy offered, I needed the distraction. May be my birthday, but that night always ends up making me think of my parents, and, well... you get why that's a problem, Billy."

Because Billy had seen it. Seen Nida getting to face his suppressed memories in a very immediate sense. The cause of his birthday grief laid out for people to see. For that, he takes another swig of his drink.

"That being said, having danced with both of you? Billy is better. Sorry Tommy, saying it straight to your face. I don't know what you were doing, but it isn't any sort of dancing I know."

[demiurgency]

Honestly, seeing Tommy choke and splutter like that...maybe he shouldn't laugh, and he does still ache over missing Wanda, but the look is still so comical that he can't help it, lifting a hand to cover his mouth as he grins. "I'm just sad I missed it, honestly," he says, still chuckling, though the look softens and fades as Nida mentions his parents. "But yeah. I know what you mean."

He'd seen what happened to Nida's parents, after all. He knew. But now wasn't a time for those memories. Now was a time to make new ones, to share things with people he cares about. "See, I keep telling you, Tommy, you definitely need to learn ballroom dancing," he teases his twin, leaning over with an elbow before picking up his drink again and taking a long swallow. The warmth it gives him is nice, but the warmth the company gives is even nicer. "It's not just for nerds, just look at Nida." And that warm smile is directed at Nida next, his look maybe a little softer than it should be.