"God damn—" There was a sharp hiss of a breath being painfully sucked in.
Teddy paused on his way to the bedroom.
He recognized that.
"Stupid piece of adhesive tape just – fuck."
Billy had done it again. Gone and gotten himself beaten up and was trying to make the wounds look days old so Teddy wouldn't question it.
He didn't even bother to knock when he slammed open the bathroom door, face already set to disapproval mode.
"Fuck Altman!"
Teddy froze.
Not Billy.
"T-Tommy?"
"God, learn to knock I could have been naked or something. Bathrooms have a lock for a reason."
Teddy didn't say anything to that – he was too busy staring. Tommy looked like he'd gone ten rounds with an eight-wheeler and lost every round. He was covered in marks, shallow cuts that ran up and down his arms and legs and fresh bruises that Teddy knew would darken and purple within a few hours. There was a curious criss-cross pattern of bruise marks flittered across his chest. Teddy barely register that Tommy was just standing there in his underwear, bandage sticking to his fingers and an annoyed look on his face.
"What happened?" Teddy moved further into the bathroom.
"I took care of the dick that beat up Kaplan."
"You did what?"
"I took care of him."
"I… eh… wait, a-and what, he managed to get you back?" Tommy snorted but his face flared with pain and one hand flying to his ribs, the other steadying himself against the basin.
"That ass couldn't land a hit if he had help. No, I knocked him into the street and was just about to finish pummelling his sorry ass when a freaking truck came flying around the corner; I wasn't about to let him get hit by a truck, I mean, I wanted him hurt but not dead so I just sorta tossed him aside-"
"and got hit by a truck?"
"Lightly. It clipped me."
"You have the imprint of the grate on your chest."
"That's not from the truck, that's from the gutter grate I landed on when the truck clipped me."
"Gutter gra… dude, what the hell! Why didn't you ask for help or something?"
"I don't need your help."
"You're bleeding."
"I got hit by a truck, what do you expect me to do, sparkle? I said I'm fine. Now if you excuse me, I'm feelin' the chill so," Tommy made as if to run from the room, but he barely took a step – super speed or otherwise – before he was doubled over, clutching his side. Teddy moved quickly, grabbing a larger bandage from the side of the sink and resting a hand lightly on Tommy's back while he slowly straightened.
"Alt-"
"Tommy, god damn it, shut up and let me help you."
"I said I don't nee-"
Teddy growled, an honest to god growl, like an angry and vicious dog and Tommy's jaw snapped shut. He'd never admit it but that was the single most terrifying sound he'd ever heard. Teddy pulled open the bandage and, fixing Tommy with a stern look, went about wrapping his ribs. Tommy closed his eyes focusing on not squeaking in pain every time Teddy touched his chest – he was being gentle, surprisingly gentler than Tommy thought he was capable, but it still hurt.
"Tommy," Tommy's eyes snapped open and Teddy wasn't glaring at him anymore – his expression was sympathetic, "you got hurt trying to help Billy. If anyone can understand your actions it's me. But you gotta know if he finds out this, all these," he indicated to the wounds, "and he finds out you got them trying to beat up his bully it's going to crush him."
"I won't tell him Altman, getting bested by a truck isn't exactly a bragging point."
"That's not what I meant." Teddy tapped the bandage into place and Tommy twisted slightly to test its hold. His chest didn't explode with pain this time – a plus.
"Look thanks but I gotta-"
"No, shut up okay? You got hurt trying to help Billy. What you don't understand is Kessler could break every bone in his body and it won't hurt Billy half as much as loosing you would. You were reckless and you got hurt because of it, that's bad enough; but getting hurt, especially this bad, and not accepting my help? That… that's just stupid. If you need help freakin' ask for it because if you die because you're too proud to ask I will bring you back from the dead just to beat your sorry ass for hurting Billy like that."
Tommy gapped at him for a moment before composing himself.
"First of all I had it handled. Second of all, I won't die, I'm not that stupid - and even if I did Billy has a strong enough support system around him not to have to care if I kick it. The team doesn't even really need me Altman, it wouldn't be that much of a loss so I don't see why you care. However the Young Avengers would get significantly less good looking, I suppose." Teddy's hand snapped out and slapped Tommy over the head, albit lighter than he would have normally, wary of injuries.
"We're not just your team-mates Tommy, we're your family. The sooner you get that through your thick skull the better. Damn it kid. When are you gonna learn?"
Tommy stiffened and froze.
Because Teddy was hugging him.
"Tommy… we'd miss you okay? You're not just some bonus member or comedic relief and I'm not just saying this because you're Billy's twin. I don't know what happened to you before, back in jail, what you had to go through for that, but I know that you weren't always like this. You need to know Tommy, we're not gonna leave you, no matter what. We care that you come home broken. So just… let us help fix you okay? Just let us help. Billy loves you Tommy and it doesn't matter how many sarcastic comments you make or silly faces you pull when someone says it, you know it's true. Stop acting like the whole world turned its back on you, because even if it did… he didn't. And neither did I."
Teddy didn't let go. He hugged Tommy a little tighter when he finished, mindful of the breaks. He just waited.
Sure enough he felt Tommy hugging back after a moment. Teddy was worried that he might be hurting himself, squeezing so hard – he could feel Tommy grasping at the back of his shit, his hand in fists around the fabric – but he just waited until Tommy's shoulders stopped shaking to let him go.
"Sit down will ya? I gotta clean the cuts." Teddy said softly, manoeuvring Tommy to sit him on the closed toilet. Tommy didn't say anything and Teddy didn't feel the need to comment. Teddy went about cleaning the cuts quietly, only talking to ask if something hurt when Tommy would wince.
"All done. God you are just like your brother, I should just become a nurse or something; I already get enough practice patching idiots up." Tommy chuckled, his normal sly grin skating into place, marred only by the now clean cut in his lip.
"Bet Billy would love you in a nurse's outfit."
"Maybe for his birthday."
"Ugh, so didn't need to hear that."
"Hey, you brought it up Shepard."
"Jokes, Altman, not suggestions." Teddy grinned and pushed off the ground, rolling his shoulders.
"Come on kid, I wanna watch a movie and I don't think you're capable of being alone for longer than three seconds without injuring yourself." Tommy snorted again, but found it didn't hurt half as much as it did last time, rolled his eyes and sauntered out of the bathroom to go and change, leaving Teddy to clean up first aid kit.
"Uhh Teddy…."
"Mmmm."
"Why did Tommy just hug me then punch me in the arm and walk away telling me to 'thank the green idiot'?" Teddy smiled to himself before laying the book he was reading on his chest and shooting the confused boy in his doorway a grin.
"Guess he's just feeling thankful."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing." Billy raised an eyebrow at him.
"Really, I didn't. He got a little banged up and I did what I do best for you twins – I patched him up." Billy looked over his shoulder, down the hall to where Tommy's room was.
"Seems like you patched up a little more than just his cuts and scrapes T."
"What can I say, I'm like Dr. Phil only with hair." Billy snorted and moved to the bed, shoving the book away and flopping over Teddy.
"Whatever you did he seems happier."
"Yeah." There was a comfortable silence while Teddy massaged the back of Billy's neck lightly.
"Hey B?"
"Mmm?" Billy said incoherently, obviously nearly asleep from the patting.
"What's your opinion on nurse outfits?"