If there’s one thing that Teddy Altman will forever be grateful about, it’s superhealing.
Thank whatever gods are up there for superhealing.
Sure, he still hurts, as he follows Billy into Kate’s van- it’s the quickest way back to their base, because no one really wants to risk a post-fight very-exhausted Billy or America to try teleporting them back and Tommy, despite his efforts, can’t drag an entire team of people into speedster time with him -but it’s a manageable sort of hurt, dull and fading even now as he feels the gash in his side knit itself closed, and the bruises covering him slowly disappearing.
“Who’s driving?” he asks, glancing at the rest of them- Billy clutching his hand tightly, Cassie bandaging a disgruntled-looking Kate’s arm, Kamala and Riri sprawled in the back seat. Eli pulls his mask off, dragging a hand down his face.
“I can,” he offers. Behind Teddy, Tommy snorts, leaning an arm against the door to lean in and peer at Eli dubiously.
“Don’t you have a concussion, Captain got-my-head-smashed-through-concrete?”
“That’s hardly what happened,” Eli starts, but Kate cuts in with “You’re not allowed to drive my van when you can’t even walk straight!”
“Okay, it’s not that bad. I’m fine.”
Billy yawns, falling back against Teddy’s chest, and Teddy wraps an arm around him, pressing his face to Billy’s curls. “If I had moonlight I could heal you,” he offers tiredly.
“Not exactly an easy to use spell, considering the time constraints,” Cassie points out, and Billy hums quietly.
“It’s analog magic. No shortcuts.”
“Not helpful, either,” Tommy tells his twin with an eye roll. “Anyway, I can drive.”
“Legally speaking, you can’t.”
Tommy sticks his tongue out, which is a reasonable and mature reaction obviously and geez, Teddy is really too tired for this, even if by now the cut across his cheek has finally stopped stinging.
“I’ll drive,” he says firmly, fixing Tommy with a look. Tommy responds by flipping him off.
“Shotgun,” he adds, reaching past Teddy to ruffle his brother’s hair. Billy leans into his touch with a tired sigh, before pressing a quick kiss to Teddy’s lips and sliding into the van next to Eli, wrapping his cape around himself like a little cocoon. It’s adorable.
Teddy watches as Tommy’s eyes flicker over his brother, a conflicted expression tugging at his lips before he seems to decide that Billy’s fine, pulling open the passenger door and climbing in. Teddy follows to the other side, adjusting the seat quickly before starting the van. He glances in the mirror- Billy is passed out with his cheek smushed against the window, looking aborkabky cute, Cassie’s joined Riri in the backseat, just as asleep, and Eli and Kamala are whispering quietly with their heads ducked together as Kate messes with her bow with her one usable hand.
They’re all fine. It’s reassuring, something loosening in his chest as he watches them.
“Gonna drive or not?” Tommy asks, poking Teddy’s shoulder as he kicks his feet up on the dashboard.
“Feet off, Tommy,” Kate groans, tossing one of her arrows at him. He catches it faster than Teddy can blink, and doesn’t listen.
“You just gonna stare?” he demands brusquely, which might’ve bothered Teddy if it wasn’t, well. Tommy. It’s his nature.
“You should probably rest on the way back,” Teddy offers gently, as he starts the van, guiding it onto the- somewhat -ruined street. “You weren’t exactly pulling your punches back there.”
Tommy’s hand jumps up to cover the nasty bruise on his jaw. “Looks worse than it is. I’m fine.”
“And your ribs?” Teddy asks innocently, glancing at him. Tommy scowls in turn, flipping him off with one hand as the other darts across his ribcage, checking it in a blur faster than Teddy can track.
“Don’t think any are broken, so it’s fine, for your information.”
“That’s the bare minimum,” Teddy points out.
“I’ve had worse.”
“And that’s just concerning, so you’re really not helping your case.”
Tommy shrugs, a blur of green before he settles down, arms crossed over his chest. “Eh. I really have had worse, y’know.”
“I know,” he says calmly.
“I’ve died.”
“Yep.”
“Twice,” Tommy snaps, an edge in his voice, and Teddy glances at him as he merges onto the freeway.
“I’m aware.”
Tommy’s expression flickers, a rapid ray of emotions that Teddy can’t quite pin down before he looks away, jaw tense as his fingers dig into his arms. “Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
Tommy’s jaw trembles, and then he whips his head back to Teddy, eyes narrowed sharply as he tugs his goggles off, tossing them in the cupholders. “So?”
“So what?” he asks, trying his best to keep his voice light. Tommy’s a flighty person- pressing gets you nowhere. Better to let him force whatever he’s trying to say out in the open than attempting to pull it out yourself.
“So why are you concerned?” Tommy hisses, keeping his voice down after a rapid glance at the backseat.
Teddy bites his lip, trying to figure out what confession won’t send Tommy running the rest of the way back to New York. “Because you’re my teammate, and you got hurt?”
“I heal fast.” Tommy says it like it’s a challenge, his chin raised like he’s daring Teddy to dispute him.
“I know,” he says easily, and Tommy falters.
“Well- then why-“
“Did we leave America there?” Eli asks suddenly. “Cause I don’t see her.”
“Trunk,” is their teammate’s reply, her voice sounding half asleep from back there.
“Trunk,” Kate agrees, and Eli frowns.
“That’s… definitely illegal,” he says, meeting Teddy’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“We’re superheroes,” Kamala insists, obscenely cheerful for how long today has been. “They’d forgive us, I’m sure.”
“Also,” Teddy points out apologetically, “there’s only like, two people wearing seatbelts in this car.”
Eli presses his lips together. “Just- don’t get pulled over.”
“I mean. I’ll try.”
Tommy snorts, tucking a leg underneath him- it can’t actually be comfortable to sit like that, can it? It looks terrible. Tommy doesn’t seem to notice. “Hate to inform you, Stars and Stripes, but broken road rules doesn’t even come close to the worst crime we’ve committed today. Property destruction is the loser for that, I’d say. Or winner, if you think about it not like a pussy!”
Billy mumbles something in his sleep that sounds a whole lot like “play nice, Tom”, and Tommy rolls his eyes.
“It’s like he fuckin’ knows.”
Teddy glances at him. “I mean, doesn’t he? You two are all…” He gestures, and Tommy raises an eyebrow.
“We aren’t like, telepathically linked, dude. Well- not all the time, anyway. Sometimes. We can be. When Billy wants us to, I’guess. But we’re just, like- connected. I dunno. I’m pretty sure it’s not a sensor for when I’m being an asshole. Maybe it is. I think it’s just a connection, though, like our, uh, souls? Life forces? Whatever being like, tiedtogethery’knowcauseof-“
“Tommy!” he interrupts, and his teammate startles, dropping his hands in his lap.
“…too fast?”
“Rambling, mostly,” Teddy says, gentler. “You’re tired.”
“Am not.”
“Tommy.”
“You aren’t my mom, man, stop it.” He rolls his eyes, adding, “if you were you’d care a hell of a lot less about me being hurt.”
Teddy sucks in a sharp breath, and Tommy messes with his goggles, wincing.
“…not helping my case, am I?”
By bringing up the fact that your parents used to beat you? he wants to say, but instead he just nods. “Not really, no.”
“Sorry.”
“Just rest, Tommy.”
Tommy sets his jaw, pressing on the goggles until the amber lens pops out. “I’m not- I know I have a fucked up backstory, dude, and I know I’m not great at like, self preservation, but- you don’t need to be all. Like that.”
He keeps his eyes on the road, resisting the urge to look over at his friend. “Like that?”
“Like I’m-“ He cuts himself off. “Whatever.”
“It’s not whatever,” he says quickly. “Not if it matters to you!”
“See?” Tommy snaps, throwing his hands up. “That’s the kind of shit I’m talking about! Stop sounding like a walking self help book! I’m fine on my own.”
“…but you aren’t on your own,” he mumbles quietly, and Tommy looks away.
“I know I’m- I know that you care because I’m important to Billy, and you love Billy, like to a disgusting degree, but you don’t need to-“
“I don’t.”
Tommy falters, spinning around to look at him. “What?”
Teddy chews on his lip, squeezing the steering wheel tightly. “That’s not… why I care.”
“…what?”
“I care because you’re my friend, Tommy,” he says softly. “And I like my friends. And I don’t like it when they don’t let themselves rest because they think they’re alone in life and they’ve gotta be strong by themselves.”
Tommy’s silent, for a moment. “I’m not alone. I have Billy.”
Teddy looks at him, then back at the road. “…you have us, too. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Tommy.”
Quiet, a longer pause now. “Oh,” Tommy says eventually.
“Mhm.”
Tommy blinks hard, like he’s holding back tears, before he turns away, curling up in his seat. “I’m- gonna sleep now.”
“Okay.”
“…see you when we get back.”
“Okay, Tommy,” he says gently, letting himself relax as he looks in the mirror at his team. “I’ll be here for you, when we do.”