Chapter 5
David wished he could say what happened. He wished for all the world that he actually knew. But he didn’t. One minute, Tommy was alive and well. The next, he was dead.
They had been responding to a call about a dead mutant. It was supposed to be a quick in and out to analyze the crime scene and retrieve the body. It was supposed to be safe. And now Tommy was dead.
David couldn’t help but blame himself. He was supposed to be watching Tommy. He was supposed to have his back. But he looked away for a second – just a second! When he looked back, Tommy’s body lay on the floor surrounded by a pool of shining crimson.
David’s scream attracted the attention of the others, who quickly converged on his position. There were gasps and shouts and mutters of “no no no.” Daken gently grabbed the prone body, taking care when flipping him over and picking him up. Northstar carefully swept Tommy’s wide olive eyes closed, though they only remained half-lidded. David knew he was crying, thick tears wetting his cheeks.
A thought occurred to him, one that almost made him crumble.
“What if they can’t bring him back?” he asked.
The others paused.
“He’s not classified as a mutant,” David pointed out. “What if Cerebro can’t bring him back?”
Jean-Paul shook his head adamantly. “He’s a citizen of Krakoa now. They have to.”
Hopefully, it would be as simple as Northstar said it would be.
It wasn’t. It wasn’t simple at all. David couldn’t help but feel angry.
“What do you mean ‘we’ll see,’ Charles?” Jean-Paul asked, fists clenched at his sides.
The man shrugged and held his hands out in what was supposed to be a placating way. “I have no idea what Cerebro did or did not back up from Thomas’s memory. I have no idea if there is a backup from Thomas’s memory at all. We will have to wait and see what Cerebro can piece together.”
The explanation made sense. David knew it did. But at that moment he didn’t want facts or figures or sensible explanations. He wanted his boyfriend safe and alive and in his arms. He wanted to see Tommy sitting in the living room with Trevor playing video games. He wanted to watch as Tommy flitted about the kitchen making the one thing he could actually cook without fail. He wanted to fall asleep with his arms around the white-haired time warper. He wanted all of those things and yet Professor X was saying that he couldn’t have them, perhaps ever again.
He exploded. “That’s bullshit! Tommy’s a resident of Krakoa! Cerebro should know that!” he shouted. Angry tears were gathering in the corners of his eyes but he refused to cry. He could feel Lorna’s slim hand gripping his shoulder tightly.
“I’m sorry, David.” He sounded almost as upset as the others, so David figured he could forgive the old man for his uncertainty. “There’s nothing more I can do.”
Lorna scoffed, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face with her free hand. “Well, I hope for your sake, you can bring my nephew back.”
The group of three left the Grove, Lorna and Jean-Paul each with a hand on David’s trembling shoulders. They made their way through the island, wandering down trails paved between towering trees. They came across different mutants asking after them, wondering how they were and where they were heading. David answered none of them, staying silent as the older mutants kept the others at bay. They eventually spotted the other X-Factor members standing at the base of the Arbor Magna, notably looking rather ragged. Accompanying them was a golden man.
Josh looked pretty devastated for someone who didn’t like Tommy all that much. In fact, he looked like he’d gone three nights without sleep before facing death head-on. David couldn’t help but feel bitter. Josh had always held a grudge against his speedster boyfriend and yet he had the audacity to act like they were best friends, like he had any right to grieve with the rest of them.
When Josh saw him, the golden man opened his arms. A clear invitation that David didn’t want to take. But he did. He wrapped his arms around his old friend and the two clutched each other, more tears flowing freely from amber eyes. They never seemed to stop. He eventually cried all the tears he had into his friend’s shoulder. David didn’t know if it had been five minutes or five hours. It didn’t matter. He pulled away.
“Good?” Josh asked softly.
David could do nothing but nod. He turned to the others, wiping his sepia-toned cheeks with rough hands, no doubt turning them even redder. He knew he probably looked a mess. The others didn’t mention it, and for that he was grateful.
“Someone’s gonna have to tell Billy and Wanda,” he mentioned, mumbling.
The world froze. No one had thought about that. What would the young Demiurge do when he finds out his brother is dead? Would he come back to Earth for the funeral, if there even was one? Would he bring Tommy back to life himself? Would he rain hellfire on Krakoa and its citizens for allowing his brother to die? And what of the Scarlet Witch? She had just gotten him back in her life, had finally started getting to know him. What would she do when she found out that she may have lost him for the second time?
Lorna sighed. “I’ll tell Wanda. She’s my sister after all.”
Jean-Paul nodded at her, accepting her plan. He looked at David. “I know this may be a lot to ask, but will you talk to William? You know him best.”
David nodded wordlessly. He really didn’t want to but knew he was the best option.
As they wandered back to the Boneyard, heads held low and eyes downcast, Lorna broke off to warp to New York. They could have warped back to the Boneyard. It would have saved a lot of time. But they didn’t. They needed time to fully process everything and they all silently agreed that walking back to the Boneyard in silence, taking in the natural beauty of the island, would do them all some good. David didn’t really share the sentiment. He didn’t want to process what had happened because it meant accepting that Tommy was gone. He grew weary when the natural structure of their home base became visible. He really didn’t want to return home when Tommy wasn’t going to be there with him.
“I’ll be in my room,” he announced once the group was at the doors. “I’ll let you guys know what Billy says.”
He wandered listlessly, mind floating as his body trekked up the stairs of the building. He didn’t acknowledge anyone around him as he moved. He distantly knew Trevor was trying to talk to him but he didn’t answer. He knew that Akihiro had left their sides some time ago to sit in his own room, probably letting the silence consume him. That’s what David would be doing if he were the other man.
He knew he was in his room, all alone. He knew where his communicator was, the one that would reach Billy. More accurately, it was Tommy’s. David could only imagine how the conversation would go. He really didn’t want to do it. He might as well get it over with, though.
He sighed as he picked up the communicator. He pressed a few buttons, trying to get a feel for it, and ended up calling another communicator. David tensed and steeled himself for the conversation to come. The dial tone stopped as someone picked up. The screen showed the ceiling of an unfamiliar room.
“Tommy, now’s not exactly a good time,” a breathless voice answered from offscreen.
“Not Tommy,” David croaked. At the startled cry of both Billy and who David assumed to be Teddy, the mutant laughed humorlessly. “Hello Billy, Teddy,” he greeted.
“Hi David,” Billy said, setting the communicator down to show both him and Teddy sitting on a bed in casual rumpled clothes. The Demiurge took notice of the red around David’s amber eyes. “Is something wrong?”
David couldn’t speak. He couldn’t find the words. He settled for nodding.
Something in Billy’s face shifted. “Where’s Tommy?” he asked seriously. When David didn’t reply fast enough, he asked again. “David, where is my brother?”
“Gone,” the young man said. “He’s gone, Billy.”
“‘Gone’?” the magic user inquired. “What do you mean he’s ‘gone’? Like ran away? He always comes back.”
“No Billy. Like… like gone,” David stated.
It seemed Billy got the message. His face crumbled from confusion to denial to misery. Little whispers of “no” and “why” echoed through the receiver as Billy took in the news. Billy was trying to speak but his words were always interrupted by a short hiccup or quiet sob. Thin tears flowed down his cheeks, eyes like watered-down honey. Teddy wasn’t looking much better. He sniffled pitifully and his eyes welled with tears at the news of his brother-in-law’s death.
“David please please tell me this i-is-is some kind of prank or-or joke and Tommy is right behind you,” Billy begged. “Please he can’t be dead!”
David’s throat thickened. He couldn’t say anything more without breaking down again. He just shook his head and watched as Billy withdrew into himself, becoming eerily quiet. Thin tears trickled out of his eyes, providing a steady stream that carved into Billy’s cheeks.
It was strange, David thought, that Billy was reacting in such a way. After all, he hadn’t cried when he’d lost Tommy to that unknown entity impersonating Patriot. Perhaps it was because, despite losing his brother before, this time he might not come back.
Teddy’s voice brought him out of his head. “Will they be able to bring him back?” the young emperor asked.
David paused. “We don’t know.”
Billy’s face became enraged before the blank mask took over again. “What do you mean you ‘don’t know’?” he asked coldly.
David’s lips pressed into a fine line before he answered. “I mean Professor X doesn’t know if Cerebro flagged Tommy as a mutant when he moved here. We might not be able to bring him back.”
A dark look overtook Billy’s face. “Well, you better figure it out, or I’m bringing him back myself.”
The communicator went dark. Billy must have hung up. David sighed and looked around the room.
The Boneyard had expanded when Tommy moved in, making the room larger and definitely more extravagant with hanging plants and ivy and a window facing the inner atrium. David had loved the room when he saw it and knew Tommy loved it just as much. Looking at it now, David hated how small the room made him feel. It was so empty without Tommy, so silent without his constant chatter.
“Have you noticed that one of Northstar’s eyes is higher than the other?” Tommy asked.
The speedster was sitting on top of a stack of boxes in the corner of the room chattering away as David actually started unpacking all of the stuff from Tommy’s apartment.
“Tom, please,” David begged. “I need you to help me if you want our bed to be visible.”
“Ooh,” Tommy purred, playfully sauntering over. “‘Our bed.’”
David scoffed and rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. The white-haired man draped his arms over the other’s shoulders. They shared a soft kiss before the young speedster grabbed the box David had been holding. He set to work, pulling his clothes out and putting them away in the set of drawers within the room.
David pressed his fingers to his lips, sighing sadly. There would be no more kisses for him, not for a while, anyway. He clenched his free hand into a fist, knuckles paling with the force. He would find out who killed his boyfriend. He swore it.
Lorna knocked on the door to the quaint New York apartment. A beautiful woman answered, her chocolate locks mussed and her face free of makeup. Lorna guessed she must have been enjoying a day off, given the pajama bottoms.
“Lorna!” Wanda exclaimed, surprised by her sister’s appearance. “What’s going on?”
The green-haired woman sighed. “Could I come in?” she asked.
Wanda’s eyes swept the hall behind her before nodding. “Sure.” She stepped aside to let Lorna wander into her home.
Lorna took the time to admire the apartment. She normally would have gotten right to business, but she figured she could stall at least a little bit on this matter. She took in the decor, noting that it was distinctly Wanda. Muted warm tones swathed the place and made it feel cozy and comforting. Sheer curtains let beams of sunlight trickle in, heating the place naturally.
“Your place is really nice,” she voiced. “Thank you,” Wanda replied. “Now, why are you here?”
Lorna sighed. “We might want to sit down.”
“Why?” the witch asked, lowering herself onto one of her beige couches. “What’s the matter?”
Lorna sat on the couch facing Wanda and took a deep breath. “It’s about Tommy.”
Wanda’s eyes lit up. “Oh! How is he? Did he tell you about our talk?”
“No, he didn’t. He said it was a surprise,” she explained. Fresh tears gathered at her irritated waterline.”He’s um… Wow, this is really hard.”
Wanda’s eyes narrowed. “Lorna, what is it? What’s wrong with my son?”
“He’s…” Lorna sighed again. “He’s gone. Dead.” Tears wet her cheeks. She didn’t try to stop them.
Wanda’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
Lorna could see the struggle in her sister’s eyes. The witch was trying to decide if she was going to cry or let the information sink in first. Lorna understood – she did the same thing.
“I see,” Wanda said finally. She stood from the couch on shaking legs. “Well, I wish I could say it was nice to see you. Please get out.”
Lorna nodded silently and went for the front door, not wanting to keep Wanda from mourning.
Wanda watched her go. Her lip quivered and her hands shook. She didn’t know what to do. She had finally gotten her son back only to lose him once again. It was bad enough that Billy was off-world helping rule an empire with his husband. Now she couldn’t see either of her boys.
She collapsed to the ground, a whimper escaping her throat. She started to weep quietly, arms wrapped around herself and squeezing tightly. Tears traced her cheekbones. Blood rushed to her cheeks.
“Oh, Tommy,” she whispered, voice thick.
“I can warp time.”
She almost spit out her tea. “What?”
Tommy’s head bobbed enthusiastically as he practically vibrated in his seat. “I can warp time!” he squealed.
Wanda chuckled lightly before a bright smile broke out on her face. “Oh, Tommy, that’s amazing! Have you told your brother?”
The young man shook his head. “I wanted to tell you first.”
Wanda put a hand over her heart and smiled sweetly at the sentiment. “I appreciate it, but why?”
Tommy grinned. “Because I want you to teach me!”
For the second time that day, Wanda almost spit out her tea. “What? But I’m not a time-warper, Tommy. I’m a reality-warper.”
“Exactly!” the man said, as though it explained everything. “Reality is just the perception of space and time. So, time-warper by technicality.”
Sometimes, she forgot how smart her son was. He was right. She could teach him how to control his powers. Everyone needed a mentor. She could be his.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll teach you.”
The cheer and grin she got for her answer lit the room up more than real lights ever could.
Wanda sobbed as she remembered their conversation. Her boy had been so happy that she had agreed to be his teacher, to show him everything she could. He had been so excited, a childish gleam overtaking his eyes. She feared she may never see that gleam again. Had she really failed to protect her children again? Had she really lost him once more?
She growled, eyes flashing with anger. She only knew of one thing that would kill her son like that, no motive needed. He was just that vile. She vowed that she would find him and make him pay.
David was sulking on the couch with his head buried in his hands when Jean-Paul burst into the sitting room with a manic look in his eyes. The others around him were slow to get up, all in their own heads with sorrow still. David couldn’t blame them. They’d all be mourning Tommy for a long time.
“They’re starting the regeneration process!” the Quebecois man exclaimed. “They’re bringing him back!”
Silence. Then–
“Oh my God,” Lorna sobbed.
Rachel shrieked happily, sweeping Trevor into a bone-crushing celebratory hug. Jeanne-Marie and Kyle wrapped Jean-Paul up in a hug of their own. Akihiro nodded, satisfied, though David could tell he wanted to act just as much a fool as the others were. David himself was internally celebrating, too shocked and relieved to really show anything externally.
“We can bring him home tonight,” Jean-Paul informed them.
David was ecstatic to hear those words. His boy was finally coming back. He was coming home.
The team went mad within the first hour, impatiently going about tasks to distract themselves until it was time to bring Tommy back. Rachel spent her time in the gym, exercising the day away. Akihiro and Jeanne-Marie sat together in the young woman’s room. Jean-Paul sat at the kitchen table while he watched Kyle putter around the kitchen making Tommy’s favorite foods. David paced around the room, wasting the day in steps. He had called Billy and Teddy to tell them the good news and the relief on the young man’s face told David that it was the right action.
Eventually, the time came. Josh rang David on his cell, letting the man know that his boyfriend was about to be resurrected. David told him they’d be there as soon as possible. The team took the warp gate to the tree and they all but sprinted up to the atrium upon their arrival.
“Where is he?” David asked the moment he saw the Five.
“Come on, the egg’s about to hatch,” Josh told them. He directed them down a tunnel to stop in front of a glowing orange resurrection pod. Professor X was already there with Cerebro. “Here.”
The egg glowed brighter once they got there and cracks began to split the shell. It shook and hissed as more lines carved into the rough surface. A final hiss echoed through the cavern as the pod split in two, spilling vibrant orange slime and a lone figure. The nude body lay supine in the sludge, bright orange and yellow painting parts of his skin. The white-haired male carefully lifted himself to his knees, head craning upwards to take in the group with confused viridian eyes. Charles carefully placed Cerebro less than an inch from the young man’s head, taking care to not knock the machine against the human’s skull.
Tommy’s eyes widened as his memories surged back into his mind. Then, his shoulders curled upwards and his spine arched. His entire body tensed.
“Blegh, naked and not in a fun way,” he said, trembling minutely from the discomfort. “There’s goo in the unders. It’s giving very bad.”
“Huh?” Josh asked, highly confused by the white-haired man’s slurred speech.
David chuckled and wrapped Tommy in the towel he’d brought before helping his boyfriend stand. “He’s uncomfortable with the innards of the pod. It’s causing some weird sensations that his body is reacting negatively to. He’ll be fine once he gets cleaned up.”
Jean-Paul nodded. “Thomas, Elixir will show you to the showers. David has some spare clothes for when you are done.”
The speedster nodded. “Okay. Quick question: where the hell are we? What happened?”
David nudged his side. “We’ll tell you everything after you shower, okay?”
Tommy only nodded before allowing Elixir to lead him out of the cavern and down a clean, pod-free tunnel. He let the golden man wander ahead of him, not sure what to make of him. He’d only interacted with the man once – at least, that he could remember – and it wasn’t exactly the warmest greeting Tommy had ever received.
“I’m sorry.”
“... What?”
Elixir groaned and shot Tommy a look out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry. You know, for treating you like I did because of who your mom was. It was pretty shitty of me.”
Oh. Well, Tommy hadn’t been expecting that. He had no idea what to say to that so he settled for nodding with a small “okay.”
“This doesn’t mean we’re friends,” Elixir said.
The white-haired man smirked. “Of course not.”
The shower room was made of tightly twisting branches. The dark wood that was no doubt connected to the tree had no gaps, providing privacy. Inside was a natural spring for bathing in once the gunk was washed off, or so Elixir explained. Water in the corner fell like rain. Tommy assumed that was the shower.
The white-haired man made a beeline for the shower the moment Elixir showed him to the room. He barely waited for the man to exit before dropping his towel and his spare clothes and stepping into the rainfall. It was pleasantly warm. The water washed the muck off of his warm-toned skin. Tommy scrubbed away, trying to get the crawling feeling to go away and subsequently turning his skin raw and red. When he stepped out, he felt like a new person. He noticed that there were clean towels on a stand against one of the walls. He took his time drying himself off, careful not to irritate his raw skin. As he got dressed, he let his mind wander.
‘Did they tell mom?’ he wondered. ‘Billy? Either of them would bring Hell down on Krakoa.’
He kind of hoped they weren’t notified, though he knew it was wishful thinking. How embarrassing was it to have died at such a young age? He was actually kind of ashamed and didn’t want Billy rubbing it in his face. What if his mom decided not to help him with his powers now? What was he going to do then? He steeled himself and left the room, trailing a hand listlessly along one of the winding roots that made up the wall.
David was outside waiting for him.
“Hey.” It was all Tommy could say.
David surged forward and wrapped his arms around the white-haired man. “I missed you,” he muttered, pressing his face into Tommy’s hair.
“I wish I could remember why,” Tommy answered softly. He melted into David’s arms, molding himself to fit against the taller man. “I’m sorry that I left you.”
David shrugged, jostling Tommy’s head. “Wasn’t your fault.”
They stayed like that for a while – David’s arms wrapped around Tommy, holding him close, and Tommy’s head tucked into the crook of David’s neck and shoulder.
“We should probably go back to the others,” David mentioned after a moment.
Tommy grunted, displeased with the statement. He wanted to stay tucked against David’s chest for a little bit longer.
“Come on,” the man tried again. He tried to gently detach the limpet-like man clinging to him to no avail. “Tom, we gotta go.” He was laughing quietly at that point, amused by his boyfriend’s clinginess.
Tommy groaned as he pulled away. His nose was scrunched and his brows were knit together, displeasure evident. “You’re mean,” he claimed.
David guffawed, the sound of laughter echoing through the tunnel. “I know,” he agreed playfully. “We can cuddle at home. But right now, we need to get back to the others.”
Tommy sighed. “Okay.”
David took care leading him back, unknowingly treating the other man like glass. It made the time warper a bit upset but he knew why David was doing it. He knew that he’d been killed, even if he didn’t remember it. If the roles were reversed, Tommy probably wouldn’t let his boyfriend out of his sight.
When they got to the others, they were finally able to go home, but not before the entire team swarmed Tommy, sweeping him into a bone-crushing hug. He put up with it for their sake, but never wanted to die again if it meant being hugged like that. He was relieved when it was over. Finally, they could head back. Finally, he could take a well-deserved nap.
Once Tommy was firmly asleep in their room, David reported to the briefing room. The others were already there sitting around the table. Northstar stood at the head, one of the many screens illuminating him from behind. The moment Prodigy sat down, Northstar began speaking.
“So, any ideas on who could have killed Thomas?” he asked.
Silence. Did he have any enemies? Plenty. Any motive? A few. But who could it have been?
“Well,” Prodigy began, “there’s Lisa Molinari.”
Polaris asked, “Who?”
“Lisa Molinari, a.k.a. Coat of Arms. She’s a mercenary,” he explained. “Tommy had a romantic relationship with her while they were both at the juvenile facility.”
“What’s the motive?” Daken asked.
“Tommy became a superhero after the breakout. She didn’t.” Prodigy shrugged. “Maybe she thinks killing him would be some form of revenge for a perceived slight like this.”
Prestige tilted her head and made an unsure sound. “Maybe. I don’t know if that’s enough for murder, though.”
“We’ll keep her in mind,” Northstar claimed.
The sound of a bell rang through the building, indicating that someone was in the lobby. The group looked around at each other. Northstar sighed and stood.
“Allons-y. We shall see who needs us now,” he said.
To say they were shocked was an understatement. Standing in the front office of the Boneyard was the Scarlet Witch, Wiccan, and Hulkling. The three looked enraged and resolved at the same time.
“Billy,” David greeted. “What are you doing here?”
Wiccan nodded in greeting and gestured to the Scarlet Witch. “Wanda has an idea of who killed Tommy. I let her know that he was alive again and she’s willing to let us all help take this guy down.”
The witch nodded in agreement. “I would like to see my son first,” she demanded.
“Of course,” David replied. “I’ll take you up, he’s probably still asleep.”
Wanda, Billy, and Teddy followed David up to the 21st floor. The three heaved sighs of relief as they laid eyes on Tommy’s sleeping form. The young speedster had burrowed himself into the mountain of blankets. Wanda placed a hand to her chest. Billy looked like he was trying not to break down again. David waited until they left for the briefing room with Jean-Paul before stepping fully into the room and placing a kiss on his boyfriends hair.
“We’ll be back,” he promised.
He couldn't help but think as he left that this upcoming fight would be horribly one-sided. He would make sure that his side would win, if for no other reason than to protect Tommy.
“Remind me why we’re in Hell,” Polaris requested.
“Because this is where Mephisto resides,” the Scarlet Witch responded, not even sparing her sister a glance. Her eyes were trained forward with a startling intensity.
Billy’s hands were poised to ensure that he could cast a spell at a moment’s notice. “And we’re sure that this guy killed Tommy?”
The Scarlet Witch scoffed. “He’s done it once. He would do it again.”
“Yeah, could you maybe elaborate on that one?” Eyeboy asked. “Like, how does a primordial being come to target some 22-year-old guy?”
The witch sighed. As she crept forward through the dark red stalagmites, she explained. “The way I created Billy and Tommy was… complicated. I used two pre-existing souls as the bases for my children. Unfortunately, those souls already belonged to Mephisto. And he was not happy that I had stolen the two souls. So he attacked and absorbed the twins. When I defeated him, the souls were released back into the world and attached themselves to two new hosts: William Kaplan and Thomas Shepherd.”
“So why would he kill Tommy now?” Daken asked.
The Scarlet Witch shrugged, unsure herself. “Perhaps he finally has the power to do so. All I know is he is the only one sadistic enough to kill a member of my family. If you didn’t see who did it, and it happened fast, it could only be him, or the Invisible Woman. And I doubt Sue would do this.”
“It makes sense,” Prodigy responded. “Besides, he doesn’t really like to be slighted, from what I’ve heard.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Northstar stated. “Nightcrawler has gone against him and succeeded. I was surprised to hear that Kurt survived the encounter.”
Wiccan groaned in annoyance. “Cool. We now know for sure that this guy killed Tommy. Can we avenge my brother now?”
Prodigy smirked. “Sure, Mr. Young Avenger,” he replied.
Before Wiccan could fire back an insult, flames flared in front of them and a towering man appeared. The fire reflected off of his blood red skin. His eyes glowed a bright yellow and Prodigy could see knife-like teeth emerge as the man’s lips parted into a cruel smile.
“My my my,” he purred, his rough voice booming through the cavern the group stood in. “How nice it is to see you again, Wanda.”
The woman sneered. “I can’t say the same.”
“Did you like my gift?” he asked. “Killing sons is quite difficult, so you might as well appreciate my hard work.”
Wiccan growled. “You–” He glared and raised his hands. “I’ll fucking kill you!”
“Now now.” The man snapped his fingers and Wiccan’s hands were bound behind his back. “No need for that. How about a game instead?”
“No.” Prodigy gave the man a glare of his own. “No games. No deals except this one.”
“Oh?” The man looked intrigued. “And what deal would that be?”
Prodigy grinned, glad that the man was enraptured. “You leave us alone and in exchange, we don’t kill you.”
“Oh I quite like that deal, no heroes barging in,” the man mused. “Alright, let’s shake on it.”
“Oh no. I think you misunderstand.” Prodigy’s back straightened and he drew himself up to appear taller. “You won’t bother the Maximoffs, Tommy Shepherd, Billy Kaplan, Vision, any of us here, or any mutants on Krakoa ever again. No deals. No dreams. No games. No deaths. In exchange, we–” he gestured to the group ‘–will not kill you where you stand.”
Mephisto sneered. “And why should I agree to this? What makes you think you could even kill me?”
Prodigy was no longer smiling, an angry frown replacing it. “Because if you don’t, we’ll be back every day to beat the shit out of you as retribution for killing my boyfriend. That’s if we don’t fuck you up right here, right now.”
The flames around them flared with the large devil’s anger. He huffed. “Well, I wouldn’t want you heroes to go out of your way.” The man pretended to think. “Fine. I don’t want you lot here any longer than necessary.”
“Splendid,” Prodigy replied, relishing in the look of scorn on Mephisto’s face. “Let’s get this over with and we’ll be out of your hair.”
As the two shook hands, Prodigy could feel the weight of the deal in his stomach. He knew, should they ever kill him before Mephisto broke his end of the agreement, the devil would make a return with a force tenfold. He knew Mephisto could feel it too.
Regardless, it was done. As Prodigy walked away with the rest of his team, he felt his heart lighten. The only thought on his mind was returning home to his boyfriend and cuddling the night away.
Tommy’s eyes were wide with shock as he listened to David recount the tale of his deal with Mephisto that night. The two were laying in bed on their sides, facing each other.
“You seriously made a deal with the devil?” At David’s nod, he scowled. “Are you an idiot? I thought you were smarter than that!”
“What?”
Tommy sat up, leaning over David, whose head was still on his pillow. “That guy killed me! He could have killed you too! Who knows if you could’ve come back. He’s like, the king of stealing souls!”
David raised his arms and wrapped them around the speedster’s body before pulling the man down so they were chest-to-chest and nose-to-nose.
“But he didn’t,” David stated plainly. “I’m still here. And so are you. So don’t worry because I’ll always return to you.”
Tommy’s gaze softened. “Me too.”
The two fell asleep just like that, heart-to-heart, and slept soundly through the night.