I had it with your antics, your childish games

[recurve]

WHO: Kate & Tommy
WHERE: Kate's room at the MAC
WHEN: Sunday night
WARNINGS: Um.
SUMMARY: Young Avengers reassembling in a platonic fashion
FORMAT: Starting para, but if you like we can do quick

Kate was glad to have Tommy back in the City, selfish as it seemed. It seemed wrong to be so happy about a friend being kidnapped and trapped in this world, but what could she say?  She reallyed needed the distraction from the awkwardness with Bucky and everything else that was hideous in her life. More than anything though, she needed a friend. Billy and Teddy had each other, and she hated feeling like the third wheel all the time.

Tommy had his moments of chivalry, too. He could be good for a pep talk or a night out adventuring. That was what she was counting on when she she texted him with the following message:

hey
it's kate
can u come over?

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"What?" Tommy found it so hard to believe he actually stopped, turning to face Kate instead, gently grasping her arms. "What do you mean you don't talk?"

Call it sentimental, but he had been under the impression that the Young Avengers were like a family. It was more of an observation for him, since he didn't quite feel like he belonged - or maybe he was the adopted problematic child. Still, it was out in the open, and kind of touching in that fluffy, fell-good way he'd never admit that he wanted in on. So seeing Kate like this, and Teddy and Billy being the apparent cause, was hard to believe.

"What's going on, are these like, alternate Billy and Teddy? How long has this been going on? How - shit, sorry." Tommy hadn't realized he was gripping her arms a bit too tightly, and promptly let go, stepping away and raking fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath through his nose to try and compose himself.

Who would imagine that it would bother him that much?

"I'm sorry, Kate. I... hell. I'll knock their heads together if you want. It'll be awesome."

[recurve]

She hadn't expected so much of a reaction from Tommy. True, she'd always considered the Young Avengers to be like a family, but she was observant enough to recognize that within their little family, Tommy was something of an outsider. It wasn't intentional, not on her part at least. She liked him, she considered him a friend. Sometimes she wondered if they could ever be more than that. But she knew the others all had different feelings for each other, and she knew that she was closer to Teddy and Billy than Tommy was.

"Ever since I got back, all summer long, I've been by myself." Maybe it was her. She wasn't the type to sit around and mope about anything, but the thought had certainly crossed her mind. "I just keep thinking, if I called for us to assemble, they might not even show up."

And that really tore at her. It was like someone had grabbed hold of her guts and was twisting them. She'd fought so hard to keep the team together, she'd done everything she could. And now... well, now none of that seemed to matter.

"I still want to be an Avenger, Tommy. I want to live up to the legacy I've been given. I don't want to give up. But I can't keep everything together by myself."