[Delicacy - that's not something he'd appreciate if he heard. And sure it could be a little machismo (Texas, Dad who was a cop, Army) but mostly just him being the baby of the family and touchy about it. Anyway, doesn't matter does it? She doesn't say it, just nods like he's part of crew and gives him enough of a smile to show slightly crooked teeth and make his heart do its best damn imitation of a hooked fish.
Tommy glides through the night on one helluva delusional cloud, but hey. A man's gotta eat. Besides it's Joel who pulls all the chicks - whether he wants em or not - so it's nice to maintain a fantasy for a little while, even if he knows it's going nowhere, not even sitting on the damn tracks.
When someone yells, different than the directions being tossed back and forth or the jocular calls of people getting things done together, Tommy knows it's wrong in a way that stands the hair up on the back of his neck. He's a vet and his head won't ever be so far in the clouds or up his ass that he doesn't react fast, and react right. Means he turns quick enough to see one of the brawny guys up in the top scaffolding go down, hard, onto the small catwalk with his legs flailing over the side but safe; another guy's already grabbed him and is hauling him to his feet. Tommy's damn heart feels jacked on adrenaline. The rest of the crew on the ground are just starting to look up, still trying to locate the problem that's already over.
The second Tommy hears the high scream of metal he's moving. It's not PTSD, not like that; just muscle-memory wired so damn far down into his bones that even though his brain's done all the math, he's acting on what he knows before he realizes he knows it. As the fresnal light the crewguy kicked in his fall shears off its mount and sends up a blinding shower of sparks Tommy's hauling heavy boots across the stage. He saw the light, knows where it's hanging - or was hanging - knows how damn heavy it is, knows where it's going. And he's already there, shoulder-first into Eddie, bowling her down like he's still in high school football.
They don't hit the stage easy and for one blaring heartbeat he's looking down at her and nothing he expected is happening, just a crazed silence and her big fucking dark eyes below his and Tommy draws breath to say all the apologies he knows because he's such a fucking idiot when the light hits the stage just behind them with enough force to shatter, blowing the lens out and twisting the metal canister.]
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2025-05-23 02:39 pm (UTC)Tommy glides through the night on one helluva delusional cloud, but hey. A man's gotta eat. Besides it's Joel who pulls all the chicks - whether he wants em or not - so it's nice to maintain a fantasy for a little while, even if he knows it's going nowhere, not even sitting on the damn tracks.
When someone yells, different than the directions being tossed back and forth or the jocular calls of people getting things done together, Tommy knows it's wrong in a way that stands the hair up on the back of his neck. He's a vet and his head won't ever be so far in the clouds or up his ass that he doesn't react fast, and react right. Means he turns quick enough to see one of the brawny guys up in the top scaffolding go down, hard, onto the small catwalk with his legs flailing over the side but safe; another guy's already grabbed him and is hauling him to his feet. Tommy's damn heart feels jacked on adrenaline. The rest of the crew on the ground are just starting to look up, still trying to locate the problem that's already over.
The second Tommy hears the high scream of metal he's moving. It's not PTSD, not like that; just muscle-memory wired so damn far down into his bones that even though his brain's done all the math, he's acting on what he knows before he realizes he knows it. As the fresnal light the crewguy kicked in his fall shears off its mount and sends up a blinding shower of sparks Tommy's hauling heavy boots across the stage. He saw the light, knows where it's hanging - or was hanging - knows how damn heavy it is, knows where it's going. And he's already there, shoulder-first into Eddie, bowling her down like he's still in high school football.
They don't hit the stage easy and for one blaring heartbeat he's looking down at her and nothing he expected is happening, just a crazed silence and her big fucking dark eyes below his and Tommy draws breath to say all the apologies he knows because he's such a fucking idiot when the light hits the stage just behind them with enough force to shatter, blowing the lens out and twisting the metal canister.]