not a weapon.

my fear of abandonment? well that comes from my experience of being abandoned

something about Tommy Shepherd thinking everything bad that happens in his vicinity is his fault and Teddy Altman having attachment issues and both of them having a (probably) unhealthy bond to Billy. Something about Billy being the only one of the three of them who can walk away from a fight injured. Something something angst and bonding because they're both so terrified about him not being able to walk away after a battle and trying to be very normal about their terror. I'm not 100 % sure where this is going but I'm sure y'all see the vision

Sigh. Thinking a lot rn about when Allan Heinberg (author of Children’s Crusade, coauthor of the Young Avengers) specifically described Tommy in an interview as “every bit as sensitive” as Billy is and that the only real difference between them is that Tommy has “learned to protect himself” because of his past. Like okay gut me why don’t you. Tell me how Tommy is, deep down, every bit as kind and gentle and emotional as Billy except he is not like Billy because he has walled off that part of himself in a desperate attempt never to be hurt again. I just. Oh

i do usually hate when writers have sibling characters call each other “bro” or “sis” but for tommy shepherd it actually makes perfect sense. imagine you’re an only child with terrible parents and Bonus Trauma for sixteen years and then you suddenly have an identical twin kind-of-brother and now you have to like. interact with him. but you’re terrible at expressing emotions and have no idea what to do with family. i know this boy took .2 seconds to go “this is probably what siblings call each other right. cool.” and never looked back