Best of a Bad Situation

[helpdesk_hero]

The worst part is that he can't REACH. Okay, no, the worst part was that he hadn't seen it coming. That he hadn't been better at this. But he'd been taking their kid, their little boy, to the doctor. It was stupid that he even had to. But David wasn't a pediatrician, and he was big on the 'don't treat your family unless it's an emergency,' and so it had been a trip to the doctor for what was clearly an inner ear infection that he needed to get a script of ear drops for.

They'd taken them in the car. Run him off the road and the car had flipped and were it not for the baby seat, things would have been worse. Everything after that had been... distant. Foggy. Terrible until David had woken up in a non-descript room, woken by his little boy, in a literal cage, crying and screaming. David, chained to a wall and bleeding from his brow and dizzy, just wants to reach across to grab his baby and hold him close. Less than a year old, no way he could understand what was going on. couldn't understand why his daddy didn't just pick him up.

"Shhhh, shhh baby. It's okay. It's gonna be okay."

They want his money. They want his secrets. And they intended to let his son get very sick and very weak to make sure that David was willing to work with them.

And he knew it would work.

Comments

[zoomandboom]

"Billy can portal them in two at a time for special occasions," Tommy said. It was nonsensical, since they weren't going to actually go live in isolation with their baby. No matter how tempting it was.

"We'll be staying with you guys anyway, so if we need help, one of you can do it. Everyone else just short visits until we're all patched up," Tommy said, since David had decided. "Just telling them Lucas isn't up for it yet."

[helpdesk_hero]

They're definitely not going to isolate themselves, David couldn't live like that.

"Of course," Teddy agrees. "Given you guys sometimes babysit Katie, we will totally help out."

David smiles thankfully and smiles at his brother-in-law.

"Thanks, Ted. Tell Bill that I'll have a list of things I need from the house soon."

[zoomandboom]

That was probably why you shouldn't make those kinds of decisions right after your family was kidnapped and you were shot. Tommy wasn't exactly rational about it at the moment.

"Thanks," Tommy echoes, tipping his head against David's and sighing, eyes half shutting. God, he was tired. "You're not gonna go nuts working though, either, right?" Tommy asked his husband.

[helpdesk_hero]

“This,” David assures his husband, “is why I gave over you a board of directors to assist me.”

And assist is tight. He retains the controlling interest in Alleyne Industries so he isn’t worried about losing that. “And have a great executive assistant.”

[zoomandboom]

"Yeah, I know. I didn't mean that kind of work. I mean you throwing yourself into trying to figure out how you could have avoided this and making ten new security things and wearing yourself out into migraines and shi - stuff," he caught the word at the last minute, even if it was probably a hopeless effort to not curse around their kid, given who they were.

Tommy just knew his husband. David wasn't done blaming himself and he didn't want that to spill over into him trying to work his way through it when they got out of here.

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh. That... David definitely has a bit of a grimace. Yep, he was absolutely thinking about things. He may have already determined a few different security devices, and maybe some sub-dermal tracking chips.

"Uh-oh, someone is busted," David chuckles.

[zoomandboom]

Tommy gave his husband a tired smile. "You can do what you need to do. Just ... don't obsess over it. Give yourself time to chill out with us too. Deal?" he offered. Since he wasn't going to expect David to NOT think about it. David was always thinking.

[helpdesk_hero]

"I... yeah. I'll try," David agrees, his voice light as he kisses their son's head. Which gets the boy to squirm. Lucas didn't like being touched when he slept.

"Aren't you two just the cutest," Teddy teases.

[zoomandboom]

Tommy smiled at the fussing. "He's already like that just when he's sleeping, he's not gonna wanna let us hug him by the time he's like five," he predicted.

He nuzzled against David's cheek. "Just try, all I ask."

He made a face at Teddy and flipped him off. "Shut up, you and Billy are worse."

[helpdesk_hero]

"He's going to be tired of all of our affection by then. But he's our little miracle boy," David smiles. First at his son, and then at his husband. Can't imagine what else they could want. Lucas was the gift Billy had given them. That he kept giving them.

"I don't know, I mean, I think we have more restrain now than you do," Teddy laughed.

[zoomandboom]

"That's why he needs a little brother or sister. So we have someone to hug when he's tired of us," Tommy said, smiling, since it'd been an ongoing contest to hint about that without either of them actually saying it to see who broke first.

Tommy snorted. "You do not, you're just off the planet enough people notice less," Tommy insisted. "You're both still gross."

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh come on, they've only just STARTED with this kid. Give him at least until they get to a year and a half before they have this competition. Or, well, when past Tommy comes to see them. They're still months out from that, though David doesn't know it.

Sure, the contest existed, but it was still a low level game now for David. And there was no way he wanted another kid at this second. Not until he was certain they could protect their son. Though really, Tommy's hint was WAY past a small one.

"Hey now," Teddy pouts. "I'm not off planet that much. The Alliance are only in the next system over. We don't travel THAT far anymore. Not with warp gates."

"You're still gone a lot. Or being serious heroes," David agrees.

"Yeah, but I'm in tabloids a LOT less than you and Tommy."

Because, well, David definitely was a public figure, and that meant his husband was too. Pretty easy to put together who Tommy was.

[zoomandboom]

Tommy's too tired and still too freaked out for subtle. He'll just flat out say it right now. He just gave David a quick grin.

"More than we are," Tommy insisted.

He rolled his eyes. "We're not in it that much, unless they're deciding David's dumping me for some starlet that week." Tommy still thought half of their press coverage was vindictive because Tommy was never particularly polite to them if they annoyed him.

[helpdesk_hero]

"After this? Expect more," David grumbles. Because this was fodder.

[zoomandboom]

Tommy made a face of distinctive dismay, nose wrinkling. "Fuck," he grumbled, and then glanced down guiltily again.

"David will pay you a million dollars if you go shapeshift into some celebrity and let them see you doing something like kissing another guy or getting naked and streaking a football game or something," Tommy told Teddy. "Then they won't have any time to waste talking about us."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Yeah, uh... We had to call in some help about the media here," Teddy sighs. "Someone in the waiting room tweeted it out when Billy 'ported us in."

"I'm not paying him that much money just to ruin some celebrity's life," David sighs.

[zoomandboom]

Tommy groaned. "Shit. Maybe let the family come run them off after all."

He looked at David. "Asshole politician?" he tried instead hopefully.

[helpdesk_hero]

"When Erik and Lorna get back," Teddy agrees.

"They'll fry the electronics," David answers. But then he frowns at Tommy. No.

[zoomandboom]

"If they fry the asshole reporters' stuff, I don't care," Tommy said.

He sighed. "You have too much conscience," he complained to his husband, shifting Lucas a little. He winced again when his shoulder complained.

[helpdesk_hero]

"They'll remain your favorites then?" David asks.

"Maybe I should ask Billy to let off a frustrated bolt near them by accident," Teddy suggested as he stoop and moves to pick up Lucas. Time to move the babe back to his little bed.

[zoomandboom]

"Definitely top of the list if they piss off the camera assholes," Tommy agreed, smirking.

"Nah, let them do it. Billy will probably get more upset if someone starts talking shit about him for it than they would." Tommy made a little sound of protest as Teddy took Lucas, but gave in, since his shoulder was sore, and he was tired. He kissed Luke's head as he was taken away and then snuggled David in closer beside him.

[helpdesk_hero]

At least they can have this. Safety with heroes around them. The health of their son. Their survival.

"Thank you," David whispers as he closes his eyes and moves closer to his husband as well. "For saving me."

[zoomandboom]

Tommy tucked his chin over David's head, good hand stroking gently up and down his arm, well away from where he was injured. "It was selfish," he said. "Saving you two is saving me. Can't get by without you anymore. I'll always save you or go down trying." Tommy smiled wryly. "But do me a favor and don't need it again for a while okay? I kind of freak out."

[helpdesk_hero]

Well, Teddy definitely knows when to take a step out. He gets to his feet and slips away to take his place outside of the room.

"I don't intend to," David whispers, a touch of a yawn in his voice. "I wanna be safe and happy without you.

[zoomandboom]

Tommy smiled at his husband. "You will be. We'll do everything we have to and make sure." He kissed at David's jaw. "Get some sleep, love. We're safe here, and no one's going to get near you or Lucas."