Tommy it's your birthday (happy birthday tommy)

[directorofhydra]

Who?: Ward, Kara, and Tommy.
What?: A surprise -ish birthday party.
When?: Backdated to January.
Summary: Ward and Kara talk, plan a party for his brother. Then there's a brother and a party. Feel free to stumble into the party accidentally on purpose. There's basically 2 threads.

The last party that Grant attended for any of his family was an electoral race just before they sent him off to military school. Apart from the disgruntled looks and annoyed, angry expressions cast in his direction all he'd done was sit and drink punch quietly in the corner worried that Christian would turn his eye to him.

That was years ago.

The last birthday party that he had been to for any of his family was lost to his rather fractured memory. That had motivated him to check dates - to ask Kara, to try and have something normal - only to realize that Tommy's birthday had passed. Just barely.

This - could not stand.

He walked back to his room, resolving to plan a party for him.

Comments

[scarredpsyche]

[Cuddling a puppy was definitely something he could work into his To Do List. He picked up Buddy gently, cradling him against his chest, and scritched his little tummy.

Wait, what.] An animal?

[directorofhydra]

You can't tell me that you wouldn't want one.

We always used to talk about having animals. I had buddy -

[He takes a deep breath and looks to Kara] I had a dog, until Garrett made-

Until...he died.

[There's a lot of struggle over the words "he died". This isn't about him.]

[scarredpsyche]

It's not that. I didn't know we could get animals here.

[Well, he'd had a feeling, considering the puppy, but he didn't know where the animals came from. He hadn't seen any besides Buddy and The Cat wandering around the library.]

Sounds like a great guy. [Deadpan. Because no, Garrett sounded about the opposite of a great person.]

[directorofhydra]

I'm gonna find you one bro.

[Ward flinches and stares at him.] ...He appealed to everything awful in me.

[scarredpsyche]

Okay.

[He couldn't turn down an animal, so long as it wasn't anything ridiculous.]

You deserved better.

[directorofhydra]

[Ward doesn't say anything for a moment, he just stares at him with something like longing in his gaze before he smiles.]

...I found better. It just took going here to get it. Kara and I...

And you.

...Well.

[he shrugs then shakes it off violently, like a dog snapping a rabbit's neck before putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.] C'mon.

[He'll lead him down the stacks, looking for the non-fiction animals section.]

Remember how...remember how...

Shit we don't really have a lot of good memories do we?

[scarredpsyche]

[He gently rubbed the puppy's head while following Grant.]

No, not really. But that was mostly Christian's fault.

[directorofhydra]

[He draws in a deep breath and studies him.] Just Chris huh?

[Fuck. But no, no this is Tommy's birthday. He brightens.] He's not here. So...

[They've found themselves in an aisle with books - golden books.] Pokey little puppy. I used to read this to you.

[scarredpsyche]

[It was more than just Chris, but he didn't want to get into things right now. It was his birthday and he had an armful of puppy.]

I remember that. I used to love that book.