Re: Billy/Tandy: the neighborhood
“So what would be the equivalent of you wearing a plague doctor mask? A pointy black hat?” Billy’s eyes crinkled at the corners with his smile. He watched Tandy’s contemplation of the herb and wondered if the guy had dreams that he’d rather not - would it be better, to have to dream of your home every night, knowing you couldn’t go back? Or never dreaming of it at all?
“Of course not. What was your bedtime routine? Manuals for graphing calculators?” His tone was gentle and he reached out to nudge the toe of his shoe against Tandy’s shin, playful, careful it was the canvas rather than the sole so that he wouldn’t get the guy’s pants dirty. He made a noise: a quiet hum of approval. “Yeah, totally. Something like that. Past a certain point it was just easier, to be able to split into two different people in my head. I mean, I don’t know that it’s totally separate anymore, but it’s sort of like putting on a uniform. Billy is sitting here, on this bed with you right now. And later, Pesha will have company over for a couple hours.”
He shrugged again, one narrow shoulder raised easily, and then let out a bark of delighted laughter at the expression on Tandy’s face. “Vampires,” he confirmed, smirking. “Or at least the one. He was nice. Kinda awkward, but nice.”