DUPLICITY ➤ IC INBOX

[mph]

IC INBOX
OK Boomer, there is no answer message to this missed call.

Comments

un: HELLION cw: back pictures?? ( misfire )

[vexant]

19278.PNG

Is there a mark? I swear to fuck if you left a mark I'm strangling you.

[mph]

[ what?? Tommy's first misfire and it's very obviously a misfire. ]

wrong person
Don't see any marks tho so I think ur good

text | un: wolverine

[snikthatch]

[ It's a few days before he's capable or willing to even look at his phone, let alone the network. He doesn't watch the video, but he makes himself read the comments on the post, lingering on the exchange between Tommy and Cy.

What do you even say about that? He's very tempted to just leave it and let the kid deal things himself, but he's also pretty aware of the fact that he's technically the most senior of the X-Men in the city, and maybe Scott's lectures are rubbing off on him because he feels a really annoying sense of responsibility. ]

hey
look, I'm sorry you had to see that

[mph]

[ Wow this is not a text he wants to get. At least a few days later he's not entirely alone anymore. Billy's present which is something, and he and Josh had a bitch and vent about it. So he's fine. He's fine. He's handling it. Generally handling it means ignoring the problem, so getting this throws him. It's a very quick sequence of emotions--that same panicked nausea, anxiety, anger, annoyance, compartmentalization. It's fine. ]

yeah well
cant unsee it
its not a big deal

[ And then, not unlike Han Solo asking how the storm troopers are doing, Tommy's fingers type without his permisson--]

ur ok tho?

text; un: BlackMask - MISFIRE

[ewwww]

Oh, baby, Daddy's been missing you so bad.

[mph]

[ what the actual fuck?? ]

wow gross
Wrong number old man
Keep your creepy fetish to itself and lose this number

text; un: whoosh (misfire YOU ASKED FOR IT)

[turbos]

if i do not get laid soon, i'll cut off my leg to get rid of this anklet
my dick is too sad :(

text; un: speed

[mph]

[ Not the weirdest random text he's gotten so far, and he doesn't bother looking at the details aside from the photo (and he likes what he's seeing) so, might as well. ]

ur literally on sex island how r u having trouble getting laid man

text; misfire | @c.snow

[trigeminalheadache]

I'm wine drunk and horny.

[mph]

[ He's taken to actually looking at the accounts now for these misfires--okay, not so bad. Not 50 years old, not his uncle. It could be a lot worse. Dive in Tommy, bite the bullet. Maybe if he fucks with a woman it's not cheating. Right? ]

...okay? And u want me to what, help u with that?

GROUP CHAT | FAMILY v2.0

[mph]

You've been added to the group chat!

text; un: speed

[mph]

[ These all come in, mostly in order and mostly coherent, once the event is over and signal is resumed. Their time stamps vary wildly throughout the week. ]

ok so this is way easier than just txting all of u
whoever gets these messages first just chime in i guess
maybe ur getting these maybe ur not
almost got into a fight w a cop at the elevator
theyre telling us nothings wrong [REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
ok gonna keep investigating

theyre throwing a party tomorrow????

ok party update this guy the creator or whatever
sux ass
bulllllllshit
this city is rlly big and this square is not that full
pls dont be dead guys
gonna b really pissed if ur dead


[ The commentary gets progressively more sporadic, and progressively drunker throughout the night and next day. Some texts are marked as deleted, and some are bounced back to individual inboxes. ]

ok so the signals being blocked up here
so im hoping u r all alive and actually fine
if so just pretend none of this happened & carry on w our lives or whatever
were gonna try and unjam it

[ and the commentary continues sporadically over the next few days, updates on the jammers, the occasional just checking in that ur not dead maybe u got this txt reply if so thnx. ]

text | un: sorcerous

[altersreality]

Okay so don't freak out.
But I signed a contract with Gramps.
It's just to be his sub and that I can work and buy stuff, basically, nothing else. I'm staying in the Down.
He was out of time before he got in trouble for not having one. So I didn't want him to go to sex jail.

[mph]

[ He stares at that for a solid minute. He would be a lot more freaked out if Billy hadn't told him, and he'd just found out by accident somehow. ]

I'm not freaking out
I would have done the same thing probably
we've gotta stick together or whatever, right?

text | un: sorcerous

[altersreality]

[Sent after Billy has spent some time in the Down being Wet and is now feeling strangely sure of himself and his decisions. And also well after The Thing That Happened that has had them barely talking since, save for memes that allow them to know the other one is alive without communicating.]

Okay so this is stupid and we need to talk. I'm coming over now.

[mph]

[ Funny how that whole getting wet thing goes. Normally his response to this would be something along the lines of there's nothing to talk about??? don't come over? But he feels...calm about it? They probably should talk about it, actually. ]

Yeah ok
I'm home
David's out
Bring snacks and as many energy drinks as u can carry

text | post-event

[louds]

Are you actually not home or are you ignoring me?

[mph]

I'm actually not home
kind of homeless atm

[ Nevermind that he's a few floors up in Erik's apartment, but he's not exactly broadcasting any of this right now. ]

why whats up?

text | un: sorcerous

[altersreality]

So I want to ask you something, and you're allowed to make fun of me but if you do, you have to actually answer.

[mph]

interesting
ok I agree to ur terms
whats up

[no_kyouken]

Oi
I'll throw ya some extra cash if ya help Persephone clean up this warehouse she's renovatin'

[mph]

Persephone??
like the goddess??
yeah ok clean up's a piece of cake

text | un: sorcerous

[altersreality]

[Sent in a dramatic moment of despairing outrage.]

Did you see this? I think this is to deliberately sabotage me from ever being able to look at him again.

Re: text | un: sorcerous

[mph]

SAFEWORD IS ABRACADABRA
🤣🤮
I mean p sure he wouldnt say no to a contract if it means keeping u under 24hr supervision

[altersreality]

[Sent after this convo.]

Hey, you want to go to dinner or lunch or something with mom with me?

[mph]

yeah ok
what r we eating?
who's paying?

text | un: sorcerous

[altersreality]

[Sent about a day after the portals]

Hey.

So I'm in the People Zoo for ten days. I figured I should tell you.

I'm okay.

[mph]

dude what???
why??
what did u do??
was it cool??
has anyone tried to bad touch u yet?

un: majima;

[no_kyouken]

[ Majima is doing a general survey of the young people he knows.... ]

The girl's all wrapped up in vines an' shit an' won't answer me

[mph]

what???
who?
vines how?
what?

▐ GIFT DELIVERY ♡

[sidehustles]

[ Reggie's gift to Tommy is an assorted "gift box" of Scratch-exclusive drugs / intoxicants, as well as a pair of glow-in-the-dark inline skates. The card reads: ]

Happy holidays, whatever you celebrate.

- RM

text | un: sorcerous

[altersreality]

Hey if you need me, I'm still in my place with Barry until the end of the month, then I'll be back in the Down until I find a new Dom, just fyi.

We should do movie night or something before I get kicked out.