Just What I Needed - The Cars

[playingtough]

WHO: Billy Hargrove and YOU
WHERE: Peanut Party
WHAT: A new home?
WHEN: During mandatory ship time
WARNINGS: S3 ST spoilers - in the thread with Sonic



Beach

Billy's found his room, and while he slept in there the first night, it didn't take long for him to... not. Once he found the beach, he made that his place to hang out when he wasn't needed in the cockpit. Which would be soon, just not now. Shame. He wants to test out the engine on this thing. Despite what Keith said that that they didn't have a lot of control over where they went, Billy wanted to push the limits.

For now, he's in the water. Swimming laps in various techniques for it, and diving down to see if there's anything in the water. He's only in his boxers and a shirt, not comfortable enough anymore to be shirtless if anyone comes across the beach and sees him. It's bad enough the wet fabric clings to his scarring like it's taunting him.

So Billy takes in another breath and goes for some more laps, with flips to clumsily kick off the bottom for the next.

FOOD

All that training works up an appetite. So he heads to the diner area, fiddling with buttons. The first bowl gets tossed because that's clearly glitter. He makes a face before getting a container to try out the other buttons. He gets... paste. Okay, upon poking, it's not paste as much as it feels like tofu?

"Son of a bitch. If the aliens think I'm eating tofu, they can go eat a dick," he complains without a thought of who might hear him. The paste looks a little better, and when he taste tests the bit on his finger from poking it, he gives a nod of his head.

"Now that's more like it. Tastes like a spicy chili."

He gets a decent amount of that and another paste (mixed vegetable), before pushing it into the microwave and setting it. That gives Billy time enough to grab a drink - cola. "Get rid of the tofu bullshit, stupid aliens. Bring in beer instead."

OPEN

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Beach

[doubled_speed]

"How did I know I'd find you here?"

Tommy had been wandering around, exploring, making plans. And at some point he'd decided to try and find his shipmates. Partially he was annoyed because this decidedly wasn't the Twin Roses, something he'd been assigned to since they'd arrived.

But change came, and this one was actually a lot less claustrophobic so he could accept it.

And here, as expected, was Billy.

"Starting to buy you're from California, Curls."

Re: Beach

[playingtough]

Billy is climbing up from the water when Tommy shows himself. He shakes the water from his hair and uses a hand to push it back from his face. "You really didn’t believe me when I said I was from Cali?" There’s a smugness to him, as he climbs back up through the dry sand to where Tommy was.

"I could show you that I can surf too if I had a board." He whips his hair around to splash more of the excess water out, then hand-combs it back once more.

[doubled_speed]

Good thing he has a shirt on. If he hadn't Tommy would have felt like shit for watching water run over Billy's body as he got out of the water. Thank you t-shirt.

"There's a difference between 'from there' and 'clearly a selkie or something'," he says with a shrug. "And there's no waves in our pool, Curls. No surfing here."

As he had once before Tommy hauls off his socks and shoes, setting them aside before he rolls up his pants legs so he can step a bit into the water. Just a bit.

[playingtough]

You wouldn't hold a conversation with him, Tommy, if that shirt was off. Can't do that if you're tripping over yourself staring at his body. So you are very welcome for him covering up for you.

"A selkie? The fuck is that shit?" He follows Tommy back down to the water, though goes in further than the speedy man. "Yeah, I know. But a surfboard down on the actual beach would be amazing."

He looks over Tommy with an appraising look, then back towards the sand to see if there's anyone else there. "You know," the blond starts, keeping his voice down in case there's anyone actually around that could hear them, "A beach with no waves is a good place to learn to swim. Like a swimming pool really. Nothing to accidentally get caught in and pulled under. Just easy water. Pretty calm, too."

[doubled_speed]

Yes, powerful shirt. Superpower of allowing conversation.

"Selkies are these mythical creatures. They're seals, but they're also people. They can shed their seal skins and walk on the land."

There's so much more to it than that but it's not important. But it's still right in his mind. A sleek and dangerous sea creature that is beautiful at the same time. Yep, it works.

"Guess you'll need a board first," he says with a shrug. Though now that the guy is suggesting it... he does consider it. It really isn't a bad place at all.

"You going to save me if I can't manage?"

[playingtough]

Billy knew some myths and stories, but selkies were a new one for him. "Sounds painful and gross. Shedding your seal skin? Ouch. Anyways, yes I’m actually from Cali. San Diego," he repeats the known information as if to hammer it home.

A shrug at the remark about the board. "Maybe I’ll get to replicate it. Or have someone make one for me in exchange for something. Firewood maybe. A few hours without my attitude." Another shrug because Billy knows he doesn’t have a lot to barter with.

Maybe lollipops.

The blond cracks a smile at Tommy. "Want me to save you? I am a lifeguard back home at the pool." Or more realistically, he was. "I could always teach you to swim. I did that, too. Heather and I took turns with the morning swim classes people signed their brats up for."

[doubled_speed]

"Pretty sure it doesn't hurt them. It's magic or something," Tommy says with a shrug. But he's not here to talk about that so deeply. No, there's something else to do. Which has him shucking his shirt.

"I mean, I can swim some, but yeah, we'll do this. I'd rather be better at it."

[playingtough]

"I wouldn’t know. There’s no selkies in my world." He doesn’t know for certain though, and is only going by his anecdotal evidence. And he’s not going to think too much about that as he watches that shirt get pried off.

Billy has to quickly look away, and covers any awkwardness by shuffling further into the water. It ripples and sloshes around his thighs. "Go to where you’re comfortable and we’ll work from there." It’s harder to teach someone that was terrified, so it was just easier to keep Tommy where he wants to be.

"So what can you do already?"

[doubled_speed]

Another person would get a sassy 'my eyes are over here'. For Billy it's just Tommy tugging his pants off too, to leave him only in his boxer briefs. See, this is fine.

"It's more that I'm awkward. I can swim, but my legs are like motors. I could show you?"

[playingtough]

Billy makes every effort and succeeds in not looking at Tommy prong his clothes off until he’s only in his boxers. Just think about what you’re going to teach. Easy enough, right?

Right. Easy. He had ignored guys for the longest time, no need to start looking now.

"So your legs just go too fast? Sounds right about you if that’s a right assumption."

[doubled_speed]

"That and I have, like, barely any body fat?" he says with a shrug. "It's not like I've got floating help, you know?"

He sighs and moves deeper into the water.

"So I can swim, but it's awkward. And my legs sink a lot when I'm not kicking at hyper speeds."

[playingtough]

"Show me how you swim with your high motor legs first." Since Tommy had offered that after all. It would show Billy what he was working with, and if he could help a... guy with special powers swim better.

He's already going over different ways to make Tommy float in the water at least. Billy's also not sure it's fully possible because of how lean the guy is. Even with air-filled lungs, those legs will still sink. Maybe Billy should get him some floaties to strap onto his ankles.

[doubled_speed]

Well that he can do. Tommy nods and hey, at least he's got a smooth push off and half-dive into the water. It's flawless. Textbook. Clearly practiced. And then his feet come into play and... Listen, it's a mess of a form. His arms are doing some work to keep him up, he's okay at getting his hands up to breathe, but it's insanely clear from the actual spumes of water he's kicking up that his legs are doing stupid amounts of work. He's churning the water, making an impressive wake, and he's swimming a rather quick and fast line, and it's straight. He doesn't turn well either. It's all a thing

FOOD

[spinsandneedles]

Normally Sonic isn't the kind of person who bothers bugging someone when they're in the middle of bitching about something, he'd been busy testing the glitter to see if it was actually edible anyway (it's not). Look, ice cream sprinkles exist, with the Agrii you just never know. Upon discovering that the glitter is just glitter, he sets it aside and pretends he didn't just try to eat a spoonful of it. It's fine, but he's just annoyed enough to interrupt mister bitchy's bitching.

"Yo, which one was the chili-slime? I heard one was peanut butter and I am not dealing with that again."

Re: FOOD

[playingtough]

Hearing the unfamiliar voice behind him gets Billy to turn so he can see. What, or who rather, it was, was not who he was expecting. The blond stares for a long moment at the moving and talking hedgehog before him.

"Just when I think this place can’t get any weirder, it throws talking hedgehogs at me." He spoons up some paste to eat it before pointing the utensil. "I think it’s the fourth one." Billy’s still baffled at the talking animal standing before him with shoes and socks.

Re: FOOD

[spinsandneedles]

"Now, I know I can't be the weirdest thing you've seen here. Not after the flower-faced murder dogs or the volcano that came out of nowhere."

Nah he really is kind of the weirdest thing here, next to the talking turtle anyway. Anywho, he heads over to the goop dispenser that's been pointed out to him and fills a bowl with some, holding it up to his nose to sniff it before grimacing and popping it into the microwave.

[playingtough]

"So that shit with the portals? That's from my world. And trust me, still wasn't a good time for me here, either." Not when the thing on the other side of the portal was the second most feared thing to him. Idly a hand goes down to rub at his midsection through the shirt before he gets back to his paste.

"Also from California. Earthquakes are normal, and volcanoes are normal on my earth."

Billy doesn't even know about the talking turtle yet.

"Was I right about that being the spicy chili?"

[spinsandneedles]

"Smells like plastic, with maybe a hint of jalapeno? So probably."

He beep boops some buttons on the microwave, aaand now it's time to play the waiting game. Which means it's time to play the small talk game.

"See, I don't know what California is? But you're not the first person I've met who said that crazy portal stuff was from their world. There a lot of you here?"

[playingtough]

A lot. How many counted as a lot. He's silent, listing the roster in his head. "Including me? Six of us here. And one's my sister so if you get any ideas in bullying her, I'll kill you and put you over a barbecue."

That didn't sound like an empty threat. He also didn't know if this hedgehog was someone with more powers than being bipedal and talking to humans.

"California's a state. West coast of the United States. Best place because of the beaches and sunset and nice weather all fucking year. Unlike that hell hole Indiana."

[spinsandneedles]

Six, holy crap. Literally what are the odds of that?

"Bro, I have no idea who your sister even is. Don't worry about it, though. I don't make a habit out of bein' a jerk to people. We're all in this mess together, makin' enemies is about the last thing I wanna do."

Plus his mortal enemy is already here and he's been preoccupied with being paranoid about that.

"I do love a good beach. So, is Indiana where this ...Hawking place is? Hawkins? It was something like that, right?"

[playingtough]

"Hawkins. Right the second time. And if you don't mess with my sister, then you're smarter than you look." Then his mouth is busy working over the warm paste because he is hungry after all.

"But yeah. Hawkins Indiana. There's me, Robin Buckley, Chrissy Cunningham, Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, and Max - she's my stepsister." He points the spoon at Sonic for a moment, then takes another bite. "Hawkins doesn't have a beach though, so until recently, I've been living in a little shack down on the beach here to make up for it."

[spinsandneedles]

Smarter than you look says the guy who grew that moustache on purpose. Sigh it's fine, Sonic will just let it slide.

"Chrissy I know, she's pretty cool."

DING goes the microwave, or whatever weird alien noise it makes. Sonic grabs his bowl of sadness sludge, gives it another cautious sniff. He looks thoroughly unimpressed but he grabs a spoon regardless.

"Can't blame you for the beach shack. Might suck once it starts gettin' colder, though."

[playingtough]

Hey, his mustache is cool for his time. Get with the 80s, guy!

"She is pretty nice." Though the bar for 'nice' is low for Billy. He keeps that to himself, though. He tucks in a few more bites with a grimace. At least it's... filling? And has flavor. The texture was starting to get to him. Another bite and he makes a face.

Yeah, he was probably done with this for now. The bowl scrapes against the tabletop while he makes a face at it.

"Yeah, my sister and Robin came and chewed me out about it until I agreed to move back into the city for the winter months. So I'm living in the civic center for now. Found a room that might've been someone's at some point. I guess if need be, I could come stay in here, too. Bed and beach all close and now fucking snow in here."

He practically throws his spoon into the bowl. "So do hedgehogs usually talk in your world? And are blue? Because that's not a normal thing where I'm from."

[spinsandneedles]

Sonic grabs himself a seat and takes a bite and immediately regrets it. The flavor isn't horrible? But the texture is a nightmare. Ohhh my dude this is gonna be a struggle.

"Talking hedgehogs are totally normal back home, we're not all blue though. From what I've heard, people like me aren't a thing where most of you guys are from. It's been kinda weird."

[playingtough]

Yeah, texture is something to be improved on by a lot. Maybe he could ask Tommy what could be done with it to make it more...appealing. At some point anyways.

"Yeah, and it's weird on my end too. Never thought I'd meet a blue talking hedgehog. And if your color isn't the norm, what is? Purple? Green? Most hedgehogs were I'm from are brown and their spikes are like a white color."