revivalproject | Buffets and Birthdays

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Buffets and Birthdays

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Billy Hargrove, Otherwise Open
WHERE: Various Buffets, Station Hydroponics, various in closed starter
WHAT: Tommy eating his fill (and yours), Growing Things because of course, and showing Hargrove a good time (no they aren't dating what are you talking about)
WHEN: Throughout March, March 29th in closed
WARNINGS: None

I. Eating Your Fill

The advantage of places like this was that Tommy could always get as much as he wanted to eat without having to rely in protein paste to fill things out. And, well... There was always buffets. And man wasn't Tommy enjoying them now, getting himself steadily onto 'must pay double' or 'do not serve' lists. Which was fine with him.

One day might find him in an all you can eat salad bar, piling on all the alien vegetables and making notes on his comm device about what things he might want to get seeds or seedlings for. Another is a place specializing in a wealth of soups, where he's again taking notes (this time on flavor combinations for cooking). Or, if you're really lucky, you'll find him on a day where he's got three different mounds of noodle dishes in front of him, happily chomping his way through them while just sitting back and watching the alien species around him.

No matter which buffet you find him at, one thing is sure. The staff is giving Tommy a disapproving look of some variety or other, he's got a stack of dirty plates near him, and he's at his table alone. Maybe go up and talk to him. He'd be happy for a companion.

II. Growing Pains

Of course to keep himself fed and to stock up the greenhouses of the ships requires something important: some form of trading capital. And where else was Tommy going to find it than through the work he'd been throwing himself at for years? Sure, he could work as an extreme speed courier on a lot of planets they have ended up on, but the space station clearly doesn't need that. With the various types of transportation it's clear that he'd not be the best price per pound for transport, and it wouldn't learn him as much. Which is probably why anyone coming to take up Station Operations on the offer to do some work in hydroponics in exchange for seeds and cuttings will find Tommy there, at most hours of the day.

Today he's humming softly to himself as he goes through and carefully clips small handfuls of greens from some salad vegetable, meant for someone's dinner, or perhaps to prune things back for better growth. But he still smiles in seeing another He Row and waves them over.

"Hey, you here to be my new assistant? They said that there was someone new coming in to work today. I'm happy for a familiar face."

III. It's Not A Date, It's A Birthdatey | Closed to Billy Hargrove

Sometimes the best thing you can do for a bro is to make sure they have a good day. No, more than that. A great birthday. And it's something Tommy had started planning the moment they set foot on the station. Sure, he was fitting it all around his work, but he was meticulously planning something out.

And now here Tommy was, showing up at the hammock where he's more than once seen Billy sleeping near he water on the ship.

"Hey, Sunshine," he says, smiling as he nudges the hammock. "Get on your damn feet. We're going on an adventure."

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"Something else planned. You don't seem the sort to be ready for a full on party," Tommy admits. "But I remember how important it was to me, the first time I had a birthday here. When I was allowed to celebrate with my brother and it was allowed to mean something and only something good.'

He grins widely and grabs the guy's arm lightly to pull him along.

"Of course I remembered. We're friends, right? Come on, you're going to love what I have planned."

Something else planned. Billy is absolutely intrigued. His last birthday had been in Hawkins, and now it was on an alien planet. Funny how time flew. Damn, he's almost been here a whole year and managed not to kill any other resident yet.

"Excuse you, we're best friends I think we agreed on back in that cabin of yours. And you think I'm going to love it? Tommy, you do not realize that I have high standards, do you?" More teasing that came so easy with this guy.

Tommy grins. He likes hearing that proclamation from Billy. That claim.

"I haven't had one of those in a long time. But I've got to be the best you've ever had."

Tommy winks and then he's pulling Billy along again. For the length of the trip he keeps up a light flow of chatter, explaining some of his plans for the day involving food, which he's sampled at a lot of places on the station so he can give the guy options, he's got the replicated ice cream cake waiting back on the ship for the night, and of course, he's got a gift too. Bought him something and that's for later.

For now, though, he gets them to where they need to go. It takes the time he says to get to the shuttle, and from there, he carries Billy. He's fast. Stupidly fast. Between one moment and the next they've arrived at a door.

"Alright. Time to go in. Don't worry, I have it all covered."

Then he's pushing open a door to a sealed area and the smell of ocean wafts over them. He checks in at a desk, promises he'll get their gear in a moment after he shows his friend, and they get guided back to... An indoor beach. The sand is golden, there are some lounge chairs and umbrellas and cabanas, and, of course...

Waves. Waves hitting the shore. Waves further out. Surfable waves.

"Apparently," he says as he stands there at the edge of the beach, "surfing is sorta a more universally created sport. Tons of worlds have it, of all different types. And this place, I've paid for a full half day. There's a cabana down there, the one with the sea green top, that's ours. I'm going to run back and get your surfboard, and I can buy you shorts and everything."

Definitely a proclamation. Billy doesn't have a lot of friends, so it means something to say that Tommy was his best friend. And it's saying that out loud with his whole chest.

During the trip that Tommy has pulled him into, he keeps up the banter, finding it so easy to keep up the conversation with him. It doesn't feel stilted or awkward. It feels natural and better than anything he's ever actually had since coming here. It feels easier to be open with Tommy. Even if he doesn't tell the guy everything.

He can't, anyways. Billy's mind won't let him.

He gives the guy a confused look when they get to the mysterious door. It feels like a trap. "What are you talking about?" Billy's almost still reeling from the super speed it took Tommy to get them from the shuttle to this door. It's only when they get in does the blond realize what's going on. And then he understands.

It's the smell that sets his nerves alight at first. The scent of ocean, of warmth, of everything he's missed out on for over a year.

He practically - no, Billy runs. Boots and jeans and all, onto the beach he runs. It's not California, nothing could ever replace her golden coast, but it was something familiar. He's standing there, taking it in as Tommy comes up next to him. There's a look of disbelief on his face that's shown to Tommy when Billy looks at him.

"...You rented this place out for me?"

"Well, there are other surfers," pointing to distant figures. He couldn't rent the WHOLE place for Billy. But he's got permission for them to use it. And he's happy about it. Because Billy had run toward it.

"Tell you what, hold that thought and maybe go check out the booth over that way for gear," he says, gesturing toward where there is a stall. "It's all covered. I'm going to go fetch your board."

"Well, you get what I mean." Billy means for it to be in that usual teasing tone, but it's lost here. He's really impressed. He does brighten when Tommy gives instructions to go to their cabana to get the gear needed.

Even more when Tommy says he's going to go get the board.

And he runs off, already wishing he had left his shorts on instead of changing them out for boots and jeans. Boots and jeans! On a beach! What a loser he was. He gets inside and immediately toes them off before going back out just to feel real sand, golden like home, between his toes again.

If only Tommy could fetch him his shorts. But nope, he's got other things to do. Which includes disappearing. And, not a few minutes later, returning to put Billy's board up in front of the cabana. He's already changed into less clothes himself, because he could use the sun, even an artificial one. Just him in a pair of bootie shorts that read 'juicy' on the back in rhinestones. Don't judge him. They were a joke gift and he refuses to be ashamed.

"Sunshine? We need to buy you whatever you wanna wear while you're out in the water."

Billy's rummaging through the gear with excitement clear on his face. It's when Tommy returns does he take in the—

"Are those booty shorts? With rhinestones on them? Pretty gaudy, even for you, Shepherd." He straightens up and looks around. "I couldn't find any spare clothes in here. Shorts and a tank top should be enough, but I didn't bring anything like it. And I don't have any money to pay for it, but jeans are not ideal for surfing or swimming in."

"It was a gift from my brother as a joke, and the joke's on him because I love them. My ass is really just so good that it deserves shown off."

At least it covers the important bits, right? The lack of shirt probably is just fine though. For now, well, he's happy with what he has.

"Come on, I've got the funds. I set them aside for this. Over here."

"I'll leave it up to you if it's actually juicy or not." Because Billy isn't going to look. This is his friend. If anything, he'll only glance and leave it at that. No one has to know.

And it takes a lot of willpower to not look at Tommy's bare skin.

"Lead the cabana boy," he says, gesturing with a hand before following. Looking towards the water, he spots his board waiting for him on the outside. "And you brought my board? Good to know I don't have to wait until spring on Temba to get it in the water."

"I'm a runner. My legs and ass are almighty. My brother may be the divine twink, but I've got a godly ass."

He grins and once they're out on the sand he walks over it, bare foot with no issue, toward a nearby little structure.

"They say the sand is a gypsum related thing, so it doesn't absorb heat, so you can walk over it all day with no problem," he explains with a smile. "And of course I brought your board. Billy, you deserve a good day."

Don't look at the ass. Or the legs. Don't think about it either. There was beach and waves to focus on anyways, so Billy thinks about that. All the things he can do with his board. "That's part of the fun of going to the beach though! If you're not burning your feet on the sand, you're missing a key piece of the experience."

He glances back at it as they get to the spot where they can buy some clothes for him. "I guess I do deserve a good day. I've been on pretty good behavior lately. Haven't even called anybody names. Totally reformed California bad boy right here."

"I'll remind you, Sunshine, my feet are my livelihood," Tommy laughs. He doesn't risk them to something so simple as heat, not when he can avoid it.

"You're still a bad boy, Curls. You're just not being a full ass. And that's fine too."

He smiles and opens the door to the small building, and it looks like a surf shop. Except it doesn't seem as full as it should be for different species.

"Apparently when you enter the stock changes automatically to suitable for your species, cool, right?"

"Not your juicy ass decked out in rhinestones?" He laughs as they head inside to look at the wares. Again, he's impressed. Everything looks too human in here to be right for an alien planet. It's the explanation that helps out and he nods a little.

"I wouldn't have guessed. How does it know? Something like a scanner, like in a sci-fi movie?" He is already looking around, trying to find something simple to wear. Which is easy - he finds some red shorts with white stripes on the sides and a white tank top that'd be loose on him. It reminds him of home and he aches for the life he can't have for a quick moment.

He picks out the clothes and a pair of sunglasses and holds them up. "This is all I need, Daisy Dukes."

"My ass barely gets me anything in life," he dismisses. "And don't ask me. I'm not the science guy. I do plants. Pick out whatever you want."

He'll handle paying for it. That's his purpose here. Facilitate a day that is so good that Billy can cling to it whenever he's hurting or sad. Though he does grab some shades for himself. No shirt though. Going to have to deal with bare and lean speedster grabbing some color to his skin.

"Well now I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all day. Thanks a lot, Cali-Boy. You really know how to thank a guy for a good time. Come on, let's get you paid for, kitted out, and in the waves."

"Plants can be science. It’s botany." He picks out another pair of shorts and a tank (black and blue this time, respectfully), to take over to Tommy. Once they pay and scamper out, Billy starts walking towards the cabana again with the intention of getting changed.

"I’m glad I picked the surprise first because this gonna work up an appetite. And probably better to not surf on an empty stomach anyways." He looks at Tommy. "What song did I get stuck in your head anyways? I’m guessing something beyond the eighties."

Okay, yes, that's not wrong. But wow, don't tell him he does good things. Instead he focuses on paying and following Billy out.

"Well, when you're done there will be food, and I got the cake I promised. But that's for tonight. ANd you don't have to share it unless you want to."

Which is something special and he hopes that Billy really enjoys it.

"Oh, Daisy Dukes. I think that's the name. There's a song in the nineties I think."

Cake? "You got me a cake too?" Billy shouldn't look as surprised as he does at this news. Food was one thing but he's really starting to feel like it's his birthday with everything Tommy's doing.

"I guess I'll share with you since you're going out of your way to make sure I'm having a good time."

Once they're back in the cabana, Billy moves in a little room to change quickly. He doesn't want Tommy to see the scars. They marred him so bad and made his skin ugly there. The Californian didn't want anyone to see them. Once changed, he heads back out.

"Nineties huh? I might have to get a tape made for all of these songs I'm hearing about from that era." Too bad he'll never get to hear it back in Hawkins or San Diego.

"The ice cream cake. I told you I would. Maybe you forgot because you were falling asleep."

But he did it because Billy deserves it. He deserves all of this. Though hey, he guesses he can take some ice cream cake too. So he waits, for now, for Billy to change.

"Yeah, there are probably people who would be better at suggesting what to listen to. Maybe Stark. He likes that sort of music that you do I think? Maybe? I don't know, he seems the sort."

When Billy steps back out Tommy smiles at him.

"Looking sharp, Sunshine. Now get yourself out on those waves. I need to work on my tan."

Because of course he hasn't learned to surf so this isn't for him.

"I don't remember anything about an ice cream cake." Funny, because that insinuates that Billy's mouth was still going after his mind was already going to sleep.

"Stark? Sounds like a tech guy. I'll have to ask him about it whenever we get back to Temba." He pulls the tank top in place and heads out into the sand. "Of course I look sharp. I'm me."

But he takes the command with joyful ease, grabbing the board and heading out to the waves with it. It doesn't take him long to get back into the groove of it, easily moving through and with the waves. One time he managed to get into the barrel of a wave, and Tommy probably heard that ecstatic whoop all the way back on shore.

And he's out there for awhile. It's abundantly clear that Billy loves this, even when he wipes out, he just goes back in for more. Like the ocean was a never-ending challenge he couldn't get enough of.

So he keeps surfing, sometimes waving to Tommy from the crest, and even sometimes putting on a little show for him as the surfboard carves through the water.

After what feels like hours (probably just closer to two), Billy finally returns to the sand to prop the board up in the sane and plop down next Tommy. "That's the best time I've had in years and we haven't even gotten to the food!"

Tommy's been enjoying the 'sun' and the sand, and yes, watching his friend. He had to admit it was pretty cool looking. When Billy returns Tommy just smiles warmly at him.

"You looked really cool out there. And happy. Which already makes planning this for the last week beyond worth it."

Sand puffs up around him as he lays back, arms crossed under his head. He's soaked, of course, but he doesn't care. Billy's having the time of his life. "Of course I look cool out there! Aside from my car, surfing is my favorite thing."

So when they moved to Hawkins, it was his only thing. So Billy had to carve out his place in the student body and put himself on top.

He turns his head to look at his friend. His best friend. "You spent a week planning this for me, Daisy Dukes?"

"I can see that. I mean, the way you moved... Made me think about when I run. How free it makes me feel. You're meant for the sea I think."

And that was beautiful, seeing people caught up in the thing they were most passionate about. Really, he was glad he'd figured this out for Billy. It was like he was giving the guy something special that no one else would know how to give him.

IT was like its own form of superheroism.

"Yeah man. Well, two weeks. But who's really counting?"

Billy feels his heart thump in his chest and suddenly the warmth doesn’t feel like it’s coming from the warm beach under him or the sun above. It’s a strange feeling, and makes him stare a little longer at Tommy than what’s polite.

"Two weeks. Above and beyond the call of friendship. You really are a superhero. I don’t think anyone else would’ve thought to do any of this for me." He gestures vaguely at the sand and surf that the superhero brought them to. "Maybe Max, but no one else."

"You're worth the effort, Sunshine," he says with a smile. "Just wait until sunset. They've got it scheduled for every three hours. It just rises right after unless you pay extra for night surfing, but I don't know that it would be something you'd want."

Who knows what counts as 'night' here after all. So he thought it was better to just let it be what it will be.

"Also, you're worth thinking about like that."

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