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."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Billy is filled with them, too. He’s just having too good of a time to care about expressing them. "If you say so. I just know that gold looks good on me."

Sand shifts under him as Billy gets up and goes back to his board. "Looking good with the tan so far, too," and then he’s grabbing the surfboard to head back towards the water. The sunset was starting and if Tommy wants to see Billy with that backdrop? Fine with him.

It doesn’t take him long to find his speed again, going through the barrel a few times before riding that crest with the sunset behind him. It illuminates those blond, wet curls and his eyes almost seem bright like lights as he rides that wave like a professional.

Then he wipes out.

Billy finds the board and resurfaces with a laugh, then heads back up the beach.

Of course the sun agrees with him. Tommy had gotten a bit of his mother's skin tone, and it came out more with the sun. He went a real golden brown. He was going to look amazing once he was in his New Tick clothes.

"Go enjoy the waves, Sunny."

Then the he's smiling and watching. Because it's wonderful to watch him so overjoyed.

He too laughs when it's over. Because that looks like a rush.

Heading back up the sand to Tommy, Billy runs a hand through his wet hair, and flicks the water at the guy. "That was fantastic. Hell, you guys could leave me here for Temba and I’d be almost content."

Wait, almost? Billy let that out before thinking about it but there’s no taking it back now. Oh well.

"Think the aliens will let us come back here next winter? You’ve spoiled me. I’m no good to anyone anymore without the waves like this."

Planting the board back in the sand, Billy then offers his hand to help Tommy up. "Looking like me with that skin there, Daisy Dukes."

"What could get you the rest of the way to content? You deserve that on your birthday."

And Tommy would do what he could to fulfill it.

As for returning, Tommy shakes his head.

"Noth was the first time we returned anywhere. I'm not gonna hold my breath. Need a towel?"

He takes the hand and lets himself be hauled up. Because why not.

"My skin is a masterpiece and I have no shame. Except the scars. But we both get that."

Billy has to think up something quick - there’s too many new feelings he’s gotta work through to be able to answer it honestly. There won’t be spoiling anything on his birthday. "Just that cake and hanging out with my friend. And yeah, I didn’t think to grab any towels."

Another brush of his hair through those curls to drip water everywhere.

His expression does drop noticeably at the mention of scars. One hand rubs at the center of his chest for a moment. "Yeah. I get it."

"Hey," Tommy says, reaching out to brush a wet curl behind Billy's ear. "Any scar you walk away from. I'm glad my brother and that doctor patched you up. You make me feel less lonely, Sunshine. And that's not a bad thing. Thank you."

Which makes him smile.

A lot.

"So really anything that will be good for you, man. Oh, we could hit a bar and I could help you find someone pretty to impress later if you want."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm glad they patched me up. But this body before what happened to me? Perfection."

Then it all went to hell just because he was in the right place at the wrong time. Didn't even know he had been stood up that night.

"Just gonna be a long time before you'll even catch me shirtless, Jersey Boy." He tries to play it off like it's humorous. "So you'll have to rock the tan for the two of us."

A wave of the hand. "I just want cake. Knowing our luck, I'll be completely drunk and gotta pilot, or hungover like hell and have to pilot. Neither of those are going to be good outcomes, Daisy Dukes. Either way, this has been a fantastic day. I got to try out my board for the first time!"

Oh Hargrove, you're about to get what will seem like SUCH a non-sequitor.

"Have you ever heard of Kintsugi?"

Billy is about to go get his board when Tommy grabs his attention with a weird word. "Uh, no. Sounds like something alien." Well, at least he wasn't being offensive in describing it this time.

"Or something from martial arts. Why?"

"It's Japanese, so good for recognizing the sound of the word," he says. Then he moves closer to Billy and turns around. With the sun he's gotten the ghostly network of white scars is more visible on his skin.

"It's an art form, usually with pottery. You repair it with this lacquer mixed with powdered gold. Fill the cracks and even replace broken pieces. And the piece comes out not only stronger, but strikingly beautiful."

Then he turns back and gestures to Billy's chest.

"That's what the scars are. What they make us. Stronger, and beautiful in a whole new way. You are still perfect. Just changed mediums."

Billy's eyes find the scars easily, like birds finding the air. He zones in on them, traces the lines with his vision into his memory. Ignoring the fact that Tommy looks good, the lines reminded Billy of his own hiding beneath that wet tank top.

Repaired with lacquer and powered... well, silver in Tommy's case.

'Silver and gold go together pretty damn good.'

Nothing about his scars felt beautiful. Not to Billy. He had liked being perfect. And now he was broken and his cracks filled with lead. Maybe that's what was holding him down all this time.

"Easy for you to say, Jersey Devil. You didn't see what made the scars. I was pretty fucking close to death when I got here. Probably had a foot in its door because Kaplan and Tae wrenched me back out of it."

"You think that matters?"

Tommy looks sad, perhaps for Billy. That he would think that.

"You know, surviving something ugly doesn't make you ugly by association. Nothing more beautiful than life, Curls. Don't forget that. Take your miracle, thank them for it, and never let anyone take it from you. Time. You'll find it makes it better."

And he really believes that. But he's seen a lot of people with lots of forms of scars. And they aren't bad.

"I ever tell you about David? He has a scar right here."

He puts a hand over his own heart.

"Died from it. Like you. Got his miracle. And it was still beautiful, because he got to live and I got to know him. And he got to see more sunrises and sunsets and have more coffee and laugh with his friends and so many things."

And Tommy misses him. Even if it was complicated.

He misses waking up in someone's arms. Feeling like someone remembered him.

Billy feels the anger trying to churn up in his mind. To push him into acting out and being rash. But he doesn't want to ruin this good mood from being able to surf on his birthday. Tommy put in so much God damn work it would feel awful to ruin all of that.

"I don't have time. I'm living on it borrowed, not knowing when it's going to end. Like someone managed to hit pause right before I die with the finger hovering over the play button." There's some venom in that tone even his willpower can't stop. Because it's true. How long did he have?

His face falls at the thought. He and Eddie, people like them - they were walking dead men and they knew it.

It's bringing up a lot of complicated feelings and Billy hugs his arms over his chest, as though that'll protect him longer from what'll inevitably happen.

"I guess Temba is supposed to be my miracle." Or maybe just a stepping stone to the real one standing in front of him, not giving up on Billy.

"Brave of you to think I won't find a way to bend time and space to find a way to save you and anyone else," Tommy says as though it were that simple.

And maybe it is. Or maybe he doesn't care.

"But here's the thing. Even if I can't, we still have every day we've got. And we gotta live them always looking forward. So keep walking forward with me, until the day you look in the mirror and see the gold you've filled yourself in with.

"That'll be the fucking day, Shepherd," he remarks in regard to the idea of being able to be saved.

He leads them back to the cabana and takes a seat after leaning the board against the wall. Billy's still wet, and covered in sand now too, but still looking like a heartthrob from Seventeen magazine or something. His necklace unsticks from his skin and swings from his neck. "I'm not filled with gold. I feel like I'm filled with lead, dragging me down where I can't resurface from."

He sits up straighter and tips his head back. "Fuck. I didn't mean to drag this stupid shit into my birthday. It's a great gift and all of that. I shouldn't have fucking said anything, Tommy."

IT's almost a shame that Billy doesn't get how beautiful he still is. But it's not Tommy's job to point that out. That's not what friends do. Even if he had. A little.

"Not gold yet. But you'll get there. Full blown alchemist, Sunshine. I know you've got it in you."

And if not that, stained glass. Beautiful shit that. Tommy flops down onto a cabana lounger and smiles.

"Don't worry about it. Sometimes birthdays make us reflective on our lives. And I'm still having a great day. I got to show my friend an amazing chance to do something he really loves. I've been excited about this for two weeks man. Can you forgive me for not telling you about this place sooner?"

Billy knows how beautiful he was, and that’s the downer for him. One day he’ll see the gold like Tommy does. He’ll see the sunshine gleaming off of his scars one day.

"Really think I can turn lead into gold?" He sounds hopeful. Then grins. "Two weeks to plan the best birthday ever? Yeah I guess I can forgive you on that, Jersey Devil. Didn’t take you long to figure out how much I love surfing."

"I am pretty amazing," Tommy says with a smile. "And so are you. So it makes sense that the day is amazing."

He rolls over onto his side and grins up at Billy.

"Pretty golden Pony Boy."

Which was probably not the right quote, but he's trying.

"The fuck is a Pony Boy?" He lifts a foot to push the chair hard, like he wants to topple it over. And another push to try to do just that before he’s off to run off back into the sand.

Who cares if Tommy could keep up. It was the fun of being a bit of a jerk to his friend.

"You didn't have to read The Outsiders for school, did you?"

He chuckles as the guy pushes at him. Come on man, let him chill.

"Don't you have waves to dominate, Sunshine? You going to deprive an old man of his rest and relaxation?"

Billy circles the cabana, wondering if Tommy is gonna follow and then goes back to the door. "You’re not even that old! Just because you’ve got silver hair it’s not like you’re eligible for an AARP card or anything.

Reaching down, he picks up some wet clumps of sand and flings them at Tommy. "Come down to the water with me!"

And runs off again, with those eyes bright and wide.

"Excuse you it's white," Tommy corrects. His hair is snowy and beautiful.

But the thrown sand does what nothing else did he rolls off the lounger and dodged aside with a smirk.

"We really doing this, Sunshine?"

But they are so he runs after Billy and waits until the guy is near the water. Then he moves to tackle the guy into the surf with a splash.

Of course they are. Billy isn’t sure if Tommy plays fair or not, but he’s in such a good mood that it doesn’t entirely matter. His feet hit the water and that’s all he gets before he’s being tackled into the water.

There’s a flurry of bubbles and water as he flies into it with a laugh that gets cut off. He grabs at Tommy in an attempt to pull the guy in with him for his crimes.

Oh yeah, they were crimes. He deserved his punishment, and he wasn't going to try and avoid those hands grasping at his arms and dragging him down too.

Once his head is above the water he laughs.

"This wasn't my intended day.

Billy wrestles him under the shallow water, then rolls them around in the wet sand and surf lapping over them. It felt like it did all those years ago, meeting that guy when he did surfing.

He finally stops so they can catch their breath, high enough from the water that they won't drown. And then it's only when Billy notices he's over Tommy.

Salty water laps up against them as Billy holds himself over Tommy and it's like...it's like the blond is really looking at him. Taking in the tanned skin and bright green eyes, the shock of white hair against the sand and skin.

Billy sees Tommy in this sunset light and it's so different.

Billy's world shifts.

He moves to sit up and give the guy space. "Sorry, didn't mean to trap you under all of my amazingness like that. Don't let yourself get washed away before we clean up and get that ice cream cake.

Play it off, play it off, play it off...

🏄‍♂️

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