Buffets and Birthdays

[doubled_speed]

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."

Comments

[doubled_speed]

Perhaps they could have given Tommy and Billy days like this, but they chose not to. And that's on them. So Tommy tries to claw back good days wherever he can. Though he has to chuckle at the idea.

"You know you don't have to, right? My brother and I tend to share that day, so I don't expect people to plan for us."

Though they hadn't done much of anything this last year. And that was... okay.

[playingtough]

"Did I mention your brother? No. I said your birthday." Billy gives the speedster a pointed look. "Just because you share a birthday with him doesn’t mean I’m going to plan for him. Doesn’t work like that with me, Daisy Dukes."

He finishes with his helping and pushes the plate still heaped with food to Tommy. Billy did order more than he needed after all.

"Good thing I got plenty of time to work out what I’m gonna do."

[doubled_speed]

That's... an offer and Tommy nods because he doesn't think that's going to work out. Something will happen to ruin it. It's just like that. That's how life goes. Instead he focuses on taking the plate and starting to down the food.

"A practical eternity," he agrees. Because time can pass so slow for them. Or race.

[playingtough]

"Yep, I’ll have to start making notes," and he looks between them while Tommy digs in whole heartedly. "Like ample food. Even if I have to figure out how to hunt or some shit."

Which is something Billy isn’t familiar with. But he’d give it a shot because why the hell not.

"It’ll give me something to do between all the shit the aliens throw at us."

[doubled_speed]

"Don't pay for my levels of food, man," Tommy says. He knows it's not easy to keep up with.

But he'll let the guy plan if he wants it.

"You don't have to strain yourself for me, man."

[playingtough]

"Shut up, I’ll do what I want." Once Billy had his mind on something, there was only a slim chance of him backing down on it. He leans back in his chair and finishes off his water while Tommy eats.

"I won’t strain myself for it. Why do I get to be worth it to plan all this for, and you’re not? That’s not very sponsor/friend/best friend of you, Sheoherd."

[doubled_speed]

Yeah, he will. Tommy chuckles at that and shakes his head. But the other part... Damn, that's a bit of honesty they don't need on a day like today.

"I couldn't stop you from doing what you wanted even if I tried."

[playingtough]

"Nope," with an emphasis on the 'p'. Billy takes a little bit of what looks like a noodle and uses his fork to launch it at Tommy’s face with a devilish smirk.

"You can outrun me, but you can’t stop someone like me." Or, Tommy could, but it’d have to involve fireworks or a sauna. "And who would want to run from a piece of work like me?"

[doubled_speed]

And of course, Tommy fucking dodges. Who wants noodle face? But he's smiling.

"And here I thought I'm supposed to be the unstoppable force, and you the immovable object. But no, I don't think I want to run from you."

[playingtough]

Seeing Tommy grin like that makes his heart swoop in his chest and he’s smiling too. The kind of smile that crinkles at the corners of his eyes and shows off those pretty teeth.

"I know you don’t, because I’m the best around. That’s why I’m your best friend." He’s only reinforcing that status for his own sake. He has to. There’s no way Billy is feeling like this for someone, right? It’s just his heart and mind being overjoyed from surfing.

Yeah.

Surfing.

[doubled_speed]

"Haven't had one of those in a long time," he says with a smile. "Like it. Like the fact that I've got that in you. Like that I got to give you a good day."

[playingtough]

"And I like that you gave me a chance in the first place. Even if I beat you up. And didn’t like the idea of you being my sponsor. And I like that you don’t mind when I don’t answer your phone messages."

He aims another noodle but not at Tommy this time. Just to be a menace, he fires it off into the crowd and hears an alien yelp off in the distance.

"Oops."

[doubled_speed]

"I provoked you. A lot," Tommy points out. "Consider it sparring I didn't bother defending myself during."

Though the phone messages one does annoy him. He's just not going to hold a guy from the 80s to his standards. Meanwhile he's snorting in amusement.

[playingtough]

"You did. Funny how that mostly doesn’t work out for people." While Billy had better control of his temper by now, he knew he was still quite a hothead when the right buttons were pushed. The blond would probably raze the city to the ground if pushed hard enough.

There’s yelling from the other table about the sauce either on clothes or in hair, Billy isn’t sure which. "Here’s hoping they don’t have any cameras in here." If both, they’d have to a hasty exit. "Want me to ask for leftover containers?"

[doubled_speed]

"Nah, I can finish these," he promises. But he reaches out and tucks a lock of Billy's hair behind his ear. "Careful. I hear there is sauce getting in hair, Curls."

[playingtough]

"Get to it then, Daisy Dukes," and he’s about to say something else when he feels the careful hand and flutter of his own hair when Tommy moves it.

His heart swoops again, and then it thumps. It makes his vision narrow down to the speedster. Like the restaurant around them falls away for a long moment before it snaps back. "Yeah, we don’t have the best shampoo onboard do we? Hopefully I’ll have some good beach curls after I shower though." He tosses his hair back and runs a hand through them.

[doubled_speed]

"I can ask my brother for you," Tommy says. "It's how I get the product to keep my hair so amazing."

And his hair is amazing. Don't say it isn't.

"Alright. Give me a minute to finish, then we'll go back to the ship for your cake and gift."

[playingtough]

"Amazing but not the best." Another toss of those curls and after the waiter fills his glass one more time, he drinks half of it.

"Maybe I will bother Kaplan for good stuff when it comes to hair care. I’ll have to figure out what to give in return for it." He had no money and not much to offer, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask at some point.

[doubled_speed]

Give in return? Tommy snorts.

"Just tell him you'll keep me out of his hair and he'll probably be fine."

No he doesn't feel like he doesn't get to see his brother as much anymore now that he's 'seeing' some dude that's over a hundred or whatever. Nope.

"Maybe he'll tell you to behave at your doctor appointments."

[playingtough]

"Yeah, the hard part is catching you." But Billy laughs at the thought and how maybe that’s what Kaplan will ask him to do.

"Hey I’ve been behaving! You can ask Tae, I’ve been on better behavior." Always room for improvements with him though. He pulls the strap of his tank top to the side so Tommy can see the neat scar from her stitches. "The day the… portals were open, I went to her after I took a hit. And I was nice and she stitched me up without us fighting about it."

Which probably didn’t sound like improvement, but it was.

[doubled_speed]

"You assume that I wouldn't be happy to let you catch me," he says with a warm smile.

Though when he sees the scar he hisses, leaning in to let his hand hover over it. He looks... beyond distressed.

"Shit, Sunshine. I should have been there. I said I would protect you."

[playingtough]

Even this close, his skin radiates heat and Billy just holds the fabric. "Can’t protect me all the time, Shepherd."

And he had only needed protection while he was mentally going through it. When he couldn’t function in the alleyway next to the diner. Then he had gotten some sense talked into him, had helped protect Chrissy.

"Obviously I’m okay after all of it. As okay as someone like me can be anyways." There was a lot of mental baggage he as saddled with, and had to work through it a lot.

[doubled_speed]

"Sounds like a challenge, Hargrove," he counters as he lays a hand over the scar.

"I helped kill one of the big monster things. A few."

But he hadn't saved someone important.

"Sorry."

[playingtough]

"It's not a challenge," and that's said with a tone of seriousness. He feels his heart do that weird damn thump again at the touch. A touch that's so solid and warm against his skin that isn't meant to hurt or push or anything like that. His mind reels a little at the positive touch. "And don't say sorry. You don't have anything to say sorry for, Tommy."

He lets the tank top strap fall back into place. "Don't dwell on it. That's unhappy shit and this is my birthday. Now finish up, we've got cake to devour."

[doubled_speed]

Tommy's hand slides down Billy's arm, his skin impossibly hot because of his mutation, before he looks at his plate. Right.

"Don't blink."

And like that the plates are clattering and empty.