Wouldn't It Be Nice ~ The Beach Boys

[playingtough]

WHO: Billy Hargrove and OPEN
WHERE: Beach
WHAT: Surfin' USA
WHEN: Daylight hours
WARNINGS: N/A



It should be a crime that he hasn't really used his board here in Temba until now. The pretty white board with green coloring around the edge really popped against his figure and the waves as Billy Hargrove rode them. It was clear there was skill, as he did well in the waves more often than not, with only a few wipe-outs. His board shorts are soaked through, along with his tank top - both gifts from his birthday ordeal Tommy gifted him with back on the spaceport.

If you know Hargrove, and how angry and prickly he is, this seems like a completely different side of him. One that Hawkins doesn't get to see because there's no surf. There's no sand, no sun, nothing that he has in his beloved California back home. And the aliens seemed to understand that giving him the board for the New Tick.

He goes out again, riding through the curl of a wave before he wipes out, coming back to the surface with a laugh before finally swimming back to shore and walking back up the purple sand with it under his arm with the free hand combing through wet curls to brush them out of his face.

Comments

[madginger]

Max isn't ready for it to end, not ready to say goodbye, not yet. So she tries not to think of that fact, tries to just enjoy now, as much as she can.

"You just keep believing that," Max quips back, but truly, if she didn't trust Billy to save her, she wouldn't have let herself be goaded by him.

But she does. She's seen this done enough times she manages without instruction. She has the band on, and wades out until she finds a wave. Of course, she only manages to ride it for a short bit before she wipes out, with a laugh.

It's different from skateboard, from wheels on the land, but to her, just as exhilarating. Even slipping from the board into the water feels refreshing.

[playingtough]

And Billy watches from his spot on the beach. The water licks at his feet, but his gaze is on his sister watching her ride the way without the grace seasoned surfers had. Well, he supposes he’d be the same on a skateboard.

Yeah, Billy isn’t going on one of her boards. At least wiping out in the water doesn’t hurt like hitting the asphalt does.

He trots out just a little when Max wipes out and allows the water to get to his thighs. She’s okay it looks like, allowing herself to slip off of the board back into the water, so he laughs. A bright sound that only she and Tommy got to hear.

[madginger]

It doesn't hurt, at all, far as Max is concerned. The band is a little annoying, but that's a reasonable security, necessary.

Billy laughs, then Max laughs, but, of course, needles him with, "You said you were going to save me!"

Her head's above the water, she's fine. She wades back to the shore, with his board still in hand.

[playingtough]

The only use the band has here might be helping the surfer back to the surface. Usually it was to keep a wayward board from knocking someone else on the waves by accident.

Billy grins with his tongue out. "You said you didn’t need saving!" comes the counter. He meets her partway, and takes the board from her - carefully so he doesn’t pull her foot from under her with the band. "Had enough already? Good luck getting your stupid clothes dry, Max."

[madginger]

"That's what taking a little time on the shore is for," Max points out as she gets her ankle free of the band so Billy can take his board. She does give it a look of longing, though.

"I think I can get it, with more time. If you let me try again, another day." Regularly, she means. If she surfed more regularly.

Max looks down before she admits, "It was fun."

[playingtough]

"It's gonna take more than a little time, Shitbird. You know that. This place is hot, but it's not Cali hot." He takes it up to the beach shack and leans it carefully against the outer wall and looks her over. "I'll let you take it out again. I just wanna be around when you go out with it in case stuff happens, got it?"

He was allowed to be protective of his sister after all. Billy was hired for lifeguard duty for a reason!

"Maybe we can ask the aliens to bring you your own board. Make it red and blue or some shit so we don't get our stuff mixed up."

[madginger]

"Got it. No surfing without you," Max repeats, then rolls her eyes. She gets it, though. Typically, it frustrates her when adults think she's incapable, but this is very new, and getting caught in an alien planet current and swept out to who knows where? Not smart, and doesn't sound fun.

There's another laugh. "Red and blue? Well, at least if there's red involved we know who it belongs to."

She takes a seat on the sand to start drying off and look at the waves for a little longer.

[playingtough]

He frowns for a moment, then gives a shove - albeit, a gentle one. There's nothing too rough about it. "I mean it, Max. No surfing without someone else here. These currents may make waves, but there's no telling what the tides would do, or what was waiting in the water.

"That's true. If I got another board, I'd want her to be blue like the Camaro."

He buries the end of the board in the sand to keep her upright, then plops down next to Max.

"Before you ask, I do plan on going back to the civic center for the winter months. No need for you and Buckley to come evacuate me from here this time around."

[madginger]

Billy shoves, Max chuckles, then reaches to shove him in return.

"I already said I got it!" Max protests, but not loudly.

"Not surprised. Blue for you, then. Red for me."

She laughs at Billy's reassurance.

"Glad you learned your lesson, then. Because we would do it again." They both know she's serious, too. "And I can check on you there." Because she will.

[playingtough]

He lets himself stagger with a laugh, kicking up sand before catching his balance once more to walk with her. "Just making sure that my words get through that thick skull of yours." Billy's tongue pokes out and he settles down a little more.

"I know you both would. Annoying shits, the both of you." He runs a hand through the blond curls. "And if you can't find me at the civic center, try the diner. Aside from Tommy and me being together and all that, going there helps with the nightmares sometimes."

[madginger]

"I think you got me confused with you," Max quips back, sticks her tongue out back at him, but she smiles. They both know they're both stubborn and hard-headed.

Her smile falters, and her tone goes serious with the reminder he still has nightmares.

"The dinner is a nice. They have good food," she points out. A beat, then, "You know. I don't always sleep so great. So if it's the middle of the night, and you just want someone to hang out with, you can call me." She shrugs like it's not a big deal, but actually, it would be nice to have some company, sometimes, and it means a lot to her to be even make this offer to Billy.

[playingtough]

"Not confused. Definitely calling you out for all the attitude." But he drops that for now. Especially at her expression when he admits that he still has nightmares.

"If they didn’t have good food, I wouldn’t go. Then silence again so she can speak. It gives him an idea, even if it’s small… "so there’s a lady in the city, I heard she does magic with fabric and stuff. I’ll ask her for a hammock, so you have a place here at the beach house. I know it’s far, it’s not great, but you can use it."

An offer to match hers. So they could support each other through the nightmares only the two of them would understand.

[madginger]

"I just call you out, too," Max retorts, but she's already smiling, again.

Max's lips turn up. A hammock sounds relaxing, actually.

"I'd like that. A lot," she admits.

"And it's not too far. Not with my skateboard. I can't ride it all the way, but it helps enough."

[playingtough]

"I know you would. It'll give you a place to sleep without feeling guilty about taking my bed from me, and I won't feel like shit making you sleep on the floor." It was win-win really. "But if you wake up in the middle of the night, call me. I'll meet you halfway so you don't have to make the whole trek by yourself. It'll give me time to walk my anger off from you waking me up."

Billy gives her a playful little jab with his elbow.

[madginger]

"I don't feel guilty about taking your bed." She does. "And you are not making me sleep on the floor. So yeah, get a hammock." It's definitely a good idea.

"Yeah, and it'll give me time to cool, off, too, because you'll probably answer the phone like a grumpy jackass," Max retorts, but she jabs him right back, then sticks her tongue out.

With that, she sighs. "I'm ready to head back. I still need to get something to eat today." But this was nice, not that she's ready to just say that.