Vay Cay

[wearingthestars]

WHO: Billy Kaplan, Teddy Altman, OTA
WHERE: Risa
WHAT: Vacation, Date Night, Under Age Drinking.
WHEN: Risa Event
WARNINGS: None, Will update if needed

A vacation is sorely needed after these last few weeks, and apart from their dimension hopping adventure, this might be the first solo vacation of Billy's adult life. No parents watching over him, no twins to look after. Billy plans to enjoy himself.

The market is full of all sorts of exciting things, and Billy's eager to stock up on things the storm can't disappear on him if his magic shorts out again. Clothes, supplies, even a strange sort of idol that someone seems very keen on him purchasing, though he's not sure why.

The beach is pristine, like something out of a dream, and Billy even has one of those fancy tropical drinks. The kind that tastes so sweet you don't realize just how tipsy you're getting. And it's quickly replaced with another before it's even finished.

It feels like he and Teddy haven't had a real chance to catch up between everything that's happened since his arrival, but this is just the excuse they need to devote some time to just them. It's the sort of date night they couldn't possibly achieve back home without some serious leaning on the magic, and it's nice to pretend for a bit that things are normal again.
"So tell me about future Billy and Teddy," he prompts with a curious hum, leaning into Teddy's side, "Do we have a place yet? Have we picked a date?"

[OR feel free to throw a different starter at him]

Comments

Market

[in_extremis]

The first problem: clothes, and where to get them.

This was not the first time Tony had woken up somewhere completely unfamiliar and had the same problem to solve, and of those instances, this one was honestly among the most pleasant. He squinted his eyes open at first, listening for movement around him, sensing the empty room and very slowly deepening his breathing before pushing himself up on one hand to take in his surroundings. The breeze made the sheer curtains along the patio billow gently into the room, carrying with it the smell of the ocean and sweet, tropical flora; the floors were terracotta brown, with wicker and white furniture decorating one wide, open space with only one interior door opened to a separate bathroom. It was obvious what kind of place this was, but that wasn't helping Tony recall what he was doing there. It was almost the right time of year for the Alternative Energies conference in Vietnam, but Tony was pretty sure he would remember the flight, at least. It wasn't time to panic yet: he didn't feel hungover. But then, he didn't know if he could feel that anymore.

As Tony swung his feet to the floor, he kicked something tucked into the sheets with him to tumble then clatter noisily across the terracotta, sliding to a stop a few feet away, the sudden sound finally startling Tony and sending him flying after it to try to stop the disturbance, as though disturbing this tranquility might make the other shoe drop. Nothing happened. Instead, he was just standing naked in the middle of an unfamiliar villa, clutching what looked like a tablet in both hands like someone was going to try to take it away from him, alone and unmolested. He let his hackles drop, pursing his lips in annoyance at his own reaction and flipping the thing over in his hands a few times to try to figure out where it came from before pressing the buttons. Some kind of homebrew rig? Tony wandered absently through to the patio as he opened the first message, wondering at the lack of security on this thing... This message looked like spam nonsense. We bring all to Risa. Still no good indication where this tablet came from. Tony tapped around to the NET WORK, glancing up at the plants around him and listening again to try to get a firmer sense of where he was, and deciding very quickly that this was not Vietnam. And the 'NET WORK' looked like typical inscrutable social media chatter: not worth trying to read into what anyone thought was important to share with Twitter. He abandoned this as he passed back through the room.

In the bathroom, Tony availed himself of the complimentary toiletries, wondering at the alien packaging as the room slowly filled with steam and finding with every new bit of data gained, less able to place himself in space. That didn't mean he could just brazenly wander into a hotel hall in the undersuit-- if he was here because someone already knew he was Iron Man, that would make itself obvious soon enough-- so he grabbed the plush bathrobe and very carefully combed his hair to try to look more approachable and normal, before approaching the door that...slid open for him. It was so incongruous with the rest of the room's styling that Tony froze again, only carefully leaning out into the hall at first before daring to take another step.

As he approached the lobby, it was clear he wasn't the strangest dressed person enjoying their stay, and it took Tony a moment to recognize what was supposed to be an employee uniform. He had joined some kind of weird, alien, sex-cult retreat. The lady he told that the flight lost his luggage seemed very baffled by the idea, and touched him far more than she should have in a professional setting, but very helpfully directed him toward 'replicators' with a smile that faded very quickly when he squinted skeptically at her. She then offered "Or perhaps the market?"

The unfamiliar intimacy wasn't a unique problem. Most people here seemed to welcome it (sex-cult veterans, obviously), so Tony was hyper aware of anyone who seemed, like him, not to have found their footing with the local custom yet, and hoped he wasn't as obvious as a few of them. The goal was to blend in, so Tony was standing at a rack of clothes and debating between a muted, shapeless sweater (totally unremarkable) and a very small swimsuit (the national costume, if he had to guess), when he spotted a woman pushing herself up against a very young looking kid. Tony watched for a moment through his lashes, head still down like he was admiring what little fabric there was in the shorts he had selected, as she playfully ran her fingers up the statue the kid was carrying around.

[wearingthestars]

Billy really wasn't sure where the intence interest was coming from. He hadn't been this aggressively pursued by a woman since the Young Master's Enchantress, and that had at least been for show. This seemed a whole lot more real, and Billy bashfully tried to extract himself from the situation, though each attempt at distancing himself only brought her closer.

"I'm not- um- I'm engaged, actually so-....and gay. Very gay. So uh...okay- you're super close now-" He held up his hands like he meant to keep her at a distance, still holding the idol that had attracted this attention in the first place, not that he knew that.

[in_extremis]

The only response Tony could hear well was a melodic giggle as the woman repeated, "Gay?" like she couldn't imagine what that even meant. Maybe it didn't have a lot of meaning in this place, but the kid did seem to be genuinely uncomfortable, even from here, and this lady only seemed to have eyes for that thing he was waving at her now. The customs might have been different here, but there had to be some standards. Tony could blend in later.

He pushed his way through the racks to sidle up next to the pair, his sartorial choices casually slung over his arm like he was just here to browse the wares. "Hey, kiddo," he interrupted just as the woman opened her mouth clearly ready to say something that might even make Tony blush, "what are you doing with that?" He plucked the strange little statue out of the guy's hand, insisting, "Stop messing around," then thrust it toward the woman, forcing her to quickly catch it lest it drop to the floor. "You're supposed to be helping me pick." Clearly, this wasn't the least obtrusive way Tony have broken up this Very Special Episode, because the woman looked flabbergasted, holding the statue awkwardly between her palms with her fingers splayed, like she finally figured out there just weren't things she was supposed to touch.

[wearingthestars]

"Gay. Yes," Billy repeated, brow creased as it became clear that didn't seem to hold any meaning, or at least didn't seem to deter her. "And engaged," he tried to remind.

And then all at once his knight in shining armor (or fluffy bathrobe, in this case) came to his rescue, and Billy was caught up in a whole lot of WHAT. He flushed a little, but nodded quickly, eager to get out of this predicament. "Right, sorry- great talking," he agreed, though that grateful look quickly turned to a sort of delighted surprise once they were a few feet away.

"You are about the last person I expected to swoop in and rescue me. How long have you been here, Mr. Stark?"

[in_extremis]

At least he wasn't the only Terran around. That was Tony's hypothesis, anyway: there was no way this was Earth, not with those weird flowers all over the place, but he hadn't been to many other planets where he could count on being recognized as readily. Iron Man, maybe. Tony Stark, only where they wanted to kill him on sight. Was it luck, then, that Tony had found a fellow Earthling? Unlikely. He was going to hang onto this one until he figured it out, though.

"In the store? Not long. If you did anything else embarrassing, that's between you and your best friend back there." He wasn't ready to reveal too much, because Tony didn't know what he could have been admitting to. Oh, I just got here, please take advantage of me vs. I've been here a while, I'm also a local sexual predator. Neither felt great. "And it's Tony, please," he corrected before that habit got too entrenched and he'd have to find another Terran just to train them better. Shaking out the sweater, he asked, "What do you think?" and held it up against the bathrobe, trying to get a sense of how it would wear.

[wearingthestars]

He appeared- on the surface at least- to be handling this all pretty well, but Billy supposed the Avengers did the whole kidnapped by aliens thing a lot more than he had so far in his life. Eventually you must get used to that kind of thing.

"...Tony." Yeah, that still felt kind of weird. Like calling Cap 'Steve'. It felt like a privilege he hadn't quite earned.

He twisted a face at the sweater. "I mean...it's better the robe. Though the robe might fit in better around here. But I could whip you up something more like what you're used to if you wanted."

Clothes Dammit

[doubled_speed]

Shopping is an actual and literal pain in the fucking ass. More than a pain in the ass. It's a menace to society that one has to do it. Still, they are needed, and when you've got a twin brother who is basically the same size as you, it's sorta stupid not to combine your shopping efforts, right? Because then you can get things that two people can wear and double the wardrobe just like that. Plus, you know, doubles as quality time for the twins.

So there's Tommy, moping a bit, as he follows behind Billy, frowning into shop windows.

"Please tell me we're not going to be working on buying anything 'sexy' for the fiance. I don't think I could handle going into a store like that with you."

[wearingthestars]

"I mean, that wasn't the plan," Billy tries to reassure, cheeks flushing a bit. Though there does seem to be a lot of 'sexy' available, it might be unavoidable. "I can't pull that kind of stuff off."

He frowns a little, peering into another shop before concluding, "It doesn't look like we'll get anything too warm, but something's better than nothing." And it'll be warmer weathers soon enough back on Temba, assuming it follows Earth's seasonal patterns.

[doubled_speed]

"Okay, well, my only rule here is that if we get graphic tees, they can't be too nerdy, right? Not if we're sharing them. Not that we have to share everything. Just pointing shit out."

Of course he's trying to tease his brother. It works, right? He hopes so.

[wearingthestars]

Of course it works. Billy laughs, giving Tommy a look. "Like you don't like nerdy stuff too. At least I own it," he teases right back. Though he's not sure they'll find too much in the way of graphic tees here. Still...it's nice, being out with Tommy without the pressures of Temba.

[doubled_speed]

Dude, Temba pressures will always be there. But for the moment Tommy has his brother and he doesn't have to share and that... is the best thing. He moves just enough to bump his elbow into his bro's side.

"Don't know. Think you got all the nerd, and I got all the cool."

[wearingthestars]

They will. But they can pretend for right now, can't they? Pretend there isn't a huge mess waiting for them and just...enjoy themselves.

He half flinches away like he's tickles, and gives his brother a look, though it's really not as though he can deny that one. "Yeah, well...the nerd thing's starting to become cool, so what does that mean?"

Market

[brooklyn_boy]

Steve is on a mission. This might be the last time in awhile that he has access to a place that has actual items for sale. But, at the same time, even with so much at his disposal, nothing really seems right. Steve groans and tries to smile at the latest shopkeeper he's turning down. But before he can go on to the next, he sees Billy. Billy! Maybe the perfect person for this situation.

Steve grins and walks over to him, patting the boy on the shoulder.

"Hey, Billy. Doing a little shopping? I heard during the storm that congratulations are in order! Not only is Teddy here, but you're engaged?"

[wearingthestars]

Steve might be the first and only person to think Billy's the right person to help with shopping of any sort, but he will at least give it a true and earnest try.

He flushes a little at the pat, but nods, unable to help but beam at the mention of Teddy. "Yeah, uh...we've been engaged for a little while now. Longer for him."

[brooklyn_boy]

Steve nods and smiles. Of course it would likely be longer for one of them than another. The way time worked here, they were both just lucky that they came from a universe where they knew and loved one another. Steve has seen too many times where that was not the case.

He nods again and shoves his hands into his pockets, feigning nonchalance.

"That's awesome. Really. I'm so happy for you guys." He wets his lips and clears his throat. "So. Uh...how did...that all go? The proposal, I mean. Did he? Or...you? With a ring?"

[wearingthestars]

Oh. Oh! Billy's eyes widen as his mind jumps to the obvious conclusion, and he gives a surprised laugh, never thinking in his wildest dreams this might be the sort of thing Captain America would ever come to him about.

"Heh- um...it was him. No ring. No plan, really, but it was perfect. I was going through a real rough time, and he...brought me out of it again. Are you-...are thinking of asking...?"

[brooklyn_boy]

Steve nods the whole time as he mentally takes notes. As though a man proposing to another man is something that needs a checklist. But the minute that Billy jumps to the obvious conclusion and asks him, Steve's whole face goes crimson and he forces a laugh out.

"What? I...I...I mean. I don't... It's... It's not..." He lets out an explosive exhale and lets his head hang.

"Maybe."

date night;

[hulkintraining]

Teddy wraps an arm over Billy's shoulders, pulling him closer to his side. In the face of the storm there had hardly been any downtime for any of them. Their lives had been consumed with stress, worry, and trying to keep others from chasing off after illusions. Or being lead away themselves.

Maybe a little vacation time is deserved. With the warmth of Billy's body pressed against his, he can't say he hates the idea. It's the most relaxed he's felt since his arrival.

"We have our own apartment, yeah. Not that we've had much time to unpack everything yet. A lot of our time is taken up being Avengers." Not that he's complaining about that either. After spending time away from the super hero gig it had been nice to be dealing with serious threats again.

"And...no. No discussions of dates yet. Refer back to the part about being Avengers."

[wearingthestars]

Billy bits at his lip with an eager grin he can't quite contain. Unsure as he still feels about his powers sometimes, the idea of being Avengers, Real Avengers, it's something he's dreamed of all his life.

"Who else is on the team?" he asks, all ready running through hypothetical rosters in his head.

[hulkintraining]

"Roberto Da Costa is our team leader. He kind of took over A.I.M. and is using one of their facilities as our team base. Trust me, we're all still kind of side-eyeing it. There's Songbird, White Tiger, Power Man, Pod, and Squirrel Girl...oh and SHIELD sent Clint Barton to spy on us. Because of the A.I.M. thing."

Needless to say it's been an eventful couple of weeks on the team. But he's loved being back in action.

[wearingthestars]

"Sunspot? Really??" And that's only the start of it it seems, Billy's eyes widening and Teddy explains, "Wow...A.I.M. adjacent Avengers, that's....not something I ever thought we'd wind up involved with." And no other former Young Avengers... He worries a bit how Tommy's going to take that, if he doesn't all ready know, though he hopes that must mean the rest of them are involved with their own adventures.

"It sounds amazing."

[hulkintraining]

"Yeah, but he's mostly been doing the suit and tie team leader thing. Making sure everything stays on the up and up at the facility. There's probably a Tony Stark joke to be made since he's practically funding the team out of his own pocket, but none of us have had the guts to say it to his face." Teddy had already told Tommy a little about the team, namely about his absence from it. He's still trying to cope with the fact that Tommy feels like he's all but been abandoned and trying to make amends.

"It has been so far. We've only been on a couple of missions so far but everyone is getting along." They had all shown up to save Teddy and Billy from the Kree-Skrull hybrids after their kidnapping. That's always a good sign of team trust.

[tempredmental]

[Between being young, and then the storm... Keith had been through a bit of a ringer, so an actual vacation was nice. Granted, he'd long since forgotten how to actually relax and enjoy a vacation. It felt like forever ago that he'd been able to do something like that, even going back before he got all tangled up with Voltron and the Galra and the Blades. He was pretty sure the last time he'd done anything remotely vacation-like, his dad was still alive, and they'd gone camping in the desert when Keith was around 8 years old.

Either way, he was here now, and actually looking for something useful... like clothing. After all, they didn't have much back on the world the Agrii were apparently having them use like a home base, just what they had arrived in, basically, so this would be useful, and the Agrii had been nice enough to dump some currency on them. A bag or two in hand, he spotted someone familiar.

Keith managed a small smile in greeting. After Billy found him injured in that cave during the storm, it was clear Keith had been healed up by the Federation medical technology that worked so well.]

Hey.

[wearingthestars]

[Billy flushes a bit, returning the smile with a small wave at Keith's approach. It still feels a little weird to see him at his proper age, and he feels more than a little self conscious about his time playing babysitter.]

Hey. You're looking better. Find anything good yet?

[tempredmental]

[Don't worry, Billy. Keith didn't like when people saw him in that mindset/age. He'd been in a really bad place mentally and emotionally, and had kind of taken it out on those around him. So, he looked a bit chagrined as well, even after they had seen each other in the caves...]

Yeah. This place has one heck of a medical center.

[Keith's brow creased in sheepish amusement.]

I'm mainly just trying to get stuff to wear. I don't know if you've talked to anyone about Drift Fleet, but I got yanked here without any of the stuff I had accumulated there except for a few small items. [He shrugged.] There's stuff, but a lot of it feels kind of sci-fi-ish.

[Keith, you're a character from a sci-fi cartoon. He managed to chuckle a little.]